Whoops I Did It Again
I often say, "marketing is a spectator sport." We can learn by watching each other in the marketplace ... in terms of what works and what doesn't work with consumers.
Today I've got two examples where we can learn from blockbuster brands that generally do amazing marketing, proving that marketing is full of ups and downs and it's nearly impossible to always get it right 100% of the time. Two examples where the court of social opinion weighed in quickly on the effectiveness of these brands' communications. We should know by now that consumers are going to let us know what you think of our marketing behavior!
Tiger Woods and Nike. "Winning Takes Care of Everything.." Not completely in social media and around the water cooler which has largely denounced this ad as being insensitive, shall we say, to Tiger's history. Is this actually a core consumer insight or a big "whoops?"
Victoria Secret. Long been seen as the brand that defines "sexy," and long been seen as the brand that pushes boundaries. Did "Bright Young Things" push too far? Seems as though some consumers certainly seem to think so. Is it engaging and enticing or just another "whoops I did it again?"
The consuming public, thanks to social media, is very quick to judge and now the mainstream press including broadcast outlets is quick to report. The problem is that understanding where to take your brand is a really thin line and it's completely invisible, so as marketers you have to constantly guess what's appropriate and edgey, versus what's tacky and inappropriate. And it changes daily, all day long.
But trust me, you do know the minute you get it wrong. Snap!
What's your experience? Jim.
Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur
Today I've got two examples where we can learn from blockbuster brands that generally do amazing marketing, proving that marketing is full of ups and downs and it's nearly impossible to always get it right 100% of the time. Two examples where the court of social opinion weighed in quickly on the effectiveness of these brands' communications. We should know by now that consumers are going to let us know what you think of our marketing behavior!
Tiger Woods and Nike. "Winning Takes Care of Everything.." Not completely in social media and around the water cooler which has largely denounced this ad as being insensitive, shall we say, to Tiger's history. Is this actually a core consumer insight or a big "whoops?" Victoria Secret. Long been seen as the brand that defines "sexy," and long been seen as the brand that pushes boundaries. Did "Bright Young Things" push too far? Seems as though some consumers certainly seem to think so. Is it engaging and enticing or just another "whoops I did it again?"
The consuming public, thanks to social media, is very quick to judge and now the mainstream press including broadcast outlets is quick to report. The problem is that understanding where to take your brand is a really thin line and it's completely invisible, so as marketers you have to constantly guess what's appropriate and edgey, versus what's tacky and inappropriate. And it changes daily, all day long.But trust me, you do know the minute you get it wrong. Snap!
What's your experience? Jim.
Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur