BrandIndex's weekly Brandweek Buzz Report: light beers, MTV, Taco Bell

Light Beer Brands Battle It Out Over Sports Fans

Jan 29, 2010

With NBA, NHL and college basketball in full swing, light beer brands have been trying tirelessly to make their mark on beer-drinking sports fans over the last four months. Bud Light has steadily improved its buzz scores from 12.4 in late October to a peak of 16 through January, according to market research firm YouGov's BrandIndex report.

The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz: The scores are based on weighing positive and negative perceptions of a brand. A +100 score is positive, a -100 score is negative, and a rating of zero means that the score is neutral. This week's report also features scores based on "willingness to recommend," which is used to measure whether a consumer would recommend the brand to a friend.

YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals.

This week, the report spotlights:

• Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light
• MTV
• Taco Bell


Light Beer Buzz Grows
Bud Light's gains in buzz follow a commitment by Anheuser-Busch to reenergize the brand with a variety of new commercials and the Golden Wheat product extension. Bud Light’s main competition, Miller Lite, pulled even with Bud at the end of November. Miller rolled out its “Love” commercials, which highlight men choosing beer over their girlfriends. The campaign’s success has tapered off and Miller's score dipped below Coors Light in January for the first time in several months. Coors Light, sticking with its campaign mainstays of the “Silver Bullet” and “NFL Coach Interviews,” has shown modest growth from 6.6 to a high of 12.7. Currently, Coors Light and Miller Lite are no. 2 behind Bud Light for buzz supremacy.




'Jersey Shore' Lifts MTV
Can one show lift an entire network’s perception? Jersey Shore has seemingly single-handedly pumped up the MTV brand's brand score with adults 18-34, just pushing it barely into positive territory for the first time since mid-April. The reality show took a little while to catch on with this demographic. It started with a -12.1 buzz score when the show premiered on Dec. 3. The buzz dropped when the network aired the infamous Dec. 17 episode (“Fade To Black”) when a bar fight broke out and cast member Snooki got punched. That took the score down to -22.7. Since then, however, MTV’s buzz grew more positive as Jersey Shore progressed and viewers got more perspective, perhaps by not taking the show too seriously. The Jan. 21 finale, which was viewed by more people than NBC's Jay Leno Show at the same 10 p.m. hour, boosted the network to its current 0.6 buzz score.




Taco Bell 'Diet Drive-Thru' Wins Women Over
Taco Bell’s heavily marketed "Drive-Thru Menu" national campaign targeting women, seem to have won over the intended audience this month. Taking inspiration from the annual New Year’s ad blitzes of weight loss programs and Subway’s spokesperson Jared, Taco Bell featured a Florida woman who lost 54 pounds by reducing her daily calories while eating from the Taco Bell's "Drive-Thru Diet Menu." The campaign drove up the "willingness to recommend" (brand loyalty) score for women over 18 from 23.9 on Jan. 6 to 37.4 on Jan. 20, then settled at above pre-campaign levels with a score of 29.

I'm quoted by Advertising Age in Tim Tebow/Super Bowl ad controversy article

Will Tim Tebow's Pro-Life Bowl Ad Kill His Potential as an Endorser?

College Football Star's Religious Views Could Scare off Some Marketers, Experts Say

By Rich Thomaselli

Published: January 26, 2010

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- University of Florida star and National Football League hopeful Tim Tebow might have just thrown a penalty flag on his own future marketing ability by appearing in an anti-abortion ad scheduled to air during the Super Bowl, say sports-marketing experts

In an era when most athletes rarely, if ever, delve into politics or social causes, Mr. Tebow will be appearing in a 30-second spot for the Colorado-based conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. The ad is expected to be pro-life themed, and is slated to air during CBS's Feb. 7 broadcast of Super Bowl XLIV from Miami.

"From a marketer's point of view, this would dramatically shorten the window of opportunity," said Drew Kerr, president of New York-based Four Corners Communications. "The last thing any major advertiser would want to do is rock the religious boat of America, because a grassroots backlash would be too costly. ... When it comes to topics like abortion, people have long memories."

BrandIndex's weekly Brandweek Buzz Report: Domino's, Holiday Inn and Subway

New Domino's Recipe Gets Consumers Buzzing

Jan 15, 2010

Changing its core recipe and launching a supporting campaign has helped Domino’s stand out from the pizza chain pack with men 18-49, just in time for the NFL playoffs. According to market research firm YouGov's BrandIndex report, Domino's buzz score has skyrocketed, putting it squarely ahead of its competitors.

