It’s a well know fact: I break technology. I don’t really think that I’m breaking all things electronic, but rather, I think that I am testing them to the limits. Unfortunately, this usually renders all things mechanical that I handle useless and otherwise broken. Last week, for the fifth time in my entire cell phone life, my cell phone leaped from my hands and went crashing to the ground. This tragic act of cellular suicide triggered a thought—is it time to upgrade to an iPhone or Blackberry?
From my understanding, cellular phone usage is increasing, especially with the rise of wireless technology—specifically applications (apps). My issue is and always has been how connected to “the world” do I want to be? Currently, my phone plan is basic. I don’t text, I don’t surf the Internet, and I have no apps. Although economical, it’s not the best for my social life or connecting to the world around me. So why should I make the next technological step into the 21st century with an iPhone or Blackberry?
According to Did You Know 4.0, a popular YouTube video, there are over one trillion pages, in the last five years, online readership has grown thirty million readers, and sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are social media phenomena. However, cell phones, iPhone, Blackberries, and various other Internet providing phones, are allowing people to become more connected with one another, the world, and with brands and advertising messages. It is even predicted that by next year (2010), the cell phones will be the primary communication and connection tool to the Internet.
My joining the Mobile media trend surely in, but I think I’m up for the challenge not only as an advertiser, but also as a consumer. I am excited to view the world in a different way with knowledge, information, and Internet connection at my fingertips. I can’t wait to interact with applications, social networking, and more importantly what new innovations advertisers are producing to adapt to market trends and meet the needs of a growing mobile and Internet savvy audience.
Let’s hope that my new cell phones, regardless of its brand or capabilities, stays intact and away from my mobile misfortune. More to come on this topic.
References
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/infographic-day-what-cellphone-provider-best-you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8
http://www.apple.com/iphone/?cid=OAS-US-DOMAINS-iphone.com
http://www.blackberry.com/
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Fall Fantasy Football Phenomenon
It’s fall. It must be time to sit back, tailgate, and watch some football.
Estimated between 15 and 18 million, some football fans are taking their love of the sport to new, digital, heights by drafting real NFL players onto fantasy football teams. The premise of the “sport,” is to allow people to “draft teams of players and compete against other teams based on their players' real gridiron statistics.”
“Predominantly male, married, in a high income bracket and more likely to do research or make purchases online,” the number of fantasy football participants is not only a captive audience, but they’re also growing – with 7-10% growth in the past three years. Most users spend approximately four hours per week on fantasy team management via free sites (Yahoo, ESPN, CBS Sports, etc.).
Coors Light beer, for example, is targeting users via a variety of websites, including Facebook. By using this platform, Coors is targeting specific users (21+), and inundating them with advertisements (display ads and online commercials)—thusly reaching attentive core users who drink their product. In addition to Coors Light, major advertisers for this football season are GMC, McDonald's, Budweiser, Toyota, and Coke.
While I do not play fantasy football myself, I am observant to some ads targeted to this group: Bud Light’s Tailgate Approved ads are the specific example that comes to mind. On the Tailgate Approved micro site, not only are there a variety of tailgate essentials and games, but also the Fantasy Football Namerator to assist in choosing one’s fantasy football team name (in essence a word slot machine that make a nonsensical fantasy football team name).
I think that the popularity of fantasty football will continue to grow, and the intensity of the advertising campaigns will follow suit. In the future, I expect more products targeted at the male audience (like Gillette, Axe, and maybe even Viagra) to be more visible online, especially on fantasty football sites.
References:
http://www.nfl.com/
http://adage.com/article?article_id=139005
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/11/news/companies/fantasyfootball/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORrqdkDYnoM
http://www.tailgateapproved.com/tg/#/home
Estimated between 15 and 18 million, some football fans are taking their love of the sport to new, digital, heights by drafting real NFL players onto fantasy football teams. The premise of the “sport,” is to allow people to “draft teams of players and compete against other teams based on their players' real gridiron statistics.”
