The Finch Post

Brand New Rap

Last week two iconic couples from history went head to head in a fierce duel. Fathers of Flight, the Wright Brothers, took on Donkey Kong’s nemeses, the Mario Brothers in a truly epic rap battle.

Like any great viral video, this one grabs viewers’ attention, holds it, and then induces an emotional reaction. But it does much more than that. This video is an example of brilliant collaboration and cross-promotion.

A joint project of Rhett & Link, and Nice Peter & Epic Lloyd, this collaboration works because it follows the same principles that should guide all businesses when pursuing strategic partnerships:

1. The relationship increases the value of each participant
2. It helps all parties extend their reach

In this specific case, the comedians were able to get in front of each other’s fans in order to promote their own brand, and despite the laughs, that’s no joke.

 

The Falling Star of Celebrity Endorsement - Part 4

Can You Hear Me Now, Catherine Zeta-Jones?

If you suffered a heart attack, you’d want an expertly trained Cardiologist at the helm of your recovery, not a glitzy hospital mouthpiece paid to look good while reciting medical references he or she probably doesn’t even understand. The same goes for purchasing products or services. Savvy consumers want to learn about the best and brightest from the best and brightest. Hence, the long-running success of Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” campaign.

From 2002 to 2011, Verizon aired more than 100 TV spots featuring a bespectacled field tester asking a question familiar to many cell phone users, “Can you hear me now?” Test Man roaming across the country not only visually represented the strength of Verizon’s network, but showcased the spokesperson’s man-on-the-street appeal as well.

In stark contrast to Verizon’s employee endorser, T-Mobile hired starlet Catherine Zeta-Jones to plug the cash-saving benefits of the carrier. With her good looks, fame, and respectability, Zeta-Jones possessed all the hallmarks of a successful spokesperson. The problem, however, was that she lacked a convincing connection to the product she pushed.

In order for celebrity endorsements to be successful, consumers have to buy into the idea that their favorite actor or singer really does use that weight loss program or $5 lipstick. Watching the millionairess promote T-Mobile’s budget-friendly phone plan was as believable as Bill Gates shopping at Shoe Circus (see part 3 of this blog series), it just didn’t ring true.

Today’s audiences demand that A-listers be authentically in sync with the products they sell. This break from our star-struck tradition has celebrities nervous and businesses redefining their criteria for successful spokespeople. Perhaps Verizon should have texted T-Mobile and informed them of the importance of source credibility.

The Falling Star of Celebrity Endorsement - Part 3 of a 4 part series

Part 3: Syntax Error

Long recognized as an industry innovator, Apple Computers placed their unique corporate identity front and center as the star spokesperson of their highly acclaimed “Get a Mac” campaign. The move paid off for Apple and was so successful that in 2010 Adweek declared the series the best advertising campaign of the first decade of the new century.

Featuring then unknown Justin Long as a Mac personified, the advertisements pitted his unflappable wit against the schlubby, corporate, has-been PC played by John Hodgman. The duo entertained viewers for years with their playful exchanges and left Microsoft in desperate need of rebooting their brand.

Who did Microsoft use to champion this ambitious undertaking? A celebrity that’s synonymous with software of course, comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Designed to reintroduce Windows to disenchanted consumers, the ensuing ads got laughs, but for all the wrong reasons.

The first commercial, entitled “Shoe Circus”, showed Seinfeld helping Bill Gates buy shoes at a discount retailer. The second installment of Bill and Jerry’s excellent adventures chronicled the odd couple connecting with “normal people” as unwelcome house guests.

Microsoft tried to play to its strengths, namely the universality of its software, by unveiling a clever new slogan: PC—Perpetually Connected. However, the campaign failed to focus on its biggest selling point: the billions of PC users Gates boasts about bringing together. Shockingly, even with Microsoft’s CEO as Seinfeld’s sidekick, audiences couldn’t connect the comic with computers. 

The titans of tech finally got it right with their “I am a PC” campaign—a counterattack and homage to the “Get a Mac” commercials. Microsoft embraced the stigma Apple placed on the PC, repositioning it as a badge of honor. The renovated advertisements showcased diverse members of the global Microsoft community proudly proclaiming “I am a PC.” By using less celebrity and more reality, Microsoft positioned themselves as boundary breakers and a beloved fixture in billions of lives.

Although the folks at Apple and Microsoft fiercely differentiate themselves on and off the screen, they are both still techies at heart. Staying true to their corporate identity, they sent a clear message to appreciative audiences: we get it. With consumers growing increasingly savvy, credibility will always trump celebrity.

4 of the Most Memorable Marketing Moments of 2011

In a year where the dollar was down and competition was up, businesses had to embrace the idea of thinking outside the box like never before. Since we appreciate good work even when it’s not our own, here are four of our favorite picks for 2011:

Bill(boarding) House

In 2011, Godialing (formerly Adzookie), an agency specializing in ad space on smartphones, introduced the world’s first billboard house. In exchange for converting homes into canvases, where their entire exteriors minus the roofs, windows, and any awnings bore the company’s ad, Godialing agreed to pay owners’ mortgages every month for as long as the houses remained painted. Home sweet smartphone?

