How Many Jakes Are There?

Please don’t mess with Jake from State Farm.

Is it just me or does anyone else notice that highly successful campaigns make it very hard for clients to move on to something new? They keep falling back to; “Well, this new concept is good but not as good as that great campaign was. Can’t we just run that one again?” I’ve heard that several times in my career. Being creative, and by creative I mean fresh and different, is risky. It’s hard for clients to step into their “discomfort” zone. But when they do and it’s successful, they find it hard to do the same thing again.

I also think many clients are lazy. The best example of that is the “Got Milk” campaign. This campaign was a huge success for the milk industry. So, what happens, every small business and do-it-yourself marketers began “Got (fill in the blank).” To me this is not just knocking off someone else’s work but it’s lazy. Can’t anyone be original and creative? But again, that takes work and risk, and that’s just too much effort.

So, what’s happening with Jake from State Farm? Very simply, I get the need to appeal to a more diverse audience. I get the desire to demonstrate that State Farm as a company promotes diversity. But why mess with Jake? So, here we are with a commercial that was very popular, even iconic for State Farm, so let’s just update Jake to be the “new” look of State Farm.

Again, I get it, all the reasons why and the goal. But honestly, to me, it’s again just lazy. It’s too much work to try to create a new more diverse State Farm agent, so let’s just reintroduce Jake and change his race. Wow, that’s so subtle. I would never have noticed the switch. Maybe that’s the point too, since the original spot aired years ago maybe State Farm thinks all these new young drivers won’t remember the original Jake and just go with it.

So, really? That’s the best you can do with that? How do you know that commercial will even appeal to a younger audience?

That takes me to the rest of the new Jake campaign. There seems to be no problem creating new spots with Jake from State Farm as the hero. I commend them for actually doing something new, so why not just give the agent a new name and be done? But after watching the spots I can see that the spots just don’t make any sense - at all. Maybe the scripts made sense to the client, but as an audience and consumer, they are so contrived and not funny - just - stupid. It gives Jake a bad name.

So, on the one hand I wish they would be original with their new agent diversity campaign, but at the same time I wish they could do something original that is actually respectful of diversity while hitting the humorous mark. This new approach does neither.

What Will You Remember?

Google hits the emotion button, but just once please.

Now that everyone has had their say about the amazing Google “Loretta”commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIV. Some found it touching, some found it brilliant, some found it emotional, but whatever you felt it will win plenty of awards.
But now that the Super Bowl has come and gone weeks ago, Google has been running the commercial during regular programming. And I have to say, when Loretta comes on – I just change the channel. It is now slow and tedious as it drones on, to me it is unbearable. This is a “watch it once” commercial - I can’t watch it over and over. I actually start to hate it.

So what is the spot actually saying? Who is the man talking to? His computer? His phone? His Google Home? It is touching, but honestly I don’t get what Google is trying to say to me as a customer and so, what’s the point? Is this man anticipating dementia and knows he’s going to need help remembering his life? I know that’s harsh and hateful, but really, what is Google saying? Upload all your photos to Google? And if Google remembers all these things, does that mean I don’t have to? Now most of you would probably say; you need to go to Google to find out about all these new amazing services. But for me, that’s more work that I don’t have time for.

This is not to say that I don’t appreciate commercials that appeal to the emotions. One of my all-time favorite commercials is the Always “Like A Girl” commercial. I can watch that spot again and again. And I tear-up every time. But the Google “Loretta” commercial does not have that effect.
On the other hand, Google is also now running their new “Find Your Scene” commercial. Now this is a commercial that I can get into. I can relate to this because I’ve done it. And this commercial demonstrates it, has fun with it, and makes me want to get out there and do it myself - again. I can watch this commercial over and over, because each time there’s some new detail to see and pick out. I get it. I get the technology aspect, I get the fun aspect, I get the travel aspect, it just has it all.

I’m a big Google fan, I think they are an amazing company that has lead the way in technology and set a standard for sharing technology that has changed the way we look at such things. So, when I remember Loretta, I wish I could be engaged by her and not annoyed.

Change Is Not Always Good

Sonic sinks into the sea of sameness.

We’ve all heard - and many believe - that change is good. And so it can be, but it has to be a change of improvement, right? Change for the sake of change is not usually as desirable or yields a positive effect. Something has changed with Sonic Drive-in Restaurants, and for me, it’s not a change of improvement.

Great creative is hard to beat. A good concept, good copywriting, good actors, good product - it’s all good. And when it works - work it. Geico, Progressive and many others have shown this to be true. And Sonic had followed that lead for a several years now. Our two guys sitting in the car at Sonic with their quirky personalities created some good interaction, a chuckle or two and memorable brand awareness. It gave Sonic a sense of being unique, fun and a great place to hang out with family and friends. The look is bright and colorful, the food looks delicious and the humor brings it all together.

