U just Gotta Get 'em (UGG boots)

There are hundreds of brands of shoes out there, and thousands of styles/types of shoes. I myself have over 100 pairs of shoes, and my collection grows on a weekly basis it seems like. However, I would have to say, my favorite pairs of shoes are definitely my UGG boots. I have 3 pairs in my collection! How did I hear about this brand or what made me decide to fork over my entire piggy bank to purchase these high-priced shoes? Well, I had never seen an advertisement for UGGs before I bought my first pair, but I did HEAR about them. When I was in highschool, a few girls had gotten UGGs as a birthday present or a Christmas present and word was going around about how awesome these boots were. People were not only talking about how stylish they were, but about how expensive they are. Once I saw them (on the other girls) I fell in love. I started researching the fabulous boots online, and found that I couldn't buy a pair for any less than $150! Wow, what kind of high school student could afford these with a part-time, minimum wage job? Well, I saved up for over a month and I finally was able to buy my very own UGGs.

I completely believe that Word-of-Mouth is the best strategy for most brands. It is one of the most credible strategies and someone spreading the word about a brand passes on a positive and powerful message, and its completely free! Although the above variety of print ads for UGG Austrailia are quite attention grabbing and appealing, for such a high quality, well known brand that is universal, such advertisements are almost unnecessary. In my opinion, the advertisements that UGG Austrailia puts out are to inform current customers of new styles and the variety of products that are available. People who do not already own UGGs may not be intrigued by the simple print ads, but they will be hooked on the product once they see them and feel them and try them on for themselves. I mean, they must be totally amazing if they make people like them so much they are willing to pay such a high price for them. But the sky-high prices are understandable, because the materials are high-quality, durable, and extremely comfortable. To find out more about these perfect boots, visit the brand's official website: http://www.uggaustralia.com.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

During the few weeks in November that lead up to Thanksgiving, there are tons of advertisements. The advertisements mostly focus on food products such as turkeys, stuffing, potatoes, etc. and spending time with your family. Well, food and family is what Thanksgiving is all about, right?

For some people, besides the big 'turkey day" meal, the most exciting part about Thanksgiving time is... BLACK FRIDAY! The Friday that follows Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the entire year. Many big retailers mark down products for the special day, and even have special hours, open at 4am or even at midnight!

The advertisements that I automatically think about when Thanksgiving week approaches are the Target commercials, featuring the "Christmas Champ". This middle aged lady is Crazy about the 2-day sale at Target that starts on Black Friday at 4am. She prepares for the big event for weeks, by physically training (in red stilettos and a red and white jump suit), practicing wrapping presents, and scoping out the store ahead of time. You can even follow her on Twitter for exclusive tips for preparing for Black Friday! @ChristmasChamp

This character is a mix of comedy and relativity. Many people can relate to this character because they know that the "stereotypical" Black Friday shopper is just as crazy as the Target Christmas Champ. Target does a great job at consistently bringing back this character and creating new ads each year. I believe that this holiday campaign definitely sets Target above other competitor retail stores during the holiday season.
Below is one of the television ads that debuted this year for Target's Black Friday 2-day sale.

Coca Cola; an American Icon

This holiday season, 2011, for the first time in it's history, Coca-Cola is changing it's iconic red can to white! Why would Coke decide to make this startling change in it's distinguishable packaging? Well, the polar bears need our help. The polar bear has been a mascot for Coca-Cola for decades. The cute white bears were introduced in Coca-Cola marketing in 1922, and has remained as the image coca cola during the holiday campaign ever since. "The polar bears stand for ice cold refreshment and family and friends together," says Bea Perez, the Chief Sustainability Officer for The Coca-Cola Company. This campaign is an excellent way that Coca-Cola is using their already identifiable polar bear icons and special product packaging to promote a philanthropic cause.

Coca-Cola, along with WWF (World Wildlife Foundation), are joining together to launch "Arctic Home", an initiative to help protect the polar bear's home! The white Coke cans are a marketing tool that will help spread awareness of the "Arctic Home" initiative. Over five years, Coca-Cola will donate TWO MILLION DOLLARS to the Arctic Home initiative. Anyone can also donate to this fund, and Coca-Cola is encouraging people to help by agreeing to match any donation that is made up to one million dollars. Anyone can donate by purchasing a Coke product that has a white cap or one of the white can products, and texting the code to the specified location and choosing the donation amount. 

