The New Trend...Advertising At Individuals

Hello World,

Today I would like to talk about a recent trend I have noticed in advertising. Rather than advertising a product for the benefits or showing one person using the product, companies now try to appeal to everyone by showing a different individuals engaging with the product.  To further explain this new trend I have included a few examples:

Windows Phone:



- This commercial starts off with the opening sentence "We are not for everybody", then continues to list its for the food lover, movie lover, road tripper, etc. Showing by the end, that the phone basically is for everyone.

Google Tablet:



- This commercial ends with the phrase, "For Everyone" after showing a montage of all the different people that might be interested in purchasing the product.

Dr. Dre Beats Headphones:



- This commercial does not necessary state that it is for everyone, however by the end of the commercial you see pro athletes, rappers, dancers, rock stars, pop stars, and average people. This helps paint a mental picture that these headphones can be worn by anyone and good for any type of music. 

Overall, I wanted to show that companies have begun changing the way they advertise to the public. By showing a wide range of different consumers in a commercial the company has a better chance of grabbing your attention than simply showing one person using a product. While one person in the commercial may not appeal to you, there will probably be two or three others that remind you of either yourself, someone you admire, or someone you would see yourself becoming friends with. By offering this extra personalities in the commercials, companies utilize the ability to appeal to you emotionally as well as showing you there new product they are offering.

In the end, not everyone company is advertising like this. I am just saying that more and more companies are adopting this approach, and I expect this to continue in the upcoming years. For all I know this might be a trend and fad out, or it might be here to stay.

Until next time,

Andrew Haug

   

Cuties (Made for All?)

Hello World,

Today I would like to examine the produce brand Cutie's and their attempts at bringing the brand into every home in America.

Background: Cuties is the name of a company that sells seed-less clementines marketed to children as a healthy snack alternative. Although Cuties has been successful, they now face many problems including other competition, consumer perceptions, and advertising to the right target market. These all sound like different problems, but with the right creative brief working off consumer's real insights these will all be solved with one successful advertising campaign. 




Consumer Insights: 1) Not everyone is set on purchasing a seed-less scientifically modified fruit
2) Cuite's brand name does not hold as much value as the company believes it does
3) Consumers complain about one rotten clementine spoiling the whole batch and Cutie's brand in general

Target Audience: Cuties is marketed to children and parents of children as easy to peel, but leaves out everyone else

Problem: Cutie's is a great product but currently it holds no more power than the other clementine brands. Children have no preference yet, and parents are not set on purchasing Cutie's. We must convince parents that Cutie's have an emotional connection and need to be part of their children's everyday life.

My Recommendation: Expand Cutie's advertising to show children of all ages, engaging in all their activities they are passionate about while eating Cutie's. Show the parents cheering on their children as they know the children are receiving the energy they need from a healthy snack you can eat on the go

.

By using this kind of advertising you now open the market to children of all ages rather than just small kids. Also we must show Cutie's being a partner with the consumer, helping you achieve your goals in life. We must make it feel as if Cutie's were removed from the picture the children would not feel as confident. This is the emotional element Cutie's needs to add to differentiate itself from other clementine companies.

Thanks for listening,

Andrew

Sources:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304373804577521241458781700.html

Julie Talbot (Speaker Prep)

Hello World,

The other day we were preparing to have a guest speaker for my advertising class. However due to circumstances out of our control (Superstorm Sandy) we were unable to meet Julie Talbot. So I thought I would go ahead and post my background and questions I had for here on my blog.



Background: Julie Talbot is Global Brand Manager for Burt's Bees Lip Category. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003 with a marketing degree, and later went on to receive her MBA from Rutgers. She currently works in Durham, North Carolina and manages the lip category which is estimated at over 100 million dollars. Here are some of the questions I would like to ask her:

1.       Strategic issue the company/brand is currently facing: How do you expand your brand into other hygiene products while staying true to your values as a company?

2.       Current consumer/customer perceptions of the company/brand: Burt’s Bees is among the leaders in lip balm, however when it comes to other products they are not yet considered the market leaders

3.       Specific, current event question based on the insights you discover: With the new manager coming in from Clorox and his experience he brings, how do you think this will help Burt’s Bees continue to grow?

Until next time,
Andrew Haug