Quality Matters

Image Credit: Starbucks Blog

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In my earlier posts I had mentioned the importance of copy in ads and the increasing influence of social media. Imagine my surprise when I read that my favorite coffee brand is making ample use of both in their latest marketing efforts to combat the launch of McCafe.

Take the above ads for example. According to New York Times, "Starbucks is putting up new advertising posters in six major cities. To further spread its message, it is trying to harness the power of online social networking sites by challenging people to hunt for the posters on Tuesday and be the first to post a photo of one using Twitter." I am told that there are many more social media initiatives lead by copy-filled ads in the pipeline.

McDonald’s advertising campaign is reportedly worth more than $100 million in television, print, radio, billboard and web ads with a launch strategy of "all coffee's the same, so you might as well buy the cheap stuff." This is where Starbucks is stepping in with facts about their quality, which I should add is way superior. The new Starbucks campaign is telling a story with a generous helping of words and they are recruiting you and me to spread it online. Old-time copy heavy advertising coupled with today's viral marketing can be a formidable marketing mix.

We should be happy because:

1. Both Starbucks and McDonald's are doling out the big bucks for their marketing endeavor. That's gotta be good for the economy, right?

2. Their respective ad agencies can now breathe easy.

3. Competition will eventually lead to better products at a better price.

Happy Java-ing!

Mentioning competitive brands in your commercial

After spending five years in Indian Advertising, I moved to Connecticut, the bedroom of New York. Hoping to get a first-hand experience of US ad agencies and their work, I dived in. Of course, anybody who is interested in advertising can see first-rate ads from around the world, thanks to the Cannes website, ad-based shows on TV and the youtube....but what about the regular Joes? How and where are American products being promoted day in and day out?

The first thing that struck me about American TVCs was the abundance of "comparitive ads". Pain relievers, sandwiches, car insurances....no category is spared. As an ad executive and a consumer, I can say that it does not work. What I am left with is either confusion or the competitive brand.

Let's take the example of Advil, a popular pain reliever in US. It actually shows us a split screen comparison between itself and its competitor Tylenol, complete with a voiceover and on-screen scribbles underlying the benefits of taking Advil over Tylenol. But know what, by the time my mind has juggled back and forth over the two brand names and their pros and cons, I have already moved on to another channel or the next ad.

Next time I am at a pharmacy, my mind has happily glided over the details and I am left with a feeling of "either this or that". Both are good as both are market leaders is the message that I have retained. Differentiation be damned when the basic composition and the usage is similiar. Note how the brand message is lost in a clutter of comparisons.

Also, why would you promote your competitor in your time? You bought space or time in a particular medium to advertise your brand, why waste it on anything else?