Through a deal with global interactive games marketer Electronics Arts Inc. (EA), the Dunkin' Donuts brand/ products are being integrated into EA's just-launching The Sims Social Facebook game. Dunkin' will be the exclusive restaurant-category brand featured in the game for at least six months, and Dunkin' Brands VP consumer engagement Dan Saia tells Marketing Daily that Dunkin' expects a continued presence in which new Dunkin' features and products will be introduced in the game more or less in parallel with Dunkin's promotional/product launch calendar. This is EA's first social media-based game under The Sims brand. EA, which last year reported GAPP net revenue of $3.6 billion, has more than 100 million registered users of its games, which also include franchises such as Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed, Battlefield and Mass Effect, on platforms spanning online services and packaged goods for Net-connected game consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. The Sims Social Facebook game emerges players in a virtual world where they engage in activities such as customizing their homes in a variety of styles, interacting in helpful (or mischievous) ways with neighbors, and acting out secret-wish careers and adventures. The Dunkin' brand is extensively integrated in the game. Players can "gift" one virtual cup of coffee and one food item to their Facebook friends each month. Players can opt to "consume" these menu items to get a "boost" (à la Dunkin' coffee's boost effect) or advance themselves within the game. Players also can collect featured virtual Dunkin' products that unlock when players' characters work at home and socialize with friends. In addition, players who choose to visit and "like" the Dunkin's Facebook page receive two bonus items to display in their Sims homes. One of these is a Dunkin'-branded beach chair that features a custom animation of the player's Sim character relaxing and enjoying a Dunkin' coffee. Dunkin', which has been aggressive about engaging consumers through social media and Facebook in particular (it currently has more than 3.9 million Facebook likes), views the game integration as an important opportunity to form relationships with new fans and further bond with existing ones, says Saia. The game will complement other nontraditional and traditional media efforts by building an ongoing dialogue with "the young -- and the young at heart," he says. "This isn't just a typical product placement," adds Saia, as the Dunkin' products/elements are integrated in ways that reflect how consumers interact with the brand in the real world. Meaning that the Sims characters, like their real-world counterparts, will be using Dunkin' coffee and other products to "get them running in the morning and keep them running throughout the day" (the brand's core positioning). How big is the opportunity? According to EA corporate communications manager Denny Chiu, before the game's official launch today (it's been live in beta mode), The Sims Social game's Facebook page had already attracted 4 million active users. As a global brand, Dunkin' will be making sure to include in the game only brand products/elements available in all of its markets -- coffee and pastries, for example, says Saia. (At launch, the game is available in five languages, notes EA's Chiu.) Dunkin' will of course provide links to and promote the game on its own Facebook page. In addition, while there will be no dedicated ad campaign, the game will be promoted on Dunkin's Web site, and through the brand's email opt-in database, according to Saia. Not surprisingly, Chiu confirms that EA is making major investments in marketing to support The Sims Social launch. EA will be announcing additional brand sponsors for the game, in categories outside restaurants, Chiu reports.
Only one-third of vehicle buyers in the U.S. are willing to consider Indian and Chinese auto manufacturers, according to GfK. That's compared to 95% consideration for U.S. manufacturers. Significant barriers exist for automakers such as Tata, BYD and Mahindra, according to GfK's Barometer of Automotive Awareness and Imagery Study. They could face a purchase consideration curve similar to what the Korean automakers encountered when they launched in the U.S. In that case, it took more than 15 years for people to significantly increase their consideration to purchase South Korean nameplates such as Kia and Hyundai. Both Kia and Hyundai reported stronger July auto sales than Honda and Toyota. Hyundai said its sales rose 10% in July to 59,561 -- an all-time sales record for the month. Kia sales rose 26.4% to 45,504 vehicles. However, while Chinese cars remain popular within the homeland along with select parts of Asia, quality control issues make the vehicles less attractive in the U.S. market. Marketing is critical if the foreign automakers hope to have a chance at making inroads. "For Indian and Chinese auto manufacturers to accelerate the adoption curve and build loyalty quicker than Korean automakers did, they must hit the ground running and communicate their story to potential buyers," said Don DeVeaux, managing director, New York-based GfK Automotive, in a release. "They need to make consumers comfortable with the brand and secure in their purchase decision by providing their proof points for quality, customer support and technology, as well as demonstrating their commitment to innovation." The openness to purchasing a Chinese and Indian vehicle is highest among Gen Y consumers, with 52% saying they are open to a vehicle from a Chinese automaker and 41% saying they are open to a vehicle from an Indian automaker. Openness is lowest among Baby Boomers, only 29% of whom said they would be open to purchasing from a Chinese manufacturer, and 22% said they would purchase from an Indian automaker.
