Sales Promotions

Trade Promotional Items

M&M Display verdict: Ineffective
  I chose this display as ineffective because to me it doesn't seem to have a real purpose.  M&M's has more than enough brand awareness and equity, to the point that this (to me) seems like a waste of funds.  I can't imagine any consumer being shocked to discover the different holiday packaging possibilities of M&M's (I remember getting the candy canes in MY stocking!).  If I'm running the M&M branch of the Mars company (or whatever candy company they are in); I'm sending them the different products in simple cases and letting the retailer use general shelf space for them.

Blue Moon Beer Display verdict: Effective
  I chose this display as being effective for many of the same reasons the M&M display was ineffective.  Blue Moon is not on the same level as many of the "big boys" in the beer market such as Budweiser, Coors, Miller, etc.  Having a well-done display like this in a store with traffic as heavy as Wal-Mart is assured to get the brand name out there, and is likely to add immediate value to the brand.  To me it seems like there would be a great ROI on this display.

Sales Promotional Items

Jose Margarita Mix Rebate verdict: Ineffective
  I hate, hate, HATE rebates.  There is nothing worse than a company expecting me to want to save $2 by: 1. Buying a stamp, 2. Filling out the inevitable rebate form, 3. Addressing an envelope and enclosing the rebate form (and probably the receipt), and finally 4. waiting several weeks for my awesome $2 check to arrive.  I cannot think of a worse pull strategy for a company to utilize.

Free Dorito Taco verdict: Effective
  This is all but guaranteed to get people into the door, and increased traffic is never a bad thing.  Also, I doubt many people would drive through Taco Bell and stick with one free taco...so it's generating revenue while getting a new(er) product exposure, thus potentially creating a need where one did not previously exist.

The Dire Shortage of Direct Mail

Given that the elections are right around the corner and I've been getting no less than 3 direct mailings a day (seemingly forever), I decided to be a bit sarcastic with my title.  I will now include a front and back image of the direct mail I decided to use, and will include my analysis following the pictures.

 

As far as my opinion goes, it's a fairly effective piece.  Some of this could be due to my bias though, as I have known Scott Krug for years and found his time as our state representative to be a joke.  Sorry for digressing into politics for a moment, but it may have played a factor into this ad's connection to me.

Trying to remove my biases, I feel as though it's a well-done ad.  You've got the dual paths with a clear message; followed by clear differentiating of the two candidates.  I was shocked to find out that the picture of Mr. Krug is actually one he uses in his own mailings.  I'm in no position to kid someone about their weight, but you would think they would at a minimum crop it a bit or something.  Conversely, Mr. Pluess' picture with his fireman equipment creates a nice psychographic feel (someone who has experience helping people with their problems).

The yellow on gray helps key parts of the ad stand out, as does the bold statements "Scott Krug failed us." and "Justin will stand for us."  It heightens the importance of the "fine print" so to speak; the areas describing avenues taken by Krug vs. what Pluess would do.  To me it is basically a lower-budget version of the Obama v. Romney comparison ads, and I in no way mean that as a negative.