Entertainment Branding

Final Thoughts

2007-04-30T13:21:00.000-05:00

With the semester coming to a close, I thought I'd step back a bit and sum up some of what I've learned via this blog.

Certain ad campaigns I've mentioned are still being talked about, specifically Year Zero (probably due to the album's recent release after a long period of anticipation). Ringtones are stillextraordinarily popular (Weather.com even offers them!). My Principles of Marketing professor just brought up the Geico Caveman pilot in class last week.

These are campaigns that work. Why? People are talking about them.

Advertainment is all about raising brand awareness and piquing your users' interests. The best way to measure that is to listen to conversations and watching the buzz.

With all the press on the limited attention span of people, specifically Gen-Y, it's difficult to approach them and hold their focus. The gamer generation (with their own website!) is used to fast moving visuals, so branding games or forcing them to be active in the advertising message by making a game out of it (as in The Lost Experience and the Nine Inch Nails album release) will make them not only able to stay focused, but eager to be focused. Personally, I feel there's no better way to reach this audience; Gen-Y seems to have developed filters to avoid being seriously impacted by traditional media.

Oh, and for those who were wondering? I got my glass in the mail a few weeks ago ;)

The ingenuity goes to 11!

2007-04-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

In 1984, a movie was released that still is considered one of the "awesomest" rock n' roll movies. The title? This is Spinal Tap, of course!

As cheesy and over-the-top as it was, the ridiculousness is what propelled the movie to be known. Well, that, and the Stonehenge scene.

The movie may not seem to have much to do with advertainment, but this article from Yahoo! News proves differently.

Originally, the faux-rock band Spinal Tap was just a parody of metal. Now, director Rob Reiner has filmed a 15-minute mockumentary continuing the tale of Spinal Tap, explaining what has happened to the members in the 20 years since the original film and why they chose to reunite.

The reason? Live Earth, a concert to raise awareness and money for global warming.

Not your typical form of advertainment, but it's a great way to get people to pay attention to the concert -- which has generally gotten more attention for the music than for the cause. It's definitely an interesting way to raise even more interest and more press. There's over 1000 videos tagged with "Spinal Tap" on YouTube, so we know people still love them. I can't wait to see if their performance at Live Earth leads to more people tuning in... as well as raising the number of audience members at the TriBeCa Film Festival this year, where it will be premiering in the opening sequence. After all, just look at these guys:

Really now, who wouldn't expect them to be advocates for a cause? ;)

Soda-Pop!

2007-04-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

Via MSNBC:

Growing up near the NYC/Long Island border, I was privy to both watching some awesome advertising schemes in the city and listening to some amazing pop punk music on the island. Cartel may not be not be a pop punk Long Island band (they're from Georgia) but they're in the middle of what could potentially be a pretty sweet campaign.

Dr. Pepper is starting a new campaign in Manhattan in which they pay for Cartel to, literally, live in a bubble while writing material for their new album. The catch here is that MTV gets to film the band's entrance, exit, and compile scenes for two more shows on the air.

While it's not specificially stated, I'm going to assume that Dr. Pepper is going to saturate the interior of the bubble with red merchandise as well as probably own most of the commercial blocks when video is aired. I can't think of anything else they'd get out of this.

I used to go to Warped Tour ever year and everyone always knew who sponsored that, just as people know who sponsors any concert they attend. No brand to my knowledge has ever sponsored this aspect of the music industry, and hopefully the publicity will propel Cartel to greater heights. Dr. Pepper's name will certainly be highlighted here, which is a great move for them. Overall, I think this could really work out well.

Race Across Europe

2007-04-19T09:57:00.000-05:00

Via Adverblog:

BMW recently launched an advergame called PACE: Pursuit Against Europe.

I played the game twice -- rather, I attempted to play the game twice -- but failed to get any better at the whole driving aspect. The visual is absolutely gorgeous, I can't remember the last time I saw something online that was so visually appealing. There's only one small problem with it: Maybe it's just me, but with everything in greyscale, I found it next to impossible to see a turn coming up and kept getting caught in the... snow?

(screenshot taken from Adverblog)

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The premise (as far as I can gather) is that there's some sort of race? You start in Lisbon, then drive to Paris, Berlin... and that's all I know.

