The key to success when promoting a product, whether old or new, is by using a familiar face to associate with it. Many companies hire celebrities to advertise their products in hopes of increasing sales.  The widely known sandwich staple, Miracle Whip, recently came up with a marketing strategy to promote their product using celebrities. These ads aren’t like anything you have seen before.
Paul DelVecchio, commonly known as DJ Pauly D from MTV’s Jersey Shore, stars in one of the commercials:
What’s different about these ads is that Kraft chose to highlight individuals who dislike their product. The “which side are you” campaign has brought much attention to Miracle Whip. Even though Pauly D despises the sandwich spread, the commercial still succeeds in catching the viewer’s attention. Kraft made a wise decision in choosing Pauly D as a spokesperson for their product because of his connection to a different viewing audience. Many of today’s generation tune in every Thursday evening to catch the latest episode of the hit show. By choosing Pauly D instead of a big-time celebrity such as George Clooney or Brad Pitt, Kraft is targeting a younger audience in hopes of attracting buyers who have never tried Miracle Whip before.
Which side are you on?
-Stephanie Bakolia, Claire Outlaw, David Glaubach
IMC Hawks Blog 
What is so interesting to me about this article is the jump that reality TV has made over the past few years into being a major part of pop culture and in advertising. The fact that they chose a “Jersey shore” veteran shows the target audience they are pushing for. As a fellow non lover of miracle whip, I could appreciate the humor they chose for the direction in this campaign.
I personally think that, besides being an innovative way of approaching product branding, this type of Kraft advertising portrays the negative correlation between their product and their spokesperson (Pauly D). The specific celebrity that was chose to endorse the product was clearly carefully selected based on the general audience they planned on pushing for. The ad can be successful because, unlike in typical commercials, the focus isn’t on trying to persuade the audience, but rather level with the potential consumer in order to establish an open and trusting “relationship.”
I could not agree more that celebrity endorsement is still one of the most powerful branding methods around. I would even argue that its effectiveness has only increased with the growing popularity of social media. Now a celebrity can go a step further and endorse a product on a more personal level through their twitter feed for instance. Whether it is included in the contract for the celebrity to endorse via twitter or not the endorsement will seem more personal none-the-less.
Wade Boteler
From a student who has an increasing interest in advertising I am thrilled by Kraft’s new Miracle Whip ad campaign. Taking an old concept (using famous people to tell others to buy your product) and combining it with a new strategy (admiting that many people don’t like your product) is a risky move that thinks outside the box. An industry that encourages new and exciting once again came through with an exciting new chapter.
With so much advertising static infiltrating the human experience today, it takes a great deal to grab the viewer’s attention. I concur with the bloggers’ opinions that the Miracle Whip’s accomplish such a feat by diversifying their approach. Not only does this particular add tap into a market previously ignored by products of its kind, but it also brings a new way of doing things to the table and shakes up the expected. It is easy to be lulled away from the commercials that interrupt our favorite programs, one can just check out and numb their mind to the sound, if fast forwarding is not an option, but if the add doesn’t follow the traditional formulaic pattern (famous/ridiculously good looking person gloating about how this household mundane product is their new savior) then our attention snaps back on to examine this new alien setup. I first saw this commercial while guiltily watching Jersey Shore and actually thought the show had come back on for a second. The add hooks with a recognizable figure and then twists with his actual denouncement of their product. It encompasses one key aspect of the familiar authoritative appeal but finishes with a seemingly more honest (and less fallacy ridden) message. This product doesn’t claim to be the universal answer, like most others on television, but it does show that it is relevant and relatable; it is important enough for Pauly D to have an opinion on but genuine enough to be for the particular individual with an acquired taste (pun intended).
Alexandria Kapczynski
I think Kraft’s idea to showcase a celebrity who does not like their product is brilliant. It definitely grabs the viewer’s attention and makes them think of why they do not like the product which could easily lead to them trying it for themselves. It’s a new idea and I think it has great marketing potential.
I also like that, along with showing “celebrities” that don’t like Miracle Whip, Kraft also shows regular people that don’t as well. An example I can recall is a commercial where a newlywed husband and wife are talking about it and each one has a different opinion. To me, this shows how everyone has a different opinion and Kraft understands this, chooses to show it and by doing this, invites everyone to at least try it, and make your own decisions. A clever marketing ploy to, perhaps, draw in new customers who had never tried it before in hopes that they will stick around.
