The brand of Altoids was created in the 1780s and nowadays it has a very strong identity that is supported by distinctive multi-platform advertising that grabs people’s attention. Strategic planning in marketing was especially important for Altoids in the 1990s when the brand was being popularized around the USA (Wechsler, 1997). Nowadays Altoids remains unique because of well-planned marketing and history of the brand. Brand’s slogan is as follows: “Altoids. The One. The Only. The Original Celebrated Curiously Strong mint, since 1780” (Wrigley, 2016). Wrigley and previous owner Kraft did not want to alter Altoids’ philosophy. This is why Altoids are sold in costly tins and ads look very revealing conveying a simple message. Sometimes tin’s design is updated in order not to look too old-fashioned. There are always many people that collect or use Altoid tins for different purposes.
Multi-platform advertising campaigns help Altoids to maximize brand exposure, but they need a consistent theme “whether it be look and feel, branding or messaging” (Aronstam, n.d., p.2). If one analyzes Altoids’ TV commercials, printed ads that can be seen in public places, and online-activity, they will see that Altoids has had a consistent theme for many years and it helps to differentiate Altoids’ products. After seeing ads a lot of consumers would like to try Altoids just for the fun of it. In internet there are also many links to funny videos and articles about Altoids tins created by consumers. Additionally, ads that are put in the public places directly remind people that they should have fresh breath. So, Altoids applies strategic marketing planning that involves “combining customer experiences with the overall direction the company wants to take in order to succeed” (Lorette, n.d.). On the other hand, many groups of consumers may find Altoids’ advertising too cynical and even offensive. What is more, low activity in social media including Facebook means that multi-platform advertising could be improved in order to reach a wider audience.
References
Aronstam, S. (n.d.). Measuring the Effectiveness of Multi Platform Advertising. SPA Future
Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.irisnetwork.org/Publications%20Downloads/
SPA/SPA_Multi-Platform-Advertising.pdf
Lorette, K. (n.d.). What is Marketing Strategy Planning. Demand Media. Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/marketing-strategy-planning-628.html
Wechsler, P. (21 April 1997). Altoids' Curiously Strong Ad Campaign. Bloomberg. Retrieved
altoids-curiously-strong-ad-campaign
Wrigley. (2016). Altoids. Retrieved from http://www.wrigley.com/global/brands/altoids.aspx
