http://promomagazine.com/entertainmentmarketing/news/nickelodeon_healthy_food_initiative_green_giant_053107/
When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were precious.
One day, I'm walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and says, "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?" He held out his hand with four quarters in it.
Curious, I engaged with him. I took out a dollar bill and took the four quarters.
Then he turned to me and said, "can you spare a quarter?"
What a fascinating interaction.
First, he engaged me. A fair trade, one that perhaps even benefited me, not him.
Now, we have a relationship. Now, he knows I have a quarter (in my hand, even). So his next request is much more difficult to turn down. If he had just walked up to me and said, "can you spare a quarter," he would have been invisible.
Too often, we close the sale before we even open it.
Interact first, sell second.
By Rob Strasberg
Strasberg is vice chairman and chief creative officer of Doner
Someone recently sent me the picture of a crashed Wienermobile in Wisconsin and it reminded me of my own experience driving it 18 years ago and how much a 22-foot-long wiener can teach you about marketing.
Lesson 1. I was a living, breathing brand 24/7 for an entire year. I was an Oscar Mayer Hotdogger. Who in their right mind would hand their billion dollar brand and an $80,000 motorized hot dog over to a 22-year-old right out of college? That was my first lesson - a brand is a big responsibility. Take it seriously (but not too seriously in my case – it is a Wienermobile), understand the brand, the voice, the identity, the company point of view – it was clear my collegiate toilet humor was not the brand voice.
Lesson 2. Everything is advertising. My partner and I were responsible for creating public relations, setting up events, speaking with press, working with the salespeople, talking to consumers and cooking over a grill (usually my most important duty). Our efforts consistently garnered more gross rating points than Oscar Mayer’s national ad buys and built strong field relations (ads rarely do that).
Lesson 3. Get along with your partner. A Wienermobile is not that big – make it work. Stay positive – no matter how many times your partner sings along to the Indigo Girls on the radio. Same in an agency: get along with your creative partner. When you’re young, you’ll create big ideas, and later, with your business partners, you’ll create even bigger ideas.
Lesson 4. It’s really easy to make a sexual pun, avoid them at all costs.
Lesson 5. Be prepared. Do your homework. Know your stuff. One wrong move and you could become a national joke.
The salesman approached me, and I asked him how much the car cost.
He asked me how much I was looking to spend.
I told him $8,000.
And as you may have guessed he told me that was exactly the price of the Mustang.
Lesson learned.
Now, what is the lesson for you?
As a marketer, you are in a position to manipulate your customer if you so choose to. But that doesn't mean you should. And when dealing with Gen Y you can either use their characteristics to work with them, or you can use their characteristics to take advantage of them. As you can imagine, in the spirit of the greater good, you should use your market research to work with them.
So, now that we have covered your obligation to Gen Y, let's take some time to learn about them financially.
1. Gen Y is wracked with debt, and they don't realize the ramifications of this. The average person graduates college with over $20,000 in student loan debt. This is actually a good example of selling something (loans) to a group of people that aren't in the best position to make a good financial decision.
I'm not discrediting the importance of a college education, but I'm simply pointing out that 18 year olds are committing themselves to levels of debt that they can't possibly comprehend. Understand that it's quite possible that your product or service could contribute to this train wreck of debt.
2. Gen Y either doesn't care about planned obsolescence or doesn't know what it is. Either way, planned obsolescence will continue to break (financially) Gen Y until it's no longer an industrial trend. Planned obsolescence, simply put, is a manufacturing strategy that encourages customers to always buy the latest greatest thing.
This is generally accomplished through a slight tweaking of product features, and then marketing the hell out of the feature changes. The customer ends up buying the features, and ignores the fact that the previous product they own is still a very workable solution.
Gen Y always wants the latest greatest thing because they haven't caught on to the game of planned obsolescence. Are you going to perpetuate the practice of planned obsolescence? Or are you going to build a product or service solution that is a long-term solution?
3. Gen Y has created a group of expenses that I call The New Necessities. This is a category of spending that didn't exist 15 years ago. The category includes Internet access, mobile phone charges, cable, designer coffee, and lease payments. Young people don't think twice about paying big money for cell phones and coffee.
I guess that's why there are so many highly caffeinated broke people face down into their cell phone texting their highly caffeinated broke friends. Gen Y doesn't see anything wrong with spending money on these items, and if your product or service can find it's way on to this new sacred list, then you are golden.
