Or
perhaps I should ask will they drink "the most photographed wine on
Instagram?" I'm talking about Babe.
It comes in a can, and its alcohol content is 12% versus 5% for a
Budweiser.
Not
surprisingly it is targeted to women.
The spokesperson for the brand is Kayla Nicole - an on-camera host and
girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. (Bednarski, 2019)
You
can check out the commercial here...
Before
you read this blog, had you ever heard of Babe? Does their alliance with the NFL make
sense? Why or why not? Which will be more important for their
success - the alliance with the NFL or their presence on Instagram? Why?
Do you
know who Kayla Nicole is? Do you think
selecting her as a spokesperson is a good idea?
What do you think of the commercial - do you find it funny? What do you think of the name Babe?
And
lastly, but most importantly - do you think this strategy will make people want
to drink Babe? Will you?
Bednarski,
P. (2019, October 30) This Pinot's For
You: Anheuser-Busch Brings Wine In A Can Tp NFL. mediapost.com. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from
17 comments:
Good questions! I have never heard of Babe or Kayla Nicole (and am ambivalent to them selecting her as a spokesperson), but having an official wine of the NFL makes sense. After all, how could every NFL fan who drinks be a beer lover? It's kind of ridiculous that their official wine is a bubbly pink one in a can, but I am going to assume they did their research and found that the target with the most opportunity is women who like exactly that (or that it pairs best with nachos). The NFL is going to give them a presence way beyond what they could expect on Instagram. Its brand is ubiquitous and its followers so loyal that they seem likely to warm to NFL-aligned products without question, if the products fit. I would not be surprised if the NFL reaches a broader audience than Instagram does in Babe's target market - think of all of the TV watchers who don't 'gram. Even if they don't, it reaches a loyal audience and is pervasive even for those of us who don't follow football.
The commercial is not only funny but paints an interesting picture with the player tackling the stereotypical old wine snob. Wine is traditional, full of weird rituals and specialized knowledge. It's a bit of a cult, just like football. Is the tackler telling wine to move over and let a new crowd in? Is football trying to reach a hand out to an under-served market with lots of spending power?
I would almost say yes. Then I think about the name "Babe." I hate it. It makes me think of a lazy boyfriend zoned out in front of the TV apologizing for not listening to what his girlfriend was saying. "Sorry, babe, the game's on." But then again, I'm not the target.
I think this strategy will make people want to drink Babe because I think enough NFL fans will buy in just from the brand alignment. But not me, babe. It ain't me they're looking for.
All around it's a product that targets women, starting with the name alone.
I can see this product being very polarizing among women sports fans though -- on one side, women who might feel that (finally) they have a non-beer option (that isn't "cheap," "house" wine) at sporting events... and on the other side, women who might feel that they shouldn't need to play into gender stereotypes and opt for a more "woman-friendly" drink when beer is just fine.
The choice to put the spokesperson in a football uniform and tackling the man plays into the idea that a woman can drink BABE but still be "one of the guys."
I personally this YouTube video is a brilliant idea for the Gen X and Millennials. These people will almost do everything for getting a nice photo to share on their social media platform, especially Instagram. For instance, they will even travel to the other parts of the World only for Instagram photos.
Before reading the blog, I never heard Babe. In my opinion, I doubt the real performance of their partnership with NFL. However, their collaboration with Instagram will definitely bring their huge success among the younger people.
I also did not know Kayla Nicole. After checking out her Instagram accounts, I think it is a good idea to appeal the Gen X and Millennials. She is a social media influencer and appear on lots of sport-related business site, such as Stock X. And, she is also a typical Millennial which can affect audience to find lots of similar personalities with her, which can ultimately lead to a purchase behavior.
This video has a strong commercial value. The sense of Kayla Nicole gave the audience an insight of what the younger generation thoughts of the traditional Wine. In other words, it demonstrate the different worldview as a younger generation people live in the 2019.
On the other side, “Babe” is also a youth word choice on the Internet. It can create the resonance with the younger generation in a deeper layer. For these reasons, I will try to drink the Babe.
