More Super Bowl Commercial Thoughts...

After a day of reflecting on the best Super Bowl ads, I'd still argue that from a marketers perspective the M&M and Best Buy commercials were two of the best.

My assessment is based on a mix of how effective I think the commercial is across three dimensions:

1. Grabs you're attention and entertains - nearly all Super Bowl ads did this
2. Sells a clear product benefit that links with the brand equity
3. Strong brand recall (e.g., you actually remember what brand the ad was from)

While many other of the Super Bowl ads did a good job across one or two of these dimensions, few delivered strongly against all of them.  

Some of the best of the rest:

Mercedes-Benz's Soul super bowl commercial

Tide's Miracle Stain super bowl commercial


Samsung's The Next Big Thing super bowl commercial


The other interesting thing to note was how many advertisers chose to go with a long-format spot versus the standard 30 second ad.  There were at least 5 commercials that pushed 90 seconds as advertisers took advantage of a captive audience to tell their stories and seek to connect with consumers in new ways.

Best Buy Super Bowl Ad on target

Best Buy's 2013 Super Bowl Commercial was right on target.

How do you convince 150 million Americans that you can still be relevant in the days of Amazon and Walmart?  You remind your lapsed customers of your point of difference over and over again. The commercial leveraged Amy Poehler in a humorous manner as a technologically challenged and a little outrageous customer.

The ad is right on because Best Buy's only chance for survival is winning customers back on the basis of delivering superior customer service to customers who need a little extra hand holding.  Call it a return to their original secret sauce. Timely, especially given that founder Richard Schulze is currently trying to make a bid to retake control of the company.

Good work Best Buy.  Call it a baby step forward.

M&M's: My Favorite Super Bowl 2013 Ad

Well done M&M's for being my favorite Super Bowl 2013 TV Ad.

Officially titled M&M's "Love Ballard" commercial.  The commercial featured "Glee" star Naya Rivera and Red M&M, with a Meat Loaf classic song playing in the background. Take a look...



Not only is the Ad humorous and entertaining, but it also sold the product benefit and had strong brand linkage - two important criteria many Super Bowl commercials forget about.

On Second Thought - JCPenney Brings Back Sales

Attention shoppers, a JCPenney sale will be coming to a store near you soon! 

That's right, nearly one year after announcing it was phasing out its traditional sales promotion strategy, JCPenney has done an about-face and will now significantly increase its pricing discounting strategy.  This step is aimed at increasing traffic by making the chain appear more price competitive to its peer set.

By killing traditional promotions, JCP severely damaged its value perception.  In an effort to further battle negative consumer value perceptions, JCP will also introducing price tags that include also show what competitors are charging for the same merchandise.  The big question is it too little, too late given JCP same store sales declined over 25% in 2012?

JCP's major mistake was thinking they could retrain consumer behavior - that is train consumers to move from shopping a high/low strategy to an everyday low price mindset - consumers love a value treasure hunt. Needless to say this would be an extremely difficult task for even the strongest brand to take on (e.g., Apple), but it proved to be an impossible for a merely average brand with limited equity and loyalty.  Sorry CEO Ron Johnson, you cannot turn a JCP into Apple overnight.

The sad thing is that much of Ron Johnson's transformation turnaround plan is right on - building a portfolio of exclusive brands, dramatically revolutionizing the JCP shopping experience and re-staging the brand image.  If he had only been more patient and executed these strategic elements prior to changing the promotion strategy as opposed to trying to move simultaneously, he may have successfully increased consumer traction, loyalty and advocacy.  This would have then given him more permission to then cut back the level of promotion.

Toyota Corolla 'It's a Trap' TV Commercial

An example of another great TV ad, this one surprisingly from Toyota...



I'm not sure how old this Toyota TV commercial is or in what country it aired in, but its a fantastic ad.  Not only does it capture the audience and entertain, but it sells the car's primary consumer benefit and connects deeply with the brand's equity in a clever and authentic manner. 

Coke's 'Coming Together' Obesity TV Ad

Coca-Cola just launched a new tv campaign entitled 'Coming Together' that seeks to address concerns about soda's role in the nation's obesity problem.  The campaign is supported by a 2 minute tv ad...



