Nothing to Sneeze At

I’m endlessly fascinated by badvertising, especially the spots you see that make you exclaim, “what were they thinking?!” My latest contender for a badvertising award is the newest campaign from Kleenex, “Get Mommed”. This is wrong on so many levels that I don’t know where to begin. It stereotypes gender, race, religion, and even lifestyle. The Asian mom is a scold, the Latino mom says nothing more than “Hola”, the WASP mom is self-involved, the Jewish mom is endlessly encouraging, etc.; need I go on? I get the premise that the man-child traveling from house to house stays with each mom while they pamper him but leaves the moment they perform an unspeakable “mom” act such as serving a green vegetable or trying to spit-clean his face. But this alienates female consumers, Kleenex’s key demographic. It also fails to put the brand in a good light. If these women fail at being moms then why would a marketer want them associated with their product?

When female consumers connect with a brand it’s because they see themselves exemplified in the campaign. That’s why Target’s “Essentials” ads are so successful; they show smart moms saving money by shopping at Target without sacrificing their family’s quality of life. If you want moms to aspire to buy your products, pay homage to their success at selflessness, the thing that makes all the hard work they do worth it. If Kleenex wanted to create a scenario typical of Kleenex users, a better and more plausible approach would’ve been to depict the nurturer moms that have a seemingly endless supply of tissues at the ready in any and all situations, proving how necessary Kleenex are and how resourceful mom is. A face full of cupcake in the back of the car? Pass the Kleenex box. A scraped shin on the soccer field? Take out the pocket-size tissue pack. Possibilities are endless, just like a supply of Kleenex.

An alternate approach would’ve been to show some key movie footage of famous criers such as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind; Rhett Butler saying, “Never in any crisis of your life have I known you to have a handkerchief” or Diane Keaton as the jilted playwright during her crying jag in Something’s Gotta Give. An anonymous hand holding a Kleenex box comes in from off-screen with the tagline, “There when you need it.” Women would identify with those scenarios, maybe because they’ve experienced something similar. The new play, Love, Loss, and What I Wore is enjoying good reviews and a full house because women identify with many of the sentiments expressed by the actors. Getting your key demographic to identify with your brand is the key to brand identity. And that’s nothing to sneeze at.

In Sickness and In Health

There are those who swear by certain brands. Take my husband. Please. (props to Henny Youngman). He simply will NOT drink Coke even if it was the only drink offered to him after he’d just traversed a desert in a sandstorm in August. He is a Pepsi man, through and through. Tide is one of a few brands that people did not forsake during this recession. It has a premium price but loyalists did not budge. Dunkin Donuts coffee drinkers eschew Starbucks. Wonder white bread eaters won’t eat wheat. Pepsi drinkers think Coke is inferior and vice versa. What’s going on? Brand loyalty, my friends, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Clorox Co.’s earnings increased over 20% primarily due to sales of disinfecting products. People are cleaning up their acts because of concerns re swine flu and they turned to Clorox to help them with that. (And just as an aside, I think Miss Piggy would make a perfect pitchpig for the vaccine). Clorox comforts us when faced with fear of flu and that means the marketing has done its job. Consumers equate the brand with killing surface germs which right now, are enemy number 1. Stomach ache? Pepto-Bismol probably comes to mind. Brands that are consistent are like true friends. The ones you know you can count on to be there when you feel at your worst or simply when you need some reassurance. But those loyalties take time and only occur if a product delivers on its promise.

The recent flap about sugary cereals claiming they’re nutritional or that they help build immunity is only the latest in increased scrutiny from consumer watchdog groups. Claims that Cheerios could lower cholesterol were also under attack awhile ago. Marketers make such claims to pull ahead of the competition. If they tout these benefits in carefully worded ways they might not run afoul of consumer groups but to make a claim the main selling point of your product will always invite healthy skepticism. Tide and Coke are just a few brands that enjoy undying loyalty. They found the formula for success in good times and in bad, just like the perfect marriage.

