New Caribou Coffee Advertising Campaign

This week’s Advertising Age talks about the new advertising campaign being mounted by Caribou Coffee. The ad, included above, shows two marionette dolls sitting on a bench in a mall and musing about why they never get to have nice drinks like the ones at Caribou. The premise of the ad is that people from rival Starbucks are “snobs” and “fake” and that Caribou offers a better environment and real ingredients.

I don’t have any problem with the ad overall. The issue I do have, however, is that it is just one of those ads that, unless someone tells you what the intent of the ad is – as Advertising Age did in its initial article about it – then you will probably not understand its true purpose and intent. It will simply appear to be a “kinda cute” ad featuring two talking dolls. There is no mention of actual competition in the ad and after you view it, you might forget what the commercial’s message was in the first place.

This is part of a new strategy and image-makeover for Caribou on behalf its advertising agency, Colle & McVoy. The new branding efforts began in February and continue with an aim to paint Caribou as a more “personal” and better quality choice for coffee drinkers. It will be interesting to see if this campaign has any of its intended effects.

Shape of Things To Come

Having worked in the radio broadcasting industry both as an announcer as well as a voice over talent for many years off an on, I’m every interested in the way the industry takes shape. There are many changes that have occurred in recent years that have taken the “glamour” out of the industry for many, and added potential for others. In local radio — large and small markets — there was once a “prestige” associated with being a broadcaster and the compensation reflected this for many. There was also a larger amount of autonomy affored to each outlet with respect to how they chose to style their broadcasts and image. Then, toward the end of the 1990’s, corporate entites started to buy up broadcast facilities from small to large markets and consolidate their holdings. The analogy I use is like that of the “KFC – Taco Bell – A&W” all in one building. In other words, the “essence” of each is retained, but the true flavor and character and individuality of each is essentially lost for those who remember and loved it. If you enter the corporate headquarters or broadcast centers for most radio stations in a large market, you  see the same concept — many stations on one or two floors with a reduced staff tending to each, mostly run by computer.  Coupled with increases in technology and the economic climate we are all now experiencing, there have been massive layoffs, further consolidation, automation, and shutdowns in the industry. The people you hear on your favorite station, who may be recorded in another location and not actually live, are now paid not much more — or maybe the same — as the frontline customer service rep at your local McDonald’s.

On the positive side, technological innovations and the capabilities they provide, from Facebook to YouTube and others have given many with creative ideas the opportunity to publish their work, speak to a large audience, and create opportunities like never before. It is mind boggling to think of the possibilities afforded by these mediums.

Most of what I’ve said here is not new information to many. However, it makes us think of what the marketing/advertising landscape will be as we continue forward. Already, we are prompted to maintain blogs, “tweet” with Twitter, network with LinkedIn, place text ads on various social and commercial networks (Google, Yahoo, Amazon, etc) as well as other tools that are fairly new to the landscape. Today, I read an article in Advertising Age about the further contraction (read that as “diminishing” or “shutdown”) of newspapers and magazines. For today’s generation of advertising youth, the implications seem minimal, as the internet and digital mediums are their stomping ground. That’s mostly all they’ve ever known. For many others, though, it is reminiscent of  the many multi-faceted mediums we grew up with and enjoy when we just want to “unplug” from the digital world.

One question that we must think about as the “recession” continues to deepen and last longer, “what effect will the shutdown of traditional media do to our society as more and more people can afford to consume less of the digital mediums we have become so accustomed to using?” Maybe this will prompt a resurgence of traditional broadcast radio, newspapers, and magazines. Or maybe it won’t. We can be assured, though, that as more people remain out of work longer, not only does their purchasing power disappear, but they are not able to maintain internet connections, computer gadgets, and other tools they are so enamored with now.

The future truly will be interesting to observe.

A brand new day…and focus

After over 12 years doing technical work, I will soon graduate with a Marketing degree and pursue a Marketing career. True, it isn’t the most exciting economic time to undertake this new endeavor, but it is certainly a time when everyone must be “at the top of their game” as they look ahead to possibilities and the future of the advertising industry. I have worked in broadcasting and as a freelance voiceover artist over the years, so I’ve been exposed to this arena in many ways. I have seen the industry change a lot over the years, with some friends losing long-standing positions in advertising agencies, to people making a name for themselves quickly with the new and powerful digital tools that lie at their disposal.

What part will the industry play in an economy that increasingly loses advertising dollars and the ability to employ as many seasoned, creative talents? Hopefully it provides a large stable of very motivated, skilled professionals who make the most of every tool available to them. On the other level, hopefully that helps clients to be appreciative of what they can get so much more cheaply than before.

In coming posts, I’ll comment on various trends in the industry and other things related to marketing/advertising. In my next post, I’ll venture into sales a bit. For many years, there was a notion that many organizations simply needed “a good salesperson” or “a degree”, and there was less concerned if the salesperson was actually experienced in their field (I say this generally, realizing there are plenty of exceptions). In the current climate, I’ll talk about the possibilties that await these organizations and how a new focus on experienced sales executives can make all the difference.