Taking Brand PR on the Road

I didn’t realize it at the time but looking back on my childhood, my love affair with automobiles started with my first Matchbox Car.

My father was all too proud to see that I shared his passion for cars, especially the classics. When I was a kid, he used to take me to a classic car showroom in Gladstone N.J., which housed an impressive collection of rare, vintage sports and race cars. Every imaginable European marque was represented in the collection, and whenever my father asked me if I wanted to go back, I didn’t hesitate. When I was old enough to drive I would make trips on my own, taking care to learn as much as I could about each model from the specific history and ownership of the car, to the designer, all the way down to the original factory equipment. My fascination grew with each trip, and when I went off to college and found myself in need of a job, it was the first place I thought to look. I didn’t actually think I would get the job, but I soldiered on and went anyway. I met with the owner and let him know I would be willing to do just about anything, so long as I could work around these beautiful works of art. He took my number down and said he would call if there was an opening. I never expected a call back.

Lo and behold, a few months later the call came. The owner told me he needed someone to help run errands, detail cars, take care of DMV paperwork and, most importantly, to shuttle cars back and forth between showrooms, repair and restoration shops, dealerships throughout the Tri-state area and long distance road trips to deliver cars to their new homes. Life was complete.

During the time I worked at the showroom I developed a particular fascination with Italian and British sports cars, particularly Jaguar and Ferrari. I drove just about every model Jaguar and Ferrari from the ‘60s through the early ‘90s and became quite familiar with the history behind each example. The Ferrari Dino and Jaguar D-Type were my favorites - just for the record. I listened closely to the way in which my boss would communicate with prospective buyers, spending as much time as necessary to educate them about the subtle nuances of each example. This was no ordinary sell. Emotions play an important role in the purchase of such exquisite automobiles, especially when you’re paying $250K or more for a car. History is everything when buying a classic car and telling the story behind each car was an art in itself. Most would say, however, that these cars literally sell themselves. Although there is some truth in that sentiment, there is a much more powerful element at work here. Brand PR.

Automotive companies like Jaguar and Ferrari have a long history of nurturing emotional connections between the consumer and their brand by promoting a feeling of trust, loyalty and lasting value. Consumers know they are not only purchasing a special car with a long and illustrious history on the racetrack and on the roadways but a commitment to continue to produce the finest cars in the world. Take one drive in either of these particular brands and you will know.

One particular brand that I have been following with great enthusiasm is Tesla Motors. Here is a brand that is breaking away from the proverbial pack and really differentiating itself in the marketplace. No other car company in recent years has tapped into the imaginations of consumers in the same way as Tesla Motors has. The company’s 2010 Roadster has a range of 244 miles, goes from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds and has a sleek design that offers “performance with a conscience,” according to Tesla. I couldn’t agree more. Tesla’s Model S will debut in 2011 for those looking for a high-performance 4-door sedan with an ever longer 300 mile range. In fact, Tesla recently showed off its all-electric Roadster sports car at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Lee Hawkins from the Wall Street Journal covered Tesla’s appearance at the show and the company’s "Roadster Road Trip" to get there. Definitely worth the read.

This is a great example of a forward-thinking car company that is tapping into ever-increasing consumer demand for the next generation of high performance automobiles. I can think of many ways that Brand PR would benefit Tesla Motors as they tap into this growing market and will have more thoughts on Tesla as they are certainly one to watch.

PR Strategy – No “Spitting Wars”

It’s a fairly common strategy to call out your competitor’s flaws (perceived and/or actual) in a public forum (e.g. Progresso/Campbell’s Soup Wars, AT& T/Verizon’s map dispute, I’m a Mac/PC). Though this strategy often leads to highly publicized, drawn out and costly litigation, it has also yielded improved sales for some companies.

There’s an alternative to the “spitting war” strategy. Here‘s the case study.

Most consumers don’t realize that “fresh, natural” chicken can include products that have been injected or plumped with sodium phosphate, cane juice, corn syrup and other “enhancers.” Our client, Foster Farms, the leading poultry producer on the West Coast, had always differentiated itself as producing truly 100 percent, natural, fresh poultry without any added ingredients. The other guys were injecting their fresh and natural-labeled chicken with salt water, ostensibly for better flavor but in fact adding weight and thus the total cost – and sodium content -- to consumers. With labeling loopholes, though, most consumers didn’t know the difference.

Foster Farms had enough, but how do you out your competitors’ deceptive labeling practices and market that without painting yourself defensive and y whiny in the process? The answer – with humor, with award-winning TV advertising and, not least, with effective public relations working on all fronts.

