Crystal Wong's blog

In a way that shows how much ads can affect people, 16 people, equally split into 4 groups, conducted the Madrid Street Advertising Takeover (MaSAT) as their third project of civil disobedience. This is  an ongoing project and they aim to take back space for public dialogue in a space that has been taken over by commercials. 106 separate ads were replaced at bus shelters throughout Madrid and the entire thing was documented while it occurred!

Basically, this group set out before dawn to get all of it done and by the morning, it was in full public view.  Occurring on March 30, 2011, these ads that featured text only were submitted by the public, or anyone who was concerned with the “curation and participation in public space” and wanted to make their thoughts public.

Wow.. this group was using ads to make a statement, and what a statement they made! To me, this is the ultimate show of freedom of speech. They were repositioning their competition (i.e., other ads), and targeting the general public to make them aware of what they are trying to do. By doing so, they are increasing the awareness associated with this movement (like brand awareness!). If you think about distribution, this one went straight from the “manufacturers” to the “retailers”. what a short supply chain. Evidently, this works since it needs to be a tightly-controlled event to avoid being arrested.

What an original way to rebel. It’s so cool! If you want to learn more, click on any of the three pictures and it will link you to their site 🙂

By the way, if you’re interested, no one got arrested. However, the ads were removed after 5 hours of being up.

As i mentioned a few posts ago, I was looking into potentially getting a new phone. Now, I mentioned that I had a slight interest in the BlackBerry, but I realized that this was only because of the BBM application. While I know that there are other similar applications, such as WhatsApp, GoogleTalk, are available, they just don’t seem as similar, from my point of view. From what I’ve researched and heard from people, the internet browsing experience is much more enjoyable on most other smartphones, and you are able to obtain many more free applications and games on other smartphones as well. Anyway, when I heard that RIM was thinking of developing BBM to work on other platforms, I became interested and immediately came home to look it up.

In this article here, it is mentioned that RIM has indeed decided to go ahead with this idea. Now, you may think.. the whole point of bbm is that it’s called BlackBerry Messenger! Exclusively for the BlackBerry! Why would they want to expand to other androids? Once iPhone developed WhatsApp, they allowed other smartphones to also make use of this app and so, RIM simply wants to take back their market domination in this aspect. Unlike the WhatsApp application however, BBM on other phones will not be the same as if you had it on a BlackBerry. It will only be a messaging tool. Pictures? Nope. Music? Nope. Files? Nope.

vs.

Enough said.

In my opinion, I don’t see the big positive in this move. From a marketing aspect, I would liken what they’re doing to accelerate their rate of diffusion through trialibility. If other people like BBM enough on their phones even in its limited version , maybe they’ll decide to make the switch over to a BlackBerry. Conversely, it is also possible that people will resort to other messaging methods if they do want to send pictures and files. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with this new development. Personally… I’ve started to move away from wanting to get a BlackBerry, and I guess if this goes through, it will make it more convenient for me personally! I’ll just have to be patient.

I always like it when brands are able to keep up with current trend and current events and incorporate it into their promotional campaigns. One such example is Dove and their current & March madness campaign.

In light of the NCAA Basketball Tournament “March Madness”, Dove has decided to feature basketball stars such as Magic Johnson (from the LA Lakers), John Johnson III (head  basketball coach at Georgetown University) and Bobby Hurley (point guard from Duke University), to name a few, in a series of ads that will be shown throughout the NCAA March Madness programming. Take a look:

I found that this was a wonderful way to target their target market of the family man and the business man. Dove is known for its trademark of “comfort” and “real beauty”. Their men’s line combines the two together wonderfully. However, what do men do when a brand that is mostly associated with females launches a male’s line? Hesitate of course!! By choosing to broadcast these ads during the NCAA, it ensures that men, both young and old are exposed to this brand and can associate it not only with the brand equity that Dove itself has established, but also associate it with men who are comfortable in their own skin. It’s a much more “real” experience since so many of the soap brands now feature shirtless young guys who are picking up girls or simply showing off their bodies. (Ironic since Unilever, which owns Dove, also owns Axe. What a way to capture the majority of the market!) Dads watch the NCAA tournament with their sons, young men around the globe watch it with their friends, but it’s clear who these ads are targeting.

