The other day, I was watching TV and a Domino's commercial came on announcing to the viewers that you can actually order pizza by simply texting an Emoji pizza to Domino's. I loved it instantly and was glued to the TV until the commercial ended. I don't eat their pizza because it's not organic but I still have to salute them for this simple but yet effective idea.
I must say that they are doing a great job capturing the attention of the young generation. You know the teens and young adults who are their core customers. Most likely their core customers are growing up and moving into full adulthood. Which means that they are entering the work force and now can afford better and healthier food options. To appeal to the new young people, they have to use other means and trends that are current in the market. As a brand you must continuously tweak your campaigns depending on who you want to target.
The idea is a simple innovation and thinking outside the box. Below is the full commercial:
Due to new simplified ordering options like the one discussed above, Dominos has seen an increase of 12.8% in the second quarter. Therefore, following trends that make sense for you business should be encouraged as they will more likely increase revenue while gaining more return customers.
**In order for this to work, customers needs to register their phone number on dominos.com and opt in to receive text messages from the brand. After registering customers can then send the pizza emoji to DPIZZA (374992).
I get excited about the Super Bowl for one thing THE ADS. Most of the time as marketers, we are not given much attention. This is our little playground or the master show. However, I always get disappointed. Ads shown during the game are suppose to be mind-blowingly creative. Come on that's when we get to impress the big guys (doctors, engineers etc.).
Anyways with that said here are my top 5 pick that were good but not "How did you come up with that?"face. Also, this is just my opinion!
3. Co-branding: Brand awareness of both BOA and (Red) is achieved
4. Music marketing: Free download of U2 song= marketing, creating that buzz and WOM
This ad would take the whole post for me to dig deep into all the strategies and how they are related. Feel free to comment below if you want more details.
Their goal: Definitely branding and generating sales
What they did right: The combination of U2 with an urgency to download their free song for a good cause is like no-brainer right? People want to feel like they contributed to a good cause.
4. Coke
If you didn't know this, I'll repeat it. I love love love Coke. The only brand I am super loyal too. One of the reasons is because they have lots of creative strategies despite the fact that they are the #1 soda beverage in the world. Find me on a good day and I'll explain my obsession with this brand.
Their goal: Branding….just so you don't forget them
What they did right: Use an iconic song that was sang by different ethnicities of America.
If you go down in history and look at past Coke ads, you'll quickly learn who they are and what they stand for. You know iconic songs and events around the idea of sharing or unity. They didn't disappoint again and they don't care much about the backlash from the contrevorsy either. That's the epitome of "Brand Consistency."
3. Axe
Axe is usually known for their over sexualized ads in order to relate to their audience (mainly young adults). Why is it that they are getting away from that? Maybe...
1. They got tired of the whole "sex sells" thing or it wasn't bringing enough ROI or
2. Their core audience is growing up
Their goal: Re-branding….Shifting from the "sex"appeal to more of the idea of "love" for their brand.
What they did right: Make people choose "love" through the use of stereotypes and political conflicts.
This worked, it's like seeing an immature young man, suddenly all mature and responsible. I hope they keep going this direction, they definitely won more respect as a brand from me.
2. Budweiser
Budweiser is a beer, I think we all know that. But did you see any beer bottle/cup in that commercial? Right, just checking.
Their goal: Increasing women usage of Budweiser consumption
What they did right: Using animals to unite two people with some soft music.
You know us girls, hit us with an emotional friendship/love story and our hearts are glued to that TV. Plus, who doesn't love animals. Maybe you've never noticed but a lot of Super Bowl ads usually include animals, because as human beings tend to relate to them better.
1. Cheerios
Last year Cheerios introduced the ad with the little girl and her black father. People sent hateful comments about the interracial part. That didn't stop Cheerios from coming back swinging even harder by introducing a little brother and a puppy. Brilliant move!
