9/10/09
Here comes more evidence that advertisers are taking the research about the role that emotions play in decision-making seriously. (Shiv & Fedorikhin, 1999)
Philadelphia cream cheese, the category leader, has announced that their new television campaign will focus on the “moments created by Philadelphia cream cheese”. The stated goal is to get consumers thinking about the product more often by showing bonding moments between loved ones such as a boy spreading cream cheese on a bagel for his mom. (Wong, 2009)
What do you think? Will watching a girl making dessert with her grandmother persuade you to indulge in this high fat treat more often?
Shiv, B.& Fedorikhin, A. (1999, December). Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Consumer Research, 278-292
Wong, E. (2009, September 3). Why Kraft is ‘Pheeling’ Good About Cream Cheese. brandweek.com. Retrived September 9, 12009, from
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i295a6fb278def938bbfa673a860a0f72
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Can humor increase sales of Bud Light?
9/3/09
Facing the prospect of its first sales decline in 27 years, Anheuser-Busch announced that their new campaign would move away from their current “drinkability” strategy (i.e. not too heavy, not to light), to a more humorous approach. (Mullman, 2009)
This is actually a return to the company’s heritage, which was based on the premise that since people drink light beer to have fun, the ads should be fun. That makes sense, especially when we remember that most product purchases are based on emotion. (Shiv & Fedorikhin, 1999)
Wouldn’t you rather buy “fun” than “balance”?
Mullman, J. (2009, August 10). How Bud Light Lost Its Sense of Humor – and, Subsequently, Sales. adage.com. Retrived September 2, 2009, from
http://adage.com/abstract.php?article_id=138371
Shiv, B.& Fedorikhin, A. (1999, December). Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Consumer Research, 278-292
Facing the prospect of its first sales decline in 27 years, Anheuser-Busch announced that their new campaign would move away from their current “drinkability” strategy (i.e. not too heavy, not to light), to a more humorous approach. (Mullman, 2009)
This is actually a return to the company’s heritage, which was based on the premise that since people drink light beer to have fun, the ads should be fun. That makes sense, especially when we remember that most product purchases are based on emotion. (Shiv & Fedorikhin, 1999)
Wouldn’t you rather buy “fun” than “balance”?
Mullman, J. (2009, August 10). How Bud Light Lost Its Sense of Humor – and, Subsequently, Sales. adage.com. Retrived September 2, 2009, from
http://adage.com/abstract.php?article_id=138371
Shiv, B.& Fedorikhin, A. (1999, December). Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Consumer Research, 278-292
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A medium for every target.
8/27/09
Where is the best place to reach “overweight, out-of-shape, introverted, aggressive, depressed adults 35+?” If you guessed online video games you would be correct. (Sullivan, 2009)
Just consider the possibilities for everything from wii to blood pressure medications. And the best part of course is that the message can be tailored to the audiences’ insights, since people who don’t fit the profile won’t be seeing it.
No wonder Martin Sorrell is so bullish about the future of the consumer insights business. Coming soon, a medium just perfect for you.
Sullivan, L. (2009, August 25). CDC: Gamers at risk for health problems, dream pharma target market. mediapost.com. Retrived August 27, 2009, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=112229
Goetzl, D. (2009, August 26). WPP focuses on emerging markets, Sorrell upbeat about consumer insights biz. mediapost.com. Retrived August 27, 2009, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=112335
Where is the best place to reach “overweight, out-of-shape, introverted, aggressive, depressed adults 35+?” If you guessed online video games you would be correct. (Sullivan, 2009)
Just consider the possibilities for everything from wii to blood pressure medications. And the best part of course is that the message can be tailored to the audiences’ insights, since people who don’t fit the profile won’t be seeing it.
No wonder Martin Sorrell is so bullish about the future of the consumer insights business. Coming soon, a medium just perfect for you.
