And Now for the Finale!

Blogging over the course of the semester has been quite an experience. At first it was probably one of the most annoying assignments I had for all my classes. As the course of the semester went on it became more interesting and appealing to me. Learning about Guerilla marketing and Word of Mouth advertising has really opened my eyes to the exciting part of the integrated marketing. It bring out the creative side of a company which is what is needed today to break through the clutter.

Through this semester I discussed everything from beer to online communities. This would be an extremely long blog to get into detail about everything that I have covered over the semester, so I decided to choose my favorite parts and talk about them.

MINI Cooper: When I found out about the the new type of advertising MINI is doing, I thought it was histerical. Making up a few short movies with their product being a sidekick is just a great idea. It gives them a lot of viral potential which is definitely a good idea when it comes to sparking more interest in their company and what they have to offer. Not only did they have a fun idea but they made it interactive for potential customers who came across their sites. The viewers could enter their name and be given a super hero name which makes each and every person that comes across it feel important because each name given varies from every person.

Careerbuilder Monkeys: The commercials for careerbuilder that involved monkeys were just histerical and everyone knew them when they were on the TV. To add to the success they made a site with the monkeys where you could send your friends, colleagues and anyone else you wanted a funny email with the monkeys which spreads the word about the brand name even more than the commercials could.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Probably the funniest word of mouth advertising of the year would probably have to be the guerilla marketing that Aqua Teen Hunger Force tried to successfully pull off. This didn't work very well but that was due to fact that many Boston citizens though these little characters looked like bombs. Though it didn't help that they were placed in very strange places such as under bridges. The word spread very quickly but in a negative way. They still gained an amazing amount of publicity. Many thought it was made to come out that way and other's thought it was an accident. Either way it made headlines and people know a lot more about the show now then they ever may have if this didn't happen.

All in all, word of mouth advertising is pretty impressive. It doesn't take much for people to talk about your product. Inviting people to interact with your brand already gives you a step up. If you don't want to be interactive then just being creative can get your point across just as well if not better. If you have a great idea then you are going to be talked about. It's amazing how a company can implement a new advertising campaign and then wait for someone to take interest. A great advertising campaign is like a rain puddle. If it's big enough and people can't avoid it, its bound to get moved around. Pretty interesting how such a huge audience can be targeted with a simple advertising campaign.

Now looking back on it, I'm happy it was a required part of the course to keep a blog. It forced me to look at different strategies companies use to promote themselves. I probably won't have been as in detail with my searches if it didn't have to write something about it every time. I really appreciated the opportunity to broaden my horizons on word of mouth marketing. :0)

I Lost My Keys!

Nissan, just having released the new 2007 Altima, with push-button ignition has decided they need to promote their new product better. How to do that better you ask? Well, by dropping 20,000 key rings in bars, concert halls, sports arenas and many other public places. On the ring there are of course, keys, three to be exact. There is one car key, two house keys and two tags. This makes it look more realistic, as if someone at that public venue, actually did lose their keys. Oh, how clever!

Here is where they get into the actually advertising. One of the tags says, "If found, please do not return. My Next Generation Nissan Altima has Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, and I no longer need these." The other tag directs the finder to enter into a sweepstakes at www.altimakeys.com. To enter this sweepstakes you can either go to the site or enter via text message, right on the spot, so those people at the bars don't forget in the morning.

This is such a great guerilla marketing idea for the company. It is not a brand new idea but how they are going about it is very classy. Dropping keys for people to find at various venues, is such a great way to spread the word that this new Nissan Altima has some new technology and we should check it out. It also makes it exciting for the person who finds the keys. They get to enter into a sweepstakes and possibly win something. That's the fun part, you have no idea what you are going to win. It could be a car or it could be that you just walked away with those fabulous keys you found at the concert. Either way it gives the perspective customer something to take with them. Of course, they will also tell all their friends what happened and right there is more word of mouth.

Another great thing this addresses is the idea of lost keys. This is just a way to relate to the customer about it. It is such an agony but everyone has been their and it's just an interesting way to get people's attention. If you found car keys in a bar, you probably won' just leave them their and hope the person comes back. You would give them to someone in charge to hold themn for when the person comes back. So, the idea of curiosity is also in play with this sweepstakes.

Good luck and let me know if you find some keys!

source:http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009369.php

Beer Enthusiasts Unite!

Anheuser-Busch, has decided to start a campaign called "Here's to Beer" which will unite people who are huge beer fanatics and love to enjoy themselves. How to do this? Well they paired up with a social niche marketing site called www.minglenow.com to gain attention and Anheuser-Busch is sponsoring it. The good thing about this campaign is that it's not only focused on beers owned by A-B. It is actually a campaign for the beer industry as a whole and not one specific company.

What they have done, is made it a small photo shoot for people at the hottest parties and events. At the event the people who have been invited, take pictures of themselves, friends and others with beer glasses in their hands having a good time. These people can then upload the photos (even from their cell phones) and tag them as "Clinks" which is what they are calling this part of the campaign. Why Clink? Well, as I'm sure most of you know, this is the sound the glasses make when people do a toast or a cheers. How perfect! This is campaign has a lot of viral potential and another great way to spread word of mouth. Who doesn't like to see pictures of other people!

