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""The value of seeing the whole forest," the company's ad says. "By the
parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris International and Philip
Morris
USA."
SF Gate
www.sfgate.com
Warm, fuzzy, corporate
David Lazarus
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
In most ads, a company is trying to sell you a product, or a brand, or
some oxymoronic notion of corporate philosophy (as if the pursuit of
profit wasn't credible self-justification in a capitalist marketplace).
But flipping through a recent copy of the New Yorker -- the Sept. 5
issue, to be precise -- I came across several ads for leading companies
that spoke to a relatively new trend in corporate outreach.
Although the companies in question collectively touch nearly all U.S.
consumers and are together worth billions of dollars, they're not
selling products here, or their respective brands, or even a clear
declaration of philosophy.
What these companies -- Chevron, Altria and Starbucks -- are selling is
their own thoughtfulness.
"They're trying to elevate the conversation above what it is they do,"
said Steve Manning, managing director of Igor, a San Francisco brand
consultant. "They want to be thought of as something bigger than just
goods and services."
This approach, he added, should be a red flag for most consumers.
"Honest people don't tell you they're honest," Manning observed. "Cool
people don't say that they're cool. We should all be wondering why
these guys feel a burning need to tell us how good they are."
The first ad that caught my attention was a two-page spread for San
Ramon oil giant Chevron. Similar versions have appeared recently in
other publications (including this one).
The ad depicts a bulletin board with a variety of images tacked on,
most related to energy and exploration, along with, for reasons that
aren't clear, a prominent photo of smiling black children.
"The world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered,"
the ad says. "So is this something you should be worried about?"
Chevron offers no direct answer to its own question. But it indicates
that a transition to alternative fuel sources is needed. "Consumers
must demand, and be willing to pay for, some of these solutions, while
practicing conservation efforts of their own," the ad says.
It refers readers to a Web site, willyoujoinus.com, that features an
online forum on energy issues. The site's rules say discussion
moderators can block any posting that is, among other things,
"threatening, abusive, libelous" toward a specific corporation.
As such, I couldn't find any messages addressing the seeming
disingenuousness of an oil company that pocketed $6.4 billion in profit
during the first half of the year positioning itself as a catalyst for
conservation and alternative fuels.
But Chevron's ad leaves no room for doubt that the company is thinking
long and hard about these things. It notes that Chevron is "committing
over $100 million every year on renewable energies, alternative fuels
and improving efficiency."
It's unclear what this "commitment" entails or how much money is spent
on renewable energies and alternative fuels as opposed to "improving
efficiency." (In any case, $100 million represents just 0.7 percent of
Chevron's record $13.3 billion in earnings last year.)
Nicole Hodgson, a Chevron spokeswoman, declined to give a breakdown for
the $100 million figure. But she acknowledged that the company isn't
actually spending this amount on new fuel sources.
Hodgson said Chevron is improving operations at its refineries and
along pipelines, and such changes will result in energy savings for the
company. "That's included in the figure," she said.
Hodgson said the goal of Chevron's ad is to "create a dialogue" about
energy issues. "We're not trying to solve these issues," she said. "We
just want to bring people together to discuss these issues."
In Altria's case, the cigarette and snack-food behemoth is reaching out
to consumers in the form of an introspective personal essay.
"The value of seeing the whole forest," the company's ad says. "By the
parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris International and Philip
Morris
USA."
Under a photo of lush, green trees, the brief text basically describes
Altria's vast retail offerings, from Velveeta to Virginia Slims, and
the company's awareness that it must "strive to meet the expectations"
of shareholders, customers, regulators and society.
"For a company as newsworthy as ours," it says, "at times it can be
hard to see the forest for the trees. But to look beyond immediate
challenges and position our company for long-term success, we have to
keep the whole forest squarely in sight.
"And that's a vision we feel is worth sharing," the ad concludes.
What vision? What are they sharing?
"I don't get it," commented Suzie Ivelich, head of strategy at the San
Francisco office of brand consultant Wolff Olins. "They say they're
thinking about something, but I'm not sure what it is."
Tara Carraro, an Altria spokeswoman, explained that even though Philip
Morris changed its name to Altria more than two years ago, "there's
still a significant number of people out there who don't know what
Altria is."
For this reason, she said, the ad is intended to convey that "we're not
just a tobacco company."
That's not much of a vision, though.
"Well, it's our vision," Carraro replied. "It's important to us."
Finally, we have an attention-getting ad for Starbucks in which an
actual coffee filter is attached to a magazine page. "What makes coffee
good?" the ad asks. Printed on the filter is the answer:
"Fresh beans. Filtered water. The right equipment. Expertise. Health
coverage for part-time employees. Plushy chairs. Sustainable
agriculture. Micro-loans. Community programs. Shade. Concerts. Book
drives. Impeccable technique. Tree plantings. Music. Personal
relationships with farmers. Smiles. Giving back. Looking forward. And
sometimes, milk and sugar."
This is Starbucks, mind you, a company that all but pioneered the $3
cup of coffee and in July reported quarterly net income of $126
million, up 29 percent from a year earlier.
Those profits are pouring in from more than 9,500 coffee shops
worldwide -- virtually one on every street corner (or so it seems).
"There's been a lot of negative perception about the 'Starbuckization'
of America," said Paul Parkin, a principal at Salt Branding in San
Francisco. "I think what they're trying to say is that they like who
they are, and they want you to like who they are too.
"I'm not sure what they're selling in this ad," he added, "except that
they're part of the world and that they care about it."
Sanja Gould, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said the ad is "designed to
communicate to our customers who we are and what we stand for."
"Consumers increasingly want to know what a company stands for beyond
the product they purchase," she said. "We are a values-based company,
and believe we have something to say that consumers want to know."
Manning, Igor's managing director, said companies tend to fall back on
vague generalities when they don't have specific accomplishments to
point to.
"These companies are each depicting themselves as having deep
thoughts," he said. "But if they were serious, they would demonstrate
what they mean instead of telling you that they're thinking about these
things."
Manning said that since the war in Iraq broke out, he has noticed more
of a "warm and fuzzy thing" in corporate messages.
"I'm not sure what they're all trying to say," he said, "but it looks
like everyone wants a group hug."
David Lazarus' column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Send
tips or feedback to dlazarus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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