Rhetoric not authenticity in latest Dove campaign

Within days of an Ad Age article recounting the significant fall in Dove brand sales across the board (Soft Soap) a new Dove campaign has hit You Tube. It remains to be seen whether it is sufficient to reverse the declining fortunes of the business












If one is going to reinvigorate a brand, it needs be upon a solid basis that will serve the brand for years to come. Too often however, agencies fall more in love with advertising ideas and devices rather than brand ideas for long-term growth.

Take Unilever’s Dove brand.

The initial ambition was simple: connect women with the brand through shared values. This is sound: a Roper study found that this is precisely what unites the world’s top brands with their franchises.

The approach was to stir up issue value that could then be used to position the brand as an attractive ally. This too is sound: creating “issue value” is becoming increasingly needed in order to stir an often indifferent or somnambulant public and galvanize them to participate.

It is the decision to orient issue value and the brand-consumer shared belief through a moralizing stance on beauty that is not sound.

Here's the evolution of Dove brand reinvigoration


Phase 1
Communications were created to spark a debate about beauty, raising consciousness about how narrow and stereotyped the existing definition is, while introducing a more realistic, healthier, and attainable alternative. It championed beauty on ordinary women’s terms. The campaign for real beauty was the brand’s rallying cry.

Visually, the campaign was iconic. Advertising in every channel showed what had previously been taboo: amply proportioned and even large women. They beamed how good they felt in their own skin. It was empowering. It was celebratory. It was inclusive.

Phase 2
It saw the viral spread of Evolution, proclaimed it’s “no wonder our perception of beauty is so distorted” by showing the excessive retouching that transforms a women into beauty industry advertising allure.

This effort represented a subtle but significant shift. In phase II the beauty industry is being singled out as ‘the enemy’, the force against which the brand and its consumer advocates should continue to rally. The emphasis of the brand however is not on the celebration of women’s beauty in all its wonderfully diverse sizes, colors and shapes. It is focused on fighting an opposition.

Phase 3
‘Onslaught’ has just been released, depicting a young girl being bombarded with beauty industry imagery. “Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does” extols the brand.

Of note is the strategic emphasis. While the opposition continues to be the beauty industry, the focus is again upon children, and Dove is appointing itself as a moral guardian. Or concerned on-looker at least.

There are three ironic elements to this:

1. Telling parents to talk to kids misses two important realities. 1) Kids are influenced by example, not what they’re told. 2) If mothers continue to be so focused on their outward appearance and gaining acceptance of others, worry about their weight ro what people think of them, have 'beauty treatments' like manicures and pedicures, etc. the lack of change in the image problmem of the younger generation will speak for itself. It’s the mother’s that have to change behavior, not preach.

2. Dove encourages parents to face off against the beauty industry, and while Dove’s campaigns continues to champion the rally, unhealthy female imagery and expectations are being simultaneously reinforced by the same company. The Axe/Lynx brands which targets male teenage with fantasy is also owned by Unilever. In an age of transparency, this is ill advised.

3. The celebration of the brand’s inclusive point-of-view about beauty has been pushed aside, at least for now. Granted, there are challenges in keeping a fickle, short-attention span society engaged once they’ve become comfortable with an idea – and the rise of the reality programming genre has certainly diminished the visual distinctiveness Dove’s ‘real beauty’ imagery.

The advice for Dove: lose the faux compassion and be authentic.
If you’re serious about change, then encourage parents themselves to change and be better role models. Inspire them to be a great example for their daughters. Then perhaps there’ll be sustainable change, not hollow brand gestures.

No better place to experience a math lesson

A lot of mathematics taught back in school never seemed to have much practical application in the real world (though important to learn for the principle).

So there was unexpected delight recently in looking at Minneapolis from the south of the city. The skyline of the buildings create an almost perfect normal distribution curve, including tails on either side

The view is from the roof-deck of Stella's Fish Cafe in Uptown. It's a popular scene with the 20 something crowd, who knock back mojitos and margheritas rather than martinis.

As one of the few outdoor bar restaurants with a full city view, this mathematical vista is probably a unique selling point for Stella though management didn't seem too interested in the suggestion. Might appeal to the wrong crowd.

Stirring Bulletin #6

This is a departure from the usual Stirring Bulletin format.

Normally we contrast Middle Ages thinking (pre-enlightened marketing practice) with Renaissance thinking (post enlightenment marketing practice).

OFD has come across such an outstanding example of Middle Ages Thinking that it merits its dedicated focus.

