advertising – Marketing Decoded

Haul videos. Have you heard of this trend? Young adults, mostly girls, come home from the mall, lay their loot out and film it for upload to Youtube. Haul videos. Ever driven by a pickup in the Prairies and seen the deer horns hanging out the back? Anthropological, kind of, isn’t it? Don’t gasp. We do it in the car on the way home. Look in the bag at our new runners or new hoodie and admire our purchase. Run up to our room and put it on, admiring our new, cooler, redefined self in the mirror. Filming and posting is an extension of our online existence. This is a great mix of Gen Y’s faves: shopping and tech.

Is there any value here for consumers or is this just voyeuristic or narcissism run rampant? Turns out that there is value. The vloggers (read video bloggers) don’t just film high end loot hauls but talk about bargain basement shopping and deals, pointing consumers to sources and offering tips. Some of the best haulers have inked sponsorships and advertising deals. With millions of views, and perceived authenticity from the vlogger by consumers, manufacturers want in on this game. (Endorsements and free merchandise must be disclosed.) Some girls are making big bucks. Is this the next big thing? Really, whether it is or isn’t, it’s a trend that companies are putting some bucks behind as more consumers tune into this alternative channel of product information.

There will be lots of decade-best lists coming out now (depending on when you think the decade ended!) There has been a lot written about where advertising is, and isn’t, going in the future. These campaigns will give you something to think about. I remember when I started using the Subservient Chicken (Burger King’s out there digital ad) to explain how social marketing campaigns could work, to the tune of 380 million people! Interestingly, the Subservient Chicken, even though is 6 years old, took top spot.

Here are some of the top campaigns. We’ve talked about many of these:

1. ‘The Hire’ – BMW’s 2001 series of short films directed & starring well known actors and directors. This was an internet-only campaign designed to increase brand awareness amongst a younger target market

2. Dove Evolution – of course

3. Uniqlo’s Uniglock – Uniqlo, the cool Japanese apparel company that is taking over N. America, created the Uniqlock using pix of young, Japanese women show the time. Time to call it a success: Uniqlock.jp, received 68 million views.

4. IKEA’s Dream Kitchens – this gave users the ability to avoid the crazy lineups and explore 3D kitchens. Missed the $1.99 breakfast though.

5. Livestrong’s Chalkbot – this robot wrote chalk messages, as directed by users, along the 2010 Tour de France route

For your entertainment, I’ve put The Chicken back up. Click on the picture to get the link. Just remember, there’s a limit to what he’ll do.