Corona Light is debuting a national marketing campaign that encourages consumers to trade up from their brown bottle domestic light routine to a Corona Light for a change of pace. As the brand continues to strengthen its identity, the light beer brand is looking to increase its trial with consumers who are used to buying domestic light beers, said Jim Sabia, Crown Imports chief marketing officer. “We wanted to explore the concept of how trading up on your beer can alter the course of your entire night,” Sabia said in a release. “Our campaign takes aim at the post-college, day-to-day rut that many people find themselves falling into.” The campaign includes two TV spots, debuting nationally on April 23, and a customizable “Rut Buster!” Facebook application, which offers rut-busting alternatives for those who find themselves caught in a monotonous routine. Ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, production company The Directors Bureau and director Mike Mills are behind the campaign. The spots both open with a still-frame montage, featuring two young males helplessly moving through life’s daily routine; eat, work, brown bottle light beer, sleep, repeat. The cycle is only broken when they make the trade up to a Corona Light. From there, a different night ensues. The spots end with the new tagline: “A Refreshing Change of Beer.” Corona Light will launch the “Rut Buster!” Facebook application in June, which allows users to create, customize and share a “Rut Buster!” video montage with Facebook friends who are in danger of falling into one of their own. Upon receiving a “Rut Alert!” on their Facebook wall, the recipient can choose to “Bust my Rut” by selecting the post and revealing their personalized “Rut Buster” video. The recipient can then choose to create a response video or “bust out” another friend in his or her network.
A full quarter of consumers intend to purchase (or have already purchased) a smartphone during the first half of this year, once again proving the popularity of the mobile device. According to ABI research, the 25% of consumers who showed a purchase intent for a smartphone is equal to the number of people who intend to buy HDTVs, and far exceeds the number of people who intend to buy tablets (18%). (Indeed, more people intend to buy Blu-ray players (16%) and video game consoles (17%) than tablets, according to the firm.) The main factor in the continued popularity of HDTVs (as well as Blu-ray players and video game consoles) is the increasing presence of built-in Internet connectivity. The television is still the dominant entertainment center for the American family and Internet connectivity opens up the flexibility of the Internet to the television screen. “Consumer electronics devices like TVs, Blu-ray players, and game consoles remain at the heart of the digital living room,” said ABI senior analyst Michael Inouye, in a statement. “Respondents, for instance, continue to favor connected CE devices for viewing Internet video content on the main screen over alternatives like smartphones or tablets. While connecting a mobile device to the TV screen or wirelessly mirroring the screen may be foreign to many consumers, this practice will occur more frequently as the market and consumer behavior evolves, but given the portable nature of these devices and social nature of TV viewing, fixed devices will continue to have a strong role to play in the digital living room.”
In its ongoing attempt to win over women at every step of their fitness journey, Under Armour is introducing a goal-setting Web site called “What’s Beautiful.” Involving Twitter and Facebook, the site is “a competition to redefine the female athlete,” with an end result of three new “faces” for Under Armour, as well as seven brand ambassadors. It’s also an opportunity for the brand to max its ROI on social media, while building a closer relationship with its core customer, Adrienne Lofton-Shaw, senior director of women's marketing for Under Armour, tells Marketing Daily. “What we get really frustrated with is advertisers who talk about beauty in terms of how you look, not what you are made of,” she says. “So this site, which allows women to enter any kind of fitness goal, whether it’s competing in the Ironman or running your first mile, is about tenacity, and never quitting.” Enlisting people’s social networks is a logical way to get support, she says. “Every powerful woman’s brand starts with hearts and emotion, so we designed this contest in a way that uses her social community to help her.” Through the site, women declare a goal, and then post proof of their progress with videos, photos and diary entries. In addition, users will get 15 Under Armour Missions, as well as motivational content from guest trainers, UA’s athletes (including the likes of skier Lindsey Vonn and sprinter Natasha Hastings), gear giveaways and updates on other competitors. Ads, running online, push the idea of redefinition, and women themselves deciding what makes them athletic and beautiful. “We’re taking it back,” the voiceover explains, “from the marketers who want us to look Photoshopped, from the jocks who want us topless, from the people who think we should be happy just the way we are. How will you take it back?” Both 30- and 45-second spots are scheduled for Under Armour Women’s social media channels, as well as BlogHer Network, DailyCandy, Glam Media, Pop-Sugar and Stack. The idea, she says, is that the brand has something to offer the inner athlete in every woman, whether it’s someone who wants to lose enough weight to have a baby, or a hardcore boxer looking to rehab an injury so she can get back in the ring. Ultimately, she says, she’ll be pleased if just 1,0000 women complete the challenge. “The average woman has 235 Facebook friends, so if just 1,000 finish, we’ll have reached 235,000 people, many of whom won’t just be reading, but will actively encourage the woman. Of those who complete the challenge, Under Armour will choose 10, with three ultimately being christened as the new faces of Under Armour. The three will win a nutritionist for a year, as well as sessions with celebrity trainers and ample Under Armour swag. “We’ll use them in all our marketing channels,” she says, “even potentially in TV advertising.”
