Lifestyles, values, and behaviors

Lifestyles are of interest to advertising and marketing. The messages reflect the needs of everyday life. The interest lies in knowing the consumer's wishes as much as possible and achieving a more receptive attitude towards brand messages. With their efforts, they try to find how the products fit into the lives of the consumers and that the products, and especially the brands, are the expression of the lifestyles.

In the sixties, lifestyles began to be studied that would allow classifying, from a qualitative point of view, individuals into groups based on their concerns, values, beliefs, thoughts, among others; reasons that influence the acts of purchase and consumption. Each piece is aimed at a type of consumer. In this analysis, it is observed how in the first advertisements of the sixties their communication was directed to the characteristics of the object, their messages being very descriptive and allowing them to show their qualities.

In the seventies, market research studies evolved (Kotler, Cámara, & Grande, 1994). That is why, from the following decades, the diversity of products leads their communication to use differential values that allow their message to stand out in front of consumers.

We consume by affinity, by coincidence in tastes, and preferences. That is why we began to speak of social consumption (Mauss, 1979). This is where the brand communities emerge in which ColaCao and Nesquik find their niche. Brands are framed in a space of ways of living and being (Alonso, 2004). Furthermore, from individual psychology, Adler focuses his object of study on the lifestyles that mark their behaviors in order to achieve their goals.

Along these lines, people's values, attitudes, interests, etc. stand out, and that in turn explains the products that they consume (Dubois & Rovira, 1998), of special interest for advertising and marketing.

The methodology used in the research is based on the VALS (values and lifestyle) model that contemplates values and their application to consumer behavior, and which in turn determines the choice of products and brands (Mitchell, 1983). VALS highlighted three main values that determined lifestyles: the urge of the need, outward orientation, and self-orientation. The sample selected in this work is the one that allows documenting the information related to the recipient, their language, their way of living, and talking about a consumer culture fundamentally determined by the value oriented towards oneself and loved ones. Attitudes are the means of quantifying values that sometimes present some difficulty in being defined. They describe family relationships, beliefs, their culture, among others, that lead the consumer to behave in a certain way.

This research is a starting point for a deeper analysis between brands, lifestyles, and their values (Schwartz, 1994). In the analyzed advertisements, examples of recurring messages to lifestyles can be found in which significant differences are detected, aimed at adults or children.

Colacao and Nesquik

In 1946, the Colacao brand was launched on the Spanish market as a cocoa milk drink. It is introduced through sponsorship, specifically, a radio soap opera is used that has as its soundtrack the song "I am that black boy...". This brand of the Nutrexpa group finds its communication opportunity in Spain that was trying to overcome the consequences of the Civil War. The brand's advertising message begins to address the mothers of the children of war. For this reason, the slogan of the first campaign of this period was based on a fundamental value and duty, the health of children. Its slogan was "Mom, give your children this mixed with milk, it is good for health."

Advertising feeds on the situation. Thus, the concept of Colacao has evolved at the rate of changes in culture and society (Moliné, 2000). As mentioned, the message of the fifties presents the product as nutritious food, intended for mothers responsible for the care of the whole family; However, in the next few years, towards the seventies, the message of the product is redirected towards another recipient, the young people who see Colacao as nutritious food, quick to prepare, and delicious in its flavor. In these moments, in which the fundamental value of life is not so present, the brand is committed to a positioning based on a differential advantage focused on the concept of instantaneity. The concept of immediacy will be the object and concept of the Nesquik brand, becoming its direct competition.

The strategy developed by Colacao means that this product is considered an indispensable part of Spanish homes (Marinas, 2012). The cocoa brand has become a unique product that has accompanied families for many generations. Colacao is positioned in the minds of consumers through an unmistakable flavor and as a unique cocoa product, without any chemical treatment, and free of additives, that provides energy, nutrition, and is one of the favorite foods of children.

The sales pitch (Reeves, 1997) of Colacao is a rational value where physical energy, understood as a food supplement resulting from the mixture of sugar, soluble cocoa powder, wheat flour, and cola-malt, and emotional, a philosophy of life, in which those who consume it, receive besides the immediate reward as ephemeral pleasure, an attitude, a way of being of those who fight to achieve their goals.

The way of communicating and the perception of the Colacao brand have evolved and its target has also expanded. Its main target is the tweens, but the brand continues to speak to those responsible for the health and nutrition of the family. Furthermore, energy, pleasure, health, and "everything is possible" stand out as attributes of the brand. This last emotional value invites you to stop thinking about limits and start thinking about pleasure and enjoyment. To achieve its objective, there is a change in the way the message is disseminated. The brand opts for online communication and the use of social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. Through more direct messages than in traditional media, it carries out more enveloping campaigns in which it interacts with the recipient and develops direct communication actions through shared messages, participation in giveaways, promotions, gifts, among others.

For its part, just two years after the launch of the Colacao brand, the first Nesquik cocoa was born, under the Quik brand. This food product composed of cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, soy, and salt, became the direct competitor of a so-far exclusive brand. In its positioning, a significant change in the communication strategy is observed, motivated by the entry into the commercialization of the product through Nestlé. The brand's strategy is based on the introduction of Quicky, a fun mascot that reinforces its brand value with the benchmark of instantaneity and aimed at children (Ponce-Blandón & -C.-C, 2017) with phrases such as “We want everything, we don't want to wait” until something more direct like “And you, are you one of us?”, although, at present, its message is directed again to their mothers.

