McCann London changes up the top of the Coke can just a tiny bit -- to make a huge difference. When the tab is popped, the normally oval-ish shape is turned into a big, wide grin, making the soda smile back at you every time you open a can.
This is the second can-based execution from Coke’s “Open Happinness” campaign this week. Earlier, Ogilvy Paris debuted the “Sharing Can,” a 330 ml. package that could be twisted and split into two so you can split your sugary soda with a friend.
Currently, the Happy Can is just for promotional purposes, used on out-of-home and billboards in Italy. Hopefully it’ll go into production soon so we can feel a little happier while guzzling down calories.
Except for his occasional voluntary foray into law enforcement, former National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Shaquille O’Neal has never worked cheap – but now you can have a drink with him for only $.99.
The future Hall-of-Fame center and current television analyst has teamed up with AriZona Beverages to launch a four-flavor cream soda based line in AriZona’s well known giant 23.5 oz. cans. O’Neal himself unveiled the new four-flavor Soda Shaq Cream Soda line via his Twitter account today (he has more than 7 million followers, so the word definitely got out); the products carry a suggested $.99 price and come emblazoned with one of eight photos of the big man’s unique facial expressions.
The line includes vanilla cream, strawberry cream, blueberry cream and orange cream flavors. The products are all-natural and have 90 calories per serving.
The Soda Shaq line represents part of an ongoing foray into carbonation by AriZona, which has long been known for its top-selling lines of iced teas, juice drinks, and a fast-growing “Arnold Palmer” line of half and half lemonade and tea blends. The company also launched a four-flavor series of lime rickeys earlier this year.
O’Neal recently frolicked through the AriZona beverage office in Woodbury, N.Y., engaging workers and company CEO Don Vultaggio alike, and leaving a pair of his giant sneakers behind in Vultaggio’s office.
In recent years, Pepsi has basked in the glory of industry-lauded moves like sponsoring Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show and the social-media-and-goodwill-focused Pepsi Refresh Project. For all the splash, though, the efforts haven’t pushed the soda back into either the second- or first-place sales positions that have belonged to Diet Coke and Coke, respectively, for the last two years, per Beverage Digest data. So outsiders might expect a change in formula when it comes to Pepsi's marketing services. Not so. The brand and Protagonist, which has been Pepsi’s strategy consultancy during a decade of ups and downs, are announcing they’ll continue collaborating as they celebrate a 10-year anniversary. "It makes us work at a higher level because we have that history," said Angelique Krembs, vp of marketing at PepsiCo. "I cannot imagine not having Mattie to help solve our big problems or bounce things off of." Krembs was referring to Protagonist CEO Matti Leshem, who was a major force behind the creation of the hyped Pepsi Refresh Project and is helping lead the brand's social vending aspirations. The high-tech soda machines, which recently tested at Vail Ski Resorts and a handful of other nationwide locations, feature motion-sensory software that reacts to hand gestures and lets consumers buy refreshments, play games and possibly win a Pepsi. While bigger rollout plans are being developed, Leshem said the machines will let people record videos and effectively text message the spots as soda gifts. "It's connecting social media to a product in a way that hasn’t been done before," he said. Pepsi is not only rebooting the vending machines but also ad campaigns, its bottle designs and seemingly everything in between—with the help of its large roster of marketing partners, led by agency of record TBWAChiatDay. Like all soda makers, Pepsi is vying for attention in an increasingly competitive market that's crowded with energy drinks, flavored waters and iced teas. "The whole [carbonated drinks] category is declining," said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. "Most of the big brands are not growing at this point and time." Added Larry Woodard, president of Graham Stanley Advertising: "The cola segment is shrinking. In fact, Diet Coke didn't overtake Pepsi—it shrank less. It might not be that Pepsi has to do anything other than use its current [celebrity] line-up, visible with a steady stream of commercials, while Coke stumbles with its new strategy of trying to directly address the obesity issue." Yet Peter Madden, CEO of brand consulting firm AgileCat, put more of the blame on Pepsi. "Where Coke is consistent in their commitment to their own brand, Pepsi seems more like a kite," Madden said. Regardless, Pepsi is standing by Protagonist, a 10-person shop based in Los Angeles. "It always helps us to have a new take, particularly on some of our different challenges," Krembs said. "[Protagonist] can turn a nugget into a big idea."