“Predominantly male, married, in a high income bracket and more likely to do research or make purchases online,” the number of fantasy football participants is not only a captive audience, but they’re also growing – with 7-10% growth in the past three years. Most users spend approximately four hours per week on fantasy team management via free sites (Yahoo, ESPN, CBS Sports, etc.).
Coors Light beer, for example, is targeting users via a variety of websites, including Facebook. By using this platform, Coors is targeting specific users (21+), and inundating them with advertisements (display ads and online commercials)—thusly reaching attentive core users who drink their product. In addition to Coors Light, major advertisers for this football season are GMC, McDonald's, Budweiser, Toyota, and Coke.
While I do not play fantasy football myself, I am observant to some ads targeted to this group: Bud Light’s Tailgate Approved ads are the specific example that comes to mind. On the Tailgate Approved micro site, not only are there a variety of tailgate essentials and games, but also the Fantasy Football Namerator to assist in choosing one’s fantasy football team name (in essence a word slot machine that make a nonsensical fantasy football team name).
I think that the popularity of fantasty football will continue to grow, and the intensity of the advertising campaigns will follow suit. In the future, I expect more products targeted at the male audience (like Gillette, Axe, and maybe even Viagra) to be more visible online, especially on fantasty football sites.
References:
http://www.nfl.com/
http://adage.com/article?article_id=139005
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/11/news/companies/fantasyfootball/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORrqdkDYnoM
http://www.tailgateapproved.com/tg/#/home
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Importance of Brands
A friend, who is currently looking to change careers, recently forwarded me a link to a site about branding yourself with color during the interview process, and it made me think about not only the way that I brand myself, but also how products are branded—how consumers connect and remember a brand.
Although I think my signature color to be green, I don’t readily denote that synergistically from interview garb to resume to follow-up notes (although I think it’s a cool idea). Instead, I market myself via a variety of online profiles, and of course, this blog. Hopefully these items attribute to my professional ability, skill set, and interests in the online marketplace to reach my target audience – professionals and other advertising enthusiasts…and anyone else who’s listening (Hi Dad!).
For products, brands are usually denoted with logos. Nike’s swoosh, Coca Cola’s distinctive script, and Michelin with their puffy/marshmallow Michelin man are all examples of how brands’ mark their products as unique and connect them with advertising messaging. Logos allow consumers to recognize a brand product line and bring to mind the unique selling proposition in the marketing message when faced with a purchase decision.
I recently saw a display banner for Kleenex brand tissues. The copy, read:
Brand Identity Theft. Kleenex should be always be be followed by a (R) and the word "Tissue." Kleenex: Help us keep our identity ours.
As a consumer, I use the term ‘tissue’ and ‘Kleenex’ synonymously - or rather, when I ask for a tissue, I'm really asking for a Kleenex brand tissue. Kleenex cementing their brand identity in the minds of consumers by associating the word "tissue" and the brand name "Kleenex"--asking consumers to use the two together so that when one asks for a tissue, they're asking for a Kleenex brand tissue. Another example of this is the use of the term ‘coke’ to refer to a carbonated and caffeinated beverage from 'Coca-Cola.' These two examples show the importance of branding—two completely different brands have become synonymous with the products that they advertise.
Branding is an important part of advertising strategy. Not only is it is a visual link between the consumer and product, but also allows consumer to distinguish brands from one another, build loyalty and choose a preferred brand, and allows for price leveraging based on real or perceived brand benefits.
References:
http://excelle.monster.com/news/articles/3975-how-to-brand-yourself-with-color
Although I think my signature color to be green, I don’t readily denote that synergistically from interview garb to resume to follow-up notes (although I think it’s a cool idea). Instead, I market myself via a variety of online profiles, and of course, this blog. Hopefully these items attribute to my professional ability, skill set, and interests in the online marketplace to reach my target audience – professionals and other advertising enthusiasts…and anyone else who’s listening (Hi Dad!).