I really like the fact that you get to choose which BMW you drive and, for every course you complete you get "credits" based on your time. If you register, you get to not only continue onto more courses, but also trade in your "credits" at the BMW store and garage to add on technologies -- speed improvements, maps, etc. What a great way to get people to register, especially because it not only gets you further in the game but registration helps you improve your racing.

It's a great way to showcase the brand, but I've gotta ask: Who plays advergames? Who buys BMWs? Do these answers match?

Then again, it's always good to open young consumers to your brand early, so perhaps todays advergamers and tomorrows BMW drivers? I'm sure BMW hopes so.

Cute. Interesting. Not Fantastic.

2007-04-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

Trident Chewing Gum recently launched a new site to promote the Trident Splash (Soft Splash? Splash Soft? The name is on the screen briefly throughout the visuals but not long enough to stick in my head), to which my friend sent me the link. The setup is actually really interesting; the premise is that the viewer is watching a "scientific" DVD based on the pleasurable experience of chewing gum. There's a short movie, and you can skip around between chapters, as well as some bonus content - a quiz as well as some other random information relating to mastication.

My only problem is probably that, other than the quiz, there's little actual interactivity. However, I do love the use of DVD-style advertising; I've never seen any sort of advertainment like this before. The site features Warnings and Copyright information, as well, just as though the viewer is watching a movie.

The site itself doesn't make me want to run out and chew Trident, but the constant watching of a number of people chewing the gum makes me crave something to chew on -- food, gum, whatever. Of course, it's possible that this is just a side affect of me writing this entry close to dinnertime!

New Advertising Reminiscent of Old Advertising

2007-04-11T15:19:00.000-05:00

USA Today just ran an article about advertainment.

The gist of it is... well... remember my post about Geico's cavemen television show premise? Imagine that. But with about five other shows doing the same thing. Except this time, it's more about some SERIOUS product placement.

I'm talking Gillette producing a show dealing with NASCAR drivers -- who, of course, are almost all completely sponsored by Gillette. Toss in the "storyline" of racecar drivers teaching celebrities to drive and, well, I guess you have a hit? Hey, people do enjoy watching "Dancing With the Stars," don't they? Same premise. More advertising! And in this case, who's really surprised to see advertising on NASCAR? Here, it works.

I think the best way to go about it is to look at Axe's actions. The fragrance's approach is subtler and much more interesting. Rather than produce a show all about Axe, the company is running commercials during the show. Commercials for Axe, starring the show's own characters.

Personally, I love Axe's way of promoting the brand. It's kind of a throwback to a time when Shirley Jones and David Cassidy sang the Rice Krispies song during a commercial break on The Partridge Family, or having a commercial in which the announcer says, "Meet Clark Kent, star of Superman." Granted, Clark Kent is a character played by George Reeves, but if you're watching Superman then you want your commercials to be Superman.

Right?

(For an amazing clip of Jack Benny talking about his sponsor, click here )

All links obtained on TV Party; RAM format only, sorry!

OK.... Go!

2007-04-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

VH1 recently released a list of the 40 Greatest Internet Superstars. Number 8 would be a band by the name of OK Go. The reason?

"The video features boy band dance choreography on treadmills. Choreographed by front man Damian Kulash's sister Trish the band practiced 16-20 times before they landed the single take that became one of the most watched clips in you tube history. The video made for only $4.99 (the cost of the videotape), the video became one of the most downloaded videos in you tube history." (taken from the VH1 list linked above)

In early 2002, when I first heard a demo of "C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips," I knew this was a powerpop band to be reckoned with. I couldn't have been happier to see that they had taken advantage of the then-still-thrilling YouTube and created the greatest form of advertainment I can think of: A viral video that only gets funnier each time you watch it... and never fails to amaze the viewer. Even when said viewer can, um, now do the dance, too.

Thanks to the You Tube videos, OK Go has now become known as "that band." You know, the band that makes awesome music and is obviously having a fantastic time doing it. The band that has a game on their website in which "OK Go has been kidnapped by a brutal band of Swedish nycleharpa players, intent on destroying the will to rock and replacing it with the will to play medieval stringed instruments. It's up to you to save the band by chasing down the kidnappers and ramming the crap out of their van."