I can hear shouts of, across every bar in the US and beyond, "Make mine a Babe" and probably get some interesting reactions from any women in close proximity....
However like several others I had not heard of Ms Nicole however I wish her well in her brand ambassador-ship.
I have never heard of 'Babe' or Kayla Nicole before this blog. I think BABE's alliance with the NFL does make sense. It is an expansion of their audience - female millennials who like to drink - to female millennials who like to drink and watch football. While their presence on instagram is important for their success, this new layer of targeting will expand their reach in a way that would have happened much more slowly organically, sharing their brand in out of home, broadcast, and other media beyond the digital space.
Like BABE itself, Kayla is a disrupter of sorts, a young vibrant female media personality in the sports space, so I think using her as a spokeperson is a great idea. I think the commercial is funny, if low-brow humor, but I think low brow humor appeals to sports fans...
I personally do not like the name BABE, as I think the term, especially used in this context, is very much in the world of the male gaze rather than female empowerment. I won't want to drink BABE, because of the name, this alignment, and the fact that it is canned wine. However, I think young female sports fans will increase their consumption of BABE from the media strategy.
To be successful, the NFL just need a fraction of it's audience to try the Babe just once. Therefore this video is winner for three reasons. One Kayla Nicole has a decent following on social media and is portrayed in character. Two she's got additional notoriety as Travis Kelce girlfriend, a top tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL star. Three, the spot is designed for millennials and Gen Xers with its abrupt tackle and future meme possibilities. Overall, Babe seems to be an acceptable tailgate product. An alternative for wine and football loving women and an acceptable purchase for tailgating men looking to please their girlfriends.
I thought the commercial was cute. Even though I am not a football fan, I am aware of Kayla and who she dates. I think it was a great move strategically to make her a spokes person. She has her own career which is wonderful and a breath of fresh air. Also gets women such as myself to become "football" fans or at least has something (a drink) to entertain us at the games with our partners. There are plenty non- beer drinker women that enjoy the sport. Her presence ties two-worlds together.
Nataly Stephens
I didn’t know about the existence of Babe before I read this blog. I think that the partnership between the brand and NFL is interesting because it is a good way to attract the female audience. Many women do not like beer, which is the most related drink to football. Through its packaging, this is a way to convince them that beer is a good and convenient drink whilst watching the sport.
Due to high usage of social media nowadays, companies need to have a presence on it to gain exposure and customers. On Instagram for example, people normally follow accounts which in return causes “FOMO” which leads to customer demands.
I don´t know who Kayla Nicole is, but since she has a strong connection to football, it was a good idea to select her. In my opinion, the commercial was funny, but I think the message wasn´t that clear.
I don´t think I am the right target to that product, I personally don´t like the name for the drink. But, I will give it a try.
Before reading this blog, I had never heard of Babe nor Kayla Nicole. After having looked her up, I can see why a partnership with the NFL would make sense. Although I'm not sure simply relying on the NFL for the beer's success is a safe bet. Partnering up with the NFL will certainly have the people's interest peaked. Very basically, when you see a funny ad for a beer with good looking people in it cheering/playing your favorite sport (football), it will create brand affinity and you will want to learn more. Although I believe, concentrating on Instagram would be wiser. In fact, on instagram the brand will be in complete control of the content they are creating meaning they will know when, whom and why they publish a post. They will be able to target costumers more specifically. As those football ads, they will in charge of driving interest whereas Instagram will have to "seal the deal" and make people want to buy the beer.
Having a beer named babe is genius, I can already picture people having word games: "Have another babe, babe". I believe babe has every chance of successfully entering the market. Only time will tell us how it will do and if people will start consuming babe.
Allan C.
LH
Before reading this blog, I had never heard of Babe. Their alliance with the NFL makes sense if the spokesperson is widely known/liked by the NFL audience and if most canned alcoholic beverages, namely beer, have success in marketing to said audience. Instagram has over 1 billion active users, while the NFL averages about 15.8 million viewers. Since Babe’s target audience is women, I believe that their presence on Instagram will be more important for their success, because more women use Instagram than men in America (43% vs 31%) as opposed to NFL viewership (73% men vs 55% women); also, Instagram extends the marketability of Babe to numerous tribes, whereas NFL advertising is more so limited.
