Tag: Trends

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MARKETING

Sex Sells

I recently read my classmate Eric’s blog post: Peta . He comments on the new PETA ads, where celebrities support animal rights by posing nude.

All of the ads are also sexually suggestive, because this instantly grabs people’s attention. Many marketers have known that sex sells best for a long time, and have been using this trick to sell products. In fact, a large amount of ads for trendy clothing stores are sexually suggestive (Calvin Klein, Guess, DKNY…etc). I don’t think this is unethical or immoral of the marketers or the companies, because they are using marketing tactics to increase consumer awareness of their products. And it’s definitely true that people will remember an ad that is sexually suggestive versus one that is boring. Using sex to sell products is becoming, or is already a part of our lives. Products that have nothing to do with sex are being sold with sex. For example, here’s a German vacuum company’s ad:

It took me a few seconds to spot the vacuum in the ad.

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MARKETING

New Marketing Technologies – RFID

I recently discovered that during the summer of 2010, Coca-Cola invited 650 teenagers to spend three days at the Coca-Cola Village to sunbathe, go on water slides…etc.

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After watching a promotional video of the  Coca-Cola Village, I was impressed at how amazing the mini amusement park looked, and how much fun everyone looked like they were having. It made me want to join in the fun as well. However, Coke did something special during this event. They used RFID (Radio-frequency identification) technology to identify and track each teenager throughout the 3 days. There were also RFID readers at different locations throughout the Village for teens to swipe their RFID tags (attached to their wrists) and automatically update their status on Facebook.

Using RFID in marketing is a new concept, but firms are catching on fast. I found two more companies who are using RFID as part of their promotions. The most interesting part of RFID to me is how Coke linked it directly to social media for teens. I think it’s a brilliant idea because nowadays, whenever young adults experience something cool, they want to share it on facebook instantly. Coke’s RFID tags and reading stations at the Coke Village provided the teens an efficient way of doing this, and promoted the company simultaneously.

Here are several other companies that are using RFID technology in marketing: http://www.thetrendwatch.com/2010/09/09/brands-linking-rfid-to-social-media-top-3-examples/

IBM did a video about RFID technology increasing efficiency and potentially eliminating checkout lines. I found this extremely exciting new because I hate waiting in line at stores. This would make everyone’s lives so much better, especially since everyone has a fast-paced lifestyle right now.

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MARKETING

Can’t Believe I Might Become an Apple User

I have always been a PC person instead of Mac. I thought Macs looked very professional, but were too plain for my tastes.   I like vibrant colours and customized designs, so I bought red Sony with customized engravings instead of a Mac for university. But now, I am looking to buy a new phone, and I am considering the iphone 4. I am not planning on converting to Mac/Apple, and I definitely don’t consider myself a fan of Apple products. I am interested in the iphone 4 mainly because of the “cool” factor. I have not researched the features of the phone in detail, and am not interested in learning about the technical side of the phone at all. I just want the phone because it looks sleek and is considered “the new thing”. To take this to a whole new level, I will wait for the white iphone 4s to come out in Winter 2010, because then, I will be the first one to have the white iphone, which would separate me from the crowd even more.  🙂

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MARKETING

Desperate Product Placement in Music Videos

I recently came across an interesting blog by Abby Tayleure about the enormous amount of product placement in Lady Gaga videos. Abby has rewatched Telephone and Bad Romance and had noted the specific times in the videos where the product is shown. She counted 17 of them in total.

After reviewing the list of brands featured in her music videos (Virgin, PlentyofFish, Wonder Bread, Miracle Whip, Chanel, Polaroid, Hp, Coke… etc), I feel that the advertisements did not have a huge effect on me. I admit that I find Lady Gaga’s music videos were highly entertaining because they are weird/crazy/creative (or whatever word you want to use), and the products were all unexpected, and provided surprise for the audience in that sense. However, I believe the companies wasted their money by paying Lady Gaga and Beyonce to use their products in the music video, because I did not change my attitude towards the brands that were featured. After reading a bit more online about Lady Gaga and product placement, I found others who shared my view. Most of the brands that were shown in the Lady Gaga videos are not luxury brands, nor modern brands. I do not associate Miracle whip, Polaroid, or Hp with social trends. Ie, they are not Nutella, Canon, or Apple. They are the “desperate” brands who wishes to gain some publicity by appearing in a popular music artist’s videos. In contrast, Nutella, Canon, and Apple already have a loyal following, and would rather spend their marketing funds elsewhere.

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MARKETING

Baby Carrots Promote Healthy Living

Last week in marketing class, I saw the most amazing advertisement for baby carrots. The marketers took a new perspective on baby carrots, and promoted it to an usual audience — teenagers– with video game-like sound effects, graphic images, and a deep male announcer voice. Here is the link to their website: http://www.babycarrots.com/ I especially like the tagline of “Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food”, because it clearly appeals to the younger generation, and is easy to remember. Another point I liked about this product is the healthiness factor. I appreciate that the promoters are guiding teens away from real junk food, and towards baby carrots, which they claim are “like junk food”. Healthy eating is an important issue in our society right now, and I believe the marketers for this company are doing a good thing by repositioning new baby carrots.

Eat 'Em Like Junk Food

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