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Folgers Coffee is trying to increase its visibility with a younger generation of consumers, the generation that grew up with Starbucks and other coffee shops on every corner. The company's slogan has long been "the best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup," but they perceive that their new target audience views the best part of waking up as going back to sleep. As such, their strategy is not only to develop ads - launched all over the internet in a viral campaign - that are hip, but that appeal to those who believe that caffeine exists to get the to work in the morning after staying out until 3am. The updated slogan is "tolerate mornings."
"Tolerate mornings" is far less catchy than the lyrical older slogan, but is the new ad format more effective than the old one? You be the judge, but somehow the implication that you should drink the product because it's there, and not necessarily because you like, it is a less-than-convincing sales pitch. The new ad features creepy yellow people who are meant to embody the morning while singing an irritating jingle:
(video after the jump)
I think Folger's could have simply bought this homemade commercial (or this one)and ended up with something at least as appealing to their audience as their yellow people. Probably even more appealing, since the standard is low.
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7-11-2006 @10:18AM AL said... Ahh another attempt at appealing to the 25-35 year old set,with a "cheesy" faux 70's meets the neu millenium vibe. Now I don't want coffee,but I do want to get back into bed and hope those creepy yellow people are'nt in my dreams.
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7-11-2006 @1:33PM Luis Antonio said... Not only will those yellow people make me stop wanting to drink folgers, I think I'm going to have nightmares about this.
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7-11-2006 @2:01PM Jay L said... What's with all the grumpity-grumps around here? I laughed until I cried.
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7-11-2006 @2:28PM Tammy said... I laughed hysterically at the creepy yellow people, but I thought the ad was a spoof. I had no idea it was a real Folger's ad.
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7-11-2006 @6:16PM Stephanie said... Meh. It's an okay commercial. I think the creppy yellow people are strange. It's funny but I really just wanted him to drink the coffee in hopes that the yellow people would stop singing.
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7-11-2006 @10:25PM Bruce Dearborn Walker said... Folgers is the best of all the stale, canned, major nasty tannin acid commercial breakfast drinks. If the real thing is not available, I will drink it above all the other garbage. Of course, smashing your finger joints one at a time with a 32 oz. framing hammer will wake you up pretty well, too.
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7-12-2006 @11:13PM Super Weiss said... I'm that "young, hip, party-goer" audience that you mentioned Folger's appears to be targeting and I really get a kick out of this ad. I agree with the other posters that is wobbles along that thin line between hilarious and just too weird. I certainly appreciate the humour in the ad, but I can't say it will sell me on their coffee.
I also think you had a great point that company would have been well served to harness the fact that those kind of homemade Folger's ad are being created. This could be anything from offering a place to upload user content on their own website, to shooting an ad that mimics the homemade, low quality clips or filming one of those ads over again in a more TV presentable format.
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7-14-2006 @6:18AM Winter said... what is with commercials now the get dumber and dumber folgers needs to go back to the old commercials sorry but those creepy yellow people have got to go makes me not want to drink any for fear they would come into my house way to scary for morning especially since my mornings start before the chickens
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7-14-2006 @6:19AM Steve Solomon said... If They change the good old" the best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup" I will change my coffee company. Amen
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7-14-2006 @6:36AM Vicki said... This is one of the strangest commercials I've ever seen. It looks like 70's meets the Teletubbies, with all the bright sunshine and cheer. "Corny" or "cheesy" aren't enough to begin to describe it. That, and it would take a lot more than a cup of coffee (Folgers or otherwise) to tolerate that kind of morning.
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7-14-2006 @6:44AM Kelly said... It seems that companies are dumbing down their commercials. For what reason? Are we not intelligent enough anymore to enjoy subtle nuances or a little high brow humor?
I for one don't like being portrayed as part of a generation that cares about nothing but partying and sleeping until weird yellow people feel it is time to abduct me.
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7-14-2006 @6:51AM Jim Hamilton said... Yellow people or no yellow people makes no never mind to me. Why not just improve the product. It's really YUK.
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7-14-2006 @6:55AM Judy Nichols said... That was the most awful commercialI have ever witnessed, it was downright frightning, I drink Folgers, and that would be enough to keep the coffee pot cold.
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7-14-2006 @6:55AM Sandra Finch said... This is about the dumbest thing I have ever seen. No class, no appeal, boring, and way below the folgers standard og taste.
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7-14-2006 @7:02AM Ruth Yeager said... I think Folgers doesn't need a new slogan especially little yellow people. Pretty strange.
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7-14-2006 @7:10AM CRISTELL TORRES said... While I'm walking down the coffee aisle at the supermarket the classic Folger's commercial is what makes me incline to get Folger's coffee. But, this commercial really throws me off because, it's not something I want to remember at the supermarket whenever I see a folgers can of coffee. So, please delete that freaky commercial and return to the classics.
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7-14-2006 @7:12AM John Kaufman said... As a member of the 60's generation, all I can say is "bad trip."
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7-14-2006 @7:14AM Ofelia said... That was a HORRIBLE commercial - one of the worst I've seen lately! It is not only a disturbing commercial, it does not appeal to the consumer audience at all. Who wants to drink Folgers coffee and have nightmares as a result of it?
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7-14-2006 @7:16AM jazzi said... hey i grew up with the old slogan it is a classic along with plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is
they should target the older people after all we raised the younger people that love starbucks while we still get up and perk up with the coffee that we did not have to get dressed and leave the house to drink
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7-14-2006 @7:18AM copperkidd said... This is like the "commercials" they used to do on Saturday Night Live!! This is just not cool. People seem to forget that commercials are seen by all people, not just the target audience. I think with a line like "sleep when you are dead" its gonna freak out the kids. Not to mention the yellow people freak me out. I just cant believe that this is really going to be on tv. How is this gonna sell coffee? What a train wreck!
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