Product Placement

Today, product placement is becoming more and more popular in both movies and television shows. The increase of placing products directly into shows is now regularly on series such as American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Extreme Makeover, or Celebrity Apprentice. American Idol judges are always drinking Coca-Cola while Survivor contestants can be seen drinking Mountain Dew. Extreme Makeover Home Edition doesn't fail to leave out that their tools and appliances all come from Sears. Celebrity Apprentice doesn't miss the opportunity to include using products by Australian Gold, Vera Wang, or 7-UP. In shows today, advertisers are becoming more eager to increase their screen time and for viewers to not see a recognizable brand, company or product right in these shows is becoming rare.

YouTube Video of Camry Crash

This week in the news, there was talk about a YouTube video of an elderly woman in Florida crashing her Camry into a supermarket and running several people over. There was negative feedback from the public about the video after it aired on YouTube because a Toyota advertisement was the banner on the bottom of the video. This made many people upset, believing that Toyota was associated with supporting the video because of their advertisement. Internet ads will automatically link advertisements for companies based on content about their product. In this case, it was a Toyota banner advertising their company and the Prius right next to a horrible video and something that the company does not represent. Google has sense removed the Toyota ad from the video. This is an example of how sometimes advertisements can accidentally and negatively portray a company and the downside to automatic ads by linking content.

Starbucks' Advertising Strategy

Starbucks is a company that has a unique advertising and marketing strategy when compared to their competitors and most other large, well known brands. Starbucks has embraced a "word of mouth" strategy that lets the high quality of their products and services speak for themselves. Starbucks is known for its high quality coffee and they believe that connecting with their customers, and focusing on their in-store experience is more valuable than any advertisement or mass marketing. They believe once a customer is satisfied, it is more effective when they personally promote their brand because they are a  pleased customer who will return and will remain loyal to their brand. They have focused on utilizing their current customers to attract new ones. Starbucks non-traditional method for advertising their brand shows that they are driving their sales through the company's image and reputation. Although for most companies this would be a very risky strategy, Starbucks has continued to increase their success by creating a top of the line brand image.

The "Hoppa" Commercial

I recently saw this Hopper commercial and thought is was really funny. I have never even heard of the Hopper by Dish but now know what it is from their commercial. The man explained right in the beginning exactly what the Hopper is. It's a DVR that allows you to record 6 shows at once and can be watched in any room of the house. It was straight to the point, hilarious, and showed how someone in every room was watching their own thing which portrayed what their advertising. If they keep making such good commercials, they will be loosing viewers because they will all have the Hopper and will be fast-forwarding through them. A lot of people complain about commercials and change them right away for good reasons. But if more advertisers spent a little extra time on creating funny commercials, even something as simple as a Boston accent, people would view their ads and appreciate their brand more. Maybe even talk about it with someone else like I am because I really enjoyed this commercial.

Coca-Cola Freestyle

A couple of weeks ago in the airport I saw my first Coca-Cola Freestyle. Since I hadn't seen one before I figured they were new but after doing a little research it seems as though they've been around since mid-2009. For those of you who don't know, it's a twenty first century, high-tech drink machine. It has over 100 Coke brand drinks available which is impressive when compared to the traditional soda machine that has only 6-8 options. There are all kinds of Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Powerade, Hi-C, Minute-Maid, Dasani, and many more. I was impressed by its touch screen technology and then shocked by all of the drink options. I just wanted a Sprite but after clicking on the logo, about 10 more flavors of Sprite were offered. I think this is a great advertising tool for Coke. With this machine, they have the opportunity to provide all of their drinks to a variety of customers and really get to showcase what they have to offer. They are promoting all of their brands at once and they are able to reach a wide range of consumers. These machines also have an innovative cartridge based soda dispenser technology which gives them a step ahead of their competition. It is also helping Coca-Cola track consumer behavior and brand preferences. The Freestyle is a cool advertising strategy for Coke, while pleasing customers and learning more about them at the same time.