This satire brilliantly captured the misguided ways of yore: where self-indulgent agencies and their clients were obsessed with espousing their own message, but falling on the deaf ears of consumers who saw through the gesture and artifice. A glaring example of what approach NOT to take.

Enjoy

Digesting the etymology of baked goods

'Baked goods' is a curious term indeed. It is so rarely used in casual conversation that when mentioned it carries a subtle yet distinctly formal air which stands in contrast to more familiar patterns of speech and turns of phrase.

In response to being asked what one might consider eating for breakfast, "I think I'll have a baked good" would seem strange. It also raises another aspect of this infrequently used phrase: it is almost never used in the singular.

To utter this term therefore, would seem to require the owner to have - or anticipate being in possession of - more than one. Perhaps ideal for the optimist, the glutton, or those of us preferring to have our cake and eat it too.

Kaiser stands out with the right stretch

Brand actions were the topic of the last Stirring Bulletin. Another great example was encountered today and Friday traveling through SFO.

















Right after passing through security towards gates 76-90, a rectangular area was cordoned off by ropes. Within it were floor mats, with two people moving through a series of stretches. Their purpose: to dispense advice on how passengers can stay fit while traveling. Small pocket sized leaflets were available to take away. The display area was unusual and evoked curiosity among a large number of people passing by, causing them to stop to find out what the activity was all about.















It's a great example of a brand taking an action and - for a health insurance company - engaging people in an airport is innovative precisely because it's not expected yet it's a highly relevant context. Most people aren't thinking about well-being when they travel but flying certain has a impact upon it. By taking practical steps to educate the public about activities and actions that can improve flying fitness, Kaiser is showing concern and proactiveness in a tangible way rather than merely rhetoric.

Stirring Bulletins (TM) # 5

THE WHAT
Brand actions make more impact - and count for more - in the eyes of prospects and customers.


THE WHY
People are more sophisticated and savvy about marketing practices than ever before. They have become increasingly aware of marketing techniques and strategies that companies use to appeal to them – it’s not just the younger generations that are seeing through it and reacting indifferently when something looks and smells like marketing.

Rising consumer economic power, more informed choices driven by internet-driven information and social networks had shifted the balance of power towards consumers in how they think and feel about brands.

Compounded by a market situation of product and brand proliferation at shelf and on-line, communications ‘promise-making’ is no longer as effective.

Brands that engage in actions as a way to connect with people will be more successful because, as with people, behavior speaks louder than words.


THE HOW


Middle Ages Thinking

Communications is the dominant strategy to reach and shape perceptions of prospects to attract them towards the brand






Renaissance thinking

It is through actions - and dynamic interactions - that brands deliver value to the prospects that experience them, who in turn fuel a buzz which enable other people to connect with it vicariously.





Example:

Charmin’s brand action in New York City






















The brand delivered a welcome experience for tourist about town (and one presumes, locals too) with its 20 individual restrooms staffed with a dedicated team of attendants and cleaners, along with a comfortable waiting area. The communications’ wit and style only added to were charming too.

What's hip is the flask

At this weeks psfk conference in LA, Adam Gaynor presented a case study about his recently born baby, Fred. It’s a new brand of water still in its infancy but which will be growing rapidly thanks to a new round of financing.

The idea of Fred is simple and compelling. Most water brands romance the source and extol the purity, taste and minerals of the water that comes from it. Adam's shrewd assessment was that there's room in the market for a brand positioned and differentiated on personality alone – one that’s friendly, inviting, a little cheeky and relaxed.

It’s certainly a novel idea in the water category but in the marketing world it’s not new. Many categories have products which have successfully used attitude and personality as the basis for the brand when little functional difference from competitors. Ted for example – launched by United Airlines before Song, Jet Blue or Virgin existed – was really no different in pricing and product offering than Southwest but had a unique brand personality of friendliness, openness, simplicity and fun in the category.

With Fred, the packaging is the most tangible aspect that supports this 'water with a different point of view'. Against a clutter of rounded bottles that fit ably only in cup holders, Fred stands apart. The brand’s relaxed, laid back persona is reflected in how easily it slips into a jacket pocket or back pocket, and even how comfortable it feels in the hand.

One part of this brand’s distinctive visual identity that’s hard to overlook even though it wasn’t mentioned in the presentation is an alcohol cue. The bottle has a hip flask shape immediately recalling the smaller sized package that spirits are sold in. The further reference to “velvety-smooth” spring water on the reverse side suggests the association to liquor is not an accident. It will no doubt only add to the appeal of brand coming to a grocery store near you soon.

