Marketing

When I first found out that the final portion of my marketing project was going to be a video presentation, I was skeptical.  I originally thought that I would have preferred an in class presentation, as it would require less preparation and there would be less risk of it being a dull 5 minutes in which the class either spaces out or browses Facebook.  The criteria initially felt limiting in that, in order to properly complete the assignment as we are supposed to, it would be difficult to not just have each group talking monotonously or giving a presentation (which would be less engaging because it would be recorded, not live).

However, I soon realized that this was actually a much more effective means of presenting.  The criteria simply meant that more creative ways were necessary to make the presentation engaging and interesting, while still being informative.  this gave students willing to put the time and effort in a chance to truly excel.  Furthermore, the presentation’s content would not be missed by a nervous speaker or by a group member getting sick on the day of the presentation.  Because the actual material discussed could be recorded under less pressured circumstances, every group member could excel and effectively and accurately deliver their part.

A smaller benefit of the video presentation style is that it does not necessarily take up valuable class time in order for students to present.  The videos can be watched at any time, and the marker is not limited to making rushed decisions on the spot during the presentation.  Thus the grades for the presentation will be more accurately assigned and less subject to bias.

Overall I think that a video presentation is an effective final project, and one that helps to develop the skill set required to be an effective marketer, as well as businessperson in general.

Out of all the famous product battles throughout history, few are as fierce as video game console wars.  Sony launched the PS4 last Friday, and Microsoft’s Xbox One is coming out swinging at the end of the week.  As far as console battles have gone, this one has been particularly vicious, with Sony making numerous explicit jabs at the Xbox One with both advertisements and during their press conference at e3 last May.  you can watch an ad mocking the Xbox One’s complicated game sharing system here (Xbox has since changed this system to simply being able to give your game disks to friends to share them).

However, Sony has merely been capitalizing on the numerous mistakes that Microsoft has made along the way.  From the moment the Xbox One was officially announced, the company has done a terrible job of properly explaining the new features of the console.  For example, instead of demonstrating how the Xbox One would essentially operate like Steam (which is incredibly well-loved by gamers), they talked about how games were mandatory to install and would be region-locked.  Microsoft’s PR essentially focused on all the “cannots”, while ignoring the “cans.”

As a result of this, Microsoft has faced a huge backlash against the Xbox One and many of its innovative features.  this caused the company to back-pedal and retract many of it’s previously stated policies and features, settling for a system much more similar to Sony’s PS4.  However, despite this change in direction, many gamers have lost faith in Microsoft and are “converting to the enemy team.”

Microsoft has learned first-hand that it is easy to destroy a brand’s reputation, but very difficult to repair it.  While they’ve put their best efforts into restoring gamers’ confidence in their product, they still have a long ways to go to stand on even ground with Sony once more.  And the road is all uphill, as Sony clearly isn’t letting it’s newly dominant position go to waste.

A recent blog post by AdWeek discussed Sleep Aid’s new advertising campaign for it’s product, Snore Stop.  The billboard, as shown above, has unsurprisingly caused a fair amount of controversy.  AdWeek expresses that the campaign is deliberately left open to interpretation, the purpose being the buzz that the billboards will generate.  This will obviously serve to increase brand awareness of Sleep Aid, and quite likely change the reputation of the company, for better or worse.

There are several interpretations of this simple image, a great deal of them being far more complex than the simple statement, “Sleep Aid brings people together.”  An article by the Daily Mail quotes the company’s impression of the campaign being one that is “designed to prompt conversation about stereotypes.”  However many would disagree with this claim, claiming that the ad is “exploiting the image of a U.S. serviceman and a Muslim woman to sell a seemingly unrelated product,” which also is a fair claim.

Ad campaigns such as this have become increasingly prevalent as consumers become more and more adept at tuning out and ignoring the advertisement-saturated world they are immersed in.  However, a campaign such as this is an effective way to break out of the monotony of the typical advertisement, and generate a reaction out of the people that will create a lasting impression of the company.  And really, when considered objectively, the image portrayed shouldn’t be controversial.  No one is being wronged or inaccurately portrayed, and the simple fact that this campaign has been so controversial already while still in its infancy speaks volumes about the intolerance of society.

Clearly Sleep Aid’s attitude is that no press is bad press, and when considering that, the ad has been a wild, wild success.