American Express ranks highest in credit card customer satisfaction for a fifth consecutive year, according to J.D. Power & Associates. The overall industry is up for a second year after a considerable decline in 2009. The 2011 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study measures customer satisfaction with credit cards by examining six factors: interaction; credit card terms; billing and payment process; rewards; benefits and services; and problem resolution. Overall credit card satisfaction averages 731 on a 1,000-point scale in 2011, up from 714 in 2010 and 705 in 2009. American Express ranks highest in customer satisfaction for a fifth consecutive year with a score of 786 and performs particularly well in the benefits and services, credit card terms and rewards factors. American Express says it has made improvements to enhance the customer experience over the past year, including expanding benefits, services and rewards. Its rewards program has been enhanced so cardmembers can increasingly redeem points online. The company has also launched new servicing tools for its customer care professionals and also introduced online improvements such as a new financial tools Web site and an overall revamp of the American Express Web site with the goal of making it more user-friendly. Discover Card follows with a score of 779, and performs well in the interaction factor. Barclaycard ranks third with 739. Customer perceptions of card issuer brand image have also improved in 2011. Overall reputation of brands in the industry has increased again this year, as measured across six attributes, with financial stability showing the greatest increase from 2010. The improvement in credit card satisfaction may be attributed to a decline in interest rate increases reported, as well as a decrease in the impact of interest rate increases on overall satisfaction. In addition, 35% of customers say they understand their credit card terms, up from 32% in 2010. "It appears that credit card companies are doing a better job of communicating with customers, which may be an effect of CARD (The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009)," said Michael Beird, director of banking services at Westlake Village, Calif.-based J.D. Power and Associates, in a release. "This improved communication is key to ensuring that customers fully understand their credit card terms, particularly benefits and fees, which helps reduce the number of problems reported and improves the overall experience." Even with improved communication and higher satisfaction across the industry, there is still a wide variance among credit card companies, and competition for acquiring new cardholders has increased during the past year, Beird says. The 2011 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 8,700 credit card customers. The study was fielded in May and June 2011.
While cautious back-to-school shoppers may not be giving retailers much to sing about, this season is providing new insights into how they are using technology, with tablets and smartphones both gaining importance. The National Retail Federation reports that 39.6% of college shoppers and 30.2% of K-12th grade shoppers with tablets say they intend to use tablets for buying back-to-school products. And 16.8% of college shoppers, as well as 18.8% of K-12 grade shoppers with smartphones say they will make purchases via their device. Some 51% of those with tablets say they plan to use it for BTS shopping research, with women far more likely to do so (55%) than men (46%.) Conversely, men are more likely to use tablets for actual purchases (36%) than women (25%). "Retailers are using everything in their arsenal to attract customers whenever and wherever they want to shop -- and mobile retailing is a big part of that strategy," writes NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay in the release. "Consumers looking to save time and money while shopping for school items will be able to find their favorite brands in an instant, complete their checklists, and purchase what they need all with a swipe of their finger." Among smartphone owners, 34% plan to use them for product research, and 19% to actually make purchases, with no significant gender differences. Of the college shoppers with tablets, juniors, graduate students and freshmen will be the ones using tablet devices the most to purchase their school items. Nearly half of surveyed juniors (48%), graduate students (47%) and freshmen (47%) say they plan to purchase school products via their tablet. The NRF conducted the survey with BIGResearch, and included 8,600 people.
To humorously drive home the taste appeal of its new FiberPlus Caramel Pecan Crunch cereal variety, a new TV spot from Kellogg's has women engaging in a taste test pitting the cereal against luscious cupcakes. In what would appear to be an indirect spoof of General Mills's effective "Cardboard, no. Delicious, yes" commercials for its Fiber One cereals and other products, FiberPlus brand reps went to The Perfect Circle Cupcakery (Orange, Calif.) to have customers compare the taste of the new FiberPlus flavor against the bakery's famed chocolate lava cupcake. Taste testers' consensus? Great cereal, but the cupcake wins. The 60-second spot concludes with the messaging: "Not the best tasting cupcake ... the best tasting fiber. Kellogg's FiberPlus: Taste the Plus." Kellogg's and agency Leo Burnett are being mum about the spot, which represents a somewhat edgier direction than FiberPlus's previous campaign (also from Leo Burnett), featuring comedian Kieron Elliott as a "genie" who pops into homes to grant breakfast eaters' wish for a "deliciously nutritious fiber cereal." Kellogg launched FiberPlus cereal in July 2010, after the success of its FiberPlus Antioxidant Bars. General Mills's Fiber One cereal launched in 1985. The latest extension, Fiber One 80 Calories cereal, was launched in late June.
