Cosby built his brand through comedic performances and endorsements that opened doors for brands to market to African American consumers.
He starred in The Cosby Show, an upper middle class family sitcom. This show also spawned college-themed spinoff A Different World.
Cosby also created the groundbreaking animated children’s television show Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids for children aged 6-9 that tackled social and educational topics.
The Jell-O Campaign
Jell-O, an iconic gelatin and pudding manufacturer, has unveiled an exciting and convenient dessert to consumers: Jell-O. The new campaign targets families and celebrates children’s delightful honesty through social media posts using #delightfullyhonest hashtag. Additionally, recipes using Jell-O Simply Good gelatins and puddings will also be featured within ads, while showing just how fast and simple making desserts is!
JELL-O first launched its advertising campaign in 1902 with magazine and newspaper ads touting their product as America’s favorite dessert, featuring recipes using their products as illustrated by legendary artists such as Norman Rockwell. Soon thereafter, radio programs like The Jack Benny Show and Lucille Ball’s My Favorite Husband ran commercials featuring JELL-O.
Early advertising campaigns were highly successful at raising brand recognition. At this time, Jell-O began targeting women and families due to an increasing number of housewives and the rise of feminism – two trends which helped shift its image as an item intended for homemakers as comfort food.
In the 1950s, sales of Jell-O products skyrocketed due to an increasing emphasis on female household responsibilities as servants became less available; many turned to convenience foods such as Jell-O for quick meals and desserts.
By the 1970s, sales of Jell-O had begun to decline due to feminism and women’s equality movements; people also increasingly favoring low fat/high fiber foods as an eating trend. Jell-O attempted to renew its brand image by hiring comedian Bill Cosby as its representative; his campaigns proved highly successful at reinvigorating interest in Jell-O.
Over the last several years, sales of one product have declined due to ads focused on adults rather than children. To combat this decline, however, the company is trying to realign its marketing efforts by hiring key personnel and developing engaging ads.
The McDonald’s Campaign
Brands possess immense power that goes far beyond just their name and product offering. How they interact with consumers can have lasting impacts on their attitudes and values.
Bill Cosby was a master brand builder who left an indelible mark on entertainment culture through comedy and television performances, celebrity endorsement, product placement, and product promotion for products like White Owl cigars, Jell-O pudding pops, Del Monte fruits, Ford cars, E. F. Hutton & Company Coca-Cola products and Kodak products he promoted as celebrity spokespersons.
His television work made him a household name and propelled his career forward. The Cosby Show broke barriers by depicting an affluent black family led by Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad). This representation had an impactful influence on future TV shows while challenging traditional gender roles within society.
While Cosby was beloved to generations of fans, sexual assault allegations cast a shadow over his legacy. Public apologies alone weren’t enough to undo damage caused by these claims, leading many of his fans to distance themselves from him and ultimately drop their support of him altogether.
Social media and consumer-driven news narratives require brands to understand the speed with which things can change; celebrities can become victims of swift-flowing misreporting that leads to lawsuits against them.
McDonald’s has been hit especially hard by the Cosby scandal, as its fan base is very sensitive about how companies handle their personal information.
McDonald’s continues to make waves in the industry despite controversy. Their “Raise Your Arches” campaign garnered widespread social media interest due to its unique and quirky approach in marketing their new chicken sandwich product.
This YouTube video, featuring various individuals from diverse backgrounds, quickly went viral. Its upbeat music and vibrant visuals created an enjoyable viewing experience that appealed to viewers of all ages – a prime example of creating creative advertisements that reach a wide audience while still effectively marketing specific products.
The Ford Campaign
Bill Cosby was renowned for his successful entertainment career that brought immense wealth and a lasting legacy, yet his personal life was dogged by controversy with several women accusing him of sexual assault and his professional achievements being eclipsed by this scandal. It served to mar his reputation and overshadow his professional successes but Bill’s story also serves as an important reminder of the delicate balance between personal and professional success.
Ford’s new campaign seeks to go beyond traditional tactics by placing emphasis on the people behind its vehicles rather than on them directly. To do this, videos featuring people passionate about Ford and their hobbies were released with the aim of showing how Ford vehicles help achieve these dreams – this campaign even features celebrities like actor Sydney Sweeney, stunt driver Dee Bryant and surfer Kai Lenny in its videos!
Designed to reach adventurous customers in the Northwestern United States, this campaign takes an innovative approach. Videos featuring people caught in precarious situations – animal attacks or harsh weather conditions among them – demonstrate that Ford vehicles offer an escape route out of these situations. These videos were produced by advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy and shot on location in Oregon and Columbia River Gorge.
The ad also emphasizes the significance of building and maintaining strong relationships with your customers. It stresses the need to listen carefully to customer feedback and use it to design products tailored specifically to them, in order to provide superior customer experiences for them.
The Ford Ad also emphasizes their dedication to manufacturing in America and their unbreakable connection with it, while highlighting that Ford designs, engineers, and builds more vehicles in America than any other automaker. This message is especially poignant at a time of economic instability and political unpredictability in our nation. Shot by director Logan Schneider himself, this commercial shows various clips showing people striving hard to build lives through difficult times.
The Coca-Cola Campaign
Sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby completely upended his entertainment empire, jeopardizing millions in projects and endorsement fees for years to come. Not only was Cosby an actor and comedian; he was also known for cultivating an image promoting positive values such as following one’s heart and being good citizens. Cosby’s sex scandal illustrates the delicate balance companies must find between engaging consumers while being socially responsible in today’s complex, consumer-centric market environment.
Brands looking to survive and prosper in today’s environment must stay close to their customers, understanding their nuances and crafting messages and content that resonates with them on a deeper level. By creating long-term loyalty from consumers through deeper interactions, brands can increase brand recognition while standing out from competition – one effective strategy being localizing marketing campaigns with each region’s cultural context and language in mind.
Coke’s Share a Coke campaign was tailored specifically for different regions by including images of local celebrities and tailoring its message according to each country’s culture and language. This allowed it to establish more significant presence across markets while further engaging its target audience.
Cosby may still promote an innocent and healthy lifestyle, but his legacy will likely never recover completely in today’s climate. Unfortunately, allegations against him have caused irreparable damage and it will take years before public trust returns in him again.
As allegations against Cosby continue to reverberate throughout popular culture, many institutions that once honored him have begun distancing themselves from his influence. Most notably, Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio covered up his name after receiving a donation from his estate; although this decision was contentious at best. Coke has managed to weather this storm by staying true to their core values while staying connected to its consumers; they remain an iconic brand despite recent turmoils.
