There is no doubt that the advertisement grabs your attention and pulls at your heart string, in this way its a great commercial. One could argue that despite the advertisement being memorable, it fails to drive strong brand recall. But in this case the Paper and Packaging Board isn't trying to make a branding play or even convince anybody to make a specific purchase, but rather remind consumers that there is still an important role for personalize, physical communication in an increasingly digital world.
Showing posts with label Advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advertising. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
The Paper and Packaging Board Creates A TV Advertisement, And It's Great!
The Paper and Packaging Board is an association I never expected to see an advertisement from, let alone get me to stop and notice it. However, that's exactly what its "Letters to dad" advertisement recently did around the campaign theme of "how life unfold". The advertisement was created back in 2015, although I only saw it for the first time this past weekend. Take a look...
There is no doubt that the advertisement grabs your attention and pulls at your heart string, in this way its a great commercial. One could argue that despite the advertisement being memorable, it fails to drive strong brand recall. But in this case the Paper and Packaging Board isn't trying to make a branding play or even convince anybody to make a specific purchase, but rather remind consumers that there is still an important role for personalize, physical communication in an increasingly digital world.
There is no doubt that the advertisement grabs your attention and pulls at your heart string, in this way its a great commercial. One could argue that despite the advertisement being memorable, it fails to drive strong brand recall. But in this case the Paper and Packaging Board isn't trying to make a branding play or even convince anybody to make a specific purchase, but rather remind consumers that there is still an important role for personalize, physical communication in an increasingly digital world.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Coca-Cola "One Brand" Approach Likely To Fail
Facing declining soda category trends in the United States and flat category growth globally, Coca-Cola is launching a new go-to-market strategy aimed at securing its market share and growth prospects.
The heart of this new strategy is unifying Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Coca-Cola Life under a "one brand" marketing brand campaign and packaging architecture design. Historically, the company has treated the variants more as individual brands. The new design will be rolled out in Mexico first this May, with other markets adopting the new packaging throughout 2016 and 2017, with the US likely at the tail end of the transformation.
The marketing campaign will be based on the "Taste the Feeling" concept and supported by 10 TV ads, digital, print, out-of-home, and point of sale materials. The objective of this effort is to have all variants of Coca-Cola will be unified under this message and speak together as one voice instead of separate marketing for Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Coca-Cola Life.
The packaging design is also aimed at driving a greater sense of brand unity and halo across the business. All of the Coke variants will now all display the signature Red Disc, although the different variants will still feature a splash of their own unique colors: black for Coke Zero, silver for Coca-Cola Light/Diet Coke and green for Coca-Cola Life. Marcos de Quinto, Coca-Cola CMO explained this decision by saying "Packaging is our most visible and valuable asset, . . .The Coca-Cola Red Disc has become a signature element of the brand, synonymous with great taste, uplift and refreshment. By applying it to our packaging in such a bold way, we are taking the next step towards full adoption of the 'One Brand' strategy, uniting the Coca-Cola family under one visual identity and making it even easier for consumers to choose their Coca-Cola with or without calories, with or without caffeine." Although the company admitted it is still working to determine the exact packaging execution of this vision in the US where Diet Coke has a large market share and utilizes "Coke" on its packaging vs. the other variants, which use the more formal "Coca-Cola".
My take on this brand strategy approach is simple - it's a mistake and will likely fail.
The objective of this strategy is to clearly drive greater scale, which from a marketing standpoint traditionally means driving greater efficiency in advertising spending (e.g., getting a bigger bang for your buck because any advertisement should now drive sales across the broader brand portfolio vs. just one Coke variant like the historic marketing was targeted). Accepting this premise would obviously seem very financially attractive as it would allow Coke to reduce its overall marketing budget because it no longer needs to run four independent advertisements to support the four different variants, it can now look to drive all four behind one advertisement. However, I would argue that any shorter-term cost savings will be more than offset by longer-term revenue declines because the effectiveness of the 'one brand' advertisement will likely be lower than Coke's historic variant focused approach. This is the case because to make this strategy work, Coke effectively needs to dilute its messaging to the least common denominator that halos across all four variants. What made Diet Coke and Coke Zero so powerful is they each spoke to two very different target consumers than original Coke and I worry that one advertising campaign will soften the brand's ability to both target and resonate as deeply with each individual target, instead opting for being a bit of everything for everybody.
From a packaging standpoint, the company is also clearly trying to make a scale play by increasing the visual brand block at shelf with a sea of red. This in theory should grab more consumer attention in store. Additionally, for a design purist standpoint, the simplicity of the new brand architecture is far more beautiful than the current disaggregated design. However, sometimes the uglier solution is the more effective solution from a consumer standpoint. What consumer has ever complained they cannot find Coke on the shelf? I have real worries that the new packaging will lead to significant confusion at the shelf and in some cases will lead to the consumer either walking away empty handed or with the wrong item. Simply put the packaging is just too similar across variants to allow the consumer to quickly find their variant of choice - especially in a category dominated by a grab and go mentality. Additionally, from an on-pack communication standpoint, the variant name is in the wrong location on the can and bottle. It should be below the brand name where consumers eyes are trained to expect it, as opposed to up top. The location on the top of the label is likely to be missed by many consumers based on the fact that the packaging pulls their eye directly to the brand logo and consumers are trained to read down, and not glance back up. Finally, I'd argue consumers have a strong affinity for the can color of their personal favorite variant. In many ways, what can color can you prefer has come to express something about your personality to yourself and others in our society - not necessarily good or bad - but something about who you are. I'm a black can (Coke Zero) guy. I don't think consumers will ever articulate this, but I expect the black can people and the silver can (Diet Coke) people to have some hesitations about picking up a new red disc can. I think they'll miss how their old can helped expression a very small piece of their personality. In this way, Coke will be a victim of its own historic success.