For products, brands are usually denoted with logos. Nike’s swoosh, Coca Cola’s distinctive script, and Michelin with their puffy/marshmallow Michelin man are all examples of how brands’ mark their products as unique and connect them with advertising messaging. Logos allow consumers to recognize a brand product line and bring to mind the unique selling proposition in the marketing message when faced with a purchase decision.
I recently saw a display banner for Kleenex brand tissues. The copy, read:
Brand Identity Theft. Kleenex should be always be be followed by a (R) and the word "Tissue." Kleenex: Help us keep our identity ours.
As a consumer, I use the term ‘tissue’ and ‘Kleenex’ synonymously - or rather, when I ask for a tissue, I'm really asking for a Kleenex brand tissue. Kleenex cementing their brand identity in the minds of consumers by associating the word "tissue" and the brand name "Kleenex"--asking consumers to use the two together so that when one asks for a tissue, they're asking for a Kleenex brand tissue. Another example of this is the use of the term ‘coke’ to refer to a carbonated and caffeinated beverage from 'Coca-Cola.' These two examples show the importance of branding—two completely different brands have become synonymous with the products that they advertise.
Branding is an important part of advertising strategy. Not only is it is a visual link between the consumer and product, but also allows consumer to distinguish brands from one another, build loyalty and choose a preferred brand, and allows for price leveraging based on real or perceived brand benefits.
References:
http://excelle.monster.com/news/articles/3975-how-to-brand-yourself-with-color
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
There's No Such Thing As A Free Concert
Two weeks ago, one of my friends invited me to go with her to the Summer Krush tour featuring Dierks Bentley. The show was “free,” and I use the term loosely, as the old adage says—there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and like lunch, this show was not really free.
Sponsored by Samsung and AT&T, the show was scheduled to begin around 8pm. However, the show time came and went, and the only visible activities were the continuous looping of a Samsung Jack commercial on overhead monitors, and an on-stage screen that projected text messages of concert-goers (most to the tune of “I heart Dierks” and “Hi Mom!”). When the MC finally arrived on stage, he chose two random numbers who had texted the screen to win prizes—one person won a Samsung Jack, and the other a Summer Krush electric guitar. Then, Dierks took the stage, and put on a great show.
I think that offering a free concert series is a really innovative way for advertisers, in this case Samsung and AT&T, to bring together a large group of targeted consumers (I estimate Caucasian females between 14 and 30 years old who like country music) and inundate them with a targeted message—in this case, the messaging described the “coolness” of the Samsung Jack, and its text messaging/email/Internet features.
Not only is it a great way to interact with consumers thus strengthening the relationship with them (read: face time with potential buyers), but as a targeted consumer, I am more receptive to listening to their message...especially if there's no hard cost for me. While I do not intend to purchase a Samsung Jack any time soon, I like that Samsung and AT&T are not only reaching out to consumers and becoming more accessible in the marketplace, but also are trying a new strategy to reach consumers that I've never experienced before.
References:
http://www.samsungsummerkrush.com/atlanta.asp
http://www.dierks.com/
http://www.samsung.com/us/
http://pages.samsung.com/ca/jack/eng/
Sponsored by Samsung and AT&T, the show was scheduled to begin around 8pm. However, the show time came and went, and the only visible activities were the continuous looping of a Samsung Jack commercial on overhead monitors, and an on-stage screen that projected text messages of concert-goers (most to the tune of “I heart Dierks” and “Hi Mom!”). When the MC finally arrived on stage, he chose two random numbers who had texted the screen to win prizes—one person won a Samsung Jack, and the other a Summer Krush electric guitar. Then, Dierks took the stage, and put on a great show.
I think that offering a free concert series is a really innovative way for advertisers, in this case Samsung and AT&T, to bring together a large group of targeted consumers (I estimate Caucasian females between 14 and 30 years old who like country music) and inundate them with a targeted message—in this case, the messaging described the “coolness” of the Samsung Jack, and its text messaging/email/Internet features.
