Kraft Foods’ MiO is using a teaser ad and social media to build anticipation for the official debut of its new MiO Fit product in a Super Bowl spot -- the MiO brand’s first appearance in the big game. The 30-second spot for MiO Fit – a new line of the zero-calorie liquid water enhancer that’s enhanced with B vitamins and electrolytes -- will air during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVLII. The full spot, from TAXI New York, is under wraps until the game, but the 15-second teaser ad featuring actor/comedian Tracy Morgan of “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live” fame has been posted on YouTube, and is being promoted on MiO’s Facebook page, Twitter site and other social media. In the teaser video, “Bleep,” Morgan asks “Hey -- can you say [bleeped out] on TV?” The full spot, dubbed “Anthem,” will have Morgan offering his humorous take on how various things in the U.S. -- including sports drinks -- have changed. In addition, starting this week, MiO Fit kicked off digital and social media, incentives, sampling and public relations efforts in an integrated campaign that will extend through March. One social media component has MiO Fit engaging fans in a conversation about “change” by asking what other changes they would like to see, and why. Original MiO was launched in 2011; a MiO Energy line extension followed last year. MiO Fit comes in two flavors (Artic Grape and Berry Blast). The 18- or 12-servings-per-bottle sizes are available in grocery and mass-market stores; the 12-servings size is also in convenience stores.
Safeway and ExxonMobil have teamed up to provide Safeway shoppers with a way to save at the gas pump. Safeway shoppers and ExxonMobil customers can now earn Reward Points for most products purchased at Safeway stores in the mid-Atlantic region and redeem their Reward Points at participating Exxon or Mobil locations. The loyalty program is similar to one offered nationally by Shell Oil gas stations and Kroger Grocery Co. since August 2010. Kroger stores include Fry's, Ralphs, Fred Myers, Scott's, Hilander and QFC. Shell Oil has also joined with other regional grocery stores including Winn-Dixie. A full list is available here. According to a recent Safeway survey, one-third of families go out of their way to look for deals because saving money is important to them. Nearly three out of four people will drive out of their way to purchase more affordable gas, and 76% of consumers said they would change where they grocery shop and purchase gas to save money. With more than a quarter of consumers spending up to $175 on gas and up to $300 on groceries each month, saving money is important. As one of the largest grocery retailers in North America, Safeway is an ideal partner, says Simon Smith, Americas retail director, ExxonMobil fuels, lubricants and specialties marketing company. "Through this program, consumers can achieve meaningful savings on their gas and diesel purchases simply by shopping at Safeway," Smith says. Reward Points are earned by purchasing groceries, qualifying gift cards and pharmacy items with a Safeway Club Card. They can be redeemed at participating Exxon and Mobil locations. For every 100 points earned by shopping at Safeway with a Safeway Club Card, shoppers get a 10 cent-per-gallon reward. Shoppers can use up to one dollar per gallon in rewards on a single fill-up at a participating Exxon or Mobil location with a maximum of 25 gallons and a limit of one vehicle per transaction. Reward Points can be earned by shopping at Safeway stores in the following ways: Shoppers redeem their reward points by simply swiping their Safeway Club Card or by entering their linked phone number at the pump before fueling up.
As millions of women slip into something red this Friday, brand marketers are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the program, as the public-health message about women’s heart disease moves to the next level. “We are at a shift from generating widespread awareness to driving behavior change,” Craig Bida, EVP of Cone Communications, which has worked on the program with the American Heart Association since its inception, tells Marketing Daily. “More than 25 million women have united around the cause, and more than $300 million has been raised. And increasingly, more people are aware that heart disease kills more women than all kinds of cancer, combined. The goal now has to be to continue that, but to get women to make lifestyle changes that will protect themselves and their families.” Macy’s, one of the program’s two national sponsors, has been in on Go Red from the beginning. To celebrate this landmark year, the retailer says it’s celebrating with store events, a social media campaign and its annual Wear Red Sale. This year’s limited-edition red dresses are from Ellen Tracy, Kensie and Marilyn Monroe, with sales supporting the cause, priced from $60 to $120. Macy’s, which says it has raised $40 million dollars to fight against heart disease in its decade-long involvement, also plans to light up its Herald Square flagship in red for the occasion. Any shopper wearing red, or who buys a $2 red dress pin at Macy’s, gets discounts throughout the store. And for any shopper who participates in its social media program, Macy’s is donating $2 for each tweet and post, up to $250,000. Merck is also a national sponsor, and has donated more than $12 million since its involvement in 2007. National supporters include Campbell Soup, Rite Aid, JTV, Merry Maids, Mimi’s Café, Party City, Pogo, and PepsiCo’s Quaker. The AHA created National Wear Red Day, the first Friday of February, 10 years ago, to battle the perception among women that heart disease (the leading killer of women, taking some 500,000 lives per year) is as an “older man's disease.” Then in 2004, it expanded that to Go Red For Women, a social initiative, and since then, says there are 21% fewer women dying from heart disease, and 23% more women aware that it's their No. 1 health threat. Bida says Go Red fundraisers may have more appeal this year. For one thing, Americans are aging, and women’s heart health risks increase after menopause. And for another, such leading cancer causes as Livestrong and the Susan G. Komen Foundation have been tarred by nasty publicity. “Consumers like brands they trust and believe in,” he says, “so it is possible we will see a shift in dollars as a result.”
