It’s human nature to feel the urge to be in control, though we know this is not always achievable. Whether it’s beers at the pub, working on a group assignment, the Tigers efforts against the Pies in the preliminary final, eating pizza shapes, or managing marketing campaigns we know that often a firm grasp can fade away and our guard can be let down. So in terms of word of mouth and general consumer perception of an IMC campaign, how do we manage the loss of control? It’s a scary prospect and totally goes against all traditional business processes but the loss of control these days often needs to be accepted, embraced and supported.
According to (Mangold,W.G & Faulds. D.J, (2009) the most effective way of supporting the relinquishment of control is through attempting to ‘shape the discussion’ and can be narrowed to a handy 9 step guide.
1. Provide networking platforms
2. Use blogs and other social media tools to engage customers (encourage feedback from customers)
3. Use both traditional and internet-based promotional tools
4. Provide information
5. Be outrageous
6. Provide exclusivity
7. Design products with talking points in mind (viral)
8. Support causes that are important to customers (build emotional connections)
9. Utilise the power of stories
An example of how this has all been acknowledged and implemented is by the ‘sports drink’ Maximus, who chose to undertake an entirely new branding strategy due to consumer behaviour and word of mouth of their product.
Maximus was initially positioned to take on sports drink giants such as Gatorade and Powerade with a product focus by bettering them on fluid replenishment and superior hydration with a super-hydrating litre bottle. But long before Maximus acknowledged it in their advertising it was a well-established tradition to buy a Maximus to have on a Sunday morning on the recovery from a boozy Saturday night. So Maximus listened and acted. It became clear that Gatorade is the Coca-cola of sports drinks so Maximus succumbed and has since introduced a confident, edgy and arguably crass IMC structure which has reaped unforeseeable benefits.
People loved it. Of course, By people I mean males aged 16-31 loved it, So this lead to similar posts.
Maximus’ focus on being an essential hangover fix and inserting itself into the culture of young blokes getting hammered of course inevitably led to more suggestive and questionable IMC antics.
If we refer back to the 9 step guide mentioned earlier, and we look at in particular
5. Be outrageous
and
7. Design products with talking points in mind
No Australian IMC effort has been ballsier than this one, arguably showing recognition and support of the use of their product for home-made bongs which supports an illicit drug culture amongst Young men.
But if you read this article and look at the way Maximus have ‘shaped the discussion’ in the comment section replying to consumers, you can see that their efforts in terms of campaign success have done more good than harm. This is a prime example of how embracing word of mouth and consumer perception can be flipped and shaped to create a wealth of business success in a contemporary and effective fashion.
What other examples can you guys recall of other products who have totally rebranded and repositioned their products IMC strategy in support of arguably a negative e-word of mouth?
Jake Herman
Jake's Perspective 
Wow I was not aware of this campaign maybe because I am not a male aged 16-31. When I saw the visual you chose for this blog I thought it was going to be about integrating the maximum bottle design for more purposes not this haha.
I think Maximus repositioning itself in the market was a smart move as too many consumers already associate sports drinks Powerade and Gatorade with the AFL due to their strategic product placements during the game. This marketing campaign is definitely outrageous and a talking point for sure!
When I think of brands that have repositioned themselves in the market I instantly think of McDonald’s (because it was my first job) and how they introduced the create your taste menu in 2016 enabling customers to build their own burger adding in fancy additions such as truffle sauce. However, though it was novel at the start enticing consumers to try it the majority on consumers stuck to the McDonald menu as they were going to McDonald’s to purchase a cheap fast meal and if they wanted otherwise they would go to a burger joint or restaurant. That being said this reposition didn’t cause as much buzz or word of mouth as Maximum as it wasn’t so outrageous, which may or may not have helped them.
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You make a good point with the ‘create your taste’ Maccas Menu. I for one am very aware of it and the marketing efforts behind it and have been for years, but have never felt the slightest urge to purchase that instead of my usual order. I believe this is a popular perception too as you mentioned, that people want to go to Maccas for Maccas, not for a gourmet burger impersonation. In the context of ‘being outrageous’ do you think there is anything Maccas can do to promote the ‘create your taste’ menu options from now? or just maintain the current strategic choices they are making currently?
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What a creative campaign! I had never seen or heard of Maximus before but I can definitely say I won’t forget them now. While I within the targeted age bracket however female, I can humour with the outlandish nature of their repositioning. It’s punchy and memorable and will stand out from the crowd!
Let’s just hope for Maximus’ benefit that their campaign can harness enough goodwill from its target audience to outweigh the criticism from other audiences may have.
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