Is Pink 7Up a Plus?
Thanks to Jackie Huba for reminding me that the fairly new 7Up Plus ad campaign might be worth a post. It is.
Even though the product is touted as a "low-calorie drink with doses of fruit juice, calcium and vitamin C," I don’t expect the Sex and the City gals or Regis and Kelly to make a real dent in the soda’s sales. The buzz seems to be all about the marketing. And, it also seems that Cadbury Schweppes chose to focus on the "girly-ness" of the color pink with the occasional sexual innuendo (at least in the ad I’ve seen) in their marketing, rather than tout the vitamins and calcium, anyway.
The intention to better reach the women’s market is certainly there, but the message is confusing. For women who do care about finding healthier beverages, 7Up won’t be one of their choices – they want to avoid soft drinks altogether. But, for those who do like soft drinks, there isn’t much new to sway them toward the pink Plus version, besides the flirty marketing.
I wondered about their research process until I visited the product’s site and read:
"We conducted extensive research and got a lot of feedback – what we learned is that the tastes and lifestyles of Americans are changing. People are asking for beverage choices that allow them to take small steps toward a balanced lifestyle."
Hmm. I still wonder about their research.
Does this campaign make you want to suddenly buy soda when you hadn’t before? Does it make you want to switch if you’ve been drinking Diet Coke for all these years? Or, am I so out of the target market myself that I can’t even begin to understand (which is, admittedly, very possible)?
What do you think?
