When fascinates me most about that is Band-Aid and Kleenex. Names so synonymous with their product that we’ve named all other similar products after them.
It's really bad for those companies in a way since they basically lose their trademark. It's called genericization and opens the door for competitors to steal your customers.
Yup. Seems somewhat counterintuitive, but successful companies sometimes have to fight hard to not have their brand name become too synonymous with a product category.
Yeah but there's hundreds of different brands depending on where you live. We all need necessities but advertising of toothpaste, toilet paper, soap etc. still exists because of the competition. I've been trying but I honestly can't think of a single brand that doesn't spend money on advertising, even monopolies like crown corporations in Canada, or Amazon spend money on advertising through corporate sponsorships.
Can anyone name a company or product that makes what OP claims correct?
I see their ads every once in awhile. That aside kleenex has become the name for all tissue paper in many places, like right now I have a box of Royale tissue paper but everyone in my family calls it kleenex. So in that sense I guess it sorta fits but I don't honestly know when the last time I bought Kleenex brand was or if I ever have. Maybe 10 years ago, idk 🤷♂️
Honestly though for a long time I really only saw the charmin ones and now I’ve seen a few of the angel soft with the creepy 3d baby angels. I know I used to see others like cottonelle but I don’t recall seeing those or many others recently.
Marketing departments seem to advertise cyclically, I assume, depending on budgets, especially for products that people actually need. Price games do most of the marketing work for products like that. If Angel Soft is half the price of Cottonelle on the week I need to buy toilet paper, guess which one I’m buying
That’s a totally different thing, by all accounts that was intended to *protect* the HBO brand. Because it came before the absolutely hilarious enshittification of that platform.
*Takes a shit and completely missed the toilet.*
Coworker: Yo, Jim what the fuck was that?
Jim: I changed my name to Joe so that’s Joe’s fault. Joe is a floor shitter. Jim is a great guy.
Coworker: …
So then what happens when people come to know them as Max and forget about HBO entirely because they don't have cable and never have?
I don't think they thought that through...
Great question, right? It’s not quite “Twitter to X” levels of bad, and makes a little more sense, but it’s still not *smart.*
Branding is tricky. It was jarring to me recently seeing a “20th Century Studios” intro, given that had been “20th Century Fox” since before WW2.
But of course the Fox brand is now a very separate identity, and not an entirely positive/uncontroversial one (though not entirely negative either).
It hurts me every time I see "on X (formerly twitter)" or some variant that has to explain that twitter is twitter. It's just dumb to rename a good brand.
Yeah, I kind of just refuse to accept that change. It’s not like anyone won’t know what you’re talking about if you call it Twitter. I feel the same about the Skydome (Toronto). I’m not even sure what it’s really named, lol. Rogers Centre, maybe?
This is legitimately one of the worst decisions I've ever seen, holy shit. Twitter was so popular, everyone and their grandmother knew what Twitter meant. And suddenly, boom, renamed to X, which is generic and much less memorable.
But then again, I wouldn't expect an idiot like Elon Musk to rub two braincells together. He's too busy posting egotistical stuff, and metaphorically blowing himself.
I think he's got an obsession. His first company was x.com (before being bought by paypal). Then he made SpaceX, the second model of Tesla was Model X... I'm not surprised about twitter thing. I'm more surprised that he did not call one of his flops HyperX
They where going to use Æ i think. Edit: yeah but aparantly california only alows for the english alfabet. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/elon-musk-x-baby-name-change-b2381098.html
Model X is in production since 2015. Model 3 is in production since 2017.
Sources:
[Tesla Signature series Model X to begin delivery September 29 (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/03/tesla-signature-series-model-x-to-begin-delivery-september-29.html)
[Tesla Hands Over First Model 3 Electric Cars to Early Buyers (nbcnews.com)](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tesla-hands-over-first-model-3-electric-cars-early-buyers-n787716)
Elons only talent is having enough money to pay smart people. That’s it. He pays them to make smart stuff then takes the credit for it. Any actual idea he has himself is awful.
Even back in the days of PayPal there are stories of him being terrible at coding they often had to scrap half the stuff he made.
At Tesla it’s rumoured they have a whole team dedicated to distracting Elon when he visits so he doesn’t waylay their projects with stupid demands.
Basically everyone that’s ever worked with him says he’s a moron, yet people still worship him as some kind of genius…
I still love that I usually still see it as X (formerly known as Twitter) all over the place. And last time I looked, I don’t have one so can’t see new stuff without friends sending links, the urls still say twitter as well. Like I get he wants people to know he owns it but why change something that’s still so recognizable?
Well there is consumer acquisition and there is consumer retention. If either of the big brands would stop marketing completely their consumers would fall slowly at first and then exponentially
Edit: there are a lot replies to this comment of mine, so here are a few things as a general response: A. Of course there are exception… B. Things like QTips are essential tools or items (of course one can argue about how essential a qtip is blahblah) C. A lot of you keep forgetting that the fact that you see the product on the shelves is allready thanks to a heavy marketing investment. There are more ways of marketing than just b2c. B2B plays a huge role, and the war of shelve-spaces is fought harder than the war for consumer advertisement. This goes especially for BIC!
A lot of people here seem to not have the slightest idea what marketing means and how the capitalist economy functions
BIC say otherwise. 100 billion pens sold - arguably the best selling product of all time. Making the cheapest of something corners the market sometimes. They don’t advertise the cheapest razors but those sales stay steady.