The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz: If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, was it positive or negative?; and index: The average of six sub-scores that creates an overall brand health indicator—quality, value, satisfaction, recommend, reputation and impression.

YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals. A score can range from 100 to -100 and is compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

This week, the report spotlights:

• Domino's
• Subway
• Holiday Inn


Domino's 'Honest' Approach Works
In an unconventional self-examining marketing campaign that debuted in mid-December, Domino's announced it was improving its pizza formula after soliciting feedback, posted a stark four-minute documentary about it on YouTube (sample consumer comments: the crust “tastes like cardboard” and the sauce “tastes like ketchup”). The pizza chain also launched a website (www.pizzaturnaround.com) to promote its efforts. An unusual amount of honesty has gone a long way for Domino’s. On Dec. 18, its buzz score was 2.3, and is now 35.3.




Subway Off to a Good Start With Phelps
Subway has apparently forgiven Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps for his 2008 photo holding a bong. The brand revived the pitchman for the “$5 footlong” campaign. Underwater in a swimming pool, Phelps does the “five fingers/one foot-apart-with-hands” signal, then surfaces to ask: “Hey guys, can I get one of those?” Always atop BrandIndex’s value charts for quick-serve restaurant chains, Subway’s gamble on Phelps’ second act appears to be off to a reasonably good start: Since the campaign debuted after New Year’s Day, Subway’s buzz score rose from 40.3 to 44.4.




Holiday Inn Gets Thumbs Up
During the travel industry’s worst economic downturn, InterContinental Hotels Group decided it was the right time to invest $1 billion revamping its storied, but somewhat dated, Holiday Inn chain. Out went the polyester and in came the triple sheet bedding. Everything was upgraded or changed, from the bathrooms and TV sets, to the lobbies and even the logo. Underperforming units were closed. Consumers noticed, as Holiday Inn was only one of two top 10 hotel chains to record an upswing in index score for 2009 (the other was Hampton Inn).

My announcement for FreeAllMusic's deal with Universal Music Group hits big

FreeAllMusic Signs Up Universal Music For Ad-Supported Downloads

by Leena Rao on January 11, 2010

Universal Music Group is partnering with new ad-sponsored digital music download service FreeAllMusic.com to let anyone download music from the record label’s artists, which include Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Jay Sean.

Via Free All Music’s platform, thousands of tracks will be offered at a rate of 20 free downloads per month, five per week, starting every Tuesday. The recently launched FreeAllMusic.com, which appears to be in private beta, lets users access downloadable, high-quality, iPod-compatible MP3s of advertiser-paid, free, legal, and unrestricted song. The catch: users watch a video commercial per download on the site, Users’ music selections and sponsoring brands are then promoted externally through an opt-in, digital advertising network.

To download a free track, users can select a participating brand and then need to watch a video advertisement from that brand. Brands who are participating in the initial launch are Coca-Cola, Warner Bros, Zappos, Lionsgate, LG, and others.

Universal Music has long been a little trigger-happy on the lawsuits against music and video sharing services (MySpace, Veoh and its investors, Grouper / Bolt.com, etc.), so its interesting that the startup has been able to bring on the record label. With the ad-supported downloads, FreeAllMusic may have found a way around the music label’s onerous fees. According to a New York Times article from December, FreeAllMusic has already signed on another record label but declined to name the new label.

++++

UMG Licenses Catalog to Ad-Supported Start-up January 11, 2010 - Digital and Mobile By Antony Bruno, Denver



Labels don't have a whole lot of hope for ad-supported music service, but that doesn't mean they won't license to them still. Universal Music Group just reached an agreement to license music to the latest ad-supported foray FreeAllMusic.com, which launched in invite-only beta mode last month.

From the release: "Through this agreement, thousands of tracks representing many of the world's most prominent artists are being made available now in FAM's current private beta period, where users will be offered up to 20 free downloads per month, five per week, starting every New Music Tuesday. This is based on the usage patterns of a typical "hits-oriented" iTunes customer. FreeAllMusic.com is keeping with its "walk before we run" philosophy in slowly building its user and advertiser base."

