Archive for Concerns in Advertising
Do Advertisers Have The Flu Bug?
Posted by: | CommentsThis year, the world witnessed a major pandemic of a type of swine influenza called H1N1. This outbreak of the swine flu has caused consumers to be more concerned about getting a flu vaccine and taking preventative steps to counteract the spread of the virus.
Yet as fears of the swine flu increase, so do the number of flu prevention advertisements, especially within household cleaning product categories like soap and antibacterial cleaners. Brands like Dial, Purell, and Lysol have all released marketing efforts aimed at educating consumers on flu prevention (see the Wall Street Journal article).
Other campaigns have focused on vaccine preventions. Take this Walgreens TV spot centered on the importance of receiving the flu vaccine:
This ad features Walgreens CEO advocating early flu vaccination to protect your loved ones. This ad would appeal to those consumers who value their health during the cold and flu season. Walgreens positions their brand as a helping partner to help consumers fight the flu. The spot uses appeals like ease of effort with convenient hours and days of business. Using Walgreens’s CEO, a pharmacist himself, increases the credibility of the advertisement.
Some bloggers and consumers, however, feel that the exploitation of consumer fear of getting sick is “quite a sleazy course of conduct” ( see the Wall Street Journal article). Dean Crutchfield, an independent branding consultant, believes marketers should donate resources to school and hospitals instead of increasing their marketing budgets. These actions create a sense of benevolence and charity around their brand.
This sense of goodwill is exactly what brands like Walgreens are doing. Walgreens partnered with Dr. Oz from the Oprah show to educate about preventing the flu and committed to distributing 1 million dollars worth of flu shots to those in need. Take a look at their feature on Dr. Oz’s show:
Other brands are taking similar steps to provide sanitizers and cleaning products to schools and hospitals in need.
There will always be those critics who say the flu vaccine is unnecessary or even harmful. But with 14 to 34 million cases of H1N1 and 2,500 to 6,000 H1N1-related deaths in just seven months of 2009 ( see more statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) any preventative step could be seen as necessary. Advertisers can help keep the flu at bay by playing a role in the education and prevention of the swine flu for consumers. Now that’s what I call a clean bill of health.
What do you think: is it ethical for advertisers to market swine flu prevention-related products and services?
Obama, NFL players encourage kids to exercise for 60 min every day
Posted by: | Commentshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXsoDx9s0j0&feature=player_embedded
There is a series of great NFL commercials running on TV advocating for more active children. I think that this is a great initiative given the rising problem of obesity among young children and the common concern that children spend too much time at home infront of the TV and the computer. This is a great example of how advertising is good for society. I especially like President Obama’s involvement in the campaign as a role model to many Americans.
The campaign advocates not only active and exercising children, but it also encourages personal relationships among children. If kids spend too much time online while their parents are at work, their only friends will be the virtual ones and the ones on the online games. However, such kids are missing the personal touch and emotions they can have if they are playing outside with other kids.
This is a great example of a cause marketing campaign which proves one more time that advertising, if used right, is good for society. By recognizing the current problem in society of children obesity and addressing it in the campaign through providing a solution to it - exercising at least 60 min a day in a fun way (by playing with peers), advertisers can change behavior in a way beneficial to society. Here is when the persuasive character of advertising comes into play. Furthermore, by using of influential figures such as Obama and NFL players, the advertisers not only facilitate higher attention among consumers, but I also believe that consumers will elaborate on the message in the ad and hopefully change their behavior in the long run.
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?
Plan B making its way into Advertising… What is Next?
Posted by: | CommentsThe issue of contraceptives remains scandalous to talk about it in the first place, but the scandal instantly grows when contraceptives are advertised on television. The only thing that could make this scandal become even bigger would be an ad for abortion, and many consider the new ads in the UK about The Morning after Pill to be pretty darn close. View the following ad:
Just two weeks ago, the pharmaceutical brand of Levonelle aired the first ever Morning after Pill advert in London. I am sure that this will surprise no one, but some rejoiced that this information was broadcasted on television while others adamantly complained that this would translate into younger girls desiring this pill and using it as their method of choice instead of a pro-active birth control method. Opponents of the advert also criticized the commercial due to their belief that it will innately lead to an increase in teen promiscuity.
While this is the first time that I know of that The Morning after Pill has been advertised on television, it is reasonable to assume that Levonelle has initiated a new trend. Birth control ads have been seen on television in the United States, but not the Morning After Pill. I thought that this was an appropriate issue, since as of two weeks ago the United States government ordered that Plan B (another name for The Morning after Pill) to be sold OTC to those 17+ (the original law was 18+).
With the Obama administration changing this law so soon in his presidential term, I think this amendment is the beginning of a new trend in the United States. In the UK, women 16+ can purchase Plan B without a prescription; do you think that America will eventually drop the age limit even more like the UK? Also, do you think that we will begin to see Plan B commercials aired on American television? If so, do you think that is going to become a controversy in the advertising world? Advertising is supposed to be socially responsible right?…But I think supporters of pro-choice, abortion, and The Morning After Pill would consider Levonelle’s ad to be socially responsible. Levonelle does prevent pregnancy, but is it safe to advertise the pill when there are so many critics and complaints about it.
