Cathy Lee‘s blog post, “Toms: One for One”, describes why the well-known social enterprise, Toms Shoes, became incredibly successful and internationally renowned during the past few years.  Cathy mentioned that customers are largely attracted to the company’s mission in addition to the trendy designs.

While Toms has had great success with the One For One shoes and glasses product lines, many critics point out that this is good marketing but bad aid.  There are numerous cheaper alternatives to solving the social issues that Toms addresses, and Toms’ free goods are out-competing some of the local businesses that would have benefited the community with both quality goods and jobs.  However, I think that Toms’ marketing campaign has raised global awareness of certain social issues, which is a result that is more beneficial in the long run than material aid.

Toms’ marketing strategy is revolutionary in that it did not focus on marketing the qualities of the product; it marketed the impact of purchasing the product.  Normally, when a customer buys a product, the utility that the customer gains is only from the qualities of the product itself.  However, when a customer buys a pair of Toms glasses, he or she also gains satisfaction from the thought that they helped others in need by the act of purchasing the glasses.  This point of difference helped Toms stand out from other brands, and became the basis for the success that Toms enjoys now.

Works Cited:

“TOMS Shoes: Good Marketing – Bad Aid” Good Intentions Are Not Enough. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://goodintents.org/in-kind-donations/toms-shoes>.

Coca-Cola is recently marketing something that they call “the Fountain of You,” which is a machine that allows customers to mix in as many types of Coca-Cola products as they want.  There are countless combinations: orange-peach vanilla coke, or strawberry-flavoured Sprite with a hint of Fanta, giving the customer a chance to explore and personalize.

Personalization in marketing usually focuses on the process of creating your very own version of the product instead of the qualities of the product itself.  This is a very effective way to appeal to consumers, because we are often inclined to feel that we are special and in power when products are customizable.

Unlike the baby boomer generation, modern consumers are very much used to being in power.  Almost everything in our life can be personalized:  facebook pages, cellphone applications, and computer desktop images are all chances for consumers to make a mass produced product special.

Coca-Cola has taken advantage of the personalization trend in consumer psychology.  Without developing brand new flavours in order to adapt to consumer needs, Coca-Cola simply provided the consumer with a chance to create their own Coke product.  There is very little cost associated with this strategy, but great returns in terms of both revenue and advertising value.  Well played, Coca-Cola, well played.

Work Cited:

“Custom-mix your own Coketail.” The Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/custom-mix-your-own-coketail/article4510673/>.

“Rick Ross To Unveil New Coca Cola Freestyle at Memphis Wingstop.”365voice.com. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://365voice.com/rick-ross-to-unveil-new-coca-cola-freestyle-at-memphis-wingstop-meet-greet/>.

Microsoft has launched a test in Canada on an innovative advertising gimmick called NUads on the Xbox live.  NUads allows people to interact with the ad by answering short questions or filling out questionnaires. This new strategy has been proven to be quite successful.  Xbox’s ads have a much higher click-through rate than any other online banner ads, and people are willing to spend more time absorbing the information presented.

This is a great way to obtain direct feedback from customers as well as advertise a product.  Unlike the normal old passive ads that can only influence a consumer through repetition and time, the NUad engages the subject perceptually and intellectually.  The information presented is thoroughly processed by the subject on the first time they interact with the ad, whereas traditional ads need to be shown again and again to the consumer in order to be impactful.  However, filling out questionnaires may not be the best method to use on the Xbox because people would usually expect something that is more exciting and engaging when they are playing video games.  I suggest incorporating ideas from video games into the ads so that gamers will find the ads less monotonous.

Video of the interative ad: Interactive TV Ads on Xbox Live

Works Cited:

“Microsoft Xbox ads go interactive.”The Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/microsoft-xbox-ads-go-interactive/article4568297/>.

“Interactive TV Ads on Xbox LIVE – Cannes Lions – Microsoft Advertising.”Online Advertising and Digital Marketing solutions – Microsoft Advertising – US. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://advertising.microsoft.com/video-gallery/view-video?uuid=24aabe25-94cf-532a-cbb8-d6f8dda23025>.