What's Your Favorite Easter Brand?

Other than the religious services, what do you associate with Easter? There are egg hunts at the White House, egg decoration parties, chocolate, Easter baskets filled with all types of candy, plush bunnies, rabbit ears, and ham. But which brands stand out? Let's see if your top five match mine.

PEEPS
Founded in 1953, Peeps are marshmallows shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals and are used primarily to fill Easter baskets. Are you a fan?

CADBURY
Cadbury first aired what has become an iconic television commercial entitled, "Easter Bunny Tryouts" in 1994. A cat, lion, turtle, and other animals wear rabbit ears, but as the final scene reads, "Nobunny knows Easter better than Cadbury." Do you know how many animals appear in the ad?

Watch the ad here: https://youtu.be/MOR2mo7mePM.

TOOTSIE ROLL
Manufactured in the United States since 1907, Tootsie Roll is a chocolate-flavored, taffy-like candy similar to both caramel and taffy. Company founder Leo Hirshfield named the candy after his daughter Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie. For Easter, the brand offers a large selection of themed chocolates including its classic named for the holiday, Chocolatey Easter Midgees.

HONEYBAKED HAM
The HoneyBaked Ham Company is a food retailer which sells hams, turkey breasts, and other pre-cooked side dishes and desserts. According to the brand’s website, “In 1936, Harry J. Hoenselaar built a prototype of what was to become the first spiral-slicing machine, and by 1944, he filed his first patent. In 1957, Harry opened the first HoneyBaked Store in Detroit, Michigan, officially bringing together his patented spiral slicer with The Honey Baked Ham Company.” Do you eat ham on Easter Sunday?

M&M’s
M&M’s are well-known for their Super Bowl advertising, but during Easter, this timeless chocolate brand evolves into eggs. The M&M eggs come with a crunchy shell and milk chocolate filling, in bags ideal for sharing, but they’re only available in the milk chocolate flavor – not peanut, not peanut butter, etc. The taste is the same, “the chocolate melts in your mouth and not in your hands,” but the egg shape is different from the original circle.


How'd we do? Did you match my list or have different brands? Happy Easter!


Image credits: Peeps, Cadbury, Tootsie Roll, Honeybaked Ham, and M&M’s.

What’s Your Favorite Valentine’s Day Brand?

With the Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve/Day holidays over, the next holiday on the calendar is Valentine’s Day.

For some history about Valentine’s Day, check out this link from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day.

When you think of the holiday featuring Cupid and his arrow, there are countless brands that come to mind. Which brands are your faves? Here are five that symbolize the holiday.

KAY JEWELERS
With a tagline, “Every kiss begins with Kay,” this brand stands out. According to the brand’s website, the first storefront opened in 1916 in Reading, Pennsylvania. “Back then, customers could find eyeglasses, music boxes, silverware, appliances, and razors among the gifts of jewelry. A lot has changed since then, but thankfully, love lives on. Kay Jewelers, now part of Signet Jewelers in Akron, Ohio, has grown. As the number one jewelry store in America with more than 1,000 stores, Kay has had the honor of being a part of countless love stories from coast to coast.”

MATCH.COM
Dating has evolved due to the digital age. While there are numerous online dating sites ranging from religious sites to specific age sites to hobby sites, this Dallas-headquartered brand launched in 1995. According to its website, “Match.com services 24 countries and territories and hosts websites in 15 languages…We give singles the opportunity to express themselves through various free writing sections. Profiles may include up to 26 photos, as well as selected preferences regarding the person they're searching for. With the click of a mouse, members can instantly see photos and read about potential matches in their area.”

For an interesting look at online dating statistics, check out this research by Chadwick Martin Bailey:
http://cp.match.com/cppp/media/CMB_Study.pdf.

TIFFANY & CO
Tiffany & Company has long been synonymous with diamond engagement rings that come in little blue boxes. But during February, little blue boxes may be considered by some to be better gifts than chocolate heart boxes.