P.S. After I wrote this post, Kellogg’s announced it would remove product claims that Cocoa Krispies builds “Immunity”.

Never Mind

One of the Saturday Night Live characters popularized by the great Gilda Radner was Emily Litella, the well-meaning editorialist whose malapropisms bedeviled her but delighted viewers. “What’s all this fuss about violins on TV?!” she would rant. When the host would gently intone, “That’s violence, Miss Litella, violence on TV”, she would turn to the camera with a beatific smile and say, “Never mind”.

That’s pretty much what Disney told consumers last week when they offered refunds to anyone who purchased Baby Einstein DVD’s over the past five years. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood filed a complaint with the FTC regarding marketing claims that the videos educated infants. Those claims were removed from the videos three years ago but the recent offer goes much further with full refunds of $15.99 each. Ouch.

Another “never mind” came in the form of an announcement from some in the food industry that they would cut ties with the “Smart Choices” program. The labeling program features a large green check mark meant to convey the nutritional benefits of products. Smart Choice checks have graced products from Pepsi, Kellogg’s, and others. The F.D.A. has indicated concern that the program “confuses consumers” and may lead them to choose sugary cereals such as Froot Loops over healthier foods.

It’s hard to gauge the damage done to a brand when a company issues a mea culpa. In Disney’s case, they acted swiftly years ago when doubts first surfaced over the educational content claim of the Baby Einstein videos. The refund is further proof that they are willing to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. Some food companies like Pepsi will phase out the Smart Choices program while others like Kellogg’s will maintain ties for now, no doubt until the F.D.A. issues a ruling at which time, they may too say “never mind”.

P.S. The biggest “never mind” occurred after I wrote this post. Microsoft pulled out of a deal with “Family Guy”, saying the show is “vulgar”. Um, soooo, they never actually WATCHED the show before?

P.P.S. After I wrote this postscript, Kelloggs took additional flack for its claims that Cocoa Krispies builds “immunity”.

Good Will Hunting

I was shopping today (yeah, I know, shocking) for a gift at Baby Gap and was reminded none too subtly by ominously low signage that they’re holding their annual “Casting Call”. This year, they’ve partnered with Disney, so not only does the winner of this beauty contest get a professional photo shoot with pics posted in-store and a $1,000 Gap gift card, there’s also a trip to New York or Vegas to see a performance of The Lion King. Because my nephews are gorgeous (natch) I decided to enter them. But wait…what? After I got past the pertinent data, I was asked to pay $19.95 to play. And right there? That’s when they lost me as a customer.

Nothing turns a customer off more than being asked to pay for something that they feel should be free. That’s why the contest term “no purchase necessary” was coined. Well, that and legal reasons. Seriously, the marketer should be happy to gain your pertinent data and perhaps your consent to receive email offers but money changing hands? That’s never a good idea, especially in this economy. How to cook up a winning recipe contest? Take one revered consumer brand, add one celebrity, mix in a charitable component, top it all off with a timely tagline and voila; a real treat. Which is what Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner have done with their “Make Time for Kids” pledge. When consumers go online and pledge to spend the hour they’ll gain when clocks are turned back by doing something with a child, Frigidaire will donate $1.00 to Save the Children and you’re entered into a contest to win a double wall oven. Somebody else donates and I get a shot at a prize? Sign me up.

Another great example of how to align your brand with a charity without having to ante up anything more than your own good will is the new “A Care Tag for Our Planet” from Levi’s and Goodwill. They’ve partnered in a program that will feature clothing tags encouraging consumers to donate their used duds not only because it’s the charitable thing to do but also because it could help reduce the 24 billion pounds of clothing that end up in landfills annually. A stat like could cure anyone of a shopping habit or at the very least, turn them into a donor. I can honestly say that I’ve never thrown an article of clothing away. When you come from a large family, there’s always someone to hand it down to. And also someone to remind you of that fact. Yeah, I’m looking at you, sis.

