Archive for the ‘Brand Development’ Category

More Flags. More Fun?

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Six Flags is once again running their Mr. Six ads for the summer season.  I guess to some people the Mr. Six character, developed in 2008 by Six Flags and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, could be classified as an icon to the Six Flags brand.  I disagree…my Fun-O-Meter is at a negative ten with the introduction of the newest ad campaign.  Just when I thought this campaign could not be any more over the top (which is saying a lot when your commercial blasts a Venga Boys song and a creepy old man with scary dance moves), it just got creepier and more insane.  Now there is a tiny old man dancing with the original old man.  I don’t understand why the people at Six Flags think it is funny, and how that could ever translate to more fun at a theme park.  I believe the average height for getting on rides is somewhere around 48” which will probably leave the new Little Six character hanging around the carnival rides.  Not sure how high that will rate on the Fun-O-Meter!  In the end I don’t wonder if the ads really translate into dollars for Six Flags, but I would still like to personally thank Six Flags for the memories, fun times, and the nightmares.  Ok, I’m done venting on annoying commercials for today!

 

“Lo How the Mighty Have, Er, Crashed”

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Why Even Mega Brands Must Keep Firing On All Cylinders

Not to keep citing automotive brands as illustrative examples here, but if you ever wanted simple proof of the complex interrelation of dimensions like Differentiation, Esteem, Functional Product Benefits & Quality—and the need for all to contribute to brand strength—the recent Toyota fiasco offers a textbook study.  

 

That is: a global mega-brand that’s been the class of its industry and consumer opinion for decades is suddenly, in mere weeks, floundering hopelessly about for its voice over a single product-related incident; once a perennially clear, focused and softly-spoken brand backed by the big-stick of its stellar reputation, I’ve recently seen no less than four different Toyota TV spots testing different PR and Sales messages from “We’re Toyota, this is an anomaly we’re fixing” to “Hey, we drive these cars so we know they’re safe” to “Thanks for (please) bearing with us through this mess” to, most recently, shopper testimonials boasting how “The time to buy is NOW on this undervalued merchandise!”

 

Notwithstanding the veritable feeding frenzy of competitors smelling blood for the first time ever, aided by Buy-American political pandering and congressional inquiries, it’s still an amazing turnabout. And one that reasserts the inescapable 101-level truism that no one thing ‘makes’ a brand except consumers; no matter how much you spend, how big you are, or how esteemed your engineers, brands are ultimately built in consumers’ minds, not factories.   

 

Like all products cars are just cars at some point, ‘widgets’ essentially. And someone is always building a newer or better one. It’s what they say about us, the people  who buy and drive them, that matters and adds value to the nameplate. So when a car like Toyota that’s become synonymous with ‘no brainer, well-built, nice mainstream decision that looks okay in my driveway and won’t embarrass me’ suddenly looks fallible, the results can be seen playing out right now. Consumers have enough trust and confidence issues these days with the world. No one needs a car that makes them look like they’re out of the loop or ill-informed.

 

The moral in short is this: esteem is hard-won and easily lost. Much like political incumbency, it’s easy to look like you’ve got it all figured out when you’re in the catbird seat above the din and clamor spending gazillions on understated ‘image’ advertising. But even a small fissure in the dike that holds back the vast sea of consumer doubt, bias and attitudes can quickly reverse fortunes. And then watch how quickly every brick and stone gets rearranged.   

 

On the upside, while the Toyota story validates the fact that all brands are a delicate balancing-act of constant management and refinement, it should make those out there with less than $35 Billion in cash lying around feel better.  

 

Yes, building brands is relentless hard work. But even the mightiest of them face the same challenges as the rest of us, “Everyday”  ;  )

 

 

Pop Pays-it-Forward

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Can soda companies change the world?  At a time when the fight against childhood obesity is a weekly headline, companies seen as contributors to the problem, such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, are spending major dollars trying to change how we perceive their brands. 