If you wish to learn more about this amazing initiative, or to donate yourself, visit this link: https://www.arctichome.com/web/index.html#/home/?WT.srch=1

Guerilla Markeing Is No Monkey Business

Guerilla Marketing is defined as: the use of unconventional marketing intended to pull maximum results from minimal resources. Below are some examples of Guerilla marketing. The first photo is one that I took, while I was at a stoplight in downtown Colorado Springs, CO. The large image of a man bicyclist really caught my attention, however, I am not sure what it represented or what brand/company it was advertising for. So, even though it was interesting and different, if it does not clearly state the brand/company responsible for the advertisement, it is nothing more than a interesting visual. 

The next two photos are Guerilla marketing tactics that major brands used to attract audience members. Kit Kat is a globally known brand of candy that does not necessarily need to spread awareness, but it is only beneficial to the company for them to put out advertisements that remind customers of how delicious the Kit Kat is. The Apple iPod is also an universally popular brand/product. This Guerilla marketing strategy probably isn't aiming at trying to sell the products initially, it is just trying to put the brand everywhere and put it at the front of people's minds. Which is exactly where "you", the brand, wants to be in comparison to all of your competitors. This ad is colorful, interesting, and is very memorable, which are all excellent factors when it comes to a good and effective advertisement. The last photo is also very fascinating, but one drawback to this ad is that it will only make sense to someone passing by if they are familiar with the brand "Mr. Clean" and the character for that brand. Although the message of the ad is clear, Mr. Clean makes things whiter, the message could be lost if people aren't already aware of the brand. 

Overall, Guerilla marketing is an awesome way to be creative with advertising ideas and surprise audience members and grab their attention. By doing all of these things, you are sure to push the audience members closer to the ultimate goal, purchasing your product!

Jack In The Box is Thinking Outside of the Box

This new commercial by the fast food chain: Jack In The Box really caught my attention. Jack In The Box is well known for its creative and different advertisements, which mostly all feature the brand's character "Jack Box". An advertising strategy that has remained consistent with this brand and has been quite successful, is that of "Advertising Trade Characters". This strategy, if done right, is an excellent tactic and has many benefits.
One benefit of a brand character is that they don't age, so they can appeal to different generations of consumers. Another benefit is that the characters are "animated", and therefore the brand has complete control over them. Unlike celebrity endorsers, characters wont get caught up in scandals that could cause negative backlash on the brand  and steer away consumers. A different benefit of trade characters is that they can be created to be very relevant to the consumers and the brand.
For Jack In the Box, "Jack Box" is a comedic character that brings humor and uniqueness to the brand and its products that allow the consumers and target audience members to easily recognize the brand and recall the products that are promoted through the advertisements.

Double Take- Creative Ads

On average, a person is exposed to thousands of advertisements each day. Sometimes, advertisements are overlooked, either because they are familiar, they don't stand out, or they are difficult to comprehend. In order to find some advertisements that are creative and unique, I did some searching on the internet. Through the website: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/70-creative-advertisements-that-makes-you-look-twice/, I stumbled upon a collection of advertisements that were ingenious, both from within the U.S. and foreign. It was difficult for me to pick my favorite ad from this list, however, I really enjoyed this one!

This ad is both a creative advertisement and an important public service announcement. At first glance, you just see a naked man among other men who are fully clothed and intensely "protected". At second look, you notice the condom in the lower right hand corner. On the condom rapper is the message of the advertisement, "Dont Be Stupid, Protect yourself". The wrapper also includes the company/brand website: condomshop.ch. I assumed that this condom company was just a foreign brand of contraceptives. However, once going to the website, it is actually a site where you can order a vast variety of condoms, contraceptives, and sex toys.

I think this ad is not only creative, attention grabbing, and unique, but it also relays an important message! This ad uses images that are memorable and that stand out among other typical photos. The text within this ad is very minimal, but I think that the tagline that is used is the perfect amount of text. Overall, this advertisement is great and seems like it would be very effective and portraying the message of having safe sex.

Advertising with Facebook & Twitter

Facebook

As of September 2011, there were over 800 MILLION users on Facebook! That is a HUGE number of people that are exposed to advertising on one site.When a Facebook user “likes” a big brand, they are actually recommending the brand and or products to their friends.—The world’s largest companies use every tactic in the book to get people to click the “like” button on their page. Retailers, like Kohl’s and Burberry, offer special deals or free products. Restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Subway, run contests on their Facebook pages. Many companies have turned their wall feed into a kind of direct support line for customer complaints. 