HERSHEY’S KISSES
According to Wikipedia, “The Hershey Kisses were first introduced in 1907. At first, the Hershey Kisses were wrapped by hand, but in 1921, a machine was made so that the Kisses would be wrapped automatically. Brothers Walter, Howard, and Raymond Phillippy made improvements, such as, devices to reject misshapen Kisses and position unwrapped candies upright. This is also when the plume was added. In 1924, Milton S. Hershey received a registered trademark for the plume.…Kisses are one of the most popular brands of candy in the United States. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular chocolate brand in the United States, spawning sales that topped $400 million. More than 60 million Hershey's Kisses chocolates are produced each day at the company's two factories.”

Click to see the extensive list of variations of Hershey’s Kisses in the United States, Canada, and internationally – as well as the “limited time only” varieties:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershey%27s_Kisses.

HALLMARK
Do you send greeting cards via snail mail? Well, believe it or not, some people still do, and the most well-known brand for greeting cards is this brand founded by a teenager in 1910 with headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to Hallmark’s website, here are some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day (https://corporate.hallmark.com/holidays-occasions/valentines-day/):
* Hallmark first offered Valentine’s Day cards in 1913 and began producing them in 1916.
* In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France Australia, Denmark, and Italy.
* Approximately 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged industry-wide (not including packaged kids’ valentines for classroom exchanges), making Valentine’s Day the second-largest holiday for giving greetings cards.
* According to the National Retail Federation, the average person celebrating Valentine’s Day spent $143 in 2018.

What are your favorite Valentine’s Day brands?


Image Credit: Kay Jewelers, Match.com, Tiffany & Company, Hershey’s, and Hallmark.

What’s Your Favorite Thanksgiving Brand?

When you think of Thanksgiving, there are many brands that come to mind from the foods we eat to the activities before and after the large meal. But what brands are your favorites? Here are five of mine.

MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE
Whether you live in New York City or anywhere else, there is a particular parade that, since 1924, has become a family ritual to watch in person or on television. The three-hour parade is held from 9am to 12noon Eastern time on Thanksgiving Day, and it has been televised nationally on NBC since 1952. A unique aspect of working at Macy’s is that Macy’s employees have the option of marching in the parade. Would you march? (There is a website dedicated to the parade at https://www.macys.com/social/parade.)
 
BUTTERBALL TURKEY
Have you ever tried to cook a 15-pound or 25-pound turkey and run into trouble? Have no fear, if the turkey is a Butterball. This brand has a help center called the Turkey Talk Line. This help center began in 1981 when six home economists worked the phones that holiday season to answer 11,000 turkey-cooking questions. Since then, the Turkey Talk Line has grown in both the number of calls answered and the number of experts who respond. The Turkey Talk Line is open November and December each year and is staffed with 50 experts who answer more than 100,000 questions, for thousands of households in the United States and Canada. And in today’s social era, cooks can connect with the Turkey Talk Line via social media, live chat, texting, and even Amazon Alexa.

BEST BUY
One of the most-well known technology stores has become synonymous with Thanksgiving due to its array of deals. Many people choose to miss their Thanksgiving meal in order to line up to be first in line (or second or third) to enter the store. Best Buy opens its doors at 5pm on Thanksgiving Day to accommodate shoppers who want to get a great deal on a big screen TV or other tech gadgets at ridiculously low prices.

FOOD NETWORK
Some people test their cooking skills during Thanksgiving meal preparations. This is why the Food Network comes in handy. Many shows feature specific Thanksgiving recipes, and many chefs who have their own programs focus on the annual holiday. Here’s just one example from the myriad of Thanksgiving promotions on the channel’s website:

“Is the thought of cooking Thanksgiving dinner stressing you out? Don’t worry. Food Network is here to help! The cast of #TheKitchen including Sunny Anderson, Alex Guarnaschelli, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian, will be joined by special guest Alton Brown to answer your cooking questions LIVE in a totally-interactive #ThanksgivingLive TV special! Tune in on Saturday, November 23, from 11 am-1 pm EST and get ready for expert advice, time-saving tips, and our favorite tried-and-tested Thanksgiving recipes!”