SoBe invites fans to explore its latest campaign, “SoBe 3D Worlds of Flavor,” with internationally renowned 3D street artist, Tracy Lee Stum . Starting today in Phoenix, Ariz. in the Legends Entertainment District at Chase Field, Stum will create a series of interactive 3D street art installations inspired by the places that SoBe drink ingredients call home. From the South Pacific to the Mediterranean Sea, the brand’s unique ingredients and flavor combinations like Yumberry Pomegranate, Blood Orange Mango, Strawberry Kiwi and Pacific Coconut invite consumers to embrace their spirit of discovery.
Using various mediums including vinyl, paint, and street chalk, Tracy’s reality-bending, experiential images will transport SoBe fans to remote destinations in the middle of urban jungles where they can step into the picturesque landscape and have their picture snapped in the 3D world. The adventure doesn’t end there; consumers will be able to upload their photo and share with friends as well as sample bold SoBe flavors on-site.
According to Patty Montagno , Senior Brand Manager, SoBe, partnering with Stum gave the brand the opportunity to take fans on an exciting journey right here at home. “The 3D experiences bring to life the carefully crafted SoBe flavors in their natural habitat. SoBe treats every day as a chance to discover something new and live in the moment. With a blend of unique ingredients like cava cava and dandelion root, and with bold flavors like acai and cherimoya, SoBe is always committed to bringing a taste of the exotic.”
The “SoBe 3D Worlds of Flavor” tour will remain in Phoenix through April 30, and will continue in various cities throughout the summer. Making stops in Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston, the “SoBe 3D Worlds of Flavor” tour will include on-site sampling, offering fans a chance to enjoy a variety of bold and unique SoBe products.
Southwest Airlines announced today the addition ofvitaminwater as a new premium drink option onboard! Customers now have the option to purchase vitaminwater for $3 on all of the carrier’s flights. To celebrate the new partnership, Southwest today launched a sweepstakes to give away a year’s worth of vitaminwater and travel on Southwest Airlines!
“We’re excited to add vitaminwater to our variety of onboard offerings,” said Mike Hafner , Southwest’s Vice President of Cabin Services. “We listened to our Customers and know they’ll be happy with this new premium beverage option.”
“vitaminwater is thrilled to be riding along with consumers on Southwest flights,” said Brock Safe , Coca-Cola’s Sr. National Account Executive. “This adds a great-tasting, nutrient enhanced beverage option to the onboard selection of Coca-Cola products that they can enjoy inflight.”
Southwest is launching the year-long trial of vitaminwater by offering the popular flavors vitaminwater xxx (acai-blueberry-pomegranate) and vitaminwater squeezed (lemonade). The airline will accept Business Select and Rapid Rewards drink coupons as payment for vitaminwater onboard during the trial.
With summertime just around the corner, Pepsi® and Mountain Dew® are
excited to announce “Iconic Summer,” giving fans the chance to win a
wide variety of incredible prizes and experiences. For decades, Pepsi
and Mountain Dew have celebrated cultural icons, larger-than-life
personalities and hosted some of the most memorable pop culture
experiences —but never before have they brought together so many iconic
prizes and experience, in the same place, at the same time. Get ready
for the biggest event of the summer: this is the Iconic Summer!
Prizes include everything from Pepsi and Mountain Dew-themed
merchandise to once-in-a-lifetime experiences that only Pepsi or
Mountain Dew could provide:
Trip to MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn, NY
Trip to iHeart Radio Music Festival in Las Vegas, NV
Meet and greet with racing icon Jeff Gordon
Meet and greet with racing superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr
2013 Winter Dew Tour Passes
Bassmaster All Star Fishing Experience with professional anglers including Gerald Swindle
Trip to the 2013 World Series
Trip to Super Bowl XVIII
The program also includes a “Hometown Sweeps” component that enables
Pepsi and Mountain Dew fans to enter for the chance to win unique
experiences right in their own backyard including access to their
hometown college and professional sports franchises and other local
attractions.