Manufacturers of a body lotion that leaves skin feeling moisturized yet not sticky or greasy would have the field pretty much to themselves as a new report finds that most people who use hand or body lotion are not happy with the products in the marketplace. Mintel's latest study reveals that despite marketing claims of long-lasting, non-greasy formulas, satisfaction levels for hand and body lotion are "well below par." Among lotion-wearers, 79% wish hand and body lotion lasted longer, while nearly half often feel like they still have dry skin -- even right after applying the lotion, says the report. In addition, 38% of users think hand lotions are too greasy and 37% often feel like lotions leave their skin feeling sticky. All in all, some 3 in 10 people say they still have not found a product that works for them. "Satisfaction levels for body and hand lotions are well below par," notes Molly Maier, senior analyst at Mintel, in a statement. "This provides manufacturers with an opportunity, since despite being unhappy with their selections, the majority of adults still uses body care products on a daily basis and will try different brands and formulations until they're happy with one." While most use moisturizers for the face, hands, body or feet, product usage is greatest for hand lotion (84%) and lowest for foot creams (63%). More than 40% of all adults use hand and face lotions almost daily and more than half use them more than three days a week, says Mintel. It seems that while the frequency of use is relatively high, the need is greater. Not surprisingly, when it comes to body care products, gender differences are significant. Men (42%) are significantly more likely than women (7%) to say they "never use" body lotion. "By educating men on the skin-damaging effects that come from the sun and environment it could help increase usage among this group," Maier concludes.
With 42.5 million people entering online contests annually and 24% of the U.S. online audience playing branded social games monthly, interactive promotions are becoming the hottest way marketers connect with customers today. But, this is not a category to enter into lightly. Here are some tips to help you create successful campaigns. 1. Understand Your Goals. There are many different types of promotions and the only way to know which one will work best is to know what your metrics should be. Are you looking to drive a product trial? Capture customer data? Create branded engagement? And, what numbers do you want associated with those actions. 2. Understand Your Audience. Seventy-three percent of online teens use social networking sites, so if you are after that demographic, you should integrate those sites in your promotions. Meanwhile a recent Yahoo study shows that anonymity leads to deeper emotional connections for women online, so if engagement with like-minded women is key, consider anonymity features. In other words, to achieve the best results, you want your interactive promotion to easily fit into your audience's normal online behavior. 3. Understand The Types of Promotions. You can't determine which type of promotion is right for you if you don't understand the benefits of each. For example, user-generated content promotions are the best way to evangelize your fans and give your influencers a stage; whereas sweepstakes deliver the best chance of collecting demographic data. 4. Include Buzz-Building and Share-It Features. Twenty-five percent of contest entrants share their submissions across their social networks and 73% of people who participate in loyalty programs actively recommend products. If you make it easy for your audience to share the promotion, they will. You should also consider banner ads and promotions on your web site and sites frequented by your target audience to drive action. 5. Don't Forget About Mobile. We are accessing brands more frequently though smartphones, iPads and tablets and than ever before and 16.7 million mobile users regularly check-in through location-based-services. Be sure to include some form of mobile access to your promotion. But, again, consider your audience. If your target demographic has been slow to adopt smartphones, consider a Text-To-Win campaign versus a more complex mobile web platform. 6. Include a Call-to-Action. Thirty-six percent of sweepstakes entrants opt-in for more brand information. If you aren't giving them the means to learn more about you, you are missing an opportunity to attract new customers. 7. Know the Law. In March, the FTC released the top consumer complaints for 2010, and 5% of the total complaints were about brands not following or understanding outlined rules and regulations. Be aware of the laws surrounding games of chance, state requirements, judging criteria, privacy protections, intellectual property rights, and regulated industries. 8. Think Multiculturally. The Hispanic population in the U.S. topped 50 million in March. By creating multi-language and multi-cultural campaigns, you can personally connect with a large segment of customers. 9. Think Borderless Boundaries. Just as languages and populations shift within single countries, the web gives you the opportunity to create global promotions that can expand your brand's reach. Just be sure to consider cultural and legal differences from country to country. 10. Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say. If you tell your contestants you will award a prize or prizes, do it. The fastest way to destroy the goodwill contests and interactive promotions create is to not deliver the goods.