Some marketers are responding to the current economic downturn and consumer fear, by softening their marketing campaigns.


This isn't anything new, of course. Whenever we've had tough times in the past, marketers have instinctively turned to reviving nostalgic advertising to reconnect consumers with happier days and associations. Or they've sought to comfort us with images of family, hearth and home. Translation: warmth, safety, the implied promise that everything's going to be okay.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article: "Marketers Take a Softer Tack to Reach Uneasy Consumers," a number of new marketing campaigns are being rolled out to comfort frazzled, retrenching consumers.
In one effort at soft marketing, Pillsbury has launched a new campaign dubbed: "Home is Calling." Multi-media advertising depicts people of all ages clicking their heels and wishing to return home to eat with loved ones. Juliana Chugg, Pillsbury's president: "This campaign is an opportunity for us to represent hope in a time when people are feeling scared. To be able to connect home and values like safety, security, warmth and love at home really resonates."
Other campaigns noted in the article:
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MasterCard advertising depicting hugs, smiles and shared happiness as a family departs on a trip.
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Ragu depicting its value–the ability to help moms prepare meals on tight budgets–while emphasizing family.
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Ikea's new tagline–"Home is the Most Important Place in the World"–emphasizes the joys of living in the home vs having possessions inside the home.
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Toys "R" Us has revived its ageless campaign–"I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys "R" Us kid."
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Johnson & Johnson's famous jingle–"I am stuck on Band-Aid brand cause Band-Aid's stuck on me"–has likewise come back on the air.
Questions:
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Do you think consumers will respond to these marketing campaigns that trigger nostalgia or warm feelings with more than a smile? Do you think this will prompt consumers to go out and buy during what promises to be a slow holiday selling season?
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How does this make you react, personally speaking?
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What campaigns are especially emotive or nostalgic to you from the past and present?
I'd love to hear from you.