Smothering Sunday
Analysis of MotherÂ’s Day-themed adverts in the national media highlights that 78% of ads focused purely on price to generate quick sales, failing to build on customer relationships.
The research from marketing agency {united}’s Value-Values Tracker, a planning tool that monitors price-driven marketing campaigns against values-based communications, reviewed the national media in the week running up to Mother’s Day and found that only 3 per cent of ads centred on brand values that evoke a more emotional response from consumers.
The Value-Values Tracker demonstrates that brands have upped their emphasis on price bombardment compared to Valentine’s Day by 14 per cent. Similarly, value-based ads have declined by over 10 per cent. The Co-op has continued to abandon its usual values-based stance to opt for price-orientated advertising, while Sainsbury’s shunned a combination of values and value to adopt a price-only emphasis.
Some of the unexpected findings included Pandora, which invited readers to a special event to celebrate Mother’s Day, while Body Shop threw out its usual values-based beliefs in place for price.
Elly Woolston, client partner, {united}, said, “It’s somewhat surprising that the majority of brands are choosing to go with price-driven Mother’s Day campaigns in the national media. Mother’s Day is a respectful celebration, a ‘Thank You’, and therefore a day that should be thoughtful rather than based on discounts and promotions. It is even more shocking that an increased number of brands used a solely discount-based campaign than they did for Valentine’s Day – a day that is notoriously more commercial.
“Adding beliefs as well as, or instead of, price-led communications can evoke a deeper connection with customers – one that in the long-run is likely to lead to increased loyalty. M&S should be congratulated for, yet again, choosing a joint value and values-based approach. Through the ‘Dine in for four’ campaign, the retailer is giving good deals on quality products, while also adding a little extra through promoting eating in as a family.”
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