Lots of really interesting marketing news this week and I couldn't pick just one story to share with you, so I picked two!
Kleenex had a BRILLIANT social media campaign that utilized social sharing.
It's called the "Softness Worth Sharing" campaign and it got over 1 million samples to consumers nationwide in less then 6 months. The campaign let people send samples of Kleenex to their friends and family from October -February through Kleenex.com and also let people send virtual Kleenex through Facebook. This campaign increased market share by over 1.7 points in less then 6 months! Sounds pretty successful to me ( :
Charlie Sheen Merchandise
Charlie Sheen is like a really bad train wreck - its horrible but you just can't look away. His barrage of insane interviews in the last week has created tons of social media buzz and some hilariously bizarre quotes. He is cashing in on his infamous interviews by signing merchandise deals with companies like Live Nation that hopes to put Sheen merchandise in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Hot Topic. Some of my favorites? Winning T-shirts, tiger blood coffee mugs, and Charlie Sheen warlock wands. He is unemployed now (he got fired yesterday from Two and a Half Men), so he has got to make money somehow ( :
Any other awesome marketing stories this week? I'd love to hear about them!
Right now I am studying for my last marketing exam of my college career. Practicing for my final marketing presentation. Writing my final paper. Next week I will be a college graduate and I will be taking 4 years of knowledge from the classroom into the boardroom.
It's terrifying! Everyone says that I should be excited because I have already found a job at Intrepid, a market research company in Seattle. Its my dream job - delving into consumers minds, doing primarily qualitative research, and working with exciting brands like Microsoft. But I can't help but be scared.
Will I remember all that marketing information I have learned in the last 4 years?
Will my skills easily transfer over to the real world?
Will I impress my bosses, coworkers, and clients?
Will I be good enough?
I know these are questions that we ask ourselves when we make a major profession change - whether you are in marketing or in medicine or any field. So I was wondering - what was everyone's experience moving from the classroom to the real world? How did you deal with the uncertainties?
Unfortunately there is no secret algorithm to make a video go viral. If there was every company, everywhere would be creating viral videos and I would be entertained by videos of awesomeness all day long. But we are bright kids, right? Maybe we can figure out the secret to making a video go viral and become the digital marketing gurus of the future! Here are a few of my favorite viral videos (that are related to a product, brand, or service). What do they have in common? What do YOU think makes them go viral?
1.Sony Bravia - Is it Cute Bunnies? Stop Motion?
2. Nike's Black Mamba - Is it A-List Celebrities? Witty Commentary? Flaming anything?
3. Levi Back flip - Is it ridiculous stunts? Is it that "Oh Shit!" moment?
4. Cadbury Gorilla - Is it bold color combos and awesome drum solos?
5. Samsung Extreme Sheep - Is it Ridiculous Innovation? Dorky music?
On a more serious note, really, what do you think? What do these ads have in common? What makes the "viral"?
I definitely am not the most insightful being in this blog-o-sphere, so I thought I would put some of my favorite make a post about my favorite marketing quotes to make you think and to make you think I am oh-so-smart!
These are my ten favorite marketing quotes - I hope they inspire you as much as they have inspired me. I know with finals coming up and graduation, we can all use a little inspiration.
1.The Importance Of Actionable Market Research "Great wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data." -Peter Drucker
2. How to Really See your Customer "If you want to understand how a lion hunts don't go to the zoo. Go to the jungle." -Jim Stengel CMO of P&G
3. Be Flexible in Your Efforts "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." -Charles Darwin
4. Making the World Better Through Innovation "The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker
5. So This is Why I am in College! “Marketing takes a day to learn. Unfortunately, it takes a lifetime to master.” - Philip Kotler
6. And so Are We All "We're not in the hamburger business, we're in show business!" - Ray Croc
7. My Most Valuable Product "Don't turn down the chance to go anywhere. Join clubs, do anything you can to get out there and meet people. You are your product. Advertise it." - Max Markson
8. Ethics are Great. So are Profits. "Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing." - John Rockafeller
9. Initiatite and Incite "The easiest thing is to react.The second easiest is to respond.But the hardest thing is to initiate." Seth Godin
10. Find Your True Fans "Fans, true fans, are hard to find and precious. Just a few can change everything. What they demand, though, is generosity and bravery' - Seth Godin (Yes, he is so awesome that he deserves to have TWO quotes on here!)
Is there any pearls of wisdom I missed? Share them!