4. Gen Y has more bailout plans than the federal government. And as is the case with the newsworthy bailout, Gen Y bailouts are also ill conceived. Gen Y will not hesitate for a second to solve their financial problems in two very distinct ways. They will use their credit cards in a heartbeat, and they will pick up the phone and call their parents in an instant.
Ask a group of Gen Yers their backup plan, and these two solutions will come up time and time again. As a marketer, this is a very important thing to know. Gen Y never says die; they will find a way to afford the things that they want.
You may be thinking that Gen Y is a generation that is guilty of the "keeping up with the Joneses mentality," but they aren't. Their desire to have the things that they want is personal. They don't particularly care what their friends have or don't have. That is more a characteristic of Gen X.
This nugget of truth paired with the financial characteristics outlined above will certainly help you understand this generation from a financial perspective. And this understanding should help you market to this elusive yet important part of your customer base.
When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were precious.
One day, I'm walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and says, "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?" He held out his hand with four quarters in it.
Curious, I engaged with him. I took out a dollar bill and took the four quarters.
Then he turned to me and said, "can you spare a quarter?"
What a fascinating interaction.
First, he engaged me. A fair trade, one that perhaps even benefited me, not him.
Now, we have a relationship. Now, he knows I have a quarter (in my hand, even). So his next request is much more difficult to turn down. If he had just walked up to me and said, "can you spare a quarter," he would have been invisible.
Too often, we close the sale before we even open it.
Interact first, sell second.
MGD 64 prize packs will be awarded to the male and female 64th place finishers* in each of the thirteen age categories. Each winner will receive a gift basket full of fun items including branded apparel, a pedometer, a subscription to Competitor Magazine, Inside Triathlon, Triathlete Magazine or VeloNews, and other great items.
"MGD 64 is the perfect beer for social and active beer drinkers with on-the-go lifestyles. Celebrating the 64th place finishers is a fun way we can reward runners who are literally on the go," said Tristi Pfeiffer, MGD 64 marketing manager. "Whether runners place first or 64th, everyone can appreciate the fresh, crisp taste of MGD 64."
In addition to awarding prize packs to the 64th place finishers, MGD 64 will have an experiential area at the pre-race Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Health & Fitness Expo where consumers can learn more about the 64-calorie beer that's "as light as it gets." MGD 64 will also host a stretching area at the post-race Finish Line Festival where participants and supporters can gather to cool down, stretch out and listen to live music.
Legal-drinking-age runners are invited to celebrate their achievement with a free, refreshing bottle of MGD 64 at the Finish Line Festival.
"Our partnership with MGD 64 is a great way for us to provide our participants, as well as their friends and families, with the best light beer available," said Megan Young, event manager for the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle. "We utilize our Expo and Finish Line Festivals to provide health and fitness products and information for our participants. This is a great setting for a brand such as MGD 64 to introduce its fresh, crisp taste to thousands of people who definitely have something to toast after finishing the race."
With just 64 calories and 2.4 grams of carbohydrates, MGD 64 has steadily grown in popularity with calorie-conscious consumers since it launched nationally in the summer of 2008. This is the brand's first year as the official beer sponsor of the eleven-event Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series which hosts races in Nashville, San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, San Jose, Denver, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
*Only participants 21 years and older are eligible to win the MGD 64 prize pack
Smart marketers understand that Gen Y workers can provide value to companies by leveraging their social networks. They can also protect the corporate brand and help employers recruit top talent fairly easily because they're constantly connected. Many Gen Y members have even labeled themselves as "social media experts" because they are tech savvy and are using web 2.0 tools outside of the workplace to communicate with peers. Marketers are realizing that they need dedicated resources for their own social media programs.
Aside from recruiting Gen Y, companies are looking at their current workers and asking some of them to start exploring this new territory. As the shift in communication turns from advertising and traditional marketing to new media marketing, it's critical to engage Gen Y and ask for marketing support. In today's digital world, the more connected you are, the more successful you can be.
Brand monitoring
Most companies aren't paying for blog monitoring services such as Buzzlogic or Radion6 and many aren't even using free services, such as Google Alerts. Keeping track of brand mentions, whether it's your CEO, your product or your company, is required. Word-of-mouth marketing online moves very fast and what starts off as a mere tweet can spawn a blog post and then a YouTube video and then become the front page story in the New York Times.
You should engage Millennials, who are already paying attention to conversations that are happening online, and ask them to monitor and report on brand mentions. Gen Y folks are more familiar with the online tools that allow you to listen well and can leverage that familiarity to prove themselves critically useful to their companies.