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have both committed to developing healthier products and promoting healthier, more active lifestyle choices.  But those ideas can be a tough sell to consumers who love (or hate) their brands because of their bubbly, sugary, sweetness.  And both brands seem to be finding that an easier way to change their image might just be to change the world first.  PepsiCo is forgoing Super Bowl ads this year and running a major social media campaign called The Pepsi Refresh Project.  Through their website (refresheverything.com), Facebook page and YouTube Channel, Pepsi is encouraging people (young people, ideally) to do something good for their planet.  Individuals, groups and organizations can submit ideas that would positively impact their community and beyond.  Submissions are voted on by other viewers/entrants/participants - and Pepsi is giving monthly grants from $5K to $250K to help make those winning ideas a reality. 

 

Coca-Cola, who has had a longtime partnership with the Olympics, is promoting the first “zero-waste, carbon-neutral” Olympic sponsorship.  The company is making good on their sustainability vow by providing everything from emission-free soda coolers, to Olympic Village furniture made from salvaged pine-beetle epidemic wood, to dressing the staff in uniforms made from recycled bottles.  But days before the Opening Ceremonies, of course, is the Super Bowl - and Coca-Cola will be advertising.  Coke is running two spots as part of their Open Happiness campaign, which as the company puts it, is to remind people that “whenever they enjoy a Coca-Cola, they play a role in helping us make a difference in the lives of others.  By opening a Coke they create a happiness multiplier” (a “pay-it-forward with soda” theme, if you will).  Coke has also teamed up with Facebook to offer fans virtual gifts to send to friends and family.  Each virtual gift is matched by a $1 donation to  Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as giving the sender a sneak preview of the Super Bowl spots.  And their website, livepositively.com, further encourages visitors to get involved somehow, whether it’s donating to relief efforts in Haiti, recycling for the Green Schools program, or serving the community as part of the Sprite/MTV Step Off Challenge.

So are consumers going to swallow what some might call “propaganda”?  Or will the dollars spent translate into glowing halos around the brands?  In the end, does it really matter if the efforts positively impact individuals, communities and the environment?  I haven’t made up my mind — I’m a water drinker myself.

Ey Oh! The phenomenon known as Jersey Shore

Monday, January 11th, 2010

A few weeks ago MTV premiered a new “reality” series about young self proclaimed Guidos and Guidettes, that appear to have been rejected from Real World casting auditions, called “The Jersey Shore.”  I must say that previews for this awesomely bad show had me intrigued from the very beginning, and as the season continues I get more excited for each episode. Not only has the show given MTV another hit reality show, but the cast and the lifestyle portrayed has become a marketing force with in both interactive and traditional media channels.

Although big name advertisers like Dell and Domino’s Pizza have pulled their ads from the shows time slot, it appears that many nontraditional forms of marketing are capitalizing on the show’s popularity. From blog posts, quotes, to Facebook Applications such as “Jersey Shore Name Generators” and viral videos here - are some of my favorite Jersey Shore marketing materials.

 

Facebook added an application that would produce your Jersey Shore nickname.  Some of the more popular names from the show being Mike “The Situation” and Nicole “Snooki.”  I tried the generator out and it provided me the nickname Christos “The Sausage Party” Ellis.

Take the quiz for yourself

*note you may need to login to Facebook

 

Chicago’s local free news paper The Red Eye has several blog posts regarding the show.  My favorite being ‘Vote for best fist-pumpin’ “Jersey Shore” quote - Part 5,  which is a weekly recap of the episodes including an area to vote for your favorite quote of the week. 

My favorite quote so far would have to be from DJ Pauly D where he explains how to battle to house music with fist pumps, he says “It’s like we beat up that beat!”

 

The new movie Youth and Revolt actually marketed their movie in ads that ran on MTV starring the Jersey Shore cast and actor Michael Cera.  The cast gives Michael lessons and tips on how to be a Guido.

Watch for yourself

 

 

 

Clarity, focus and efficiency. Some things never go out of style.

Monday, December 28th, 2009

It’s funny how many meetings and arguments I’ve sat through lately about the merits or utility of brands in tough economic times: “Why are they needed?”. “Do consumers even care?” And of course the most ironic chestnut of them all: “We can’t spend money on that stuff right now.”

