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.
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.
As long as the motivation is strong enough, consumers are still willing to trade up. And currently, Japanese infant milk brand Meiji is taking advantage of a unique opportunity in the Chinese market.
JWT’s latest global AnxietyIndex survey revealed that while Chinese consumers are the least anxious in the world, food safety stands out as a key source of anxiety. No surprise, considering that last year’s melamine scandal nearly destroyed the Chinese dairy industry. Wary of local infant milk brands, affluent Chinese consumers swarmed to Hong Kong and Tokyo, sweeping the shelves for Japanese brands, which are sold at a price premium and not widely available in mainland China.
Japanese milk brands had shied away from the competitive Chinese market—which is full of strong players both local and international—but now Meiji is launching its brand in China. The time is right: Japanese food products have long been regarded as high-quality and safe, and affluent Chinese parents are more concerned with finding trustworthy milk for their only child than with finding a bargain price.
Meiji, which is airing its first television commercial in China, emphasizes on its Web site that all products are produced and packaged in Japan, with milk sourced from Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
As long as the motivation is strong enough, consumers are still willing to trade up. And currently, Japanese infant milk brand Meiji is taking advantage of a unique opportunity in the Chinese market.
