Automatic transmissions are for people who should be taking the tram. Real drivers shift, you dig? General Motors Chevrolet is touting the stick to collegiates for its Sonic car, a subcompact under the Cruze whose entire marketing has been pretty much digital, with only the occasional foray into “traditional” media. The new campaign, “Stay Clutch,” uses Boston-based college-marketing firm CampusLIVE to tout the 2012 Sonic online. The campaign, on CampusLIVE's Web site and Chevrolet Sonic’s Facebook fan page, lets people (technically it could be anyone) compete to win four grand prizes that include a special class at the Stay Clutch driving school taught by a celebrity instructor in Kansas City, and tickets to the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game. The contest focuses on the six-gear manual 1.4-liter turbo Sonic, which gets the best mileage (as manuals tend to do) versus the the rest of the lineup. Participants doing the "Stay Clutch" challenge have to watch an instructional video and submit a video telling Chevrolet why they want to learn to drive a stick. "It's all digital for right now, though it's something we may expand in the future," says a Chevrolet spokesperson. "We wanted to start with this and see how it goes, and see if there is really an interest out there in learning to drive manual." She says the take-rate for the manual transmission Sonics is around 20%, which has everything to do with fact that few people ever learn to drive anything but an automatic. But, she explains, "the best fuel economy is with manual transmission -- and these days with fuel prices rising, there may be more interest in this, so we decided to find out." Indeed, Edmunds.com reports that manual transmissions sales were up 6.5% during the first quarter of 2012, nearly doubling sales of five years ago. The spokesperson tells Marketing Daily that the online program runs through June, at which point the sweepstakes are drawn. While one might imagine that men would be more interested than women, the spokesperson says so far it has brought in an equal mix of both.
Hendrick's Gin, a division of London-based William Grant & Sons, Ltd., launched a major rebranding last year featuring whimsical, steam-punk creative, mystical, odd pastoral creatures, events, and ads that aimed to defenestrate the image of gin as the drink of crusty men in grey tweed who were born perhaps when Britain was an empire; men who might be found sipping that juniper-infused drink while smoking a Meerschaum in the Explorer's Club, and reading Churchill's histories of the English-speaking peoples. Come to think of it, that kind of image might make for a fine contrarian campaign for a gin, and there is some of that Victorian imagery in Hendrick's campaign. The latest in the effort is an experiential program comprising a year-long series of "Voyages Into the Unusual." The program starts with a three-night program in Houston. The "voyages," which use Arcadian themes, include Hendrick's-inspired cocktails, and costumed J.R.R.Tolkien-esque characters intended to give a new spin to gin. The events will also come to San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City. They will -- speaking of the above-referenced Explorer's Club -- include a faux Explorer's Lounge, a botanist's den and according to the company, a full-scale apothecary. It should probably be noted that apothecaries are also making something of an ersatz comeback. There's one in New York’s Chinatown, where actor Adrien Grenier unveiled his new Churchkey flat-top beer. The first night of the event will be by invitation-only, the second will be open, and the third will involve a relationship with Thrillist. Joanne Birkitt, Hendrick's Gin senior brand manager, said in a statement that the point is to give consumers -- "travelers" in the brand lingo -- a look at the history of Hendrick's, a taste of it in concoctions, and entertainment from -- for lack of a better expression -- some "differently talented" people. Hendrick's, as a side note, got the retro-graphic look of the brand materials -- everything from diminutive cocktail recipe books, a brand history and a Hendrick's-branded deck of playing cars -- via artists like Dan Hillier who worked with StudioBaum in London.
Taking pictures isn’t just about capturing the big moments -- it’s also about sharing the smaller ones. In such a spirit, Nikon Inc. has launched the “Small Moments are Huge” online photo gallery, encouraging people (including a number of celebrities) to share their small -- but memorable -- moments. To kick off the effort, Nikon has enlisted its celebrity spokesperson, Ashton Kutcher (along with other celebrities such as Hilary Duff and Derek Hough) to create photo galleries intended to give an inside look into the moments of joy and inspiration in these public figures’ private lives. The photos will all be captured with Nikon 1 J1 cameras. "Nikon encourages people to capture and share memorable moments in their lives, big or small, and with the introduction of the Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system, we're making it easier for consumers to capture these moments through high quality images with confidence," said Lisa Baxt, senior communications manager for Nikon Inc, in a statement. "Through the Small Moments are Huge program, people will get the chance to share the important moments in their lives in an online community where everyday inspiration and fun can be celebrated." In addition, the company is encouraging non-celebrities to add their photos to the gallery on Nikon’s Facebook page throughout 2012. The gallery has been divided into several categories, including Exploration, Accomplishments and Challenges, Love, Humor, Peace & Comfort; Luck; Mischief, and Strength and Power. For every photo uploaded, Nikon has pledged to donate $1 to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, with a maximum gift of $50,000.
