After reading a blog post by Khadija Zeeshan called Ralph Lauren Rocks and also discussing Rihanna’s latest perfume called Reb’l Fleur I began thinking more and more about the fragrance industry, specifically the ones made by celebrities.  Khadija made a great point by using Kotler’s model to say that marketers must connect the core values of their product to the personality traits of the individual wearing it.

Personally, I never buy a perfume just because it smells nice, there are many other factors to consider like the warmth, intensity, notes, and spices.  Maybe I overcomplicate it but I think what a person smells like says a lot about who they are.  I am someone who is sweet, funny, compassionate, and full of life and what I want is for my perfume to represent the brand that is Naz, so my current perfume is Flower bomb by Viktor and Rofl because it represented me the best.

It’s description is: “Creamy, balmy notes reveal a sensuous, almost “tactile” perfume. The amber in the base note is enriched by a pure vanilla absolute and benzoin, giving the strength of a powerful elixir.”

Despite the fact that a lot of people may use it as well, I believe this scent to be my own. Even my friends say it suits me perfectly! 🙂

So what does any of this have to do with Rihanna’s perfume ad? Well when I first saw the interactive video I thought it was a very cool and unique idea; however, I knew right away that I would never buy it.  I am not a Rihanna hater but I am also not her biggest fan; i’m indifferent to her.  Conversely, one of my friends, who recently bought this perfume, is a huge fan and constantly talks about how beautiful and successful she is.  I wonder if she thinks buying Reb’l Fleur will make her more beautiful and successful like Rihanna….

Like I said before, there is so much more to marketing a perfume that simply “it smells good”, and I think that celebrity scents are especially difficult to promote.  They may have target markets and be geared to people with a specific style but unless that person likes that celebrity then I don’t think they will buy it.  My scent is a part of my style, it is what my friends recognize me by, and it’s a small taste of my personality.  A smell can bring on a flood of memories and even influence people’s moods so why would I buy something that constantly reminds me of a celebrity I don’t particularly care for?

In the words of Christine Dior ” A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting”.

Hi Comm 296!

Today, i’m writing about the latest post on Drew’s Marketing Minutes.

http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/

In this post Drew discusses how having ads with a sense of humour is an effective marketing strategies for companies, and I have to say that I completely agree with him! He uses Kulula Airlines as an example of a company that differentiates themselves through their funny ads.  After looking at some of the pictures of the plane’s exterior on the website the image I get of this organization and it’s staff is very different than lets say Air Canada.  I see Kulula as being more personal and genuine as opposed to Air Canada which I see as being more professional and polished just because of this one ad.  The use of funny ads can change a companies positioning very easily and a perfect example of this is Diesel’s Be Stupid campaign.

http://verybadfrog.com/1553/funny-ads/be-stupid-diesel-ads

The ads in this campaign promoted being adventurous, daring, and spontaneous! They encouraged people to not take themselves so seriously and that life was not about the “smart” decisions, but rather about the stupid ones that created memories.  Drew’s perspective on this style of campaigning is that people will have a more positive image of the company and enjoy interacting with them more.  Young adults today are funny, outgoing, social and they want to deal with brands that are the same way.

I strongly believe that its not just sex that sells anymore, it’s humour too!  It is not just people who have personalitiesI anymore; each organization has a mini-culture and a unique personality in the eye of the consumer.  If they win over their consumers with their personality, this will result in more loyal customers.  Personally, I try to show my sense of humour during interviews because, not only does it break the ice, but it also allows the interviewer to get to know me as a person and not just as an applicant.

My conclusion is that companies don’t necessarily need to “be stupid” to be successful, but they should be smart when it comes to finding an effective marketing strategy that helps them connect with their consumer.

Hello comm 296!

For this first assignment I want to discuss the drug commercials on tv.  More specifically, this Abilify commercial.

I also found this article which gives more information regarding my concern as well as drug ad regulations on TV if anyone would like to know more.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/01/30/21587.aspx

First of all, this commercial and many ones like it focus on high emotional appeal rather than education for the viewer/potential user.  Abilify is an anti-depressant drug and this commercial targets people suffering from depression. The first time i watched this commercial I was pretty overwhelmed with information so I decided to watch it once again on mute so I could just focus on the images.  These images create the emotional appeal for the viewer by introducing them to somebody they can relate to.  The beginning scene shows a depressed woman talking to somebody, perhaps her doctor, and she looks unhappy and somewhat apathetic. The next scene is the woman out on a field taking pictures with another female and she seems to be in an improved state of mind. She is smiling, more affectionate, and even her clothing is livelier as opposed to the previous scene where she does not do any of these things. Next, I watched it again with the volume and I focused on the information given.  The side effects and restrictions  are shocking! Worsening of depression, thoughts of suicide, high fever, uncontrollable muscle movements, and decreases of white blood cells (just to name a few) which may lead to a serious medical condition, coma, or death! I realized that I was so overwhelmed the first time I watched this commercial because the words and images were so contradictory.  The images were positive and simple but the narrator of the commercial just read a long and confusing list of negative side effects of Abilify.  When I see these commercials on TV i find myself ignoring the narrator and just watching the images because if I tried to focus on both I would end up not being able to concentrate on either.  Is it ethical for the FDA to approve commercials like this when they knows that the target audience is so strongly effected by the emotions of the commercial that it can downplay the rest of the information?  I know that this company is out to make profit like everyone else but i believe they have an ethical obligation to give as much information about the product so that potential consumers can make a well informed decision when choosing between anti-depressant medication.