EPISODE
09
Marketing Hits and Misses
EPISODE LINKS.
SHOW NOTES.
In Episode 9 of the McFarland Minutes podcast, hosts Natalie McFarland and Scout Foster discuss various marketing campaigns, identifying the key elements that make them successful or unsuccessful. They explore well-known brands such as Aldi, Southwest Airlines, Turtle Box, Yeti, Coors, Liquid Death, TSA, National Park Service, Wendy’s, Dale Brisby, Chewy, RA Brown Ranch, Resistol, and Of the West. They highlight how these campaigns effectively connect with their audience through timely, relevant, and humorous content. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding the target market, creating relatable content, and delivering thoughtful and timely responses to engage and retain customers. The episode serves as a guide for marketers on how to learn from both successful and less effective campaigns.
00:00 Welcome to McFarland Minutes
00:37 Hit or Miss: Marketing Campaigns
02:06 Aldi’s Clever Response to Southwest
04:50 Turtle Box and Yeti Films: Marketing Hits
07:54 Coors’ Quick Thinking with Baseball Cans
13:17 Liquid Death’s Controversial Keg Commercial
16:31 TSA and National Park Service: Social Media Hits
22:17 Marketing to Dads: National Parks and Dad Jokes
24:44 Unhinged Social Media Accounts: Wendy’s and More
26:42 Dale Brisbee: The Cowboy Comedian
29:45 Chewy’s Heartfelt Campaign
36:40 Industry Hits: Ra Brown Ranch, Resistol, and Of the West
42:51 Conclusion and Audience Engagement
ABOUT THIS EPISODE.
Welcome to McFarland Minutes, our weekly podcast where we, Natalie McFarland and Scout Foster, dive deep into creative strategies, mentorship lessons, and more. We kick off today’s discussion with a fun and insightful review of some striking marketing campaigns that either hit the mark spectacularly or fell short. Let’s jump into some unforgettable campaigns and dissect what made them stand out or miss the target.
In our latest episode, we decided to play a little game of ‘Hit or Miss’ where Scout and I discussed some memorable marketing campaigns. Our primary focus was on how well companies have managed to identify with their community and deliver their message effectively. Here’s a breakdown of our conversation.
Aldi & SouthWest
We started with a delightful discussion about Aldi’s clever response to Southwest’s bag policy change. When Southwest announced an end to their ‘bags fly free’ policy, Aldi capitalized on it with a timely and humorous social media reel featuring someone shopping with two large bags. Their clever caption, BYOB (bring your own bags), not only called out Southwest but resonated deeply with Aldi’s audience, making it a definite hit in our book.
Turtle Box & Yeti
Next, Turtle Box’s campaign emerged as a standout. They excel by embedding their product within the lifestyles of their audience, which makes their merchandise part of a larger story rather than the main focus. This technique is echoed by Yeti, whose cinematic storytelling in their films captures the essence of their brand without overtly marketing it, reinforcing the narrative that their products seamlessly fit into adventurous lives.
Coors & The Viral Can
The Coors campaign, celebrating a significant baseball moment where an Angel’s player damaged an LED panel, cleverly responded by incorporating the mishap into their can design. The quick and impactful rollout made this a notable success, showing a profound connection with their audience and real-time cultural moments.
National Park Service & TSA
For agencies often perceived as dry or mundane, both the National Park Service and TSA have incredibly engaging and humorous social media presences. Their playful and facetious tones add an unexpected, shareable twist that has drawn the attention and admiration of followers everywhere, branding them as innovative government communicators.
Wendy’s & Unhinged Marketing
It’s hard to beat Wendy’s in the realm of ‘unhinged’ social media strategies. Known for their roasting tactics and edgy responses, Wendy’s has created a fan base that eagerly awaits their next viral tweet—a winning strategy for this fast-food giant.
Honorable Mentions
Some other campaigns that we couldn’t overlook include:
Liquid Death: Though it sparked some debate, their campaign featuring a pregnant Kylie Kelsey cleverly poked fun at water consumption, aligning perfectly with their edgy brand image.
Chewy: The pet supply retailer wins hearts with their empathetic policy of refunding your last order and sending flowers in the unfortunate event of a pet’s passing, highlighting exceptional customer care.
Of The West & Resistol
Lastly, industry-focused brands like Resistol and Of The West have successfully maintained authenticity and connectivity with their community. Resistol’s campaigns, deeply rooted in genuine storytelling, reflect their ‘We live it every day’ mantra, while Of The West has turned a potentially mundane job board into a vibrant, humanized platform.
Marketing is an art, and understanding your audience, as well as the context of your message, is crucial in determining the success of a campaign. We’ve highlighted several brands that excelled through innovative and affecting storytelling.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share some of your favorite campaigns and let us know why they hit home for you. Thank you for tuning into episode nine of McFarland Minutes. We hope this serves as your perfect soft launch into the week ahead, full of inspiration and insight.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS.
NATALIE MCFARLAND
PRESIDENT, FOUNDER
MCFARLAND PRODUCTIONS
After freelancing her way through college, Natalie established McFarland Productions in 2014, which has continued to grow rapidly over the last few years. Her passion and focus have always remained the same; capturing, understanding, preserving and promoting Ranching, Farming, Western Lifestyle and AgriBusiness. She has always had a love for the western culture and even at a young age it was unmistakably clear she would someday find a career serving the industry.
Natalie grew up on a small ranch, rodeoed, showed horses in a variety of disciplines, showed livestock, and participated in 4H and Oregon High School Equestrian Teams. She has trained herding dogs and started colts, worked with sheep and cattle and has had the experience of racing to finish up a hayfield before a rainstorm hit. She understands the joys, sorrows, wins, losses and hard work of ranchers and farmers. That’s why McFarland Productions can produce authentic marketing campaigns for the businesses, organizations, events, and brands of the western and agriculture industry – it’s who she is.
With a passion for building community surrounding brands, Natalie focuses on building real connections between companies/brands and the people that make up their community. Telling the stories of your customers and making them apart of the brand’s story is her main focus. Creating real, human, meaningful connections and strengthening community within the western and agriculture industry through strategic marketing services.
SCOUT FOSTER
OUTREACH MARKETING MANAGER
MCFARLAND PRODUCTIONS
Scout’s faithfulness to the agriculture and western sports industry is rooted in tradition. Growing up in Central Florida, she stood by her family as they supported different sectors of the industry, including raising beef cattle, bucking bulls for local rodeos, and spending weekends with her grandparents who lived on Disney’s Wilderness Preserve.
Moving away from The Mouse, Scout graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Nation’s top agricultural communications college at Texas Tech University in 2022.
Now residing in Crockett, she and her husband, Lane, keep busy raising beef cattle and bucking bulls with her family. Scout also loves gardening, raising chickens, reading, and her two dogs: Rue and Dill.