The heart of this new strategy is unifying Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Coca-Cola Life under a "one brand" marketing brand campaign and packaging architecture design. Historically, the company has treated the variants more as individual brands. The new design will be rolled out in Mexico first this May, with other markets adopting the new packaging throughout 2016 and 2017, with the US likely at the tail end of the transformation.
The marketing campaign will be based on the "Taste the Feeling" concept and supported by 10 TV ads, digital, print, out-of-home, and point of sale materials. The objective of this effort is to have all variants of Coca-Cola will be unified under this message and speak together as one voice instead of separate marketing for Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Coca-Cola Life.
The packaging design is also aimed at driving a greater sense of brand unity and halo across the business. All of the Coke variants will now all display the signature Red Disc, although the different variants will still feature a splash of their own unique colors: black for Coke Zero, silver for Coca-Cola Light/Diet Coke and green for Coca-Cola Life. Marcos de Quinto, Coca-Cola CMO explained this decision by saying "Packaging is our most visible and valuable asset, . . .The Coca-Cola Red Disc has become a signature element of the brand, synonymous with great taste, uplift and refreshment. By applying it to our packaging in such a bold way, we are taking the next step towards full adoption of the 'One Brand' strategy, uniting the Coca-Cola family under one visual identity and making it even easier for consumers to choose their Coca-Cola with or without calories, with or without caffeine." Although the company admitted it is still working to determine the exact packaging execution of this vision in the US where Diet Coke has a large market share and utilizes "Coke" on its packaging vs. the other variants, which use the more formal "Coca-Cola".
My take on this brand strategy approach is simple - it's a mistake and will likely fail.
The objective of this strategy is to clearly drive greater scale, which from a marketing standpoint traditionally means driving greater efficiency in advertising spending (e.g., getting a bigger bang for your buck because any advertisement should now drive sales across the broader brand portfolio vs. just one Coke variant like the historic marketing was targeted). Accepting this premise would obviously seem very financially attractive as it would allow Coke to reduce its overall marketing budget because it no longer needs to run four independent advertisements to support the four different variants, it can now look to drive all four behind one advertisement. However, I would argue that any shorter-term cost savings will be more than offset by longer-term revenue declines because the effectiveness of the 'one brand' advertisement will likely be lower than Coke's historic variant focused approach. This is the case because to make this strategy work, Coke effectively needs to dilute its messaging to the least common denominator that halos across all four variants. What made Diet Coke and Coke Zero so powerful is they each spoke to two very different target consumers than original Coke and I worry that one advertising campaign will soften the brand's ability to both target and resonate as deeply with each individual target, instead opting for being a bit of everything for everybody.
From a packaging standpoint, the company is also clearly trying to make a scale play by increasing the visual brand block at shelf with a sea of red. This in theory should grab more consumer attention in store. Additionally, for a design purist standpoint, the simplicity of the new brand architecture is far more beautiful than the current disaggregated design. However, sometimes the uglier solution is the more effective solution from a consumer standpoint. What consumer has ever complained they cannot find Coke on the shelf? I have real worries that the new packaging will lead to significant confusion at the shelf and in some cases will lead to the consumer either walking away empty handed or with the wrong item. Simply put the packaging is just too similar across variants to allow the consumer to quickly find their variant of choice - especially in a category dominated by a grab and go mentality. Additionally, from an on-pack communication standpoint, the variant name is in the wrong location on the can and bottle. It should be below the brand name where consumers eyes are trained to expect it, as opposed to up top. The location on the top of the label is likely to be missed by many consumers based on the fact that the packaging pulls their eye directly to the brand logo and consumers are trained to read down, and not glance back up. Finally, I'd argue consumers have a strong affinity for the can color of their personal favorite variant. In many ways, what can color can you prefer has come to express something about your personality to yourself and others in our society - not necessarily good or bad - but something about who you are. I'm a black can (Coke Zero) guy. I don't think consumers will ever articulate this, but I expect the black can people and the silver can (Diet Coke) people to have some hesitations about picking up a new red disc can. I think they'll miss how their old can helped expression a very small piece of their personality. In this way, Coke will be a victim of its own historic success.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Joe Biden My Winner of Best Political Ads of 2015
No politics from me, yet. However, I did want to share my favorite campaign advertisement to date based purely on the criteria that the ads stop and pull you in. Needless to say, the campaign did not, however, accomplish its mission.
- "Published on Oct 13, 2015: This is the second television ad released by the Draft Biden 2016 Super-PAC, asking Joe Biden to run for President in 2016. Joe Biden was proud to work alongside President Obama to rebuild our economy in the wake of the Great Recession. He and President Obama understood the challenges facing American families because of the struggles their own families had faced earlier in their lives. Joe Biden: “A job is about a lot more than a pay check. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community. It’s about being able to look your child in the eye and say, ‘honey, it’s going to be okay,’ and mean it and know it’s true. You never quit on America and you deserve a president who will never quit on you.”