Marketing for free
Marketing budgets are on the decline, but companies still need to get their messages out to the marketplace. Traditional forms of advertising are clearly out of budget, but new media costs only your time. Gen Y members have been using social networks, such as Facebook, before they were even available to the masses, which means that their "friend" list is much greater than other generations.
Also, many have blogs that are related to their current industries or positions at their companies. Their blogs help position them as thought leaders and community activists, and as they build out their subscribe lists, they have more people to market to.
A blog is one of the best ways to build a brand for yourself -- whether it's for your ideas or products-Marketers should engage Gen Y when they need to push out a message to stakeholders by asking them nicely and simplifying the message so it's consumable by that audience.
Referral recruitment
Companies are hiring right now, but they not for advertising positions. Instead, they are using the power of referrals to track down the best talent out there. Marketers can take advantage of the interconnectedness of Gen Y members when they are looking to hire talented people because they already surround themselves with them.
One request can turn into three potential hires within an hour because of the speed at which Gen Y communicates with its peers. Whether it's a text message, a tweet or a Facebook post, you can get the best talent without having a marketing budget.
1 M&M's Plain Chocolate Candy
2 Hershey's Kisses Chocolate Candy
3 Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
4 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Chocolate Candy
5 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars
6 Kleenex Facial Tissues
7 Campbell's Soups
8 Google
9 M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candy
10 Crayola Crayons
I worry about a conflict of interest that might occur in the next several months, should MSNBC's "Morning Joe" -- now promoted as "Brewed by Starbucks" -- have to cover a specific caffeine-infused story.
The show, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who now can be found drinking Starbucks' coffee on-air, will be put into a bind. Will the TV director look to frame out any Starbucks-logo-ed cups should an uncomfortable situation crop up?
That's the problem -- even if everyone swears there isn't one. NBC might do everything right, but it'll always have the appearance of a conflict of interest. This isn't the first time there's been a Starbucks association. During last year's political season, "Morning Joe" originated from many Starbucks locations.
Of course, any advertiser involvement in a news operation is a tricky affair. Keeping the lines clear between church and state -- editorial and business -- has always been an uneasy balancing act between editors and business executives. Local TV news reporters have done in-depth pieces about a less-than-scrupulous' local automotive dealerships, and newscasts have paid the price with lost local automotive advertising business.
TV news executives make sure stories about plane crashes aren't followed by enticing TV commercials of people jetting off to Florida or other vacation spots.
In the old TV days -- the 1950s, specifically -- did any of those cigarette-sponsored network newscasts, complete with on-air hosts puffing away on products, even approach fringe health issue stories about tobacco?
Nowadays, product placement deals for TV news have been virtually taboo. Instead, such shows have standard 30-second commercials from pharmaceutical and financial companies that buy broadcast and other TV news programs to grab the dominant older TV news viewer.
So, let's say coffee might be good for your health -- or maybe not. Keep a close eye on any future coffee-related news report, and what becomes of the Starbucks-sponsored "Morning Joe" TV billboard, or a Starbucks mug sitting on the anchors' desk in plain view.
Perhaps nothing. If Starbucks is sincere about its reportedly $10 million association with the perfectly and "organically" titled TV news show "Morning Joe," I'm sure it realizes what a coup it has.
In the wake of any controversial coffee-related story, I expect only to hear the sip of a venti latte coming from Starbucks executives. Of course, snarky TV viewers may offer up the sound of a different gulp.
In action sports there are no rules, only technique. The way two people arrive at learning a trick can be completely different from each other, and each will develop their own style in the process; and in action sports style is everything.
This process of personal expression usually leads practitioners of action sports to explore other ways to express their individuality and creativity. Skaters and surfers often become musicians, painters, actors or artists of some type -- no other sport is so tied to a broader youth culture. In action sports, young people find a community that not only encourages but celebrates their natural creativity and individuality.
Action Sports in Mainstream Culture
It's difficult not to notice the immense popularity action sports has gained over the last 10 years. TV's bastion of youth culture, MTV, can credit some of its most popular shows to action sports. "The Life of Ryan," "Viva La Bam," "Jack Ass," "Rob and Big," "Rob's Fantasy Factory" and "Nitro Circus" all are shows based on action sports and the lifestyle.
