How much do advertisers really know?

In the most recent edition of Advertising Age there is an article titled My life, seen through the eyes of marketers. The article goes in-depth about how much database-marketing firms know about consumers. With the rise of the Internet, private information is quickly becoming public knowledge. The article battles the fine line between serving consumers advertisements that are applicable and overstepping the sacred line of privacy.



Michael Bush, a reporter for Ad Age finds out first hand just how much information is out there for anyone to find, the results are shocking. To being, the database marketing company knew that he was a Republican, that one of his parents had past away, that he was a college graduate, that he was married and had, "a number of bank, credit and retail cards at "low-end" department stores". The article also stated that the company found out how long he had lived in his house, how much it was worth and how much more he had to pay on it.



Although Bush's result are jaw dropping and at first make me want to step back and something is not right about this my advertising side steps in. If this data is used correctly and with respect the implications are endless. Instead of opening your email inbox to find numerous amounts of junk mail, an advertisement for something important, even useful to you would pop-up. The advertisement may be for something that you are unaware you even needed but serves as a reminder. Instead of being annoyed by the advertisement you are appreciative. Although this scenario is somewhat an ideal case I think that if information, such as the one the database company dug up about Bush, can be beneficial not just to advertisers but also to consumers.

Colbert Report

A few weeks ago in my Advanced Media Strategies class I was assigned to write a POV about Quaker Oats becoming a sponsor for a cause. Today, I came across this video that pokes fun at the way brands sponsor different causes even though they may be harmful. For example, KFC is currently running a promotion where they donate 50 cents from every bucket of chicken purchased. However, KFC isn't the healthiest choice and can actually harm ones health, thus the question of whether KFC should sponsor a health related illness is brought up. 


The KFC part is toward the end of the clip.

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Although the clip is humorous, Colbert brings up a good point. Does it really matter that Campbell's Soup raises money for heart disease when it is loaded with sodium, or that Malboro is  a partner for Keep America Beautiful? Although it is great that companies are "giving" back, does it really mean anything or is it just lost in clutter? 

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

The commercial, The Man Your Man Could Smell Like, produced by Widen+Kennedy for Old Spice is awesome. It has struck a cord among the desired target market and has allowed them to want to pay attention to the message. Currently, there has been almost 9 million views of this video on YouTube.

Roaming Gnome, where is he now?

Chatroulette, although at times disgusting, weird and downright crude has never the less recently become a worldwide phenomenon.  The site, which has been used during Ben Fold’s concerts, a segment of The Daly Show and on almost a million different computers, has received copious amounts of media attention in recent weeks. Travelocity has picked up on this attention and placed their Roaming Gnome icon on the site. “The gnome holds a sign encouraging chatters to consider taking trips. The idea is that folks sitting around video-chatting with strangers could use the excitement of travel[1].” This product placement is cleaver and hilarious.

Users of the social networking site click a “next button” and are given a new person to chat with. Imagine the reaction of a user clicking the next button and coming across the Travelocity Roaming Gnome. They would undoubtedly be taken off guard by the gnome and read the ad. If users were familiar with the brand icon they would fill in the gap and a lasting impression would be made. However, the creator of the site, a 17-year-old, has to be careful not to sell out and let the novelty of the Travelocity Gnome disappear with the addition of clutter.

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[1]http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/nontraditional/e3i539277d81ea4a9b15c1f3dc10e36ceb5

America the Story of Us comes to life

Horizon Media is teaming up with ArtLumiere, a New York Light Show Company to promote the History Channel’s new series America the Story of US. The outdoor campaign will place iconic images of America on three historic buildings in the United States.  The historic buildings are New York Grand Central Station, Washington’s Union Station and the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in L.A.

This is a great idea and is completely unique. It seamlessly incorporates the message of the story of America with the current environment of America. It also places the images in high traffic areas that will receive a lot of attention and publicity.

As a side note, my Advanced Strategies in Media class has been working closely with Horizon Media to come up with a media plan for a show on A&E. I think it is really exciting to see how innovative the agency is and how they are taking a somewhat boring product and bringing it to life. 

Glee + MySpace + Open Casting Call = Advertising Heaven

This week “Glee” seemed to be in the air. I watched the show last Tuesday, attended the Glee-A-Long at Alamo Draft House on Friday (it was part of a sorority retention activity) and I also constantly listened to addition tapes, uploaded to the open casting call by my roommates friends.

