Monthly Archives: September 2012

[COMM296] We became conscious in 30 minutes. From nothing.

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I am not Canadian. Not American. I am Italian. I. And I promise that it is the last time that the word “I” is written here. The power of one is nothing against the power of one plus one plus millions of one. And this is what the Kony 2012 campaign would like to achieve. A we-awareness.

Since the first 30-minutes documentary was launched on YouTube, the Kony 2012 campaign has reached millions of ears, eyes and hearts. A huge deal. However, this post doesn’t deal with what the campaign tells. The purpose here is to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’. Why have we been attracted in the movement? How are they were able to influence us?

The product is “Make Kony famous”. And “Act together”. It’s something strange because being part of a group influences our purchases, but here being part of a group is the good they wanna sell. And we are the customers who buy their product, their kit, who become their sellers. The issue is that most of us didn’t know anything about Kony. But (and this is a huge but!) we have needs. The interaction is a need and the chance to challenge ourselves in acting is another need. Self-actualization. And Kony 2012 seems to give us this chance.

It seems to give. A 30-minutes video?

It is the Internet and the marketing. Totally. This video is a sort of long commercial where things are told in a simple way, like a tale: a good purpose, an enemy (Kony), the helpers (20 celebrities and 12 politicians). And like kids we are fascinated. Our perception is overwhelmed. Then their promotion is great. They’ve worked on colors, pictures, logos, kits. And on their events where we are the main characters. Customers who act.

The campaign give us that chance to satisfy our needs of not being a ‘single’, but a ‘We’. Yes, it is a campaign. But surprise! It had a phenomenal impact in one day. They worked for years before, we became conscious in 30 minutes. From nothing. It is the marketers’ ability to go deep into potential customers’ need.

And if Kony 2012 is just a huge lie? We would be deceived customers. I would be sad.

Here the links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
http://www.kony2012.com/ [website]

 

[COMM296] Band or brand?

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“We are going to change the world.”

It is not Steve Jobs. Jobs has already did it. It is Tom DeLonge, guitarist of  blink-182 and  AVA. But not only. He created a social networking website called Modlife; he is the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear; he formed a breast cancer awareness foundation.

I’m going to focus on his AVA. The AVA are not simply a band, ‘AVA’ is a brand within a world where its people think and feel a little differently. This is not simply music, this is a whole experience who astonish the fan. But their project seems to refuse the advertising and the marketing tools. Their third album was  put it up for free-download on their website; their independent movie seemed to appear out of nowhere.

But marketing is everywhere.

The music should be like a glue which creates a movement. On the sly, the fans knew the existence of the movie and stop. It was enough. It was also weird. Where was the promotion? AVA’s music is a sort of niche for few customers. Nevertheless AVA want to reach million of people, but in a sophisticated way. It’s a sophisticated marketing. Former they created an AVA-system of many bands linked to each other in a network to build a network of fans. Latter they created a technology platform so they can do direct-to-consumer sales of goods. The product’s changed: the customers have to judge AVA not based only on music, but based on the whole project.

“The goal is world domination, by merging the film industry and the music industry into one independent production company or collaboration of artists under the umbrella of AVA.”

Seven years are gone and it’s hard to judge. Does this sort of ‘marketing without marketing’ work? Slowly. It is an exciting way of thinking. For real. The music itself should be the medium, it should reach person after person and make he or she willing to buy the goods, to go to the concerts and to watch the movies. But it seems to be a  long process and I’m not sure that without the traditional marketing tools it could be fulfilled. Certainly DeLonge has no doubts.

AbyHoods!

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We don’t need to whisper. We need to talk to each other.
To share ideas, comments, beliefs. To share our own world.
To discover the way the others think in their own world.
Because they could be our customers tomorrow.
And we will conquer their loyalty.
Many neighborhoods. One city.
Just blogging? Just marketing?
It could be. I hope not.
I’ve never blogged before, but I’ll try it.

Welcome to UBC Blogs. To me. To the others.

– AbyHoods –