When Advertising Goes Bad

"We are MW, and we will not tone it down."

"Honk if you're not mayo"

Kraft Foods has been trying to rebrand Miracle Whip as an "edgy" condiment. A condiment appropriate for the outsider. A condiment for the young radical. 

In simplest terms, Miracle Whip is mayonnaise mixed with salad dressing making a sweeter, bolder-tasting spread that can be used in place of its more refined cousin. Developed in 1933, the new "salad dressing spread" premiered at the Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago. According to the Kraft Foods archivist (seriously), the spread was a "instant hit". All that sugar appeals to an American palate.

By comparison, mayonnaise was invented in France in 1756 by Duke de Richelieu's chef. In 1905, the first ready-made mayonnaise was sold at Richard Hellman's New York deli and, in 1912, mayonnaise was mass marketed and called "Hellman's Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise. 

Mayonnaise has never felt the need to rebrand itself. Maybe that's the prerogative of a condiment that is a staple of French cooking and has been around for over 250 years.

Regardless of which condiment is "better", this post is about advertising and the, frankly, painful-to-experience campaign to make-over Miracle Whip (now referred to as MW).

Stacy's Deviled Eggs

Additional ads include: Drew's Sandwich, Jim's Artichoke Dip, and Debi's Potato Salad

Available on YouTube.com

The mass-produced food industry is no stranger to overwrought ad campaigns that try to convince a gullible public (usually children or young adults) that snack chips or breakfast cereal or American Cheese Food is so radical and awesome that the buyer will gain some borrowed equity of coolness by the sheer act of having it in their cupboard.

There is something so forced and "wrong" about these campaigns. Certainly, those of us who work in marketing, advertising, or business can recognize what these companies are trying to do and (hopefully) don't fall prey to the message. But, what about people who DO actually fall for it? If Kraft Foods screams it loud enough and long enough, how many people will start to believe that they'll be as provocative and cutting-edge as the MW ads imply?

There is no doubt that we all choose our brands based on the perception we wish to project. However, is it reasonable to expect people to think of Miracle Whip as a cool, radical product instead of a standard ingredient in most 1950's salad recipes?

To their credit, Kraft's 2012-2013 campaign focused on the polarizing nature of mayo versus MW. It was a very risky move. It's possible that a consumer could identify with the mayo-loving celebrity instead of the MW-loving celebrity, thus swaying them over to mayo. Although, the sheer nature of the campaign was to admit that people were already deeply entrenched in one camp or the other. If nothing else, it was a fun campaign that recognized and celebrated the "battle of the condiments" even if it didn't seem to advance the product in any significant way.

Kraft may have been better served by more directly acknowledging its roots and updating the narrative. Happy families creating new food memories with the addition of Miracle Whip would have been a lovely nod to the past while re-introducing the product to a younger audience. But, that's not the direction they chose. Perhaps because Hellman's Mayonnaise was celebrating their 100th anniversary and advertising nostalgia and recipes, MW felt that they needed to position themselves as diametrically opposed.

Either way, it's tough to make condiments interesting. Perhaps the best (and possibly the most successful) ad campaign for a condiment was Grey Poupon's "One of Life's Finer Pleasure's". These informative and slightly humorous ads transformed the Dijon mustard into a common household staple.

Grey Poupon was acquired Kraft Foods in 1999. In 2013, Kraft "updated" the original, groundbreaking ad with this version:

The 2013 ad was nominated for an Emmy award for best commercial. Kraft seems to be nothing if not predictable in their advertising approach. Funny, sure. But how does it advance the brand?

So, what brought on this little treatise? A text message that read: "Do you find Miracle Whip's insistence that it's an "edgy condiment" as bizarre as I do?" which lead to a five minute discussion of how annoying the campaign is - at least to Cassandra and me.

What camp are you in? Are you an outsider? Radical and ready to challenge the world with your bold decision to use Miracle Whip? Or are you old-skool and enjoy the refined ("boring" according to Kraft) taste of mayonnaise? As I write this, I'm eating french fries with mayo to dip. I guess you know which camp I'm in. ;)

Don't fall prey to crazy ad campaigns people! Take it from a marketing and advertising professional. Find brands you can believe in and choose your products wisely. My words of wisdom for today.

