Month: September 2010

Hey guess what? If you buy the new Nissan LEAF you will get a free bonus hug from a real polar bear! That’s exactly how Nissan thoughtfully advertised its new 100% electric car (video below). To be honest, I was quite touched by the whole video. It started with a Discovery channel-esque documentary of the polar bear in their gradually failing Arctic environment, and slowly shifting to a modernized city somewhere. It shows the polar bear venturing throughout the city, as if it was in search for something. The polar bear then goes up to a man heading to his new Nissan LEAF and suddenly gives him a hug…Awwwwww.

The simplicity presented in this ad is what moves the viewer. The consumer easily comprehends the fact that the polar came all this way from home, just to thank the man with a hug for trying to save their crumbling environment caused by CO2 emissions from petrol cars. Sure, many can say that Nissan’s other cars are the main reason why the polar bear’s environment is breaking down; however, I say at least they are trying to push for a new and healthier world, despite their main intentions to sell a car. The marketing strategy here is quite effective, trying to appeal to a consumer’s emotional side and allowing them to reconsider the effects of excessive green house gasses.

Also, I completely agree with this blogger (http://www.futerra.co.uk/blog/846) regarding the cleverness of the advertisement. It truly does bring out the issue of global warming and the environment, while combining factors of emotion and conscience. The subtle effect of this campaign easily evokes a new and refreshing concept of the already exhausted and repetitive message of global warming. Props to the marketing team for Nissan’s new LEAF.

That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed this little video I found very interesting. Bye.

Man, Marketing is one scary thing. It turns out it has been lurking around us everywhere for the longest time. It’s something that you don’t really notice regularly, but once you’re aware of it, you just can’t stop wondering in awe about its effect on us.

Like many other average consumers, I just wake up and use the plethora of brand/no name products around me as I progress throughout each and every day. After reading the text and being in class, I just had a sort of epiphany as to how effective Marketing from various brands has changed the way we perceive things. I know for a fact that we can all instantly list a bunch of brand names that we use without much effort. It turns out almost everyone can name at least half the companies under Procter & Gamble, which are scattered throughout our homes, without knowing its all under the same company. Weird.

After doing some shopping, I started to understand the major influence of Marketing. It turns out it is very significant in how I choose what products and brands to buy. How I perceive the brand and how much information I know about the product, is so important to my decision. The product that I am most familiar with is the one that I would buy, as well as considering the amount of value it brings. The amount of work put into implementing these values and information to the consumer, to make us choose their product over another, is the after math of the unnamed heroes from the Marketing department. The transparency brought to the consumer through Marketing is what influences us to use one product over another.

Sometimes, I think that the Marketing people use Inception (like the movie haha) to plant the desire that we have for a good/service. In fact, I think that is what they do, but indirectly. Of course they are not messing with our minds or maneuvering through our dreams like the movie, but indirectly they are implementing these values and information about their good or service through advertisement and other mediums.

Well that’s all I have for now. As I continue my journey to learn more about Marketing, I’ll update you guys about the things that I have realized along the way.

Oh yeah, forgot to say hello to everyone… my name is Derek and this is the first time I have ever made a blog before. It’s a pretty cool way to communicate what one thinks and to have a domain to hold all their ideas I guess. Bye.