The 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?

Dr Pepper TEN

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/

Did you know that by submitting one photo that had water in it to GE’s ecoimagination website last year provided 480 gallons of clean drinking water to developing countries?  By posting a wind photo, 4.5 KW hours of wind powered health clinics in rural Peru and by uploading a photo of light, 175 hours of solar power were given to families in East Timor.  Through GE’s ecomagination website, GE encouraged a joint collaboration with Flickr members to take photos of these elements and “Tag Your Green” allowing for that one simple uploading of a photo affect lives across the globe.  The campaign was very successful and GE achieved their goal of 10,000 photos for each nature element thus changing countless lives.

Since global warming and energy crisis have become buzzwords in the media, companies such as General Electric have decided to turn the negative connotations of the words to a call of action utilizing social media.  Within doing this, they have created a branding moment that demonstrates their understanding for environmental concerns and how their brand in turn can contribute to a “greener” Earth by involving consumers.  On the photoproject website, GE gives tribute to Social Vibe http://www.socialvibe.com/an engagement-marketing website whose belief is the brand should be in the hands of consumers.  On SocialVibe’s website, the company portrays a large global cause platform that is meant to be indispensible to consumers.  By pairing social media to contributing to the greater good, SocialVibe and General Electric have positioned the role of social media to become an agent of change.
Consumers are not only becoming the agents of change, but theopportunity to affect change is in their (the consumers) hands.

GE’s tagline is “Imagination at Work” and it is evident that their imagination is cognizant of the need to be relevant to the younger generation and the countless number of people who interact with social media daily.    As evident of the 2010 campaign, they successfully completed their goal.  By being aware of the use of social media in promoting a cause, the company is not only enacting change, but also linking their name to good works.  General Electric does have quite an advantage for promoting a greener earth, but other companies could also join the cause of utilizing social media and sites such as Social Vibe to jumpstart change in the world.  If by taking a picture of water, posting it on Flickr, and then GE’s website and that one photo changed the life of someone else in the world, think about what would happen if more companies joined in to this concept of taking social media to a whole other level.  Imagination at Work.

Imagination at Work commercial:  http://www.youtube.com/embed/CsW1JE4Hg14?rel=0

The newsletter learnthe4Ps.com highlighted new TED activity!

Are you familiar with TED? TED (an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design) dedicates itself to promoting and disseminating “ideas worth spreading.” TED’s big event is an annual conference with 15‐20 presentations by leading thinkers (check out www.ted.com for more information). Many of these talks are posted at the TEDTalks Web site and later spread virally, where you may have seen one or more.

This past fall, TED moved on to our turf — advertising. It invited anyone to nominate “ads worth spreading” — with the idea that these ads deserved to be seen. TED wanted nominations in four categories: 1) social good, 2) infectiously compelling (viral), 3) industry impact (innovation), and 4) Talk – a format that follows the TEDTalks style.

After reviewing more than 1,000 ads, a panel of 24 judges picked 10 winners. You can see them at the TED Web site – see the first link above.

Take a look and see what you think. Are the judges getting it right?

Richard Castle is a pretty awesome guy.  He’s good-humored, likable, and he’s someone you can depend on when things are tough.  Sound too good to be true?  No – he really is like that.  So what’s the catch, then?  Well, he’s not real . . . sort of.  Richard Castle exists Monday nights for one hour beginning at 9 o’clock.  In case you haven’t heard of or seen the show (and I recommend you do; it’s pretty entertaining) Richard Castle is a bestselling thriller writer living in New York, who, in an attempt to draw inspiration for his writing, spends his time solving crimes with NYPD detectives.  He’s not real.  Yet something strange is occurring, because by some weird turn of events, Richard Castle’s novels are being published in our world – and they’re available at a bookstore near you!

 Castle, a member of the ABC family of television programs, has so far proved relatively successful for ABC, currently airing its third season.  In fact, it seems to have become so successful that a series of books, entitled the Nikki Heat Series, has begun to be published.  Its first title, Heat Wave, was published in 2009, with its second installment, Naked Heat, following earlier this year.  However, these aren’t your normal TV-tie-in books.  Reading the book synopsis and author biography, one begins to see that the publisher, Hyperion, treats both Heat Wave and Naked Heat as if they were, in fact, the actual novels from the Castle show.  For example, the author biography goes so far as to reference an earlier series of books written by Richard Castle.  A fusion of realities has occurred, in which the “real” world of Castle has become part of our everyday life – for the benefit of creating a “Castle Culture” for the program’s fan base.  A pretty smart move by ABC and Hyperion; and if Castle continues to entertain, it can be assumed a new Nikki Heat novel won’t be far off.

For a person entering a bookstore, the purchasing of a book is generally not considered to be a life-changing decision; therefore it would be an example of a low-effort decision.  So, being low-effort, what could compel a shopper to pick up a Richard Castle novel?  For one, there is the availability heuristic, where the shopper may recall details from Castle which would create a positive and vivid show-related experience that has the potential to not only spur them to purchase the novel, but to remind them to tune in as well.  The novels can really be an extension of the DVD products, and if placed together or in close proximity, they may increase the creation of the “Castle Culture” for fans. 