I was reading Ad Age today and saw two really interesting stories about Pepsi and Dr.Pepper. I thought I would share their new marketing tactics with you and see if you think its brilliant or if it falls flat?
Diet Pepsi is coming out with new packaging, the "skinny can", and an entire marketing campaign to support it. The can will still hold 12 oz. but will be over 6 inches tall and much slimmer. I think the new can is very attractive and is an interesting way to differentiate their product. Coke already has their own, unique, patented bottle that everyone is familiar with, so it only makes sense that Pepsi will follow suit.
A few problems with this idea -
-Women's groups across the nation are saying that the can celebrates being "skinny" and is offensive to larger women. They think it will increase America's obsession with being thin and may increase the incidence of eating disorders.
-They might not work in vending machines, which makes up approx. 10% of their sales
-People are hesitant to change...New Coke or Clear Pepsi anyone?
Dr. Pepper is releasing a mid-calorie version of its soda to appeal to men. The new version has 10 calories per serving, but is not technically a "diet drink", which many men refuse to drink because they find it to be feminine. Coke and Pepsi have tried similar campaigns with Coke Zero and Pepsi Max. Marketing efforts surrounding the new version of the soda includes packaging targeted toward men, a mobile "man cave" that will travel to six test markets, and commercials with lots of action.
A few problems with this idea -
Coke Zero and Pepsi Max both originally failed in their marketing efforts - people were simply confused. Will Dr. Pepper 10 suffer the same fate?
Coke Zero has NASCAR as a sponsor. Pepsi Max has the NFL. Dr. Pepper 10 does not have masculine, well known, national sponsor. This puts them at a disadvantage.
It actually claims to be a drink that is NOT for women in its advertising. Will this alienate their female audience?
So what do you guys think? Yay or Nay for these two marketing moves?
I don't know if you have noticed, but there are SO many different Geico commercials on the air right now. I feel like they are trying to appeal to too many audiences and trying to get a laugh instead of creating a consistent brand message that people can relate to. They are simply spreading themselves too thin. Here are just a few of the commercial campaigns Geico has had on the air in the last 6 months. Which campaign do you think best communicates Geico's value propisition? Should they nix the rest of these commercials and concentrate on the line of ads that really communicates their brand?
A lot of the learning I have done in college hasn't been in the classroom - its been in my room, alone, with a good book in my hand. Some of the most important lessons I have learned about marketing have come from books I read in my spare time that were suggested by teachers, colleagues, and other students. Here are a few of my favorites, that I think every aspiring marketer should read.
"Buy-ology" by Mark Lindstrm
Great for market researchers - delves into consumer's subconcious to find out why they REALLY make certain buying decisions. Very interesting to read as a consumer as well - you'll rethink every purchase you make and wonder what your real motives were.
Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelly from IDEO
Explores the different types of innovation and the personalities that propel them. I spent the whole book thinking, "I am an anthropologist...No, a collaborator! No definitly a set designer." Then I realized I could be and had once been in all of these roles and wore all of these faces. This book actually inspired me to think out of the box and its one I recommend to everyone I know
Any book and every book by Seth Godin!
There are so many great nuggets of information in his books, I couldn't possibly choose just one! He has some amazingly insightful views on ethics concerning marketing, market research, and customer realtions. Hiss book on Purple Cows (I know your curious now, go look it up!) and how firms must create remarkable products and remarkable campaigns to be noticed in today's market is also a insightful (and very fun!) read. I would also recommend looking up his blog and some of his TED speeeches - amazing!
Branding with Brains by Tjaco Walvis
Its an interesting mix of neuroscience, physcology, and marketing. Really helps marketers understand what drivers consumers on a deeper (almost instinctual) level.
Notable Mentions:
"The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" by Al and Laura Ries
"Ethnography for Marketers" by Hy Mariampolski
"Focused Interview" by Robert King Merton
"Predictably Irrational" by Deckle Edge
"Cute, Quaint, Hungry, and Romantic: The Aesthetics of Consumerism" by Daniel Harris
I am always looking for new reads - any good marketing, market research, anthropology, physcology, sociology, or general business books that you think will help me when I graduate and go into the big, scary world?
I'm not a huge football fan. Well to be hoenst, I hate football. Large men running back and forth, jumping on eachother, dancing, and those annoying announcers don't really tickle my fancy. But do you know what I do love? Super Bowl Sunday. Not because of the game or the half-time show or the cheerleaders in their little bitty outfits. I love Super Bowl Sunday for the best darn commercials I see all year. And for 3 million $ for a 30 second spot it better be good!
