Heineken taps into FOMO to promote responsible drinking

Published by Will Palley - New York on January 26, 2012 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Convincing consumers to drink responsibly is no small task. Local authorities often create public service initiatives that confront drinkers with the potentially brutal consequences of over-indulging. The New York City Health Department, for example, is running an ad campaign that shows excessive drinking leading to violence and even hospitalization. And a controversial campaign from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board played up the link between alcohol abuse and rape. While these are designed to provoke guilt and shame among the target audience, one study has questioned the efficacy of this strategy.

By contrast, Heineken’s recently launched “Sunrise” campaign works to inspire a different anxiety: tapping into FOMO, or the fear of missing out. An 85-second video shows a man drinking responsibly at an epic Heineken-sponsored party; while some partyers appear to become incapacitated, this man eventually walks out to enjoy the sunrise with a sexy woman on his arm (celebrity DJ Audrey Napoleon). The tagline: “Sunrise belongs to moderate drinkers.” A social media component asks all-night partyers to “Tweet your sunrise and celebrate with the world.”

Here, drinking too much means missing out on the best parts of a great night out. It’s a more subtle approach that spotlights the upside of curbing one’s intake: While a few beers can help fuel the fun times, any more than that and you risk dropping out of the festivities too soon.

Google teaches Web safety 101

Published by Jessica Vaughn - New York on January 24, 2012 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Our attitudes toward online privacy tend to be rather cavalier. We’ll routinely broadcast our latest transactions and travel plans as well as our geo-tagged thoughts and actions via tweets and Foursquare check-ins. Ironically, however, we’ll immediately call foul each time Facebook, Google and the like unveil an update that makes broadcasting life a bit easier. As Fast Company writer Farhad Manjoo pointed out in 2010, “We want some semblance of control over our personal data, even if we likely can’t be bothered to manage it.”

With these Web giants coming under fire for violating consumer’s online privacy—which has yet to be fully hammered out in the legal sense—Google recently launched the U.S. portion of its “Good to Know” campaign. The effort, which kicked off in the U.K. last fall, focuses on tips for online safety. The ads comically draw parallels between real-world and online behavior. One print ad features an excited cartoon bandit strolling through a home’s unlocked front door; copy asks, “Ever go out for the day and leave your front door wide open? Exactly. And the same rule applies to the computers you use.” Other messaging breaks down the basics and (benefits) of cookies and IP addresses, an attempt to ease anxieties about sites such as Google collecting personal information.

Though “Good to Know” has drawn criticism from Internet privacy advocates (“This campaign should be nominated for some kind of award for fiction,” said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy), the effort will likely help to assure consumers that Google does have their interests at heart and that it can be trusted with handling personal data and protecting privacy.

Photo Credit: google.com/goodtoknow

Jackson Hewitt plays up the brighter side of tax season

Published by Nicholas Ayala - New York on January 18, 2012 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

A new year, a new tax season—and with it nightmares of audits, unexpected amounts owed and the panic of yet another impending April 15 deadline. It’s that time of year reserved for the begrudging acceptance of life’s other certainty. Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, however, is aiming to change those longstanding connotations—or at least remind taxpayers of the brighter side.

A new ad campaign, “Jackson Hewitt’s How You Do It,” highlights the potential reward of filing one’s return—the coveted refund check. One commercial, set to Montell Jordan’s 1995 track “This Is How We Do It,” shows customers and employees in a Jackson Hewitt office celebrating with awkward dance moves and exaggerated expressions after one customer earns a refund. Another ad begins with a girl falling in midair after her mother, who’s just heard about the family’s refund check, tosses her in joy at the news; more awkward dancing ensues.

Tax season may always conjure some anxiety, but Jackson Hewitt is right to emphasize the light at the end of the tunnel, especially since the company targets “Main Street Americans,” or moderate-income consumers who have struggled since the downturn, according to The New York Times. The prospect of dance-worthy good news could make those who normally rely on tax preparation software (or no help at all) think twice.

Kleenex sends real-life, real-time TLC to people with the sniffles

Published by Sarah Siegel - New York on January 11, 2012 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Social media allows brands to respond to consumer woes individually and in near-real time, something demonstrated with initiatives like Jell-O sending coupons to sad tweeters whenever more frowny than smiley faces were broadcast on Twitter. A recent Kleenex campaign in Israel picked up on this idea by cheering up people suffering from winter sniffles, but the “Feel Good” campaign aimed to help them feel better in a real (rather than digital) way. After finding 50 Facebook users whose status noted they were sick, Kleenex delivered a kit with items including tissues and a personalized note within a few hours. Every one of the recipients showed appreciation by posting images of the kit to Facebook; Kleenex says total impressions topped 650,000.

