William Pigott's Blog

Presenting the second instalment about talking about a fellow student’s blog, so for this one I’ve decided to talk YouTube with Alex.  When YouTube was founded large revenues were not a priority but ever since its purchase by Google ads have become more and more common on YouTube videos.  With the growth in the YouTube ad sector comes growth is the annoyed population sector as well, with a constant bombardment by ads YouTube clients are getting annoyed and see too much change from the way it used to be.  It is understandable for their to be ads cause most people understand that companies have to make money to keep providing the service but sometimes it goes to far; on a few occasions I have gone onto YouTube to watch a funny commercial just to get hit by another ad before I can watch the video, this double advertising is a bit ridiculous.  Yet YouTube is a marketers paradise, with extremely high traffic and simplified methods of targeting specific markets.

What to do with this problem with overexposure to advertisements?  The consumer want no ads, but corporations are pro-ads, a compromise should be achieved.  One compromise is already in place, the skip function, after a set time, 5-10 seconds, the viewer can chose to skip it.  In addition to that, tagging a video that has advertisements can enable viewers to see when they will be exposed to advertisements before they go to that video’s page.

Things are probably not going to change as companies want to place more and more ads on YouTube videos whose viewers are their target market or that video has content similar to their products.  Maybe sometime all YouTube videos with have commercial breaks built in.

Part of the blog assignment is to produce a response to a fellow student’s blog post and give my take on it, luckily it seems I tend to agree with other other students more often then not.  Therefore this blog will not include any E-Passive Aggressiveness, but will include my friend Severin’s blog about getting free Molson Canadian, great idea … terrible beer, and free handouts in general.

When companies hand out free items they are doing 2 things, getting people to walk around displaying their brand and creating demand.  Giving people your product in public allows for them to walk around and be seen with the product creates “Free Publicity” apart from the cost of the freebies.  Most people would find being a walking billboard for a company a display of weak morals but if you have ever gotten giveaways in a public place you have been a billboard.  Creating demand with giveaways works well when introducing a new product as a way to get consumer attention cause we all love free stuff.  Though this will only be successful if the product is enjoyable to the consumer or you sneak something addictive into it.

When freebies are handed out location is as always important and again I have 2 reasons for it, receptive consumers and putting the human billboards in the right place.  Picking a location with receptive consumers to your product is important to make sure they will actually take the giveaway and be seen with or consume the product, example; don’t giveaway bibles at strip clubs.  As one of the goals of giveaways is to create human billboards for your products, handing out these freebies in a receptive market for your product, example (Again!); John Deere handing out free stuff in Manhattan wouldn’t work to great to promote tractors.

This will be my 1st of what should be 3 blogs in response to another blog, for this I’ve chosen an external blog, and a subject I truly enjoy, the airline industry.  This post by brandchannel.com intrigued me even though since I’m an Air Canada person I see British Airways (BA) as a rival, put their new global campaign also caught my interest in history.

Here is the new ad:

As brandchannel.com mentioned this is the 1st global campaign by BA in 11 years, and a return to it’s roots (or routes HA airline pun) is what BA needs to emerge from this decade of horror that it has been for the airline industry.  Starting with 9/11 and with ever fluctuating price of fuel the past 10 years have been rough on most airlines, with BA also suffering through crippling weather and natural disasters, and a recent labour dispute with its flight attendants.  With all these problems consumer confidence in BA and the industry as a whole is understandably low, so BA has chosen to use 4 simple words to bring them back “To Fly. To Serve.” their motto for decades.  This theme in advertising of reminding customers of their storied past is being used more and more frequently by companies as they face an ever worsening economy, looking for any advantage over competitors the companies that have a history can use this method of “Remember we have been doing this for a long time”.  I like many other consumers are more trusting of these companies, as they are established in the industry and know the business, and will buy their products and/or services.  In this economy where companies are searching for ways to differentiate themselves in the market should turn to their past to show consumers who they are and what they stand for.

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/09/21/British-Airways-Reclaims-Heritage-in-New-Global-Campaign.aspx

Our generation is the online generation, we are leading to way to great technological development and the creation of a smaller world, but we are also making many things that were staples of the past, and our parent generation, stay in the past, we are causing the death of printed works and CDs, but one thing we are killing that people don’t mention is advertising.  Most people see young people creating a new frontier for the advertising world, a vast online frontier where marketers can get easy access to huge amounts of people without much cost, but in the future a lot us young people will become un-advertisable when we’re are online, I know I already am.  Un-advertisable, definition, to be unreachable to advertisements.  I’m already un-advertisable because I use AdBlock, this simple program attached to Safari (the Mac browser) blocks all popups, ads on websites, and even ads on YouTube or in between clips on network video players (ex: CTV Video Player).  Using AdBlock makes using the internet more enjoyable for me not having to deal with ads, I’m part of growing group of people fed up with too many internet ads that are taking action and blocking ourselves off.

