Corporate Eye

...compare, compete, excel

Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius

Jockey Tries to Blur Gender Lines with Women’s Y-fronts

jockey-y-front-underpants-for-womenBoy shorts are one thing, but Y-front underwear for women?  That’s not attractive.  However, Jockey is betting that women want to look androgenous or downright manly, so the company is launching Y-front underpants for women.  The Y-front offers no utility, but it does de-feminize the wearer.  Hmmm…. I think this is going to be a hard sell.

There are several forms of gender branding, and the androgenous brand is popular for a number of consumer products brands such as Old Navy and Calvin Klein.  But clearly there is a line that a brand can cross when androgyny becomes less interesting and just plain ugly.  In short, just because a product attribute is popular for one gender, does not mean it will be equally popular for the opposite gender. 

I suppose you can look at it this way.  There was that scene in the Charlie’s Angels movie where Cameron Diaz danced in Underoos, so perhaps the new Y-front women’s Jockey underpants will become a short term fad that high school girls might embrace.  However, I have to believe that the majority of women, even those who like “practical” underwear, would steer clear of the Y-front Jockey.  At the very least, the extremely small segment of consumers who will come to love and advocate the Y-front Jockey underpants for women are just that — a small group. 

Certainly, there is a better way for the Jockey brand to connect with women consumers.  Rather than trying to turn them into men, how about helping them feel more like the amazing women they are by offering products that make them feel great and look great?  Perhaps that’s just too simple.

Your thoughts?

Image: Jockey

Do CEOs Help or Hurt Brands?

In a recent poll conducted by AdWeekMedia via LinkedIn, people were asked to rate the credibility of commercials for brands with and without the company CEOs in those ads.  The key question was — does having the company CEO in an ad make the ad more or less credible?

The results are actually a bit surprising to me.  49% of respondents said that the presence of the CEO made no difference to the credibility of an ad.  I expected that number to be higher.  Furthermore, 36% said that it makes an ad more credible when the CEO is in it while only 14% said it makes an ad less credible.  Again, I’m surprised.  Do over one-third of consumers actually feel that an ad is more credible because the company’s CEO is in it?  I’m amazed by that. 

The results beg the satirical question — should marketing messages come from the CEO?  For example, “I use XYX brand, and so should you.”  I hope not.

Maybe 20 years ago I would believe these statistics, but they amaze me today.  In a world where the news is wrought with stories of CEOs allowing companies to self-destruct, pursuing unethical and/or illegal practices, and taking corporate jets to Washington D.C. hearings while their companies are nearing failure, I have to wonder how accurate these statistics are.

Seeing a CEO in a commercial has no effect on me at all.  If anything, it has a negative effect because it makes me wonder if that’s really the best the marketing team could do.

Just recently, Dominos got a lot of flack from consumers who posted blog posts (example) voicing their dislike of the Dominos CEO Bailout commercials (watch below).  

I think a CEO’s presence in a commercial devalues the message, because most people can’t relate to them and they’re not necessarily thought of that highly anymore.   Certainly, there are some CEOs that can help a commercial and add credibility (e.g., Steve Jobs), but there are far more who either hurt a brand or don’t help at all when they appear in commercials.  In other words, most of the time, the marketing team can do better.

What do you think?  Do CEOs help or hurt brands when the appear in commercials for them?

Is the Honeymoon over for the iPhone and AT&T Wireless?

iphone-attIf you’re one of the many customers who would love to have an iPhone but don’t want to switch your carrier to AT&T Wireless in order to use one, then there may still be hope — albeit slim.

Last week in Washington D.C., FCC Acting Chairman Michael Copps spoke in front of the Pike & Fischer Broadband Policy Summit (read his full speech here).  Copps labeled exclusive deals between handset manufacturers and cellular carriers as restrictive to innovation and creating an unfair market of competition.  He called for an investigation into the matter.

Let’s face it.  From a consumer standpoint, eliminating exclusive deals between handset providers and wireless carriers would be wonderful.  Talk about opening up the field of choices for consumers!  I’d certainly get an iPhone if I didn’t have to switch to AT&T Wireless!

But how would eliminating exclusivity affect the brands involved?  [Read more…] about Is the Honeymoon over for the iPhone and AT&T Wireless?

Small Brand Strategy – Not Just for Electronics Anymore

ipod_shuffle_in_handMiniaturizing products has been the hot thing to extend brands in the electronics market for a long time.  As we all know, history is cyclical, and therefore, so are consumer demands.  For many years, consumers believed “bigger is better” and demanded the largest version of just about every product you can imagine — from SUVs to laundry detergent, and everything in between. 