Not only is it a great way to interact with consumers thus strengthening the relationship with them (read: face time with potential buyers), but as a targeted consumer, I am more receptive to listening to their message...especially if there's no hard cost for me. While I do not intend to purchase a Samsung Jack any time soon, I like that Samsung and AT&T are not only reaching out to consumers and becoming more accessible in the marketplace, but also are trying a new strategy to reach consumers that I've never experienced before.
References:
http://www.samsungsummerkrush.com/atlanta.asp
http://www.dierks.com/
http://www.samsung.com/us/
http://pages.samsung.com/ca/jack/eng/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
From Bear to Bull…Marketing Matters
Today, most companies are cutting back on spending in order to weather the current economic storm. Not only are companies reducing employment costs (leaving a 10.3% unemployment rate in Georgia, and 9.4% nationally when this entry was written), but they are also raising costs of products, while decreasing the overall value (read: The Incredible Shrinking Cereal Box). While companies should be focusing on communicating their brands’ competitive advantage in order to boost sales in the marketplace, they are consistently slashing marketing budgets—the primary means of understanding and communicating with target consumers.
While marketing identifies needs and ways to suffice those needs in a market, advertising can best be described as the voice of a brand in the market. Advertising’s goal is to not only increase brand awareness, but cultivate brand loyalty through product differentiation and corporate reputation (consumer trust). Advertising inspires consumers to make (and ideally repeat) an informed purchase decision, and consequently increased sales for a company.
By silencing their advertising voice by cutting marketing budgets, companies are only realizing a short term savings, and forfeiting future potential sales. Companies should capitalize on the opportunity to overcome competitors who have reduced advertising spending, but should spend their marketing dollars wisely—in opportunities with measurable ROI that reach consumers in meaningful ways via relevant messaging. According to a McGraw-Hill study, companies that increased advertised during the economic downturn in the 1980’s had increased sales when the economy improved. “Specifically, companies that advertised aggressively during the recession had sales 256% higher than those that did not continue to advertise” (When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don't Skimp on Their Ad Budgets).
With the song “Somebody’s Watching Me” playing and the catch line “It’s the money you could be saving with Geico,” Geico Insurance is surely taking advantage of the current consumer sentiment and flooding the marketplace with its messaging. According to the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands produced by Millward Brown, their strategy is working. Geico jumped from #11 to #5 in the insurance category from 2008 to 2009.
By speaking with consumers now, companies are building relationships and reinforcing their brand in the minds of consumers. This conversation allows consumers to know and keep a brand top of mind when making a purchase decision, thus increasing the success and longevity of a brand, regardless of the economic climate.
References:
http://www.dol.state.ga.us/
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/09/pf/food_downsizing/index.htm
http://businessonmain.msn.com/knowledgeexchange/articles/expert.aspx?cp-documentid=20587273&source=officeonline
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsHXMxoCXeU
http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/Optimor/Media/Pdfs/en/BrandZ/BrandZ-2009-Report.pdf
While marketing identifies needs and ways to suffice those needs in a market, advertising can best be described as the voice of a brand in the market. Advertising’s goal is to not only increase brand awareness, but cultivate brand loyalty through product differentiation and corporate reputation (consumer trust). Advertising inspires consumers to make (and ideally repeat) an informed purchase decision, and consequently increased sales for a company.
By silencing their advertising voice by cutting marketing budgets, companies are only realizing a short term savings, and forfeiting future potential sales. Companies should capitalize on the opportunity to overcome competitors who have reduced advertising spending, but should spend their marketing dollars wisely—in opportunities with measurable ROI that reach consumers in meaningful ways via relevant messaging. According to a McGraw-Hill study, companies that increased advertised during the economic downturn in the 1980’s had increased sales when the economy improved. “Specifically, companies that advertised aggressively during the recession had sales 256% higher than those that did not continue to advertise” (When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don't Skimp on Their Ad Budgets).
