I recently came across a classmate’s blog whose topic struck me as highly amusing and interesting.  This blog explains how Cadbury is now offering its specialty mini-eggs year round, which had in the past had consumers looking forward to Easter simply to indulge in these delicious treats.  Now that I reflect on this fact, I realize that I have been actually eating Cadbury mini-eggs on frequent occasions such as when going to the movies with one of my friends who always enjoys picking something up at the concession stand beforehand.  Although I didn’t think about this too much while eating the eggs, probably because it was during the middle of a movie, I look back now and realize how odd it is that Cadbury mini-eggs, so well branded and associated with the Easter season are now offered as ordinary candy every day.

There is no doubt that this Cadbury’s product is popular enough that it encouraged the company to develop an ongoing campaign rather than just at Easter, will offering Cadbury mini-eggs as ordinary candy benefit the company in the long run?  By placing the once “hard to obtain” mini-eggs within easy reach of any consumer craving these chocolates, Cadbury may be taking away the advantage it gained during Easter when chocolate eaters who waited a whole year for these eggs would suddenly stock up on them.

This situation can be compared to selling candy canes all year round instead of just at Christmas.  Candy canes have developed into a true symbol of the festivities surrounding the holidays that it would look extremely odd to see people eating candy canes while on the beach in summer.  Likewise, I find it interesting that mini-eggs are now being offered in special Christmas branding with red, green, and white colours, instead of simply sparking excitement at Easter.

In my opinion, when a product has become so well associated with a particular image, season or holiday, consumers may be completely taken aback when this strong branding suddenly begins to change.  Therefore, although Cadbury most likely has profitable incentives in selling mini-eggs year round, because consumers have become accustomed to simply looking forward to these eggs at Easter, they may simply avoid buying any until it feels “right” to eat them.  However, with the new Christmas themes and packaging, Cadbury stands a good chance at not only being popular at Easter, but all year round.

What’s next? Easter coloured Candy Canes?

I recently came across an article online by Danny Brown, The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Media, that compares and contrasts traditional media (TV, radio, or print ads) and the currently popular social media (Facebook, Twitter, myspace, or Youtube).

This article, titled “Yes, You CAN Measure “Traditional Media”, seeks to remind marketers that traditional media can be just as easily tracked and evaluated as social media, and shouldn’t be pushed aside by technological advances in advertising.

As the article argues, although social media is cheaper and more efficient in reaching a wide range of potential consumers, traditional media is considered to be more effective and also has many different ways to measure and evaluate advertising success.  As the author explains, a relatively successful method of tracking the marketing success of print ads involves placing a URL and a discount code, exclusive to the flyer, which the viewer can use to print out coupons online.  By using Google Analytics, marketers can follow up and gain insight on their campaign by tracking website views. This can prove to be an efficient and effective way to measure success, and as the Google Analytic’s website states, marketers can learn to “write better-targeted ads, strengthen their marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.”

Whether marketing campaigns decide to rely on social media to get their product introduced or promoted to potential customers, or promote through traditional media is entirely up to each individual company.  The point is to not forget that there are many ways to market a product, and that the most successful method will depend entirely on the nature of the product and the market segment it is targeting.

I was recently reading through some blogs and found a classmate’s blog that instantly captured my attention.

Growing up the eldest of three sisters, I’ll never forget the copious days we spent playing with our everlasting supply of Barbies.

Mattel’s new campaign advertising Barbies truly enchants me as it not only promotes the dolls, but also the idea to dream big and that anything and everything is possible.  While Barbie has met criticism and negativity in the past due to ‘her’ promiscuous character, this new campaign draws away from this side of Barbie and appeals to not only young girls, but to women of all ages.

Barbie can be anything she wants, and my acting on your dreams, so can you.  Dream big.

“In Flanders field the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row….” -John McCrae

“In Flanders Field” is a short, simple yet incredibly powerful and touching piece of literature.  The image of a poppy has since become a universal symbol of Remembrance Day and a reminder to everyone to recognize the true bravery and dedication of everyone who has served their country.

Although Remembrance Day is not a good or a service, it is still marketed as an idea, or intellectual concept.  Remembrance Day is about remembering all those who have fought for their country during the wars, and groups such as the Red Cross raise awareness for this thought by collecting donations and in exchange giving out poppies.