I read an article on Branding Strategy Insider this week that discusses the hot topics at Reuters Global Luxury Summit this month, and it appears the cycle has changed and smaller is the cool thing again (and that’s not just for cars).

There are a number of reasons why it makes sense to return to focus on small:

  1. Market conditions: The current state of the economy makes it cost prohibitive for many consumers to purchase products in bulk or to purchase the biggest and boldest option from the hottest envy brand (e.g., a gigantic Louis Vuitton bag). 
  2. Cost of entry: Many consumers are interested in trying a product or brand, but the “larger” versions that dominate store shelves these days are too expensive for a trial purchase.  Smaller brand entry versions make testing a product a lot easier and less frightening in this economy.  Hopefully, the new customer who tries the smaller version will like it and return to buy the product or brand again and again.
  3. Global market introductions: If a brand wants to break into a new global market, a smaller version is a good way to do it successfully.  Not only are the customers in many markets around the world struggling, but many of these markets are still at the early stages of growth.  Consumers in emerging markets are just beginning to learn about making intelligent purchase decisions, determining value, and so on.  Offering smaller product versions is a great way to slowly integrate a brand into a new market.

How many times have you considered trying a new brand but you can’t find a small size?  Rather than investing a large sum in a large version of a product or brand, you forego it completely for two reasons: you don’t want to waste money and you don’t want to waste the product if you don’t like it. 

What does that tell you?

A small brand strategy might be just want your brand needs right now.

What do you think?

Image: Flickr

Disney Branded Netbook Coming from Asus

disney-computerA new Disney branded netbook is coming, which will be targeted to children between the ages of 6-12 with a $350 price tag.  Asus will manufacture the Disney netbook, complete with Disney Princess graphics for girls or a Mickey Mouse design for boys.  Naturally, all the Disney “stuff” you can imagine will be preloaded and at kids’ fingertips, such as Disney wallpapers and themes, a Radio Disney widget, etc. 

The online buzz about the Disney branded netbook among parents is related to the types of parental controls the netbooks will provide.  Apparently, Disney netbooks will come with parental controls that require parents to approve email addresses and websites before a child can access them.  As you can imagine, a Disney netbook that allows a child to visit an inappropriate website would not be good for the Disney brand image.  Of course, kids under age 12 have been known to modify security settings on computers without their parents knowing about it.  We’ll have to wait and see how effective the Disney netbook parental controls actually are when the product launches in late July.

It seems like a Disney branded netbook is a good brand extension.  The price point is not exorbitant (remember the over the top Disney Dream Desk PC from several years ago — see the picture in this post), and this is a product that children should be able to use not just for entertainment but hopefully, for some kind of education as well.  Disney has been known to pursue and even launch some highly questionable brand extensions in the past (remember Disney wine?), which fizzled quickly.  It’s nice to see a brand extension that actually makes some sense.

However, there is something to be said for brand focus.  It seems like there is almost nothing that Disney isn’t willing to put their brand name on in return for a licensing fee (except the aforementioned Disney wine which bombed before it even hit the market fully).  I suppose I’m thinking of it this way — Disney games, okay.  Disney electronics, still okay, but stretching it a bit.  Of course, the Disney brand remains strong and over-extending the brand hasn’t overly diluted it yet.  I wonder if it ever will.  Or is Disney the brand that can survive, thrive, and extend forever?

What do you think?

Image: Flickr

Trident Launches ‘A Little Piece of Happy’ Campaign

trident-happy-logoSometimes timing truly is everything.  Cadbury’s Trident brand should benefit from timing with its new “A Little Piece of Happy” campaign.  Although the campaign has been in development for 3 years (according to an article on BrandWeek), it will finally launch this month.  The concept is to show consumers how Trident provides moments of happiness in life — perfect timing given the economic downturn. 

The “A Little Piece of Happy” campaign includes a web site and short 15-second commercials that are intended to give consumers a moment to smile rather than being completely obtrusive.  The web site doesn’t launch until June 16, 2009.  I’m hoping the campaign includes a social media component through this Web site.  The campaign certainly lends itself well to social media and the sharing of “happy” moments.  A consumer video contest would be a great addition to the campaign (e.g., “share your happy moment with Trident and win…”).  We’ll have to wait and see if anything like that is yet to come.

I expect the campaign should work well given its launch timing.  Let’s face it, Trident has become a fairly boring brand over the years, but a nostalgic, personal moment ad might help revive the brand’s relevance.  I’m certainly a supporter of the 15-second commercial concept.

Certainly, a marketing campaign that targets consumer emotion, security, and thoughts of a better time should be welcomed by consumers right now.  That’s exactly what consumers are looking for amidst the economic crisis they’re living in.  What do you think?  Are you ready for ‘A Little Piece of Happy’?