Walmart has taken the wraps off its “Great For You” healthy-food label, a move that is likely to add to the ongoing conflict among stores, food companies and public-health groups about how consumers should learn about nutrition details. Other retailers, including Hannaford and Supervalu, have already introduced nutritional labeling that they hope makes it easier for shoppers to navigate aisles peppered with confusing (and often misleading) health claims. Depending on the product and manufacturer, such claims as “whole grain,” “high fiber” and “low fat” can mean virtually anything, and stores have long hoped to be more helpful to shoppers looking to slim down and eat better. In response, the food industry, via the Grocery Manufacturers Association, has its own initiative, a voluntary program called Facts Up Front. But public-health advocates worry that the disparate labeling efforts are even more befuddling, and advocate for a single system, with standards set by the Food & Drug Administration. “Walmart’s program does an excellent job of highlighting healthful foods in many food categories, but it is not fool-proof,” says Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in a statement released shortly after Walmart’s announcement. “Some distinctly not-great-for-you foods qualify for the symbol: cholesterol-rich eggs, salty canned vegetables and salt-water-injected fresh meat and poultry, nutrient-poor apple and grape juice, and grain foods that contain much more refined white flour than whole grain,” he says. “That proliferation of sometimes-inconsistent nutrition symbols on store shelves and packages indicates the need for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop one excellent system that would replace all the voluntary approaches.” Some studies have found these labeling systems to be effective. For example, research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tracked the way consumers used label pioneer Hannaford’s Guiding Stars labels, introduced back in 2006, and found the percentage of items purchased that rated at least one star rose from 24.5% before the program's introduction to 25.9% in the next two years. (The study, by Dartmouth researchers, was funded by Hannaford.) Walmart unveiled the Great For You label at an event in Washington, D.C., with First Lady Michelle Obama, and the launch comes one year after kicking off its healthier food initiative. The icon is scheduled to appear on its Great Value and Marketside brands, as well as fresh and packaged fruits and vegetables. Walmart’s initiative also includes reformulating packaged food to reduce sodium and added sugars and eliminate industrially produced fats by 2015, as well as pricing adjustments, to make healthier foods more affordable by providing savings on produce and reducing the price premium on better-for-you food items. It’s also developing solutions for food deserts, and increasing charitable support for nutrition education programs.
Buick is launching a series of games meant to make tracking miles-per-gallon stats a sport, or at least engaging. A suite of three games is part of a single app available at Android and Apple stores. One of the games, "Regeneration Road," highlights the fact that Buick’s eAssist mild hybrid powertrain regenerates the on-board lithium-ion battery through vehicle braking. Players must make it through a town and to a destination without running out of fuel. Pedestrians along the way add difficulty. The "Roll and Boost" game is intended to demonstrate how the potential energy garnered from braking can be released in the form of low-end torque for quick acceleration. It has players taking a weekend drive through a flowing countryside, but a drive limited to one tank of fuel. The goal is distance, not speed -- so battery management strategy is vital. The final game, which has a wind-tunnel theme, lets players design a vehicle with an eye toward the lowest possible drag coefficient. The tie-in is that the sleeker the vehicle is, the less work the car's eAssist has to do. The game lets players tweak the car’s length and width on the screen, and add and remove things like spoilers and roof rails. Boston-based Digitas developed the digital games with Buick. A Buick spokesperson explains that the program is part and parcel of a broad strategy to get younger, technology-forward consumers to take a new look at the brand, which last fall rolled out the Regal GS sport sedan, and has entered new territory with the Verano compact sedan, and (soon) the Encore compact crossover. “It’s another tool we are using to get Buick in front of people who wouldn’t have considered us in the past,” he says. Over the past couple of years, the automaker has created a number of programs to reach such audiences, such as a rich-media online social community, “Moment of Truth,” to promote Buick with third-party endorsements, consumer comments, and other content. Last year, Buick partnered with Wired to have the Regal in the Wired pop-up high-tech store in New York’s Times Square. The company has also been running a “Discovery Tour” to get the brand’s vehicles in front of people at epicurean-focused lifestyle events, and will have a big presence at the forthcoming NCAA Finals. “Our biggest challenge is getting the brand in front of new people,” says the spokesperson. “Because when people test drive [Buick vehicles], their perception and opinion dramatically improve. It forces a reappraisal of the brand.” The kind of engagement that Buick's app games evince has become a point of differentiation for automakers, especially for in-vehicle console displays that both tout the gas-saving technologies of a vehicle and get consumers interested in the “game” of saving gas. Whimsical readouts on the Ford Hybrid Fusion car tell you when you are driving in a nature-friendly way with sprouting leaves, which disappear when you floor it, or drive in similar ways. The readout on the Chevrolet Volt electric car (which has a gasoline battery-charging motor onboard) shows a battery stack that glows green when you are using electricity only, and a similarly shaped vessel filed with glowing blue liquid when you are driving on gasoline. Honda and Toyota also offer visual analogs for just what mélange of electricity and gasoline is powering your wheels at any given moment. Buick vehicles with eAssist have an “Eco” gauge in the instrument cluster that indicates how efficiently the driver is operating the vehicle. The car’s infotainment screen delivers more advanced reporting of what the intelligent powertrain is doing.
