Red Bull: Producing Inspiration

        

              For the past couple of weeks, I have seen this Red Bull commercial played over and over again on channels all over the television networks.  On sports channels, news channels, even comedy channels, it seems like everywhere I go I see this commercial playing.  The more I see it though, the more I love it.  Let me explain why.

             First off, let me just be honest and say that I’m not a huge fan of energy drinks.  Red Bull is decent but I wouldn’t call myself a repeat customer by any means.  But what I love about this advertisement is not the product (which isn’t even mentioned) but the message.  Instead of advertising Red Bull’s energy drink, the company has dedicated its advertisements as a way to reinforce the type of lifestyle of those who use the drink.  A life filled with excitement and wonder, a world where impossible is not even a thought.  The music, the imagery, the poetic narration…it all just works beautifully together here. 

They use the athletes they sponsor brilliantly in this commercial.  The focus isn’t on the individual person or sport but rather the ability to dream inherent in every person.  These are the best athletes in their prospective sports, but do they focus on the athlete? No.  Do they use them directly as a spokesperson? No.  They show them doing what they do best, turning the impossible into the remarkable.  We are drawn into the commercial in such a way were we become the athlete.  We sail over the alpine forest, surf across the blue ocean, and ski down the highest mountain peaks.  They are remarkable not because of their abilities but rather because of the attitude instilled in them.  In a world filled with majestic beauty, we too can be just as amazing by following our passions.  Suddenly our whole world opens up more.  We can accomplish anything with the right mindset.  The very end of the message portrayed sums this theme up perfectly, “The only limit is the one you set yourself”. It serves as a call to action for every individual watching the commercial.  Be amazing, do the impossible.  Red Bull transcends itself from an energy drink producer to a company focused on achieving the impossible. Who could possibly argue against that?

A New Kind of Research in Advertising

               http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/13/business/media-business-advertising-research-methods-are-being-developed-help-advertisers.html

                For this post I wanted to discuss an interesting article I found in the New York Times.  Although it’s from April 13^th, 2000, the topic is still very much relevant to some of the issues associated with advertising research today.

                So to start off, I would like to quickly explain what’s going on in the article.  One of the most heavily relied on research methods for the advertising for decades has been the focus group; a group of target consumers interviewed to give their opinion and experiences with a certain product or brand.  While these do provide insights into customers’ thoughts, they have a major problem.  All you learn is what the person tells you directly.  This becomes an issue when consumers tend to tell you one thing and believe something else.  Maybe they are afraid of being judged, maybe they are just trying to go along with the rest of the crowd; point is, it can be hard to actually know whether the responses you get are the truth or a version constructed by the focus group member.  To fix these issues, marketers are developing new initiatives to gain consumer insight.  New techniques such as tracking responses in the skin to stimuli, monitoring brain wave activity, and even picture scales representing different emotions have been created to better access consumer thinking.  Still, there tends to be a heavy reliance on the old focus group method.

                Now, what is the significance of all this? It goes to show that advertising research is nowhere near as reliable as many of us would hope.  Sure focus groups can give us some basic insight, but even if a consumer can tell us what they choose very often they have trouble articulating the “why” behind it.  Even people expertly trained in running such groups can have a hard time getting the information out of the participants that they are searching for in the group.  This technique has become a crutch, relied upon far too heavily. 

As advertising becomes more complex and insightful, so too much our research.  The new methods of neurological research will become an invaluable tool in the future as we slowly work toward a more accurate picture of the consumer decision making process.  These techniques can show consumer involvement with commercials, hidden feelings toward ads, and even desires for products not articulated by consumers.  We can study the deeper emotions experienced by participants and gain a truer understanding of not the “what’ but they “why” behind the decisions they make. 

The truth is none of these individual research methods can uncover 100% of the information advertisers need.  Nothing by itself can provide all the information required, whether it be research for a advertising firm or just a simple school project.  The best strategy will be to continue to use our old methods but add in these new practices as well.  Following this strategy will allow us a full picture of the puzzle, not just awareness of a piece or two.  And once we can see the big picture, we can finally communicate to the consumer the true value to them inherent in the good, service, or idea being marketed.

Coca-Cola, a Company Dedicated to Fighting...Obesity?

               There’s been a lot of talk recently over ethical issues concerning advertising in the US and whether or not brands should have some sort of social responsibility toward its consumers concerning the products they sell.  To address this issue, I wanted to use Coca-Cola’s new campaign of commercials designed to help stop obesity in the US.

                So you’re probably thinking what I was when I first saw their newest commercial on the subject, “why is a soda company backing up a cause for stopping obesity?”  I think it’s great that the company has decided to back up an important social issue and is trying to be an example of an ethical, consumer-minded organization.  However, obesity? Really? While very true Coca-Cola is behind a host of beverages with many of them having nothing to do with soda, the very foundation of the brand is Coke; a drink full of sugar whose calories provide no nutritional value whatsoever.  Obesity is a huge issue in this country, one that needs to be addressed for the sake of everyone.  Coca-Cola can’t really be the company to pick up this social cause though.  They may have the best intention behind these commercials but I just don’t think the right message is going to be communicated.  The fact that many of their products have played a part in the obesity epidemic in this country will hurt whatever authentic intentions the company may intend.  Instead of an honest company trying to draw attention to a problem, it’s going to be a campaign seen as damage control.  This campaign could quite easily have a backlash effect.  If they just continued to advertise their products, it’s very likely no one would accuse them of every trying to cover anything up.  However, by addressing the issue so straightforwardly, it might just make it seem like they are trying to ignore the elephant in the room. 

                My thought is why not just stress this idea of moderation and controlling your sugar/caloric intake in their advertising without making it a campaign against obesity?  You don’t have to tell people what the negative effect will be when all you can say is the positive of being healthier by enjoying Coke in moderation.  Even alcohol commercials simply say something like “enjoy in moderation”.  You don’t see them going on a campaign to publically address alcoholism.  Coca-Cola should emphasize a healthy lifestyle with their beverages as a small treat of happiness.  After all, happiness has been their goal for the consumer for many decades.