Participating in the Iconic Summer program is easy…simply collect
codes and combine icons and you could win. Fans can stop by local
retailers and pick up specially marked packages of Pepsi or Mountain
Dew, then check under-the-cap for codes to redeem online for “Icon” game
pieces. “Icon” game pieces can be combined to unlock different tiers of
prizes, or banked for future prizes.
“We’re thrilled to kick off the Iconic Summer, offering fans of Pepsi
and Mountain Dew hundreds of thousands of opportunities to win prizes
and experiences,” said Simon Lowden , Chief Marketing Officer,
Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages. “For decades, Pepsi and Mountain Dew
have partnered with influential celebrities and hosted epic events, and
we’re taking this unique opportunity to bring it all together under one
program to give fans a summer they will never forget.”
Beginning today, fans can collect codes from more than half a
million specially marked Pepsi and Mountain Dew 20-ounce, 1-liter,
2-liter and multipack PET bottles and fountain cups and begin redeeming
them online for Icons at www.iconicsummer.com
to score gear and experiences that only Pepsi and Mountain Dew can
provide. Summer is meant to be epic and Iconic Summer promises to
deliver!
A new, three-minute ad by Coca-Cola, “Small World Machines,” starts with a relatively straightforward premise: India and Pakistan do not get along so well. It ends with the promise of peace: “Togetherness, humanity, this is what we all want, more and more exchange,” a woman, either Indian or Pakistani, narrates as the music swells. Sounds great. How do we get there? By buying Coke, of course.
For the ad, filmed in March, two high-tech Coca-Cola vending machines were wheeled into a shopping mall in Lahore, Pakistan, and another in New Delhi, India. On the front of each machine was a giant, touch-activated 3-D screen. The two were connected, such that the vending machine in Lahore looked like a giant window right into New Delhi, and vice-versa. The machines invited mall-goers on either end to interact with one another, for example by touching hands “through” the screen, by tracing peace signs, even by sharing a dance.
Coca-Cola’s global creative director told Ad Age that the idea behind the campaign, according to Ad Age’s paraphrase, was about “creating stories around shared experiences” in a way that “goes back to the roots of Coke as a brand that started at a soda fountain — itself a communal experience.” Ad Age also reports that Coca-Cola asked the responsible advertising firm, Leo Burnett, to find “new, open-hearted ways for people to come together, while highlighting the power of happiness.”
There’s actually more to this than you might initially think. Sharing tasks and short-term, low-risk social interactions are classic conflict resolution tactics, including as a part of the civilian-to-civilian interactions sometimes termed “track two diplomacy.”
Still, track two diplomacy is a complicated, rigorous process meant to shape public opinion from the ground up by targeting influential elites and opinion-makers; “the power of happiness” is not enough. The Coke video is charming, but even acknowledging that it’s just an advertisement and judging it on those merits, seems to make some surprising promises about the power of peace-making by consumerism. The ad quotes Indians and Pakistanis saying, for example, “It’s like, this is what we’re supposed to do, right? We are going to take minor steps so that we are going to solve bigger issues.”
Indo-Pakistani tensions could use all the help they can get. The two countries, since breaking apart in 1947, have fought three majors wars, including a 1999 incident that almost led to nuclear conflict. Pakistan’s military intelligence service has been accused of supporting anti-India terror groups. Polling in both countries suggests Indians and Pakistanis fear and mistrust one another deeply.
Coca-Cola’s “Small World Machines” ad echoes the famous “McDonald’s theory of conflict prevention,” which states that two countries with a McDonalds will never go to war. The theory is that the same globalizing forces that usher in the fast food chain also build enough economic inter-dependence between states and political liberalism within them to prevent war. Unfortunately, this theory was disproven by the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict. Alas, this also appears to have been true of Pakistan and India as of their 1999 Kargil War.
In any case, India and Pakistan may have also disproven the much more seriously studied democratic theory of war, which states that two democracies will not go to war. Academics and historians often debate this, though, as it’s not clear whether or not both countries met the criteria for democracy at the moment of each of their conflicts. Either way, the point is that this particular conflict is deeply ingrained enough that Coca-Cola vending machines are probably not going to put them on the path to peace.
