Category: Branding
Old Spice Sales Prove Campaign’s Success
by Jan Morrison on August 12, 2010 | no comments
in Advertising, Branding, Measurement
As you now know, I love the Old Spice branding campaign featuring Isaiah Mustafa, because all of the elements are funny, smart and speak effectively to its audience. But has the approach worked to increase sales? After all, it is product sales that keep Mr. Mustafa and his chiseled abs around to entertain us.
According to AdWeek and Brandweek, who reviewed data from market researchers Nielsen and SymphonyIRI, the Old Spice campaign has helped Procter & Gamble significantly increase sales of its “man-scented” body products.
Nielsen reports that sales of Old Spice Body Wash have increased by 11 percent within the last year. The speed at which overall product sales have risen since the campaign started in February is even more striking. According to Nielsen, sales increased by 55 percent within the last three months and really jumped by 107 percent within the last month.
Now that we know the campaign worked to increase sales, we can explore how it actually happened.
1. Effective advertising. Wieden + Kennedy is to be commended (and they have by earning several awards) for creating ads that communicate with the target audience with creative messaging. These ads made people laugh, so they told their friends and shared online links to the commercial. This helped consumers rethink the Old Spice brand.
2. Leveraging social media to the nth degree. Wieden + Kennedy didn’t just take their witty commercials and slap them on their website and YouTube, then declare victory. They compiled a team of experts in advertising, marketing, writing and social media to leverage Mustafa and his towel across social media in a way that communicated with the brand’s target audience. This team camped out in a studio for days responding via video to tweets, Facebook messages and YouTube comments from fans in real time and posting them for the public to see. In true “Old Spice Man” fashion, these videos were funny, ridiculous and entertaining. This kept the brand top of mind and raised awareness among the target audience.
3. Brand consistency. The Old Spice Man and his witty bravado are not relegated only to the TV screen. His face and style permeate the Old Spice website and product packaging, as well. This helps consumers connect what they have seen on TV with what they see on their computers and the shelves.
4. Time frame. Old Spice executed all of these steps within a perfect time frame. The commercials and social media endeavors weren’t hard and fast, but they weren’t drawn out either. This helped keep consumers engaged and interested.
5. Brand attachment. All of these elements led to people wanting more of the Old Spice man and his brand of humor. Reddit.com created a voicemail generator without involving Procter & Gamble at all. Now you can have the Old Spice man in your voicemail and help raise brand awareness on behalf of the company. While part of me thinks that Old Spice should have thought of this themselves, I also think that this involvement by an outside organization lends a certain amount of credibility to the brand’s popularity.
Hopefully, this won’t be the last of the Old Spice Man. I hope we see him in more commercials and social media interaction. I hope his burgeoning acting career does not take the Mustafa out of the Old Spice Man.
What do you hope to see next in the campaign?
Brands Successfully Reach Bloggers at BlogHer
by Jessica Turner on August 11, 2010 | 1 comment
in Branding, Marketing, blogs
Last week, I took a few days off of work to attend BlogHer in New York City. BlogHer is the nation’s largest blogging conference for women. It draws more than 2,500 attendees from across the country, as well as some of the world’s largest brands.
Before, during and after BlogHer, many brands have off-site, private events to cultivate relationships with bloggers. I had the opportunity to attend many of these events and was very impressed by the brands’ presentations and creativity. Here is a list of my top five favorite events and why they worked.
Hallmark’s Christmas in August Party: Hallmark held a Christmas party in a hotel penthouse suite that was totally transformed to look like a home decorated for the holidays. It had a Christmas tree, the mantle was decorated, a Santa, gifts, Hallmark cards and ornaments and more. Prior to the event, Hallmark sent its guests purple Christmas hats to bring and wear to the party. The relaxed, homey atmosphere caused many bloggers to stay at the party for an extended period of time, which was a fantastic opportunity for the brand representatives to interact with the guests.
At the event, Hallmark promised to send a package of the brand’s Christmas line. This was well-received because so much swag is given during BlogHer that much is left for the housekeeping staff. This ensured that everyone received the Hallmark products that the company wants to introduce to the bloggers.
