Branding Budweiser

 

What makes a brand memorable? When a company begins the process of choosing their brand name, they have to remember five keys elements to make their product or service more memorable than their competition. These five keys are…

1.      Should suggest that the product benefits

2.      Should  be memorable, distinctive, and positive

3.      Should fit the company or product image

4.      Should have no legal or regulatory restrictions

5.      Should be simple and emotional

(Kerin)

A brand name is described as any word, device (design, sound, shape, color) or combo of these used to distinguish a seller’s goods or services (Kerin).

 

One brand name that is easily recognizable and distinguishable in America is Budweiser beer. Budweiser was given its name by a brewer in the mid 1800’s named Adolphus Busch. Busch was the son of a German brewery and winery tycoon and decided in 1857 that he wanted to come to America to continue his father’s legacy and begin his own brand name. While in America, he married a woman named Lilian Anheuser and with the help of his father-in-law, Adolphus founded the Anheuser- Busch Co. brewery. In America, Adolphus wanted to make a beer that would appeal to all tastes and so he founded the Budweiser Lager Beer in 1876, establishing America’s first national beer brand (Budweiser.com).

The Budweiser brand is so popular today because of the brand personality they have established. We all know Budweiser for their Clydesdale horses and Super Bowl commercials. They have commercials and ads that show beer drinking as a community event that has sentimentality and celebration wrapped in one. Two commercials below show this brand personality with the emotional response Budweiser strives for. They are also a brand that uses marketing to their advantage. Recently, I was in a convenience store and they had a beer refrigerator that had a television as its door, showing Budweiser beer being poured in slow motion into an ice cold glass and the logo flashing across the screen. You could still see through the fridge, however, similar to a two way mirror. Although there were other beers in the fridge, a consumer’s mind is swayed by the projection to grab Budweiser brand because of the ad that they see upon approaching the fridge.

 

Today, according to Forbes, the Budweiser brand is worth $21.1 billion and is the 19^th world’s most valuable brand. “Budweiser (including Bud Light) is the biggest brand for Anheuser-Busch InBev. The global beer giant was created in 2008 when Belgium-based InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch. Bud is now the No. 3 beer brand in the U.S. behind Bud Light and Coors Light, as volume in the U.S. shrank for the 24th straight year in 2012. The brand has made strides internationally under AB InBev's watch. Budweiser sold outside the U.S. now represents 51% of global Bud volume driven by strong growth in China” (Forbes.com).

Budweiser has been around for about 150 years, and its popularity continues to grow. This is what happens when you brand your product so that it is memorable.

Viagra Ad for Women?

The marketing world is filled with ads for all sorts of products and services for all kinds of demographics of people. So, how do marketers decide who they want their audience to be when creating their advertisements?

There are a lot of factors that go into this fancy little world of market segmentation, which in simplest form means people who want to buy the same thing as the person that is just like them. And there are four ways to go about categorizing this; demographic (physical/ measurable attributes), geographic (where you live or work), psychographics (mental/ emotional attributes) and behavioral (actions/ attitudes). All of these factors have to go into just the process of deciding what to put into a commercial just to have the potential to reach the audience most willing to buy said product.

But, what would happen if marketers did the opposite of this? It has happened before. Think of Viagra. Yes I said Viagra; that little blue pill that men in their 50’s and beyond sometimes need to “get it up.” You would think that because this is a pill designed specifically for male use, commercials would segment their market and advertise specifically for men right? Well, apparently the marketers of Viagra didn’t think that was necessary.

Think about it, who do you think actually goes out and buys that little blue pill? Of course men are often times the consumers, but I am sure that there are some who would rather not be rung up at the counter with a box of Viagra in their hand.

Women! The wife who wants the sex life of her 20’s with the man of her dreams is also a consumer of the little blue pill. And Viagra capitalized on this. Viagra has in the past few weeks come out with the very first erectile dysfunction ad featuring a woman as the speaker. Recently, they have been pressured with outside competition such as Cialis and other products in Europe due to its patent expiration last year. Sales fell 8% and Viagra decided to take a new approach to boost their sales and this is what they have chosen.

 

So why is this effective? Women see someone like them discussing the issues that their “honey” is having in bed, losing the intimate moment that was about to take place. Then, not only does she speak directly to women, but for the first time ever, she uses the word erection in the commercial rather than saying just “ED” as men do in all previous ads. This commercial is still so new that there is no information on its effectiveness on sales, but I guess we will just have to see!

Market segmentation is huge in deciding how to represent a product in advertising. But, as our world changes and especially stereotypical gender rolls begin to reverse or equal out, we see that advertisements and product positioning are changing with the times.