Whether or not people are actually buying the records, people are talking about the band. I've seen the video on teen chats, weight loss forums ("Man, I wish I had that stamina when I go to the gym") and music boards. For a self-proclaimed Internet-promoted band, what else could they want?

All of the band's videos can be found here. "Here it Goes Again" is the treadmill video mentioned on the VH1 list.

P2P Decoy Videos

2007-04-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

Via MIT Advertising Lab:

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a fairly avid music fan. I've used everything from Napster to Kazaa to Gnutella to Limewire to, yes, even Audiogalaxy! I'm... well... not the RIAA's best friend, I can tell you that much. I have switched to using a combination of iTunes and Ruckus though, so the "new" laws won't affect me!

But, finally, someone is doing something -- and it's not something annoying! Media Defender is an expert in the world of P2P (Peer-to-Peer) filesharing and has some innovative ways to get users to switch to legal downloading.

The company has released what they call "decoys" on P2P networks, so that users searching for, say, the new Arctic Monkeys video, will receive a teaser clip of the video, or a song by a similar artist.

Everyone benefits here, except the consumer's wallet. The consumer gets to "discover" new bands, the artist doesn't loose money via illegal firesharing, and the label gets to promote their band in a roundabout way. And then -- hopefully -- the consumer goes and buys the album, single, or video.

Except, wait... don't computers, labels and, as they say in the movie Empire Records, "the man" generally have a hard time judging what a buyer likes based on one other band? I'd much rather take a mixtape from my friends and go from there. I'll use iTunes to hear more songs if I like it, I promise!

Hearing Paul McCartney's Music

2007-04-02T09:44:00.000-05:00

Thought process begun at 5 Blogs Before Lunch.

Ah, music. It's pretty much the ultimate form of entertainment.

Ah, coffee. It's... not.

But Starbucks has been trying to combine the two for a few years now, as any Starbucks customer knows. The coffee chain has been selling CDs for some time now, from old favorites such as Aretha Franklin to newcomers such as James Morrison -- and some exclusive Bob Dylan tracks thrown in along the way.

Paul McCartney is a well loved and respected musician, a performer loved by all. Now, he's also a trailblazer. McCartney has just become the first musician to be signed with Hear Music, Starbucks' record label (in the past, Hear Music was solely a distributor).

It's all good and well for McCartney -- his audience does tend to be older, and not at the age where they hang out are CD stores -- and it definitely puts Starbucks at the forefront of the baby boomer's minds (I say baby boomer because, yes, everyone loves the Beatles and the men that made up the pop band, but let's face it, the baby boomers made them). I can see the conversation:

-"Hey, have you heard the new Paul McCartney album?"
-"Oh, not yet, how is it?"
-"It's great; I picked it up at Starbucks yesterday with my morning coffee."
-"Hmmm.... maybe I'll swing by Starbucks tomorrow, then."

This isn't traditional advertainment, if there is such a thing, but it definitely is entertainment (the CD) that benefits a company (Starbucks).

Oddly enough, though, the Hear Music website makes absolutely no mention of the deal that I can find.

The New Firebreathing VW

2007-03-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

Via Adverblog:

20th Century Fox's recent DVD release of Eragon was accompanied by the release of a website that promotes dragons as a form of transportation. Mind you, I haven't seen the movie, but it seems to take place in the past (future? another dimension of the present?) in which dragons exist and young heros fight to free the princess.

The site is definitely amusing, with the user being able to change colors of the dragon as well as add the stereo system and other fun little accessories (eye patch and lasers, anyone?). However, I'm confused... is there a reason my dragon initially looks like the VW Beetle?

It all begs the question of What the heck did Volkswagen have to do with the movie?? I can't find any real link between the two other than the minisite. Additionally, when I do a Google search for either Eragon or Volkswagen, the site does not come up. It's entertainment, sure, and it's advertising... but how effective can it be if you have to be seriously in the know to find it?

Jumping for Logitech Coupons

2007-03-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

Via Adverblog:

Okay, seriously? This may be the best advergame I've ever seen. Why?

1. It's disturbingly addicting
2. It's ridiculously simple
3. It focuses on the actual product -- the game itself takes place on a Logitech keyboard
4. Your reason for playing can be to win the 50 levels (which, apparently, no one's ever done) or to reach level 10 and get a 20% off coupon for any Logitech product

Challenging, simple, addictive, focused on the product and not branding.... I think it's just perfect.

