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Page 1
HANDS-ON CASE
Authentically Green?
Increasingly companies are attempting to align themselves with good causes, such as showing that theyre
caretakers of environment as you read with the HagenDazs case in Chapter 3. General Electric committed to a
strategy it calls Ecomagination by pledging a $1.5 billion investment in research and development of green
technologies by 2010. You dont have to look far to see
many other examples.
Often criticized for the harm some of the ingredients
do to the environment, corporations producing household cleaners are, well, trying to clean up their act.
The green niche is the fastest growing segment of
the $2.7 billion market for household cleaning products.
In 2008 the Clorox Company, a century-old company
known for its not-so-environmentally friendly products
such as bleach, Pine-Sol, and Formula 409, launched a
line of ecofriendly products it called Green Works, in part
to take advantage of this opportunity. The products
contain 95 percent natural plant and mineral-based
biodegradable cleaning ingredients. Packaging can be
recycled, and the products are not tested on animals.
Don Knauss, CEO and chairman of the Clorox Company, said that the goal of the line was to take natural
cleaning mainstream, making it more accessible and affordable without compromising cleaning performance.
Check out the Clorox website ([Link]
.com) to learn about the extent of the companys efforts to
demonstrate its commitment to green causes. You might
be surprised to learn that Green Works has teamed with the
Sierra Club to enhance conservation efforts. In exchange
the Sierra Club endorses Green Works.
In the Part I opener, you read about seven enduring
principles of marketing communication. The first of those
principles stated that as a marketer you should build and
maintain distinctive brands that your customers love.
Capitalizing on social trends can be good business and
can align your company with good causes that make consumers feel good about your brand. It can also backfire
if they do not find the marketing to be sincere.
Some critics vented their opinions about Green
Works on blogs and other venues:
This isnt green; its greenwashing. How sincere can
the Clorox Company be when it sells not only green
products, but other products that are highly toxic
and environmentally unfriendly?
Green isnt something a company is because it develops a new product line. Rather its about changing
the inside culture of a company.
Can Green Works truly claim its green on its labels
when there are no industry standards defining natural cleaners?
No matter what the critics say, the company seems
to have accomplished its goal. Knauss announced on the
Green Works website that the company has achieved the
goal of fulfilling the proposition of powerful cleaning
done naturally, making Green Works the #1 brand in natural cleaning. Evidence? Green Works was voted #1
U.S. ImagePower Top Green Brand in WPPs 2009 Green
Brands Global Survey.
Consider This
1. After reading about Green Works in the case and
on the Web, do you think this product line is a believable attempt by Clorox to improve the environment? Why or why not?
2. Does Green Works represent an attempt to mirror
a trend in society or create one?
3. Had you been the product manager, would you
have put the Clorox name on the Green Works
products, as the company did? Explain your
decision.
Sources: [Link] [Link];
[Link]; [Link]; [Link].
[Link]
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Page 2
HANDS-ON CASE
Connecting Heart and Soul
In the opening to Part II, Regina Lewis, Vice President of
Global Consumer Insights for the InterContinental Hotel
Group, said, When a brand fails to convey a soul or
essence that matches personal characteristics that consumers value, that brand lacks meaningOn the other
hand, when a brand becomes a badge that consumers
are proud of displaying, that brand becomes interwoven
into consumers everyday lives.
True enough. In Part II of this text, you learned that
understanding your audience is key to being able to understand how consumers think and behave.
But what should brand communicators do when they
are faced with promoting products and ideas to audiences who are unlike themselves? Most likely, as a professional marketing communicator, most of what youll be
advertising will be to groups of which youre not a part.
Here are vignettes of two Effie award-winning campaigns that effectively reached diverse audiences. Although these are outstanding examples of transcending
multicultural boundaries of race and ethnicity, communicators may face other challenges reaching diverse audiences related to sexual orientation, age, geography and
many other factors.
Everybody knows about Oreo cookies, right? For
generations moms have bought Oreos as treats for
their kids and have encouraged them to drink milk
with the cookies. Kraft Foods aimed to increase
Oreo cookie consumption in Hispanic households
and discovered that unlike fully acculturated Hispanics and native-born Americans, immigrants were unfamiliar with the ritual of pairing cookies and milk.
Kraft craftily recognized the well-loved Oreo ritual of
twist, lick and dunk as something that would need
to be taught to immigrants if they were to share in
the moments of family fun.
