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BIG GAME AND BIG BRANDING OPPORTUNITIES!
Well, it’s been an exciting year in my hometown Tampa Bay area, despite all the challenges and downers of 2020, Our sports teams have given us a lot to get excited about with a Stanley Cup by the Lightning in hockey, a World Series near miss by the Rays in baseball, and a Super Bowl victory by the Buccaneers in football a week ago. Of course, it’s also a time for marketers to try to take advantage of the huge media coverage to bring out their best creative and largest individual media spending each year.
Once again, the Big Game brought big commercials some of which were well spent on furthering the brand. Then there were others that caused a lot of us students of branding to say, “What were they thinking?” with messages that in my opinion miss the mark. I have said for years in this business that the best branding is done with consistent, year-long marketing strategies that build not just awareness but a relationship with the consumers.
Shooting your wad on one spot or a few spots at the holidays or on the Big Game in most cases is just that—a waste of money. Here are some spots that give us a good example of great creative and a sound brand strategy that is consistently built throughout the year. Click on the links at the end of the discussion to view the spots.
JEEP. An American brand with patriotic roots as a military utility vehicle as dis-unity pervades the US and many of our systems. The vehicles are worked into the message and complement the brand strategy that has been built over the years as America’s first SUV. It’s an inspiring message but the brand shines through as the vehicle representing middle America. I do feel that Bruce Springsteen as the main character was unnecessary and a distraction as I found myself trying to figure out if that really was the Boss in the middle of Kansas. However, the message was powerfully written and produced and was extremely timely even in the middle of the Big Game.
TOYOTA. On the other hand, we have an inspiring spot with the compelling real-life story of Jessica Long, an adopted, handicapped athlete who rewards her parents for their confidence and acceptance by becoming an Olympic swimmer. The spot confirms Toyota USA’s commitment to being an American manufacturer and employer with American commitment to excellence. The only problem for me was that the story was so compelling and so wonderfully produced that I missed the Toyota sponsorship and brand. It wasn’t until I was asked what I thought of it and it was identified as a Toyota spot that I realized who was making this wonderful statement.
M&M’s: I love M&M’s and I believe so do the majority of others out there. In fact, in one of my previous positions, I had a Waterford crystal jar of the treats that melt in your mouth not your hands on my office conference table. I always believe you couldn’t help smiling when you have a handful of these candies and my associates seemed to agree, even if I didn’t always agree with their proposals or reports. M&M’s has always had clever spots in the big events and this one drives home the message in a clever way that no one can stay upset with you if you offer them a bag of M&M’s as a token of asking for forgiveness and brings a smile with great creative and production.
Rocket Mortgage. I’ve always enjoyed Rocket’s creativity in establishing itself as a leading source for home financing. When it comes to mortgaging your house, there is always some intrepidation about whether you are getting the best financing without any strings attached. Tracy Morgan is effective as himself in demonstrating that being “pretty sure” doesn’t cut it in many situations, especially getting a mortgage. Rocket consistently has stand out creative in their ongoing messages and I thought their Super Bowl Squares online promotion got many viewers involved (including myself (6&4 didn’t cut it with a score of 31=9) and surely developed a data base for more personal messages in the future.
WALT DISNEY WORLD. As you can tell by my welcome video, the ongoing “I’m going to Disney World” campaign that has been running since 1987 featuring the MVP’s of all the Super Bowl right after the game is over exclaiming that the next best place to celebrate the victory (or any other special event) is at Disney World. Their message throughout the year always promises a special time in a special place and the place consistently exceeds its brand promise at the parks and resorts. Having the foresight to get both Brady and Gronk was a no brainer this year (especially for the Buc’s GM and coach.
Click here to view a spot that is easy to shoot but ingenious in getting it done in such a timely manner.: https://youtu.be/xHOgwub8apc
There are some others worth noting, but here are some that should have saved their money or re-visit their brand strategies.
