Celebrity PR

Jennifer Aniston: lately she has been getting some negative PR based on her relationships with Angelina Jolie and her ex, Brad Pitt. There have been alleged rumors that she has been saying negative comments towards Angelina Jolie and her children with Brad.

This negative PR is hurting her brand value based on Jenn’s usual appropriate and friendly persona as a celebrity. She usually comes off as a family gal and is generally accepted by the public as a “good girl”. She has a new movie coming out called Marley and Me, costarring Owen Wilson. If she wants to get more sales of tickets to this movie, she needs to promote her good image through some positive PR and very soon.

Anything In Advertising

One thing about advertising I found interesting is the new promotions for the PINK Collegiate wear at Victoria's Secret. They sent out direct mail about it a few months ago, but since they didnt have UNCG, I didn't order anything. Victoria's Secret has teamed up with many schools, mostly ones with reputable sports teams or larger student bodies, to provide personalized wear for their customers.
It is a good example of two brands teaming up to create more brand value. Many of Victoria's Secret PINK wearers and main consumer target market are college females. This was a great idea on their part, since they already have a large consumer base, and now the college logos offered get more money too.

Message Appeals - What works, what doesn't?

• Good

One advertisement that uses message appeal in a good way is the ads for the Salvation Army. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9dAxSKLtw) It states: "Where ever good can overcome, that's where your money goes." Meanwhile, it shows people in various times of need, a homeless person, people in natural disasters, accidents, etc. It invokes a sense of fear of the situation and in turn invokes a sense of guilt to donate your money. The message intensity was appropriate.
Another advertisement using message appeal is ads for Nationwide Insurance. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aJYvGaeFVA) The appeal is for humor, and although it can be slightly annoying, it uses message appeal in a unique way. It shows a woman playing a gameshow on how to buy insurance. This makes buying insurance seem fun and exciting.

• Bad

One commercial that doesn't seem to utilize its message appeal is the ads for King of Queens. They are played on various networks where it is shown. It shows a clip from the show, but it wasn't even funny. This does not appeal to my sense of humor, or make me want to watch the show at all.
Another commercial that is not working is the commercials for Dancing with the Stars. These ads utilize appeals to fear in order to get you to watch the show. It states: "You better watch it! Only one week left!" The reason this doesn't work too well, is that you are going to be just fine if you miss Dancing with the Stars this week. You will not die, or lose basically anything.

Creative Brief for Orbit Commercial

This possible creative brief is for the Orbit "Dirty Mouth - Pickle! You Kumquat!" Commercial.
Date: 10/27/08
Project: new Orbit gum commercial

Background: I would like to achieve a creative, entertaining, attention-getting, funny, and thoughtful commercial for Orbit gum. We can only measure the success by measuring future sales of Orbit gum. Another terms of success would be "buzz". If the commercial gets lots of attention by word of mouth then it will also be a success.

The Audience: The primary audience would be regular Orbit gum chewers and potential new customers. They are most likely young, energetic, savvy, go-getters who also enjoy fresh breath and flavorful gum. We should avoid anything too serious, or dry. They currently believe, before we tell them anything, that they like chewing gum and might be searching for a new flavor or experience.

Objectives: Our objectives include: a classy, entertaining, youthful, way to connect with our audience. We could include some situation they have most likely been involved in before. We want the commercial to be memorable and laugh-out-loud funny.

The Message: One sentence through all the clutter is: "If you have a dirty mouth, clean it up.. with Orbit new Raspberry gum." We could try to prove it by including a situation where the users have "dirty mouths". We should also include similarity to the other Orbit gum commercials so we don't through the consumer off, for example still utilize our tagline and our "spokesperson", the woman who is in the Orbit commercials.

The Medium: The best way to reach this audience is with wit and humor. We could also use "smart" comments or irony. This piece will be delivered to the consumers via television commercial during popular youthful shows.

Anything Else: no special circumstances

The Deadline: The message must get to the audience a few weeks before the release of the new Orbit gum flavor so we can be present in their minds.

Budget: We have an average commercial budget, nothing too spectacular, just enough money for the hiring of a few actors and the purchase of a few props. The advertisement should focus on the conversation, not the "small stuff".

Responsible Parties: You must return back to me feedback so I can sign off on final execution.

Interesting Outdoor signs (Oct. 3)

Of course every American knows about the most unique and interesting display of outdoor signage, Times Square in NYC. But there are many other interestning outdoor advertisements.