UMG's David Ring, executive VP of business development and business affairs, negotiated the deal. In an Q&A with Billboard earlier this year, Ring said the label is open to licensing to anybody, under any model, so long as the deal provides UMG with the right level of compensation. "Rather than picking one horse in this race, we like to bet on a number of them," he says. "If we're right, we'll have a number of horses serving different segments of the customer base and we'll have multiple winners."

++++

FreeAllMusic Seals Universal Music Licenses...

Some content deals are more important and others, and on Monday, the ad-supported FreeAllMusic (freeallmusic.com) scored a big one. The company finalized a licensing agreement with Universal Music Group, a great starting point for a broader licensing sweep. The deal was disclosed by FreeAllMusic chief Richard Nailling and UMG eLabs executive vice president David Ring.

Historically, startups have paid handsomely for the right to use maj

or label content. But FreeAllMusic has less cash than its earlier-generation predecessors, and a more relaxed deal may have resulted. The scale of the deal is also unclear. Either way, a partnership with the biggest major helps to pave the way for more majors (and indies, publishers, and others), and also helps to validate the model a bit.

FreeAllMusic has already corralled a number of big-name brands to sponsor its free - and DRM-free - download model. In essence, brands get exposure, while users get a free download for sitting through an ad. As part of the private beta, the site will be giving away 20 songs per user per month - 5 per week - to stimulate consumer interest.

At present, a formal release date remains undetermined, though earlier, the company pointed to a first quarter launch. "FreeAllMusic.com is keeping with its 'walk before we run' philosophy in slowly building its user and advertiser base," the company shared.

++++

Two steps forward, one step back for online music services

[EXCERPT]

January 12, 2010 | 5:45 pm

File this one under "the more things change, the more they stay the same." This week, Universal Music Group announced a deal with FreeAllMusic, an advertiser-supported free music site. The news came one day after Digital Music News reported that Universal had filed suit against Grooveshark, another advertiser-supported free music site.

The two sites follow different business models -- FreeAllMusic enables people to download a limited number of tracks for free in exchange for them watching commercials, while Grooveshark lets users play songs on demand from an online jukebox. Assuming the typical licensing deals are in place, FreeAllMusic would pay a significantly higher royalty per track than Grooveshark. Nevertheless, Grooveshark could conceivably generate larger sums for labels by streaming far more tracks than FreeAllMusic's users download..

FreeAllMusic, which is still in invitation-only trials, lets users download up to five free MP3s per week. The catch: They have to watch an ad from the sponsor of their choice before starting each download. (The company also compensates sponsors by running ads for them on a network of other websites after each download.) CEO Richard Nailling said the company hopes to open the service more broadly next month, but the number of users it can support will depend on the amount of advertising it attracts. The companies now sponsoring downloads include Coca-Cola, LG, Zappos.com and Lionsgate.

++++

MORE STORIES...

Digital Media Wire
Musicweek
Mobiletor
Hypebot
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Digital Music Trends podcast

Brandweek main feature story: most improved brands of 2009

Poll: Ford Voted 'Most Improved' in '09

Jan 9, 2010

- Noreen O'Leary

In the worst year ever for the U.S. auto industry, Ford actually bettered its standing with consumers, topping the list of the most-improved brands, according to an online BrandIndex poll based on more than 1.2 million interviews last year.

Rounding out the top five most-improved brands are Ford’s Lincoln and Mercury marques which came in at No.3 and No. 4.

Consumers are also voting with their wallets. This month, the automaker said it capped the year with a 33 percent increase in December sales, posting higher results in every Ford category and brand. While full-year sales were off 15 percent, Ford was still able to increase market share one percentage point higher than in 2008—the first such gain for the automaker since 1995.

In the BrandIndex poll, in which 5,000 people are interviewed online each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample, Ford saw its score jump nearly 22 points. Ted Marzilli, general manager of BrandIndex, said that compared to its Detroit competitors, what Ford didn’t do over the past year may have helped its reputation as much as what the car company is doing to improve its products.

“Beginning in December 2008 and in January 2009, we saw an uptick in Ford’s numbers because of its decision not to take TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] money,” Marzilli observed. “Its score continued to climb as they did a good job telling people about their revamped product line, which got good feedback in the trade and consumer press and helped fuel consumer momentum. It’s been a really amazing story, and the improvement in brand perception of Lincoln and Mercury reflects that.”