Not to mention… the Dove’s men+care line doesn’t smell half bad! Check it out the next time you’re at Superstore! My personal favourite is the “Extra Fresh” formula. 🙂

Recently, I found this video floating around YouTube and think it’s pretty genius. Take a look at the Amazon Kindle commercial:

How creative!! It sucks you in right from the start and it’s just so cute that it’s a video that you won’t get tired of.  As I watched it, I was like.. WHOA! Look at all the adventures she’s having through the e-reader!! What a great form of promotion in the guise of advertising. With mediums like YouTube nowadays, it’s easier and easier to broadcast these commercials. This commercial is trying to inform consumers about the convenience of e-readers (being able to get books in under 60 seconds) and the commercial itself portrays an entire story. I love the whole stop-motion concept.. it’s so fresh and simple that it’s just so refreshing!

Now, compare it to the Kobo eReader’s commercial:

Mmm… a little bit dry, don’t you think?? I mean, they’re both trying to convey the joy that you can obtain from reading and the convenience of having an e-reader, but I find that this one… just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe it’s because I watched Amazon’s first?

Isn’t it weird? Two products that are (essentially) the same, executed in similar promotional manners, are both able to inspire totally different feelings within me.  I always find it interesting how that works.

It’s definitely smart thinking on the part of the advertisers to get their ads out onto YouTube as a way to pull their consumers in and capture their interest. I mean, if I’m one person and am willing to watch that YouTube video more than once, who knows how many times others will watch it? And as they say, the more you do something/watch something/hear something, the more likely you are to get sucked in!

In BrandChannel’s blogpost  World Water Day Highlights Japan’s Ongoing Challenge, it speaks about marketers rising up to bring attention to issues related to the current world issues. I find it pretty cool that in times of world crises/global issues, many different marketers that are usually competitors with one another, can all work towards the same goal, all in their own unique ways. For example, BrandChannel brings attention to Levi’s® “Watertank” app on Facebook, where people around the world can play online games and overcome water-saving challenges and “unlock” water, raising awareness about the importance of water and learn ways that we can save water and basically help to support water.org‘s clean water projects .  What a fun way to learn about it! Also, they have something called Water<Less jeans, which are jeans made by using less water in the manufacturing process. The WaterTank app was released after the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. (If you’d like to learn more about the app and/or Levi’s water sustainability efforts, click here!)

I think it’s really important for powerful brands to use their influence to bring awareness to issues such as this. Some other examples include: Asia Pacific Nalco and Asia Pulp & Paper Group has pledged to reduce their water footprint and will work together to help Indonesian countries have cleaner water, and Teva, a shoe company, has started a new campaign called “A Pair for A Foot”, where for every pair of shoes they sell, they will protect one linear foot of global waterways.

While some people may say that this is simply a marketing gimmick to gain customers, I think otherwise. Yes, they could simply donate money to these organizations, and I think they would either way. Just that by including consumers, those who aren’t able to make a difference by themselves can feel like they’re helping out, even if it’s in just a small way, like buying a pair of shoes!

I just found out that Matt&Nat (the brand I talked about in one of my first posts) is also a supporter of this water movement. Check it out: 

So on an ending note… reduce water usage! We really do take it for granted.

As I was reading Avi Woodluck’s post, Creativity in Advertising, I found myself ooh-ing and aah-ing over the few ads that he had drawn attention to. That got me thinking about the ones that don’t make us go ooh, but the ones that shock us or make us gasp in horror. ( I apologize in advance if any of these are offensive to any of you. Don’t look if you’re easily grossed out! They’re not too bad, but just in case)

For example:

Dettol Hand Wash:

Ewww... better you never thought of germs on public transportation this way!

WWF:

This one kinda makes you recoil in horror

Aware Helpline:

Took me a second to see it...

Just liquid Hand Soap

THAT'S GROSS!!

While not all of these print ads are for products, it really shows the power of promotion and the importance of brand awareness. Looking at the second ad, I’m pretty sure most of you recognize the logo with a panda as associated with the World Wildlife Foundation. The two ads for  the two brands of hand soap have pretty simple messages. In this way, marketers are ensuring that viewers of the ads can decode properly and associate proper cleanliness with their brands. With the two organizations, they encoded it in a way that will stick in people’s minds.

Certainly a little disturbing, but what a way to capture consumers’ attention!

Being an OPI lover myself, I was inspired to write about this amazing brand after reading Samantha Wong’s post “Why Oh Why Do We Love OPI?!“. Recently, they have come up with a new nail polish called “Black Shatter” as part of not one, but TWO of their new collections: the Serena Williams “Glam Slam” and Katy Perry collections. It’s a polish that dries with a unique “shattered” effect and you can put it over any nail polish colours!!

Here’s an example of what it could look like:

Place over any nail color and simply let it "shatter"

What a cool idea!! Apparently (I hadn’t known this before), the idea of a nail polish that dries cracked isn’t a new one.  There’s also BarryM Instant Nail Effects in Black Magic, China Glaze’s Crackle collection, Cover Girl Crackle Lacquer, among a few others. Now, did any of you know about these other ones?? Because no offense to these brands, but I have never heard of these (only recently has China Glaze started to come to my attention).

