Bacardi USA's Grey Goose super-premium vodka is turning up the heat for summer, with a Facebook-driven engagement campaign supported by a new TV spot featuring a Rolling Stones classic. The "Reunion" spot -- the latest TV creative variation on Grey Goose's new "Toast" campaign, launched during the 2010 holidays -- began airing on national cable networks on May 16 and will continue to air through the end of September. The television buy and supporting digital and other media (including streaming video, to commence about a week from now), plus public relations, represent a doubling of ad spending for the brand over last summer's campaign. The campaign strategy is designed to give Grey Goose "the #1 share of voice" in vodka over the summer, according to its brand director, Michelle Beauchamp. The 30-second commercial from @radical.media, shot in the brand's signature black-and-white cinematography, shows a screen title proposing "A Toast to 'It's Been Too Long'" as elegantly dressed couples meet up in a clearly upscale club/restaurant to enjoy each other's company over chilled bottles that span the entire Grey Goose variety line. Aside from a voiceover at the end ("Grey Goose -- the world's best-tasting vodka") and some muted club sounds in the background, the spot's only audio is its driving theme song: The unmistakable Rolling Stones classic "Miss You" (although Grey Goose's usage agreement precludes it mentioning the specific band or song in its press releases, interviews or otherwise). The spot's creative reflects the "Toast" campaign's more "energetic" approach to conveying the vodka's association with celebrating life to the fullest -- and specifically with celebrating by getting together with or reconnecting with friends -- including prominent use of music to establish the tone, says Beauchamp. The brand's previous, long-running "Discerning Taste" campaign (also from @radical.media) used "very little or no music" and focused on the "sensory experiences" of Grey Goose drinkers during typical lifestyle moments (enjoying oysters and Grey Goose during a day of sailing, for example), she notes to Marketing Daily. The "Reunion" spot also subtly reaffirms the brand's on-premises marketing roots (the launch strategy of now-deceased Grey Goose founder Sidney Frank, who sold the brand to Bacardi in 2004). Beauchamp confirms that Grey Goose has in recent months seen a return to greater restaurant/bar patronage among its core audience. But "Reunion" also features two firsts: Use of the original recording of an "iconic" song (very carefully chosen to evoke the reunion mood, says Beauchamp), and a title at the end that directs viewers to Grey Goose's Facebook page link (facebook.com/GreyGoose) -- as opposed to the brand's previous practice of directing viewers to its home site. The brand's completely revamped Facebook area (which currently has more than 260,000 fans) offers multiple "Celebrate the Summer" engagement activities. Those who like Grey Goose there will have access to exclusive branded events, information on how to create their own Grey Goose cocktail recipes, summer home-entertaining tips and -- as of June -- access to an exclusive, branded "It's Been Too Long" app that lets them reach out to and reconnect with friends. The on-premises/restaurant/bar environment of the TV spot, in other words, is being amply complemented with messaging and activities spotlighting Grey Goose's ability to enhance summer's typically outdoor-oriented social activities -- including "summer soirées" that perhaps employ bottles of Grey Goose available in the brand's special summer picnic-basket presentations. For the year ending Jan. 23, 2011, SymphonyIRI data showed Grey Goose leading the premium vodka category in the U.S., with sales of nearly $58 million (up 1.2% from previous year). Super-premium vodka category sales as a whole grew 14% last year, reported the Distilled Spirits Council.