Facebook, with more than 350 million members, weighed in as the second most-improved brand. Facebook posted a nearly 20-point increase in its score. The social networking site’s latest change in privacy settings, initiated late in 2009, drew criticism from watchdogs. But Marzilli said those issues don’t seem to be such a big concern for consumers who have now been on the Internet for more than a decade and are increasingly comfortable in supplying personal details like credit card information online.

Meanwhile, the two-year-old startup Fox Business Channel was cited as the No. 7 most-improved brand. Marzilli noted that over the past two years Fox cable network brands have all preformed “very well.” Said Marzilli: “Fox is associated with Republicans and conservatives. Maybe the loss of the Republicans in the last election is causing them to galvanize around Fox.”

The recession, of course, continues to influence the kind of brands high on consumers’ radar. Discounter Big Lots was the eighth most-improved brand while fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A ranked No. 10, indicative of out-of-home dining habits these days.

BrandIndex also asks consumers to annually rank the “most healthy” brands, meaning the brands that are perceived to be the strongest. In 2009, Clorox-—synonymous with bleach and disinfectants—climbed the ranks to seventh place, from No. 11, as people fretted about H1N1 last year. Otherwise, the brands perceived as most solid are largely unchanged from 2008, with the Discovery Channel ranking No. 1; the History Channel, two; Google, three; Craftsman, four; and Johnson & Johnson, five.

In a tough economy, consumers turned to the tried and true. M&M’s, Pillsbury, Campbell’s, Quaker, Nabisco and Betty Crocker were all rated in the top 20. Said Marzilli: “At times like this, people look to the brands they associate with trustworthiness and the comforts of their childhoods, whether it’s a bowl of Campbell’s soup or Quaker oatmeal or Betty Crocker cookies.”

Mediapost runs huge story on BrandIndex's QSR and casual dining rankings for 2009

Perception Of QSRs Rose Above Casuals In '09

Overall consumer perceptions of both QSRs and casual dining chains improved between 2008 and 2009, but the QSR sector's greater gains left casuals with a very slim one-point index lead, according to tracking by the BrandIndex research service.

Meanwhile, on a brand basis, Subway and Wendy's maintained their top rankings among QSRs, and Olive Garden and Applebee's maintained their top rankings among casuals.

BrandIndex conducts 5,000 interviews each weekday from a 1.5-million online panel representative of the U.S. population. The margin of error is plus or minus 2%.

An index score can range from 100 to -100 and is compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score indicates equal positive and negative feedback. BrandIndex tracks six sub-indices -- quality, value, satisfaction, likelihood of recommending to friends, reputation and general impression -- and also composite or overall index scores based on performance on those six factors.

Comparing the two restaurant formats as a whole, between December '08 and December '09, QSRs gained two points overall, for an average composite index of 10.2 -- putting them nearly on par, perceptually, with casuals, which gained 0.6 points, for an average composite index of 11.3

On the value front, QSRs substantially increased their existing perception advantage, gaining 2.2 points, for an average value score of 12.1, while casuals' value score declined 0.5 points, for an average score of 8.7.

QSRs also increased their existing lead on the satisfaction factor, gaining 1.5 points for an average score of 15.3, as casuals' satisfaction rating declined 0.5 points, to 12.8.

Casuals maintained an advantage on the "I would recommend to friends" factor. However, even here, QSRs narrowed the gap. Casuals' average "recommend" score rose 0.4 points, to 13.8, while QSRs' rose 1.5 points, to 13.1.

BrandIndex SVP and global managing director Ted Marzilli notes that, while both casuals and QSRs are benefiting from heavy, value-oriented advertising and marketing, QSRs seem to be winning the value perception battle as the challenging economy drags on and consumers continue to economize.

"Many casuals have lowered price points to offer meals roughly in the $9 to $10 range, but it's obviously tough to compete with QSRs' still significantly lower prices, including expanded dollar menus" -- particularly in combination with upgraded, traffic-generating QSR offerings like McDonald's premium coffees, Marzilli points out.

Despite satisfaction with QSRs, consumers still show reluctance to recommend these chains to friends, perhaps not wanting to be perceived as "big fast-food fans," suggests Marzilli. However, this reluctance is clearly lessening somewhat, probably as a result of consumers at virtually all income levels taking growing satisfaction from snagging the best deals possible, he adds.