Fashion Star

Last week I watched NBC's new series called Fashion Star. Its purpose is to give designers the opportunity to create new items and get advise from celebrity mentors. Then they showcase their designs to three of the largest retailers in hopes to have those buyers purchase their collection and sell it exclusively in their stores. The retailers are Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, and H&M. I'm not sure how their presence on the show has affected sales so far, but I believe it will increase revenue through the new publicity they will receive from the show. It seems like a great advertising strategy because the show promotes these retailers heavily and under each buyer is a large logo of each company that you can't miss to notice. After each show, consumers then can purchase the winning looks right away on the appropriate retailer's website. This is allowing viewers to be interactive with the company and purchase what they just saw designed on T.V. I think these aspects of the show will greatly help the success of these companies and are innovative advertising strategies that other retailers should envy.

#StopKony

Making Kony famous became very popular this week and was the most talked about trend on all social media networking sites. The video went viral and everyone was talking about it from friends on Facebook to celebrities tweeting about it. Although it isn't an advertisement, it is a campaign which is to inform the nation about Kony, what he has been doing, and how everyone can help. The informative video aims to make him famous through the assistance and raising support by our nation which will hopefully lead to his capture. It was interesting to see how a small campaign could turn into something so big. With no original sponsors, celebrity spokespersons or endorsements, the campaign received so much press and attention by the media. Now, politicians and celebrities with household names are promoting it and urging everyone's support. With all of the media coverage on it now, news sources have used it in headlines and during commercials, advertising the topic and their coverage on it. Stopping Kony and making him famous has turned into a movement. It's great to see how our voices are powerful and how people around the world can come together unselfishly to help others.

JCP

JCPenny has recently debuted their new and improved name, pricing strategy, marketing campaign, and complete company "makeover". From store layouts to a new celebrity spokesperson, JCP will be different. 

For many years now the company has been struggling with sales and against their competitors. Thanks to JCP's new CEO, who formally worked for Target and Apple, he has helped the company create and implement the new strategy. Things will be more straight forward such as their shortened name and new pricing strategy called "Fair and Square". The consistent pricing will eliminate the guess work such as limited time sales and using coupons. Pricing will now include everyday low prices, month long values, and best prices. They also have an improved returns policy without exclusions and free shipping. 

The new strategy has been heavily advertised and it should help the company reach the sales and success  that they hope for. This should bring in new customers and help retain their old ones. In addition to these improvements, JCP has also teamed up with Ellen DeGeneres and Martha Stewart. Unfortunately, there has been some negative critics in response to Ellen teaming up with JCP. "One million moms" are boycotting against  JCPenny for using Ellen because she is gay. They claim to be traditional families with traditional values and have even created a Facebook page but only have 40,000 members. Thankfully, JCP stood their ground and will continue to support and use Ellen. It goes to show the risks involved when using celebrities in advertising and to promote brands. Yet in this case, the positive impacts should outweigh the negatives and because of Ellen, JCP should be expecting to receive a lot of new customers. 

Chrysler Commercial / Clint Eastwood

I didn't want to write about another commercial or one from the Super Bowl for that matter but I still am touched by the Chrysler commercial that Clint Eastwood was in. It ended up being quite controversial because people believed he was supporting Barack Obama. I personally think this commercial related to republicans or democrats alike because of it's message. The commercial's message was about divisions in our country but how people can pull together and still do something great, in this case, making American cars. I also believe Clint Eastwood was trying to promote giving Americans employment opportunities and an opportunity to support American made products. It gives you a sense of American pride and makes you want to do something to help our country. I felt it truly portrayed the resilience of the people of Detroit and of the whole country. Last year, Eminem's appearance in their Super Bowl commercial really blew me away and this year Clint Eastwood did the same. Although I love Eminem and Clint Eastwood gave the commercial an edge and what it needed, it was the message that stuck with me. I would honestly like my next car be Chrysler made but it was the message and meaning of the commercial, not the celebrity.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

I was surprised to hear Dr. Rod's favorite Super Bowl commercial was the same as mine, Mr. Quiggly representing Sketchers. I loved it for a few reasons. To start, because I have a soft spot for Frenchies and how can you not love that face? The fact that they chose a little, chunky, French bulldog to go against the greyhounds was funny to begin with. Then, for him to win the race while having enough time to throw in a quick moon walk at the end was even funnier. Like Dr. Rod already said, Sketchers seemed to do the best promoting their brand and their products; also showing what you can do with them. Then a quick celebrity endorsement with Mark Cuban at the sent a message to viewers that athletes wear Sketchers too. Last year, the company had Kim K in their Super Bowl commercial and it's debatable which was better. Either way, Sketchers has a great advertising team who are creating memorable commercials that emphasize their brand.