Chevy and the Bill of Rights?!

I received an interesting piece of direct marketing from Chevy in the mail today. First of all, I'd like to know where they got my address at school and second, how did they determine that a person in graduate school would be a good choice to buy a new car? Perhaps they assume I've accepted one of those "golden" MBA job offers and am looking to blow a sizable chunk of a bonus on a brand new and shiny Chevy vehicle...or maybe they didn't spend enough time sorting through their prospect list.

Either way, I was lucky enough to receive this piece and it struck me as very curious. Every year I've seen the automakers make a big push for President's Day, which is also somewhat strange to me. Maybe they felt no other category, besides maybe retail, was taking advantage of the holiday and thought they'd jump on the bandwagon...which is some regards has worked since I always come to expect car ads around President's Day. But this year is different. The direct mail piece is a brochure about 5" x 9" and the front image is very simple- one vehicle, a brown (or taupe!) background, along with the Chevy emblem and the phrase "Presidents DAY SALE." Once I turned it over, however, I saw the above image- A wood-grained background with a very antique looking Bill of Rights in the center, stars superimposed over the image, and the wording "you have the right to a great vehicle and a great deal" subscript "see inside for great financing offers", also "it's the Chevy Presidents Day sale!" followed by four stars, along with the same Chevy emblem from the front and the words "Presidents Day Sale." The first thing I thought of was how we have been discussing in class the idea that marketers will attempt to impregnate an ad with multiple meanings. Here are a few of the meanings that jumped out at me by just glancing at this back page of the brochure:

- Chevy is American and by gosh that's a good thing: after just coming off of a Presidential election year, it seems as though Chevy is trying to work the patriotic, Americana angle. Our economy is struggling, but Chevy is as patriotic as you'll get- see the stars we've included in our ad to prove it?

- You (the consumer) deserve, neigh, have the RIGHT to buy a new vehicle: an interesting spin from Chevy, in my opinion. Instead of appealing to consumers' desire to "treat" themselves to a new vehicle or telling them it's okay to splurge and give yourself the gift of a new vehicle, why not appeal to their inalienable rights? With recent changes in the economy consumers are certainly watching their purse strings more closely and this revamped approach may be just the way to reach consumers. I don't know if people will open up their wallets for a brand new car, but it's certainly an interesting angle.

- Chevy will be around for years to come: this may be a stretch, but I can see how Chevy may be pulling in an image (and the thoughts and feelings people associate with that image) of one of the oldest foundational documents our country is governed by. Some people may see the image of the Bill of Rights and think "solid, long lasting, truth, justice" and those words and feelings may slip into the consumers' thoughts about Chevy.

The inside of the brochure continues with the President theme by including an image of Mount Rushmore and more wood-grained backgrounds and stars...lots of stars. They've kept the images clean and simple along with short bullet point lists about the four vehicles they've chosen to display. It seems as though many advertisers are going to a more basic, clean and simple form of advertising based on the economic changes- people don't want to see extra "fluff" today, they want straight information, so it seems.

CPG Companies Should Target Men

While scanning through AdAge.com today I came across a really interesting article by Abigail Posner, senior VP-strategy director at Publicis, New York. In her article, titled "Why Package-Goods Companies Should Be Marketing to Men" she notes that numerous trend reports and even the 2008 census have shown that men are more involved in taking care of their children and homes. Posner points out that this opens up a seemingly obvious opportunity for marketers, but that many are not taking advantage of this shift. She concedes that men are certainly not the main buyers or influencers of household goods, but that doesn't mean marketers should avoid men as a whole. I really resonated with the spot on examples she gave of brands that have marketed to men- successfully- including Wii (which sold more units during the first half of 2007 than Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 combined!), and Spike TV. These are products that are focused on men, yet appeal to both men and women (well, maybe not all the programming on Spike TV, but some of it). Posner also notes that "as members of the media and marketing community we don't just reflect culture; we actually change it- sometimes very quickly and tangibly." She then references the fact that scientists discovered in the 1970s a link between increased fiber intake and a decrease in risk of cancer, but that alone did not affect consumer behavior. When cereal companies started advertising this fact, however, consumer behavior started to change. Interesting what a few ads can do, huh? Towards the end she talks about not basing strategy simply on current marketing data because that is shortsighted, perhaps even dangerous in some instances.