Kraft Foods’ Philadelphia Cream Cheese has launched a new campaign focused on conveying the quality process and fresh ingredients and taste that continue to set the 140-year-old-plus brand apart. “The Philadelphia Standard” campaign, from McGarry Bowen, kicked off with a 30-second national TV spot for its soft cream cheese products that began airing in mid-January (also viewable on the brand’s YouTube channel). This spot and all of the ads tell the “story behind the silver of Philadelphia Cream Cheese,” emphasizing/illustrating five standards that differentiate the brand: use of fresh, local milk blended with real cream; “farm to [Philly’s] fridge” (a maximum of six days elapses between when a cow is milked and a product is produced/ready to eat); all-fresh ingredients (such as local jalapenos and wild Alaska salmon); and minimal-to-no use of preservatives (none in the brick variety; the minimum necessary in other varieties). The ad shows the process and ingredients, and consumers enjoying the product, and concludes: “When it comes to taste, Philadelphia sets the standard.” While the brand has always adhered to these standards, its recent consumer research confirmed that consumers are more concerned about the processes behind foods, and tend to have a misconception that cream cheese is a highly processed food, reports Christopher Urban, Philadelphia’s senior brand manager. That pointed to a campaign approach that provides more “transparency” by “bringing consumers into” Philadelphia’s process, he says. Two more TV ads will air during the second quarter (one targeting Hispanics, the other for its latest spicy jalapeno variety). A fourth, for the brick variety, will air during the holidays. In all, the brand will have 20 weeks of national advertising during the year. Print ads will run in the February and March and holiday issues of women’s lifestyle and food magazines (14 magazine brands total). For Easter, recipe/how-to videos will be used as enhancements for some tablet editions of magazines. In March, the brand will launch a 60-second video telling the “standard” story in greater detail, to appear on its YouTube channel and its Web site within the Kraft brands site (creamcheese.com). That will be supported with digital ads, social elements and possibly cinema advertising, according to Urban. The YouTube channel and site will also feature 13 new how-to recipe videos, many of which have already been posted (including a few handy for Super Bowl parties, like Buffalo Chicken Dip). Engagement activities on Facebook (currently nearly 520,000 “likes), Pinterest and Twitter are ongoing. The brand’s Real Women of Philadelphia community continues to be an important social and recipe-generation hub (although the partnership with Paula Deen that tied into that community is not continuing), says Urban. Search and in-store marketing are also elements of the campaign. In 2012, the brand ran a “Pheel the Moment” campaign, which was an evolution of its “Spread a Little Philly” campaign, launched in 2009.
At least one segment of the consumer market did well during the recession and is still painting itself black: nail care. According to Chicago-based market research firm Mintel, the nail color and care market in the U.S. has grown by 72% since 2007, with sales estimated at $2.5 billion at the end of 2012. The firm says growth will continue through 2017 at a slower pace than previous years, with sales expected to reach just over $4 billion. During the slump, women bought their own polish, eschewing pricey spas to varnish their keratogenous membranes in the privacy of their homes. With nobody around but the kids. Say what? Yes -- it's not what you'd think, but Mintel says it's so: women with kids use nail-care products more than those without. The firm says that's especially the case with "nail art" accessories, where nearly a quarter (24%) of women with children report usage compared to 11% in households without children. Seventy-nine percent of women with children use colored nail polish versus 65% without children, and 22% of respondents with children report using artificial nails, as opposed to only 9% without children. “The beauty industry generally benefits when consumers have higher levels of disposable income; however, the nail care industry has experienced strong growth in recent years, despite the weak economy,” says Shannon Romanowski, beauty and personal care analyst at Mintel. She says nail polish is an affordable way to be fashionable. "The affordability of nail polish, combined with new products and colors, makes nail care a reasonable splurge for lower- to middle-income women.” Expense is a big part of why women don't go to spas -- just over half of women say they would get their nails done more often at a salon, but it’s too expensive -- but so are health and time concerns: some 27% are concerned about health and safety issues at salons. Eighteen percent think getting their nails done in a salon simply takes too much time. Not surprising is the fact that young women drive the nail care segment as well. The use of colored nail polish is highest among women between 18 and 24, per the firm, which says 85% of women in that age bracket use such products versus 71% of total female respondents. Same for nail art (33% vs. 16% of all respondents), artificial nails (23% vs. 14% of all respondents), and gel nail polish (14% vs. 10% of all respondents). The firm points out that product popularity among this cohort is about the vicissitudes of fashion trends, since younger people are more likely to experiment. “Nail care users younger than 35 are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to view wearing nail polish as a way to express their personality and follow fashion trends," said Romanowski. "Hands holding nail polishes photo from Shutterstock"