A few years ago, Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) slipped off the sheer face of the U.S. auto market and seemed doomed to plummet into the same gorge Isuzu vanished into. But the carabiners, ropes and chalks held, and now the Cypress, Calif. U.S. sales arm of the Japanese automaker is clawing its way back into contention. The rock-climbing metaphor is appropriate because the automaker has taken to life-threatening outdoor adventures, and extreme marketing creative to tout the bona fides of its Outlander Sport SUV. Mitsubishi and its AOR 180LA have thrown caution to the winds with documentary-style media campaigns like "Death Road," an attempt to prove out Outlander's off-road abilities by driving the most dangerous road on Earth; "World Records," where the automaker took to a frozen lake in Canada to break five Guinness Book ice driving records in 24 hours; and "Storm Riders," where Mitz followed a storm from Los Angeles to the mountains and plains. And for the company's electric car, the Mitsubishi i, there was an electric-car takeover of Normal, Ill., where the automaker has a production facility. The car is now being sold in 13 states. Last month the automaker had 1,634 sales of the Outlander Sport, the largest number in a single month since the model was introduced in October 2010. The number marks a 17.3% increase versus last March and a 10.1% increase year-to-date. Sales of the automaker's Lancer Evolution increased 46.4% versus the same month a year ago, and are up 38% for the year. The latest promotional effort gives three people all-day test drives of the Outlander Sport, while MMNA covers for them at work by sending ersatz temps to the winners' cubicles. The catch is that the temps are an odd lot of unqualified folks: an opera singer, rocket scientist, and meteorologist, for example. Francine Harsini, director of advertising at MMNA (with an assist from Grant Holland, creative director at 180LA), talks about the new campaign with Marketing Daily.Q: Since this is a test-drive-focused campaign, is Mitsubishi making the media buy tier two, dealer-group buys?A: No, the focus for this campaign is tier one. The Mitsubishi brand has always been about "doing" and "proving" in the real world, not just "saying" and "selling" in a marketing world. And this campaign is another example of that. From "Live Drive" to "World Records" to "Death Road" to "Normal" to "Storm Riders," our tone and character challenge convention in order to prove that it has a place alongside all the other brands. Q: So are these temp actors -- or are they actually what you say they are?A: They really are meteorologists and rocket scientists and they will show up to the office. We will work with the respective companies beforehand to get clearance. Q: Will there be a social media element to this around the temps, and what they do at the office? A: We will film both the driver on his day off, as well as the temp replacement filling in for him at work. We expect these films to go viral and we will support them with a significant social media push as well as another ad buy (which includes TV), encouraging people to go online to see the results. All the assets we collect will be used to drive social media conversations. Q: I'm also kind of wondering about the genesis of this idea. A: The idea is -- to truly appreciate the Outlander Sport, you need to spend more time with it than a standard 10-minute test drive. To truly appreciate everything it has to offer, to get past pre-conceived notions, you need to spend a full day off with it. But who has a full day to spend on a test drive? What if Mitsubishi helped make it happen by hiring some fun, temporary replacements to fill in for you at work or whatever you need to get out of? That way you're covered while you get a chance to enjoy the ride. Q: So, Grant, why do something like this instead of doing more traditional product-focused ads, or test drive? A: Because a traditional TV campaign is just more of the same. To get people to take notice and re-evaluate Mitsubishi, we need to challenge pre-conceived notions. We need to challenge the conventions of the car category. We need to prove that Mitsubishi is making some of the best cars on the road. Q: What's the return on this?A: We hope to prove that once people spend a significant amount of time with the Outlander Sport, they'll appreciate how much it has to offer and why they should add Mitsubishi to their consideration list. We also want to get people to reconsider the traditional test drive. Purchasing a car is a big decision. Get to know your car before you buy it.
