mY Ad Report Card: Minute Maid

By, Todd Liss

(Note, this commercial is property of Minute Maid and CokeCola and not me, just wanted to post it with the review so you all could watch the spot first)

Who: Minute Made

What: We Meet Again Spot – Awkward misunderstanding

Where: On an escalator at mall

When: Present time period

Y: As much as I would love to write this post and trash the first commercial I review, I just can’t do that because this spot was great. A combination of humor, information and decently targeted messaging for multiple target markets (including Gen Y), make this a decently effective and entertaining commercial.

First, this spot was flat out entertaining; a Super bowl caliber commercial in May. We all know that good set ups and punch lines are great for spots. It delivered a hilariously awkward moment that would “clearly” have been avoided had our male protagonist been drinking Minute Maid enhanced juice.

Because this spot is so clever, it encourages people to watch the spot more, and share it more with their friends and family. This is a huge bonus in today’s advertising world as the effectiveness of TV spots aren’t what they used to be. So here’s a little tip to marketers – make your commercials entertaining…aka stop it Taco Bell.

Although the spot seems eerily similar to Twix’s “Need a break?” campaign, it makes an awkward misunderstanding into a hilarious, brand strengthening tv spot.  This spot is a good fit for the now highly competitive “functional beverage” category which has so many new big players.

The two stars of this commercial are in their late 20’s or early 30’s which puts them either just in the beginning of Gen Y or just outside of it. Even if they are outside of it, the commercial still gets the job done for our demographic. Our demographic still has strong associations with “spring break” “Cancun” and “enhanced beverages”. Remember, Vitamin Water caught on because of Gen Y.

We were the first demographic to grow up with a value on organic foods, whole grains, protein bars and the updated Food Pyramid – which we were told all would make us happier and healthier. Today, we also have less time to eat that balanced, so any “boost” we can get (Vitamin Water, Meal Replacement Bars, or Enhanced Juice) the better off we are. The idea of “Put good in, Get good out” resonates strongly in the Gen Y mind because of all these factors.

This well targeted product connects well with our demographic, as well as older and more health conscience demographics.

The downside to the commercial was the lack of screen time the product had. The product was on screen for no more than 6 seconds during the spot and portions of that screen time were partial shots. This can be a potential problem, as viewers need to be able to recognize the product at the point of purchase.

Making this a branding focused commercial as well as a product-focused commercial alleviates some of this risk. The words “Minute Maid” are front and center for a large portion of the product’s screen time. This makes the commercial more effective as it helps strengthen the overall Minute Maid brand.

Overall, this spot works really well, both for Gen Y and other segments. The product, messaging, placement, and goals of the spot all align well for Gen Y; and lets be honest, it’s just damn funny. BONUS!!

Gen Y Grade (Value to Gen Y)

Product: 8.0

Messaging: 7.5

Entertainment: 9.5

Persuasiveness: 8.0

Recognition of Product: 8.0

Total Score: 8.2 – Job Well Done Minute Maid

 

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