Jennifer Tennant's Blog

One of my favourite commercials has to be the Dove Self Esteem commercial. It shows a regular, everyday women being transformed into a beautiful model through makeup, lighting, and photoshop. The commercial is trying to show that the models that we see in magazines and on ads are not realistic ideas of what we view as ideal bodies or looks. Dove is trying to debunk the idea that the stereotypical perfect body does not come in just one size and shape. Dove is trying to make women believe that they are beautiful, just the way they are.

Dove has launched a campaign of self esteem; they are going against what most soap, shampoo, body wash, etc companies are doing in promotion of their own products. Samantha Tennant posted a blog about Dove’s campaign for beauty. She discusses how Dove has promoted their products in a way that allows women to hopefully “unleash their inner self-esteem.”

One of Dove’s most recent ads depicts young women from around the world coming together to a summit in Canada, called “Girls G20 Summit”. This commercial shows the girls learning valuable skills in bring them to believe that they are beautiful. These are tools that they can bring back to their home country and share with other girls, in hopes to bring more self-esteem to girls around the world. This ad doesn’t promote any specific Dove products, but it does promote the values that Dove holds. This ad shows Dove’s consumers that Dove cares about the women around the world, and want to make a difference. Dove has been promoting this campaign for a few years now, and continue to use many channels to spread awareness. They use the internet, magazines, TV ads, and are under search engines. They even have a campaign where you can donate to the Campaign for Real Beauty fund.

During the summer I traveled to Europe with my family. While walking along a street in Ireland, I came across something that both surprised and overjoyed me: a Tim Hortons. Although it wasn’t a full Tim Hortons, it was nevertheless, a little piece of Canada smack dab in the middle of Dublin. I immediately stopped and excitedly announced to my family, “Look! A Tim Hortons!” Upon seeing that Tim Hortons, I was overcome with a sense of homesickness. I had only been away for two weeks, and I already missed the Tim Hortons that I know and love. Now, as much as I would like to say it, that feeling wasn’t just because of Tim Hortons’ amazing food. It was because of what Tim Hortons represents to me. It gives me a sense of belonging; a sense of togetherness. It makes me proud to be a Canadian. Tim Hortons holds in its ideal so much of what represents what a Canadian is. The impact Tim Hortons has made across Canada and around the world has been phenomenal.

Watching this clip and clips in Samantha Tennant’s blog reminds me about the values Tim Hortons has. They have always (or at least, as long as I can remember) appealed to the more emotional, nationalistic side of their customers. These commercials aren’t telling us to buy Tim Hortons products, they are reminding us what Canada is about. They show us touching stories that display the capabilities of Canadians, and they promote such ideas in the way they present themselves. When I think about Tim Hortons, I think about Canada. They have been able to market themselves in a way that provides everlasting support in countless communities across Canada. Tim Hortons plays such a big role in so many peoples’ lives. Not only do they provide great food and service, but they also help people maintain a livelihood. They constantly promote Timbits Hockey, something that allows for so many Canadian kids to do what Canadians do best: play hockey. Tim Hortons is truly an admirable company, and I am to call them Canadian.

Recently I was told about a UBC Blog in my political science class. One of the Teaching Assistances was promoting a blog that she if affiliated with. Usually I would not have thought to spend too much time perusing the site, however, upon glancing at the page, I immediately thought of the different tactics they used to help promote their site and make it more visually appealing to their viewers. This blog is for the International Relations Students Association, and promotes various events, among other things. Upon reading through this blog, I became intrigued by the amount of marketing that was apparent throughout the blog. This site has a calming background, with a very fitting and creative picture at the top of the page. There are also different sections that the blog is separated into, with a list of the options across the top of the page, creating simplicity and ease of finding the desired information. This is something that will maximise the time the viewers spend looking through the blog. The information on the general home page is basic and fairly well organized. However, I felt that they could have done a better job formatting the advertisements of each event, to further maximise the chances of the viewers reading the blog.