Stirring Bulletin (TM) # 4

THE WHAT
Companies need to embrace the latitude to vary brand expression that the current marketing era provides and use it to their advantage.

THE WHY
We live in an age of fragmentation. The domination of a few networks and a limited number of channels has given way to an ever expanding distribution of content through the web, in which narrow-casting when sufficiently precise is substantial enough to be a viable business model (the long-tail).

More than anyone else, Gen Y and Millenials are particularly comfortable in a world of fragmentation; through the explosion of channels and content they see no pervasive homogeneity in a fast-moving world. They live in a world full of contradictions, exceptions and differences that complexity brings and accept it is they who have to put the pieces together and fashion them into a personal understanding.

THE HOW

Middle Ages Thinking


Ensuring consistency in the brand across all points of expression and across product lines delivers clarity of consumer understanding and ensures the company controls what the brand stands for.




Renaissance thinking


Driving effective brand–consumer connections means it is inevitable that the brand will talk to different groups in different ways. People who witness a brand marketing to other groups accept it as a natural reality of marketing practice, not identity crises.




Example:
VW markets its cars to a number of different groups spanning at least three life stages. The communications are vastly different in idea and executional form, yet speak to each specific group authentically and with real insight about their outlook and relationship with driving.

In the age of transparency companies can't re-write history

Many of the less enlightened companies must lament the marketing era they find themselves in. The balance of power for influencing consumer perceptions and defining what brands stand for has shifted out of their hands into the hands of people. In web 2.0 life, companies find themselves unwelcome or shut out of many internet venues in which people discuss their brands.

What to do? Some companies have sought to influence from the sidelines. Several firms have quietly re-written public posts about their endeavors on wikipedia in an effort to shape perceptions. But in today's age of greater transparency it's not surprising that their efforts were exposed, as described in a recent NYT article.

Anheuser Busch, Pepsi, Diebold, Walmart and even the CIA have altered or deleted material that is not flattering to their enterprises. Hopefully the publicity surrounding their legerdemain will serve to focus them upon more honest and productive undertakings.

The value in dispatches from the field

An article in United Airline’s Hemispheres magazine was extolling the virtues of ethnography in part because it requires presence of the researcher in the context of people being researched.

That’s not a bad point. Much of the difficulty in getting value out of focus groups lies precisely in them being a staged environment in which participants are removed from their natural habitats. A talented moderator can overcome this, as noted in The Lost Art Of Conversation.

There’s still tremendous value in non-ethnographic methods - those in which data and information are received away from the field, much as in dispatches are received at HQ from the battlefield and used to plan and execute albeit a very different kind of strategy.

Both with business and military intelligence-gathering undertakings, these methods are valuable as long as they are conducted the correct way and most importantly, interpreted as part of a greater holistic picture.

The fascination for any person like me who studies human nature and behavior comes from exactly this challenge: of collecting a variety of disparate pieces of behavior and attitudes, knowing which to keep and which to put aside and from these fragments building an understanding that shines with the authenticity of knowing deeply a situation or circumstance that is not one’s own.

One such fragment I came across today is intriguing. It’s a list of the so called ‘stickiest’ websites: those people spend most time at:

What does it mean? Well, it’s not really possible to interpret the significance of this single data set without greater context. Why?

* Site stickiness is connected to a particular type of hard core enthusiast ( reflected in the size of the segments) it’s not representative of large scale behavior

* It’s a single point in time, rather than a trend


With these cautions in mind, is it alarming that almost half the sites are for gambling. The amount of time people are spending on-line at these sites also supports the idea that gambling is addictive. The list of stickiest sites by parent company provides a different picture, one which suggests that other kinds of activities are frequently accessed by a much larger group of people:



It would be helpful is the data separated home from work. Microsoft’s domination is probably skewed by the latter. Still, the table presents some insight into the categories of behavior that people are connecting most with on-line

Cell phones (AT&T, Verizon)

News/entertainment/media (Time warner, Newcorp, New York Times, CNET, Viacom, EW Scripps)

Music (Apple, Realnetworks)

Basic staples (Walmart, Target)

The level of reporting makes it impossible to glean more however, such as email and search engine related activity.

Thank goodness we don’t see gambling dominate this table.

Stirring Bulletin(TM) # 3.