It's an interesting advertisement in that it pushes consumers to consider better for solutions versus full calorie sodas without fully condemning Coca-Cola, and in fact praises how proactive the company has been about delivering better for you alternatives.  It's done in a smart way as to be honest about the connection of full calorie soda consumption with weight gain, but also actual has an strong underline sales message about many other products in Coke's product portfolio such as Dasani, Vitamin Water, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, and juices.  In reality, the tv commercial is not really an admission of fault, but rather a scale advertisement for all of Coke's better for you products. 

Is it dishonest to be selling products while trying to look like their doing the right thing?  No, I think its a smart business approach.  Granted, I think health nuts (and many non-health nuts) would argue that the artificial sweeteners in many of their no or low calorie beverages are actually worse for you than the full calorie alternatives.

Nike's New Ad - Tiger Woods vs. Roy McIlroy

Nike just launched a great new tv commercial (Nike Golf: No Cup Is Safe) staring Tiger Woods vs. Roy McIlroy. Take a look. . .



Call it the new take on the old Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan McDonald's commercials . . .



Call it a passing of the torch, call it whatever you want.  It may not be the most original advertising idea, but it's simple a great tv ad and breaths life back into Nike Golf. 

Chevy no longer 'Runs Deep', but will 'Find New Roads'. At least for the time being...

Chevy recently announced that it was replacing its tag-line "Chevy Runs Deep" with the new tag-line "Find New Roads".

"Chevy Runs Deep"was launched in 2010 and only lasted a few years.  Though switching tag-lines is nothing new for the General Motor's brand.  Past tag-lines include "See the USA in Your Chevrolet," "Heartbeat of America,", and "An American Revolution".  The question is will this new tag-line have more sticking power?  

My guess is no.  My guess is Chevy will be searching for a new tag-line in another few years and they could have better spent the few million dollars they invested on this re-launch effort on something else that better built the brand. 

It's not that I don't like the tag-line from a creative standpoint.  And, I'm confident all the consumer research GM surely did prior to rolling out the new tag-line showed positive consumer sentiment.  After all, "Find New Roads" is very likable.  Its optimistic and it points towards the future not the past.  It grabs hold of the current America sentiment for wanting something new, something better.  The problem is that being popular with consumers in testing, doesn't necessarily make it a successful tag-line.

So what makes a successful tag-line?  There are four elements that have to be true:

1. It has to be unique
2. It has to be ownable (by connecting to the brand heritage or underlining equity)
3. It has to brings to life a consumer benefit (ideally a high order benefit than just the product performance)
4. It has to have the potential to tug at the consumer heartstrings or make an emotional connection

To me the biggest problem with the new Chevy tag-line is it doesn't resonate as an unique, ownable benefit that only Chevy can deliver on.  What about find new roads distinctly connects with the Chevy brand?  For me, the line fails to connect with the brand heritage and brand equity.  While it is clever, I struggle with the brand linkage to Chevy and that makes the tag-line feel empty and somewhat soulless to me.  

Aspirational for sure. A great internal compass to guide the future development.  Just not a great fit from a consumer branding standpoint.

     

McDonald's McRib . . . It's back!

That's right, it's back . . . McDonald's McRib sandwich returned to restaurants nationwide today.

Historically, it was up to the local franchises to decide if/when they wanted to sell the McRib – except in Germany where interestingly enough it's nearly always available.  However, the last few years McDonald's began running the McRib as a national promotion to great success and has decided to duplicate the event again this year.

Given its cult-like following and the amount of consumer excitement generated every time the McRib is re-released, some people might wonder why McDonald's doesn't just make it available on an everyday basis.

Despite its fanfare, the reality is that the sandwich does not actually sell at a fast enough velocity to justify everyday distribution.  In fact, this year's release date was originally targeted to be October 22, but McDonald's decided to delay the release due to unseasonably warm weather earlier in the fall.  That's right, McRib lovers can blame global warming for the delay.  As it turns out, McDonald's research indicates the McRib sandwich performs best in colder weather and specifically around the holidays, when evidently the appetite for pork is at its highest.

To it's credit, McDonald's has smartly realized it can use the McRib as a limited time only offer to drive traffic.  What began as a small promotion has actually turned into a brilliant marketing strategy where McDonald's effectively creates scarcity to drum up consumer demand and play to consumers' obsession for the sandwich.