 According to an article published in the Huffington Post on October  10th, 2011, 24/7 Wall St. used the All Facebook statistics site to identify the companies with the largest Facebook pages. (<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/companies-with-the-most-facebook-fans_n_1003584.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003>)
 

#10: Kohl's

#9: H&M

#8: Subway

#7: Burberry

#6: Walmart

#5: McDonald's

#4: RedBull

#3: Starbucks

#2: Disney

#1: Coca-cola

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and "microblogging" service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets". Twitter was created in March 2006. As of 2011, Twitter has over 200 million users, worldwide. Twitter can be used in others ways than just writing absurd facts and thoughts about what you are currently doing or witnessing. Businesses and Brands can use twitter to spread quick advertisement tidbits to millions of audience members. Twitter is great for: Posting links to your business’ website, Announcing upcoming sales, Offering special discounts, Answering questions from consumers/fans, and offering tips about your business or brand. 

According to articles published with Social Media Today and Revolution Magazine, the following list is of brands on Twitter, who are doing well and who are doing badly. (<http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/904325/top-100-mentioned-brands-Twitter/?DCMP=EMC-Digital-Bulletin>)

Brands Doing Well: 
Starbucks, Google, Apple, McDonalds, BBC News, Huffington Post, ComCast, Toyota, Burger King. 

Brands Doing Badly: 
Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Skittles, Subway, Budweiser/Budlight, Converse, Mountain Dew. 

I found a few things interesting after looking into advertising strategies that brands use with Facebook and Twitter and comparing the two social networking sites. One, it was interesting that some brands had a strong presents on Facebook and is ranked in the top 10 best, and some of those brands were listed as brands who are doing badly on Twitter. Two, some brands are listed as doing well through Facebook and Twitter, which shows to me that those brands are truly invested in the social media movement and are using it to their advantage, and it's working!

The Best Kept Secret. YouTube Helps Artist Expose His Talents and Gain Fans!

A form of advertising that is quickly gaining popularity is "YouTube" video ads. This avenue for advertising is used by celebrities, brands, and all types of people. YouTube is a great place to view movie trailers for new movies being released in theaters near you, or music videos by your favorite artists, or even television ads that didn't make it on T.V. or ones that you need to watch over and over again because they are addictive and entertaining.

The best way to deliver a message to a target audience is to use as many advertising avenues as possible. Television, online, radio, print, outdoor, specialty, and the list goes on. However, sometimes, for certain messages, print ads or radio spots, or even billboards will simply not do the brand/person justice and will not portray the message in the best way. This is when YouTube video ads can be utilized to send out a message in a fitting way.

The video that I have included is of a friend of mine Mike Nance, who goes by the name "Mikey Graffiks". I have known him since I was a young kid, and he has always  been very talented artistically. Recently, he started producing more pencil sketches and giving them away to family and friends as gifts. He began tattooing about a year ago and has quickly gained a large fan group. Even more recently, Mike began doing oil paintings. It is simply amazing how gifted Mike is, and its even more incredible that he has not received any schooling for art, he is completely self-taught! The best way for him to show people his true artistic talents are through short video promotions such as the one I am including in this blog. Hopefully after seeing this video, you too will become a fan!

To view more of Mike's artwork or his tattoo portfolio, visit these websites: http://misternance.deviantart.com or http://facebook.com/MikeyGraffiks

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly ... Billboards

 Billboards are a form of advertising that makes it very easy to get a message to a large number of people. The message is also displayed 24/7, and for weeks, months, or even a year. Billboards are generally a
low cost type of advertisement and available in a variety of areas locally, or all over the world. Billboards
are viewed by most people as they are driving buy, so in order for the audience members to obtain the full message of the advertisement and to be the most effective, the billboard should be visually catchy, use the least amount of words as possible, and be creative. Below are three examples of billboard advertisements that I think are good, great, and not so good.

This billboard is one that I believe is good. The message isn't wordy, and it is easy to read. The web address is easy to remember, so the audience members would be able to recall it later, when they are able to access the internet. Even though the billboard is lacking pictures, the visual of a cigarette butt being put out in an ash tray is a great representation of quitting smoking. This unique and creative idea is better than any picture could be. 

This billboard is one that I believe is great! Chick-Fil-A is a leader in the creative advertisement category.  The mascot of the fast food restaurant that serves only chicken, are COWS! The message that the cows always try to push to the audience is that eating chicken is better than eating beef, as in to not eat them. The main tagline or slogan for this brand is "Eat Mor Chikin". The cows are known to be creative, as well as bad spellers! In recent years, the cows have been"painting" a variety of messages on billboards such as "Weer not Bathing Til U Eat Chikin", and "Burgerz R 4 Loserz. I'm Just Sayin". There are always two cows on the billboards posting the messages. These characters are fun and stand out from other billboards. 

