Beam Inc.’s Canadian Club Whiskey has launched a digital campaign in the U.S. that introduces a new character spokesperson, the “Canadian Club Chairman.” The “Join the Club” campaign, with creative by the Brooklyn Brothers agency, currently includes four videos featuring the “chairman” -- a distinguished older man who offers brand-history information and advice (“Whisky Whisdoms”) to younger men interested in being initiated into whisky culture, and CC in particular. In the videos, the “chairman” compares his first CC whisky drink to noticing his first chest hair, and says that he drinks CC when he eats bacon (which is “all five food groups”), as well as when he’s consuming 73-ounce Porterhouse steaks. One video explains that CC was bootleggers’ preferred brand during the U.S. prohibition era. Messages include: “Never send a beer to do a whisky’s job”; “Everything in moderation -- except bacon”; and “Drafts are best suited to fantasy football -- order a Canadian Club Whisky.” Consumers are being encouraged to submit their own “Whisky Whisdoms” and get access to “exclusive content, local event invites and wisdom” by joining The CC Club on Facebook. In Canada, the videos began airing as TV spots, as well as on digital, starting earlier this month, reports the GreatAds blog.
Ford has launched a campaign for the new Fusion sedan that brings the car out of a block of concrete, with laser beams assisting, all to a recitation of the poem "The Rose that Grew from Concrete," by the late Tupac Shakur. The TV, radio and Web campaign, via Uniworld Group, is directed at African-Americans, and stars Andre Royo of HBO's "The Wire." Digital elements include a series of web videos in which Ford product-development team members talk about the vehicle's design. The Web videos are also on the Ford Fusion YouTube channel and Ford Fusion Facebook page. The TV ad, on BET, TV One and NBA on TNT, has Royo strolling into an open abandoned atrium, with a set of weird laser guns. Lots of cool sci-fi effects ensue, with the car emerging as a concrete sculpture that becomes real. The print ads are in Essence and Jet. Says Shawn Thompson, Ford multicultural marketing manager: "The campaign was inspired more by the poem than the artist, because there is strong connection between the image of the rose that grew from concrete, and the idea of breaking through." She adds that this idea aligns with the general market creative around the "Go Further" tag. Those ads suggest that Fusion stands out from the mid-sized crowd, as it shows traffic jams of cars vanishing, as they are replaced by one car, the Fusion. Thompson says the “Rose” ad has gotten 14,000 views so far, "and we really haven't pushed it.” The TV ad is in :60 and :30 versions, and, per Thompson, will run for the next nine months, with extensions into experiential programs. During the summer, she says, Ford was title sponsor of Steve Harvey's Ford Hoodie Awards, “where we gave a Fusion to a community leader. This Monday is another contest on the Steve Harvey radio hour, and more to come," she says. The effort also includes a digital component on BET's social-media room. "We are definitely going to focus on experiential," says Thompson, adding that upcoming programs will include partnerships with Tom Joyner, and other personalities. "We are negotiating those right now." The agency and Ford's multicultural division are also continuing programs around Focus and Escape. The Uniworld-helmed general market campaign for the latter won an Association of National Advertisers Multicultural ad award this year.
Concert and big-event producer Live Nation Entertainment has rebuilt its LiveNation.com site, and Chevrolet has gotten on board as a major sponsor. The site is focused almost entirely on fan content culled from social channels, using geo-fencing to tie fan tweets, comments, photos and videos to concerts as they happen. The Chevy Sonic subcompact is the focus, and Gen Y music fans are the audience. Russell Wallach, president of Live Nation Network, tells Marketing Daily that Live Nation is culling and curating fan blasts from sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook and pinning this to the venues, events, and bands. "When they are at that show, fans have their smartphones out and are taking pictures and sharing. Our data says over 75% of attendees take photos or capture videos on their phones at events, and almost 60% actually post it online. What we have done is build a designation for live music fans to create a community fueled by social media." He says the deal allows brands to create their own programming on the site and activate on the ground at concerts. Chevrolet, for instance, will have a presence at the Dec. 13 Live Nation kickoff concert in LA, per Matt Scarlett, Chevrolet's national advertising & sales promotion manager. "We will cross-promote the event by doing things like having vehicles on display, including a 'flying Sonic' [a helium-filled replica] and we will demo some of the things you can now get through [telematics platform] MyLink." Scarlett tells Marketing Daily that the deal gives Chevy access to guaranteed site traffic, since the company acquired TicketMaster two years ago, making it a major ticket-buying hub. In addition to advertising, the automaker has on the site its own content such as pre-roll videos in which featured bands interact with the Sonic and its variants. "It's a 360-degree approach with Web site integration, concerts and videos," he says. A Live Nation statement says the platform also gives marketers location-based data on social and consumption habits and preferences of music fans via in-house data companies Big Champagne and Live Analytics. "Music has been consistent with Sonic launch," says Scarlett, adding that Chevy did a limited activation this year with Live Nation. One of the Sonic launch ads featured the band OK Go using a Sonic to “play” a thousand instruments arrayed along the car’s route. The company will have a presence at SXSW, and is looking at 2013 tentpole events like the MTV Movie Awards. Chevy has also done wild stunts with Sonic. A new Nielsen study would support that tactic: it shows that younger consumers respond to extreme sports and aspirational ads. Thus, Chevrolet snagged a last-minute deal giving it sole sponsorship of the Red Bull Stratus jump -- garnering in the process a huge audience for Chevy’s own skydiving ad, in which the car itself free-falls from a plane. Scarlett says since a lot of these deals happen fast, it’s about snap decisions and gut instinct. "We were approached with an opportunity to sponsor the Red Bull event two days before." Says Scarlett, "sometimes, you just have to jump."