One billboard sign, in particular, that I have noticed is the Dole fruit juice billboards. There are two on the stretch of Interstate 85, between Charlotte and Greensboro. Every time I drive past them, I get excited. They are full of pictures of bright, shiny, delicious-looking fruits. It is an eye-catching and unique billboard. The billboard is definitely one of my favorites.

Another unique billboard and outdoor signage display I am interested in are the I-pod/I-tunes signs and billboards. They are unique in the fact that they get the point across in a simple way. The signs usually include a computer-generated image of a person wearing an i-pod who is dancing or "jamming". I enjoy the simplicity of the ads and also they make me think of when I have seen i-pod tv commercials and the songs that they play on the ads come to my mind. It's just a really cool way of advertsing, in my opinion.

Flat Earth Positioning

I do agree with Flat Earth’s positioning. It’s fun, informative, and it creates favorability in the consumer’s minds. It makes me believe that their brand is unique, even though it is a division of Frito-Lay. Their overall attitude is positive in my opinion; they are doing good to make a healthy chip. Flat Earth’s attributes such as packaging and their usage imagery are also really cool. I love the cute pig in the commercial and the packages look pretty and have nice colors.

I think Flat Earth’s commercial is fun. The commercial may be confusing to some at first glance, if you don’t pay enough attention. You might just think there is a crazy woman following a pig for some odd reason. The commercial is unique and it is enjoyable to watch. The music in the background is appealing, and the pig flying out of the window is attention-getting.

If the brand was positioned to a younger audience, such as college women, I would suggest that they create a more attention grabbing commercial. Maybe it could be louder or “busier”, for example including celebrities or more color or something sparkly. The functional, symbolic, and experiential benefits of the brand positioning work for a younger audience as well. The brand really wouldn’t have to change much to appeal to a younger audience, in my opinion.

Week 3-Ethics in Advertising

I believe that there are basically no ethics in advertising. The whole purpose of creating an advertising campaign for a company or a product is to make it look or seem better in the consumer's eyes. The advertisements don't "lie" about the product, but they are supposed to build up its ratings.
The advertisements about prescription drugs are great for an argument about ethics in advertising. The medical industry needs funding for testing and creation of the drugs, so the advertisers and doctors promote them. Then the consumers want them because they see so many commercials for new drugs. Its like a vicious circle. Then the pharma. reps go around promoting the drugs more, so the doctors are more likely to prescribe them. It seems like it could be slightly unethical seeing as how its dealing with real human beings' health and wellness.
Also, there are questions of ethics in advertising when dealing with marketing to children. I definitely think there should be a line drawn about some marketing some childrens products, such as thongs for nine year olds etc. But I don't think its unethical for marketers to market to children, because how else are they going to sell sugary cereal or toys? Only kids will want those kinds of things.

Top 10 Ad Agencies

U.S. AD AGENCIES
RANKED BY 2007 U.S. REVENUE FROM CORE ADVERTISING SERVICES.
1. McCann Erickson Worldwide* [Interpublic]
2. BBDO Worldwide* (ad only) [Omnicom]
3. JWT* [WPP]
4. Y&R* [WPP]
5. DDB Worldwide* [Omnicom]
6. Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide* [WPP]
7. Grey* [WPP]
8. Campbell-Ewald* [Interpublic]
9. DraftFCB (ad only)* [Interpublic]
10. TBWA Worldwide* [Omnicom]
Taken from: http://adage.com/datacenter/datapopup.php?article_id=126708

I really like the SoBe Life water commercial. I think it makes sense to have the song “Thriller” along with it because their new website is www.thrillicious.com. I love Naomi’s dress in the commercial and I didn’t think she was a bad dancer. I thought it was cute. I still enjoy watching it if it comes on. Although, I can’t say that it has persuaded me to actually purchase Life water yet.
I also like the Budweiser commercials with the horse and the dog. It took me a few viewings to figure out the point of the commercial. But I often just listen to commercials, not watch them. This commercial is very visual. I love the horse, it’s so pretty. I still don’t know what the animals have to do with the products Budweiser sells; but I enjoyed the commercial.

One more commercial I enjoy is the Pepsi commercial where everyone bobs their heads like they are falling asleep and then start dancing at the end. I don’t understand the commercial at all, I just like the song and its catchy and entertaining.