 Buying books, being a fan of a television program – it all comes down to the feelings that one gets from reading a good book or watching an awesome program.  We read the types of books that we like, right?  We watch shows that give us positive feelings, correct?  We do this because of feeling-based decision making, a part of low-effort processing.  ABC has tried to capitalize on this fact – in a rather successful manner, it would seem.  Let’s go back to the bookstore shopper: so they are browsing and come across Heat Wave.  What goes through their mind?  If they pick up the book, flip a few pages, and tuck it under their arms to buy on their way out, they’ve probably undergone affect referral.  Seeing the book reminded them of Castle, which, being a show they like, they associate it with feelings of happiness (it’s part comedy, after all), and as a result the intent to buy the book has happened.  However, not only has the book been sold, but there’s also been a reinforcement and reminder to watch the upcoming episode of Castle.  This same situation plays out on the ABC website for Castle.  Fans logging on to catch the latest episode online will see the advertisement for Heat Wave or Naked Heat.  This may prompt them to stop by the bookstore and buy a copy.  These techniques are serving to increase the brand familiarity of ABC, reinforcing their current viewers and hopefully also championing new ones.  Bookstores and websites are also performing another task: together they are engaging in co-branding.  The shopper who buys the book tunes in later to watch Castle; the viewer who goes online stops by Barnes & Noble or Borders to buy Heat Wave – in both cases, ABC and Hyperion are reaping the benefits.  Co-branding is allowing them to reach an even wider audience then they would be able to alone. 

In partnership, both companies are growing in popularity – not to mention profits.  And we, the consumers, are enjoying immersing ourselves in the life of Richard Castle, through print and images.  ABC’s on to a good idea – combining the imaginary and the real into one and the same.  What’s next?  How about airline tickets to the island of Lost . . .  

Social media is truly the wild, wild, west of the advertising industry.

This is especially true when deciding how to regulate information as it is disseminated throughout social media channels. The regulatory bodies are struggling to police an overwhelming amount of new content (the internet) while staying current by creating and enforcing applicable regulations.

One example of regulation in the new medium comes from the Food and Drug Administration’s Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications. The FDA was able to find and reprimand a pharmaceutical company based on its use of social media.

The company, Novartis, was providing information through a Facebook sharing widget on the company’s US consumer website. The widget is simply a clickable button (Pictured below) that will allow consumers to share the Novartis generated content with everyone in their Facebook and Twitter networks.

The content would be shared without the normal regulations placed on pharmaceutical companies such as conveying risks, directing them to more information or possible side effects.

In a letter sent to Novartis, the FDA stated that the shared content is deceptive because it “makes representations about the efficacy of Tasigna but fails to communicate ANY risk information associated with the use of this drug”. Tasigna is a drug that treats chronic myloid leukemia and the FDA realized that the risk to consumers was substantial.In this case, the FDA was fortunate to catch the unintentional deceptive practices but the era of relying on regulators to help weed-out misleading messages is over.

Social media has many murky areas for advertisers, including marketing of alcohol.  In the past, manufacturers have required everyone to enter their birth date when entering their private website while Facebook and Twitter don’t require a minimum age to access content. The general rule in television advertising is that the general audience for the ad should not have more than 30% of the audience under 21. With social media, curious consumers of any age can access pictures of adults at various stages of intoxication, read comments advocating the use of alcohol, see promotions, and play games directly on the libation manufacturer’s page.

The Federal Trade Commission and consumer watchdog groups are doing their best to monitor alcohol-related content, but are having little success because of the overwhelming number of outlets.

So where does the responsibility fall?

The responsibility falls on the shoulders of the institution of advertising, now more than ever. Advertisers and other message builders must step-up and take responsibility to police their own actions and realize the impact that the institution has on society. Not only does the institution of Advertising reflect societal and cultural beliefs, it also models ‘rules’ of behavior. If agencies continue to use misleading practices and model negative behavior they could change the normative values of society.

These ideas are especially important when addressing the issue of social media because the enormous volume of messages shared daily can never be monitored comprehensively. So with the shift of power from the few traditional gatekeepers to the general public, the institution of advertising must mirror this move and take on more responsibility.

In the fast evolving and quickly changing landscape of social media, the responsibility must shift toward individual agencies to produce work that is beyond the obligation to the client by serving the good of society.

Since this is a social media course, I found this very neat. While playing on facebook, I went to the dogbook I created for my dogs. Then, I noticed at the top of the page a perfectly positioned ad for the Honda Element…. which they have made DOG FRIENDLY!? Of course, being a dog owner, I clicked on the ad which took me to Honda’s website  for the Element. What a great concept. They have dog proofed the car with ruber floor mats, and have added a kennel in the back, along with a ramp, a fan to keep your pooch cool, and a water bowl that fits into the car and won’t spill.

This is a great example of how social media can be such a great tool for marketers. I also think Honda did a great job with this concept. In a world that shouts at consumers to demand luxury vehicles… Honda appeals to the consumer’s love for their pets, and their reasonable side. Well done Honda.

