allegraiam

[allegraiam]

Power to the (Brown) People

Who has more power to persuade? Celebrities or everyday people? I’d venture to say that in our media-frenzied society, both entities have unique, convincing abilities. However, all significant revolutionary acts, though having a figure heads in some cases, have all been successful with people in power who mobilized and leveraged the strength that is in numbers.  

WOW should tap into the the everyday stories of people, creating a docuseries of dark-skinned men and women who share their experiences, and even some individuals who have used these creams and regret it. People are inspired when ordinary individuals share extraordinary stories. In this strategy, celebrities could be used but in the background - for example, sharing and highlighting the docuseries on social media, but not taking part in it themselves. 

This goes beyond determining branding of a campaign; WOW is, at it’s core, aiming to change the century-long psychology of a country. So marketing efforts cannot be the end, but is rather a beginning. In order for WOW to achieve its goal, people need to observe and experience tangible benefits that have convincing power. For example, dark-skin women need to be seen as viable, and more importantly, desirable marriage partners. Dark-skin men and women need to be hired without hesitation based on color. Dark-skinned children need to feel valued and see their identity as a positive and not a negative. If I were advising the leadership at WOW, I would tell them to yes, create a campaign as detailed above, but also work with the government and business leaders to focus on shifting the psyche. 

Say you want a revolution We better get on right away Well you get on your feet And into the street

-John Lennon

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Thoughts from a slow adopter

Reading on product diffusion permitted me to contemplate on how brands have gotten me to adopt their products. I’m part of the “high COCA club”. That’s right...high cost of customer acquisition. We’re expensive and we know it. We take a long time to switch to any product. It’ll cost an arm and a leg to get us to adopt so once you do, don’t mess this up. Many brands are called, few are chosen.

So back to diffusion. For people like me, the best way to improve adoption rates is to increase the proximity of the product to me. If 2 friends are raving about it, I’m more inclined to try it. If a sample is handed to me as I walk out of Trader Joe’s, I’ll be more inclined to try it. So when I read about these 4 product diffusions, skepticism is natural. However I do see the value in many of them. Efficiency and effectiveness are things that command a premium. For example, the average user of the turf track vs the average user of peanut butter, one improves effectiveness much more than the other in my opinion. If I have sliced PB, great! But how much of the overall PB+J sandwich experience did this improve if I still have to take out a knife to spread the jelly? the polytrack gives outright efficiency and effectiveness, which is why I see it being easily adopted. 

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#FlewedOut

Singapore Airlines is really an underdog of sorts. “The government said it would open the airport to every airline in the world,” Sim said. “It did not need an airline, because you can take a taxi ride from one end of the country to the other.” Imagine your own home country not caring if you exist...Yikes. 

Singapore Airline’s main competitive advantage is its service. The $100 million investment in flatbed seats is a homegrown necessity of its brand. Not doing do puts its brand - and by proxy the airline’s longevity - at major risk.

The direct opposite of the service Singapore Airlines offers would be Spirit. Given the competitive nature of the industry, SIA cannot risk the slightest deviation from being perceived as “top tier” or “luxury”. For this reason, I would recommend the investment.

[allegraiam]

Nudge me, I dare you.

#MITSloan2022SBrandingA

So before doing the reading, I thought this was going to be about how the sneaky ways advertisers get into people’s psyche to persuade them to buy things, hence the title. Incorrect, happily. I remember learning about psychological tactics marketers used in my undergrad marketing class and henceforth decided that “I don’t like marketing”. I was so dedicated to not being “conned” by marketers that I developed a strategy for TV ads. When I would watch the free version of Hulu, you had a choice of selecting one of 3 adds to watch in order to not have to watch ads for the remainder of your show. I always selected the recurring lotion ad since I was already a customer and the ad wouldn’t convince me to buy any less or more of the product. 

So after completing the reading, I realized ...I like nudges! Particularly when they are for health purposes. In the health arena, nudges are necessary because it’s been proven that sans nudge, many make the wrong decision. This was reaffirmed for me in 2014 when then Mayor Bloomberg proposed a ban on supersize drinks at fast food chains to combat obesity. There was outrage in the city over the proposed ban. With each day of the controversy, my faith in humanity dwindled...because can we really make a salient argument that the planet is a better place because of supersized, unhealthy beverages? This is why nudges are necessary. After this reading, I’ll be more cognizant of the nudges that are around me everyday, and also will think more on how I can effectively incorporate nudges into my work post-Sloan. 

[allegraiam]

Case #2 - Corona

#MITSloan2022SBrandingA

Two things I never thought I’d do:

1. Become a blogger.

2. Blog about beer.

Never say never, right? This case presented interesting elements of marketing particularly because of what beer means in the United States. It is a convener, a uniter, a soother, and simply a beverage all in one. It is a quasi-cyclical product that will never go out of the all-American style. 

After reading this case and before writing this blog, I watched commercials of both Heineken and Corona to get more of a feel for their brand and advertising style. A quick scan on Youtube presented starkly different companies. Heineken appeared more serious, the beer you buy to deepen a relationship. Corona came across as the fun-in-the-sun, “spring break” beer. There are pros and cons to both of these depictions. Given my personality, I would be drawn to something that signifies a deeper meaning, that reminds me of bonding moments with friends or recalls the time I overcame something challenging. However, I think Corona has it right this time. Beer companies want their customers to consume their product more than once a week. These deep, intimate bonding moments are most likely not happening weekly for customers. However, frequent “fun-in-the-sun” moments of happiness (even in Boston’s December) are more probable for customers throughout a given week. As such, positioning beer as something “light” and “fun” makes sense.