This Week in Marketing: December 5, 2011

This week's highlights (with applicable teaching topics):

• Social Quarterbacks – Online, Social Media
• Romancing the Lozenge – Repositioning, Sampling, Advertising
• Oldest Soda – Logo, Branding, Product Positioning
• Eat, Drink and Be Covered  - Market Share, Advertising, Campaigns

Social Quarterbacks

• The article: How the Web Brought New Economics to Super Bowl Advertising?, from Adage Digital.
• The facts: Super Bowl ads played on the web afterwards now account for about the same level of reach as the actual game. About 30% of this additional exposure is from the social sharing of the ads. This article discusses how this happened, and details of how it works.
• Classroom uses: Ask Students to email you links to their favorite Super Bowl ads from last year. Also ask students to read the article. Then, pick out a few of the videos and play them in class. Finally, take a poll to find out how many times students have viewed each online.

Romancing the Lozenge

• The article: Luden’s Recasts the Lozenge, Emphasizing Taste and Versatility, from The New York Times.
• The facts: At the start of cold season Luden’s street teams began handing out samples at performance halls across the country – with the idea that when a diva is singing, nobody wants to start coughing. Their new ad campaign moves away from depicting red-nosed cold-sufferers to romancing the memories of popping a Luden’s in the school bus, or a pew at church.
• Classroom uses: This article has many possibilities – use it to illustrate repositioning a product, using sampling and advertising campaigns - all great subjects for which to use this article. There’s even a little history on lozenges!

Oldest Soda

• This radio segment and article: White Rock Beverages Still Thirsty After 140 Years, is from NPR.
• The facts: White Rock is the oldest soda company in the US. This audio segment discusses White Rock’s history, their previous and current product positioning, and their famous logo. A very interesting story – especially the part about Santa.
• Classroom uses: Bring the White Rock image on the screen in class, then play this audio in class. Take the opportunity for a discussion on: Branding, Product Positioning, even Santa!

Eat, Drink and Be Covered

• The article: Too much Holiday Food? This Campaign’s for You. from The New York Times.
• The facts: This article on Pepto-Bismo is a treasure trove of great commercials, starting in the 1970’s, then in 2003 – 2007, and now the new campaign. The new campaign focuses on holiday revelers.
• Classroom uses: Have fun watching the videos – pick out a few that you like and play them in class. Do a quick quiz in class about market share. Note: Pepto-Bismo has over a 40% share in homes, and their chewable tablets have over a 70% share.