Fortune Brands' Beam Global Spirits & Wine is launching the first integrated brand campaign for Canadian Club Canadian Whisky in 20 years. The No. 2 Canadian whisky, celebrating its 150th anniversary next year, is getting a multi-layered national advertising campaign with the pugnacious theme "Damn Right Your Dad Drank It." Central to the effort are sepia-toned Kodaks from the 1960s and 1970s of guys holding gals and rocks glasses of whisky cocktails made with Canadian Club. The message is that consumers' dads were cool, stylish and masculine, and so were their whisky cocktails. At least some of the photos from the campaign were submitted by Beam Global employees who culled them from family photo albums. Also, the first ad execution, with the headline, "Your Mom Wasn't Your Dad's First," as well as several point-of-sale materials, feature vintage photos of a mid-to-late twenties Dan Tullio*, Canadian Club's current global brand ambassador. A company spokesperson said the campaign is intended to build brand equity around the anniversary. "Canadian Club (CC) has incredible distribution, high awareness and quite a bit of latent brand equity. These are all reasons why Beam Global sees CC as a key global brand in the portfolio and has recommitted itself to investing in this brand," says the spokesperson. The spokesperson added that the effort targets men 30-40 "who are looking for a masculine, classic cocktail, something that their dads embraced when they were cool and stylish back in the 1960s and 1970s." Beam is supporting the campaign, launching next month, with a boost in its advertising and promotional spend. Media includes out-of-home and radio advertising, experiential elements, point-of-sale items and in-market events that will continue throughout 2008. Other executions of "Damn Right" have headlines like "Your Dad Was Not a Metrosexual" and "Your Dad Never Got a Pedicure." Print advertisements will run in Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News, with additional placements in Playboy, Men's Journal, Esquire, Outside and Men's Fitness in December and throughout 2008. The campaign will also be featured in spirits trade publications, radio, out-of-home media buys and viral elements. Energy BBDO led all creative design for the "Damn Right" advertisements as well as point-of-sale collateral. Canadian Club hired the agency in May to lead the brand's repositioning. New York-based Zenith media, along with sister agency Moxie Interactive out of Atlanta, coordinated all print, radio, online and out-of-home media buys. Fortune Brands in 2005 acquired Canadian Club, along with some 20 spirits and wine brands from Pernod Ricard after Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq. Fortune's acquisition included Sauza tequila, Courvoisier cognac, Laphroaig single-malt Scotch and Clos du Bois wines. Since the acquisition, Beam Global has focused its Canadian Club efforts on motorsports, including signing with Andretti Green Racing in the IndyCar Series as a major sponsor of the No. 27 car driven by Dario Franchitti. * Editor's note: This story has been amended since publication.
Sears is shaking the skeletons out of its closet with a new ad campaign for its Craftsman line, a Halloween-themed effort it hopes will woo more handymen to the brand. Fifteen-second ads show Craftsman tools coming out of a toolbox to form a skeleton, which then wishes viewers a Happy Halloween, says brand manager Michael Cassar. Ads, from Young & Rubicam, are running on such cable networks as TNT, ESPN, Comedy Central, NFL Network and Discovery Channel; a print version will appear this week in USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. Online, Sears is also running home page "takeover" ads on AOL and MSNBC, with the skeleton reaching out a hand to expand the frame of the Web page. Banner ads are running on such sites as AOL, Move.com, and ThisOldHouse.com. Themed "There's a Craftsman in All of Us," Cassar says the ads "will also be played out across New York's Times Square on the Nasdaq, Reuters, ABC & NBC signs--and in stores some 30,000 home-improvement associates will wear the skeleton Craftsman T-shirts, which will also be sold online during Halloween week." While Sears has been struggling with disappointing sales, the Craftsman brand continues to be one of its crown jewels, with high unaided awareness levels--and it is the leading tool brand, Cassar says. But it is also an increasingly competitive segment. "The Craftsman tool line is still highly recognized," says Jim Robisch, senior partner at the Farnsworth Group, a hardware consulting firm in Indianapolis, Ind. "But it certainly has been impacted by the proliferation of national brands, especially the Home Depot and Lowe's. "And while Craftsman became the dominant brand with its no-question replacement policy, a lot of the other brands have caught up. There are now almost 4,000 home improvement warehouses in the U.S., and they have very broad-based tool departments, carrying both national brands as well as their own private labels." The Halloween campaign supplements ongoing marketing efforts, including its "Official Tools of Nascar" spots. In its most recent quarter, Sears' same-store sales results, a measure closely watched by observers, fell 4.3%, and at its K mart unit, which also sells Craftsman tools, sales fell 3.8%. Other leading Sears brands include Kenmore appliances and DieHard batteries.