The open casting call, which is hosted by MySpace, has received 28 thousand audition tapes and over 85 million votes for the hopeful Glee-ers. The amount of impressions for the investment is borderline ridiculous. Furthermore, the impressions are not fleeting. Consumers are not flipping through a magazine and glancing at an ad, instead they are taking minutes and at times HOURS out of their day to either upload videos or find, watch and vote for their favorite potential Glee-er.

Glee has definitely hit a nerve. The show took into account who their audience was and that they were constantly online frequenting social media sites. They made it easy for people to upload their audition type and watch others’ videos. I don’t think it will be any surprise when advertising rates for the show start to skyrocket.

Coca-Cola Going Mainstream with the World Cup

Coca-Cola has been an avid sponsor of the FIFA World Cup since 1978, however, most mainstream Americans have thus far been unaware of that fact. That is about to change. Coca-Cola is shifting their targeting in regards to the World Cup from primarily the Hispanic market to the general American population. This is consistent with the sports recent popularity among Millennials in America. Millennials grew up playing soccer as well as playing the latest version of FIFA from EA Sports. This exposure has allowed Millennials, myself included, the ability to grow an interest and passion for the sport. According to Reinaldo Padua, assistant vice president of Hispanic marketing for North America, Coca-Cola is running The Longest Celebration Contest in addition to numerous other advertising touch-points to reach out to the new market. “The contest is an opportunity for fans to upload their soccer goal celebrations to a continuous stream of videos from around the world,” says Padua. As a mainstream American in the Millenial generation I think this is a smart move. I have witness the growing passion for soccer over the years and think that Coca-Cola has picked up on the interest and potential vast exposure to a difficult to reach target. 

Connon O’Brien and TBS, an unlikely pair

Connon is making the move to TBS, a channel very different than NBC. For starters TBS is  a cable channel that airs re-runs of one time hit shows like Friends and Seinfeld. The channel change will attract TBS’s remarkably young audience. TBS, according to a NY Times article, “Is the number one cable channel among viewers 18 to 34.” This audience is inline with O’Brien’s core viewers; however, its 11pm time slot will pit O’Brien against John Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Chelsea Handler. Being a member of the 18 to 34-age bracket and an avid watcher of the Colbert Report and Chelsea Lately I am slightly peeved. Why can’t everyone just be friends? My DVR will only allow me to record one show wile watching another live, therefore, someone is going to be squeezed out. Who will it be? I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Grocery Store Moves to Text Coupons

A&P, a grocery store chain, is expanding to mobile coupons via text messages this month.  I think this is a great idea. Personally, I have sat at home on a Sunday and clipped coupons then gone to the grocery store, left the coupons at home and forgotten what the deals were even on. However, if my cell phone is permanently glued to my hand, if I forgot my cell phone on the way to the grocery store I would turn around, run home and grab it. This would allow me to remember what items are running specials and actual be able to receive the special. On the flip side, I do believe that A&P has to be careful to not bombard customers with coupons. I think that using a Bluetooth sensor so customers only receive the coupon while in the store may be extremely useful. 

Facebook > Google or Equal to Terminator

Facebook, which I started using the summer going into my senior year of high school, is continuously bettering itself. Since joining the site in 2006 it has grown substantially. Facebook went from reaching strictly college students to integrating young professionals, adults and even the elderly. Google on the other hand has been around for as long as I can remember and has always had a large and diverse following. The simplistic system that Google offers allows users to easily search for information and be geared toward websites that best match what they typed into the search bar. At its core Facebook is a social networking site, and Goolge a search engine. However, what if Facebook took the copious amounts of personal information it has and applied it to a search engine or a different website. Ian Schafer of AdAge discusses this topic in a recent article. The article notes that Facebook has the power of becoming more powerful than Google. He gives the example of going to Pandora and having it already know the songs you enjoy listening to. If you don’t frequent Pandora, what about CNN or other news sights, imagine visiting one of these sites and having articles that you are interested in pop-up automatically.