RECREATION EQUIPMENT INC. (REI)
According to REI’s website, “For the fifth time this Black Friday, REI Co-op will close all its stores, process no online payments, and pay all 13,000 employees to #OptOutside with friends and family. But this year, under the leadership of a new CEO and facing a global environmental crisis, the co-op is going a step further: asking its 13,000 employees and 18 million members to join in the fight for life outdoors – and life on this planet. The co-op is asking members and employees to “opt to act” – joining a nationwide clean-up effort this November, leaving the outdoors better than they found it when they #OptOutside on Black Friday and signing up for an employee-sourced, 52-week action plan to take small steps throughout the year to reduce their environmental footprint.”

What brands stand out to you on Thanksgiving? Or, are you too tired from your turkey meal to pay attention to advertising?


Image Credit: Macy’s.

A Review of the #Ads from #SuperBowl51

Super Bowl 51 may easily go into the history books as the best in history with its overtime surprise win, but if you live and breathe marketing and branding, the ads are the day’s focus. With a staggering cost of $5 million for 30 incredibly short seconds, is it possible for a brand to tell its story effectively and memorably? Were there any ads that rivaled Apple’s 1984 ad or Oreo’s Tweet during the 2013 power outage? Bottom line, can YOU recall any of the ads?

According to Landor Associates, "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?”

During the game, Jim Joseph of Cohn and Wolfe in New York hosted the #SuperBowlExp party on Twitter (minus chips and guacamole). Although it's always fun to see what fellow branding and marketing folks say about the ads in real time, there are a couple of challenges. First, some ads run in regional or local markets, so there were some instances that Tweets referenced ads I didn’t see. Second, there are so many hashtags that draw attention to the ads that it’s sometimes a challenge to keep up. In addition to Jim’s party, there were these hashtags that I followed: #BrandBowl, #AdBowl, #SuperBowlAds, and #whartonfoa.

For a complete recap of my Tweets during the #SuperBowlExp chat party, visit my Storify link:
https://storify.com/DebbieLaskeyMBA/superbowl-51-ad-review

This year, many brands and brand icons were noticeably absent. There were no Oreos, M&Ms, polar bears wearing scarves featuring the colors of the competing teams, or the entire group of Clydesdales with their pal, the adorable Dalmatian. This year, politics was in the air. According to New York Senator Chuck Schumer, “Great Super Bowl ads this year. Shows the country moving the right direction, pro-women, pro-environment, pro-immigrant, pro-diversity.” Without further ado, here were my five favorite ads:

AUDI – A father and daughter were featured with the theme of #EqualPayForEqualWork and #DriveProgress. While some viewers complained about the ad afterward by stating that the company has an all-white male Board of Directors, the critical issue is that equal pay for equal work must be implemented before women will earn a place in the C-Suite and Board room.

BUDWEISER – During a national and international time of immigration crisis, this ad pushed the envelope. Adolphus Busch came to America in 1857, and during his lifetime built an enduring brand, the King of Beers. America represents open doors and opportunity around the world – and always will. Most of us are hail from immigrants – something we must remember. Allegedly this ad was created quite some time ago, but in the current economic climate, the irony was not lost on anyone.

AIRBNB – In an uncertain and troubling political climate full of protests, demonstrations, and political disagreements, AirBnB presented an ad with a powerful and uplifting statement that, no matter where you live, who you love, or what you believe in, the answer is #WeAccept.

KIA – Comedienne Melissa McCarthy appeared as an Eco Warrior tasked with saving the planet. She saved trees, whales, rhinos, and icebergs while simultaneously introducing the new Kia Niro vehicle. Her hashtag was #SmarterWay, and her humor was contagious.