One huge issue this campaign can run into is the legal issues. Today there are so many problems with minors getting into bars with fake ID's and I'm sure this is also very hard to monitor and that Anheuser-Busch does not want their name tagged to underaged drinking. So by sharing photos that are taken inside the pub and the pub's they are in are strict with admission this largely cuts down on the participation of minors.

Overall, I think this is a great idea. They are covering themselves with knowing the pubs and bars being used so they do not get themselves in trouble with the law. Besides that, what a good way to reinforce the beer industry. No one ever forgets about beer but why not go out and promote it a little more through pictures of people having a good time with your product.

source: http://womma.com/womnibus/

Dell and the Online Community

Dell has recently come up with a new site where pleased,angry,enthusiastic people/customers can come to talk about Dell. This is a place to share ideas about Dell, their products and anything else about their company they find great or not so great. The site is called www.dellideastorm.com. When people put ideas out on the table other people, who have accounts of course, can vote on what they think are their favorite ideas and eventually the Dell employees put that idea into effect. Of course, any idea they put into play is for product improvement beause they want to be the best in the computer business.

The site is brand new as well. It launched on February 16 and by February 27th the members had contributed 2,251 ideas and there were 4,477 comments on those ideas. But this site isn't only for ideas and comments. It is also for downloading videos to demonstrate how to use various Dell products and components. The campaign to better the customer relationship with the company and so far, so good. This is also an attempt at increasing the potential customers of Dell and their many product lines.

I think this site that Dell has introduced is a great idea. Dell does a great job at keeping themselves at the top of the list when it comes to computer sales. Now the up and coming Apple company is moving full steam ahead. Apple has done great with the Ipod product line and now their knowledge of computer technology has progressed immensely within the past couple of years. With there histerical commercial campaign, placing themselves versus the PC, their immaculate packaging and beautiful product designs, theyhave perfectly positioned themselves to pull ahead of Dell very soon. This is just one reason why Dell creating this new information site is a fabulous idea. They must keep themselves ahead of Apple if they want to stay number one. Keeping up with this type of publicity will help their image and of course their popularity with their customers as long as they keep up with the comments and remarks. Good move Dell! Two thumbs up.

source:http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009347.php

Twitter-ers Welcome!

Are you someone who loves to know what other people are doing every minute of the day or do you like to tell people what you are doing all day? Maybe you are just that person who loves technology and loves to be extremely up to date. Well then, www.twitter.com is just what you are looking for! This new social media craze has people sending the site what they are doing every minute of every day. A person can sign up and start their own account and post as much as they want. They can also post from their cell phones and through IM's. Sounds crazy, huh? Here's the catch...you are only allowed 140 characters everytime you post. I guess that makes it a little better?!?

I guess if you don't like the idea of this then you wouldn't bother with it. Many agree that this site is a little too much bombarding you with everyone's messages. The good part of it is that you can invite friends to join or you can just make friends with fellow Twitter-ers. If you have a best friend or significant other that goes away for a long time, this is a good way to know exactly what they are doing all day. This is probably a great site for people with stalker compulsions as well.

Ok, but all joking aside, this site is a great word of mouth site. For many businesses this is a great way to keep tech-savvy customers aware of what is going on with their company and their products. It keeps them posted on everything that goes on and they will never miss a beat. This could definitely speed up marketing and increase sales faster then a normal site would. The only problem that might arise with the site is the issue with ethical disclosure on certain products due to the small amount of characters/words that are allowed per post but, hey, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

source:http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009346.php

Chipotle and Word of Mouth

Chipotle, which is a word most people cannot even pronounce, is a small restaurant chain with 573-unit chain across the United States. It is owned by it's parent company, McDonald's. Although, Chipotle does things a little differently than McDonald's, to gain publicity. In fact, according to an article is BusinessWeek magazine, "Chipotle spends less on advertising annually than McDonald's spends in 48 hours." This doesn't seem to bother Chipotle at all, considering they had a 13.7% increase in sales in 2006.

Chipotle does things a little differently compared to McDonald's who throws advertisements at you all day long through, television, magazines, direct mail and more. Chipotle is much more subtle with tons of WOM. The company started in 1993 and vowed that they would do most of there marketing through word of mouth. For example, they shipped free burritos to the Denver courthouse where Timothy McVeigh trial was going on. I don't know how that blew over but apparently everything they have done has given them good publicity. They also host annual Halloween costumes, where people dress up as burritos. As their prizes they will win free burritos.

All these word of mouth strategies are starting to put Chipotle on the map. They are making great progress. Although a few of their ideas are a little off kilter, like sending food to the McVeigh courthouse, they still manage to keep their reputation in good standing. Many people for the East coast are just starting to hear about Chipotle and it seems to be taking off with a bang.

