Jen Rao's Blog

This blog update is inspired by Anna Bourak’s post on photoshop used in advertisements.
http://annabourak.blogspot.com/2010/11/photoshop.html

This is a commercial created by Dove which shows how a woman changes through makeup, lighting and photoshop. It is quite shocking  to see how much effort is put into an advertisement, from model to billboard. It is also frightening to think that people believe that the models portrayed in magazines and advertisements are naturally this beautiful when really the beauty portrayed in these glossy images are artificial. As a result of the inventions of makeup, lighting and, most importantly, photoshop, our perception of beauty is distorted.

This short film, “Evolution”, was launched by Unilever Dove in 2006 as part of Dove’s intiative to promote their new Self Esteem Fund, the basis behind their whole “Real Beauty” campaign. The commercial won many awards in the advertising industry, particularly two Cannes Lions Grand Prix awards and an Epica D’or, and quickly went viral as soon as it was publicized. In terms of its effects on the Dove brand, the short film did wonders. Since Unilever Dove’s entire woman’s line is based on the concept of “Real Beauty”, the commercial positioned the brand perfectly in the minds’ of consumers. This marketing initiative not only increased the value of the Dove brand, but also helped in the fight to bring a sense of reality back into the minds of young women.

I’m sure you have all seen these before. No, they are not your average rubber boots. These are your rainy day fashion essential – Hunter Boots, an ultra-chic, high quality option to your average wellington. To me the words “chic” and “rubber rain boots” are completely contradicting, so how does Hunter manage to maintain their high sales revenue and appeal? This can be attributed to an excellent marketing team.

In an attempt to make Hunter boots more than a pair of rubber footwear, in 2008 Hunter sent “samples” of their tall, side buckle and traditionally green wellies to fashionistas such as Alexa Chung and Kate Moss. Suddenly, Hunters were no longer simply utilitarian and “country-style” outfits were now “in” for the fall and winter seasons. This is a highly effective marketing technique as Hunter experienced a £4.1 million profit before tax being recorded for 2009. This is a 16% increase since fiscal year 2008 and the numbers are still rising.

Despite the price for a pair of these highly sought after boots averaging at $180.00, which to me is well above the worth of a pair of rubber wellies, Hunter boots are extremely popular and can be seen on the feet of students across UBC as well as those with more of a disposable income in Gastown. This is because you are not simply paying for the quality and utilitarian value of the rain boots, you are paying for the genius marketing and the image they portray. As long as the marketing tactics adapt to the changing fashion trends in today’s culture and rain continues to fall in Vancouver (which it will), Hunter boots will continue to be the fashionable option for rain gear below your knees.

This blog update is in reference to a post by Jess Tang’s blog, “Anything but Vanilla”.  (https://blogs.ubc.ca/jesstang/)

In that specific post, Jess mentioned a phenomenon that she referred to as “interactive marketing”. Specifically, Esquire Magazine’s new application for the iPad where users can interact with the magazine, including the ability to zoom, rotate and engage with the advertisements. However, Jess did not discuss interactive marketing in comparison to online or digital marketing.

Interactive marketing refers to the evolving trend where marketing has moved from a transaction-based effort to a value-based one. The term itself does not necessarily refer to an online or digital form of marketing, although the two usually imply the other. Instead, interactive marketing is the ability of a firm to address the needs of the consumer, remember those needs and apply them in a marketing initiative. It is essentially a conversation between the firm and the consumer.

Like I mentioned before, interactive marketing is not synonymous with online marketing, although interactive marketing processes are often facilitated by internet technology. It is easier to satisfy consumer needs when the firm is able to collect information online, communicate more easily through the flexibility and ease of the internet and provide consumers with options to customize their experience. Websites like amazon.com and ebay.com are perfect examples of the use of interactive marketing, as consumers are able to record their preferences, access products that may fit their preferences, as well as other services.

Interactive marketing also provides an opportunity for consumers to become involved in building the brand of a product. By using the ability to “interrupt” a brand’s communications to compliment or modify its messages to fit the consumer’s personal perception, the consumer can participate in the brand’s process of image building.