Good will comes in many forms, not least of which is promoting the exchange of cultures to foster tolerance. The city of Boston will introduce an interesting urban project next May called “Virtual Street Corners”. To promote interaction, storefront windows in one section of the city will act as video screens to display images from another part of the city. I was a resident of Boston and I can tell you there are some wide distances between neighborhoods and I’m not talking about the kind measured by mere miles. You can bet that other cities will be watching closely to see the results of this experiment. As a marketer, I see advertising opportunities to utilize the concept for unique promotions and contests. A scavenger hunt comes to mind, maybe one with a charitable component. Be the first to find the storefront window unexpectedly featuring our product and a win a free product or service for you and for a local charity. That’s the best kind of hunting, when it’s done for good will.

Black and White and Read All Over

There are advantages to reading the news online. No ink-smudged fingertips for one. Though I do lament the loss of my “subway fold” skill which is a mannerly vertical crease down the center of the paper, a survival trick New Yorkers perfect so as not to invite a crease in the skull from passengers annoyed at the breadth of your newspaper.

More and more people are turning to the internet for their news. It’s free, fast, and with smart phones, there when you want it. So people are saddened but not surprised to see magazines shuttered. Earlier this month, Condé Nast announced that they would close Gourmet magazine after almost 70 years. I’m a foodie but in my opinion, the magazine was becoming a little too esoteric with recipes calling for ingredients that required the equivalent of a trek to the Himalayas. Modern Bride and Elegant Bride were also closed as was a newer offering, Cookie. The brides may have been eclipsed by sites such as theweddingchannel.com and theknot.com. Cookie may have been a victim of the recession as it was targeted to moms who dressed their kids in designer duds, a practice that may now be out of practice. This week, layoffs were announced at Glamour, Golf Digest, Vanity Fair and Vogue.

So while it may seem surprising that AdAge has chosen Women’s Health as their Magazine of the Year, they did so based on the strength of the brand which also includes a website, book publishing, and even an iPhone app. I’m a Women’s Health fan simply because it’s one of very few women’s magazines that don’t talk down to women. Sure, it has the occasional article that might seem more at home in Cosmo but for the most part, it focuses on solid information that doesn’t just inform, it educates. And it’s been attracting more advertisers such as Clinique and Aveda. Reading it, one feels virtuous as if, were you to miss an actual workout, it’s almost the virtual equivalent of one. Alright, I said, almost.

The health of magazines these days is in question and survival will go to the fittest. In this case, it may well be those like Women’s Health, who has extended their brand beyond print into multi-media where they can be black and white and read all over.

Gender Benders

Ask a woman what she does to prepare for a date and get ready to listen to a litany that would rival a tactical offensive.  Ask a man and he may just reply, “Show up”. But men, now there’s an app for that.

The media world was atwitter this week over a controversial iPhone application that helps men ahem, prepare for a date. Titled appropriately enough in guy/sports speak, “Amp Up Before You Score”, the app offers strategies, pick up lines, and a scorecard for success in dating different stereotypical women. To wit, you needn’t worry about choosing a restaurant for a “dancer” as they don’t eat; to pick up a cougar, simply say, “Predator, meet your prey.” Uh-huh, that should work. AdAge, Brandweek, BrandChannel and others all covered the controversy of what many considered an application “inappropriate in its objectification of women”. Pepsi, who markets the Amp brand apologized, even creating the Twitter hashtag #pepsifail, putting the flap firmly into the social media forum for people to vent. Some feel the apology was disingenuous however as the app has not been pulled. As they say, all press is good press.

Other weird but true news was the firing of a 5’ 10”, 120 lb model for being “overweight”. Filippa Hamilton, a stunning 23 year-old who modeled for Ralph Lauren for 8 years was summarily dismissed when she “failed to fit into the clothes she was to model”. She is a size four. Just prior to the firing, her emaciated (retouched) body appeared in an ad for which Ralph Lauren apologized.

