What is the campaign about? (Describe the campaign, its message, key elements, etc.)
The Panda Cheese commercials are short, clean, direct advertisements to campaign for a brand of cheese. The advertisements show that on refusing to eat, purchase, or use Panda cheese, one may get the Panda angry. The Panda is the mascot of the brand. The tagline used for the campaign is, “Never say no to Panda cheese.”
The Panda shows passive violence, i.e., an overt display of non-aggression in the facial expression of the panda. The targets of destruction are the objects lying around and not the characters. When someone refuses to use, eat, or buy Panda cheese, the Panda does not attack them directly or cause them any bodily harm. However, the panda’s aggression is diverted on the objects lying on the floor like the computer in the office setting, the shopping trolley in a departmental store, or the kitchen of the chef.
The advertisements are short, simple, and minimalistic in nature with a clear message that is delivered – use, eat or buy Panda cheese; otherwise, the Panda (the mascot) will be very angry. The tagline also delivers a similar message (Never say no to Panda Cheese). However, in the first three advertisements, it is not clear if the consumers should buy the products because the advertisement is funny or because the panda may get angry. The real reason why a consumer of the product would purchase was unclear.
What are the campaign objectives?
The objective of the campaign was to introduce the Panda Cheese to the market. That is why a high-impact advertisement that would capture the attention of the audience was used. The advertisement was direct, and the target customers of the product – which is presumably an adult male, working, and above middle-class economic background – clearly delineated in the campaign. The objective of the campaign was to create an impact on the viewers’ minds about the product and infuse the image of the mascot and the brand. The high impact of the Panda creating a massacre in the immediate scene when characters refuse to eat, use, or buy the product immediately creates a mode of recollection because of the clean and simple style of the advertisement. Further, without cluttering the advertisement with a lot of embellishment, the campaign tried to aim at product recognition and recollection through product branding. Because they were not directed towards any human character, they cannot be dubbed as violent detriments, but the Panda’s aggression is clearly directed towards those who refuse to use, eat, or purchase the product. The obvious extension of this display of anger that can be deduced is the product is of high quality, and by not using it, one simply refuses to accept the best product available in the market.
What is the campaign’s strategy? How would you describe it?
The strategy of the campaign was to create an impact through the violence shown in the advertisements. They would recollect the Panda with its funny antiques and, by extension, the product. The scenes chosen for the campaign were specifically an office, a restaurant kitchen, and a departmental store. As none of the scenes demonstrates a domestic environment, it can be intuitively deduced that the strategy of the campaigners is to sell the product to the workingmen and businesses (like restaurants). Further, no female homemakers were targeted for the campaign. The campaign is direct in delivering its message. In addition, the clear message delivered helps to strengthen the branding of the product. The tagline, “Never say no to Panda Cheese,” directly indicated the opportunity cost of not eating or using Panda cheese.
Personally, I believe that the campaign is funny, but it would not have appealed to me as a viewer. Though from the point of view of analyzing the advertisement, this campaign does a great job for it moves away from the conventional advertisements of food products; for instance, discourse on the importance of consuming the product and its food value. Instead, it uses an adorable panda to extend the message.
Do you consider the campaign to be effective or ineffective? Why?
The advertisement is effective in delivering its message and in creating a lasting impact and product recollection. As the brand name of the cheese is Panda, using a panda as a mascot was an ingenious method to create a lasting impact on the brand name of the product. This augmented the effectiveness of the campaign.
Who is this campaign for? How does it relate (or not) to you?
The target of the campaign is adult males between 25 and 45 years of age. They belong to the above middle-class economic background. Mostly the characters are male, working in an office, purchasing at a departmental store, and working as a chef in a restaurant. With the restaurant advertisement, the target may have been the businesses (i.e., restaurants).
The advertisement is funny, and the presence of the Panda and it’s a sudden outburst of anger, compressed in the thirty-second, created a lasting impact on me. Further, the tagline is reminiscent of the product and the quality that it offers. Therefore, the advertisement was highly relevant to me.