While there are numerous varieties of Cool Whip Whipped Topping (including sugar-free), the nearly 50-year-old brand -- launched in 1966 -- is just introducing its first non-topping extension: Cool Whip Frosting. Three flavors of the new frosting (chocolate, vanilla and cream cheese) began hitting store shelves in September, and the launch’s marketing campaign kicked into full gear this month. Cool Whip Frosting is among the latest in a string of new-category extensions from venerable brands at Kraft Foods (Velveeta Cheesy Skillets and Planters Peanut Butter, to name two). In this case, product development research revealed that consumers were dissatisfied with shelf-stable frosting products, Cool Whip Brand Manager Marjani Coffey tells Marketing Daily. “Consumers said that shelf-stable frostings were too sweet, too thick and too hard to apply without damaging the cakes or other baked goods in the process,” says Coffey. Cool Whip’s answer: a frozen (thaws in an hour, while your cake is baking) frosting that’s easier to spread and use for decorating and piping, and has “just the right level of sweetness,” she says. In other words, a convenient frosting that’s more like homemade. (Suggested retail: $2.99.) The new products are located in the frozen foods aisle, next to the brand’s whipped toppings, so part of the marketing mission is alerting consumers used to finding frosting in the baking aisle that a new option can be found in the frozen aisle. Hence, in-store promotions include shelf-talkers in both the baking and frozen aisles, reports Coffey. The launch campaign, from The Martin Agency, is themed “Reasons to Celebrate.” Print ads in magazines, including People, Food Network Magazine and Every Day With Rachael Ray, are a key element. Each version carries the headline: “So good, you’ll look for reasons to celebrate,” along with a photo of a cake or cupcakes bearing frosting messages such as: “Baby almost slept all night!,” “Found your other sock!,” “Didn’t hit reply all” and “Took it back without a receipt.” Digital ads are being run on KraftRecipes.com, and may be expanded to third-party sites, according to Coffey. A digital coupon, and FSIs in early November and early December, are also in the mix. In the social arena, the emphasis is on Cool Whip’s active Facebook page. The page currently has some 334,000 “likes” -- up 11% since the brand starting promoting the new frostings there, Coffey reports. Pinterest is also being employed, along with outreach to some 30 mom and food bloggers. (The brand’s Twitter presence is still small, at present.) As with other brand extension campaigns, this one is expected to have some halo benefits for the brand’s existing, familiar products.
Beam Inc.’s Canadian Club Whiskey has launched a digital campaign in the U.S. that introduces a new character spokesperson, the “Canadian Club Chairman.” The “Join the Club” campaign, with creative by the Brooklyn Brothers agency, currently includes four videos featuring the “chairman” -- a distinguished older man who offers brand-history information and advice (“Whisky Whisdoms”) to younger men interested in being initiated into whisky culture, and CC in particular. In the videos, the “chairman” compares his first CC whisky drink to noticing his first chest hair, and says that he drinks CC when he eats bacon (which is “all five food groups”), as well as when he’s consuming 73-ounce Porterhouse steaks. One video explains that CC was bootleggers’ preferred brand during the U.S. prohibition era. Messages include: “Never send a beer to do a whisky’s job”; “Everything in moderation -- except bacon”; and “Drafts are best suited to fantasy football -- order a Canadian Club Whisky.” Consumers are being encouraged to submit their own “Whisky Whisdoms” and get access to “exclusive content, local event invites and wisdom” by joining The CC Club on Facebook. In Canada, the videos began airing as TV spots, as well as on digital, starting earlier this month, reports the GreatAds blog.