- "Published on Oct 7, 2015: This is the first television ad released by the Draft Biden 2016 Super-PAC, asking Joe Biden to run for President in 2016. The ad highlights how Joe has overcome personal tragedies and his vision for the future in his own words: “We are on the cusp of some of the most astonishing breakthroughs in the history of mankind – scientific, technological, socially. It will be up to you in this changing world to translate those unprecedented capabilities into a greater measure of happiness and meaning, not just for yourself but for the world around you.”
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Is Audi Naughty or Nice?
In only a matter of few months, Audi appears to have done a reverse shifts on its brand positioning, or at least the articulation of its brand character - leaving consumers to wonder if its naughty or nice.
Audi launched a new advertisement last summer entitled "nice performance" that aims to position the brand as the performance vehicle for considerate people, while BMW as the car for self-entitled jerks.
However, in January, in an abrupt change, Audi started running a commercial entitled "swim" that features a school-aged boy breaking the town pool rules, only to be commended by his approving mother. Sure his main crime is doing a cannon ball into the community pool. But, nevertheless, the brand communication is clear - society's rules are meant to be broken. That with Audi, its okay to be a little naughty in order to express yourself.
"When a young rebel considers taking a plunge, he envisions the consequences of challenging everything he’s been told. For over 100 years, Audi has embraced that same challenger spirit. You’ll see it in our cars, our company, and in everything that we do," Audi says
I find the ad funny, but pushing the brand too far from its non-conformist messaging. There is a difference between expressing your individuality and encouraging kids to break society's rules. And more importantly, a far cry from the position as the "nice" guy.
Interestingly, Audi recently started re-running it's 'nice performance' ad.
So is Audi naughty or nice? Either can potentially work, just not both.
Audi launched a new advertisement last summer entitled "nice performance" that aims to position the brand as the performance vehicle for considerate people, while BMW as the car for self-entitled jerks.
"The Audi A4. Engineered with a spirit of excellence, thoughtfulness and respect - traits also shared by those that drive one. Sure, it's a German luxury performance sedan, but it's these special qualities that put it in a class of its own," Audi says.
However, in January, in an abrupt change, Audi started running a commercial entitled "swim" that features a school-aged boy breaking the town pool rules, only to be commended by his approving mother. Sure his main crime is doing a cannon ball into the community pool. But, nevertheless, the brand communication is clear - society's rules are meant to be broken. That with Audi, its okay to be a little naughty in order to express yourself.
"When a young rebel considers taking a plunge, he envisions the consequences of challenging everything he’s been told. For over 100 years, Audi has embraced that same challenger spirit. You’ll see it in our cars, our company, and in everything that we do," Audi says
I find the ad funny, but pushing the brand too far from its non-conformist messaging. There is a difference between expressing your individuality and encouraging kids to break society's rules. And more importantly, a far cry from the position as the "nice" guy.
Interestingly, Audi recently started re-running it's 'nice performance' ad.
So is Audi naughty or nice? Either can potentially work, just not both.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Apple Pay Gets Rolling Via Bank Partners
I'm a big fan of how Apple has started promoting Apple Pay.
Apple itself has yet to run any televised commercials for the service. Instead, Apple has been partnering with the largest credit card issuers to promote the product for them. In fact, Apple recently claiming that Pay is supported by credit cards representing roughly 90% of U.S. purchase volume.
Recently banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase, and Capital One have all aired commercials promoting Apple Pay . . .
Capital One:
Wells Fargo:
Bank of America:
While all of these advertisements are done by different banks, Apple has done a great job to partner with each to make them all feel relatively consistent and delivering on the same message. Apple's influence is also clear in showcasing the product in use. Since the launch of the iPhone, Apple has hands down had the best product demos of any TV commercials.
More importantly, the launch strategy of handing over the product promotion to business partners is successful because it accomplishes three key goals:
Apple itself has yet to run any televised commercials for the service. Instead, Apple has been partnering with the largest credit card issuers to promote the product for them. In fact, Apple recently claiming that Pay is supported by credit cards representing roughly 90% of U.S. purchase volume.
Recently banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase, and Capital One have all aired commercials promoting Apple Pay . . .
Capital One:
Wells Fargo:
Bank of America:
While all of these advertisements are done by different banks, Apple has done a great job to partner with each to make them all feel relatively consistent and delivering on the same message. Apple's influence is also clear in showcasing the product in use. Since the launch of the iPhone, Apple has hands down had the best product demos of any TV commercials.
More importantly, the launch strategy of handing over the product promotion to business partners is successful because it accomplishes three key goals:
- Helps generate a tremendous amount of product awareness
- Simplifies the notion of mobile payments by making it just an extension of an existing credit or debit card
- Creates credibility by linking the new technology with the financial institutions that consumers already trust for their banking needs
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Bud Light Recycles Coke's Label Campaign
A few years ago, Coke launched its "Share a Coke" campaign first overseas and then in the US over the past summer where the brand put the 250 most popular American teen names and other millennial sayings on its labels.