THE WHAT
For communications to be more effective, they need to exercise appropriate restraint to successfully engage an audience on their terms.

THE WHY
In the quest to ‘stand out from the clutter’ and ‘do more with less’ there is a greater (and less discriminating) use of shock tactics to grab attention. Equally troubling is the trend of communications towards more telling and selling than engaging with people on their terms.

Engaging in a communication is a contract (albeit an intangible one). People give their time and attention in exchange for a reward. It goes beyond the rational acquisition of facts and information, it is the possibility of a psychic reward. This is not just an emotional reward that comes from the content of the ad, such as humor. It’s the lift one gets from the figuring out an ad, which comes from active not passive participation. It makes people feel clever.

There's another important bonus not to be over-looked. Investing something more than mere attention to figure the ad out – imagination, creative problem solving, deduction – and getting a psychic reward inspires a psychological bond. It may not itself motivate people to drop everything and go an buy the product. But it creates a openness, a positive disposition towards the brand that is separate from whatever the content might be.


THE HOW

The Middle Ages


Communications are created to be complete in design, containing all desirable elements and requiring the audience to bring only their attention



Renaissance thinking

The notion of the audience as participants in communications is taken into account in their creation. It requires restraint: leaving room for the viewer to fill in the space to complete the comprehension.


Example: McDonald's Outdoor Board

Requires the viewer to realize it is acting as a sundial to show that it is time for McDonald's foods and beverages throughout the day.

Stirring Bulletin(TM) Vol 2.

The Context
Stirring bulletins(TM) aims to provide a frequent jolt of new thinking in the form of actionable principles that help ease the transition into the complex, ever-evolving, fast-paced and very different world of Web 2.0 - and its coming antecedents – in the 21st century.

In issuing these bulletins.....


‘Middle ages thinking'


describes the old 20th century thinking and approach






'Renaissance thinking'



characterizes the new thinking required for the future





Volume 2

THE WHAT
Marketers and their brands need to shift the orientation in how they go to market. They need to engage people on their terms.

THE WHY
The rise in consumer affluence coupled with rising sovereignty from access to knowledge and choices – both driven by the internet – puts people at the center of driving decisions of what and how they want their needs fulfilled. The internet has also spawned a people-driven dialog about issues and brands that is apart from the previously order, controlled and dictated by media companies, marketers and advertising agencies who dominated the channel and the message:














THE HOW
There are so many examples of how marketers can change in order to engage people on their terms, it will be the subject of the next several Stirring Bulletins (TM). Volume 2 will focus on giving ideas to the people they can grow.

Middle Ages thinking


Advertising ideas where communicated at people, as passive recipients. Success was often measured and tracked in terms of whether or not people played back the idea the marketer had defined




Renaissance thinking


Give people an idea they can take, engage with and make their own heightening their involvement, as well as in the process reach into new areas and interpretations not previously planned.




Example: Axe Click

The idea of young men using a clickometer to record how many times they were checked out took on a new life beyond the original idea. Young men debated what the scoring should be, how it should differ in different situations, etc. giving it a life well beyond advertising exposure and penetrating popular teen culture

Rediscover the lost art of conversation

Maligning focus group has become something of a sport over the last few years.
Bad recruiting, the ‘group think’ dynamic, an unnatural discussion environment have all been given as the reasons why this research forum consistently delivers under-whelming results.

In this moderator’s opinion, the over-whelming reason why focus groups don’t provide the actionable insights and inspiration Clients and agencies need comes from the craftsman, not the tools. It is simply mediocre moderating.

Moderating is not about soliciting people’s opinions in capturing reactions, either in feelings or thoughts. Its greater value is in challenge people to engage their imaginations, to make them willing collaborators in evolving concepts, executions or positions. Too often, the focus is upon establishing what the reaction is and what drives it, without engaging participating in a ‘what-if’ type exercise.

Tapping into our imagination is something we all do in our basic experience of every day life: our perception of reality is shaped by it. And yet all too often stimuli are presented in a way which doesn’t encourage people to engage their imagination.

Perhaps the greatest flaw that comprises research value is the tendency to follow a linear line of questioning. Insights come from conversations that mirror the real –world character. They are fluid and evolve dynamically as the exchanges flow. All too often, the imposition of a rote list of questions comes from a client’s restrictive (yet understandable) desire for consistency. Yet what is gained in consistency is lost in quality of discussion because no two groups think the same way and evolve ideas in the same pre-determined order.