With the song “Somebody’s Watching Me” playing and the catch line “It’s the money you could be saving with Geico,” Geico Insurance is surely taking advantage of the current consumer sentiment and flooding the marketplace with its messaging. According to the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands produced by Millward Brown, their strategy is working. Geico jumped from #11 to #5 in the insurance category from 2008 to 2009.
By speaking with consumers now, companies are building relationships and reinforcing their brand in the minds of consumers. This conversation allows consumers to know and keep a brand top of mind when making a purchase decision, thus increasing the success and longevity of a brand, regardless of the economic climate.
References:
http://www.dol.state.ga.us/
http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/09/pf/food_downsizing/index.htm
http://businessonmain.msn.com/knowledgeexchange/articles/expert.aspx?cp-documentid=20587273&source=officeonline
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2101
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsHXMxoCXeU
http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/Optimor/Media/Pdfs/en/BrandZ/BrandZ-2009-Report.pdf
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Dream Deal or PR Nightmare: Michael Vick
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two plus years, you are well aware of what’s going on with Michael Vick—a NFL quarterback who served a 23 month stint in prison after being convicted on federal dog fighting charges. Although Vick was recently signed to the Philadelphia Eagles, most fans (and advertisers) are still way of his character and future in the NFL.
Charges aside, the Eagles did obtain Vick for a steal of a deal: $1.5 million for the first year of play, with the option for $5 million for the 2010 season (which is negligible considering that Vick had a $37 million signing bonus when playing for the Atlanta Falcons). However, in regards to marketing dollars—what will fans’ attitudes be towards Vick, and consequently, how will advertisers and sponsors respond to the sentiment? According to a poll on PhiladelphiaEagles.com, 81% of those surveyed were pleased with the team’s decision to sign Vick to their roster. Vick jerseys are even selling on NFL.com for $79.99. Vick might be marketable after all…but what sponsor is going to take that chance and be the first to sign an endorsement deal with him? It’s inevitable.
Let’s face it—the NFL is full of convicted felons who are making more money that you and I both make combined times ten. Vick is no exception to this rule, and is his crime any worse than a professional football player charged with manslaughter, spousal abuse, or another felony? Those players continue to play, and are not judged too harshly by the scrupulous public eye. I think that Vick’s future success is going to depend heavily on how well Vick plays in 2009. Consumers, excluding PETA members, have short term memories and if Vick plays well this season, I think football fans will be willing to forgive and forget…especially if he can lead the team to a Super Bowl title.
Whatever happens with Vick’s return, I think people will be scrutinizing the Eagles this season. Vick is now an infamous spectacle. Accepted or shunned—people will either be rooting him on or waiting for him to receive his comeuppance. I hope it’s the latter.
References:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=138485
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vick
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/25/vick/index.html
http://www.nfl.com/players/michaelvick/profile?id=VIC311467
Charges aside, the Eagles did obtain Vick for a steal of a deal: $1.5 million for the first year of play, with the option for $5 million for the 2010 season (which is negligible considering that Vick had a $37 million signing bonus when playing for the Atlanta Falcons). However, in regards to marketing dollars—what will fans’ attitudes be towards Vick, and consequently, how will advertisers and sponsors respond to the sentiment? According to a poll on PhiladelphiaEagles.com, 81% of those surveyed were pleased with the team’s decision to sign Vick to their roster. Vick jerseys are even selling on NFL.com for $79.99. Vick might be marketable after all…but what sponsor is going to take that chance and be the first to sign an endorsement deal with him? It’s inevitable.
Let’s face it—the NFL is full of convicted felons who are making more money that you and I both make combined times ten. Vick is no exception to this rule, and is his crime any worse than a professional football player charged with manslaughter, spousal abuse, or another felony? Those players continue to play, and are not judged too harshly by the scrupulous public eye. I think that Vick’s future success is going to depend heavily on how well Vick plays in 2009. Consumers, excluding PETA members, have short term memories and if Vick plays well this season, I think football fans will be willing to forgive and forget…especially if he can lead the team to a Super Bowl title.