Yes -- the world is burning, but are you using your wallet to hold some deserving corporate feet to the fire or reward those who at least are trying to become more cognizant of our collision course with chaos, rather than just making as much money as possible before it's all over? If you're a consumer in a developing country, you are more likely to do so than someone from the U.S. or Europe. Regardless of where you're from, there's a better chance than ever that you are thinking about sustainability when you consider a purchase, per a new study by The Regeneration Roadmap -- a joint project by GlobeScan, SustainAbility, and BBMG. The study, based on surveys of 6,224 people in six countries, finds that consumers -- especially in developing countries -- choose products based on corporate responsibility and sustainability. The survey suggests that two-thirds of consumers globally will say they “feel a sense of responsibility to society” -- 81% in emerging markets and 50% in developed markets. Overall, two-thirds of consumers around the world also say they “have a responsibility to purchase products that are good for the environment and society." Again, progressive consumerism prevails in developing markets (82%) versus developed (49%). Culled from respondents in Brazil, China, India, Germany, the UK, and the U.S., the study finds that more consumers equate shopping with feeling a sense of responsibility to society than with happiness (65% versus 63%). But nearly 81% of those in emerging markets feel that way, while only 50% in developed markets do. It also grades corporate brands on consumer sentiment about their behavior. Tech companies tend to be in a generally more exalted position than those in other categories: All five companies included in the study (Google, Apple, Facebook, HP and Cisco) garner scores at or above the overall average. Coca-Cola leads the food and beverage sector, followed by PepsiCo and Starbucks, whose scores are at the median for brands in the study. Below them are Kraft and Campbell’s. In consumer goods, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson, Unilever and L’Oréal are all above average in consumer perception of their corporate sustainability practices. Esteé Lauder, Avon and Reckitt Benckiser are all below the median in the study. When consumers were asked to list issues that companies need to address, safe drinking water led, closely followed by health care, fair wages, human rights, conservation of wildlife and environmental habitats, safe working conditions, jobs and economic opportunity. Also important to respondents are hunger and global warming. The lowest priority for each country differs considerably, however. In the United States, climate change is at the bottom of the list; in Germany it's community development.
Mayhem has been around since the beginning of time. Find out where in today's Super Bowl edition of Out to Launch.
Businesses often engage in an analytical and creative process to develop or review their brand positioning. Without a strong strategic foundation, however, the outcome may not be as effective.The use of “Brand Archetype” models can be valuable in the positioning process. These help define the space in which brands should play, given the understanding that the company’s assets, business situation, future strategy and appetite for category disruption all factor in to the position. The six most common are as follows.1. Owning key driversThis archetype is usually present in industries with clear and stable drivers. Brands here are typically incumbent or strong leaders; the archetype involves reinforcing leadership versus forcing an “emotional positioning.” Verizon, for example, consistently positions its brand around the quality, reach, and superiority of its network. Brands that can own key drivers of choice in their categories should definitely develop a positioning that anchors on Archetype 1. 2. Making conflict workThis archetype involves joining two seemingly conflicting ideas. It is pursued by brands that can identify and make these “conflicting” ideas work in a relevant and credible way. A classic example: The soda category’s development of diet or light versions at a time when soft drinks were associated with sugar and weight gain. At least one major retailer proved that shopping for the best prices does not conflict with a premium -- even stylish -- experience.3. Finding another wayA brand will aim to destroy established thinking with this archetype by commoditizing the key drivers of choice. This model is pursued by brands that may not have the key assets to compete, but believe there is “another way” in their category. European insurer Direct Line has reframed the industry, arguing that car insurance is a commodity that should be acquired through a less time-consuming process and at the lowest possible price.4. Making positives from negativesSometimes, a company can win by turning a negative into a positive, having learned from failures to emerge stronger and more confident. A major pizza chain has rebranded around this positioning. To win in this archetype, the brand must publicly acknowledge its flaws and commit to dealing with them. This is not an easy process. It requires transparent communications, long-term commitment, and an internal desire for real change.5. Feeling the customer’s painThis archetype focuses on solving key customer pain points in a category, an approach to be pursued if a brand understands that customers are open to a "new way." Category pain points are often widely understood, but not addressed because of the high levels of investment needed to do so or the potential to damage revenue sources. In Europe, a major insurance-based financial services firm positioned its brand in this archetype after finding that customers generally didn’t believe their insurer would be there for them when needed. As part of its rebranding, it launched an aggressive customer service campaign across all the relevant touchpoints of the customer journey.6. Going after the unexpectedThis is the most difficult archetype, as it involves investing in an unexpected driver for the category. Identifying white space for differentiation can prove challenging, and it requires a great deal of out-of-the-box thinking that translates into new, big and bold ideas to anchor the brand. When done successfully, it represents a long-term source of competitive advantage. The classic example: Apple, with its focus on design, simplicity, and style in a category that at one stage was dominated by hardcore technology and performance.The nuances represented by brand archetypes enable businesses to more easily develop and refine their brand positionings with a stronger strategic perspective, and a greater chance to win with customers and in the market.