Archive for October, 2009
‘I am Second’ Campaign Making Its Mark
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‘I am Second’ is a great example of cause marketing intended to promote God as the source of a purposeful life. Norm Miller, CEO of Interstate Batteries initiated the campaign with the help of partners from e3 Partners Ministry in Dallas. Rather than pushing religion on people who may see the ads, Miller and partners from e3 say that the campaign uses personal testimonials to offer direction and choice to those who may be seeking God’s help. Iamsecond.com features personal stories from well known athletes, actors, celebrities and regular people who each believe they are second to God and stronger because of the strength they seek from Him.
‘I am Second’ specifically uses testimonials in a way that influences others through the use of celebrity as well as normative influence from regular people sharing stories. I think the campaign shares a fundamental message in a unique and highly interactive way, giving active and interested consumers a way to initiate change and gain insight into the important message the campaign stresses: put God first. In my opinion, an effective and truly virtuous example of advertising for a solid cause.
On another level, could more campaigns like ‘I am Second’ affect what society thinks about advertising as an institution? Yes. Maybe with more campaigns like this, people would view advertising in a more positive light.
Bring Change 2 Mind
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“1 in 6 adults and almost 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. Yet, for many, the stigma associated with the illness, can be as great a challenge as the disease itself. This is where the misconceptions stop. This is where bias comes to an end. This is where we change lives. Because this is where we Bring Change 2 Mind” (BringChange2Mind.org)
The “Bring Change 2 Mind” Campaign
Headed by Glenn Close and three mental health organizations, this campaign’s goal is to remove the negative stigma and misconceptions associated with individuals suffering from mental illness.
Directed by Ron Howard, the first PSA features Glenn Close and her sister who suffers from bipolar disorder. As people walk through Grand Central Terminal, their shirts reveal what others fail to see at first glance, their mental illness. What makes this ad effective is not the label on the person suffering from a mental illness, but the person standing next to them. For instance, one man’s shirt says “Post traumatic stress disorder,” while the shirt on the person standing next to him says, “Battle buddy.”
This ad parallels our discussion on attitudes, specifically forming and changing these attitudes. The goal of this campaign is to change the stigma linked to individuals suffering from a mental illness. Since these attitudes are primarily built around negative cognitions or beliefs, the objective of the campaign is to inform the public about mental illness, thus stimulating more positive associations with these individuals.
Eating Out for a Change
Posted by: | CommentsI follow one of the executives of Firehouse Agency on Twitter, and recently he has been tweeting a lot about a cause called Eat Out for a Change. Basically it is an effort to boost our economy at an individual level by doing something very simple: eating out. Eating out does not always involve going to a super fancy and expensive place and getting a 5 course meal, restaurants know what the economy is like and they are luring people into their establishments with great deals on meals. Wendy’s has a burger combo for $2.99, Taco Bell has their .79, .89, and .99 items, Subway offers their $5 foot-longs and Chili’s is currently featuring a promotion where you can 2 people get a 3 course meal all for $20. The Firehouse Agency has created this commercial, video etc as a way to tell consumers to get out there and take advantage of these deals because it will not only benefit the economy, but also benefit the individual consumer.
One of the statistics in the video that stuck with me the most was that for every $1 consumers spend, we put $2 back into the economy. It is true that everyone is pinching pennies these days, but everyone still has to eat and spending $5 once a week on a sub from Subway, is not going to break the bank for those who have the means to do it. That one $5 sub will add $10 to the economy that was not there before.
The Firehouse Agency is taking a very socially responsible action, by advocating a cause like this that promotes the betterment of our society. What if every agency in the United States picked a good cause and went above and beyond to promote it? I think we would be on the way to a better world, and it would all be as a result of socially responsible advertising.
The Children ARE Watching
Posted by: | CommentsI saw this ad in church while listening to a sermon on parenting. I am still watching my behavior…
Where are these ads in the US and why is the US government not more active in promoting social values?
Advertising done well makes poeple think, change their attitudes, and can ultimately affect behavior. What did you show a child today?
Disney’s Give a Day featuring James Denton
Posted by: | CommentsDisney's Give a Day featuring James DentonThe definition of social responsibility: an ethical or ideological theory that an entity whether it is a government, corporation, organization or individual has a responsibility to society at large.