Few major shifts were seen within the top 10 individual chain rankings for either restaurant format between 2008 and 2009.

Looking at the composite indices for QSRs, Subway remained #1 (increasing its index by 2 points, to 48.2), and Wendy's remained #2 (up 3.8 points, to 37.7).

One notable change was Quiznos, which dropped from #3 to #5 (-2.1 points, to 18.5). Arby's moved up one rank, to #3 (up 1.1 point, to 20.9), and Burger King moved up one rank to #4 (up 1.1 points, to 18.9).

KFC, Taco Bell and McDonald's each moved up a rank. KFC logged the largest gain (4.3 points, to 17.1), to take the #6 position. Taco Bell gained 2.9 points (to 16.2) to take seventh place, and McDonald's gained 3.3 points (to 11.7) to take eighth place.

Marzilli says he believes that McDonald's perception ratings tend to lag other leaders' even as it outperforms them in sales because, as the dominant QSR chain, McDonald's "tends to be top-of-mind, or the poster child" when it comes to "less-than-positive" media coverage of the fast-food industry.

Chipotle gained 1.5 points (10.7), but moved down from #8 to #9. In-N-Out gained 0.9 points (8.7), moving up from #11 to #10 (and supplanting Schlotzsky's, which held the #10 position in '08, although Schlotzky's improved its overall score in '09).

Looking at the casual dining top 10, Olive Garden and Applebee's remained in first and second place, gaining 0.5 and 1.6 points for scores of 43.6 and 32.1, respectively.

Chili's moved up a notch, to #3 (up 1.3 points, to 28.5), bumping Cracker Barrel down one place to #4 (-0.1 points, to 27.7).

Red Lobster, TGI Friday's and Ruby Tuesday's each showed gains of 1 point or lower and maintained their respective fifth, sixth and seventh rankings (with scores of 27.5, 24.7 and 20.5, respectively).

Red Robin gained a rank, to #8 (up 1 point, to 14.7), bumping Romano's Macaroni Grill down one, to #9 (-0.2, to 14.1). Carrabba's Italian Grill held at #10 (-0.5, to 9.9).

BrandIndex's weekly Brandweek Buzz Report: AOL, Nintendo Wii, Walmart

Nintendo Wii Wows Consumers

Jan 8, 2010

Despite videogame console sales declining in 2009, consumers seemed to be looking for a bargain during the holidays. Nintendo put all the right marketing and packaging elements in place for its Wii to make it one of the top five value score gainers during the month of December, according to market research firm YouGov's BrandIndex report.

The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz. The survey asks consumers If they've heard anything positive or negative recently about the brand and asks about value, namely, Does the brand provide good or poor value for what you pay?

YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals. A score can range from 100 to -100 and is compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

This week, the report spotlights:

• AOL
• Walmart
• Nintendo Wii


AOL's Rebranding Generates Buzz
Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong spent much of last year rebranding the Internet company to create “the world’s best content” and an ad revenue machine. Launching a series of heavily trafficked niche blogs, redesigning the AOL.com home page, streamlining the ad operation, and spinning itself off from Time Warner are just some examples of the changes. They may be paying off in the public’s eyes, as AOL was one of the five biggest buzz score gainers last month, rising from -10.4 on Dec. 1 to -3.9 at the end of December. While AOL is still on the receiving end of more negative sentiment than positive and well below the scores of Google and Yahoo, it’s an encouraging turn for this sector’s oldest brand.




Walmart's Holiday Buzz Is Short-Lived
Walmart’s "Snowflake" holiday campaign where a kid’s wishes for his dad stationed in the desert may have tugged on many heartstrings, but it didn’t stop the retail giant from having one of the biggest buzz score drops last month. December got off to a promising start, with the score rising from 30.8 on the 1st to 38.1 on the 11th. The scores, however, fell during the rest of the month, finishing at 24.9 on New Year’s Day.




Wii Scores In Value Perception
While videogame console sales experienced a drop last year, Nintendo’s value score increased from 20 on Dec. 11 to 33.3 at month’s end. Nintendo went right for the family-friendly sweet spot by offering discount bundles of consoles and kids’ games. At the same time, Nintendo debuted a commercial featuring a proud father in a festive sweater boasting about the new system he bought for Christmas. “The family that plays together stays together. My family adores me!” the father exclaims in the ad, as it shows the kids and grandparents battling it out competitively.