All the Publix Feels: A Marketing Strategy You Can Measure
By: Christina McNamara
March 23, 2019
If I were asked to share a tradition that my family had when I was a child, I would struggle to find an answer. However, I can say that some of my fondest memories were when my sisters and I would decorate our Christmas tree while listening to Dean Martin’s Christmas songs playing in the background. There is just something about his soothing voice, the ballroom style orchestra music and the soft tempo of his music and reminds me of the good times my sisters and I shared growing up and still makes me feel all warm inside even as an adult. The way these memories make me feel is similar to how the commercial “Traditions: A Publix Christmas story” makes me feel. Some of the most memorable and well-done advertisements will sell the consumer on the specific product, service or cause with its ability to reach the target audience with a range of emotions. After watching this commercial, I just want to go shopping at Publix, Where Shopping is a Pleasure, and come home to my family and create our own traditions and memories. The use of serene music, tranquil lighting and warmly familiar family scenarios could be the smartest marketing style that Publix could use in growing their brand. The representation of their culture in this commercial was well-done due to the strong sense of a family feel, which is a great way to reach consumers on a personal level.
Publix used some great marketing techniques which contributed to making this commercial so successful. Throughout the ad are so many scenarios that have a warm and fuzzy vibe to them. I believe this is due to the combination of refreshing cinematography, warm color palettes, loving family situations and precisely chosen music. There is much to say about the way certain colors can invite certain feelings once presented to an audience. For example, the Winterfresh chewing gum commercial that demonstrate someone’s body temperature on a hot day, as scorching by using red and orange tones to represent the sensation of heat. However, after the actor chews some Winterfresh gum, the color tone of the commercial changes to more refreshing and cooler blue and gray tones. The cooler colors are used to emphasize the cooling nature of the gum. This is a great example of how the use of color is presented to set the tone for a commercial. Publix demonstrated a similar technique by using warm and soft colors in some inviting scenarios to aid in the perception of a certain feeling of warmth and happiness that is expressed in this commercial. Bright and warm colors like orange and yellow are used to represent happy feelings and warmth, while darker more neutral colors such as blue or gray may be used to represent unhappy or sad feelings. Tapping in to consumer’s feelings and emotions is a vital component to modern day advertising.
The music choice used is another factor that is an important and appealing component of the commercial. There are many versions of the song “I’ll be home for Christmas”. The tone set by the rendition used in the Publix commercial was warming, jolly and inviting. It was sung beautifully by a young woman and it insinuates that family is to come together during the holidays to be with each other and make wonderful memories. However, the same song is used in a different holiday commercial done by the Nashville Rescue Mission, and is interpreted differently. The actor in the commercial is a homeless man who is pushing all his worldly possessions around the city of Nashville in a shopping cart. At the end of the clip, you see that the home he is referring to in the song is the Nashville Rescue Mission because he presumably has no home of his own to go to. The use of the song from one commercial to the next is profoundly different. The way they are represented makes both commercials use of musicality well-done. The way the music sets the scene gives an accurate depiction of the anticipated tone for the message of both commercials. Dean Martin’s Christmas music was important to the tradition my sisters and I were creating ourselves.
Americans watch an average of five hours of television a day. So, it makes sense that television commercials are still the most effective media for advertising in today’s high-tech world. Many of the best known companies all still use television advertising as a main source to reach the consumer and are successful with it. Studies show that television commercials are the most successful with adults over twenty-five years old. Adults that are older generally have more income which leads to the commercials chance of enticing the consumer enough to purchase their good or service. Traditional television is likely the best way to reach families, like the ones represented in the “Traditions: A Publix Christmas Story” ad. The family feel of the commercial is more likely to appeal to people with families, as they are watching television with their families. Publix did a great job representing the feeling of togetherness with this particular ad.
The Publix culture is an important part to the company’s success. When a customer walks into a Publix Supermarket, they have some high expectations that will likely be fulfilled by the time they leave. Publix associates are trained to speak to customers within ten seconds, or when there is ten feet of distance between them every time. They are expected to treat customers as if they are family. Associates have great pride in their high service standards, because it has always been the standard. The founder of Publix, George Jenkins, instilled this way of life into all his associates. If you were to walk into any Publix Supermarket, you will see a portrait of “Mr. George” hanging along-side the Publix Guarantee, which is a promise to the consumer to provide the best of everything while shopping in their store.
The Publix culture is well represented in the commercial which is important to the success of the brand. The company slogan is presented at the end of the commercial to serve as a reminder of the feeling you get while shopping in their stores. Some of the scenarios represented were that of holiday traditions that may be specific to certain cultures, or even different regions of the country. For example, you see pasta being served as Christmas dinner, which may be common in Italian households as a holiday meal. There is also the family with the boat that is decorated with Christmas decorations, setting out to sea as their holiday tradition. A scenario such as this may be more common in warmer climates. These examples give some context on the scope of different traditions as they vary from family to family. The Publix culture is also important to the theme of this particular commercial due to it’s emphasis on the importance of traditions and family.
There are many important factors that contribute to the success of a well-done commercial. The whole point of a commercial is to give an accurate representation of a company, product, service or cause that has enough impact on the consumer, that they would want to spend their hard earned money or time. Meaningful advertising should rely heavily on some successful key components. The tone of the music which helps to set the mood, whether it be positive or negative. The appealing use of the color schemes as they support the tone that is meant to be set ad. Also, the wonderful family feel represented by the proven Publix culture, were the right choices for Publix in creating this accomplished commercial. When I was a kid, listening to Dean Martin’s Christmas music as we decorated our tree, of course was fun at the time for me and my sisters. Much like the different scenarios in the commercial, I did not realize then that we were creating memories and traditions that would stay with us forever.