Now it looks like Bud Light is taking a page out of Coca-Cola's playbook. As part of its "Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens", Bud Light is launching new bottle labels featuring over 100 different varying messages.
Each label touts Bud Light is the "perfect beer for ... ".
For example:
The messages are suppose to help position the brand around inspiring spontaneous fun. And while the messages are fun enough, they do not have the same compelling call to purchase as consumers seeing their names on a bottle or labels such as "BFF,” “Star,” “Bestie,” “Legend,” “Grillmaster,” “Buddy” and “Wingman” like Coke featured.
Additionally, the messaging in at least one of the accompany TV advertisements fails to hit home on this core benefit because it over complicates its message by trying to communicate too many things...
The area of the campaign that has the most promise is where the brand will customize beer bottle labels sold at sporting events and concerts that allow some drinkers the chance to win random, on-the-spot prizes, such as backstage passes or other real-time rewards.
Using the beer labels as a ticket for entry into a contest or a treasure hunt is clever and I believe will be compelling enough to drive consumers at the events to purchase. The biggest question is how much scale can Bud Light generate with event based programs and will it be enough to generate sufficient social buzz to drive a noticeable lift in sales? The other question is why didn't the brand aim bigger? It seems like the brand could replicate this strategy on a much large scale with a McDonald's like Monopoly game where the notion of spontaneous fun can support itself organically.
Now it looks like Bud Light is taking a page out of Coca-Cola's playbook. As part of its "Perfect Beer For Whatever Happens", Bud Light is launching new bottle labels featuring over 100 different varying messages.
Each label touts Bud Light is the "perfect beer for ... ".
For example:
- "the perfect beer for when you're eating breakfast meats outside of breakfast hours"
- "the perfect beer for forming a one-person conga line"
- "the perfect beer for leaving your comfort zone in another time zone"
- "the perfect beer for taking off the blindfold and showing that piñata who's boss"
- "the perfect beer for tuning up the old air guitar"
The messages are suppose to help position the brand around inspiring spontaneous fun. And while the messages are fun enough, they do not have the same compelling call to purchase as consumers seeing their names on a bottle or labels such as "BFF,” “Star,” “Bestie,” “Legend,” “Grillmaster,” “Buddy” and “Wingman” like Coke featured.
Additionally, the messaging in at least one of the accompany TV advertisements fails to hit home on this core benefit because it over complicates its message by trying to communicate too many things...
The area of the campaign that has the most promise is where the brand will customize beer bottle labels sold at sporting events and concerts that allow some drinkers the chance to win random, on-the-spot prizes, such as backstage passes or other real-time rewards.
Using the beer labels as a ticket for entry into a contest or a treasure hunt is clever and I believe will be compelling enough to drive consumers at the events to purchase. The biggest question is how much scale can Bud Light generate with event based programs and will it be enough to generate sufficient social buzz to drive a noticeable lift in sales? The other question is why didn't the brand aim bigger? It seems like the brand could replicate this strategy on a much large scale with a McDonald's like Monopoly game where the notion of spontaneous fun can support itself organically.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Radio Shack Had The Best Superbowl Ad
In a year with few great Super Bowl commercials, Radio Shack won the battle for best Super Bowl commercial in my mind. Not only was it entertaining, but it was also highly effective and had a strong brand linkage. Take a look . . .
First and foremost, the ad is fun and entertaining. They engage the audience by bringing back highly recognizable 1980's characters and playing well known music.
Second, the ad hit hard against a highly relevant consumer insights - Radio Shack has lost relevance in consumers' minds. By owning up to this insight and embracing it head on, the advertisement connects with consumers current perceptions and provides a launching point to then move the conversation beyond this basic belief by actually showing the store being striped down to the bones and rebuilt. This commercial approach is actually highly reminiscent of what Domino's did with the re-launch of its new recipe pizza 4 or 5 years ago, when it showcased insights from its harshest critics.
Finally, unlike most Super Bowl ads, this commercial was actually about the brand (vs. a puppy and horse) and had strong brand linkage throughout, which should help make the ad more effective than most of its peers in actually moving the needle on revenue.
Overall, I thought this was an exceptional ad. Well done Radio Shack, well done.
First and foremost, the ad is fun and entertaining. They engage the audience by bringing back highly recognizable 1980's characters and playing well known music.
Second, the ad hit hard against a highly relevant consumer insights - Radio Shack has lost relevance in consumers' minds. By owning up to this insight and embracing it head on, the advertisement connects with consumers current perceptions and provides a launching point to then move the conversation beyond this basic belief by actually showing the store being striped down to the bones and rebuilt. This commercial approach is actually highly reminiscent of what Domino's did with the re-launch of its new recipe pizza 4 or 5 years ago, when it showcased insights from its harshest critics.
Finally, unlike most Super Bowl ads, this commercial was actually about the brand (vs. a puppy and horse) and had strong brand linkage throughout, which should help make the ad more effective than most of its peers in actually moving the needle on revenue.
Overall, I thought this was an exceptional ad. Well done Radio Shack, well done.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Yoplait Deals Latest Strike in the Yogurt Wars
As I noted in previous posts, the yogurt wars are on center stage. . .