 

To which I will repeatedly say the same thing I’m going to here now: You’re already spending money on your brand, and very likely wasting a ton of it on things like errant purchasing decisions, misaligned innovation, bad licensing deals, and disorganized or uninspired personnel.

 

You’re spending it on the oft-overlooked other half of your brand: the functional and operational one that drives the engine. And while it’s the less sexy stepchild of logos and TV campaigns more commonly associated with ‘brands’ the past 10 years or so, it’s arguably the more important one as it tells you when to run that campaign, or if you should at all, what media to mix, or what sponsorships to cut or pursue.

 

Indeed, in tough times a strong brand actually becomes a vital corporate decision tool that helps allocate time and resources to keep everyone moving forward on a single, straight path. And last I checked that’s pretty much the point of any enterprise, isn’t it?

 

So sure: if you’re simply regarding brands as superficial image-driven entities limited to the province of wacky creative types, then probably do hold off on the re-branding for a bit longer. But if you’re looking to work smarter not just harder and truly leverage every dollar and hour in 2010, then strengthening and ensuring the fundamental health of your brands should be at the top of any to-do list. And there are a host of smart, resourceful ‘non-creative’ types like strategists, researchers and planners who can work their own magic to help you do so.

 

At their best, brands can provide a prism through which to view and manage every aspect of business operations, fostering focus and even providing yardsticks for financial ROI. Which–getting back to my argumentative client we started with—is probably the sole agenda of their next internal meeting after ours.  

Beyond the babble

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Value of Twitter (and other social media sites) for capturing human sentiment

If you happened to see the results of a study conducted in early August regarding the value of activity on Twitter, it probably would come as no surprise to find that 40% of the content was classified as “pointless babble”.  Pear Analytics, the research firm who conducted the study, gathered a sampling of 2,000 tweets over two weeks and put them into 6 buckets….News, spam, self-promotion, pointless babble, conversational and pass-along value.

However, the good thing about this study was it also revealed that 37% of content fell into conversational and 8% pass-along value.  That seems to imply that personal opinions are being cast: movie reviews, restaurant ratings, recommendations and other forms of personal expression.  And it probably involves conversation about what they wear, drink, eat, listen to and drive.  From a market research standpoint this emerging field of “sentiment analysis” can offer opportunities for MSI clients to listen in on how people talk about their brands and translating human emotion into hard data.

The number of these social media information tracking companies is growing.  A recent strategic partner of MSI’s in this specialized area is a company named Brickfish.  They are all about connecting brands with consumer conversations online.  Find out more by going to www.brickfish.com/

A Check-Up on Retailer Brands:

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Healthier Than Ever With Consumers.

A vital benefit of our work here is getting to be a fly-on-the-wall to one of the more interesting ongoing dialogues today: the one between Retailers and Manufacturers about who truly owns the hearts and minds of their shared Consumers; whom they really seek out and trust in purchase decisions, who truly owns their loyalty and preference, and what that’s worth in brand value and negotiating leverage between the two parties.

Not long ago people went to buy a nationally advertised brand like Tide at their local store–which then benefited from the traffic, sales and margins driven by carrying these preferred names. No need to advertise much if you were a store, just carry the right mix of stuff people want and let the manufacturers do the rest.

Today, of course, that’s shifted radically: stores are their own ‘brands’ and invest heavily in building an image, experience and loyalty with consumers around them equal to the biggest national brands. In turn, the mantra in many households has gone from “I need to pick up more Tide” to “I’m headed to Target, need anything while I’m there?”.

And if you ever needed more evidence of this phenomenon, just check out the success of those new in-store clinics populating Drug Store chains like CVS and Walgreens nationwide, offering basic services in lieu of a visit to the traditional doctor’s office.

minuteclinic3hdr-take-care-clinic2

 

 

 

Putting aside for a moment things like national healthcare debates and eternities wasted reading crappy magazines in waiting rooms, from a brand standpoint this is groundbreaking stuff. Whereas the old rule long held that consumer trial of a store brand was inversely proportional to its physical invasiveness or perceived risks (e.g. think paper towels versus eye drops) we’ve officially blown through that barrier to now trust retailers for injections, blood work and medical advice!