Their goal: Branding and segmentation (or more like reaching out to overlooked markets like the African American community)
What they did right: Taping into the one of the main hot topic in America. You know, shacking people up a little with the black and white thing.
Plus did they just introduce the concept of skits. Where ads will now become sequels too. I think that's a great trend. You'd hook those loyal customers with endless stories.
I personally can't wait to see the baby brother!
Again emotions, kids, animals, and celebs seem to be winning this ad thing. But on a serious note, ads are ought to be more creative. To get people talking for months after. Plus no one wants to be burning through 4millions in 30 secs. My thoughts, feel free to share your own below.
You probably think I am crazy for including Miley Cyrus because "She's so bad." Hold it there tho, give me a chance to explain. Miley Cyrus, like many celebrities that grow up in the entertainment business, was getting older and so were her fans. The truth is, sweet Hannah Montana had to die for Miley Cyrus to be seen as a young adult as well as relate to her core fans. Now, how else do you think she would have done it without all this so called "rebellious" behavior. To me, this is more of a well calculated marketing strategy of changing her brand. Let's take a road trip to how this unfolded:
1. Twerking Video (March)
In March, Miley released a twerking video wearing a unicorn onesie dancing to "Wop" by J. Dash and Flo Rida. This became an instant hit as different news outlets and celebs were tweeting about it. Beyond that, her fans went crazy with the #Mctwerkteam hashtag. Plus let's not forget how, all of a sudden, young people were twerking away and sharing their own videos on Youtube. Because it was 'cool' to twerk. I almost forgot to mention that young adults also raced to get their own onesie. I am guilty of it, although I am still searching for the perfect one to purchase.
2. In August MTV Music Video Awards (August)
What do you remember about last year's VMAs? I, for a fact, can only recall the 'Miley twerking on Robin Thicke' scandal. But wait, was this really a scandal or a brilliant move towards her revamped personal brand? I can assure her team was aware that everybody would be buzzing about it. Also, her outfit became the hottest Halloween costume last year.
3. Wrenking Ball Video (September)
In September, she released the "Wrenking Ball" video and lots of people raced to the Internet to watch it. Why? She was hanging on a wrecking ball naked and crying. Personally, I wanted to see how much she had pushed the conventional button. She achieved what she wanted as the video reached 100million views in just 6 days. This video broke the Vevo record of 'most viewed video', that she previously held.
4. The Rolling Stone Cover (October Issue)
Now let's talk about that hot picture on the Rolling Stone magazine with her tongue sticking out. A symbol she has created to go with her new brand. If she wasn't on top of her game, then why would one of the BIGGEST magazines feature her?
5. Free The Nipple (December)
In December, she tweeted a picture of herself holding a fake nipple in support for "Free The Nipple" campaign. The organization aims at "decriminalize the female body" and "protest the backwards censorship laws in the US via Huffingtonpost. Celebs always associate themselves with a particular cause. For her, this NGO goes hand-in-hand with her brand. The side that is more rebellious and free from society's norm.
The buzz created around Miley's brand is different from Beyonce's. One is an iconic figure and the other is a person who is growing out of her child brand. The buzz surrounding Miley focuses on events that are more crazy and rebellious in order to make a statement. If you look through history a lot of female artists that started young went through this faze in order to adopt to their changing environment. Buzz is created differently depending on the client's goal. In this case Miley's team did a great job because everywhere you turned Miley's name was mostly at the top. Plus at this point nobody remembers poor Hannah Montana.
We all know that the music industry is saturated and getting any meaningful attention is pretty darn hard. But Bay and her PR team are well aware of that. You don't believe me? Read below:
1. The 2013 Superbowl
We all remember that epic performance during half-time at the Superbowl with the appearance of Michelle and Kelly. However, the buzz making part was the creation of memes using unflattering picture of Mrs. Bay herself. It was a nightmare for Bay's publicist who was trying to get them off the Internet but I personally wouldn't have tried to do so. Come one, there's something to be said about flaunting your flaws, right?