But something has changed, but what? New marketing director? New CEO? New RFP? New agency? Maybe some or all of these but I’m sure the bigger issue is that Sonic has been represented for all these years by two going-on-middle-age white guys. There is no diversity and so the result is a new concept, a new look and a new direction for Sonic. But that new direction offers nothing memorable, interesting, or appealing.

Pretty footage of places - desaturated, some even dark scenes - even those inside the kitchen of the restaurant. Is this supposed to make me more excited to go out and see the world? Take a road trip? And eat in my car? Not me. Even my most memorable road trips are punctuated with stops to GET OUT OF THE CAR, walk around, stretch. I really don’t want to sit in the car and eat. Sonic has lost all of the fun of the brand. To me it’s trying to look like something it’s not – moody. I feel like they’re trying to talk adventure but the footage looks like a car commercial and that moody footage just doesn’t say food, even the kids eating the burgers in the back seat don’t look happy. Maybe it’s too real. Yes, Sonic now looks different from the other fast food brands, but now they have fallen off my scope. I hardly even noticed their new commercial during a commercial break because it blended into the sea of sameness surrounding it. Nothing about it captures my attention.

So, I’m sad to see some great creative be replaced with nothing special, nothing memorable. Only time (and sales) will tell if this was the smart change for Sonic.

Is this the right KIND of advertising?

KIND Bar takes a “not so kind” approach to knock the competition.

This commercial really has me stumped about the KIND brand. I have a feeling whoever is managing the brand has a couple of things they want to drive home; 1) just because KIND is the name of the brand it doesn’t mean they’re KIND when it comes to their competition. And 2) the best way to position against your competition is to attack them. (Which unfortunately is popular in political advertising but not as endearing when it comes to healthy food choices.)  

So, I’m gonna jump on my soapbox for a second. Here is KIND Bar, the most popular brand of healthy snack bar, they’re in every grocery store, big box store, convenience store, coffee shop and any other impulse buying opportunity.  They are clearly the most recognized and the most popular (if they weren’t the most popular they wouldn’t be on shelves everywhere). They are clearly the leader in the category. Mission accomplished, right? But I guess that’s not good enough. So what happened for this commercial to be produced? Did the research show that Cliff Bar is coming up fast? Or did the focus group research show that there is a perception that KIND Bars have too much sugar because they are sticky and gooey? 

Stepping off the soapbox, let’s look at the commercial. When I first saw this TV spot I was taken aback that this KIND brand would run a commercial that is clearly not kind at all. Coke taught us all a long time ago that if you’re the leader, you take the high road and don’t even acknowledge that any competition exists. That has served the Coke brand well for decades. Even when Pepsi was running the Pepsi Challenge, Coke never flinched or choked (pardon the analogy). But to me, the minute KIND mentioned any of their competition and made a negative statement about how much more sugar is in their product, they actually made a very negative statement about the KIND brand – it's KIND in name only. Why couldn’t they take the high road and just state confidently that KIND bar for all that sticky goodness only has 5 grams of sugar? The sticky goodness is what holds all the healthy nuts, fruit and seeds together like no other snack bar. So healthy and so tasty with so little sugar. Why pour caramel sauce out of the Cliff bar package like it's some kind of bad candy bar? And KIND doesn’t even mention how much sugar is in their product except by text graphic yet showing nuts all shiny with goo and chocolate being poured over them. It seems like they stooped to a lower form of advertising for a product that doesn’t need that kind of approach. For me, this commercial has had the opposite effect on my shopping habit. I will intentionally pass over the KIND bar now and reach for something else, even if that something else is not as delicious or satisfying. I believe a brand like KIND should live up to its name in all things. This commercial is clearly not my kind of advertising.

When Beer Jumps on the Organic Bandwagon.

Michelob Ultra tries to appeal to the organic drinker.

The Michelob brand has struggled over the past several years. The Michelob regular and Michelob Light beers no longer appear on the Anheuser-Busch website along side Michelob Ultra which at 95 calories per 12 ounces seems to have saved the Michelob brand from total extinction. But with all the IP beers on the market the younger crowd is trending to these less traditional options. Organic beer is becoming a buzz in the industry so the BIG breweries like Anheuser-Busch are left trying to figure out how to compete.  

So, why not jump on the organic bandwagon?  It does take a lot of extra work to get the organic certification but if will put the brand back into the consumer mindset, then it’s worth the investment. The only question is, will the consumer take a big brand brewery seriously when they try to compete in a trendy market niche?  

