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.
Subaru hits an emotional chord (with some at a dealer meeting even reportedly tearing up) in a commercial that aptly addresses the profound anxiety felt by parents as their children get behind the wheel. A concerned but proud dad softly cautions his daughter, an adorable 6-year-old: “Leave your phone in your purse. I don’t want you texting, OK? … Call me—but not when you’re driving.” The daughter driving away is a teen—but, of course, still the little girl in her father’s eyes.
When we discussed Oprah’s efforts to tackle distracted driving, we asked how brands could appropriately address the issue and help to improve road safety. Subaru subtly speaks to concerns about teen drivers texting—a problem that has even spawned mobile monitoring software—rather than further heightening anxiety (as we’ve seen with spots from Liberty Mutual).
Moreover, the tone is spot-on. It may help that both girls are real-life daughters to the actor here, Andy Lyons, adding to the authenticity. Subaru successfully projects a real understanding of parental anxiety—both that which stems from today’s road dangers and the more timeless “anxiety of handing over the keys for the first time,” as Lyons put it—to help convey its trustworthiness and reliability.
In our Recession Handbook, we advised marketers to “Inspire rather than empathize with consumers” in tough times, fueling hope and optimism rather than resentment. Kia Canada’s new “Drive Change” campaign provides a nice example. An initial spot told viewers that “drive” is “the urge to push on, a force that makes us think big no matter how small we start. It’s our inner fight to do what’s right, and it’s in us all.”
Then Kia put its words—“A vehicle can be a vehicle of change too”—into action with two minute-long spots that show a Kia team making over rundown spaces in just a day. In “Change Court” (below), a parking lot at a youth shelter is turned into a basketball court complete with mural, and “Change Garden” shows a junkyard at a community housing development morphing into a sustainable garden. Kia vehicles are parked in and around the spaces being renovated, integrated somewhat organically into the settings.
The ads do a nice job of showcasing the product and the CSR initiative concurrently. And they cleverly tap into the satisfaction we get from Extreme Makeover-type shows—watching a scene of disrepair being turned into one of renewal, we feel that with some basic skills and determination, we too can make this happen.
Chrysler sales have not come back as strongly as the automaker had hoped, so earlier this month the company announced a summer sales event that included a 60-day “Regret Free Purchase” incentive. Customers who buy a participating Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge or Ram Truck vehicle can return it within 60 days, and Chrysler will make the first two payments. The commercial, true to the Dodge brand’s use of sophomoric humor, compares buying a Chrysler vehicle with getting married: You may regret your recent nuptials, but you’ll be happy with your Chrysler purchase; if not, return it.
General Motors, post-bankruptcy, ran a similar incentive last September, and Chrysler made a similar offer on its minivans earlier this year. I’m not a fan of marketing that uses a negative point of view to make a positive point, which puts doubt in the consumer’s mind. I might regret buying shoes I don’t need, but a car? Or is it that I might regret buying a Chrysler? The question for the consumer is whether Chrysler is the best choice right now, between the bailout, quality issues and lack of new product—why re-plant that seed of doubt?
Hyundai’s successful “Assurance” program covers owner’s payments in the event they lose their job, sending a positive message that Hyundai stands behind its products and cares about its owners. Chrysler just hopes you won’t send it back!
At a time when manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are declining drastically and iconic domestic brands like Chrysler have been struggling to survive, many Americans are anxious about the economic realities of a post-recession era, a digital age and a flatter world. With Apple and Google as today’s venerated brands, the skilled blue-collar worker has clearly lost his place at the heart of the economy.
Using slogans like “Everybody’s work is equally important,” Levi’s is tapping into this sentiment and adding an optimistic spin. A press release cites “a new generation of ‘real workers’ … who see challenges around them and are inspired to drive positive, meaningful change.” Ads focus on the company’s donations to the struggling Rust Belt town of Braddock, Pa., and feature its citizens. But some commenters on YouTube and elsewhere gripe that Levi’s isn’t actually bringing jobs to the town and its clothes aren’t domestically produced.
By contrast, a campaign from Chrysler’s Jeep Grand Cherokee is a paean to the idea of “made in America.” A voiceover talks about a nation of builders and craftsmen—“men and women for whom straight stitches and clean welds were matters of personal pride”—as we see images of America’s proud industrial past. Viewers are reassured that “This was once a country where people made things, beautiful things. And so it is again.” (Cue the latest Grand Cherokee.) The tagline: “The things we make, make us.” This campaign seems more likely to connect than Levi’s pitch, which seems to beg the question of where blue-collar hope will come from, at least for towns beyond Braddock.
How much does Toyota care about safety? Enough to use the word seven times in this new 30-second ad, which touts the fact that the automaker is investing “$1 million every hour” in research to enhance vehicle safety. Hammering the message home seems like the way to go, given Toyota’s challenge in regaining consumer confidence after recalling 8 million vehicles worldwide. Toyota is doing this through both news headlines (e.g., the recent announcement that it is replacing executives at five of its North American factories) and its messaging, which now is all safety, all the time.
The commercial points viewers to toyota.com/safety, as does Toyota.com, whose landing page declares “Everyone deserves to be safe” and directs people to the microsite to learn more. Here, drivers can read about Toyota’s latest brake and traction safety systems in ways they can understand and see the technology explained in videos featuring young and older drivers, families, babies and Toyota engineers.
Given the widespread complaints that it was slow in responding to safety issues, Toyota needs to continually assure buyers that the company not only understands their concerns but shares them as well. Its continued emphasis on safety, coupled with details for concerned consumers, is a good start.