I agree with Kraft’s choice of choosing Pauly D as the star of their commercial. The first reason is his present day popularity and how that will get the younger generation watching the ad to tune in more to see what he’s selling. The second thing I thought about was looking at “Pauly D’s” credibility as a food expert. To me, I couldn’t care less what Paul D liked or didn’t like to eat, however, Kraft is able to look beyond this idea in order to get their product name to their target viewing audience.
I really like the commercial, because it is different and catches the audience attention. Of course, it was risky to create this ad, especially it is always difficult to predict how people react on it, but I feel the humorous approach leads it to a success. By choosing their spokesperson, Pauly D Kraft did a good choice, because he actually says that he does not like the product, but who takes him serious? If Kraft would have chosen a more serious spokesperson, I am pretty sure, it would not have the same positive effect.
This is hilarious to me because every time I’ve seen this commercial the last few months I’ve wondered why Pauly D is saying that he hates miracle whip if he is endorsing it. I really didn’t understand how that could possibly help promote this product, or how people would see this product and think “Pauly D hates it, therefore I want to try it!” I had no idea this was an “innovative” way of branding a product, by acknowleding that people don’t like the product. To me, its just weird. I would not be more inclined to buy a product if someone is saying they don’t like it, even if it is just Pauly D. However, the smart thing was getting Pauly D because he does appeal to a younger demographic, and a lot of people watch Jersey Shore.
I am amazed on how Kraft directed this commercial! Yes it is an attention grabber (you never expect negative comments about the product being sold), yes it breaks the traditional Hollywood commercial where the product is the best in the world but I think that Pauly D is not the best spokesperson for this commercial because it excludes everyone who does not watch Jersey Shore. I realize that the target audience is a younger demographic (probably 14-25) but I believe that choosing someone like Eddie Murphy or Shakira can be much more effective because more people know them, relate to them or enjoy their work.
I like this new marketing strategy that Kraft is using for Miracle Whip. I think it is very catchy by throwing in the phrase “which side are you on” after using a well-known celebrity to say they oppose the product and are not a fan of it in their commercial. They also used Stephen Colbert’s opposition to the product in one of their previous advertisements to say the same thing. Personally, this makes me want to try the product. I can’t exactly explain why but the commercials did grab my attention and have me curious as to how the product tastes.
I think that this is an interesting advertising strategy. One thing that I hope to be if I end up in the advertising business is innovative, because the ads that do things differently are the ones the consumer pays attention to. I think that this ad is smart to pay attention to the younger generations and sell them a product in a humorous way. I think our generation is the generation of humor and sarcasm, so playing not only to things we’re interested in, but also speaking our “language” is the way to get us to buy your product.
I found this article very interesting because the first time I saw this advertisement, I wondered why Miracle Whip would ever pay someone to discredit their product. Most adverstisments have people praising their product and discussing the reasons you should use it. In the ad with Pauly D, however, the opposite approach was used. While the success of this ad is undetermined, I believe it will work for many reasons. One reason being people like to see different approaches used. Also, many people like when big companies are able to admit their faults and be universial. This type of advertisement is almost guaranteed to grab the viewer’s attention. Many argue that any attention is good attention. Advertisements make us react in many different, and strangley complex ways. From the outside looking in, one might not think this approach would work, but the results could shockingly tell us otherwise.
I find Miracle Whips approach to this advertisment odd. I do not know if it works on me but I guess it must be working for them to continue to air these ads. I see how using a reality TV star like Pauly D can attract a younger audience but there slogan is “which side are you on?” I think using endorsers that are against their product is a risky choice. If you are targeting younger audiences and people who know of Pauly D dont you think they would side with him? Meaning they too would be against their product. However, it must be working in order to keep airing them I just see this ad as a huge risk.
I think that this commercial campaign is genius. I can’t think of any other company that went about selling a product like this. Pauly D is clearly ripping on Miracle Whip and this could work for Kraft in one or two ways. Either the viewer is going to take Pauly D’s word for it, or they are going to go out and try the product. It is a risky campaign, but I give the credit to Kraft for having the “grapes” to do something like this.
