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Budweiser’s parent and Keurig move forward with their at-home cocktail maker

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/19/budweisers-parent-and-keurig-move-forward-with-at-home-cocktail-maker.html

Keurig Dr Pepper and Anheuser-Busch InBev are teaming together to create Drinkworks by Keurig which is an all new product that makes single serve cocktails from a pod by adding water and carbonation. The Drinkworks machine has a total of 24 different drink pods available as of now and each drink made contains about a shot of alcohol. It was first released in St. Louis and it will be now be distributed and sold in Missouri, Florida, and California. This article, along with all current advertising for the product, are intended to build product and brand awareness. Both the Keurig and Budweiser parent companies have been having financial struggles this past year so they are hoping this product increases their brand equity. Drinkworks original retail price is $399 but is currently experiencing an online promotion where if preordered, will be discounted to $299. The image above displays what Drinkworks actually looks like as well as the Drinkworks app. The app monitors much more for the product then just what is currently being made. Some of the features that can be accessed through the app help you learn how to set up your product correctly, how to use it, you can order more pods, learn new drink recipes, monitor cleaning, and much more. 

The pods themselves take on a new and improved look to what we associate with a normal coffee brew Keurig. Once placed into Drinkworks, the possibilities are endless. Drinkworks has their own website that promotes this product specially while allowing consumers, and possible consumers, to learn more about it in a more intimate way. You can locate the website by clicking here. The website provides you with all of the needed information to get you ready to start using your new Drinkworks by providing fun colors, interactive graphics, drink ingredients, and an enjoyable video ad introducing the product itself.

Drinkworks is relevant to its consumers because many Keurig uses are big on creating beverages at home instead of going out to purchase them. This is clear due to them making their coffee or teas at home with their Keurig. Drinkworks is the product that now allows them to have a simplified version of a countertop home bar. The product is made to be used with friends or family in the comfort of their own homes. There are currently three main collections of drinks that include Classics, Paradise, and Brews. 

The Brews are an important aspect of the entirety of Drinkworks. It is possible that beer drinkers could see this product and associate it with only cocktails. Majority of males tend to drink primarily beer so they not initially think that Drinkworks is for them which would incorrect. Drinkworks is for everyone that can legally drink. The brew collection is perfect for those who love to stay at home to watch the game or those who want a nice beer with their meal. Having one of Budweiser’s parent companies being a part of this product will grab the attention of their beer drinkers in addition to Keurig’s coffee drinker. As a woman who loves a beer while watching the game I am excited that there is a brew option.

This article identifies the product and clearly differentiates it from others. The Drinkworks website itself communicates in more detail the overall product information, features, and prices. The advertising that has gone into announcing and getting the word out for Drinkworks is made to build excitement around it as well as for the brands themselves. Instead of using a story or a symbolic meaning, Keurig is focusing on the product features. This being said, Drinkworks’ ads fall under attribute positioning. Physical product features are being displayed in the video ad, the article, and Drinkworks’ website as a whole. Some physical product features that are mentioned in the video are the ingredients, the cooled temperature, the carbonated bubbles, and even the inside of the machine. There is never a time you see someone actually using the product, or explaining how to use it, but you are given what the final beverage looks like.

By showing the multiple atmospheres you could potentially use Drinkworks, there is a slight experiential benefit positioning being displayed. The consumer is able to partake in different sensory feelings from specific events with family, friends, and loved ones that are displayed in the video ad. As someone who worked at Bed Bath & Beyond for five years I can imagine a high demand for this product will be easy to acquire and most likely already exists. 

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Mercedes-Benz Winter Event TV Commercial, 'Early Risers'

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AFW_/mercedes-benz-winter-event-early-risers#

Mercedes-Benz created a new perspective for Christmas morning by swapping the common roles of children with their parents in a lighthearted and comical way for their 2015 holiday ad. This ad can resonate with all viewers by depicting a scene of childhood happiness where the viewer will instantly be able to remember a moment in their lives where they couldn’t contain their excitement.

The purpose of this ad is to get the word out about Mercedes-Benz’s weather event, which offers limited time prices on their products, in a fun and captivating way. The ad begins with two parents running into their kid’s rooms waking them up on Christmas morning as if they were the children. The then go running outside to see their new Mercedes-Benz waiting for them in the driveway from Santa. 

It has an entertaining twist to it as the two kids walk down the stairs taking on the common parent role on Christmas morning while talking about the little sleep they had and the coco they will be making to wake themselves up. Seeing the roles switches gets a good laugh from the viewers as you put yourself in the role you either were, are, or going to be.

The actual car itself is shown from the outside as well as a view of the dashboard but no actual details about the product are given. The narrator calls it “the car of your grown-up dreams” as the parents are cheering with excitement for their new gift. Since no details on the car are given this makes it a benefit positioning rather than attribute. 