Jack Daniel’s has unveiled a revamped global site (www.jackdaniels.com). One key change: The site now incorporates responsive design. “It’s been several years since our site was redone, and consumer habits have changed,” Carmen D'Ascendis, director of global marketing for Jack Daniels, tells Marketing Daily. “Just 11% of our site viewers were coming from mobile and tablets, and we wanted to address that.” The responsive site design enables the brand to optimize the user experience based on the device being used, whether desktop/laptop, tablet or mobile, notes Matt Howell, global chief digital officer for the brand’s agency, Arnold Worldwide, which proposed the solution. The site is also being streamlined on other fronts. The former site was translated into 22 languages; the new one –- which will be available in 185 countries -- will be translated into about 12 to 15. (The still-in-development revamped site currently offers seven separate English-language versions for various global markets.) Also, the new site’s structure will enable the brand’s regional markets around the world to feature localized campaign/promotional efforts while leveraging the global site’s traffic, rather than building/maintaining offshoot microsites, as some did in the past. (Overall, the global site’s traffic over the past 12 months averaged about 55% international, 45% U.S., and non-U.S. traffic has been growing at a faster pace, according to D'Ascendis.) The site’s content has also been revamped. The home page now features a scrolling, multimedia-enhanced timeline of key moments throughout the brand’s 137-year history. Other content is now organized into five areas: Whiskey (detailed info on all products in its portfolio); Visit Us (info on touring its Lynchburg, Tenn., distillery, where to stay, etc.); Recipes, Experience (info on Jack Daniels’ current events, including its Zac Brown Band tour); and The Store (an e-commerce area offering a plethora of its branded products, including apparel and home/collectibles items). D'Ascendis notes that mobile users are more likely to access recipes and other functional content on the site, whereas the brand history and other more in-depth content tends to be most accessed by desktop/laptop users. The revamped site’s home-page historical timeline also turns out to be a preview of Jack Daniels’ latest creative direction, in that it prominently features the theme of “independence” -- both in direct relationship to the brand’s history and by offering independence-oriented, inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and well-known “champions.” For example, the timeline includes a link to a “Gentleman Jack” microsite offering a video featuring former NBA star-turned-TV NBA analyst Kenny Smith talking about what inspired him to succeed. Independence has always been one of Jack Daniels’ core values, and is a central concept in the brand’s current, “Here’s to the American Spirit” (or “As American as…”) campaign, says D'Ascendis. But starting in mid-July in markets outside the U.S., and this fall in the U.S., new TV spots and other creative will put an even greater emphasis on independence, he reports. The new ad campaign – along with already-in-progress promotions through the brand’s Facebook presence (in total, its global Facebook pages have about 6 million “likes”, says D'Ascendis ) -- will drive consumers to visit the brand’s site. The campaign’s media elements will vary by country/market. In the U.S., they will include (in addition to TV spots and Facebook promos) banner ads on targeted sites, site takeovers, radio and “giant wallscapes,” according to D'Ascendis. Even before the latest ad campaign has launched, the global site’s revamp is producing lifts in JD’s already-substantial (about 250,000 uniques per month) site traffic, D'Ascendis reports. Jack Daniels’ largest markets are the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia and France.