Action sports events like the Dew Tour and X Games pack traditional sports venues and receive coveted broadcast coverage. Skaters like Jason Lee and Dave Chappelle have become famous actors, skateboard legend Mark Gonzales has become a famous artist, professional surfer Jack Johnson has become a renowned musician. TV networks like "Fuel TV" broadcast only action sports, XM radio station "The Faction" only plays "the music of action sports." Woodward has a camp catered to action sports and an increasing number of schools have surf PE, skateboard PE and snowboard week. For decades, its impact was slow and steady, but over the last decade, action sports has become woven into the fabric of youth culture.
Corporations Join the Fold
As endemic companies like DC, Billabong and Volcom become household names, it's little surprise that riding the coattails of this popularity are many corporations, including Nike, Gatorade, Converse, Adidas and Toyota, to name a few of that have created action sports programs.
The amount of money spent on traditional sports marketing far exceeds what is spent on action sports, yet action sports continue to replace traditional sports in popularity -- with participation numbers in action sports rising at the expense of traditional sports.
The power of the action sports market has yet to be completely realized. For non-endemic corporations, breaking into this market isn't as easy as it may seem. Skaters, surfers and snowboarders traditionally are leery of non-endemic brands.
Here are some tips for marketing to the action sports demographic:
For those of you who have been focusing on less pressing matters -- say, the economy -- Twitter is a microblog through which people communicate within a maximum of 140 characters. The real-time result, as others have suggested, is much like a large cocktail party with many unrelated conversations occurring at the same time. Twitter can be perplexing, disorienting, even overwhelming.
In comparison to social networks such as Facebook, with its 200 million active users, Twitter is a social neophyte, with 14 million users (pre-Oprah), according to Compete.com. What makes Twitter newsworthy, however, is that this figure indicates a significant spike -- an increase of 76.8% in the past month alone.
Is Twitter a great way to market to moms?
The jury is still out -- but the possibilities are intriguing. Moms are certainly tweeting in droves. Of the core group of 100 or so mom bloggers we work with on an ongoing basis, for example, roughly 80% have Twitter accounts. The Twitter format itself -- short bursts -- may particularly appeal to busy moms, as a way to stay in touch between myriad parenting tasks. The influential TwitterMoms network includes numerous subcategories for different areas of interest, from "Online Marketing Moms" to "Twitter Newbies." March saw the launch of independent microblogging variations on Twitter, designed to appeal directly to moms.
Moms who tweet comment on everything from potty training to politics. Granted, there are numerous posts along the lines of, "What shall I make for lunch?" and "Just dropped Jimmy off at practice." Earlier this month, there was much lively debate on a TV segment on "the secret life of moms" as well as a major fundraising effort for a mom in need.
Though clearly not a direct opportunity for marketers, these activities offer insight into a mom's world. More relevant to corporations, there is also a great deal of news and knowledge shared, mom to mom, about product giveaways, coupon offers, special events, and more. Many of the conversations that started online have evolved to off-line -- the "meet ups" or in-person meetings originated by bloggers have evolved into "tweet ups" for Twitter fans.
Small and large businesses alike have tiptoed into Twitter waters in an effort to reach moms. Graco and Johnson & Johnson have a presence, as do Nickelodeon and Disney, among others. Companies such as Whole Foods, Starbucks, Zappos and JetBlue use Twitter to target a broader audience.
For those marketing in Twitter space for the first time, there is a distinct learning curve. Some basic lessons:
Despite the fact that it's been around for three years, Twitter is only now really taking off when it comes to corporate involvement. Readers, what have your experiences been with Twitter? Marketers, what have you done that's effective? Moms, what should companies on Twitter do to make themselves more appealing?
Changes in the economy, demographic shifts and the fragmentation of media have all contributed to sponsorship’s growth. Some of the largest factors behind sponsorship’s rise are:
Decreasing efficiency of measured media
Costs for traditional advertising continue to increase, while ratings and readership decline. On top of that is an even more basic problem: consumers are not paying attention to ads.
The situation is particularly acute in television. Where once the VCR’s fast-forward button was the greatest enemy faced by TV ads, the popularity of personal video recorders such as TiVo and ReplayTV has made viewers’ ability to avoid commercial messages even easier and more automatic.
Sponsorship, on the other hand, provides opportunities for embedded advertising, a fail-safe delivery system where messages are incorporated right into the action.