Upon first ponder the idea seems genius. From my advertising side, this would greatly increase click rates and overall reception of ads. Advertisers would have the ability to extremely target consumers. They would be able to place an ad in front of people who actually want to see it and would be likely to respond to it. From my consumer side, however, I am split. Part of me agrees that this is a great idea. Why bother searching for interesting articles when they can simply be presented to me, yet, the other side is a little scared. As a human I like choose. I like going to CNN and being able to decide what ads I think are relevant to me. When someone or something (in this case) tells me what I like part of me wants to rebel. In addition, there are numerous privacy concerns that I have. The first of which is that my profile is no longer just my profile. It has turned into a public moneymaker for the site and taken on a life of its own.

As a side note, Schafer makes an analogue between Facebook and Terminator the movie. He comments that if Facebook becomes too powerful it will turn into the movie Terminator and try to, ‘remove the possibility of human error and slowness of reaction time to guarantee fast, efficient response to enemy attack.” At the end of the article he comes back to the analogue and says, “Please don't annihilate humanity, Facebook. We wouldn't "like" that.” In addition, he adds a pretty funny conspiracy theory,  “Former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly is running for California attorney general. California's governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Ahnold was The Terminator. Circle. Complete.” 

Quick Response Bar Code

One of my tasks at my internship is to keep up with jewelry news. Today, I was searching around the Internet and came across an advertisement that is to appear in Elle Magazine tomorrow. The advertisement is for Hearts on Fire, a diamond company, and features a quick response bar code. According to National Jeweler the rationale behind the ad is that, "Customers, especially bridal customers prefer to access information from their cellular phone. This technology will allow [Hearts on Fire] , the ability to give their customers what they need and direct them to their closest Hearts on Fire retailer in the most efficient way possible." This is the way that advertising is moving. It allows potential consumers the ability to easily gather additional information as well as locate a store where they can buy the product. I think that a QRB is a smart way to better results with advertisements.

Nielsen + Facebook Study

Definitions:
Live-Stream: A continuous news-feed that highlights what a Facebook user’s friend is doing. Examples of items that may appear on the live stream is “Sarah and Johnny ended their relationship” or “Sarah → Johnny: I never want to see your ugly face again”.
Social Ads: Advertisements on Facebook that entice a user to click by mentioning that one or more of their friends are fans of the brand highlighted in the advertisement.
Hybrid: A mixture or a something that is created by combining two or more different elements.

An article recently posted on AdAge discusses a study conducted by Nielsen and Facebook. The study was the first of its kind and focused on advertising recall, brand awareness and purchase intent. The findings of the study are below:


1. For the control group Facebook homepage ads averaged:
a. 10 percent increase in ad recall
b. 4 percent increase in brand awareness
c. 2 percent increase in purchase intent


2. When friends were mentioned in advertisements (social ads) ads averaged:
a. 16 percent increase in ad recall and a 30 percent increase when it was in a live stream
b. 8 percent increase in brand awareness when there was a social ad and a 13 percent increase when the mention was included in the live stream (organically)
c. 8 percent increase in purchase intent either with social ads mentioning friends or in the live stream


The take away:
The results are pretty straight forward - by achieving organic results via the live-stream, advertisements have a better chance at increasing advertising recall, brand awareness and purchase intent. This is pretty obvious. For example, if I went on Facebook and saw that 25 of my friends were fans of a brand that I was unaware of I would definitely click on the associated ad. Why? I trust my friends and I want to find out what great new item my friends are into, and why I have not heard about it. However, using the live-stream cannot stand-alone. It is too risky to assume that your brand is automatically going to be the talk of the town, instead advertisers need to create a hybrid and use both paid advertisements along with the added boost of organic mentions. Lets say one of my friends’ mentions a brand and I’ve never heard of it, this would not create a lasting impression and I probably would not search out the brand. Yet, if one of my friend mentioned a brand and a few hours later a “social-ad” appeared on my homepage with the same brand highlighted I believe that I would be much more likely to click on the ad, remember the brand and I would be more likely to intend to purchase the band.

The Down Economy, Helped Digital Get Up

"Everything has to work in this economy. If the economy hadn't dropped the way it did, we would have been on auto pilot and not experimented the way we did. Our production quality online is better than our broadcast."

- Jim Farley, group VP-global marketing at Ford Motor Co.

