ØØ2: DASH Water
In combat sports, you compete in a designated weight class.
If you weigh 155 lbs, you compete against others who weigh 155 lbs. Going up or down in weight is possible by losing water weight or bulking up, though the same principle applies. Despite this one caveat, you'll never be thrown into a ring with someone who is 50 lbs heavier or lighter than you.
Imagine a 225 lbs man fighting a 125 lbs man.
Would that be fair?
The punching, kicking and grappling strength of the man who weighs 100 lbs more would outmatch his opponent a 100 matches out of a 100.
Relating this analogy to marketing, nearly the complete opposite is true.
Let me explain.
Apple competes with Microsoft. Pepsi competes with Kelloggs. Revenue-wise, they're all competing against each other.
However, there are tons of small brands who are competing against them. They're fighting against brands echelons above them. Is it fair? No. Nothing in business is.
Despite employee counts and quarterly earnings reports, nearly anything goes in the world of marketing. You've seen it before: a car manufacturer will make an ad where they’re out-racing, out-comforting another car manufacturer whilst using the competitors car in the ad.
Yet, you never see any of them punching down to any small brands. It would be foolish to do so. For this simple reason: why give them any free press?
For small brands, nearly anything goes. It's like David versus Goliath. You won't topple any giants with a single ad campaign, but you can generate a substantial amount of buzz by attacking them correctly.
This is what DASH Water did the other week.
At first glance, I liked this ad.
As I swirled it around, like wine trying to understand its body and hidden notes, I spat it out and requested a new bottle.
In this case, I request a new ad.
This ad stubbed Goliath's toe, and the masses claimed it as a victory.
In my opinion, you can only do something for the first time once, and in this case, it should've gone all the way.
It should've gone for the jugular.
Today's ad rewrite is for DASH Water.
ØØ2: DASH Water
“So, Adrian, what would going for the jugular look like?”
I'm glad you asked, bud.
That “C” in the image above is Coca-Cola.
Sure, the font was slightly tweaked for copyright reasons, but that letter and color scheme are ingrained in every child's brain, so no one’s scratching their head, wondering, “what’s that?”
The original ad reads their trademark slogan, which I'd argue means they're playing it safe while attacking the beast. This makes zero sense.
The best angle is simple: attack them for diabetes.
Here are the two ads I created that do just that.
Advert number 1:
And, advert number 2:
If you're considering punching up, aim for the neck.
Or else don’t do it.
'Til next time,
Adrian