While Wal-Mart Stores posted an increase in both sales and earnings for the first quarter, same-store sales in the U.S. dipped 1.1%, marking the behemoth's eighth consecutive quarter of declines. Although that slip is "within our guidance range, we recognize that we still have to work to do, and it remains our greatest priority," Mike Duke, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. president/CEO, says in a recorded conference call. "The good news is that the plan ... is gaining traction, and customers are responding favorably to everyday low prices and our wider assortment. In grocery, we are further along. But the work on general merchandise won't be complete until the second half of the year." He also says that Walmart's primary audience is still not feeling the economic recovery. "Core Walmart customers are still stretched," he says, "and they are concerned about rising prices for gas, energy and food, and their employment outlook. They look to us to help them save money and live better -- I have never been more confident in the relevance of our every day low prices." The Bentonville, Ark.-based chain says its Sam's Club was a bright spot -- with comparable sales, without fuel, climbing 4.2% for the same period. "Sam's momentum is reflected in comp sales and increases in new members," he says. "The warehouse channel is increasing in importance in the retail landscape and Sam's is gaining further momentum. We expect Sam's to add even more value to the company's overall portfolio." Overall, net sales for the first quarter of the fiscal year climbed 4.4% of $103.4 billion, from $99.1 billion in the first quarter last year, including a currency exchange rate benefit of $1.3 billion. And income from continuing operations attributable was $3.4 billion, up 3.8%. At Walmart International, sales rose 11.5%. In March, the company launched a new marketing and advertising campaign, emphasizing its commitment to low prices, and a more aggressive price-matching program.
Applegate plans to give away more than 100,000 organic beef hot dogs this summer during a tour that will target art fairs, festivals, summer concerts and the like. The Bridgewater, N.J.-based company will also hand out $100,000 worth of coupons. The tour is aimed at anyone who loves hot dogs but has avoided them because hot dogs are perceived as unhealthy and full of "mystery" ingredients, says Stephen McDonnell, Applegate founder and CEO. "The Applegate hot dog tour is really our biggest marketing effort thus far," McDonnell tells Marketing Daily. "We've never done anything like this." Applegate will publicize the tour via a social media push and by identifying strong partnerships to help consumers find out about the tour, he says. "When you have a product that relies on taste, event marketing, especially sampling, is an integral part of the mix," McDonnell says. "We do a lot of in-store demonstrations, and once people try our food and learn more about us as a company, they become very loyal." Applegate, the country's leading producer of natural and organic meats and cheeses, will hit the Radio 92.9 EarthFest in Boston on May 21 to give away thousands of organic hot dogs served hot off the grill on the Applegate biofuel tour bus. "Not all meat that's labeled natural is created equal, and unfortunately, there's a lot of confusion out there," says Chris Ely, co-founder of Applegate and Farmer Liaison. "Our tour is here to clear up the confusion and help people taste the difference. Hot dogs are probably the last food people think about starting on the farm, but for Applegate, that's where real natural food starts." Visitors can learn about the differences between natural, organic and conventional meat, and kids can create and play on an innovative play structure called Imagination Playground, a breakthrough play space concept designed to encourage child-directed, unstructured free play, dreaming and exploration. As part of the tour, Applegate has partnered with public art nonprofit Albus Cavus. Tour visitors will be encouraged to share their food stories in different art media with the encouragement and direction of Albus Cavus artists. The collection of art "stories" will then be assembled into a mural at the end of the tour and donated. In addition to the official tour stops, Applegate will surprise hometown heroes -- people who sustain the community -- with a free lunch. People can visit www.applegate.com to nominate hometown heroes who often don't get the kudos they deserve. The Applegate tour started in early May near Washington, D.C. at the Sweetlife Festival, an annual celebration of music, wholesome food, and thoughtful living. After EarthFest, the tour will move on to neighborhood festivals in the New York City area, various cities in the Midwest and end in Chicago at Kidzapalooza.