If the Greek yogurt market was a boxing match, Yoplait would be badly blooding coming out of the first several rounds (with less than a 10% market share). However, now the brand has come out of its corner swinging for Chobani, the Greek yogurt heavy weight champion.
In a good old fashion Coke vs. Pepsi style rumble, Yoplait is challenging Chobani to a taste test to determine who has the best Greek-style yogurt in an effort to win over consumers.
The backbone of their fight is a national TV campaign ads that doesn't pull any punches. . .
Yoplait's is also making the fight personal by opening a pop-up store in New York City very close to where Chobani's SOHO flagship operations are located. In the meantime, Chobani is counterpunching with the recent launch of its 100-calorie line, Chobani Simply 100, to challenge Yoplait Greek 100 ($150 million in sales) as well as running a Super Bowl advertisement to drive national awareness.
At the very least, Yoplait's highly-competitive actions will force Chobani to decide if it should switch from offense (in support its own new product innovation) to defense (by double down support of its base business). My viewpoint is Chobani is the category leader and it has to stay the course of dictating the terms of competition in the category. This means fixing its GMO image and celebrating its "nothing but goodness heritage" in the core business and leading the evolution to adult mix-ins behind its newest product launches. Keep Yoplait chasing you.
If the Greek yogurt market was a boxing match, Yoplait would be badly blooding coming out of the first several rounds (with less than a 10% market share). However, now the brand has come out of its corner swinging for Chobani, the Greek yogurt heavy weight champion.
In a good old fashion Coke vs. Pepsi style rumble, Yoplait is challenging Chobani to a taste test to determine who has the best Greek-style yogurt in an effort to win over consumers.
The backbone of their fight is a national TV campaign ads that doesn't pull any punches. . .
Yoplait's is also making the fight personal by opening a pop-up store in New York City very close to where Chobani's SOHO flagship operations are located. In the meantime, Chobani is counterpunching with the recent launch of its 100-calorie line, Chobani Simply 100, to challenge Yoplait Greek 100 ($150 million in sales) as well as running a Super Bowl advertisement to drive national awareness.
At the very least, Yoplait's highly-competitive actions will force Chobani to decide if it should switch from offense (in support its own new product innovation) to defense (by double down support of its base business). My viewpoint is Chobani is the category leader and it has to stay the course of dictating the terms of competition in the category. This means fixing its GMO image and celebrating its "nothing but goodness heritage" in the core business and leading the evolution to adult mix-ins behind its newest product launches. Keep Yoplait chasing you.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Guinness Wheelchair Basketball Commercial
Guinness released a new TV commercial a few months ago that is outstanding on nearly every front. It catches your attention, keeps you engages, and connects emotionally. Like I said, outstanding on nearly all fronts. Unfortunately, the commercial fails to link back to the brand equity for me. Take a look.
As much as I love the ad, it just doesn't feel like a Guinness commercial to me.
As much as I love the ad, it just doesn't feel like a Guinness commercial to me.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Subaru Turning Into a Lifestyle Brand
Subaru gets what few other automobile manufacturers understand, the days of marketing specific product features or racing through curvy streets are over. The future is all about understanding your core consumer and marketing your brand around either their actual or aspirational lifestyle.
More and more, specific car features are becoming commodities, with slight design elements and brand image now the primary factors points of difference. Think about it. Volvo use to be all about safety, now all brands have state of the art breaks and airbags all over the place. Toyota was the brand of reliability, but now America cars have joined Japanese cars at the top of the charts and the 100,000 warranty no longer even raises eye brows.
At a time of increased competition, Subaru is making waves by playing a different game. Subaru advertisements focus on using real life scenarios to relate to their consumers vs. closed course riving stunts. The ads are all about demonstrating how Subaru safely gets you through real life.
I've included several advertisements to highlight how well they paint different slivers of people's lives.
Subaru "Stick Shift" TV Commercial
More and more, specific car features are becoming commodities, with slight design elements and brand image now the primary factors points of difference. Think about it. Volvo use to be all about safety, now all brands have state of the art breaks and airbags all over the place. Toyota was the brand of reliability, but now America cars have joined Japanese cars at the top of the charts and the 100,000 warranty no longer even raises eye brows.
At a time of increased competition, Subaru is making waves by playing a different game. Subaru advertisements focus on using real life scenarios to relate to their consumers vs. closed course riving stunts. The ads are all about demonstrating how Subaru safely gets you through real life.
I've included several advertisements to highlight how well they paint different slivers of people's lives.
Subaru "Stick Shift" TV Commercial
Subaru "View from the Child Seat" TV Commercial
Subaru "Best Friend" TV Commercial
Subaru "Teenager Driving Responsibility" TV Commercial
Subaru "New Car Smell" TV Commercial
Subaru "Redressing Room" TV Commercial
Subaru "The Date" TV Commercial
Subaru "Cut the Cord" TV Commercial
Subaru "Nature Painting" TV Commercial
Subaru "Let's Do That" TV Commercial
The results are not just impressive for Subaru, but record breaking. In August, Subaru sold 41,061 cars in the US, a 45% increase versus a year ago, and more importantly its highest ever in one single month.
Even more impressive is that Subaru saw superb sales across its entire line, including its staple models (Outback, Forester, Impreza) as well as some solid traction with the newer XV Crosstrek and BRZ models.
