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Great State Wheat Flakes Can’t Be Beat Essay

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Great State Wheat Flakes Can’t be Beat Betty, who has been employed for three years as a copywriter for HK&M, a mid-size advertising agency specializing in consumer packaged goods, has been feverishly working for the past week on a new ad campaign for Great State's wheat flakes, a regional breakfast cereal. The account has been with the agency for several years. Although Charlie, the brand manager on this cereal, has been pleased with the agency's work over the years, the old positioning, which stressed taste attributes and fun-filled family breakfasts, has become tired and dated. Marketing research shows a high degree of consumer wearout—people are tired of the campaign, even annoyed with it, and are ready for something …show more content…

In fact, blind taste tests have shown that between 70 and 80 per cent of consumers cannot identify their favorite brand of wheat flakes and that loyalty levels are low -- with price incentives consumers will readily switch brands. Charlie, obviously irritated, explained that his tag linewas an honest exaggeration, what the advertising trade termed "puffing," and that consumers are expected to see through it. He felt that it offered the point of difference needed to increase brand loyalty. Betty, feeling uneasy, later that day approached her boss Steve, the copy chief at HK&M, asking his counsel. Steve explained that Charlie's suggested slogan is what is called an "implied superiority" claim.
Steve explained that such claims are commonly made for commodity brands. They stake out a parity position, which does not claim to be superior to, but only as good as, other brands, while using copy that suggests or implies superiority for the named brand. He cited several current and classical examples, such as "Nothing else cleans better," "The maximum fluoride protection in any toothpaste,” "You can't beat the savings,” "You can't buy a more effective pain reliever," and “Nothing is proven to work better or last longer.” In effect, these brands are claiming that they are

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