This billboard is one that I believe is not so good. As a student at CSU-Pueblo and a resident of Colorado Springs, CO, I can honestly say I have never seen a billboard advertisement for my college. I am assuming that this is a part of a new advertising, marketing, and or student recruitment technique. Many colleges and universities use a variety of techniques to increase their enrollment and spread awareness of the highlights of their school, such as degree programs or athletic programs. However, I believe that this billboard could be improved dramatically. Sure it has a good message, but it is quite boring and does not grab people's attention very well. It is great to see the university's official colors and logo incorporated in the billboard, but I believe that the logo should be much bigger, at least take up 1/3 of the space, and the web address is too small. Another idea would be to include a picture of happy students or  an action packed sports shot. Overall, the idea is okay, but it needs many improvements and more creativity to make it a better ad/billboard.

Creative "Transit Ads"

Red Bull Car

City Bus Wrap

Transit Ads are very hard to miss. They definitely stand out in the hustle-and-bustle of the city streets. Transit advertising is great for local attractions such as zoos, museums, and stores. It is also a good strategy for major, nationally recognized brands such as Mentos and RedBull (as shown in the photos above). The "Red Bull car" picture is one that I took myself. I was just driving on I-25 in Colorado Springs, CO, and this cute mini car grabbed my attention. I thought it was a great advertising idea! Besides using bus wraps and specially decorated cars, taxis are also a favorable transit ad avenue. Taxis can use small billboards located on the rear or top of the taxis themselves. Major brands, local shows or attraction, or even simple messages can be displayed. For example, I saw a taxi in Colorado Springs recently with an advertisement for people to actually use taxis. On the rear 'billboard" the message read: "DUI= $7,000    TAXI= $12". I thought it was a great and simple way to convince people that taking a taxi after drinking is obviously the better choice than risking driving and getting a DUI.

One down side to Transit Advertisements is that they are big investments and are quite costly. One big positive to transit ads is that they expose the brand's message, logo, or idea to a great amount of people and is an ad that is visible 24 hours a day for as long as the ad is running. So, if the brand's advertising campaign has a big budget and wants to make a big statement, transit ads are a good eye-catcher.

Standing OUT Against the Rest

"Adorn Her, Like A Queen", "Bound By Passion",
"Love, Sweet Love", "Pour On The Glamour".

The quotes/tag lines above match up with the pictures (in order) that Tacori has used with their print and online advertising. Tacori produces fashion jewelry, engagement rings, and wedding bands. Tacori jewelry is handcrafted in California and has been around for more than four decades. According to the designer, Tacori designs have fused classic elegance with modern inspiration, creating some of the world's most highly regarded and exquisite jewelry.

Although Tacori is a very high end and exclusive brand, it sure does an excellent job with its advertisements. The ads are very creative and stand out against the rest in the jewelry world. The advertising strategy that is used by Tacori is one that considers the competitiveness of the jewelry world and uses catchy tag lines and very vivid and simple props with their jewelry to accompany the tag lines. Tacori also uses close up shots/pictures of the jewelry to show off every detail of the stunning and artistic jewelry. (Data received from the official brand website: http://www.tacori.com/)

The Rock in Rockies

This Advertisement reads: "We put the Rock in Rockies!" by Shane Co. While I was at a Rockies game recently, this ad stood out to me. There are tons of brands that place ads within the Coors Field stands, but this one seemed very clever. Shane Co. is a local jewelry store who specializes in fine diamonds.

Shane Co. is showing their support for a local sports team, which usually goes over great with the "die hard" fans as well as the occasional game attendees. It is great that Shane Co. can send a very clear and strong message with one sentence and no graphics at all. Creative phrases such as this one are an excellent strategy for advertisers to follow, if only it can be done well and pulled off! :)

Advertising with any major sports organization is an excellent way to get your brand's message out to millions of people. As I was looking more into the advertising opportunities at Coors Field, I found that there are multiple ways a brand can choose to connect their advertising with Coors Field/ The Rockies. There are Print, Signage, Media, In-Stadium Promotions, In-Game Entertainment, Retail Promotions, and Online Opportunities. To find out more about advertising at Coors Field, visit this link: http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/sponsorship/index.jsp

Stacker 2 Energy Shots are for the Young and the Old

Stacker 2 was developed by NVE Pharmaceuticals about 15 years ago. At first, the products were designed for bodybuilders that wanted extra energy for work outs as well as acquire a lean cut look before competitive shows. The bodybuilders liked the products so much, they started recommending Stacker 2 to their friends and family members for weight control. (Data provided by http://www.stacker2.com/)

Stacker 2 is now known as "the world's strongest fat burner" and is very popular nation wide. Stacker 2 also produces energy products such as the Xtra Energy Shots and the new 6 Hour Power Energy Shot.