At Grey SF we’re all about maximizing the Return on Research investment. So for all clients and agencies out there here’s a list suggestions for how to get more out of a much maligned research method:

Identify a core range of ISSUES to explore not a prescriptive list of questions
This will keep the discussion focused but allow the moderator to tackle the issues in the way that make sense for the character of each group.

DON’T over fill a group with too many issues
It will compromise the key quality of focus groups which is have the time to explore issues and get a deeper understanding.

Don’t over fill a group with too many PEOPLE
Conversations are richer among discussion of six people than eight. Facility value and moderator time is not improved by talking to more people. Guaranteed, two of eight people will sit back and not say much. It means the moderator will spend more time soliciting opinions than exploring opinions, ideas and reaction, and what-ifs.

Build time in for the moderator to EXPLORE an issue ‘off topic’.
All too often, there’s a moment of magic possibility in most groups when an exciting idea emerges that hasn’t been predicted. Give the moderator the freedom to explore at least one such idea per group. It can often unlock the most powerful learning of the group. In many cases though, the opportunity is passed up by the moderator in order to follow the strict list of question.

Listen as much to what is NOT said as to what it being said.
It requires more active listening and thinking on the fly, but it can provide extraordinary insight. Once you’ve got the hang of it, after a while you will hear them as loudly and clearly as if they’d been actually said.

Pay attention to WHEN comments come up in the evening.
Avoiding group think can be challenged and minimized by a good moderator, but part of being a good back-room attendant is learning what NOT to be influenced by. For example, when the room has been discussing a topic for 20 minutes and only then do problems and issues start to emerge, these are likely to be from venturing into ‘over-think' mode rather than issues that anchor people’s reactions.

Encourage a climate of EVOLUTION
Exposing the same stimuli across multiple groups delivers consistency at the expense of maximizing return of research investment. Far better to evolve the ideas or work to leverage learning and tighten up the form for expose in later groups, than unequivocally prove why the in-going stimuli has failed.

Stirring bulletin, Vol 1

Poor George Samsa. As the protagonist in Kafka’s classic novel, we might think him unfortunate. In waking up to find he’d turned into a cockroach overnight it was he who had changed rather than the world around him.

Ironically the biggest crisis facing marketers today it is they who have not changed while the world around them undoubtedly has. The one they live in, work in and make profits in.

A Darwinian Mandate
The consumer, cultural and technological landscape has so dramatically been recast that it calls for a different approach that fits the times, not only to how to connect with people but in a companies’ primary goal of building profitable brand relationships.

To do so however requires a corollary shift in thinking. Existing ways of thinking and marketing have become outdated over night. Companies are scrambling to re-orient their practice. But it’s a time of unprecedented opportunity for those who are able to adapt quickly and seize the initiative.

We’ve heard that one of the things getting in the way of companies adapting the demands of the new era is in understanding what the existing ways of thinking and principles are replaced by. You can’t get rid of something unless the replacement is clear.

These dispatches aim to do just that. By showing what the new principles are for this gilded age (for it is lined with gold) we’ll shine a light on the way ahead.

Meat as strategy and medium

While the basic dating ritual is not that complex, it’s the extensive variety of mediums used in the dance and their capacity to convey a variety of meaning that makes it a challenging realm of human nature to understand.

Take eating steak. A piece in today’s NYT Be Yourselves Girls Order The Rib-Eye suggests that eating meat is a deliberate strategy for certain women on a date: they’ll do it either because of what they feel it will say about them or simply to impress men.

For some, eating meat is a declarative statement, one of confident self-acceptance (I am woman, hear me chew). One woman believed it signaled she was unpretentious, down-to-earth and unneurotic, of not being obsessed with weight and of not having any food issues.

For others eating meat conveys character substance. “I don’t want to be considered vapid and uninteresting” Eating a salad “seems wimpy, insipid, childish” intoned one woman.

The allure of steak can also come from a desire to project an image that fits what men want. “Everyone wants to be the girl who drinks beer and eats steak and looks like Kate Hudson” intoned one. A vegetarian admitted she considered ordering shorts of Jagermeister – famous for its frat boy associations – to prove she’s a “guy’s girl”

There are other dimensions to meat as a medium of expression. Having knowledge about the different caliber of steaks suggests worldliness. Hamburgers suggest a woman is down-to-earth, low maintenance and a cheap date – in a good way.

Meat it seems is a potent medium to manage perceptions in a ritual in which impressions are shaped more by what is not said and by what is observed than by what is spoken.