The only thing I would add to their campaign is to target more teenage males and females. Targeting teenagers I think would add a lot more sales growth. To target this group they need to be original and humorous. Like Kraft did, they made up a website where you can send your parents a fun email to ask them to send you some EasyMac. Something similar to target them would probably be the best thing to do to increase sales within this demographic. Hopefully within the next year or two, Chipotle will be a household name just like their proud parents, McDonald's.

source:http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009277.php

A MINI Series

MINI Cooper, is always very witty and simple with their advertisements. I always thought of them as very well-known by the public but I am now assuming they are not happy with their advertising, but I could be mistaken. They are starting a new campaign that has a lot of viral potential.

MINI has come out with a short "MINI" film that will star Hammer and his sidekick 'Coop'. It will be a series of short films that Todd Phillips will be directing. He directed "Old School" and "Starsky and Hutch". Coop will be playing himself, a MINI Cooper who ends up being, of course, the savior and brains of all operations. Not only is this just a short series but after watching the films (or before) the viewer is able to use the "Action Name Generator" which generates an original action hero name for each person which makes it interactive for people watching.

You would think that MINI would try and play off the idea that this is viral marketing for their company but they don't. They blatantly make jokes about themselves and show that they know what they are doing. I think this is a great way to get more publicity and also spread the word about MINI Coopers. The product themselves are so fun that it works out perfectly to tie in a humorous mini series to have people remember your product when it comes to awareness and how high up on the list you and your company.

Check it out! http://www.hammerandcoop.com/#
My action name is JIGSAW GRINDER. What's yours?

source: http://womma.com/womnibus/

"These Come from Trees"

So finally a little word of mouth advertising for the good of the planet instead of helping out a single company. I'm not saying that word of mouth for companies isn't a great thing but sometimes it is nice to see an environmentally friendly reminder through WOM and Guerilla marketing.

Pete Kazanjy, a product manager and designer from Palo Alto, California got an idea when he was having lunch and noticed the huge amounts of napkins people were taking. Even if they weren't being used people were still throwing them out. He decided that a simple reminder at the right time would be the perfect idea to keep people from wasting as many paper products as they do.

His idea was to place a sticker that says, "These Come from Trees" on all napkin and paper towel dispensers. He has started his own blog, http://thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com/ where he is selling the stickers and talking about his journey. According to Kazanjy's blog, a single sticker will save up to 100 lbs. of paper per year, which is just about the paper volume produced from a single tree. What a great guerilla marketing idea! Perfect timing can really work wonders!

This is such a great idea and Kazanjy has also started a blog, as mentioned before so it is easy for people to spread the word. Seth Godin is a huge fan of the project and he has also blogged about the project that Kazanjy has started. So spread the word, "These Come from Trees" and we can start doing some good for the environment!

source: http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009234.php

U-Starvin?

We're all college students and when you go from living in a house, with your parents, and having them cook dinner for you it really makes it hard to transfer to living in a dorm room. Living in a dorm really makes you appreciate all your parents do for you. Kraft took advantage of this situation and made it into a good viral advertising campaign for their Easy Mac product.

College students that come from households where dinner was made all the time, they have a harder time learning how to make their own dinner when the time comes. It's not always the most convenient to start cooking since many students live in dorm rooms, as well. Yea, many have meal plans but what do you eat when you want a good snack. That's were Kraft Easy Mac comes in. Kraft Foods started a website www.u-starvin.com which is a made up university. This site shows what college students eat to curb their appetites until dinner. It also has a section that shows different, random, funny items that college students microwave when are bored and of course...when there is no Easy Mac around! They have microwaved everything from glue to crayons to Christmas lights! (That can't be safe.)

This site has funny stories and good ideas for when you are bored or (let's face it) procrastinating, Kraft does not forget why they are there and that is, of course, to advertising their product. They have letter templates, which are to send to your parents or guardian and let them know how you need Easy Mac to survive as a college student. Of course, YOU are their favorite college student so why not use the guilt trip to get your mom to send you some Easy Mac and who knows, maybe you'll get some extra stuff with that.

This site is extremely creative. They are able to keep students attention with the funny stories and ideas but once their done looking they will most likely send out the funny email to someone they know. I mean they may not even really want Easy Mac but what college student doesn't like getting packages or getting free stuff, especially food. It makes the package even better. If it works right this will up Kraft Easy Mac sales from college students, which is probably their biggest consumer group. They should probably start advertising on their Easy Mac packaging. This is definitely a way to get the attention of college students as well. Many already buy Easy Mac, but this would increase repeat purchasing.

Definitely check it out! It's pretty cool. The site also features an interactive video where you can make this college kid eat all different stuff!

source: http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009233.php

Tampax and Cheerleaders!

Tampax has a campaign going on right now that is advertising there Tampax Sport tampons. The commercials feature cheerleaders who show that they can be very active with or without their period. Tampax sport tampons will help them keep the level of sport. They are able to throw people in the air just as they would if they weren't worried about their period. I don't believe that tampax has revolutionized the tampon to make that much of a difference. You can back it up with plenty of information but when it comes down to it, a tampon is a tampon. Adding "sport" to the end of your product doesn't make it any better. Though it may help reach your target market and get the WOM circulating better.

