A Dead-On Campaign Unites Fantasy and Emotional Honesty
At Kilter, we talk a lot about core brands, brands that are owned and operated by people that love their {sport, hair care products, designer clothing}. Brands that, due to their passion, manage to resonate with teens more than cold, megalithic corporations ever can. There is one corporation that does, however, break the mold and speak to teens. That brand is none other than Mountain Dew.
Mountain Dew's "Do the Dew" campaign uses traditional advertising media (radio and television) to reach teens, and uses humor as its powerful vehicle to connect with them. Their large-scale, expensive productions would make anyone stop to take a look. Bikers flying over skyscrapers, in-line skaters doing a fantastic '50s-style dance routine, race car chases and skateboard tricks take extreme to a new level. They are absolutely impossible to do and that's what makes them so fun. But it is the emotional aspects of these spots that ring true for kids.
The ads are loud and subtle at the same time. The characters are realistic, yet they take on extraordinary tasks, all with "whatever" looks on their faces. These ads may be big budget, but they seem to understand that a lot of flash alone wonąt get to the New Consumer. They incorporate classic teen emotions and desires: huge crowds raving your guitar solo, outrunning a cheetah, pimping a businessman. A boy and girl snowboard-skydive together to romantic music, only to have the girl whisper to the boy, "let's be friends." This spot gives us fantasy and emotional reality in one fell swoop. Mountain Dew has done a brilliant job of expressing life's experiences through fantastical storytelling.
While these ads are over the top, they also let kids know this clearly is not reality—that this is just for fun and you're not supposed to try this at home. This kind of humor lets teens know that they don't have to try to be cool all the time. In essence, it tells kids that it is okay to fuck up, it's okay to get your heart crushed, and it's okay that life is, and never will be, okay.
Corporate can be core, but it requires respecting the emotional desires of the New Consumer.