- Alex

The Winds of Change are A-Blowin'

Let me apologize in advance...

This is going to be a non-crafty post, again.

Not to belabor the point, but "distractible" is in our name. And, right now, I'm distracted by a big event in my life: a new job.

After 13 years at Company X, I'm moving on. It's surreal for a lot of reasons - not the least of which is that, for the first time in over a decade, I won't be able to see Cassandra nearly every day of the week. Frankly, that makes me infinitely sad.

However, Company Y made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Company X, as much as I love it, had nothing left to offer me. Basically, I qualify for three jobs at Company X and I've done all of them. When the position at Company Y fell in my lap I realized that I had three choices:

1. For the next 15 years I could do the same job I've been doing for the last 6 years.
2. I could commit to Company X's INDUSTRY and cross-train into other departments (learning all new skills). OR...
3. I could take the skills I have (and love) and apply them to a new industry.

Obviously, I picked #3.

So, starting one week from today, I'll be commuting in the opposite direction. I'll be meeting new people, learning a new corporate culture, learning a new job... It's scaring the hell out of me but I'm excited as well.

For the record, this will not, in any way, affect our commitment to Mighty Distractible, our crafting work, or our readers. If anything it might make me a little less flaky about getting my posts done because I'm going to need to plan further in advance. LOL

I'm hoping that it allows Cassandra and I more freedom because, for the first time in six and a half years, I won't be her boss and therefore our friendship can flourish without any concern that she might be getting special treatment. (Which she never did, btw... I swear.)

So, that's my big news and the thing that is completely occupying my brain right now. However, I guess I can toss out a couple of things that I've been thinking about lately that you might enjoy:

Looper - If you haven't seen this movie yet, GO. You really should see it in the theater. While it's technically a sci-fi, time-travel thing, I think it has a lot of cross-over appeal. It's amazingly well written, directed, and acted. Everyone I know (including myself) has walked out of the theater saying, "Wow! that was WAY better than I expected!" Seriously, don't miss this.

Pears stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon - I didn't make this, my son's girlfriend did. But, we had it for dinner last night and I simply had to share the recipe with you. They are ridiculously good. Click here for the recipe from Foodnetwork.com.

Bossypants by Tina Fey - I just got done reading this for book club. It's fast and funny and worth every page. It's pretty girly - there were some men in the book club that took exception to some of the chapters on, say, Kotex or breasts - but overall, everyone in the group loved it and I, literally, laughed out loud throughout.

Okay. I have to get back to cleaning out my desk. What a weird experience THAT has proved to be - a walk down memory lane. :)

- Alex the Short-timer

Friday Finds: CHEESE!

When one is from Wisconsin, it's imperative to love two things - beer and cheese. Technically, you're supposed to love the Green Bay Packers too but I get a pass because I know nothing at all about football and, frankly, don't care to learn.

The perfect storm - Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup (with popcorn garnish)

Sadly, I can't tolerate beer so I'm often critized for my lack of Wisconsinism. However, I believe that I make up for it with my extreme love for cheese (and most other dairy products as well.)

Also sad is Cassandra's lactose intolerance as this means that she can't properly nuture her cheese jones.

For today's Friday Find, I'd like to introduce you to one of my all-time favorite brands - Wisconsin Cheese. This division of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (yes, there is such a thing) has made a religion of all things cheesy. As an advertising professional, my love for this brand goes beyond my love for dairy itself  and extends into the amazing marketing. The ads are clever and beautiful which is a tour de force that makes even the non-cheese lover drool over their product.

Enjoy them on Pinterest, Facebook, and online at Wisconsin Cheese, The Cheese and Burger Society, Grilled Cheese Academy, and Wisconsin's Cheese Cupid. You'll thank me (maybe) - at least for adding to your recipe collection.

Oh... and every year around this time they do "30 Days, 30 Ways" which is 30 different mac & cheese recipes in one month. It's to die for.

