2. Basis for Recommendation
This campaign's target is the 18 year old male. In addition, it should promote loyalty with 20 -39 males and attract new customers as well. The three selected ads combine the right amounts of high intensity and humor to appeal to our target audience, while not alienating other demographics. Finally, all three creatives involve the characters in the exciting pursuit of capturing the “Dew” more so than the Labor of Love and Showstoppers ads. Need specifics.
In considering the general direction of the campaign, I considered
- Market research reports product imagery that Mountain Dew is “fun to drink” and an “intense experience”. Creatives must reinforce and promote that imagery for the target audience.
- Cheetah, Mock Opera and Dew or Die commercials are focused on the benefits and feelings that will resonate with our target market of 18 year-old males.
- Specific commercials outside of target market have failed in the past. The Michael Johnson ad did not meet company expectations.
- Commercials will continue to air after the Super Bowl on the standard channels that we advertise with (ESPN, MTV, etc) which are commonly viewed by our target market.
My specific selection of these three ads is based on:
- Cheetah creative utilizes extreme biking with an exhilarating chase. The hot, dusty backdrop is an excellent setting in which to quench your thirst with a Mountain Dew.
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Mock Opera will appeal to the 18 year-old males as well as other demographics because of its use of the classic rock song featured in Wayne's World, a movie which has universal appeal to young people. If one of the sports athletes in the commercial is a female then it will make it more inviting to the female demographic. It is important not to overdue the use of female athletes otherwise this will alienate Mountain Dews core youth male market.
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Dew or Die is the key ad for the 18 year-old male market. The storyline of the Dew Dudes “getting the girls” resonates well with that age group. This ad should be aired most on ESPN because of its focus on young males. So we ARE targeting other segments? Is this why we are willing to diverge from the focus on the 18-year olds.
The bases for not selecting the ShowStopper or Labor of Love ads are:
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Showstopper and Labor of Love portray a theme not in line with the Mountain Dew strategy and do not cater to the target market
- Showstoppers depicts a show tune attempting to incorporate extreme sports. It does not resonate with our target market of 18-year old males.
- Labor of Love is a different perspective than the others but is based on the delivery of a baby. An 18 year old is not concerned with parenthood nor can relate to this ad's story. Focus needed to be more on the Dew product.
3. Background
The CSD market has been dominated historically by Coke and Pepsi. Recent trends; however, including an increased demand for “flavor” CSDs, noncarbonated drinks, and high-caffeine “energy” drinks have diminished their dominance and opened the door for Mountain Dew and other to gain market share. In fact in the past decade CSD industry sales have increased at an average annual rate of 3%, while sales of Mountain Dew have increased at quadruple that rate, averaging 14% increase per year from 1990-1999. Much of this success may be attributed to the powerful brand image created through the amazingly successful “Do the Dew” marketing campaign.
While Mountain Dew has traditional taken a back seat to the Pepsi brand, Dew’s creative and exciting commercials have struck a chord with consumers. The selected ads will resonate with our target audience, 18 year old males. The daring and adventurous chase scene in the Cheetah spot, the Rock Star appeal of Mountain Dew in the Mock Opera, and the James Bond theme of Dew or Die share an appropriate balance of humor and action. They each engage the audience with a somewhat believable albeit romantic storyline. Mountain Dew advertising will convince 18 year-old males that Mountain Dew is the single most daring yet great tasting and fun beverage selected by daring individuals who value excitement and fun. Mountain Dew ads will always portray action-oriented scenes demonstrating the thrill and excitement of “Doing the Dew”.
These are all pretty good but need to incorporate these (your findings/inference/conclusions right) into your RECOMMENDATIONS?
4. Analysis/Alternative Analysis/Findings
Decision Criteria (A graphical representation of the following information is available as an attachment).
Cheetah
Benefits – Chase is engaging and exhilarating. Thirst quench at end from three other dudes.
Brand Symbolism – Daring and adventurous chase scene with a bit of humor
Brand Resonance – Small group of friends on an exciting off-road adventure where one friend encounters a problem.
Story – The chase captures the viewer’s attention,
Product Integration – Audience is captured by the chase and focus is directed towards the Dew by the conclusion of the commercial
Campaign Extension – Spontaneous and captivating while maintaining consistency with existing campaign
Mock Opera
Benefits – Music captures your attention and the lyrics are amusing and carry the message “Citrus taste, quenching and very exciting…fantastico”
Brand Symbolism – Depicts do it yourself risk taking adventures such as mountain climbing and snowboarding; Universal appeal of Mountain Dew similar to that of a Rock Star
Brand Resonance – Music is classical with a Rock/New wave twist, using lyrics to a well-know melody should increase resonance
Story – Story is simply life is boring and Mountain Dew is exciting
Product Integration – Dew is the star here; it’s what everyone is after, but only the singers obtain.
Campaign Extension – Consistent message with a fresh and creative delivery.
Dew or Die
Benefits – Engaging and exhilarating. Benefits include making you cool with the ladies for drinking the Dew.
Brand Symbolism – Dew drinkers can accomplish anything
Brand Resonance – Doomsday setting portrays Mountain Dew drinkers into heroes
Story – A little complex, yet entertaining and creative
Product Integration – Dew saves the day
Campaign Extension – Goal of being fresh met, although a bit predictable
Showstopper
Benefits – Exciting and over the top production number, not exciting enough to tell the Mountain Dew story
Brand Symbolism – Ad evokes fun, excitement, and athleticism
Brand Resonance – Music does not work, ad lacks connection that target is more independent not into synchronized groups
Story – Simple to understand but not entertaining
Product Integration – Not the star just a prop
Campaign Extension – Ok, but it so over-the-top it may be hard to build on it.
Labor of Love
Benefits – Delivery rooms and childbirth do not energize non-medical people
Brand Symbolism – Evokes images of Mountain Dew into sippy cups for infants-not cool.
Brand Resonance – Parental responsibility does NOT resonant with 18-year-old ‘Dew Dudes’
Story – Original and creative could be entertaining to some (not 18 yr males)
Product Integration – Not so much more of a prop, The baby seems to be the central character/star of the creative
Campaign Extension – Parental responsibility is an anchor, that might split up the “Dew Dudes”
P&G Screen
- Our target consumer, 18 year old males, has clearly responded to similar types of ads.
- Therefore there is clear reason to believe that a new set of ads in a similar vein will have an equal effect to keep our target audience.
- The new ads provide a fresh perspective on the Dew Dudes while still staying within the same genre. This ensures that the target demographic is sufficiently familiar with the concept for brand recognition, while still providing a unique and memorable experience.
5. Next Steps
PepsiCo to move forward with the following steps:
- Produce the Cheetahs, Mock Opera and Labor of Love creatives
- Plan to debut the Dew or Die and Mock Opera commercials on the Super Bowl
- Contact Super Bowl advertisers to reserve spots.
- Plan for all three ads to be played on MTV, the Simpsons, and ESPN so the ads reach our targeted market.
- Continue to perform market research to assess the impact of the “Dew the Do” campaign