Self-Promoting, Part II

2007-03-26T08:47:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time again -- time to discuss promoting the blog.

This time around I did something a little bit different. I contacted a few of the companies I wrote about in the past two or three weeks to see if they'd possibly be interested in checking out this site, complete with link to main site and direct link to the post mentioning them.

I also went the route of going to technorati and typing in "advertainment" to see if any blogs popped up. Happily, a few did, and I commented on those posts (seeing as how those are the really relevant ones). Let's see if I get some comments this time around!

Companies in Second Life

2007-03-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

For my Audience Research class yesterday, we were asked to check out some things in Second Life; mainly, we went to Leo Burnett's area, Paper Couture's shop and a personal area called Kuwaii Ku. After spending some time in each area, I came to the conclusion that, well, I like Second Life in some respects as a place for opening an outlet, and I dislike it in other ways.

When it comes to an ad agency like Leo Burnett, I don't think Second Life is an appropriate place to introduce a client to your company. It's great for showing clients (potential or actual) what your company can do in Second Life, but unless you know some basics about the company, you aren't going to understand much. For example, I didn't quite understand the point of the giant pencil. I had some fun flying with it (well, not really; it kind of slows down the flying process), but it seemed a bit ridiculous. When I went on the Leo Burnett website -- which I only did to write this entry -- I understood the point of the pencil. Although, I guess this may be a moot point; Leo Burnett is well known in the ad industry, so anyone who is in a position to hire the agency and stumbles upon the area in Second Life would already have some background information.

Leo Burnett:

A company like Paper Couture though can certainly benefit from being in Second Life. Their shop is very easy to navigate, looks great, and - surprise, surprise - really looks similar to their online presence, which has avatars modeling the products. Interestingly enough, the shop only has on online presence - clicking on "store locations" on the website takes you to Second Life; the shop exists purely to sell to avatars. Such a.... unique idea. Too bad, as I saw some handbags and earrings I wouldn't mind purchasing for myself. Long story short, they benefit from being in Second Life because they exist because of Second Life.

Paper Couture:

As for Kawaii Ku, I'm not sure where it fits in here. It's anime-meets-commerce. It's... something I don't quite understand, possibly because I'm still iffy on the whole Second Life thing.

Kawaii Ku:

If Paper Couture were a real company, it would still benefit from having a location in Second Life. Any similar company would, I think. The Second Life shop has a link to its website, as well as hosting all products. If a company were selling fashion items and set up a shop similar to Paper Couture, it could be great. American Girl Dolls for the adult! Buy a product for yourself and, instead of buying one for your doll, buy one for your..... "self?"

Got Milk? Great... Now, Get The Glass!

2007-03-19T08:07:00.000-05:00

Via Adrants:

AdRants' biggest complaint about this advergame is that it takes too long to load. Maybe my Internet connection is faster because I only had to wait a few seconds for the game to load, and those few seconds were certainly worth it.

The graphics on this game are amazing (it would have been so easy to make it a simple flash game, but it's a claymation style game), and even better, every challenge relates back to the Adachi family's problems.... which, in turn, relate to why the user should be drinking milk. The teen daughter has bad hair and nails, the son has poor teeth, the mother is irritable and the father is weak. Along the way, the user is able to understand why milk is important -- without being flat out told the reasons. Great campaign; the user gets to figure things out on his or her own by having a "conversation" rather than being talked at.

The goal is to get the family to the part of the island where the milk is located. Trick is, you have to pay close attention every step of the way, or you'll get shut out at the end.

Want a hint? Remember the numbers... and your manners.

From Commercials to the Small Screen

2007-03-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

On last week's Variety Pilot Watch, an article was posted referencing one of ABC's new pilots. The premise? Well... you've seen the Geico "Cavemen" commercials, haven't you? (In case you aren't completely up to date on the campaign, check out a past post of mine for more info.)

I think the campaign is absolutely genious, and product placement has been around for ages, but I don't know that I can see consumers watching what is, quite literally, a 30 minute commercial for car insurance. It's too much product placement on one show, if you ask me -- especially if the show revolves around watching cavement react to the Geico slogan.

