COMM296 Marketing Blogs

When our group met to discuss the assignment, we all were very excited to share the different ideas we had for the video. It was a challenge to decide which idea worked best to fit the criteria of the assignment. That is when we decided to brainstorm all these ideas on a google doc to see how we could combine different ideas to form the video. We then choose the idea that we as a group thought worked well to our ability as well as met the criteria.

As a group we worked well with the way we allocated tasks; these tasks included: working on the presi PowerPoint, recording the video scenes, writing the script, editing etc. The tasks were allocated based on the varied skills that we all shared in the group. Through allocation of tasks we were all able to use the time we had effectively and this made the recording and audio easier to conduct.

The video editing was the most difficult process. The initial idea was to use Window Moviemaker to create the video as some group members were experienced with using Moviemaker. It was a challenge to convert the files of all the recordings from a Mac to a PC. Regardless of the hassle we had with this we were so disappointed to see that the quality of the video was very poor after conversion. This is when we had to go back to using iMovie on the Mac. It was at this time I wish we started the recording earlier so that we would have had more time to complete the editing and re-record if required. Starting early would have also helped us gain feedback from external viewers to further improve the video before submission. It was a challenge to learn iMovie, as none of us were experienced in using this program. This was time consuming but a great learning experience.

Ultimately, through this assignment we as a group did not only learn how to use iMovie but we all had the opportunity to understand the importance of time management and how to work in a team environment. These are a few of the skills that will not only help us in the coming future projects but is a learning that will last with us forever. As the saying goes, “we learn from mistakes”.

Think about a product that you thought was so interesting but you just could not pronounce the name or wondered “why such a weird name?” Most of you reading this blog are unlikely to buy such a product and perhaps not even remember the name after the first glance through the product. Have you ever thought about what actually makes a brilliant brand name?

The blog titled “It’s all in the name- what makes a brand name brilliant?” by Louise Kennedy addresses how an appealing product name is such an important marketing strategy to attract customers. A great product is certain to not sell in the market if it has a poor name. An example used in the blog is of a product named Inhibitif – a hair removal product given a chemical name (See Below).

Kennedy further talks of the different techniques that should be kept in mind before creating a product’s name, which caught my attention. A product’s name should be unique and eye catchy. It should reveal to customers its usefulness, function and reliability.  Additionally, customers should be able to read, spell and relate to the name. The name should also be made keeping in mind the culture and language barriers of different regions and nations. Above all this, a brilliant name should be such that it portrays an emotional connection. The product name should create a symbolic value for the customers in order to attract them to purchase. This last point made by Louise Kennedy reminded me of a research I had done before my summer interview on the Advertising Guru: Rory Sutherland. In a TED talk “Life Lessons from an Ad man”, Rory Sutherland talks that the key to powerful advertising is to create intangible value (See Above). “Intangible value constitutes greater to the overall value” because it affects the perception towards a product thus attracting customers to buy the product.

Ultimately, I was amazed with the thought process that marketers and advertisers go through before creating a name for a product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE

Fidele Armstrong’s marketing blog, “Tell me a story, maybe?” reminded me of Dove’s campaign for real beauty. I agree to Fidele, “storytelling is a very powerful way of connecting to your customers”. Similar to TenTree commercial that Fidele talks about in his blog, the Dove real beauty sketches video aims to relate to its consumers through storytelling. Effective brand storytelling is done when marketers integrate the company’s values to consumers so that these consumers can draw connections between how the business is done, and their own beliefs (7 ways to integrate more Brand storytelling).

The use of storytelling in the above video is effective through the comparison of the two sketches; which relate very well to the slogan of the campaign that is: “you are more beautiful than you think”. The women have described themselves as less beautiful in comparison to what they have been described and perceived by others in the second sketch. As a consumer this makes me reflect upon the definition of beauty; ultimately affecting my perception towards Dove and its products

The real beauty campaign was designed keeping in mind the vision. The campaign aims “to broaden the definition of beauty and portraying it as something that is inclusive, attainable and rooted in taking good care of one’s self” (Dove Our Brands).  The commercial clearly reveals this by sharing stories and experiences of different women to the world. These stories and experiences together with the pleasing sound and simplicity of the video images draw our attention. Despite the controversy placed on the unethical implementation of the campaign, it has gained much popularity due to its emotional appeal to the target consumers. As Fidele says in his blog “connecting with customers should be focal to a company’s marketing efforts”, Dove understands this and thus portrays this through the emotional appeal of the campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot43jyU0eZs#t=157

The excitement of BBM is back!

