How do you teach consumers how to pronounce your company name while, at the same time, introducing your brand to more of them? You hire a beloved comedian, and you have a little fun with it.
Midea America Corp., whose U.S. headquarters is in Parsippany, announced the launch of its first cross platform U.S. brand campaign June 13. The home appliance manufacturer hired actor Sam Richardson, known for his roles in TV series such as Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty” and HBO’s “Veep,” to play the company’s fictional “chief idea officer.”
Debuting June 15 across broadcast streaming platforms and social channels, the 60-second spot shows Richardson taking credit for the creation of each Midea product — or “My-Idea,” if you will, which is a slight twist on how the company pronounces its name. The products featured include Midea’s U-shaped air conditioner unit, its Cube dehumidifier and the front-load washer with Dynamic Vibration Control.
“The spots are funny and clever while introducing the audience to this awesome brand and the right way to pronounce it,” Richardson said in a statement. “We shot these spots over three days and I must have said Midea about 10,000 times – making for an unforgettable experience if I do say so, as I collaborated with the brand on their first U.S. campaign.”
Each video spot in the new Midea America Corp. brand campaign depicts how the company’s innovations are solely attributed to pretend Chief Idea Officer Sam Richardson, who appears in customers’ living spaces and other settings, pointing out every Midea product as “My-Idea” – a twist on the brand’s pronunciation. – MIDEA AMERICA CORP.
Midea developed the campaign in partnership with its newly appointed advertising agency of record, Pereira O’Dell.
“With this campaign, we’re poking fun at the trend where big companies hire celebrities as C-level creative executives, who then expect us to believe they were actually responsible for coming up with the ideas themselves,” Nick Sonderup, Pereira O’Dell executive creative director, said in a statement.
“We all know they’re just taking credit for the ideas, and not actually creating them,” Sonderup continued. “So, we created the Chief Idea Officer who does exactly that – takes credit for the ideas at Midea by saying they are ‘My idea.’ Ultimately, he’s really just teaching the country how to say the brand name.”
Three more 30-second spots will run later this month, the company said.
Although the company reached more than $1 billion in U.S. sales in 2021 alone, the campaign is intended to introduce the brand to regional consumers who have not yet heard of the products, added Midea America Corp. President Kurt Jovais.
“We hope as consumers find our products in stores, they will choose one of our appliances knowing the surprisingly friendly solutions they provide, while also keeping the campaign’s lighthearted comedy in mind,” Jovais said.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:15 ET June 14 to indicate that it is the company’s front-load washer that has Dynamic Vibration Control.