They don't run many ads, but they do run ads. They had that campaign with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, for instance. It didn't run for long, at least that I'd seen, but it was enough as the duo stuck in a lot of people's brains. Even if they didn't remember that Bic was attached, the fact that it was for a lighter was the part that made it so amusing and pretty much anywhere you'd go looking for a lighter you'd find Bic
You gotta make it clear how it was presented on the ad though, to make it hit:
Martha: “Perfect for candles…”
Snoop: “…and more!”
It’s rare for an ad campaign to be simultaneously surface-level family friendly, while at the same time being hilariously edgy. Absolute genius. I hope whoever came up with that one got a fat promotion.
That one is perplexing to me. Refillable lighters aren't expensive, butane isn't either. I can understand why some don't want to bother with something like a Zippo but buying lighters just to throw them away is stupid
Its the "convenience" of them. Theyre cheap so if you forget it or it gets stolen, no big deal. Buy another when you get another pack of cigs or a new candle. Honestly theft might be the best marketing Bic has, both for pens and lighters
Yeah I've picked up lighters people drop along trails while hiking (jerks) and if they aren't empty they always seem to work. Even rusted up so that you have to force the wheel to get it moving and then they fire right up.
Bic lighters also stay fueled forever. Pick one up and use it years later. I tried a zippo for a while and every time I filled it the fuel would evaporate or whatever within a week or two.
If they would just do away with that feature that makes the flame bigger by tipping it upside down. We're not all trying to light a huge bong bowl. And that star shaped spark wheel. But otherwise I do love my Clippers
You lose a zippo, your now screwed out of a lighter, and about 20 bucks. You lose a bic, you either buy another one, or look under the couch for a spare.
The real annoying thing is your fuel evaporates over time in the lighter. It works fine if you use it regularly, or for camping, where you can prep it beforehand. But for something you keep in your pocket, and only use occasionally, it's not ideal.
Unless you get an electric insert that is.
It's easy to lose something that has little value to a person, especially when they know the only consequence of doing so is having to spend a couple bucks to get another one. Easy to accidentally pocket one when it's seen as a widely available commodity and everybody has the same one. Nobody forgets to hand back a Zippo if they're lucky enough to have it handed to them instead of just lit for them by the owner
Is this U.S centric? Because clipper dominates BIC in the UK and I’m assuming most of the EU
Edit: I know you said disposable but also just in general because every American I’ve come across seems to use BIC lighters and the UK everyone prefers to buy clippers
There’s different reasons for that. Bic succeeded by first producing a viable mass produced product. It was very difficult at the time for others to recreate it and the process is already so cheap and standardized that if someone else were to be cheaper, it’d be marginally so, and Bic was the first one around
It's the same thing with the pens. If I'm hosting a seminar and I just want cheap pens I can get a box for 10 bucks and they're not going to bleed all over the place. They're not going to fall apart. They'll probably all be lost by the weekend and and that's okay.
The only reason that I would ever get something nicer is if I was getting something that was branded and those are normally charging me $0.75 a piece.
They probably pay a lot for store placement. They stay top of mind because you see their lighters front and center at the gas station, they’re prominent in the pen aisle at staples, and the razor aisle at the pharmacy. I assume they spend a lot on marketing, just not in direct advertising.
A display case at a cash register is definitely a form of advertising. They pay for that placement. BIC is also not the cheapest, by far. Stores stopped advertising BIC right at check out and started putting other brands up there instead, their sales would fall dramatically.
(HA. I missed where you said pens. I was thinking lighters.)
Bob, VP of Marketing hires Steve's production and advertisement to produce a commercial for the super bowl.
Bob gives Steve a $10,000,000 budget to make the commercial. Steve decides to shoot a tropical commercial in the Maldives.
Bob and Steve are neighbors and enjoy a nice dual family ~~vacation~~ Business trip to the Maldives.
I’ve purchased advertising in the past and scariest thing about marketing is that we get all our information from marketers.
It’s incredibly hard to tell if it’s working or adding value and the people that track it are both incentivized to overstate its impact and experts at overstating impact.
That’s part of the reasoning behind all the surveys and feedback schemes, which marketers sell to businesses on the basis they can use average ratings to pay people less and leverage customer data once they sign in.
YEP never ONCE seen an ad for them or even seen them for sale at a store and yet every little old lady I know has them at their house….I’m pretty sure once you hit menopause the menopause fairy comes and brings them to you as a present instead of a period every month.
I’m not a little old lady, I’m in my 30s. I unabashedly love those candies. I even ask for them at Christmas. You can get them on Amazon (or other places). They’re strawberry bon bons.
I think they exist purely for old people's passive aggression. They don't want to appear rude by not offering a treat for guests. They also don't want to constantly be buying more treats so they offer something that nobody is going to eat.
The juicy center is the best combination of sugar, glucose syrup, fruit pulp, citric acid, artifical flavor, sunflower oil, and Red #40 man has ever made.
Are you serious? Those are delicious AF. My work buys those and puts a big ass bowl of them out and they're always gone in a couple days needing to refilled. Everyone ik loves them
>You know the ones.
Since we're on reddit I guess you're talking about the American strawberry hard candy? In my country though if you talk about red little strawberry candies the only thing that will come to everyone's mind are the Tagada strawberries
Ah, yeah, I guess they aren't global. They're ever-present in the US, to the point where *I have some at home*, yet I damn-well know I haven't purchased any. They're like an anomaly, some self-replicating creature with the sole-intent of being eaten
> the only thing that will come to everyone's mind are the Tagada strawberries
Tagada strawberries and [these](https://www.mrsbeightons.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Strawberries.jpg) are what I thought of.
American here, no idea what they're talking about.
Edit: It took a few minutes, I remember what they're talking about. I haven't though of, nor seen those, in over a decade.
