Buitoni, a company best known for its extraordinary pasta selection, uses a story to identify with customers. Buitoni products are “artfully prepared,” and that is the greatest point emphasized in all advertising stemming from this establishment.
In the commercial above, the pasta is compared to a rich opera voice, priceless art, and historic monuments. A price cannot be put on those things. Buitoni products have just as much culture, history, tradition, AND they can be purchased at your local grocery store.
The comparison is ingenious. The use of a giant scanner adds an element of humor while making a clear point. Furthermore, even if you don’t know of the opera singer, the name of the painting in the museum, or the significance of the statue, you understand that it is art. Based on this advertisement, Buitoni is considered to be on the same level.
I remember this commercial and thinking it was clever and amusing. I like that it compares the pasta not just to art, but Italian art.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, any commercial that successfully incorporates Botticelli's Primavera has my vote. The commercial give a rich artful history to...well, pasta. Its a very effective approach and I can say from working as a quality control specialists for RMSI (Retail Merchant Solutions Inc.), a company that specializes in making sure Safeway stores have product advertising and placement up to date and correct. We had Buitoni Pasta for a brief period, and they were very concerned with the placement and look of their pasta products. My job was to make sure Safeway had all the packages arranged in the correct location (one of the open refrigerators near the produce) and in the correct order. There are advertising executives sitting in an office somewhere going over the best way to display their products in the grocery store. And since Buitoni wanted to separate itself from other pasta brands, they paid Safeway extra to have placement near the fruits and vegetables, basically giving the customer the feeling that their pasta is as fresh a the produce its near. A very subtle but effective marketing strategy.
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