Not only does Tampax have these new commercials, but to integrate their plan a little more they have used a site called Takkle.com, as a marketing vehicle. Takkle.com is a site dedicated to female networking which is perfect to target female athletes. What they have done is set up a competition for cheerleaders to send in their most extreme and crowd-rallying cheers. They are considering this an internet battle for cheerleaders. Users can then vote on their favorite routine. Which ever team gets the most votes wins $10,000 worth of cheerleading equipment.

All this is to spread the word about Tampax Sport tampons. I agree its an interesting way to spread news about the competition but does it seem like Tampax will have there name attached to it and get the credit that they want and deserve. Their commercials help tie them together with the online competition but is this going to be remembered in people's minds as a Tampax campaign? For tampax sake I hope so but that may not be the case.
Check out the battles: www.takkle.com

source:
http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009138.php

Adagio Comes to Second Life.

Adagio Teas is the company we have chosen for our final project. Doing a fair amount of searching and exploring Second Life, I have come to the conclusion that Adagio Teas could make a very nice home here. Second Life is a fairly new program that has a lot to offer to new and aspiring businesses or companies.

If I were to sit down the Michael Cramer, the founder of Adagio Teas, I would brief him on Second Life and tell him what this program could possibly do for his business. Secondlife is great place for businesses to leave a mark. Many, many businesses have their own islands here. Adagio could have their own island. There are no creative boundaries here whatsoever. They could make their island as crazy and they wanted and it would be fine. I would explain the Leo Burnett island. It was filled with huge trees and tree houses. It was very fantasy oriented. There is also he Kawaii Ku island which is really crazy. It was very child like, bright colors, big flowers, etc. Then there are places like Paper Couture which is a clothing boutique that was very realistic and classy.

Another reason to join Second Life would be the many different people you can target. You can also get many different people to visit your island. People today get very tired of commercials and interruptions when they are watching television, listening to the radio, reading magazines or even working on the internet. Here's a new way to gain people's attention without bothering them. They come to Second Life on their own, looking for new things. What a better way to gain interest by possible consumers than to have them stumble upon your amazing island with a great product to offer.

If that didn't sway him then I would explain to him how many different companies are there already. There are so many companies from Mercedes-Benz to many different ad agencies to clothing stores. Second Life has already started to grow and will soon be extremely popular, which is an excellent reason to get in there now and start up some interest.

Wii Would Like to Play.

Nintendo has gone through many different phases in my lifetime alone. The first system that I had was Super Nintendo. We then got Nintendo 64 and that's pretty much where my video game hobby ended. I thought that all the hype about the new game system coming out was ridiculous. People lining up in front of stores overnight just in hopes of getting a ticket to buy one of the limited number of them being made. The Wii is the newest system that has brought about this craziness and according to The Consumerist, a popular consumer blog, has great customer service.

Wii, the new system made by Nintendo, gaming now involves more physical activity then just sitting on the couch and moving your fingers. Getting up and moving around gives you a better chance at winning which ever game you may be playing. To play the games you hold the control and make the movements you would do if you were playing the sport in real life. They have tennis, golf, bowling and those are the games that just come with the system. There are tons of other games that you can buy as well.

Not only is the Wii a system a way to get the children off the couch but Nintendo has great respect for their customers. A customer located in Redmond, Washington had a broken Wii. He called customer service and they told him to come down to Nintendo campus and they would repair it. According to WOMMA, the customer's Wii was taken away and within 30 minutes it was brought back fully repaired with the warranty clock fully set back. After that, of course, the customer was completely satisfied.

Now, that customer of course told a friend who told another friend and immediately got the word of mouth off and running. Not many companies have such great service but if Nintendo keeps it up they can put the other companies to shame. Nintendo seems to be on the fast track to amazing success with a great new gaming system and great word of mouth advertising.

In Need Of Notoriety?

There are two coffee shops, each one on a different side of the road. One is Starbucks and the other is just a generic coffee shop. Which one would you choose? I'm sure many of you said Starbucks because I know I would. What if I told you the other store across the street let's you pay whatever you want for your coffee? Well, I'm assuming that would change the decision just a little and you're probably thinking that's a stupid idea. Well think again! There's a new coffeeprenuer out who is doing exactly this.

As I mentioned before, many little shops seem to always have to compete with the big companies no matter what there in the market for. Of course coffee shops have it hard because they have huge competition from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. This just doesn't seem fair. So if someone wants to be successful in such a ridiculous market, how does one differentiate?

Ervin Peretz founder of the Kirkland, Washington Terra Bite Lounge came up with his unreal strategy, he allows people to pay whatever they want for their coffee! Now if that's not unbelievable then I don't know what is. He also doesn't post any prices of the items. Peretz feels that people are "essentially good" and that they will be generous during the course of their relationship with his shop. He also feels that the people who really enjoy a good cup of joe will pay a reasonable amount which will make up for the customers who are a bit more stingy.

