Comments on: Can the word “New” Make Consumers Look Like Idiots? http://digitaldigs.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/flipping-the-word-new/ Unearthing one golden pixel at a time Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:02:53 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: jted http://digitaldigs.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/flipping-the-word-new/#comment-587 jted Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:09:54 +0000 http://digitaldigs.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/flipping-the-word-new/#comment-587 Do consumers really look like idiots, or is this merely an acknowledgment that companies look like idiots when they keep trying to re-invent themselves (remember NEW Coke)? I like this campaign quite a bit, and mostly because it EXPOSES THE SPIN. The spin, in this case, is quite literal. Shreddies pretends to cover for the fact that they have been square for so long, they don't know what to do when their product get's turned on it's corner. The joke's on them. Then, during the focus groups, I don't feel sorry for the people that are being filmed. People often say what they think a person in authority (the moderator) wants to hear. So who looks stupid in those spots? I think it's the whole idea of market research that looks stupid. People will say anything, EVEN IF IT'S THE SAME PRODUCT, just because it is expected of them. Any one of us would have acted similarly (if it weren't for our cynical nature brought on by too much advertising exposure). It really exposes the meaninglessness of some product testing. And of course, to your last point about education and/or donations, yes those would all be fantastic ideas if they would work. But people demand to be entertained, and it's very difficult to get a consumer excited about the history of wheat. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, Shreddies has simply acknowledged, in a silly attention-getting way, that they are still the exact same. But you kinda want to try the diamond ones anyway, just to see, don't you? ;-) Disclosure: I consulted on some of the online aspects of this campaign, but the opinions reflected in this comment are completely my own. Do consumers really look like idiots, or is this merely an acknowledgment that companies look like idiots when they keep trying to re-invent themselves (remember NEW Coke)? I like this campaign quite a bit, and mostly because it EXPOSES THE SPIN. The spin, in this case, is quite literal. Shreddies pretends to cover for the fact that they have been square for so long, they don’t know what to do when their product get’s turned on it’s corner. The joke’s on them.

Then, during the focus groups, I don’t feel sorry for the people that are being filmed. People often say what they think a person in authority (the moderator) wants to hear. So who looks stupid in those spots? I think it’s the whole idea of market research that looks stupid. People will say anything, EVEN IF IT’S THE SAME PRODUCT, just because it is expected of them. Any one of us would have acted similarly (if it weren’t for our cynical nature brought on by too much advertising exposure). It really exposes the meaninglessness of some product testing.

And of course, to your last point about education and/or donations, yes those would all be fantastic ideas if they would work. But people demand to be entertained, and it’s very difficult to get a consumer excited about the history of wheat. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, Shreddies has simply acknowledged, in a silly attention-getting way, that they are still the exact same. But you kinda want to try the diamond ones anyway, just to see, don’t you?

;-)

Disclosure: I consulted on some of the online aspects of this campaign, but the opinions reflected in this comment are completely my own.

]]>