I don’t know who Kayla Nicole is, but after a brief Google search, I found out that she is a media personality, model, and most significantly, football player, Travis Kelce’s girlfriend. Selecting her was a good idea, because she has the potential to pull in female NFL fans as well as her Instagram fan base (175k followers), who may continue to be influenced by her sans her direct link to the NFL. I didn’t find the commercial funny, but I did notice their obvious jab at stereotypical wine connoisseurs and their attempt to bring wine drinking “down” to the level of NFL spectators/canned beverage drinkers (the everyday man/woman). The name Babe, like the undertone of the commercial, gives off a derogatory vibe, but some people find the term endearing or flattering.
Their strategy may make people who find the commercial to be comical and inclusive or those who are interested in wine, but don’t want to be thought of as arrogant want to drink Babe. I am not one of those people, so I will not be drinking Babe off the strength of their implemented strategy. Maybe if a friend recommends it for having a great taste, I will.
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article152242807.html
https://www.statista.com/statistics/246195/share-of-us-internet-users-who-use-instagram-by-gender/
https://www.theshelf.com/the-blog/sports-viewership
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nfl-tv-ratings-rise-5-percent-2018-1172505
https://www.oberlo.com/blog/instagram-stats-every-marketer-should-know
https://www.instagram.com/iamkaylanicole/?hl=en
Before reading this blog, yes I have heard of Babe. The only reason is because I watch and follow many college Youtubers/Vloggers/Influencers, and one girl named Brooke Miccio was sponsored by Babe. She was sent cans and cans of Babe, and she would often place it out whenever she hosted house gatherings. I think their alliance with NFL makes sense because I think Babe is targetting Caucasian girls who like to attend football games and tailgates. Beer is not very well liked by girls because of the unappealing side effect of a beer belly, and Rose is often the stereotypical drink for college girls. Sparking makes it even better. Therefore, this is why Babe is alliances with NFL and it makes sense. I think their presense on Instagram is more important for their success, because social media gets the word out. That's how I heard about Babe. If Babe only had the alliance with NFL, I would not have known. I do not know who Kayla Nicole is, but I think it was a good idea to select her as a spokesperson because she is the girlfriend of a football player. I'm guessing many college Caucasian girls wish to be the jock's girlfriend, and Kayla Nicole can be someone they look up to. I think the commercial is funny and odd, because of the man in the beginning. Lastly, I think the name Babe is great. The article mentioned that Babe got its influence from White Girl Rose, another alcohol targetting young college girls. The first time I saw Babe's packaging, I noticed the similarities to White Girl Rose's packaging. Babe targets college girls perfectly, because who doesn't want to be called a babe? Lastly, I think the strategy of using NFL does not make people want to drink Babe more than utilizing Instagram. The concept of sparking Rose and calling it Babe with an aesthetic can packaging, combined with social media and partnering with influencers, in my opinion, is enough for people to want to buy it. Utilizing NFL may be targetting guys, and the concept of Rose definitely does not attract them as much as beer does. Beer is "manlier."
Before reading this blog, I had never heard of Babe in terms of wine nor have I heard of Kayla Nicole. However after searching her on Instagram, I realized why they chose her to be the spokesperson of the brand. I think it is a good idea because she has a wide following base and many millennials will most likely try this wine after seeing it on her pages. I also think the commercial is funny and catchy especially when Nicole jumps on the guy and also the name babe which will always be funny especially when ordering it. I think the alliance with NFL makes sense because it attracts both men and women into the sports and the wine is a plus too. Nicole also plays a huge role in making this alliance successful because of her online influence and her relations with NFL which makes it a success on both Instagram and in the alliance. I think this strategy will make people including me want to drink Babe, because it is funny, catchy, attractive to both genders and millennials.