Kraft also realized that in the less acculturated Hispanic households, parents ask their children to help translate. The big idea of this campaign centered on taking
advantage of the kids to transmit the message of the brand
to their parents and build on the culturally held value of
strong family ties. Kraft brought the idea to life with its
message, To pull apart is to come together (in Spanish:
Separar es Unir). As kids pull the cookie apart, the family
comes together to share the silly fun of eating Oreos.
Seen in a variety of mediaTV, radio, and consumer
magazinesthis emotional message resonated with the
audience, who responded by consuming more Oreos.
Although the sales data are confidential, the campaign
exceeded all Kraft performance goals.
To increase market share of the African-American
segment, Verizon worked with GlobalHue, the
largest multicultural agency, to align the wireless
company with something near and dear to the community: gospel music. Verizon sponsored How
Sweet the Sound, a nationwide competition to find
the best gospel choir in America. Verizon approached this without a hard sell for its product by
simply supporting and organizing the competition
and offering substantial cash prizes.
Piloted in 2007, the Verizon experience connected
with the community through multiple media involving
online, TV radio, newspaper, out-of-home, mobile, direct
mail and email. This search, which culminated in a concert in Memphis at the FedEx Forum arena, increased
Verizon Wireless sales 14% as well as its market share.
This success led Verizon to expand the competition in
subsequent years to other cities around the country. Verizon was nominated as Multicultural Agency of the Year
for its efforts.
Consider This
1. Compare and contrast these two campaigns. What
lessons can you learn from these cases that might
help you communicate to diverse audiences?
2. Explain how these campaigns work using the
facets model. How do these campaigns help communicate brand meaning?
3. Evaluate Krafts strategy of reaching parents in less
acculturated Hispanic households by linking the
fun of the Oreo ritual with the valued relationship
between parents and their children.
Sources: Laura Wentz, Agency hits: African-American Favorites,
AdAge, Jan. 4. 2010, p. 16; Effie briefsHow Sweet the Sound and
Through the Voice of a Child at [Link].
[Link]
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Page 3
HANDS-ON CASE
Creative Coffee Wars Brewing
How many ads do you think you see in a day? Estimates
vary wildly, running from a few hundred to several thousand. Although there seems to be no authoritative answer, you can safely assume its a lot. Advertising is
ubiquitous. Its everywhere from logos on golf balls to
product placements on TV. You see it on t-shirts and in
magazines, and even on the sides of buildings and in
videogames. In this ad-filled world, its a challenge to
stand out from the competition. But some manage to
stand out with outstanding creative.
In Part III we said that advertising is an idea business
and McDonalds recent campaign to promote its McCaf
coffee proves our point. Starting with a great concept
and using the advertising tools of words and pictures,
McDonalds launched its premium coffee in Seattle, Starbucks hometown. The strategy involved recognizing a
core value of Washingtonians, their affinity for the unpretentious, to challenge the coffee elitism represented by
its arch-competitor.
Expanding this simple idea, McDonalds agency,
DDB West, labeled McCafs coffee unsnobby, and
created a campaign that touched the hearts and minds
of consumers. It created memorable traditional outdoor
transit signs and billboards, proclaiming, Large is the
new grande. Another example, an outdoor tease featured coffee beans scattered across the board. The outdoor reveal later showed the iconic M formed from the
coffee beans and simple copy: now serving espresso.
No more fancy names, or knowledge of foreign languages required.
McDonalds Web microsite also played a part in the
campaign. It invited visitors to get involved with the unsnobby theme by sending a coffee intervention in the
form of a personalized Mad-lib-type message to a friend.
People could also play a game of HotShot Pinball on its
site. While there, why not peruse the coffee menu? The
site is simply a couple of engaging activities and a list of
drinks. Need it be any more elaborate if the message is
about a simple drink?
One element of the campaign included a 12-foottall inflatable coffee confessional housing McDonalds
version of Dr. Phil, the Unsnobby Advisor, who dispensed
advice in the form of unsnobby personal interventions.
Starbucks lovers reaction to the coffee clash? Some
bloggers claim the website was a waste of time. Others
complained the campaign was anti-intellectual. Can people who like jazz and speak a foreign language, still like
McCaf or are they, as McDonalds suggests, all snobby
Starbucksonians?
In all the campaign succeeded in getting people
in the heart of Starbucks country to try McDonalds
McCaf, over-delivering the trial goal by 173%. The campaign has since been rolled out nationwide with promising results. MarketWatch described the McCaf line as a
cash cow for McDonalds.
The coffee wars may be just heating up. Starbucks
posted a 7% jump in same-store sales during the same
period and attributed the results to the success of some
new products and new stores in Asia, Europe and the U.S.