Making no apologies is the designer, Karl Lagerfeld who in addressing those who complain about stick-thin models said that “No one wants to look at fat women.” It should be noted that Mr. K is himself, formerly full-figured. Oddly, at least one German publication will ban the practice of hiring professional models as they must retouch their photos to make them appear “fatter” to stem the controversy. They will now hire “healthy” models. Score! Another designer, Christian Louboutin – who creates insanely high heels that anyone over 5’ 6” cannot wear in all good conscience – has proclaimed that Barbie has cankles. Barbie, the doll whose proportions do not naturally occur in human form. Apparently, Mr. L has designed 3 new Barbies for the youngest foot fetish set; complete with slimmer ankles and his signature stilettos, the better with which to twist them.

All this gender business has people bent out of shape. Maybe they could use a drink? If so, they might be interested in the brandless branding approach taken by Absolut vodka. The famous bottle is going label-less in a new campaign against sexual prejudice. No label, no logo, just the firm indication that it’s what’s inside that counts. Refreshing, in more ways than one.

P.S. After I wrote this post, Pepsi discontinued the Amp app.

Under the Influence

If you told me that one day, my teenage son would be downloading not just contemporary pop and hip-hop music but also country, classic rock, and show tunes, I’d say you were one accordion short of a polka band. But thanks to Fox Broadcasting’s extremely entertaining new show, “Glee” that’s exactly what’s happened. Their inventive choice of songs and creative mash-ups has introduced some unlikely musical genres to many. Cast recordings from the show are among the top 10 downloaded from Apple iTunes. “Glee” is one of very few shows that my son will deign to watch with me (for which I give it bonus points) and my musically inclined siblings also love it. Like attending a free Broadway musical in your living room each week, its uplifting theme is a welcome change from all of the bad news. In fact, situation comedies are among the best received shows this season probably because we could all use a good laugh.

So it may also be the perfect time for Disney to overhaul their retail stores. Disney World was our destination of choice when my sons were younger and I was often the one lobbying to stay long after everyone else was ready to call it a day. Anyplace that clean and accommodating is magical to me. Influenced by Steve Jobs’ recent role on their Board of Directors, they now plan to bring that magical experience to their stores, with interactivity as the main element. Some may think it’s the wrong time to be making a substantial investment in retailing but I think that American consumers are more than ready to loosen their purse strings, especially for their kids whom they know won’t be kids for long.

Advertisers such as G.E. also think it’s time to look to the future. They’re one of several whose campaigns stress that America is “back”. That may not be entirely true but we’d sure like to think it is and maybe if we hear it often enough, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. When I hear that this will be a bleak holiday season, I almost want to shout out loud, “don’t say that!” because I know how much we’re influenced by it. Like watching someone who’s the first to put their toe in the water, maybe all the American consumer needs is to see confident marketing before they jump back into the retail marketplace. There are those who believe that if we’d all buy just one thing, it might stimulate the economy. That might be overstating things a bit but it sure would bring us each a little glee.

Beautiful

I blog, I tweet, I link in but I had to be dragged, kicking and screaming to join Facebook. I try to instill some value in my blog entries and tweets but updating my status? I figure that holds the same fascination for people as watching paint dry. And when it comes to virtual gifts, I know it’s the thought that counts but I find it kind of annoying. A virtual cocktail? C’mon, I’m Irish, I want the real thing. I always feel obligated to reciprocate and well, it never ends, like some chain letter from hell.

Still, I’m not surprised that virtual gift giving has now come to Twitter. Brandweek reports that marketers such as Nestle, Fisher-Price, and Trident are using the site to build their brands. My Luddite leanings notwithstanding, this is a great way to expose your brand to friends and followers, one tweet at a time. Conditioned as we are to the Pavlov response, when we get a virtual gift, we suddenly feel the inexplicable need to get the real thing. That’s what these marketers are counting on.

