Westergaard Advertising

The Back of the Box

No, this isn’t an excuse to show off pictures of my kids. When you have little children you eat fast food a whole lot more than you normally would. Last weekend on a trip to the golden arches I found my gaze wandering across the table to back of my son’s Happy Meal box. There on the box before me was depicted what a Happy Meal should be. A Utopian offering composed of a grilled chicken wrap, sliced apples and a cool inviting glass of milk. Mmmm.

The problem? This is the first any of us saw of it. No commercials (we watch a lot of kids TV too) and no in-store signage or menu call-outs. So — as you can see above — our gang ordered up our usual vittles. This is something about the Mickey D’s brand that we would actually like to know and it’s no where in the barrage brand impressions constantly pelted at families like ours. The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that it was planned this way. The folks at McDonald’s want to be able to say that they offer something healthy in response to the heightened awareness of the post-Super Size Me world we live in but at the end of the day they don’t want anyone ordering it. Offer it and under-promote it and all of a sudden … We have a healthy Happy Meal on the menu but no one orders it … I digress …

Why should this matter to you? Is there something important that your customers should know or want to know about your brand that you have relegated to the back of the box?

Labels: Branding, Packaging

Connect:0 Comments | | March 3, 2009

In Reference to the Location of the Beef

After a recent Arby’s visit, my mind wandered as it’s been known to do. I stared off at the packaging in front of me – the instructions to the toy that came with the Kid’s Meal. On the backside were about four graphics that made up the fast food giant’s core values and mission. Again, this was on the back of the instructions to the Kid’s Meal toy. Because — you know as well as I do — kids care greatly about the mission and core values of the companies that provided them with their most recent toy.

Fast forward a couple of days to a luncheon at one of my favorite new local restaurants — Vesta. At the bottom of their lunch menu, was a short paragraph telling the story of how the restaurant is named for the Roman goddess of hearth and how this was relevant to the dining experience they work to create.

Some quick takeaways? First, compare the two “missions” — generic stuff like dream big and “make a difference” versus a quirky story involving the gods – and tell me which one you’ll remember. Finally, you tell me who really cares more about living a mission by comparing where they chose to display it. On the back of some throw away instructions to a whirlygig that didn’t really need instructions in the first place or the page-long, one-sided lunch menu that everyone easily reads all of …?

Labels: Branding, Packaging

Connect:0 Comments | | January 13, 2009

Brand New Year

It’s a new year and now that the champagne bottles have been tossed out and the confetti has been cleaned up, we have a lot to do. The economy is in shambles, industries from Wall Street to Main Street are faltering — some with government assistance but most without. We need new strategies to right our course nationally and for our businesses because the old ones just won’t work any more.

At Westergaard Advertising, we have one prediction for the New Year — brands will be bigger than ever. This may sound like a simple overstatement of the obvious but think about it. In a troubled economy you can only lead on price for so long — someone can always go lower and you cannot compete with that, especially when we don’t know where the basement is. Where you can establish an edge is in the intangible …

At the end of the day, it comes back to who your business is. Who your brand is and what kind of equity you’ve built up. In times of crisis there are two paths for your brand to save the day.

Your brand is impeccable, has always been impeccable, and most of your customers will stick with you through rough times.
You have neglected your brand. Your name doesn’t mean much or as much as it used to.

If you are in the first group, you don’t necessarily have it made. If you are in the second group, all is not lost but you must immediately perform a branding course correction. You must take as many resources as you can muster and put them behind your brand. And I’m not merely talking about a new logo or website but rather taking every decision you make as an opportunity to build brand equity. Do customers come into your business to pick something up? How could you go that extra mile and generate buzz and a positive brand experience? Is there something you could do that would leave your customer obligated to tell all of their friends about your business

These are the kind of brand stories you need to cultivate. Even if you are in the first group with an impeccable brand, things are in flux now and you musn’t loose site of your brand’s state in the ever changing public sphere. Reach out to your customers and wrap them in your brand. Remind them why you are remarkable

In short, build your brand in the new year. Keep it at the center of your mission. Put as many dollars toward it as you can spare — think of it as an investment your business’ most crucial asset. But there’s also a lot you can do that won’t cost a dime. Talk to your team. Get their ideas on how to build bulletproof brand loyalty in 2009. And, most of all, Happy New Year.