Ah, it is that time of the year ago. And no, I am not referring to the start of the Christmas shopping season; I am talking about Movember, a time of year when the Mo (slang for moustache) and November come together to support a good cause.

Movember is a marketing tactic created by the non-profit Movember Foundation that runs events to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer. It was first sparked in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, when a few guys realized the potential a moustache had in generating conversations and awareness about men’s health. Inspired by the women around them and all that they have done for breast cancer awareness (see blog post “I like it on…”), the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement in an unconventional manner.

In the beginning, the campaign was all about raising awareness and no funds were generated for the number one cancer affecting men, prostate cancer. However in 2004, 432 members joined the Mo Bros that year and raised $55,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, which represents the single largest donation they had ever received. Today, there are 10 countries participating in Movember. Last year, global participation reached 255,755 with over 1 million donors.

Movember is a prime example of a marketing tactic that caught on quick by being unique and well-marketed. By introducing commercials and videos on YouTube, conversations quickly arose on Facebook and Twitter as the movement went viral. As I was walking home from class today, I noticed 4 people sporting the distinct and otherwise not so popular “Mo”. It is safe to say that Movember is a successful movement of raising awareness, conversation and funds for prostate cancer, all thanks to a few guys wanting to something bigger and better with their facial hair.

In response to the upward shift in demand for ecological products by consumers, green marketing has become a trend among many companies, especially in the last few years. According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. However, a phenomenon that is a negative result of green marketing is “greenwashing”. This is a term that describes the deceptive use of green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly.

The term was first coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in an essay regarding the hotel industry’s practice of promoting the reuse of towels to “save the environment”. Despite this green marketing, little or no effort toward waste recycling was being implemented by the institutions. The actual objective of this “green campaign” was to increase profit. This environmentally conscientious act with an underlying purpose of profit is a prime example of greenwashing.

According to Reuters, a business and financial news website, more than 95% of today’s consumer products claiming to be eco-friendly are actually participating in some form of greenwashing by committing to at least one of the “sins” of greenwashing as defined by TerraChoice, North America’s premiere environmental marketing agency.

However, despite the consequence of greenwashing on ecological marketing, the rates of greenwashing have declined. 73% more “green” products were on the market today than in 2009. Also, there is an increase from 2% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2010 of products that are completely “sin free”. This increase may seem small but it is early evidence of a positive and long lasting trend – companies are beginning to realize the adverse effects greenwashing has on brands and they are beginning to truly participate in green marketing as a result of a eco-friendly product.

Earlier this month, Gap introduced a new logo to the public. The old logo, an iconic blue box with “Gap” printed in the centre was a pervasive part of American culture and an enormous part of the company’s positioning strategy. It was replaced temporarily with a much simpler design. Unfortunately, this new positioning strategy has not received desireable criticisms. As soon as the new logo was debuted on the store’s online shopping site, mobs of opinionated and angry consumers protested on Twitter and Facebook about how the new logo looked “lazy”, “unprofessional” and “dumb”. A few weeks later, after criticisms from design critics and customers, Gap rethought the new logo, revoked it and went back to the original one.

It seems to me that Gap is trying to build a more modern image in the consumers’ minds. The retail industry is competitive, especially when it comes to fashion, and new, trendy stores are opening daily. By ditching the old, 80’s style, “classic” logo, Gap is trying to become more relevant in the minds of young people. It seems to me that adoping this more sleek, modern logo is not a great way to go about it. Gap is known to be “classic”; excelling in basic clothing, nothing too flashy, nothing too cutting edge. Gap should expand on this marketing strategy as opposed to heading in a new direction.

However, according to brand experts, Gap may have ironically increased its brand loyalty despite this repositioning fiasco.

Have you noticed that recently your female friends on facebook have been posting “I like it on the table”, “I like it on the chair”, or “I like it on [any surface in your home]” as their status? At first, I was slightly taken back when a few of my girlfriends had this as their status, but after a chat with a very socially informed buddy, I learned that it’s really not what you think.