And it works!  The proof is in the sandwich as well as in McRib's strong social media following on Facebook, Twitter, and even a consumer created unofficial McRib Locator website, which attempts to identify "possible" sightings of the McRib at McDonald's.

Pizza Hut creates a perfume, seriously!

What began as a marketing joke on Facebook, has now become an international public relations attention grabber, with even Conan O'Brien picking up the story.

It started with a simple set of questions Pizza Hut Canada posted on its Facebook page: “Do you love the smell of a box of Pizza Hut pizza being opened?  We thought so. If that smell was a perfume, what would it be called?”

Following the positive response from it's facebook fans, marketers at Pizza Hut Canada decided to actually launch a limited time only Pizza Hut Perfume, a new fragrance inspired by the smell of a box of pizza being opened. The pizza chain then offered the roughly 100 bottles it produced to many of the facebook fans who initially had responded to the original post.  This of course has generated thousands of additional media impression across North America.

Following the success of the stunt, Pizza Hut Canada's Marketing and product development director, Beverley D'Cruz, explained "for now, we've only produced 110 bottles of Eau de Pizza Hut, but who knows what the future has in store," she said. "The good news is people can enjoy the great smell of fresh Pizza Hut pizza any day of the week by ordering one of our signature crust pizzas."

Well some times grassroots buzz marketing really takes off...and generates a disproportionate amount of consumer impressions for a fraction of the cost of traditional media.  Even if it was a joke, its go consumers thinking and talking of Pizza Hut . . . and I honestly cannot remember the last time that happened.  While a comical execution, the initial post that helped trigger peoples positive associations with the scent of their pizza highlights how important stimulating all of the 5 senses are in delivering both a winning customer experience and great marketing.

Alright, for everybody out there still rolling their eyes about the thought of a Pizza Hut perfume, the amazing thing is this wasn't even the first time a major restaurant chain ran a scent based promotion to drum up their most loyal consumers as Burger King created a meat-scented men's body spray back in 2008. BK's "The Flame” embodied “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.”

Why Walmart or Kroger could buy Hostess

The latest M&A rumor mill reports that both Walmart and Kroger are among a dozen or so potential bidders for the now bankrupt Hostess brands, which include classic American iconic brands such as Wonder Bread and Twinkie.

On the surface a grocery retailer buying a national packaged food manufacturer seems like an odd fit, because if either tore won the bidding process and ultimately integrated the business they'd most probably either pull the brands' distribution from competitors shelves or eventually get kicked out.  The resulting lose of distribution would almost surely mean that the brand sales would shrink resulting in a smaller business.

However, retailer times are a changing.  With the emergence of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Costco, Dollar Stores, and even Big Lots into the grocery space, traditional supermarkets like Kroger are facing more pressure than ever, while Walmart (the largest seller of groceries in the US) is also getting squeezed.  This means traditional grocery stores have had to differentiate themselves and give consumers new reasons to visit - developing winning private label businesses has been a major component if these efforts.

While supermarkets have seen success with private label and many retailers have even added multiple different private label brands, up until this point adding in exclusive national brands has not been a major strategy of in the traditional grocery industry.  The only notable exception that comes to mind is Walmart exclusive brand 'White Cloud' toilet paper, which was actually recently named Consumer Reports top toilet paper in the nation.  White Cloud was original created by Procter & Gamble and at one point was a leading 2-ply toilet paper in the U.S., but P&G decided to kill it and invest all their resources behind Charmin.  P&G then made the fatal mistake of allowing their trademark rights on White Cloud to expire and the right were quickly snatched up by Paper Partners, which later agreed to give Walmart exclusive U.S. selling rights.

On the other hand, departments stores have been proving that building a compelling exclusive brand strategy has worked to rebuilding store traffic and driving growth.  For example, Macy's, which has a stable of exclusive brands, reportedly generates over 40 percent of its revenue from private, exclusive and limited-distribution brands (including: Ellen Tracy, Threads & Heirs, mstylelab, Kouture by Kimora and Kenneth Cole REACTION men’s, American Rag, Charter Club, INC International Concepts, Martha Stewart Collection and Hotel Collection). JC Penney has been following a similar strategy by being the exclusive department store retailer for brands such as Liz Claiborne, MNG by Mango and Call it Spring by The Aldo Group.