Editor's note: This week, Marketing Daily brings you exclusive coverage of the Brand Keys 2012 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. Each day, expect a full report on key product/services categories from among the 83 surveyed for this year's study, including automotive, electronics, retail and technology. This third installment focuses on highlights from the retail category. At the height of the recession, things looked especially bleak for teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. Long known as the priciest of a crowd that includes brands like American Eagle and Aeropostale, cash-strapped teens took Mom and Dad’s money elsewhere. These days, A&F’s customers aren’t just enthusiastic, they’re rabid -- propelling A&F to the top of the specialty retail sector in Brand Keys 2012 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. In fact, Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys, tells Marketing Daily, keeping its prices high is likely what is fueling that loyalty. “I would call what they did an investment in their brand,” he says. “And yes, in a way, this was a game of brand Russian roulette, and at that time, everyone in the retail world was in this desperate panic. And while they did adjust their pricing somewhat, there was not an air of desperation about it. That seems to have paid off, and it reinforced the positioning of this brand as being worth the money.” Of course, it helps that the retailer is so shrewd about managing buzz, too. Back in August, the company got a lot of ink by offering to pay “Jersey Shore”’s The Situation not to wear its clothes. That announcement, and the legal maneuverings that followed, served to generate more buzz among young trendsetters, a move Passikoff describes as “brilliant.” But mostly, he says, A&F’s move to No. 1 comes down to understanding the way consumers perceive value: “They think A&F’s clothing is worth the money.” Among specialty retailers, Victoria’s Secret came in at No. 2, followed by L.L. Bean, J. Crew, H&M, PacSun, American Eagle Outfitters, Old Navy, and the Gap. Similarly, he says, masterfully working the brand-value equation is what propelled Costco to the top of the warehouse category for the year. “People like this brand because it offers them a good value on brands they already want; it’s all about the merchandise. They are called price clubs, not 'the cheapest crap I can get’ clubs.” Dillard’s came in first place among department stores, and again, Passikoff says, it’s due to perceived value. “It’s given them an edge over Macy’s, which is always marking things down with its red-star specials.” Three value retailers came in next: T.J. Maxx ranked No. 3, followed by Kohl’s and Marshalls. “JCPenney came in sixth out of seventh,” he says. “Only Sears ranked worse.”
Tic Tac mints has launched a campaign featuring interactive advertising and mobile augmented-reality (AR) experiences. Custom mobile apps allow users to interact with outdoor and print media ads, packaging, and even with a Times Square billboard, among other activities. The “Shake It Up” campaign aims to encourage Millennials to take unconventional, fun approaches to everyday activities. The outdoor and print ads highlight facts about daily activities, such as "Most Americans spend 13 years of their lives watching TV" and "Eighty-four percent of people always sleep on the same side of the bed." With a Tic Tac Viewr mobile app (downloadable free in iOS and Android versions), fans can trigger interaction with those ads, as well as the mints’ packages, by pointing their phones or other tablet devices at them. Each ad offers a different experience (such as context on how long 13 years really is), or games that challenge consumers to shake it up (for example, by moving to the other side of the bed). The Viewr app also generates tongue-in-cheek tips -- animated, with music/sound effects -- for shaking up one’s everyday life. In addition, the app, designed by Merkley + Partners and developed by Total Immersion, offers Tic Tac Tibby -- which uses the boxes of the mints’ various flavors as backgrounds for a game in which the user scores points by tossing mints into the mouth of a 3-D character -- and up to 20 fast-moving microgames that provide a fresh perspective on everyday experiences. Furthermore, in mid-February, consumers will be able to interact with Tic Tac’s first Times Square billboard, by using a second mobile app featuring AR capabilities. The app will generate a personalized, mini-billboard featuring the user’s image, viewable on his/her phone. That image can then be shared on the user’s Facebook page. "In listening to our consumers, we learned that they want to be surprised and entertained. Our response was to create a campaign that inspires them to spontaneously break up their routine," said Noah Szporn, category manager for Tic Tac, a Ferrero U.S.A., Inc. brand. “Millennials are a digital generation who can’t and won’t live without their smartphones,” added Diane Hernandez, group account director at Merkley + Partners. The campaign’s entertaining mobile, interactive experiences “recognize and celebrate this target’s desire for exploration and discovery, as well as their need for visceral excitement,” she said. The Tic Tac Viewr can be obtained by texting “MINTS” to 313131, as well as by downloading it from the Apple App Store or Android Market.
