Good Ole Boys Just Cannot Get Beyond It

I was all ready to write about the economic forecasts for the remainder of 2011; then I came across a news story this morning that I quickly realized was much more fun.

Fun because it exemplifies why a company like BRANDVenture is in business.

I stand proud as an American every day the sunrises. Despite all the turmoil going on in Washington and on Wall Street, I remain sold on what makes up the American brand culture.

I would be willing to put a $100 bet on the table that nearly all of you reading this blog have a story you can recall about a fun time eating a hot dog.

Could have been at an iconic brand experience like a parade, campfire, baseball game or picnic. Could have been back in college days when that’s all you could afford.

Hot dogs transcend income, age and urban-rural American culture.

So what was the news story that warranted a shift from the GDP to the good ole dogs?

Sara Lee Corp and Kraft Foods are suing one another in the US District Court over brand advertising claims of being the “top dog” (that’s the editorial term used by AP in the article).

The war between the brands dates back to 2009 when Kraft’s Oscar Meyer ads claim to be the best tasting franks beating out Sara Lee’s Ball Park brand.

Of course Ball Park immediately launched a counter campaign citing another taste test survey in which they were the better tasting brand.

The article showcases how each company is discrediting the other brand’s methodology like Sara Lee complaining that the Oscar Meyer test served the franks sans the buns on a white paper plate.

Last blog I wrote about the “crash and grab” marketing mentality; the hot dog fight is a great example of the good ole boy mentality of “mine is bigger than yours.”

And the hot dog scenario is only the latest example.

Over the weekend, I saw one of the Verizon coverage spots raise its head again claiming to have more coverage than AT&T.

That good ole boy brawl also made its way to the courts.

Coke and Pepsi are famous for their “taste better” campaigns too. But at least Coke made light of the “taste better” campaigns with Coke Zero taking on Diet Coke.

A few months ago, one of the brands that I work with on a periphery level decided to test out their product against the lead competitor to see which one consumers preferred.

This client had an ongoing panic-attack through much of the three-day one-on-ones because there really wasn’t much of a clear winner.

Outside of Indra Nooyi, Pepsico’s CEO, I would wager another bet that the leadership behind these brands are male.

Males are hell-bent on “strutting their stuff” and claiming superiority.

As my book title I am writing observes… All Men Are Pigs… but, the real issue at heart is that the leadership of these brands fail to hear the consumers screaming out there… “I DON”T CARE ABOUT YOU…TELL ME ABOUT ME!”

The Avis “We Try Harder” campaign might be dated, but at least Avis leadership was smart enough to know that it wasn’t about being #1 or #2 that matters to the business guy (or gal)… it was which car rental brand was dedicated to delivering the best brand experience.

Think about this… Can you imagine where Apple would be today if they elected to all of a sudden take on the “mine is bigger than yours” marketing mentality and change their brand claim to “the largest tech brand in the world.”

Apple not only could do that… but also say that they are now beating out EXXON for the highest valued company in the world.

Steve Jobs does “think different” than the CEOs at Sara Lee and Kraft.

Its truly a shame that neither of those hot dog marketing teams (including their ad agencies) don’t sit back and think about the fun and memorable experiences of eating and marketing their brands around that experience.

Its also too bad that they cannot have fun and passion in doing what they do and perhaps even make us laugh with a set of parody spots about good ole boys touting the “mine is bigger than yours.”

Perhaps as Ad Age noted in its online news release yesterday, “consumers brace for downturn,” that the hot dog boys understand that they actually might have a product opportunity.

(And back in those college days when I had little to spend on meals, I have some fond memories of grilling out the franks!)