Fernet Branca: Marketing to the Masses... in Midtown?

I’ve noticed something strange around midtown lately.  To be clear, when I say strange, I mean incongruent with my perception of the brand.  OOH ads have been popping up street level in parking garages and subway platforms in the midtown Manhattan neighborhoods, advertising Fernet Branca. 

I can’t imagine anyone reading this being unfamiliar with the product, but just in case, this is not a brand that has mass appeal or even awareness.  In an interview to eater.com, the amazing Boston brand ambassador Kirsten Amann (who I took a class from at the2012 MCC), gives a great description of Fernet Branca as “a bitter herbal liqueur that's consumed in Italy as a digestif. It's designed to settle your stomach after a meal.  It's really herbaceous, too — there's forty different herbs and spices,” and in that same interview goes onto explain that she either warns people that it’s ‘yucky’ and has to cajole the Boston bros into trying a shot by emasculating them if they don’t.   So yea, not really a mass product right now, but apparently Fernet Branca wants to change that.  Let’s take a look at the campaign.

Creative:  The ad features a woman, holding a glass of Fernet Branca dressed in a 1950s getup that was most likely purchased at Betty Paige.  The 1940s don’t see to have a strong tie to the brand, so it’s already starting with a little bit of a disconnect, but at least she’s an attractive model.  The setting is a non-descript cocktail bar, which at least makes sense with the ‘bartenders best friend.’ The copy reads: “Fernet-Branca: Shockingly Unique.  Fernet-Branca is like nothing you’ve ever tasted.  It’s strong, aggressive and not for the easily intimidated; but the closely guarded secret recipe rewards the adventurous with a bold taste, and leaves you feeling revitalized and alive.  Try a shot of Fernet-Branca and you’ll experience the 40 herbs and spices that give it a natural and unique taste.”

While I don’t think the copy is bad, it does not link up with the visual.  At least we can say it’s being used consistently, as this same ad appears in advertisements, on the brand sell sheet, recipe page and in social media.

Media: The media placement for this product is off as well.  I spend much of my M-F in Midtown Manhattan, and am quite familiar with the bars that are frequented for happy hour.  Many of them don’t carry Fernet.  Midtown also becomes unpopulated (with the exception of tourists) on the weekends.  These would be better placed in the cocktail centric neighborhoods of the East Village, LES and Brooklyn.  Look up the closest subway stops to Milk & Honey, PDT, Attaboy, Death & Co., Dram, Extra Fancy… place the ads there!  For an OOH advertisement, marketing best practices state the visual should be king to communicate the message concisely and quickly.  Unfortunately there is too much copy and  the Fernet-Branca bottle far too small to raise brand awareness.  I’m sure most people that glance at this will not be able to takeaway the brand being advertised let alone key massaging.  This ad from Denmark could be repurposed in NY, and would likely resonate better and with a stronger effect.

Social: Looking at the brand social presence though, they are mostly doing great:

• Facebook: 1,733,559 likes, is enviable for any brand.  The engagement rate is only 2%, although this is better than many brands; and the brand posts seem to be relevant and often feature open-ended questions encouraging engagement
• Instagram:  2,111 Instagram fans, and this seems to be an area where they could improve; even by using the FB pictures they post
• Twitter: 8,624 followers is great, as the brand seems to engage a lot by responding to tagged posts and joining the conversation
• Pinterest: No presence

In terms of digital ad placements, no sign of digital media being used.  This is a bit surprising, as it’s the easiest channel to use for targeting.  Even so, we can see a steady increase in awareness and interest, in terms of search:

In sum, Fernet Branca already knows there is just enough resistance to overcome, that once a person crosses that threshold they are a fan for life.  Eater.com put it best, “They hate it until they love it.”  People are hearing about the product, which is poised to take the next step in terms of growth.  I am in agreement with the on-premise focus to get people to first try the product, the first step on the way to becoming an advocate.  

Recommendation: They could improve by placing media more strategically, and being smarter about the OOH creative to more quickly communicate the brand message; start using digital to connect with tastemakers.  Use branded search by buying keywords of top accounts, so in Boston if someone searches for The Franklin or Starlite, they get a branded message suggesting a Fernet & Cola when they go out. Optimize social so the conversation is the same on all channels.

My last suggestion is to give me a coin.  This is unlikely to move any more product as I crossed the threshold a while ago, and am a huge advocate for and frequent imbiber of the brand. I just selfishly want one. *wink