Changing social priorities
As issues such as poverty, the environment and AIDS loom larger, there is a growing realization that the needs of society and the interests of business overlap. Buyers are demanding to know where a company stands before they purchase its products. Making the world a more livable place is a prerequisite to achieving consumer affinity. Sponsorship, which allies companies with community responsibility and improved quality of life, is precisely the kind of statement consumers will respond to. When a company sponsors, it is providing something for its customers – not making some media conglomerate richer, but saving a high school sports program or underwriting a symphony performance.
Shifting personal values
Conspicuous consumption has been replaced by cashing out. Shopping for shopping’s sake has become déclassé. Tapping into today’s consumers’ elusive will to spend requires turning the buying experience into something larger than just acquisition. Sponsorship provides companies this opportunity. It says to the potential customer: “Buy this product not to indulge yourself, but to help make the world a better place.”
Increasing need for two-way communication
In response to the fragmentation of the mass market and mass media, companies are looking for alternative methods to communicate sales messages. The idea is to find delivery systems that allow companies to deepen their relationship with customers.
Sponsorship, which is the most direct channel of communication, is tailor-made for this environment. It reaches people in an environment that matches their lifestyle rather than intrudes upon it. It is not a passive monologue that interrupts a TV show, or comes as a piece of mail that needs to be dealt with. Sponsorship speaks to the public, not at them, creating opportunities for two-way dialogue.
High consumer acceptance
While traditional media is less effective than ever, much of the new media alienates consumers. For example, 75 percent of Americans view phone solicitation as an invasion of privacy, while 81 percent find ads in stores to be distasteful, according to a Brandweek study. In addition, 69 percent of consumers who buy or rent movies on video are annoyed by advertising before the film, according to a Gallup survey conducted for Advertising Age.
On the other hand, public response to sponsorship has been overwhelmingly positive. Sponsorship is viewed favorably because it is seen as a form of marketing that gives something back, that benefits someone else in addition to the marketer. It implies a degree of altruism absent from more commercial types of marketing.
For example, eight out of ten respondents to a survey conducted in Britain said sponsorship makes “a positive contribution to society.”
The following is a sampling of recent market research regarding sponsorship’s acceptance and ability to influence what and where people buy.
Cause marketing. Eighty-four percent of U.S. adults said they would be likely to switch brands to support a product that associated with a cause they cared about, according to the 2002 Cone/Roper Corporate Citizenship Study. According to Cone/Roper’s latest Cause-Related Trends Report, cause marketing had the strongest impact on people who Roper classifies as “Influentials.” This group – about 20 million strong – are opinion makers and group leaders. By a two to one margin (41 percent to 20 percent), Influentials are more likely to have made a cause marketing purchase than consumers at large.
Festival sponsorship. Eighty-five percent of attendees surveyed at the city of Chicago’s Gospel Festival could name one or more of the event’s sponsors, according to a survey conducted by research firm McKeon & Assoc. of Joliet, Ill. When surveyed one month later, 70 percent could still recall a sponsor. Eighty-two percent attested they would be more likely to purchase a product made by a company that sponsored Gospel Fest. The figures held across all age and earning categories, with sponsor loyalty actually increasing with income level.
Arts sponsorship. British Petroleum found a positive relationship between arts sponsorship and a company’s image and reputation. BP also examined public reaction to the BP logo built into the set of a performing arts event. Eighty-one percent of respondents thought the logo was noticeable. Of those, 88 percent said it was very acceptable or quite acceptable. Only two percent thought it was quite unacceptable; no one found it very unacceptable.
Sports marketing. Given the choice between two products of equal cost, 72 percent of NASCAR fans would “almost always” or “frequently” choose the brand they associate with NASCAR over one that is not associated with NASCAR, according to Newport, R.I.-based Performance Research.
Distressed that Starbucks has become the "poster child for excess," CEO Howard Schultz said the coffee company plans to run an ad campaign proving its coffee isn't expensive.
Not going to stay silent
Mr. Schultz, noting that half of the chain's beverages cost less than $3 and one-third are priced less than $2, admitted that Starbucks has been defined by its competitors. "Don't let anyone tell you their coffee is the same as Starbucks because it's not," he said. "We've been silent about these issues, but I can assure you we're not going to be silent for too long." Starbucks has also launched "value pairings," such as a breakfast sandwich or muffin and a drink, for $3.95.
Forthcoming advertising will attempt to convince consumers that Starbucks products aren't as expensive as they are perceived. Mr. Schultz said to expect social-media efforts, internet advertising, and more and sporadic TV ad buys he refers to as "brand sparks."
The company's presentation ended with a music video (rather than the usual live musical performance) of street musicians from around the world performing "Stand By Me." Mr. Schultz said the song would be incorporated into upcoming marketing efforts.