Samuel Adams. I thought it was a Budweiser commercial but was disappointed with a spot which was a silly as the product name (Wicked Hazy IPA) https://youtu.be/ppJtM1CzoPY
Cadillac. Worth marketing their total electric car with self-driving feature. But Edward Scissorhands? Not very timely and once again GM fails to pay attention to the Lexus who captured the largest share of the luxury car market with logical, well-produced straight-forward messages year after year.: https://youtu.be/9CD8h1kANag
Jimmy John’s. The brand has made big inroads in gaining market share from Subway, but it wasn’t by have Brad Garrett as a not-so-believable gangster sub-maker. They should stick their honest, well produced sandwich spots that work not this dumb message. https://youtu.be/-cuVTq76PIk
Fiverr. Who? Another of those unknown brands trying make a name for itself in one spot. I’m not sure I would want their recommendation for free-lance creative as a result of this silly, disjointed spot. https://youtu.be/XelsNvpibpQ
Unfortunately, there are more in this category that I could share, but enough already. Here’s to celebrating the Buc’s victory and hoping that 2021 is a great year for your brand as well.
LISTEN TO MORE OF KEN’S COMMENTS ON HIS LIVE INTERVIEW WITH TOM SHAY ON HIS PODCAST “Small Business Conversations” on various streaming channels or at www.progitsplus.org.
We’ll 2020 is coming to a close and to say the least, it’s been a challenging and disappointing year for people all over the world. As I’ve said earlier, retailing will never be quite the same and unfortunately for many, Holiday advertising (which hasn’t been the same for a few years now) has been diminished like so many other things in our new normal world. The sheer amount of advertising has been drastically reduced not only by the economic effects of the COVID 19 but also by the growth of online buying and selling. That’s disappointing for those of us in the advertising/branding business as we all looked forward to seeing some innovative creativity from stores and products trying to capitalize on the holiday rush.
So, does that mean there are no more great ads or commercials in 2020? Does that mean that marketing to the heart as well as the wallet has all but disappeared? For many of those who have gone to streaming and DVR-ing holiday programming on television, they will miss some truly outstanding creative marketing with messages that go beyond trying to simply sell more product. I’ve searched online for some outstanding examples of advertising that is not just great creative but outstanding branding that resonates with consumers—especially in these trying times. Here are just of few that you might not have seen but will surely enjoy the warmth of the Christmas spirit that they capture. NOTE: SKIP THE AD that You Tube puts on before some of these videos
Coca Cola. Coke has a reputation for running spots that inspire us and enlighten without trying to get us to take a drink of one of their many beverage brands. This epic Christmas spot captures the spirit of what it takes to make a child’s wish (and her father’s) wish come true. It seems like Tom Hanks should have been cast for this one. Click on the link here: https://youtu.be/yg4Mq5EAEzw
McDonalds UK. Animated features have certainly been the growing trend in the movie business, especially at Christmas. In this spot, McDonalds captures the true spirit of the Inner Self in an appreciating the sharing of Christmas memories which of course include stopping by for a Big Mac with a young boy. The song has an important message more than ever this year.
Walmart. The world’s largest company has the reputation for the best prices and being in-stock for the holidays, but the company credits its growth and loyal customer base on the trust that it has built over the years. Their marketing has been the key to building that trust and these Christmas spots for Walmart here and in Canada capture that spirit better than ever.
Doc Morris (Netherlands). This Dutch online prescription service goes out of its way to strengthen the health benefits brand and how it applies to everyday life of a senior fellow who want to be in shape to make his Christmas wish come true. It’s a bit long but the emotion and spirit that it captures makes it worthwhile for everyone getting ready for Christmas.
Click on this link: https://youtu.be/0Ha1dtAFbAA
ALDI UK. Most grocery chains simply try to help build the spirit by showing how they can make the Christmas dinner celebration the most memorable ever. ALDI internationally has used a carrot before in driving their brand message through and bring a smile to our hearts and faces at the same time. Welcome back, Kevin the Carrot.
As election day draws closer, I am once again amazed at the amount of political advertising that has flooded the airways, the mailboxes, the press, social media, billboards and anything else you can imagine to get the candidates’ name out in front of the electorate. The more I see, the more convinced I am that the political campaign strategists never studied marketing or branding. The strategy seems to be spend as much as you can, copy whatever the competition is doing or what has been done for the past several elections, and (worst of all) attack you opponent as aggressively and as cold-heartedly as possible. The recent debates were a prime example of immature, derisive attacks (although the second presidential discussion (not really a debate by definition) was significantly more civil than debate NUMBER 1.
