Archive for November, 2011
Movember: If You Don’t Know, Google It
Posted by: | CommentsEach November, thousands of men around the world proudly sport mustaches in an attempt to raise awareness for men’s health issues such as prostate cancer. The movement, endearingly dubbed ‘Movember’, effectively creates “walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November” (movember.com). In addition to calling attention to men’s health issues, the movement also raises funds through participating men that seek sponsorships for their mustaches. The money raised is funneled to several organizations such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG. According to the website, in 2010 the movement raised an impressive $7.5mm.
This year, Movember efforts will likely be even more widespread thanks to an uplifting commercial from Google Chrome that depicts everything you can do when you use the Chrome browser to search for information on Movember.
Because the ad speaks to both Google Chrome and Movember it has benefits for both groups. Aside from the obvious benefit of increased exposure, the advertisement also serves both groups by using imagery to influence consumer decisions. With imagery, consumers “attempt to imagine themselves consuming the product or service and can use any emotions they experience as an input” for their decision (Hoyer MacInnis). The advertisement facilitates this by showing a mouse pointer using Google Chrome to navigate to all sorts of Movember-related sites. Viewers can easily relate to this because most people are intimately familiar with the act of navigating the web for information. People can readily see themselves as the person behind the pointer. Further, the images that result from the advertisement’s simulated search depict a wide variety of people engaging in all type of moustache-related activities. The vivid images are not only emotionally-stirring, they also make it easy for all types of consumers to imagine themselves taking part in the fun. The hope is that these pleasant and vivid images “will exert a positive…influence” on the consumer’s decision process (Hoyer MacInnis). This positive influence will result in the consumer feeling good both about using Google and taking part in the Movember movement.
The ad also plays on the consumer’s mood in order to positively influence the decision process. Research shows that consumers who are in a good mood are not only more willing to process information but also have a tendency to rate products more positively (Hoyer MacInnis). The enjoyable music, coupled with the rapid display of fun graphics and pictures in Google’s advertisement are designed to stimulate positive feelings. The consumer can’t help but feel good after watching it. This good mood will in turn influence the consumer to feel more positively towards both the Movember movement and Google Chrome.
The ultimate result of the ad is to stimulate positive feelings towards Google Chrome that will hopefully result in consumers keeping the product at the top of their consideration set when deciding which internet browser to use. The added benefit is that a worthy cause gets a vast amount of positive exposure. The uplifting depiction of the movement will hopefully inspire people and influence them to participate in the Movemeber movement.
Sources:
www.movember.com
Hoyer, Wayne D. and Deborah J. MacInnis (2008), Consumer Behavior, 5th edition, South-western Cengage Learning: Ohio.
Beer Institute Seeks to Ensure Ethical Alcohol Advertising
Posted by: | CommentsThe Better Business Bureau, the organization that presides over the Beer Institute, recently ruled that the Coors Light Bus Boy ad unintentionally violated the Beer Institute’s Advertising and Marketing Code. According to the code, “Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray or imply illegal activity of any kind.” In the ad, there is a male that is constantly picking up Coors Light beers in a bar setting. After a while, a waitress notes that the “new bus boy” is doing a great job of cleaning off beers on the tables, to which the boss responds “I didn’t hire a bus boy”. While the underlying or intended meaning of the ad is that Coors Light is so good that people will go to crazy resorts to get it, an additional meaning that Coors Light is worth stealing is the reason for the criticism towards the ad.
While I wouldn’t have really taken such a literal meaning from the ad, I believe the rationale of the Beer Institute is understandable. While Coors itself doesn’t really believe that they have done wrong, they have agreed to stop running the ad as a result of the Better Business Bureau’s ruling. Alcohol advertising is a part of the overall institute of advertising that gets a lot of criticism for unethical advertising. I commend the Beer Institute for creating a non-legal but authoritative ethical standard in an attempt to change this reputation. If we as advertisers continue to create standards for ourselves and regulate ourselves, I believe we will be able to eventually gain credibility and positively impact people’s attitudes towards advertising while performing our business related roles.
I also believe that as advertisers we must look at our ads from several perspectives before we publish the work. While Coors intended to sell their product using a humorous story, there are ways to use humor without portraying or romanticizing illegal activities. If we could really scrutinize our work from an ethical point of view, we could avoid wasting time and money airing ads that won’t be approved our self-regulating structures. By taking time at the forefront to view the ethical impact of our advertising messages, I believe we can avoid a lot of time wasted and financial loss in the future.