Ford has launched a campaign for the new Fusion sedan that brings the car out of a block of concrete, with laser beams assisting, all to a recitation of the poem "The Rose that Grew from Concrete," by the late Tupac Shakur. The TV, radio and Web campaign, via Uniworld Group, is directed at African-Americans, and stars Andre Royo of HBO's "The Wire." Digital elements include a series of web videos in which Ford product-development team members talk about the vehicle's design. The Web videos are also on the Ford Fusion YouTube channel and Ford Fusion Facebook page. The TV ad, on BET, TV One and NBA on TNT, has Royo strolling into an open abandoned atrium, with a set of weird laser guns. Lots of cool sci-fi effects ensue, with the car emerging as a concrete sculpture that becomes real. The print ads are in Essence and Jet. Says Shawn Thompson, Ford multicultural marketing manager: "The campaign was inspired more by the poem than the artist, because there is strong connection between the image of the rose that grew from concrete, and the idea of breaking through." She adds that this idea aligns with the general market creative around the "Go Further" tag. Those ads suggest that Fusion stands out from the mid-sized crowd, as it shows traffic jams of cars vanishing, as they are replaced by one car, the Fusion. Thompson says the “Rose” ad has gotten 14,000 views so far, "and we really haven't pushed it.” The TV ad is in :60 and :30 versions, and, per Thompson, will run for the next nine months, with extensions into experiential programs. During the summer, she says, Ford was title sponsor of Steve Harvey's Ford Hoodie Awards, “where we gave a Fusion to a community leader. This Monday is another contest on the Steve Harvey radio hour, and more to come," she says. The effort also includes a digital component on BET's social-media room. "We are definitely going to focus on experiential," says Thompson, adding that upcoming programs will include partnerships with Tom Joyner, and other personalities. "We are negotiating those right now." The agency and Ford's multicultural division are also continuing programs around Focus and Escape. The Uniworld-helmed general market campaign for the latter won an Association of National Advertisers Multicultural ad award this year.
Concert and big-event producer Live Nation Entertainment has rebuilt its LiveNation.com site, and Chevrolet has gotten on board as a major sponsor. The site is focused almost entirely on fan content culled from social channels, using geo-fencing to tie fan tweets, comments, photos and videos to concerts as they happen. The Chevy Sonic subcompact is the focus, and Gen Y music fans are the audience. Russell Wallach, president of Live Nation Network, tells Marketing Daily that Live Nation is culling and curating fan blasts from sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook and pinning this to the venues, events, and bands. "When they are at that show, fans have their smartphones out and are taking pictures and sharing. Our data says over 75% of attendees take photos or capture videos on their phones at events, and almost 60% actually post it online. What we have done is build a designation for live music fans to create a community fueled by social media." He says the deal allows brands to create their own programming on the site and activate on the ground at concerts. Chevrolet, for instance, will have a presence at the Dec. 13 Live Nation kickoff concert in LA, per Matt Scarlett, Chevrolet's national advertising & sales promotion manager. "We will cross-promote the event by doing things like having vehicles on display, including a 'flying Sonic' [a helium-filled replica] and we will demo some of the things you can now get through [telematics platform] MyLink." Scarlett tells Marketing Daily that the deal gives Chevy access to guaranteed site traffic, since the company acquired TicketMaster two years ago, making it a major ticket-buying hub. In addition to advertising, the automaker has on the site its own content such as pre-roll videos in which featured bands interact with the Sonic and its variants. "It's a 360-degree approach with Web site integration, concerts and videos," he says. A Live Nation statement says the platform also gives marketers location-based data on social and consumption habits and preferences of music fans via in-house data companies Big Champagne and Live Analytics. "Music has been consistent with Sonic launch," says Scarlett, adding that Chevy did a limited activation this year with Live Nation. One of the Sonic launch ads featured the band OK Go using a Sonic to “play” a thousand instruments arrayed along the car’s route. The company will have a presence at SXSW, and is looking at 2013 tentpole events like the MTV Movie Awards. Chevy has also done wild stunts with Sonic. A new Nielsen study would support that tactic: it shows that younger consumers respond to extreme sports and aspirational ads. Thus, Chevrolet snagged a last-minute deal giving it sole sponsorship of the Red Bull Stratus jump -- garnering in the process a huge audience for Chevy’s own skydiving ad, in which the car itself free-falls from a plane. Scarlett says since a lot of these deals happen fast, it’s about snap decisions and gut instinct. "We were approached with an opportunity to sponsor the Red Bull event two days before." Says Scarlett, "sometimes, you just have to jump."
