American Idol. America’s Next Top Model. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Project Runway. Top Chef. Wipeout.
What do these shows have in common? They all have direct Canadian counterparts.
The reason for having Canadian versions of these shows is obviously that the shows have proved their success and popularity. Not only have they captured the attention of American viewers but they have also attracted a lot of Canadian viewers. Given the level of success these shows, the television networks and producers probably saw the potential they could have even in Canada.
So why did they do poorly compared to their parent shows?
My honest opinion? The Canadian ones are never as good or as interesting as the American ones. Sure it has the same concept, but I always seem to find the Canadian versions of lower quality – everything seems to be the “next best thing” and never the “best”. I am not being a hater and I am proud to be Canadian, but I really wish Canada would stop trying to imitate its neighbour.
The viewers want something NEW, something EXCITING, something WORTHWHILE watching. I mean, isn’t that the whole point of marketing? Creating excitement and buzz among the consumers so they would want to try out the product. They certainly do not want a lower quality version of the same product. If it is absolutely necessary that there is a Canadian version of an American show, put some real thought into it and make it better – give better prizes, alter the concept, create new challenges, seriously ANYTHING.
I do get excited when I hear that there is going to be a Canadian version of one of my favourite shows, but my excitement (and everybody else’s) disappear real quick. I desperately hope that Top Chef Canada and Wipeout Canada do not disappoint me because I am really looking forward to them and they are two of my favourite shows!
I think it’s safe for me to assume that everyone has at least heard something about Rebecca Black. Her new “hit-song”, Friday, has gone completely viral with over 44 million views on YouTube.
While most of the comments are negative and harsh, the singer (I’m not comfortable with calling her this, but I’ll let it go this time) seems to be enjoying all the attention she has been receiving, even asking Justin Bieber to sing a duet with her! I personally think that she is too young and simply blinded by the sudden popularity and her perception of Hollywood glamour.
She obviously doesn’t know what kind of damage this bad publicity can have on her image and brand. People are always going to remember how HORRIBLE, and I mean what-was-the-producer-thinking-he-must-have-been-SOOOO-drunk-when-he-produced-this-HORRIBLE, the song was and Rebecca Black is going to be the girl who reminded us that Thursday comes before and Saturday comes after Friday.
IF she is serious about her career as a singer (I know… I’m sorry), she is going to have to work so incredibly hard to reposition herself and gain acceptance from the public. Until then, Rebecca Black is going to have to deal with the consequences of viral marketing and constant ridicules from not-so-nice people.
If you haven’t figured out what today’s post will be about then go check out Epic Meal Time’s Youtube channel.
Extreme? Yes. Insane? Yes. Ingenious? Yes. Entertaining? Heck Yes.
Who knew people would find a group of guys cooking up outrageous food monstrosities loaded with meat, bacon, booze, fat, sugar and anything else that will clog up your arteries so entertaining? Epic Meal Time has successfully established themselves in a relatively untapped market of cooking and eating giant meals (I can only think of Man v. Food as its “competitor”). The fact that they are continuously thinking of ways to re-invent food ideas in a ridiculously big scale is what differentiates them from other cooking shows and what enables them to maintain their popularity and viewership. I think the viewers’ primary shock comes from the insane amount of calories and fat each meal has, but what makes them return to watch more videos is not only the ingenious food ideas but also the unique personalities of the Epic Meal Time team.
TurBaconEpic Thanksgiving – My Favourite Video 🙂
All their videos have gone viral with a total of over 22 million views and while some people are turned off by the amount of fat and calories each meal boasts, there is no denying their popularity. So I wasn’t too surprised when I heard that they have been offered their own television show by a cable network company.
There is no guarantee that the show will be successful and this is a big decision both for Epic Meal Time team and the network company. I do think, however, that this partnership could be very advantageous for Epic Meal Time to continue building their brand as the “food extremists” and the network to gain consumer acceptance and popularity.
All in all, I’m super excited to watch some of their episodes on TV and I’m looking forward to what they’ll be cooking up next.
I came across a very interesting blog post by a well-established marketing blogger, Peter Kim. He talks about the proliferation of global brands – Starbucks, McDonald’s, Nike – and how their presences around the world makes him feel strangely familiar with the foreign cities he is visiting whether in Asia or Europe. He then talks about because of the global presence of these brands, it’s the experience they should be focusing on.
I agree that no matter where you go, it’s extremely difficult to avoid seeing or buying some of these global brands. Perhaps it’s the familiarity or the assurance that makes me purchase the products even when I’m traveling or perhaps it’s the coercion from my friends. This is from my observations in Korea. Korean people seem to be fascinated or attracted to many foreign brands such as Starbucks, Zara and Apple, quite possibly because of a certain prestige and status these brands offer. After reading Peter’s post, however, I’m beginning to think that it’s also because they just like the shopping experience.
