Steven Lang's Blog

After reading this article I can tell you that I truly appreciate good advertisement campaigns. We all can. We’re all tired of the ads that are boring, long, and drawn out. I can’t even recall the amount of times I’ve heard the Proactive infomercial start and quickly change the channel. A good commercial makes you smile at it’s originality.

That is exactly what the Mini and Porsche campaign made me do. Smile. It captured all my attention and from the start and I was enamored by the possibility that Cooper might win; I mean, can you blame me? It was the classic David and Goliath story, you know I was hoping for a fairy tale ending.

I now know indefinitely that Porsche ($100,000) is faster than a Mini ($30,000?)… figured so. As I keep thinking about it though, that’s the whole idea. Cooper never really planned to win, but that was their campaign; it’s the possibility that the underdog might topple over the giant that boosts their sales not the actual result.

I get it. After sitting through two months of marketing class I finally understand the idea behind brands. Campaigns give brands personality it’s what they want consumers to feel like from using their products just like how Axe wants you to feel sexy and Doritos wants you to feel Bold.

Mini wants people to challenge the status quo by purchasing it. Being little yet courageous is how it has branded itself. The never giving up attitude and not afraid to push the boundaries of possibilities is what this brand is all about. People eat that stuff up. Mini is an underdog in the global car industry but it’s totally cool with that. Doesn’t mean it can’t try fit in and roll with the best.

 “Like any underdog we’ll be back, biting off more than we can chew, and lovin’ every minute of it”

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In reference to Robyn Gummer’s blog, https://blogs.ubc.ca/robyngummer/2011/09/18/8/. Personally, I love the guerilla marketing style. I don’t like conventional ads cause they aren’t fun and after awhile they all start feeling similar. Guerilla marketing is so unconventional that it’s become conventional. People are beginning to welcome new approaches that entice them.

This style of marketing is edgy and definitely risky. Companies could easily get a negative viral response as well as cause legal issues for themselves but the payoffs are huge. Pepsi did a ‘Pepsi Challenge’ quite a few years ago where you had to guess which one was Pepsi and which one was Coke. I remember quite vividly that the viral response was insanely positive and after that I just kept having this preconceived notion that all Pepsi products tasted better and were for some reason colder.

Doritos is also exhibit guerilla marketing. They often give customers a chance to create their very own advertisements for the company, whether it be to finish a story or to create an advertisement for a new product. Either way this stuff goes viral. Fast.

I remember when I was supposed to study for my midterm and instead decided to just sift through ALL the Dorito Super Bowl Ads that were submitted. They were all entertaining and after each one I was amazed that someone could come up with something like that. The commercials were fun and I felt engaged because if I wanted to I could even vote on which one I liked. Needless to say I didn’t do so well on that midterm.

Why does Guerilla marketing work? It allows for interaction at a personal level. Guerilla marketing is just fun, it’s like the company decided to put on board shorts and just chill and stop taking its ad campaigns so seriously.

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After reading Sanna Ma’s blog I want to express my own opinions about Apple.  When I’m in class EVERYWHERE I look I see the lit-up Mac logo branded on every laptop; but, frankly, I dislike Apple and all of its products, I feel they are overpriced and sell based on aesthetic appeal as opposed to technological superiority (it’s probably cause I’m a hater). The truth is that Apple has created such a superior value chain making it from a marketing perspective absolutely ingenious.

Apple carries qualities that people want in all their products:

1. Simple yet sophisticated
2. Innovative and fresh
3. Youthful
4. Consistently evolving to its surrounding

The other day was I bashing Apple products then I unconsciously whipped out my iPod. My friend was like “…. You have an Apple product”. At first I denied it, not even knowing I owned a Mac product until she pointed out that I had an iPod.

After that I started to think about how I couldn’t even name a single MP3 player or laptop from other companies yet I knew the whole Mac product line and I didn’t even realize it. It made me realize that Apple is so immersed into society that it’s no longer just a brand or even a product. It’s become what defines the 21^st century. In 100 years when they study history, probably through an iPad or something, right next to Mr. Bush’s face and 9/11 will be the Macintosh logo.

A month ago my friend was telling me how this ten year old kid was blurting out all the new Apple products on the bus. Damn, the kid is still using his toes to count past ten yet he can already list specs on a Mac? Good job Steve. Change IS good. 

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Nike has successfully created an empire through its flashy “just do it” and “leave nothing” campaigns involving high profile sponsors in flashy motivational commercials. They don’t have many commercials that just focus on one specific line of products instead they advertise their brand as a whole because consumers don’t really want the products they just want the solution.

It wasn’t until just recently after sitting through the first a couple of marketing classes and reading the first few chapters did I truly recognize the techniques and methods these commercials employ. Nike markets its products perfectly; they make you feel like you NEED their products instead of wanting them.

I need a pair of basketball shoes/runners but do I really need the Nike $200 pair or could I just settle for Adidas and Reebok for half the price. The answer is that Nike markets its products in a manner that makes it seem superior. They have only the best athletes endorse their products (Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James) and their commercials elicit a feeling of success. Their products are also priced substantially higher than their competitors to support this claim.

This commercial to me is inspiring and as I was watching it all I felt was inspired to do something

They have created an aura of success around its products; somehow, subconsciously I always seem to associate Nike’s products being superior to Adidas or Reebok even though I know nothing about their competitor’s products; I’m unsure whether or not they are truly better, yet I ALWAYS purchase Nike products over other people’s. This is because Nike, for me, creates far superior customer value as opposed to its competitors.

When I buy Nike’s I don’t get a pair of shoes I get a complete experience.

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