Sunday, April 28, 2013

Effective or Annoying?

Interruptive Advertising used to be one of the most effective but it that still the case or does everyone just think its annoying?
When we are listening to the radio or watching TV most of the time when we hear a commercial we tend to just change the channel or station and move on to the next spot that has no commercials. For example, when we are listening to Pandora every 7 or so songs there is some kind of add. When these ads pop up usually the station gets changed because we don't want to hear the annoying ad.
On the other hand these ads may be effective because they are annoying. But because of them being annoying people might only remember them for having a bad connotation. Companies want to be remembered for having effective advertising that people will remember for the better, not because the advertisement was annoying or because they hated it.
Now a days with all the new technology there are so many other more effective ways to advertise something and grab peoples attention.
There is also interruptive advertising in email and internet. With all this new technology, pop up ads and spam mail can be automatically erased and deleted. No one takes the time to actually look at these emails or ads because they know it is junk.
Overall I would say that this type of advertising is not the most effective. Like i mentioned earlier there are other more effective ways to get some ones attention.


Chocolate Architecture

We decided to make this campaign very interactive. We decided to use Instagram, Twitter, and Billboards to get peoples attention and make them interested in the chocolate bar.
For the billboard we will have the Eiffel Tower made out of the chocolate with the top melting down. Along with the picture we will have an @ link where people can get more info as to what is going on.
When people click on the link there will be a contest that comes up. We will ask people to make things out of the chocolate. They can make buildings, structures, monuments anything they want. Once they make it they will then upload it to Instagram and Twitter. They will need to hashtag the chocolate we will post it on our site and whoever gets the most likes wins the grand prize. We will have a contest every 3-4 weeks. The winner will get their creation put on our billboards and a small cash prize. We will use twitter to announce contest dates and updates.
We think that if we get people to be involved in making things with the chocolate it will keep the brand relevant. By having incentives in the competition it will attract people to do the competition. This is also  a good way for up and coming artist to get some kind of exposure.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Creativity in Ads

Creativity in ads is a major component in selling a successful product. The more creative the ad the bigger of an impact it can have on the audience. These days everyone is competing with each other to put out the best new product and ad to create the most buzz. Ads that catch the attention of the target audience will spread faster, and therefore make the product more relevant.
Although creative ads are a major component, they are not the only component. Even with an eye-catching ad, a product may not successfully sell if it is not a good product. Take these two ads, the first one is pretty intense but because it is very racy it probably got talked about a lot. Just like the Benetton ads,this ad is controversial wether it is good publicity or bad its getting talked about. The second add is pretty creative because it gives the person an idea of how good the watch will look on them. Thousands  of people will ride on this bart and will see this ad creating a buzz.

Housewarming Party

For this assignment we have chosen to use the waistband expander.
We will advertise by having a commercial as well as a radio ad.
For our radio ad we will open up with a woman ringing a dinner bell alerting the family that it is time to eat.
You can hear the sound of the family running to the table to get ready for dinner, as the family sits and prepares to eat they pull their chairs out to sit and you can hear seems ripping and buttons popping.
Mother: Not to worry guys, I just bought the waistband expander, now we can eat as much as we want and our pants will still fit!
Family sfx: shouting and screaming for joy
Family: you're the best mom!
Then the commercial will cut to an announcer letting people know where they can purchase this waistband expander and how much it costs.

