An example of the contested advertisements

Reading Lauren Chimko’s blog about the dangers of sugar filled soda reminded me of the controversy surrounding Coke’s product Vitaminwater. This product became the focus of a lawsuit over a year ago between the Center for Science in Public Interest (CSPI) and Coke. CSPI argued that Coke was using misleading advertising in promoting its hot new product which it acquired in a $4.2 billion take over of Glaceau. The beverages contain around 33 grams of sugar, similar to a can of soda. They argued that Coke advertised Vitaminwater as a health product and misled consumers into believing it was a healthy alternative to soda. This positioning made sense from Coke’s point of view, as they could attract a growing segment who was young and valued a healthy lifestyle. This new product line allowed them to capture a larger market while not cannibalizing their existing market for Coca Cola. A U.S. District Court ended up siding with the CSPI, stating that Coke did misled consumers about the benefits of their product.

I am personally split on this issue. While I do believe Coke targeted their product toward a health concious consumer possibly in a way that exaggerated the benefits, I don’t completely agree with CSPI’s allegations that Vitaminwater is equally as unhealthy as soda and I believe Vitaminwater probably is a better alternative than soda. While I don’t believe Vitaminwater is necessarily healthfood, and there is a substantial amount of sugar, the portion size is quite a bit larger than a can of coke which may help dieters overcome heavy use of soda as there is less sugar/volume. I believe this case also should be compared to the amount of unregulated claims that health supplement companies are permitted to make. This misleading advertising is especially prevalent in the weightlifting supplement market where manufacturers make outlandish claims which they legally do not have to prove and only have to include a tiny disclaimer anywhere on the packaging. While I believe some of these advertising techniques used by both supplement companies and Coke might be questionable, as a consumer you should feel a sense of responsibility towards yourself to ensure you know what you put into your body. This also touches on keeping a healthy sense of skepticism for advertising and remembering the advertisers’ one goal – to sell.

2012 Carolina Panthers unconfirmed jersey concepts

Reading classmate Dan Muller’s blog post about the marketing battle between Nike and Adidas during the world cup spurred me to draw parallels to the marketing paradigm shift about to take place in the NFL. Next year the Superbowl will look quite different to the one played today in Indianapolis. This is due to Nike signing a contract in 2010 with the NFL to take over the rights to be the official equipment supplier, with the contract taking effect in April 2012.

While Adidas was the main adversary in the situation described by Dan, Reebok is the target of Nike’s move into the NFL universe. Reebok signed a $250 million deal with NFL in 2000 to be the official equipment for a decade. The details of the Nike contract haven’t been released, however it is safe to assume they paid substantially more than this.

This contract represents a strategic move for Nike. They currently have a large market share in sponsoring college football. Since 1998, at least one team (many times both) in the National Championship was Nike sponsored. The move to pro football takes aim at a slightly different market segment. This segment is more a more casual, wider audience than college football.

Just as in the South Africa situation, Nike has put itself in a position to differ itself greatly from the competitor it is directly attacking. While during the World Cup this meant using ambush style marketing methods, in the instance of the NFL it means substantially changing the look of the league. Neither Nike or the NFL have confirmed any of the concept jerseys circulating on the web, however they will almost definitely implement their “Pro Combat” jersey system used in college football. This means NFL jerseys will be more aggressively styled, tighter fitting, sleeker, and more elaborately designed. Only time will tell whether Nike’s entrance into the most profitable sport on the planet will result in added value in both their brand’s image and their bottom line.

Mitt Romney, frontrunner of the GOP candidate race

As the GOP candidate race reaches its climax, it is an opportune time to analyze the world of politics and candidate promotion through a marketing lens. Marketing plays a massive role in the often fierce and hostile process of choosing the leader of the free world. The GOP race offers a glimpse of how this can even occur within a single, supposedly unified, political party. While price isn’t applicable, the other three P’s of marketing, product, place, and promotion can be applied to political candidates. The “product” is the candidate’s value proposition to the electorate. Their views, values, promises, and opinions on major issues are obvious factors, but more subtle elements such as appearance, demeanor, and personality are also major pieces which culminate in the overall “product” of a candidate. Creating an effective and timely brand of a candidate is essential for success. The election process offers us a microcosm of a marketplace with a few similar products, all coming out at the same time, vying for customers’ very limited buying power (their vote!). Responding instantly to current public opinion data tests how quickly this “product” can be tailored to the public’s wants. The “place” of a candidate relates to where the candidate spends his time on the campaign trail; which states or regions they choose to focus on to capture the greatest market share possible. The “promotion” aspect of a political candidate pertains to how the candidate’s team chooses to sell their product. The use of millions of dollars in traditional advertising, grassroots movements, and the effective use of internet and social media are all promotional tools which a candidate’s team must effectively utilize and manage to have a chance at success. Analyzing marketing within politics sheds a light on how it not only applies to selling an iPod or video game, but also to who the next leader of the free world will be.