Mark Ritson on the effectiveness of Tide's 2018 Super Bowl ad

Tide's Marketing Strategy: How to Maintain Dominance in a Commoditized Market

The Challenge of Brand Longevity

• Tide, a 70-year-old detergent brand, faces challenges due to its age and the commoditization of the detergent market.

• The brand must defend its price premium and market share amidst aggressive sales promotions and consumer promiscuity.

Shifting Focus from Dirt to Cleanliness

• Tide identified that competitors focused on dirt alleviation, creating an opportunity to shift the narrative towards cleanliness.

• The new positioning aimed at American households with the slogan "If it's clean, it's got to be Tide," emphasizing cleanliness over dirt.

Defensive Marketing Approach

• The strategy was not about growth but rather defensive marketing—investing in brand communication to maintain market position.

• Saatchi & Saatchi, Tide's agency, initially struggled with stain removal concepts before pivoting to focus on complete cleanliness.

Creative Execution: "Everything is a Tide Ad"

• A breakthrough insight led to the creation of a campaign where every ad could be perceived as a Tide ad due to their emphasis on cleanliness.

• This concept culminated in a 45-second Super Bowl ad titled "Everything is a Tide Ad," cleverly playing with advertising clichés.

Impact and Effectiveness of Campaign

• The campaign generated significant social engagement during the Super Bowl, making viewers question if each ad was related to Tide.

• Subsequent ads reinforced this theme throughout the game, maintaining audience intrigue and interaction around the brand.

Key Takeaways on Marketing Effectiveness

• Research by Nielsen highlighted that creative execution quality is paramount for marketing effectiveness, accounting for 47% of success.

The Importance of Creativity in Advertising

The Overlooked Power of Creativity

• The significance of creativity in advertising is often underestimated, despite its proven impact on effectiveness. Research by Les Burnett and Peter Field highlights that creatively awarded campaigns outperform those without awards.

• Creativity not only enhances brand messaging but also significantly improves the efficiency of marketing expenditures. The current industry focus on media channels overshadows the importance of creative content.

• There has been a shift from valuing creativity to an obsession with media options, leading to neglect in the quality of creative work. This trend contrasts sharply with the 1960s when creativity was paramount.

Insights from David Abbott

• Renowned advertising creator David Abbott observed this growing fixation on media over creative quality. His famous remark emphasizes that regardless of the medium used, poor content will yield poor results.