TIFFANY AND CO – This ad featured half-time entertainer Lady Gaga as she talked about being a rebel, being true to herself, determining her own direction, and creating change. Tiffany jewelry has been a timeless brand, always unique – and representative of Gaga’s themes. Created in black and white and without any color, this ad was a good representation of rebellion combined with beauty.

To answer Landor Associates’ questions, these five ads were totally on brand – true to their core brand promises. I will remember the ads, and, all were incredibly timely – just recall Senator Schumer’s comments.

If you’d like to see some stats about how the ads rated, here are some links:

USA AdMeter:
http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2017

Kellogg School’s Super Bowl Advertising Review:
http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news-events/super-bowl/results.aspx
 
AdWeek Tracker and Roster of All Ads:
http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/super-bowl-ad-tracker-all-about-2017s-commercials-175124/

Don’t forget to check out Jim Joseph’s post on Huffington Post:
http://linkis.com/huffingtonpost.com/XHBJj

If you need a Budweiser Clydesdale fix, here’s a link to their party via the #ClydesdaleCam on Periscope:
https://www.periscope.tv/Budweiser/1BRJjEzAvABGw

And lastly, this ending appeared in my post last year, but it’s just as appropriate this year. Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at the London School of Marketing, said the game will have been watched in half of US households. "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip, but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment and therefore more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

So, are you counting the days to Super Bowl 52? Will that mean a trip to freezing cold Minnesota or simply tuning in to watch and critique the ads?

Today's post-Super Bowl game Instagram share.

Image Credit: Thanks to Tom Fishburne for use of his cartoon at the top of this post. Tom is the Founder and CEO of Marketoon Studios, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons. Check out his work at www.marketoonist.com.

A Review of the #Ads from #SuperBowl50

There is no dispute that the annual Super Bowl football game is one of the most-watched TV events around the world. But for those of us who live and breathe all things marketing and branding, the final football showdown of the season provides a different focus. 

The incredibly high-priced ads that grace the TV screen during the game have become known as the Brand Bowl, and since I watched the game with my smartphone for the ad discussion in real time on Twitter, it's time to determine if the millions of dollars spent on the ads achieved the desired brand recognition.

"Advertisers covet the Super Bowl because of the size of its audience — the biggest on television, by far. 2015’s game drew 112.2 million viewers, making it the most watched show in U.S. TV history," explained John Ourand, staff writer for Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily.

Were any of the ads as memorable as Apple's from 1984? Were any of the Tweets as memorable as Oreo's power outage Tweet from 2013? Can you recall any of the ads? What was your favorite, and which ads fell short?

According to Wikipedia, "CBS set the base rate for a 30-second advertisement at $5,000,000, a record high price for a Super Bowl ad (the price represents an 11 percent increase over the base price that NBC charged for Super Bowl XLIX last year of $4.5 million). This will be the final year in a multi-year contract with Anheuser-Busch InBev that allows the beer manufacturer to air multiple advertisements during the game at a steep discount. It is also the final year that Doritos, a longtime sponsor of the game, will hold its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest that allowed viewers to create their own Doritos ads for a chance to have it aired during the game. The Pokémon Company will be airing an ad for the first time as a way to celebrate their 20th anniversary. QuickBooks is sponsoring a "Small Business Big Game" contest, in which one of ten small businesses from various parts of the United States will have a 30-second commercial aired free of charge courtesy of QuickBooks."

"The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has vowed to be "the most giving Super Bowl ever," and will dedicate 25 percent of all money it raises for philanthropic causes in the Bay Area. The committee created the 50 fund as its philanthropic initiative and focuses on providing grants to aid with youth development, community investment and sustainable environments."

According to Landor Associates, "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?”