Let’s look at the advertising “Beer In Its Organic Form”. The commercial has a granola feel to it, landscapes, water, sky, air – even the sound of breathing deeply.  Ahh, good clean air, right? And I’m sure research says that the outdoors is part the lifestyle of the target. But organic is about the ingredients, the other small breweries don’t have massive ad budgets yet people seek them out because of the ingredients and the taste.  Mich Ultra still uses the same ingredients, is brewed the same way and is always going to taste the same whether it’s organic or not. So to me it seems Mich Ultra going organic is just one more attempt to keep the brand alive and in some way relevant. I’m not sure it will increase market share or just make the existing customer base feel better about the product. Time and sales will tell – they always do. But for now, take a deep breath and enjoy your organic Michelob Ultra around a campfire – because, after all, that’s what organic is all about.

Is the new Coors Chill Campaign too hot?

Coors gets down to the nitty gritty of relaxing.

Coors beer has always positioned itself as the beer made from the clean pure mountain water. It’s cold brewed to keep the freshness and even the can changes color so you know when the mountains are blue the beverage is ice cold. But I guess that message is lost on the younger generation who cares about ingredients but not necessarily when it comes to beer. Beer is about being social or just relaxing. So Coors decided to take their cold brew roots and marry it with the express “chill” which these days is all about taking it easy.

This sounds like a great way to put the two ideas together, but to get people’s attention you have to have some shock value – something that people will remember. Mission accomplished, “The Official Beer of Chill” is provocative and in one case a bit shocking. “The Official Beer of Drinking on the Golf Course” is pretty clever, most golfers can relate to this, but not everyone plays golf. So they got down to a more basic level, “The Official Beer of Drinking in the Shower” begins to plug into that every guy relatability. But it makes me wonder do all young men (over 21) drink in the shower? Or are they saying if you don’t then you should consider it? What’s the real message here? And since most women would not relate to that, how about a woman who (for the sake of kids watching) takes off her bra from under her blouse. For most women I’ve talked to the idea is close to reality but the shock value is like telling a women’t only secret. Again, shock value vs. what is the message? Drink beer to relax or if you haven’t tried this, you should?

I think advertisers need to remember the incredible influence they wield. The power of advertising is formidable. It can change social perception, it can move social mountains and it can destroy them as well. I’m not saying this campaign is right or wrong – it accomplishes its goal – to get audience attention, but what audience? We seem to forget that there is a very young audience still out there, especially on game day. Encouraging them to drink as soon as they turn 18 or 21 is one thing, but can’t we let the nitty gritty come naturally? I’m sure this makes me a prude but, hey, I know the influence advertising has had in my life and that influence still carries from one generation to the next, let’s leave some private time things for the next generation to discover for themselves.

Hats Off for Thinking Different – Farmers Insurance is creating their own original brand.

This post starts with the same first paragraph of one of my other posts: What works for one brand should work for another, right? GIECO set a new standard in the insurance industry 20 years ago with a totally innovative and unexpected  approach to car insurance. They turned the rest of the old school insurance industry on their ear – they thought this approach would never get customers because no one would take them seriously – after all insurance is very serious stuff. But they kept the message simple – you know it, “15 minutes could…”. For 20 years that’s been the message, consistently, and is still the message today. Unwavering commitment to one thought. They showed the industry that they could entertain and not only succeed but dominate the car insurance space.

So, setting the stage with that statement, let’s look at Farmers Insurance. I’m impressed that Farmers Insurance was able to take their very old established brand and give it a modern update without trying to copy the GEICO formula. Other than to just infuse humor into the messages. It’s like a breath of fresh air. Not only is it different from GEICO but it is engaging and unique to their brand.  They now have their own brand voice and they are thinking independently.   

The Farmers Insurance University campaign is so well done. The use of actor J.K. Simmons as the university professor is brilliant. His status as an accomplished actor, his delivery, his personality give the professor character a believability that is remarkable.

This campaigns hits on all cylinders for me. It carries the message that there are actual Farmers agents – real agents vs. online. It says that no insurance claim is too outlandish to not cover –  which opens the door to so many creative possibilities that they take advantage of by enacting the scenarios. This makes each spot even more interesting and engaging because there is an underlying reality to each outrageous claim, “And we covered it.” Then lastly they updated the Farmers logo and added a branded musical finish. The simple men’s chorus is so catchy I find myself singing it right along with them. It gets five stars for me.

So, my hats off to Farmers Insurance for originality, execution, engagement and memorability. To me this is what great branding is all about.

Critters Battle for Insurance Brand Connection – Can the Liberty Mutual Emu eclipse an infamous gecko?

What works for one brand should work for another, right? GIECO set a new standard in the insurance industry 20 years ago with a totally innovative and unexpected  approach to car insurance. They turned the rest of the old school insurance industry on their ear – they thought this approach would never get customers because no one would take them seriously – after all insurance is very serious stuff. But they kept the message simple – you know it, “15 minutes could…”. For 20 years that’s been the message, consistently, and is still the message today. Unwavering commitment to one thought. They showed the industry that they could entertain and not only succeed but dominate the car insurance space.