Watching the Tom Cruise dance in his Ray-Bans is, well, really funny. Looking at the American Idol judges behind their Coca-Cola glasses is easily overlooked. But sitting for 30 minutes while a caveman runs around talking about Geico for the full length of the show? (I say 30 minutes and not 23 minutes, because we all know many of the commercials will be for Geico, making the company hit you over the head with its slogan even more.) It's just too much.

Whether the issue is lack of pilot ideas or needing new storylines, if I'm looking to watch a 30 minute show about car insurance, I always have the late night informercial channels. I'm not interesting in infomercials invading my primetime viewing!

Justin Timberlake on the line...

2007-03-06T18:07:00.000-05:00

Every time I call my friend Jasmine, we both get a little bit of entertainment. She gets to hear a song instead of a ring, and I get to hear what's called a "ringback" -- instead of me hearing the sound of the phone ringing, I hear a song of her choosing.

While ringbacks are relatively new, personalized ringtones aren't. The first time I heard a song from the new Justin Timberlake was when I called Jasmine. I listened to a rap artist when calling another friend. Jasmine's mother called yesterday while we were together, and I heard another song.

Maybe this isn't necessarily advertainment and it's more viral than anything else, because the release of ringtones and ringbacks is done via word of mouth, but it's definitely a form of advertising a new album while getting the consumers to pay for that brief moment of entertainment when receiving a phone call.

Interestingly enough, this article (linked obtained from AdWeek) questions whether or not the trend is slowing down. Whether it's because the original users are getting older and don't want the embarassment, as mentioned in the article, or if it's because it's too common and cliche now to have a song as a ringtone, less and less people are using -- and buying -- the personalized ringtone.

Me? I don't have a personalized ringtone; my phone is on vibrate more than anything else. And on the occasion it's not, I'm a fan of the standard-issue tones. But you can bet that as soon as there's a ringtone of my favorite Duran Duran song, I'll jump right on that trend.... a few years after after one else!

Why, Uma Thurman, why?

2007-03-02T10:17:00.000-05:00

Via Adverblog:

Pirelli Tires has a new website for its newest online movie, entitled "Mission Zero." Something to do with promoting their new tire, the P Zero?

I watched the movie, played around a bit on the site, and walked away feeling more confused than anything else? My first instinct was -- as on Adverblog -- the yellow plus Uma Thurman was very reminiscient of the "Kill Bill" movies. And, really, hasn't enough time gone by that we don't need to have that connection made?

The movie itself was boring, bland, and made little if any sense. I got more information on the way a Lamborghini runs than the tires... and didn't even see anything about the tires until the last scene. Maybe it's just because I don't know anything about cars (for weeks, when people asked me what kind of car I have, my response was, "Um. Ice blue?") but when I see a car chase, I think more about how cool the car is than about the tires.

My conclusion? Bad move -- and bad movie.

Self-Promoting

2007-02-27T22:25:00.000-05:00

With the massive number of blogs and the even larger number of websites out there, it's pretty difficult to draw some attention into your little corner of the blogosphere.

I've managed to do a few things -- adding the link to my AIM profile and my Facebook profile, to name a few. As against MySpace bulletins as I am (but that's another story), I sent out a link to this blog on a MySpace bulletin as well as adding a link from my MySpace, um, space.

I've also passed the link onto a number of people and signed up for those blog databases such as Blogdigger and BlogExplosion, but the most important thing you can do to promote your blog is (I think) utilizing that little "Next Blog" button offered on each Blogger blog.

After signing into your blog on Blogger/Blogspot, there's a little bar on top of the page. Clicking "next blog" takes you to a random blog. I've done this a few times, leaving comments on blogs that grab my attention. Hopefully, someone will read my comment and trackback to my blog and, just maybe, will become a regular reader.

Here's hoping my soapbox in my little corner gets some attention!

Virtual Baseball with Real Life Ads

2007-02-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to do at a baseball game is to look at the ads placed around the stadium (Can you tell I'm not a huge baseball fan? Hockey, on the other hand...). Those ads have become a rather integral part of real-life baseball games. When I was first learning about the game of baseball, my friend took me to a game. As I got swept up in the action, I started confusing players. She helped me figure out who was who and what position is where by using the ads around the field as place markers. Most sports, in fact, have similar advertising.