Commercial:
Opening Scene: a mother frantically cooking in the kitchen in sweat pants and a T-Shirt on christmas day, the kids are running around and she is expecting company
Sound fx: the doorbell rings, her friend enters the door
Mother: OMG you're early, how are you?
Friend: yea, I thought maybe I could help you cook or something
Mother: you can actually help me pick out something to wear, I want to look really nice when Jim comes homes.
Friend: perfect lets go upstairs
scene: friend sitting on bed watching the mother look into the closet. Mother is going crazy in the closet, everything she picks she hates and throws on the floor. Mother picks a pair of her favorite pants
Friend: why don't you wear those, they are your favorite!
Mother: they are too tight and don't button
Scene: friend smiles really big at mother and pulls something out of her purse
Friend: here, try this its a waistband expander!
Mother: are you sure this will work?
Friend: yes, try it!
scene: mother goes to her closet and puts the expander in her jeans, then comes out of the closet
Mother: oh my goodness, this is a miracle! they fit perfectly! Thank God you had this in your purse. Now I can wear whatever pants I want.
scene:they both look into the camera and with a big smile on their face
 Mother and friend:Thank you waistband expander, you saved my life

we wanted to make this commercial very corny because it is a very unusual product. We thought if we made it corny it would be funny but terrible at the same time. It would be so bad that people would talk about it and it would help get the product out there


Bringin' it back

How do you make something so ancient relevant again? This can be achieved by using the technique of nostalgia. 
The audience we got for this project was the middle-aged group of people. This group of people want the newest hippest technology. This age group is also not very concerned with the price of materialistic items. 
My group and I have decided that to make the typewriter cool and relevant again we should make it eco friendly. Being eco friendly is the new trend. There is a growing concern with the state of our environment. The term "going green" has become very popular. Cars are going green, buildings are going green, so why shouldn't the typewriter.
With this new environmentally friendly typing machine every part of it will be made from recyclable or biodegradable materials. The ink will be eco friendly, the paper will be made of recyclable items and the actual machine will be made of scrap metals that have been used already, not only does it make it eco-friendly but lowers the cost of production. 
Some of the advantages and selling points that would make the typewriter desirable again would be that its dependable, reliable, instant, fast and easy. We would no longer have to worry about computer crashes, losing files and documents or finding a printer to print our material. With the typewriter we have instant gratification. The documents we need will print out in front of our eyes as we type. 
When this audience first thinks about the typewriter they will probably think of how old it is and that their parents used to use one. It could also take them back to their childhood. This will probably bring back good memories of childhood and their family. This is were nostalgia comes into play. The fact that it brings back good memories will make them want to buy it because there is an attachment to the item. the fact that it will be eco- friendly is just an added bonus. 
We decided to do a commercial and use social media to promote this new and improved typewriter. Our commercial will consist of a businessman on his laptop getting very frustrated because it just crashed and he has an important deadline, he will then pull out this shiny new type writer and say something like, "I don't know why I ever left you, you've never failed me" he will get the job done with a smile on his face and the type writer will have saved the day. 
we will aslo use Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as a way of marketing our product. Instead of being a Mac or a PC everyone will want to be a typewriter now. The typewriter will have its own twitter where and Instagram where it post pictures of itself and tweets funny, sarcastic jabs at Macs and PC's. 
We think that by doing this that the typewriter will be a smash hit!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Nostalgia

One of the brands that have done a good job at using nostalgia in marketing is the Volkswagen Bug. They have managed to keep an old classic alive and relevant. Through the years we have seen the Bug evolve and become more modern while still holding what it represents, which is a different era and lifestyle.One of the advantages of using nostalgia is that remembering the past usually evokes positive emotion. People that used to drive a Bug in the past might see the 2013 Bug and think of all the great times they had with their Bug. This might cause them to want to purchase another Bug, and BOOM. The consumer has associated the brand with happiness and the idea of nostalgia would have worked. Another advantage of using nostalgia is familiarity. The consumer is familiar with this product, the brand and what they represent. When a product has been around throughout time it shows that they have longevity, have substance and are trusted. Nostalgia may also make people feel younger. For example, my grandmother actually drives a Bug, when I asked her why out of all cars she decided to buy a Bug she simply told me it makes her feel younger, she also added that it makes her feel like she still has a part of the "good ol days." Like we mentioned in class, using nostalgia in marketing can also be cost effective. The brand has already done the creative part once before so bringing it back makes it vintage and cool.










