Is it time for Macy’s to fire Donald Trump?

I have never been a fan of using celebrities in advertising.  While they may be effective in getting your brand noticed, they often overwhelm it and ultimately distract from it.  That’s exactly what’s happening now with Macy’s and Donald Trump.

In case you haven’t been following the story, many people, including me, have been highly offended by the disrespectful comments Mr. Trump has made about President Obama and the American election process over the past several years.

In response, on October 24^th a petition was started on signon.org urging Macy’s to part ways with this ill-fitting spokesperson.  And as of this morning, 678,789 people have signed that petition. (Carusone, 2012)

Moreover, a recent survey by YouGov BrandIndex shows that since the beginning of November the store’s loyalty measure has dropped from 31 to 19, its lowest levels in more than a year, putting them behind all their competitors -- even J.C. Penney. (Mahoney, 2012)

(Strasser, 2012)

And last, but not least, there’s the boycott.  It will no doubt take a while for the company to assess the damage, but when they do, I imagine they will find that I am not the only Macy’s shopper who took my business elsewhere this holiday season.

Advertisers beware.  You can’t have it both ways, when you partner with a celebrity you have to take the good with the bad.  Why risk it?

 

Carusone, A. (2012, October 24)  Urge Macy’s To Dump Donald Trump.  signon.org.  Retrieved December 12, 2012, from http://signon.org/sign/urge-macys-to-dump-donald

Mahoney, S. (2012, November 29)  Is Trump Chasing Women Away From Macy’s?  mediapost.com.  Retrieved December 12, 2012, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/188167/is-trump-chasing-women-away-from-macys.html#axzz2Emipoa7s

Strasser, A.  (2012, November 29)  Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy’s Popularity.  thinkprogress.org.  Retrieved December 12, 2012, from http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/11/29/1258001/macys-popularity-trump/?mobile=nc

Let’s hope the success of Birds Eye’s GenVeg campaign emboldens other healthy foods to reach out to kids.

In May, when Birds Eye announced that they would be spending $6 million over three years on kid-friendly advertising with a goal of increasing vegetable consumption among children, I was hopeful the campaign would be successful as I noted in this blog.

http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2012/05/genveg-is-idea-whose-time-has-come.html#comment-form

I figured if the corny commercials that the Television Bureau of Canada ran in December 2010 could increase broccoli sales by 8%, then there was every reason to believe that other, possibly better, attempts to increase vegetable consumption would be successful as well.  Here’s that blog for reference.

http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2010/12/yes-advertising-can-sell-broccoli.html#comment-form

So I was tickled pink to read that the partnership with “ICarly” appears to have been a great success.  According to Birds Eye, the campaign generated 40,000+ sweepstakes entries, 16,000+ recipe ideas and 225,000 page views on the Nick/Birds Eye site.  Perhaps more importantly, the category experienced growth while the campaign ran, countering the flat to negative sales trends of recent years.

The campaign had so many interesting tactics that it’s hard to know which impacted the kids most.  Was it the” Steamfresh Chef of the Week” which encouraged kids to submit cooking-related photos?  Or the kid’s recipe contest, which resulted in “Yakimaniac Veggie Martians,” being featured on an episode “ICarly?”  In the end, I suspect that it was the totality of the multi-faceted effort that was responsible.

Birds Eye is already preparing a new campaign for next fall based in part on key insights gleaned from the kid-generated recipe ideas.  Doesn’t that sound like a win win?  Chiquita Bananas, are you paying attention?

Lukovitz, K. (2012, November 21)  Birds Eye Reports Success With ‘ICarly’ Partnership.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved December 6, 2012, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/187720/birds-eye-reports-success-with-icarly-partnershi.html?edition=53767#axzz2EHYsf1G2

Say Hello to Generation Edge

Last summer after a discussion about the psychological differences between Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y, a student asked me what comes next.  My answer was that while I didn’t know yet what the next generation would be called, we would all know soon since the oldest members of the group were already 18.

Well the brand consultancy “The Sound Research” has apparently named them “Generation Edge.”  While we’ll have to wait awhile to see if the name sticks, the information emerging about these children of Gen X parents is already fascinating.

The cynicism of their parents and the effect of early life events which includes September 11^th and the financial collapse of 2008, have apparently rubbed off on them.  They are less entitled than their predecessors (Gen Y) and understand that life will not be easy; they are defined by their ability to roll with the punches, and they share the rebellious tendencies of their parents.  (Baar, 2012)

Of course since they are seriously outnumbered by Gen Y their impact will be somewhat muted, much as their parents were forced to follow in the footsteps of the larger Baby Boomer generation.  But still as they reach adulthood, advertisers will have to think about using a more realistic approach to reach them than the one that appeals to the idealistic Gen Yers. 

It should certainly be interesting to watch.  

Baar, A. (2012, November 19)  On Edge: The Next Generation Explained.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 22, 2012, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/187543/on-edge-the-next-generation-explained.html#axzz2DcuqptQA

Does it make sense for Ocean Spray to use their popular spokespeople to fight the government?