Unlike some stores in Korea, the environment of the foreign brand stores is welcoming and laid-back. The shoppers enjoy looking around the store without being, maybe a little bit of exaggeration here, harassed by store employees. The chill atmosphere added onto their sense of prestige and status boost could easily make the Korean consumers to continuously purchase foreign goods and even become advocates.
Starbucks is also working hard to provide a good experience for all its customers by satisfying their needs. Although many Koreans go to Starbucks to simply grab a coffee with a friend and catch up, many others go there to study. Therefore, the company has improved the layout of its stores by having more individual tables and expanding its stores underground to provide a quieter study space. I have also heard from a friend that in Hong Kong, one particular Starbucks store offers a life-sized chessboard for the customers to play!
So, is it all about the experience? I would say, yes. It’s the prestige and perception of these brands that make consumers purchase the products in the first place, but it’s the experience that keeps them coming.
No more reading 12 chapters in one night, hunched over your desk writing equations after equations and plugging in numbers into your calculator. We all deserve a little bit of a break and for that, check out these pictures.
These are some of the most ridiculously dumb warning labels that I have ever seen. Some of my favourites are the warnings for eggs, hair dryer, letter opener, washing machine, Superman costume, scooter and iPod shuffle. The reason for these obvious warning messages? Protecting the consumers from “foreseeable” danger to protect the companies themselves from sham product-liability court cases.
While I do agree that some of the labels are unnecessary and frankly plain stupid, I can understand why companies would rather write ridiculous labels than be sued for marketing incompetence, which basically would be failing to provide sufficient warnings on potential dangers. Although most consumers usually buy products that they already know about and how to use, marketers really have a challenging task of promoting their products so that all consumers know the uses and possible injuries – or even deaths as seen my some of the labels 🙂 – that could result from the products.
If I were in charge of writing the warning messages, I would rather be ridiculed for such obvious labels than be caught up in a big court case. I remember a few years back, a woman sued McDonald’s for burning her tongue drinking hot coffee and actually won with millions in payout! Yes, coffee is supposed to be hot, but some people aren’t exactly bright and I wouldn’t want to lose millions of dollars just for that.
Reading a fellow classmate’s recent blog post about how misleading an advertisement could be without reading the fine print made me think about marketing and its ethics. I understand Jordon’s frustration with McDonald’s sneaky promotion of its new buttermilk biscuits because I have been a victim of such misleading advertising by Rogers Wireless three years ago.
Are marketers trying to frustrate and anger people on purpose? Probably not. But then again, are they honestly concerned with the welfare of consumers or are they more concerned with the bottom line of the company? The goals of marketing shouldn’t be to simply increase short-term profits but also to establish strong long-term ethical relationships with the consumers.
The ethical relationship between marketing and the consumer is a key to the success of organizations. Consumers expect to be treated fairly and with respect. Consumers expect that the service they receive from organizations will be reliable, responsive, trustworthy, understanding, and that they are really receiving something of value. They do not want ‘lip service’, unrealistic promises, or misleading offerings. Consumers do not want to be sold products that are inherently bad for them.
All of the advertisements above all have some ethical issues to be considered. However, as long as marketers accept the challenge to become more socially responsible and consumers also bear some responsibility to research and learn about the products the purchase and use, this problem of misleading marketing should decrease.
This is a comment to a fellow classmate’s blog post.
Unlike Caleb, I don’t listen to the radio much. Although I cannot definitively say that the radio stations have never played any of Justin Bieber’s songs, I know that they are conscious of the percentage of their listeners who are die-hard Bieber fans.
The main target market of radio stations like Virgin Radio and The Beat that play mainstream pop/dance music is adults in their 20s and 30s, not so much teenage girls still in puberty crushing on Bieber. The stations offer prizes that are more geared toward adults such as a new car, a free trip for two to Mexico and a change to get your credit card bills fully paid. I can understand why they might not (that is, if they don’t) play his songs because as much as teenage girls love Bieber, not too many adults are crazy about his music.
To satisfy their listeners who have intense Bieber Fever, however, the stations have given away free concert tickets and pre-screening tickets to his new movie, “Never Say Never”.
I admit that some of his songs are catchy, that he has talent and that he has the potential to become one of the greatest artists, but I’m no Bieber fan and these freebies don’t excite me at all. From the radio stations’ perspective, though, their approach to attract or retain the Bieber fans is a good one without upsetting or losing their main target market.