Our job was to help consumers understand what they were getting – or not getting – when they bought fresh chicken. We informed them about an issue they should be concerned about without scare tactics or shock value. Our approach was credible, reasonable and caring rather than pointed or aggressive

The upshot – Consumers remained loyal to the premium Foster Farms brand even in a tough economy. And the campaign, as lauded in an L.A. Times editorial (and reprinted in the Sacramento Bee and other dailies), won praise for its integrity.

“Foster Farms, which developed an entire marketing campaign around the fact that it does not plump its chicken, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to withhold the “all natural” label from enhanced chicken.

“Although we hate to take sides in corporate competition, we think Foster Farms is right. If anything, its campaign is too tame. It's tempting to imagine a label that identifies heavily enhanced chicken as "chicken-like product, with X% real chicken." At the very least, enhanced meats should be conspicuously labeled as such, and the list of added ingredients should appear in larger type. Shoppers should know at a glance what they're really getting.”

Celebrity Chefs Become “Brands”, Heat Up Cookbook Sales

The last time I perused my collection of cookbooks, I realized that 90 percent of them were written by Food Network chefs. What is it about the network and the chefs that make me purchase their cookbooks over those authored by lesser-known, yet more qualified, chefs?

The Food Network chefs have friendly and cheerful demeanors and they make me feel like I can master any recipe. I know that some of them never went to culinary school, but that just makes them less intimidating. Most importantly, because I’m familiar with the chefs, I know that I can trust them. For example, I own the entire Barefoot Contessa cookbook series by Ina Garten, my favorite host. Since I watch all of her shows, I know that I love the dishes she prepares and that she simplifies each step as much as possible. Ina Garten’s show on the network has made her into a beloved “brand” to whom millions of home chefs have an emotional connection. Her show provides a venue to constantly promote her products, unlike most cookbook authors. I trust the Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada de Laurentiis brands because I know more about their products than some author I’ve never heard of. Plus, if a particular step is confusing, I can go to the Food Network Web site to replay an episode, rather than risk ruining a meal.

Even though some criticize the concept of televised cooking shows, saying that they’re intimidating and unrealistic, I always learn new cooking techniques and feel inspired to try a variety of recipes. I’m just one of the millions of Food Network fans who share this sentiment; the network “commands more viewers than any of the cable news channels“. The allure of celebrity chefs was noted in The San Francisco Chronicle, which listed “celebrity chefs” 6th among the 10 top trends in dining from the last decade, saying that chefs are “increasingly defined by their television appearances”. So, much like trusting a well-known brand in my supermarket, I rely on the Food Network brand of chefs to ensure my meals come off without a hitch.

The Evolution of the Grocery Getter

As an avid cook, I used to love grocery shopping. I perused a few retailers weekly to assure the best quality items for the price. Trader Joe’s for cheese, frozen appetizers, snacks and good deals on wine; Safeway for dependable basics; my local farmers market for ripe seasonal produce (and the live music). Shopping for groceries was truly a weekly hobby. All for the admittedly-smug satisfaction of knowing every meal had a personal touch and stamp of approval.

Then, I became a mom, and a member of the fastest online shopping demographic. Forget about multiple stores, I was lucky to make it to one. And that quickly evolved from the neighborhood grocery chain to SuperTarget – for the sole reason that I could purchase any household necessity in one place at one time and save my back from carting the babe in a carseat all over town. (Note to retailers: I’ll make the extra trip if your grocery carts’ car seat rests tilt forward as opposed to backward, thereby keeping my baby upright and not upside down, uncomfortable, and hence, wailing like a banshee. And if you have a few carts with built in baby seats – go ahead and splurge on a few more – moms like me will thank you for mitigating parking lot fights over them.)

I recently evolved (or regressed depending on how you look at it) once more. At the urging of another mom, I bit the bullet and outsourced my grocery shopping. I now shop for groceries online and love it. And according to Nielsen, so do 13 million U.S. Internet users. With one keystroke, my groceries are personally selected by a sweet young woman who had the foresight to call me to find out how ripe I wanted my avocados.

How can a self-professed grocery control freak like myself allow a stranger to shop for my food? Simple. Brand PR. I know and trust that the brands I buy are dependable, the same quality whether I’m personally selecting the food or not. Meals are easier to plan, and each week, I can quickly update a previous list and have a week’s worth of groceries waiting for me at my convenience. While I may no longer be the sole gatekeeper to each item finding its way into my refrigerator or pantry, I feel just as confident in the quality of the foods I’m choosing. And while the personal shopper certainly deserves some credit, so do the food brands that consistently exceed consumer expectations for quality and value. I count on them week after week whether I’m the one in the aisle or not.

And this doesn’t mean I’m forgoing my grocery forages altogether. I’m just savoring them as a family outing, rather than just one more draining errand.