Unilever’s Penthouse Party: Like Hallmark, Unilever transformed a penthouse suite to create an experience for the bloggers. The penthouse it reserved was multiple rooms, and every room created a brand experience for the bloggers. One room was like a dressing room and featured a celebrity stylist doing hair using Suave products. Another room was a relaxation suite where bloggers could decorate sandals, have water flavored like dove deodorant scents and receive reflexology and massages. Yet another room was like a large kitchen and dining room, with areas set up to showcase Ragu, Wishbone and PF Changs.
The party was spectacular because of the attention given to each brand. Attending the event truly was an experience – and experiences are what bloggers love and write about. After checking out each room (and getting a “passport” stamped in each), bloggers received a large swag bag filled with Unilever products.
Getting Gorgeous by Audrey McClelland and Vera Sweeney: Audrey and Vera are two popular fashion/entertainment bloggers who came together to create an experience for bloggers to interact with multiple brands. They transformed two hotel suites into two rooms filled with beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands. Remington had celebrity stylists doing hair, Hanes shared about its new bras, Tide demonstrated its new wrinkle release product, MiracleBody gave away jeans to every guest and more.
The event was fabulous because of the opportunity to interact with many brands on an intimate level and because the gifts guests received were items that would be used and talked about. Earrings, jeans, curling irons, etc. – not small items that would be tossed. I wore my jeans on day two of the conference – and talked about them to many people. I was also photographed in them and linked them on my blog. This is what brands want.
ShopAtHome.com Shopping Spree: ShopAtAHome.com is an online shopping portal featuring free catalogs, Free Coupons, Printable Grocery Coupons, Local Store Coupons and Cash Back shopping incentives at more than 3,000 leading online retailers. Prior to the conference, they gave bloggers the opportunity to enter a contest to win a shopping spree in the garment district in New York. 38 bloggers were selected and given $150 each to buy clothes at wholesale prices – a perfect tie-in to the types of deals people receive using ShopAtHome.com. In addition to the shopping spree, the ShopAtHome.com representatives gave each attendee a $25 gift certificate to use on their site. This was a smart way to motivate the bloggers to visit ShopAtHome.com after the conference. The experience was organized, fun, different than a party and well-planned.
The Today Show with Today’s Moms: The Today Show invited about 25 bloggers to come experience a morning at Today on the Thursday before the conference began. The bloggers were invited on the plaza and included in a shot, met several of the hosts, got lots of pictures, were taken in studio and filmed during a segment, saw the control room and had time to get to know one another. This event worked because it was not too big and because Today created a memorable experience for the bloggers.
Here are a few additional brands worth mentioning:
Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project: Liberty Mutual invited a group of about 40 bloggers to experience Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. During the bus ride to Ellis Island, the representatives showed a video about the Responsibility Project and shared its vision. Nothing over-the-top, but very thoughtful, well-planned and memorable.
Ebay Fashion: Ebay Fashion’s booth at the conference included samples of the great clothes and accessories you can find on the site. Their stylists helped guests try on some items and then a photographer did a mini fashion shoot. Very fun.
Tide: Tide invited bloggers to one of several small dinners they hosted at a fabulous New York restaurant. These dinners had less than 20 people at each and allowed Tide’s representatives to really cultivate relationships with the invited bloggers. Very impressive and unusual.
Old Spice Scores Again
by Jan Morrison on July 1, 2010 | 7 comments
in Advertising, Branding, Video
Old Spice has done it again. The company released its second commercial on Wednesday, as part of its campaign to win over a new demographic and keep the brand alive. And it is even better than the first one, by including even more elements of the most comprehensive female fantasy every created.
Old Spice’s advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, chose the perfect spokesperson in Isaiah Mustafa and gave him just the right script to attract a younger audience to a product line that used to be for men who you would only refer to as “sir.”
Mustafa’s character fits the mold of contradictions many women daydream about—strong, kind, perfectly toned, handy around the house, skilled with baking, romantic and a little dangerous. I picture a table (or more likely, a bar) full of creative people brainstorming every possible element of any woman’s relationship fantasy. The only things missing might be caring for a baby, cleaning the house, or asking what happens next in my vampire romance novel.
Old Spice accomplishes all this without dismissing its heritage as a product for gentlemen. Its new deodorant packaging even pays homage to its past by audaciously printing this on the back:
THE ORIGINAL.
IF YOUR GRANDFATHER HADN’T
WORN IT, YOU WOULDN’T EXIST.
The logo still incorporates some imagery from the previous version, the packaging uses the same color scheme, and the commercials still contain a little whistle at the end.