I think this article is interesting because it points out what most marketers already know- men are there and should not be ignored. The fact that more men are becoming buyers and influencers should be a huge sign to marketers and help shift strategies moving forward. Also, being reminded of the power we have as marketers was eye-opening. Not to sound like a jaded marketer, but I'm still surprised to hear how many people think "news" programs are straight news. Some people do not realize that there are marketers and public relations professionals out there trying to hoc products and clients to get air-time, radio-time, print space, etc. Diane Sawyer probably doesn't really love the new XYZ from company Acme, but some talented PR pro has managed to get the product on during the 8 o'clock segment. That just reminds me how much pull we have as marketers. When people truly believe what is being fed to them as an absolute truth, it is a power we must handle very carefully. It is too easy to take advantage of unknowing consumers and that could have dire effects.

As a manager, being aware of the power we hold as marketers and being aware of shifting trends, such as more male buyers, gives us the information we need to move forward effectively. And as Posner states, we need to take all of this information into account, including forecasted trends and not just current trends today, to really be able to anticipate consumers' needs and wants in the future.

The New Tropicana- One Loyalist's Distress & How it Relates to Auto-Pilot Shopping

I often go grocery shopping with a fellow MBA colleague who happens to be from Finland. I can safely say I've had more fun grocery shopping in South Bend these past few months thanks to him- the way he reacts to our grocery store layouts, why we have the products we do, and his general observations often make me laugh and sometimes really make me think about how strange some of the things we have in a "standard" U.S. grocery store really are.

This friend happens to enjoy Tropicana orange juice. I mean, he REALLY enjoys it and is what I would classify as a heavy-user. Very loyal to the brand as well- Minute Maid simply won't do. We went to the store recently and when he walked over the the orange juice section of the cooler he walked right past the Tropicana containers. Then he stopped, had an inquisical look on his face, and looked around like someone had hidden his orange juice. He backed up and noticed the Tropicana was right where it has always been, it's just that the packaging had changed dramatically! He had a look of shock and curiosity, all rolled up into one. He picked up the new juice and began talking about how much he doesn't like the new design. "Why did they change a perfectly fine product?" "What's the point of making it look like this?" These are just some of the questions/thoughts he had.

Since we had discussed the packaging change in class recently, I was expecting the new design. But it was very interesting to watch his reaction for the first time. Then I thought it might be fun (true statement), to linger around the cooler section a little longer to see what other peoples' reactions to the new packing would be. Sure enough, person after person walked right past the Tropicana section, stopped when they got about 5-10 feet away with a look of confusion, and walked back looking very carefully in the cooler for their product. It was as if they were hunting for the orange juice, it had to be somewhere, right?

This made me think about all of the purchases I personally make on "auto-pilot." I pick up my favorite cereals without really thinking, same thing for granola bars, milk, etc. It made me wonder how many people experience their entire shopping trip on auto-pilot? Perhaps there is an opportunity for grocery stores to make grocery shopping time more of an experience, as opposed to some mundane act that one can do merely on auto-pilot.

I Now See the World as a Series of Culture Codes....Thank You Rapaille

At the beginning of this course I was a bit suspect about having two of our four books written by Frenchmen. Not that I have anything against French people as a whole (I do enjoy their wines and cheese), I was just curious to see how 50% of the readings coming from the French perspective would help shape the course. Don't get me wrong, I was very excited by at least one of the books being non-American, but two made me curious. Turns out, I've enjoyed reading both books very much! Though there are areas of both books that I could dispute, I felt like Rapaille's The Culture Code resonated with me more than Gobe's Brand Jam.

The way Rapaille organized the book was a huge plus for me. I personally really enjoy hearing people's stories, so having the book include snippets of the research he did with consumers was absolutely fascinating to me. Also, it made me realize why I enjoyed working on a psychology minor in undergraduate- the inner workings of the human mind, why people think and feel the way they do, these are some of the great things of life! And then for Rapaille to essentially take large ideas in the American culture- love, sex, beauty, youth, food, alcohol, etc. and tie them up with a pretty bow by giving them one umbrella code was an interesting concept. Sometimes, though, I felt as if it was a bit too convenient...

For instance, I'm still not 100% sold on the idea that the code for sex in the American culture is "violence." He states that because we are an adolescent country and "are uncomfortable with sex, we equate it with the extreme opposite of pleasure, something that causes pain and death." Well then. Way to take an idea and pull it to the extreme. Having worked in the UK for a time, I fully understand how Americans tend to be a bit prudish when it comes to sex. Being able to compare these two cultures specifically makes me realize how much further Americans have to become comfortable with the topic. However, I do not believe for most people the idea of sex has some deep, dark, underlying meaning of violence. If I could recommend another possible code I would suggest "awkwardness." I think that truly sums up our opinions and behaviors towards sex.