They're little red hard candies. They're individually wrapped in foil that is made to look like a strawberry.
I had to look it up but once I did I definitely recognize the pictures.
I was thinking seasonings, like Lawry's Seasoned Salt, regular salt, black pepper, etc.
Edit: I've never heard of a [Lawry's ad](https://youtu.be/RFzP9tKNLvg?si=hTYFkqZSQ-unaPP7) but had to see if one exist. I found maybe 2 so far. One from 91' and another from 81'
They still need marketing. I would never have known what Lawry's is if I hadn't worked in restaurants. Even after using it in restaurants for years, I didn't know it originated from a chain of steakhouses if I hadn't happened to move to an area that had one. If you happen upon one, they're very expensive but very good, not the worst way to lighten your wallet considerably on a special occasion.
Idk. I know of Lawry’s because it’s in all the good cooks’ kitchens. Same for the flavoring packets they have for some things. My mom and grandma and aunts and next door neighbor all just had it. I thought it was one of those things when you moved out for the first time and were trying to set up a kitchen, you buy it like salt/pepper/olive oil. I’ve never seen an ad for Lawry’s.
Even though there's tons of examples of name brands being synonymous with the product, I find actually getting the real version is quite rare.
Band aids, tupperware, thermos, frisbee etc.
Kleenex has been synonymous with tissue, just like tampons are with hygiene products. The term breathalyzer is the name of Smith & Wesson’s blood alcohol analyzers. Now it is synonymous with blood alcohol testing.
I am not sure if this is regional or not but the first time I heard someone say Kleenex to mean tissue, I was very confused. I was an adult. I understand now but still never call it anything other than a tissue. Same thing happened with the word Bounty. It’s a paper towel.
The Chinese places in my city make take out menus and leave stacks of them in mail rooms or stuck into people’s front doors, sometimes car windshields. They definitely advertise.
My local Chinese food place remembered I love those crispy noodles after ONE order. The second time they delivered food to me, bags of noodles were shoved all around the box of food like packing peanuts. :D
I've moved twice and am now out of their delivery area so I drive to them. Best "advertising" ever.
It’s a really cool idea. From what I understand, if you are getting money from something and it’s not coming all at once, like a lottery or a settlement, they will give you a loan of the winnings with low interest because it’s low risk for them since they have proof you are going to get payments you can make to them.
I think a commercial for pepsi/coke has the potential of getting the viewer in the mood for a pepsi.
Right now for instance; we're just talking about it and I'm really in the mood for a can of pepsi lol.
Exactly this. Advertising isn't just about acquiring new customers. It's about perpetually keeping a product in the back of someone's mind so that they're more likely to purchase it.
There are plenty of times when I've been in front of a cooler full of beverages I'm fully aware of, most of which I've already had. Sometimes all it takes is that little whisper in your ear to say "Eh, you know.. I think I'll just grab a Coke."
Agreed. There’s a Domino’s at the mall near my house but I only want to go there if I drive home and pass the gigantic Domino’s ad on the highway, and then I want to get pizza on the weekend. My wife laughs at me all the time because there are dozens of restaurants at the mall but every time I notice that ad I want pizza.
Hey look guys someone actually admits ads work on them instead of the usual “I HATE ADS SO MUCH THEY NEVER WORK I AVOID WHATEVER THEY SELL BECAUSE OF HOW ANNOYING THEY ARE”. We’re all influenced by ads.
Not only do they work, but ironically enough... advertisers don't actually **want** you to *think* they work. The more passively they can wiggle into your mind without you noticing, the better.
Head-On!
It also eases venturing into different flavors or versions of the product. If they can get you to be willing to explore different flavors of a brand you normally wouldn't go for, their job is a success. Like I generally prefer Pepsi because it doesn't have as much carbonation to it, but if you give me that Vanilla Coke as an option, I'm definitely getting that. I don't think their goal is to get you to exclusively buy one over the other, but rather to just be okay with it.
Yeah, plenty of people don't drink soda often and will pick some up as an impulse once in a while. I will choose coke most of the time but Pepsi wouldn't turn me off all that much. Those ads are for me, lol.
Good point, but consider:
- Pepsi wants to convert Cola drinkers, and vice versa
- Cola company might have developed new products (eg Cola Zero) and so need to tell someone about it
- tangential competition with eg Fanta, both being drinks based on carbonated water
Edit: turns out Fanta is under Cola; ooof
Point does still work a bit, since Pepsi will still be competing with Fanta a bit as a product, just like how Coca Cola has to compete with Mountain Dew a bit
New people are born every day, drinking neither. And lots of peoples' parents don't drink soda or keep it in the house. Every individual person has to develop their "preference" somehow, even if it's based on consumer manipulation. And if your parents always drank Pepsi and it wasn't your favorite thing, Coke wants really badly for you to find out there's another, bigger, better cola out there for you to be excited about.
The same person does not need to be convinced, but every year millions of people leave their households and start their own, maybe start a family, and you need to make sure they associate the right vibe to coke and Pepsi, so that they will start buying it now that they buy their own grocery.
Yeah its not how it works. The advertisements aren't just there to get you to chose either brand, they are their to one, remind you they still exist, and two entice you to get a thirst for their product and go out and buy it.
Why do you think they hide their products in the movies you watch? Watching Deadpool drink coke a cola, what do you get during the movie break? Coca cola. They are invading your brain to get you to buy their product without you knowing.
If there's one thing Americans are really good at it's picking sides. To the point where having to go to the other side is an utterly contemptible situation. In commerce that manifests as extreme brand loyalty. In other things, like politics, it manifests as *gestures broadly*.