2. The HBO Documentary
The Life is But a Dream documentary debuted on February 16th on HBO allowed for the world to see Blue Ivy for the first time. She could have done the documentary without Blue but then there would be nothing shocking or unique there. Blue appearance was a buzz maker since everybody had been awaiting for this moment. Plus you must admit Blue actually doesn't look as bad as people were speculating, if you know what I mean.
3. Beyoncé New Face of H&M
She became the face of H&M in April. Anytime an artist teams-up with a notable brand it's usually a win-win situation for both parties. Beyoncé showed her curves, which would get immediate media buzz.
4. The Mrs. Cater Tour
Yes, she went on tour this summer but that's not the most important part. Remember when she photobombed a fan during her concert. Between her and her publicist, I am sure they knew the trend photobombing was causing, so why not part-take in it. But wait, it had to appear natural, like an after thought. Current events and trends get talked about that's why this was a mega hit.
5. Instagram Pixie Cut
The power of Instagram, you can't deny that. But really, remember when Beyoncé posted a picture of her new hair due in August, a blond pixie cut. Yet another buzz maker that had everybody talking. She didn't have it for long either, so why? Well, I am pretty sure she wanted to divert the attention Miley was getting, with her endless twerking and tong-wagging, back to herself. Because, she's the Queen!
6. End of Year Surprise Album Release
Now the bomb dropper, the cap that sealed the 2013 in the music industry, the Self-titled album itself released December 13th. Thanks to Bay now music consumption and distribution will have a different meaning. Most importantly 80,000 copies were downloaded in the first 3hours. I am not even a fan of Bay but this one was epic and kudos to her PR team because every media outlet was talking about it. I hope the team drank champaign and got treated to a long vacation!
A lot more went into planning Beyoncé's brand image this year than I could talk about. But at least you get a sense of how PR professionals creates buzz making events for their clients.Think about it why didn't Bay keep quiet all year and only make noise with her "Self-titled" album? Unfortunately, the competition is stiff and one big event is not enough to maintain a personal brand. As an artist, you MUST create a yearly calendar of major events that will create BUZZ around your brand image. Or hire a PR team/person to do so :)
For a while now I've been seeing the new Economist campaign "World View" in train stations around Boston. They had couple ads displayed in different places (will go over three of them). These ads reminded me of the "Big Idea" class as well as my beloved Prof. Tucker. As I was looking at the ads, I remembered him saying "print ads have to be visual, simple and at the same time convey the Big Idea you're going for." I can tell you the Economist nailed all these points.
Their BIG IDEA: emphasizing the "World View" through ordinary objects to get new readers.
According to Advertising Age, they wanted to target college students and they chose Philly and Boston. Why Boston? Well, the city is one of the most Affluent in the US. Largely due to high ranked Universities, well-respected healthcare system and being one of the main technology hubs.
Now let's focus on the ads themselves so you can understand why I thought they were brilliant and straight to the point.
1. The Binoculars
You know the binoculars are used to see things that are far closer. I mean how great does it go with the worlds "World View." The also used their own print as the binoculars. With this, you don't have to read the texts below to get the message. Very catchy!
2. The Globe
The globe is an iconic object that can be found in all places of the world. Again, you have a huge image overpowering the whole sign. You must ask yourself without the worlds at the bottom (and only the logo) will you understand what this ad is trying to convey? If the answer is yes, then the ad is accomplished what it was suppose to do. Catch your eyes, and send you the message in quick seconds. Nice!
3. Rubik's Cube
Rubik are often associated with intelligence because it takes strategies to finish the game. The combination of the world view and solving the Rubik sends a strong message. You could read it as The Economist solves your curiosity about what's going on in the world. What do you think?