February 10, 2008

In class this week we have been talking about Non-Price decisions and how that influences how well a store or company does in terms of staying in business for longer and making more money. I totally agree that non-price decisions are important to the consumer. These decisions such as store positioning, creating a strong brand identity and providing private label merchandise, are important for providing an important experience to the customers. As a consumer, myself, I tend to shop at stores that give me a certain feeling, more than just purely for product.
At Victoria's Secret, they have the annual fashion shows that are a huge production on CBS. Those fashion shows set the mood and make way for the new fashions that are soon to be arriving in stores. Victoria's Secret creates a stong brand identity that makes the consumers feel that if they purchase some items from the store, then they will also be as beautiful, and sexy as the models wearing the same products in the catalogs and the stores. From the entire store covered in many girls' favorite color, pink, to the luxurious fabric on the seats in the dressing rooms, to the pretty displays, they create an identity, more than just promoting the plain product. This store, in particular, creates a strong brand identity which, in turn, leaves the customers wanting to feel that particular way and so they buy more of the products.

2/3/08

In-depth Customer Profile: Hollister Co.>>At HCO there are 2 main groups of customers. One is middle-class teenagers and pre-teens buying a new t-shirt with thier allowance money, while they are out with their friends. Another is the parents of these teenagers(the baby boomers) buying thier kids new clothes to add to their wardrobes.

Generational Cohorts:>>

• Silver Surfers: 1925-1945>> Most of these people are too old to shop very much. I think the younger ones go to Chico's, Talbotts, or Belks/Macys.
• Baby Boomers: 1946-1964>> They like to shop at anywhere cheap. They love Wa-mart Target, and any discount store.
• Gen X: 1965-1977>> They wear 90's stuff like it is still in style, and are sometimes confused about what is "in" currently. They like to shop at stores that have stuff that is too young for them. Maybe like Express and the Limited.
• Gen Y: 1978-1994>>This is my generation. We like to shop at places where we can get good deals on stuff that is still very fashionable. We like Target, A&F, HCO, Urban Outfitters, and American Eagle.
• Gen Z: 1995-today>>This generation wants the newest and coolest electronics available. They all are growing up too fast, for example 13-yr.olds wearing slutty clothes and 3rd/4th graders wearing bras and having cell phones already. They will probably want stuff with lots of pockets for all of their gadgets and the newest styles.

Generation Y: They watch lots of reality TV, and experienced Y2K, and 9/11 were some major events in their lives so far. They have experienced a trend of new technology which may influence them as consumers.

Some Social Trends:>>Retailers have not yet identified the concern for plus size clothing that fits and looks good and a line that caters to the Latinos/Hispanics. I personally see a need for more jeans options for skinny young women who have muscular legs and a smaller behind.

SWOT analysis

Strengths:

• I am very organized.
• Good time management skills.
• Good at memorization.
• I am a good listener too.
• Good test-taker

Weaknesses:

• Average paper-writer.
• Sometimes forgetful.
• My creativity comes and goes.
• I am often late.

Opportunities:

• Job experience leads to new and better jobs, higher pay.
• Hopefully I will have an internship next summer to gain more experience.
• Grad school a possiblity.

Threats:

• Procrastination and my willingness to try harder.
• Sometimes I am afraid to go for things.
• Other people with more talent.

Mission Statement

"To have a successful and fulfilling life."
>To always have close friends and stay close with my family.
>To get a well-paying, satisfying job.
>Goals: >Finish School with a good gpa.
>Get a good job after finished with school.
>Work for a while to Save Money to be able to afford a house and children.
>Get married and have babies.
>Live close to family :)

RCS 261 (Sunday Jan. 20)

My experience with Retailing:

I don't consider myself very experienced with retailing. I love to shop, but I know that retailing has many aspects that I normally don't consider when going shopping. I have, however worked in a retail store since April 2007. I work at Abercrombie and Fitch, mostly as an "impact team member" as they call it. Basically I work in the back, in the stockroom, most of the time. I pull USR's, which uses a handheld scanner device that tells me which shirt, in what size, and color to pull and put out on the floor for selling. I do prep work, such as steaming, folding, and size-stickering; and also do updates each week. Since working there, mainly only for the discount, I have learned a lot about retailing. I know about loss and loss prevention, and many of the ways in which retail stores work.
I love online shopping, or e-tailing, as well. I don't know much about the recession or many retailing current events, but I am intersted in learning about them. I do know that I check certain stores' websites very often, basically just to see what they have out that is new. I also use the web to research buying more expensive or important items. I even bought all my textbooks online to save money. I think that online retailing is a great idea because so many people these days are pressed for time and it is a great way to get what you need quickly and easily.