So, now that they’ve proved the point, the only logical step is for all other insurance companies to follow the pattern. Liberty Mutual has taken the bait. Over the past couple of years you may notice Liberty Mutual began a more humorous approach to their advertising. Spokesperson  characters at a fake waterfront in front of the Statue of Liberty (which must be frustrating for New Yorkers who know there’s no such location.) But in any case Liberty Mutual seeks to put their own spin on the successful formula. 

The latest series of Limu Emu commercials don’t have the level of wit that the leader has. It appears that the point of the team of Emu and Doug is to say to the customer that Liberty Mutual has agents that are present and in the community – as opposed to the leader who primarily works online – without agents in the field (which more recently they are addressing, more to come on that.)  

So let’s talk about that Emu. The obvious reason this bird was selected is the rhyme with LiMu (short for Liberty Mutual). So building a character and a campaign around a rhyme – is that a smart approach?  Well, it certainly poses its challenges. Does the character talk? What is the role of this character? Does this character even make sense? In my opinion the Emu is just that, a non-speaking addition to simply create a rhyming catch phrase that may (or may not) create any consumer connection. Although, they have learned the lesson of one simple message that is repeated consistently, “Only pay for…” you know the rest.  But the scenarios are not engaging, the team of Doug and the Emu are forced – which is no surprise when you have a client that wants one message and the creatives want something different. This blend of agent and character don’t work for me yet.  It might take time and evolution of the concept but for now the concept falls short. We’ll have to see how long this dynamic duo last, all for the sake of a name.

Flo 2.0 – Progressive Insurance takes Flo to new heights with Jamie.

How long has Flo and the “compare your rate tool” been the cornerstone of Progressive Insurance? 5 years? 10 years?  2020 will be 12 years! Over that time Flo has always been the focal point of the campaign. Each year doing something new, something with a bit of humor, something memorable. But after that many years, it’s hard to keep the character (and the actress, Stephanie Courtney) fresh. 

So, more recently new characters have been introduced.  Expanding the Progressive world to a team of representatives. For several years Jamie (Jim Cashman) has played Flo’s quirky sidekick and evidently he scores high with consumers because now the focus seems to have moved from Flo to Jamie in the more recent commercials.  

This is probably a good move for Progressive. Shifting to a new character opens the door for a whole new world of possibilities. It allows Jamie to move outside the traditional Progressive environment and out into the world. Jamie talking with a mom to her video game playing kids.  Jamie talking to neighbors on the front lawn of their home.  Jamie in the classroom. Jamie here, Jamie there. The great thing about many of these scenarios is that the spots begins in a way that leaves you waiting for a reveal – who or what is this about?  Then the Jamie reveal makes an unexpected impact and makes you want to finish the spot just to see what Jamie has to say – which is usually pretty clever. There is still a splash of Flo from time to time just to keep the connection to that iconic figure but the variety of environments and scenarios that have been developed for Jamie is a really good way to keep viewers connected to the Progressive message. 

I’m not sure how long Jamie will carry the Progressive apron, but for now he at least is what I call the next iteration of Flo. Let’s see if they try to keep him around for another 10 years.

Can a Fossil Fuel Manufacturer Really Go Green?

Exxon/Mobil makes a beautiful play on words to change perception of their global impact.

For the past several years science has focused and identified the principle cause of global warming as the amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. Of course, there are many culprits in that arena, automotive, agriculture, energy production and manufacturing. Since Exxon is one of the largest producers of fossil fuels in the world it’s pretty difficult to escape their connection to the automotive and energy production industries. But in an effort to look like there is some concern on their part for CO2 emissions they have produced a commercial to demonstrate their research and development in the area of manufacturing.

I don’t want to talk about whether the commercial is accurate or what impact this supposed new technology will have, I really just want to focus on the creative and the execution. In fact, I think there is some brilliance in this commercial in taking the word “plant” and applying a double entendre to juxtapose a living plant and a manufacturing plant. This spot is completely done with animation in order to fuse the living plant concept to the manufacturing plant. The use of white in the representation of the manufacturing plant is a smart way to create a perception of being clean. And the copy delivered by the female VO is well written to make the point yet is almost as if Mother Nature is narrating the cleaner efforts in approval.

I’ve worked on manufacturing accounts in the past and trying to make this kind of connection in not easy, for the client or for the consumer. The client doesn’t want to tell the whole story and the consumer doesn’t believe the propaganda anyway. But I am impressed that this spot strikes a very cool balance of concept, copy and visual that are engaging, thoughtful and almost believable. At least they appear to have made a real effort to speak to an audience that, in most instances, loathes their existence by acknowledging that science keeps pointing a finger at them and they must appear to heed and respond to the growing public opinion that supports such science. They can’t say much about their automotive or energy production connections so at least they have found one area that they can try to show some interest in addressing this global problem. They have artfully planted their flag there.