We do not know exactly what the return on investment (ROI) has been for the campaign. The company has not released any sales or profit data that reflects the result of the new campaign, and Procter & Gamble Co., has invested almost all of last year’s advertising budget into this one campaign.
But if any other women who are in charge of purchasing for their households love it as much as I do, the company will reap significant results from Mustafa’s personified female fantasy.
Dr. Scholl’s Ad Is Off On the Right Foot
by Jan Morrison on June 22, 2010 | no comments
in Advertising, Branding, Marketing
As I’ve mentioned before, I love a good advertisement. I appreciate good ads because they are so hard to create. When I pursued an advertising specialty at my journalism school, I learned very quickly that I was not cut out for the graphic design side of the business. I am a writer, which is the other reason why I love a good ad so much. I admire the skill and vision of those who have the creative talent to produce attractive, effective, visual messages.
My most recent favorite advertisement is a print ad for Dr. Scholl’s For Her Open Shoe Insoles. The ad is so simple. It is printed on heavy cardstock to withstand the weight of one real life shoe insert that is stuck to the paper. It is not a replica. It is an actual shoe insert for a right shoe. The cardstock contains this terse copy:
Thin.
Cushiony.
Virtually invisible.
Try one. We bet you’ll buy two.
This ad is effective because it meets the most basic criteria for advertising:
- holds your attention,
- reinforces the brand,
- motivates you to action or influences your mindset.
The last criteria is key. In fact, one heel-wearer in our office (not me because I don ballet flats 24/7) tested out the insert before I even told her my plan for this post. She wore a pair of heels all day with one shoe insert in her right shoe. She felt the difference by the end of the day.
Such a simple, effective concept motivated her to try one. Now she plans to buy two.
Kotex Ad Goes Against the Flow
by Allison Russo on May 27, 2010 | 2 comments
in Advertising, Branding, Video
I, for one, appreciate a witty commercial when I (finally) see one. Especially one that pioneers a movement toward honest and informative branding in the feminine hygiene industry and that is precisely what Kotex has done with their “Break the Cycle” Campaign.
Recently Kotex released an ad that “breaks the cycle” from the standard tampon commercials which customarily have portrayed women as carefree and effervescent during their periods (i.e. women running on the beach in all white or the slogan, “Have a Happy Period…”…).
Check it out:
The new commercial starts out with a girl sitting on a chair describing her menstrual experience:
“How do I feel about my period? … I love it. I want to hold really soft things, like my cat. It makes me feel really pure. Sometimes I just want to run on the beach. I like to twirl, maybe in slow motion. And I do it in my white Spandex. And usually, by the third day, I really just want to dance. The ads on TV are really helpful, because they use that blue liquid, and I’m like, Oh! That’s what’s supposed to happen!”
This monologue, alone, is hilarious and resonates with all women. But even more genius is the montage of clips from former Kotex ads appearing throughout the commercial, some of which have been shown in the United States or Europe as recently as last year. I like the way the company pokes fun at itself and acknowledges that Kotex was among those brands that had wrongly depicted women’s periods in past ads.
The New York Times recently quoted Merrie Harris, global business director at Kotex’s marketing firm, JWT, saying “The whole category has been very euphemistic, or paternalistic even, and we’re saying, enough with the euphemisms, and get over it. Tampon is not a dirty word…”
In closing, the commercial poses the question, “Why are tampon ads so ridiculous?”
Kotex has done what no other tampon company has done before: go back to Advertising 101 and know your audience which, in this case, is women. For years, tampon ads have catered to a squeamish male audience. In doing so, they have failed to relate to their target consumer and created an unrealistic notion of what women are really dealing with. I commend Kotex for its bravery and honesty. Do you think the rest of the industry will follow suit?
Old Spice—Not Just Your Dad’s After Shave Anymore
by Jan Morrison on March 16, 2010 | 8 comments
in Advertising, Branding, Marketing
I love a good commercial. I love them because they are difficult to create well and achieve a desired communications goal. The new commercial for Old Spice body wash did just that—achieved its communications goal and kept me engaged. It also helped this brand appeal to a new generation of customers—a generation that thinks of Old Spice as their dad’s after shave. Watch it and see if you agree with my assessment:
Number one, it entertained me. I laughed out loud when I saw this commercial. Now that that’s out of the way, we can break it down for its effectiveness.
