Fr 6/16 - Lather, Rinse, Repeat | Conservatives Boycott Tony The Tiger | Buyer Personas Are BS

It's Friday June 16 2023.

I got the day right let's nerd out. On the ad nerds podcast delivers ad industry news weekdays we are the go to source for people who spend money on advertising covering big brands, small businesses, and of course the latest marketing trends. It's me Spanky Moskowitz, the show's host and a nearly 40 year veteran of the ad industry. I've made ads for Budweiser m&ms, Frito Lay the NFL and NBA, I created over 100,000 ads generating hundreds of billions in client revenue. If you're in or interested in the world of advertising and want to stay up to date with the latest news, the ad nerds podcast is the perfect place to start.

What's old is new again, especially in the world of advertising where mimicry isn't just flattery. It really is the name of the game. I want to revisit a clever concept that made its debut in 2005 with tide laundry detergent. When they did a campaign Saatchi and Saatchi did the campaign. And it was a playful depiction of a cheeseburger. Except the bun. The patty all the fixins right. Were expertly folded clothes from the dryer. Right who would have thought laundry could look so edible. Fast forward to 2009 Enter vanished detergents campaign by Euro RSCG it's like a case of deja vu all over again. Thank you Robin Williams. We see another edible illusion of a cheeseburger again crafted out of clean clothes. Well now, just when we thought we'd seen the last of laundry made cheeseburgers in walks McDonald's 2023 by DDB Slovenia. Surprise, surprise, it's the same visual idea of a cheeseburger composed of folded warm clothes. This recurring creative motif begs the question, copycat or coincidence? Well, it's no secret that great ideas in the advertising space tend to resurface over time. In a world where old becomes new again, we see those same concepts tasty and otherwise just getting whipped up again and again. In the ad world's kitchen. And you know what? It's okay because every generation deserves to see something fun, innovative and different and it's different and fun and innovative to them.

First it was Bud Light now the beloved Tony the Tiger. Yes in a swirl of controversy. Kellogg's finds itself in the eye of a storm and it started at the 76th annual Tony Awards in New York City where the cereal giants popular mascot Tony the Tiger there are great there is I used to be able to do that. He appeared on the red carpet and and he was grabbing attention and and doing photos with everybody not least because of his photos with the transcendent Tiktok influencer Dylan Mulvaney but everyone right But Dylan Mulvaney was there and of course social media blew up and it amplified the images of the Tiger playfully surprising Mulvaney and posting, posing for photos with the tiger right they were, you know it was but again, it was a red carpet moment. Anyway. The images started to make their rounds and speculation about a potential collaboration between the influencer and the serial brand started to draw criticism from conservative quarters. The Whirlwind didn't stop there, of course, because it only gathered more speed. And prominent voices from the conservative side started calling for a boycott of the brand, with One Twitter user Joey Manna Reno, tweeting a lament about his fondness for the brand and expressing his disappointment with the company's association with Mulvaney. Now of course, because he is got maybe one brain cell, he didn't think for a moment that they are outside of a theater on a star studded night and Tony the Tiger is there because they're a sponsor? No. Instead, he just started a a storm. While the backlash became a big storm as the right wing conservative and others picked up on the event and started a boycott campaign against Kellogg's for no reason. Underlying this, of course, we're past associations of Mulvaney with brands that were boycotted after showing support for the LGBTQ plus community, adding more fuel to the fire. But Kellogg's was not swayed by the storm in a statement but to Newsweek, they stood their ground explaining that Tony and frosted flakes were official partners of the Tony Awards, and that Tony the Tiger was there to celebrate Broadway's biggest night. The company highlighted that Tony was walking the red carpet taking photos with nominees and other guests for whom, whom were lifelong fans of Frosted Flakes. Here's my problem with all of this outrage.

The conservative right talks about the left's canceled culture, yet, they can't seem to recognize the behavior as being exactly what they profess to stand against. When homophobic transphobic right wing air quote, Christians start boycotts over a person posing for a photo with a mascot. We've got a serious problem. People who fear the LGBTQ plus community call themselves Christ followers, yet they show little to no compassion or tolerance for anyone who doesn't do it their way. And that's the exact opposite of what they profess themselves to be. The Division in this country isn't being caused by the LGBTQ plus community wanting to be treated like everyone else. It's because Christian conservatives want everyone to live according to their beliefs. It simply doesn't work that way. America was founded on some basic principles. We are all endowed with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And perhaps the haters should pick up a dictionary to understand what those words mean. You live your life, let them live theirs and leave the tiger alone. Tony the Tiger is not involved in this mouth breathing knuckle dragger Twitter maniacs.