Mah-keting

"Make Yah Ma Proud, Wear Yah Seatbelt." This native Bostonian sign flashes all along the sides of the city's highways. I was there this weekend visiting home, and I couldn't help noticing these comic signs with a very important meaning. You might recall the ones from the summer, even, that read, “Use Yah Blinkah” and the other, “Your LOL’s and OMG’s can Wait!” Boston and MassDOT has taken a new approach to reminding people of the law and safe driving. These signs may be witty and capitalize on our “wicked awesome” Boston accents, but they also contain a very important message marketed to all people: focus on the road!

These signs are a very creative and successful marketing strategy done by MassDOT to help enforce highway safety. By jazzing up this public service announcement, drivers get a laugh and actually pay attention to the signs that are flashing at them in big orange lights. The phrases stick in the heads of all drivers, and specifically New Englanders because we are known for our lack of “r’s” and thick accent.

Of course when we think marketing, we don’t think of how public service announcements act as advertisements. But what they are advertising to their viewers is what we, as moral, ethical, and responsible human beings, should do in order to better our world. A lot of the times, public service announcements, like the ones we see on T.V. have an impact on us in a very different sense. Think,

for example, of the non-smoking commercials. I know you’ve seen them, with the people who smoked their packs a day and now have holes in their throats they hold in order to talk. Or think of the ASPCA commercials that show all the emaciated dogs and cats and those faces that they zoom in on to show the sadness in their eyes. These public service announcements are negative, but still have a positive effect on many people because it encourages change.

MassDOT took a risk and did something very different with their marketing of highway safety advertisements. They involved comedy and it has stuck. People read and remember the signs on the side of the road because they are catchy and relevant to the large target market of Bostonians and New Englanders alike. MassDOT is currently taking submissions for any witty safety catch phrases you can think of. They constantly are switching them up to incorporate new laws, so if you happen to be driving through Boston, look for these clever advertisements. Keep Calm and Drive On.

Do You See It Now?

 

Maybe it’s just me, but my Dad is constantly telling me that I have “selective hearing.” He claims that I only hear what I want to hear when he is speaking to me about things that clearly I don’t care to hear about if he can tell that I’m not listening. What he doesn't know is that sometimes I'm just flat out ignoring him, like when he tells me to wash the dishes while The Bachelor is on. Like hello Dad! I'll do it at the commercial!

So, what does this have to do with marketing? Well, believe it or not my Dad is right, I really do have selective hearing, and so do you. In the world of marketing, consumers hear and see in advertisements only what they want to. Do you find yourself tuning into commercials on T.V. of things you want or services you would like to try? Obviously we don’t watch every commercial that is played, that’s what the remote is for, changing the channel during the commercials we don’t find so interesting. The ones we’re interested in, though, we pay close attention to in order to learn about this product or service that we want. Every human has different tastes, different wants, and different personalities and therefore we selectively pay attention only to the ones we really want to.

There are three general kinds of selective perception, or the way which we choose, organize, and interpret the information thrown at us in our everyday lives. First, we have selective exposure, when we pay attention to advertisement that goes along with our attitudes and beliefs and ignore the ones which don’t, kind of like how I “choose” to ignore my Dad when he’s blabbing in my ear about the fact that I turned up the A.C. in my house again because I was sweating bullets! Not my fault. Next, we have selective comprehension, which is when we interpret the advertisement we see so that it does fit along with our attitudes and beliefs. The third is selective retention which just means that we as consumers don’t remember every single advertisement we see and hear, because for a lot of them they just don’t apply to our lives or attitudes. Marketers know this and know that not every consumer is going to watch the commercial that they slaved over. But, the point is that those who are interested and will give it their full attention will remember it and hopefully purchase the product or service.

By far, though, the most insane and intriguing form of advertisement in my opinion is subliminal advertising. I bet that you have noticed in movies how sometimes actors use specific products, like Channing Tatum might drink a coke in a movie or Gerard Butler (with that sexy Irish accent mind you) might be driving an Audi. These are examples of subliminal advertising, when we see or hear messages without being aware of them. It triggers a reaction in our mind that maybe we’re thirsty and want a coke, or wow that Audi is fast, I kind of want to drive one. These minor messages influence our behaviors without us even being aware.  For example, the Tostitos logo has the image of two stick figures dancing and dipping a chip into salsa. Ever noticed that before?

 

However, there are many controversial subliminal messages, as well. There are many that have hidden images such as the word “sex” in the picture somewhere and although our brain may see it, it doesn’t register with us. But, sex sells in marketing and therefore it stimulates the reaction in our brains that we want whatever is being sold. Is this ethical? That is the question of the day. But, it is pretty cool. Below are examples of subliminal advertising that will blow your mind. See if you can spot them!

 

 *Info from Ch. 5 Marketing 11th Edition Roger Kerin, Steven Hartley, William Rudelius. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2012 

"Should I buy it or Not?"

