In an effort to battle a recent loss in market share to Fanta and Sprite as well as a seven-year decline in national soft drink sales, Mountain Dew is looking to target new audiences.
While the brand is currently the nation’s best-selling non-cola soft drink, the majority of its consumers are white, suburban males located the in the Plain and Southeast regions of the United States. To achieve revenue growth and solidify its domination of the market, the company has chosen to amp up its national TV buys and refocus its brand’s messaging to speak to new demographics while still providing a consistent message for its brand’s current advocates.
This new messaging can be seen in Mountain Dew’s most recent ad campaign. Focused around the new tagline, “This is How We Dew”, the new advertisements feature a motley group of celebrities ranging from rapper Mac Miller to pro skateboarder Paul Rodriguez. Mountain Dew has developed multiple spots, each being narrated by a different celebrity. The company will air each celebrity’s commercial in a region of country best suited to the celebrity’s niche. For example, commercials voiced by Lil’ Wayne will be focused on potential consumers in the Los Angeles market — whereas Jason Aldean’s ads will be aired in Nashville.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElDVzaswK7k
This isn’t the first time a brand has reached out to a new audience. Cadillac recently took a step away from its traditional buyers and refocused its message of “luxury and safety” to “fun”. With a sexy, stylish ad campaign featuring actress Kate Walsh asking drivers, “When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?” the brand’s message targeted a younger demographic.
The campaign was a huge success for General Motors. Within a couple weeks of its debut, Cadillac was already seeing a significant increase in sales. The marketing director has since commented on the campaign saying it will likely provide base for brand’s future marketing strategies.
Do you think Mountain Dew will see similar success with its new messaging?
Resources:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Catera+Targets+a+New+Market+for+Cadillac-a018782843
http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2008/02/17/from_stodgy_back_to_young_and_sexy___gm_shifts_gears/?page=full
http://www.crowdsourcing.org/document/mtn-dew-does-national-tv-as-it-hunts-for-upside-in-key-regions/13526
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-17/pepsico-aims-to-bring-urban-cool-to-mountain-dew-image-retail?category=&BB_NAVI_DISABLE=PULSE