So why the crazy buzz when OPI came up with their own formula for a shatter effect nail polish?? This is a brand that has gained the trust of its loyal consumers by following through with its promise of a great nail polish: good formula, consistent quality, large variety and constant new and innovative nail colors with creative names! With the amount of brand equity OPI has, they can probably mess up a few times on new colors and no one would care. What a way for OPI to extend its product life cycle, eh? OPI definitely shatters my world! I’m a lifetime fan. 🙂

Recently, I’ve been thinking about changing my phone and updating my phone to a BlackBerry. Currently I hold an LG Vu:

What I Have Now

or

What I Could Have

To be honest, I’ve always been a strong advocate for not having a BlackBerry (for myself, I’m not against other people having it). I feel that it’s slightly unnecessary at this point in my life to constantly have that sort of connection with the world. I’ll never be able to get away from the endless lists of things that I have to complete or from the people who are asking me to do it! It’s not like I’m currently getting such important emails that they can’t wait a couple of hours for me to check and reply to them. I text a lot already, so do I really want the option of having instant-messaging with me 24-7 in the form of bbm?

So why the sudden desire to become a convert? Let’s think about the influences on consumer behavior.

Peer pressure is a major one. A big portion of my friends have BlackBerries and they’re constantly trying to convince me of its benefits. It’s gotten to the point where I’m starting to feel left out!  Darn those group chats you can make in bbm…

The social trend of social networking. I may not want people to know everything that’s going on in my life, but it’s certainly interesting to keep up with everyone else’s! (i know you do it too!)

Sometimes I wonder if it’d actually be better to be able to answer emails instantly. If I had a BlackBerry,  people would expect instant replies! What if I can’t give them that?  It’d definitely make me more efficient though!

The above all contain psychological and social factors. Situationally, I sometimes change my mind depending on who i”m with.

If only behavior were more simple!..

The topic of drugs has always lingered over the heads of individuals in our society. It’s a frequent topic in the news ,  a visible presence when you enter certain areas in our city, ads are all around us – may it be print ads or TV ads.  Here’s an ad that caught my attention:

Since we were discussing the effects seeing ads have on our attitudes, it seemed to be a good time to discuss this one. It may not be marketing a product, but it is certainly marketing an idea!

Cognitive (Think)

At first, this commercial is a little confusing before you realize what it’s about. Once it begins and you understand the gist of it, it is provoking enough that it made think about what further effects it could have.  The commercial showed mostly the physical effects and a slight bit of the psychological, but if it can do that much to your outer appearance, what is it doing to you physiologically?

Affective (Feel)

I felt a strong wave of sympathy towards the girl in the commercial. It seemed as if she was all alone and no one was trying to help her. Yet i also felt sorry for her that she had gotten herself to where she was. Man, was I relieved at the end when it turned out to be a hypothetical situation!

Behavioural (Do)

The commercial explicitly tells you to visit their website at drugsnot4me.ca. Since it tells you to do something, it demonstrates behavioral influence.

While I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the commercial (This showed an extreme case of someone’s downward spiral with drugs, I think), I thought it did a wonderful job of delivering its message. It was certainly attention-grabbing with that creepy singsong voice at the beginning!

I’t’s been said that a girl can never have too many bags. In fact, it’s one of my favorite accessories to shop for, which brings me to one brand which has established itself on the basis of one very current social trend: being eco-friendly. This company is Matt & Nat, which was founded in 1995 by a man named Inder Bedi. This brand mainly specializes in bags, for both men and women. What is special about this brand is that it prides itself in its vegan products. No animal byproducts whatsoever are used in the manufacturing process, and in fact,  each of the products are made of at least one recycled item! The lining of the bags, on average, are made of 21 recycled bottles. Based on the amount of bags made, that is a lot of recycling done. And it’s a wonderful way for our bottles to be reused. You’d think that as a byproduct of recycled items, it wouldn’t be very pretty right? Wrong! Here is an example of a couple of their products:

In my opinion, they look just as good, if not better, than purses made using other methods. The Matt & Nat bags have a certain elegance to it, which will draw a consumer’s attention.  Even their logo is simple! Personally, I have not seen many ads or promotions for this product. The brand retains its popularity through its reliability as a vegan brand and overall good quality. Their name is spread through households with the simple technique of word-of-mouth. While the pricing of these products are not in the lower end of the spectrum, consumers will know that they are paying a premium for the quality for these purses.

What a way to reduce your carbon footprint, eh?