The Super Bowl may be a quickly fading memory, but Bud Light is continuning to generate buzz on its Facebook page where the beer maker's new canine star is front and center. Bud Light, the official beer sponsor of the NFL, continued its "Here We Go" campaign with the fourth-quarter ad, created by mcgarrybowen, based in New York, Chicago and London. In Bud Light's "Rescue Dog" ad, a terrier mix fetches beer upon hearing his name Weego (as in "here Weego"). The dog brings beer to various groups of party arrivals, bringing a six pack when needed, and showing he can also roll a keg. The piece de resistance is that Weego isn't a pedigree -- he's a mutt and a rescue dog, as made clear in the beginning and end of the commercial. At the end of the spot, Weego is pushing a cooler that says "Help Rescue Dogs" and directs viewers to Bud Light's Facebook page. Once there, you learn that Weego (and Bud Light) is now helping other dogs. For every "like" Weego receives, Bud Light will donate one dollar (up to $250,000) to ARF, Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation. The Facebook page explains how “once just looking for an owner, he hit the jackpot when a great owner who also happened to be an exceptional trainer brought him home one day.” Thanks to Weego's natural talents and the skills of his trainer, this pup has had a remarkable journey from rescue dog to lead role with the premiere advertiser on the world's largest advertising stage of the year, according to Bud Light. “In celebration of his humble beginnings, Bud Light is joining forces with Weego to make a donation to help these animals in need and those that make animal rescue possible,” the page states. “We hope you enjoy Weego's special talents as much as we do, and we encourage you to support rescue animals like him. Above is a link to ARF, should you want to make any additional donations to support the efforts of ARF.” As of Tuesday evening, the page had garnered 2,472,317 likes.
Goodyear has launched a mobile optimized Web site that uses a geo-locator to help consumers find the Goodyear dealer closest to them when they’re traveling. The new site also dangles user discounts and promotional deals. In November, Goodyear ran a campaign called “Blimpworthy” with ESPN, wherein consumers could vie for which college football game the Goodyear Blimp would visit next. The voting was done entirely online and tallied over 700,000 votes, per the company. The Akron, Ohio-based company announced the introduction of a specific mobile site, allowing on-the-go tire shoppers increased accessibility to the information they need via their “smartphones.” Consumers who use their GPS-enabled smartphone to go to goodyear.com are forwarded to the new mobile site that identifies the user's location and tailors content appropriately. Visitors to the site can select tires and retailers by vehicle, tire size or tire name, per the company. This functionality includes the identification of retail locations, tire categorization, tire recommendations and suggested prices. “This is an investment by Goodyear in making the effort to connect shoppers with retailers, especially at the times when the need for tire purchasing becomes more urgent,” said Mike Dauberman, Goodyear’s director of interactive marketing, in a statement. “It is a role in which mobile tools really shine, giving consumers on-the-go research capability and flexibility as they strive to make the most informed purchase decision -- often in a shortened amount of time.” The site, via Boston-based Digitas, also has sections for retailer locator, promotions, warranty, click-to-call, and “Contact Us.” It works by using the GPS capabilities of smartphones to automatically display nearby retailer locations. The company says the people who use an electronic tablet will see the traditional desktop site, rather than the mobile device site -- as that is a more appropriate experience for tablet-size screens, according to Dauberman.
As a brand, Lego has its fair share of enthusiasts. A quick Internet search reveals enthusiast groups all over the world who create art, film and other projects out of the little plastic bricks. With that in mind, the toymaker has contracted with social media company Tongal to generate even more enthusiasm for its Lego Hero Factory concept. The project encourages Lego fans to produce a 30- to 90-second animated or animation/live action blend video that completes a story set up on Tongal in which the Hero Factory has been placed under lockdown after a breakout of “ignoble villains and hideous monsters.” Only one hero, Rocka, works to defeat the Black Phantom, who is working to destroy the Hero Factory. “One thing that I've always believed is that Web content is special, and in order to be truly effective and original, you can't repurpose content designed for other media for the Web,” Tongal President James DeJulio tells Marketing Daily. “Our job here is to give Lego some fresh and inspired video content that they can leverage across the Web to drive awareness for Hero Factory.” A total of $20,000 in prizes ($500 for a winning concept; $2,500 for a winning pitch and $17,000 for the winning video) will be awarded to whomever comes up with the winning video. Tongal is currently soliciting concepts for the videos. Executives will narrow down the concepts to five finalists, which will be produced into videos. While Tongal has done similar projects for other clients, this is the first time the social platform has worked with Lego, DeJulio says. Both companies are promoting the project within their respective social media outlets. “Lego [is] a brand that invites and fosters creativity and has the most engaged and enthusiastic fan base on the Web,” DeJulio says. “I expect some truly unique and unexpectedly fun videos to be produced by some truly talented people -- and for Lego to engage some of their enthusiasts in a fun environment.”