Soon enough other car manufacturers will hopefully realize consumers are looking for more than product attributes, their looking for a brand that enhances their desired lifestyle.
The only thing I don't like is Subaru's tag-line "Confidence in Motion", it does not connect and comes off as artificial. However, the advertisement are very strong so they more than make up for it.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Gap "Back to Blue" Great Insights, Questionable Execution
Gap has made a huge investment behind it's back-to-school campaign, which is called "Back to Blue" and focuses on promoting its denim business.
I'm a big supporter of Gap focusing its marketing efforts on core wardrobe categories like denim or khakis because I believe these are the type of items the retailer is famous for and has the most right to win with. I also really love the "Back to Blue" tag-line, not just because it fits with denim theme, but also because Gap = Blue and it signals Gap's resurgence in many consumers' minds driven by a strong turn around strategy over the last several quarters.
However, I do not believe the execution of the Back to Blue campaign is on equity for Gap. Take a look at some of the campaign imagery....
The imagery just does not say Gap to me, it looks much to hipster versus mainstream All-American. It's fine if Gap wants to start evolving its imagery to have a bit more personality, but it cannot just jump there too quickly. Perhaps a more preppy hipster look might work to bridge to Gap's equity but the slightly disheveled, glassy-eyed, slouched over look just does not fit with the Gap of today. I think the brand is reaching too far and risks alienating existing consumers as well as coming off as a poser brand to true hipsters.
Gap CM Seth Farbman explains that "The entire Back to Blue campaign embodies what it means to be comfortable in your own skin". This might be case, and I can see this attitude come to life in the imagery, but it doesn't mean the execution is done in a way that is consistent with the brand equity. Great campaign insight, great tag-line, poor execution. That's my view at least. We'll see what the consumer says. At the very least, Gap should see a bump from fielding its first TV ads in 4 years.
I'm a big supporter of Gap focusing its marketing efforts on core wardrobe categories like denim or khakis because I believe these are the type of items the retailer is famous for and has the most right to win with. I also really love the "Back to Blue" tag-line, not just because it fits with denim theme, but also because Gap = Blue and it signals Gap's resurgence in many consumers' minds driven by a strong turn around strategy over the last several quarters.
However, I do not believe the execution of the Back to Blue campaign is on equity for Gap. Take a look at some of the campaign imagery....
The imagery just does not say Gap to me, it looks much to hipster versus mainstream All-American. It's fine if Gap wants to start evolving its imagery to have a bit more personality, but it cannot just jump there too quickly. Perhaps a more preppy hipster look might work to bridge to Gap's equity but the slightly disheveled, glassy-eyed, slouched over look just does not fit with the Gap of today. I think the brand is reaching too far and risks alienating existing consumers as well as coming off as a poser brand to true hipsters.
Gap CM Seth Farbman explains that "The entire Back to Blue campaign embodies what it means to be comfortable in your own skin". This might be case, and I can see this attitude come to life in the imagery, but it doesn't mean the execution is done in a way that is consistent with the brand equity. Great campaign insight, great tag-line, poor execution. That's my view at least. We'll see what the consumer says. At the very least, Gap should see a bump from fielding its first TV ads in 4 years.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Nike's "Just Do It" Turns 25
Twenty-five years ago, Nike unveiled one of the greatest tag line's in advertising history: "Just Do It".
Dan Wieden, the co-founder of Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency, coined "Just Do It" for a 1988 Nike ad campaign. Wieden evidently received his inspiration for "Just Do It" from Gary Gilmore, a convicted murder, who uttered "Let's do it" as his last words before he was executed.
Nike's first "Just Do It" advertisement debuted on July 1, 1988 featuring a then 80 year old runner named Walt Stack who had reached iconic stature in the running community at that time for having run over 60,000 miles over the course of his lifetime.
Now, Nike is celebrating the tag line's twenty-fifth birthday with the release of an new inspirational commercial, narrated by Bradley Copper and featuring Serena Williams and Lebron James.
"Just Do It" is still as amazing, relevant and powerful tag line today as it was 25 years ago.
Dan Wieden, the co-founder of Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency, coined "Just Do It" for a 1988 Nike ad campaign. Wieden evidently received his inspiration for "Just Do It" from Gary Gilmore, a convicted murder, who uttered "Let's do it" as his last words before he was executed.
Nike's first "Just Do It" advertisement debuted on July 1, 1988 featuring a then 80 year old runner named Walt Stack who had reached iconic stature in the running community at that time for having run over 60,000 miles over the course of his lifetime.
Now, Nike is celebrating the tag line's twenty-fifth birthday with the release of an new inspirational commercial, narrated by Bradley Copper and featuring Serena Williams and Lebron James.
"Just Do It" is still as amazing, relevant and powerful tag line today as it was 25 years ago.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Quest for Marketing Efficiency puts Market Share Growth at Risk
Procter & Gamble spent $9.3 billion on advertising last year,which helped generate $84.2 billion in global revenue. The company currently projects to increase its advertising spending on an absolute dollar basis, but is anticipating slightly reducing its advertising spending as a percentage of overall revenue while trying to win market share. This translates into a need to improve marketing return on investment.
Net-net, if I was an investor, I'd be hard pressed to anticipate significant market share growth over the next year.