Thus, it's not surprising that the concept will eventually make it's way into the supermarket space.  Supermarkets executives have become increasingly more savvy in acting like CPG manufacturers and now their private label development capabilities would allow them to easily expand the strong brand names to new products cheaply and efficiently because they could guarantee themselves shelf space and promotion support.  And there is no better platform to start building your exclusive brand portfolio tan on the back of iconic American heritage brands.

He "doesn't always drink beer", but he always represents Dos Equis

Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who is better know as Dos Equis' titled "The Most Interesting Man in the World", is causing a stir by throwing his clout behind Obama and hosting a fundraiser for the president.

This political activism is evidently upsetting some consumers, who in turn are taking it out on Dos Equis by posting their displeasure on the brand's Facebook page. An Ad Age article captured the following quotes: "Since you are supporting Obama you just lost a customer". . . "Mexican beer for Obama............bye-bye Dos Equis"

Dos Equis moved to distance itself from the controversy by releasing a statement saying: "Mr. Goldsmith's opinions and views are strictly his own, and do not represent those of Dos Equis."  But unlike some celebrity spokesman, Goldsmith's character is closer to a brand mascot. Therefore, he's not only the face of the brand, but also encompasses the full essence of the brand image/equity.  So, how can his views not represent the brand in consumers' minds?

There's no doubt that "The Most Interesting Man In the World" campaign has been a tremendous success, perhaps one of the best advertising campaigns in recent CPG history, but anytime you leverage a spokesman you turn over some control of the brand to them. It would be easy for Goldsmith to highjack the brand, but it doesn't feel like he's doing that here and hosting a political fundraiser for the sitting president is far from committing a crime. So, in this case I think it's more what you do about nothing versus a real brand concern at this point. Sure the brand may lose a few consumers, but it's just as likely to gain a few and in the meantime pick up a little free PR.  The big question it raises, is does Dos Equis have a longterm transition plan?  At some point the brand will have to move on from Goldsmith and that transition will need to be made slowly over time as not to confuse or upset consumers.

The Classic Volkswagen Beetle Reinvented for 2012

I really like the new Volkswagen Beetle TV commercial.  It does an excellent job celebrating the iconic status of the VW Beetle in American folklore and then connecting that iconic status to today's world by showing the car is just as relevant and charming as ever.  Take a look...



Great job VW, Great job

Axe. Hair. It's What Girls See First

Axe is back at it again with a new controversial tv ad focused on its hair care products.

The ad tells a story of a budding office romance by showing a man represented by a cartoon of a man's hair and a women represented by a cartoon of a women's chest to play up the importance of the fact that hair is the first thing women notice in a man, just as the stereotype would be a woman's chest is the first thing the man notices.  Take a look...

I admit that I'm not the target for this ad as it is clearly focused Axe's prime prospect of teenaged boys.   Nevertheless, I do not think the ad is highly effective for a few reasons.  First, while it catches a viewers attention with its unique imagery of a women's chest, it's confusing and the viewer has to figure out what's going on and why.  Second, the ad is very weak in terms of branding and doesn't sell me on why Axe is uniquely positioned to help win the girl.

Consumer Good Manufacturers Are Going Retail

Consumer product good manufacturers are going retail.  Not sure when it started, but as an ex-P&Ger I'll give Procter & Gamble credit for starting the trend a few years ago with the launch of Tide Dry Cleaners and the Mr. Clean Car Wash

In the last few months this trend of CPG manufacturers opening their own retail stores appears to have accelerated.  McCormick recently opened a store in Maryland...

...while Dannon and Chobani have both opened up restaurants in New York City...

...and now Barilla, yep the pasta company, has also announced it will open its first restaurant.

So, what's behind this invest in retail outlets?  It's an attempt for brands to take stronger control of their value chain by owning the customer experience at point of purchase.  It also gives manufacturers a way to present, as well as boost, their brand equity in ways that aren't possible in a traditional grocery store.  Finally, it allows brands to uncover new consumer insights by directly interacting with its end users, test new products, and drive awareness.  Apparel brands have been doing this for years as they have understood the value of protecting their brand image and promoting the lifestyle aspect of their brands.  As brand experience continues to become a more important aspect of marketing, I'd anticipate this retailing trend continuing.