I think the point Mr. Farley is making is a valid one. Looking back on the past half- century the stage was perfectly set for the Internet to become fully integrated in the lives of Americans and people throughout the world.

It all started when the USSR, who else, launched Sputnik in 1957. The launch of Sputnik catapulted the United States to try and regain their technological lead over the USSR. Skip ahead almost 40 years, the effort that the US had put into researching technology, along with a little help from their friends - the British, was finally paying off. And in the 1990s the Internet was estimated to have grown by 100 percent per year! In addition, as of 2009 there are over 1.67 billion Internet users.

The economic recession took effect as a result of a mixture of things, however, its timing was impeccable in relation to the rise of the Internet. Just has people were starting to figure out how great a tool the Internet was, large companies began losing money and having to pull back advertising costs (not the best method but none the less very prevalent). This caused companies and advertising agencies to get creative and turn to a new media that had previously been untapped, the Internet. If the economy had not caved, would advertisers had a reason to look to other, less expensive methods to get their point across? I think that it is hard to say, however, I do believe that the process of adaptation would have been significantly slower. In the end, the recession allowed the world to step back and analyze was to improve on the status quo.

I Think SNL Agrees With My Last Post

This morning I was watching CNN and the video below came on. I think it is pretty clear that the people at SNL would agree with my last post.

Also as a side note, Earl Woods passed away in 2006, which makes this commercial seem even more odd.

Nike and Tiger...really?

Last week in class a Wieden+Kennedy media buyer came in an spoke to our class. Although she was a great speaker, one of the main things that stuck out in my mind, that I wished I asked, was about the new Tiger Woods spot for Nike. I may be wrongfully assuming that they produced the spot, however, since they are the agency of record for Nike I think it is a pretty good assumption. The spot which can be found here, shows a silent Tiger staring blankly into the camera. The voice in the commercial is his late father Earl Woods. Earl is giving his son advice, such as "I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?" The spot is emotional and intriguing, however, is it ethical?!

Many things about this spot scream no! To begin, I believe that one's private life should be kept private, with that being said, should any additional attention be drawn to what Tiger has done? Is he simply defaming himself even more or is he trying to somehow repent for his sins by bringing his dead father into an ad?

Although I understand that Nike is trying to own up to one of their celebrity endorsor being a complete mess up, this ad in NO way makes me want to buy anything having to do with Nike. I believe that the ad makes Tiger seem like he is getting out scott-free and even makes matters worse by bringing his dead father into the mix.

Will I still by Nike stuff? Obviously, it is a great brand that makes quality products and has had YEARS of great celebrity endorsers.

Will I still by Nike stuff because of this ad or Tiger Woods? Probably not. Although I am not in the target audience that Tiger is trying to capture, I believe that this advertisement would make me feel worse about Tiger. I believe that the ad illustrates Tiger as a sell out, especially for bringing his deceased father back from the grave (kind of creepy). It also makes me feel semi-ill that Nike would allow something to be created like that.

Oprah - The Next Chapter?

The bad news: Oprah's daily talk show is ending in September of 2011.

The good news: Oprah isn't leaving the talk show world, she is just moving to cable and prime time.

Instead of having a daily talk show. Oprah, being the wonder woman that she is, is creating her own cable network. The channel is called OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) and it is also where she will host her new show titled, "Oprah’s Next Chapter". However, "The Next Chapter" will be quite different from Oprah's current gig. For starters the show will take place outside the walls of her current studio and will only air a few times a week.

The idea is to get the big bucks from advertisers by placing her on prime time. The announcement was made during Discovery Communications' annual upfront (learned about this term last week!). During the presentation Winfrey was quoted as saying, "“I want to take what I’ve established in daytime, inspiring people and giving them hope — and some cars — and build on that, 24/7, OWN style.”

My personal opinion on the matter: Although I think that the OWN will be hugely successful, I do not think that "Oprah's Next Chapter' will be as big of a hit. I don't believe that Oprah, although I do love her, will able to bring what she created during the daytime and bring it to prime time. The reason being, Oprah's key target audience are stay at home women, whom at 4pm have time to sit down and watch her show while cooking dinner or putting their kids down for a nap. However, I believe that during prime time there is more going in the woman's life as well as increased competition on television. Yet, I do believe that she will be successful in the upfronts and selling ad space, I am just unsure if consumers will actually watch it.

