this short video caused a lot of commotion this spring. a marketing success with a risky slant. see my other comment for the follow-up video link. Another example of bold and risky digital marketing is from Honey Maid, the graham cracker brand. Although Honey Maid is part of the Mondelez house, both the brand and the product are overshadowed by giants like Oreo. The graham cracker itself is said to have been invented by the Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham in 1829 as a health food — a wholesome, conventional beginning that makes Honey Maid’s campaign even more impressive. Although other brands like Cheerios had touched on using non-traditional advertising families in their creative efforts, Honey Maid took the issue head on with a national campaign showing a two-dad family, a punk-rock family, an interracial family, a military family and a single dad, all in one piece of creative. The tagline: “No matter how things change, what makes us wholesome never will. Honey Maid. Everyday wholesome snacks for every wholesome family. This is wholesome.” Others have rightly pointed out that associating the word “wholesome” with politically and religiously polarizing images is risky in and of itself. Honey Maid took that risk, and then trumped it. The ad spurred the very controversy one might expect: Many people chimed in on social media about how the spot was not wholesome and, as some wrote, “downright disgusting.” Honey Maid responded with a digital follow-up spot that features an artist duo printing out each email, tweet, or post about “hate” and turning those messages into a very real, physical representation of “love.” The video showed that there were ten times more supporters for the ad than haters. In its first day online, more than 1.5 million people tuned in. Ultimately, the online content drove more than 12 million total views, while Google searches for the name “Honey Maid” shot up 400%. Within two months of the initial spot airing, sales of Honey Maid jumped 7%. It’s unfortunate that taking a stand on a divisive social issue by a brand is considered risky, and that very few brands are willing to reflect the changing nature of America’s demographics in their advertising. Honey Maid not only reflected the changing nature of demographics, but went a step further by labeling emerging family structures as “wholesome,” and then nimbly responding to negative comments in a creative, forward-thinking way. According to Mondelez senior marketing director Gary Osifchin, Honey Maid acted on instinct rather than data: “We didn’t even test this idea … we are very much showing Americans who they are … it’s reality. Who thought a graham cracker could be talking at this level as a brand?
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 23:15:43 +0000
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