This all suggests two important things, to my mind:

1) Private Label brands have officially graduated from price-value propositions dependent on National Brands for context, to trusted and backed offerings from retailers about whom consumers have developed clear and (as beliefs and behaviors only grow more entrenched over time) lasting opinions.

2) Increased corporate transparency and consumer access to information are likely driving this (and Private Label trends generally) more than previously thought; that beautiful designs and strategies can connect consumers to PL brands in the store, but their growing consideration, relevance and esteem are primed long before through a mix of media, marketing and even word-of-mouth.

We’ll continue to watch these and other developments closely and update our perspective on them here. But for now, it certainly seems like Retailer and Private Label Brands are indeed more than just a fad or response to US belt-tightening– that we’ve entered truly new territory from which we won’t be going back again.

Cheers Tanks! (an Irish thank you)

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

So I just came back from a 10-day vacation last week, and although it was rough to get back in to the groove of things I was certainly glad to be back in Chicago (my all-time favorite city in the world).  It was a great feeling to leave the country, which I hadn’t done in many years, to travel all around Ireland and to also visit Madrid in Spain.  It also felt really good to take my very first paid vacation.  In the three years since I have entered the workforce full-time, I had either worked freelance or had not accrued vacation time.  It made me realize being 25 may actually have a few perks, aside from cheaper car insurance (which does not apply for people like me who have been in several accidents).

 

Anyway, there were many highlights to the vacation. Madrid is a beautiful city, and all the buildings, parks, and people are gorgeous too!  Being there for three days really drove home the fact that I retained nearly none of my Spanish training and vocabulary. 

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Kissing the Blarney Stone

The Gates to Guinness

The Gates to Guinness

Ireland was picturesque, lush, and rainy.  I traveled all around the south of Ireland and soaked in the sights at the Cliffs of Moher, where the winds reached 100 KPH (see video for a good windy laugh).  I kissed the Blarney Stone on my touristy day, spent time with friends in Dublin, and of course… I drank A LOT of Guinness!  I even went for a tour of the factory, compliments of Philip, one of the many extremely nice and hospitable people we met in Ireland.

Okay back to Guinness.  I must say that this was definitely one of my all-time favorite tours.  A self guided tour all about beer…sounds good, but it gets better.  They have a sampling room and you even get a free beer at the end of the tour!  My other favorite part of the museum was the section discussing the progression of their marketing and advertising.  They also include all the bottle labels they have designed over time, which all showcase the famous logo.  Unlike many other large companies they have stayed true to their logo; there were very few changes made.  I guess the saying ”if it ain’t broken don’t fix it” really applies to this historic brand.  It was really interesting to see the brand at work.  Guinness has reached iconic status in Ireland.  The plot of land that the factory and buildings are housed on is miles-wide, and every single building is branded with the Guinness logo.  They have done a spectacular job of creating brand equity and customer loyalty among the Irish as well as all over the world.  The entire museum is one big advertisement and loyalty campaign. Another interesting bit of info — the founder believed in his product so much that he signed a 9,000 year lease for his property!2584_551213846357_48606897_33489108_1418734_n1

2584_551213826397_48606897_33489105_2627750_n1While I saw many things on my trip abroad, as a marketing professional, witnessing the quality and heritage of the Guinness brand, was a highlight that I had not expected to be so…. Refreshing!

 

Cheers tanks!

My Favorite Ad

 

 

 

 

 

The Reign of the Disney Princesses….

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

Exiting the shower this morning I tripped over the lifeless cranium of Cinderella. Hairstyling Cinderella that is — and my daughter Lily had apparently been trying to comb her hair with a spoon on our bathroom floor while I dozed under the hot water. She had since abandoned Cinderella and run off to a tea party with 5 other princesses. Disney Princesses have taken over my life.

If you aren’t familiar with the Disney Princesses let me bring you up to speed. Someone in Walt’s marketing department had the great idea to resurrect leading ladies from their movies (classic and contemporary), and by packaging them together with pink and glitter, have created a merchandising tour de force. The full lineup includes Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Princess Jasmine (Aladdin) and Ariel (The Little Mermaid). And little girls go crazy for them.