Peretz hopes that since he believes that people are essentially good, he will be repaid for his generosity which will keep him in business for a long time. Let's hope that Peretz is right. His very risky company tactic is one that could really make or break his business. Everyone I'm sure, thinks this is absurd and leans toward breaking but people have definitely been wronged before. In the mean time let's just enjoy spreading the word!

source:

http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009100.php

Buzz Just Isn't Enough.

In today's age, just to get your advertisement remembered is enough for the company. But is it really? Many advertiser's are looking for publicity, negative or positive, it doesn't seem to matter much to them, they just want to be remembered. Though, as i remember from class, an advertisers job is to sell the product. As Benton & Bowles ad agency said first, "It's not creative unless is sells."

Many ads out today usually offend a small (if not large) percentage of the population, which is what people get to talking about. These crazy, rude, astounding (whatever you want to call them) ads are what get remembered and that seems to matter. An e-mail survey respondent said,"the bad ideas, bad creative and just overall bad taste of many of the ads are thrown in our faces today." Rance Crain agrees, "That's the image I have about too many of today's ads -- a pie thrown in our faces, not to provide a little sustenance, but to create a good old-fashioned food fight." Unfortunately, many people will side with them. So has the job of the advertisers changed from selling to just simply getting noticed.

This is a very interesting subject due to the fact that is takes a lot today for advertisements to be noticed. I believe that people ignore most advertisements today because they feel that they are just noise and clutter. So, if a person ignores something you are trying to sell, how do you get there attention. Well, it seems that advertisers will go to extremes to get there advertisements to come across loud and clear. Maybe this isn't the best way to communicate with the public but right now its the only way so until someone comes up with something more creative, I don't see a dramatic change anytime soon.

source:
http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=115325

Wear Your Drink on Your Sleeve!

With a little help from Starbucks we can help you wear that drink of yours!

Everyone who has ever been to Starbucks knows how much they have to offer. They offer tons of different drinks and that's not including the holiday specials. They have anything from coffee to lattes to macchiatos and much more. Which ever drink you chose you then decide what type of milk you want ( 2%, nonfat, soy, organic), if you want decaf or regular, foam or no foam and the list goes on. These long drink orders can confuse the long line of people behind you and can make new employees heads spin. Never thought ordering a drink would be this hard, huh?

Mychael Knight, a contestant from Project Runway, has designed a new way to display your perfect drink preferences. Here is a chance to make drink ordering a little easier for both the customer and the employee. All you have to do is go to http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp. While your there you can design your own special drink. Here, they will walk you through all the potential extras you can incorporate into your drink from milk types, as mentioned before, to cup size, syrups, and more. After your done deciding if you want caramel or hazelnut syrup you can then order that drink design to be put onto a t-shirt. What a concept!

Sounds a bit strange but I’m sure Starbucks’s enthusiasts are talking about it. Its fun and you can get a free t-shirt out of it. That’s right, FREE! This site also makes it a lot easier to visualize your drink order. You can see if what you are ordering actually makes sense, because let’s face it, when you are ordering a drink at 7 am, you may not always be paying close attention.

I don’t think that people will get the shirt and walk into a Starbucks’s and point at there stomach without saying a word (cause that would be weird) but these shirts can definitely give Starbucks great word-of-mouth advertising compared to their competitors.

Source:
http://www.womma.org/womnibus/009068.php

Careerbuilder, Monkeys and More.

I hope I'm not alone when I say that I really enjoy all the different advertising strategies that Careerbuilder comes up with. Those monkeys in the office were just a hoot! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEB6OJD94lg (sorry, I don't know how to put the actual video in) Now, the new commercials they have come out with are just as good. Their new slogan, "Do More Than Just Survive the Work Week" goes perfectly with their new commercials of surviving the work place in the wild. They have also come up recently with a new online "game" that brings more attention to the website. It is called the Age-o-Matic which is a funny way to show you what you will look like in 2057 if you stick with that terrible job of yours. It asks you to upload a picture or yourself or use one of the prepared ones. You then answer a few questions about your current job and you can even write something which makes it more personalized.

This idea from Careerbuilder is very witty and relevant to what there company's services are. Careerbuilder, for those of you who don't know is a website to help people on the job hunt. You can post your resume, look for new jobs, and even get job recommendations. It very helpful to people who will really end up looking like the cartoon that they make up on the site. How much more subtle can the company be? Well, probably A LOT more but that's beside the point. The website is gaining more hits through this new advertising idea and it leads a lot more people to take a look at what they have to offer. Of course, Careerbuilder wants people to look for a new job using their website and services.

Before the Age-o-Matic they had the Monk-e-mail which was another good way to bring people to the site and spend some time. Both the Monk-e-mail and the Age-o-matic were both perfect tie-ins with the commercials they had going on at the time. After you're done searching the site and messing around with the fun game on the site, Careerbuilder gives you the option of sending your funny results to your friends, family and most importantly your colleagues. The Monk-e-mail idea spread like wildfire through viral marketing so what a great reason to use the same idea with the age-o-matic.

