Brands Responding to Brands
We're starting to see a trend emerge that is unprecedented in marketing: brands responding to other brands' activities.
It's been brewing in social media, particularly in the tweet feasts during big event television like the Oscars, Grammys, Super Bowl, etc. We saw it with Pharrel's hat and Arby's, JCPenney's mittens, and DiGiorno pizza during the Sound of Music Live to name a few. Tweet on tweet action where brands are interacting live and in the moment. Great fun, especially for an observer of brands!
We're now seeing it come up a notch with full-on video production match ups.
The first was a month or so ago when Ford executed a direct response to a Cadillac commercial that ran during the Academy Awards, depicting two sides of American values.
And now this week we see Bud Light respond to the American Greetings video about "the world's toughest job." (thanks to Sonia from my NYU Class for finding this little gem!)
Here's the original from American Greetings:
And the response from Bud Light:
Too much! Really too much! If you notice, this is a part of the brand's #UpForWhatever campaign that I believe launched during the Super Bowl this year with a real live consumer. But it's a direct mock of the original from American Greetings, and in fact there's a link to watch "the original."
Personally, I'm not sure I like it much to be honest. I think it mocks Dads in the process but admittedly that's a sensitive topic for me personally.
From a marketing perspective it's pretty cool to see these brands up against each other ... in this case two brands that otherwise don't compete yet they're "meeting" around pop culture moments. In this case in anticipation of Mother's Day and then Father's Day.
I predict we'll see more and more brands interacting with each other. Some with high production values and some without.
What's your experience? JIM.
It's been brewing in social media, particularly in the tweet feasts during big event television like the Oscars, Grammys, Super Bowl, etc. We saw it with Pharrel's hat and Arby's, JCPenney's mittens, and DiGiorno pizza during the Sound of Music Live to name a few. Tweet on tweet action where brands are interacting live and in the moment. Great fun, especially for an observer of brands!
We're now seeing it come up a notch with full-on video production match ups.
The first was a month or so ago when Ford executed a direct response to a Cadillac commercial that ran during the Academy Awards, depicting two sides of American values.
And now this week we see Bud Light respond to the American Greetings video about "the world's toughest job." (thanks to Sonia from my NYU Class for finding this little gem!)
Here's the original from American Greetings:
And the response from Bud Light:
Too much! Really too much! If you notice, this is a part of the brand's #UpForWhatever campaign that I believe launched during the Super Bowl this year with a real live consumer. But it's a direct mock of the original from American Greetings, and in fact there's a link to watch "the original."
Personally, I'm not sure I like it much to be honest. I think it mocks Dads in the process but admittedly that's a sensitive topic for me personally.
From a marketing perspective it's pretty cool to see these brands up against each other ... in this case two brands that otherwise don't compete yet they're "meeting" around pop culture moments. In this case in anticipation of Mother's Day and then Father's Day.
I predict we'll see more and more brands interacting with each other. Some with high production values and some without.
What's your experience? JIM.