Making the World an Awesome Place, 12 ounces at a Time

Sunkist launched a brand repositioning campaign this week geared toward trend savvy teens and young adults. Understanding that this target group needs to be engaged at multiple touchpoints, Sunkist built an interactive website with videos (created by both Sunkist and consumers), free downloads, webisodes and a fun forecast map. The "Awesome Team" is also traveling to country promoting the new positioning and spreading the awesomeness. 

How successful this campaign will be largely depends on the ability of Sunkist to completely own "awesome". Can an orange flavored can of carbonated sweetness really stack up to the definition? Is Sunkist really the only awesome soda out there? 

--Stacy Cohen

From the freezer to Facebook: Klondike’s new marketing strategy

Last week, Facebook developers unveiled their new Application Directory--the latest of a string of new organizational developments. The directory centralizes all of Facebook’s “apps,” noting those that have been approved by the site. This means consumers can expect a more user-friendly Facebook, but can the upgrade also be marketer-friendly? 

Unilever should hope so. The company’s Klondike brand recently introduced a new line of ice cream bars that boast 25 percent more coating, and according to a recent Brand Week article, interactive media will play a large role in marketing the product. Current plans include a Facebook app (to be released next month) that allows users to test the thickness of their friends’ “shells” through tough questions. 

The use of social networking sites like Facebook isn’t new to the marketing world. Although success has yet to be proven, Facebook’s step toward organization looks promising for brands like Klondike, which before risked being lost among a slew of other applications. Now, with new categories that include a Business & Finance section, Facebook seems to be opening itself to more marketing possibilities. In addition to the “fan page,” many brands may pursue applications as a new form of interactive marketing. 

The centralization of Facebook’s apps could allow for a more organized marketing platform, but time will only tell whether Klondike’s campaign--which also includes a new, interactive web site--will benefit the sales of its new line. Unilever’s reliance on interactive media and social networking sites makes consumers responsible for marketing the brand through their interactions with each other. This multi-level communication may prove helpful for Klondike’s sales--word of mouth is a powerful tool indeed--but it may mean a slow start for the ice cream brand. 

How do you think the new Application Directory will affect brands like Klondike? Is this new format useful for businesses, or will the Facebook marketing well run dry? 

--Guest Contributor: Megan Baker, Medill Undergraduate Student

Worth your wit? Zing it!

Miracle Whip has been adding a little zip to people’s lives since 1933 when it was introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair. In recent years the zesty condiment hasn’t had a strong following from young consumers. To capture the 18 to 35-year-old segment Miracle Whip created its “We are Miracle Whip and we will not tone it down” campaign. 

Miracle Whip recently launched a branded social application as part of its bold, new campaign. The spunky app is aptly named Zingr and allows users to zing almost anything on the web. Zing notices are automatically posted to Facebook and Twitter with a link to the zinged page so all your friends can view your witty remarks. 

Will Zingr be a success? The Zingr application fits with the current messaging and shows consumers that Miracle Whip is a modern brand. With Zingr, Miracle Whip is meeting consumers where they are and offering them a value-add application. Zingr’s blend of fun, interaction, and uniqueness with a touch of sarcasm is likely to appeal to the target audience. The Facebook fan page already has over 400 fans and Zingr was featured in Ad Week. Zingr has yet to be covered by Mashable, but that may be a good thing due to the Mashable Effect (Mashable mentions your site and Mashable’s numerous and eager fans all flock to the site at the same time. This overloads the site causing it to crash or load very slowly). 

However, there are a few barriers to success. Zingr requires a download and only works in Firefox. Miracle Whip decided to launch a beta version, but made it accessible to everyone instead of just a few special testers. Users have already posted issues to the fan page. Currently, one of the main issues is that it’s not working on Macs. Experiencing errors and having to read long posts about how to use what should be a simple application could turn users off and halt the hype before it really takes off. 

Miracle Whip definitely has the first mover advantage with the launch of Zingr. However, do they have the right balance of ‘speed to market’ vs. ‘perfected product’? Let us know your thoughts and tell us about your experience with Zingr by leaving a comment below. 

--Marina Molenda

And They’re Off….and on Oprah

This week was a pretty busy marketing week for Yum! Brands, the umbrella company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s and A&W All-American Foods.  Just with two very key media placements, the Kentucky Derby and The Oprah Winfrey Show, Yum! was seen by approximately 20+ million Americans* – and that’s just through live television!   

However, that figure doesn’t take into account millions of additional consumer touchpoints:  the thousands of spectators at Churchill Downs surrounded by Yum!’s red speak bubble logo on signage and the numbered blankets each horse was wearing, and the 2,000 coupons for Kentucky Grilled Chicken downloaded from Oprah.com each minute since the announcement.  Even Twitter lists the KFC promotion as the third most tweeted topic as of this past Wednesday. 