I wanted to recap my three favorites this year for all my readers.
1) The Doritos Pug - Cute dog? Check! Epic background music? Check! Sweet Payback? Check! Absolute hilarity? Double check! All in all another home run (er....touchdown?) for Doritos
2) The Force for Volkswagon - It is adorable, funny, and still showcases the car beautifully. It brings out the little kid in all of us. I know I want to play with that big kid toy now ( :
3) VW Beetle - Its clever take on the brand name and its amazingly animated. This is one that I just HAD to youtube for everyone I know.
So what were your favorite Super Bowl commercials this year?
We have ALL seen it - a company that decides to go on social networking sites because "everyone else is doing it" and fails miserably. Unfortunately most companies don't put the time, effort, money, or thought into their page that is necessary to really leverage the power of social media. But I don't want to concentrate on the negative, thats no fun!
In this blog I wanted to highlight 3 companies that I think are really using social media (more specifically facebook) to their advantage and talk about what makes their sites so sucessful. Hopefully other companies can learn from their example and use social media to add to the online prescence of their brand.
1) Cosmopolitan
What makes their page great?
They post multiple times a day to keep readers interested and their posts are always very cosmo-esque and on point
In every status update they include a link to a larger article on their main website which drives traffic
Their picture is the current issue of the magazine
They have an option to subscribe to the magazine right on their page and they even offer a free introductory issue for their Facebook Fans
2) Schwepps
What makes their page so great?
They give you something in return for "liking" them. They ahve this awesome application for the "new facebook" that allows you to take a picture and break it up over your main profile picture and your 3 side pictures. I know people who hate Schwepps but "liked" them just to recieve the app
You can download an iPhone application from Schwepps directly off their facebook page
Their status updates are frequently interactive and ask the user questions to get them involved
3) Victoria's Secret
What makes their page so great?
Their page doesn't just open up on their wall - it opens up on a seperate tab with descriptions and links to all of their other sites - their twitter, their iPhone/iPad applications, their Youtube Channel, and their main website for shopping. This increases traffic to their main page and all of their other social media sites.
Their posts are frequent and interesting - including coupons just for Facebook fans, polls, info on sales, links to videos, free Victoria's Secret wallpaper, and info on their newest product. Its very similar to a fan club or a frequent buyers club - they get deals, info before everyone else, and interactive extras. This gives users value and keeps them coming back for more.
They also have the 'send love' program where you can send your girlfriend's valentines and your guyfriends sizziling pictures of Victoria Secret's models.
What is your favorite corporate Facebook? What about that site really makes it stahd out from the rest of the competition?
I haven't personally watched Skins on MTV, but boy have I heard about it! Its a racy, teen show that centers on real teen issues such as substance abuse, mental disorders, sexual identity, and promiscuity. Check out athe MTV trailer below to get an idea of what I am talking about. It's so racy that parent's groups across the country are claiming that MTV has broken child pornography laws and child exploitation laws. The Parents Television Council even went as far to say that it was, "the most dangerous program ever for children." But the group didn't stop there. They began a nationwide ban of all companies that decided to advertise on the show.
Of course this prompted many organizations to drop their commercial spots on skins including General Motors, Wrigley, H&R Block, Loreal, Subway, and Schick.
So I have to ask two questions -
Are these advertisers doing the right thing by dropping the show?
What companies could benefit from advertising on the show? I know Lifestyle Condoms has recently added comercial to the show, but can you think of any other orgnaizations that could profit off the controversy?
I am one of the weirdos who still doesn't have a cell phone. They are complicated, they suck up our time, and the take away from REAL human interaction. I also hate the idea of being reachable by my mom and my boss at all hours of the day or night. I get stressed just thinking about it!
So imagine my suprise when Microsoft came out with the Windows Phone, the so called "anti-smart phone". It really appealed to me! Microsoft has the audacity (and the sheer brilliane) to target a segment of consumers that don't already have a smart phone and aren't already loyal to their iphone or their droid or their blackberry. They realize that trying to persuade an iphone user out of their 2 year contract is idiotic! That trying to convince someone that they don't need their crack-berry is product suicide! Instead they are going after people like me, that want to be able to reach our friends and family, but don't want to get sucked into the world of all smart phone, all the time. They targeted a completely ignored and untapped segment.
