KFC is adding only its third fried chicken flavor in 68 years to its menu, and has launched a supporting campaign featuring 15- and 30-second TV commercials by its AOR, DraftFCB. To its secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, the fast-food giant is adding chipotle and, for a limited time, offering Smoky Chipotle Crispy. The flavor joins Colonel Sanders' Original Recipe, begun in 1940, and Extra Crispy, introduced more than two decades ago. In the 30-second spot, two young married couples dine outdoors, apparently on a pier at a marina. It's a sunny day reflective of blue and white colors as one husband joins the others and asks what it is they're eating. When he takes a bite, he's pleasantly surprised at the spicy flavor. "It's not spicy hot," he says, to which one of the wives says, "It's smoky." As the other husband digs in, he, too, is nonplussed. "Wow, what is that?" he asks, to which a wife replies: "That's flavor." "I like flavor," he says, ingenuously. Voiceover says it's "flavor with a kick," and the spot ends with the slogan, "Life tastes better with KFC." While the original recipe remains Top Secret, Doug Hasselo, chief food innovation office at KFC, offered a hint: The new recipe includes "slow-smoked chipotle peppers," he said. "Our new Smoky Chipotle Crispy is designed to be the perfect combination of robust flavors with just the right kick," Hasselo added in a statement. "We're confident Colonel Sanders would have approved this new secret recipe. It truly is finger lickin' good." While there are no online ads planned, a spokesperson said "The Quest for the Golden Chipotle" game at kfc.com is "meant to educate consumers about the origin of the Chipotle pepper while still being fun and interactive."
As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to open a massive new stadium next year, the team has also completed a deal with the only exclusive beer sponsor it has ever had: Miller Lite. The team and Miller Brewing Company have extended for 12 more years--through 2020--a marketing relationship that began in 1990. The deal covers the state of Texas, minus Houston, and includes a raft of advertising and marketing opportunities at the stadium and regionally. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. This fall, Miller will run a Texas promotional campaign with the Cowboys called "You Could Take Home History." The effort commemorates the team's exodus from Texas Stadium to the new digs. The program includes weekly giveaways of game tickets, team merchandise and stadium collectibles; commemorative packaging; point-of-sale highlighting great moments in Texas Stadium history; and TV, radio, print, out-of-home and digital advertising. Miller Lite also will market to Hispanics this year, as the "Vive La Experiencia de Los Cowboys" program will give fans the chance to win game tickets and stadium merchandise. With the extended deal, Miller gets TV, radio and print advertising via the Cowboys' media network in Texas, and can use the team logo on packaging and on POP material in Texas stores that sell Miller Lite. Once in the new stadium, Miller will have several branded venues: there will be a Miller Lite Champions Plaza at one of the stadium's entrances, where Miller Lite branding will be ubiquitous, and the company will sponsor pre-game events. There will also be a Miller Lite club that the team passes through on the way to the field; two beer gardens; a Miller Lite entertainment area at one end-zone platform; and VIP seating. A company spokesperson says Miller has sponsorship deals with 12 NFL teams and deals similar in scope to the Cowboys arrangement with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. "And there are other teams where we have either exclusive or shared sponsors," he says, adding that Miller does similar deals with NBA, Nascar and professional baseball. "We put a lot of energy and resources behind football," he says. "We will always have Miller Lite football-themed promotions from August through January." "Retailers are looking for ways to sell more product. If we can come to them with Cowboys packaging which they can see their consumer base will like, they will be more likely to carry our brand."