During the game, I participated in a TweetChat hosted by Jim Joseph of Cohn and Wolfe using #SuperBowlExp, and although it's always fun to see what fellow marketing folks are saying about the ads in real time, there are a couple of challenges. First, some ads run in regional or local markets, so there were several instances that Tweets referenced ads that not only hadn't I seen during the same commercial breaks, but I didn't see some ads at all. Second, there are so many hashtags that draw attention to the same thing, the ads, that sometimes, it's hard to keep up. There was #SuperBowlExp, #SuperBowlAds, #BrandBowl, #SuperBowl, and many more.

Sadly, this year, there were no Oreos, M&Ms, polar bears wearing scarves featuring the colors of the competing teams, or the entire group of Clydesdales with their pal, the Dalmatian, so while I was missing those brands or brand icons, here were my favorite ads:

Audi’s ad entitled, “The Commander,” honored David Bowie’s musical legacy and featured a memorable tagline that “Choosing the moon brings out the best of us.” According to Audi, “The legacy of the first moon landing lives on at Audi. The same spirit of discovery drives us to dream, innovate, and explore, from creating a car that goes 205 mph to building a lunar rover. It’s why we're constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.” As a previous Audi owner, I’m ready to get into an Audi driver’s seat again.

My second favorite ad was Subaru’s ad entitled, “Puppy.” A dog parent was driving around the neighborhood to keep his puppy asleep in the back seat, and when he parked in his driveway and turned off the car's engine, the puppy immediately woke up and started barking. This situation was easily identifiable for parents, but the ad was even more convincing with its final message: Dog Approved.

Two ads tied for my third favorite: Budweiser’s #GiveADamn ad featuring British actress Helen Mirren and the NFL’s #NoMore ad to speak up, become educated about, and end domestic violence. Mirren was seated in a restaurant, and told viewers to not drink and drive. The NFL’s ad featured two friends texting, and one friend stopped suddenly. Hopefully, viewers watched both while sober and paid attention. With such a large audience on Super Bowl Sunday, I believe that serious issues should be addressed by advertisers.

Learn what the Joyful Heart Foundation (@TheJHF on Twitter) had to say about the NFL’s ad:
http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/blog/new-super-bowl-ad-premieres-about-friend-who-may-need-help-know-when-know-how.

One of Doritos ads featured a group of dogs who desperately wanted to enter a grocery store to purchase some Doritos. Despite many unsuccessful attempts, they devised a clever disguise to fool the store employees and walk away with their purchase. You just had to laugh at this ad.

While the product was not as memorable as the actor featured in the ad, LG’s use of Liam Neeson in a role similar to his “Taken” film role was spot on. His cadence and some of his comments were reminiscent of the film series of the same name.

To answer Landor Associates’ questions, Audi’s and Subaru’s ads were on-brand (driving excitement for Audi and family fun with dogs for Subaru); I vividly recalled the ads the day after viewing them, and the ads speak to the times (people want excitement in their cars even if they’re stuck in freeway traffic, and people also want cars that their entire family – two-legged and four-legged – can be comfortable in).

None of this year’s ads stood out like the following ads from the past: Apple’s 1984 ad; the surprise featuring Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Oprah; the young boy dressed as Darth Vader for Volkswagen; Budweiser’s talking frogs; Budweiser’s Clydesdales bowing down to New York after September 11; and Chrysler’s launch of its “Imported from Detroit” campaign.

And now, I’d like to hand over the virtual microphone to Jenn Herman. Jenn provided a social media tip for one of my blog posts back in December, and now she’s sharing her thoughts about the Super Bowl ads. Jenn is a social media consultant, speaker, and globally recognized Instagram expert. She is the forefront blogger on Instagram marketing and her blog, Jenn’s Trends, has won the title of a “Top 10 Social Media Blog” in 2014 and 2015. Through her blog, consulting, and speaking, she provides tips, resources, and training for small to medium sized businesses that need to structure their social media strategies. Her business background includes Administration, Sales, Human Resources, and Marketing, and she enjoys bringing these skills together to help grow businesses. Visit Jenn’s website at www.jennstrends.com and connect on Twitter and Instagram at @jenns_trends.