Ad Age reports that Coca-Cola plans to bring the high-tech vending machines to other countries in conflict. Unfortunately, they did not reveal where they’re going next, but I would just humbly submit that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un does love a good piece of gadgetry.
That's right, sexy guys — not gals — featured in racy TV spots. It's hunk-a-rama time in new or recent advertising from some of the nation's biggest brands. On Monday, one more will enter the fray — Diet Dr Pepper — in a 30-second commercial with a new, shirtless hunk who, with a wink, lays claim to being the hottest of all of his hunk predecessors.
Wearing nothing but tight denims, newcomer actor Josh Button emerges from the ocean onto the sand and boasts that he is "really, really, really, really — really good looking." The ad was created by the Los Angeles office of the ad agency Deutsch.
Behind all the heat: cool. It's become culturally cool to feature hunky guys in ads, something even Kraft is doing with its Zesty line of salad dressing. After all, women still do most of the shopping — and advertisers are targeting them with these racy TV spots. It's all about getting folks to first notice the ad from among all the media clutter, and then share the ad via social media.
"The idea is not to associate hot men with the brand but, rather, to get female viewers to watch," says brand guru David Aaker.
One problem: The trend's become a tidal wave. That's when consumer interest tends to wane. "Seems like it's time for a break from this approach, because the "surprise" factor is kind of used up for now," says Allison Cohen, ad consultant and president of PeopleTalk Research.
Never mind that Dr Pepper is only too happy to jump in. That's because, it says, it's doing it with a wink. "We're poking fun at ourselves and the trend of hot guys in advertising," says Jaxie Alt, senior vice president of marketing at Dr Pepper. Even then, she adds, with a laugh, "Our guy's the hottest."
After Coca-Cola got so much grief the last time it tried to change the color of their cans,
you'd think the beverage company would never pull something like that
again. But in Brazil, under the guidance of agency Wieden & Kennedy
Portland, the cans have gotten a temporary makeover, sporting the colors
of the Brazilian flag. The new packaging is available in the country
for the next two months, and was created to support the Brazil during
the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup. The timing is good too, as the
company gears up to host the World Cup -- something that its citizens
aren't yet sure its infrastructure is ready for.
A recent
promotion in Australia employed two levels of temperature-activated ink
on specially marked bottles of Fanta™ beverages to reveal an invitation
to join in an interactive campaign offering valuable prizes.
During November and December 2012, labels on Fanta Orange™ bottles were printed with thermochromic ink from Chromatic Technologies (CTI)
that revealed a challenge to consumers to perform a “Funstigator” task,
such as “High-five someone wearing orange,” “Pretend you’re a ninja,”
or “Do the robot.” The core activity of the summer campaign was a Fanta
Funstigator gaming application available on the Fanta Australia Facebook
page and as a smartphone app. Through the app, users could take on
Funstigator challenges, as well as send them to their friends and scan
characters from packs, all while earning points and competing for a
range of prizes. The Fanta “Unbottle the Fun” campaign was supported
across multiple touchpoints, including specially marked Fanta bottles,
and cinema, mobile, and digital media.
ADVERTISEMENT
The promotion used two different activation temperatures for the
thermochromic inks based on whether the bottle was sold in the
refrigerator section or the ambient shelf. On the refrigerated bottles,
the blue thermochromic inks would clear out as the beverage was
consumed. When the product was pulled from the refrigerator at 8°C
(46°F), the inks were fully colored, hiding the message behind. On the
flip side, the bottles sold at room temperature utilized thermochromic
ink set to be fully colored at 29°C (84°F) and relied on the heat of the
consumers’ hands to clear and reveal the message.
Having the ability to set specific temperatures for the two retail
settings gave each Fanta fan the chance to participate in the promotion
regardless of how they bought the product.
“Fanta is about bringing more fun to people’s lives,” explains Delia
Maloney, flavours marketing manager, Coca-Cola South Pacific. “We were
excited that innovation of thermal inks allowed us to put our packs at
the heart of our ‘Unbottle the Fun’ campaign this summer. From fridge or
ambient, the thermal inks revealed different ‘Funstigator’ challenges
that invited our teen audience to add a little fun to their day-to-day.