Consider This
1. Its easy to see how McDonalds used words and
pictures in some of its traditional advertising, like
billboards. How are words and pictures used effectively on the [Link] website?
2. How does the McDonalds campaign make a relevant connection with its audience and sell its coffee in an unexpected way?
3. How could you extend the concept of unsnobby
coffee to use it for a variety of executions in different media?
4. As weve suggested, advertising is both art and
science. Explain this statement as it relates to the
unsnobby coffee campaign.
5. Compare and contrast this campaign with Dunkin
Donuts advertising. What is the Big Idea of both
campaigns? Why and how do they work?
Sources: Angela Moore, Battle of the Beverages, April 21, 2010; Kevin
Helliker, Starbucks Traffic Grows, Fueling Increase in Sales, Wall Street
Journal, April 22, 2010, p. B2; [Link]; Effie briefs Unsnobby
Coffee at [Link].
[Link]
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Page 4
HANDS-ON CASE
Making Milk Cool
Got milk? got consumers attention. The campaign
originated in 1993 to turn around a 15-year decline in
milk consumption in California, and it did. Sponsored by
the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), the campaign urged consumers to buy more milk to pair with
food like peanut butter and cookies by having them
imagine what life would be like without enough milk. The
campaign worked, winning a slew of major awards, including its recognition by Advertising Age as a Top 100
Advertising Campaign. More importantly, sales increased. But one segment of the audience, teens,
showed a troubling trend.
Research conducted by CMPB and its agency,
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GSP), indicated that
teens didnt think milk was so cool. In fact, 15 years of
studies showed that teens per-capita consumption of
milk dipped consistently. As kids age, they become more
independent and tend to ignore moms advice to drink
milk. Other drinks like pop and sports drinks increasingly quench their thirst and absorb their money.
Theres a significant amount spent marketing to the
teen demographic. Packaged Facts, a market research
firm, projected that marketing products for teens would
exceed $200 billion by 2011. More important than the
potential profit to be made by increasing teen consumption is this: If milk promotes good health, shouldnt teens
be drinking it? Great idea, but its hard to reach teens.
GSP accepted the challenge to connect to California
teens in an attempt to shift their attitudes of milk from
uncool to cool. The objectives of the campaign were to
engage teens to connect with and talk about milk; improve the image of milk; and ultimately, get them to
drink more of the white liquid.
How GSP connected with the teens offers a lesson in
creative thinking in the brave new media world we described in the Part 4 opener. Blogs with teens revealed
the importance of connecting online with teens and the
influence of pop culture on their identities. This research
also revealed that teens believed milk has lots of healthand self-image-related benefits such as better teeth and
stronger muscles.
The Big Idea? GSP created a rock band called White
Gold and delivered the milk using bizarre and random
humor. Looking at media as a way to engage consumers
rather than interrupt their lives was key to the campaigns
success. Thinking like a band promoter and not like traditional advertisers, the agency produced musical magic,
delivering the milk message through White Gold and the
Calcium Twins. The band recorded an album and entered
teens digital social life through MySpace, Facebook and
Buzznet and on iTunes. Songs like The Best I Can Give
is 2% deliver the important benefits-of-milk message.
TV commercials featuring the band ran during shows like
American Idol, the Office, and Gossip Girl. The bands
website, [Link], housed reviews,
band history, discographies, and a music video. Posterlike full-page ads ran in Rolling Stone, Seventeen, and
Spin. Hulu, Blinkx and Youtube fed fans online video
viewing habits. The milk message was delivered to teens
in ways they found palatable.
The new media world requires fresh thinking. Did the
teens connect with the campaigns objectives? You bet
they did. About 1.5 million views of White Gold music
videos and equal number website views occurred in the
first six months of the campaign. More than half of California teens were aware of White Gold and nearly nine out of
10 said that White Gold is a fun and interesting way to
learn about milk. White Gold-aware teens rated milk far
higher than unaware teens, suggesting that White Gold
successfully delivered the message to make milk cool.
Consider This
1. What advice about media would you give to someone who wanted to market to teens?
2. Describe the brand experience. How did this campaign combine the use of digital and traditional
media? Was it effective?
3. In what ways were the media choices for this campaign creative?
Sources: Erik Sass, Teen Market Grows To $208 Billion By 2011,
June 27, 2007; White Gold Phenomenon Explodes on TV & Online,
[Link], April 8, 2008; Stuart Elliott, Californias Dairy Industry
Takes Old Question to New Extreme, [Link], March 25, 2010;
Effie briefsWhite Gold at [Link].