When it comes to the kids, moms spend most of their money on clothes and entertainment, according to new research from the NPD Group. Clothing represents the biggest single category for discretionary spending among mothers with children ages 14 and under-about 23%. But overall, entertainment is a much bigger slice of the "What did you get me?" pie, with a total of 48%. That's split among such categories as toys and board games (13%), leisure activities (13%), books, music, and movies (7%), video games (7%), consumer electronics (3%), subscriptions (3%) and events (2%.) And another 12% goes to food and beverages. Intriguingly, the study found that the child's age-more so than household income-dictated how money would be spent. "Moms who only have kids older than 5 years of age spend approximately 35% more than moms with younger kids," says Anita Frazier, industry analyst for the Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm. "We found that household income didn't play a major role in how moms spend," she says, adding that the report categorized respondents as high spenders, moderate spenders, or low spenders, based on what portion of total household income was spent on kids. "High spenders spend more in general across categories than do moderate or low spenders, but the two categories that had the most notable difference were apparel and toys." Gender played some role-- moms of girls spend more on apparel while moms of boys spend more on video games-but had no impact on the average amount spent by category, says Frazier, adding that the study is an attempt to take a closer look "at the 'whole kid,' if you will, not just related to their behavior or size of market in their particular industry." Children are most likely to influence their mom when it comes to buying a video game, and least likely to have a say when it comes to picking out clothes.
Following in the footsteps of Fabio, MC Hammer and Kevin Federline, former "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar has joined the growing list of B- (or lower)-list celebrities to appear in advertising for Nationwide insurance. Malakar's presence is intended to help the Columbus, Ohio-based company target Americans of South Asian descent, according to a company representative. The television commercial is one of six aimed at the South Asian-American market, specifically people who come from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. "He's a tremendously popular figure in those communities," company representative Mike Switzer tells Marketing Daily. "It's not just young teenage girls. Folks of South Asian descent like him a lot." In the television commercial, Malakar, known for an electrifying smile and flowing locks (though not so much for his voice), visits a monastery in India to seek advice about his future. Once there, he is told that he needs a retirement plan, and some work on his hair. "I'm thrilled to star in one of Nationwide's 'Life Comes at You Fast' ads because I really love the campaign," said Malakar in a statement. "My experience on 'American Idol' is a great example of how life really does come at you fast. The ad is a funny take on the serious subject of planning for retirement." Malakar is the first celebrity to be used in the company's South Asian-targeted advertising, although Nationwide has created advertising specifically targeting the South Asian community for the past three years. Previous spots have featured Bollywood-style dance efforts and a woman teaching her son Hindi. "South Asian Americans have among the highest annual incomes in the country," Switzer says. "They're also among the highest-educated in the U.S., which makes them valuable customers for us." Nationwide's "Life Comes at You Fast" campaign has run for four years. Other iterations of the spots have depicted Fabio rapidly aging and Federline fantasizing about a glamour-filled Hollywood life while in reality flipping burgers at a fast-food chain. Despite Malakar's popularity outside of the South Asian community, there are no plans to run the commercial featuring him in the general market, Switzer says.
The sinking economy affected Mother's Day spending a bit, and it looks like it's going to hurt fathers even more. Fewer consumers--70% versus 77% last year--plan to buy one or more gifts this Father's Day. Furthermore, they will spend $115 on average, or 8% less than in 2007, according to the 2008 installment of an annual survey conducted by the Brand Keys, Inc. brand and customer loyalty consultancy. n comparison, a pre-Mother's Day consumer survey by the National Retail Federation estimated that spending for that holiday would be down very slightly (by 51 cents, or less than 1%), to average $138.63, this year. As is true for all occasions these days, gift cards continue to grow in popularity for Father's Day. This year, they will account for 30% of gifts, up 5% from 2007. Other common purchases will include clothing (25%), tools (13%), electronics (10%), wine/alcohol (9%), DVDs (8%) and phones (5%). This year, so few reported planning to buy dad a computer that this item didn't even make the list, according to BrandKeys President Robert Passikoff, who notes that the electronics purchasing numbers are down, as well. Furthermore, more gifts will be coming from discount stores (35%, up 9%) instead of department stores (22%) and specialty outlets (20%). Online and catalog channels will account for 15% and 8% of purchases, respectively. Fathers will also get fewer personal visits: 30% of consumers are planning these, versus 35% last year--no doubt in part because of soaring gas prices. Instead, half will call, and 20% will reach out online. But never fear, dads: You'll still get a greeting card (90% plan to buy these, up 7% from '07). And about half of you (48%, down 4%) will even get brunch, lunch or dinner.