“Also featured was the thermal ink ‘reveal’ of these challenges on
the packs in our TV commercial, which drove our consumers to download
the Funstigator app and continue to play with their friends. Interaction
was key for this campaign, and thermal inks made this possible on pack.
- See more at:
http://www.packworld.com/package-design/interactive-mobile-marketing/thermochromic-inks-help-launch-fanta%E2%80%99s-unbottle-fun#sthash.nn7WdWTP.dpuf
When you connect a brand with a celebrity, you make a calculated risk assessment,” says Con Williamson, chief creative officer at the advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi NY. In other words, PepsiCo (PEP) knew what it was getting into when it built its multimillion dollar advertising campaign around Lil Wayne. Last year, Mountain Dew announced a campaign aimed at young, urban kids in such cities as Los Angeles and New York. The soft drink has a history of promoting itself through indie and hip-hop music, and Lil Wayne was a natural fit—an edgy artist and ex-con with millions of fans. He would do things like show up at South by Southwest, rap a little, and then drink Mountain Dew and try to convince people to do the same. Lil Wayne was the big act. For a smaller, more niche campaign, the drink maker hired Tyler, the Creator to create a series of bizarre ads off his character Felicia the Goat. Tyler is that rare breed of genre-spanning artist whose Odd Future hip-hop collective has done everything from start its own record label to star in a sketchy comedy show on Adult Swim. The goofy, puppy-dog-faced rapper alternates between absurdism (he makes a lot of jokes about cheese) and some really creepy stuff. He once titled a love song after the acronym for “I F—— Hate You.” The Felicia the Goat character, around which Mountain Dew’s entire commercial is based, comes from a line in a song called Trashwang. In the song, Tyler threatens to kill someone’s grandmother and then changes his mind and muses that he might turn into “a goat named Felicia” instead. Funny? Yes. Unsettling? Definitely. Good for a national beverage brand? Your guess is as good as ours. Tyler provides further evidence that media audiences have splintered into smaller and smaller subgroups. Just like TV networks, advertisers have learned to cater their ads to fit each new demographic. The ad you might run on CBS (CBS), whose median prime-time viewer is now 58 years-old, is different from the one you’d place onYouTube (GOOG). “With smaller interest groups, you can now pick certain celebrities relevant to that market,” says Saatchi & Saatchi’s Williamson. Tyler recently launched his own creative agency called Camp Flog Gnaw with William Morris Endeavor to create attention-grabbing ads for companies hoping to reach younger viewers. “The mistake people make is when they think no one else but their targeted group will see it,” says Williamson. “It doesn’t work that way. You can create the most obscure ad and put it online somewhere and then wake up the next morning and Good Morning America is talking about it.” Tyler’s series of commercials for Mountain Dew is indeed weird. “I thought it would be funny if a goat, like, yelled and wanted some Mountain Dew,” Tylerexplained in an interview last month. The first ad was violent in a silly way, much like Monty Python’s Black Knight. “Mountain Dew Makes the Best Ad Ever,”Adweek proclaimed when it launched in March. Then the story line progressed: Felicia beats up a waitress, Felicia gets arrested for a Dew-U-I, Felicia threatens the now severely battered waitress with “snitches get stitches” when she tries to identify her attacker in a police line-up, causing her to have an emotional breakdown. Uproar ensued and Mountain Dew pulled the plug. But why? It saw the ad, it approved the ad, and it only backtracked when people started to complain. “I don’t think this is a misstep for Mountain Dew,” says Kevin Thomas, an assistant professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Texas, Austin. “They wanted to put on the veil of coolness, and getting in trouble just adds to that mystique.” In an interview with Billboard, Tyler, the Creator didn’t see anything wrong with the video. “There’s no type of hate being portrayed in that work of art at all,” he said of his commercial. “But this older black dude … I guess he found it racist because I was portraying stereotypes.” While Lil Wayne may be just another name in a long line of endorsement deals gone wrong, Tyler, the Creator’s pulled commercial reveals a much more nuanced problem for the advertising industry. How does a company market to a specific consumer group that values humor and edginess without alienating everyone else? That’s something Mountain Dew needs to figure out. Maybe they should talk to Old Milwaukee and Will Ferrell.