In the past, the brand has used body builders and other "actual consumers" of the product on their television ads to promote the product. However, more recently, Stacker 2 is using reality television celebrities in commercials that mirror their television shows. The two commercials that I have seen lately and think are a great way to relate to different audiences are the Pawn Stars Xtra Energy Shots and the Jersey Shore: Italy 6 Hour Power Energy Shots. These commercials for Stacker 2 are an excellent way for a brand to reach out to different audiences by connecting with them through relative celebrities/popular TV show stars. It just shows that a brand doesn't have to stick to one message when advertising a particular product that can be for a wide variety of people.

Pawn Stars is a show on The History Channel that take the viewers inside the colorful world of the pawn business. At the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on the outskirts of Las Vegas, three generations of the Harrison family -grandfather Richard, son Rick, and grandson Corey - jointly run the family business. The viewers of this show are more of an older demographic that are interested in history. (Although, I admit, I really do like watching this show!)

Jersey Shore is an American reality show on MTV that follows the lives of 8 housemates. Season 4 is the current season on air now, which was filmed in Italy. The housemates are: JWoww, Snooki (Nichole), Deena, Sammi, Mike (The Situation), Pauly D, Vinny, and Ronnie. The show first aired in 2009, when 8 strangers were invited to line in a house together located at the Jersey Shore. The show was such a hit, that it was signed on for a second season, filmed during the winter in Miami, Florida, and the third season back at the Jersey Shore. The audience of this show are definitely a younger generation, probably young teenagers to people in their early 30's, who enjoy "trashy reality TV". (I myself have been a faithful viewer of this show since season one.)

Kia Stepping Up Their Game For Soul Car Commercial

I think that it is getting hard for brands to create advertisements that stand out among the hundreds that are put out each day. Sure there are plenty of unique commercials, but one brand that has recently stepped up their game in television commercials is Kia. About a year ago, in 2010, Kia introduced the Soul model. This model is a compact car that is a "box"-like shape. Soon after the Soul was released in the U.S., Kia launched a series of commercials as part of their "A new way to roll" campaign. These ads were created by the ad agency David&Goliath. (To learn more about this ad agency, visit their website: http://www.dng.com/)
One version of the commercial features hamsters on stationary hamster wheels on city streets, that are then passed up by "cooler" hamsters riding in the Kia Soul. Another version of the commercial features the "cooler" hamsters dancing and driving around in the Soul, passing by other hamsters who are riding around in toasters and washing machines. The tag line in this commercial is that you can either get with this (the cool Kia Soul) or you can get with that (the lame toasters or washing machines). The commercials ended up being awarded "Automotive Ad of the Year" at the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards in 2010. 

Below are examples of the first Kia Soul commercials:

This or That Kia Soul hamster commercial

Black Sheep Kia Soul hamster commercial

After about two model years, 2010 and 2011, of the Kia Soul have been out on the market, the brand decided to step up their game for the promotion of the 2012 year model of the Soul. On August 28th, during the MTV Video Music Awards, which is a highly tuned into television event, Kia premiered a new version of the Soul hamster commercial. This version featured the "cool" hamsters driving the Soul, interrupting a battle scene in a alien/robot video game. The hamsters step out of the Soul and being dancing to a current popular hip-hop song; Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. The hamsters' cool style quickly spreads to all of the robots, as they too begin dancing to the song.

Below is the newest Kia Soul commercial

Kia Soul- Hamsters: LMFAO Party Rock Anthem commercial

I believe that Kia has definitely done a great job with being unique and connecting with their target audience. By using catchy music/current popular music, and different yet recognizable characters: the hamsters, the commercials are very memorable, which really become the mascots for the Soul brand. The idea behind the commercials is that the Kia Soul is different, trendy, and cool, which I think is a good fit for the car because it isn't like other traditional compact cars. I also think that it is great that Kia came out with a different spin on television commercials, because they aren't a brand that typically comes out with unique commercials.