TV’s upfront ad market is winding its way to a mostly predictable conclusion for the broadcasters, with Fox and ABC almost completing their respective sales activity. CBS and NBC are a bit further behind, and CW has finished with its upfront efforts. Still, one major car manufacturer -- General Motors -- continues to make a dramatic stand. Media buyers say the big automotive maker has been at a stalemate with CBS, and possibly NBC -- which reportedly follows one it has been having at Fox over pricing. General Motors still seems on the outs with most networks because -- according to media executives -- it has directed its new media agency Carat USA to ask for big rollbacks, and some double-digit decreases on pricing. Even without GM, overall estimates are that CBS is leading the market -- as it predicted -- when it comes to price gains. But media buyers say it is not getting 10% plus price increases for CPMs for the majority of its deal-making. Media executives believe CBS is averaging around 8% hikes -- still more than anyone else. Behind CBS, media analysts believe Fox is around a 7% price increase number, with ABC at around 6% and NBC about 5% to 5.5%. The CW has had 7% hikes -- selling around 75% of its inventory, according to media executives. Network spokespersons would not comment about any current upfront activity. A GM executive had no comment. Much of the effort for GM -- one of the largest TV advertisers -- revolves around major sports events such as the NFL and the NCAA, which have benefited from steady price hikes over the years. Even non-sports TV prime-time inventory has seen dips. Both Fox and CBS are big NFL players. So is NBC with “Sunday Night Football." Last year, according to Kantar Media, just about 50% of GM national TV dollars went to sports: $274.4 million. Non-sports programming on network TV was at $288.9 million, for a total of $563.3 million in yearly media dollars on broadcast network television. GM’s media spending on cable networks is approximately at the same levels, where sports TV comprises 54% of all its media spending -- $153.0 million for sports and $130.0 million for non-sports, totaling $282.9 million. Spanish-language networks have grabbed $43.1 million or 68% of total Spanish-language media dollars. Overall, GM bought $159.7 million in media for NFL football in 2011. Overall, estimates are that GM spends around $20 million to $25 million on each of the major broadcast networks. Estimates are that five English-language broadcast networks could pull down some $9.5 billion -- up 2% to 3% in total upfront, with the cable networks getting perhaps a 4% bump to $9.7 billion. There are some 60-plus ad-supported cable TV networks. Most of the broadcast part of the upfront selling process will be completed by this week. TV marketers are now registering budgets for most of the top cable networks. Sources say much of this activity will close next week, with national syndication companies also becoming more active in negotiation. NBC and its big collection of cable networks, including USA, Syfy, Bravo, and others, are looking for major gains, according to media buyers -- around 10% for USA Network, for example. Turner Broadcasting channels are focused on 8% hikes. Previously, Viacom’s networks including MTV, Comedy Central, and others made upfront deals early in the process -- something it has done in years past. Many analysts believe price hikes are somewhat lower than the industry overall -- in the 4% to 5% range.
The high-profile advertisements shown within marquee-televised events such as the Super Bowl, the World Cup, Oscars, and this year’s impending Olympic Games have become almost as notorious as the events themselves. Some of the on-air commercial spots attract more than 90 million viewers and command price tags that run into millions of dollars. As audiences have grown, so has the trend toward more and more spectacular and innovative commercials. These days, given the quality and use of high-end visual effects (VFX) employed in commercials, viewers could easily be left feeling as if they were watching film trailers as opposed to product advertisements. High-profile spots Notable ads that premiered at the 2012 Super Bowl included Chevrolet’s ‘2012 End of the World’ featuring science fiction-like ‘doomsday’ effects, and Audi's ‘Vampire Party’ with its Twilight-esque theme. Both these spots employed high-end VFX to transport the viewer into a fantastical world, creating the kind of immersive experience normally reserved for blockbuster movies. At a fraction of the price, but with a more targeted audience demographic, this year’s Oscar® coverage also saw big brands employing VFX to catch viewers' attention. Procter & Gamble wowed us with its TIDE ‘Pop-A-Lot’ spot, and Hyundai pushed the boundaries with its Wes Anderson-directed Hyundai ‘Talk to my Car.’ While these unique mass audience events go hand in hand with a high advertising spend, the use of cutting-edge VFX in commercials is not reserved exclusively for big-ticket events. The advertising industry is increasingly employing VFX across the board and acknowledging the importance of commercials that use effects to access new levels of creativity. The history of VFX in ads If we quickly trace the trajectory of the television ad, it is evident that developments in VFX have been instrumental in the evolution of creative concepts. In the last ten years, technology has advanced at a rapid pace, making what once was impossible possible with the use of VFX. In the place of time-consuming and expensive ‘special effects,’ the industry has increasingly used digital visual effects in post-production. As the technology has improved and the price of entry has reduced, there has also been a move away from using VFX purely for impact. No longer is VFX used solely about the big climax moments, explosions, or stunts. Nowadays, facilities employ visual effects in a wide range of situations, helping to add detail to environments, re-create period features, and generally help to tell a story using more subtle or ‘invisible’ VFX. This shift has been made possible as technology has advanced to reach the point where VFX techniques can present a photo-realistic look. For example, one of the most notable VFX commercials of the 1990s was the Guinness ‘We have all the time in the world’ spot that was completed using a mix of practical effects and digital design. While groundbreaking in its day, this advertisement could now be done at a fraction of the cost and in less time. The future’s bright thanks to VFXThe increased use of visual effects has made the realization of advertising ideas possible that previously were not -- which has allowed brands and agencies to be incredibly ambitious with their advertising. This growth has been driven by improvements in technology, which have made post-production houses far better equipped and able to offer more for less. Despite VFX in commercials traditionally trailing VFX in films, commercials have been -- and will continue to be -- a playground for budding VFX producers and directors because of the creative scope afforded. While they only have between 30 and 60 seconds to tell their story and make a memorable impact, this often affords directors the opportunity to be more daring with ideas and innovative with the methods they employ. In the now highly competitive space of post-production and VFX, being able to bring the creative visions of both brands and advertising agencies to life remains hugely important. However, in this changed landscape, it is those who are able to provide the tools and talent at affordable rates that have the edge in this exciting industry.