via http://adage.com
Coke's "Open for Summer" campaign will kick off next week with more
partners than ever. The brand has enlisted more than 200 partners, such
as Coppertone and iHeartRadio, as well as more than 110 customers like
AMC Theatres, McDonalds and Delta on board for the program, equivalent
to the number that participated in the brand's London Olympics effort.
The campaign is organized around six "passion points:" food, waves,
sports, travel, entertainment and outdoors. Coke was careful to secure
plenty of partners for each category, given that offers will be updated
monthly over the next four months.
"What's interesting about this summer is it's the first time in a while
where we've been able to truly own summer. It's not an Olympic year,
it's not [World Cup]," said Jennifer Healan, group director-integrated
marketing content.
Online, the brand is introducing its first interactive video as a way to
promote its numerous partners. Throughout the video icons, associated
with the campaign's six passion points jump out of the video. Clicking
on the icons takes consumers to another scene where an offer from one of
Coke's partners is available for redemption.
"We started with a brief, Coke equals summer and summer equals Coke, and
brought it to life through the power of our partnerships into a very
integrated program," said Andy McMillin, VP-Coca-Cola Trademark Brands.
"We're really excited about the depth of this program."
The campaign includes a TV spot, breaking next Wednesday during
"American Idol," out-of-home, radio, cinema, digital and experiential
components, as well as themed packaging. Wieden & Kennedy is Coke's agency.
The experiential component, in particular, will tie back to "The Ahh
Effect," a teen-focused digital campaign. "Swelter Stopper" pop-up
locations will include "Ahh" experiences related to that campaign, Ms.
Healan said. "[This campaign] is another point in that continuation of
2013 and our messaging," she said.
via http://adage.com/ Forget the days when you had just a handful of choices at the soda fountain.
Next week, PepsiCo will begin testing "Pepsi Touch Tower 1.0" as part of a series of new fountain rollouts, according to Beverage Digest.
The device packs a lot of punch in a small space. Touch Tower 1.0 is a small counter-top unit with a digital touch screen. Rather than the half a dozen or so picks consumers had in the past, this device will offer nearly 100 possible flavor combinations, including as many as eight PepsiCo brands. According to Beverage Digest, PepsiCo has been testing the unit overseas since last year, and the U.S. test will run in a Denver restaurant chain called Garbanzo Mediterranean Grills.
PepsiCo's promise to offer consumers so many different beverage possibilities shows how far fountain drinks have come. The concept started in Europe and offered only mineral water, and became popular in the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s. At their height, soda fountains were a fixture in train stations, pharmacies and ice cream parlors, and served as a community hub, a place to gather and share news.
"Innovation is critical to PepsiCo's long-term success, and it's no secret that we've been hard at work developing new fountain equipment," said Gina Anderson, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo. "This unit is the first prototype in a wide portfolio of equipment we're exploring that will offer our customers variety and flexibility while creating an engaging experience for consumers. We're continuing to evolve our equipment design and look forward to learning more during our pilot tests."
PepsiCo's move follows Coca-Cola's introduction of a Freestyle fountain machine in 2009 and is now available nationally. Theirs is a floor unit, but it similarly features a touch screen. Freestyle serves up 125 different flavors of soft drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks and lemonades and sends usage data, such as what flavors are most popular at what times of the day, to Coca-Cola
Lil Wayne lost an endorsement deal with Mountain Dew after Emmett Till’s family complained about a lyric he wrote.
For executives at Mountain Dew, that may have been the question of the day on Monday, as the brand looked to move beyond a public relations embarrassment that had led it to enda multi-million-dollar endorsement deal with the rapper Lil Wayne. The brand severed its ties because of pressure brought by the family of Emmett Till, the African-American teenager whose 1955 torture and murder in Mississippi for supposedly whistling at a white woman helped foment the civil rights movement.