No question that there is some long running competition between major brands throughout our capitalistic marketplace. Branding requires finding an advantage for your product or service over you like competitor(s). However, a successful brand strategy is based on communicating your advantage to those customers who would be moved to purchase once they are convinced that your advantage resonates with their individual needs or desires. Can you imagine if Ford or Chevrolet used their multi-million-dollar marketing campaigns to yell and scream and many times misrepresent the facts (aka Lie) to discredit the other brand. Or, if Walmart and Amazon only spoke of the disadvantages of delivery or of brick and mortar shopping, When I was with P&G’s Folger’s Coffee brand, the message was always built around the aromatic and tasteful advantages of their highland grown beans. They did not say Maxwell House tasted like sludge or that Chock-full o’ nuts was not made out nuts and were lying about their brand. As a customer, I like the ability to choose what I buy and where I buy it. McDonald’s has always out performed Burger King when it comes to their store experience, but they have always stressed their quality of their people and the taste of their food rather that attack the management of BK which seems to change every year and leaves an inconsistent message in their branding.
Daniel Burrus, in his webcast “Strategic Deep Dive” recently highlighted the collaboration among major companies (not necessarily competitors, but still searching for more of the customer’s shopping dollars) in the attempt to deal with COVID 19. Ford, GE and 3M while marketing their own safety measures, collaborated to provide ventilators, respirators, and face shield to help health care workers and first responders in dealing with the pandemic. It was the right thing to do and it’s the kind of cooperation that would enable our government to provide safer and quicker solutions to a number of issues facing the population of the US. The improvement in automobile efficiency has long been a competitive advantage, but he cooperation of automakers to provide better, more fuel-efficient vehicles as well as the many safety features now standard in even the basic models. Gaining a competitive advantage drives product improvement and more creative marketing messages while not alienating the other brands or their loyal customers. When Volkswagen was caught providing false emissions and mileage results to meet government standards, the other auto companies didn’t start calling them out and question the management’s ethics (even though it would have been warranted}. Instead, the featured their own results and provided unbiased studies and reports that built the respect of their customers and the general public as well.
I have long been a proponent of having more than only two political parties whose main goal in their marketing is to find fault with anyone in the opposing party or who was appointed to a government service position by the competitive party elected officials. This is not a Red or Blue constituency. It’s not black or white. Not Christian or Jew. Native or immigrant. We need to have more choices and more factual reporting of the accomplishments of all the candidates. Many marketing experts have been quoted as saying that “Marketing isn’t just the single-most important business function. It’s the only thing.” It amazes me how many comments are made with the utmost certainty by one candidate versus the other. Immediately, the other candidate refutes the comment saying emphatically “That’s not true.” In this situation, one or the other is not telling the truth and it’s amazing how many findings by independent fact-checkers confirm the false statements by one candidate or the other and for all offices. It’s time we told the truth all the time and built our messages on one’s qualifications rather that the other’s perceived shortcomings. I hope it happens soon. Be sure to vote on November 3rd.
As we enter the sixth month of dealing with the COVID19 pandemic as well as civil and political unrest around the country, I thought it would be good to reflect on what we are learning and share a couple of reports that gave me cause for optimism during these trying times.
First, some things that I think we’ve learned from the pandemic as it has affected our branding and marketing efforts:
Retail will never be the same. Of course, we continue to read on a weekly basis about store closings and bankruptcies and that’s no surprise. Marketing experts and academics have been saying for years that “mediocre retailers with real unique reason for being struggle to survive.’ As we have read the reports of national chains with high brand awareness (not pertinence), I doubt that many of us consumers have been surprised or really disappointed that these store fronts have been shuttered for good. We won’t miss them. As we drive by the local shopping and strip centers and notice the vacant windows and whited-out signs of hundreds of local small business entrepreneurs who simply couldn’t survive the quarantines and social distancing mandates for more than a few weeks. More will surely follow as they never built a relationship with their not-so-loyal customers.
Online and internet shopping will continue to grow. Amazon and all the other online marketers had a significant effect on shopping prior to the pandemic. The inability or desire to shop in person has given many previously hesitant shoppers to the internet to give it a try and most have found it a beneficial alternative. Convenience in shopping has been one of the key brand attributes for many years. Now, consumers have discovered that not only is online shopping convenient but it’s easier, trustworthy, well-communicated, and cost effective. Our experience with Walmart pick-up and ordering online has been remarkable and many other stores that we have preferred to shop personally have quickly and effectively demonstrated that customer service doesn’t have to be in person to be satisfying and loyalty building.