FASHION AD BANNED BECAUSE OF TOO SKINNY MODEL
Posted by: | Comments
Britain’s AD standards authority just put the axe to a drop dead clothing ad,because of a complaint that the model was too skinny.Female models in advertisements are mostly young very thin, and very thin models create dissatisfaction with ones own body and appearance.Research shows that young women do compare themselves with models in ads and that such self comparisons can affect self esteem.Unfortunately,this value can be carried to extremes and can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.As a result,consumers feel inadequate if they do not measure up to the comparison person.Consumers who feel threatened by such comparisons will lie about their behavior to protect their self esteem.AD with female models really have effects on people especially young people,so marketers should know the type of models to use for a particular product and marketers should not show ads that will make consumers dissatisfied with their appearance.
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/another-fashion-ad-banned-because-too-skinny-model-136488
Barefoot Wine. Socially responsible advertising, One Beach at a time.
Posted by: | CommentsIn an effort to promote the importance of keeping our nation’s beaches clean and trash-free, Barefoot wine decided to do something a little unexpected when it comes to advertising.
They have long been a part of promoting beaches that are “barefoot” friendly and free of litter, and along with sponsoring the “One Beach” video about keeping our beaches trash-free, as well as their 2011 Beach Rescue Project, they have opted for a nontraditional ad: a 14×10 foot outdoor poster created entirely of 18,000 pieces of beach trash and mounted in the busy, touristy city of Venice Beach, California.
From their many beach rescue events, to their extensive promotion of doing your part, and their partnerships with Surfrider Foundation, they have found their niche in the world of social responsibility and are definitely trying to get people thinking about the effects of their actions.
As you can see, the outdoor advertisement stands out from any other ordinary poster or billboard and truly sets the agenda that littering, especially along our coastline, is not okay. Barefoot Wine realizes something needs to be done about this issue in order to turn the problem around and promote cleaner beach environments that are safer for wildlife and tourists alike.
The outdoor advertisement, which promotes their movie while also promoting their brand, influences individuals in a creative way by showing them just how dirty some of our nation’s beaches are. Barefoot Wine’s ad was created to draw people to the ad and capture attention, creating buzz about the topic along the way.
Although the advertisement definitely looks cool, most people who stumble upon this ad while at the beach will have a relatively low level of motivation to process its message. However, the fact that the ad stands apart from other traditional outdoor billboards and posters, takes the peripheral route when it comes to processing information. Consumers form positive attitudes about the advertisement’s message once they realize what the ad is made out of and true intent of the ad’s meaning. Those who are motivated enough by the ad’s message will actually take it a step further and watch the complete 30 minute “One Beach” video on YouTube, which details the extent of the issue.
It is pretty rare to see shock advertising done in a way that actually gets people thinking about a socially responsible topic, such as recycling and reducing waste, but the local California company definitely created an ad that is getting people talking. After commenting on Barefoot Wine’s facebook page, they even sent me a message with more information on the stories behind their One Beach film and campaign, which feature even more amazing details about the people in the video and the steps they are taking towards helping our environment and beaches than I had originally thought.
All in all, the interesting and socially responsible ad by Barefoot Wine really does a great job at persuading consumers of the need for a solution to this problem. Although they are indirectly promoting their wine brand, they are creating buzz about a topic that many people do care about, leading to positive emotions and feelings about the brand in the end. The fact that they truly do care about this initiative is very evident when looking not only at their advertisements, but also at their website and social media pages. The hope is that people passing this particular ad, while walking down the boardwalk, will form a positive attitude towards the brand’s message and advertisement, eventually increasing their liking towards the company as a whole.
Barefoot Wine: Beach Rescue Project
Barefoot Wine Dive Deeper: Stories Behind One Beach
Miracle on 34th Street
Posted by: | CommentsWalk into any major department store or any retailer for that matter, a consumer will know that the holiday season is approaching, specifically Christmas. There might be a small section dedicated to those who are still intending on celebrating Thanksgiving, but all in all, Christmas music, trees, lights, ribbons, garlands, and snowmen abound in many stores.
Macy’s is one such retailer that has been specifically tied to the holiday season through its long-standing name in the retail business, movies (namely Miracle on 34th Street), and the classic Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. To reflect their years of bringing the holiday spirit, two years ago, Macy’s Department store advertised their brand through nostalgic marketing. Footage in the commercial showed clips from the late 1800s, the parade, movies that have used their name, and reality TV shows. The end of the commercial states, “Only one store has been part of your life for 150 years. That’s the Magic of Macy’s. This commercial works so well, because Macy’s has successfully branded their name by allowing people to remember a particular association with the store. It even allows for consumers to reinterpret their own memories of when they first saw or heard the original referenced clips. Even if a consumer was not there to walk into Macy’s in the late 1800s, they may remember a memory of watching the parade or watching a holiday classic such as Miracle on 34th street. This ad does appeal to consumers who have high MAO, because it allows the consumer to create a persona and image of what this brand represents and has done over the past 150 years. It allows the viewer to be part of the experience and to create a prototype of the Macy’s brand.