Remember, a job should involve more that just "surviving the work week."

Take a look!
Monk-e-Mail
http://www.careerbuilder.com/monk-e-mail/?siteid=sep_gps_kw_monkey_email&sc_extcmp=gps_kw_monkey+email

Age-o-Matic
http://www.careerbuilder.com/age-o-matic/

Let It Out!

If a person comes to you and they're upset, I'm sure many of you have said to that sad person, "let it out" and possibly even given that person a tissue. Well, what a perfect new marketing strategy for Kleenex. For those of you that don't know, Kleenex has a new campaign going. Basically, they have a very vibrant couch that they move to different street corners. They then invite random people walking around to come and "let it out". People come sit down and vent their issues and problems to a spokesperson who during it all, hands them a Kleenex.

The results of people spilling their hearts out became the new commericals for Kimberly-Clark Kleenex's. They called these commercials, "drive-by therapy sessions". At the end of these commercials they have a call to action, which urges the viewers to go to their website www.letitout.com. There they can create an account and share sob stories with the website and one another. People can also post comments about their stories. Kleenex has started a small online chat room for people to "let it out", which gives people the idea that Kleenex is a brand that is interested in their customers and very sympathetic. This creates tremendously word of mouth advertising.

Just an interesting little tidbit, for those of you who are interested. Kleenex now has another campaign going where you can actually customize your Kleenex tissue box. Whether you want to give them out as a party favor or just to remember a funny moments, its another perfect way for Kleenex to gain publicity. I think that Kleenex is trying to give themselves a new look with these ideas and what a better way than the words of the customers.

Make your own Kleenex box!
http://www.mykleenextissue.com/

All Thanks to WOM!

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7up, Sprite are all big competitors because of the advertising they can afford. There are also many other soda companies that are just as well known but for different reasons. Jones Soda Co. is a company that created their own world by "doing things completely different". Peter van Stolk, CEO of Jones Soda Co., wants his company to stay true to this standard of business. They are known for their unusual yet interesting new ideas.

Jones Soda Co. has lived up to their reputation and kept things original which keeps their customers interesting in the brand and what is next to come. During the holidays that come out with flavors that taste like the foods that are served. For the Thanksgiving holiday they introduced a package which included five flavors including turkey and gravy, brussel sprouts, fruitcake, mashed potatoes & butter, and green bean casserole. Yea, sounds really gross but many people went out to buy it jus to see if they really did taste like they were suppose to. They did! Not only did they have those weird flavors but they also have a bunch more such as berry lemonade, blue bubblegum, fufu berry and twisted lime. Those are just a few of the fun flavors.

Not only do they create unique flavors but they also encourage their customers to interact with the company by sending them pictures that could eventually end up as a Jones Soda label. This neverending photo competition leads to customer satisfaction and a lot of brand loyalty. People love being involved with their brands of choice and this is the perfect way to gain market share as well.

Besides coming out with strange but inviting flavors and an ongoing photo contest they also do a lot of community service to get involved. Jones Soda currently involves themselves in a school construction project called "Change for Children". They have participated in this cause since the summer of 2004 and are currently building their second school with other groups including Project HOPE. Don't forget the holiday package they put out for Thanksgiving. All the proceeds from those sales went to Covenant House which is a service and shelter for homeless and runaway youth.

To keep the word of mouth going, Jones Soda sponsors local athlete's. According to the WOMMA editor, "the company sponsors local, homegrown skateboarders, snowboarders and other alternative athletes...They have strong word of mouth sway withing their peer groups." These sponsored athletes are edgy, fun and youthful which is what the company strives for.

All the whacky ideas Jones Soda comes out with, keeps them in the race with other brands that mainly compete on the basis of advertising. Jones Soda receives feedback from their customers in ways that no other company can. They involve them in fun activities whether its sending photos in or requesting a new flavor. They take it all into consideration. Sponsoring young athletes and doing great community service also brings great success to their brand. All this success is made possible by a few simples ideas and a little word of mouth.

To see all the photos and flavors:

http://www.jonessoda.com/index.html

article:

http://www.womma.org/womnibus/008984.php

Following In The Wrong Footsteps

For the Superbowl, General Motors came out with ad with a robot dreaming about throwing himself off a bridge because he gets fired from his job at GM. All in all the ad was very depressing with little spurts of humor. People were not happy about this ad and felt it was making fun of the idea of suicide. The advertisement was immediately pulled. Word got out about this ad being pulled and many people felt as if it was the right thing to do. Suicide is no laughing matter but it is an extreme way to get across the idea that their company, GM, is the best car company out there that people and/or robots, can't seem to live without.

It was just a matter of days when Volkswagen comes out with an advertisement about an actual person standing on the ledge of a tall building threatening to jump. A man in a VW drives by and yells up to the jumper (also the name of the advertisement) and tells him he bought his car and you can also buy two other models for under $17,000. After the comment the man decides to come down. According to Holly Saunders from the New York Post, five different mental health groups joined together to criticize this ad and demand it be pulled. They were respected and the ad was removed.