The simple, image of a red poppy on the jacket of different individuals walking through the streets doing their daily business unites people and truly raises awareness of the importance of Remembrance Day.  From an early age, young children are targeted with this concept as they are asked to bring in donations to school in exchange for a red poppy, and increasing filled with information and facts revolving around this holiday.

Although Remembrance Day is not a physical good or a service provided to people, it nevertheless is promoted using the same marketing strategies a marketer would use on a good or service.  The positioning strategy in particular has been highly effective by providing a clear, distinctive understanding of the importance of Remembrance Day, and the well known symbol of a poppy used as a positioning tool is so powerful that everyone knows what it represents. This is why on the 11^th month, on the 11^th day, and at the 11^th hour, we wear a poppy. Lest we forget.

“… If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow, in Flanders fields.”

On Thursday morning at Burrard Skytrain Station I was lucky enough to be there just as free water bottles of Dasani were being handed out.  These were not the regular blue water bottles however, but Dasani’s new product “Natural Essence”, which comes in flavours such as Orange&Mango, and Strawberry Kiwi. While I’ve seen “Flavour Splash” by Aquafina before, Dasani’s flavoured water is entering the market now as well to try and capture a larger market segment by offering a unique and different product.

The bottles are slightly larger and rounder than the typical Dasani bottles with strips of colour in coordination with the flavour on the label which gives the image of a fun and refreshing drink.  I haven’t actually opened the bottle yet because the idea of flavoured water for some reason doesn’t appeal to me.  However, because it was so easily placed into my hands with no cost to me at all except for carrying it around at school, I will eventually try the water and if Dasani succeeds in their promotional strategy, I may go and actually buy Dasani Natural Essence in the future.

Giving out free samples is an effective promotion technique as it introduces potential consumers to new products and encourages them to at least try the product.

Well midterms are all over now and Halloween is just around the corner.  You have no idea how impatiently I’ve been looking forward to this much-needed weekend and  since Halloween is in two days, I thought I would write my next Marketing Blog in connection with this spooky holiday. 

In Marketing class the other day, we were shown a picture of Baby Carrots new Halloween promotion titled Scarrots.  As Baby Carrots are currently trying to join the market as a substitute for junk food such as chips, Scarrots are designed for parents to give out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night as an alternative to chocolate or candy. 

Now in all fairness, there is a growing trend towards healthy and organic foods as the obesity rate is unfortunately increasing and parents are encouraged to keep their children away from junk food.  However, Halloween only does come once a year, and from the personal experience of receiving boxes of raisins and even full apples while trick-or-treating, I can perfectly understand how kids all dressed up in their extravagant costumes will feel when they get bags of baby carrots instead of candy in their loot bags.

While Scarrots are in effectively designed ‘chip’ bags made to attract the attention of young consumers, (they even offer glow in the dark tattoos inside!), will they become the new candy of Halloween? While there may be some parents or health-fanatics who will buy this ‘treat’ to give out, I feel that Halloween is the only time when junk-food and candy is actually allowed…and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.  Therefore, in my opinion, although the current trend is toward healthy foods, Scarrots will remain on shelves this Halloween and fortunately not in the bags of trick-or-treaters. I’m sure Baby Carrots will have a better time promoting their product at Easter 😉  

Happy Halloween!

The past few weeks have not been my favourite.  Since the Thanksgiving long weekend I have had a bad cold which has not been helped by the fact that I had three midterms this week in a row.  However, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I managed to survive and therefore sit here now on a Friday night writing my Marketing Blog. 

As I spent the last week coughing I often wondered why there is nothing to say when someone coughs, such as “Bless you” when someone sneezes.  Robitussin has taken advantage of this and effectively branded their cough syrup so that it often becomes common to hear people say “Robitussin” when people cough. 

In addition to Robitussin, another brand popularly known for cough medicine is Halls.  However, Halls is recently promoting a new product named HALLS Refresh, which is simply a refreshing candy not associated with being sick at all.  Because Halls has such a huge brand with being a cough drop, with this new product development Halls has to ensure that consumers recognize and connect Halls Refresh to Halls Cough Drops. 

I recently saw an advertisement on a bus promoting Halls Refresh.  The ad had a picture of Halls Cough Drops with the caption, “For when you’re sick” with Halls Refresh candies beside it saying “For when you’re sick of the 3:00 slump.”  This advertisement aims to capture the attention of loyal Halls consumers who may be interested in the new product, and also to new market segments who do not use Halls for cough medicine, but may be interested in refreshing candies. 