Also, his code for love being "false expectation" struck me as sad and almost undermining, as if he doesn't have enough faith in the American culture to think positively about the topic of love. He lets the French have "pleasure" associated with love, Italians get "pleasure, beauty, and above all, fun." Fine. We didn't want to have some fun and exciting phrase attached to love anyway. Actually, we do. So I would again argue that Rapaille has missed the boat slightly on this one as well. I refuse to belive that my entire culture associates loss, bitterness, and sadness with love. I'm not saying we have a perfect view of love (who truly does?), but I think it's a more hopeful one. If I were to recommend a new code for love it would be "fairytale." One could argue that is sometimes still in line with false expectation, but I think it gives a much better image of how most Americans view love. Growing up, little girls dream about Prince Charming coming on a white horse to carry them off into the sunset (cue dramatic sighs from the crowd). Even as we grow older I feel men and women have a desire for this level of romance that we learned about initially from fairytales. We want our first dates to be extra special- flowers, candles, etc. etc. etc. And we have visions of growing old together with our one true soul mate. If that isn't a fairytale....

I do feel that he was on point with many of the codes described in his book. For example, his code for hospital in America is "processing plant." I spent a few years working in marketing for a group of hospitals in the Midwest and one of our main concerns was how to get patients to feel more at ease during their stay. This stemmed from hearing feedback that many patients don't like going to the doctor, feel anxious about spending the night, etc. As Rapaille suggests, if a company can understand the underlying code tied to an issue, they can create a more effective plan to deal with that issue, i.e. if a hospital truly understands people associate hospitals with processing plants, they can begin to take measure to counteract those thoughts and feelings.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book because it made me think. That may sound strange, but I appreciate books that force me to look at topics, especially ones that I think I have knowledge in, with a fresh set of eyes. Even though I may not agree with all of the codes he outlines, the concept is truly fascinating and something to keep in mind when dealing with marketing in the future.

Oh Michael Phelps....What Have You Done?

It's been in the news that images of Olympic swimmer and recent US hero of sorts, Michael Phelps, have surfaced showing Phelps taking a hit off of a bong. Oh dear. I feel like this could have been a fantastic case study in my "crisis communication" courses. There are a couple of points of view that I take with this issue: one from the perspective as someone who worked in public relations and understands the role of spokespersons and the second as someone who has chosen Kellogg for the brand archival project.

As a former public relations professional, I've spent some time working with company spokespersons. I know the amount of background research that goes into making sure the person doesn't have any potentially explosive skeletons in their closet, as well as making sure they are a safe bet for future behavior. Once the background is cleared, it's always necessary to make sure the potential spokesperson's values, attitudes, and behaviors are in line with the company's. I would be shocked if Kellogg did not conduct due diligence on the background of Phelps...sometimes these images seem to appear out of no where. The fact that Kellogg is a brand so closely related to children and families makes it understandable that Kellogg has announced that they will be letting Phelps' contract expire as of the end of this month. I think it's a rather unfortuante situation, though, since I believe Phelps and Kellogg make a nice connection (minus bong hits). It's also slightly ironic that Phelps is being pushed out of Kellogg, after he signed an exclusive cereal deal with them, which made it impossible for General Mills to scoop him up for inclusion on the front of Wheaties boxes.

In reading Gobe's book Brand Jam, I am classifying Kellogg as "trust" within Gobe's 5 Primary Emotional Drivers. Gobe states that trust companies "include age-old, established firms with a history and heritage that provide products and services you can trust..." In my opinion, this fits Kellogg nicely. With that said, a company that is seen as trust in the eyes of consumers has an obligation to uphold that image and "do the right thing." In this instance, releasing Phelps from the contract was the obvious way for the company to avoid backlash from consumers, mainly parents, who would wonder why on earth a pot smoking swimmer is being associated with children's cereal (and other products, of course).

Chips Ahoy! Goes Vintage

I was watching TV earlier today and came across a new commercial from Chips Ahoy! with a Wizard of Oz theme. This new spot puts the recognizable claymation-esque Chips Ahoy! cookie in the role of Dorothy- starting out in black and white in a house with the cookie calling out for "Auntie Em." Then the house starts swirling around in a tornado and we see a witch fly by the window. When the house crashes down the cookie walks outside to a very Oz-like colorful set, including the Yellow Brick Road. When the cookie begins to say the familiar line "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore" a hand comes from out of the frame to snatch the cookie away (as is done in previous Chips Ahoy! commercials).