One of the disadvantages of using nostalgia in marketing is it may bring up old memories or be associated with negative connotations or perceptions. For example, the BP oil spill was so horrible that the company will never be able to tap into nostalgia because with every advertisement that they do peoples minds will automatically remember the oil spill and how many problems it caused. Another major disadvantage of nostalgia in marketing is that it might alienate certain age groups. Because nostalgia is bringing up the past, the younger generation may not have any recollection of the past trying to be marketed.


  A brand or product that may not be successful in using nostalgia as a marketing technique could be social media companies. Although social media has been around for a while they have not been around long enough to have a sense of nostalgia. For example, no one can say, " ohhh I remember Twitter, we used to tweet all the time, we were obsessed with telling the world our every move." No one can say that because it is still happening, it has not become a thing of the past yet.







Monday, April 1, 2013

Selling a Jeep

   For our Jeep Advertisement we decided to go with the Jeep Compass. The jeep compass is 22,000 and gets 28 miles to the Gallon. The fact that it gets good gas milage is important because with the constant raising of gas prices we wanted to make sure it was affordable yet reliable and dependable.
    Although seniors' main concern is not the ruggedness and adventurous lifestyle that the Jeep is known for we figured that if we mixed the adventurous lifestyle along with the safety features and dependability of a jeep it would be very marketable to this age group.
   For our commercial we decided to show a group of 50-somethings to 70-somethings in a car ( two women and one man) together rocking out on their way to the park for a walk, one of the women's phone rings and its her grandson who is calling from school who is asking her to pick her up because he doesn't feel well. All of a sudden the grandmother looks back at the passengers and says "Get ready for a wild ride." The grandmother does a dramatic U-Turn and the roadway becomes a jungle. The cars on the road turn into wildabeasts and antelopes, the car is maneuvering through the animals with style and grace. The puddles on the sides of the streets turn into raging bodies of water that the Jeep has to get through, a wind and hail storm suddenly hits and Grandma is driving with such ease. Grandma does a dramatic fancy U-Turn again and ends up in the front of the school. The music stops, the skies clear up and the sun comes out. Grandma gets out of the car and does a cool walk into the school doors at the same time the view of the camera shifts so that we can see grandma walking towards school and we can see the entire jeep.
   With this commercial, like I mentioned before, we feel that we can get the lifestyle of the Jeep, which is adventurous, while showing that people can do everyday things in a jeep as well, like picking up their children from school. Targeting these two points I feel will be the most efficient way to grab this age groups attention and make them want to buy a Jeep.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

It's a Lifestyle

1. I absolutely believe that brand communities like Harley Davidson result in greater movement of the brand. We have talked all semester about how to get the buzz going about a brand. How to keep it relevant and exciting while being interesting and innovative. The brand communities allow for all of these things to happen. By having Harley Davidson put together these events they are bringing people closer together with common interests. These people bond over a common factor in their life (the bike) which makes the brand stronger because bot only are they meeting others with similar interests but the brand itself is giving back to the consumer. Consumers like being apart of something larger and in this case its the Harley Davidson way of life.

2. I think the "oath" and the "passport" enhance the meaning of this ride. With the oath you are swearing to abide by something so it makes it seem like you are joining a very exclusive club. the consumer likes to feel like they are apart of something exclusive. Again, feeling like they are apart of something bigger is something that the consumer likes. I also think the "passport" that they stamp makes for more meaning because it makes it a journey. The rider wants to continue to get all the stamps and finish the ride. Once it is over the rider can look back and remember what they went through for each stamp.

3. I do not think it is necessary for Harley Davidson to get more involved. I think it will dilute the purpose of the ride. I think they are doing a good job of giving the ride structure and direction by having the oath and using the stamp book method. If Harley Davidson were to get more involved in the ride I think it would feel too structured. The rider wants to be able to enjoy the ride on their own time, like the article mentioned, the Harley Davidson rider is classified as rebellious. Rebellious people don't want to listen to meticulous direction from someone else. If I were a Harley rider I would defiantly attend this riding event because I would be able to  meet new people that enjoy doing what I do. I like that Harley Davidson is letting the people get what they want from their ride.