Luxury auto brand Infiniti is extending for a second year a partnership with American Express Publishing and Time Inc. that makes the automaker a sponsor of epicurean and lifestyle events around the country. Infiniti will have vehicles at the events, and promote the festivals with a print and interactive digital media program called "Road to Inspiration." Infiniti will tout the events, sponsored by Cooking Light, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Sunset and Travel + Leisure, in the magazines as well as on the Web and via social media channels. At the dozen or so events, which start this weekend in Atlanta and run through the first quarter next year, Infiniti will have an "Inspiration Lounge" as its central brand experience on location. The exhibit includes things like culinary demonstrations by well-known chefs from the regions where the events take place, vehicle displays and other amenities. At some of the events, at which Infiniti will be promoting its new M Hybrid car, there may also be test drives. At the first exhibition, this weekend's Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Infiniti will have Bryan Caswell, chef/owner of Reef, Stella Sola, Little Bigs and El Real Tex-Mex, exhibiting his culinary talents. A sweepstakes component allows consumers to vie for a trip for two to a U.S. city famous for food. This sweepstakes will be promoted via a tag within the print creative, social media tools and at each event. Atlanta will be followed by a Sunset-sponsored event in San Francisco; a Food & Wine event in Los Angeles; Travel + Leisure's "Global Bazaar" in New York; Newport (R.I.) Mansions' Wine & Food Festival, a Sunset program in the central coast of California; a festival in Charleston, S.C., sponsored by Southern Living, a Food & Wine event in Las Vegas and finally, Cooking Light's San Diego Bay festival. Meghan Murphy, manager of media and events at Nissan North America, said this year marks a big expansion of the first such partnership last year ("Supercharge Your Senses"), which involved touchstone events in five or six markets -- where, according to Murphy, Infiniti invited owners of competitive vehicles along with Infiniti owners. She says this year's effort is intended to be simultaneously larger and more targeted. "Last year we also had inserts in Time, Inc. books but we included magazines like Golf and lifestyle magazines, not just epicurean magazines," she says. "It turned out really well but the scale was smaller. This year, we wanted to focus more on epicurean, and on owners of Infiniti vehicles rather than owners of competitive brands." Murphy says the people who come to the festivals are a good match for Infiniti. At the Atlanta event, for example, which is expected to bring in around 5,000 attendees -- "consumers pay for tickets, which can be fairly pricey -- $225 per person for the Atlanta event -- so they are upscale consumers." Infiniti will have a one-page branded calendar of events in each of the magazines on which a QR code is placed where consumers with smartphones with the Microsoft Tag app can take a photo and get taken to a mobile Web site. The partnership makes sense for Infiniti because the magazines and the festivals they are sponsoring "aren't 100% epicurean, which means a larger audience base, which is good for us because we want to reach broader target, as well," says Murphy, adding that the partnership will continue next fiscal year as Infiniti introduces the JX crossover.
While still no one's version of the most customer-friendly of industries, the wireless category is improving when it comes to customer satisfaction. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the wireless industry as a whole received a score of 71 (on a scale of 100), down slightly over last year's score, but still much higher than it was four years ago. "This is an industry that is doing a significantly better job with customers than they were five years ago," David VanAmburg, managing director of the ACSI, tells Marketing Daily. "It was one of the worst industries in [the Index]. Now it's getting closer to the average of all goods and services in the U.S." A main reason for the increase in overall industry scores improving is that many of the barriers to switching carriers -- such as not being able to transfer phone numbers or a relative parity among devices from carrier to carrier -- are being removed, increasing competition. "We're seeing some opening up of the industry," VanAmburg says. "They're being put in a position to have to do better." The increased level of competition may also have an impact on the smaller, regional wireless providers such as TracFone and U.S. Cellular, which had a higher aggregate score of 77. "We tend toward 'smaller is better' in the [overall index]," VanAmburg says. "Within the industry, the smaller carriers have been significantly higher than the big companies." Individually among the big four wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless's rating dropped 1% for the second year in a row (to 72); Sprint Nextel's score increased 3% over last year's score to 72 as well. In the past three years, Sprint has increased its Index score from 15 points below, the second-worst in the category, to claim a share of the industry lead. "Sprint has struggled, but they're apparently on their way back," VanAmburg says. As they negotiate the waters of regulatory approval for a merger, both AT&T and T-Mobile saw their scores drop 66 and 70, respectively. AT&T's score is the company's worst score since before the launch of the iPhone. "What that means for a merger is anyone's guess," VanAmburg says, "whether a [merged company] will be greater than the sum of its parts." Among device companies, customer satisfaction also dipped slightly, down 1.3% to 75. Motorola topped the list with a score of 77, while Nokia lost 4% to 73. "Motorola has come out on top, meaningfully ahead of everyone else because they're the best quality," VanAmburg says. "It isn't about price or value because that's all about the same. It's the quality above everything else."
