In a down economy, advertising “low cost” can be a tempting way to go. While there is a place for discounts, savings and rate-based advertising, any successful attempt to revitalize a brand must keep the consumer, and how they make purchase decisions, in mind.
We know certain product categories are image-driven, like jeans and beer. You connect to the identity of these products — the fun-loving spirit of Bud Lite, the simplicity of Gap — more than their product features. But even with the most mundane purchases, consumers aren’t only buying products, they are buying into something. They are seeking to construct their identity with every purchase decision they make. When you buy eco-friendly toilet paper, you affirm yourself as environmentally conscious. When you buy the bargain brand, you become someone who is willing to make sacrifices, who doesn’t mind roughing it. Brands that present themselves as emotional give people something to latch on to, and they work harder in the marketplace.
Research backs this up. An analysis of nearly 880 case studies published by the World Advertising Research Centre shows that ad campaigns with an emotional engagement tend to be more profitable than ad campaigns that focus on rational messages, such as low prices or special offers, even when times are tough. It has been proven that advertisements with high emotional content result in a significant positive change in attitude. Advertisements with low emotional content show no real difference.
In the end, we as consumers are not the conscious, discerning shoppers we like to think we are. We are real people with real emotions, and a significant part of any purchase is driven by those emotions; by the feeling, status and memories our purchase evokes.
I was first attracted to Brandweek’s cover story (11/9/09) on the newfound vitality of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise because I helped contribute to the brand’s +12% bump in sales that seemed to come out of nowhere. I am one of those “wary boomers peering at my withered 401K statement” and started brownbagging my lunch each day. Turkey & cheddar on rye, lettuce, mayo. The math is compelling: $6.50 X 5 is $32.50/week times 48 means over $1,500 in savings a year!
But there’s a lot more to this story and its lessons for well-established brands in mature categories:
Can Mayonnaise Really Stand For Something More?
Beyond the sheer luck that the brownbag phenomenon has bestowed on the Hellman’s brand, they are also actively positioning their Hellmann’s mayonnaise as the brand that stands for something bigger and more important than just a humble condiment. The goal is for it to become the home cook’s “secret sauce,” a culinary staple for recipes ranging from muffins and basic seafood and meat marinades to simple, but fancy-sounding dishes like Oven Roasted Apple-Cranberry Crisp with Creamy Spiced Chantilly. On their website it’s all brought to us by Chef Bobby Flay. So far, it seems to be working.
Having Your Sandwich and Eating It Too
It’s also a reminder that so-called extended use campaigns, approached with caution by marketers because they can take the focus off the brand’s primary use, can actually increase usage across all occasions. This worked when I was part of the agency team on the Reynolds Wrap brand from Reynolds Metals Co. Instead of competing with private label aluminum foil for the ho-hum “storing leftovers” usage occasion, we associated Reynolds Wrap with cooking, a highly emotional occasion. We taught people how convenient it is to cook with Reynolds Wrap (Packet Cooking) and showed busy moms how much more delicious their vegetables, fish and meat turned out when you baked and grilled with it. Not only did this strategy help an old brand feel new again, it also resulted in increased Reynolds Wrap usage for basic leftovers storage. Go figure.
Activating A “Real” Brand Asset
The other interesting thing about this story is how Hellmann’s has activated the word Real. It’s always been right there front and center on the package — Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise. But it’s a word that the consumer has taken for granted over the years. In their “It’s Time For Real” brand campaign, Hellmann’s has given that longtime brand signal new relevance, associating the brand with the “real food” movement, made from simple, timeless ingredients — eggs, oil and vinegar. Nothing processed, nothing synthetic. Very on-trend. How many of us work on brands where we take words and symbols that are part of the brand’s heritage for granted? They might just be ready to be uncovered.
It will be interesting to watch Hellmann’s business in the coming year. Hopefully they’ve done enough work now to keep them relevant as the recession lifts.
