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 wonderful as it is, being a new parent certainly comes with major challenges. One of the most anxiety-producing is coping with a tired, cranky, continuously crying baby who’s refusing to fall asleep. Philips Avent, a manufacturer of baby products, is tackling this with a commercial that features tips from real moms on how to coax a baby to sleep. For instance, Jeanine’s tip for Kian is to produce a hair dryer noise, Sophia’s tip for Maya is to use a gentle bottom pat, and Hiroe’s tip for Saya is to have staring contest. All these examples have one thing in common: They work, at least with these babies, making it easier for mothers to care for their child day-to-day and reducing their level of stress, tension and frustration.
Although there’s no product placement, we perceive Philips Avent, through the video, as a brand that aims to make daily life as a parent easier. To strengthen this concept, parents are encouraged to visit the brand’s Facebook page for more tips and other helpful discussions.
Snowy climates present a lot of potential fears and anxieties for drivers, including getting stuck in a snowy spot. Audi claims that its quattro system uses “continuously synchronized four-wheel drive” to provide unique stability that can get cars out of such situations. In Bulgaria, the automaker took advantage of a particularly difficult and snowy winter to sell consumers on the technology by presenting the product idea in an innovative way: They created an Audi quattro Action Team whose purpose, like the vehicle itself, was to help drivers stuck in the snow.
Over three days, the four-man team pushed and shoved 141 stuck cars, resulting in 141 grateful drivers and 141 Audi quattro ambassadors, as the brand says in this video. The campaign potentially increased awareness of the brand’s technology and an understanding of how it addresses a driver’s fear of getting stuck. The campaign allowed Audi to demonstrate that it’s not detached from drivers’ needs, and on the contrary is focused on solving their problems by providing appropriate solutions. It does so by approaching drivers directly, adding a human touch to the message that Audi is reliable and there to help in times of need.
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.
As wonderful as it is, being a new parent certainly comes with major challenges. One of the most anxiety-producing is coping with a tired, cranky, continuously crying baby who’s refusing to fall asleep. Philips Avent, a manufacturer of baby products, is tackling this with a commercial that features tips from real moms on how to coax a baby to sleep. For instance, Jeanine’s tip for Kian is to produce a hair dryer noise, Sophia’s tip for Maya is to use a gentle bottom pat, and Hiroe’s tip for Saya is to have staring contest. All these examples have one thing in common: They work, at least with these babies, making it easier for mothers to care for their child day-to-day and reducing their level of stress, tension and frustration.
Photo Credit: youtube.com/philips