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/06/how-to-advertise-on-your-blog-without-completely-selling-out.html

Since this is a blog dedicated to the pursuit of responsible advertising, I found this article very interesting. While very opinionated, it gives bloggers good guidelines for adding advertising to their blogs, while limiting the intrusiveness of the ads. It also helps bloggers to decide where to post ads, offering ideas such as not advertising on new content to reward frequent readers, and perhaps delaying advertising on content until it has aged a bit.

After the destructive earthquakes in Haiti in January, SMU’s Student Senate began a program called SMU’s Heart Beats for Haiti. The idea is that donors pay money and get their name put on a heart, which is posted in Hughes Trigg. Your name is also posted on the SMU Website. For organizations the price is $1,000 for a heart. The money all goes to the Clinton-Bush Relief Fund. As far as advertising goes, I think that SMU students have really come together and put in a lot of time and effort to see this succeed. SMU’s Heart Beats for Haiti can be found on Facebook and many people have made comments about it on their twitter pages. Students volunteer to sell hearts everyday outside of Hughes Trigg. The campaign is unique, involved, and persuasive. It is a fine example of some local advertising here on campus.

Land’s End, in partnership with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (MCH), the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), and its retailer Sears, has begun an initiative they dubbed “BigBostonWarmUp.”  It began in Boston and has spread nationwide. With its goal to provide coats to keep the nation’s homeless warm in the upcoming freezing winter months, especially in Boston, Sears has asked consumers to bring in their lightly-used coats to its Land’s End Shop at Sears. In return, Sears will grant a discount of 20% off any new Land’s End coat purchased by the consumer. The website, available at http://www.bigwarmup.com/, tracks how many coats are donated per store, per state, and how many homeless are in that state. A heart, which is a motif they have used recurrently on the website, is placed next to the store in which most coats have been donated. Once you donate your coat, you can track where it is and where it has finally been donated. The site also provides statistics of the steadily increasing size of the homeless population (11% increase in Boston last year alone), and the fact that most of them are families is very sobering.

The commercial Land’s End Shop at Sears has created to promote its initiative is extremely creative! The commercial begins with a drama–a story unfolds about a mother who gives her son a red, Land’s End coat for Christmas. She sews on his name, and the commercial follows him through milestones in his life: college,, first kiss, marriage, children, moving, etc. Finally, it’s time to dispose of the coat that has been with him his whole life. The next screen shows a homeless man receiving the coat. The incredible twist to this online commercial is that at the end, we see a woman leaving the shelter holding a coat; when she looks down to see the name of the past owner, it’s your name! It ends with: “[Your Name], your gently used coat can help one of our nation’s many homeless people stay warm this coming winter.”

The commercial (featured above) inspires affective involvement from its viewers–it is both touching and surprising in that it really drives the point home that social responsibility is not just a lofty idea, it is a something YOU can do for one another. It makes social responsibility relevant to each consumer, on a personal level, literally by name. This ad demonstrates shared values we strive for in our culture, namely the importance of family, greater social unity, and generosity towards the less fortunate. The drama that opens the ad hooks us in with its relevance to the life of any average American. And that is the point–every average American can make a difference. The company is also uniting altruistic motives with profit-based motives, in that in addition to donating, it also sells it products (new coats) and promotes positive associations of the Land’s End brand. Moreover, it is using social media and optimizing on the current trend of internet advertising and user-generated content. It also targets the disposition of the product in the consumption behavior tripartite model, and reducing the buyer’s perceived risk and hesitation of buying a new coat and  having to dispose of the old coat–we are instead recycling and not wasting. Additionally, the music aids in this perfect example of transformational advertising–it is touching, yet simple.

Enjoy the commercial, and have fun sending it to others!! And remember, only 12 more days to donate a coat (the campaign ends in November).

http://adage.com/goodworks/post?article_id=140412

http://www.experienceproject.com/index.php

I have found this great Advertising Age article above regarding the media campaign “Help the Honey Bees” by Haagen-Dazs. Through the ExperienceProject.com website, the company raises awareness and educates the public about the mysterious epidemic of hive collapse, called Colony Collapse Disorder, and its threat to global well-being.

I personally think that this is a great initiative and is very memorable and involving. The website is structured in very personal way where real people share their stories, experiences and confessions. It also challenges the people to eat healthy thus promoting healthy living. It is a great cause-related marketing campaign which gives the opportunity both to the company and its customers to show they care.

Of course, there are people who can argue that at the end of the day, it’s all about money, about products and marketing. And they are right, but I will pose the question: so what? Of course companies need to care about profits, if they didn’t, then they could go bankrupt and thus the consequence will be severe – with many jobless people. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with a company trying to be profitable – after all that is why companies exist. It is the means to achieving this profitability that I believe matter. If companies are concerned with profits only and are ready to do anything to meet the quarterly sales (and by anything I mean without consideration for the people, environment, and society), then I see a problem. However, when companies show that they care about social issues and try to help social causes such as the honey bee crisis, then go ahead!!! It is a win-win situation for the companies, people, society, and environment. And furthermore, if the execution of the marketing cause is done in a creative and involving way such as the website Haagen Dazs developed, then I believe that the company has truly managed to make a difference and has made the world a better place.

What do you think?