Ypulse Best And Worst Of 2009: Youth Targeted Ad Campaigns
Posted by meredith on 12-30-2009
Today we continue our Year In Review coverage with Youth Advisory Board member Libby Issendorf. Libby once again dons her hat as media analyst and shares her picks for the hits and misses she’s seen this year in youth advertising.
Best
Ford. Skeptics argue that Ford has fallen victim to social media snake oil, but the Fiesta Movement has proven that it can get real results from a campaign based on YouTube, search results, and (somewhat) authentic experiences (more results here). I know I speak for a lot of first-time car buyers when I say we are SO SICK of car ads where a sexy woman or rich man get in the car and drive along an oceanside highway, and the announcer tells us every category that the car is #1 in. Instead, Ford tried to make the car more relevant to 18-34s by showing us real-life situations from our peers. I’m a little nervous that Ford says they’re “handing over creative direction for the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta’s advertising and promotion to our fans.” I hope they’re trying to remain authentic, rather than save money and jump on the crowdsourcing bandwagon.
Target. 2009 was full of recession-referencing campaigns, but Target stood out by putting a positive spin on the economic conditions. Their campaign wasn’t particularly youth-focused, but cash-strapped college students could certainly relate to spots like this one, in which sipping coffee or coloring your hair at home were depicted as uplifting and empowering, not a trade-down. While brands like McDonald’s made light of the recession in their ridiculous “coffee bailout” ads, Target acknowledged it while showing us how to make the best of it.
Pepsi. Pepsi started the year incredibly strong with its “Refresh Everything” campaign. First they invited youth to submit their video or text messages to President Obama to be assembled into a book and video for him at his inauguration (view some success stats here). Pepsi really tapped into something that young people cared about and facilitated the message without getting in the way. And I’ve already written about how much I loved their Refresh Everything spot in the Super Bowl. I’m excited to see what 2010 brings for the brand, since they’re rumored to be skipping this year’s Super Bowl in favor of more online efforts.
Worst
Doublemint. I’m sure 2008 was Doublemint’s dream come true when Chris Brown made over their corny jingle into a Top 10 hit. Suddenly millions were reciting their tagline Double your pleasure, double your fun as they sang along to “Forever.” But when Chris Brown’s image came crashing down in February, Doublemint learned the unfortunate downside of forever. Brands always run the risk of spokespeople behaving badly (Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods), but it must especially sting the brand to see Chris seductively placing a stick of gum in his mouth at the beginning of the music video. It goes to show that the more seamlessly a brand is associated with a pop star, the bigger risk you take. What truly lands them on the Worst list is that although they suspended his ads, Doublemint did nothing to make the situation right in terms of donating to a fund for victims of domestic violence.
Skittles. Skittles gave their entire web presence over to fans (reviewed by YAB member Caro) instead of linking to Facebook or featuring a stream of Tweets. Young people already expect brands to be on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (according to Cone Research, 89% of Americans expect brands to engage with their fans in social spaces!). We expect websites to contain static information about products, contests, nutrition, etc. VitaminWater does a much better job of putting product info and relevant links on their website and fun interactive content on Facebook. Additionally, in social spaces, VitaminWater asks questions of their fans and participates in conversation with them, instead of just adding their own stream of consciousness to the mix a la Skittles. If you’re going to place that much importance on your social presences, at least know how to interact in them.
Burger King. Okay, Burger King, we get it: your target is 18-34-year-old men. But do you really have to alienate women in the process? International missteps this year land BK on the worst list. In Singapore, a horrible ad sells a “Super Seven Incher” with a photo of a blonde bimbo in a, um, suggestive position. As Meredith wrote about earlier this month, in the UK, BK is sponsoring a showercam that has no point beyond giving guys something to ogle in the AM. And Anastasia criticized the brand here in the US for partnering with FOX to mock Jessica Simpson for her weight when she crept up to a size, oh, 6. Burger King, you are quickly creeping into Axe Body Spray territory, and you don’t even sell a cosmetic product. All this frat boy humor is leaving women saying WTF and taking their boyfriends/husbands to McDonald’s or Subway instead.
About Libby
After growing up on a farm in North Dakota, Libby Issendorf moved to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. She discovered her passion for brands and media as a member of her school’s first-place National Student Advertising Competition team. After graduation in 2008, she began her career as a media analyst at an ad agency in Minneapolis. Libby now works as a New Media Strategist at an ad agency in Fargo, ND. Outside of work, she loves blogging at Yaybia.com, the Minnesota Twins, being really geeky with her iPhone, and finally living in the same city as her fiance.
For more coverage of youth marketing, check out the Ypulse Youth Marketing Channel sponsored by Youth Marketing Connection.
Categorized under: Youth Marketing
December 30th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Fantastic job picking the best and worst! I agree completely that Ford was one of the best utilizing social media this year. With the Fiesta campaign they really blazed a trail for other brands to follow. The fact that they had one person shaping their brand via social media (at least publicly) was risky, but it certainly paid off.
We have been working with Ford on features on Teen Scene and they seem to have a deep understanding of how influential new media can be. It’s disappointing that it has taken until 2009 for brands to embrace new media, but at least they are starting to catch up now.