Happy Holidays from Joan, Julie, Phil and the rest of the SA team!
Schneider Associates partnered with Boston Cares, an organization
that works with non-profit organizations and charities. We participated
in two programs: Frosty's Friends and Super Frosties. As part of the
two programs, SA employees purchased and wrapped gifts for
underprivileged children and their families.
Column tells how to overcome challenges to win project approvals
In the November 27, 2009 issue of the New England Real Estate Journal, Joan Schneider, president of Schneider Associates, talks about the challenges of winning project approvals. The column discusses the five key phases of the firm’s Community Launch process:
- Develop Vision - Build Support - Secure Approval - Launch Community - Engage Consumers
Read about how public affairs, community relations, media relations and social media principles help leverage public opinion to embrace change.
Read the Media Decoder blog post from Stuart Elliott of the New York Times here.
This year had a number of noteworthy trends, including the emergence of Migration Marketing (products encouraging trading up or down in a recessionary environment), a high occurrence of media multitasking, where most Americans watch TV and surf the Web simultaneously, as well as a continued, low recall of new product launches from the list of 50 products. Read the full release here.
Have you tried the “unfried side?” Known for its
fried chicken since 1930, Kentucky Fried Chicken now offers grilled
chicken to attract new consumers who care about calories, fat grams and
sodium. But the real claim to fame for the new grilled chicken is it
provides all the tried and true taste of the Original recipe.
KFC declared April 27, 2009, “UNFry Day” and
offered Americans a free taste of its new chicken. Oprah once again
proved she could mobilize the masses by offering coupons for a free
two-piece meal. On cue, more than four million hungry customers
approached KFC stores only for many of them to be turned away. Faced
with too much consumer demand, anger from franchise owners, and
refusals from some stores to honor the coupons, KFC called off the
promotion. As a peace offering, KFC offered a rain check and a free
Pepsi. Advertising Age called it a “fiasco” and remarked, “KFC’s
grilled-chicken launch was to be the biggest in the chain’s history.
Now it might also go down as a marketing case study in what not to do.”
But KFC wasn’t about to let their grilled chicken
go up in flames. They launched a huge campaign that included television
commercials, print ads and online marketing promotions. A contest on
MySpace offered a lifetime supply of chicken to whoever could come up
with the most creative KFC commercial. KFC also created a widget called
the “bucketizer” to show what your face might look like in place of the
Colonel on a KFC bucket.
The so-called “worst PR nightmare in KFC’s
history” turned out to be the best product launch in the brand’s
history. According to KFC, 20% of the fast food market, or 220 million
people tried Kentucky Grilled Chicken by July 2009, and even
more compelling 85% of those consumers expressed repurchase intent. Ad
Age promptly issued an apology article titled, “KFC Results Leave Ad
Age With a Helping of Crow.”
Was this Grilled Chicken fiasco-turned-major
marketing coup enough to make you “UNThink” KFC? Find out on December
1st if KFC has served up a winner in the 2009 Most Memorable New
Product Launch Survey.
Who could have predicted that a one- size- fits- all, “blanket
with sleeves” would become the next modern day viral phenomenon? The Snuggie
has become one of the biggest pop-culture hits this year – from fashion week to
online video parodies, everyone is wrapped up in Snuggie mania. Now the Snuggie
brand has expanded to include “fashionable” animal print versions, children
sizes and even doggy Snoggies just in time for the 2009 holiday season.
In the first three months of Snuggie’s debut, over 4 million
blankets were sold. Allstar Marketing Group spent $12.2 million in 2008 and
increased the budget to $14.3 million in early 2009. “We were definitely in on
the joke,” said President and CEO Scott Boilen. “Do we expect a family to wear
these to a football game? No… Certain products transcend advertising and become
an indelible part of popular culture.” Positioning their brand as a great value
($19.99 for two Snuggies), Allstar lets the whole family cuddle up and keep
energy bills low. By tapping in on the trends of viral sensation and money
saving deals, Allstar Marketing Group sold more than 5 million Snuggies by
February of 2009.
The fashionable- fleece- frocks also drew attention from
celebrities such as Jay Leno, who questioned, “Why don’t you just put your robe
on backwards?” and Ellen DeGeneres who joked, “They should throw in a pointed
hat so you can look like a wizard.” Snuggie even inspired 48 pub crawls across
the nation, making it easy for everyday enthusiasts to jump on the bandwagon.
You can also create a cheesy video or become one of over 24,000 fans on
Facebook. Be aware : if you wear your snuggie in public, you might find
yourself on SnuggieSightings.com where fans can post photos, videos and snuggie
related "news."
Wrap your arms around the warm, soft facts – the Snuggie is
here to stay – and it might even snuggle up to #1 on this year’s Most Memorable
New Product Launch survey.
Major snack brands, like Frito-Lay are discovering creative
ways to help consumers cope with the sagging economy. That is exactly what
Frito-Lay did when they created the BIGGEST innovation to come out of the snack
industry – Giant Cheetos.