Old Spice is back with more advertising antics and this time there's even a DeLorean involved. The campaign, "Believe in Your Smellf" focuses on a new product in the Red Zone line of body wash and spray, suggests that "the sweet smell" of success is what really matters. Extending the "Smell is Power" campaign that ran through March, the new push touts the new Champion line of deodorant/antiperspirant, body wash and body spray products. The Old Spice Red Zone line -- which is intended to appeal to guys who like to spend time grooming -- comprises antiperspirant, deodorant and body wash products in a variety of scents and formulas. In addition to Champion, there's After Hours, Aqua Reef, Pure Sport, Swagger and new Champion and Danger Zone. The Champion campaign includes several outlandish TV spots about an uber successful guy who appears on the beach in a DeLorean "environmentally responsible sports sedan" made of sand, gives the heave-ho to actress Heather Graham (to her chagrin), and wins a horse race, by actually running in the race himself with the jockey on his back. A spokesperson for the P&G division said there are three spots -- with the lead one, "I can do anything," running with 45- and 30-second versions; a 15-second spot just focused on the DeLorean; and another 15-second ad. The Old Spice campaign typically goes to humor and sports-related programming -- e.g., Comedy Central and pro football, the spokesperson noted. While Isaiah Mustafa became the face of the revived Old Spice in 2010 when he starred in "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign, the company uses a lot of characters these days for different products. The "Smell is Power" campaign featured actor and former NFL player Terry Crews, who started doing Old Spice ads in 2010 for "Odor Blocker Body Wash." Mustafa was featured in the brand's holiday-themed campaign in December. Old Spice had been in NASCAR, as a sponsor of Tony Stewart for a decade up until a couple of years ago. The new campaign also has one print ad featuring the über guy racing against horses and being ridden by the jockey. The digital ad campaign has creative that is intended to evoke sports placards on trophies with text like: "It's not enough to believe in your dreams. You have to smell like you believe in your dreams."
In today’s media-saturated world, consumers are bombarded by content in multiple channels throughout the day. Technology has spawned a profusion of publishing platforms, while it has enabled any individual to become an active publisher or aggregator. Unlike the past, consumers today can no longer rely on a few trusted editorial sources to filter the noise and deliver the most important news and information. Instead, consumers must make sense of the vast amount of information that reaches them daily and constantly make decisions about what to take seriously and what to ignore. Increasingly, they are turning to Social Curation -- the recommendations of others in their social networks -- to identify the most relevant and valuable content. Facebook is a dominant environment for sharing stories (and conversing) about emerging trends, politics and culture. It is unique in that recommendations are clustered within interconnected social groups. Because social groups overlap, a popular story or link on Facebook can gain an immense audience very quickly. Twitter is also widely used for sharing links, but the nature of social connections on Twitter is quite different from Facebook. Because connections are non-symmetrical on Twitter (followers versus friends) relationships tend to be open-ended and non-reciprocal. In this way, a few highly influential individuals can have an enormous impact on a wide audience. Socially integrated communications Perhaps more interesting than the specific social channels is the emergence of socially integrated communications. This phenomenon is enabled by the growth in open application programming interfaces (APIs) and authentication protocols. These are small applications that allow third parties to pull information from social networks like Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram and Twitter, and integrate personal information on their sites. Logged-on visitors to The New York Times or Huffington Post Web sites, for example, will now see which of their Facebook friends are online and what stories they are reading in real-time. Communications in the socially driven world has two significant implications for publishers and marketers: 1. Content will be judged less on its own terms and more by who recommends it and how it has arrived 2. Since recommendations vastly outperform media for driving content consumption, some of the attention (and dollars) that marketers traditionally dedicated to media must be refocused on driving adoption and recommendation in the social milieu Getting people to recommend content, to forward links or comment on your stories is entirely different than spending paid media dollars. Because a social recommendation is a form of personal endorsement, establishing a credible, trusted relationship with your audience is essential. While there are no tricks or shortcuts, there are best practices. Be honest Because your goal should be to have your communications forwarded and shared, it follows that you can’t control the context in which your content will be seen. This means that it may be mixed up with other voices, including your competitors, or the commentary of anyone from a loyalist to a skeptic. In this context it is essential to represent your brand honestly and responsibly. Engage Social communications occur instantly. Be prepared to respond to queries and comments quickly. Prepare statements to accurately correct misunderstandings about your brand. Think through how you will monitor social channels and who will be empowered to respond. Provide value Talking about yourself is no way to build a trusted relationship. Think about how you can provide valuable insights, information or support to your community. If messages about your brand are appropriately and sensitively integrated into that communication, all the better. But don’t hesitate to invest your time building a following based on providing value.Make things easy Avoid unnecessary enrollment forms. Consider using token-based authentication protocols such as OAuth and APIs, which securely allow users to sign in using their existing social network accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. In addition to making it easier for your audience to sign in, it will facilitate social linking and recommendations. Engaging social curation can positively increase the reach, relevancy and credibility of your brand. But social engagement is a multichannel dialogue that requires vigilance and timely responses to user comments and questions. While this requires an organizational effort, it can pay off not only in terms of reach, but also as a way to build lasting relationships with your customers and the community.