Here are a few of their commercials - what do you guys think? Is this marketing strategy brilliant or a little too out there? Can they really convince me and all the other non smart phone users to switch to the dark side? I guess we'll see ( :
Many marketers believe that advertising, in the classic sense, doesn't work anymore. Our generation skips past the commercials on TV, flip past magazine ads, throw away direct mail, and we NEVER click on banner ads. Thats why some companies are giving guerrilla marketing a try. Its an unconventional method of advertising that is placed in unusual places and is often interactive, thought-provoking, and unique. Its the kind of advertising that makes us THINK and TALK and SPREAD! It's the kind of advertising that goes viral. It can also be relatively cheap (sometimes even free) advertising.
To highlight this interesting new trend, I thought I would show you guys my 10 favorite guerrilla marketing campaigns. Enjoy, laugh, and feel free to comment with your own ( :
1) This large, German bank paid someone to rearrange the coins in wishing wells across the countires to make messages like, "Wishes? Rather invest your money safely". It got tons of press, reached a huge audience, and the only cost was the hourly wage for the person rearranging the coins.
2) Global Warming - Guerrilla marketing for a cause. This company put ads underwater, in swimming pools with the message, "Don't let this be our future" to warn people of the effects of Global warming and the melting of the ice caps. Probably one of the most inventive places I have ever seen an ad.
3) 3M Security Glass - Thats how safe it is! The maker's of this ad claimed their security glass was so safe that they put $5000 of REAL money in the middle of a busy sidewalk and told anyone that if they could break the glass, the money was theirs.
4) Frontline - We are the fleas ( :
5) Volkswagen - The Fast Side of Life ( :
Fun, Interactive, and it definitely gets the point across!
6) For Coke's new easy grip bottle, Coca-Cola put out posters printed on Velcro so that consumers passing by were actually gripped by the advertisement. Thats definitely one way to "grab" someone's attention.
7) Maxproof Mascara created these posters with moisture sensitive ink. One eye's mascara would literally stream down the model's face as it rained. Once the rain stopped the ink would dry invisibly and start over again when it rained. The other eye's lashes remained beautifully intact even through the worst rain storm.
8) Looking for Seafood? Hilarious Guerrilla marketing campaign for a seafood restaurant right off the beach
9) This magician is trying to advertise his show to tourists. He has a completely captive audience (we HAVE to sit there and wait for your bags and stare as everyone else's bags go by) and it amuses people when they are in a boring and stressful place (the airport)
10) More Guerilla marketing for a good cause. UNICEF put a "dirty water" vending machine on a busy street corner with choices like Malaria, Typhoid, and Cholera (common disease in 3rd world countries caused by the lack of clean drinking water). It went on to say that $1 can provide a child with clean drinking water for 40 days. The vending machine accepted donations and they poured in!
Which on of these campaigns is your favorite?
Any other guerilla campaigns that tickle your fancy? Please share them with me! ( :
iPod Commercials on MTV? Great!
Diaper commercials on the Lifetime Channel? Brilliant!
Candy commercials on Disney? Awesome!
But when you put Metamucil and AARP commercials on G4, a channel dedicated to video games, scantily clad women, and action movies? Thats bad marketing. Trying to sell a Jitterbug phone on a channel decicated to the coolest and newest technology? Thats just plain stupid.
I see this all the time. Companies that don't know who their target market is and how how tor reach them through popular media. Are teenage boys going to buy an AARP membership, stool softeners, and jitterbug phones? No!
I'd love to hear from you guys - have you ever seen an ad placed in a media channel that made absolutely no sense for the brand?
Beer commercials used to be the most entertaining thing on television.
I would sit in front of the tube for hours on Super-bowl Sunday just to see the new Budweiser or Miller ad.
The commercials were funny, crude, and went viral before YouTube became a household name.
But quite possibly the most boring product on the market is usurping beer as commercial king.
Car Insurance.
Yes. Car Insurance.
Companies like Allstate, Geico, Progressive, and State Farm are creating hilarious commercials, that have little to do with car insurance, but definitely have people talking. My favorites are the Allstate Mayhem commercials and the "Weeeee Piggy" Commercial by Geico. Check those two out below, they are hilarious!
So what do you think?
What car insurance company has the best commercials?
Which commercial is your favorite?
Why do you think the car insurance industry has begun creating these types of commercials instead of the highly product based (and boring) commercials they used to produce?