Two car companies coming out with similar commercials about suicide, in a matter of days, just seems bizarre. If one spot is being pulled, why did a different company try to see if theirs would work. All this talk about GM's commercial being pulled, you would think they would leave well enough alone. The commercial must have been worked on for a while and was probably is the midst of making it when the GM commercial was put on the air. VW definitely got wind of what happened to GM, so why try? It was probably to get the publicity through word of mouth and hopefully enough people saw the ad run once and were able to start spreading the news.

The more and more you think about it, buzz marketing is such a powerful concept. The decision made by Volkswagen to air a commercial that makes fun of the idea of mental health, knowing it will be pulled but still knowing you will get the publicity...is unreal. Whether they ran the commercial once or twenty times, it doesn't matter because we, the prospective consumers, are helping them get the advertising they wanted which was to inform us that we can buy three different VW models for under $17,000. Volkswagen may have made some people unhappy but in their eyes, this ad may still be a success.

VW "Jumper" Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUGukfZnzw

GM "Robot" Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3NGN4t4hm4

NFL and Erectile Disfunction?!?!

You would think advertising male sex drugs during NFL football games would be perfect product placement...and it is. So, why is the NFL deciding to pull all the commercials for these drugs and refusing to run them again? After three years of providing ad placement, the main reason for this change is because they are not going to tolerate the racy and sexy advertisements for drugs that are suppose to help someone with erectile disfunction.

Drugs such as Viagara, Levitra and Cialis are ones that are advertised for men with ED. The NFL decided to cut them due to the dramatic change in the ads. They believe that it is not acceptable to change the position of these drugs from a serious health issue to a drug to spice up people's sex lives. These advertisements have become quite controversial and the NFL doesn't want to be involved. Many people have thought that the NFL has succombed to the pressure and religious rights of many conservatives. According to Rich Tomaselli, AdAge's resident expert of the pharmaceutical industry and the sports industry, that is not the case. The NFL truly does not agree with where these drugs are going with their campaigns. They are going to stop sponsoring the ED drugs during there games but they will not cut ties with other pharmaceuticals such as allergy and hair loss pills.

To lose an advertising spot during NFL programming is a huge loss for companies that target the male category, but it may not necessarily do much damage to the product's success. Almost all men who use the product will continue to use the product whether it is advertised during the football games or not. There will just be a shift from TV advertisements to more banner and click ads online. People would have to search a little more for the ads but it is not a life and death situation.

I would have to agree with the NFL. They have a right to do what they feel is right and if they think that the advertisements for these drugs have become to racey then that is their opinion. I also agree that the ads for ED drugs have become to racey. I think these companies have lost sight of what their product is for and what they are accomplishing for the consumer. Yes, it will increase their sex lives but it doesn't mean that as soon as they use these drugs they become complete sexaholics. To keep an erection for 4 hours is not a healthy aspect and yet that is what the main point of advertising is. The NFL is also paying closer attention to their other viewers who aren't interested in seeing such commercials, whether those viewers be women, men, or children. They are not advertisements that everyone wants to see. The men that want this drug will still be able to find the advertisements with ease and it will still be out of view for people who aren't interested. Well see if Viagara, Levitra and Cialis change their commercial strategy to get back into the NFL programming.

To watch the podcast:
http://adage.com/shared/includes/spotwin.html?vid=ar-01162006.asf&type=nws

What do Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Boston have in common? Well, apparently the love of Lite-Brites and making sure the entire city knows about it. Cartoon Network hired a firm to do some guerilla marketing for the new Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. Nine electronic light boards that had pictures of mooninites on them triggered bomb scares around Boston, which made authorities close highways, two bridges and a large stretch of the Charles River before bomb squads determined the devices were harmless, according to CNN. I guess it may be understandable to misconstrue these Lite-Brites for destructive weapons considering they were placed in very weird locations, such as under bridges and highway overpasses.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a 15 minute cartoon aired on Cartoon Network as a part of the late night programming called Adult Swim. The mooninites are secondary characters on the show. To use these characters as the focal point of the advertisement seems odd because many people don't even know what the cartoon is about let alone any of the characters. It's definitely strange but maybe they were striving for a different type of publicity and this extravaganza may just have been their dream come true.

Guerilla marketing has not only caused huge controversy around the city of Boston and many other major cities but it has also spurred an overload of buzz marketing for the show. The mooninites flipping off the public may not have had the success that the makers may have wanted but they definitely made out with the publicity they received from the press. What a great news release to start off the new year!

This story was the topic of discussion in a few of my classes. Many laughed and thought it was unbelievable that Boston would go to such lengths before knowing exactly what was going on. I'm sure that we and by we, I mean college students, are just a small part of the population who laughed. Many people, were appalled and very upset about the whole incident. The people of Boston were probably scared out of their minds at the time of city shutdown, but to direct their anger at the advertisers doesn't seem right to me. They decided on an idea and went for it. Yes, it was a little sketchy but I think the people of Boston should be upset with the authorities. They didn't take the time to see what was going on before shutting down one of the biggest cities in New England. I'm sure angry onlooker's will be criticizing the show, the network and the advertising firm for a long time to come but criticize all you want because Aqua Teen Hunger Force will still be getting the buzz advertising they were looking for.

