Can you be snarky in marketing?
Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 3:44PM Groupon found itself in some hot water earlier this month over their snarky Super Bowl ad that tried to bridge from oppression in Tibet to great deals on curry and from deforestation in the Amazon to Brazilian waxing. As a result of the uproar, the company pulled it ads from the marketplace.
We love to be snarky at PN Seattle so we sat down to discuss what went wrong with the Groupon campaign, whether it is appropriate for brands to use sarcasm, and identify if there were key guidelines around the use of snarkiness in outbound communications.
Snarkiness is pervasive in American culture and especially among young consumers, who are highly coveted by advertisers, so it’s no surprise to see companies attempting to tap into John Stewart’s vibe. But sarcasm has the power to offend those who don’t get the joke, so brands need to approach it carefully. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when adding some edge to your communication:
“Victimless” – Groupon’s major failure with their snarky ads was the general public doesn’t view issues like China’s moves against Tibet, whaling and deforestation as victimless issues. There is real harm being done in these areas and making light of these problems to sell your services doesn’t sit well with most human beings (Apparently Groupon doesn’t think so either since they are running a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaign to raise money to address these same issues).
On the other hand, when Apple’s Macintosh brand attacks Microsoft Windows, consumers don’t feel like anyone is being harmed. Microsoft is a giant company with massive profits (at least in the consumer’s mind; Wall Street has a different view) and most don’t relate an attack on the brand with an attack on the people who work for it. In fact, the ads tap into common frustrations with using Microsoft’s products that people share, which flips the paradigm and makes Apple seem like a brand that is defending consumers who have been victimized by Microsoft’s shoddy product (that’s not an editorial commentary on MS products, BTW; just recapping Apple’s approach).
Reactive – Snark can work when reacting to an attack. Taco Bell recently responded with snarky ads to a lawsuit filed by an Alabama law firm who claims the company’s ground beef is mostly filler. Ultimately, we don’t know whether consumers will accept Taco Bell’s position and continue to buy their product. In the realm of food, consumers tend to hold brands guilty until proven innocent. But Taco Bell needed to grab the public’s attention, especially on an issue where shocking headlines could be the only part of the story that consumers remember.
Challenger Brand – AMD has long been a challenger to Intel in the computer chip market. Intel’s early relationship with Microsoft helped create the Wintel monopoly that still holds the dominant position in the marketplace today. Recently, however, Intel has suffered a very public setback with some of its newer chips codenamed “Sandy Bridge.” AMD is trying to capitalize on this setback by its main rival to win the affections of both consumers and major PC manufacturers. To do so, AMD recently sent Valentine’s gifts to reporters who cover the companies, highlighting Intel’s failures and promoting their competitive line of chips. Similar to Apple’s attacks on Microsoft, this cheeky approach from a challenger brand resonates well because it is directed at a product that has a leading position, not at people.
Self Deprecating – Dominos has long battled problems with product quality. Whether it’s employees violating public health standards or accusations that their product tastes like cardboard. When they recently relaunched their new pizza recipe, they turned the tables on the typical marketing approach of ignoring past failures and focusing on the benefits of their new products. Their marketing campaign highlighted customer complaints they heard in focus group testing and then challenged their detractors to sample the new pizza (which, of course, resulted in rave reviews). Has it worked? The stock price is up 48% in the year since the campaign launched, outpacing the performance of rival Papa John’s.
Avoids Customer Pain Points – Unlike its Mac brethren, the Apple iPhone is not a challenger brand, a point Apple needs to remember as it moves forward. When the latest version of their product (the iPhone 4G) experienced problems with dropped calls due to an issue with the device’s antenna, Apple’s response was a somewhat flip “you are holding it wrong.” That didn’t sit well with customers, especially those who had been frustrated with Apple’s exclusive contract with AT&T and a long history of calls being dropped by the carrier. Apple wasn’t purposefully being snarky but their response, combined with Apple’s self-professed desire to control the entire user experience, definitely left the customers feeling like Apple was being impertinent.
Clearly it's not impossible to pull off a snarky campaign but doing so requires some careful consideration of the issues involved, your place in the market and an honest assessment of how customers view your brand and products. Groupon has built a strong and loyal following on a heavy dose of snarkiness in how it presents daily offers to consumers. But even when customer's love your service, they are prone to sharp feedback when you veer slightly off-course with your humor.
AMD, Apple, Domino's, Groupon, Intel, Mac, Microsoft, Papa John's, Sandy Bridge, Snark, Taco Bell, iPhone in Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing, PR
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