There are many aspects to this ad that make it have more than one positioning. It classifies as experiential by creating a high common occurrence event that is easily relatable to all ages and brings a childlike dream of owning this car to an adult. By switching the roles of parent and kid, an adult is able to see that they should also treat themselves every once in a while. As my siblings and I have gotten older we have asked for drastically less stuff for the holidays but make it a point that we want our parents to get something for themselves to make them as happy as they have made us. I related to this ad because a gift, no matter the cost, that causes this much excitement and happiness is worth it in my eyes. I speak for myself, but if my parents ever woke me up as hyper as these parents did in the ad, I would be cracking up and beyond ecstatic.

Mercedes-Benz was also able to capture functional positioning by creating a fun, quality depiction of what it could be like to get someone a gift as perfect as this car. It is all about the consumer’s wants and needs which emphasizes its experience. As for creative strategy alternatives, it is emotional, resonance, and even slightly preemptive with the way it claimed their cars to be the car of the viewers grown-up dreams. Parents worlds strongly revolve around their children and they sometimes forget to treat themselves to a dream gift every so often. This ad brings this aspect to light while still promoting their products and their winter event.

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Behind The Scenes of the Apple ad I talked about in previous post.

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Apple’s new holiday ad wants you to share your creativity with the world

https://www.fastcompany.com/90271415/apples-new-holiday-ad-wants-you-to-share-your-creativity-with-the-world

Every year Apple comes out with a new holiday commercial that captures the emotion behind their brand emphasizing how their products are more than just technology. In January of 2017 the commercial’s focus was on the iPhone with the catchphrase “Open your heart to everyone” ending the ad. In May of 2018 the focus was on Air Pods with the video’s slogan of “Move someone this holiday.” The commercial that I will be discussing throughout this post was produced in November of 2018 and ends with the phrase “Share your gifts.”

The overall intended message that Apple hoped to portray with this ad is that “we all have creative talents worth sharing”. The main character in this commercial is a girl named Sofia who uses her MacBook laptop to create works of art. Apple makes sure that Sofia’s Mac has a few stickers covering it just to amplify her artistic personality a little bit more. The twist about Sofia’s work is that she never shares them for others to see. Throughout this ad there are numerous creations that Sofia makes and then hides away. She has a box where all of her work is kept ensuring that they never find their way out into the hands and eyes of the public.

From the artwork surrounding the walls in Sofia’s room you can tell that she is good at what she does which makes the viewer want so badly to see what it is that her box holds inside of it. The thing is, you never get to actually see that artwork in the box. I believe that Apple chose to do this in order for it to be easier for an artist, of any kind, to put themselves in Sofia’s shoes and relate to it through her common emotion of fear. I am a Digital Arts major and have been creating art for years, yet I still tense up when the time comes for me to display my work. I dread showing my artwork to anyone which is another reason that I love this ad so much because I can feel exactly what this girl is feeling and to me, that makes an ad powerful. Being able to produce content that embodies a strong emotion and getting viewers to relate is a successful form of a good ad.

The climax of this ad is when Sofia’s dog takes it upon itself to let her artwork out to the world. The dog pushes open the window letting the wind take hold of her work to decide its next directions. You see Sofia’s face and really feel for her as she chases after her creations that are flying all throughout town. As she sees a couple grab hold of one of her drawings the word either “no” or “don’t” comes from her mouth in her last attempt at keeping her artwork hidden in that green box. The relief of happiness is visible on Sofia when she sees people enjoying and loving her work. This is an unique way to get people to learn that their creations deserve to be shown, appreciated, and admired.

The entirety of this ad displays multiple forms of successful benefit positioning. Benefit Positioning is all about the consumer and their wants/needs instead of focusing on a specific product. This ad is experiential from the way it produces a sensory feeling through the experience portrayed. It creates an atmosphere that you want to be a part of. You want to be in the town’s square grabbing a piece of artwork from the sky, or even be the one letting your art fly out into the world. This ad displays a functional positioning in a few ways. The product details of the Mac are never explained or shown yet you see how much fun Sofia is having while being on her Mac and creating all of these designs that brings a smile to the faces of the townspeople. This ad shows the fun experience of putting yourself out there and receiving positive feedback.

There are multiple functions of advertising and this ad beautifully captures the desire to build excitement around Apple as a brand. There is very little shown of their products in this ad besides the MacBook every now and then but that is the point. As the holiday commercial, this ad is to suggest and hope that more people will purchase a MacBook, or any Apple product, for a loved one this holiday by using the emotional creative strategy alternative. The relevance of using the MacBook to display the gift of creativity is because the Mac laptop is one of the most, if not the number one, top selling computer for designers and artists. Being able to identify the importance of having a Mac in order to create art is a highly recognizable factor in this ad.

After watching and reading about this ad I found a connection to Apple’s ‘Behind the Mac’ commercial that was released in October of 2018 and had the ending phrase of “Make Something Wonderful.” Both ads have a strong focus on being able to create beautiful and inspiring artwork with the help of the MacBook. Both ads have a heavy emotional and artistic focus while both not going into product details. Click here to watch this ad.