With recession forecast to hit Latin America sometime in 2010, Mexico registered among the most anxious of the 16 countries JWT has studied for our AnxietyIndex. A survey of 296 Mexican adults aged 18-59, conducted in January, found that 78 percent report being anxious.
The primary drivers of anxiety are the economic situation, the escalation of violence and crime, and the stagnant job market. Mexicans’ frustration and pessimism are exacerbated by the widespread belief that the political class is detached from the country’s reality, that the current government is one of the most corrupt and that people are being treated unjustly. Feeling they live in permanent instability, people are pessimistic about the future, especially when they think about the job market their children will one day face, the cost of their children’s education and having enough money for a comfortable old age.
For Mexican brands, there are opportunities in helping to restore a sense of control for consumers. Ford champions this idea of empowerment in a Focus commercial that dramatizes a test drive as a getaway chase in a fantasy urban landscape. The driver weaves around pop-up cutouts of roadside obstacles—dog walkers, construction workers, school children crossing the street, etc.—while drag-racing a paper-cutout driver, accompanied by the 1980s Karate Kid anthem “You’re the Best Around.” The spot positions the Focus as an escape from an increasingly violent and challenging environment and as a means of taking control.
To download the full Mexico AnxietyIndex report from the Trends and Research page, click here.
We’ve noted how drastically the luxury category changed with the recession. Ostentation is out, practicality is in. And while recent research from Harrison Group found that affluent consumers are less likely to feel guilty about buying luxury goods today than they did a year ago, that doesn’t mean a return to the days of freewheeling spending.
Luxury automaker Acura does an excellent job tapping into today’s practicality ethos with a campaign promoting its spring sales event, dubbed “Driven by Reason.” Six spots feature affluent shoppers making bogus justifications for eccentric luxury purchases. In one spot, a man confidently describes the virtues of his Damascus steel watch—which features a “perpetual calendar with leap year” and over 680 handmade moving parts—and in another ad, the proud owner of a tube amp owner throws around phrases such as “crossover croaxial” but shruggingly admits he doesn’t know much about how it works.
These characters may be wealthy, but they are fools. A voiceover at the end of each spot explains, “There are excuses for spending money on luxury, and then there are reasons,” giving the target consumer permission to find sound justification for buying a new Acura. The spots are funny and should resonate with affluent shoppers, who are increasingly rethinking their frugal habits post-recession.
With Turkish drivers buying the most expensive fuel on earth, according to December 2009 EU data, one of the major anxieties here revolves around fuel consumption. Recently, Michelin launched an energy-saver tire series that claims to reduce fuel consumption by almost 80 liters. The company announced its new tire via a 360-degree campaign and a microsite called Mucadeleye Basla (”Start the Fight”).
Michelin positions Bibendum, its tire icon, as a sort of superhero fighting an animated fuel pump and its extreme prices, saving people from blowing their budgets. Visitors to the microsite, also based around this fight idea, answer questions about the impact of tires on fuel consumption; Bibendum then pops up to provide details about the answer, then throws a tire to knock out the evil fuel pump character. Drivers can also specify their routes to calculate fuel savings and get tips on other ways to save fuel.
With consumers still holding onto a recessionary mind-set and behavior, products and propositions need to tap into “value” and “save” expectations. Michelin’s strategy does this well, both in terms of its key insight and by outlining the message in a simple, educational and interactive way.
Last week, Oprah Winfrey unveiled a PSA campaign for the first national No Phone Zone Day to honor victims of what’s being called distracted driving. The No Phone Zone goal is simple: Get people to pledge that they will stop using their phones to text, e-mail, Facebook or even talk while driving. (According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted drivers were responsible for nearly 6,000 U.S. deaths and more than half a million injuries in 2008.)
To help drivers keep the temptation of technology at bay, several cell phone apps lock the phone while a car is in motion. The New York Timesrecently reviewed iZup, tXtBlocker, CellSafety and ZoomSafer, which use GPS to calculate whether the device is moving at more than 5-10 miles an hour.
How can brands address public anxiety over distracted driving and help to improve road safety? Just as marketers have promoted public safety issues such as “Don’t drink and drive,” this 21st-century issue is one that responsible brands would do well to align themselves with.
How many times have you been stuck in traffic and witnessed stupid attitudes that ended up with people arguing or even getting physically aggressive? If you live in São Paulo, this has happened at least once in your life. So last December, Porto Seguro, one of Brazil’s largest insurance companies, launched a social movement and campaign called Transito mais gentil (For a kinder traffic). The idea is to discuss driver violence and create calmer attitudes by doing things like showing a heart—which is also the movement logo—when someone has an intolerant attitude on the road.
Supported by many opinion makers and celebrities, the campaign will be rolled out throughout 2010 in the São Paulo area, with everything from TV and radio spots to social media forums and events. More than 8,000 people have joined the cause through Twitter, Facebook, Orkut and Flickr. Recently, Porto Seguro distributed car stickers through Veja, Brazil’s largest weekly magazine, for those who want to show support for the movement.
Porto Seguro is also making customers an offer: a 5 percent discount on car insurance for those with zero occurrences on their driver’s license (i.e., responsible drivers). For supporters of the campaign, they raffle off theater tickets and special content, like tests to identify what kind of driver you are.
Considering that every year 35,000 people die from human failures on Brazilian roads, the campaign seems like a smart one—ideally it will help reduce this number, but at the least it should help alleviate some road-related anxiety by giving drivers a way to address the issue.
