Recommendation:
We recommend that PepsiCo use the following advertisements in order to exploit their major target audience (18 year old males) while maintaining a following with their current users (20-39 year olds). These ads reinforce reinforce Mountain Dew’s communication communication strategy most most effectively by symbolizing the product as more than a drink but an exhilarating experience through product benefits (quenching, great taste), emotional benefits (exhilaration, excitement), and personality (daring, fun, irreverent). 1. Cheetah 2. Showstopper 3. Mock Opera Basis for Recommendation:
1. Cheetah: a. Effectively communicates the brand strategy as exhilarating and energizing by chasing down a cheetah that stole the Dew Dude’s Dude’s Mountain Dew. Also demonstrates demonstrates that the product is “thirst quenching” quenching” by the other three Dew Dudes. b. Demonstrates that the product has value through motivation to get his Mountain Dew back. Resonates the target audience as a specific lifestyle through daring adventure and thrill seeking. c. Ad is very straightforward and understandable but very entertaining and exciting to watch. d. Super Bowl watchers watchers will be engaged regardless regardless of age, sex, sex, and ethnicity. Engages audience from the start with the landscape and the unpredictability of a guy chasing a cheetah. e. The product is effectively integrated into the ad in two ways through: i. Value-Ultimately Value-Ultimately why Dew Dude is chasing cheetah ii. Displaying a benefit-Quenches thirst 2. Showstopper: a. Ad is very energetic energetic and exhilarating. Lots of high-energy sound and moves adds to the the exhilarating and energizing brand theme. b. Focuses more on a diverse target audience than just the epicenter (18 year old males). Appeals to an audience that is transitioning into adulthood and increases its diversity with a major focus on women through energizing dance and a more sophisticated feel. However, still incorporates the thrill seeking, adventurous extreme sports males with BMX biking and skating. Symbolizes Symbolizes an extreme extreme sports music video. Title of the show show is effectively called “Do the Dew” keeping with the brand strategy of lifestyle choice (its cool) not just a drink. c. Major focus of the ad is the music which exploits the music trend of the target audience through techno music, “highly rhythmic and long-winded dancing to combine…trancelike state”. Also the Dew Dudes are judges and seem more sophisticated sophisticated in appearance adding to the aggressive promotion of “alternative sports” to an actual professional event like the X Games. d. Can be effectively combined with the Super Bowl through engaging an already highenergy audience with a connotation that if you drink the Dew you will be energized and exhilarated. e. Product is integrated throughout the ad with everyone taking a collective gulp and the fountain of Dew near the end. 3. Mock Opera: a. Ad elicits high energy and exhilaration through elaborate sports stunts and rock music.
b. Targets epicenter audience as well as 29-39 year olds. While the older adults 30+ may recognize the parody as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, the younger audience may relate to the song from Wayne’s World. c. The ad doesn’t portray the Dew Dudes as slackers but does an effective job at demonstrating what motivates them. They will do anything to “catch the Dew”. The Dudes ultimately “catch the Dew” and become rock gods. d. The ad engages the audience with high-energy music, extreme sports, and unpredictability. What is going to happen next? What happens when they actually “catch the Dew?” There is an understandable story with Dew Dudes, familiar music, and a clear plot. e. The product is integrated deliberately throughout the ad; from the music lyric changes featuring Mountain Dew to the flying cans that the Dudes are trying to catch. 4. Basis for eliminating Labor of Love and Dew or Die: a. Labor of Love-Lacks successful product integration with the birth of a Dew Dude drinker becomes focus instead of the product. Humor will be lost with 18-year-old male “slackers”. No clear symbolism that relates to the Mountain Dew’s brand strategy. Lacks the extreme sports focus. No clear benefits. b. Dew or Die-Does integrate extreme sports and the Dew Dudes but fails at conveying any benefits of Mountain Dew. Story is lost and complex and doesn’t relate to the target audience. Older audiences may appreciate Christopher Walken but younger audiences may not relate. Poor product integration with merely using Mountain Dew as a prop.