As the brand notes in its video about the campaign, the initiative gave Facebook a human touch. For people stuck at home with the flu or a bad cold, well wishes via social media go only so far. Increasingly people appreciate physical, real-life gestures (one reason for the rising popularity of stationery, for example); for a brand that wants to be associated with TLC, making an impact in the physical world as well as reaching consumers in the digital one is a smart move.

Ally Bank positions itself as tuned-in to consumer frustration

Published by Jessica Vaughn - New York on January 3, 2012 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Financial anxiety! The 99%! Bank Transfer Day! Oh my! With daily headlines of protests and anger directed toward the financial sector, the latter part of 2011 was arguably not a great time to be promoting commercial banking products. Amid this fog of bad PR and just days after the Occupy movement took to Wall Street, Ally Bank launched “People Sense,” a campaign based on the bank’s core principle of “doing what is right for your customer because people sense makes good business sense,” according to a press release. The emphasis is on how Ally stands apart from the rest of the sector.

The anthem spot shows an all-too-familiar scenario: A man gazes apprehensively at an ATM screen, eyes scanning the text that politely explains he will be charged a fee. Finger hovering over the “Accept” and “Don’t Accept” buttons, he deliberates as the camera cuts among a range of everyday people urging him to “Just accept it.” (“It’s a bank, what do you want—a hug?” mocks one bystander. Adds another: “You can’t change how banking works. Just accept it, man.”) So he accepts, as the voiceover explains, “If you’re stuck accepting banking nonsense, you need an ally.”

Other spots bring specific elements of banking nonsense to the fore. In “Suitcase,” Ally conducts an on-the-street experiment, asking strangers to watch a suitcase filled with $100,000 cash. Not one person takes the money and runs, leading to the question, “How much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? If your bank takes more than a stranger, you need an ally.” A more recent spot promoting Ally’s promise of 24/7 live customer service illustrates the bold claim that “Making you talk to a machine is nuts.”

With so much social fury directed at the banking sector, Ally’s positioning is a smart way to appeal to the many who feel they’ve been taken for suckers by “the man.” Ally tells those consumers that rather than simply going along with the status quo, they can turn to a bank that’s tuned-in to their frustration.

Vodafone, Jack Daniel’s focus on simple pleasures in holiday marketing

Published by Jessica Vaughn - New York on December 22, 2011 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

With continued forecasts of economic gloom in various parts of the world, the usual focus on unfettered holiday spending feels out of sync with the times. So some shoppers are embracing the idea of simple pleasures, opting for a less materialistic season. With retailers reporting depressed sales figures in an economically cautious Britain, for instance, The Christian Science Monitor reports anecdotal evidence of less-commercial holiday outings, such as an uptick of interest in carol concerts.

Some marketers are tapping into this mindset by emphasizing relationships and togetherness rather than overstuffed Christmas stockings. In a heartwarming spot set to Jimmy Durante’s mid-century classic “Make Someone Happy,” Vodafone reminds viewers that “It’s the little things we all do at Christmas that make us happy.” The spot shows people giving “free” gifts, such as cleaning the snow off a neighbor’s car or calling in a radio song dedication for a friend.

Jack Daniel’s is more direct in its approach, with the line “It’s not what’s under the tree that matters. It’s who’s around it.” A print ad and commercial show residents of Lynchburg, Tenn.—home to the iconic American distiller—coming together for the lighting of a giant Christmas tree constructed from whiskey barrels. The concept is meant to pay homage to the brand’s 19th-century founder, who supposedly “liked to bring people together at his home during the holidays,” harkening back to a time of simpler celebrations.

As brands and consumers alike work out how to navigate the new normal in the year ahead, watch for marketers to focus on the basic pleasure of bringing loved ones together.

Photo Credit: http://insiderlouisville.com

Wissotzky positions green tea as a tool to fight aging

Published by Yoram Dembinsky and Yael Dauber - Tel Aviv on December 20, 2011 in Middle East. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Everyone wants to look younger. And we all fear appearing worn out, unhealthy and, worst of all, older than we actually are. In Israel, the Wissotzky tea brand is linking the health benefits of green tea with a beauty benefit as well—a way to help look younger and healthier.

The campaign started with two teasers, each showing a man and a woman in their mid-late 30s asking viewers, “How old do you think I am?” They requested that viewers send SMS messages guessing their ages. Two weeks later, commercials aired in which the actors each read one or two of the guesses and revealed their true ages, and viewers discovered that the advertisement was, of all things, about green tea. The man (a cyclist) and the woman (who jogs) are both shown enjoying the tea as part of their active lifestyles. The woman tells viewers that while it’s said that youthful looks are genetic, she feels that green tea is working for her; the spot also explains that green tea’s antioxidants protects the body from within.