I have never heard of Kayla but I am very much aware of the company Babe. Their Instagram presence is incredibly well known and they are fantastic at marketing the product towards a younger group of individuals, specifically millennials. Babe got its start from the well known Instagram influencer the Fat Jewish. Because he was so aware of the market and knew how to work Instagram really well he was able to sell it to Anheuser-Busch this past summer. It was a smart move by Babe to become the official wine for the NFL because it can gain a different audience that they might have not been able to hit with Instagram. However, I think sticking with their roots and really capitalizing off of Instagram is their best bet for success. They can keep using big-time influencers such as supermodel Emily Ratajkowski to sponsor the wine and from that their profits will keep soaring.
Vanessa said....
I find this commercial to be funny. I feel the meaning behind this commercial is that maybe that change from Beer to Wine idea. Definitely targeting women because the brand wants women to feel they are part of NFL. I feel majority of products that are being advertised are mostly targeting men like Budweiser, Heineken and others. Also, this commercial shows how women are passionate about American Football.
I believe that having Kayla Nicole as a spokesperson is an amazing idea. Not only representing women but also representing minorities. Kayla is someone who is in social media and is a journalist too. I believe that this commercial will be a success and would bring more women to watch the NFL.
Also, the word “babe” maybe referring to a woman. But, I believe that it is unique and that is something that hasn’t been seen. As I recall, I feel the name gives some type of empowerment to women so this campaign would work.
Prior to reading this blog I had never heard of Babe and additionally I had not heard of Kayla Nicole. This is surprising as I am an avid watcher of the NFL yet watch using a service that has no commercials. The fact that she is the “girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce” has no relevance to me in terms of advertising as that tells me nothing about her as an individual and what she stands for but rather just who she’s chosen to align herself with. Selecting her as a spokesperson may help tie the product to the NFL and this may be strategic as they have a huge following already, however a larger percentage are males who will most likely not switch from their cheap beer brand of choice.
Babe seems to be the “female” alternative to Budweiser as its cheaper than other brands and comes in a can, which as most wine drinkers will tell you is blasphemy. At 12% Babe may actually be encouraging binge drinking as people tend to view one can as one drink when in reality its much more than that as wine is usually served in smaller quantities.
The commercial itself is funny in the fact that its mocking wine connoisseurs and attempting to take the elitism out of wine. However, it tells me extremely little about the product. There are already plenty of alternatives to beer consumers can buy such as “White Claw” or hard seltzer, so why they chose to completely reinvent an existing product is beyond me. This product probably wont be competing with beer or with wine, but with Alco pops and seltzers.
Before I read this blog, I didn't know who Babe was and I didn't hear about Kayla Nicole. However, I think it makes sense to link Babe to the NFL because Babe is defined as filling wine, which is also suitable for a group of women who like to watch the game while drinking, millennials. I think it is a very correct choice to use Kayla Nicole as the keynote speaker. She has a lot of fans on the INS and has a great influence on social media, which plays a vital role in promoting the brand. At the same time, for this advertisement, I think the commercial ad is very interesting. Whether it is Kayla Nicole's form or movement, it is very humorous. For Babe's name, I think the millennial generation who likes sports should be more acceptable. But I am not a sports enthusiast. I usually like to drink Cabernet Sauvignon, so I may not pay much attention to the marketing of filling wine.
Huiwen Xu
I personally had never heard of Babe wine. After reading this blog, I did some researches about this brand. I think it’s pretty genius for Babe to collaborate with NFL. People usually don’t drink wine while watching sporting events, since traditional wine is not portable enough. Wine has too much table manners as well. These features make wine a good choice on table, instead of in stadium. Imagining when we are watching sports events, we prefer something more convenient, but also interesting, since we are in such an excited mood. Babe is a perfect canned sparkling wine for NFL. Canned package makes it easy to carry; the sparkling flavor makes it more interesting than regular wine.
I think the popularity on Instagram makes this brand pop out, but alliance with NFL makes them success in a new level. NFL is the foremost professional football league in the United States. The alliance with NFL represents a nod from nations.
I don’t know Kayla Nicole before either, but now I get it why she’s the spokesman for Babe. Her roles as on-camera host with 170.5K followers on Instagram, also the girlfriend of NFL player will definitely help the marketing of Babe. Also, the funny brand name Babe, together with their bold and colorful packagings do appeal younger generations.
Post a Comment