Would You Walk Off the Earth for Cauliflower?

via your classmate Julie:

Sol Cuisine teamed up with Walk Off the Earth to create a co-branded music video in which the founder of Sol Cuisine, Dror Balshine, expresses his love for cauliflower in a satirical ballad dedicated to “his favorite flower.” In the video, Balshine comes out in a grey suit with a piece of cauliflower sitting on the piano. Further into the song, Walk Off the Earth, dressed in all black, accompanies him as they serenade this cauliflower with praises of being “so delicious, so nutritious.” The solemn tone and dress adds to the irony as they act very seriously about their love for cauliflower. This video was broadcasted on Breakfast Television, shared on Facebook, and linked on Sol Cuisine’s webpage.  

Walk Off the Earth was well suited for this video since they are typically known for their animated and quirky songs where they use instruments in unique ways to create covers of songs. For example, many of their videos includes all four group members all playing on one guitar at the same time! This video is a complete opposite to the fun, colorful videos that they typically make, adding irony to the parody. Additionally, both Sol Cuisine and Walk Off the Earth are Canadian brands and work together to appeal to the Canadian audience.

Walk Off the Earth has a large following, with over 3.4 million followers on Facebook and 4.6 million subscribers on YouTube. Thus, Walk Off the Earth brings their large follower base to the table. In addition, this is not the ensemble’s first promotional work, as they previously produced an ad for Canadian-made French’s ketchup, using the ketchup bottles as instruments to play Oh Canada. Adding to the fun, Walk Off the Earth has always been a long-time supporter of cauliflower, tweeting in 2019, “Believe in yourself! If cauliflower can become pizza, then you can do anything.  #MondayMotivaton”. In an interview with Breakfast Television, the group expressed that what they got out of the co-branded video was a “fun experience… we’re always looking to do kind of quirky stuff and this, obviously, slots right in there.” 

This video was created to raise awareness about the Sol Cuisine brand, along with encouraging consumers to try plant-based meals. In the song, Balshine proudly sings off tune, “It’s a plant-based world for me.” On its website, the company writes about how their founder and president “doesn’t just talk about loving plant-based meals, he sings about it too.”  The video conveys his passion for trying to shift consumers’ preferences from meat-based to plant-based meals (Sol Cuisine, n.d). Their mission is to convert as many people as possible from meat-based meals to Sol Cuisine’s cauliflower-based meals. Their products include meatballs, burgers, and wings, all made from cauliflower! 

The video was very effective as numerous comments from the video expressed their positive attitude and feelings towards the video. One comment quipped, “I wish someone looked at me like he looks at the cauliflower.” Others commented, “I felt all of Dror’s expression of his love for the Cauliflower.” The video on YouTube currently has 269,546 views and 70 likes with no dislikes. Although this video has not gone viral, there are numerous news articles covering the collab. This parody has definitely worked on me – the next time I go grocery shopping I want to try these “just like broccoli, not as snobby” cauliflower dishes! 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/health-news/walk-off-the-earths-brand-new-love-ballad-to-cauliflower/vp-AATCrpd

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and…M&Ms?

‘M&Ms go woke with new versions of characters to reflect ‘a more dynamic, progressive world’
illustration from Daily Mail Online

via your classmate Cady

Mars Inc, the parent company for the candy-coated chocolate known as M&Ms, has announced a refresh for the characters previously featured in many of the brand’s marketing communications.

The focus on the character makeover was to promote inclusivity, given that two of the M&M’s seem to represent ‘sexy’ females, given their long eyelashes and high-heeled shoes. In the announcement, Mars indicated that a change is coming for all characters, with an objective of having “more nuanced personalities to underscore the importance of self-expression and power of community through storytelling” (Mars Inc., 2022).

Some of the changes to the characters include giving the M&Ms arms and legs that match their shell colour (rather than a single flesh-tone), and a change to the attire of the feminine brown and green M&Ms. These have sparked a debate among some twitter users, with many expressing their strong preference for the female M&M characters to remain as is.