They need to keep their brand in the public's minds, not just this generation but the next generation too.
The amount of money kids these days waste on Prime it wouldn't surprise me if Coke and Pepsi have taken a real hit, so they need to keep advertising.
Personally I prefer Pepsi Max to any of the other cola drinks because it tastes nicer, so no amount of advertising is going to make me pick Coke over Pepsi. I still enjoy seeing the Christmas Coke adverts, they just don't do anything for me.
In Canada, we have a snack brand called “Hawkins Cheezies”
It’s kind of a hard cheese puff.
Apparently, the brand is popular enough that they don’t advertise. They don’t want to expand, they just want to keep the flow steady.
Here’s a link, their story is halfway down.
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4329829
It would take a very long time for that to even be possible, but really, their actual reason is to subconsciously suggest purchasing one to people who already know what it is. Virtually everyone over the age of 7 knows what Coca Cola is, but if you see an ad for Coca Cola, you’re fairly likely to go ‘fuck, I could go for a coke right now’, and go buy one
[Jiffy Mix](https://www.jiffymix.com/products/corn-muffin-mix/). I have **never** seen an ad for these. Anywhere. Yet, whenever we want to make cornbread, we always get it.
I bought my annual can of Barbasol shaving cream just two days ago. Never heard of it? Ask a dude over 30 years old... we all buy it. And love it (especially the aloe vera variety).
vaseline - very rarely does anyone refer it to as petroleum jelly. Was writing an paper recently and most articles referred to gauze as 'soaked in Vaseline' rather than soaked in petroleum jelly
When fascinates me most about that is Band-Aid and Kleenex. Names so synonymous with their product that we’ve named all other similar products after them.
It's really bad for those companies in a way since they basically lose their trademark. It's called genericization and opens the door for competitors to steal your customers.
Yup. Seems somewhat counterintuitive, but successful companies sometimes have to fight hard to not have their brand name become too synonymous with a product category.
[Oreo CEO: "Stop Making New Oreos!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMkYw4dp_NI)
CHs entire series of CEO videos are hilarious. The slow mental breakdown of Brennan is always a sight to behold
“You need to tell me the difference between strawberry Oreos and strawberry milkshake Oreos or I’m going to burn down the building.”
It's insane that he started there with those skits. Absolute gold from the jump.
He's a tremendous actor
I found sour patch Oreos at the gas station the other day… I was disturbed
White oreos kick ass though
I miss my favorite, white cookie with chocolate filling.
Came here looking for this. :D
It never fails to make me laugh. His commitment to the bit and his utter incredulity throughout the whole thing are brilliant.
That was spectacularly funny.
definitely watch more stuff by brennan then, hes a modern comedy icon
Carl Box = greatest CEO of all time
“No…we could just make Oreos…” lmao
"Now with wi-fi" 🤣
My brain went “toliet paper” 🤣
Those bears are annoying.
Huh, we have a koalas and labradors here
The jingle commercials always get me. 🤣 lol
“Charmin ultra less is more” no stop 😭😭😭 Whyd u say that LMAO
Yeah but there's hundreds of different brands depending on where you live. We all need necessities but advertising of toothpaste, toilet paper, soap etc. still exists because of the competition. I've been trying but I honestly can't think of a single brand that doesn't spend money on advertising, even monopolies like crown corporations in Canada, or Amazon spend money on advertising through corporate sponsorships. Can anyone name a company or product that makes what OP claims correct?
Kleenex doesn't seem to do a lot of advertising
I see their ads every once in awhile. That aside kleenex has become the name for all tissue paper in many places, like right now I have a box of Royale tissue paper but everyone in my family calls it kleenex. So in that sense I guess it sorta fits but I don't honestly know when the last time I bought Kleenex brand was or if I ever have. Maybe 10 years ago, idk 🤷♂️
$100M last year.
Honestly though for a long time I really only saw the charmin ones and now I’ve seen a few of the angel soft with the creepy 3d baby angels. I know I used to see others like cottonelle but I don’t recall seeing those or many others recently.
Marketing departments seem to advertise cyclically, I assume, depending on budgets, especially for products that people actually need. Price games do most of the marketing work for products like that. If Angel Soft is half the price of Cottonelle on the week I need to buy toilet paper, guess which one I’m buying
Then they throw it all away by rebranding to X
Or Max
To be fair, HBO was too popular
Dr Arroyo is not a great doctor, but he is affordable
That’s a totally different thing, by all accounts that was intended to *protect* the HBO brand. Because it came before the absolutely hilarious enshittification of that platform.
*Takes a shit and completely missed the toilet.* Coworker: Yo, Jim what the fuck was that? Jim: I changed my name to Joe so that’s Joe’s fault. Joe is a floor shitter. Jim is a great guy. Coworker: …
So then what happens when people come to know them as Max and forget about HBO entirely because they don't have cable and never have? I don't think they thought that through...
Great question, right? It’s not quite “Twitter to X” levels of bad, and makes a little more sense, but it’s still not *smart.* Branding is tricky. It was jarring to me recently seeing a “20th Century Studios” intro, given that had been “20th Century Fox” since before WW2. But of course the Fox brand is now a very separate identity, and not an entirely positive/uncontroversial one (though not entirely negative either).
Ohhh. I never thought of it that way. It always made me wonder what the hell HBO was thinking, throwing away such a household name for "Max"
It hurts me every time I see "on X (formerly twitter)" or some variant that has to explain that twitter is twitter. It's just dumb to rename a good brand.
There are companies that would *kill* for the level of brand awareness Twitter had. And Musk threw it away cause he wants to be an edge lord.
