advertising

Commercials

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This weekend I saw James Bond in theatres (amazing movie, highly recommend it!). What was interesting to my friends and I was that while waiting for the movie to begin and before the previews had started we were shown commercials. Even more interesting was that after 3 or 4 commercials we all had the same realization that this was the first time we had watched a commercial in months. Thanks to our trusty DVR’s, we have perfected the art of watching a 30 minute show in 21 minutes – commercial free.

Due to the influx of DVR’s, commercial strategies have evolved in recent years to account for viewers skipping through them. Instead of being placed on TV, companies have adapted by placing their commercials in other locations such as movie theatres before the movie begins. Other places include:

1. YouTube – we’ve all experienced the 15 second YouTube ad before we can watch our video, or the 1 minute ad that gives us the option to “skip this ad in 5 seconds”. The disadvantage of this tactic is that YouTube videos are available to viewers around the globe making it challenging to target a specific market.

2. Playing ads while the show is on – Often at the start of  TV shows companies (overwhelmingly car companies place a moving ad at the bottom of the show. The advantage of this is that viewers have likely skipped the commercials and started to watch again as their show begins thus, having no choice but to watch the ad bouncing around the lower half of the screen.

3. Cabs – On the back of the front 2 seats in many cabs, mini TV’s have been placed playing commercials. The benefit of this is the ads can be very localized and specific to people in the city right now. Additionally, ads can change based on time of day or depending on where the customer is going.

From these examples alone we can see that companies are placing their ads away from TV and onto platforms where users can’t skip through them and where they don’t have much else to do except sit and watch them.

Whistler!

advertising, content, e-Marketing, social media, youtube Leave a comment

As avid skiers and snowboarders probably know, Whistler opens this weekend! It has been 203 days since Whistler closed its lifts last season and ski bums have been praying for snow ever since. Finally, the day has come!

Extreme sports are popular among younger generations today. Whether its skiing and snowboarding or sky diving and bungee jumping, it seems the more daring the activity, the more popular it’s becoming. A company that has capitalized on this trend is Red Bull. Red Bull is world renown for sponsoring extreme sports in all forms.

Although Red Bull has incredible marketing both online and offline, it is the company’s video content that spreads like wildfire. Red Bull’s YouTube channel has received over 470 million views since its launch in 2006 and has close to 1 million subscribers.

What makes Red Bulls videos so successful?

1) Selection of sponsored events – Red Bull carefully selects the events it sponsors and has its brand affiliated with. As mentioned previously, the company focuses largely on extreme sports. A prime example of this was the broadcast and sponsorship of Felix Baumgartner’s space jump. This video alone was watched by 8 million viewers form around the globe. Not all sports Red Bull affiliates itself with are this extreme, however, it is unlikely to see Red Bull being associated with horseback riding or tennis. As well as selecting extreme sports, Red Bull also seeks out bizarre and one of a kind events. For example, Red Bull hosts ‘Flying Day’ in nations around the world. This day consists of participants creating flying devices, launching them from a 10 m high platform and traveling as far as possible before plummeting into water below. This event combines innovation, creativity and sport.

2) Discrete advertising – As well as being selective in the events they sponsor, Red Bull is also selective in the way they promote their brand through their videos. Red Bull isn’t invasive. The company sponsors events but subtly places their advertising throughout the events, making sure not to take the attention away from the sports and the participants themselves. Instead, Red Bull focuses on the content, shooting and editing videos in compelling ways to promote the experience rather than the brand. This approach garners more respect form participants and viewers while still effectively increasing brand awareness.

Red Bull has one of the strongest brands in the world with an estimated value of $10 billion.* It has successfully found its niche, targeting extreme sports and generating excitement around them by shooting and posting videos online. By carefully selecting sporting events and dispersing their advertisements throughout, Red Bull has an increasing brand awareness without being overbearing for viewers.

* http://www.millwardbrown.com/brandz/2012/Documents/2012_BrandZ_Top100_Chart.pdf

Search Process

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4 Step Process to Information

Step One: An idea. All searches, big or small, start with an idea. Ideas stem from a myriad of possibilities:   problems, curiosities, needs, wants, desires and the list goes on. Searchers conclude that using a search engine will provide the most efficient results in their quest for answers, and so step two begins.


Step Two: Search Engine Selection. Whatever the trigger, Google is the search engine of choice by 66% of searchers, followed by Bing with a mere 15%.* Google’s capacity to filter the most relevant websites from an infinite abyss of information is unparalleled by any search engine.

Step Three: Word Selection. Refining a search using precise, keywords ensures that optimal results are achieved. For example, when looking to purchase a new television, keywords such as: television, flat screen and Vancouver would be preferable. Specifying a location significantly narrows search results and complements the other precise keywords. Based on these keywords, Google offers a list of websites in order of relevance.

 

Step Four: Website Selection. The conclusion to a successful search is the selection of a website. Assuming websites are selected based on their relevance to the search, it is likely that desirable results can be found on page one. Each page offered by Google begins with paid advertisements set on a yellow background. Below these advertisements are results ordered by perceived relevance. Each website is followed by a brief 1-2 sentence summary of the websites content. When users see a promising website, a world of useful information is simply a click away.

Although this process seems detailed and long-winded, Internet savvy individuals travel from steps 1 through 4 in a matter of seconds. This process has become second nature and will continue to increase in simplicity as technology advances.

*http://www.pcworld.com/article/254405/bing_versus_google_search_engine_showdown.html

Facebook advertising – a goldmine or a scam?

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As a Facebook reliant generation, we’ve all experienced the “oops, I accidentally clicked that annoying ad on the side of the webpage” scenario. Which begs the question: How effective are Facebook advertisements? As a frequent user myself, I’ll admit I’ve never noticed the ads on Facebook, which leads me to Facebook’s first “no-no”.

1) From a Marketing perspective, Facebook’s advertisements are incredibly underwhelming, so much so, that they often slip under the radar of its users. Facebook’s ads are placed discreetly throughout the site however, with such a large amount of information provided on any given page, it is far too easy to ignore their dull coloured, non-attention grabbing ads. Companies paying Facebook per click on their ad are being scammed. Not once have I logged into Facebook to search through ads, these ads are only being clicked accidentally by users and are immediately exited from without a second glance, which leads me to my second point.

2) Facebook’s primary function is to connect people from across the world and allow them to share their life’s milestones with one another whether it is through status updates, photos albums or personal messages. Never has a Facebook user logged in to the site with the purpose of perusing the advertisements searching for something that appeals to them. Google is highly capable of achieving this goal with better accuracy, relevance and ease than Facebook ever can.

So why is it that companies are spending thousands of dollars each month to have their dull, boring advertisement accidentally clicked on and exited by Facebook users? The thought process of “our competitors think it’s profitable to advertise on Facebook, they must be right” is common. It seems like a case of the blind leading the blind. Sure, Facebook offers a convenient way to reach desired target markets using keywords, but does this make it any more likely that a Facebook user will click an advertisement when their primary reason for logging into the site was to share a few photos or message their best friend on the other side of the world? Unlikely.

Facebook has the potential to provide a positive source of advertisement from companies to their desired target market. However, Facebook is struggling to maintain a balance between pleasing users who would ideally seek an advertisement free Facebook and companies trying to justify the large amounts of money they are spending to receive a single click.