In terms of social responsibility, especially around the holiday seasons, in the past few years, Macy’s created a campaign called “Believe” and paired their name with Make-A-Wish. In every Macy’s department store, there was a mail box for Santa, and for each letter that was mailed, one dollar was given to the Make-A-Wish foundation. Essentially, the company would give up to $,1,000,000 to the foundation. There were a couple of commercials that were produced borrowing from the story, Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus.
2009
2010
The campaign was effective, because it reached the $1 million goal of giving to Make-A-Wish. This campaign not only captures a positive aspect of the season through giving, especially if child knows that by mailing their letter to Santa through Macy’s mailbox, they are helping other children, but it also gives a positive message to believing. The store is also promoting the idea that it is okay to believe and to be a kid.
Macy’s department store is placed in a positive light because it looks like a store that believes in the spirit of the season, even if they (the department store) are in the business of making money. The “Believe” campaign is currently underway and can be followed through the Macy’s Believe website.
It will be interesting to see how other companies will compete and roll out good tidings to all in this holiday season.
Exclusion of Groups of Individuals….Socially Responsible?
Posted by: | CommentsThe advertising industry, as a whole, has a hard time gaining and maintaining a reputation of being socially responsible. One way to combat this issue is to make it a priority to go beyond what is asked of you in order to find a more responsible result. Is the inclusion of one group of consumers and the exclusion of another considered socially responsible, or is this issue simply up to the consumer to decide? The new Dr Pepper Ten campaign that recently rolled out serves as an excellent example of how this issue could be viewed from multiple perspectives.
Dr Pepper Ten, a reduced-calorie soda, has recently produced a national ad campaign specifically targeting men. This campaign does so bluntly, proudly, and unapologetically through the use of the tagline “Not for Women.” Dr Pepper Ten was developed after the Dr Pepper Snapple Group found that men desired a low calorie soda that was more manly appearing that that of current diet sodas. It was this finding which prompted them to target their advertising explicitly at the male population. However, the question still exists…is this considered socially responsible?
Not only to the print advertisements read “Not for Women,” but the commercials, as well as the Dr Pepper Ten facebook page unambiguously leave out women as well. The commercials depict muscled men running through the jungle in a combat-like setting, all the while saying, “Hey ladies, enjoying the film? Course not. Because this is out movie, and Dr Pepper Ten is our soda. It’s only ten manly calories, but with all 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper. It’s what guys want…so you can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks, we’re good.” Their facebook page has a list of the “Ten Man’ments” describing the “definitive guide to social protocol for men.” Some of these include: “Thou shalt not OMG. If it’s not exploding, its not exciting,” and “Thou shalt not pucker up. Kissy faces are never manly.” This campaign will also include a mobile “Man Cave” that will travel across the major markets, as well as “testosterone zones” where men will be able to watch TV and play video games at sporting events and car shows. Did Dr Pepper need to go this far to target the male population? Does simply targeting men actually make it a “manly” drink?
Unfortunately, these are the types of advertisements that bring up the issue of what is actually considered socially responsible in the advertising industry. This ad campaign automatically raised the question of social responsibility in the industry from news outlets all over the place. These instances are the ones, which need to be kept in mind when determining the effectiveness of targeting certain groups of people in advertisements. Many of the advertisements like the one above would reach the same conclusion without excluding significant portions of the population. Consumer behavior and persuasion theories are all about providing the most relevant information to the most relevant groups of people, however this can be done just as easily in a more socially responsible way. It is important to keep in mind the personality characteristics of individuals when creating ad campaigns. Specifically, Dr Pepper must realize how gender and sexual orientation affect consumer behavior. It is increasingly difficult to simply advertise to just men, or just women as many men may exhibit feminine qualities as well as women exhibiting masculine qualities. With this being said, both men and women could ultimately take offense to this advertisement. Men may find it an overt stereotype, while many women may find it extremely sexist. Dave Fleming, Director of Marketing at Dr Pepper says that they are not out to alienate women, but isn’t that exactly what they are doing? With a company as popular as Dr Pepper, don’t you think they should make more of an effort to product more socially responsibly ad campaigns?
This advertisement is just one example of an issue that faces the advertising industry on an everyday basis. There are too many different types of individuals in our consumer culture today to simply exclude a group of consumers who have just as much buying power as those who are targeted. If this trend continues, the advertisements may start getting much more offensive than what we are seeing today. Is excluding a specific group of individuals socially responsible. It doesn’t seem so.
http://adage.com/article/news/dr-pepper-10-avoid-marketing-missteps-pepsi-coke/148983/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/10/dr-pepper-ten-its-not-for-women-macho-marketing-campaign-says/
