Culver’s Print Ads Analysis (Free Essay Sample)
Culver’s is a fast-food chain that began as a small-town restaurant in Sauk City, Wisconsin and has since developed into a nationwide fast-food enterprise (Culver’s 2022). The main message Culver’s emphasizes in its advertising is to spread kindness. Whether it’s through expressing appreciation to the farmers and other providers of their food supply or by hosting donation days in which a percent of their sales goes towards an organization of choice, Culver’s stays true to its intentions. From other analyzations of company marketing techniques, Holt and Cameron (2010) describe the efforts of Ben and Jerry’s, which are quite comparable to Culver’s in terms of beliefs and strategies. For instance, the company alters its products to raise awareness for social movements, an act of kindness to the movement leaders and the cause in which they serve. An article by Munsch (2021) describes marketing viewership trends and tendencies from Generation Z and Millennials. In relation to this discussion, the article points out that the attention of these individuals is most captured when advertisements are carried out by a meaningful individual and if the advertisement evokes emotion, which is a common theme amongst the above corporations. The goal of this paper is to compare and contrast the different sources’ main points and decide whether or not Culver’s advertisements and company motives are related. Data of Culver’s print ads were gathered via internet search and saved for analyzation. I think that the data from Culver’s print ads support the strategies carried out by Ben and Jerry’s and align with the marketing viewership trends noted by Munsch (2021).
Holt and Cameron (2010) begin by explaining the ideological opportunity that Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield capitalized on to create Ben and Jerry’s. During the late 1900’s, the idea of Reaganism was quite popular, especially amongst its conservative advocates. This movement was in favor of “big business”, which did not sit well with the liberal citizens in the United States at the time, and completely polarized the nation. However, one movement emerged that challenged Reaganism: back-to-the-land business utopia. The movement is built on self-responsibility and more humane ways of living, such as teaching yourself how to cook and build things. Ben and Jerry’s utilized this movement’s ideas and tailored it to their business by using natural food sources and practices. They created products that supported social movements and donated proceeds to organizations. They even gave back to their customers by hosting special events throughout the year, such as Free Cone Day.
The second article dives deep into the literature regarding Millennial and Gen Z marketing approaches. Munsch (2021) found a few common themes from her literature search. Firstly, these viewers prefer shorter advertisements that make their point quickly. They also are most interested in ads that evoke emotion. Another finding suggests that members of these generational groups pay close attention to advertisements playing popular music. Finally, these individuals are more interested in ads containing a person they respect, such as a social media influencer, rather than a celebrity endorser.
After viewing the texts side-by-side, one big similarity was found. Ben and Jerry’s business plan was tailored towards creating products that raise awareness for and send support to various social movements (Holt and Cameron 2010). In doing so, they found a way to capture their customers’ attention by evoking emotion, a common theme found by Munsch (2021).
I believe that the points in the article by Holt and Cameron (2010) is more so related to the current discussion involving Culver’s marketing strategies rather than the article by Munsch (2021) because it deals with a company of a similar niche (food industry). Ben and Jerry’s and Culver’s also relate by staying true to their values, with the former focused on back-to-the-land ideology and the latter involved in spreading kindness.
Looking at the collected print ads, there is a common theme present: generosity. One advertisement shows a Culver’s gift card with text in the background saying “For when dad doesn’t want to grill.” Another print ad titled “Donate While You Dine” is specifically directed towards donating a percent of total sales on a specific day to an organization of choice. “Family Farm Fresh” is the title of a third flier, giving thanks to the farmers who make Culver’s operations possible. Finally, and most clearly, a Culver’s advertisement pictures a burger and line of text saying “A little kindness goes a long way. A little bacon goes even further.” All-in-all, Culver’s praises acts of kindness and often tries to include it in their marketing strategies.
Holt and Cameron (2010) included a quote from Ben Cohen, one of the original founders of Ben and Jerry’s, which said “Business has a responsibility to give back to the community from which it draws its support.” To further illustrate this, Ben and Jerry’s had hosted a Free Cone Day at the end of their first year of business. Culver’s has also found ways to give back to its customers. For instance, a print ad from the data collection advertises a free value basket upon the completion of purchasing thirty dollars in gift cards. By using this strategy, the company is able to give back to its customers while also teaching them how to appreciate others.
Ben and Jerry’s also strategically tailored some of their products in support of different social activism movements. Of these products, “Peace Pops” were devoted to challenging the Ronald Reagan administration to allocate one percent of the United States military budget to building peace with foreign nations. Another of these products was named “Rain Forest Crunch”, which was created to raise awareness for deforestation issues occurring in Brazil. Sixty percent of profits were to be directed towards environmental activism (Holt and Cameron 2010). Culver’s is also known for sponsoring social events albeit on a smaller scale. One print ad is titled “Donate While You Dine” and is followed by a statement claiming that ten percent of sales will be directed towards an organization of choosing on any date that an advocate wishes to host the event. Ben and Jerry’s and Culver’s share a common mission statement when it comes to their product lineup: support others, raise awareness, and teach kindness.
One final way that the businesses relate to each other is through their methodology of product creation. Ben and Jerry’s tailored their product preparation towards using natural sources and methods. This was characterized by the back-to-the-land movement which involved a do-it-yourself lifestyle. In support of the idea, Ben and Jerry’s made use of natural methods of ice-cream making and avoided using unnatural ingredients (Holt and Cameron 2010). Culver’s has a similar take on the back-to-the-land movement in that it values the use of farm-fresh products. At the top of one print advertisement there are photos of farmers on their property, with a headline just beneath reading “Family Farm Fresh”. This shows that the two companies share a common ground when it comes to product development ideals.
The article by Munsch (2021) claims that Gen Z and Millennial’s attention is most firmly grasped when advertisements elicit emotion. By looking at Culver’s advertisements, you can see that they do indeed have potential to spark emotion. For instance, the “Donate While You Dine” ad causes viewers to feel obligated to purchase from Culver’s on that donation day in order to support an organization. For those that give in, they may feel accomplished and as if they are contributing to the organization’s cause. The individuals who ignore the ad may have lurking emotions throughout the day, such as guilt for not participating in the event. This is a powerful strategy that Culver’s capitalizes on in order to draw in more customers.
Another point made my Munsch (2021) is that individuals of these generations prefer short advertisements that make their point quickly. From the data collection, there are two ads aligning with this desire. The advertisement titled “A little kindness goes a long way. A little bacon goes even further” with a burger below the text is simple and effective. Another ad titled “For when dad doesn’t want to grill.” with a gift card below the text is also clear on its message regarding gift-giving. Both of these ads would appeal to the two generations due to their brief yet captivating points.
