OPINION ZONE: Mac & cheese decadent?

October 2008 | Posted by Carolyn Pikoulas
Is "decadent" really the right word to describe bacon mac & cheese? Yes, according to Pizza Hut. In their new hidden camera ad spots for their "Tuscani" pasta, that's apparently one diner's reaction to the meal. Whether she was actually describing the bacon mac & cheese dish or something else-we'll never know, since commercials can cut and edit how they see fit. But to describe what sounds like a meal fit for a 6-year-old as "decadent" makes me wonder where or what this person normally eats?

Hidden camera ads are back, no doubt. Marketers are constantly struggling to achieve positive attention with their consumers, and one of the hardest things to achieve is an attitude shift. Success of an attitude adjustment may not be the key objective for most brands but one thing is for sure, if you can pull it off, you stand to reap serious benefits. Attitudes about products and brands are formed slowly, based on events that can reinforce preconceived notions. So, if your brand is on the wrong side of the attitude-fence, it takes a long time and a lot of money to redirect. One of those tactics has been getting a lot of airtime lately: deceit.

Remember when Folgers used this strategy to get real reactions from customers at a fine dining restaurant? Each person had a preconceived idea about what makes a good cup of coffee (and Folgers wasn't one of them at the time). But my question is: how do I know if the restaurant had good coffee to begin with? And do other TV viewers ask that same question, too?

Pizza Hut, in order for their new pasta menu to steer clear of the Chef Boyardee realm, invites unsuspecting customers to a fine Italian restaurant and uses hidden cameras to capture praise from the patrons. Hardees also attempts to make their unapologetic, ginormous burgers seem more fitting in a gourmet restaurant. The customer is even charged $14, not knowing that the chef just took the burger out of its wrapper.

And, don't look now--here comes the new operating system from Windows: Mojave! Wait, that's just Vista (or so we're told, since we can't see the monitors. Those people could be using Leopard OSX for all we know). With the terrible reviews and negative attitudes following Vista, it seems rather appropriate that Microsoft chose this type of campaign.

There are several issues that go along with hidden camera ads because, for one thing, we don't know the customers or their backgrounds. But when Hyundai did a new spot for their next luxury sedan, Genesis, it claimed to rival luxury autos that cost four times as much. It could even be mistaken for a Lexus. However, neither Hyundai nor the average Joe stated this. Car and Driver did. With a 3rd party perspective from actual industry experts, this is much more convincing. Personally, I have a hard time believing bacon mac & cheese can be "decadent," or non-IT professionals telling me Vista is awesome.