Kimberly-Clark is launching a new campaign for its GoodNites brand, a product designed to deal with bedwetting, aimed at reaching moms of children between the ages of four and six who have been potty trained but are still wearing training pants. The campaign's message is that it's a good idea to ditch them for GoodNites underwear. Kimberly-Clark says the product, which has been in the market for 17 years, fills a gap because moms want something better than training pants but are still worried about bedwetting. "It was through our conversations with these moms that we realized they were looking for a better solution for nighttime wetting," said Tim Abate, marketing director for the brand, in a statement. The company says the campaign touts GoodNites' design and fit, with -- for the first time in three years -- a TV advertising component. The ad illustrates how quickly kids grow, as the creative shows a child getting bigger overnight. The TV ads run through September on programs like "The Today Show," "The View" and "Good Morning America." The effort includes digital ads, a social media program, an online community, sampling, point-of-purchase elements, and a continuation of its "NiteLite Panel," a support center composed of pediatricians and parenting experts. Kimberly-Clark has also redesigned the brand web site, GoodNites.com. The company says the new site is easier to navigation, has educational information arranged by user preference, an area where you can ask questions of the NiteLite Panel, and third-party content on the issue of bedwetting, or night time enuresis. The brand's last big campaign was in 2009, an effort that included a "Special Bedtime Moments" contest dangling a $2,500 room makeover. It also introduced the four-member NiteLite Panel. The company is still the category leader. The company says bedwetting affects 5 to 7 million U.S. kids per year. The company says that last year 2.2 million families bought GoodNites.
Today's retail environment is unlike any we have ever experienced. The complexity of brand SKUs and myriad POP materials bombards the shopper, making it almost impossible for individual products to stand out on shelf. Despite brand marketers' belief that the words on pack are the most important driver of purchase intent, recent studies demonstrate that they are actually the least important component of the packaging mix. In fact, the operative communications hierarchy puts color atop the list, with shapes, symbols and words following in that sequence. When approaching a package redesign, it is this hierarchy of semiotics that ultimately drives sales in the store aisles. COLORS Studies show that on average, shoppers take just five seconds to locate and select a given product, generally at a distance of from three to six feet. Locating that product occurs when it is visible to the passing shopper. Here, visibility is measured by contrast, and the physiological driver that creates contrast is color. Color is one of the brain's three visual pathways, and since we process every object within view simultaneously, color is the mechanism that places emphasis on certain areas. In addition to enhancing on-shelf visibility, the appropriate use of color can increase brand recognition by some 80%, while also serving as an important brand identifier. SHAPES While color works on one level, it is not the only factor leading to product selection. Memorable shapes also initiate a cognitive process of evaluation and brand preference. Shapes often determine the first impression of a product while metaphorically communicating key benefits and advantages. In combination, color and shape combinations can signal quality, while enhancing perception. For instance, symmetrical shapes pair well with passive colors ... triangular and diamond shapes with active colors. Color/shape combinations can also communicate brand personality, so like color, the use of shape in brand identity and design plays a role well beyond on-shelf visibility. SYMBOLS Symbols are a nearly instantaneous means of communicating meaning -- think about the Nike swoosh, the CBS eye, or the Starbucks siren. Associations derived from symbols become imprinted in consumers' minds through repeated exposure, and shoppers intuitively gravitate to familiar symbols to help them navigate the shelf. WORDS Research has shown that a package cluttered with claims fights for attention and creates shopper conflict. The best approach is to focus on a single competitive point of difference that distinguishes a brand from its competition. As previously discussed, colors, shapes and symbols all enhance on-shelf visibility, illicit an emotional reaction, and aid in the final purchasing decision. So it stands to reason, that the more words one adds to the design, the less the opportunity to use color, shapes and symbols effectively. Despite today's retail realities, and the critical need to win at shelf, the art and science of brand identity and package design remains largely misunderstood and therefore, undervalued. In a time when so much of a product's success has migrated from the marketer's hands (shelf placement, breadth and depth of distribution, retail pricing, POP displays, etc.) to the consumer, package design remains one of the options the marketer completely controls. Strategic and informed package design is a must, which can only be accomplished through a carefully engineered sequence of color, shapes, symbols and words.