AT&T boosted profits in the third quarter by 41% on savings from acquisitions, successful marketing efforts, record wireless revenue and an exclusive deal to support Apple's iPhone. Thanks to the iPhone, more than 950,000 customers have activated AT&T's mobile service since the start of the third quarter. Roughly 1.1 million customers signed up since Apple's device went on sale June 29. Acquisitions also helped to cut costs and raise profits. With the approximate $86 billion purchase of BellSouth, the largest U.S. phone carrier gained control of the mobile phone joint venture then known as Cingular Wireless, creating synergies to cut personnel and marketing costs. Not long ago, consumers considered AT&T a tired brand. It had weak appeal and high subscriber turn rates. Rival Verizon Wireless was thought to have the lead. Surprising Wall Street analysts, AT&T jettisoned the stronger Cingular brand, replacing it with AT&T Wireless. "They've done a great job of repositioning the AT&T brand to stand for a high-quality wireless service," says Craig Moffett, senior analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. AT&T says it's benefiting from a smooth integration of BellSouth, too. Savings generated by the purchase could exceed all expectations, reaching $3 billion in 2007. The company now has 65.7 million subscribers. Net income reached $3.06 billion, or 50 cents per share, in the third quarter--from $2.17 billion, or 56 cents, in the year-ago quarter, the company said Tuesday. Although earnings per share slipped, much of the net income increase came from AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth in December 2006. Revenue nearly doubled, to $30.1 billion in the quarter, up from $15.6 billion in the year earlier. AT&T reported that, excluding acquisition-related expenses and other one-time charges, it would have earned $4.3 billion, or 71 cents per share--compared with income of $2.4 billion, or 63 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted profit met Wall Street forecasts. Thomson Financial analysts' consensus estimated 71 cents per share on revenue of $30.12 billion. "It was generally in line with expectations, and there wasn't a whole lot that jumped off the page at us," says Chris King, senior telecom analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. "The wireless subscriber number was stronger than expected, but many came from wholesale subscribers rather than retail. It's difficult for us to see where the company's taking market share from Verizon Wireless." Perhaps a new music service will convince those teetering on the fence. As part of the company's marketing makeover, AT&T earlier this week unveiled a music service with Napster, an online service with more than 5 million songs, ahead of the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show Monday in San Francisco. The Napster Mobile Service, scheduled to launch in mid-November, will offer single songs for $1.99 and a monthly subscription fee of $7.49 that will let subscribers download five songs monthly. The songs are not available for download to Apple's iPhone.
Target is focusing on its expanded grocery sections in remodeled stores and SuperTargets in a direct mail piece being sent to customers in select areas. The 10-page glossy includes recipes that consumers can make using products available in the Target grocery aisles. It also includes a fold-out with coupons for items such as Kraft cheese, Oscar Mayer lunchmeat, Bertolli frozen skillet meals and Classico pasta sauce. A plastic peel-off coupon for $5 off any grocery purchase of $25 or more is placed on the back cover. Citibank Smith Barney analyst Deborah Weinswig said in a recent research note that Target's increased assortment of prepared foods, recipes for quick meals and wine "should help boost Target's image as a food destination." The front cover of the direct mail piece features an excited young boy with a spoon up to his open mouth. The headline "Hello goodbuy" is followed by the copy "Bottomless pit. Endless meal solutions." The first two pages talk about the expanded grocery offerings. The copy, "Out of everything, including ideas? Say hello to your new Target," is superimposed over an empty plate with a fork on the edge. Copy on the following page includes: "Your Target store has more food than ever before. The grocery department has been completely remodeled and expanded, which means you'll find more dinner solutions than you ever imagined--all at low prices you've come to expect. We got many of the big names you know and love, plus exclusive brands like Market Pantry that are sure to become family favorites. You'll even discover a surprising selection of premium foods, inspiring appetizers and ready-made entrees that are guaranteed to make every meal special--all for less." The theme throughout the piece is "Eat Well. Pay Less." Of its 1,600 total stores in 47 states, the company currently has 182 SuperTarget stores in 21 states. Target President Gregg Steinhafel told analysts earlier this year that the company planned to open 30 to 35 new SuperTargets in 2007. "All of our stores in '07 will have an expanded food presence. Whether they are Super Target or a general merchandise store, they will have essentially the largest footprint of food that we have gone to market with," he said. "All of our remodels will similarly have that expanded food footprint."