Starbucks has long eschewed traditional advertising, but has placed a number of TV ads since moving its business from Wieden & Kennedy to Omnicom Group's BBDO, New York, in October. Mr. Schultz said that these ad buys have generated strong response with consumers. The chain gave away 2 million cups of coffee on Election Day, with a promotion by way of an ad during "Saturday Night Live." He said that the spike in traffic also resulted in incremental sales and the chain was profitable for the day.
Starbucks later partnered with Oprah Winfrey on an Inauguration Day-related volunteerism push. The chain did a limited ad buy, encouraging Americans to stop by Starbucks and get a free coffee in exchange for pledging five hours of community service before the end of the year. The day after President Barack Obama's Inauguration, Ms. Winfrey plugged the promotion on her show. Mr. Schultz said that the chain had racked up 1.25 million hours in pledged community service during the promotions two-week window.
Plans for Via instant coffee
Mr. Schultz also gave some insight into Via, the company's foray in instant coffee, as first reported by AdAge.com. While the global instant-coffee market is valued at $17 billion, he said only about $1 billion of that is in the U.S. And Via, he hopes, will lure some people to convert from brewed coffee. Of the 65 billion cups of coffee brewed in the U.S. every year, Starbucks has only about 4% of the market. The company will attempt to change consumer behaviors at home, where 25% to 30% of coffee is wasted, and at work, where many people don't like the coffee that is sometimes offered free of charge in company kitchens.
Starbucks is testing Via in Seattle, without advertising, and in Chicago, with TV ads, in-store displays, and an outdoor push that has included on-the-street sample distribution, bus and shelter ads, and a fleet of hybrid cars marked with the Via logo. BBDO has anchored the Chicago effort. Mr. Schultz said that Starbucks would use the pilot period to determine the efficacy of the advertising. Via will launch nationwide this fall and internationally next year.
Starbucks is, of course, attempting a complicated turnaround. In January, the company reported earnings were down 69% to $74 million, due largely to restructuring charges and same-store sales down 10% in the U.S. alone. At the time, Mr. Schultz said the company was beginning to see improvement in its business. Starbucks reports earnings again next month.
PepsiCo is adding three new soft drinks to its portfolio as part of the company’s “Refresh Everything” strategy.
The two memory-lane beverages, Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, will have 1960s and ’70s inspired retro packaging and a flavor distinct from the current beverages. The retro soft drinks will be available for eight weeks starting April 20.NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- If food can be comforting, how about packaging? With consumers embracing old-world classics such as casserole, some marketers are trying to get on the bandwagon by trotting out some old-school style.
Taken from the archives
The promotion, which began in stores Feb. 15, runs through March 21. The box designs were taken from General Mills archives and given minor tweaks, such as updated product shots. But for the most part, the designs are the same, with original games and activities.
Target did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"Our brands have a history that spans many young adults' childhoods," Kerry DeLaney, associate marketing manager-Big G Cereals, said in a statement. "The retro-box concept is a fun and unique way to create a package design that appeals to Target's guests."
Although the promotion is still running, General Mills spokeswoman Shelly Dvorak said the company is very pleased with initial results. "We have even seen blog posts by consumers talking about the retro boxes," she added.
General Mills has avoided direct marketing, leaving promotion to bloggers. Andrew Gibbs at TheDieLine wrote, "My initial reaction was one of refreshing surprise -- what a pleasant treat for someone like me, who appreciates the aesthetics of yesteryear." He added, however, that such designs may have limited appeal to children, the products' ostensible consumers. "Perhaps the obvious conclusion is that these retro designs are aimed at adults who would otherwise not buy anything promoted by a cartoon rabbit," he said.
Deals have cachet
Dan Ochwat, editor of Shopper Marketing Magazine, said General Mills and Target are likely looking for a short spike in business, because the promotional window is so small. But exclusive deals certainly have cachet.
"Exclusivity is what they're all looking for now," he said. "That in these times is how you strike gold." One potential problem, he said is that many private-label packages have a retro look, and marketers may risk looking more like one of their lower-priced imitators.
Virginia Valkenburgh, senior VP of Cannondale Associates, a Wilton, Conn.-based marketing consultancy, noted that Target is known for seeking out exclusive deals. She described the retro promotion as particularly current. Consumers want to be comforted, and they are cooking and eating more at home, she said.
"It's going to make the moms and the kids feel good," she said.