One particular advertisement that caught my attention was under the “N1kd” link at the top. The ad is for a gala that promotes the elimination of land minds in the world. The ad was quite simple, and yet it was very effective. They placed some key words in the top right, and left space around the words, eliminating the possibility of clutter. Then there was a picture of a champagne bottle “popping”, something that psychologically proved to be an appealing and well suited image for the cause they were promoting. This particular ad was being promoted to the right target market: those who are interested in international relations and have a vested interest in the well being of other countries’ citizens.

Aston Martin has always been known as an elite super car. You need a substantial amount of money in order to own such a magnificent piece of technology. The cars are beautifully crafted, displaying the results of an impeccably perfect union between man and machine.  However, the price tag is inflated by the name. Much like Gucci, Aston Martin can and will charge such amounts for their cars because that price helps keep up their high class image. Although, unlike Gucci, Aston Martin’s cars do require a lot of specific parts and detailed labour, thus they cost a lot to make. Recently, Aston Martin created an “ultimate” Aston Martin: the One-77. This car had no limits when being created. The best technology and materials were used. It has a 750 horsepower, 7.3 litre twin V12 engine producing high velocities approximating at 0 to 60mph in 2.5 seconds. Aston Martin is only making 77 of these cars, creating an excess demand for these masterpieces, thus also inflating the value these automobiles have on the consumers. These cars are valued at 2 million Euros. The target market is consequentially high class, wealthy people; people who wish to be part of the elite.

These cars are entering a mature market; they are in a stage where high end car companies are trying to compete with each other, and are therefore creating their cars to look so similar that at times, the only aesthetical thing differentiating them is the name on the hood. For example, Jaguar has recently come out with a new car, the XKR. This car looks errily similar to Aston Martin cars; Jaguar has used similar lighting designs and similar structures of the rear, however, the most obvious difference I see is with the price: the Aston Martin is on average $20,000 more than that particular model of Jaguar. I have also noticed this trend with Lotus’ new car Evora, which looks very similar to Porsche. This trend indicates that the top luxury car companies are all competing for the top spot in the market. At the moment, it seems as if cars like Aston Martin would have the upper hand, simply because they were the first ones to create the desired model design.

To me, BC has always been the best place on earth. Not because of the commercials, but because of everything that BC stands for and has to offer. Being a born and raised Vancouverite, I have grown to appreciate the little things that BC has to offer. No matter where I travel, whether it is to the blue waters of the French Riviera or the narrow streets in Tangier, Morocco, I always am overly excited to walk through the arrival gates at YVR and take a deep breath of fresh Vancouver air. As expected, I was thrilled when Vancouver won the 2010 bid. I watched the city transform over the years leading up to the games, and was indescribably ecstatic when the (Olympic) games began. Along with the games came a massive marketing campaign by the BC Government to promote how great BC was. This ad that I have attached was one of many BC ads that aired during and around the games. It played non-stop throughout the games, and yet, I never got sick of it. Maybe it was because I could relate to how each person felt in the commercial, or maybe it was because of the calming, Olympic type music (music that I attributed to the games) that played in the background. Although there are many words I could use to describe this ad, I feel as it would be best described as being very British Columbia. The ad showcases exactly what we are, and in a manner that fits BC’s personality perfectly. It’s not ostentatious or busy; it is simply calm. Watching it actually relaxes me, something that I’m sure a rather pleased marketer planned. As much as I wish it was true, I know not everyone will love BC, however, with this commercial campaign, I feel as if BC’s support will grow, as they will learn of all the wonders BC has to offer.