Specifically, many memes on social media began circulating regarding the green M&M, who’s iconic knee-high boots will be replaced with plain white sneakers. These included popular tweets with thousands of likes, such as “why did they reverse yassify the green m&m” (Twitter @mattxiv), and “they told green m&m she couldn’t go to euphoria high school anymore” (Twitter @alex_abads), a reference to a popular Netflix series whose storyline often includes the sexual activities of its teen characters. Additionally, a petition on change.org has accumulated over 19,000 signatures to keep the green m&m sexy (https://www.change.org/p/keep-the-green-m-m-sexy).

This story is a very interesting example of how companies adapt to try and stay relevant with current customers. Currently, brands are becoming increasingly consciousness of issues of inclusivity, and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of related trends, such as body-positivity and gender inclusion (see link below with Mars’ statement on inclusivity). This example indicates that Mars is trying to adopt these views and relate to its customers through M&Ms’ characters.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/mms-are-getting-new-look-become-inclusive-people-jokingly-think-hotter-rcna12935

https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/press-releases/mms-announces-global-commitment-inclusivity

https://www.mms.com/en-us/experience-mms/characters?color=green

Pepsi’s Got A Beef with Fast Food Chains

via your classmate Amanda:

In honour of recent National Burger Day (May 27), Pepsi found a way to turn the heat up on its beef with rival Coke in a new social media campaign. Pepsi tweeted a series of photos featuring McDonald’s, Wendys, and Burger King’s take-out bags, each seeming to uncover a hidden Pepsi logo on the bags. The tweets were captioned: “ALL burgers go #BetterWithPepsi…even when we’re not on the menu, we’re always in the picture.”

This is a direct dig at the fact that each of those restaurants features Coca-Cola beverages in their drink menus and in-store fountains. Before this campaign, I did not realize that Coca-Cola dominates the fast-food drink industry so completely. For example, the only fast-food restaurant that I can think of that is partnered with Pepsi is Harvey’s. This campaign challenges the restaurants and their agreements with Coca-Cola while also bringing awareness to the consumer. This is a strategic move in that Pepsi undoubtedly wants more market share in the fast-food drink industry. It’s an area in which they are lacking behind their main competition.

I think this campaign was bold and beefy. It demonstrates the strategic direction of Pepsi of wanting a bigger piece of the fast-food market. I would consider this a win for Pepsi due to all the attention and press that it received. Who knows, maybe in the next few years you’ll be asked “Is Pepsi ok?” when you order a Coke at your local drive-thru. 

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/05/27/ad-the-day-pepsi-s-hidden-logos-proof-it-goes-better-with-burgers-coke

Roughing Up the Brand Image

via your classmate Griffin:

“Fighting is a part of hockey; it belongs in the game!” Old and new school hockey fans have clashed over this sentiment for many years, with few NHL organizations actually taking a discernable stance on the matter. However, the Washington Capitals have recently faced criticism on their brand communications regarding the recent actions of the often-controversial Tom Wilson. Wilson drew the ire of hockey fans after pushing the face of opponent Pavel Buchnevich into the ice, followed by what could only be described as a body slam on Rangers star Artemi Panarin. While these actions obviously reflect on Wilson’s motives as a player, how does this relate to the brand of the Capitals?

Well, with the league recently facing accusations of negligence in protecting player safety, the social media manager of the Capitals decided to stir the pot a little bit (see screenshot above). Many fans were upset with the insensitive nature of the tweet, as Wilson’s actions sidelined Panarin for the remainder of the Rangers’ season. While Wilson did not face any disciplinary action further than a fine, the team later deleted the tweet, noting that it “didn’t meet the team’s social media standards”. Going forward, the Capitals may want to consider re-evaluating their social media response strategy, possibly requiring more oversight when posting. Backlash similar to what was observed reflects negatively on the brand the actions that caused it were unnecessary and somewhat callous. Interestingly enough, the Rangers went on to release a statement in which they questioned the fitness of the league for maintaining player safety; they were subsequently fined $250,000 for their actions. Go figure.