Wissotzky is changing perceptions of tea as a soothing drink for the ill or the elderly, placing its green tea brand into the wellness category. And this campaign positions the drink not just as a way to stay well but as a good idea for anyone a little anxious about losing their youthful looks and sex appeal.

Pakistan’s Djuice mobile offering tackles social ills

Published by Khurram Hussain - Lahore on December 12, 2011 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Djuice, a pre-paid offering in Pakistan, has been positioned as a straight talker and to-the-point communicator, transparent and upfront. Its commercials for the service address social issues that drive anxiety—things that tend not to be talked openly about here. The tagline: “With Djuice, boycott society’s silence on this issue.”

One TV spot tackles disrespect toward women, showing a young woman unable to walk in a marketplace without getting hassled left and right. She starts screaming, and another woman asks, “When will there be change so that we start respecting women outside our families and in public?” She urges, “Speak up today or repent tomorrow—your words are your weapon against this moral illness, and with Djuice, just go ahead and voice your reservations and opinions to effect a change today.”

Another spot tackles the fact that many jobs are landed through back-channel connections, an especially difficult fact of life in recessionary times. A young man interviewing for a job is required to provide references. One friend tells him, “You know, my dad is a big shot and he can help.” The interviewer gets various calls from the applicant’s references, but eventually the candidate says, “I think my credentials are my most important reference in life.” As he walks out, the interviewer says, “Young man, you’re basically right! When do you want to join?” A third spot addresses the issue of teachers turning a blind eye to cheating on exams. The ads push a friends and family package, encouraging people to discuss these issues with their close contacts.

Faced with so many issues that seem beyond their control, Pakistani consumers feel hopeless in the face of government inaction. Djuice empowers consumers to believe they can tackle some social issues that are within their grasp, rather than sit idly by and wait for change.

Norte Beer’s Photoblocker staves off social media ‘hell’

Published by Jessica Vaughn - New York on December 7, 2011 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Most people have had a drunken night (or two) that’s better off shoved under the rug, never to be recounted by anyone, anytime, anywhere. Period. But these days, remnants of less-than-lucid escapades seem to find their way into social news streams—and with Google checks becoming standard procedure among prospective employers and Facebook infidelity serving as a “primary source of evidence in divorce proceedings,” anxiety is stirring around social sharing.

Argentina’s Norte Beer has found a clever way to ensure that “What happens in the club stays in the club” with an amusing innovation: The Norte Photoblocker is a beer cooler that keeps drinkers safe from paparazzi in training. The cooler, which Fast Company reports has been distributed to various bars around Argentina, flashes a bright light when it detects the flash from a photo, making any images unusable. Nearby drinkers can safely party-hardy without fear that the night’s activities will be shared with the universe. In one commercial, Norte Beer comically takes viewers through the aftermath of a brotastic birthday bash, with and without Photoblocker—in the former scenario, one of the flirtatious attendees manages to evade the wrath of his girlfriend.

While today’s diligent partygoers have learned to self-censor (or at least use tools such as Last Night Never Happened to erase evidence), there’s little to protect from that friend who lacks a social sharing filter. This lighthearted idea helps keep Norte’s customers “safe and sound,” as this spot says, and reminds them that the beer is in tune with their world.

Argos’ aliens tout the ease of e-commerce for Christmas

Published by Marian Berelowitz - New York on December 5, 2011 in North America. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

U.K. retailer Argos is running a whimsical ad that suggests online shopping as an antidote to the year-end stress of navigating frenzied retail environments. The ad’s stars are a family of long-necked blue aliens on a visit to a mall. “It all feels a bit alien, doesn’t it, running around panicked?” says the father. “I thought ’twas the season to be jolly, but maybe not.” The daughter, sporting a stylish wool hat, points out that “The big man in red seems happy enough,” but Mom counters that “Everyone seems terribly stressy though. I don’t understand why they don’t just reserve their purchases online with Argos.” The ad pushes the idea of ordering on the Web—with alien mom using her mobile to do so—and picking up in store on the same day.

Britons are expected to spend £13.4 billion in online purchases this holiday season, according to one estimate—a good deal of it today, which is Cyber Monday in the U.K.; big numbers are expected. But a perfect storm of inflation, unemployment and the eurozone crisis are likely to dampen overall spending, and The Telegraph reports that retailers are carving into profit margins with price cuts and promotions in a grab for limited budgets. More retailers will need to avoid a race to the bottom by appeasing anxieties unrelated to price, as Argos does by suggesting a way for shoppers to preserve some sanity.