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.
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.
With technology increasingly dominant in everyday life, people are becoming concerned about electronic communication substituting for face time with friends and family, and missing out on real-world experiences. In a survey we conducted for our 10 Trends of 2011 report, 63 percent of British and American respondents said they wished they could spend more time communicating with friends and family in person rather than through technology (our De-Teching trend ties into this). Bacardi rum has been addressing this idea with the “Bacardi Together” global campaign.
“Fight the LOLs and OMGs; fight the little white headphones,” a manifesto spot tells viewers, urging them to take the time to reconnect in a real way with family and friends (and Bacardi), because “we are all meant to be together.” In the U.S., a Get Together Project features two twentysomething guys “on a mission … to bring people together” via meet-ups in parks, bars and more. The “Like It Live, Like It Together” project turned users’ Facebook “likes” into real-world experiences: People voted for their top “likes” and entered for a chance to win tickets to one of two events in New York or Las Vegas that incorporated participants’ favorite cocktails, music, food and entertainment. “Together Tools” on Facebook let people arrange parties with friends. Bacardi is not only suggesting people spend more time together but also giving them opportunities to do so.
It’s easy for women to feel anxious and insecure about their looks when the standards of beauty can seem so unattainable. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone (or something) that could ease anxieties about imperfections and assure you that you’re beautiful? Avon, which has been in Slovakia for 20 years, wanted to show women that they have grown more beautiful each year.
Avon accomplished this by installing the Miraculous Mirror on a busy street. A large mirror equipped with a camera, microphone and loudspeakers attracted onlookers. Avon representatives monitored the mirror via a WiFi connection, and would interact with people as they walked by, providing compliments such as “you look beautiful today” and “hardly a flaw may be seen.” The playful interaction between the mirror and passersby created a positive feeling for women who stopped to look at themselves in the mirror and eliminating, perhaps, the beauty flaws that only they could see.
We all know the twinge of anxiety caused by having to share a dish we’re enjoying. Kraft is jokingly treating this as a serious concern, offering peace of mind with “Macsurance” for kids whose parents steal their mac and cheese (it comes in the form of insurance “certificates” accompanied by coupons). Part of the “You Know You Love It” campaign, the initiative stems from the insight that parents enjoy Kraft Macaroni & Cheese but tend to grab bites when they’re making or serving it to their kids rather than prepare their own portions, according to MediaPost.
A commercial shows a Macsurance agent, who tells kids, “Chances are, you’ve probably had your Kraft Macaroni & Cheese stolen. Who can blame you for trusting the ones closest to you?” The ad is playing in movie theaters, where patrons can pick up a brochure and business reply envelope to request the Macsurance. Adults who “liked” the brand on Facebook could also get the coupons (though currently the page states that “due to a tragic rise in mac & cheese theft, we are no longer offering coverage”). This lighthearted campaign is relatable to kids and parents alike.