The family took issue with vulgar lyrics referring to Till that were performed by Lil Wayne on a remix of “Karate Chop,” by the rapper Future. In an interview with the Web siteAllHipHop.com in April, the family said it would put pressure on the brand, which is part of the PepsiCo Americas Beverages division of PepsiCo, to drop the artist; Mountain Dew did so on Friday.
Sarah Cunningham, a publicist for Lil Wayne, attributed the split to what she called “creative differences” between the artist and the brand and described it as “an amicable parting.” A representative for Mountain Dew declined to answer specific questions about the Lil Wayne situation, but said in a statement: “We do not plan any additional work with Lil Wayne moving forward. His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand.”
Pressure on Lil Wayne began building in February when the Till family issued an open letter in which Airickca Gordon-Taylor, a family representative, wrote in a letter to him that “when you spit lyrics” like these, “not only are you destroying the preservation and legacy of Emmett Till’s memory and name, but the impact of his murder in black history along with degradation of women.”
Last week Lil Wayne, whose given name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., issued a letter to the Till family in which he acknowledged how his “contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family.” He continued, “As a father myself, I cannot imagine the pain that your family has had to endure.”
The family was not satisfied with that response and instead called for a meeting with executives at PepsiCo. At the same time, a publicist for the family said, they found an additional way to pressure Mountain Dew: to bring to public attention an offensive Mountain Dew video ad created by the hip-hop producer and rap artist known as Tyler, the Creator, that featured a battered white waitress, bandaged and on crutches, trying to identify her assailant from a lineup that included African-American men and a goat.
That ad prompted a flurry of media attention, and Mountain Dew pulled the ad on Wednesday. Two days later it severed its relationship with Lil Wayne.
Kimberly Wilson, a publicist for the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation, named for Emmett Till’s mother, said that the issue for the family was the lack of a timely response from Lil Wayne and the context in which Till’s name was used in the song. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been in touch with both executives of PepsiCo and the Till family, said he had scheduled a meeting with the two parties, which he will attend, in New York on Wednesday.
In a telephone interview Mr. Sharpton said he had also been in contact with Lil Wayne’s management. He described the issue as a “teaching moment” for both the brand and the artist.
“The fact is that a lot of these young artists do not understand these civil rights issues, do not understand history and what it is that people are offended by,” he said. “The corporations become insensitive because they are profit-driven and have no regard for what’s going on in our communities.”
Ms. Wilson said the foundation had received comments from people saying the family should, in fact, be “grateful to Lil Wayne for even saying his name.”
She added: “The one thing this issue definitely brought to light is that some people didn’t even know who Emmett Till was.”
Both the brand and the artist are to blame, Mr. Sharpton said. “The brand wants street cred, the artist gives them something that’s outrageous — and when the streets turn on them, the artist becomes expendable,” he said.
Steve Stoute, founder of Translation LLC, an ad agency that has worked with artists like Jay-Z and clients like Coca-Cola and Budweiser, said marketers needed to know what they were getting into before they made deals with celebrities.
“What’s really happening is, again and again we are looking at marketers who are just buying famous people,” he said, adding, “I don’t think Lil Wayne did anything that’s not Lil Wayne.”
It hasn't been a great year for soda makers. Accused of being one of the major causes of obesity, food nutritionists have all but declared war via campaigns that mocked the Coca-Cola bears and pleas to Beyonce to turn down a lucrative marketing deal with Pepsi. And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg almost succeeded in banning the sale of soft drinks over 16 ounces.
Trying to turn around soda's fat image, Coca-Cola used its 127th anniversary to promise to fight obesity by not advertising to children under 12 anywhere in the world (a commitment it already made in the U.S.) and offering low or no calorie beverage options in every market where it does business. The company also vowed to provide transparent nutrition information with calorie counts on all packages and support physical activity programs in all 200 countries where Coca-Cola is sold.
"Obesity is today's most challenging health issue, affecting nearly every family and community across the globe. It is a global societal problem which will take all of us working together and doing our part," said Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola's chairman and CEO. "We are committed to being part of the solution, working closely with partners from business, government and civil society."