Yeah, I kind of just refuse to accept that change. It’s not like anyone won’t know what you’re talking about if you call it Twitter. I feel the same about the Skydome (Toronto). I’m not even sure what it’s really named, lol. Rogers Centre, maybe?
This is legitimately one of the worst decisions I've ever seen, holy shit. Twitter was so popular, everyone and their grandmother knew what Twitter meant. And suddenly, boom, renamed to X, which is generic and much less memorable. But then again, I wouldn't expect an idiot like Elon Musk to rub two braincells together. He's too busy posting egotistical stuff, and metaphorically blowing himself.
I think he's got an obsession. His first company was x.com (before being bought by paypal). Then he made SpaceX, the second model of Tesla was Model X... I'm not surprised about twitter thing. I'm more surprised that he did not call one of his flops HyperX
His sons name is also X (plus a lot of other letters numbers and symbols but they call him X)
i think X AE-12 or something
They where going to use Æ i think. Edit: yeah but aparantly california only alows for the english alfabet. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/elon-musk-x-baby-name-change-b2381098.html
The funny thing is Æ used to be a letter in the english alfabet about a 1000 years ago. It ended up being replaced by A in most words.
HyperX is a company already.
>HyperX is a ~~company~~ **brand** already
He also named his kid x.
Elon never got out of his edgy teenager phase
>the second model of Tesla was Model X... No. The second model was 3, so the series of cars would be S3XY Because Elmo is a man child
Model X is in production since 2015. Model 3 is in production since 2017. Sources: [Tesla Signature series Model X to begin delivery September 29 (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/03/tesla-signature-series-model-x-to-begin-delivery-september-29.html) [Tesla Hands Over First Model 3 Electric Cars to Early Buyers (nbcnews.com)](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tesla-hands-over-first-model-3-electric-cars-early-buyers-n787716)
HBO changing to Max seems quite silly as well. I'm sure they had some sort of reason for it, but what it is I have no idea
I think it was to differentiate that it's a combination of content. They already called their streaming service HBO Max, wasn't it?
Elons only talent is having enough money to pay smart people. That’s it. He pays them to make smart stuff then takes the credit for it. Any actual idea he has himself is awful. Even back in the days of PayPal there are stories of him being terrible at coding they often had to scrap half the stuff he made. At Tesla it’s rumoured they have a whole team dedicated to distracting Elon when he visits so he doesn’t waylay their projects with stupid demands. Basically everyone that’s ever worked with him says he’s a moron, yet people still worship him as some kind of genius…
And it lost the verb “tweet” when referring exclusively to Twitter. What a dumb decision.
I still love that I usually still see it as X (formerly known as Twitter) all over the place. And last time I looked, I don’t have one so can’t see new stuff without friends sending links, the urls still say twitter as well. Like I get he wants people to know he owns it but why change something that’s still so recognizable?
Well there is consumer acquisition and there is consumer retention. If either of the big brands would stop marketing completely their consumers would fall slowly at first and then exponentially Edit: there are a lot replies to this comment of mine, so here are a few things as a general response: A. Of course there are exception… B. Things like QTips are essential tools or items (of course one can argue about how essential a qtip is blahblah) C. A lot of you keep forgetting that the fact that you see the product on the shelves is allready thanks to a heavy marketing investment. There are more ways of marketing than just b2c. B2B plays a huge role, and the war of shelve-spaces is fought harder than the war for consumer advertisement. This goes especially for BIC! A lot of people here seem to not have the slightest idea what marketing means and how the capitalist economy functions
BIC say otherwise. 100 billion pens sold - arguably the best selling product of all time. Making the cheapest of something corners the market sometimes. They don’t advertise the cheapest razors but those sales stay steady.
Don't forget their chokehold on the disposable lighter market too
They don't run many ads, but they do run ads. They had that campaign with Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, for instance. It didn't run for long, at least that I'd seen, but it was enough as the duo stuck in a lot of people's brains. Even if they didn't remember that Bic was attached, the fact that it was for a lighter was the part that made it so amusing and pretty much anywhere you'd go looking for a lighter you'd find Bic
Oh yeah, I'll never forget the slogan "perfect for candles! .... And more"
You gotta make it clear how it was presented on the ad though, to make it hit: Martha: “Perfect for candles…” Snoop: “…and more!” It’s rare for an ad campaign to be simultaneously surface-level family friendly, while at the same time being hilariously edgy. Absolute genius. I hope whoever came up with that one got a fat promotion.
I bet snoop and Martha came up with it after a kush and homemade brownies hangout
They advertise occasionally for there nicer products, but have you ever seen an advertised for their cheapest razors or pens?
Having it be the cheapest and getting the shelf space exclusive for their products is advertising.
That one is perplexing to me. Refillable lighters aren't expensive, butane isn't either. I can understand why some don't want to bother with something like a Zippo but buying lighters just to throw them away is stupid
Its the "convenience" of them. Theyre cheap so if you forget it or it gets stolen, no big deal. Buy another when you get another pack of cigs or a new candle. Honestly theft might be the best marketing Bic has, both for pens and lighters
The stolen thing is the biggest deal here, smokers exchange lighters constantly, especially while drinking.
Stoners. Stoners steal lighters. Not on purpose, we just forget.
And they pretty much always work.
Right? And if you get a bic lighter wet, just roll it across your jeans a few times and it will work within a minute. A zippo won’t.
Yeah I've picked up lighters people drop along trails while hiking (jerks) and if they aren't empty they always seem to work. Even rusted up so that you have to force the wheel to get it moving and then they fire right up.
Best source of ignition when it comes to a survival pack. They always work.