However, Yum!’s high profile sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby and its Kentucky Grilled Chicken promotion on Oprah may have some scratching their heads.  First, many consumers may not have been aware that Yum! owns KFC, and for those who did, they may be questioning Yum!’s strategy: Why sponsor “the two greatest minutes in sports”?  Why promote on Oprah?  What are they selling?  Who’s their target? 

Jonathan Blum, senior vice president and chief public affairs office for Yum! Brands, told vitaminIMC that both campaigns make sense and “the introduction [of Kentucky Grilled Chicken] wasn’t timed to coincide with the Derby – that was a coincidence.”   

Nowadays, any product featured on Oprah is going to get great traction.  As Blum said, “[the Kentucky Grilled Chicken promotion] was a homerun!”   Plus, Yum! has been sponsoring the Kentucky Derby since 2006 and uses the event to “reach high-net-worth individual investors” at a price that costs less than half the price of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial. Yum! also uses the Kentucky Derby as a corporate event to entertain franchisees, investors and hardworking general managers right in its own Louisville, KY backyard. 

But, while Yum!’s goal is to sell as many drumsticks, personal pan pizzas and chalupas as they can, this week should make large multinational and multidivisional corporations wonder if they could have done more with opportunities such as these.  Sure, Yum! couldn’t ask for anything more by getting Oprah to promote one of their products.  But, should a company like Yum! look into how they communicate across divisions and see if leveraging its assets can sell more product and strengthen the overall brand?   

--Lauren McCabe 

*Note: Total audience measurement compiled from Nielsen’s estimates of 14 million viewers of the live broadcast of the 2009 Kentucky Derby on NBC and the average 6 million viewer The Oprah Winfrey Show receives each week with Live + SD ratings measurement.

Coffee Wars Development: Battle of the Blitz

McDonald's launched a marketing blitz today aimed at taking market share away from Starbucks through its line of McCafe drinks. The multi-channel campaign features TV and print spots with online components of a microsite and Twitter feed.  

Starbucks prepared for this battle by rolling out full page ads in this past Sunday's New York Times. The ads aim to reinforce the premium quality of Starbucks coffee and move consumer perceptions away from coffee as a commodity.

Price is McDonald's weapon which will be hard for Starbucks to overcome. They can really only hope that haven't permanently damaged their brand by introducing Via instant coffee in weak attempt to get down to their competitors levels - earnings tumbled 77% in the fiscal second quarter. This move might have proven to be its Achilles heel - McDonald's is entering the battle just as its opponent is slightly wounded.

Do you think the McBlitz will work? Will McDonald's emerge as the winner of this battle? Is Starbucks' brand tainted too much to ever regain market dominance?

--Stacy Cohen

Mickey Mouse Adds English Teacher To His Resume

It appears Mickey Mouse has a new job in China – teaching English to Chinese children in Shanghai at schools owned by Walt Disney Co. The company says the initiative is primarily about teaching language skills to children, not a marketing push or about extending its brand in the worlds’ most populous nation, but what do you think? 

According to a recent Walls Street Journal article, a child enrolled at one of the Disney schools in China will encounter a Mickey Mouse sculpture in the foyer, receive diction lessons with Lilo and Stich, take classes in rooms named after Disney movies, complete exercises introducing Disney books, TV shows and movies, and receive magic tokens as reward gifts that can be exchanged for Disney products which are available at the store on site.  

Given Disney’s current presence in China, which is limited by the Chinese government’s constraints on foreign media; the Disney English schools seem like an innovative way for the company to expand the global reach of its brand while also entering the booming niche industry of English language instruction. From an IMC perspective, clearly Disney discovered a consumer need that the company is fulfilling in a relevant, original and impactful manner. Let’s just hope these kids don’t develop Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck accents!  

So weigh in below - do you think Disney is overstepping the line or being innovative in China?

--Guest Contributor: Divya Chopra, IMC Graduate Student

General Mills' Innovating Marketing

Many CPG organizations are still set in their old marketing ways. IMC is not always a mentality or common practice. One CPG that is paving the way with innovation in marketing is General Mills. Just yesterday, Mashable and AdWeek talked about how General Mills is getting the word out through MyBlogSpark - a network of bloggers (many of them mommy bloggers) who get access to new General Mills products and review them on their blogs.

In our Marketing Mix class, we got an insider perspective on how General Mills continues to innovate and expand their marketing efforts to meet consumer needs. Our class was also tasked with three projects: extending CRM to social media, online coupon yield management, and email subject and content optimization. The results and recommendations will be presented in June. VitaminIMC had a chance to sit down and chat with out guest speaker, IMC alum Geoff Johnson ('97), Director of Household Marketing at General Mills. Here are his thoughts.

Incorporating IMC at General Mills
It's easy to fall into the trap of 'what we want to do to the consumer' instead of focusing on the benefits to them. Understanding IMC helps maintain that consumer focus. From my degree I learned the importance of data and analysis. For example, the first time I encountered decile analysis was as a student at Medill. By using that tool to analyze the entire General Mills portfolio, I was able to uncover valuable insights.