I know very little about Fantasy Sports, RPGs and the like, but I do know that a lot of people put a lot of time into playing them. Business Week had an article last week that discusses the use of branding the stadiums used in these online, multiplayer sports video games. The article also discusses the use of brand sponsored players in the game.

In the real world, stadiums and players are filled with sponsors and branding. The big difference here is, as Julie Shumaker of Double Vision -- the company that's in charge of this -- says, it opens the athletic world up "for marketers who want to tap into the sports space but don't have league rights."

I really like this idea -- especially if, as mentioned in the article, the company takes it a bit further and creates branded stadiums. Except, wait... don't those also exist in the real world? Either way, it's a smart move. People are already caught up in multiplayer sports games, and sports advertising isn't even really noted on a conscious level any more. It really is a smooth transition for these games, and it's a huge opportunity for marketers to make a mark in branded entertainment.

Femme Fatale, The Mystery Man, and... GPS

2007-02-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

Via Adverblog:

Nokia just released a new product on the market -- a "multimedia car kit" and, at the same time, launched a promotional website for the kit.

At first glance, the game doesn't seem like anything special -- it's just a driving game. But the more I play, the more I realize that you actually must use the Nokia car kit to succeed. You receive phone calls telling you where to go, you have to follow the GPS map to get to your destinations around Paris, all the while dealing with the woman in the car complaining and insulting you if you go the wrong way.

The cool thing here though, is that much of the experience is user-controlled. It's real video of Paris, and while there's no traffic or anything to deal with, you must go the correct way down one-way streets, etc... but you can just drive around a (small) few block radius, looking at the "scenery."

It's not necessarily a Parisian experience, but it's a Nokia experience. Essentially a plug-and-play car kit, the game really shows off the different ways to use the product. Definitely a worthy way to spend a few minutes.

2022 is the New 1984, according to Trent Reznor

2007-02-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

Just a warning, this will probably be a longer post than usual, about a topic relating to viral messaging, advertainment, and more.

Ask any of my friends and they'll all tell you the same thing: I love music. Sometimes, it goes a bit further and I sit only researching and buying music from artists I may not like (hello, Britney? I'm still waiting for a response as to why you shaved your heard). Nine Inch Nails is one of those bands... I appreciate the music, but I'm not really a fan. There's a few songs I genuinely like, but that's about it. However, I love Trent Reznor.

Reznor, the frontman and, essentially, the band, is one of the most intriguing people I've never met. I remember reading an article about him and thinking to myself, "This guy is someone to watch out for." Now, I'm glad I did.

NIN has an album due out April 17 called "Year Zero." It's a concept album, based around (from what I gather) 2022 as the year in which everything "starts over" and becomes, well, rather Orwellian. 2022 is actually Year 0000, making 2007, -15 BA with BA possibly standing for the phrase "Born Again." Reznor himself describes the concept as:

"The world has reached the breaking point — politically, spiritually and ecologically. Written from various perspectives of people in this world, Year Zero examines various viewpoints set against an impending moment of truth."

It starts on the back of a tshirt, with letters spelling out "I Am Trying To Believe." That simple phrase sets you on a real-life game to discover what Reznor believes the world will be like in fifteen years.

It's advertainment to me because in the most basic sense, consumers make it into a game. Yes, it's extremely viral - how else could it work - but remember the Lost Experience? That was viral. That was addiction. That was entertainment at its best - even people who don't watch Lost were talking about it. I can't say this campaign will get me actually listening to NIN, but it's certainly gotten me paying attention to Reznor.

Want in on the fun? Go to*:
http://yearzero.nin.com/ (This is the main site for the album)
http://www.iamtryingtobelieve.com/
http://anotherversionofthetruth.com/
http://105thairbornecrusaders.com/
http://www.consolidatedmailsystems.com/nooneimportant/
http://bethehammer.net/
http://churchofplano.com/

*Note: I got these links off the NIN Wikipedia Site, which was created by members of the NIN Echoing the Sound forum.

Advertising That Goes Up Your Skirt

2007-02-15T19:08:00.000-05:00

Via Trendhunter:

About a year ago, I decided to call the Axe hotline. The premise of the touchtone experience is that you, the male consumer (okay, not me, but work with me), wore Axe and are now being hounded by, well, everyone from your exgirlfriend to your bestfriend's mom.