TAKE NOTES:
1. Have an image that can tell the story by itself
2. Have a "Big Idea" so that your ads can convey the same message in different ways
3. Remember the branding part. Meaning if people see the ad will they recognize the brand?
4. Don't beat your head against a wall to get a crazy out-of-this world idea. Look around you, what's ordinary that you can use.
5. Also don't forget about Simplicity. It doesn't have to be an orchestra type of deal.
If it was a secret before, it is not one anymore. Here is the truth: I Love Coke. The only brand that I am actually loyal to. Don't be alarmed because I don't drink soft drinks that much. However, when I am in the mood, I go for Coke. They have the largest market share in the Cola market, but they never cease to amaze me with their brilliant campaigns executed all over the world. Coke doesn't just relax and watch competitors try to get to its level, they actively think about new innovative ways to connect and engage with their customers. Constantly raising the bar while sticking to their brand image/tagline.
I was impressed with the recent Australian 'Share A Coke' campaign. Coke's problem in Australia was the fact that most teens weren't drinking Coke. Here's how Ogilvy Australia solved the problem seen below.
Here is why I personally like it:
1. They integrated different channels (on-line and off-line) for more exposure
2. Using people's names becomes personal and emotional. Who doesn't want that privilege?
3. A great way to create W.O.M (namesakes, I have a friend/family member by that name etc.)
4. Allowing others to submit their names for a chance to be chosen (customer interaction)
5. Create buzz that generate PR and Media attention
This campaign has all these elements: Conversion, In-store foot traffic (boost in sale), Engagement, Sharing, and Brand loyalty. A lot of brands fell to truly connect and engage with customers. Sorry, but push strategy does not work in this day and age. Also, campaigns without engagements are like breathtaking art that are only seen by the artist. I love campaigns that make me go "WOW" I wish I came up with that.
The thought of two power houses merging together is still surreal to me. How can Publicis and Omnicom become one? For non-marketing people to understand this merger, Forbes said it best "It's like the Yankees and Red Sox merging." The largest advertising agencies are WPP, Interpublic, Omnicom and Publicis. Here are some of the best agencies that Omnicom and Publicis each hold:
Perhaps this tells us more about what's going on in the advertising agency that we may currently know. Maybe the two power houses must not be making enough money to sustain themselves. However, this screams capitalism to me. I can't image the internal PR tactic going on to get everybody on board with this merger. What about employees, do they have to be less competitive with their ex-rivals and embrace more collaboration? No longer can they gear up and create innovative competitive pitches because they are fewer competitors. Or perhaps they will focus more on internal competition rather than creating great campaigns for their clients. Since Coca-cola, Pepsi, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile will be all under one roof as stated in Bloomberg. Will these clients eventually turn to smaller advertising agencies because their needs are not being met? What about the leadership style of each parent agency, how will it be aligned throughout. I have too many questions and concern that this is a great topic for debate. It's too early to predict the outcome, but it is going to be a bumpy road. For now, I'll just have to monitor their performance and those of their main competitors. What are your thoughts?
**According to AdAge, Interpublic share rose (4.5% increase today) while Publicis was at 59.40 and Ominicom fell 0.6%
In order to create awareness about the new "Fruttare Frozen Fruit Bar," the brand had to create an effective campaign to break through the cluster. They decided to pair Ne-Yo (singer/songwriter) and Cher Lloyd (British singer/songwriter) to create a new song called "It's All Good." The most crucial part of this campaign, is the fact that they asked fans on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to create phases using #itsallgood in order to help write the song. After couple months of entry, Ne-Yo and Cher Lloyd turned several of the fans' lines into lyrics for the newly released single "It's All Good"(seen below with lyrics).