Even seven months after the Olympics, I still get shivers watching this video clip, or any Olympic clip for that matter. In fact, I just spend the last half hour watching as many Olympic clips as I could find, simply because they brought me great happiness. The Olympics made such an incredible impact on many people around the world. Personally, I attribute at least some of the positive atmosphere and immense happiness that surrounded the Olympics to Nikki Yanofsky’s “I Believe”. I remember I would deliberately watch the commercials after a Canadian medal was won, just so I could see the “I Believe” song played with clips of the athlete’s winning event. That in itself was quite brilliant marketing on CTV part. By putting the “I Believe” song after commercials, they knew that they could consequentially charge more for commercials. Although I’m sure those commercials brought in immense extra revenue for CTV, I personally am not bothered by that bit of information. To me, the song wasn’t about making a few extra dollars (or millions of dollars), to me, the song was about the feeling that the Olympics provided us. It was about a country coming together as one; it was about believing in what was possible and always striving to be the best. Watching this video reminds me of all the amazing things Canada has to offer. So yes, it was a perfect marketing scheme, and judging by the fact that the song hit #1 before the Olympics even started, I’m sure the revenue created by it was unimaginable, but this song was so much more than that. This song carried the world through one of the best Olympics ever.

Virtually every woman in North America who sees that picture of a little blue box would instantly know what it represented. Although it is a fairly simple design, it represents so much to many people around the world; love, happiness, desire, grace, beauty.  Love is professed through Tiffany’s. Tiffany and Co. has been in business since 1837, and has successfully grown into a major jewellery store in the world market. They’ve been able to market themselves to the point that people now refer to them casually (or even name movies after them!), and whenever most women see that robin’s egg blue, they immediately thinking Tiffany’s. Personally, I know that the feeling of pulling apart the white bow and opening up the little blue box holds so much significance and satisfaction, almost more than putting on the purchase itself. Tiffany and Co. has been able to create that feeling of complete happiness with just a blue box. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty amazing marketing.

I have begun to notice the incredible amount of marketing that is involved in many aspects of one’s life. People now market themselves into the images that they hope to portray. I have always known and accepted the fact that celebrities do or do not do certain things to help their image, but something that fascinates me is how everyday people market themselves. Even the stories that people tell are forms of marketing themselves. For example, if someone decides to tell a group about their fantastic job at the most amazing company ever where no one else is special enough to work at, they will consequentially be marketing themselves as a proud and somewhat cocky individual. People will automatically assign certain attributes to that individual, and will furthermore judge that person based upon those attributes in the future. I have also noticed that it is quite possible for people to subconsciously market themselves, and even market themselves in a way that they do not want to be marketed. For example, that person who talked about their amazing job could actually be an incredibly kind and modest individual, however, by saying what they said, they quite possibly market exactly the opposite.

How people market themselves, willingly or unknowingly, makes me wonder, could you completely change the way you are perceived, even after people have a definite attitude towards you? Personally, I believe that no matter the situation, it is always possible to change someone’s attitude towards you. It will just take some thoughtful marketing on your behalf. Just like the Alberta farmers were able to change the world’s attitude of Alberta beef, a person can change a seemingly unchangeable attitude towards them.

In a day where everyone seems to be cutting back in their spending, it would seem peculiar that the Canucks have raised their ticket prices for this upcoming season. The cheapest seats, in the upper bowl, will cost $65 each, a $7.50 increase from last year, with “premium” games costing $85. Premium games have been marketed as being “better”, thus they should cost more. There are 19 out of the possible 41 home games that are premium games this season. The Canucks have decided that premium games will be games against teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, or Montreal Canadians, and games that have pre-game ceremonies. Although there isn’t much difference between premium games and regular games, the Canucks have been able to convince people that they are worth $20 more.

It makes me wonder; how could the Canucks get away with charging the most in the league for tickets? Wouldn’t the Canucks lose profit because of the decrease in demand due to the increase in ticket price? After considering the options available to me, as a consumer and a huge Canucks fan, I realized that because the Canucks have been marketed the idea that “we are all Canucks”, I feel a sense of belonging with the team. I realized that no matter what the tickets cost, within reason, I’m still going to want to go to the games, and if premium games are what I want to see, then I will pay the extra $20 to go see them. Because the Canucks have been able to market themselves to all ages over the past 40 years, they have built up a loyal following, who would be no less than thrilled to attend a Canucks game, be it premium or regular. But the question remains, would YOU be willing to spend the extra cash for a game?

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