Politicians Put the ME in Marketing

It’s 2016. Election news is everywhere. Rallies, debates, and interviews are happening all across the US. People are tuning in and picking their favorite candidate to support. The interesting thing about politicians is that it’s not really a campaign for themselves, but more the ideas they bring to the table. Politics are very important and if House of Cards is true

it’s also incredibly terrifying.

With the Iowa Caucus less than 2 weeks away it’s now or never for some of these candidates. When everything comes down to it the election is a competition between Republicans and Democrats. In order to succeed in a campaign, the candidate needs two things: support and money. Both of them come hand and hand but more importantly, a candidate needs a platform or a set of values that drive their campaign.

I bet that everyone here has seen a political ad, and 9/10 it’s an attack ad focused on someone else.

*I would just like to point out I’m not showing any kind of support to either Republican or Democrats in this blog. It’s strictly business related.

As you can see there is a lot of name blaming and shade being thrown. Like I said, an election is a competition and sometimes candidates play dirty. That’s politics.

Attack ads are pretty interesting because they aren’t really meant to showcase the campaign running the ad but instead poke holes in the competition. Now the first video I showed wasn’t really much of an attack ad, it was more along the lines of a comparison ad. Comparison is a classic marketing technique that a lot of household products use to show superiority.

The consumer doesn’t know under pretense those “experiments” are done but all we see is the result. The result then gives us a reason to use the superior product. Switching back to politics, you can see the first video I linked is similar to the household product ads. It presents a problem (war on religion) that ends with the solution being that you need to support Rick Perry.

Let’s move on to the most widespread outlet for campaign advertising, the news.

I’m sure everyone in the U.S has seen or read an article with Donald Trump’s name on it in the past 4 months. Being a candidate for president puts a person under a microscope and every bit of information could lead to a headline. The news is an interesting media because just like the Republican and Democratic side, there are two sides of news stations too. Fox News being known for more conservative news and CNN and NBC leaning towards the liberal side. Now people who watch either station get a lot of news fed to them that could, in turn, sway their opinion on things.

There could be two headlines to this picture. “Donald Trump comforts baby” or “Donald Trump steals a baby from mother”. Obviously, this isn’t the case every time but it goes to show that news can sway public opinion. This is a piece of advertising that candidates don’t pay for. One of those headlines could help Donald Trump and the other could help Hillary Clinton.

Politicians are marketing themselves to the American people.

There is no u in politics, let’s change that.

Register to vote 

-N

 

It’s as easy as A P P L E

Did you know that Isaac Newton’s famous story of an apple hitting him on the head was really just a story to advertise the sale of apples?

Okay, so that isn’t true, but I swear somethings up with that story.

 

Look at that face.

 

By the end of this blog, you’ll be craving an apple.

This isn’t a story about an actual apple, but the technology giant Apple.

Their advertising has always been a really interesting because unlike some companies, they’re on a train that never stops. Technology is always evolving and there will always be a want/need for Apple products. What I find so interesting about their advertising is the different reputation they’ve gained through the use of ads. Spawned from what some say the same idea, both Microsoft and Apple have had a long and complicated relationship, but through the use of advertising, Apple has set itself apart. Apple is seen as a luxurious brand. So, what does that mean? That they charge more for their products? That their products are superior to their competitors? Because they aren’t. That’s the thing, though, people don’t want the best. They want the logo and the status of feeling above the rest for having an Apple product. This is true for a lot of luxurious brands, but that’s another story for another day.

Apple and many other huge technology companies have given us the need for more. As soon as you buy a piece of technology it’ll be old news within the year. Once you buy an iPhone 6s you’re already counting down the days until the 7 comes out.

Apple has brilliantly built an audience for their product. People look forward to their famous press conference where they reveal their newest products. People look forward to this because time after time Apple has pushed technology to its limits.

 

Some things never change.

Steve Jobs was a brilliant man and he knew exactly what he was doing. He built a mystery behind his products and it caught people’s attention. Now when people think of Apple’s press conference they think of mystery and it grabs their attention.

 

Now, moving on to their ads.

This ad campaign was brilliant. It’s fun, colorful, and yet it separates the product. The product is in all white which is what catches your eye. You’re free to imagine yourself as the silhouette. “Over a million sold”.

This was a series of ads that Apple ran to take a jab at Microsoft. It portrays two men, one being a PC and the other a Mac. The PC is all dressed up and it is shown in the ad to be trying to hard to be cool, like Apple. Apple targeted their demographic by illustrating a young, relaxed guy and gave PC the uncle-that’s-trying-to-hard-to-be “cool” vibe.

Oh, how times have changed. Apple has taken the simplicity route. This is only because the world now has become used to technology. Back when Apple first came out with their products, they had to explain to people why they needed it’s products. Technology was something people weren’t used to but Apple knew they wanted it. Now that people are used to computers and laptops it isn’t such a big deal. Now Apple is a company of few words.

The only words in the video were “The Watch Is Coming”.

 

The only words in the video were “The Future of Television”.

Both of these ads had no information about the product or features. Now, Apple has other ads of the Apple Watch that shows features but these are both ads revealing products. Don’t you think there should be something about the products? Apple has a strategy and they execute it perfectly. Simplicity.

Everything about Apple is simple. Their stores are nothing but wood and glass. Their logo is black and white, both simple colors.

Your choice is simple, pick Apple.

Now go get your apple, you deserve it.

-N

 

 

US(A)dvertising

Why would you ever have to convince someone to go to Hawaii?

Because like anything else, it’s a business.