Axe has always taken the "wear-our-cologne-and-get-laid" campaign to the next level. This product, The Axe "Mmmmousepad" certainly does that:

I'll admit it: As misogynistic and demeaning I'm sure many of many friends would find it (and yes, I do think it's rather risque), I love it! Really, can you help loving the creativity behind this idea? It definitely goes with the tone Axe has always managed to carry, while taking it a step further, and staying memorable. Whether or not they wear Axe, I can see many of my male friends having this mousepad in their dorms. It's an item to show off to your friends, all the while knowing it's nothing more than a piece of denim stitched to a mousepad. Beyond that though, it's a cool piece of denim stitched to a mousepad. Who cares if these guys are wearing the cologne? They still want a piece of the Axe product!

Now, if only I could come up with something as simple and awesome as that...

Jeep's Interactive Comic Book

2007-02-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

Via Adverblog:

Jeep's new website promoting the Patriot automobile is a bit difficult to use but the end result is completely worth it. The tag line for the campaign is "The greatest story you've ever told," and if I'm reading the site correctly it seems to be somewhat true: Users register to submit a continuation of the story line (Marvel Comics started the first page) and by registering, will receive a printed copy of the comic when it's completed. You do not have to register to view the comic, but if you don't then you will not get the printed version.

The entire comic is user-generated, and it's all focused around the Jeep Patriot. I'm kind of hoping they really do print off a free copy at the end of it for all registered users because that's a seriously awesome product placement -- openly creating entertainment around a product rather than making a product fit into the entertainment. Great for Jeep and fun for the comic fans.

Whack-a-mole

2007-02-12T12:54:00.000-05:00

No real sense of advertainment in this one, but worth a post.

Obtained via AdRant, a new game was recently put online in the "old-school" whack-a-mole style. The game is suprisingly funny and slightly challenging to play. The object is to Save Boston from the "terrorist attacks" of the neon lights -- reminiscent of, naturally, an Aqua Teen Hunger Force character.

The Geico Caveman

2007-02-09T13:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sure by now, every person has seen or heard of the Geico ads telling us that switching to the insurance company is "so simple, a caveman could do it." If you haven't..... have you been living in a cave? Sorry, couldn't resist.

In class today we spent some time poking around on this website, which is essentially the apartment of the caveman we see featured in the ads. The detail on this site is amazing -- you can change the music by clicking on the iPod, you can read a magazine article about the man who plays the caveman. Go into the bedroom and read his emails. Head to the bathroom and interrupt his shower. An answering machine in the kitchen allows us to hear a message from someone at Geico calling about the caveman's complaints. Great integration. There's tons to discover.

My favorite part is in the kitchen. On the wall are various magnets in another language. Hover your mouse over them for the translation of each word. Slow... slow.... slow.... suddenly, you're reading an advertisement for Geico. Best part? There's no mention of the company's name. Nonetheless, you know it's promoting Geico via the tagline "Fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance."

It's slow to load, but definitely worth the wait. Don't forgot to turn up the volume!

Various Audiences

2007-02-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

For my Audience Research class, we had to read four articles from MediaPost Publications and discuss how the marketing and advertising industry is able to learn about each audience.

The first article is called Targeting Young Males. Obviously about marketing to the young male sect, the article raised a number of interesting points. Brian Bolain, who is the national sales promotion manager for Toyota Scion, refuted the intial idea that young males are not watching TV and are merely not watching TV with a mindset receptive to advertising messaging. The way to market to them is to reach them in their own environment - similar to Scion setting up in front of music stores frequented by their target, allowing test drives and handing out merchandise. Another thing I took away from this article is that young males may not be watching what you think they are watching. The common belief is that males 18-34 can be found watching violent action films and Adult Swim on Comedy Central. However, the article pointed out that "scantily-clad, sexy women" will always attract them; ABC's "Desperate Housewives" is no longer just your mother's show.

The next article is entitled Cracking the Fickle Tween Code. Out of all the articles in this post, I loved reading this article the most. I've always wondered, for example, if tweens really buy Proactiv on the basis of Jessica Simpson's commercials, and it seems Simpson sells more items by actually using, rather endorsing, them. Talk about another way for celebrities to get perks! Marketers will definitely attempt to get celebrities that are on the teen radar to use their product. And if the celebrity genuinely loves the product or brand and buys it without prompt? Free advertising which you just know works.