Buon Appetito! 

- Alex

Worlds Collide

As we've mentioned here and there, Alex and I work at Company X. It is a big place, very corporate, very typical. We are creatives in a sea of non-creatives. Sometimes that can be a little lonely and, occasionally, frustrating. But, there are moments when we hit the happiness jackpot... and it keeps us sane. Yesterday we had one of those moments.

First some background: A few years back, we did an ad campaign that featured squirrels. There were huge squirrels on billboards, small ones on mailers, millions of them on newspaper inserts, and chattering squirrels on radio ads. The "sales" response rate was respectable, but the emotional response it generated was amazing. It was the only time we've ever had customers show up in our lobby looking to meet our creative/marketing staff, and to see if they could get their hands on more printed copies. The most notable of these visitors were the local firefighters from Ladder 2 who showed up, in full gear, after having responded to a call across the street. We were so proud. Then sales started dropping, and reluctantly we had to move on to a new, non-squirrel campaign. But, we always hoped to resurrect the squirrels again at some point.

Our Spokesquirrel: Chopper Crazypaws

Time shift to this past summer: Our senior-management team was out in the field. They were visiting offices around the country and they kept hearing how much people loved the squirrels and hoped to see them again. When they came back and reported this to marketing, a testing plan was hatched. Fourth quarter this year, we pulled out a sample group to send a "squirrel" version against our (non-squirrel) control. I am sad to report that the control was the winner and the squirrels will not be gracing billboards anytime soon. But, at the end of the day, it was amazing that customers had such an emotional tie to these "characters" that we actually took the time to test the campaign again.

What does this have to do with crafting, you ask? Well, as a result of this latest squirrel test, one of our customers sent us some hand-made goodness. I'm telling you the truth! Because she was responding to a "holiday card" (which was a thinly disguised sales message about our latest promotion) she sent us a crocheted angel ornament AND a crocheted squirrel magnet! The "card" that she was responding to was co-signed by the president of our company and our spokes-squirrel, Chopper Crazypaws - so she wanted to send both a gift. How sweet is that?

Crocheted Squirrel Magnet on Whiteboard

Crocheted Angel Ornament in Corporate Setting

Like the title of this post says, worlds collide. As marketing people, Alex and I are just amazed at how fond people are of a silly promotional tool like the squirrels. As crafters, we are especially touched by this gesture from one, loyal and sweet customer. It is one thing to give a gift, yet another to give such a thoughtful hand-made gift. So...Miss Nancy from Indiana, thank you! You are a treasure.

–Cassandra

As Seen on TV

This guy could sell anything.

Ever since Ron Popeil introduced the viewing audience to the Vegematic and the Pocket Fisherman, products designated as "As Seen on TV" have been ridiculed. Perhaps it was his slightly snake-oil salesman presentation or the fact that the products' claims were often too good to be true, but conventional wisdom was that these products were cheap, flimsy, and didn't deliver the magic that was promised.

I've always been enthralled by advertising. My earliest memory of dissecting an ad was when I was about nine years old. I noticed that a particular brand of cereal was being advertised significantly more often than others, and more than it had been in the past. I confidently informed my mother that the company must be making lots of money because they were advertising more. She replied that it could be the exact opposite - that the cereal may not be selling well so, therefore, the company was trying to make more people aware of the product. And so began my passion for both TV and marketing.

RonCo was the company that innovated what we now call infomercials - long-form advertising of one product - and Ron Popeil, founder of RonCo, was the undisputed prince of the medium. He was tall, handsome in a 1950's sort of way, and purely in love with what he was doing. I miss his big, smiling mug on my TV. I think the last time I saw him do an infomercial it was for a rotisserie grill, and I remembering thinking that it was amazing that he was still shucking his products under the RonCo name some 40 years later. I hope he made millions and millions of dollars.

