Growing Number of Advertisers Trying to Woo the Jewish Consumer
When Herb Brin founded Heritage-Southwest Jewish Press--a Los Angeles weekly newspaper--35 years ago, most of his advertisers were the mom-and-pop shops along Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard.
Last week, Brin bragged about the three-quarter-page Cadillac ad and a growing list of national advertisers that buy space in his chain of four small weekly Jewish newspapers.
“The growth (in advertising) has been 12% to 15% a year for the last five years,” said Brin, who expects annual ad revenues to top the $1-million mark this year for the first time ever. “We have already exceeded last year’s volume.”
Brin and fellow publishers are the beneficiaries of a growing number of advertisers that have set their sights on the Jewish consumer. The move to target consumer groups, the popularity of kosher foods and a renewed interest in Jewish heritage and orthodox principles have all worked at boosting Jewish marketing efforts.
Last week, Jewish newspapers and magazines weighed in with additional ads wishing readers well on Rosh Hashanah--the Jewish New Year. It’s the second-busiest time of the year behind Passover for Jewish marketing efforts.
The largest segment of advertising is devoted to food products, particularly kosher certified products. Along with traditional foods and brand names associated with the Jewish community, such as Manischewitz wines, there are plenty of nationally known brand names promoted with an ethnic twist.
Maxwell House coffee provides free prayer books during Passover. Fleischmann’s margarine runs a series of recipes titled “The Kosher Gourmet Recipe Collection” with its ads. And an AT&T; ad makes a bid for long-distance business with the line: “Ask him how his grades were last term. Call Israel.”
The few companies that specialize in Jewish marketing point out that the typical Jewish household tends to be more affluent and educated than average--appealing characteristics for advertisers.
“It’s the ‘Yuppie-ization’ of the Jewish market,” said Menachem Lubinsky, president of Lubicom, a New York agency that specializes in Jewish advertising and marketing. “They are changing. They are spending more on products and services.”
Richard A. Jacobs, whose firm places advertising in the Jewish media, said a survey of Jewish households in Philadelphia showed that the average household income was $78,000 and that 55% had a college graduate.
Jacobs said he finds that a renewed sense of pride among Jews has made them more responsive and appreciative to advertising and marketing that addresses their culture and values.
“There has been a tremendous renaissance in Jewish consciousness,” said Jacobs, who recalls the days when Jews had to change their last names to get jobs. “People have a greater pride in their Jewishness.”
Jewish-tailored advertising has appeared in some mainstream newspapers, such as Newsday in New York and the Chicago Tribune, in supplements during Jewish holidays, particularly Passover.
But advertising designed with Jews in mind appears mostly in small weekly newspapers and national magazines.
“We have had tremendous growth,” said Estelle Ashenberg, associate advertising director of the 85,000-circulation Jewish Action, published by the Orthodox Union, which sanctions products as kosher. “Three years ago we had mostly house ads. Now we have ads for dictionaries, computers and supermarkets” as well as kosher foods.
Television and mainstream publications are pretty broad mediums “if you are trying to target the Jewish consumer,” said Beth Adams, a spokeswoman for Heinz USA, which has been making kosher products since the 1930s. “It’s not as efficient as other targeted media. These brands are not large enough to afford a network buy.”
But such specialized advertising might also offend non-Jews. “There is some of that,” said Lubinsky. “But it’s less of a problem in larger cities. Where you have the problems are areas where the ethnic community is small.”
Advertisers have often fumbled in their attempts to woo specific groups, such as blacks and Latinos, with ads that are superficial or lack an understanding of culture and traditions, say marketing executives. The same is true for Jewish advertising.
Lubinsky said some firms expect to win over customers by dropping a Hebrew word in their ads. “That is not going to do the trick,” he said. “They want to see an understanding and sensitivity to their life style.”
In other cases, Lubinsky recalls an ad promoting dairy products rather than meat as the heart of the Seder, a ritual feast held on the first two days of Passover. Another ad projected the image of the dreidel, a spinning top normally associated with Hanukkah, with an ad used at Purim.
“That would reflect a total lack of understanding about what the community is about,” said Lubinsky.