Why We Love Advertising
Posted by: | CommentsI know we’ve been talking a lot in class about why we all love advertising, and why it’s a “virtuous” profession, so I thought we should share our thoughts on the subject! Most people argue that advertising is a horrible profession and an obnoxious intrusion of personal space. What would your counter-argument be? How would you prove to someone that advertising, if done correctly, can be beneficial? How can advertising be “virtuous”?
I love advertising because it requires creative thinking and execution in order to reach people.
But what are your thoughts??
Mastercard’s “Priceless”: Do Virtues Translate?
Posted by: | CommentsWe have featured several commercials from Mastercard’s “Priceless” campaign on AdVirtues. In fact, the campaign was featured on the Getting It Right page as an example of a consistently virtuous, heart-warming, and inspiring campaign. However, one of my favorite “Priceless” spots has not yet been mentioned and taking another look at the ad brought up some interesting questions for me, namely can virtues, or more specifically virtuous advertising, translate across cultures?
Take a look at Mastercard’s “My Favorite Things,” and below I will consider some of the implications in the relationship between international or multicultural and virtuous advertising.
In my opinion, virtuous advertising could present itself as either one of the most problematic forms of advertising, in terms of translation into international or ethnic markets, or as one of the greatest opportunities for advertisers to gain a true understanding and connect with those markets.
Bring Back Face Time
Posted by: | CommentsAs social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace become more and more popular and as a growing number of these social sites are being created, people are spending an increasing amount of time in front of their computers. We all know how addicting these kind of sites can be, and have probably been on sites like facebook and youtube when we really should have been studying, but have people been using social networks at the expense of their relationships? I think it is important that we remember the importance of personal interaction, and that there are other ways to communicate besides using twitter or IM. I think it is great that Dentyne created an ad that makes you want to get out and spend time with your friends and loved ones instead of just sending them an email. I think that the idea of “making face time” is such a responsible and healthy message for the public.
This campaign made me start to think about the value of social media marketing sites versus the value of human interaction. While the internet is such a great way to reach a large amount of people, do you think there are ways to create word of mouth marketing that involve actual interaction with customers, and do you think that this personal contact would be more persuasive or effective than marketing on the internet. How can companies use social media effectively and increase their face time with consumers? I know that personal contact can be an important part of the shopping process for me and should not be overlooked.
Twouble with Twitters-How far can Social Media go?
Posted by: | CommentsWarning: This video contains minor profanity
This YouTube video is basically a mockery of the lengths at which social media and social networking sites have infiltrated our lives, and to an extent have consumed all aspects of our daily lives and interactions with others. The video enlists characters of every different personality and shows them twittering about extremely random and often irrelevant subjects. Even at the end of the video when the character is facing his death, he says “hold on I need to twitter about this.” So while I agree that social media is extremely helpful at relaying positive messages in an effective way, at the same time it produces a negative side effect: people being consumed by technology and casting off normal human interaction. This relates to the whole idea of cell phone usage. I often find myself guilty of giving into the power of cell phones and texting. It is my belief that when you are with someone and they are constantly on their phone, texting, making calls in a sense they are saying that that phone and the person on the other end is more valuable than their time with you. It is offensive. Same thing with social media to an extent. When people abuse the powers of social media networks and become addicts it destroys the natural communication between humans. In fact page 113 of our Secrets of Social Media book discusses how “adults cringe at that kind of talk, believing that it confirms their suspicion that kids are forsaking meaningful person-to-person contact in favor of idle online chatter.” So as social media marketing students, what would you say is our responsibility to promoting a healthy amount of social media. Do you agree with the fact that social networking sites can go to far? Additionally, what are some ways or approaches that social media can encourage healthy usage?
Octuplet Mom wants to be Sponsored
Posted by: | Comments
This article before getting to this point discussed the mother of the Octuplets and how obvious it is that she only had this many kids in order to become famous and to be “Sponsored” by all different types of brands that want to be seen. But what are these brands Supporting??? This woman is in NO place to be having 8 more kids after she already has 6 under the age of 8 and does not have a stable life. However it seems like anyone will do anything to get a free ride these days and as a brand this is not the things that we want to be promoting! “And, hey, TLC? You need to think about what, exactly, you’re selling.” adage If the family needs thing donate it to give them these objects that they need but you do not need to be putting your name with these products! What are yalls thoughts should brands support the mom of the Octuplets????
What about this sells jeans?
Posted by: | CommentsJust like people, sometimes companies don’t learn the first time around, and apparently Calvin Klein is one of those companies. As shown below, their ad showing Eva Mendes promoting their Obsession fragrance was banned due to racy content. I must warn you before viewing, that this commercial is pretty pg-13, and the reasons for the ban are pretty obvious (not only is it racy, but her nipple is also shown). Well, according to New York Magazine, Calvin Klein is even coming out with a racier ad. I realized that it must be pretty racy because all the links I found to the ad had already been removed due to content violations. The magazine reports that it shows men and women in only jeans while participating in sexual encounters including threesomes…oh and more nipples… While New York magazine said that the commercial will be banned within the US “because if anyone in the U.S. sees a bare breast for a millisecond, children will die, obviously,” I think that this is a problem that a company would try to produce such a terrible and degrading ad ONCE AGAIN. I mean what about this is productive for our society? And please tell me how this actually sells jeans?
To view New York Magazine’s article by Amy Odell: http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/01/video_calvin_kleins_revives_sc.html