 

We all get that feeling after we buy something that we shouldn’t have, the “Shoot, did I really just buy that?” Well, there’s a name for this feeling of anxiety post purchase and it’s called cognitive dissonance, also known as buyer's remorse. Maybe it was a decision made on a whim or maybe you were pressured by your friends because it just looked “soooooo cute” on you. But the beauty of purchasing is that you can always return something you just maybe didn’t really need to buy.

My advice? Wait a week. If in a week you can’t stop thinking about that top that fit you just right around the waist and flattered your neckline perfectly, then go buy it! That’s what mom always taught me anyways. The thing that marketers do really well at is advertising a product to make it look just too good to be true so that you, as the consumer have to buy it right then and there before it disappears. It won’t disappear, I promise you that.

Marketing is all about the psychology of consumer behavior. Believe it or not, a lot of how we as consumers act can be related to the generation we were born into. The Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 certainly are not going to be the first ones to purchase, say, the all new Apple watch that is hitting the marketplace soon. Of course, some will, but that technological advancement with the many different things on which you can do with it will really speak to those of Generation Y, my generation. We are those who were born between the years of 1977 and 1994. We like things that make us have to pay attention and have a lot going on. We grew up in the world of technology and therefore are the ones who want it now.

We love personal connections. Have you noticed lately how a lot of commercials have been using pathos, or the use of emotion in advertising, to catch the consumer’s attention? That is all because we are sucker’s for the Dad who plays catch with his son out in front of the Subaru, or those ASPCA commercials that literally make you feel like you want to either cry or go adopt one of those poor dogs. Our generation love to feel that personal or emotional connection with a product or service,

                                                                                    and that is what marketers are going to capitalize on.

 

When marketers decide on how to advertise certain products or services to certain people, they really look at the consumer behavior of the demographic which they are really targeting to sell to. They research the buyers’ general personality, motivation, self-concept, attitudes, beliefs, social class and lifestyle to determine what the best way is to broadcast whatever it is they want you to buy. That is how they get you because guess what, they know you –maybe even better than you know yourself when it comes to purchasing something. They do their research by using reference groups so that they have the best advantage possible to rope in the buyer. And 90% of the time it works. And that’s the point; that is what makes you buy that flattering top that you really didn’t need to buy that you might feel bad about later but just looks “soooo cute” on you that you couldn’t resist. Marketers are good at what they do because they understand the behavior of their buyers.

 

*Info from Ch. 5 Marketing 11th Edition Roger Kerin, Steven Hartley, William Rudelius. McGraw-Hill: New York, 2012 

 

 

Marketing: Saving you Money

There is a reason why they call my generation the generation of technology. Technology has taken over the world of marketing and it has done both a lot of good and a lot of bad. It has caused a lot of competition which could be seen as either positive or negative as it allows for competitive pricing, lowering the pricing for many products and services. But also, technology opens a whole new world for marketers to get the word out there about their products.

Of course there are the technologies of the internet and film and television for advertising, but the great new way of marketing has been through outside websites. There are now online shops and sources where a buyer can go through and either shop for products at a discounted price, browse and compare new products out on the market, and even order samples of products to try and see which of the samples they like over others.

Groupon is one of the more common of these websites. If you’re looking for an amazing discount on a service such as airline tickets, hotels, massages, even dinner discounts, Groupon is where you should look. All a buyer has to do is subscribe to Groupon and you have endless deals at your fingertips. This is a great way for businesses to market their services because it allows buyers to look through and partake in activities and events or go somewhere where they may not have decided to go otherwise. It is like a coupon book at your fingertips. You always end up buying what is on sale because it’s a good deal, not necessarily because you need it.

http://www.Groupon.com

Another great marketing website is Ebates.com. Ebates is a bit different than Groupon because rather than finding deals, stores that sell merchandise or services online can choose to participate in this service and the buyer receives a percentage of cash back when they make a purchase via online shopping. It is literally like getting paid to shop. It is free to use and it markets a wide number of stores and services so consumers can shop at Macys, JC Penney, Home Depot, etc. from the comforts of their own home AND get paid for it! Amazing right? I personally have used this site and I received a 15$ check in the male from a few purchases I made totaling around 50$. It’s a hidden secret that is coming more and more into the limelight, and like Groupon it is great because it advertises over 200 stores.

http://www.ebates.com

 

The final website that is fairly new and which I think is the best new way to market is Birchbox. A buyer subscribes to Birchbox and they fill out a survey explaining their interests and for 10$ a month, they get sent boxes of products for beauty and hair and even products for men to try out. This is a great marketing strategy because consumers can sample multiple products and whichever ones they like, they will more often than not go out and purchase.

 http://www.birchbox.com

 

Try out these sites and see for yourself the money you can save and the products you can try all thanks to the new technologies we have today for marketing.