Author: keh17

Controlling Conversation in A Bold Way

A supply chain snafu caused a chicken shortage among UK KFC restaurants prompting some to close. This caused an uproar among chicken lovers to the point they were calling their local police. Not even kidding about that… What do you do when your chicken restaurant runs out of chicken? With the fast thinking of their marketing and public relations personnel, they created an apology ad that boldly owned up to the situation. The ad was in their brand red with their famous, trademarked chicken bucket, but their acronym was rearranged. FCK… Yup, I won’t spell that out, was the front of their bucket. The public response quickly changed to light-hearted joking after a few days of angry @ posts from their followers and consumers. KFC handled the situation in a way that proves they know their market. That bold of an ad would probably not work here in the US, but in Europe it just might and did.

The KFC ad copy said “A chicken restaurant without any chicken. It’s not ideal. Huge apologies to our customers, especially those who traveled out of their way to find we were closed. And endless thanks to our KFC team members and our franchise partners for working tirelessly to improve the situation. It’s been a hell of a week, but we’re making progress, and every day more and more fresh chicken is being delivered to our restaurants. Thank you for bearing with us.”

When bad thing happen to good companies it is important for that company to read the tone and anger of the backlash and own up to their mistake. KFC did just that and proved to be stronger than ever.

Griner, David. “The 25 Best Ads of 2018.” ADWeek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/creativity/the-25-best-ads-of-2018/. Accessed on 2 March 2018.

Branding with Social Issues

Nike has been the subject of conversation among consumers and professionals as a strong brand and recently as a bold brand. They partnered with Colin Kaepernick and ended up being the unofficial sponsor of a social issues debate. They also suffered a blow to their brand when a college basketball player was hurt when his Nike shoe broke during the game. Now, they come out with another socially charged ad with the same director as the latest Gillette ad on toxic masculinity. Their new ad, played during the Oscars, was called “Dream Crazier” and featured female athletes. Serena Williams narrated the “call to action” and urges girls to believe in their “crazy” dreams even when society tells them that they should not dream big.

Nike said “Nike continues to champion female athletes and change the game for women in sports as it has for more than 40 years—inspiring and enabling female athletes of all levels to achieve their potential in sport and fitness.” 

The game of advertising is changing to brands associating themselves with social issues and promoting corporate social responsibility. We, as consumers, now have the task of determining if a brand is sincere or if the are doing it for their own benefit. It is probably a bit of both.

Monllos, Kristina. “Nike and Serena Williams Redefine What it Means to Call A Female Athlete Crazy.” ADWeek. Retrieved from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/following-its-kaepernick-ad-nike-taps-serena-williams-for-a-stirring-celebration-of-women/. Accessed 2 March 2019

The Secret is Out

Victoria’s Secret is bringing back their swimwear line.

They have been out of the pool of swimwear brands for the past three years to focus on their bras and underwear. Through this, their advertising has come under fire. They have been drowning in negative reactions to what has been deemed “un-inclusive.” The company tries to keep a certain brand image with their smaller sizes and specific model types. They have not kept up with the current trends of the market. Other brands are embracing a more inclusive or even feminist approach to their advertising. My question is how will Victoria’s Secret advertise their new swimwear banding in a very competitive market? They will need to change with the times to turn a profit. How the brand chooses to advertise their new swim line could set the tone for the company’s future. It is important that they follow the market trends and the largest player, Target. Target advertises as a practical and inclusive option with well.. a lot of options for different people. This would be a great opportunity for Victoria’s Secret to have a more inclusive size range and to target a larger segment of the market.

Pearl, Diana. Amid Declining Sales, Victoria’s Secret is Bringing Back a Once-Sure Thing: Swimwear. Ad Week. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/amid-declining-sales-victorias-secret-is-bringing-back-a-once-sure-thing-swimwear/

Marketing to Millennials with a Je Ne Sais Quoi

Je ne sais quoi- a French term for a certain quality that is hard to describe. Fresh. New. Mysterious. From the advertisers who brought you the Fiji water brand, now comes a wine that is specifically targeting Millennials. Many know their Myers-Briggs personality type. I am an ENFJ. JNSQ is a new Rose with its own personality type. It does not look like an regular bottle of wine. The bottle itself represents a fancy French perfume that is designed to be reused. A buzz word that will most certainly grab any Millennial’s attention.
“Millennial women and older Gen Z’ers are bringing back an appreciation for quality, craftsmanship and functional beauty,” owner Lynda Resnick said. This wine was launched in a unique way that showcases its je ne sais quoi. It was debuted at a high-end fashion show just before Valentine’s Day to capture the Rose market that is dead in the winter. Could je ne sais quoi advertising be the new sensation?

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-the-wonderful-company-created-a-wine-brand-for-millennial-rose-lovers-in-under-a-year

/https://www.jnsq.com/

Using a Competitor’s Ad to Your Advantage

This past Super Bowl had many great ads that created a lot of social engagement for brands on a national stage. The beer company, Bud Light, was no exception. They created an epic co-branding, national tv spot with Game of Thrones. Social media was buzzing with fans of the show and beer drinkers alike with high praise and excitement. However, there was one demographic group that did not sing high praise: farmers. Corn farmers, specifically. During one of the Game of Thrones/Bud Light mash ups, there was a barrel of corn syrup that was taken on a journey. It became apparent to the viewer that Bud Light beer does not use corn syrup in their product, but Miller Lite does. While the original intention was to promote “good” beer that did not use any unhealthy or poor ingredients, they angered many corn farmers who are proud what they produce. Miller Lite took this reaction and ran with it. They created national #ToastToFarmers day, today, February 15th. They gave the outraged farmers a national platform to voice their frustration while putting their brand in the spotlight. I think Miller Lite brilliantly took an “attack ad” and flipped the script on their competitor. They created more buzz and engagement by making Bud Light look like the bad guys while Miller Lite supports hard-working American farmers. The best part or the annoying part if you are Bud Light is they did this without dishing out the money for national tv spot during the Super Bowl. We will have to see just how big #ToastToFarmers day helps Miller Lite.