POV: American Idol vs. Dancing With the Stars

A recent New York Times article stated, "ABC's, “Dancing With the Stars,” attracted more viewers (23 million) than “Idol” (21.8 million)." With both shows captivating over 20 million viewers, I think any advertiser would be gaining a significant amount of reach. However, why is American Idol charging advertises almost three times as much as for a thirty second spot as Dancing With the Stars?

Currently, a thirty second spot on "American Idol" has a price tag of $642,000, while "Dancing With the Stars" is only raking in a meager $209,000. The article, which can be found here could be a basis for a POV. When it comes to more "bang for your buck" Dancing With the Stars may come out ahead, yet, the New York Times blames the demographics of the show's audience for the drastically lower price tag. The Dancing With the Stars' audience is comprised mostly of women over 50. "Idol,” on the other hand, is made up of younger men and women. The younger age group, especially men under 35, are extremely difficult to reach. Since they are a rare bread when it comes to traditional media usage, advertisers are willing to pay top dollar, hence the steep cost of Idol.

In addition, as a third year college student with a mom in her mid-50s (sorry mom!) I can see this separation first hand. While my friends and I tucker down to see who is going to be the next cut on American Idol, my mom and dad are cozying up to see Kate Gosslin waltz across the stage.

Four Square - Twitter on Steroids?

Foursquare has the potential to be the next big thing in social media. As a “newbie” to Foursquare, I am in awe of the idea and with over 750,000 users I’m not alone.

Foursquare brings social media into the real world. By “checking in” not only are users allowing their friends the ability to see their location, but users can also receive recommendations of places to go nearby.

Bringing this idea back to the University of Texas at Austin it would be used constantly on 6^th street. Bar-hoppers would be able to find out what bars are having the best specials or what bar their friends are at, simply glancing at their phone.

However, I believe that this application has the capability to go beyond the mere convenience of meeting up with friends and into the realm of creating tribes. Let’s say, for example, you are traveling to San Francisco for the weekend, however, you have never been to San Francisco before and do not know the first thing to do there. Yet, your friend Steve, Mary and Sally frequent the Bay Area regularly and have “checked-in” numerous times during each of their trips. As a result of their “check-ins” you will be able to see what they enjoyed doing in San Francisco. Furthermore, because you are friends with them you have a very high likely hood of enjoying similar things.

Finally, the use of advertising on Foursquare is also quite fascinating. If users “check-in” enough times at the same location, they have the ability to become “mayors” and “mayors” have the ability to gain “freebies” (actual free stuff!) at these locations.

According to the graph to the right and Mashable, Smartphone usage is quickly gaining momentum. With this momentum innovations for media space are increasing. However, it key is to make sure the consumer is engaged in the ad and does not feel invaded by it.

"We Can't Move Forward, Until You Mail it Back" - The 2010 United States Census

I think that the government (or DraftFCB the agency responsible) gets advertising, or just has the ability to spend enough money to get their message across.

Case is point the 2010 Census. In the past two weeks I have received numerous direct mail pieces reminding me to fill out the census and thanking me for already doing so. Before the census was released TV commercials were aired directing me to a website if I desired additional information. Along with this, billboards, radio, print and Internet advertising were utilized to reach the United States population at as many touch points as possible. I personally believe that with the $300,000,000 budget DraftFCB achieved their goal of reaching the United States population, however, only time will tell.

Saying I'm Sorry via Social Media

Tiger Wood's held a press conference last week to release a formal apology. This brought people's attention to other apologizes, especially those done through social media. However, is it enough? I say no. Although there are numerous outlets to express oneself (Twitter, text, Facebook, blogs, etc.), it is not person or meaningful to write an apology with the protection of a screen. Apologies, I believe will never be if done correctly through today's numerous social media outlets.

I-Pad at the Grammys

Apple's product placement for the I-Pad is extraordinary. Not only does Stephen Colbert tie it in perfectly but he also shows off the product in a way that highlights its features.

The I-Pad

This video that I found on Mashable is great, beautiful and wonderful. It is Apple's take on their truly amazing product. Click here and take a look.

Welcome to the land of Landy

This is a blog created for my ADV 377 class at the University of Texas, Austin. It is my view of media and advertising today.