Developing a new product in the hopes of reaching new markets can be a risky and costly innovation, but hopefully Halls Refresh can attract consumers who are not simply sick with a cough, but sick of the boring moments in their life. 

I love Starbucks.  From the warmth and relaxation the drinks provide in winter, to the refreshing and energizing fraps in summer time, Starbucks always has the perfect drink for me…despite the calories they pile on.

 Although I don’t watch that much TV, thinking back to all the commercials I’ve seen lately, I don’t remember seeing any Starbucks ads.  This is in high contrast to the many Tim Hortons commercials that I’ve seen and fortunately for Tim Hortons, remember.

However, I recently stumbled across an ad on Facebook promoting Starbucks that I instantly fell in love with.  It’s short, catchy, colourful, and has the forever charming Michael Bublé singing in it. 

 This commercial, linked below, is promoting Starbuck’s new Frappuccino Coffee Drink sold individually in bottles.  To capture the fuller attention of viewers, Michael Bublé serenades the female Starbuck’s drinker to make her drink even more enjoyable. 

 I absolutely loved this commercial and was not one that I could ever get annoyed with but could watch over and over again…which is in fact what I did!   Although many viewers may not be as captivated by Michael Bublé as I am, particularly the male population, Starbucks intentionally created this commercial to capture the female population. 

Does this mean Michael will appear to serenade you every time you buy a Starbuck’s drink? Unfortunately not.  But remembering this commercial hopefully will encourage people to buy Starbuck’s new drink and bring feelings of happiness, because if Michael Bublé likes it, that’s a good enough reason for many people.  

Every day I take the bus and skytrain an hour and a half to get to UBC.  Although this takes up a lot of time and can often be uncomfortable and miserable, I get to see a lot of new things I probably wouldn’t see if I were driving.  These sites include interesting people on the bus each day and of course, the many advertisements posted on the skytrain and bus billboards. 

 An advertisement campaign that has continually caught my eye lately, has been the posters for Maynard’s Candies such as Fuzzy Peaches, Swedish Berries, and Gummi Bears.  These posters are made to look as mug shots for each individual candy character with “Maynard’s Most Wanted” in bold letters at the top of each ad.  They are colourful, bright and appealing as they not only have the power to create candy cravings in people, but also generate a little chuckle from their phrases such as wanted for “disturbing the peach” in the case of Fuzzy Peaches, and wanted for “pucker-punching” for Sour Cherries. 

In addition, this campaign also does a great job of promoting Maynard’s candies as each poster also features codes that people can use to “Capture” the candy and enter in an online contest on Facebook for the chance to win $25,000. 

 Everyone loves candy.  Everyone loves the chance to win money. Maynard’s has certain struck gold with this new marketing campaign.

Last week, I decided to take off Wednesday night (yes I know, a school night!) and treat myself by going to a Canuck Game with some friends.  Although I was worried about the amount of school work and studying I would miss out on, I honestly believe this was one of the most fun nights I’ve had in a while.

Anyways, while at Rogers Arena (formerly known as GM Place for all you behind in the times), I found myself surrounded by marketing at its greatest.  The arena is full of advertisements promoting all kinds of different projects – whether it be the main sponsors who get their logo imprinted right into the ice, the numerous ads circling the rink, or the flashy, colourful light ads that streak across the building at random intervals.      

Looking back at old clips of hockey games, you can instantly notice that something other than the retro jerseys and lack of safety equipment on players is different.  Everything looks so white and empty, and this is because of the lack of advertisements circling the rink.  I don’t know when companies started to promote their products or services at hockey games, but whoever first started this trend was a real hero to the marketing world.  Because hockey is such a popular sport, especially in Canada and the United States, companies must dream of having their ads posted around arenas, knowing that they will be seen by not only the thousands of spectators in the arena, but also the large TV audience.  Thousands of fans crowd into arenas to cheer on their favourite team, and the energetic, and fun atmosphere created by the excitement of the game puts people in high spirits, and therefore more accepting of the advertisements which at other times may appear overbearing. 

So despite the fact that I missed out on a whole night of studying, and that the Canucks did in fact lose to Edmonton the night I went, it was a fun night nonetheless and I was able to see marketing in one of its prime sectors. 

Go Canucks Go!