Respondents in focus groups, one-on-ones endorse fun-loving Libbey Glass ad campaign

Personality in a glass

But how about the celebrity non-endorsement, where the celebrity is present in name only? That's the approach chosen by Toledo-based Libbey Glass Inc. for a recent ad campaign. The series of print ads -which began running this spring - features a range of movie, television, and sports celebs in name only. In their stead are pieces of Libbey glassware, arranged in clever tableaux designed to express the personality of the celebrity.

In one ad, for example, while Vincent Price is nowhere to be seen, a black goblet with wisps of vapor from some evil brew curling from its mouth sits on a cobwebbed desk. Resting on its base is a huge spider. The caption reads "Vincent Price's favorite glass."

Other ads in the series include gymnast Mary Lou Retton's favorite tumbler in action, skater Dorothy Hamill's favorite glass cutting an arc in the ice, and a humorous before/after representation in glass of dieting baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. Below these images in all of the ads is the tagline "Glasses for any moment. And any occasion. " and a selection of Libbey glassware.

A departure

Jim Wojtkun, vice president/group supervisor at Meldrum & Fewsmith Advertising, the Cleveland agency that created the campaign, says the campaign is not only a departure from the usual celebrity endorsement but also from other advertising in the glassware category. "Glassware advertising has typically focused on product quality or product and usage. For example, here is a glass that will look good on the dinner table; here is a glass for entertaining. It really never carries a company identity.

"What we wanted to do with the Libbey campaign was create a sense of what the product meant to consumers, because in essence it's a fashion product. We wanted to communicate a sense of style and fun that goes beyond the utility nature of the product."

Wojtkun says that the campaign was also intended to add to the already positive perceptions that consumers had of the Libbey name. "Historically consumers have had good perceptions of Libbey and its products. This campaign was a step in the direction of creating some sense of the brand, what it is, what it represents to the consumer.

"Libbey is a respected name that people recognize. But they didn't understand what Libbey represented. So we're trying to create a sense of identity for Libbey from the other glassware makers, to have the name mean something more than just the glass."

Edward Pohlman, manager of advertising and public relations, Libbey Glass Inc., says that the ads capitalize on Libbey's name recognition. "Libbey is the best-known brand in the industry. What we were trying to do is continue to generate the identity that Libbey is indeed America's glassmaker by having a fun campaign."

Clear winner

The campaign emerged as the clear winner from two rounds of research. In the first phase, focus groups were held in Midwestern cities with women (both homemakers and women who worked outside the home) between the ages of 25 and 49.

"Eighty-five percent of all glasses are bought by women," Wojtkun says. "It's not geared to any economic group or social segment. It really is the definition of a broad-based product. But each consumer has her own personal taste. That's what we hoped to accomplish with the use of the celebrities: We didn't have an explicit endorsement but we wanted to show that they were glasses for any kind of person. So that no matter what your personal taste, you're going to find something to like in the Libbey line."

Five campaigns, including the celebrity campaign, were tested in the focus groups, says Lacey Zachary, research director, Meldrum & Fewsmith Advertising. "We tested the campaigns that we felt were strong and we wanted to narrow it down and see which one really communicated the most positive things about Libbey. People immediately gravitated to the celebrity campaign. They felt it was novel, it was lighthearted, and it really featured the glass--more so than any of the other campaigns. Consumers said they I wanted the ad to show the glass."

Pohlman: "People related to the campaign and felt that it would be memorable. It's difficult, because consumers don't want to be told what to buy; they want to make the choice on their own. But if we make the advertising fun and appealing, they'll remember Libbey the next time they go to the store."

Mall intercepts

Another campaign also tested strongly but the second research phase of 200 mall intercepts and subsequent one-on-one interviews helped confirm that the celebrity campaign was the winner. It also helped determine which celebrities should be used.

"The focus groups were exploratory, the one-on-ones were confirmatory," Zachary says. "In the one-on-ones we took three campaigns out to the respondents, including the celebrity campaign, and sat them down and showed them executions of each one and asked which one really hit them. The overwhelming winner was the celebrity campaign. We had respondents rate and rank executions and we also tested celebrities, some of whom we used in the campaign and some we may use in the future."

Scott Crawford, senior vice president/creative director, Meldrum & Fewsmith Advertising, says that the research helped the agency determine which celebrities would get the best response from consumers. "We all had our own favorites. Part of what we wanted to do with the research was make sure that we didn't let our own biases outweigh what our target audience might enjoy. But some of the choices, like Vincent Price, were naturals. No matter how old you are you've had some exposure to Vincent Price, whether it's from the old horror films or Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller."'

Build on taglines

Another goal during the campaign planning was to build on the existing Libbey taglines "Glasses for any moment. And for any occasion," Crawford says. "We were developing a new campaign and we were trying to find a new way to extend Libbey's existing position, to get more of a sense of personality and style connected with it. Not just glasses for any moment and occasion but glasses for any personality and taste. That's really where this all started.

"In some early research we had talked to consumers about the issue of selecting glasses to buy. We knew that it was quite often an impulse decision and that one thing the consumers were hoping we would do as marketers and advertisers was to lighten up a bit and not take ourselves so seriously. Because after all, this was not a monumental purchase decision. So we wanted to bring some personality and individuality to the glasses and also have some fun."

"There are a couple of reasons why women buy glassware and this campaign focused on one of them," Libbey's Edward Pohlman says. "Women recognize that buying new glassware is an inexpensive way to change the look of their kitchen and their tables. You don't have to go to the expense of changing your dinnerware to have a change on your table. Many times, people may just want to brighten things up."

Enhance humor

The campaign premiered in April in issues of Entertainment Weekly and People magazine and continued in May in Ladies Home Journal, McCall's, Gourmet and Southern Living. At least two and sometimes three ads ran consecutively to enhance the ads' humor. "It's important with a product like this to be in the women's general interest books," Wojtkun says. "In addition, we chose Entertainment Weekly and People because they have an editorial environment that mirrors the ads, and Gourmet and Southern Living because they reach the glassware entertaining buying segment."

Another flight has run from October to December to support holiday shopping.

Generate interest

An important function of the ads is to show retailers and Libbey's internal sales staff that the firm is working to generate interest in the product category, Wojtkun says. "With the trade, advertising in general creates the impression that you're trying to help them sell products. The reaction in the trade was positive because they felt that Libbey was taking positive steps toward building the category, which to them was critical. And it reinforced the impression that Libbey was a leader because it had taken a forward-thinking approach to the consumer."

"There is an element of style to our products and as such they follow design trends," Pohlman says. "The buyers that we deal with in the retail establishments are tuned to things that are new and different in the product line. We feel that this campaign attracts attention in the marketplace with both consumers and the trade."

Audience participation

Thus far, the campaign has elicited an enthusiastic response from consumers. The focus group respondents had fun with the ads and began coming up with their own possibilities for the concept. This "audience participation" will make it easier to sustain the campaign, Crawford says. "The more people. saw the ads the more they enjoyed them. It's the kind of campaign where people say, gee, I wonder what they're going to do next?"

Libbey receives further evidence of the popularity of the ads, Pohlman says, in the form of cards, letters, and phone calls from the public. "We get telephone calls almost every day from people who say 'I just saw your ad and it made me laugh. Where can I buy that blue glass?' We get a number of letters in, too. They'll send a letter and a copy of the ad they've torn out of a magazine with one of the glasses circled and a note that says, 'These are just wonderful. Where can I buy them?'

"So we know the advertising is working. One of our goals is to create positive awareness and promote the idea that Libbey makes the kind of glassware that fits into their lifestyle, whatever it is. If we can do that, we've done our job."