I came across an article written by Professor Dae Ryun Chang that talks about the ineffectiveness of the typical Western approach to marketing in Asian countries. He criticizes certain marketing professionals who deeply believe in the language of successful marketers that everyone can use and employ, otherwise known as “Marketinguese”, and offers suggestions to keep in mind when doing business in Asia.
Image from: http://www.melodymaung.com/2009/06/western-and-asian-approach-towards.html
Image from: http://chanroeun.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/western-vs-asian-culture
Coming from a Korean background and having lived in both Western and Asian countries, I certainly understand Professor Dae’s argument. There are differences in culture, race, religion, values, politics, society and lifestyles. Ignoring these differences would definitely lead to a failure of the marketing strategy. Marketers from Western cultures need to understand that Asian consumers engage with the products, services and brands from a very different cultural perspective. For example, Korea has an extremely strong national pride and the entire country becomes one cohesive unit especially during the World Cup or the Olympics. Korea, however, is also a quite segregated nation with some people who do not want to be associated with others from certain cities or regions. By province, there are different dialects, hobbies, food, personalities and preferred lifestyles, and if Western marketers did not do enough research or made segmentation target errors, the results from their strategies would not be all that successful.
I have always been annoyed when Western people group all the Asian countries into one. Your ethnicity, religion and cultural background don’t seem to matter all that much as long as you have black hair, eat rice and use soy sauce in cooking. I think this is the biggest mistake that even the biggest companies make during their global expansion into Asian countries: they have a rather broad target market and an even broader marketing approach. Asia is NOT a country. Each Asian country has a distinct culture and the more local a marketing strategy is, the more likely it is to be successful.
In order to make your marketing strategy successful, you need the willingness to spread the word in any way imaginable. Whether you are using word of mouth, self-PR or direct mail, reaching contact with your target audience whenever and wherever is beneficial to your brand. With the development and ubiquity of social networking, you have unlimited possibilities. The combination of the two, marketing effectively and taking advantage of digital marketing either through blogs or Facebook, can elevate your brand into a new level by creating awareness and interest.
With the emergence of new technology such as smartphones, iPad, Amazon Kindle and Galaxy Tab, people are finding new methods of sharing information and improving digital marketing. Delivering the same content but in a different format grabs the attention and evokes interest in many different types of people, which I believe is the goal of marketing.
I’m not saying that I am against print because a lot of companies still rely on print as an integral part in their marketing. However, we need to be constantly connected and be willing to market ourselves and our products anywhere at any time. It has become so easy, yet many people miss out on the opportunity to maximize their marketing potential. An organization that ignores their Internet marketing future is at a major disadvantage because frankly, in today’s world dominated by technology, you must have a presence online.
Internet marketing allows businesses to promote their products and services not only in their local regions but also to other places, reaching potential buyers from all over the world without costing any extra money. It has never been simpler yet I see numerous businesses with weak websites and limited social networking connections. It saddens me to see companies not taking advantage of the marketing possibilities that can significantly help them grow. So, if you’re asking, “How will the digital platform change marketing?” It already has!
Old Spice Commercial: 
If I had been asked what Old Spice was a year ago, I would have said no. There would be no way I would have guessed that it was a body wash and deodorant for men because frankly, it sounds more like an Indian restaurant. If you still have no clue what Old Spice is, go check out their YouTube channel right now and watch all their videos. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Straightforward, creative, funny and memorable, but adding a strong social media element on top really took their campaign to the next level. Old Spice launched an online ad campaign with the catch phrase, “The man your man could smell like”, that exploded with over 6 million views after only 24 hours. By using social media to their advantage, they invited people to ask any questions about Mustafa, the dashing character with over-the-top humour and bravado, on t. Then they tracked their followers who asked interesting questions and/or were high-profile people on social networks such as Perez Hilton, and left short, funny personalized YouTube videos. The marketing agency behind this campaign realized how powerful and effective social networks can be. The Old Spice commercials received overwhelming attention and compliments from the public to eventually become an Emmy award-winning advertisement.
Re: Perez Hilton 
The commercials are entertaining and their marketing strategy is relatively innovative. The video responses feel very personalized, even if they are not directed at you. Those followers who received responses, and many people who did not, have Tweeted, Facebook-ed and otherwise shared links to the videos with others across their social networks. The campaign gained extensive support from their numerous fans without spending millions of dollars and Old Spice is continuing to post new videos on their YouTube channel. How long will it last? I hope for a long time… as long as Mustafa can tell good macho jokes and smile seductively in his bath towel.
