branding idea

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JWT: “Periods suck, the ads don’t have to.”

March 17, 2010 in Marketing | 0 Comments

Jason DeTurris was the JWT account planner on Schick Quattro this past year and winner of a AAAAs Jay Chiat Award for work that led to inspired, effective creative. His branding idea was “transform your topiary.”  You remember the TV spots…they encouraged women to shave and sculpt their nether regions. It was fun, grown up advertising and it sold lots of razors.

Well, I can’t confirm it, but Jason’s back — or at least JWT’s back with some bold women’s advertising for U by Kotex. The idea, targeting women 14-21, is based upon the fact that historically work in the category has been paternalistic. That is to say, it has discussed periods and menstrual products as a single father might with his daughter. Awkwardly.  Facilitators of this euphemistic story telling are the TV networks, two of which won’t even run the new work. The spots parody and make fun of old campaigns and their silly demonstrations; the pouring of blue water onto a pad being one.

JWT is breaking ground here and thanks to the web (site created by Organic) is taking a much richer story to young women.  In addition, it has created an enemy in fem-care advertising that everyone can rally around – a conversation starter. JWT is going to make some serious bones (I’m reading the Godfather) in the fem-care category and should be a go-to shop for excellent creative (along with Ogilvy) that targets women. Schick and Kimberly Clark (Kotex) prove it. So Jason, is that you?

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Water Your Body.

December 22, 2009 in Marketing | 0 Comments

crystal light

“Water your body” is a smart new campaign for Crystal Light, owned by Kraft. The work comes from McGarryBowen, Chicago.  Consumer research indicates that women who consume powder-flavored water drink 20% more of it than women who drink plain water.  Since we all know that water and hydration is a good thing (leveraging a well-known fact) the claim is pregnant with positive information and imagery. Water is good for your skin. Water is good for your muscles. Water is good for organs below the belly button. Water is good for hair and nails, etc. 

Sure, some people will see the ads and go to the tap or grab a plastic bottle of Poland Springs but the reality is the flavored stuff tastes better and is an inducement to drink more. The leap then becomes “Is Crystal Light water?” Kraft and McGarryBowen say yes.

 The biggest part of this market is not sports enthusiasts who crave water, it is the more sedentary women (and men) who know water is healthy – even if it contains 5 calories. Water your body is the creative idea…and a good one. “Flavor your water with Crystal Light and you’ll drink more” is the branding idea. Peace!

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Microsoft Bing’s Two Branding Campaigns

July 14, 2009 in Marketing | 0 Comments

 

Microsoft’s Bing ads are chasing down two ideas. Both are pretty strong but since they are executed together they both lose power and become watered down.

 

The first idea is the “cure for search overload syndrome.” It is fun, relevant, creates a problem (where one may not exist), and has the potential to be talked about and mimicked. I can see high school kids free-styling stuff like this. The second idea, “the decision engine,” hasn’t been fully carried out in the TV ads but it augers to the core of what searchers want: find, compare and decide. It’s a stand alone idea, not just a campaign tagline.  

 

Were I the brand manager at Microsoft, I’d pick one of these two ideas and stick to it. A tight branding idea is easy to execute. Open the door a bit to another idea and you confuse the consumer. It’s not that hard people. Peace!

 

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The “Is-Does” in Branding.

April 2, 2009 in Marketing | 0 Comments

 

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, advertising, positioning and marketing are all about finding a strategy, getting management to support it, then turning it into a powerful branding idea. With a branding idea in place you’ll find it pretty easy to create a campaign (not an overrated approach today) and tactics which will allow consumers to hum your brand tune. Metaphorically speaking. 

 

A branding idea is nothing more than an organizing principle that focuses selling messages to the masses. Often companies do a better job organizing their outbound messages – branding – than their inbound messages. This is most evident in early stage start-ups, where when you ask ten employees what the product is you get 7 answers.   Branding must acculturate consumers and employees.

 

In its simplest form a branding idea is a claim (a consumer promise) backed by a product quality.  For Coke, “refreshment” is both a claim and a quality.  I sometimes refer to this as the “Is-Does.” Once you have a claim, it only takes hold if accompanied by believable supports or reasons to believe.  Supports should be organized too.  Brand plans, I preach, should contain 3 support planks.  Sounds easy no?

 

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Carl’s Junior Hungry for Share.

March 18, 2009 in Marketing | 0 Comments

 

Carl’s Junior, a hamburger chain with locations in the Western United States, has long been a fast food advertising poser. It has tried to break through and had some momentary hits but never really latched onto a powerful branding idea.

 

An article in today’s New York Times, however, shows they do finally have an idea and seem to be supporting it. “Young and hungry,” though slightly derivative of Burger King’s strategy is a tight, actionable branding idea.  I say it touches upon BK’s strategy because from a business standpoint the real turn around at Burger King IMHO was when it decided to target young males with big appetites, getting them to double and triple up their meat intake. And celebrate it.

 

Carl’s Junior has employed as spokesman Rob Dyrdek. Though not young, Mr. Dyrdek is certainly hungry and quite the skateboarding phenom. He comes with a prepackaged young and hungry persona, an MTV show or two, a strong following among the target and he does tricks. 

 

If Carl’s plays its cards right and manages this branding idea correctly, e.g., make the food look good (off-camera), serve obscene portions, etc. it will gain share hungrily. Peace!

 

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Branding is a brainer.

October 9, 2007 in Marketing | 0 Comments

 
One of my finer moments in advertising occurred in a new business pitch when I told the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System that their current tagline, developed by the previous ad agency, was spectacular. I later learned that was the reason we won the business. The tagline was “Setting New Standards in Healthcare.” 
 
As the lead planner on the business, I told NS-LIJ that every time they spent a dollar promoting themselves, the message should contain an example of Setting a New Standards In Healthcare.  “If I come to you with and ad,” I told them, “that does not demonstrate an improved standard of healthcare, send me home.”
 
It’s been a while since I have worked with North Shore, but living in their market area I do see some ads, and it really hurts to see that they have fallen into the “We’re here” trap. The latest ad I read told consumers that one of the hospitals has a neurosciences institute. The copy goes on to say they have state-of-the-art facilities, smart doctors, blah, blah, blah. We’re Here! Buried deep in the ad, though, were some actual new standards in neuro care for the community, but you had to hunt for them. The headline said  something doofy, like it’s a no-brainer, or some such.
 
Somehow the easiest ever branding idea was misplaced by a smiling person with a black bag of ads, who didn’t follow the brief. 
 

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