To learn more, check out these articles:

https://theathletic.com/2565456/2021/05/04/tom-wilson-the-capitals-tweet-and-what-happened-against-the-rangers/ (paywall)

Washington Capitals quietly delete Tom Wilson tweet after backlash

https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-fines-new-york-rangers-for-comments-on-player-safety-director-george-parros/c-324413156

Alexa, Play the McDonald’s Playlist…?

via your classmate Devon:

With the fight for consumer attention becoming increasingly more complex, Founder & CEO of Believe Advertising, Adrian Falk, says it’s time for brands to create their own Spotify playlists to captivate their audience. This idea stems from the belief that the social media landscape has become overly saturated and companies need to begin their search for the next medium format to amplify their brand presence.

Spotify has millions of active users using their platform and offers the potential for brands to reach new audiences while connecting to them in a most intimate manner: music. With this comes a means to “bring a brand to life,” which I believe is similar to what Wendy’s and many others have done successfully over the past decade while developing their brand personality and voice through social media. Another interesting argument made in this article is how revealing music can be, and how companies can utilize the information about a person’s interests to analyze their customer base.

In my opinion, the most compelling aspect of the article was the example provided through Starbucks. By creating playlists that represent the the brand’s environment, the company is extending their reach by allowing customers to bring the feeling of a warm Starbucks café into their homes.

While originally I thought the idea of this might be slightly farfetched, I had a similar mindset when prominent brands such as Wendy’s and Arby’s started replying on social media to other brands in unorthodox ways, posting memes, and began posting TikTok’s to capture the attention of their audience. I suppose it shows that attempts to garner consumers’ attention are bound to go in unexpected directions.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/369349

An A-Morphe-ous Brand Identity?

via your classmate Linda:

Morphe, a makeup brand, is currently being called out by many as they have not yet commented on a scandal revolving around James Charles, a well-known beauty influencer. Charles has recently been accused of inappropriate interactions with underage teenage boys. Because Morphe has been closely associated with James Charles over the past few years, their lack of comment on the matter has caused many consumers to be frustrated with the brand.

Although influencers can be a great benefit to companies by pushing brand products and increasing brand awareness, when these influencers are involved in crises, the brands can also suffer as a result. Because of how closely associated Morphe has been with James Charles, they should have issued a public statement immmediately. Although Morphe was not in control of this scandal, they are in control of how they handle it, and their lack of response has caused uproar. It is evident that Morphe needs to rethink their response strategy and learn for the future; In my opinion, keeping quiet during times like these only hurts the brand. 

To read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/james-charles-youtube-morphe-backlash-trisha-paytas-scandal-sexting-tiktok-2021-4

Pranks A Lot!

via your classmate Jaskaran:

April Fools is a fun time, where many people pull pranks on each other to get a good laugh. In fact, it is so much fun that many brands want to partake in the ritual as well. Some nail it, while others make me want to shrivel up like a raisin due to cringe. Consider two brands that did some of the most awful pranks in April of 2021 in my opinion.

Teletubby Cryptocurrency: The beloved Teletubbies, a popular show for young children, attempted to prank their audience by announcing the release of their own branded cryptocurrency on their twitter feed, which they dubbed the “TubbyCoin BigHugs! Token.” Quite the mouthful, isn’t it? I personally found the Teletubbies quite horrifying as a child, as their characters gave me nightmares. Adding cryptocurrency to this nightmare of a show just made this prank all the more horrifying for me.

Bud Light’s Pizza Seltzer: Feel like throwing up already? I have always liked a good pizza with a cool refreshing beer, but I never considered blending the two together. Now, the horrifying part of this prank is not the prank itself (I found it pretty funny to be honest), but the responses of people wanting to actually try this abomination of a product. Imagine someone coming to you, offering you a sip of their Anchovy Pizza Seltzer. No, thank you!

