Model campaigns going gray in help of LaFlamme might backfire, say specialists

Advertising specialists say manufacturers which have marketed themselves with a nod to CTV Nationwide Information host Lisa LaFlamme’s current dismissal ought to watch out for blowback.

Firms that combine information moments into their branding run the chance of being seen as opportunistic and may put together for added scrutiny from prospects and staff after they take a stand on hot-button points, mentioned retail analyst Bruce Winder.

“Nobody’s excellent, proper? Each model has skeletons within the closet … and this does very a lot open them as much as scrutiny … so that you higher make certain your home is so as earlier than you begin throwing this on the market,” he mentioned.

“There may very well be some blowback if there’s something hidden within the closets because it pertains to something each corporations have accomplished, so it is an actual high-risk transfer.”

Winder’s remarks come after quick meals chain Wendy’s modified the profile picture on its Canadian Twitter account Thursday to its mascot bearing gray hair as a substitute of her regular pink locks.

The tweet reads “as a result of a star is a star no matter hair color,” utilizing two star emojis, and contains LaFlamme’s identify in a hashtag.

Media stories have tied LaFlamme’s ouster from Bell Media to her choice to cease dyeing her hair throughout the pandemic.

Danger of trying ‘opportunistic’

Earlier this week, Dove Canada alluded to LaFlamme’s dismissal after 35 years with the community in a marketing campaign referred to as Preserve the Gray, which proclaimed that “age is gorgeous” and mentioned, “ladies ought to be capable to do it on their very own phrases, with none penalties.”

Taking cues from Dove, Sports activities Illustrated journal announced a brand new grey-scale cowl that includes Elon Musk’s mom, Maye Musk. “We’re going gray with @Dove in help of girls growing older confidently on their very own phrases,” the tweet learn.

Dove by no means referenced LaFlamme in its marketing campaign, which donated $100,000 to ladies’s advocacy group Catalyst and inspired others to show their profile photographs to grey-scale.

“There’s a number of dialogue about ageism proper now and Dove needed to harness that vitality for good,” Laura Douglas, Dove Masterbrand Canada supervisor, mentioned in an e mail.

“The marketing campaign was launched in response to the widespread nationwide dialog about gray hair and ageism within the office, and that it was not meant to be directed anybody state of affairs or group.”

Wendy’s didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, nor did Bell Media, which owns CTV. CBC Information has reached out to Sports activities Illustrated.

Winder felt the Wendy’s marketing campaign was “most likely a bit of shallow.” Dove’s, he mentioned, was “deeper and extra severe.”

“However nonetheless, each manufacturers look a bit of bit opportunistic, like they’re profiting from what’s scorching this week and what’s topical this week, and it seems like they’re making an attempt onerous,” he mentioned.

Joanne McNeish, an affiliate professor of promoting at Toronto Metropolitan College, felt Wendy’s marketing campaign did not make a lot sense, as a result of the model has by no means been related to ageism or gray hair.

“With Wendy’s, it’s going to simply sink like a stone,” McNeish mentioned. “It would not price them a lot to present it a go, however they might have been a lot extra intelligent in how they did it.”

She famous that Dove has lengthy been linked to those matters and has run campaigns on greying hair for 15 years.

“These campaigns work one of the best when there is a relationship and a basis for the work you are doing and the trigger you are supporting,” she mentioned.

Advertising buzzy information story has dangers and rewards

Associating a model with any buzzy information story has each dangers and rewards, she warned.

Firms can simply generate consideration for his or her manufacturers that may translate into gross sales, when a marketing campaign actually resonates with prospects. However such adverts additionally open corporations as much as a brand new stage of examination.

“There’s truly an actual artwork kind in understanding how to answer these conditions, as a result of typically these are actually fantastic bonus conditions the place you get a giant push in consciousness, and possibly some gross sales, or they are often devastating in case you discover out one thing later or there’s one other piece of the difficulty that wasn’t as clear to you,” McNeish mentioned.

Firms want look no additional than Pepsi to see the dangers, Winder added.

The soda large made a 2017 advert that includes mannequin and Maintaining with the Kardashians star Kendall Jenner becoming a member of a protest and defusing tensions by handing a police officer a Pepsi.

Many noticed the advert as trivializing the Black Lives Matter motion.

“So it’s extremely excessive danger,” Winder mentioned. “It could resonate [and be] extremely popular for sure folks, and sure folks may even see it as opportunistic and a bit of bit sleazy.”

Firms that take the chance must be fast and tie themselves to the second earlier than it is left the zeitgeist or different manufacturers have crushed them to it, McNeish mentioned.

“There’s solely room for a couple of to essentially get the large reward for being related [with a news item]… in order that’s why it’s worthwhile to be prepared to leap on these conditions.”