Answers

Branding
1. Benefits Filter

The most basic evaluative filter (and often the only one used by less experienced brand
managers!) is to ask whether the ad communicates the brand’s benefits accurately and in a
compelling manner. The Mountain Dew strategy statement describes Mountain Dew’s benefits as the
“energizing” or “exhilarating” feeling that one gets from the sugar and caffeine (the supporting
product attributes). A secondary benefit is “thirst quench.” This filter asks that managers evaluate
whether the ad’s implicit communication (connotations and metaphors embedded in the story,
characters) express the brand’s benefits in a compelling manner.

Cheetah: high (chasing a cheetah on a bike)

Mock Opera: high (both the music and alt.sport scenes)

Dew or Die: mixed (alt.sport mountain scenes – high; hanging out in lodge – low)

Labor of Love: low (birthing scene)

Showstopper: low (The performers work up a sweat, but this is a highly choreographed
and less than risky activity)

2. Symbolism Filter

For lifestyle categories like soft drinks, alcohol, autos, and fashion, the most important dimension
of brand value is symbolism: what does the brand represent in terms of values, sensibilities, and
identities? The PepsiCo brief is weak in its explication of Mountain Dew’s symbolism. It alludes to
“irreverence” in user imagery and that’s about it. So it’s important for students to interpret what
Mountain Dew represents by studying the historical reel of ads presented in the case. Historically,
Mountain Dew has symbolized an ideal of masculinity based upon unrestrained instincts, taking
risks, getting wild, and creating your own fun. In the Do the Dew campaign, this equity is
specifically tied to slacker counterculture: which adds ironic worldview to do-it-yourself risk-taking.
The question here is whether the proposed ad evokes this symbolism in an apt manner:

Cheetah
Mock Opera
Labor of Love all allow for positive evaluations though you’ll get some variance in opinion

Dew or Die confused portrayal of Dew Dudes as lazy slackers rather than ironic daredevils

Showstopper fails miserably, choreographed rather than individual expression, “dance” rather
than high risk, less than cathartic music, etc.

3. Resonance Filter

The first two branding filters focus on how well the proposed ad advances the brand’s equities.
These two filters ask the manager to view the decision from the point-of-view of the brand. In
contrast, the resonance filter looks at the ad from the point-of-view of the customer: Will the target
make sense of, and identify with, the cultural references in the ad (the characters, the music, the
action, and so on)? Will they think the ad is funny? Some of the discussion for the benefit and
symbolism filters will wander into discussions of target resonance, at least implicitly. But, just as
often, the students will offer generic (or their own) ideas of “energizing,” “exhilarating,” and
“irreverent,” rather than seek to understand how well the ad communicates from the target audience
perspective. Further, by focusing so intensely on getting these ideas into the ad, they will tend to
forget that these ideas must be meaningful and interesting to the target. Framing the decision from
the audience perspective forces a different type of evaluation.

This filter is the most challenging of the six decisions. First, it requires that students put
themselves in the mindset of people who are likely very different than themselves. Second,
understanding the target requires digging into the market research presented in the case and making
inferences to profile the target. Third, there are multiple targets that must be considered.

Profiling the Target. The instructor can guide the discussion to build a portrait of the Dew drinker
using the lifestyle study and the BDI map. Even though the advertising has moved away from the
hillbilly imagery of the 1960s, Dew drinkers remain very much rural, white, and blue collar, living in
non-coastal areas and marrying at a younger age. This background leads Dew customers to resonate
with certain kinds of ads (outdoor settings, rock not rap, etc.) and not others (e.g., the Michael
Johnson ad which tries to make Dew more urban).

