The Heinz ketchup bottle I used over the weekend has a “How Do You Happy?” label on it. Heinz wants you to interact, to share what makes you happy or so I think that’s what it wants you to do, it wasn’t very clear.
Heinz, rather, whatever agency behind the not-so-creative idea is appealing to the mass that uses ketchup, but it doesn’t transfer over well. Not every ketchup user is happy, wants to be happy or cares to share what makes them happy – they just want some ketchup with their fries.
Budweiser has made some wacky commercials. The ones that stand out to me are the Wassup commercials. At the time of the commercials, the phrase “Wasssuppp” was the most popular term Budweiser drinkers used, not all, but enough to make a commercial about it. “Wasssupp” became a trigger for drinking Bud.
Heinz is attempting to turn what makes you happy into a trigger for wanting to use Heinz ketchup. While you can’t argue happiness isn’t universal, trying to get millions of people to associate a bottle of ketchup with their own happiness isn’t logical because everyone’s answer to what their happy is is different.
What’s the difference between “Wasssupp” and “How Do you Happy?” – a shared experience. Budweiser took a common phrase said by Budweiser drinkers (and beer drinkers in general) and turned it into a trigger. When someone says “Wassupp,” you think of Budweiser. When I say what’s your happy? Ketchup isn’t up there.
The guideline: treat different customers differently. Understand what they value, not in terms of personal happiness, but in terms of their desired experience. Bud is better to drink with your buddies. Ketchup isn’t better to eat when you’re doing what makes you happy, unless of course, eating fries is your life’s purpose.
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