Which brand do you think did the worst prank?

Does Burger King UK Need Its Social Media Manager Flame-broiled?

via your classmate Manmeet:

Speaking of brand problems in the UK: on International Women’s Day, many Twitter users were shocked and confused by Burger King UK’s tweet about women read, “Women belong in the kitchen.” Following that message, a second tweet provided more context: “If they want to of course. Yet only 20% of chefs are women. We’re on a mission to change the gender ratio in the restaurant industry by empowering female employees with the opportunity to pursue a culinary career.” The purpose of the tweet was to announce the launch of a new scholarship program aimed at helping the women working at Burger King reach their culinary dreams. The sexist remark, however caused backlash among observers. The company spent hours explaining what it intended to achieve with the tweet, only to remove it and apologize. 

What was intended to be a joke ultimately backfired due to poor execution on social media. Had both tweets been consolidated into one, the message might have been received more positively. The company also announced the scholarship in print in the New York Times with the same phrase. In the newspaper, however, the advertisement was an entire page long, with context directly underneath the sentence, thus preventing the same type of backlash incurred with the misplaced tweet. This type of brand crisis is a self-inflicted wound that could have easily been avoided had the company been more sensitive.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2021/03/09/women-belong-in-the-kitchen-burger-kings-international-womens-day-tweet-goes-up-in-flames/?sh=23272d9365c2  

…Or Is it? Gotta Have #RespectforJustinBieber

via your classmate Meghan

JACKLYN KROL Published: January 1, 2021

There was a point in time when Justin Bieber was the biggest celebrity in the media for both his music and controversy as he grew up and arguably, he remains one of the largest pop-stars in the world. Justin Bieber’s fans have strong resonance, and remain unconditionally loyal, engaged, and attached to Bieber.  Although attracting a young, female fan based in the late 2000s, Justin has expanded his audience, widely appealing now to adults as well as a male audience. Fans with strong resonance have remained engaged over the years, while new distinct groups have joined Bieber’s fandom. For example, my mom, who is in her mid-50’s, has just recently started adding Justin’s new songs to her playlist as he has broadened his range of music releasing acoustic and alternative songs. In the article, the dedication of Bieber’s fans today is still evident.

A few weeks ago, “respect for Justin Bieber” was trending worldwide on social platforms due to outrange over his music video being taken down on YouTube. Fans were upset because they claim that the “beliebers” worked hard to promote and stream the new video, getting it to 30 million views. The article provides the following example:

I “GO AND STREAM #Anyone ON YT HARDER THAN YOU DID BEFORE! LET’S SHOW SOME LOVE TO JUSTIN AND HIS HARD WORK RESPECT JUSTIN BIEBER”

https://www.exclusivehollywood.co.uk/respect-for-justin-bieber-trending

#Cancelled

via your classmate Meghan:

John Boyega has resigned as Jo Malone ambassador after his ad for the brand was reshot for its Chinese markethttps://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/09/15/john-boyega-drops-jo-malone-after-being-cut-brands-china-ad

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/09/18/the-new-crisis-pr-what-should-brands-do-when-they-re-cancelled

I think a concept that is really interesting is “cancel culture.” Cancel culture is when a celebrity, public figure, or company does something that the general public doesn’t approve of, so they get shamed and boycotted on the internet. Social media plays a big part in propelling cancel culture since people with similar views are able to work together to ostracize the company or person.

Cancel culture is related to the concept of a strong brand being authored because consumers contribute to the meaning of a brand through their opinions and word-of-mouth marketing. Many companies as seen in this article, despite being authored in a positive way in the past, have quickly been “canceled” and the authoring switches to being negative within a short period of time. I find this very interesting because even if companies are being talked about in a positive light, they need to be constantly monitoring what their brand is doing and portraying, as the authored narrative can change so quickly in today’s social world.