Apparently, behind the innuendo-laden message, is a marketing tactic. Women are writing about where they put their purses when they get home. The idea is to get people talking and bring awareness for Breast Cancer Research by posting the suggestive messages with instructions not to let men understand the point of the game. About 10 months ago, there was a similar effort of trying to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Research which involved women posting the color of the bra they were wearing as their facebook status.

These “I like it on…” and “Bra Colour” facebook statuses have certainly gone viral as similar updates are rampaging my newsfeed. However, no one seems to know how and who started these “campaigns”. My question is, do these “campaigns” have any effect? Does it achieve its purpose of raising awareness for Breast Cancer Research?

According to the Christian Science Monitor, an international news organization, over 350 nonprofit organizations focus on Breast Cancer, but none have experienced an increase in contributions. Coincidentally, October happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but in an interview with the spokesperson, she told the press that they were not profiting from the “campaign”. Susan G Koman, the woman responsible for “Race for the Cure”, the pink ribbons and other fund-raising efforts, says that they aren’t behind it either (Fuller, 2010).

Despite the ability of these low-cost “campaigns” to reach such a large number of people in such a short amout of time, it is evident to me that the content of these facebook updates have nothing in common with Breast Cancer Research. Could it be that they are tarnishing the meaning of such an important cause without increasing contributions? These “campaigns” are rather mysterious and there are many questions associated with them, however, one thing is certain – they definitely are getting people talking.

The Granville Island Brewing is a Vancouver based microbrewery that is infamous to the locals. It knows all about the West Coast, especially that it’s good to be here, and that’s what it is communicating to its beer drinkers in a new advertisement campaign.

Developed by a Vancouverite himself, Wasserman, owner and media director, pays homage to all the best things Vancouver has to offer in his new “Because We Know…” campaign. Designed to own the Vancouver beer season in the hearts and minds of the Vancouver beer drinkers, I believe this is a genius marketing strategy. It stirs up sentiments among the brewery’s main consumers, Vancouverites who appreciate the company’s long standing history, quality product and pride for its tradition.

As we learned in class, in order to create an enduring evaluation of a product, an attitude, there needs to be 3 aspects involved: knowledge, feeling and then consequentially, a behaviour. Within these advertisements, the image of the bottle showing the Granville Island Brewery logo paired with a mountainous image alluding to the beauty of British Columbia’s scenery, consumers gain the knowledge that this company is a local one. The slogan in one ad, “Because we know: The Grind is not just a dirty dance move”, followed by a campaign tag-line, “It’s good to be here”, creates a feeling among consumers. A positive feeling of warmth and pride. Which then consequentially creates a behaviour; consumers associate drinking Granville Island’s beer with the good life in Vancouver.

It is marketing campaigns like this that keeps the company’s customers loyal. Granville Island Brewing doesn’t seek to net a wide demographic of consumers in its advertisements. It only does what it knows, and that is the West Coast, as well as good beer.

http://www.strategyonline.ca/articles/news/20100519/granville.html

As we have learned in the past few weeks of lectures as well as in our everyday lives, marketing is everywhere; it is all around us whether we recognize it or not. Marketing campaigns are not limited to large corporations with an equally large budget. Ingenious, create and effective marketing strategies can be created using very little resources, as long as they contain that single detail which captures the attention of the consumer.

Something that has recently caught my attention are guerilla marketing campaigns. Guerilla marketing relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget to deliver an unconventional system of promotions. They are usually unconventional and unexpected, often interactive. The reason why guerilla marketing tactics work is by generating a buzz through thought-provoking advertisements which, as a result, turn viral.

Here is a blog, called “Adverblog”, that I recently came upon which talks about interacitve marketing and other creative advertising ideas. Feel free to browse some of the clips on guerilla marketing. They are seriously entertaining!

http://www.adverblog.com/archives/cat_guerilla_marketing.htm

Thanks for reading!

Best,

Jen