Launched April 1, 2009 and roughly the size and shape of a
golf ball, this cheesy sensation comes in both regular cheese and Flamin’ Hot
flavors. What was originally perceived as an April Fool’s Day prank was
far from it. Frito-Lay hired cultural anthropologists to observe what restless
workers fiddle with at their desks. The most popular object was the stress
ball…and hence Giant Cheetos were born.
Hoping to lighten up “recession-obsessed” consumers,
Frito-Lay ran significant amounts of print and television advertising including
creating a virtual online playground encouraging adults to take a break from
the everyday and have more fun at work. The website has everything from
interactive video games to a custom created “Office Pinata” that can be formed
in the shape of an enemy. In addition to declaring April National Humor Month,
Frito-Lay offered tips on how to enjoy Giant Cheetos while unleashing the fun
side.
“A historic day, indeed,” muses Chester the Cheetah in the new Giant Cheetos
commercial. Will snack foods be the cure to recession woes? Probably not, but
at least Giant Cheetos have provided some much needed fun and entertainment.
Percolating what some experts are calling the “coffee wars,”
McDonald’s is taking on Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks with its new line of
coffee beverages that includes customizable lattes, cappuccinos and mochas.
Introduced in May, 2009 with a reported combined media spend
of $100 million, McDonald’s found ways to ‘McCafé your day’ by turning your
morning commute into a commuté and your cubicle into a cubiclé. In the world of
McCafé something ordinary takes on a whole new caché just by adding an “é.”
McDonald's chief creative officer told Ad Age that the accent shows that there
is "a wit and charm to the brand, and to the products and to McDonald's."
On launch day, McCafé took over YouTube’s homepage, and
their first foray on this medium was so successful it helped legitimize YouTube
as a premium ad space. The company also advertised heavily across TV, print,
outdoor, radio, Internet, and events.
As an extra incentive for consumers, McDonalds ran a
promotional contest to win a $50,000 Visa gift card and a $500 McDonald’s Arch
Card, asking contestants to submit a story and photo about how McCafé improved
their day. On McCafé’s own micro-site, visitors engaged in ice skating,
attending the theater, and making coffee art.
While Beverages make up about 5% of McDonald’s business,
McCafé poses a real threat to competitors at 79 cents less than the cost of a
same-sized cup of Starbucks. The sales figures back it up, with an overall 2.2%
rise in August 2009 (attributed to McCafé and other new products like the Angus
Burger). McDonald’s successfully capitalized on a trend in cost-conscious
behavior among consumers. But long term success hinges on one question: Does a McDonald’s
McCafé make your day?
Schneider Associates is pleased to announce the launch of our newly redesigned, Web 2.0 optimized site at www.schneiderpr.com.
We’re doing so much research here at Schneider preparing for our new book, The New Launch Plan: 152 Tips Tactics and Trends from the Most Memorable New Products that is being published first quarter of 2010, that we needed a new Web site and content management system to be able to regularly and easily post news, research, content and video.Plus with all our work in Social Media, we wanted to lead the way with our own Social Media Newsroom.
According to Joan Schneider, president of the firm, “There’s so much happening in the field of new product launch and community launch, we wanted our Web site to be a place where marketers go to learn the latest technology about launching products, services, companies and communities. We’re excited about having a blog, video, Social Media Newsroom, downloadable content and other useful tools to share on our new site.”
Check back for excerpts from the new book that will be posted on the site, and let us know what you think! Message us on Twitter @SchneiderPR, join our Facebook community (http://bit.ly/2AQPq5) or email: launch@schneiderpr.com
The interactive gaming world changed forever on 09/09/09 when MTV Games and Harmonix introduced Beatles: Rock Band, the first of its kind in retro rocker gaming experiences. Beatles Rock Band takes gamers on an interactive journey through the Beatles’ career from “Please Please Me” to “Abbey Road.” Gamers can play-along on Beatles replica hardware to any of the 45 songs in the extensive catalog. “The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of the Beatles,” according to former Beatles member, Paul McCartney. “I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out.”
To promote the product, Beatles: Rock Band was released simultaneously with the re-mastered Beatles catalog. Viacom spent a whopping $10 million in payouts for the rights to Beatles songs, taking a yellow submarine-sized gamble in the down economy. The marketing efforts were massive and included expensive TV spots, a co-promotion with Pepsi as well as a major cross-promotion on all of Viacom’s cable networks at 9am and 9pm on 09/09/09. Other efforts included the sale of Beatles memorabilia at a broad range of retailers, from 7-11 to Whole Foods.
Since its September release, the game has sold 595,000 copies. Revenues in the music video games category have increased 72% in the past year due to the success of both Beatles: Rock Band and Guitar Hero 5. Sales were also driven by the new replica hardware. Gamers can purchase the Rickenbacker 325 guitar, Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, Höfner Bass and Rock Band Ludwig drums, which cost around $100 each.
Viacom CEO Philip Dauman reported, “The sales have exceeded our internal expectations…In the first week we've sold about 25% of our inventory, and we've had tremendous excitement around this game.” Sales numbers and excitement of that kind are enough to give anyone “kaleidoscope eyes.”
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