BAYO What's Your Mix Campaign - Alternative Studies

Dear Bayo,

You've had had quite a week. You were expecting excitement for a new campaign, but suffered the backlash of a poorly executed idea instead. There's a chain of blame you can trace, perhaps, pointing a finger at the creative team, another to your own marketing team, but what's the point? There was a series of bad decisions, and what was a campaignable idea was proven to be, yes, campaignable, but only to ridicule itself.

I do not offer more ridicule. You have gone viral. Everyone and their followers are creating mockeries of your "What's Your Mix?" ads. I will not shoot at the low hanging fruit, and glorify myself with easy jokes.

Instead, I'll offer you free professional consult. I love a good challenge. And what's great about this exercise is that neither of us loses anything.

Let's review the campaign, and look at ways we could have done it differently.

The Challenge: Invigorate the brand by daring the consumers to "mix and match" their look. As this is a bold step from traditional notions of "building an ensemble", the challenge is to introduce the idea that "creating your own look IS what makes your outfit fashionable."

INSIGHT: WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN UNIQUE MIXES.

Where You Went Wrong: You interpeted "unique mix" as something genetic and inherent. You positioned models with mixed lineages as "beautiful" and "world class".

THE CRITICAL FLAW: UNLIKE CREATING AN ENSEMBLE,  one CANNOT CHOOSE THEIR MIX.

THE SOLUTION: UNIQUE MIX = The sum total of characteristis and experience that each individual has.

THE EXECUTION YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE FOR:

Juxtaposing the images of "eclectic" ensemble with "character" models, we create "personalities" which the consumers can relate to.

Note: All images herein are used to demonstrate "peg looks". I do not own these images, and I am not using them to promote the brand "Bayo".

[Study 1]

Copy: "50% Haute, 50% HOT"

[Study 2]

Copy: "Full-time Columnist. Part-time Rockstar. Oft-times Inner Child."

CONCLUSION: The critical flaw in the execution is that you defined and prescribed the mix, positioned it aspirationally, without awareness that the consumer cannot control the "mix" as you have defined it (genetically). As an aspiration, one cannot aim to achieve a mix that is part-Filipino, part-something else. However, when you LET THE CONSUMERS DEFINE what their mix is, you then engage the brand into a conversation with your market. You are now asking them to be bold and inventive in DEFINING THEMSELVES BY MIXING AND MATCHING THEIR LOOKS USING YOUR PIECES.

You're welcome.

Siege Malvar is using Old Spice

[DISCLAIMER: I am NOT being paid or otherwise compensated for this blog post. I am not in any way involved in the marketing / promotions of the Old Spice and its brands. This is an independent review from a satisfied consumer.]

I was afraid of trying Old Spice. It has this middle aged men vibe that I used to associate with older gentlemen who would trail me around on the street. Maybe I was molested by someone wearing Old Spice in my childhood, and it's my subconscious raising the red flags.

However, I ran out of deodorant stick one day, and I didn't have the time to go to the drugstore to get one. So I went to the convenience store nearby, bought the only deodorant they have on stock; it was an Old Spice High Endurance Dry Cream.

I'm an explorative consumer. I try new brands before I declare my loyalty to one. Before Old Spice, I used Gilette Clear Gel deodorant. I looove the smell of it, and how it goes on clear. But, after trying Old Spice High Endurance Dry Cream, I think I'm converting.

Old Spice High Endurance Dry Cream WORKS. It's as simple as that. It goes smooth as a dry cream, no lumps or gross build ups. It has a spicy scent, which I still find disconcerting, but the more I smell it, the more comfortable I am with it. I'm starting to like it. But the real selling point for me of the product is that it FUCKING WORKS!

All of these happened to me in one, single day, and Old Spice High Endurance Dry Cream was there for me to keep me fresh and odor free:

• I went to the gym, and sweated a lot.
• Ran to the office. Got into several meetings.
• Commuted to the Visprint office to return some swatches I borrowed.
• Commuted via MRT to Ortigas to meet my boss for a presentation.
• Got late for presentation, so I ran to Emerald ave to meet my boss there.
• Presented a pitch to client.
• Went back to the office for more meetings.
• Went back to the gym to do some cardio exercises before going home.
• Had dinner with friends.
• Went home. Walked all the way from the main road.

I must have sweated 5 gallons that day. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. But it was a really hectic day for me, and Old Spice High Endurance Dry Cream didn't fail. One of its active ingredient must be concentrated essence of Epic Win.

Thanks, Old Spice. You helped me conquer all my challenges. I think with you under my arms, I can be the man I should be. 

Ok, so maybe that... or I have turned into the molester I used to be afraid of, so now I'm really into Old Spice. The preferred deo stick of choice of sweaty rapists.