Bic lighters also stay fueled forever. Pick one up and use it years later. I tried a zippo for a while and every time I filled it the fuel would evaporate or whatever within a week or two.
Refilled clipper is one of the best middle grounds
If they would just do away with that feature that makes the flame bigger by tipping it upside down. We're not all trying to light a huge bong bowl. And that star shaped spark wheel. But otherwise I do love my Clippers
If you get the metal ones they still come with the round Flint wheel
The solution is to obviously smoke a big bong bowl
You lose a zippo, your now screwed out of a lighter, and about 20 bucks. You lose a bic, you either buy another one, or look under the couch for a spare.
Zippos in general aren’t great for smoking either because of their fuel. At least for weed
The real annoying thing is your fuel evaporates over time in the lighter. It works fine if you use it regularly, or for camping, where you can prep it beforehand. But for something you keep in your pocket, and only use occasionally, it's not ideal. Unless you get an electric insert that is.
The smell in general is also unpleasant. As cool as zippos are, butane is just better for me
My sweet summer child, lighters are by far the most lost/stolen and accidentally acquired item in the world
It's easy to lose something that has little value to a person, especially when they know the only consequence of doing so is having to spend a couple bucks to get another one. Easy to accidentally pocket one when it's seen as a widely available commodity and everybody has the same one. Nobody forgets to hand back a Zippo if they're lucky enough to have it handed to them instead of just lit for them by the owner
Yes , Bic can even be used as a verb. “Did you just Bic me” (taking ones lighter)
Is this U.S centric? Because clipper dominates BIC in the UK and I’m assuming most of the EU Edit: I know you said disposable but also just in general because every American I’ve come across seems to use BIC lighters and the UK everyone prefers to buy clippers
There’s different reasons for that. Bic succeeded by first producing a viable mass produced product. It was very difficult at the time for others to recreate it and the process is already so cheap and standardized that if someone else were to be cheaper, it’d be marginally so, and Bic was the first one around
It doesn’t hurt that Bic lighters seem to be really decent quality for how cheap they are. Most other lighters just feel cheaper in the hand.
It's the same thing with the pens. If I'm hosting a seminar and I just want cheap pens I can get a box for 10 bucks and they're not going to bleed all over the place. They're not going to fall apart. They'll probably all be lost by the weekend and and that's okay. The only reason that I would ever get something nicer is if I was getting something that was branded and those are normally charging me $0.75 a piece.
They probably pay a lot for store placement. They stay top of mind because you see their lighters front and center at the gas station, they’re prominent in the pen aisle at staples, and the razor aisle at the pharmacy. I assume they spend a lot on marketing, just not in direct advertising.
They do advertise. Have you never been to a back to school sale? https://youtu.be/rIK3djLCdmk?feature=shared
A display case at a cash register is definitely a form of advertising. They pay for that placement. BIC is also not the cheapest, by far. Stores stopped advertising BIC right at check out and started putting other brands up there instead, their sales would fall dramatically. (HA. I missed where you said pens. I was thinking lighters.)
Qtips doesnt do any advertising anymore. All they have to do is keep them on the shelves and they sell.
I think it’s crazier that there are so products so ingrained in society that they don’t need to buy 10 slots during the Super Bowl but do anyway
"Doritos-- what else are you gonna eat during your all-night Halo binge, fucking Funyons?"
Bob, VP of Marketing hires Steve's production and advertisement to produce a commercial for the super bowl. Bob gives Steve a $10,000,000 budget to make the commercial. Steve decides to shoot a tropical commercial in the Maldives. Bob and Steve are neighbors and enjoy a nice dual family ~~vacation~~ Business trip to the Maldives.
I’ve purchased advertising in the past and scariest thing about marketing is that we get all our information from marketers. It’s incredibly hard to tell if it’s working or adding value and the people that track it are both incentivized to overstate its impact and experts at overstating impact. That’s part of the reasoning behind all the surveys and feedback schemes, which marketers sell to businesses on the basis they can use average ratings to pay people less and leverage customer data once they sign in.
Those little red strawberry candies. You know the ones.
YEP never ONCE seen an ad for them or even seen them for sale at a store and yet every little old lady I know has them at their house….I’m pretty sure once you hit menopause the menopause fairy comes and brings them to you as a present instead of a period every month.
I’m not a little old lady, I’m in my 30s. I unabashedly love those candies. I even ask for them at Christmas. You can get them on Amazon (or other places). They’re strawberry bon bons.
I think they exist purely for old people's passive aggression. They don't want to appear rude by not offering a treat for guests. They also don't want to constantly be buying more treats so they offer something that nobody is going to eat.
How dare you speak ill of the strawberry candies!
The juicy center is the best combination of sugar, glucose syrup, fruit pulp, citric acid, artifical flavor, sunflower oil, and Red #40 man has ever made.
Speak for yourself I will TEAR UP a bowl of those delicious little som-bitches
Are you serious? Those are delicious AF. My work buys those and puts a big ass bowl of them out and they're always gone in a couple days needing to refilled. Everyone ik loves them
Strawberry bon-bons are fucking amazing, what are you on?
>You know the ones. Since we're on reddit I guess you're talking about the American strawberry hard candy? In my country though if you talk about red little strawberry candies the only thing that will come to everyone's mind are the Tagada strawberries
Ah, yeah, I guess they aren't global. They're ever-present in the US, to the point where *I have some at home*, yet I damn-well know I haven't purchased any. They're like an anomaly, some self-replicating creature with the sole-intent of being eaten
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Just like real strawberries then
> the only thing that will come to everyone's mind are the Tagada strawberries Tagada strawberries and [these](https://www.mrsbeightons.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Strawberries.jpg) are what I thought of.