4. Besides the ride it would be beneficial for Harley Davidson to maybe do things like giveaways or contests. Giveaways show that the brand cares about the customer because they are giving away free things. Giveaways could also create a buzz about the brand because people will want to enter it and win free things. Who doesn't like free things?Another option thing Harley Davidson could do is have parties or get togethers in their shops. People could eat, drink, look at new bikes and get to talk to people with common interests.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Woman more than Sex? NO WAY

Although I wish I could say that gender stereotyping was a thing of the past I can assure you that it is not. Companies and products want to appeal to certain demographics so they aim their campaign ads to either men or women or both. In aiming someone to the opposite sex one of them is going to get downplayed. For example, if you are advertising hard liquor you will probably see a beautiful woman at a mans feet. If you are advertising Skinny Girls Margarita mix the women will more than likely be the main focus of the ad. In my last post mentioned that stereotyping was a thing of the past but after doing further research I have changed my mind. Let me show you some examples.


 These are both ads for alcohol one of from the1950's and the other is from the 2000's. As you can see not much has really changed. In the picture on the right the woman is half naked, showing of her figure, her hair is blonde, insinuating purity and softness, and looks very provocative. In the picture on the right again, you see a blonde woman practically naked with a man standing over her. The man standing over shows his dominance and her submissiveness. In both ads the woman is being used as a sex symbol downplaying her intelligence.
Again, with the ads on the left women are being sterotyped as unintelligent and weak. The top picture reads " The Mini Automatic For Simple driving". This is insinuating women are not capable of driving. Women need something simple and not complicated so that our little pea brains can understand.
The lower picture reads " You mean a woman can open it"? Women are as weak or maybe even weaker than a twig, we have trouble opening anything that does not include our makeup or diaper bags.





 The ad reads "Pamper your man... and the whole family too"! The picture that is shown is a man in a suite looking straight forward with a masculine stature. The woman is smaller and lower than him in the image, she's wearing house clothes and is not looking at him directly in the eyes because she is not equal to him.








This is a more recent ad for a microwave oven. There is a woman laying in a grass field throwing up a microwave oven for a mothers-day campaign. Although this ad is a a lot more subtle than the previous one it is insinuating that any woman would absolutely love a microwave oven as a gift because the only thing we are good for is cleaning, cooking and making babies.

So there you have it! Gender stereotyping might be done a little more subtly these days but it is definitely still in full effect. I personally don't take offense to these type of ads because women have proven to be much more than just a housewife. These types of ads should be taken with a grain of salt because the company is just trying to sell a product and create a buzz. Ads like this shouldn't be taken seriously or to the heart. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Leave it in the Past

        In my opinion, I don't not think it is right to racially stereotype. I think people are so concerned with being politically correct these days that it does not happen as much as it might have in the past. Companies are also a lot more concerned with their reputations and making money, if they were to be racist they would lose revenue and probably get a lot of bad press,which is something a corporation never wants to have. These days, if any group of people finds somethig racist or offensive they will probably protest and create a buzz about it making the corporation extract whatever the racist or offensive ad or commercial may be.
      I also believe companies want to appeal to the majority of people so that their products can be successful. Again, with trying to be politically correct companies usually so not want to offend anyone causing their product to down spiral. For example, make-up lines like Cover Girl and Maybelline. I have seen ads for both companies which contain Asian women, Hispanic women, African American women and Caucasian. They want their product to appeal to a massive group of people so they incorporate all races to show that anyone can use what they are selling.
     Another good example is Gap. Gap, unlike other clothing companies like Tommy Hilfigure, always do a good job of incorporating all races and ethnicities in their ads. They want to include all races so that everyone can feel comfortable wearing their clothes. In the pictures to the right we see a compilation of races. What companies have also gotten better at is pulling ads or products that are found offensive. A while ago Gap put out a shirt that read
"Manifest Destiny" across the chest. “This article of clothing promotes a belief that has resulted in the mass genocide of indigenous people, and it serves to normalize oppression,” the petition to recall the shirt read.The shirt’s designer, the iconic fashion designer Mark McNairy, took to Twitter to, at first, boast about the slogan. “MANIFEST DESTINY. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST,” he wrote, then later deleted. “I AM SORRY FOR MY SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST COMMENT. IT HURT ME DEEPLY TO BE CALLED A RACIST AS THAT IS NOT ME. I REACTED WITHOUT THINKING,” he tweeted in all caps days later.
     Moreover, as I previously mentioned, companies have to worry about their images and keeping a good, clean, trusting relationship with their audience. When their biggest concern is making money and pleasing the customer  it does not leave room for racism and stereotyping. 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Applying semiotic to the real world

