Month: March 2011

Cricket! In North America cricket is “that sport which kind of looks like baseball but is not” but in India, cricket is more than a sport, its a way of life. Cricket is not just about wining or losing, its a religion that brings together one billion people in a country that is severely stratified by class. Everyone in India eats, sleeps and breathes cricket and no one could have asked fro anything more than to host the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil. The hype of hosting the world cup spread like wildfire and India got ready to win another major tournament. Nike which is the main sponsor of the Indian Cricket team started the Bleed Blue pledge to get everyone hyped up and to encourage people to buy world cup merchandise. Nike used all of the main stars of the team to reach out to consumers and used them to encode the message of unity to the consumers. This campaign was extensively communicated on billboards, posters and this advertisement was aired on every single channel in different languages to reach all consumers. The message was strong and clear and united a nation of one billion people and everyone wanted to be a part of this proud and historic moment.   Consumers decoded the message in an extremely positive manner by pledging to bleed blue and responded by flocking to Nike stores to buy the 2011 world cup jersey. The jersey and merchandise is in such high demand that almost all the stores are sold out or have very little in stock. Nike started a pledge in which everyone felt they had to be a part of because buying a jersey is the same as saying ” I pledge my support to team India, I Bleed Blue.”

When all of us were growing up, I’m sure a lot if us were told that the best things in life are free and that good things come in small packages. At first, when we were young or in our early teens the concept seemed absolutely bizzare, as none of the best candy was for free now was it? That was until we grew a little older and hopefully, a little smarter, to realize that it was the small things that money couldn’t buy that truely made one happy. Mastercard is one company that has used this concept to inform their consumers about the benefits of using their cards.  Their famous slogan “There are some things money cant buy, for everything else there’s Mastercard” influences the attitudes of the consumers and evokes the affective part of the consumers as they can relate to the feeling of joy that is portrayed in the commercials. When consumers see the advertisements they can connect with what is happening. Mastercard also uses many famous celebrities to promote their products knowing that consumers who look up to these celebrities or athletes are more likely to use their card if they perceive their role model to use it. During the cricket world cup a few years ago, Mastercard used Sachin Tendulkar who is also known as the cricket god in India for the commercial knowing that the whole country looked up to him. In another commercial they used Peyton Manning, a famous American football quarterback in a funny commercial to attract more consumers to use their cards. Not only are the commercials informative because they convey that the fact that Mastercard is accepted anywhere in the world, but the commercials appeal to many consumers who can connect with that “priceless” feeling.

We as consumers are all loyal to certain brands. For instance, some consumers only find comfort in running in Nike shorts and cringe with the idea of ever having to run in Adidas or Reebok. Some consumers, will go out of their way to buy a Starbucks Latte instead of settling for a Tim Horton’s double double, which brings me to the infamous Mac vs PC argument. If you ever ask anyone who currently owns a Mac I can assure you they would undoubtedly pledge their undying love towards their their laptop. I must admit, even though I am a happy PC user, I had almost been sucked into buying the Macbook Pro, for a number of good reasons. Not only is Apple one of the most innovative pioneers in the market, but one can be assured that the high price certifies excellent quality. Apple has successfully “cut through the noise” and has positioned itself in the mind of the consumer as the number one in the category of laptops and desktops  because of the many features that are offered. Also, apple has intelligently positioned itself at the top by repositioning its competitors (PC).   Apple has positioned itself at the top by focusing on the many flaws that come with a PC. They have capitalized on the fact that Macs are immune to viruses and PC’s and hence reveal the benefits of buying a mac over a PC. Apple has also demonstrated the many operating flaws of the new systems for PC’s which was created to combat the problem of viruses. The allow/ cancel command function protects the computer from spyware and viruses, but at a cost, a cost which no MAC user will ever have to pay. Apple has demonstrated that it is safer, more efficient and can do exactly what the PC does, but better, thereby increasing the benefits sought by consumers.  

There are many small events in our daily lives that make us smile, but often enough, most of us are too busy or too stressed to even notice. Then there are those random moments which really catch your attention and can surprisingly change the whole course of an almost unbearable day. It may be that random guy on the bus that is flaunting his drumming skills on his imaginary drums, or the engineering kids running around in lab coats and boxers, and if you’re lucky enough, you might even see that guy who randomly dresses up in a panda suit for some karoke at the gallery. What better way to catch the attention of a mass of people than by doing any of the above OR evern better, by organizing a flash mob. A flash mob has proven to be a very effective way of drawing the attention of hundreds of people as the main purpose of a flash mob is to create a light hearted gathering of people to intrigue and mystify bystanders with a routine and then quickly disperse. Although originally flash mobs were organized through social media just for fun like the New York City “No Pants Day”  many companies have realized the immense power of flash mobs and have used it to create brand awareness and increase brand equity.

Virgin mobile realized the power of the flash mob and strategically chose Toronto’s busiest intersection to reach their target market and as well to reach out to new consumers. They found a unique way to increase its brand equity and brand awareness as flash mobs affect more than just the people who witnessed it through media attention and positive word of mouth. Virgin also conveyed their brand personality as a lively and fun brand. Lastly Virgin positioned themselves as the company who cared to make everyone smile and who made sure ‘everybody is gonna love today’.