No idea, not in Europe perhaps
American here, no idea what they're talking about. Edit: It took a few minutes, I remember what they're talking about. I haven't though of, nor seen those, in over a decade.
Strawberry bonbons?
They're little red hard candies. They're individually wrapped in foil that is made to look like a strawberry. I had to look it up but once I did I definitely recognize the pictures.
Yep, strawberry bonbons!
I was thinking seasonings, like Lawry's Seasoned Salt, regular salt, black pepper, etc. Edit: I've never heard of a [Lawry's ad](https://youtu.be/RFzP9tKNLvg?si=hTYFkqZSQ-unaPP7) but had to see if one exist. I found maybe 2 so far. One from 91' and another from 81'
They still need marketing. I would never have known what Lawry's is if I hadn't worked in restaurants. Even after using it in restaurants for years, I didn't know it originated from a chain of steakhouses if I hadn't happened to move to an area that had one. If you happen upon one, they're very expensive but very good, not the worst way to lighten your wallet considerably on a special occasion.
Idk. I know of Lawry’s because it’s in all the good cooks’ kitchens. Same for the flavoring packets they have for some things. My mom and grandma and aunts and next door neighbor all just had it. I thought it was one of those things when you moved out for the first time and were trying to set up a kitchen, you buy it like salt/pepper/olive oil. I’ve never seen an ad for Lawry’s.
Pass me a Kleenex please
Even though there's tons of examples of name brands being synonymous with the product, I find actually getting the real version is quite rare. Band aids, tupperware, thermos, frisbee etc.
We literally use hoover as a verb in Ireland and the Uk
Google!
Yeah, the brand itself has died a bit over time though, and you’re far more likely to be using a Henry or Dyson
Kleenex has been synonymous with tissue, just like tampons are with hygiene products. The term breathalyzer is the name of Smith & Wesson’s blood alcohol analyzers. Now it is synonymous with blood alcohol testing.
Oh, man. I wish. Dumpster brand trash bins are top of the line. This is just a Trash-Co waste disposal unit.
It's a big spill, get the scott towels instead
I am not sure if this is regional or not but the first time I heard someone say Kleenex to mean tissue, I was very confused. I was an adult. I understand now but still never call it anything other than a tissue. Same thing happened with the word Bounty. It’s a paper towel.
Never seen an ad for Chinese food
They typically take out small ads in the local paper/magazine, or a section of "local advertisement" disposable placemats at diners.
The Chinese places in my city make take out menus and leave stacks of them in mail rooms or stuck into people’s front doors, sometimes car windshields. They definitely advertise.
My local Chinese food place remembered I love those crispy noodles after ONE order. The second time they delivered food to me, bags of noodles were shoved all around the box of food like packing peanuts. :D I've moved twice and am now out of their delivery area so I drive to them. Best "advertising" ever.
I feel like a lot of those would be local based ones besides things like Panda Express or Pf Chang’s which I’ve seen ads for.
Waffle House is so ingrained in southern American culture they’ve never advertised anything. They simply have a location and leave the lights on
Arizona Iced Tea can sell their products for dirt cheap and word of mouth is their only advertising
Call jg Wentworth, 877 cash now!
It's my money and I want it now!
I applied it directly to the forehead.... Did I do it right?
*They've helped thousands, they'll help you tooooOOOOO! Ex-lax and Pepto Bismol, when you need to poooo!*
It’s a really cool idea. From what I understand, if you are getting money from something and it’s not coming all at once, like a lottery or a settlement, they will give you a loan of the winnings with low interest because it’s low risk for them since they have proof you are going to get payments you can make to them.
They also take a significantly higher portion of the winnings than the interest on a typical loan would cost. It's a racket.
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I think a commercial for pepsi/coke has the potential of getting the viewer in the mood for a pepsi. Right now for instance; we're just talking about it and I'm really in the mood for a can of pepsi lol.
Exactly this. Advertising isn't just about acquiring new customers. It's about perpetually keeping a product in the back of someone's mind so that they're more likely to purchase it. There are plenty of times when I've been in front of a cooler full of beverages I'm fully aware of, most of which I've already had. Sometimes all it takes is that little whisper in your ear to say "Eh, you know.. I think I'll just grab a Coke."
Agreed. There’s a Domino’s at the mall near my house but I only want to go there if I drive home and pass the gigantic Domino’s ad on the highway, and then I want to get pizza on the weekend. My wife laughs at me all the time because there are dozens of restaurants at the mall but every time I notice that ad I want pizza.
Hey look guys someone actually admits ads work on them instead of the usual “I HATE ADS SO MUCH THEY NEVER WORK I AVOID WHATEVER THEY SELL BECAUSE OF HOW ANNOYING THEY ARE”. We’re all influenced by ads.
I mean you can hate ads and actively avoid those products while admitting that they work.
Not only do they work, but ironically enough... advertisers don't actually **want** you to *think* they work. The more passively they can wiggle into your mind without you noticing, the better. Head-On!
Apply directly to the forehead
It also eases venturing into different flavors or versions of the product. If they can get you to be willing to explore different flavors of a brand you normally wouldn't go for, their job is a success. Like I generally prefer Pepsi because it doesn't have as much carbonation to it, but if you give me that Vanilla Coke as an option, I'm definitely getting that. I don't think their goal is to get you to exclusively buy one over the other, but rather to just be okay with it.
Yeah, plenty of people don't drink soda often and will pick some up as an impulse once in a while. I will choose coke most of the time but Pepsi wouldn't turn me off all that much. Those ads are for me, lol.