Despite the challenges and limitations, marketing efforts crafted for Jewish consumers are expected to increase. Lubinsky noted that less than 10% of kosher products are advertised.
“I think we are on the ground floor,” said Lubinsky. “We have not seen anything, yet.”
Gillette Ads for New Razor Intended to Have Bi-Continental Appeal
Gillete Co. will introduce a new razor today with a single marketing and advertising campaign it hopes will win over men on both sides of the Atlantic.
Boston-based Gillete has earmarked $175 million to introduce the new razor, called Sensor, under the same name and marketing strategy in 17 countries in Western Europe and North America. It’s a step that will become more common in the years ahead, say marketing specialists.
“I think that marketers are moving toward global advertising as a means of making communications more efficient,” said Mary Teresa Rainey, the new managing director for the London office of Los Angeles-based Chiat/Day/Mojo. “The unification of Europe is adding some fuel to that fire.”
There have been successful worldwide campaigns built around a single theme and name, such as the Marlboro cowboy and ads for Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Besides a unified image, a global marketing effort--adjusted slightly for cultural and language differences--saves money over creating campaigns for each country.
But, industry executives point out that introducing a new product with a central, international marketing campaign is still unusual and somewhat risky.
“There are not that many products that utilize the same product and advertising” internationally, said Gordon Wade, a consumer products consultant. “There are differences in usage habits and in attitudes across countries that just rule out certain categories.”
Some cultures use the same product differently. For example, in the United States, beer is often consumed before meals like a soft drink while in Latin American beer is served during meals.
Attitudes toward the same brand name also differ. A Mercedes-Benz “here (in the U.S.) is one of the major status symbols,” said Jan Hedquist, managing director of Ketchum International. “In Europe, it’s what the butcher drives.”
Razors may be one of those rare products that might be suited for a multinational campaign, say advertising experts. The only problem, Hedquist said, is that American razor ads have linked a close shave to greater sex appeal and success while the Europeans have stressed comfort. Gillete officials were not available to provide more details on their ads for their new Sensor razor.
The need for multinational campaigns will grow, particularly in Western Europe, where economic, travel and communication barriers are being dismantled. For example, Hedquist said many Europeans can now tap into television programs from various nations.
“With satellite television,” Hedquist said, “it becomes very important for corporations not to send mixed signals. It’s important to have the same image.”
That’s not an easy accomplishment.
“The challenge will be to do appealing and effective advertising across a variety of cultures,” said Rainey of Chiat/Day/Mojo.
Phoenix Ad Firm Creates Drug Series
It’s usually the job of an advertising agency to encourage consumers to buy, buy and buy some more. But when it comes to illegal drugs, a Phoenix ad agency and local law enforcement have teamed up to discourage consumption.
The firm Cramer-Krasselt created the “Do Drugs. Do Time” campaign free of charge to promote the Maricopa County Demand Reduction Program, which aimed at cutting down casual drug use by forcing users to do jail time or go to a counseling and treatment program that costs $2,000.
“The intent was to scare people,” said agency general manager Rolf Norman, who outlined the campaign before a meeting of the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police held in Los Angeles last week. “If you do drugs and you get caught, you go to jail.”
Phoenix area law enforcement agencies had already created their own advertising, but it lacked impact and the agencies accepted an offer from Cramer-Krasselt to help.
“We went to people who change attitudes and buying decisions for a living,” said Phoenix Police Lt. John Buchanan, who also addressed the meeting of police chiefs. “America is a media oriented society and we need the media to reach people.”
Agencies Continue Trend Toward Mergers Last week was a busy one for merging ad agencies.
Los Angeles ad agency Brown, Keefe, Marine/Bowes, whose major client is Marriott hotels in Southern California, has merged with Abert, Newhoff & Burr. In July, Abert acquired another small agency, Brantley & Pawluk.
Deulofeu-Wilson, a Los Angeles agency specializing in retail advertising, has been acquired by DDB Needham Retail. Deulofeu, whose clients include Builders Emporium and Frederick’s of Hollywood, will be merged into DDB’s Los Angeles office.