So it’s a beautiful thing when a company finds a seamless way to utilize a hot, new trend to market their product. Social media isn’t new per se but it is new to many users. TechCrunch reported that in April, following Oprah’s publicized first use of the Twitter, one million people joined. Over 50 percent of Facebook and Twitter users are women. So Estee Lauder’s new use of social media is brilliant. The company will offer free makeovers and photo shoots to produce pics that women can post to their online profiles. No purchase is required but we women know that 9 out of 10 times, a purchase will be made, either out of want or implied obligation. It’s hard to walk away from a makeover without purchasing at least one of the products used and it’s not unusual for women to buy them all. The Lauder brand skews towards women 35-55 and social media users tend to be younger but this will introduce them to the brand. I’m going to make a prediction that when the promotion begins on October 16, Bloomingdales in New York will be mobbed with women clamoring to take advantage of this free offer. That will make the news which means free advertising for the brand. Beautiful.

Civility

Memo to the mom who crazily cut through the queue of parents patiently waiting to drop off their kids at school this morning: you might want to cut back on the caffeine. This example of road rage at its worst reminded me of another “rage” that’s well…all the rage this week, and that’s outrage.

Bloggers are outraged that, as reported by the New York Times, the FTC has decreed that there must be full disclosure of free products or payments made in exchange for endorsements. Many people are outraged that David Letterman had affairs with women on his staff and also that he joked about it during his mea culpa monologues. There’s also outrage about two new products that were recently introduced.

One is “Gwen”, a “homeless” doll from American Girl. The company, which is owned by Mattel, Inc. defends the doll against those who think it’s injurious to make a homeless doll and insulting to charge $95 retail for it. In the past, American Girl has made substantial charitable donations to HomeAid, which helps the homeless find housing but at least one shelter president thinks a homeless doll “sends the wrong message that being homeless is ok”. I sincerely doubt that was the message American Girl was going for. It’s more likely that they wanted the very kids whose parents can shell out $95 for a collectible to know that there are other children who lack even that most basic possession, a home. There’s also outrage that Mont Blanc has introduced a $25,000 pen to commemorate the 140^th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth. The product idea is certainly a leap and its price tag is at odds with a revered figure known for his ascetic life but a charitable foundation run by Gandhi’s great-grandson will receive funds from each sale.

Dictionary.com defines “outrage” as an act of wanton cruelty or violence; any gross violation of law or decency. The way I see it, any product that is cause-related is the opposite of indecent. Gandhi famously said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”. If anyone had a right to outrage, it was Gandhi and yet he practiced what he preached, and in the most civil way possible.

Perceived Value

Remember that old chestnut from Philosophy 101: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? The answer was “yes” if you hadn’t been tapping a keg and “no” if you had. Sober or not, most people have an intuitive recognition of certain things while others perceive things very differently.

In a recent Vanity Fair/60 Minutes poll, almost half of the (American) respondents said that Wal-Mart is the brand they most “associate with America”. Fast Company stated it a bit differently, saying that “almost half of all Americans say Wal-Mart best symbolizes America today”. Those italics are mine because nowhere does it state just how many Americans were polled and/or responded. Also, those polled were only given a choice of a few brands – Wal-Mart; Google; Microsoft; NFL; Goldman Sachs; or none of the above.

Can we surmise that the sheer ubiquitous presence of the Wal-Mart brand made them #1? If Apple, Coca-Cola, Disney and others were included in the poll, would Wal-Mart still have won? The other brands are as ever-present in our collective consciousness but Wal-Mart is a destination for more than most. Just as “possession is 9 points of the law” so is perception a big part of this equation. The other part is value, which Wal-Mart has in spades, especially during this interminable recession.

Marketers pay special attention to perceived value, that benchmark used to measure the difference between the benefits that a product delivers and its price. I travel to China frequently and when I do, I always visit the Wal-Mart store in Guangdong. It’s not your father’s Wal-Mart store, with beds sometimes lining the center aisle and featured items never what you expect them to be. And it’s always busy. It seems that in this global economy, everyone knows the value that can be found at Wal-Mart. Perception is reality when value is involved.