Need a way to really get into a kids head? Create an annoyingly catchy slogan. General Mills took their already successful lines of Trix cereal and Yoplait yogurt to create the Trix-Yoplait yogurt that was advertised as a yogurt exclusively for kids. This strategy was able to create a product that appealed to young children who would then beg and plead for their parents to buy it for them. The campaign had a series of commercials that had the talking face of Trix, Trix Rabbit the talking cartoon rabbit, create a scheme in order to steal the fruit flavored, amazingly colorful, life changing yogurt from a group of kids.
Many times the clever rabbit would be in disguise in order to steal the yogurt, the rabbit was found in outfits such as a safari guide, a painter or a totem pole. Each time the plan was different and many times the rabbit would get caught by the kids who every time would crush its dreams by telling it, “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids!”
This slogan that was first used for the cereal and then continued on to also be used during the campaign for the yogurt extension is one that is unforgettable. Throughout my years growing up watching TV stations such as Nickelodeon and Disney channel, I would begin to get excited to watch the rabbit’s new intricate plan and the exposure to the slogan each time lead it to be cemented into my memory. I also think that the idea to create a yogurt that was limited to just children was a smart way to target a new market and make a healthy snack more fun.
Another ad campaign that had a clever slogan and memorable character is Orbit Gum. Orbit is a company the started in the UK and was introduced to the US in 2001. Since 2001 they have had a series of commercials that include a hilarious storyline that has some sort of reference to a “dirty mouth” and at the end of the scene the British Gum Girl appears and says the famous line, “Have a dirty mouth? Fabulous!”, displays a new flavor of Orbit and ends the commercial with their slogan, “for a good clean feeling no matter what!”
The humorous jokes in all of the commercials made me enjoy watching them rather than yearning to press the fast forward button. The campaign went on throughout my childhood but one that sticks out the most came out when I was in middle school. It begins with two co-workers canoodling in an office when all of a sudden the girlfriend comes barging in. She begins to make insults to the two in the office that sound very similar to common curse words, but are not explicit, such as “son of a biscuit eating bulldog” and “lint licker.” An important aspect that you may miss is that throughout the entire scene all three of them are chewing gum. In the end, the British Gum Girl appears and is pleased because the gum was successful in “cleaning up another dirty mouth.” As a middle schooler I thought this was hilarious because there were so many connotations to a variety of words I wasn't allowed to use.
I believe that this campaign was successful for similar reasons as the Trix-yogurt campaign. The use of humor, a catchy slogan and a consistent character leads to an image that is easily remembered. I personally loved this series of commercials because of the variety and how hilariously ridiculous some of the story lines were. Orbit did a very good job of creating very entertaining commercials while still effectively displaying their product.
The last advertisement that became a part my childhood memories is that of Disneyworld. Every child from the around the ages 3-12 has an ample amount of knowledge about each of the Disney Princesses and cries every time that Bambi’s mother dies. As a child of the 90’s, I still remember when I finally learned how to work the VCR in order to watch all my favorite Disney movies whenever I wanted, but learning the fast forward and rewind features took a little bit longer. When I think about the hours I spent watching the various movies, the classic Disneyworld commercial pops into my head.
At the beginning, the commercial has two young boys who are pushing and pulling a suitcase the size of the two of them combined. While helping him pack, the big brother is giving his little brother advice about Disneyworld, like telling him not to over do the rides in the morning because he will be “sleeping like a baby by lunch time” and that “goofy is HUGE.” Then in the end they haphazardly throw too many clothes into the huge suitcase and sit on it to try and close it, packing for a trip that is still 3 weeks away.
This particular commercial stuck with me because of it is very realistic and I was able to relate to it easily. Anyone with siblings would also have a very strong connection to this commercial, being the youngest in my family I would always look up to my older brother for advice as the younger boy is doing here. Also, I would watch it before each movie I would watch which contained all of my favorite characters and when I was a young child, I would of done anything to be able to meet them in person (plus Goofy was one of my favorite characters and he is referenced). The placement of the commercial played a big role in my experience of watching Disney films as I am sure it did for many kids my age as well.