Be careful with your COPY!

Have you ever seen an ad that made you feel negatively due to certain words used in the ad?

A very famous case study would be Chevrolet's Nova. When it was launched, they were expecting its Mexican market to purchase a lot of its units. They failed to understand, however, that "Nova" in Spanish translates to "can't move".

I've been seeing a certain ad lately in the Philippines that makes me squirm each time. It's the recent thematic campaign of Whisper Philippines, whose ad you can preview below:

Did you spot (pun intended) which word makes me squirm?

It's the term "back friend". Back friend has some negative connotations, I believe. For one, it could pertain to something sexual--no need to delve into the details on this one. On the other hand, it could connote something like a friend--a back-up friend--and that itself is a place that no one would want to be in.

Thoughts, anyone?

Target Market and Lapsed Users: Yakult Philippines

Recently, we've been seeing Yakult's TV commercial (TVC) on local TV networks. This TVC revolves around the digital trend #ThrowBackThursday or #TBT--and we see fit women in their mid to late 20s reminiscing about their childhood days while enjoying Yakult.

There are a few things which I would like to point out in this post:

Yakult's material is clearly trying to reach out to its now adult target market--those that used to drink Yakult as a kid. In fact, it's trying to attract its lapsed users. Personally, I am a lapsed user of Yakult and although this commercial aired for some time, it did not generate that warranted interest for me to return to the brand. And that's where I think Yakult fell short for this campaign. Obviously, it was intended to be a tactical campaign to drive sales from lapsed users. However, its communication failed to give me that compelling reason to become a user once again. Let's dissect the elements in their material:

• Fitness
• Facebook
• Hashtag ("TBT", "ThrowBackThursday")

True enough, these elements are all relevant to the target market--but not enough to compel. They did communicate how Yakult is good for digestion, but it ends just there. This reason-to-believe would work for non Yakult users, but what about lapsed users? In targeting lapsed users, marketers should be able to address the main reasons why users switched.

In this case, is it simply just a matter of "I forgot how important Yakult is, therefore, I should drink Yakult once again" as what the campaign communicates?--I doubt it. Possibly, there are other factors that have not been considered. Say, the growing importance of wheat grass drinks, tea drinks, supplements, yogurts, and more. In the strictest sense, Yakult barely has direct competitors at present. I don't have the data to back it up, but my best guess is that Yakult has lost relevance to the market as people have forgotten the importance of good digestion which can be acquired from the Lactobacilli in Yakult. And if that's the case, one way of attacking this is by consumer education (tactical, but that would be a costly campaign). Another way would be by a thematic campaign--however, thematic campaigns should be one that connects the brand with a succinct theme. And so far, I think Yakult has to be clear on what it means to its target market.

Any other thoughts, anyone? :)

(Apologies for the late post. This was saved in my drafts for some time and I only managed to publish it right now.)

Marketing Fundamentals in a DJ Spiel

Everyday I come to work driving my car and listening to the radio. This morning, I was listening to 94.7FM, and the DJs were discussing random things on the air.

As I listened, their topic then changed to the dangers of commuting alone. Apparently, there was news recently of a girl who became a victim of a modus operandi here in Manila. What happened was that the lady hailed a taxi late at night all alone, and what she didn't know was that there was a man hidden inside the trunk of the taxi. The driver would then stop while on the road and claim that there's a problem with the car--and then the girl was robbed (and possibly even more than that).

Towards the end of their discussion, they then mentioned that there is actually an application you can download on your smart phones that would allow you to hail taxis that belong to certain taxi companies that are reliable. And then they begin talking about the application--GrabTaxi. The DJs go on discussing that you can buy it using your iPhone or smart phone, and the services has fees that are well worth it.

HOW SUAVE.

So here I was, listening to the radio and concerned with this modus operandi--only to find in the end that there's actually an application that we can use to make commuting easier and safer.

After a while, it sank to me that this simple discussion on the radio (as well as many others that we hear every day) actually reflects s some basic principles of Marketing.

What I heard today was a case of creating a CONSUMER NEED--a simple sales tactic. The spiel itself on the radio (the discussion of the said modus operandi) is one that was written for the purpose of stirring a need for us--and it made me worry of hailing a taxi late at night more than the usual. That's the thing with marketing, it's finding consumer needs that have not been addressed or creating a consumer need. 

Even more, this DJ discussion generated BRAND AWARENESS--it is a DJ spiel, after all. Immediately, I got familiar with this application called GrabTaxi that's already available in the Philippines. It's a common knowledge to all that Marketing involves advertising your brand to your target market.

Finally, we hear about the price of the GrabTaxi application. Of course. What's marketing without price? Margins are important to any company--in the end, brands need to be profitable. That's the reality of brand management. Aside from the frills that a big ad spend can provide, marketers should be able to  make their brands profitable. It's supposed to be a win-win situation between consumers and the company--consumers are highly satisified while the company is earning profitably.

The Grab Taxi application for iOS and Android phones.
Photo source: Rappler.com

So the next time you hear a DJ spiel on the radio, try to see what other marketing fundamentals you can find. I'll keep you guys posted on my other finds and thoughts.

Digital Asia Conference in Manila

I was fortunate to have been able to attend "The 2013 Digital Asia Conference: The Orient Rising" today which was held in Manila. Overall, it was a good, big event that gathered various speakers from around the world who are experts in their specialized fields. Together, they were able to form a big picture on the importance of digital mediums--particularly out-of-home (OOH)--as well as some global trends.

