Mo 6/5 - Chilli's Does Weddings | Free Advertising You Can Do | Walmart Takes A Pride Stand

It's Monday, June 5 2023. Time to nerd out.

The ad nerds podcast delivers ad industry news weekdays were the go to source for people who spend money on advertising, covering Big brands, small businesses and 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've created over 100,000 ads generating hundreds of billions and client revenue. If you're in or interested in the world of advertising and want to stay up to date with the latest news. App nerd podcast is the perfect place to start.

Let's start with something fun, light and so easy for any local business to execute. It's a recipe. A Georgia bride, Madison Mulkey had an idea and she decided to cater her entire wedding party with a Party Platter from Chili's. It cost her less than $2,000. Yep, she fed 99 guests for just 1950 bucks. And when she shared this on Tik Tok, her video went viral clocking in over 2 million views to date. That's when Chili's decided to capitalize on the viral sensation in collaboration with their partner agency mischief. Now, this isn't your typical marketing campaign. Taking inspiration from the Tick Tock event, Chili's cooked up a contest where the first three couples to propose it at Chili's could get their wedding fully catered for free by the chain. Hey, so if you want a piece of the wedding cake, you got to film your proposal at Chili's, right? Post it to tick tock and then tag Chili's. Chili said that they're all about making everyone feel special, especially on their wedding day. So what's on the menu? There? Well love party platters feature crispy chicken crispers. Mix and match fajitas and Big Mouth bites. Okay, so you think the story ends there, right? No, Chili's just doesn't get off with a win on somebody else's tick tock Post No way. In a totally classy move. Chili's rewarded Madison Mulkey for sparking the idea by purchasing all the remaining items on her wedding registry. Brilliant. This quick and effective response is something mischief is known for. And using cultural trends to enable brands to respond quickly is key. So I started this story by saying a simple fact. It's easy for anyone, any local small business to execute something like this. So how do you do it? It's simple. tap in to your local community and leverage social media. Here's some steps you need to follow. First, identify what's unique about your business. It might be a particular product, you offer an interesting story about how your business got started, or something unique about the way you operate. Use this as the basis for your campaign to create a social media strategy. Use the power of social media to amplify your message. You might not have the budget to advertise widely, but you can make your presence known through regular posts community engagement and by creating content that people want to share. Three, engage with your customers. encourage customers to share their experience with your business on social media. UGC or user generated content is a powerful marketing tool, and helps build a sense of community around your brand. Fourth, launch a contest or promotion. Just like Chili's did consider hosting a contest or special promotion that encourages customers to engage. For instance, it could be a competition where customers post a photo of the item or them using your product or service right. And do it creatively. And maybe it's the most creative entry wins. Five, you've got to respond quickly to opportunities. If you see a particular post or trend gaining traction, try to capitalize on it. This could involve creating a relevant promotion or simply participating in the conversation. Sixth, remember and I've said this many times always partner with other local businesses or influencers if you can collaborate with other local businesses and cross promote. This could be you know you're hosting joint events or offering bundle deals or promoting each other's products or services on social. And then finally, probably the most important, you gotta show a pre vitiation for your customers, just like Chili's rewarded this bride for her viral video, recognize and reward your loyal customers. This could be done through discounts, freebies, or simply a thank you note. Remember, the goal is to create a memorable, shareable experience that resonates with your community.

All right, let's continue talking about memorable and shareable experiences. A few years back, I was consulting a local pizza restaurant. They were a family owned multilocation shop, I think they had like six locations at the time. And I was talking to the owner about ways to spread joy on social media while doing some simple repeatable and easy to execute things. So I want you to lean in for this because what I'm about to share is key to how simple it is, and how this one thing grew sales exponentially with zero advertising dollars. So the owner of the shop was a huge sports fan and wanted to support local teams. But buying during pro games wasn't in his budget. At the time, I think his media spend was around 10,000 a month. So I suggested he sponsored local high school sports, but I suggested it executed a little differently than the way people normally did. His pushback was that, you know, he already bought banners, which is typically the way a small business would do it for like high school football or something like that. And you know, people are seeing his banners during the events and the high school games. But the truth is that has zero virality and zero social love. So my recommendation was to become the official provider of the weekly team meal. The night before the game, the local high school teams, they all did a Thursday night player dinner, so this was perfect for them. Anyway, when the meals got delivered, they did two things, a live stream, and then took some pictures of the players enjoying their meals and posting them to social. The players started Snapchatting and tick talking the meal provided to them. Parents started sharing on Facebook, the PTO and team pages started sharing and people felt compelled to support this local joint. The cost of feeding the team was nothing in comparison to the sales driven by reciprocity. They've since expanded this program to all high schools near their locations into random surprise and delight drops at different schools. And this is such an easy way to execute a memorable viral and shareable experience that lets other people do the heavy lifting of marketing for you.