Advertising is changing. Our local newspaper has reduced its print distribution to two days a week with online issues every day. I’ve always been a habitual print newspaper reader, but I find that having online capability works and is convenient. The print advertisers who used sale circulars as their main promotional medium have been forced or have chosen to abandon that vehicle in favor of broadcast, online and other social media to reach their customers and have found that sale ads were more of a habit than a promotional sales stimulant. Those who have had effective branding messages continue to do business despite the pandemic and continue to market themselves with messages that really reach the heart and mind of today’s beleaguered consumer.
Pay it forward. In view of the discord we are experiencing in our cities, we should not lose hope and we should find ways to reach out and offer programs of love and understanding to our communities. Here is a feature from CBS Sunday Morning a couple weeks ago about the We Care program in Shreveport, LA, that demonstrates that communities that reach out beyond racial and economic barriers can improve the quality of life and avoid the civil unrest that plagues our country. Pioneered by a local pastor, Mack McCarter, the We Care program has grown neighborhood-by-neighborhood to the point that it has spread this feeling of love and understanding across economic and racial borders and had made a difference. I urge you to watch this to see how much more effective this can be versus the rioting, government forces, and political shouting that have brought distress to our country. Click on the link below to watch.
Broaden our perspective. Our country has been dominated by int. ense competition. This has been true in the marketplace and it’s time to cooperate to help solve the issues facing us. It appears that the large tech companies are recognizing this now, but political leaders are attacking successful businesses from all sides. This is a result, I believe, because of our antiquated two-party system that fosters one party or the other, black or white, north or south, male or female, straight or gay, and so on. Again, on CBS Sunday Morning there was an interesting interview with Comedy central’s Daily Show host, Trevor Noah. The comedian has succeeded well beyond his black, South African roots to continue the success of this program. In the interview, with CBS’ Jim Axelrod, Noah’s comments about America being a Two-Sided society that fails to understand the nuances between different points of view and social upbringing is really on target for understanding the turmoil in our country. This is particularly true of our political and governmental wrangling that, I believe, is having a lasting, detrimental effect on our society and our position in the world community. I hope you’ll watch the attached interview in its entirety as it provides an interesting perspective.
I hope this finds you and your family well and safe during this unprecedented time in our lives. I know that we all are finding it hard to believe all that has happened over the past several weeks now that “pandemic” ,“Social Distancing”, “Stay-at-home” and Coronavirus have become part of our everyday vocabulary. I know that we have found the new normal has afforded us time to catch up on many tasks that we have been procrastinating about for a while. We’ve also become more dependent on the internet and social media to maintain our communications with family and friends as well as to keep experiencing normally personal interactions like school, church, holiday celebrations, and even some cocktail parties where everyone toasts to a screen instead of clinking glasses.
Probably, most have you haven’t given a thought to branding during this time, unless you are still working in the marketing industry.
I was talking today with a good friend Tom Shay (retail consultant, author, speaker and founder of Profits Plus Solutions. We were talking about retail marketing as we do quite regularly and about the importance of marketing even in times like we are facing today. Tom said that he thinks there are basically three types of retail marketing during this period:
Stores that have batten-down their marketing. Basically stopping all marketing efforts given the restrictions and concerns of the public. This is an understandable tactic to cut the expenses when the revenues dramatically are reduced. Unfortunately, not all their competitors have done the same so the share of mind so it likely will be hard to bounce right back after the crisis subsides
Stores that keep it the same and promote as they always have. There are many whose message are still item/price and trying to drive sales as they always have. Unfortunately, in an environment of required stay at home behavior, a discount has little or no bearing on motivating someone to risk contamination or illness.
Stores that have reacted quickly to the situation and have taken a revolutionary approach by offering take-out and delivery that previously didn’t exist or was a convenience rather than the standard. Of course, Amazon is doing a gangbuster business as a result of this, but other companies have stepped up their operations to make it easier to continue to do business with them. We just tried our first online order and store pick-up at WalMart. We’ve known that they had provided this service for quite a while, but WalMart has upgraded the whole process to make ordering easier, to provide notice when the order is being filled and if there are any out of stock items or substitutions available, text confirmation when the order is ready for pick up, special signing to direct the customer to newly created parking areas with a sign and phone number to call upon arrival, and a friendly staff person who is there within seconds to load the order (no tips allowed) in your car. Other stores have done similar operational changes and have marketed them to their customers to reassure them that they are in business and are sensitive to the restrictions of the pandemic.
