Month: February 2011

All commercials are produced to target specific consumers; in my opinion the most interesting commercials are the ones that focus on children.

Today my friends and I were comparing how McDonalds Happymeal commercials rarely show in Canada while in Japan their marketing style is opposite. Take a look at this appealing Spongebob Happymeal toy!

This McDonalds commercial illustrates the marketers’ intentions of encouraging children’s enthusiastic perception and attitude from obtaining a toy. Demographically, it targets toward the young children who posses the mindset to obtain anything they find appealing on television.

The kids in the commercial portray an over the top exciting attitude towards the toy. Children watching this commercial influences them to desire the toy, therefore they would nag their parents to buy Spongebob. More specifically, when a child wants something they would nag for it until the parent would finally give up and agree to buy it for them.

Not only is the commercial adorable, but it portrays the Spongebob toy so amazing that it can talk when you drink from the straw or lift the cup as though it has a mind of its own.

My family is very traditional when it comes down to Chinese New Year. It is mandatory for me to attend not just both my mom’s and dad’s side of the family dinners, but also our family friends’. As I was happily eating with my cousins, marketing came into my mind. The question was, because Chinese is currently a growing minority population, how can companies market their products and services to us? Have they been successful?

I decided to do some research and stumbled across Chinese New Year Marketing. Agreeing to her third point, the New Year’s Eve dinner is important to our family, and restaurants has an advantage to market their deals, such as their ready-made meals, to save time for my family. Restaurants know who and when to target consumers, because Chinese tradition celebrations and generations are changing. Families (like mine) are busy with their school, work, and other family commitments. Ordering food and ready for pickup, the party starts right when the food arrives.