In the digital age, every aspect of marketing lives in a glasshouse. Here’s how to make a response plan that’s bulletproof In January, the world turned into their pearl-clutching grandmothers when NPR’s This American Life ran a story about the conditions of a Chinese factory that manufactured Apple products. The conditions were deplorable, the workers were poisoned, maimed even, and Apple was to blame. The story spread rapidly, and within a few hours, was picked up by every major news outlet and trickled down to Twitter feeds around the world. Then came the retraction two months after the broadcast: “I have difficult news.” This American Life host Ira Glass wrote in a press release, “We’ve learned that Mike Daisey’s story about Apple in China — which we broadcast in January — contained significant fabrications. We’re retracting the story because we can’t vouch for its truth.” But the damage was done. Apple, ranked the world’s most admired brand for four years running, went into damage control mode and took a shot at transparency. Apple issued a press release in February announcing that the Fair Labor Association would conduct voluntary audits of its factories in China at the technology company’s request. In March, Apple CEO Tim Cook made a visit to China to tour the factory in question. The story has since become old news in many consumers’ minds, but the long-term damage for Apple is still unknown. The real story here, though, is that in the digital age, consumer perceptions of transparency and responsibility are key to brand loyalty. And even a seemingly infallible company like Apple is vulnerable. In fact, the Apple factory uproar has turned into somewhat of a cautionary tale for brands whose aim is to create relationships with consumers. Bottom line: In the digital era, the consumer cares and can find out anything about your company, true or false. It’s time to usher in the age of brand transparency and responsibility and marketers seem up for the task. Getting Social It’s not surprising that social media is leading the charge in corporate transparency and responsibility. It’s also not surprising that it’s catching some marketers off guard. Just five years ago, Twitter was in its infancy, and Facebook was still a place where college kids planned their next kegger. Fast forward to 2012, and both social networks are the platforms for many sophisticated and costly advertising and marketing campaigns. But such rapid change in a short amount of time has left holes in brands’ social strategies – namely ones where they aren’t recognizing that the consumer has more control over the brand’s message than even the marketers themselves. “I don’t believe companies have the control any more,” says Mike Germano, CEO of Carrot Creative, a Brooklyn-based new-media marketing agency. “It’s more a political campaign than an ad campaign. You know there will be positives and negatives. You need to be out there with the information that people can easily search so you are ahead of the battle in real time, which is important.”Although losing control over a brand’s message seems worrisome, there is really nothing that can be done to change social media’s new role in a company’s image. That’s OK, though, because smart marketers know that being reactive is the key to creating better relationships with consumers. Looking back at Apple’s recent crisis shows how the brand effectively handled the aftermath of the negative publicity through savvy reactions. Addressing the allegations, implementing new safety audits and even sending the CEO on a tour of the Chinese factory were all efficient efforts in mitigating the PR disaster that was created. Social and traditional media caught on and disseminated the company’s moves. Apple’s consumers appeared pleased not just by the results of Apple’s reactions, but also that Apple seemed to care enough to take action.“In terms of when addressing negative actions by a company, no company wants to be proactive with that, and 99 percent of the time, the situation only lets you be reactive. So companies need to have good social listening tools. They need to be proactive in creating a plan so they can effectively react,” says Germano.Thus, a preemptive strike isn’t necessary, so long as a planned reaction system is in place and, most importantly, is swiftly implemented.“The old world thinking is that any corporate communication needs to go through 15 degrees of approval, and I think that social media is proving a challenge,” says Zach Newcomb, executive account director, Rokkan, a digital marketing agency. “They need to figure out the key elements most important to their consumers and I would argue that its timeliness of response.”In fact, if there was one thing brand managers should have learned from the BP oil spill, even making a few wrong decisions quickly creates a better perception than waiting too long to do what will ultimately solve the problem.Strategy: Looking good is as important as being good Marketers are well aware of how consumers perceive brands and what they expect from the brands they support. In creating successful digital strategies to incorporate