The Consumer Connection Roundup features the top articles and blogs that catch the attention of the Motista Team each month on issues and events related to consumer connection.
Here are the most noteworthy articles on marketing and advertising trends we read during the month of December. This month’s articles include a look at how the Old Spice Guy hopes to make lightning strike twice by personalizing to local markets, and the ways in which marketing led to the rise of one iconic brand and the fall of another. If we didn’t include articles that you thought were especially provocative, please share them with us in the comments section.
Articles of the Month for December:
- Old Spice guy goes cross-platform for holiday campaign by Douglas Quenqua, ClickZ – Few advertising campaign icons have resonated with consumers as quickly and memorably as Isaiah Mustafa’s “Old Spice Guy.” Introduced in the summer of 2010, Mustafa’s Old Spice campaign immediately went viral, earning 40 million views in a single week and elevating sales of Old Spice Bodywash by 27 percent. Over the holidays, the company tried to further capitalize on Mustafa’s consumer advocacy by personalizing its holiday campaign to local markets. Connecting with customers one-on-one is the best form of engagement. Although big brands like Old Spice cannot do this for everyone, this is a great way to illustrate band alignment to consumer needs and drive brand loyalty.
- Vogue chief Anna Wintour: “I don’t really follow market research” by Rupal Parekh, AdAge – Breaking news: the Devil wears Prada and doesn’t have much use for consumer statistics. Vogue mastermind, fashion icon and penultimate marketer, Anna Wintour, explains that it’s instinct, not market research that drives her editorial process. While we can learn something from successful marketers who rely their “gut,” most marketers are seeking more reliable intelligence to gain consumer insight on “emotion” and make better decisions…even in fashion. We’ve found that with today’s advances in research and technology, companies can gain a competitive advantage by connecting with their customers on an emotional level.
- Jack Daniel’s marketing magic by Jim Stengel, Fortune – Jack Daniel’s legendary Tennessee whiskey is magic in a bottle, in more ways than one. Since coming into ownership under Brown-Forman in 1956, the company has “seen a series of brilliant innovations that have preserved and extended the richness of its brand experience, while never veering off its hallowed ideal.” Jim Stengel takes an insightful look at how gutsy marketing ploys and bold branding decisions transformed a small town distillery into a global megabrand that feels just as uniquely American and down-home as it did a century ago.
- What every marketer can lean from Saab’s crash and burn by Patrick Hanlon, Forbes – Let’s face it- sometimes, bad cars happen. The Fiesta, the Pinto and the Edsel all come to mind as automobiles that deserved to chug away into the great beyond. But what happens when, as in the case of Saab, a good car goes under because of branding missteps and poor marketing decisions? As Patrick Hanlon brilliantly summarizes,” a brand that cannot sit across from a buyer.. and tell them where they’re from, what they’re about, what identifies them in the market, how they’re used, the language they use that surrounds their community, what they’re not and never want to become, and who’s steering the way—will ultimately fail.” Connecting with consumers is only as good as your brand’s identity. If you can’t define your brand, how can you convey the value to your target audience?
- The 10 most-watched ads of 2011 on YouTube by Tim Nudd, AdWeek –From Jennifer Aniston’s Smart Water campaign that managed to squeeze in every imaginable marketing ploy in less than 3 minutes to the nostalgic Star Wars themed Volkswagen commercial, these ten brands struck viral gold in 2011. Check out the videos to see some of the ingenious ways in which these ten brands connected with the public in 2011. Which one is your favorite?
Email This Post