Cheetah: excellent (the target is keen on hunting and fishing)

Do or Die
Mock Opera: cultural references repeat past efforts, should work

Labor of Love: irrelevant (birthing room is not particularly salient to men)

Showstopper: poor (reference to Busby Berkeley musicals is not relevant and probably
lost on this audience, same for the slowed down Louie Armstrong tune; the
ad aims for highbrow aesthetics while the target is the opposite)

Two Age Targets. In the strategy statement we find that the target “epicenter” are 18-year-old
males. And earlier in the case we are told that PepsiCo focuses on teens because this is the age when
soft drink brand loyalty is formed. If someone’s drinking Dew at age 20, there’s a good chance he’ll
be drinking at age 40. But adults consume lots of Mountain Dew. There are no explicit volume splits
in the case, but students can infer from the lifestyle analysis ( Exhibit 5) that consumption trails off
only after age 50 or so. PepsiCo reaps the rewards of their teen investments as the cohort matures.
To maintain this loyalty over time, it’s critical that Dew advertising maintain the powerful brand
equities that it had built with this audience when they were young. Hence, the strategy statement
requires that ads “ensure appeal to 20-39 year olds.” Thus, the resonance question requires
considering each ad from the perspectives of both the teen and the male thirtysomethings (who still
aspire to the teen ideals portrayed in Dew ads).

Cheetah
Do or Die: cultural references likely to work across the two targets

Labor of Love
Mock Opera: plays only to adult target (the idea to breed a new generation of Dew
drinkers targets adults; the Queen song is a classic rock staple, not part
of the teenagers’ repertoire;)
 Showstopper: unlikely that either target will find appealing (per above)

Communication
Brand managers are prone to evaluating ads in a notoriously mechanical manner. They look for
whether the brand strategy is expressed, literally, in the creative (i.e., in the dialogue, in visuals of the
product, in voiceovers). This approach is inappropriate because effective branding works implicitly
through the inferences that the audience draws from stories and images and metaphors. Two filters
are useful to push students to consider how well the ad communicates the branding message.

4. Story Filter

In order for the audience to identify with the brand connotations suggested by the ad, they must
first become engaged with the story itself. Brands are placed in a narrative context alongside
characters, plots, scenery, and music more-or-less familiar to the audience. The audience interprets
and perhaps finds pleasure in the story. Such ads work when the audience resonates with the ad
and, in the process, the brand’s connotations develop. Ads are commercial stories that, if they are to
persuade, must meet the same criteria as do good stories in other genres. The instructor should push
students to consider the ad in terms of simple narrative criteria such as these:

 Is the story simple, understandable?

 Is it entertaining, arresting?

 Is it creative, original?

Cheetah: excellent

Labor of Love: while potentially offensive, the story ranks high

Mock Opera: average

Do or Die: confused narrative

Showstopper: characters and narrative are lacking

5. Product Integration Filter

For the ad to weave the desired benefits and symbolism into the brand, the product must be a
central component of the story, and plausibly integrated. The product cannot be a mere prop, but
neither can its place in the story come off as gratuitous. Ideally, the product should be integrated in a
creative way. Students should understand how the product is integrated into the early Do the Dew
spots (satirically, toward the end of the stories, as even more powerful and daring than the most high
risk stunts). Then they should consider if the proposed ads do as good a job:

Cheetah: excellent

7
 Mock Opera: formulaic integration like prior ads

Labor of Love: prop

Showstopper: unmotivated prop

Dew or Die: very odd integration, Dew is potent acid that melts through the center of the
earth?

Campaign
6. Campaign Extension Filter

Ads work (or not) within thematic structures we call campaigns. A campaign can be like a serial
on television, with the same characters meeting each week to act out similar plots. Or a campaign can
be held together as a stylistic unity—like a series of films by the same director—where the
communication elements bind the ads together. Ads are not isolated communication efforts, as they
are often treated, but rather components of this larger entity. A good ad builds on the previous ads in
the campaign, advancing strategic goals to extend the campaign.

In order to evaluate an ad properly as a component of a campaign, then, it’s essential to first

understand the campaign itself, as well as managers’ goals for extending the campaign. Students will
not have thought about these concerns in much detail, so it is great learning for them to figure out
that campaigns are built around a central creative idea with a number of signature communication
elements, something like this:

Do the Dew Creative Idea

Do the Dew celebrates a slacker version of machismo with over-the-top high-risk activities that are
overseen by the ironic “dew dudes.” The dudes are slacker guys who live in a world in which only
extreme stunts, ironic tastes in popular culture, and Mountain Dew are important.