[Link]
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Page 5
HANDS-ON CASE
The Company You Keep
In the Part 5 opener, Tom Duncan said that the central
concept of IMC has evolved from an emphasis on one
look, one voice to a focus on managing brand perceptions. Marketing communicators try to create coherent
brand messages that lead to long-term brand relationships. That means that all you read about in this part
public relations, direct response, promotions, retail,
business-to-business (BB), and nonprofit marketing communicationas well as everything related to the brand
beyond these tools is important because it communicates the brand.
Celebrity spokespeople can be used to enhance the
credibility of a brand. William Shatner and [Link];
Michael Jordan and Nike, Hanes, and Wheaties; and Bill
Cosby and Jell-O are some classic examples. Endorsers
are especially effective when the famous person has a direct connection with the product. Michael Jordan can
sell Nike sneakers because he could play basketball like
few others. The connection is believable, and just maybe
if we use that brand, well be a little better at the game
ourselves.
Celebrity endorsers can have a great impact on a
brand. They can also cause it great harm. Kobe Bryant
promoted McDonalds and Sprite before he was charged
with sexual assault. Michael Vick had a relationship with
Nike until he was convicted on dog fighting. Michael
Phelps had a little problem with pot. Martha Stewart
went to jail. And the list goes on.
When celebrity spokespeople do bad things, what
impact does that have on the relationship between consumers and the brand? Reviewing Tiger Woods endorsements in light of his well-publicized extramarital affairs
can be instructive about what marketing communicators
should do when a spokesperson misbehaves.
Gillette, Nike, Electronic Arts, and Gatorade, among
others, had contracts with Woods. Advertisers spent
about $92 million on endorsements featuring Woods during 2009 alone. Sports Illustrated reported that the highest-earning American athlete in 2009 was Woods,
surpassing golf competitor Phil Mickelson, #2 on the list
of top earning American athletes, by about $45 million in
endorsement deals. After the 2009 Thanksgiving night
car crash, which led to the revelation of the affairs, they
spent only $1.4 million on them from December 2009
through February 2010. Studies tracking ad effectiveness
showed that Gillette Fusion ads featuring Woods declined after the scandal broke, for example. Clearly
clients have an investment to protect.
Some of the tracking studies were conducted by
TNS, and its chief research officer, Larry Friedman, said
the data supported the good judgment shown by advertisers who pulled ads featuring Woods, at least temporarily, and kept a low profile while he underwent
rehabilitation.
This research showed that for most of the brands associated with Woods, the impact of the scandal was not
substantial, even though Woods own brand took a significant hitat least temporarily. A SportsOneSource
study of scanner data from golf retailers showed that
sales of Nike Golf footwear declined by 3 percent in the
13 weeks prior to the car crash and by the same amount
following it for the next 13 weeks. Online tracking services found that the number of negative mentions on the
Web about Woods and the brands he pitched initially increased but diminished over time.
A marketing comeback by Woods is a distinct possibility. Despite the negative publicity, he remains popular.
Even after the scandal, he remained the most popular
golfer, besting Phil Michelson by a three-to-one margin,
and rivaling the popularity of football favorites Brett
Favre and Peyton Manning.
The Weiden & Kennedy agencys ad Earl & Tiger
aired during Woods first post-scandal appearance at the
Masters, which was viewed online more than 2.2 million
times in less than 48 hours. The commercial, which featured Woods dead father giving his son advice, also generated scores of parodies, which themselves received
200,000 views. The commercial generated a bonanza of
free media impressions from all the news it generated.
Although the commercial drew many negative comments, senior agency executives told Ad Age they might
recommend such an approach to their clients in a similar
situation. Would you?
Consider This
1. What advice would you give to a client who
wanted to hire a celebrity spokesperson?
2. What effect can spokespeople have on brands and
their relationship to consumers? Is any publicity
good publicity?
3. Do you think the Nike Earl & Tiger ad was effective? Did it exploit Woods deceased father to sell
shoes? Explain.
4. How can studies of sales data and social media be
used to help gauge the effectiveness of brands
and their celebrity endorsers?
Sources: Jack Trout, Celebs Who Un-Sell Products, Forbes, September 12, 2007, [Link]; Jack Neff, Tiger Woods Pitchman Days
Are Far from Over, Study Says, March 17, 2010, [Link]
Jeremy Mullman, For Nike, the Tiger Woods Brand Was Too Big to
Fail, April 12, 2010, [Link] Jonah Freedman, The Fortunate
50: The 50 Highest-Earning American Athletes, Sports Illustrated,
July 21, 2010, [Link].