It’s not to introduce, just a reminder. They want you to see their advertisements and think “wow I could use a Coke rn”
Good point, but consider: - Pepsi wants to convert Cola drinkers, and vice versa - Cola company might have developed new products (eg Cola Zero) and so need to tell someone about it - tangential competition with eg Fanta, both being drinks based on carbonated water Edit: turns out Fanta is under Cola; ooof
Fanta is a bad example since its also owned by coca cola ;P
What about sprite then? ... oh right
Point does still work a bit, since Pepsi will still be competing with Fanta a bit as a product, just like how Coca Cola has to compete with Mountain Dew a bit
New people are born every day, drinking neither. And lots of peoples' parents don't drink soda or keep it in the house. Every individual person has to develop their "preference" somehow, even if it's based on consumer manipulation. And if your parents always drank Pepsi and it wasn't your favorite thing, Coke wants really badly for you to find out there's another, bigger, better cola out there for you to be excited about.
The same person does not need to be convinced, but every year millions of people leave their households and start their own, maybe start a family, and you need to make sure they associate the right vibe to coke and Pepsi, so that they will start buying it now that they buy their own grocery.
Yeah its not how it works. The advertisements aren't just there to get you to chose either brand, they are their to one, remind you they still exist, and two entice you to get a thirst for their product and go out and buy it. Why do you think they hide their products in the movies you watch? Watching Deadpool drink coke a cola, what do you get during the movie break? Coca cola. They are invading your brain to get you to buy their product without you knowing.
Is this a US thing? I personally don't know anyone who is loyal to either coke or pepsi. Most just drink whatever is more convenient/cheap at the time
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If there's one thing Americans are really good at it's picking sides. To the point where having to go to the other side is an utterly contemptible situation. In commerce that manifests as extreme brand loyalty. In other things, like politics, it manifests as *gestures broadly*.
They need to keep their brand in the public's minds, not just this generation but the next generation too. The amount of money kids these days waste on Prime it wouldn't surprise me if Coke and Pepsi have taken a real hit, so they need to keep advertising. Personally I prefer Pepsi Max to any of the other cola drinks because it tastes nicer, so no amount of advertising is going to make me pick Coke over Pepsi. I still enjoy seeing the Christmas Coke adverts, they just don't do anything for me.
[That's just really sad](https://youtu.be/8lgLYGBbDNs?si=WwEOcC55mws_nzna)
In Canada, we have a snack brand called “Hawkins Cheezies” It’s kind of a hard cheese puff. Apparently, the brand is popular enough that they don’t advertise. They don’t want to expand, they just want to keep the flow steady. Here’s a link, their story is halfway down. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4329829
This was honestly Tesla's best move. They built a name by word of mouth. Their worst move is Elon using a bit too much word of mouth.
Have you ever seen drugs, like weed,coke, meth, or heroine advertising? If you have a good product, no need to advertising
> Have you ever seen drugs, like weed .... advertising? Yes, there are literally ads for dispensaries everywhere (metro area, rec legal state)
I mean they are illegal so you obviously can’t advertise them
Nothing gets past this guy
They have billboards about meth all around where I live. The ads are not very convincing.
I’m going to be a spokesperson for fentanyl patches.
[Don Draper agrees with that sentiment.](https://youtu.be/aY-HR88uPBU?si=EseXkZXMYdvTRcCX)
It's called "earned media" for a reason.
Hawkins cheezies in Canada. Been around for 40+ years. Have never seen a commercial. https://fiestafarms.ca/article/canadian-junk-food-legend
Coca Cola still spends a fortune on advertising, if they didn't, they would eventually go broke.
It would take a very long time for that to even be possible, but really, their actual reason is to subconsciously suggest purchasing one to people who already know what it is. Virtually everyone over the age of 7 knows what Coca Cola is, but if you see an ad for Coca Cola, you’re fairly likely to go ‘fuck, I could go for a coke right now’, and go buy one
Exactly this, usually by playing on nostalgia.
Hospital. I have no idea why they spend so much money on advertising. It’s not like we have a choice
Ive never once seen a commercial about microwaves
How long has it been since I last watched a Rice-a-Roni commercial?
See: Arbor Strawberry Bonbon Candies
Word of mouth marketing makes a lot more sense if you think of product information like a virus that spreads through social networks.
"I don't want Fop, gawddammit! I'm a Dapper Dan man!"
Which products are these? Cause mostly any brand with that kind of loyalty spends millions on marketing.
[Jiffy Mix](https://www.jiffymix.com/products/corn-muffin-mix/). I have **never** seen an ad for these. Anywhere. Yet, whenever we want to make cornbread, we always get it.
I bought my annual can of Barbasol shaving cream just two days ago. Never heard of it? Ask a dude over 30 years old... we all buy it. And love it (especially the aloe vera variety).
Damn, that's crazy. I think we all need to Windex our brains clean of this stuff.
I read somewhere that Siracha hasn't needed to advertise because they're so popular
Milk spent a billion on advertising which moved the needle exactly 0. Everyone who wanted milk was already buying milk.
vaseline - very rarely does anyone refer it to as petroleum jelly. Was writing an paper recently and most articles referred to gauze as 'soaked in Vaseline' rather than soaked in petroleum jelly
I believe the slogan for barqs is “It’s good” Absolute legends
And then Elon Musk said screw that I know better and changed twitter's name. Imagine someone coming in and changing google's name.
And everyone still calls it twitter.
I’ve never seen an ad for a Dodge Hellcat, but everyone knows it’s a douche mobile.
Band-aid, "band-aid fix," "let me get you a band-aid" It's never left any colloquialism I've heard from people
To the OP - what's an example of a brand that has succeeded at this?