A new study drives home the importance of understanding the diversity of the gay and lesbian communities and creating marketing strategies that reflect a company's or brand's likelihood of connecting with specific consumer segments. Multicultural market research/consulting firm New American Dimensions and full-service creative agency asterixGROUP conducted 926 online and intercept surveys with (evenly divided) men and women during June. The study identifies five distinct demographic segments and cross-references these with preferred ad styles and imagery. The segments: * "Super Gays" (26% of respondents) are highly educated (28% graduate school), highest-income (16% earn $100,000 or more) and most likely to be self-employed (15%). Slightly more than half (54%) of this segment are males. Super Gays describe themselves as sophisticated, activist, complex, intellectual, mature, risk-taking and extroverted. Nearly 90% report that they are "completely out" and about the same percentage report that they consider being gay to be a big part of who they are, and the most active segment in terms of supporting the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual (LGBT) community with time or money. Three-quarters (77%) live in big cities, 48% live in metro areas, and 56% own their own homes. This segment spends the most time surfing the web (20.3 hours per week) and reading magazines/newspapers (7 hours). Favored publications are The Advocate (38%), The New York Times (25%) and Out (22%). Compared to other segments, Super Gays are more likely to connect to a company that "actively speaks on behalf of LGBT causes" (18% express this attitude). * "Habitaters" (25% of respondents) are older (41% are age 50 or older) and most likely to be in a stable, living-together relationship (59%). This group skews a bit toward females (55%). Habitaters describe themselves as serious, down-to-earth, emotional, simple, traditional, responsible and mature. About three-quarters (77%) are "completely out," and 61% say that being gay is a big part of who they are. Fewer than half (45%) say that they actively support the LGBT community, but 23% express concern about women's issues and 21% about children's issues. Compared to other segments, they are the most likely to live in suburban areas (37%) and own homes (65%) and are least into dining out (1.6 times per week). They are highest in TV-watching (10.2 hours per week), but low on magazine/newspaper reading (4.9 hours). Favored publications are The Advocate (19%), Entertainment Weekly (12%) and People (12%). Compared to other segments, Habitaters are more inclined to connect with a company that offers domestic partner benefits to employees (71% express this attitude). * "Gay Mainstream" (23%) respondents tend to be conservative and middle-of-the-road on almost all measures and attitudes, and as a group comprise an equal mix in terms of gender, age, education and income. They are also equally mixed in terms of living in urban and rural areas, and in renting versus owning homes. This group is most likely to have full-time employers (66%). Fewer than half (44%) are "completely out," and 78% say that they have to know someone well to tell them that they are gay, but 73% say that being gay is a big part of who they are. Over half (57%) of Mainstream Gays are in stable relationships. They are lowest in reading magazines/newspapers (4.6 hours per week), although 39% read LGBT publications. Favored publications are The Advocate (22%), Out (12%) and Entertainment Weekly (11%). Compared to other segments, they are more likely to connect to a company that "reaches out to gays and lesbians in traditional media" (15% express this attitude--and 78% say that they prefer to watch TV programs in which being gay is part of the story). They also connect with companies that "actively speak out on behalf of LGBT causes" (13%). * "Party People" (14%) skew young (29% are 18 to 24) and are the least-educated (23% are high school graduates). Most (82%) live in big cities, and 41% own homes. They describe themselves as youthful, down-to-earth, simple, cutting-edge, extroverted, rebellious and risk-taking. About half are in stable relationships. Three-quarters (77%) are "completely out," and 87% say that being gay is a big part of who they are. This segment had the earliest realization of gay identity (age 13.4, on average). Also, nearly half (45%) of Party People agree that "being gay is a choice." This is in marked contrast to other segments, whose percentages of agreement with this statement are very low (Super Gays, 0%; Habitaters and Mainstreams, 1% each; Closeted, 12%). This appears to largely reflect growing comfort with sexual identity with age. Three-quarters (76%) of Partiers say they visit LGBT bars/clubs frequently. Partiers also eat out more than other segments (3.1 times per week), and spend more on this (33% spend between $100 and $250 per week). Despite their youth, they are lowest in Internet surfing (15.3 hours per week). However, since they're also lowest in TV watching (12.7 hours per week), both patterns are probably a factor of nightlife taking up most of their free time. When they are Web surfing, they're more likely than other segments to visit gay sites and social networking sites like MySpace (30% do so). About half