Effect of the recession on marketing efforts at General Mills
Everyone has to eat, and the recession has forced people back into the home (instead of eating out). But consumers are still hurting. We're focusing on the value of our products for consumers by providing solutions such as helping to plan for leftovers, coupons, and turning meals into family time.

The post-recession marketer
You need to focus on goals and what works. It's also important to have break through ideas that differentiate you and connect with the consumer in a compelling way. There will probably be hyper competition post-recession and those that have their game on now will be able to create a long term advantage.

Advice for new IMC graduates
Be curious and don't be afraid to ask questions. Share your ideas and don't be part of the status quo. The people that are able to do this are the most successful in an organization.

-- Marina Molenda and Stacy Cohen

The Art of Twisiness

It seems like everyone is on the Twitter band wagon, and businesses are scrambling to find a successful way of promoting themselves on this new social media platform. But as businesses enter the Twittersphere, they need to realize that customers don’t want to be bombarded with its messages. Businesses must use Twitter wisely and communicate with its customers in a way that addresses their needs—the art of Twisiness (a.k.a business-twittering to customers). 

Check out how the Albion Cafe in London has perfected this art. The bakery installed a system called BakerTweet to tell the world that something hot and fresh is out of the oven. With a simple turn of a dial and a button pressed, all of the bakery’s followers get a Twitter alert. 

Everyone knows that bread, rolls, muffins and cookies are better when they are hot, and customers want to know when they are out of the oven. Additionally, a bakery has a limited time span to notify its customers. Using Twitter is the perfect solution because it addresses the needs of its customers and is relevant to the bakery's business model. 

Do you have examples of other businesses using Twitter in interesting ways? Leave a comment below or send a tweet to @VitaminIMC!

-- Guest Contributor: Elizabeth J. Wortley, IMC Graduate Student

Earth Day Buzz

It’s Earth Day and everyone from NBC to Google is going green. Some companies are even taking this opportunity to educate consumers and promote awareness of Earth-friendly initiatives.

One example is the ‘Haagen-Dazs Loves Honey Bees’ campaign. The interactive site has information on the bee crisis and how this crisis will effect consumers' favorite foods (such as Haagen-Dazs ice cream). Visitors can help spread the buzz by creating a bee to send to family and friends. Haagen-Dazs has a sister-site for college consumers. Yesterday, on campuses across the country, the company gave out free ice cream and buttons to promote awareness, drive students to the campusbuzz Web site, and hopefully pollinate the Web with dancing bee videos.

Haagen-Dazs has also involved other companies. Anthropologie's initiative brings the message to where the consumers are. The company has an interactive learning tool on its homepage. The tool provides bee facts, links to resources, and a link to the Haagen-Dazs bee site. The bee awareness initiative extends to the in-store experience with bee awareness facts and displays incorporated into each store and photos of the displays accessible on Flicker.

Do you have a favorite Earth Day or green campaign? If so, please share by adding a comment!

--Marina Molenda

Yum! Visits IMC

Did you know that on one street corner in Shanghai, China, there are four Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants? Were you aware that in a country with India’s population (approximately one billion people), there are only 300 Pizza Hut restaurants? Jonathan Blum, senior vice president and chief public affairs office for Yum! Brands Inc., shared these interesting facts and more with Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) students at a Professional Speaker Series event in the Medill IMC program.  

Blum explained the history of Yum! Brands Inc. and how the company spun off from PepsiCo in 1997 with the brands Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants. Students learned of the incredible growth of the company, especially with its current international expansion to approximately 112 countries including Russia, China, Vietnam, Brazil and India. Blum also spoke of IMC tactics his company is executing to both domestic and international consumers during these tough economic times. For example, recent Kentucky Fried Chicken ads emphasized the value of the KFC products, a concept that is particularly important to consumers who are watching their wallets. Additionally, Blum emphasized the importance of conducting thorough market research in arriving at consumer insights and understanding purchase behavior. It is through these market research processes that Taco Bell decided to create its Fresco line, to appeal to the health conscious consumer through its low fat, fresh products.  

Prior to joining Yum! Brands Inc., Blum worked in the White House during President Jimmy Carter’s administration. He obtained his law degree and worked in an advertising agency, but never felt like he ‘found his niche’ until he joined Yum! Brands Inc., which he claims is “fun and slightly left of center.” Yum! recently posted a twinternship position for Pizza Hut that will focus on new and emerging social media. 

About his job, Blum says, “I love that I get to roll up my sleeves and do what I love every day.” Blum’s passion for his work, his ability to adapt with the times, and keeping the consumer at the core of all activities serves as a reminder to us all of the importance of creating a customer centric marketing approach grounded in thorough research.

--Guest Contributor: Divya Chopra, IMC Graduate Student