Mountain Dew Case Study A central topic of Mountain Dews campaign has been bringing together its original
rural target market with the large scale urban market that it would later go after. Mountain Dew basically brought together the active sport lifestyle of the country with the teen cool factor in modern areas. Moreover they did this by consistently using pop culture as a tool to reach the teen market. The Done That creative, while trying to generate trials of Mountain Dew, had an added effect. The appeal of the ad itself was so great that the product influenced pop culture by the phrase Been there, done that. This was the first major victory the campaign achieved in utilizing pop culture to its advantage. The products real success began with the launch of the Diet Dew campaign which interestingly enough occurred at the same time as the surge in popularity of alternative sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding etc. As Mountain Dew was transitioning into the urban market, it took advantage of the increasingly popular extreme sports, and in turn helped it grow. By giving it even more access to mainstream media and sponsoring the X games, Mountain Dew strengthened not only the trend at the time, but itself in the process. As more people jumped on the extreme sports bandwagon, more and more individuals found themselves able to relate to Mountain Dew and the daring, fun lifestyle it represented. Mountain Dews next success was also an example of using current trends in pop culture to their advantage. As the GenX Ethos general cynicism towards corporate style life grew, the parking attendant creative showed the brands personality trait of cynicism towards the uptight businessman which once again was a trait that the target audience would identify with. Thus, it can be seen that Mountain Dew used and contributed to the pop culture trends at the time, and did it in a way that would make the brand and product a success.
(+) = Pro (-) = Con
Criteria
Labor of Love
(-) No Functional Benefits of energy/flavor/thirstquenching (+) Shows emotional benefit of excitement just before the flying baby arrives, as the doctor prepares himself by catching the baby with a baseball glove.
Cheetah
(+) Incorporates energizing/exhilar ation feeling through the intense chase between the dew dude and the cheetah. (+) Integrates thirst-quenching as the remaining Dew Dudes drink in the desert.
Dew or Die
(-) No Functional Benefits of energy/flavor/thir st-quenching (+) Conveys some level of excitement via the party scene in the cabin
Mock Opera
(+) Conveys thirstquenching benefits from lyrics Theyre just thirsty dudes... (+) Exhilaration integrated through extreme sports scenes.
Showstopper
(+) Energizing and thirstquenching conveyed as the performers all drink Dew after a tiring routine (+) Exhilaration and excitement developed through the upbeat music and tricks throughout the performance (+) Daring lifestyle represented via the sports included in the routine (+) Fun element clearly present in the enjoyment of the actors
Promotes Product Benefits (Functional & Emotional)
Brand Image (Exciting, Taking things lightly, Fun)
(-) Many people will take this negatively because it is making the birth of a child not so sacred and gives the image of the company as not caring about child birth.
(+) Daring Dew Dude as he chases the Cheetah, puts hand in mouth, all for getting the drink (+) Fun and adventure theme shown through the dangerous situation and location
(+) Dew Dudes taking their duties to save the world lightly (+) Having fun in the cabin instead
(+/-) Parody in general makes fun of the original. May be perceived negatively by fans of the original (+) Daring/Fun lifestyle depicted through extreme sports scenes
Criteria
Labor of Love
(-) Appeals more to older audiences and females than actual target market. 18 year old males cannot relate to childbirth and labor.
Cheetah
(+) Has universal appeal, regardless of race and gender. Interesting and exciting to any view. (+) Airing during Super Bowl can captivate an already highenergy audience
Dew or Die
(+) Saving the world, getting the girl, partying are all elements that 18 year old males would identify with (-) Serious beginning may put off the high-energy Super Bowl audience (-) Very different mood than usual, very serious to begin. (-) Limited exhilaration, more about enjoyment and relaxing in the cabin (-) Complicated storyline is difficult to understand. Ad may go too long. (-) Very serious introduction causes loss of interest
Mock Opera
(-) In general, primary target wont recognize Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. but strong music may still captivate (+) Super Bowl audience is diverse enough to understand parody (+) Concept of parody has been used in prior Mountain Dew Ads (+) Clear sports tie-in (+) Use of wellknown music is also consistent with past creatives (+) Upbeat music grabs attention, as does familiarity with the song
Showstopper
(-) Synchronized movement style performance may be unfamiliar (+)Music is universal, target audience can easily relate to the group sports aspect.
Appeals to Target Audience
Works with existing campaign
(-) More about the Dew Dudes than about the drink, the experience, or about sports (-) Deviates in mood, since the setting is more serious with a childbirth scene. (-) Soap operalike beginning is not as interesting to target audience. Slightly dull and serious start causes loss of interest. (+) Moderately humorous if audience watches entire way through
(+) Action packed and incorporates sports theme well with the bike chase, in-line with campaign (+) Being unconventional (i.e. chasing Cheetah) follows existing campaign (+) Immediate hook for viewer, with the actionpacked chase scene. (+) Unpredictable beginning (the cheetah chase), progresses well and easy to understand
(+) Incorporates both action and sports thoroughly through performance
Entertaining
(+) Synchronized movement performances not usually done with sports, this unique aspect will draw the attention of viewers
My recommendation would be to go with the cheetah creative. There are a number of reasons why the cheetah creative is my recommendation for Mountain Dews campaign. The communication strategy in this campaign involves symbolizing that drinking Mountain Dew is an exhilarating experience. The ad captures this perfectly.
The first thoughts that come to mind with the Cheetah is extreme speed, incredible agility, etc. These thoughts go perfectly with the concept of exhilaration. Thus, the ad has subtly communicated a major aspect of the product experience which is exhilaration. Once it is revealed that Mountain Dew is the focus of the ad, the audience gains an understanding of the product benefits. Judging by the energetic Dew Dude pedaling after the cheetah, the drink clearly energizes people. The general setting of the desert and the long gulp by the remaining Dew Dudes also conveys the thirst-quenching aspect. It shows the extent to which a Dew Dude will go for his Mountain Dew. The ad resonates with its audience in a similar way as the first Do the Dew campaign. The presence of the intense, adrenaline-packed BMX rider is a tie in to the original extreme sports component from its prior ads, and the Dew Dudes are an obvious returning aspect of the campaign. Both the initial campaign and this Cheetah creative convey the brand image as adventurous, daring and thrill-seeking because hes in the middle of the desert chasing a cheetah. These are lifestyles and traits that the target market 18 year-old males will identify with or relate to. Finally, the ad is clearly grabs the viewers attention and is quite entertaining. Viewers are quickly captivated by the cheetahs dash and the unpredictable What?! component of the ad further hooks the viewer, as the Dew Dude tackles the cheetah and puts his arm in its mouth. Finally, revealing the can of Dew, the humorous Bad cheetah! and Thats why Im not a cat person leave a lasting impression on its audience. Additionally, the ad has no insider humor and is easy to understand, creating the general appeal that is essential when targeting the Super Bowl audience.
