A polished Penney is still just a Penney

Vision: January 2012

...And no one wants a Penney.

At least that’s what performance under Ron Johnson’s regime would lead you to believe.

Released late February, Holiday/Q4 sales reports closed the books on the first operating year of a turnaround strategy that failed to take hold. In 2012, JCP amassed nearly a billion dollars in losses with revenue tumbling nearly 25 percent.

We weighed in on JCP’s new logo and their controversial pro-gay Father’s Day creative last year, so we’d be remiss not to comment on the changing of the guard.

Johnson Out, Ullman (back) in.

Johnson, a former star executive from both Apple and Target landed at JCP with such promise; now, ousted from his post as CEO after just 16 months. In a true “Leno 2.0” Tonight Show fashion, the board brought back Mike Ullman, a man who held the post for 7 unimpressive years leading up to Johnson’s arrival in late 2011.

Was it too soon?

Absolutely.

Erratic decision making is the mark of a [brand] in distress. You can have empathy for JCP’s plight; it’s easy to play “wait and see” when you’re not already fighting for survival.

As marketing professionals, we have a heightened sense of awareness for the idiosyncrasies of branding. But surely the general public can note there’s been something fresh and new with regards to the last twelve months at JCP.

Pricing – Weekly category promotions and erratic couponing were ousted in favor of everyday low pricing and simple sales.

Creatively speaking – There’s a new energy and spice in their fast-paced, musical TV spots; there’s a great vibrancy and flavor to their print ads and store fliers.

Looking in-store – Muddled cream subbed for bold white and crowded homogenous blocks of racks swapped for new “store within a store” boutique brands.

While the changes made might not have resonated with legacy shoppers, it was by design. Far too reliant on an aging population, Johnson’s JCP was meant to woo a new generation of buyers. And his leadership was pulled before the aura of the transformation had a chance to deliver new demo dollars.

Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Close – remember the Sales Cycle from Marketing 101? Well, it takes time to work its magic. Johnson’s changes definitely secured attention and interest; maybe a bit of desire as well. But conviction and close didn’t come fast enough for the board.

Fool JCP once, shame on you. Fool JCP twice, shame on JCP.

What new vision does Ullman bring this go-around and what magic could it work over Johnson’s vision that would finally move JCP off life-support?

Is his (re-)post interim or permanent? Is the goal to win back legacy loyalists? Continue to rattle new, younger demos? Or, is it a mixture of both and a way to merely slow the pace of change?

Neither reign delivered dollars but at least Johnson’s JCP had personality and character. The brand felt alive once again. Although not part of Ullman’s vision, he’d be a fool not to carry the bulk of the new features forward.

The story isn’t over, but this marketing cynic is skeptical we’ll find a happy ending.

To be continued...

April 1 “Ads” – Foolish or Foolproof?

Move over, Black Friday and Super Bowl Sunday. There’s a new favorite in advertising, and it isn’t just about low-low prices, door busters, or the most creative (and expensive) 30-second spot.

April Fool’s is the day advertisers can really lie.

No foolin’.

It’s when we can put marketing of the normal product mix on hold to have a little fun and advertise things that don’t exist at all.

Brought to you by the internet and Social media.

Ten years ago April Fool’s Day ads weren’t even possible (or at least very economical). Traditional channels would prove too narrow and lack spontaneity. Use one of your über-expensive TV slots and hope people are tuned in? Post your joke on billboards and wait out a 30-day commitment? No thanks.

The web makes voice amplification easy. If Scope wants to “announce” a new bacon flavored mouth wash, all they have to do is post a video to their YouTube channel, push it to Facebook and Twitter, and wait for brand advocates to spread the word (see their awesome spot below).

But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

To Fool or not to Fool…

…THAT is the question. Seriously, what value does it serve?

When done correctly, you’d be a fool NOT to do it.

April Fool’s Day ads enhance brand personality and consumer affinity.

It comes in many flavors (including new flavors). But also, changes in policy, new product launches, and product line extensions.

And as a joke, we’re not bound to deliver on the message, so it affords marketers the opportunity to REALLY let loose and get creative.

When to do it: 30k Feet’s Guideline to Foolproof April Fooling

To mock yourself

Google produced several spots, all touting new features or technologies.

Google Nose, Treasure Maps, the Levity Algorithm, and our favorite, Gmail Blue (just like Gmail, only bluer)

All are produced in Google’s signature style. You know, multiple camera angles that deliver heartfelt testimonials by tech designers, all brought to life on a bed of soft, compassionate elevator music that crescendos to a BIG reveal…

“What does a ghost smell like!? Google NOSE!”

Google KNOWS how to poke fun of itself (and we applaud the humility).

Need to see some more self-deprecating ad-humor? Check out Groupon’s GrMail – electronic madlibs, it's the iDEAL way to use email! :)

To mess with your competitors

Don’t want to get tagged, caught ‘gramming, or hashtagged? Jump in the suit.

Microsoft’s “Do Not Tracksuit” is supposed to make the wearer completely invisible. It’s also a nod to the software developer’s latest pitch of differentiation against Google when it comes to “respecting” user privacy.

A video would have been a nice way to really get the message out there – but it is Microsoft’s first April Fool’s. Have to learn to walk before you can run.

To soft-pitch legit features

Honda used April Fool’s Day to “launch” HondaHAIR – the first in-car flowbee hair trimming tool. Conveniently enough, the bogus attachment pairs with the totally legit new HondaVAC, available in the upcoming 2014 Odyssey. 

In its final moments, the commercial bounces back to a shot of the vacuum in action on spilled cereal – now isn’t that brilliant? “It sure is!” –kid in the commercial.

When it matches your personality

If you’re a zany, unconventional brand, it fits the bill. That’s Scope; at least that’s who scope wants to be. They’ve gone through a brand revamp in the last year or so – and this spot should be right up their new target demo’s alley.

