Do you remember adopting your first Neopet when you were in elementary school? I did. This weekend. I had a moment of nostalgia while studying on Saturday, and decided to check out Neopets again. Amazingly, my fingers knew what to type in the account name and password field. (FYI: I have not been on this site in YEARS, so it goes to show how much I used to play it when I was younger)

When I finally logged onto the site, things looked slightly different. The design of the website was somewhat changed, but the colour scheme/overall look remained the same. However, one thing immediately stuck out that was different. The ads on the side of the page. From what I remember, there used to be advertisements (if not at all) for cereal, or a toy, or something else pertaining to children. To my surprise, I saw an ad for match.com! It had pictures of men with their ages and interests. Now, what is a dating website’s ad doing on a children’s website?!

Now, back in my marketing class, we talked about the ethics of marketing, and I immediately thought about that when I saw this advertisement. I understand that at the end of the day, the owners of Neopets want money. BUT strongly feel that there has to be some sort of filter as to what kind of ads they place on the site!   As a parent, you would not want your child to accidentally click on the link and be sent to a strange dating website. Who knows. Your child may create a profile and start talking to different men/women on it. TOTALLY UNSAFE.

So my hope for Neopets and other websites for children is that they have some sort of filter as to what kind of advertisements they agree to place on their websites. I’m sure they can find other companies that would pay them the same money to advertise their child-friendly product. Why not choose them instead?

Image Source:

http://stuffpoint.com/neopets/image/11073/neopets-picture/

Defining Eyes by MakeupByTiffanyD

As someone who loves makeup but with very little money to spend on it, I spend a lot of time on YouTube watching Makeup Gurus buy and review products from every part of the industry(drugstore, high end…etc.) There are a many aspiring YouTubers out there all competing for the number of viewers and subscribers and if someone has at least 500,000 subscribers, you know that that person has somewhat of an influence over its viewers.

Let’s take MakeupByTiffanyD for example. She started making YouTube videos in 2008 and has gathered 545,540 subscribers as of this moment. Now, makeup companies are always sending these Makeup Gurus free products in hopes that they will provide a good review on their channel, because it is essentially free advertisement.

In MakeupByTiffanyD’s case, Sigma Beauty, an online-based cosmetics company, has taken its marketing to the next level. For the past few years, MakeupByTiffanyD has made it clear on her channel that she works for Sigma Beauty as a makeup artist. Recently, it was announced that Sigma Beauty and MakeupByTiffanyD had released a new limited edition eyeshadow palette called “Defining Eyes.” As touched upon in Vicky Wu’s blog, this is an example of Co-Branding! Sigma is essentially marketing these palettes specifically to MakeupByTiffanyD’s viewers! It knows that it has a reach of over 500,000 people.

Youtube has become such a popular site that it is now another outlet for companies to market their products. Aside from creating their own accounts, they can partner up with other YouTubers to sell their products. SigmaBeauty’s partnership with MakeupByTiffanyD is not the first that we’ve seen, and it’s certainly not the last!

What are your thoughts on the opportunities YouTubers receive?? Fair? Unfair? Leave me a comment!!

Image Source:

http://sigmabeautyaffiliates.blogspot.ca/2012/11/new-product-defining-eyes-by-tiffany-d.html

One Direction’s sophmore album titled Take Me Home

Besides the talent, branding is arguably one of the MOST important aspects of a pop star’s career these days. Take One Direction for example, the first UK boy band to debut at No.1 on the Bilboard Charts.

Aside from their talents which are singing, the boys also have taken part in direct marketing by interacting with their fans on Twitter in order to get them to buy their album. As seen here, one of the members, Zayn Malik, retweets a fan in order to get her to buy their album. This type of marketing is a great asset to artists. It’s free, easy and widely accessible, so why not take advantage of it!

One Direction has been so successful with gaining fans that they are actually opening a holiday pop-up store in New York, as written about on brandchannel’s blog. This is a HUGE deal for the band and for the rest of the music industry. This shows that they have enough of a following in order to open a store solely selling the band’s merchandise and are confident in it being profitable. This store is also opened only during the Christmastime, so they are taking full opportunity of the gift giving season. The store also uses sales promotions as an incentive for people to shop there. Customers have the chance to win special contests and promotions only available exclusively to those who have purchased in-store items.

Now, do I think that the band is exploiting their fame? Heck no! These boys have worked hard to establish their careers as well as their brands, and should take this opportunity be a part of as many ventures as possible. As they always say, fame doesn’t last forever.

Image source:

http://www.themagazine.ca/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2555519-one-direction-take-me-home-617-409.jpeg

The Kardashians have once again expanded their business. This time, they have partnered with Dorothy Perkins, a British retailer for women’s clothing, to design a clothing line which was released earlier this week. Unfortunately, Vancouver does not currently have a Dorothy Perkins store, so I settled with browsing their collection on the Dorothy Perkins website.

As I shop in-store and online these days, I am beginning to notice more and more of a firm’s marketing strategies. The same thing happened when I browsed the Dorothy Perkins website. First of all, the website offers shipping to many parts of the world, which is a strategy employed to expand market presence, since it wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach customers like me who live in Vancouver. Second, as I scrolled down the screen, I noticed the “Get 10% off when you sign up to our newsletter” bar located at the bottom of the page. This is a strategy the firm uses to gain sales, customer loyalty and of course, a way for the firm to track how many people shop online. When looking at a specific article of clothing, the website even provides a size guide, to ensure that people don’t buy the wrong sizes(way to minimize risk Dorothy Perkins!).