Advertising Space

In a novel upselling scenario, KLM launched a viral video to make a case for why passengers should pay for the Dutch airline’s business class seats. The video, which showed a stranger invading people's personal space, highlights how much we value inches between strangers, especially when traveling! The message was clear: Avoid the tight squeezes and close quarters by purchasing a business class ticket, where the airline puts you next to an empty seat. We’re certain that this video was the ticket in helping secure skyrocketing sales for KLM’s business class section.

We’ll Drink to That

Although the launch of their new roast called Tribute Blend occurred in the summer of 2010, we’re including this on our list because Starbucks’ campaign was recognized by the Advertising Specialty Institute in 2011. The new coffee was promoted as part of Starbuck’s rebranding effort celebrating the company’s 40^th anniversary. To brew up additional excitement over the new blend, Starbucks sent out an exclusive email to their Gold Card members one week prior to announcing the new product to the general public. Individuals who responded to the email by purchasing a one-pound bag of Tribute Blend received a ceramic taster cup not available in stores. Only 4,000 of these cups featuring a new logo were produced. In less than 24 hours after the offer went live, the cups were gone. Consumers drank up this promotion, resulting in the most successful limited edition coffee run in Starbucks’ history.

Undeclared Baggage

2011 was a big year for airlines as evidenced by another one making our list with their “Unexpected Luggage” video. On December 24^th, a Spanair flight from Barcelona to Las Palmas arrived close to midnight. The 190 passengers on board were in the air during Christmas Eve. To see to it that those who celebrate Christmas had an opportunity to share in the festivities, Spanair surprised its passengers with wrapped presents delivered on the baggage claim conveyer belt. The feel good viral video helped Spanair’s message take flight, bolstering the airline’s brand as a company that cares about its customers.

What are your favorite picks for the most memorable marketing moments of 2011? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Netflix tests the power of brand

All the missteps of Netflix have been interesting to follow if you’re in to watching just how fast a brand can self-destruct. We surely take no joy in any brand’s challenges; but we watch these things closely to hone our ever sharpening expertise on brand dynamics through studying real life cases. A few things to take from Netflix’s current events, and from this article in particular:

1. Building brand fanatics is obviously a brand’s most meaningful triumph. But, it’s also a tremendous responsibility and fundamentally undermining that relationship comes with grave consequences.
2. The turn on a dime, pivot mentality that is so essential to the emergence of an early stage company can become a liability at a more mature stage of life. Once you have customers to answer to, you better make sure their perspectives are understood before decisions are made.
3. In this article, the author writes, “…the move might have been good for Netflix, but not ideal for Netflix’s customers.” We go on record as saying the paradox of that sentence can never prove true (at least long-term). In the end, what’s good for your brand by definition must be good for your customers.
4. It turns out that Saturday Night Live can, in fact, still be funny.

Hello Brand? It’s me, your consumer.

As consumer behavior shifts, major brands such as Coke must keep up not only with heavy competition but also the changing nature of their core market.  According to recent reports, sales of carbonated beverages have been decreasing for 6 years straight.

That’s one of the reasons why we’ve seen Coke and other category leaders move so aggressively into alternative beverage categories in recent years. 

Coke is now exploring another strategy to address this by offering a smaller sized bottle for 89-cents, attempting to appeal to today’s budget conscious marketplace.  Additionally, with the attention of health advocates turning to soda, the consumer may permit him/herself an indulgence if the portion is controlled. 

Read the full article found here.

Will this strategy succeed?  Time will tell.  Ultimately, some degree of re-packaging can help energize a brand and reawaken a consumer base.  With issues like cost, health, environmental sustainability, etc. all weighing on the beverage industry, the trick is to unlock the triggers that really drive consumer behavior.  When it comes to new products or strategies, the answer is usually that those companies with the best consumer insights win.

Communications Home Run

 

What is it that makes this ad so appealing?  We at Finch Brands love communications that tap into the emotions of the target, even if the product is not usually rendered in such a way. 

So here comes VIM – a 30-year staple in the Canadian market – definitely needing a new image.  Instead of the typical before/after comparisons or smiling Supermom, their agency’s answer to how best to express the product’s cleaning power is simply brilliant. 

And beneath the Hollywood drama and humor of the ad is a simple truth – the less time spent cleaning, the better.  Packing a meaningful positioning punch amid emotional and memorable creative is a true communications home run.

The ad, which was launched in 2004, still comes up well before the product itself when you enter “VIM cream” into Google. The commercial also got a ton of press and notoriety including winning a Gold Lion at Cannes in 2004. The ad also has around 30,000 views on YouTube, not too shabby for a one-off commercial. 

While it’s hard to know the direct impact on sales, reintroducing a mundane product with great emotion and surprising creative work is a recipe for brand revitalization and financial success.