OpEd
Dear Bud Light, “No” Means Not #UpForWhatever
It’s no secret that consent has been an issue plaguing not only America but the world as a whole, with extra attention being drawn to this issue in the past decade. This is largely in part due to the rise of the #MeToo movement. Many brands have sought to position themselves as advocates for victims of sexual assault and rape, emphasizing the importance of clear consent and the importance of respecting the word “no”. Bud Light’s #UpForWhatever campaign began in 2014 intending to promote a carefree, spontaneous lifestyle so how did they find themselves embroiled in accusations of perpetuating rape culture in 2015? The answer is simple and can be found in one of the 140 slogans printed on Bud Light cans during this campaign: "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night.” Although Bud Light intended to use this campaign to encourage their audience to let loose and have fun, viewers were quick to call the brand out for promoting rape culture and diminishing the value of the word “no.”
Correlation Between Alcohol Use and Sexual Assault
Alcohol lowers one's inhibitions and oftentimes is involved in unsafe, risky decisions. Bud Light’s #UpForWhatever campaign is clearly promoting alcohol consumption and they must be held accountable to promote ideals that align with safe alcohol consumption. The slogan "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night" can undeniably be misconstrued and deemed to be promoting dangerous, forceful sexual conduct. An article titled Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault highlights that alcohol consumption by both perpetrators and victims occurs in anywhere from 81-97% of sexual assault instances. Not only does alcohol consumption occur in an alarming amount of instances of sexual assault, but it’s also frequently used to diminish the victim’s credibility. Perpetrators often use the defense that they and the victim were both drunk when the incident occurred in an attempt to deflect the sinister elements of their actions. Another common defense used by perpetrators is that the victim was too drunk to recall the events correctly, which discredits the victim and the trauma they have experienced. These tactics can deter victims from speaking up as they fear they won’t be believed and contribute to the phenomenon of victim-blaming. We’ve all heard someone say “Well maybe if she (or he) wasn’t so intoxicated that wouldn’t have happened.”
How Have Advertisements Impacted America's Views on Sexual Assault?
Advertisements have a lasting impact on viewers and every company should be aware of the impact their messaging can have. The sexualization of both women and men, though mainly women, is not a new trend in advertising. Sexualization has become normalized in advertising, particularly alcohol-related ads. The Journal of Health Communication comments on the correlation portrayed in alcohol advertisements between alcohol and “sexual success,” which further perpetuates rape culture and deters bystanders from intervening and stopping sexual assault from occurring. Even though the slogan was only a portion of Bud Light’s campaign, its impact is not to go unnoticed. Latent Sexism in Print Ads Increases Acceptance of Sexual Assault stated that subliminal sexist messaging in advertisements increases acceptance of sexual assault. Even though that is not the message they’re intending to communicate, alcohol brands must be held accountable for the promotion and increased acceptance of sexual assault that their messages send.
It can be argued that sexualization in advertising is so normalized that it doesn’t impact the audience. We see advertisements of practically naked women and men countless times every day on various platforms. These images are everywhere. If these images really contributed to sexual assault being normalized, wouldn’t everyone be committing sexual assault? No. We as humans often believe that others share the same lens when it comes to looking at the world around us and morals, but that is incorrect. We also tend to believe that advertisements don’t hold much power over us, we make our own decisions. This is also false. Advertising holds the power to influence what we believe, what we purchase, and what we know.
Unfortunately, sexual assault and victim-blaming are not going to ever be completely eradicated from society, but that doesn’t mean we should give up and accept that these things just happen. It is our duty to check our own morality and make sure we understand consent and boundaries. We cannot continue to use alcohol as a means to justify or perpetuate sexual assault. We must all do our part to hold ourselves and those around us accountable for our actions and perceptions. Advertising professionals are no exception to this. There is a social and moral responsibility that they must uphold to contribute to the betterment of society and to promote safe messages to consumers. Hopefully, brands, specifically alcohol ones, will recognize the impact they have on consumers and put an end to the unintentional perpetuation of sexual assault. They must be explicitly clear with their messaging to avoid scenarios similar to the one Bud Light found themselves embroiled in.
Executive Summary
KauKauna Cheese Campaign
KauKauna Cheese was created in 1933 and is part of the Bel Brand. KauKauna Cheese is well known within the Midwest and Southwest regions, as they’re the #1 leading brand of cheese balls and logs. With many lifelong consumers, they’ve become an aging brand, struggling to connect with a younger demographic. The younger demographic doesn’t see KauKauna as center-piece worthy cheese and cheese balls and logs have generally lost their popularity. KauKauna wants to regain relevancy of their cheese balls and logs with the younger generation of entertainers. Although they are the leading brand for cheese balls and logs, KauKauna suffers from two major problems on a national scale, a lack of awareness within the target audience and distribution is limited mainly to the Midwest. KauKauna’s strength is not only their status as number one but also their wide variety of flavors.
Insights and Objectives
KauKauna is seeking to increase brand awareness and reintroduce their cheese balls and logs as center-piece worthy to the younger entertainers. Currently KauKauna is perceived as a high-quality, shaped cheese brand for your grandparents. Throughout this campaign KauKauna is targeting the put-together hostess, women aged 23-49 that love to entertain and bring people together for Superbowl parties, charcuterie boards and wine nights, really any excuse to host. Our goal is to increase social media awareness by 5% and Millennial purchase intent by 10%. Some of the key insights highlight that almost half of the population is still missing large gatherings and the socialization they bring, as well as that 46% of Superbowl viewers are women. An insight into the target demographic’s social media habits shows that charcuterie boards and food trends have become wildly popular. Our in-person survey showed that 100% of respondents like charcuterie boards.
Strategy
KauKauna wants to capitalize on these insights and rebrand as the cheese that entertains. The strategy is to increase awareness through flavor innovation, social media campaigns and various pop-up events with the “KauKauna Kruiser”. The campaign includes social media charcuterie board contests hosted by Emily Mariko, a viral food content producer, a football-shaped buffalo bacon flavor release in conjunction with the Superbowl, and the “KauKauna Kruiser”, a pop-up truck both featuring both Emily Mariko and NFL and Food Network star, Eddie Jackson. Social media content will increase awareness right in time for the launch of the football shaped buffalo bacon cheese ball and the pop-up truck. By creating a football shaped flavored cheese, combined with interactive social media challenges and the pop-up truck, KauKauna will prove to consumers that their place is center stage for any event or gathering.
Timing and Why This Works
By beginning with social media, KauKauna will first be able to rebrand and establish their presence within the target demographic. For the second quarter of the campaign they will build excitement around the Super Bowl and limited edition cheese release by introducing the “KauKauna Kruiser” various national pop-up events. The fourth and final quarter will conclude with the Super Bowl release of the football shaped cheese and a social media Super Bowl charcuterie board contest. This works because the target market will be reintroduced to balls and logs and see KauKauna in a new light. The engaging strategies will allow a new demographic to connect with KauKauna and increase the incentive to purchase their cheese for the consumer’s next gathering.