Take a close look at some of the print and broadcast ads of late and it’s easy to see the attitudes of today’s consumers reflected.
Starbucks is More Than Coffee
Starbucks ran two full page ads in The Wall Street Journal on May 18, 2009. The ads tell consumers a little bit of Starbuck’s history – “35 years ago, Starbucks set out on a mission, born from a love of coffee, not from “corporate strategy.” We wanted to source, roast and serve the best tasting coffees in the world.” Then the tagline is just a tad confrontational, “It’s Not Just Coffee. It’s Starbucks.” It is just the right message these days to jumpstart the company out of its current slowdown.
Another somewhat confrontational campaign is coming from Post’s Shredded Wheat commercials. “We Put the No in Innovation.” The product is 117 years old and still uses 100% whole grain wheat in its recipe.
“There’s been a marked change in American values, with a greater desire for honesty, trustworthiness and security during a time of economic and societal uncertainty”, Kelley Peters of Post Foods told Market Daily.
Dixie, Kraft Foods, U.S. Cellular Marketing Ads
Dixie has started a new brand campaign using print and video and photos on social media sites depicting three food items – hamburgers, ice cream and coffee – coming to life and expounding on the benefits of being served on Dixie paper products.
Kraft Foods has launched an ad campaign aimed directly at Gen Y – “We are Miracle Whip. And we will not tone it down.” Television spots have trendy rock music playing while people embrace the flavor of Miracle Whip.
U.S. Cellular is offering a dead battery exchange program. Customers can bring in a dead or dying cell phone battery and get a brand new fully charged battery for free. The campaign addresses one of the two things that cell phone users hate the most – “running out of battery juice.” The other thing that bothers cell phone users is not having a signal.
Sex Always Sells
Mars candy company has introduced its first new candy bar in over twenty years – and the company is using the candy bar’s name, packaging, and a play on words to sell a sexy candy bar for women. The chocolate bar is called Fling and is being promoted as a sexual, uninhibited, only 85 calories, and as a delicate chocolate finger.
The packaging is a shiny pink wrapper. Television spots show a man and a woman seemingly in a dressing-room stall together making lots of sexual noises. The camera pans over the top and shows the couple are in separate stalls and the woman is eating a Fling candy bar. The tagline used is “Naughty, but not that naughty.”
What Makes a Great Ad?
Bob Seelert, author of a new book called Start with the Answer (John Wily and Sons, 2009) wrote that “A great ad grabs you by the emotions and then gives them a twist.” Many of today’s ads appearing in print, on television, or over the net certainly grab consumers by the emotions and gives them attitude just to mix it up a bit.
