ABSTRACT
A beer advertising executive kicks back in his chair. The new campaign is a winner. Sales for their premium beer are up. He knows why the campaign succeeded. It communicated the beer’s superior quality. The creative director for the company’s agency also knows why it worked. Men relate to the outdoorsy, rugged lifestyle portrayed in the campaign. They want to drink the beer because it makes a statement about “who they are.” The marketing research director also knows why it worked. It increased top-of-mind awareness of the brand relative to its competitors. “In an undifferentiated product category,” he says, “people choose the first beer that comes to mind.” The academic consultant to the company also knows why it worked. It classically conditioned strong positive feelings to the brand. People are just naturally “drawn” to it when they see it on the shelf. Any one of these reasons are viable. Perhaps each one of them influenced some people. But which reason influenced the most people in the brand’s target market?
