JWT’s AnxietyIndex is designed as a place to discuss how brands and consumers are responding to the global recession. With daily content updates, AnxietyIndex.com includes contributions from around JWT’s network, offering a truly global perspective.
As we’ve noted, a couple of recent commercials are tapping into today’s populist sentiment. Hyundai does a good job of this in a recent spot for the popular Assurance Program, hammering home its commitment to the little guy. While “the dust has started to settle, and some indicators are up—especially for the big guys,” Hyundai understands that many people are still anxious. So it’s sticking with its Assurance Program, reassuring viewers that “The economy hasn’t really turned around for any of us until it turns around for all of us.”
An Ad Age article, “Now’s the Time to Reset Marketing for Post-Recession,” cites this spot as an example of messaging that “bridge[s] from recession to recovery.” But a real recovery isn’t likely to happen soon—as we noted in our 10 trends for the year ahead, consumer spending in 2010 will look very much as it did last year, with people continuing to exercise restraint until they see more clear and dependable signs of stability. By addressing the current sense of instability—and the resulting anxiety—head on, Hyundai offers yet another example of smart marketing in a downturn.
We just wrote about the irony of multinational big-box retailer Office Depot casting its lot with the little guy in a somewhat shameless bid to tap into populist zeal. By contrast, Miller Life will run regional Super Bowl ads that showcase a more authentic effort to align with the Main Street America ethos.
“This year the brand is giving its Big Game commercial to deserving small businesses from around the country,” reads Miller High Life promotional copy. “The ad … reinforces that Miller High Life isn’t just about brewing a good, honest beer at a tasty price, it’s about helping others live the High Life as well.” Spots will highlight four businesses (Loretta’s Authentic Pralines in New Orleans, etc.).
A teaser ad cleverly positions this Super Bowl advertiser as standing apart from “those big muckety-muck companies [that] prance out those fancy-pants commercials.” The tone is spot-on, as is the approach (positioning the effort as socially responsible). And it’s the perfect time for a brand that has long cultivated a blue-collar image to play on populist sentiment.
The downturn brought a wave of populist fury, stirred up by the good guys/bad guys notion of Wall Street vs. Main Street. But while that fury is now set at simmer, big business remains woefully unpopular—and so in a new commercial, Office Depot harnesses some populist zeal for itself and casts its lot with the little guy.
But Office Depot is a Wall Street-traded big box chain, right? Not so fast. A recent TV spot features Dan, a small-town barber, whose shop is threatened when a large chain moves in across the street offering $6 cuts. So Dan heads to Office Depot for a banner that reads “We fix $6 haircuts.” The banner really sticks it to “Nitro Cutz,” which papers its windows five months later, a satisfying reversal of fortune for Dan.
By casting itself as a Main Street ally, Office Depot slyly gets viewers to forget that it’s a large multinational chain whose low, low prices have put independent stores out of business. Now that’s a reversal.
