Don't Get Too Dirty...

Ah that Captain Morgan is a sly devil. He is able to promote the fun and good times of associated with the drinking of his rum all while never actually drinking it in any of his commercials. That is because the Captain, as well as every other major or minor alcoholic beverage company must walk a thin line to be up to code with the law and especially with societies current value standards.

There is extensive discussion on the back and forth of the ethics of marketing alcohol, all over the internet, so I will do my best to focus on the ethics of just this single commercial alone.

That being said, this television advertisement made by Captain Morgan does a pretty good job of keeping its nose clean while making the dining room dirty in this commercial. There is not political, sexual, or racial controversy. There is no ostentatious displays of the rum that could tamper with the minds of youngsters and rightly so.

So as directed by the Captain, “Raise a glass!” but do so in a moderate way, just like the moderate marketing strategy that this commercial utilizes to stay ethical and make its targeted audience happy.

Life, Love, and Loot?

Let’s break down the Captains new slogan “To Life, love, and Loot”. What does this mean? Well let’s look at life, on a scientific level it could be defined as anything living. A personal perspective of life is the enjoyment we should have while we are on this earth, living every day to its fullest and live life with no regrets. In the context of this ad let’s say that life is about how we spend our days on earth.

The simplest form of love is desire or attraction between two people. However, in America we tend to love EVERYTHING!!! Food, TV, Beer, and Captain Morgan wants us to love Rum. So love is infatuation? If, so then we see that

Life and love are easily defined, but loot? That’s not a word we use every day. So what does the Captain mean by loot? Dictionary.com defines loot as “anything taken by dishonesty”, basically stealing.  So we have live life to the fullest, love EVERYTHING (especially the Captain’s rum), and steal? Digging deeper I found that loot is slang for money. To Life, Love, and Money! This sounds a little more like the Captain.

So how does this tie in with Captain Morgan’s marketing technique? Most slogans are meaningless but memorable. I highly doubt that there is no meaning to the new slogan. It’s easy to take away from the first two words, live and love, but loot changes everything. The technique here is hard to define but I believe they are pushing live life to the fullest, love every minute of it and steal. While being memorable, their hope is that the slogan is something that people will say when they are together drinking Captain Morgan’s rum. 

The "Glass" Commercial's Target Audience

Anomaly, USA has released their newest advertisement campaign for Captain Morgan’s Rum brand entitled “To Life, Love and Loot”. This new campaign suggests that Captain Morgan is honing in on a new target market by focusing on a different generation.

Over the last few years Captain Morgan has become somewhat of a “stale” brand that of which only the Baby-boomer generation would drink. Seeing as though I am 21, my parents fall into this Baby-boomer category. When they drink… it’s usually on the couch, watching the newest episode of NCIS or Survivor. No excitement, freedom, or independence can be found on these nights around 8pm. However, some would say these qualities my parents are lack, highlight what Generation Y is all about.

There is this stigma in society that our generation’s idea of partying is about enjoying the company of friends, maybe going out to dance, responsibly drinking, and simply having a good time.  The promotion of sovereignty and self-determination is an important aspect to of Generation Y, as well as not necessarily following all of the rules… which is exactly what the “Glass” commercial implies.

The song playing in the background of this commercial is called “Ball and Biscuit” by The White Stripes. The song sounds old-fashioned, but has an edgy feel which suggests the possibility of rebellion. The characters all have a stuffy and stuck up vibe, including Captain Morgan himself. When the young maid drops the first glass everyone stops to stare, but Captain Morgan diverts the negative attention by pushing his own glass off of the table. The elder characters turn their nose up at his actions, but eventually an older man catches on to the Captain’s plan. Once the man throws his glass, the entire room breaks out in chaos. The “Glass” commercial portrays the idea that even the snobbiest and stuck-up of people can let go, and have some fun. Since the year is 1661, a living audience is not present to directly identify with the advertisement. This leaves plenty of room for interpretation about the target audience of the “To Life, Love and Loot” campaign. Through the actions and ideas portrayed in this ad about Generation Y, Captain Morgan’s target market is the legal drinking age (LDA) to 30 years of age. This new age campaign is pushing the brand out of being just another kind of rum that everyone knows exists, into something that sets it apart from the rest. The motives and investments in the new age campaigns boost the Captain Morgan name to society, especially our Generation Y. 