Waxing nostalgic about infomercials and "As Seen on TV" products is my way of admitting to being a regular buyer of these wonders. As a kid, my mom kept telling me that I didn't want the cool thing I saw on TV because [insert list of excuses that were probably a cover for "we can't afford it."] Perhaps being denied these items is what compels me to buy them now. And, it's not just TV anymore... I've added the much-maligned "Sky Mall" catalog to my cool-product wellspring.

ShamWow really works. As does the screen curtain that replaced the screen door (so the dogs can freely go in and out.) I own an original Vegematic in the box, although I don't use it anymore because I would hate to break it. I never did buy the Ginzu Knives (that can cut through a CAN and then slice a tomato like it was butter) or the Pocket Fisherman. But my most recent purchase may be my best ever.

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!

I woke up at 3:30 a.m. one day with a wicked bout of insomnia. I turned on the TV and got sucked into the infomercial for a vacuum cleaner. As it happens, I needed a vacuum and it didn't take much to convince me that this one might fit the bill. The thing that put me over the edge though was this final promise - "order now and we'll send you - ABSOLUTELY FREE - the Shark Steam Mop!"

As it happens, I had been looking at the Shark Steam Mop for a while. The previous weekend I'd even put one in my cart while shopping at Bed, Bath, and Beyond but eventually put it back because, really, I didn't need to spend $90 on myself the week before Christmas. Now I could get one ABSOLUTELY FREE when I purchased another item I needed!! Really, who could resist this offer? And I could pay in INSTALLMENTS! Oh.My.God.

Since it was the middle of the night, I decided to order online instead of calling in. I won't bore you with the wonders of the online ordering process (they have it down to a science with no fewer than SIX upsells to various other products) but will tell you that, in less than 15 minutes, I was done and anticipating my new products arrival.

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT TOO!

The box came on Monday. Surprisingly small considering that it contained not one but two miracle products.  After a short and easy assembly process, I was up and running. I steam-mopped my kitchen floor first and then ran the incredibly quiet* vacuum cleaner in the living room and dining room. Ladies and gents, let me be the first to tell you... The Shark Navigator Vacuum and the Shark Steam Mop are everything they promise and more. And, once again, "As Seen on TV" hasn't let me down.

I kinda want to call my mom and tell her she was wrong.

- Alex

*I'd like to note that the Shark company doesn't even use the quietness of the vacuum as a selling point. I can't imagine why. It is, without a doubt, the quietest vacuum I've ever owned. Of course, it's possible that I've always owned fairly crappy vacuums too...

Thankfulness, how cliché.

Call it a pipe-dream, but, I intend to have a simple holiday season this year. I want to enjoy spending time with my family without any of the usual drama and stress that accompanies it. My plan is to:

A. Be as organized as possible to avoid rushes
B. Be easy-going about things, let other people's feelings come first
C. Under-promise and over-deliver
D. Remember to be thankful
E. Remember to be thankful

I know, I know. At this time of year there is so much superficial talk about "being thankful". But it really is a great concept. I spend so much of my time trying to manifest what I want in my life, that it's important for me to step back and assess what I already have. I am a fortunate woman and I need to remember that.

But, I also have my limits...

If you're anything like me, the treacly holiday TV commercials are already on your nerves. It's so formulaic: beatific little child in flannel pajamas + soft focus + twinkling lights... snore. And who really wants to see another couple "get engaged" in front of the Christmas tree again this year. Ugh.

Could big companies with national advertising budgets just try a little harder to be original. It's lazy to try to tug on our heartstrings by using sappy imagery. Do your own thing. Now, with that said, I do applaud some from the last few years. For instance, this commercial by Miller did a wonderful job of taking a trendy youtube viral video and putting their own spin on it. And how about this one from Garmin? The production value is crazy awesome and the content is just edgy enough to make it stand out from the pack. I have to say that this one from Apple did a good job of riffing on their ongoing ad campaign, but making it more holiday friendly. And I am totally dating myself, but, this Coke one from my childhood is just too sweet to forget. It marries the spirit of the holiday season to the product seamlessly.

Speaking of creativity... I am in hard-core craft mode over here so there will be a holiday projects update from me next week. I am hoping to have a productive weekend (amidst all the celebration)!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

– Cassandra