Is this campaign effective? I'd say yes it is and here's why:
1. They incorporated three of the most powerful social media sites (great for impressions, WOM)
2. They involved fans to write lyrics. ENGAGEMENT (great for conversion)
3. The catchy phrase "it's all good"is a message that can be relatable to anybody (great for brand loyalty, ex: "Just do it" from Nike)
4. The song will be played on the radio (eventually creating unaided awareness)
I have always been interested in cause marketing. Today's focus is on a nonprofit organization called "The Friends of the Public Garden." According to their website, the organization works to preserve and enhance the Boston Common, the Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
The organization is providing the following (as seen on the picture):
1. Reading room for free. They have books, newspapers and magazines to choose from
2. Piano on the Plaza: You have several piano performers from 12pm-2pm
3. Chess and Backgammon are provided for people to play together
4. Sitting area to enjoy the outdoors, eat food, read, and chat with friends
The Friends of Public Garden Project
Brewer Plaza Activities
I like NGO's because they usually have a low budget for advertising but yet they come up with creative solutions. The Friends of The Garden is encouraging people to read and enjoy nature, while educating them on the preservation of gardens and supporting local talents. These are great attributes that enhance people's lives hence, a big attraction for donors and sponsors.
As you can see, this is a creative project that doesn't cost a lot in advertisement dollars but still reaches a large number of people. If you want to learn more feel free to visit The Friends of Public Garden website or call them at 617-723-8144.
**I was not paid in any way to write this post. I believe in the power of reading and the preservation of nature.
You can't start something without tapping into history and acknowledging those who have pushed the envelop in the world of marketing. As I salute my influencers, I am ready to embark on this journey filled with ideas, insights, and risks. After all, the torch has been passed on to me.
Why he has influenced me?
He created several icons such as 'Tony the Tiger' and 'Phillsbury Doughboy' that have become part of history. These icons have created unaided brand awareness in consumers' minds. Thus, creating strong brand image and preference to those brands. A big deal in advertising!
Why he has influenced me?
He was just a genius at knowing how to create unique positioning for any brand. In other words he knew how to make any product stand out from the pack. The most famous ad campaign and one of my all-time favorite is the Volkswagen "Think Small."
Why she has influenced me?
She helped create the "End of the Plain Plane" commercial for Braniff Airways. She was able to present the airline as a product that provides an experience rather than the simple fact of flying. Who wouldn't want to be in a plane that makes you feel as if you are not flying? Beyond that, she created iconic slogans such as "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" and "I love NY."
I am disappointed in the fact that companies sponsoring Outside The Box Festival, being held in Boston, did not create creative ideas to connect with customers.
Here's why:
1. The festival is FREE. Which means that you have a lot of people attending the festival. Why not take advantage of that?
2. The name of the festival is called "Outside The Box." This is ideal for companies to be creative.
3. This is the first one. There are not a lot of sponsors this year. Next year it will be more competitive, so this was a great opportunity for these companies to stand out while facing less competition.
I am not saying that these companies should have been in consumers faces trying to shove information, products etc. down their throats. I am talking more about coming up with creative ways to interact with consumers without interfering with their plan. Here's my take on some of the campaigns at the festival:
Some of you might remember when Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, was ordered to liquidate on November, 2012 after it failed to stay in business. There was a lot of outcry from people who grew up eating Twinkies. To them it was not only about the cream-filled small cake itself but it was more about the emotions and memories they attached to the brand.
This is why working on building a strong brand image is important in advertising. How many products have you seen go off the shelves for years and they have never been revived? This happens more than we actually think. The reason why most products don't make it back on the shelves is because their perceived value is low, from a buyer's standpoint.
However, thanks to Twinkie's image well integrated in the culture for decades, it was an easier decision for Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos Co. to buy the Hostess company. CNBC states that the company spent 410million for the deal.
Twinkies will be available in stores starting July 15th (TOMORROW). Looks like some of you might be getting a piece of your childhood back.
My projections:
1. The new company has to make sure Twinkies taste the same as the original
2. They shouldn't change the packaging, logo, colors or anything related to the look of the old Twinkies
3. A heavy ad campaign should follow.You can't only rely on loyal customers or the hype itself
4. They have to be innovative with new products to keep up with the changing taste and health concern of Americans.