Un-Advertisablity Checklist

• Watch TV online to avoid commercials. CHECK
• Use AdBlock to stop any ads when watching videos online. CHECK
• Don’t go outside to avoid advertisements that are in public places. Don’t think it will happen

Again this year I have returned to blogging this time for the 3rd COMM course blog, marketing, and for this first blog I have decided to talk about what I like in ads, the music.  When I see an ad on TV or hear one on the radio the part of that ad that really jumps out at me is the music that is being played in the background as the ad try to sell me some kind of product, these short clips of songs are either ones I know and have heard before, or songs that are new to me.  These songs are strategically placed in these ads to catch your attention and to fit with the theme of the product being sold, and a lot more often then not the song in the ads are quite upbeat and exciting.  When a company is looking at what song should be put into their future ad campaign they have an infinite number choices for songs.  Their are those that use songs from well known artists, the popular songs at the time or from the past, but using these songs may come with high royalty fees, and also run the risk of using the same song as a previous ad.  The alternative to using songs from well known artists is going with the music from less known artists, this choice comes with a lower cost, and it works in the favour of the artists whose songs are being used, leading to making it to the big time.  With my final thought about songs used in ads lends to my Canadian pride, when there is an ad campaign by a Canadian company the music should be from a Canadian artist.

For this COMM 299 blog we have been asked to mainly do a reflection upon what I have learned about myself during the course of this class, and for me I feel less of what I’ve learned about myself but more what I learned about promoting myself.  During COMM 299 we were taught the ways to structure our resumes and cover letter to promote yourself to make yourself out to the best of your ability.  Though I did learn that some medial work experience that I have shows my true abilities, especially when I present and talk about my work with children really shows my level of responsibility.

We have been asked to answer the question posed to us in class, who has inspired me in my life?  I have to make a disclaimer this will sound cheesy, but the person has inspire me the most in life is my Grandmother. It is not what she has told me but what she has done in her life, politics, she spent 3 years as the MP for Ottawa-Carleton.  Ever since I have been young I have had an interest in politics, and have always wanted to run for election and see if I could hold a seat in the House of Commons.  The ultimate, but highly unlikely goal, is be either a Government Minister or even Prime Minister.  I understand how hard it is to become an elected Member of Parliament, so another idea for a future close to the Government is to work in the Canadian Foreign Service, as a mix between my interests of politics and world travel.  Though no matter what I do I will be inspired by my Grandmother, and she will be elated if I become an MP but only if I’m elected has a Conservative.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-12/canadian-troops-to-quit-u-a-e-base-after-air-dispute.html

Two of the fastest growing airlines are based out of the United Arab Emirates, Emirates and Etihad, but their growth into the Canadian aviation market has been stalled and has now started a diplomatic spat between Canada and the UAE.  The Canadian government holds a tight grip on the aviation industry in Canada, and favours Air Canada above any other airline, but now this protectionism has led to the expulsion of Canadian troops from the UAE.  Currently only 6 weekly flights are allowed between Canada and the UAE, this far less then what is needed to meet demand, Emirates currently flies the A380 between Toronto and Dubai the world’s largest airliner, but with concerns of UAE airlines eating into Air Canada’s business, even though Air Canada doesn’t fly to the UAE.  The Canadian government has to ask itself whether the expulsion of Canadian troops from Camp Mirage, the jumping off point for Canadian troops in Afghanistan.  Canada is only going to have a sizable force in Afghanistan for another year, but as any Canadian consumer knows Air Canada could use some competition to lower its prices, therefore the government should reconsider its decision because even with a smaller force Camp Mirage is still needed.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pr-blitz-aims-to-sell-skeptical-public-on-need-for-f-35-fighter-jets/article1812733/

The government of Canada spends taxpayer’s money to fund many things including the military, and the government is expected to spend this money responsibly, because of this mandate questions were raised about the $16 billion fighter replacement program.  The government of Canada recently confirmed the purchase of 65 F-35 fighter jets to replace the aging CF-18 fleet, but questions were raised because there was no bidding process.  The opposition wanted there to be a bidding process to open the possibility for the Canadian taxpayer’s to receive a more competitive offer.  The government contests that because of this contract Lockheed, the producer of the F-35s, will award contracts for elements of the project will be awarded to Canadian firms.  This raises the question of whether spending more taxpayer money is worth it for contracts for Canadian firms.  Since this deal is still in its infancy the actual figure of how many jobs it will create in Canada is not known but like government stimulus spending money to create jobs can be a good thing.  The government has a responsibility to spend wisely but also to do what it can to keep Canadians employed, so as long as enough Canadians get jobs this project can be deemed a responsible decision.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2010/09/17/United-Continental-merger-approved/UPI-30211284738619/

The US airline industry seems to be constantly changing with new airlines starting up and others failing, but now the trend has turned to the major airlines merging to form some of the world’s largest airlines.  Over the past 5 years 6 major airlines have merged, US Airways and America West in 2005, Delta and Northwest in 2008, and the most recent United and Continental in 2010.  The most recent merger has created one of the world’s largest airlines, under the United brand with Continentals livery.  Though fewer airlines in the market could mean higher prices because of less competition there is a sufficient number of other airlines operating in the US to keep up competition.  This merger also is beneficial for member airlines of Star Alliance since now 2 of the top 5 US airlines are members.  This merger is viewed as a new profit opportunity of both airlines, which together now serve 370 destinations, with all these destinations served it, is hoped that the airline will attract more business travelers who are more likely to purchase more expensive seats.  With all the competition in the US market consolidation of major airlines is viewed as an attempt to stop the past price wars.