Hispanics didn’t have a ball with this ad
Volkswagen made news in March after its use of a well-known slang term got it into trouble. A billboard ad for its GTI model targeting the Hispanic market used the word cojones, which, literally translated, means testicles.
The ad showed a photo of the car with the words “Turbo-Cojones.” VW was attempting to use the word colloquially to mean bold and daring, but the effort backfired, especially among Cuban-Americans in Miami. “In English, Turbo-Balls might not sound so offensive,” said Luis Perez Tolon, an instructor at Miami-Dade College who supervises a writing program for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. “But in the Spanish-speaking community, it will always have a vulgar connotation.”
The billboards were taken down in Miami and other cities after the complaints poured in.
VW’s intent was to pitch the sporty, fast car to young, bilingual Hispanics whose first language is English but who retain ties to their Latino heritage. “We wanted something that broke out of the mold and carried the connotation of being strong and gutsy,” said Daniel Marrero, creative director for the Miami-based ad agency that created the ad. “This is a word adapted in the American vernacular. We never thought it would be an issue.”
Take two for Hershey’s Take 5
In a March 10 AdAge.com article, writer Stephanie Thompson detailed how Hershey Corp. is largely bypassing TV in relaunching its Take 5 candy bar. Unlike the brand’s 2005 launch, which focused $17 million on traditional TV, the new effort includes 69,000 buzz-marketing evangelists and a Web game that plays off Take 5’s TV ads.
The campaign is part of a concerted effort to “understand who our consumers are and reach them in more relevant, compelling ways, not just one platform,” said Jay Cooper, vice president, U.S. chocolate at Hershey.
Take 5 was Hershey’s top new candy brand last year, and Cooper said the marketing investment this year shows Hershey believes it can grow sales of the bar well beyond the $28 million it garnered last year in food, drug and mass outlets (excluding Wal-Mart), according to Information Resources Inc., Chicago.
Research showed the initial launch campaign from Omnicom Group’s DDB, New York, which focused on the bar’s five ingredients (pretzels, chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter and caramel), was too complex for consumers, who were far more impressed with the bar’s taste. “We know from research that there is a lot of passion around the brand and we want to reach consumers at those different passion points, whether on the Web, in movie theaters or with PR programs and contests,” said Misha Jenkins, marketing manager for Take 5 at Hershey.
The new approach is designed to further the momentum on the bar’s good initial trial numbers and build on the passion of its loyal consumers through “a more aggressive, focused and targeted effort rather than just an ad campaign,” said John Staffen, executive creative director, at ad agency Arnold, New York.
Hershey, together with Arnold, brought in BzzAgent, Boston, to get roughly 69,000 brand evangelists to deliver samples into the hands of prospective buyers in the 18-to-34-year-old range based on the premise Arnold developed that Take 5 is “the greatest candy bar ever.” In addition, Hershey will use its own Web site, thegreatestcandybarever.com, to enlist consumers to sign up to become evangelists, offering those who sign up samples to give to friends and family.
These approaches will work in concert with a TV campaign featuring six 15-second spots humorously depicting how far consumers might go to get a Take 5 bar. Ads will also run extensively on AOL, tickle.com and espn.com, as well as in movie theaters, where Hershey plans to do extensive sampling. A consumer promotion April 17 through July 31 offers Take 5 fans the chance to submit their own 60-second commercials explaining why Take 5 is the greatest candy bar ever. Consumers will be able to vote on the final five submissions online.
“Hershey Lurches Away From TV Ads,” AdAge.com, March 10, 2006
Want to sell wine? Stick a critter on the label.
Kangaroos, penguins and crocodiles are just some of the animals popping up on wine labels these days. With the introduction of hundreds of new wine brands every year, wine marketers realize the need for attention-grabbing labels that make an impression on consumers. Many are utilizing what is affectionately known as the “critter label.”
Perhaps trying to mimic the success of the Yellow Tail brand, this new wine segment has become increasingly important. Of the 438 new table wine brands with sustained consumer sales introduced in the past three years, 77 - or 18 percent - featured a critter on the label. Combined with existing critter labels, sales of critter-branded wine have reached more than $600 million.
“Critter-labeled wines are on the rise, quickly gaining share in the table wine category,” said Danny Brager, vice president of ACNielsen’s Beverage Alcohol team. “The sales generated by new brands featuring a critter outperform other new table wines by more than two to one.”
The label is just one aspect of a critter brand’s image, however. In comparison to other table wines, critter-labeled wines tend to be priced at a slight premium compared to the overall bottled table wine category, but tend to be sold more on promotion, and in particular displays, compared to the category average.
Of course, many factors contribute to the overall success of wine, such as price, shelf space, quality, retail and consumer support. “While placing a critter on a label doesn’t guarantee success, it is important that wine makers realize that there is a segment of consumers who don’t want to have to take wine too seriously,” said Brager. “Not only are they willing to have fun with wine, they may just feel good about an animal label presentation.”
The ACNielsen study looked at three consecutive annual periods of food channel data, with 2005 data ending December 17, 2005. The study included table wine brands introduced since January 2003 with sustained consumer sales - sales greater than $20,000 in 2005.