It's actually the first time this sort of seminar was organised in the country, and I do think succeeding conferences after this will be more interesting. Frankly, I think this is a conference that marketers should  consider attending in the future. As marketing professionals and advertisers in Manila, we've only scratched the surface when it comes to executions outside of traditional media (TV, Radio, Print)--that is, digital media which is taking other countries by storm.

I'm sure some people would think: "Seriously, digital media placements in the Philippines? Is that even feasible?"--which was one of my questions in mind.

Granted, the Philippines is a 3rd world country with roughly 10% of its population belonging the ABC social economic class. However, we have learned today that digital media is indeed an avenue that still has potential in our country. To explain:

(1) majority of internet users in the Philippines belong to those below 30 years old--and this population grows year on year,
(2) internet is the 2nd medium next to TV--performing better than radio and print,
(3) as a whole, social networking is the top activity done by Filipino users on the internet, and
(4) access to internet through smart phones are seen to increase as prices of these gadgets are dropping (Best of luck to Apple, then!).

As a marketer, I do believe in the potential of digital media in the country. And when we say digital media--this isn't just social networks. It also involves utilizing smart phones and its applications, as well as digital or interactive OOH. Digital media is seen to grow in our country--and I am honestly hopeful for the upcoming developments in the Philippines given our good economic standing this year compared other Asian countries.

In foresight, it looks like marketing here in Manila will be very dynamic and more exciting in the near future.

The 2013 Digital Asia Conference: The Orient Rising - held in 1Esplanade

Thought I should share this photo of my ticket to the conference. 

One of the speakers, Sec. Sonny Coloma

Music as a Mnemonic Device

For marketers, the use of mnemonic devices help make campaigns memorable for consumers. It's those mnemonic devices that allow brands to have a cut-through material in spite of the array of commercials that consumers are bombarded with.

For what appeared to be the longest commercial break I've experienced this year, it dawned upon me that almost every commercial is now using MUSIC as a mnemonic device--especially for new TV commercials (TVCs). To name a notable few that are currently airing:

1. Rejoice Shampoo "Haba ng Hair"
View commercial by clicking here.

If you were able to watch Magandang Gabi Vice a few weeks back, rising hip hop singer "Abra" was interviewed by no other than Vice Ganda. After his interview, a 2-minute TVC material aired for Rejoice showcasing its Haba ng Hair mo MTV. Kim Too--a famous impersonator of Kim Chiu is seen singing and dancing in the MTV and towards the end it features Abra himself.


2. Solaire Resort & Casino
View commercial by clicking here.

Prior to revealing the opening of Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila, we were bombarded with a teaser TVC material accompanied with a song "Brighter than the Sun" by Colbie Caillat. It was an unbranded material at first that only hinted that "the game is about to change." A few weeks later, the full-length 60-second TVC was aired--revealing the opening of Solaire. Throughout the material, the song was utilized and we see people cheerfully walking throughout the commercial until the big reveal. More so, this was viral on the radio as well.

3. Lewis & Pearl "You are Here"
View commercial by clicking here.

With Jasmine Curtis as its latest endorser, the French song "Tu es La" (a.k.a. You are Here)  by Moira dela Torre is played in the background. Similar to Solaire, this was also aired on the radio--in which after the song is played we hear that "This song was brought to you by Lewis & Pearl..."

These are just a few examples, but the list can go on and on. In fact, for one of our agency pitches, a number have recommended what they informally call "Music Marketing". But really, it's a mnemonic device that allows us to associate ourselves with the brand.

You can think of it this way: you commute to work every day or you're driving to work, and you hear the song in commercial. You like it a lot. And when you try to recall it, you find yourself saying "It's the song in the Solaire commercial."--exactly the point. That's what mnemonic devices do. They allow us to associate brands and increase brand awareness. Just a caveat though--one has to be very particular with the type of song being associated to the brand. You wouldn't want a rock-and-roll song associated to Lewis and Pearl if its aiming to elevate its brand identity as a premier cologne brand, right? That would explain why they chose a happy-feeling French song.

What interests me more is that almost every material on TV nowadays has an element of music that plays a very significant role. More so, these are songs that are already popular on its own.  Gone are the days when jingles were the auditory elements used in TVCs--except maybe for Rejoice and Beam Toothpaste.

Of course, there are other mnemonic devices aside from music, too.

Wendy's New Logo

By now, a lot of people are aware of Wendy's new logo which was released just a few days ago.

It would seem that a lot of brands have changed their logos (e.g. Ebay) this year, and Wendy's happened to join that same bandwagon.

Overall, I am not liking the Wendy's logo that much. Just a quick rundown of my thoughts and ideas on their new logo:

1) I do like their updating the image of Wendy as a more modern-looking girl. It makes it feel more relevant

2) The font face for "Wendy's" makes it look like it's a fake Wendy's. 

3) Is minimalist the new trend for logos? It would appear as such. I can imagine the process behind this logo: "Need a new logo--sure, let's keep everything clean and simple. Ta-dah, this is going to be the perfect new logo." Oh please. I don't see the relevance of the logo to the brand. Does it emulate what Wendy's means to its market today? I don't think so.

For a new logo, Wendy's could've done it better. 

See my post on how new logos could be judged: http://marketerette.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-logo-anyone.html

And here's Wendy's new logo vis-a-vis its previous one:

Photo taken from: http://global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/fn2/travel/WendysNewLogo.jpg