Do the VO, music, and bold visuals in the ads below (see previous post), seem vaguely familiar? Anthemic ads are back in fashion, as a recession solution to drive sales and reengineer stale brand imagery. Beyond the overall message, which is similar in both ads, it’s the strategy behind the ads that is identical - empowering young consumers, Millennials for the most part, through their first big recession. Although the eldest of this generation were alive during the early 80’s recession, they were too young to really understand it. Millennials are a generation that came into their own during a time of economic prosperity and were born to boomers, who spoiled them with more than a few material items. They are independent minded, but in many cases don’t act very independent. Now that many are on their own, the recession is causing them to make tougher decisions, not as much as say the Gen Xer with a family, but more than they’ve had to make before. A recent culprit of anthemic advertising to Millennials is Miracle Whip.
 
Touted as Miracle Whip’s “hipster” ad campaign and mocked by Stephen Colbert, the spot below doesn’t focus on the health attributes of the product, which has half the fat and calories of regular mayonnaise, but instead on Millennial’s form of self expression. Miracle Whip even went as far as to create a branded social application dubbed Zingr, which works with Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, Mazda has plunged into the social world of Millenials in its launch of the 2010 Mazda 3. The spot below incorporates Facebook pages, street art, tattoos and a pair of Chucks, all depicting the new Mazda 3 checkered motif. Although some automotive brands have advertised to the Millennial demographic in various nuances, Mazda is the first to cater to this generation. In fact, Mazda went a step further with a MySpace takeover last week, which allowed visitors to download free music and explore the 2010 Mazda 3 online. Justin Smith, the interactive director at Mazda’s agency of record, Donner, explained, “The youth market doesn’t like to be advertised to and this creates a way that invites them to experience the Mazda3. It gives them value for their attention.”
 
VO from both ads - switch the pronouns and voilà, virtually interchangeable.
 

 
Levis “Go Forth” campaign that debuted last year, can be put in the anthemic ad genre as well. Although it’s stylistically different, edgier, and draws on history rather than the “now,” it still applies to Millennials. Its use of Walt Whitman’s motivational poem, “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” which speaks to pioneers, not just of the old American west, but those that “say no to a life of ease and complacency” and “blaze their own trail,” embodies the same anthemic and empowering character as the Mazda and Miracle Whip ads.
 
Although I’m not a fan of anthemic ads, I give credit to these brands for being different and actually trying to engage a younger demographic on their terms, rather than the brand’s. Given the nature of the economy and the growing purchasing power of Millennials, I believe we’re going to see a lot more of these ads to come.