When I first got a BlackBerry back home it was due to the hype of being part of the BBM world. I then switched to an iPhone and I clearly remember how much I used to miss having BBM. Today, after much of patience the launch of BBM for Android and iPhone has once again brought the excitement of BBM all around the world.

Schwartz Kelsey writer of the ITPRO article states, “the official BBM app for Android and iOS after numerous delays, the firm has netted 10 million downloads in the first 24 hours.” Since then the number of downloads have been increasing. This proves how much BBM is still valued by consumers all around the world.

As learnt in COM296, marketing is about maximizing value to the consumers and this will serve to benefit the company in the long run. Findings have recorded that “60 million active BBM users send and receive more then 10 billion messages a day”, as claimed in the beginning of the video. BlackBerry realizes that consumers enjoy this incredible value of powerful messaging in the world called BlackBerry Messaging (BBM) and therefore this should be used to serve to their best advantage. As stated in the video, BlackBerry wants to continue to deliver this value to its thousands of consumers worldwide. Their strategy therefore is to provide the BBM channels for Android and iPhone attracting every consumer out there to be part of this enriching and integrating experience.

The question now rises; will BBM services to everyone be able to create its mark? Will BBM be the largest multi platform messaging solution in the world? The time to come will surely have an answer to this. However, for now the positive results such as “the best single-day opening for a mobile app to date” (Blackberry Messenger), implies that this strategy will serve as an opportunity for BlackBerry. Hence, keep BlackBerry in a better pace with its competitors in comparison to before.

One of Airtel (Telecommunication Company) Adverts
I took part in Learning the process of creating this Advert. The local language Kiswahili is used to target the local Tanzanian Market.

The class of October 9^th 2013, was one my favorite lectures in marketing as it gave me the opportunity to learn about the different techniques used for effective marketing. This lecture made me reflect on my summer job.

This year’s summer truly changed my definition of marketing. I was fortunate to work with such a prestigious company as Ogilvy Africa and Matter, an agency that works under Scangroup. Ogilvy Africa and Matter is the largest network agency in the continent of Africa, operating in 27 countries throughout the sub-Saharan Africa. As an assistant in the creative department I was responsible for developing and designing advertisements. During this learning process I was introduced to the principles of effective marketing. However, at that time I was not aware of the names to these principles as: commitment, consistency, liking, scarcity, authority, reciprocity and social validation. Through our lecture I was able to make a better connection between my work experience and learning in class.

Before being exposed to these techniques I thought of marketing as always relating to advertising however, there is much more behind the bright colors and catchy slogans that make these adverts very effective. These techniques directly affect consumer behavior due to their psychological effect on the minds of the viewers. During my summer job, the advertisements that my team and I worked together were created using the strategies and principles learnt in class. We would brainstorm these techniques step by step and use this together with our skills to create effective advertisements. The media department was responsible to research the target market and ensure the adverts we create reach the market at the correct time of the day using a variety of targeted media. I was amazed how the whole cycle worked. The true definition of marketing is creating, communicating and delivering value to the customers. Good marketing requires thoughtful planning and a strong understanding of the targeted market keeping in mind these principles.

Galia Slayen a student at Hamilton College build a real life Barbie during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week in the US

Did you know “if a Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5’9” tall, have a 39” bust, and 18” waist, 33” hips, weighing 110 lbs and a size 3 shoe” (Slayen, Galia). A real life women built this way would suffer diarrhea and die from malnourishment.

Barbie doll commercials create a negative image in the minds of young girls. These commercials distort the real definition of beauty. Exposure to such media at such a critical time of the human development can be very harmful to these girls in the long run. The images projected through these commercials affect the way young girls grow and perceive the world.

In the book “Landmarks a process reader”, the article “Gals and Dolls: The Moral Value of “Bad” Toys” by Marni Jackson addresses how unethical it is for media to use such imagery to influence young girls into buying their products (Birks 87). She talks about the negative connotations delivered through Barbie doll commercials, which affect psychological development like a low self-esteem and influences the adulthood of young girls. A Barbie doll’s unrealistic body features cause these girls to question their physical appearance, hence, distorting the image of a normal girl. This causes young women to feel the need to change their body in order to meet the expectations of society and look beautiful as defined by the Barbie doll commercials. Ultimately, such commercials are unethical to the society and therefore government should ban such advertisements that use unrealistically proportional models.