An example of semiotic in a print ad could be the Garnier Fructis pages. In these ads we typically see a pretty girl with long, shiny, healthy, voluminous, luscious hair. The signifier would be the bottle of shampoo and conditioner in the ad, but the signified is the way the girls hair looks. Garnier Fructis is implying that when you use their shampoo your hair will be like the models hair in the ad.


A television add that uses the method of semiotics would be the Old Spice deodorant commercials. In these ads we see a manly man doing things like riding a horse on sunset beaches. Old Spice is signifying that you can be a manly man and do rugged things but you can also smell good while doing them. The signifier could be the actual  bottle of deodorant while the signified is what comes along with the bottle, which would be smelling good while still being manly.


An outdoor symbol could be those signs in neighborhoods that read "children at play". This is letting people know to be a little more careful about their driving because more than likely there are kids around the area. When there are little kids playing outside they do not always tend to be aware of their surroundings so it is your job to be cautious. The signifier is obviously the sign and what is says but the signified is what the sign implies, and that is to more careful and cautious.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

BrandsBrands Brands!!

 I think a brand represents a type of life-style a person lives or likes to portray. Wether we like to admit it or not we tend to judge people based on the brands they use or wear. A brand has the ability to portray anything they wish. How the brand decides to portray itself with the type of advertising and campaigning they do dictates what the consumer thinks about them and who will be their biggest market. A good example of this was the one we talked about in class. Dre Beats Vs. Bose Headphones. The type of image that Beats portrays is for the more urban, hip person while the Bose headphones are for the older, classier, more sophisticated user. Another good example would be the oh so chic and elegant brand of shoes every girl would die for called LOUBOUTIN'S. When women see other women with the distinguishable red bottoms we automatically think wealth, style and high fashion. 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Dietmar Dahmen

I would like to start by saying that Mr. Dahmen had a great presentation. He was able to be humorous and captivating while teaching us something new. Some of the things that stuck out to me in his presentation were the ideas of global connectivity, fame equals relevance, creating trust within the brand and the consumer and making the brand a way of life. I believe these are all very important components of making something in the advertising world work. Without the consumer the brand has nothing, that is why it is important for the brand to create trust with us and keep us updated. They have to make us believe we need what they are trying to give us, the brand needs to be apart of our daily lives to be successful. For example, Apple has made us believe that we are not able to function without our smart phones. Ask anyone in a college class room how they feel without their phone and they will say things like "naked", "lost" and "incomplete". Apple has become a way of life, the idea that we NEED them has given them the power to strive and grow.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Advertising : Why Advertising?

Advertising : Why Advertising?: Some things that interest me when it comes to advertising is sports and entertainment. I am a psychology major and I think it would be inter...

Why Advertising?

Some things that interest me when it comes to advertising is sports and entertainment. I am a psychology major and I think it would be interesting to see how the two correlate. The way an advertisment makes someone feel will determine if the advertisment did its job or was just another annoying attempt to get someone to buy something. I am loking forward to learning new things in this class!