M&Ms are launching a new variant in the US: M&M Pretzels. It may have been a good piece of insight work which helped them identify the opportunity for the launch, but it took something else to communicate it this well. To me, the new ad ticks the most important boxes for communicating innovations:
Explains what it is (easy): Tick
Generates interest/curiosity for trial (moderately difficult): Tick (for me anyway)
Stays on-brand and establishes it as a natural extension of the brand (difficult): Again tick
Do all three at the same time (the most difficult of all): Absolutely. For me, that’s what makes this ad fantastic. See for yourself:
We’re very pleased to see the relaunch of Schwartz seasonings in the UK.
We worked with McCormick to determine how best to create differentiation and purpose for their seasonings range in a fixture of ‘little glass soldiers’.
The new Perfect Shake range gives a clear role for seasonings – an easy way to liven up meals everyday!
Shakespeare was wrong, apparently. A rose by any other name would not smell as sweet according to Chevrolet’s staff or, more importantly, its customers.
Controversy was sparked in the States last week when a leaked GM Motors memo revealed that, for brand consistency, staff were to never use the name ‘Chevy’ when discussing the Chevrolet brand. “We’d ask that whether you’re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward” it read.
The backlash from fans of Chevy – perceived as a quintessential American icon – has largely been covered in the US media with negativity. But have they missed the point? Could it be that Chevrolet have just pulled off one of the most masterfully subtle marketing campaigns in history?
The outpouring of love and devotion to the Chevy brand following the leak has been simply phenomenal. Within hours commentators and bloggers across the country began vehemently extolling the virtues of Chevy. “Chevy is as American as baseball and apple pie” declared one blogger. “I love you Chevy” wrote another. Across the world people were being reminded of Chevy’s central place in American culture, from featuring in Don McLean’s American Pie to being named dropped in songs by Snoop Dogg and The Beastie Boys.
The release of this simple one-page memo triggered the emergence of louder and more visible brand advocates than any multi-million dollar advertising campaign ever could. Suddenly thousands of individuals were tweeting Chevy’s core brand image with passion and for free. Was the memo a deliberate moment of genius from GM? Their subsequent backtrack over the issue – where they claimed the memo was “poorly worded” and that actually “we love Chevy” – may suggest so. If not, they must be the luckiest brand in the world right now.