Super Bowl Sunday...probably one of the most anticipated days in sports today. It's bigger than the World Series, NBA finals and the Stanley Cup combined. Whether a person's favorite team is in the super bowl or not they still tune in. So it is the game that most people tune into or the commercials that are talked about weeks in advance?

For the 2007 Super bowl, the price of a 30 second commercial was a little over 2.5 million dollars. That's an unbelievable amount of money for time. That's it, just time. Forget about people they have to pay, the animation they have to create or whatever else the company decides to put into their commercials. Anheuser Busch was one of the biggest advertisers with a combined time of five minutes. That's over $25 million not to mention that most of there advertisements involved celebrities including Jay-Z, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Don Shula and Carlos Mencia. I wonder how much they were paid. Some of the other big advertisers were Coke-cola, GM and many more. The money these companies spend is utterly ridiculous but what seems to be even more important is which commercial was the best.

In every one of my classes on Monday morning we spent some time if not the whole time talking about who watched the super bowl and what commercial they liked the best, the worst, which ones were boring, etc. Not only in class but just walking down the halls you heard people talking about their favorites this year and even comparing them to last year's commercials. The commercials were more important than the super bowl itself. Many people, I'm sure if you asked wouldn't even remember which teams were in it.

Anheuser Busch spending $25 million dollars end up paying off in the end due to word of mouth advertising. Imagine every person that watched the super bowl talked about the Bug Light commercials. Monday morning Anheuser Busch received credit for 90 million advertisements that they didn't have to spend a penny on. Now that is the power of advertising! These companies definitely got their money's worth. Whether their commercials were fantastic or complete flops, as long as you remember who made the commercial then the company got what they paid for.

"All Marketer's Are Liars"

Recently, I watched a video called "All Marketer's are Liars". It was a speech given by Seth Godin. Wouldn't you know it, his presentation was all about Word of Mouth marketing. Perfect for my blog. He spoke to Google about what they have done and how they have stayed a successful company. Not only about them but how other brands can become successful with the same process. And the best part is, it's free!

Google has become as popular as it is all because of WOM. When people are interested in finding out more about a specific product or story, etc., many times you will hear someone say "Google it". I know I have said it many times, as well. Just that statement alone is spreading the word that Google is the best way to find just what you are looking for. It may not be the most intricate website or have the most technologically advanced homepage but it is the search engine that makes people feel a certain way when they use it. They make things just a little bit more interesting which keeps people talking about Google.

Seth then brought up socks. Yes, sounds weird but it makes a lot of sense. He talks about a company that is based out of Westchester called Little Mismatch. They target young girls around the age of 11 with the 133 different styles they make. The catch is that they don't sell pairs. They are individually sold and they don't sell even amounts either. So the idea is that the girls wear mismatched socks. They then go to school and show off their socks to their friends. The girl's friends then go home to tell their moms that they want the same socks. Right there is advertising that was completely free. Little Mismatch had a message which is just a little bit different that keeps people intrigued and coming back for more.

Companies like Google become a 'want' in peoples lives because of how they operate. They interact in a way that people really enjoy. Almost all their marketing comes from simple word of mouth which has turned them into a massive conglomerate. Little Mismatch works with the same idea. Unfortunately they are not as big as google is but who says they can't become that big. Making your company become a want in people's eyes will bring you a plethora of options and plenty of marketing. Just make things a little bit more interesting than your competition to keep people coming back to you.

Here it goes...

Hi All! My name is Justine Golloub. I am a junior Integrated Marketing Communications major (aka IMC) I just enrolled in this major in the fall. When I heard about this assignment, it definitely caught me off guard. I have never written my own blog before. I mean sure I've read others but I never thought of myself ever creating my own. This is my first blog which will take place over the whole semester. Here goes nothing!

Many people, from my experience, do not enjoy advertisements. They say advertisements cut into their favorite shows and there are just too many of them on television. Some of these people include my roommates (yea, I don't know why I share a house with them). They may be right, but they also don't understand that advertising encompassing so many different types. Throughout this semester, I will focus on guerilla marketing, word of mouth, buzz marketing and more.

I find these types of advertising very intriguing. All good advertisements are creative but guerilla marketing is where people are allowed to use all creative license and come up with something memorable, something that sticks. Not only that, but it will not interfer with people's shows!

Now, with all of the new technology today like TiVo and OnDemand many people are very easily able to fastforward through the commercial so they aren't bothered. Not only are those an issue for advertisers but YouTube and simple websites make it easier for people to catch up on their favorite television shows without interruption. This is the reason why guerilla marketing can be a big help to many different companies, businesses, etc. Also word of mouth and viral marketing are great ways for an service, product or idea to go from unknown to the hottest topic in a matter of days.

Sound interesting? Yea I think so too! Stay tuned for more! It should be a wild ride!