Communication Elements
Dew Dudes: four ironic slacker guys
Melodramatic extreme sports excursions
Pop culture parodies
Dew cans rocketing out of Dew vending machine
Rock music to animate the athletics, often playful ironic choices
Playful leave-behind signature “Do the Dew”

Six years into the campaign, these campaign elements have been well-established. In fact, the case
suggests many of these elements have become formulaic and stale. The case states that alternative
sports have been overdone and students should pick up that the pop culture parodies are becoming
formulaic as well. As the case describes, the primary campaign goal is to push these elements in
creative new directions in order to keep the campaign fresh. What’s a good extension then? The
challenge is to figure out ways to break out of what is perceived as formulaic while maintaining the
integrity of the campaign.
 Cheetah: excellent

Labor of Love: very different ad that arguably conveys Dew symbolism but lacks Dew benefits

Showstopper: new elements, but do they keep the integrity of the campaign? Still relies upon
formulaic alternative sports

Mock Opera: too formulaic

Dew or Die: too formulaic

What Happened Finally

Three ads were produced: Cheetah, Mock Opera, and Showstopper.

Mock Opera was quickly and unanimously selected. This choice was driven by two features of
the ad. First, it was a very safe bet. It follows the “formula” that previous successful Do the Dew
spots had used, so managers felt comfortable with it. Second, the creative for this ad was presented
in a more finished form than the others (BBDO produced the soundtrack of the modified Queen
song). So it was easier to imagine the finished spot would work. Of course what made the ad so
comfortable for managers to imagine also makes it a less-than-stellar choice. At this point in the
lifecycle of the campaign, it was crucial to experiment with creative that pushes the boundaries,
avoiding formula at all cost. This ad tested reasonably well and Dew customers liked it well enough.
But it wasn’t at all helpful in pushing the campaign into new territory. The brand tried the formula
one more time (with a parody of the film White Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which fell flat), and have
abandoned it ever since.

Cheetah was a favorite of Bill Bruce (the lead creative) and he pushed hard for its inclusion.
Moffitt also liked it, but for a classic brand manager reason: he liked that the ad communicated the
thirst-quenching benefit because it was set in Africa. This spot was selected, but required some
lobbying on the part of BBDO. Cheetah was a very successful spot (it ranked second on the Super
Bowl “ad meter”) and, more important, it opened up new creative territory for PepsiCo. BBDO
continued with the wild animal parody concept recently with an ad called “Ram” in which one of the
Dew Dudes butts heads with a ram (in a “rutting match”) over a can of Dew. This ad had even more
impact than Cheetah.

Showstopper was the agency’s choice for the third spot and they eventually convinced senior
management at PepsiCo to go along. Scott Moffitt ranked a revision of Dew or Die and also Labor of
Love ahead of Showstopper. BBDO pushed to produce Showstopper with the Super Bowl in mind. It
was a blockbuster production that they hoped would draw viewers in and also win accolades for the
agency. But, after testing the ads, PepsiCo selected Cheetah and Mock Opera to air on the Super
Bowl. Showstopper was one of the least effective ads produced in the “Do the Dew” campaign.
Hopefully, students will be able to discover why this is so as they proceed through the decision
filters. Instructors should note that, while it is very useful to develop the ability to decompose
Showstopper to understand why it doesn’t work, the fact that PepsiCo produced such an ad
demonstrates their willingness to experiment, to take risks with advertising, which in the long run is
what it takes to produce breakthrough work. By the estimation of PepsiCo at the time, Cheetah was
equally risky, but was a great success. PepsiCo produced one ad that was a sure thing though a bit
formulaic, and took two risky spots betting that at least one of them would work well.

To address the long-term problems the brand faced in terms of faltering teen market and the lack
of cultural traction amongst urban-oriented people, PepsiCo launched in 2002 a line-extension called
Code Red. The cherry flavored drink was positioned to appeal to an urban audience using candid
documentary ads shot on the streets of Manhattan. The extension has been a huge success so far,
selling way over plan in the first six months of the introduction.

Also see this video links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eLq0dTdrFA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1VsJcM22RQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK1uyqnh44E