read LGBT publications. Favorite publications: Entertainment Weekly (20%), The Advocate (18%) and People (17%). Compared to other segments, Party People are more likely to connect to a company that "supports the gay community with donations" (11%) or "sponsors gay events" (8%). * Closeted respondents (12%) skew older (40% are age 50 or older), and 15% are retirees. Just 4% are "completely out," and 35% are "completely in." Fully 95% agree that they have to know someone well to tell them that they're gay. This group also realized their gay identity latest: age 17.8, on average. Closeted gays describe themselves as serious, sideliners, traditional, introverted, mature and cautious. They are highest in being single--meaning outside a stable relationship (52%)--and lowest in living in big cities (20%). Nearly half (47%) live in rural or small-town areas, and 59% own their own homes. They eat out 1.6 times per week, but are lowest in dining-out spending (just 6% spend $100 to $250 per week). They are high on Web surfing (20.2 hours per week) and highest in purchasing and engaging in games/sports on the Web, but low on visiting LGBT sites (23%). They read magazines/newspapers just five hours per week, favoring Reader's Digest (17%), People (16%) and National Geographic (11%). Compared with other segments, they're likely to connect to a company that "reaches out to gays and lesbians in traditional media" (16%). Differences by Ethnicity, Gender, Age In addition to the lifestyle segment findings, the study identifies significant differences by ethnicity, age and gender. These include: * Compared to Caucasians (who comprised 80% of respondents), Hispanic and African-American gays/lesbians are more open and comfortable about expressing their gay identity, although African-Americans place gender and racial identity above sexual identity in terms of importance. * Realization of gay identity comes earlier for men (average age 14, versus 17 for women). * More lesbians live together in relationships (59%, versus 37% for men), have children at home (16% versus 4% for men) or plan to have/adopt children within five years (15% versus 8% for men). * Men dine out more (2.3 times per week on average, versus 1.8 times for women) and spend more on this (29% spend $100+ per week, versus 18% of women). * Men also spend more on fashion: 26% spent $1,000+ on clothing during the past 12 months, versus 20% of women. * The number of gays reporting being "completely out and fine with that" was higher among those ages 25 and older, again suggesting that comfort with sexual identity increases with age. Media, Brand Preferences Across Segments The researchers also tallied data across the entire sample. For example, looking at total respondents: * Favorite networks include ABC (20%), Discovery (18%), NBC (17%), Logo (16%) and Bravo (15%). * Favorite shows include "L-Word" (15%), "CSI" (15%) and "Grey's Anatomy" (14%). * Favorite magazines include The Advocate (23%), People (13%) and Out (13%). Local LGBT publications are read by 43%. * Favorite Web sites include Yahoo (25%), Google (14%) and MySpace (14%). * Asked what is the most effective way for a company to increase its connection with gays and lesbians, 79% cited "offering domestic partnership benefits to employees," and 46% cited "supporting the LGBT community with donations." The researchers note that gays clearly reward companies that support the community, including by placing gay-themed ads and content in traditional media. * Favorite automotive brands include Toyota (30%), Honda (22%), Ford (16%), BMW (15%) and Chevy (14%). Brands that are perceived as most supportive of the LGBT community are Subaru (60%), Volvo (22%) and Volkswagen (12%). * Primary banking preferences include Bank of America (16%), local credit union (15%) and Wells Fargo (7%). Banks ranked best for the LGBT community: Bank of America (19%) and WaMu (18%). * Favored fashion brands include Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. * Favored alcohol brands include Grey Goose and Budweiser. Responses to Print-Ad Imagery, Specific Commercials Some general trends were identified when respondents were asked to respond to six imagery styles commonly used in print ads geared to gay/lesbian audiences: "Beefcake" images and images of gays kissing/showing affection resonate more with gay men than lesbians; celebrity and friendship imagery resonate more with lesbians; gay pride and friendship imagery resonate more with older than younger gay men; and older lesbians relate more to "cuddly," "pride," celebrity and friendship imagery, while younger lesbians relate more to kissing/affection imagery. The study also asked gays and lesbians to rank three specific TV commercials on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "I hate it" and 10 means "I love it." Dodge Caliber's "Too Tough Fairy" spot and Budweiser's "Ladies' Night" spot--which both employ gay stereotypes for humor in an exaggerated, over-the-top way--scored 5.9 and 5.7, respectively. In contrast, Holiday Inn's "Hot Tub" commercial, which tries to play homophobia for laughs, scored 4.4. Lesson: Exercise caution when using gay themes in humorous creative. The study also identified media/imagery preferences by segment. (Click here to access a PDF summary of results and methodology.)