Since 2005, Ocean Spray has been running a campaign that features two guys in a bog.  It’s been a big hit with the public and according to Ace Metrix, which measures ad effectiveness based on consumer surveys about persuasion and watchability, it is among the top five brands in its category this year. (Lukovitz, 2012)

So imagine my surprise when I saw that Ocean Spray had decided that not only was it good policy to fight the NYC ban against the sale of sugared beverages over the size of 16 ounces, but chose to do so using their spokespeople.  I have to wonder what they were thinking.  Suger-sweetened drinks are the single largest source of calories in our diet; type 2 diabetes is increasing by epidemic proportions; and they want to be exempt from the ban because cranberries are healthy if you don’t add sugar to them?  It boggles the mind.  (Brody, 2012)

But what puzzles me more is why they would take their comic duo and put them in this video.  What do you think?  Will they be able to use these guys in their advertising again after this?

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVzSir_q76U&feature=youtu.be

 

Lukovitz, K. (2012, November 14)  Ace Releases Brand Of The Year ‘Watch List’. mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 22, 2012, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/187157/ace-releases-brand-of-the-year-watch-list.html#axzz2CxgmQP9P

 

Brody, J. (2012, October 23)  In Fighting Obesity, Drink Sizes Matter.  The New York Times.  p. D7

Can Richard the Cat Convince You to Get Out the Hammer and Nails?

I was in a “Teaching with Technology” Conference at NYU last spring, when a speaker noted that you can tell when your online network is working because people will start posting photos of cats.  His statement got a big laugh, probably because everyone recognized that it was true.

Apparently this lesson was absorbed by Home Depot who has decided to introduce a feline spokescat for the holiday season.  Perhaps they were encouraged by recent positive sales results to take a chance, or they could have been reacting to data which has shown that icons appear to be an effective way for companies to connect with people in the social media space.  Either way it seems to be a bold move. (Vranica, 2012)

You can expect to read Richard’s sarcastic comments about his inept family’s home improvement disasters on Tumbler, and BuzzFeed‘s home page will be Home Depot orange next week.  Tweets can be found @RichardTheCat and content is planned for Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Foursquare.  (Zmuda, 2012)

It all sounds like fun, but I’m not sure it will inspire me to tackle those home improvements that I have been putting off.  What about you?

 

Anderson, M. (November 13, 2012)  Home Depot 3Q Results Edge up, Beat Street’s View.  abcnews.go.com.  Retrieved November 16, 2012, from

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/home-depot-3q-results-edge-beat-streets-view-17705759

Vranica, S. (March 26, 2012)  Knights, Pirates, Trees Flock to Facebook.  Wall Street Journal p B1.

Zmuda, N. (2012, November 14)  Home Depot Adopts Feline Holiday Mascot.  adage.com.  Retrieved November 16, 2012, from

http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/home-depot-adopts-feline-holiday-mascot-richard-cat/238323/

Can an in-flight safety video persuade you to go to the movies?

If you fly Air New Zealand soon you may get the chance to see something unexpected.  In place of the standard in-flight safety video which seems designed to put people to sleep, they are currently running a Hobbit-themed video featuring hobbits, elves, and even a cameo appearance by director Peter Jackson.  The promotion includes a chance to win passes to attend the world premiere of “The Hobbits.” (Russell, 2012)

But, what’s more interesting to me is the idea of turning a forced exposure into an entertainment/marketing opportunity.  I am reminded of a flight attendant I once had on an American Airlines flight, who added a bit of shtick to the standard message.  She got my attention, made me laugh and perhaps most importantly got me to tune into her speech instead of ignoring it as I usually do.

If you haven’t seen it, here it is below. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/airnewzealand/featured?v=cBlRbrB_Gnc

So what do you think?  Is it a win win?

Russell, M.  (2012, November 7)  ‘The Hobbit’ Takes Over Air New Zealand’s In-Flight Safety Video.  adage.com.  Retrieved November 8, 2012, from,

http://adage.com/article/the-viral-video-chart/hobbit-takes-air-zealand-s-safety-video/238170/

What happens when Duracell offers relief to people who don’t need it?

It sounded like a no-brainer.  With people increasing dependent upon electric devices, why not create a traveling exhibit designed to go to the scene of emergencies and provide a much needed opportunity for people to power up.  (Neff, 2012)

But, as they say the devil is in the details. 

Perhaps it’s because Duracell is located in Bethel, Conn. and is now dependent on a back-up generator themselves.  But all you had to do was watch some of the non-stop TV coverage of Superstorm Sandy to know that the only area of lower Manhattan that didn’t lose their power was Battery Park City, thanks to the fact that they are on a Brooklyn power grid.  So Duracell sending their “Power Forward Community Center” there was an odd decision.  One can only imagine that turnout was poor, and photo opps, which were undoubtedly the point of the effort were non-existent.

So what happens when an effort to build good will fails?  Will anyone even notice?

Neff, J. (2012, October 31)  Duracell Brings Charging Stations to Battery Park After Hurricane Sandy. adage.com.  Retrieved November 2, 2012, from

http://adage.com/article/news/duracell-brings-charging-stations-battery-park/238078/

(2012, November 1)  Downtown Will Have Power by Saturday, says Con Ed.  downtownexpress.com.  Retrieved November 2, 2012, from

http://www.downtownexpress.com/downtown-will-have-power-by-saturday-says-con-ed/