To accomplish this objective, P&G is planning to improved marketing efficiency by holding all of its brands to minimum success standards. CEO A.G. Lafley recently declared, "We are holding all of the businesses to a minimum ROI. . .We're pounding away on best media."
A.G. Lafley and Jon Moeller, CFO, explained on a recent earnings call that a significant portion of this ROI improvement will be achieved by continuing to shift traditional media dollars into digital marketing. Lafley indicated some brands are spending up to 35% of their marketing budget on digital, with plans to raise the bar on its other brands.
As a former P&G marketer, I understand why P&G management is making this push. P&G's marketing mix modeling analyses often indicate digital marketing has stronger ROI's than traditional advertising. That said, if my primary objective is winning market share over the next year versus maximizing profitability, the move starts to raise a caution flag in my mind.
It's very easy to overlook advertising effectiveness (volume impact) on a quest to maximize advertising efficiency (ROI). In other words, yes, digital is much cheaper and hence tends to produce a stronger ROI , but its reach is often limited and thus typically does not drive as many transactions as television ads. Additionally, you can only throw so much money at any one marketing vehicle before it reaches saturation and digital has a tendency to max out at a lower spend. The combination of these factors makes it difficult to drive market share, while also dramatically cutting back TV advertising.
Lafley also indicated the next big wave of P&G product innovation may not arrive this coming year, meaning the business will have to rely on a high mix of commercial innovations creating another growth hurdle.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Mr. Clean Re-Stage
As a Mr. Clean marketing alum have to say I love the new re-stage of the Mr. Clean brand. It does a great job of starting to form a more emotional connection and bringing to life the product benefits in a way no other clean brand can...
"I take down arm wrestling opponents like I take down grime, stains and dirt. Things got pretty intense with these bikers, but we're all friends now" -Mr. Clean
Great job Mr. Clean Team!
On a side note, I'm also glad to see the the Magic Eraser Handy-Grip is finally being launched, something that was suppose to happen 5 years ago, but that's a longer story...
Thursday, June 13, 2013
JCP, I mean jcpenney
After months of significant sales declines under the leadership of Ron Johnson, Mike Ullman is back in the CEO chair at jcpenney. Ullman now has the tall task of steering the retailer back to growth.
While most of the attention surrounding Ron Johnson's downfall has been linked to his botched attempt to move from a high-low pricing strategy to every day low pricing, another critical factor that led to the struggles was Johnson's push to try to win with a younger, more fashion forward consumer that jcpenney traditionally never had much traction with. The push included discontinuing several of the retailer's own brands and revamping the marketing strategy to appear more cutting edge, by featuring young, slim models sporting fashion forward outfits. However, this move alienated some of jcp's loyal consumers, leaving many for them feeling that jcpenney was no longer a retailer for them.
While Ullman has only been back for a brief period, there's no doubt he recognizes this mis-step is actively working to win them back. He's moving quickly to turn around the ship, for example in the matter of 2 months he's apologize, brought back old brands, invited consumers back, thanked consumers for returning, and launched a new home goods department. It's ambitious, but the tone and approach for the most part has been right on target:
While most of the attention surrounding Ron Johnson's downfall has been linked to his botched attempt to move from a high-low pricing strategy to every day low pricing, another critical factor that led to the struggles was Johnson's push to try to win with a younger, more fashion forward consumer that jcpenney traditionally never had much traction with. The push included discontinuing several of the retailer's own brands and revamping the marketing strategy to appear more cutting edge, by featuring young, slim models sporting fashion forward outfits. However, this move alienated some of jcp's loyal consumers, leaving many for them feeling that jcpenney was no longer a retailer for them.
While Ullman has only been back for a brief period, there's no doubt he recognizes this mis-step is actively working to win them back. He's moving quickly to turn around the ship, for example in the matter of 2 months he's apologize, brought back old brands, invited consumers back, thanked consumers for returning, and launched a new home goods department. It's ambitious, but the tone and approach for the most part has been right on target:
- He apologized to his consumers in a campaign called "Yours Truly" where the voiceover read:"It's no secret, recently jcpenney changed. Some changes you liked and some you didn't, but what matters from mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you. To hear what you need, to make your life more beautiful. Come back to jcpenney, we heard you. Now, we'd love to see you"
- He's brought back St John's Bay, a private label brand brought that use to account for over a billion dollars in annual sales. "We heard you. St. John's Bay is back! What will you snag first, pants or shirts?" the brand posted on Facebook
- He ran an advertisement reminding consumers of jcp's brands and inviting consumers back. Listen to the end of this ad "So come back to jcpenney and save on his favorite brands. We'd love to see you"
- He also ran an ad educating that jcp recognizes they screwed up, but has corrected itself and thanks consumers for returning (potentially a little bit premature)
- While he's moving forward with many elements of Ron Johnon's home goods department makeover, the execution is done in a way that is homy and connects authentically
However, a lot more work remains and there will no doubt be some awkward moments during the pivot back to the brand roots. For example, I just received jcpenney's father's day catalog and there are several inconsistencies that make it appear as if the cover was just slapped on at the last moment, including:
- The logo on the front is "jcpenney", where as everywhere else Ron Johnson's "jcp" in a box logo still appears
- The cover says "It's all about you, dad", however many of the models in the catalog (including the ones on the first page) look like they are maybe 20 years old and are wearing styles that are all very slim cut and too fashion forward to be for most of the fathers I know
- While Ullman has moved quickly to restore sales and discounts, the catalog takes that to the extreme. Every page is tattooed with several value message, from a $10 off coupon, sale prices highlighted in red vs. original prices, % off claims, buy one get one offers, and value pledges. The result is an overwhelming barrage of promotions that looks like a design agency translated a marketing brief too literally
It's an awkward execution and highlights the challenges brands face as they try to jump from one strategy to another quickly. While there is no doubt that Ullman has to move quickly, the brand is stuck in a transition period that is blurry will likely continue to confuse the consumer until jcpenney has the time to get its feet under itself and resources aligned to return to a consistent brand position and execution.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
"Happier than the Pillsbury Doughboy on His Way to a Baking Convention"
One of GEICO's new commercials features the Pillsbury Doughboy and is titled "Happier than the Pillsbury Doughboy on His Way to a Baking Convention". Take a look...