Through the “Give a Day” campaign, Disney is promoting volunteerism, a socially responsible behavior that gives back to the community. A reward in the form of a free ticket to a day at the park is offered in return for only one day of service. Using the Muppets, Disney is targeting young families and children specifically, which in some cases is extremely controversial. However, I believe that Disney does it with class and in the long run, this campaign has the ability to incorporate service-learning activities in people’s everyday lives.
It has been my personal experience that “potential” volunteers are not apt to actually help out because they lack knowledge of where to help and motivation. Disney has reached out its hand to these individuals by providing consumers the proper resources to act. Consumers are being offered knowledge about volunteering and better yet, they are given a concrete and promotion-focused goal to meet: one day of service for a free ticket.
Through this campaign, people are inspired to help. Whether or not it is for a desired goal doesn’t concern me because I feel that people are being helped and the promotion is for a good cause. Who really cares if volunteers get something material out of the service exchange? It’s hard for me to consider promoting service as a negative thing. It has, however, sparked up a debate on many online forums about receiving a reward other than self-fulfillment for volunteering. Some critics claim that service in this form is not altruistic.
What critics have said:
“I think if you volunteer to get something in return your heart really isn’t into it.”
“I’d hate to see parents introduce their precious little snowflakes to community service this way…then they will expect something each time they volunteer.”
What do you think? Can socially responsible behavior be rewarded or does the reward negate the service?
Walgreens’ Health Screening Bus Tour
Posted by: | CommentsUnfortunately I can’t find the advertisement I just saw on TV but keep your eye out for the commercial about Walgreens’ Health Screening Bus Tour. Along with AARP, they are performing “2.5 million free health screenings for early detection and prevention of diseases, as well as health education, with a special emphasis on underserved areas. The total value of the screenings to be administered over the course of the tour is estimated at over $60 million”. Walgreens and AARP are being smart in how they go about advertising this. Remember the Cherrios commercial where the grandson and grandpa discuss the grandpa’s cholesterol and the little boy treats his elder’s health tests as though they were actually tests he either passed or failed just like tests in his elementary school? Just the same, in the Walgreens commercial, the little boy asks whether or not his elder’s health test was passed. Not only is Walgreens encouraging the public to take an important step in getting these tests run, but they are providing the service for free and publicizing it in a lighthearted yet caring manner. Considering the economy and the growing concern for health care currently, Walgreens and AARP are being very responsible with their advertising; yes, they are trying to attract consumers but they are rightfully earning the interest by taking such measures.
I will post the advertisement as soon as I can. Look for it on TV or on the Internet.
Responsibility…that’s their policy.
Posted by: | CommentsBack in 2006 Liberty Mutual, an insurance company, decided to define the face of their company and brand with the virtue of Responsibility. Hoping that it would give their brand a positive image as well as attract customers who believed themselves to act in a similar manner. They started this campaign with the release of commercial, with a “pay it forward” kind of message. The commercial became very popular, Liberty Mutual received volumes of emails, phone calls etc praising the positive message the commercial voiced. The commercial can be seen below.
With the release of this commercial Liberty Mutual began a mission to make consumers more responsible human beings, and not just for the sake of buying insurance either. The company developed a website called the Responsibility Project as a way to promote responsibility in our society today. The website contains forums, stories, and blogs about real-life situations and how responsible outcomes can come of them. The website also contains a short-film series that contains real-life situations in which people do, or do not act in a responsible manner.
In Liberty Mutual’s most recent television campaign, which can be explored on the Responsibility Project website, they began releasing commercials focused on the Marlowe Family who LM describes as “A typical American family exploring the tough issues that real people face when trying to do the right thing. “
What I found to be more affective in this campaign as a whole, is a topic we speak about quite often in class, RELEVANCE. A good amount of Americans can relate to the Marlowes, because they are either facing unemployment or other financial hardships. Through the use of the Marlowe Family, Liberty Mutual is making it clear that despite obstacles and setbacks we should always strive to “do the right thing,” because when we do that, we can live in the hope that good things will begin to happen to us. Beyond the Marlowe family, I feel that consumers will be more likely to act in a responsible manner when they can relate to people who they witness acting in a responsible manner, which is made possible through the Responsibility Project website.
Liberty Mutual has developed their entire brand image around relating to their customers through the use of everyday people experiencing everyday occurances. By doing this Liberty Mutal has not only made their comany more responsible, but perhaps consumers in our society as well.