Coming up Pepsi bad bunny and Apple kick off their summer music campaign. I'll tell you all about it.

I told you about Apple and Pepsi and their music deal. Well the campaign is finally here. Get ready to crack open a cold one with a twist. Because Pepsi is coming out with a fresh scorching summer campaign titled hashtag Pepsi our summer and guess who's hopped on board? That's right. Bad bunny, the chart topping global hit. Pepsi as you know has a history of creating buzz by partnering with big time musicians and this is no different. Natalie Natalia Suarez, PepsiCo, Senior Director of Marketing said the campaign is all about the simple joys of life and the most refreshing moments. It's all about kicking back and enjoying the summer vibes. Now here's the cool part. As part of the campaign, Pepsi is releasing Limited Edition cans that feature bad Bunny's signature silhouette. So you're not just sipping on your regular Pepsi can, but you're getting a piece of bad bunny swag. So it's like having your own piece of content concert merch in your hands. But it doesn't stop there. They're pulling out all the stops with a nationwide sweepstakes where lucky fans can win exclusive bad bunny merchandise. Plus, the partnership with Apple gives Pepsi drinkers the ability to to subscribe to Apple Music free for three months. They're hoping bad Bunny's widespread popularity will strike a chord with fans and Pepsi drinkers in my pinion The only thing that could have made this campaign better is if it were coke. Oh crap. Here come the hate messages.

Mac and cheese hearing those words brings instant comfort, right? Well Kraft mac and cheese enthusiast your favorite comfort food is going the frozen route. And it's not just about the classic blue box anymore. Kraft Heinz is launching a new line of frozen mac and cheese meals which are all about taking comfort to the next level, or as they put it getting Deluxe ossified. Kraft has carefully engineered the new Frozen range to replicate the taste and texture of the stovetop version we all know and love. And they're promising a creamy cheesy meal microwavable in minutes. Now, you might be wondering what flavors are they rolling out? Well, the initial launch will include four cheesy mouthwatering flavors, classic cheddar, white cheddar, Buffalo cheddar, and jalapeno. To generate buzz around the launch Kraft Heinz is partnering with a lifestyle influencer Jesse James Decker to get Deluxe ossified in her get to luxify campaign. As part of the campaign, Decker will be sharing her personal take on comfort. Also, she'll be sharing ideas on how to de luxify life at home. The company believes it's a move into the frozen aisle that will meet consumer needs for convenience and comfort, but maintain the great taste and quality that everybody loves in Kraft mac and cheese instant.

coming up target was targeted by conservatives. So how will Bentonville Arkansas based Walmart fair during pride month? I'll tell you next. Walmart is taking a strong stance on its support for Pride Month, despite a controversy that recently rattled competitive target over similar products. Latrice Watkins, Walmart's chief merchandising officer reaffirm the company's commitment to their pride month merch line. She noted that Walmart sells products year round supporting various groups and in this case, they've made no changes in their assortment. The controversy sprouted when target pulled some items from their pride month collection in response to threats that were making workers feel unsafe at work. The move wasn't well received, leading to backlash from multiple fronts. Some folks criticized target for selling LGBTQ plus themed goods, and others pushed them for backing down. Interestingly, Watkins mentioned that Walmart hasn't received any such threats. And she doesn't give much detail about Walmart's Pride Month offerings, but it is known that the national retailer selection has traditionally been less prominent compared to targets. Regardless, Walmart's unflinching commitment to supporting Pride Month in the face of controversy is a move that likely will reverberate across the entire retail industry. On a personal note, I will continue to support businesses that support LGBTQ plus movements. At the end of the day. I don't fear people who love dress different or seek gender affirming surgery. They aren't dangerous. I fear the intolerant people who feared them. They are the dangerous ones.

Hey, if you'd like 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 appreciate it. Well, that's the ad nerds podcast for Monday, June 5 2023. Thank you. Thanks for listening. Have a great day.