The ad is highly entertaining and conveys positive emotions for the Pillsbury Doughboy. My problem with this advertisement is I'd expect very low recall for GEICO. So while it may entertain, I'd be surprised if it moved the needle much in sales for GEICO. On the other hand Pillsbury might expect to see a nice little halo from the commercial as it allows consumers to connect with the Doughboy.
GEICO Dough Boy commercial - Pillsbury Doughboy scores, GEICO loses
The ad is highly entertaining and conveys positive emotions for the Pillsbury Doughboy. My problem with this advertisement is I'd expect very low recall for GEICO. So while it may entertain, I'd be surprised if it moved the needle much in sales for GEICO. On the other hand Pillsbury might expect to see a nice little halo from the commercial as it allows consumers to connect with the Doughboy.
GEICO Dough Boy commercial - Pillsbury Doughboy scores, GEICO loses
Old Spice Bar Soap Commercials Spoof Competitors
Old Spice recently launched into bar soap and is driving awareness behind TV commercials that aim to capture consumers' attention by spoofing traditional bar soap advertisements.
I really like this 15 second spot. It's clever and engaging. Wieden + Kennedy, the creative agency behind the campaign does a really great job with the details, even placing the bar of soap in the traditional product shot at the end upside down. Take a look...
The next 30 second spot does not go as good of job capturing the magic of the campaign in is a little too far over the top...
I really like this 15 second spot. It's clever and engaging. Wieden + Kennedy, the creative agency behind the campaign does a really great job with the details, even placing the bar of soap in the traditional product shot at the end upside down. Take a look...
The next 30 second spot does not go as good of job capturing the magic of the campaign in is a little too far over the top...
Kmart "Ship My Pants" Commercial Connects on Omni-Channel
I have to give Kmart credit for their new "Ship My Pants" commercial, which highlights an element of their omni-channel strategy (link between the store and website) in a creative fashion that is sure to breakthrough and at least get a few laughs. Take a look:
Two thumbs up for the creative advertisement, though I am curious are out-of-stocks really a large purchase barrier at Kmart?
Two thumbs up for the creative advertisement, though I am curious are out-of-stocks really a large purchase barrier at Kmart?
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Nike to Tiger Woods: "Winning takes care of everything"
Nike released a new ad on it's Nike Golf Facebook and Twitter pages after Tiger Woods won this past weekend's Arnold Palmer Invitational and regained the world No. 1 golf ranking. Despite the win and reclaiming his position at the top of the golf hierarchy, the ad was met with backlash because it's controversial messaging of "winning takes care of everything".
While Tiger does finally appear to be "back" at the top of the game, having won 3 of his last 6 tournaments including the last two he has entered, the message suggests that all of his infamous personal flaws should be forgotten because he is the world's best golfer. Not surprisingly, this message isn't sitting too well with everybody. The question is, did Nike put its brand equity at risk with the contentious statement?
My view is that while Nike will not win any new fans and its not a play I would have suggested, the bold message echos the sentiment of many golf fans who are ready to move on from the Tiger train wreck of yesteryear and see him make a serious run at Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors. In this way the ad can be viewed as distinctly honest and has a chance to connect with its core target consumer. To Nike's credit, it has stood-by Tiger while his standing in golf plunged and most other sponsors jumped ship, so there's no doubt Nike has much to gain from watching Tiger regain his status.
The bigger question is why would Tiger's publicist allow Nike to post this ad? I see more harm to his brand than Nike's as it seems like a counterproductive message for a man who should be working on humanizing his image. That said, Tiger has quietly been picking up new sponsors (e.g., Rolex), while returning to a more active role with some of his other longer-term sponsors (e.g., EA Sport), so maybe winning really does take care of everything afterall...
The bigger question is why would Tiger's publicist allow Nike to post this ad? I see more harm to his brand than Nike's as it seems like a counterproductive message for a man who should be working on humanizing his image. That said, Tiger has quietly been picking up new sponsors (e.g., Rolex), while returning to a more active role with some of his other longer-term sponsors (e.g., EA Sport), so maybe winning really does take care of everything afterall...
Monday, February 4, 2013
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:
- Grabs you're attention and entertains - nearly all Super Bowl ads did this
- Sells a clear product benefit that links with the brand equity
- 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:
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)