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?