To support the campaign, Coca-Cola launched a website, www.comingtogether.com, providing details of the global program and a 60-second version of its Coming Together video, a two minute video it released early this year.
The video urges people to "come together" to fight obesity and takes the opportunity to tout its low calorie products and "portion control versions" of its popular drinks.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest didn't think much of Coca-Cola's obesity pledges, putting out a steady stream of tweets calling the announcement "coke speak." "Coca-Cola is desperately trying to disassociate itself with obesity. Too bad the core product causes it," CSPI tweeted. The food group linked to its own version of the Coca-Cola Coming Together video and an infographic titled, "Sugar: too much of a sweet thing."
Coca-Cola Great Britain is looking to persuade the public to rediscover Sprite, as the drink brand reformulated to contain 30 per cent less sugar and calories.
Created by Ogilvy & Mather, the TVC featuring the drink is set to run from May until early June, and sees a group of friends transported from a desert to a pool after taking a drink of Sprite.
Zoe Howorth, marketing director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, said: “Our new advert playfully relaunches Sprite and its refreshed, reduced sugar formula by showing a lighter side of life. The summer-feel of the advert reflects the fact that the drink is now on the shelves in the UK and reflects Coca-Cola’s ongoing commitment to providing people with great tasting drinks, with fewer calories.”
As well as the 20 second TV ad, the campaign which is targeted at a young adult audience also includes digital promotional activity and sampling as part of a wider marketing campaign to drive trial and awareness.
I'll admit to not seeing the twist ending coming in this evocative new spot by BBH London for fruit-drink brand Robinsons. You could quibble with the end lines, perhaps—and here's why—but that's overthinking it. It's an extremely sweet ad, expertly shot by the directing duo of Si & Ad at Academy Films. The commercial breaks Saturday in the U.K. during Britain's Got Talent and will run in 30- and 60-second executions. Credits below.
Mountain Dew today bought Promoted Tweets to push its apology for the highly controversial Tyler, The Creator video on Twitter. In a story that was broken by Adweek, the PepsiCo brand pulled its "Felicia the Goat" :60 spot on Wednesday morning due to a slew of accusations that the ad was either racist, misogynist or both.
So was it smart marketing to amplify its Twitter apology with paid media? Or does thePromoted Tweet in people's news feeds seem cynical—as if forgiveness can be bought? We asked a small sample of marketing professionals to weigh in, and their takes varied.
"There may be no tangible [return-on-investment] from putting money behind it, but in this case what it does communicate is how seriously the company is taking the situation," said Sabrina Horn, CEO of public relations agency Horn (formerly Horn Group). "Mountain Dew clearly wants to make sure its audiences know they are sorry. The best thing anyone in a situation like this should do is admit fault immediately. The instances where companies hesitate to respond or don't admit fault are the ones we remember forever."
Jason Stein, president of social media agency Laundry Service, largely agreed but added some nuances to the discussion. "The only way this is a mistake is if the brand is apologizing for something they really shouldn't be," he said. "Putting ad dollars behind a Promoted Tweet apology is on the surface smart and savvy. It shows that the brand is owning up to their mistake, taking the blame and—literally—paying the price. Great brands use social media to humanize themselves and create relationships with consumers. Humans make mistakes, and respond well to public apologies.
Not everyone thinks it's a crafty play by PepsiCo marketers. Yuriy Boykiv, CEO of Gravity Media, disagrees with the tactic. But he alludes to an idea that at least a few business commentators have pointed to since the development went down—what if Mountain Dew wanted all the fuss to begin with and would like to see the hubbub continue?
Buying ads for the apology "is not a smart thing to do unless they are just asking for more publicity," Boykiv said. "Why in the world of the 24-hour news cycle would you want to bring more attention to the issue that caused so much stir in media—and also pay for it?"
The marketing exec said Mountain Dew's Twitter ads run in stark contrast to other recent ad-related fiascos, such as Hyundai and Ford. "[They] apologized and moved on," he said. "One would think that after rookie mistake 101, Mountain Dew is making a rookie mistake 102. But, I believe, it is just a trick to gain more publicity among young target audience rather than clean the act."