I think this is a very ingenious campaign. They know that some people just really don’t like miracle whip. I think what they are going for is for the people that really don’t like mayonnaise to try miracle whip. It’s very funny that they chose Pauly D. because they really will, if anything, make the younger crowds more aware that there is a substitute for mayo(which i personally like them both!) that many people do enjoy.
I’m not really a fan of either miracle whip or mayonnaise, but I do feel like the campaign strategy that Miracle Whip is using is a smart one. They are encouraging their fans to back them up and support their product, by urging them to prove the spokesman wrong. Competition is a method that works really well in lots of areas. For example, On UNCW’s campus right now, there is a competition between the two dining halls (Wag and Dub’s), encouraging frequent eaters to join, team dubs or team wag. They are selling these t-shirts for 6 dollars and the idea is genius. They’re making money, and the customers are having lots of fun representing their favorite eating location.
Celebrity endorsement has been going on for a long time. Sometimes I see celebrities on State Farm Insurance commercials, or candy bar commercials and I wonder to myself ‘did they run out of money?’ Either way, what Miracle Whip did with Pauly D is kind of genius. Like the blog says, it’s a great idea to hit a younger audience with a celebrity that is currently in the lime light, and has the attention of every tween in America. It’s even better that he doesn’t give his approval of the product. It is not often that you see a company marketing their product with a celebrity that doesn’t “like” what is being sold. The Commercial leaves the viewer mildly humored, and maybe even craving some Mayo.. or maybe not.
Choosing a popular face in the media is one of the best ways to advertise a product. People want to be able to relate with a product and when they see a face that they know it makes it easier to relate to that product than if they see a random face. I also think that Miracle Whip’s campaign is genius. They’re embracing that not everyone will like their product but the only way someone will know if they like it or not is to go out and taste it. This campaign is also very unique from other products which makes it a lot more memorable.
I liked this commercial. Not because i like Pauly D but because it got my attention at the very begining. I agree with the article in saying that they are marketing towards a younger crowd. I think it was a risky way by making Pauly D hate miricale whip but i think it works out by questioning the viewer. I dont think this strategy can work for every product.
Having Pauly D on the Miracle Whip advert is a great way in getting the interest of a younger audience who possibly do not have much thought over what sandwich spread they buy or much say, as it is likely that their parents would do most of the shopping. Using celebrity endorsement such as Pauly D, to get younger adults interested is just an easy way of trying to boost sales, but who am I to criticise if it works, at the end of the day and advert for sandwich spread is never going to be one of the worlds greatest epiphany’s. The ‘which side are you on’ idea behind the advert, for me, is also not very innovative and they have not thought much ‘outside the box’. In England there is a very famous campaign that has been going on for years for the sandwich spread Marmite in which they say ‘Love it or Hate it’, it is uncanny to what Miracle Whip are doing now.
Sierra Scellato
I think it is amazing that even though Pauly D says he hates Miracle Whip, this advertisement still has the possibility to be successful. Because now consumers automatically associate Miracle Whip with Pauly D. It works because if anything it generates conversation. I can just imagine to girl friends both seeing this commercial and one saying, “That’s right Pauly D, It is so gross”. The other friend might like it though and then try an persuade the friend. What is important is the association. Even if you will NEVER be persuaded that mayonnaise is absolutely delicious, this younger adult might be more likely to buy Miracle Whip over other brands if they were hosting a party for friends that LOVE mayonnaise because they are already aware of a specific brand. And what’s cooler that Pauly D? Really, maybe it’s The Situation. Cough, cough. And this advertisement should not have any effect on older audiences, because most of them have already chosen a certain brand and probably have no idea who this quito kid in the suit is. I think it is interesting that as a consumer, I immediately became more interested in the jokes in the advertisement. Hopefully most people wouldn’t really believe Pauly wouldn’t date someone who like Miracle Whip, but it is still funny. All I have to say is thanks Kraft for from now and forever more putting this image of Pauly D and Miracle whip as a pair, because I will always think, “Wow, it looks like Pauly D used mayonnaise to style his hair”. This is the meaning I attach the ad, and meaning is key, so I guess Kraft wins.