Arby's Mobile Marketing

I saw the Arby's Cherry Pie TV ad again last night, I think it was during an NBA playoff game.

Today, by coincidence, a co-worker showed me a newspaper insert for Arby's which included a mobile marketing offer: send a text and get a free Roastburger, with the purchase of a drink.

During lunch we took advantage of this offer. All we had to do was to show the text message that was sent to our phones and we were in. It was a very smooth transaction, they were on top of things at this location.

I go to Arby's every once and awhile, but never order their roast beef sandwiches - I had one a long time ago and did not like it very much.

This offer gave me an opportunity to try one of these "new" Roastburgers, which seemed more appealing that their traditional roast beef sandwiches. I did not have high expectations, but the Cheddar & Bacon one turned out to be very good.

Next time I am at Arby's I the decision on what to have might be a little more difficult.

Arby's Cherry Pie

Last night I watched about an hour of TV, primarily the NHL Playoffs on Versus.

Only one ad really grabbed my attention, Arby's "Cherry Pie" video for their Roast Burger. I actually saw it twice last night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssukzKa5P0w

The song by Warrant was what got my attention initially. I liked that song, back in the day. Okay, I still like it (and the video is not too bad either). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdDxz2bkfhE

A great spot that grabs your attention with a strong music track, "good visuals," and humor. What else can one ask for?

I'll let you know if it ends up driving me to Arby's to try a Roast Burger.

Johnsonville & Rapala

On my way home tonight...two new outdoor billboards caught my attention.

One was for Johnsonville sausage. The board read: Johnsonville Vacationville.

The other was for Rapala fishing lures and read: More Hits Than Google.

Both were quick and easy to read, the fewer the words often the better when concepting creative for outdoor.

However, that was not the case for the Johnsonville's board. Even though I know the brand well, and love their brats, the word Vacationville does not have much meaning in itself.

I get it...brats and weekend vacations might go hand in hand. But, just seeing the word Vacationville did not paint much of a picture. It did not support or deepen my current image of the brand. Maybe if I end up seeing some other advertising it will explain Vacationville and create a deeper connection. For now this connection serves as just awareness and a reminder.

In the case of the Rapala message it was simple, supports the brand image I have, and instantly got to the utility that the product provides: their lures help catch fish. Brilliant!

I do enjoy fishing, but am not a hard core angler. My father-in-law has a lake home and is a very passionate fisherman. He has more lures than anyone would ever need or be able to use, but he does keep buying them. I told you he was passionate. So, my Rapala brand connection will most likely not result in a purchase any time soon for me, but I am sure it will with my father-in-law.

www.rapala.com
www.johnsonville.com

Pepsi SodyPop

I passed a number of outdoor bulletins this morning on the way to work, but the only one that I was able to recall when I arrived at work was Pepsi's SodyPop.

I have read many criticisms of this campaign, but I like it. Simple and fun.

This was a positive brand connection, but I am a Coke brand loyalist. Nice job by Pepsi to get my attention, but advertising will not be able change my preference from Coke to Pepsi.

Photo from: http://knoxvilledailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/04/sodypop.html

The Beginning

It is the beginning of my blogging life, but definitely not the beginning of my life as a consumer, a person surrounded by brand messages every day and all day. This blog is meant to provide a record of the impressions that brands make on my life and how I end up making decisions as a consumer to buy, ignore, or store them for later use.

I realize that I will not be able to include every single advertising, marketing, and PR impression that I see, feel, smell, taste, or hear each day. Therefore, my focus will be on those impressions or connections that make a lasting impact on my life as a consumer or at a minimum break through my cluttered brain of categorized brands.

These impressions can be both positive and negative. I will call the postive ones "brand connections" and the negative ones "brand breaks."

Full disclosure - I work for an advertising agency. However, I see this as a benefit and not a bias. I hope you see it the same. Let's begin...