After reading this, you would think that I have bought some pieces off this collection, right?

Wrong! One hurdle I still need to cross the actual buying online using a credit card. I browse online and put items in my cart all the time. However, using my credit card online is still not something I am comfortable with(what with all the fraud stories out there), but I hope this technology will improve soon because I WANT THE KARDASHIAN KOLLECTION.

Image from: http://media.dorothyperkins.com/wcsstore/ConsumerDirectStorefrontAssetStore/images/colors/color3/cms/pages/static/static-0000041996/images/UK_kardashian_Lp_wk11.jpg

Christmas is just around the corner, which is super exciting! Why? Because of the presents! With Apple’s promotion of the iPad Mini virtually everywhere, I began my research.

The iPad Mini is basically a miniature version of the iPad(product innovation at its best!). Along with it running faster than the iPad, it is also 7.2mm thinner, and 0.68 lbs lighter. Now, I’m not a technology junkie, so when I read that it did not have retina display, I had to do some research on what that actually meant. I found that it was just a term given by Apple for its high-resolution screen technology. Bloggers online had said that the absence of retina display did not make a big difference, so I decided that it was not a big deal. I also found that a 16GB iPad Mini was priced at $329 in Best Buy, while a 16BG iPad was $499. Now this is quite a big difference, and is definitely a huge factor when asking for a Christmas present.

As far as technology goes, I can safely say that I am not a member of the early adopters category. I fit somewhere in between the early majority and late majority category(I only got an Xbox when it came free during a promotion from Telus last year). After the research I have done on the iPad Mini, I have concluded that it will not be on my wishlist for Christmas. I’m not an Apple Addict, so not having the iPad Mini isn’t a deal breaker. I’ll simply wait a few more months(or years) until a more innovative product is introduced. Until then, my search for a Christmas present continues!

Image from: http://i.thestar.com/images/bb/8a/d4fa0e2e4b0cafa666f06754bf86.jpg

Ever since the first installment of the Twilight Saga in 2008, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have been popular household names.

Both initially denied a romantic relationship, but it was impossible to hide it with the hundreds of Hollywood paparazzi around. When pictures of the couple holding hands surfaced, people were skeptical about their on- to off-screen relationship. However, call me crazy, but I believed that they were truly a Hollywood-matched couple in love.  Despite the fact that actors engage in PR stunts where they choose to “date” near the release of their movie for the sake of promoting it, I truly believed that the relationship was genuine.

However, in the summer of 2012, pictures of Stewart and another director showed them engaging in amorous activities. A few days after these pictures surfaced, Stewart issued a public apology,

“This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I’m so sorry.”

The couple broke up, and Pattinson moved out of the home they purchased together.

The last installment of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II, is slated to be released in November 2012, where the media are hoping to catch awkward encounters between the two at press events. It has recently been reported that the two are back together. After four movies, maybe the producers are looking to use this to make it the most successful installment of the Twilight Saga(more $$$$$).

I have always been intrigued by the lengths that actors go to, to promote their movies. Are good ratings simply not enough anymore? In today’s busy world, people may not have the time to read movie ratings before going to the movie theatre. Maybe seeing the headlines on a gossip magazine while standing in line at the supermarket is enough to influence someone into watching a certain movie.

Have you ever watched a movie not for its plot but because of controversy surrounding the actors involved? Is this post an example of the success of their marketing plot?!  Thoughts??

Sources:

(Quotation)
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20614722,00.html

(Image)
http://www.impawards.com/2012/posters/twilight_saga_breaking_dawn__part_two_ver5.jpg

American Idol debuted in the summer of 2002. At the time, Idol was one of the only reality singing competition shows around. The concept was simple. Find singers from all over America, get the audience to vote for their favourites week to week, and catapult the winner into superstardom. Part of success of the show was due to the judges. There was Simon Cowell (acclaimed music producer), Paula Abdul (pop princess from the 80s), and Randy Jackson (a well respected record producer). With judges so knowledgeable in the music industry, many viewers trusted their judgments.

When television producers noticed the growing interest in reality singing competitions, new shows such as The Voice and The X Factor emerged. Most recently, the newest season of The X Factor casted Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, who are thought to bring in more of the younger viewers. After so many season and its shrinking viewership, Idol had to make a change.

After about eight seasons, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell resigned from judging. From the producer’s standpoint, this was not a huge defeat because viewers had seemed to grow tired of the same old judges. Many new judges were brought in from different realms of the industry. There was Kara Dioguardi (singer and record producer), Jennifer Lopez (popular singer) and Ellen Degeneres (talk show host). Some of the judges were questionable in terms of their credibility, and was only seen as a device for bringing in more viewersfor the show.

Fast forward to the current season, officials recently confirmed that Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson would be the judges on season 12 of American Idol. Producers say that this is “one of most exciting judging panels around” and are hoping to attract new and old viewers.

Judges are now a way for producers to help market their television programs. Depending on who they hire determines a big part of their show’s demographic. How do you feel about the judges on reality shows? Should they be based on credibility or their ability to bring in viewers? Let me know your thoughts!

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