The last two articles, Targeting Boomer Women and Hispanic Women, kind of fell hand in hand. The former discussed marketing towards the women of the boomer generation while the latter focused specifically on Hispanic Women. My mother is a member of the baby boomer generation, so I definitely agreed with a lot of the points brought up. Barbara LaPlaca, associate publisher of marketing for More magazine, said a number of things that caught my attention. She talked about needing to market a product to the women as something that can just fall into place with their lifestyle -- and mentioned Swiffer as an example. Truthfully, the Swiffer marketing plan is so great that I've found myself wanting one! The second article dealt with the cultural issues in marketing toward Hispanics. For example, a large of the Hispanic culture revolves around the family unit. Marketers need to understand that, when marketing to Hispanics, they need to shy away from singling one person out. Products and brands need to be good for the whole family. Hispanic women are brand loyal, but willing to change to another brand if there is technological progression involved.

Regardless of which article you're looking at, one thing stands out very clearly: in order to market to any audience, you first must put yourself in their shoes. Great advice!

Are you plain? Or nutty?

2007-02-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

One of the biggest ways to get your product branded in the minds of the consumer is by forcing your target to interact with the item.

With this in mind, Mars, Inc. has revamped the M&M website. The website is geared towards a younger audience with simple games, such as basic trivia and memory games. However, they have gone one step further and launched the Become an M&M website. On this site, users can choose the color and shape of their M&M (plain or peanut) and add accessories to turn the candy into a caricature of themselves or anyone they know. But that's not all.

After the character is created, users have the option of putting their M&M into a fake movie trailer or an arcade-style game.

The big question here is, Does it work? In my experience, this website really does keep M&Ms in the mind of the consumer. As a test I created my own caricatured candy piece and made the image into my profile picture on Facebook, leaving it up for one week. During that week I got a number of inquiries as to what my picture was, where it came from, and - most importantly - how could my friends do it, too? Before I knew it, my friends had similar profile or desktop images. Are they buying more M&Ms? I'm not sure. What I do know, though, is that the company has succeeded in driving people to their website. And really, when your brand is as known as M&M, what more can you ask for?

Blue Boxes, Purple Cows and Flipping the Funnel

2007-02-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Google's new feature Authors @ Google recently featured Seth Godin on their site. The video may be a bit on a lengthy side, but it's definitely worth watching.

Godin has a lot of experience under his belt, from founding Yoyodyne (bought out by Yahoo! in 1998) to writing six bestselling books about the marketing industry. In his speech he uses a number of real world examples to showcase the reality of marketing.

His most interesting point, I think, was that "all marketers are liars." Via examples such as the world famous Tiffany's blue box to Google's use of "permission marketing," he details the basics of marketing -- that is, marketers allow consumers to tell stories about themselves.

From the 11 year old girl wearing mismatched socks and telling her friends, to web junkies pointing their newbie friends to the simple interface of Google, Godin's speech explains the best part of permission marketing. We already know that it is easier to reach out to a customer who came to you, who has been coming to you, than it is to approach a new customer. A returning customer, Godin claims, is already opening that discussion with you and are therefore much more willing to take in the appropriate advertising.

Google's move? Giving the user exactly what he wants on every level, from simple interfaces to the advertising of what he's searching for.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Advertainment...

2007-01-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

Hello! This may not be the first blog I have ever created, but it is certainly the first with a purpose: I am a junior Integrated Marketing Communications student at Ithaca College and am taking a class in which we must choose a current issue in the media world and then create a blog related to that topic.

My chosen topic is Entertainment Branding. I will be looking at this topic from a fairly wide perspective, and hope to answer the following questions throughout the course of the semester:

-What are new trends in advertainment?
-Are advertisers actually getting their point across?
-Does it ruin the message by having it so closely tied to a game or some other form of what has traditionally been entertainment for the consumer?
-How far will people go to integrate advertisement messaging with entertainment?

As an IMC major, I am extremely interested in this topic. Through blogging about the subject, perhaps I will come to a conclusion as to the effectiveness of this relatively new idea. It should be exciting!