Background:
To decide on three advertisements to put into production requires a clear focus on the target audience of 18 year-old males, with appeal reaching further to include the 20 to 39 year-old current users. The chosen commercials must exploit the brand’s strategy and positioning with demonstrations of an energizing, exhilarating, thirst-quenching product that has a one-of-a-kind citrus flavor. The five proposed advertisements have been compared to each other using the preferred screening technique of Pepsi and BBDO: Professor Douglas B. Holt’s HBS Screen. This methodology enables the analyst to consider the advertisements in the eyes of the target audience. From this it can be determined not only if the ads are compelling, symbolic, resonating, and interpretable/enjoyable for the target audience, but also to ensure that the product is in the spotlight and that the ad is an extension of the existing campaign, but not formulaic and predictable.
Analysis: Decision Criteria Benefits Filter
Cheetah Dew Dude chasing cheetah is engaging
Prospective Spots/Ads Mock Opera Dew Or Die Labor of Love Exhilaration from extreme sport
Starts serious, then captivates
Energizing as baby rockets out
Showstopper Energetic and fast paced music, Dew
Brand Symbolism Filter
Brand Resonance Filter
and adrenalinecharged. Thirst quench at end from three other dudes.
scenes. Music gives invigorating feeling. Quench at end.
with helicopter drop and snowboarding, but loses momentum in cabin. Total irreverence when Dudes forget their task. Fun cabin scenes with the ladies.
of mother. Exhilarating for father. Lacks thirst quenching.
maintains actors’ stamina and vitality. All are quenched at the end.
Dew Dude lacks fear of chasing and reaching inside cheetah’s mouth. Daring, risk-taking action transpires in exotic location. Crosses over to all who enjoy adventure. Resonates with target age group. Off-thewall action followed by the surprise of cheetah stealing the Dew and comic relief “not a cat person.”
Irreverent in rewording “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Focus on slacker counter-culture.
Edgy take on typical birthing. Having children not a virtue of slackers.
Director Dudes irreverent in “take two” comment. Appeals to wider audience than target market.
Song likely connects with older audience more than 18 year olds. Lacks humor but commands attention during parody of music video. Engages both audiences’ auditory and visual senses, especially for those who recall original video.
Dark and demented humor intertwines a serious situation. Older audiences may identify more.
Some humor but 18-year old males will not identify with labor and delivery.
Complex story line hard to follow. Not very original or entertaining.
Easy to follow but lacks suspense and is not arresting to target audience. Moderate creativity.
Dew is focused only at end. Otherwise, merely a prop during other exploits. Chris Walken’s star power may overpower Dew Not very fresh, and the serious nature a departure from the expected. Dew Dudes and extreme sports only tie-in to existing campaign.
Mountain Dew is clearly a secondary focus. Doctor with baseball mitt or newborn baby are brighter stars.
Target audience may not identify with Broadwaystyle show, but extreme sports are compelling tie-in. Shows how Dew Dudes take something uncool and make it cool. Entertaining action and choreography sequences but not really a story. Dew makes boring production thrilling. Dew is star of musical production. It is always in the center of the action.
Story Filter
Simple to understand, unrealistic action is engaging, builds anticipation. Very creative original idea.
Product Integration Filter
Once can is recovered from Cheetah, it is evident that Mountain Dew is the star of the commercial.
Dew is the clear focus of song and action scenes.
Campaign Extension Filter
Dew Dudes, action, humor, and irreverence are all consistent with existing campaign. Fresh and unpredictable.
Action, humor, and parody is in line with existing campaign. The Dudes singing an energetic song is added element.
Diverges greatly from existing campaign. Only one Dude, instead of the usual four. Lacks reference to extreme sports.
Adds new twist to existing campaign of slackers, action, and extreme sports. Can extend campaign with similar transformations of mundane activities.
Next Steps:
With the three advertisements ready for recommendation it is time to present the findings to the Pepsi and BBDO representatives. Clear presentation is merited of the screening methodology used and the manner in which the recommended ads will reach, captivate and motivate the target audience while presenting a clear extension of the campaign. Following the decisions of the CMO and CEO of Pepsi it will be time to move forward with the 2000 Super Bowl advertising campaign. Following the Super Bowl the reviews will need to be analyzed to determine the level of success. Then the market can be analyzed and preparations made for the next Mountain Dew ad campaign strategy.