transparency, marketers are now forced to include the consumer in the conversation. “Brands need to identify and reach out to the most active consumers and make them part of the team,” says Jack Myers, media economist and editor of the Jack Myers Media Business Report. This team, Myers says, is built exclusively through social media and for good reason: “Social media is the fundamental link between brands and consumers. It’s the foundation of the relationship, not a layer. It is the foundation of the advertising and marketing campaign.”Social media can also be finessed to build trust between consumers and brands. Glimpsing most brands’ Facebook pages will show a well-maintained social platform that is frequently updated with information on product launches, corporate news and press detailing good deeds the brand engages in. The same goes for brands’ Twitter feeds. Many brands update multiple times a day and actively engage with their consumers. Was the bathroom at the Olive Garden where you had lunch particularly dirty, for instance? Tweet at the company. When Olive Garden tweets back a simple “Sorry!” or “We’ll fix that,” they are doing more than addressing a problem. They are establishing a relationship.“Social media is restoring a lot of trust for brands. It’s enabling them to respond in real time to their consumers, to do crisis management better and customize messaging to speak to specific segments of consumers,” says Newcomb. “But there is a huge hurdle for larger brands that need to deal with the challenges of the freewheeling effect social media brings to the table.” To that extent, bigger brands generally have a harder time navigating the social ecosystem. “Working with a smaller brand, you see a lot of the decision makers and the ones who shape the voice of the brand are much more accessible and are able to communicate with their consumers. Smaller brands are usually younger and more comfortable with empowering their employees to use social media,” Newcomb says. “For larger brands, it’s a more difficult challenge. Their internal politics are usually one of the largest obstacles they face. They can leverage influencers and establish connections with social media to help establish trust.”The Consumer as SleuthOf course, perception is not just based upon how brands interact with consumers through social media. Nowadays, anyone can find virtually everything about a company through a few clicks and keywords.“Consumers are more aware of how to access both sides of the story, and they listen. In the past, traditional media stories were reported by news organizations so corporations were put on the defensive,” says Myers. “Now, corporations can be proactive and more in control of their message directly with the consumer. There is no third party to interpret that message.” Germano sees the good in the new transparency era: “There is nowhere to hide anymore. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have control anymore, but what it also allows for is for people to open up and explore.” In 2011, it was not uncommon for companies to release sustainability reports, indicating many companies’ desire to resonate with consumers’ desires for eco-friendly products.Consumers now feel that it is their own responsibility to complete their due diligence so it lets a company put its best face forward, if you will.That’s especially true of younger people. The consumers who really demand brand transparency are 25-and-under Millennials who grew up with high-speed Internet and online news sources. They’re not only savvy consumers, but they are also caring consumers. They won’t stand for their companies mistreating their employees, their customers or the environment. And if there are any accusations of such behavior, the Millennial consumer will find it. There really is nowhere to hide, but that doesn’t spell bad news for brands.“The consumers who have grown up to be mistrustful of brands tend to be over 25. They have different needs than consumers who have grown up with the Internet as part of their lives,” says Myers. “They’ve grown up with a trust in brands – they tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. These younger consumers are open to response from companies before they make judgment.”“In terms of brands, you’re starting to see a greater sense of trust with those brands that actively engage in a conversation with their consumers,” adds Newcomb.But more than trusting that brands are on the up-and-up, the young consumer has specific needs that new brands are catching on to, namely social interests and will do extensive research before making a purchase. Environmental concerns, of course, are a big issue. But increasingly, consumers want to know about the company’s fair-trade policies and employment record. “I think that consumers are able to now really dig into a brand to find out if it satisfies all the things they consider valuable,” says Germano. “With digital, you don’t have an excuse to not say where your company stands. There are no ad dollars going into it.”The moral of the story for Germano? “Social media is great for good brands, and social media is horrible for bad brands.”