Sullivan, L. (2009, August 25). CDC: Gamers at risk for health problems, dream pharma target market. mediapost.com. Retrived August 27, 2009, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=112229
Goetzl, D. (2009, August 26). WPP focuses on emerging markets, Sorrell upbeat about consumer insights biz. mediapost.com. Retrived August 27, 2009, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=112335
Thursday, August 20, 2009
But does it make you want to buy something?
8/20/09
At the end of July, Forbes magazine asked a panel of experts to select “the funniest” tv commercial from a selection of 37 commercials dating as far back as 1965.
This 2003 commercial was their favorite.
Here's the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TGpri6pdcQ
I have to admit I thought this ad was a hoot. But sadly, it did not prompt me to make a visit to IKEA. Was your reaction any different?
While the article does not specifically address the commercial’s failure as a marketing tool, it did mention that the agency who did it – Crispin Porter – no longer works on the brand. Hmm. Isn’t it time that we all realized that funny does not equal effective?
Follow-up
Dr. Pepper announced their second quarter earnings, and guess what? Sales volume for Snapple fell 15%.
Burkitt, L. (2009, July 31). Laugh Track: Funniest U.S. TV Commercials. forbes.com. Retrived August 20, 2009 from
http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/30/funniest-tv-commercials-leadership-cmo-network-funniestads.html?feed=rss_news
Stynes, T. (2009, August 14). Dr. Pepper Boosts Projection for Year. Wall Street Journal, p.B4
At the end of July, Forbes magazine asked a panel of experts to select “the funniest” tv commercial from a selection of 37 commercials dating as far back as 1965.
This 2003 commercial was their favorite.
Here's the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TGpri6pdcQ
I have to admit I thought this ad was a hoot. But sadly, it did not prompt me to make a visit to IKEA. Was your reaction any different?
While the article does not specifically address the commercial’s failure as a marketing tool, it did mention that the agency who did it – Crispin Porter – no longer works on the brand. Hmm. Isn’t it time that we all realized that funny does not equal effective?
Follow-up
Dr. Pepper announced their second quarter earnings, and guess what? Sales volume for Snapple fell 15%.
Burkitt, L. (2009, July 31). Laugh Track: Funniest U.S. TV Commercials. forbes.com. Retrived August 20, 2009 from
http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/30/funniest-tv-commercials-leadership-cmo-network-funniestads.html?feed=rss_news
Stynes, T. (2009, August 14). Dr. Pepper Boosts Projection for Year. Wall Street Journal, p.B4
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Now, a moment for follow-up
8/13/09
Hi All!
I’m back and I thought I’d devote this week’s blog to follow-up on some of the issues discussed previously.
1. Magazines with ad page increases
Not surprisingly, given what I pointed out in the 7/16/09 post, some magazines posted advertising page gains in the first half of 2009.
Those on the winners list include: Fitness, Cooking with Paula Deen, OK!, Family Circle, Scholastic Parent & Child, Organic Gardening, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Country Weekly, and Muscle & Fitness.
It seems pretty obvious that most of these magazines are addressing current lifestyle trends – health concerns, more home cooking, and our obsession with our children. Meanwhile, OK! benefited from the fact that it is now being measured by MRI and Simmons, which means that established advertisers are now including it in their consideration set.
What I’d like to see now is the readership trends for these publications. I bet they’re up too.
2. This round goes to Powerade
As discussed in the 3/30/09 post, I believe that when companies engage in spitting matches, neither side wins.
Manhattan District judge John G. Koeltl has ruled that Gatorade failed to prove its case that Powerade’s advertising claims were false, and that it was guilty of trademark dilution. In addition to pointing out that all the claims were literally true, the ruling also stated that SVC (Gatorade’s parent company) “has not shown either a likelihood of irreparable injury or a likelihood of success on the merit.”
I’m still betting that both brands suffered by pointing out the chemical content of their products.