My favorite commercial from the Super Bowl this year was the Doritos spot with the baby on the ultrasound. It was funny, entertaining, and downright lol-worthy. Not to mention, I craved Doritos nacho cheese chips the whole time I was pregnant, so I might be a little biased! But I honestly loved every aspect of the commercial and I always enjoy the Doritos commercials as they really take the competition aspect of Super Bowl seriously. Now, I know a lot of people got all upset about this one, and to each his own, but I found it funny and entertaining. I don't see the need to take it too literally.

Second on my list is the Mini #DefyLabels spot. Even though it wasn’t a funny or innovative commercial, it was timely and relevant to the trending topic of rhetoric these days, and I thought it did well to dispel those labels. It felt empowering and supportive, and that resonated with me. It also showcased the car well, and in all reality, that’s still the point. With the right marketing message, Mini could do well with this new campaign.

I’ll admit that my third choice didn’t start out that way. The Prius commercial began with the bank robbery suspects evading police. It seemed awkward and drawn out. But as it continued and really played on the advantages of the Prius, it got pretty entertaining. The real winner came in the follow-up spots that took the story that much further as the police get involved with their own Prius. I loved the way this played into trends, behaviors, and marketing all together.

The Hyundai Genesis commercial featuring Kevin Hart started the day off strong and was definitely one of my favorites. It had a slightly Bad Boy (when Martin Lawrence’s daughter goes on a date) theme to the content but I liked that. It was quirky, funny, and sold the features of the car in a way that made you feel like you couldn’t live without them, even though you totally could.

Finally, and apparently against what many have to say, one of my favorites was the Audi R8 Commander spot. I found it endearing and it gave me goosebumps. Not to mention, the car was gorgeous! So, yeah, those who found it insensitive, unrealistic, or ridiculous to compare the car with a space shuttle, it’s a commercial – calm down.

Of course, there were plenty of other good ones. Overall, it was a “good” representation of ads. But there really weren’t that many knock-it-out-of-the-park winners for me. On the other hand, there were some serious WTF commercials! Chronic constipation, digestive issues, and toe nail fungus all took the top honors for cringe-worthy spots. Why do they insist on torturing us? And, finally, the whole #PuppyMonkeyBaby...don't even get me started on this ridiculousness! If this represents the product you’re pushing Mountain Dew, you quite effectively convinced me never to touch that toxic concoction!

A big thanks to Jenn for sharing her thoughts with me and appearing here on my blog. And if you’d like to see how the top 50 ads rated, here’s the link: http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2016.

PR Week reported that brand tracking companies differed over who “won” the PR battle during last night's Super Bowl, but all pointed to Doritos, Hyundai, and Budweiser being among the best at engaging the public and social media users. Brandwatch tracked social media brand mentions during the game’s four-hours and crowned Doritos the winner with 89,000 mentions, followed by Pepsi with 38,000 mentions. Pokemon, Mountain Dew and Budweiser made up the rest of its top five.

Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at London School of Marketing, said the game will have been watched in half of US households. "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip, but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment and therefore more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

Image Credit: Thanks to Tom Fishburne for use of his cartoon with this post. Tom is the Founder and CEO of Marketoon Studios, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons. Check out his work at http://tomfishburne.com.

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A quick wave to Julia Carcamo, who attended Mardi Gras this year. Julia and I collaborated in 2012, 2013, and 2014, to discuss the Super Bowl ads, and here are the links to previous posts:

Julia’s post from 2015 – I was sidelined:
https://juliacarcamo.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/advertising-on-the-biggest-entertainment-stage
 
Joint Post on February 3, 2014:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-game-ended-early-but-super-bowl-ads.html

Joint Post on February 4, 2013:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-ads-take-center-stage-post-game.html
 
Joint post on February 6, 2012:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2012/02/which-of-super-bowl-ads-do-you-remember.html