So pure, so wholesome… Why 7-Up’s controversial 1950s marketing isn’t so different to how some brands market themselves now

Last month during a company catch up session one of the StoryStream Directors shared a presentation he’d delivered at an event recently, it included the image above. To me this image is completely shocking! Obviously in today’s society it is laughable that this company is proud to advertise ‘Why we have the youngest customers in the business.’ The ad goes on to explain that at eleven months old the young man pictured isn’t their youngest customer and that 7-Up is ‘so pure and wholesome you can even give it to babies and feel good about it.’ - Who knew?!

Of course in the 1950s people were not as well educated about the consequences of a bad diet and obesity wasn’t rife in the western world but surely there would be a basic awareness that giving a baby a sugary drink would not be good for its teeth. What is interesting is that the way 7-Up is marketing its product is not actually that dissimilar to some brands today: it has little regard for consumers and how they will respond. 7-Up is trying to sell a product and it will do this by saying whatever it likes.

During the fifties consumers accepted campaigns without question or judgement. Even if, on the off chance, they were unsure of the content and messaging being used they had no platform to voice these concerns. This is certainly not the case today, Twitter and Facebook have made sure of it, but what of the positive advocacy content being shared on social media sites relating to a brand or product?

Similarly to how 7-Up is conveying a message with no regard for its audience (it doesn’t need to worry what they think), a number of brands out there are doing the same today. Their reliance is on content created by the brand and advocacy content created by customers on social media channels is left there, existing in silo and in no way integrating with the wider marketing strategy. Moreover because of this one way dialogue brands are merely shouting at customers, and potential ones, and not engaging them.

How to generate more sales from your content marketing efforts

For most brands user generated content (UGC) is a goldmine of content that is far more powerful than any branded content that already exists, this is because customers really are the best sales people. Stats highlight that consumers will always consult UGC before considering purchase so it makes sense to utilise this content on your website where they are most likely to be looking at the product.

Brands are no longer in a position where shouting the loudest equals more sales, in fact the opposite is true. In order to increase sales and thrive in today’s competitive retail environment brands must follow the example set by the likes of Porsche, ASOS and Magnum to ensure they are inviting consumers in to help tell a connected brand story, not just producing the content they think will help sell the most products, like 7-Up.

Hannah Ward, Marketing Manager, StoryStream