Whatever happens with Vick’s return, I think people will be scrutinizing the Eagles this season. Vick is now an infamous spectacle. Accepted or shunned—people will either be rooting him on or waiting for him to receive his comeuppance. I hope it’s the latter.
References:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=138485
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Vick
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/25/vick/index.html
http://www.nfl.com/players/michaelvick/profile?id=VIC311467
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Connecting to Everyone and Everything
I admit it. I’m addicted to Facebook…and it turns out, I’m not alone. Facebook has over 250 million members who spend at least twenty minutes on the site daily—uploading 850 million pictures and 8 million videos monthly. Facebook is unique because is users use their real names, real email addresses, and exhibit their real thoughts. In addition the site is one of the most popular website destinations and also of the largest traffic drivers to sites like Evite and Perez Hilton.
However, Facebook is proving to be quite problematic for Google. Not only is Facebook Google’s second largest competitor (following Bing) and is invested in by Microsoft, but Facebook’s content is unable to be indexed by Google (since Facebook uses peer recommendations as its main source of indexing information and not a scanning algorithm). Facebook also encourages its members to use Microsoft's search engine, Bing.
Unlike Google, Facebook is determined to keep online interactions relevant and personal—for example, with partner sites like Digg, users are able to see their friends’ news recommendations. Ads on Facebook are highly targeted as advertisers are able to target based on contextual, demographic, behavioral, and geographic information to increase relevancy and consequently demand. Users are able to give feedback with either a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to the ads so that they see, creating an even more targeted group of users viewing ads. However, with the availability of users’ personal information, advertisers walk a fine line between supplying ads that are targeted and relevant versus creepy and stalker-ish.
Brands have also capitalized on the connecting to users via Facebook. By creating “Fan Pages,” companies are able to supply “fans” with special/loyalty offers, contests, events, etc. to further reinforce the relationship that those connected users have with a product/company/brand as well as drive traffic to the brand’s website.
The more I learn about the way Facebook is reinventing the internet, the more impressed I become. While I’m still Google loyal for my search engine needs, I can’t help to notice the inventive and creative way that Facebook is connecting people to one another, brands, products, ideas, events, information, and causes in a personal way. Maybe Google has something to learn yet?
References:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-07/ff_facebookwall
http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?src=pf
However, Facebook is proving to be quite problematic for Google. Not only is Facebook Google’s second largest competitor (following Bing) and is invested in by Microsoft, but Facebook’s content is unable to be indexed by Google (since Facebook uses peer recommendations as its main source of indexing information and not a scanning algorithm). Facebook also encourages its members to use Microsoft's search engine, Bing.Unlike Google, Facebook is determined to keep online interactions relevant and personal—for example, with partner sites like Digg, users are able to see their friends’ news recommendations. Ads on Facebook are highly targeted as advertisers are able to target based on contextual, demographic, behavioral, and geographic information to increase relevancy and consequently demand. Users are able to give feedback with either a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to the ads so that they see, creating an even more targeted group of users viewing ads. However, with the availability of users’ personal information, advertisers walk a fine line between supplying ads that are targeted and relevant versus creepy and stalker-ish.
Brands have also capitalized on the connecting to users via Facebook. By creating “Fan Pages,” companies are able to supply “fans” with special/loyalty offers, contests, events, etc. to further reinforce the relationship that those connected users have with a product/company/brand as well as drive traffic to the brand’s website.
The more I learn about the way Facebook is reinventing the internet, the more impressed I become. While I’m still Google loyal for my search engine needs, I can’t help to notice the inventive and creative way that Facebook is connecting people to one another, brands, products, ideas, events, information, and causes in a personal way. Maybe Google has something to learn yet?
References:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-07/ff_facebookwall
http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?src=pf
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