Number two, it communicates with its target audience. Sure, it’s a men’s product, but Old Spice has done enough research to know that women make most purchasing decisions, even on behalf of their male family members. It communicates to the person who is actually shopping and putting these items in her cart.
Number three, the campaign appeals to a younger demographic. Because Old Spice has always been your dad’s after shave, the company needed some new products and a new feel to stay relevant in the market place. In a product category that contains Axe (for hormonally charged teenagers and single 20-somethings), Old Spice positions itself as the grown man’s shower gel. It’s for men who are young enough to consider using scented shower gel, but are old enough to have an adult lifestyle that includes a mature relationship.
Old Spice used humor and careful messaging to appeal to a very specific demographic, reposition its brand and entertain all at the same time. I think it worked—what about you?
Brand Wins Big at Blog Conferences
by Jessica Turner on February 16, 2010 | no comments
in Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter
Companies continue to take a creative approach to reach out to bloggers as a way to market products. This was seen in action at Blissdom 2010, one of the nation’s premier women’s blogging conferences, held at the Opryland Hotel February 5-6.
We worked with our client, Soles4Souls, to reach out to this influential group of bloggers at the conference.
Soles4Souls, the shoe charity, sponsored a booth and encouraged attendees ahead of time to bring shoes to the conference to donate to Haitian relief efforts. By leveraging Twitter, blogs, the Blissdom website and its e-newsletter, word spread quickly for attendees to bring shoes to donate at Blissdom.
And did they ever!
More than 1,000 pairs of shoes were donated at the conference. Attendees who donated shoes were entered to win a pair of shoes signed by Rascal Flatts; that contest enabled Soles4Souls to capture the bloggers’ contact information. Soles4Souls also had the opportunity to personally interact with bloggers when they donated shoes and generated several positive leads for future blog partnerships. The organization also included information in the conference swag bags about how bloggers could partner with Soles4Souls on their blogs.
Soles4Souls successfully maximized its sponsorship to reach out to an influential audience, demonstrating the importance of including blogs and bloggers in marketing strategies.
Toyota’s Tough Times Create Credibility Crisis
by Paula Lovell on February 9, 2010 | 4 comments
in Branding, Crisis Communications, Organizational Behavior
Times are tough at Toyota. What with the piling on of slippery floor mats, sticky accelerator pedals and faulty brakes, it’s no wonder they are experiencing serious damage to their brand. And they’re taking a lot of criticism for the way they are handling the crisis.
The crisis managers at Toyota have got their work cut out for them. It’s not going to be as simple as offering an apology for the anxiety and inconvenience created by the recent recalls. New evidence reported in the New York Times indicates Toyota has a long and disturbing history of trying to cover up defects in quality and safety.
Now, it’s not just the latest double dip of recalls that Toyota has to overcome. The problem appears far more systemic: If it is true that Toyota has repeatedly been aware of safety issues and consciously waited up to eight years (while they were developing new replacement models) to recall the cars that were potentially putting Toyota fans and their children in the line of danger, they have violated consumer trust. Perhaps permanently.
For decades, Toyota has enjoyed the kind of customer loyalty that was the envy of every American corporation. There are blogs, member organizations, Facebook pages and all kinds of online chatter from people who call themselves lifelong fans of the car manufacturer, many who have said they would never own anything other than a Toyota. And why do they love this brand so much? Quality and reliability. Ouch.
There is only one way Toyota is going to regain its credibility with its customers and the market: prompt response and complete transparency. They’ve got to aggressively get the parts to the dealers and get these cars off the road as quickly as possible and with minimal inconvenience to the customer. They’ve got to offer special service checks and insurances for a long period of time, 24/7 hotline phone numbers and online access for people to talk to service experts, daily progress reports to the media, bloggers and the international public and aggressive incentives for new buyers. Most importantly, they should throw out the people who made the decisions not to issue recalls sooner when it came to choosing between their admiring public and corporate greed.
These are not “PR strategies.” Or are they? The only thing that is going to save Toyota is for its leaders to start thinking of their business from the customer’s perspective. When they start to relate better to all of their publics (customers as well as shareholders), they can work through this credibility crisis and re-emerge, albeit it in five to ten years, as a dominant and trusted corporation.
We are, after all, a forgiving and forgetting public.