Monthly Archives: March 2013

We talked about ambush marketing in class, but what about plain old ambushing people? The blog “Adweek” recently published a post about a crazy video that Pepsi uploaded to YouTube staring American NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon.

Watch the Video Here

The short clip shows an unsuspecting car salesman being taken on the ride of his life, curtsey of a very well disguised Gordon. The drive is captured on film by a tiny camera hidden in a Pepsi can, the only time the brand is really seen or mentioned.

While Adweek’s interview with the director of the clip is very informative (over 30 million views, yes the car salesman is a real guy, and no, there was not any one harmed in the making of the video), they never touch on whether or not this is an effective ad.

When we think about effective advertising, this video gets a homerun for some of the points for sure. Does this ad grab my attention? Of course! I could hardly look away and before it was even half way through I had already sent the link to my car-obsessed boyfriend. By the next day I had probably mentioned the video to at least three people, yet, without mentioning Pepsi even once.

Promotion is defined as “getting the right message to the right audience through the right media.” This video is certainly reaching the right audience through the right media, but is it sending the right message? In a market where Coke and Pepsi are so competitive I wonder if this ad will really make any difference towards market share.  My thoughts after watching the clip were along the lines of “This is so crazy, and who is Jeff Gordon anyways!?” as opposed to “wow Pepsi is SO cool.”

I think it would have been a good idea to shoot more of the Pepsi logo and mention the company once or twice more to really let the message sink in that Pepsi is fun and cool, and not just this video. While my attention is certainly held, I do not feel the need or desire to do anything about it. Anyone feel differently?

If there is one thing I have learned that is essential to marketing, it’s positioning. The way your company’s products, employees, actions, etc., are perceived and valued by consumers is paramount to any businesses’ success. Take Apple for example, a company that has always been suave, new, and technologically offering the “coolest” products around. It seems hard to imagine a world where Apple is not on top.

Of course I am a biased iPhone user myself, which made Millie’s blog post regarding the power struggle between Apple and Samsung even more surprising to me. She poses the question “is Apple just too popular to be popular?” I have to admit, that I have in fact (obliviously), lost the image of what an iPhone used to mean to me. I once thought them to be the epitome of technology, an awesome gadget, and now? Heck, my grandpa has one! An iPhone has become an everyday object to me, almost like a toothbrush – needed, efficient, but not exactly cool

What does this change in view mean to Apple? Personally, I love my iPhone. It has all the features I need, and its easier to use and conveniently smaller than an Android. If it were to break, I would want another one. And while I agree with other teenagers that it has lost the “cool” factor I do not think this will significantly affect sales. Apple has really connected with the “older” generation (generating more sales), and Apple products are rampant amongst my peers.

Could iPhones be following in the footsteps of Ugg boots? These comfy booties were once considered to be “cool” and now people consider them as basically outdoor slippers – yet, almost all girls wear, want, and buy them! Ownership of Ugg boots seems more popular than ever, and what marketing department can complain about that?

What this really all comes down to is positioning. Apple has to decide if it wants to try and reclaim “coolness” or if it wants to go after something else in order to differentiate from Samsung.