Wednesdays with Will: Ruff Riders, The Masculine Approach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6Ek-x3vYAY

Welcome one and all to another edition of Wednesdays with Will.

This week, one of my co-workers, Ebonne, emailed me an Ad Age article on the new Frito-Lay marketing campaign that is geared towards millennial men. Ebonne sweetly wanted to know my thoughts on the campaign and if the transition from a family-geared marketing plan to a male-focused campaign was the right move for Frito-Lay. Though I don’t know if Ebonne wanted my opinion simply because I am a male millennial or because I could relate since my machismo in the office is the stuff of legends… I’d like to think the latter.

Hilarity aside, it seems that the primary focus of the article is saying that Frito-Lay really did their homework. They analyzed and researched consumer habits for a three-year span before really beginning to launch the character of “Ruff McThickridge.” Using the combination of quantitative and qualitative research, Frito-Lay got into the nitty-gritty of how the new age man thinks. Male insights ranged from preferences on food before going out—“foods that are hearty enough to ‘absorb the alcohol’ but not ‘something too heavy’ that is not going to let them catch their buzz”—to male’s aversion to social planning. Frito-Lay understands that today’s impulsive man is comfortably secured in a “frat culture,” where drinking really is the cornerstone of get-togethers and the perception of the “manly man” still holds relevance for today’s male.

The campaign is especially well timed because of the anticipated release of Anchorman 2, which will attract its fair share of Ron Burgundy die-hards. The campaign does a good job of keeping the machismo humorous without going overboard which Dr. Pepper Ten sometimes has done with their earlier commercials. All and all, I don’t know if the character will have much longevity due to a booming, almost over-saturation, of confident male characters in commercials (the Old Spice guys, Dr. Pepper Ten lumberjack, etc.), but time will tell if there is enough room for so many dominant figures. Good thing my machismo is one-of-a-kind in this office.

What are some of your favorite machismo characters in both movies and commercials?

Cover Photo Source: Nattika

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://wpmaster.sjadv.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Will.jpg[/author_image] [author_info] Wilhelm Lawrence is an Account Executive at SJG. He graduated from DePaul University in 2011 with a BA in Marketing and a BA in Management. The devious mind behind Wednesdays with Will, Will considers himself a jack of all trades whether that be sports enthusiasts, film guru or grand master of pop culture. Will always enjoys learning and stepping up to the challenges of the world we live in today. [/author_info] [/author]