Unless you live with a female under 5 years of age, you probably can’t understand how I have allowed Disney Princesses to rule my home. We have DP headbands, coloring books and crayons, dolls, storybooks, jewelry, sleepwear, costumes, tiaras, bedding, band-aids, even a toothbrush and DP toothpaste. She will tell you that each item in her collection is her “treasure” and the idea she might have to part with any of them would break her heart. And there is always something new for my daughter to discover — and NEEEEEED. Therein lies the genius of Disney branding through entertainment, engaging the consumer to trigger a purchase based on a desire born out of an emotional connection.

This was evidenced on a recent visit to the grocery store. My daughter in tow, I just needed to grab a few ingredients for dinner. But with each aisle we went down, more potential “treasures” were discovered. Squeals of excitement soon give way to serious negotiations and then stifled tears as we zoomed past the DP dress-up magnets, round the corner to discover DP press-on fingernails, followed by DP bubbles, DP stickers and a DP plastic rhinestone emblazoned cell phone. These items are all strategically merchandised just at the height that catches the eye of a small child in a shopping cart. By aisle 5 or 6, just as Disney hoped, I’m giving in to the pleas and negotiations and allowing Lily to select one addition to her collection. Even for a mom in marketing, it inevitably happens (almost) every time. What’s a few dollars when I can watch her face light up? Victory — and sheer joy at her new acquisition. The Disney Princesses rule on.

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http://disney.go.com/princess/princess.html

Confessions of a Facebook Addict

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Addicted To Facebook

After reading the article “Help I’m Addicted to Facebook!” by Tara Stiles, I started to think about how my life has been affected by social media.

I am not new to the phenomenon, and have actually had my Facebook account since my sophomore year of college.  In the 5+ years I have had my account, I would say that I have gone through several stages of the site architecture and levels of addiction.  Which seems to be typical for most Gen-Yers, like myself.  Many of my symptoms are similar to those addressed in Stiles’ article as well.

My addiction started off as a simple way to keep in touch with classmates and to learn more about the ones I hadn’t yet spoken to.  It soon transitioned into a way for me to post pictures and share them with friends. It made it so much easier to keep in touch with important people in my life who had moved away for school. 

As time went on and the network and its offerings grew, so did the amount of time I spent on the site.  I feel as though the Facebook beast really reared its ugly head when it introduced many of the new features novice users take for granted. The news feed, status updates, applications, video offerings, etc. have made it even harder to avoid the attractiveness of Facebook.

This is when marketers also started to take notice of the potential opportunities Facebook has to offer.  The options for marketers in the beginning were limited, but Facebook has finally tried to embed advertisements on the sly.  It has disguised them by making them gifts, part of the news feed, groups, etc.  This provides a great opportunity for us as marketers and for our clients as well. Although it also proves to be another way my Facebook addiction is manipulating and controlling my life!

Whether you are a user, hater, novice or addict like me, it is important to understand the significance Facebook has on popular culture, and for marketers it is important to learn how to blur the lines of content and advertising to maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

My Top 10 Facebook Addiction Symptoms

  1. I have downloaded Facebook to my phone, which means I am ALWAYS connected
  2. I check my Facebook before I get out of bed in the morning (along with the weather and my horoscope… a bad combination of the three could mean I stay in bed all day!)
  3. Facebook creeping/spying has ruined my last 3 relationships (and caused many lapses in sanity)
  4. I work on the MSI Social Media Team.  My addiction has become part of my job… living the dream!
  5. I update my status at least 3-5 times a day
  6. Cocktails and Facebook don’t mix! (enough said)
  7. I have friends that are afraid to end relationships because of the inevitable barrage of questions they will have to answer after changing their relationship status on Facebook (by friends I mean me)
  8. Facebook is my homepage on my laptop
  9. I no longer say “CHEESE” when taking pictures, instead I say “Profile Picture”
  10. I wrote this post in PMS Facebook blue