Dell moved Wednesday to protect its brand after a New York judge Tuesday slapped the computer maker with a ruling on false advertising and deceptive business practices for promotional credit financing and warranties. The Albany County (N.Y.) Supreme Court found that Dell deprived customers of technical support that they either bought or were eligible for under warranty. The company failed to provide on-site repairs for contracts. They also required customers to wait for an extended time period on the phone without ultimately providing help. State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi ordered the computer retailer to clearly disclose that most customers don't qualify for free financing or get next-day repair service. The ruling could have negative repercussions for the brand. "We don't agree with the decision and will be defending our position vigorously," according to a prepared statement sent to the media from Dell Corporate Affairs. "Our goal has been, and continues to be, to provide the best customer experience possible. We believe that our customer service levels are at or above industry standards." Branding experts say articles in the press and word-of-mouth marketing carries more weight than television, radio or online ads combined, and can damage the company's reputation twice as fast. Company execs who find themselves in a situation protecting brand image need to move quickly beyond the negative publicity and focus on the positive such as services and products that once gave the company its edge. "I have had terrific service experiences with Dell," says Mickey Brazeal, marketing professor at Roosevelt University. "People who have bad experiences, however, can become negative ambassadors forever." It doesn't kill the brand, Brazeal says, but every person with a complaint--on average--tells 11 other people. "Dell's in an impossible position because they are trying to sell and support a commodity product at a low price all over the world," he says. Steve Silver, president at Helios Consulting Group, New York, says: "So much of Dell's brand is built around the customer experience." "The price for computer equipment has become so competitive that it could be Dell can no longer economically deliver the experience customers have grown to expect. That's a big issue." In Dell's case, Silver says executives should now focus on reengineering the consumer experience to bring back excellent customer service that people knew and loved. That's not a communication issue, but rather an operational issue. Dell remains confident that when proceedings are complete the court will determine that only a relatively small number of customers were affected, according to the prepared statement.
Suzuki is backing vehicles like the Grand Vitara SUV, SX4, and its motorcycles, outboards, ATVs--you name it--with a film for IMAX-type giant screen theatres. The 3D movie, "The Ultimate Wave," a cross between "Endless Summer" (for those of us old enough to remember it) and "Mr. Science," is a joint venture of the Stephen Low Company, Havoc Films, and Suzuki. The film, co-sponsored by surfer-fashion brand Quiksilver, explores wave formation and wave forecasting technology, and mixes that with music-video-style footage of surfers, waves, spliced with interviews with famous surfers talking about the ultimate wave. The film, to be released in the fall of 2009, stars surfing champ Kelly Slater, who serves as narrator. Suzuki's cars, SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs and outboard motors are featured. The brand integration also supports Suzuki's "Way of Life" brand campaign. "The Suzuki 'Way of Life' is all about confidently exploring the outside world and discovering one's ability to live life to the fullest, and few activities personify this brand attitude better than surfing," said Gene Brown, VP/marketing for the Brea, Calif.-based American Suzuki Automotive Operations. "We think this film provides an authentic expression of the outlook and excitement that our customers embody and embrace." Since 2005, Suzuki has been presenting sponsor of the Surfer Poll & Video Awards, and has more recently partnered with the Surfrider Foundation and the U.S.A. Surf Team. The company says it will leverage the deal with online elements including a four-minute video vignette that launched early this month on SuzukiAuto.com, havocTV.com/Ultimatewave, Quicksilver.com, surfline.com and YouTube. The video short, with commentary from top surfers, teases the upcoming film while touting Suzuki's Grand Vitara SUV.
1 Small Luxury Hotels of the World 2 Rock Resorts 3 Peninsula 4 Ritz-Carlton 5 Mandarin Oriental 6 Orient Express 7 St. Regis 8 Four Seasons 9 Leading Hotels of the World 10 Waldorf Astoria CollectionSource: The Luxury Institute's "Luxury Brand Status Index