Mountain Dew Case Study

Neil Gibson
3/22/2014
Profesor J. Rehling
Marketing Strategy and Planning

What is the MD Positioning?

Mountain Dew positions itself as a flavor soft drink, which has a powerful
citrus taste, more caffeine than other soft drinks and less carbonation so that
it can be consumed more quickly.
The main target is 18 year old males who seek a drink that exhilarates like
no other because it is energizing, thirst quenching and has one of a kind
citrus flavor.

What is the MD Brand Personality?

Three desired attributes of the MD brand personality:
Irreverent
Daring
Fun
Mountain Dew originally had more success in rural areas (particularly the
NASCAR belt). The Oglivy and Mather ad agency sought to capitalize on this
by creating a strategy based upon its backwoods heritage creating the idea
of a Hillbilly character by the name of Willy. It sought to compare Mountain
Dew as the soft drink equivalent of moonshine liquor. Later strategies
incorporated backcountry recreational images with the Mountain Dew
product characteristics (eg the product with dew drops reflecting in the sun)
implying that MD is a natural product.

What is the MD Communication Objectives/Strategy?

The current communication strategy is to symbolize that drinking Mountain
Dew is an exhilarating experience. Tactically creative is based around
athletic stunts, moving away from the country aspect of the campaign. The
idea was to tie in excitement, energy and a daredevil approach to the
consumption and purchase of Mountain Dew. Heavy rock music replaced the
usual ad jingles.
The objective of MD communications was to expand the appeal of MD to new
consumers whilst maintain awareness and appeal among existing users.

Which Three Ads? WHY?

Showstopper Athletic stunt focus, appealing to young males

Cheetah Stunt focus and story aimed towards younger consumers.

Dew or Die Stunt focus, fits in with MD Brand Personality (Daring)

Which One for the Super Bowl? Why?

Labor of Love Humorous and easily understood among a wide range

of ages and socio economic groups, which will appeal to the
Superbowls diverse and expansive audience

References
Holt. B. Douglas (2001) Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative. Harvard Business
Publishing