The case study presents a situation where Mountain Dew needed to compete with both old rivals and new entrants. In the case of the former, both Coke and Pepsi were no longer the only direct competition in the market. The main reason was the rise in popularity of noncarbonated soft drinks, such as Gatorade and Red Bull. The problem of the company was to retain the current consumers as well as gain new ones by appealing to younger male adults. The marketing team also wanted to incorporate inclusivity to all demographics in order to increase its reach. Therefore, the desired outcome for Mountain Dew is to increase the product consumption among younger male adults while retaining the current middle-aged users (Holt, 2001). The decision-making process was based on the product’s inherent design, which is based on citrus flavor. The association of the brand is rooted in excitement and exhilaration, which are easier to promote for the selected target audience.
The symbolism of an exhilarating experience is an interesting aspect of Mountain Dew, which seeks to link these emotions with perceived benefits taste, thirst quench, and energization. The New Creative plan proposed by Bruce and Cassar provides insight into how the sense of exhilaration can be translated into imagery through various concepts, such as Cheetah chase or saving the world. All presented concepts utilize the phases of tense actions, which are followed by a sense of relieving conclusion. Such a format provides a basis to translate the notion of exhilaration, which is why the marketers of the company conduct their decision-making process in such a manner. Therefore, the company primarily focuses on its product and experiments around the specific qualities of the drink without diverging excessively.
Reference
Holt, D. B. (2001). Mountain Dew: Selecting new creative. Harvard Business Review. Web.