Roberts, J. (2009, August 10). Now Read This. newsweek.com. Retrived August 12, 2009 from
http://www.newsweek.com/id/211289
Hein, K. (2009, August 6). How Powerade Defeated Gatorade in Court. brandweek.com. Retrived August 12, 2009 from
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i43f8401a4817748c139d1d9d293d0b12?pn=2
Hi All!
I’m back and I thought I’d devote this week’s blog to follow-up on some of the issues discussed previously.
1. Magazines with ad page increases
Not surprisingly, given what I pointed out in the 7/16/09 post, some magazines posted advertising page gains in the first half of 2009.
Those on the winners list include: Fitness, Cooking with Paula Deen, OK!, Family Circle, Scholastic Parent & Child, Organic Gardening, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Country Weekly, and Muscle & Fitness.
It seems pretty obvious that most of these magazines are addressing current lifestyle trends – health concerns, more home cooking, and our obsession with our children. Meanwhile, OK! benefited from the fact that it is now being measured by MRI and Simmons, which means that established advertisers are now including it in their consideration set.
What I’d like to see now is the readership trends for these publications. I bet they’re up too.
2. This round goes to Powerade
As discussed in the 3/30/09 post, I believe that when companies engage in spitting matches, neither side wins.
Manhattan District judge John G. Koeltl has ruled that Gatorade failed to prove its case that Powerade’s advertising claims were false, and that it was guilty of trademark dilution. In addition to pointing out that all the claims were literally true, the ruling also stated that SVC (Gatorade’s parent company) “has not shown either a likelihood of irreparable injury or a likelihood of success on the merit.”
I’m still betting that both brands suffered by pointing out the chemical content of their products.
Roberts, J. (2009, August 10). Now Read This. newsweek.com. Retrived August 12, 2009 from
http://www.newsweek.com/id/211289
Hein, K. (2009, August 6). How Powerade Defeated Gatorade in Court. brandweek.com. Retrived August 12, 2009 from
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i43f8401a4817748c139d1d9d293d0b12?pn=2
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Does this ad make you want to buy a PC?
7/23/09
Perhaps you have noticed that Microsoft has been running a series of commercials with the key message that PCs are a better value than Macs.
Here’s the URL for one on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqvRi2akZMA
We’ve already discussed the fact that many companies have switched to a value strategy because of the economy, and this is yet another example. So what do you think? Is it compelling? If you were considering buying a Mac would this change your perspective?
Apparently the folks at Apple are concerned; so much so that they contacted Microsoft to ask that they stop running the ads because Apple has lowered their prices. (Parekh, 2009)
And according to yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, revenue on the Mac business fell 8% last quarter due to price cutting. Kane, 2009)
Parekh, R. (2009, July 16). Microsoft Undeterred by Alleged Legal Threat From Apple. adage.com. Retrived, July 22, 2009 from
http://adage.com/article?article_id=137989
Kane, Y. (2009, July 22, 2009). Apple Net Up 15% on iPhone Surge. Wall Street Journal, p.B1.
Perhaps you have noticed that Microsoft has been running a series of commercials with the key message that PCs are a better value than Macs.
Here’s the URL for one on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqvRi2akZMA
We’ve already discussed the fact that many companies have switched to a value strategy because of the economy, and this is yet another example. So what do you think? Is it compelling? If you were considering buying a Mac would this change your perspective?
Apparently the folks at Apple are concerned; so much so that they contacted Microsoft to ask that they stop running the ads because Apple has lowered their prices. (Parekh, 2009)
And according to yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, revenue on the Mac business fell 8% last quarter due to price cutting. Kane, 2009)
Parekh, R. (2009, July 16). Microsoft Undeterred by Alleged Legal Threat From Apple. adage.com. Retrived, July 22, 2009 from
http://adage.com/article?article_id=137989
Kane, Y. (2009, July 22, 2009). Apple Net Up 15% on iPhone Surge. Wall Street Journal, p.B1.
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