Recently I did an article entitled "Dress the Part: Appearance is Everything" about a company's appearance. First, I used the illustration of a fresh graduate on the path to the professional landscape. By explaining the bare necessities that one must use to acquire a job, I was able to relate what consumers look for in a prospective company (retail or otherwise). My basic thesis was that appearance is everything. To delve a little further into the subject, today I'm going to talk about specific expectations when it comes to marketing to those consumers.
Who can forget Sprite's popular motto, "Image is nothing"? My first impression to this topic came from the old campaigns with Grant Hill and the wrestler "Sting". In these and many other commercials, there were often "posers" trying to take on these larger than life superstars in their respective sports (we won't get into the recent accusations of NBA officiating being about as real as Pro Wrestling). Almost always they reached for a sprite in a spoof of popular sports drink commercials before they attempted to defeat their goliath opponents; of course they were shut down every time, and the screen went back to the "Image is nothing - Thirst is Everything - Obey your thirst" catchphrase.
These commercials worked for a lot of reasons. And I think they worked for exactly the opposite reason they stated in their end-of-clip phrase. Image is everything. They were funny and people talked about them, and they promoted the image of sprite. It's a soft drink, not a nuclear-enhanced chemical superhero energy mix meant to alter your DNA. That's why over the years this campaign has changed face but it hasn't lost its overall message. Sprite commercials are still funny and they've branded well.
Now for a recent faux pas I can't help but write about. Gucci, internationally recognized as a brand for the upper class, used James Franco for a commercial so serious I was confused. James Franco, whose break out role came in a show where he was part of a group labeled "Freaks" and then starred in the Spiderman trilogy as the mentally and emotionally unstable Harry Osborn, and who most recently starred as a burnout in the movie Pineapple Express has a 30 second spot that makes him look like a French Rockefeller.
This in my mind can only be considered a very expensive mistake. James Franco is great, and I'm sure he was able to add a nice indoor pool to his mansion with the money he made from this commercial, but in all honesty it's a joke. I'm sure that being a young, professional male I'm part of Gucci's target demographic for this product, and yet I am in no way more incensed to buy this cologne. In fact, I think I'm less likely, because they confused me.
Whenever you're planning your next commercial campaign, make sure you don't treat it like you're trying to win a Sundance Film award for the 30 second spot, because consumers want to be intrigued - not confused. It's like showing a bunch of images of people bowling followed by monster trucks played to the moonlight sonata and then hoping people will buy bananas. With a commercial like that, they're probably more likely to buy a monster truck with bowling ball friendly back seats.
Who can forget Sprite's popular motto, "Image is nothing"? My first impression to this topic came from the old campaigns with Grant Hill and the wrestler "Sting". In these and many other commercials, there were often "posers" trying to take on these larger than life superstars in their respective sports (we won't get into the recent accusations of NBA officiating being about as real as Pro Wrestling). Almost always they reached for a sprite in a spoof of popular sports drink commercials before they attempted to defeat their goliath opponents; of course they were shut down every time, and the screen went back to the "Image is nothing - Thirst is Everything - Obey your thirst" catchphrase.
These commercials worked for a lot of reasons. And I think they worked for exactly the opposite reason they stated in their end-of-clip phrase. Image is everything. They were funny and people talked about them, and they promoted the image of sprite. It's a soft drink, not a nuclear-enhanced chemical superhero energy mix meant to alter your DNA. That's why over the years this campaign has changed face but it hasn't lost its overall message. Sprite commercials are still funny and they've branded well.
Now for a recent faux pas I can't help but write about. Gucci, internationally recognized as a brand for the upper class, used James Franco for a commercial so serious I was confused. James Franco, whose break out role came in a show where he was part of a group labeled "Freaks" and then starred in the Spiderman trilogy as the mentally and emotionally unstable Harry Osborn, and who most recently starred as a burnout in the movie Pineapple Express has a 30 second spot that makes him look like a French Rockefeller.
This in my mind can only be considered a very expensive mistake. James Franco is great, and I'm sure he was able to add a nice indoor pool to his mansion with the money he made from this commercial, but in all honesty it's a joke. I'm sure that being a young, professional male I'm part of Gucci's target demographic for this product, and yet I am in no way more incensed to buy this cologne. In fact, I think I'm less likely, because they confused me.
Whenever you're planning your next commercial campaign, make sure you don't treat it like you're trying to win a Sundance Film award for the 30 second spot, because consumers want to be intrigued - not confused. It's like showing a bunch of images of people bowling followed by monster trucks played to the moonlight sonata and then hoping people will buy bananas. With a commercial like that, they're probably more likely to buy a monster truck with bowling ball friendly back seats.