What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Why Brands Shouldn't Stray From the Truth When Seeking Deeper Engagement
During my entire career
in marketing, I have espoused the idea that if brands owners are to reap true
economic value from their brands, they must do so by establishing an emotional
connection with their audiences. It’s what branding is all about. But lately, I've noticed a disturbing trend in which brands seem to be willing do anything to make that connection...regardless of whether it is related to their brand or their business.
The latest example that comes to mind is McDonalds. In the last few weeks there has been quite a bit of media attention directed at their 'Signs' ad, which attempts to show McDonald's deep connection to America and its local communities. The ad has been both praised and derided.
Of course, the ad got my attention as well. It made me want to understand what drove McDonald's to deviate so far from its normal tone and message. And it turns out that this ad is just an execution under a broader brand refresh, in which McDonald's is shifting the emphasis in ‘I’m lovin’ it’ to focus more on the ‘lovin’’.
In a video laying out McDonald’s new emphasis on ‘lovin’’, CMO Deborah Wahl is quoted as saying,'We believe that a little more lovin' can change a lot, even the world we live in. Lately, the balance of lovin' and hatin' seems off. Who better to stand up for lovin' than McDonald's?'. And that's when I began to have my doubts about this new direction. Is 'standing up for lovin'' really McDonald's role in the world?
The latest example that comes to mind is McDonalds. In the last few weeks there has been quite a bit of media attention directed at their 'Signs' ad, which attempts to show McDonald's deep connection to America and its local communities. The ad has been both praised and derided.
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| 'Signs' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93KTpF9JDWo |
Of course, the ad got my attention as well. It made me want to understand what drove McDonald's to deviate so far from its normal tone and message. And it turns out that this ad is just an execution under a broader brand refresh, in which McDonald's is shifting the emphasis in ‘I’m lovin’ it’ to focus more on the ‘lovin’’.
In a video laying out McDonald’s new emphasis on ‘lovin’’, CMO Deborah Wahl is quoted as saying,'We believe that a little more lovin' can change a lot, even the world we live in. Lately, the balance of lovin' and hatin' seems off. Who better to stand up for lovin' than McDonald's?'. And that's when I began to have my doubts about this new direction. Is 'standing up for lovin'' really McDonald's role in the world?
In another ad, McDonald's, ‘Archenemies’ takes on the idea of 'love' in a completely different, much lighter tone. Here, McDonald’s seemingly brings together
every iconic pair of archenemies, including dog and mailman, Roadrunner and Wiley Coyote, even Democrats and Republicans. It certainly is a charming, warm and
well-done ad. The idea has been extended repeatedly through engaging content in social media.Yet, while I love the content, it just seemed to reinforce my doubts about what it is doing for McDonald's.
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| 'Archenemies'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EShRCWOtNJ4 |
And these doubts left me conflicted. After all, I’ve sat in
meetings spewing accolades about Subaru’s ‘love’ campaign, and how it has strengthened
their brand and more than doubled their business. Why didn’t I feel the same
about McDonald's new 'love' direction?
So I decided to compare Subaru’s ‘love’ to McDonald’s ‘love’.
Subaru uses the tagline,
‘Love, it’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.’ Subaru has always had a fiercely
loyal, upscale owner base who eschewed more expensive brands for Subaru. Subaru's ‘love’ is between its car and their owners. Love that is sparked by
all the life enriching experiences that their car, and its legendary 4 wheel
drive capability has facilitated. Simply put, the emotional bond is directly
rooted in Subaru’s core competency and genuine customer experiences. And that is why Subaru's product, service, CSR, and brand communications work seamlessly to credibly amplify this 'love'.
But, unless I missed an important diplomatic shift, McDonald’s core competency is not world peace. While a lot has changed since ‘You deserve a break today’ was McDonald’s mantra, McDonald’s core
competency has not--McDonald's continues to provide a welcome break from the daily routine of harried people from all walks of life.
And that was precisely the
way that McDonald’s portrayed itself in the original ‘I’m lovin’ it’ launch in
2003 ads. That welcome break forged the love between the brand and its audience. That break was the 'it' in 'I'm lovin' it.' And that's why McDonald's could tell seamless brand and product stories under this powerful, emotionally charged brand umbrella.
Original 2003 'I'm Lovin' Ad
But it seems that this latest brand refresh, attempts to co-opt 'love' in a way that's bigger than McDonalds has the right to. And that is probably why, despite the fact that love can be so powerful, it is very difficult for McDonald's to drill the idea of love down to the ads most connected to its business... its product ads. Instead, under the new brand umbrella, the latest Big Mac ad takes on a mock confrontational tone, goading 'vegetarians, foodies and gastronauts' to avert their eyes while they extol the classic virtues of the big Mac and dismiss healthy food trends. The only reminder of the new brand direction comes at the very end as McDonald's uses the same animated heart graphic that they use in Archenemies, to transition to the end slate with the tagline and new 'I'm loving it' graphic. Thus the graphic and tagline seem disconnected in tone and message from the body of the ad.
And interestingly, McDonald's has not chosen to use their new brand umbrella at all when it comes to yet a third communications initiative, called 'Our Food, Your Questions', which addresses food quality concerns through a series of documentary like vignettes on its website. While this initiative might be the most genuine effort of all to move McDonald's image forward, it is delivered in a completely different tone and makes no mention of 'love' at all!
So, in the end it what are we to believe about who McDonald's is? Champion for world peace ? Satisfier of indulgent food cravings? Or a brand devoted to food quality? I'm not sure.
And that's why, in a world of communication channel and format proliferation, brand owners must be more diligent than ever to ensure that every piece of content, every attempt to emotionally connect with their audience be driven by a strategy that is rooted in true audience experiences and delivered with consistent tone and messaging, so that in the end, every dollar spent creates real brand and business value.
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| 'Unapologetic Big Mac' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKznhffxig |
And interestingly, McDonald's has not chosen to use their new brand umbrella at all when it comes to yet a third communications initiative, called 'Our Food, Your Questions', which addresses food quality concerns through a series of documentary like vignettes on its website. While this initiative might be the most genuine effort of all to move McDonald's image forward, it is delivered in a completely different tone and makes no mention of 'love' at all!
So, in the end it what are we to believe about who McDonald's is? Champion for world peace ? Satisfier of indulgent food cravings? Or a brand devoted to food quality? I'm not sure.
And that's why, in a world of communication channel and format proliferation, brand owners must be more diligent than ever to ensure that every piece of content, every attempt to emotionally connect with their audience be driven by a strategy that is rooted in true audience experiences and delivered with consistent tone and messaging, so that in the end, every dollar spent creates real brand and business value.