Captain Morgan's "Glass"

BoozeBuz is kicking it off with a recent commercial featuring the one and only Captain Morgan. For the first time in the brand’s 60-year history, Captain Morgan has launched a new advertising campaign with the motto: “To Life, Love and Loot”. This tagline emphasizes that Captain Morgan makes any night one to remember; and to dedicate the evening to those three words (life, love, loot). To initiate the campaign, Captain Morgan released a couple unique commercials portraying Captain Morgan himself. This commercial is titled, “Glass”, taken place in 1661 in Santo Domingo. Watch as the Captain gets the party started in his own rebellious way:

The year is 1661, and the Captain is attending a very serious dinner party. The commercial begins with a young maid accidentally dropping and breaking a glass, disrupting the table's otherwise silent mood. The Captain spots a distasteful look given by an elderly lady directed at the young maid, and decides to show his own opinion about the incident. In his usual manner, he decides to add a little fun to the occasion and slyly pushes a glass off the table and watches as it nearly hits a dog and shatters. Many of the guests give back hesitant looks in confusion of what just happened. The old lady whips out her fancy fan and begins waving it in disgust, while the maid shows signs of relief. Following the Captain’s lead, a man shows his approval and tosses a glass over his head. After a few moments the uptight dinner turns into glass-shattering, plate-throwing party. Each dinner guest seems to get a shot of adrenaline as the glassware flies out of their hand. Even the disapproving old lady joins in after receiving an irresistible raised eyebrow from the Captain. The commercial ends with a slow motion scene of everyone throwing plates into the air.

This is a very unique and memorable commercial and I believe that is exactly what Captain Morgan was going for. The company has already been extremely successful with its’ commercial ads, coming up with fresh and innovative ideas. Since consumers are already aware of their product, this commercial’s purpose is intended more to keep the identity of the product new and desirable. The underlying meaning Captain Morgan is trying to project is the mindset that if you consume this product, you will have a great time and be set free from everyday pressures.

One could say not a single f*** was given that night. “To Life, Love and Loot”!!!

Hello From BoozeBuz!

Hello everyone!

We would like to invite you to join us for the next few weeks as we examine televised marketing techniques for alcoholic products. This blog will be done as part of a project through an e-Marketing class at Pacific Lutheran University.

Below are introductions of the BoozeBuz team and what each member will contribute in the upcoming weeks:

Jaron Iwakami - As an introduction to each of our TV commercials posted, I will be explaining the meaning of each advertisement. What the commercial is advertising and what is the goal of the commercial? I will also be looking into deeper or underlying messages of each commercial and what they mean to the audience. The purpose of the TV commercials may vary depending on what the advertiser is trying to accomplish. I will determine whether the commercials are attempting to promote a product, increase awareness, sell an audience on their product, or even belittle a competitor’s product. Following this portion of the blog, our team will dive deeper into specific aspects of each commercial we post.

Heidi Weston - Every Wednesday I will determine the company's target market for the particular commercial chosen for that week. Alcoholic beverage companies have various audiences depending on the type of drink they are selling as well as how they choose to portray the beverage in the advertisement. By analyzing these attributes, as well as the setting, or music in the commercial, I will discover the company's reason and tactics for why they chose, and how they market their spirit, beer, or wine.

Whitley Wirkkala - I will be analyzing the techniques that alcohol companies use to market their product. Pulling from mainstream media to historic figures, the technique a company uses signifies the statement they are trying to make. Throughout these blog posts I will look at the smallest details and determine it's importance in creating each ad.

Brockton Gates - I will be picking apart the different ethical aspects of each of the television ads we examine this year. How do these ads stand stack up against the values and morals of modern society? How are these commercials adding to or taking away from ethical views of society? Why does it all matter? I will attempt to answer these questions and more with the hopes of stirring up critical thought and discussion among the viewers of this blog.