This made me think about what we have been discussing in class recently, with the idea that companies tend to go back to vintage ideas when the economy is in a downturn. I feel like Nabisco, and its ad agency for Chips Ahoy!, DraftFCB, have jumped on the vintage band wagon by trying to tie cookies to the Wizard of Oz. I especially found the announcer's line at the end of the commercial interesting- "The chocolate chip classic that's totally irresistable." The usage of the word "classic" while incorporating the brand in to a classic movie is a quick and effective way to drive the point home.

I think this just goes to show that there is an ebb and flow to marketing. Just like the economy is cyclical, so are the messages that marketers use to promote products and services. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with putting a nostalgic spin on advertising, especially if it puts some consumers more at ease. Even when times are bad, people like to feel like they could be walking down the Yellow Brick Road tomorrow...

Super Bowl Super Bowl Super Bowl!

Well, another Super Bowl, another year of decidedly new and exciting commercials. Here's my brief rundown on the winners and losers, in my opinion:

Winners

-Miller High Life-I may be slightly partial to the Miller High Life ads for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm a Wisconsinite and we're known for being proud of our breweries 2) I had heard Saatchi & Saatchi was the ad agency working on this series and I usually enjoy their work and 3) I LOVE the fact that they broke this ad up into 1 second increments! The hype surrounding these ads before the Super Bowl definitely piqued my interest and put me on "high alert" during the game to be on the look out for what the one second ad was actually going to look like. It also forced me to look up the ads online after the game...talk about successful click thru! After being able to watch the snippets online (including the ones that didn't make the cut and outtakes) I can't decide if the line "Champagne of Beer" [pronounced sham-pag-nah], "One Mississippi" or "Bonjour Milwaukee" is my favorite. The fact that Miller was able to build such a great deal of PR around the ads before and after the Super Bowl make it a winner in my book. Also, the word-of-mouth buzz was tremendous. Lots of students at Mendoza were talking about the ads and comparing who saw which snippets. Overall, something new and different.

- Monster.com-Yes! Pan from the outside of a tall building in a major city, inside to the boss's big fancy office, he's listening to classical music, while sitting at what looks like a mohagany desk with many leather bound books behind him, along with a massive stuffed moose over his head, continue panning to find what??? The back end of the moose sitting on Joe Schmoe's desk, which includes lots of gray color, a dreary lamp light, piles of papers and that annoying fax machine noise in the background! Sometimes we just need a little stupid humor to make us laugh and Monster.com hit the mark on the head in my opinion. How many people are unhappy in their jobs and feel as if the boss is sticking a stuffed dead animal's behind on their desk? haha Overall, great creative that got people talking.

Losers

- Teleflora-Really? Really? I know above I talked about enjoying stupid humor, but this is beyond the line in the sand. I can appreciate that Teleflora is trying to reach out to consumers' experiences of sitting in the office and watching someone receive flowers in a box, and delivering the message that their flowers, which are not delivered in boxes, are apparently so much better. My big beef with this ad is the negativity. The vulgar accent given to the flowers, which proceed to call Diane a "trainwreck", tell her to go home to her "fat, smelly cat", and that "no one wants to see you naked" go much too far in my opinion. This is followed up with a sultry female announcer telling people "Don't send flowers in a box, you never know what they'll say." along with the image of a nice, young Teleflora delivery man delivering a beautiful vase of flowers to Suburbia, USA. I don't buy it. I don't like the contrast and I don't think the end message is what Teleflora should be looking for. After speaking with friends who saw the ad, most were really repulsed by the ad and did not have a warm and fuzzy feeling after watching it. That includes men and women, thank you very much Teleflora.

Not the best creative, but probably a Winner, begrudingly

- Cash4Gold.com-Wow. That was my initial reaction to this 30 second ad from Cash4Gold.com. To get Ed McMahon and MC Hammer in the same ad to hoc a service where consumers can send their valuable gold in for money is a unique approach, to say the least. I'm not sure if I enjoyed MC Hammer's gold pants more or the gold hip replacement Ed is shown holding during the commercial... The creatives did a good job of picking out two C/D-List celebrities who people would not normally associate together and placing them in the same ad for a slightly ridiculous service. The ad does concern me though, especially given the current state of the economy. I hope people who may view this gold for money service as an option will think long and hard before sending their gold into Cash4Gold.com, as opposed to just thinking about this ad which perhaps made them smile and thinking it's got to be a great service. But overall, I think the contrast of Ed and MC Hammer and the pure silliness of the ad will resonate with consumers for at least the weeks to come...