Papa John's is leveraging the fact that Halloween is one of the top three nights of the year in the pizza biz with a promotion that ties in with the Oct. 30 release of "Spider-Man 3" on DVD and Blu-ray High Def. Customers can purchase the Super-Hero XL3--a three-topping, extra-large, 16-inch pizza (30% bigger than Papa John's large size) in a box featuring "Spider-Man 3" on DVD--for just $12.99. And while supplies last, all Papa John's orders include a $3 coupon for the DVD. On Tuesday, Papa John's began airing a new commercial spot highlighting the new pizza promotion. The ad features footage from the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment movie and showcases the larger pie. In addition, for a limited time, "Spider-Man"-themed Papa Card gift cards will be available at all Papa John's restaurants and other retailers where Papa Cards are sold. Papa Card gift cards are available in $5 increments. Halloween, the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving Eve are the three best nights for the pizza industry, says the Louisville, Ky.-based company. Papa John's and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will collaborate on a DVD launch event on Monday in New York City's Times Square. Papa John's founder John Schnatter will play host to Spider-Man and "Spider-Man 3" director Sam Raimi, along with others from the entertainment industry. Spider-Man is expected to perform some of his acrobatic feats from the trilogy. Papa John's and Spider-Man will then make a "special delivery" to honorary heroes that will kick off a campaign giving away more than $1 million worth of Super-Hero XL3 pizzas nationwide. The company did not provide details and did not return requests for information.
Portland, Ore.-based Adidas is launching a campaign timed with the kickoff of NBA season this week, and supporting Adidas' Team Signature footwear and apparel, which arrive in retail on Friday. The effort is called "Basketball is a Brotherhood", and features NBA All Stars Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady. The integrated push features the players during candid moments, working as a team, teaching kids how to behave as a team, and talking about the subject interview-style. But the rich-media focus is online, with 11 video episodes housed at adidasbasketball.com. The campaign, via 180 LA, drives consumers to the site with TV, mobile, print and retail components. At the Web site, consumers can do things like text in to "join the Brotherhood." The videos were shot at a basketball camp for 12 young players who knew that the camp was run by Adidas--but not that the camp counselors were Garnett, Duncan, Arenas, Howard, Billups and T- Mac. The films are intended to reveal how disparate players become a team through crucible of practice, camaraderie and discipline. The Brotherhood campaign continues the Adidas tactic of showing its products in settings that put pros next to regular Joes. On April 11, 2006, the Adidas Group and the NBA signed an 11-year global merchandising partnership that will make the Adidas brand the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, the Women's National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League (D-League) beginning with the 2006-07 NBA season. Also last year, Adidas introduced its Signature line with ads featuring the six All Star players who are in the current effort. Last year's campaign--"Believe in 5IVE," which ran for six months--also had a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" message. TV spots had the players lambaste those who think a team is defined by its stars. It also drove consumers to the Web site, but for a sweepstakes. As is the case this year, each of the six players has a signature shoe. The media rollout covers the U.S., Asian and European markets. The company says it is rolling out the "Team Signature" brand with a tri-partite launch: First is Team Signature Lightspeed, touted as the lightest Adidas basketball shoe ever; in November, the company will launch Team Signature Lightswitch, featuring a new cushion system; next February, Adidas will launch Team Signature Pro. Each shoe comes in different player editions--e.g., "Team Signature Lightspeed T-MAC."