Labels: Advertising, Branding, Design, Economic Downturn, Mobile Marketing, Motivation, Online Marketing, Packaging, Strategy, Viral Marketing

Connect:0 Comments | | January 1, 2009

The Middle Circle

I am a bit of an anomaly. I can give or take Pepsi or Coke. I’ll drink either one or be perfectly content to have a root beer or raspberry ice tea. So I don’t have affinity for either brand but sometimes I feel like drinking a soda and end up purchasing one or the other. Recently I was strolling down the aisle of my local grocer when I saw the much discussed new Pepsi logos. Neat, I thought and put a couple of two-liter bottles in my basket. I don’t love Pepsi or hate Coke. It just struck me as new and interesting so I made the dive. And I’ll bet I’m not alone.

The new logos have generated much discussion. Some love the new “smile” while others resent this very modern overhaul of a classic American brand. I won’t get into my personal opinion because I’m not sure it’s fully formed yet. I say that because even if I don’t find them visually appealing, they may end up doing their job: moving the needle. By adding a little bit of sizzle, the new logo system may cause enough people like me to stop and say “Look! Something shiny and new.”

I’m sure someone is reading this and thinking “if this guy doesn’t care about soda then why should his opinion matter?” My opinion matters because in the soda wars I am a key demographic. It’s the same reason pundits say that undecideds win elections. Products or personalities battling for share of mind in the public sphere each have a dedicated faction of brand loyalists. But there is almost always a third center circle in the ven diagram – and often it represents a larger group. The undecideds. The unloyal. In politics, these are the people who aren’t as well read on the issues and vote a certain way because they didn’t like someone’s odd glance in a fleeting moment of a debate. In product marketing, these are the people who stop and buy the new thing because it’s different and exciting.

I think it’s important to point out (especially as a huge advocate on the power of branding) that I am not advocating focusing on little flashes in the pan to piece together a winning strategy. The logos (might) work for Pepsi because they have the core bucket of brand loyalists who they take care of. This is a strategy designed to grow and challenge market share but you cannot gravitate to the middle circle without first establishing a strong brand.

Labels: Branding, Packaging, Strategy

Connect:0 Comments | | December 22, 2008

Redefining Breakfast

Last night I caught the founders of Cereality, David Roth and Rick Bacher, on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. Now this truly is a remarkable concept – a bar/cafe that serves cereal. Not high-end, gourmet cereal. Just plain ‘ol Apple Jacks, Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, etc. But you – the customer – gets complete control of the experience. You can lay down a bed of delicious Golden Grahams, top them off with a few Cocoa Puffs, and add toppings like bananas to boot.

And the innovation doesn’t stop at the door. They’ve invented a user-friendly (and environmentally friendly) container with a clever spoon that has a flue in it for sucking the sweet, cereal-flavored milk (left). This is a perfect example of taking an activity that users love and building an experience around it. And you don’t sit at a table either. You stand at kitchen-island like counters.

Roth and Bacher came up with a winning concept. All of the parts already existed. All they had to do was connect the dots. Oh, and the pisser? They peddled this idea around to all of the cereal companies to solicit partnership opportunities and all they got was “good luck.” All except Quaker Oats, who was an early supporter and gave these innovators some start up cash. (There should be an award for companies that serve as “business angels” and support ideas like this but because there’s not I’ll lay off complaining about the oat smell in Cedar Rapids.)

The Point? It’s real “in” right now to talk about how companies like YouTube are changing the landscape of business and culture but this kind of shift can happen offline as well. Companies like Cereality are taking what’s successful about YouTube – an experience custom-sculpted around the user – and applying it successfully offline.

Labels: Marketing, Packaging

Connect:0 Comments | | December 19, 2006