The world of Youtube was created in February of 2005 and I personally have no idea what we did before it existed. Although it has been popular for quite a few years now, very few companies have really taken advantage of it. If a company can create a video advertising their product specifically for Youtube that consumers are attracted to they are essentially targeting the younger generation and avoiding the cost of advertising time on television by putting their video on Youtube for free. They can also use more explicit content than is allowed on television and the video can be any length they want. A technique that some companies have used for Youtube commercials is to not reveal that it is an advertising until the end of the video. This Sprite ad seems like a very shocking home video at first until the very end when you get a good laugh.

More and more companies are realizing the potential in this and creating commercials for Youtube that you can even interact with, as your computer is much more intimate than watching your television from the couch. A great example of this is this Skittle’s campaign that involves putting your finger on the computer screen which makes you feel connected to the ad as it plays. I especially like the tagline that you can now touch the rainbow which connects to their previous ads of tasting the rainbow.

I think there is a lot of value in these commercials especially the amount of creativity that can be put into them considering how much more intimate watching something on your computer is. I’m curious to see what will come out next. My computer screen definitely needs a good clean now after watching all of the Skittles ads.

UBC REC is a very well known organization on campus that I am proud to be a part of. REC has gained their reputation as an amazing student leadership experience through their strong presence around campus. An integral part of this organization is the student volunteers who organize events and leagues as well as run marketing campaigns around campus. Hiring season

for UBC REC is coming up and this has really made me realize the power of positive word of mouth as well as the promotion of an organization through social media. It also shows how if you combine multiple people with large networks on campus how the audience you are reaching can be larger than you ever imagined.

Another unique way that UBC REC attracts attention and entices people to become a part of the program is the red jackets and blue shirts that student staff sport around campus. Even if you have no idea what REC is about you have probably noticed the multitude of people wearing identical red jackets who are often in groups together, especially by the giant walls that come out this time of year.

One of the main reasons that I chose to join UBC REC was the sense of being part of something bigger than myself that all the REC staff I encountered appeared to have. Wearing their matching jackets around campus may be their REC pride but it is also an amazing marketing campaign that encourages people to apply, even if it’s just for the free jacket.

During the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games I had the amazing experience of working at the Coca Cola Happiness House in Live City Yaletown. We went through extensive training in order to make us as informed about the Coca Cola brand as possible.

Our job was to lead people through the pavillion while educating them about the Coca Cola brand and its many initiatives. The tour began with an informational video about the torch relay, they were then brought into the pavillion and given a refreshing Coca Cola at perfect serve temperature.

While inside they could get their picture taken with the torch, play interactive games, all  the while surrounded by acrobats and a life sized polar bear puppet.

At the end of their time in the Happiness House they were encouraged to recycle their bottles as Coca Cola was recycling 100% of their bottles throughout the Olympics and were rewarded with a limited edition glowing bottle.

During this experience I learned far more than I thought I could ever know about Coca Cola and every key message I explained to guests still plays over and over in my head when I see a bottle of Coke.

“Enjoy an ice cold Coke Zero. Zero calories, same great taste.”

Only after the Olympics were done and the Happiness House had been dismantled (but don’t worr they used all recyclable and reusable materials!) did I realize how much of an impact working there had on my view of the Coca Cola brand. By educating others on the Coca Cola brand and building such a high reputation of the Happiness House, so much so that people waited over 2 hours just to get inside the pavillion, I now relate a part of my life to Coca Cola and therefore feel a much larger commitment to the brand.

I’ve never been much of a cola drinker but on the rare occasion I do there is no doubt about which brand I will buy even if they taste the exact same to me. When I go home and my parents have Pepsi in the fridge I feel a tinge of anger until I realize that I shouldn’t have any personal emotion connected to Coke. Yet somehow over those two weeks, Coca Cola managed to build an emotional connection to me as a consumer and employee even if it was by almost brain washing me.

After hearing the “Open Happiness” song for two weeks straight I don’t think I will ever get it out of my head. I’ll even admit we had to learn a dance to this song.

Sometimes advertising campaigns are criticized for being extremely controversial or taking things too far. But by being so controversial these advertisements are talked about by everyone and even brought up in the news or on popular blogs. An extremely famous saying goes along the lines of, any publicity is good publicity.

Something I wonder about is how a company takes criticism over their advertisements. Obviously they know when they film a commercial that it may be viewed by the public and critics as perhaps offensive or even just controversial. An example of this is the Groupon ads that ran during the Super bowl. One of which featured Timothy Hutton talking about the perils of Tibet which quickly turns into how to save money on Tibetan food.

How much did this commercial really harm or help Groupon? Yes, some people may have been extremely offended by how they downplayed some major issues in the world but in the end aren’t they also raising awareness of these issues even if they do end with Groupon advertisements. Half of these prime time Super bowl ads were spent talking about some world issues, starring a notable celebrity nonetheless.

I begin to wonder if Groupon knew the kind of response they would get and actually took that into consideration. I know that personally these commercials were a topic of discussion which ensured that anyone who didn’t know what Groupon does before likely does know. They managed to raise awareness of their company with some collateral damage along the way. Who know, maybe this was Groupon’s plan the whole time..

Marketing nowadays is so much more than just informing consumers about your product or having them know your company name. It’s becoming more and more about gaining the respect of your audience with the creativity of your ad campaigns. This is true of not only print and television commercials but also billboards and other outdoor advertising.

In some ways outdoor advertising has become an art form. Companies are always trying to come up with the most innovative inexpensive ways to grab peoples attention as they drive by a billboard or even an entire building. This type of advertising has been named guerrilla marketing which is described as “an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget.”

Advertising has moved beyond just billboards to entire buildings and even structures such as cranes are being utilized as creative advertising space. Guerrilla marketing takes the idea of billboard and moves so much beyond that. Some of my favourite examples have even implemented technology that allows the billboard to change depending on the weather conditions and shadows to move throughout the day.

Some of my favourites are shown below and you can check out more here on Creative Guerilla Marketing dot com.