Buyer personas. It is a term marketers have been slinging for years, and I've been a part of so many marketing meetings where buyer personas were being developed, they were being named, they were being drawn. Yes, a picture of this imaginary buyer was on the wall for all to see in the company and to relate to I've got some news for you. In my opinion, and in my almost 40 years in the advertising business. Building individual buyer personas is a waste of time and energy. Instead focus on these four different buyer types and create messages that speak to each of them.

Here they are. First, the fast ones competitive and spontaneous. Competitive buyers are their fast structured logic based decision makers. They want to know what makes your solution the best. Then there are the spontaneous buyers. They're fast. They're unstructured, they're emotion based decision makers. Why should I choose you now? Right? That's who they are. And then there are the slow ones, the methodical is and the humanistic ones, the methodical ones. How's your process slash solution work? They're slow, they're structured, they're logic based decision makers. Then there's humanistic, they're slow, unstructured, emotion based decision makers who's used your solution for my problem. Instead of sitting around a room making a fake customer, make sure your advertising speaks to each one of those four customer types.

Timberland, once a brand synonymous with workmanship and outdoor durability found a new lease on life when it stepped onto the hip hop stage. Established in 1952. It was a brand known for its sturdy waterproof boots designed primarily for manual workers who needed reliable footwear. While the boots with their distinctive new back leather and thick rubber soles. They were a common sight on construction sites and other labor intensive workplaces for decades. But then, in the 1990s, the winds of change blue carrying timberland away from the blue collar construction sites to the clean means sidewalks of urban fashion. The hip hop community with its flair for recontextualizing everyday items began to embrace Timberland boots. Artists like Wu Tang Clan and the clan and DMX. They were all spotted wearing the boots and This marked the beginning of Timberlands association with the hip hop culture. What had once been a symbol of hard labor now became a status symbol embodying the grit and rawness of the streets. While fast forward to present day. Timberland successful crossover is an absolute case study for brand evolution. While it maintains its roots in providing durable outdoor footwear. The brand has been able to embrace that fashion forward side, you know with pop culture icons. Collaborations with fashion houses and artists further cemented Timberlands place in the urban culture pantheon. And despite its unexpected path, timberland is just an example of a brand that adapted to culture became an essential part of it. Remember your brand, your audience can shift and you need to be prepared to do the same.

Roku rolls out a new lineup. Podcast streaming service Roku has announced the launch of two innovative ad formats to reach a wider audience including those who prefer streaming without ads. Yes, there are lots of people who will pay the premium price to not be served ads. Well this move comes as a strategy to provide brands with a more engaging avenue to reach viewers even before they start streaming content. The new ad formats include marquee spots, which are ad units that appear on the homescreen and showrooms full screen interactive ad units. The marquee spots, typically reserved for content recommendations are now open to advertisers. And these allow brands to grab users attention right from the home screen. The showrooms, on the other hand, are still undergoing alpha testing with select clients and will be launched publicly by the end of this year. Both of the ad units will be available through direct deals rather than programmatically. And I am so thrilled to hear that because programmatic ad buying sucks, it hits the wrong customers at the wrong time, and it's a waste of dollars. A unique feature of these ads is the integration of machine learning and first party data critical in a 2023 and forward environment. Advertisers compare their first party data again, remember first party data that's the data you've collected directly from your customer. Right. These are people who buy from you who you've put in your database, it's first party your party data with Roku whose data to target marquee ads, and then the system will use machine learning to suggest the ad creatives most likely to generate clicks. If a viewer interacts with a marquee AD, the advertiser can then retarget that viewer with a 32nd spot in an ad supported streaming service, either within or outside of roku. Also, this interaction can serve as a signal for purchase intent, aiding in further targeting and retargeting strategies, which I am a huge fan of.

Hey, if you liked the ad nerds podcast, please subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. Give it a five star rating and a great review. I'd sure appreciate it. That's the ad nerds podcast for Friday, June 16 2023. Spanky out thanks for listening. Have a great weekend.