All these aspects will be evaluated in the content analysis of the selected advertisements of both brands.

Sample description

In the analysis, various audiovisual pieces by Colacao and Nesquik aimed at a young audience, aged between seven and twelve years old, have been selected. With the obtained results, a cross-sectional analysis was carried out for the observation.

The criteria that have determined the selection are the temporality of the brand and its relationship with the competitor, the form of the message, the target audience to which its communication is directed, and the memory. Seven pieces from Colacao have been analyzed, ranging from the sixties to 2015, and six from Nesquik that go from the eighties to 2016. All are published on social networks. The pieces rejected in the analyzed period were those that the message was far from the objective of reinforcing the brand immersed in comparative advertising.

The study shows three items as the main criteria that reflect significant and verifiable results regarding the object of study. They are the benefit, justification, and attributes directly related to the message. The results are treated in an audiovisual analysis template reflecting the contextual analysis, coding, and interpretive level.

Colacao análisis

Source: Self-made.

In the first place, the analysis of the Colacao brand’s pieces has been done. The object of study is communication and the sample of seven selected audiovisual pieces from the 1960s to 2014.

The slogan used in the first pieces is "Complete food, breakfast, and snack". Regarding the used formats, genres, and styles, the cartoons combined with the use of the real image stand out. The same happens with the arguments in which rational and emotional messages are mixed. All the pieces coincide in the way the character is treated. All refer to certain arguments in which the main actor shares a leading role with the product.

For its part, even in the pieces with animated-image formats, the benefit is the solution to communication problems, such as food, vitality, fun, and even happiness.

The real characters are of different gender (male and female) with a minimum age of four years, white among which they do not share physical features such as the color of their hair, while they do share intangible values such as joy and vitality.

The stories in the ads, present situations with a predictably unhappy ending, but which, thanks to the product, their lives, and their perception, radically change.

In its making, the general shots in which all the characters and their environment are included predominate. It is not necessary to use generals to understand the context, it is enough with the sender, receiver, and medium, to understand the message. The endings are marked by a traditional style typical of the time, in which the close-ups of the product and the packshot predominate.

Regarding the special effects, background music is perceived that accompanies the story and that does not detract from the other elements.

At an interpretive level, it is observed that the Colacao brand’s advertisements are pieces associated with the pleasure value, which is not associated with the delicious taste of the drink but is a food of youth, full of life, which, on a rational level, is endowed with proteins, vitamins, etc. with a special flavor.

Among the actors and prescribers of the pieces, there are certain popular characters of the moment such as Jesulín de Ubrique, but mainly anonymous subjects, and mostly minors, are used.

Source : Self-made.

Nesquik analysis

Source: Self-made.

The following analysis corresponds to the Nesquik brand. For this, six ads from the eighties to 2015 have been collected. The reason why the selected ads begin and end a decade later is that the brand is introduced to the market later and its branded content, as well as Colacao's direct competition positioning, is not immediate.

The slogan with which it is positioned in the market is "make the good better every day." It uses cartoon and real-image format, reported with a narrator character who is a mascot named Quik.

In all the ads, the character who leads the brand speaks of a fast rabbit, which represents the instantaneity of the brand, the vital energy that transforms.

Compared to Colacao’s advertisements, Nesquik presents a positive message in which the product helps to ensure that "what goes well can go even better." The product is presented as vitality, enjoyment, making it clear that it is a supplement to food and all contextualized in real-life stories. The general characteristics of the main character are real, exclusive to the brand, and is represented by the Quick rabbit.

The actors are of both genders and with similar ages to their competition. They feature characters of different ethnicities with dark brown and light hair, redheads, and dark eyes. The images have a lot of rhythm and the characters smile, they are happy, full of vitality, the music directs the characters, and the whole story revolves around Nesquik.

In the same way as the advertisements of the competition, they are all joined by the value of vitality, pleasure, and energy provided by a large glass of milk with Nesquik.

The testimonies allow you to build your universe full of fantasy and energy without limits. Their messages target those who do not yet belong, what they are missing, and what they could do.

In all the ads, general shots predominate in which all the characters and their environment are included. It is not necessary to use generals to understand the context, it is enough with the sender, receiver, and medium, to understand the message.

Music shares the limelight with the brand, providing credibility to the rhythm. A catchy message is used that reinforces the reason for being part of the Nesquik generation.

It is observed that Nesquik's audience is younger than the Colacao recipient, communicating through rational arguments and showing a variety of products that positions the brand as a healthy product suitable for children three years and older.

Through their strategy, they get a product with a strong sense of belonging. It claims its positioning from the receiver, to say who he belongs to, if he is part of the Nesquik team or wants to lose his reality. The brand conveys improvement but from an optimistic point of view, where life is already going well but it could be better. In 2016, the product is well integrated into the lives of its consumers, it manages to make the team of winners, where play and fun share space, and collaborate in their attempt to achieve that world composed of moments of happiness.

Source : Self-made.