Other industries are reacting as well. Newspapers are reducing their print distribution and expanding their online presence to maintain communications while their advertising has dramatically been reduced. Financial institutions are increasing their marketing of their online banking service including mobile deposits via your cell phone camera as well as promoting their drive-through and ATM services. Auto dealers are marketing financing deals to suspend any payments until the pandemic is resolved. And there are many more. The key is that now is a time to continue to build the brand relationships with your customers and community.
This brings me to the outstanding effort done by my former agency and employer, Doner Advertising in Detroit. The agency has a long history of offering their creative expertise to messages that are targeted toward building the pride and spirit of the Motor City’s citizens. They have done this in the past for the local zoo, key health care providers, and community organizations with not only media support but award-winning commercials that reach the heart and the minds of the community. The reaction to the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. As you are probably aware, Detroit has been hit exceptionally hard by the virus and as a result so has the economy. Doner decided to keep the spirit of the city up by creating and producing a commercial titled “When the Motor Stops”. Click on this link to view it for yourself:
The copy is heartfelt and motivating, the production (which was shot in one day) is dramatic and captures the mood hitting all of us, and the message is one that we can all use at this critical time. Is it branding? Absolutely. For a city that needs positives more than ever. And for an agency, that continues to value its Detroit roots and creativity that has helped maintain the creative advertising and marketing reputation of the Motor City.
I hope you all are staying well and safe. I can’t wait to get back to normal!
Daniel Burrus, in his webcast “Strategic Deep Dive” recently highlighted the collaboration among major companies (not necessarily competitors, but still searching for more of the customer’s shopping dollars) in the attempt to deal with COVID 19. Ford, GE and 3M while marketing their own safety measures, collaborated to provide ventilators, respirators, and face shield to help health care workers and first responders in dealing with the pandemic. It was the right thing to do and it’s the kind of cooperation that would enable our government to provide safer and quicker solutions to a number of issues facing the population of the US. The improvement in automobile efficiency has long been a competitive advantage, but he cooperation of automakers to provide better, more fuel-efficient vehicles as well as the many safety features now standard in even the basic models. Gaining a competitive advantage drives product improvement and more creative marketing messages while not alienating the other brands or their loyal customers. When Volkswagen was caught providing false emissions and mileage results to meet government standards, the other auto companies didn’t start calling them out and question the management’s ethics (even though it would have been warranted}. Instead, the featured their own results and provided unbiased studies and reports that built the respect of their customers and the general public as well.
First, some things that I think we’ve learned from the pandemic as it has affected our branding and marketing efforts:
Pay it forward. In view of the discord we are experiencing in our cities, we should not lose hope and we should find ways to reach out and offer programs of love and understanding to our communities. Here is a feature from CBS Sunday Morning a couple weeks ago about the We Care program in Shreveport, LA, that demonstrates that communities that reach out beyond racial and economic barriers can improve the quality of life and avoid the civil unrest that plagues our country. Pioneered by a local pastor, Mack McCarter, the We Care program has grown neighborhood-by-neighborhood to the point that it has spread this feeling of love and understanding across economic and racial borders and had made a difference. I urge you to watch this to see how much more effective this can be versus the rioting, government forces, and political shouting that have brought distress to our country. Click on the link below to watch. 
Our country has been dominated by int. ense competition. This has been true in the marketplace and it’s time to cooperate to help solve the issues facing us. It appears that the large tech companies are recognizing this now, but political leaders are attacking successful businesses from all sides. This is a result, I believe, because of our antiquated two-party system that fosters one party or the other, black or white, north or south, male or female, straight or gay, and so on. Again, on CBS Sunday Morning there was an interesting interview with Comedy central’s Daily Show host, Trevor Noah. The comedian has succeeded well beyond his black, South African roots to continue the success of this program. In the interview, with CBS’ Jim Axelrod, Noah’s comments about America being a Two-Sided society that fails to understand the nuances between different points of view and social upbringing is really on target for understanding the turmoil in our country. This is particularly true of our political and governmental wrangling that, I believe, is having a lasting, detrimental effect on our society and our position in the world community. I hope you’ll watch the attached interview in its entirety as it provides an interesting perspective.
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