While there are numerous varieties of Cool Whip Whipped Topping (including sugar-free), the nearly 50-year-old brand -- launched in 1966 -- is just introducing its first non-topping extension: Cool Whip Frosting. Three flavors of the new frosting (chocolate, vanilla and cream cheese) began hitting store shelves in September, and the launch’s marketing campaign kicked into full gear this month. Cool Whip Frosting is among the latest in a string of new-category extensions from venerable brands at Kraft Foods (Velveeta Cheesy Skillets and Planters Peanut Butter, to name two). In this case, product development research revealed that consumers were dissatisfied with shelf-stable frosting products, Cool Whip Brand Manager Marjani Coffey tells Marketing Daily. “Consumers said that shelf-stable frostings were too sweet, too thick and too hard to apply without damaging the cakes or other baked goods in the process,” says Coffey. Cool Whip’s answer: a frozen (thaws in an hour, while your cake is baking) frosting that’s easier to spread and use for decorating and piping, and has “just the right level of sweetness,” she says. In other words, a convenient frosting that’s more like homemade. (Suggested retail: $2.99.) The new products are located in the frozen foods aisle, next to the brand’s whipped toppings, so part of the marketing mission is alerting consumers used to finding frosting in the baking aisle that a new option can be found in the frozen aisle. Hence, in-store promotions include shelf-talkers in both the baking and frozen aisles, reports Coffey. The launch campaign, from The Martin Agency, is themed “Reasons to Celebrate.” Print ads in magazines, including People, Food Network Magazine and Every Day With Rachael Ray, are a key element. Each version carries the headline: “So good, you’ll look for reasons to celebrate,” along with a photo of a cake or cupcakes bearing frosting messages such as: “Baby almost slept all night!,” “Found your other sock!,” “Didn’t hit reply all” and “Took it back without a receipt.” Digital ads are being run on KraftRecipes.com, and may be expanded to third-party sites, according to Coffey. A digital coupon, and FSIs in early November and early December, are also in the mix. In the social arena, the emphasis is on Cool Whip’s active Facebook page. The page currently has some 334,000 “likes” -- up 11% since the brand starting promoting the new frostings there, Coffey reports. Pinterest is also being employed, along with outreach to some 30 mom and food bloggers. (The brand’s Twitter presence is still small, at present.) As with other brand extension campaigns, this one is expected to have some halo benefits for the brand’s existing, familiar products.
We all know that channels like Twitter and Facebook enable quick response and interaction between brands and their consumers. Today brands are finding ways to be charming, sarcastic, and irreverent; they’re personalizing their communications, and successfully so. After all, when a company takes the time to write a response to someone’s tweet or Facebook post, it can demonstrate the brand as having a personality – a critical feature of social channels. For instance, Domino’s asked @AmazingPhil to pack his bags and move out after he declared that he cheated on them with Pizza Hut. Taco Bell (a client of ours) and Old Spice have bantered about their use of ingredients. Yet as clever as these examples are, there are ways that we can go further. Many marketers have largely treated video as a cumbersome and costly effort, primarily repurposed from TV instead of purpose-built for social platforms. But today we’re seeing the emergence of responsive video, broadening the channels in which brands can interact with people in a more engaging way. Unfortunately, while all social channels have risks that fly in the face of traditional brand reticence, video has the added problem of bucking the trend of preproduced, corporate, commercial communication—expensive and slow. That said, technology has democratized the use and reduced the cost of video production, so we’re starting to see some brands embrace the ability to create swift, inexpensive video. Here are just a few ways that video can be used in social; quickly and with great effect. Damage Control Traditionally, big brands have been cautious, deliberate, and slow when reacting to major issues, and response channels have been limited to press releases and news interviews. But responses with a quick and raw feel, projecting transparency, can be used to a brand’s advantage, as seen with Federal Express last year. When one of its customers posted a video showing a destructive activity by an employee (something that went viral almost immediately), the brand responded with a video apology on its YouTube page. What FedEx quickly produced was an inexpensive video explanation of its view of the event and subsequent actions. A slickly produced video would have been untimely and might have brought further wrath. But this straightforward, transparent production helped stabilize the public outcry. Proactive Humor In October, Bodyform received a mocking complaint on its Facebook page about how the brand had long deceived men into thinking that woman always had fun-filled menstrual cycles, easily participating in activities such as rock climbing and horseback riding. Bodyform used this as an opportunity and responded with a now-famous video “apologizing” and explaining that the company was just trying to protect the complainer from the truth. Last summer, Tide responded within two days to an article in The Onion describing a massive viral video hit that Tide produced -- except that the video never existed. We worked with Tide to make the fictitious video real, with the brand tweeting that perhaps the article’s author may have forgotten to post the link. In both cases, these videos were relatively simple, humorous, and self-aware -- all qualities easily among the top-10 components of a successful video. Informative Communication We’re starting to see some companies provide real-time, on-the-fly, personalized videos based on customer data collection. The earliest successes focus on simple topics like electric or gas utility billing explanations. Customers receive a communication containing audio and video based precisely on their account, including info on billing cycle and opportunities for savings. Currently, these videos are used purely to provide information, but there is opportunity in considering how customer data can be used to engage in new ways with customers. Companies like Eyeview, Idomoo and SundaySky are enabling this type of communication.