5 days, nearly 4 million views. How else would Scope get young people talking about mouthwash? And the ad is produced well and feels authentic. Our fave April Fool’s for sure!

When it’s the exact opposite of your personality

The other side of the coin.

Seriously; tired, stuffy brands that are looking to grab attention might find an April Fool’s prank to be just the trick. Let’s say the Quaker Oats man got retooled as a hipster? You’d pay attention, right? You’d respect the company’s attempt at humor and maybe, if they paired the mock-announcement with a soft product launch, you just might pay the brand a visit next time you’re at the grocery.

Snickers Snickettes, Seamless' Deluxe Delivery, Conan State University, and American Eagle’s Skinny-Skinny (spray on) jeans.

AdWeek did a great job at gathering all the major 2013 April Fool’s ad spots.

Which are your favorites? Which miss the mark? Let us know! >

 

Forget the Snake; 2013 is the Year of the Goat (at least when it comes to Advertising).

Make no mistake; the real winner of Super Bowl XLVII was Doritos.

Enter: the goat.

And just when we thought advertisers had beaten the animal spokesperson strategy to death! Seriously though, did you think there was anyone left in all the animal kingdom who could feel fresh and new?!

Doritos’ “Goat 4 Sale” spot was a pure genius.

Devoid of any real words, it introduced us to a whole new vernacular; the goat scream.

In case you haven’t seen it (what, do you live under a rock?):

Not only did the 30-second spot go viral, it triggered a tidal wave of social media love for goats everywhere.

Search “Screaming Goat” on YouTube and you’ll find over 194,000 results; compilations of live video from the farm and screams fit to pop songs and Oprah Winfrey.

8 weeks later and we still can’t get enough.

You can imagine our excitement when we first learned that Mountain Dew had released a goat spot.

You wanna see it? You ready? Here it is:

What the…?

The first eight seconds (that’s 26% of the entire campaign) are spent on the guy just trying to get his date to notice the damn thing.

Then 10 seconds of the goat not wanting the Mountain Dew (waitress gets slapped).
5 seconds of the goat wanting the Mountain Dew (waitress gets slapped again).
and 7 seconds of Mountain Dew euphoria, (more slapping) ::end scene::.

To be continued? No thanks. Like the goat during the first half of the commercial, we “don’t want it.”

It's like Mountain Dew is looking over Doritos' shoulder; copying all the wrong answers on the test.

In what ways does MD miss the mark?

No scream.

The scream is what makes the Doritos commercial. It's the big finish that breaks through the monotony of the crunches and grabs you. It elicits laughter. The scream is what we’re all Googling, YouTube-ing, tweeting, re-tweeting and sharing to facebook; why even use a goat if you’re not going to use the scream!?

No depth.

Some loose assemblage of a story would be nice. It’s insane for the sake of being insane …and nothing more. The crazy creative fits the brand’s eccentric personality but the character is crude without being clever and fails to impress.

Did you know the goat is supposed to be a girl? “Felicia” is her name. We’re all about breaking gender roles, but why impart more confusion with a tux and male voice?

It’s no contest.

I guess not all goats are created equal. In the game of goat – Doritos: 1, Mountain Dew: 0.

Twitter hacks ain’t so bad.

Seriously!

First Burger King, then Jeep – last week was HUGE in hacking.

Both accounts seemingly breached by the same outfit (@DFNCTSC – a Twitter account with no tweets; apparently stands for Defonic Team Screenname Club – a collective of hackers once associated with breaching Paris Hilton's T-Mobile account in 2005).

No doubt both will bring up serious concerns over cyber security and corporate protocol around social media. But really, how bad were these two most recent hacks?

@BurgerKing – Mon. 2/18, approx. 12 noon EST.

The hack alleged a takeover by McDonald’s, however in-eloquent. Tweets rambled on for nearly an hour before Burger King/Twitter finally caught on to the act, suspending the account and blocking delivery of new lascivious tweets.

@Jeep – Tue. 2/19, approx. 1pm EST.

Jeep’s hack followed similar suit, intimating a business takeover by Cadillac (nameplate under GM). Again, tweets were far from funny – nonsensical ramblings and obscure drug and gang references. And the folks at Chrysler were “back in the driver’s seat” before the afternoon was out.

So, why is it good?

It doesn’t negatively impact brand value. – Quite the opposite, actually. Members of the twittersphere can immediately recognize a hack, and just like that, disconnect any negative sentiment that may arise from offensive language. Instead, it seems to stimulate a sense of empathy and reality for the account, re-engaging users upon the  legit owner’s return.

It adds followers. – Burger King gained 30k followers; Jeep gained a (more) modest 3k. And isn’t audience growth one of the most important things? Like when celebrities decide to self-destruct in 140 characters or less, people tune in for the drama, but getting ‘em to stay is another story. Again, content is king and the pressure is on to retain new minds.

So, while we’ve established that the brand gets something with their hack, what do we readers get?

Not much.

Is it too much to demand a higher breed of comedy?

More satire, less sass. – Acting like McDonald’s purchased its arch-nemesis is a great concept. But the intimation stopped there and the predators opted for messaging no more thoughtful than that of a novice, self-involved amateur user. Superfluous street slang, cheap drug humor, and poor spelling don’t feel like a McDonald’s run Burger King Satire – and that’s what new followers tuned in to see.

How about a Ronald vs. King Mascot face-off? Maybe a Big Mac/Whooper menu mash-up? Get creative in a way that McDonald’s would NEVER in a real Burger King take-over!

Makes you wish these hacking outfits could add a few über-creative marketers, even comedy writers to the payroll. It would make their reign more entertaining and engaging.

Where should I submit my résumé? :)