Now, tourism marketing has always fascinated me because you’re not selling a product, you’re selling a place. Instead of focusing on the attributes of a product, you focus on the experience and memories one will gain. This industry is also selective to vacation spots and historical places. You don’t see magazine ads or T.V. spots for the small town of Cainsville, Missouri.

 

290 strong

Tourism marketing has become a very important division of marketing because traveling has become more available. Back when airlines were just getting started, going on a plane was a big deal. Wealthy people and businessman were the key demographic at the time. Now that airlines like Southwest are making it more affordable to fly, the need for tourism marketing has increased. Marketing a destination is more than just sandy beaches and historical landmarks, it’s an experience. Traveling is a really stressful time for a lot of passengers and that’s something to take into account when trying to appeal to your demographic. Of course, different places want to attract a different crowd. Beaches typically attract families, older generations, and honeymooners. Historical places attract families, students, and the older generations. Amusement parks typically attract young kids and families. Obviously, you can tell what the most important demographic is. Marketing to families is a little interesting because you’re not only selling to one person. If your marketing a destination you need to point out that there is something for everyone in the family. There needs to be an event appropriate for families, maybe a spa for mom or a bar for dad to escape to.

 

Now, some cities have a slight advantage when it comes to marketing their destination. I’m sure Orlando, Florida or Anaheim, California don’t have any problems getting themselves on the map. L.A. has the Hollywood walk of fame and New York has the Empire State Building, Times Square, and much more.

Those cities are lucky because consumers aren’t just going for those specific places. Okay, sure, a family might be going to Orlando to visit Disney World but Orlando had a lot more to offer than just Disney World. Vacations are more about the experience of the trip, along with the memories.

This is why I find tourism marketing so interesting.

It’s not an everyday household cleaner or product.

It’s a life changing experience that you’ll only get if you escape to

(insert destination here)

Just focus on the copy, “Goodbye rush hour”, “white sandy beach”, “crystal-clear sea”.

One of my favorite ads is California’s “find yourself here” campaign,

That ad had it all: celebrities, the ocean, snow, Disney, and wordplay.

When all is said in done they aren’t selling California. They are selling you the experience to visit California. The benefits that come with California.

This is a classic advertising technique that teaches sellers to focus on the benefits the product (or in this case, the place) can bring to their life.

Features tell, but benefits sell.

Now whose up for a road trip to Cainsville, MO?

I’ll bring the sandwiches.

-N

Can’t have marketing without (m) and you can’t have advertising without (w)oman

Advertising and woman have a really long complicated relationship.

 

Let’s start by going over why this relationship is so complicated.

In the 1950’s marketing changed forever. With the introduction of the T.V., it became a window to the outside world. The funny thing about windows, though, is that they go both ways. It now became easier to sell products to families. The ads in this decade were targeted to housewives because they were the ones at home the most. There was a promise of “making life easier” and “making your family happier” and this really worked because who wouldn’t want life to be easier? Now the only other vulnerable demographic at this time was a single woman in her 20’s.

 

1950’s

 

Without even reading this ad you can tell it is targeted towards young girls. At that time finding a husband and settling down was the goal. Agencies targeted this feeling to get a woman to buy beauty products. “Look your best so you can find a man”. This was the way things were at the time, woman were expected to act proper and respectful. This was still the case in the 1960’s.

 

1960’s

and the 1970’s…

1970’s

But then something troubling happened.

Here are two Budweiser ads

One of them is from 1971 and the other is from the 1980’s. Quite a difference. During the 1980’s, companies found out one of the most sacred marketing techniques, that sex sells. Once they discovered it they never looked back.

Never.

Mid 2005

But then something great happened. As woman started to gain an equal role in society, they also started to be represented equally in advertisements. Now I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s better. Large companies have started to cast a woman in roles unrelated to how they look. It’s safe to say that women aren’t always shown as housewives.

Budweiser has even evolved. If you been paying attention to their last couple super bowl ads you notice something. The past 10 years have all been horses and puppies. Everyone looks forward to beer commercials every year, not because they’re sexy….but because they’re funny. Funny is the new sexy.

The next part of the story is about women’s bodies.

When companies and agencies found out that sex sells it did wonders for them, but not everyone. With all the really attractive women going up on billboards and magazines it was catching guys attention, which caught the women’s attention. Seeing skinny, beautiful women in ads taught young girls what guys like or what they thought they liked. Now is Victoria Secret selling to men or woman? These ads weren’t only using women but they were spreading lies about them. In time companies started to all-timethe harm they were doing. One of my all time favorite ad campaigns is Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign. This shows that women don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

I’m glad that companies are starting to realize what they’re doing and I look forward to seeing change. It seems I see “Plus size model hired” or “First down syndrome model hired” more and more. These ladies are setting examples for future generation and I hope to see more change in the future. Companies and agencies that think they’re selling sex are really just selling lies, and nobody likes to be lied to.

Sex will always sell, but who’s buying it?

-N

Advertise (pause). Advertise again. Repeat.

I never watch T.V.

 

and I get the feeling people have a certain tolerance when it comes to live T.V. For this to make sense let me add a little pretense. Monday I was watching a football game, which is about 4 hours long. As much as I like watching football I just couldn’t stop getting annoyed at commercials. I was thinking…”What’s wrong with me?”. I have a marketing degree, I’m supposed to love and be interested in commercials. Then something dawned on me, it’s not the commercials themselves, it’s the repetition. Now, as a rarely watch T.V. I was shocked about how many times the same commercial would be played. Now I understand the reason behind the repetition, some users flip around during commercials and might miss the targeted ad. The more times you throw that ad out there, the higher chance you have of reaching those users. Sometimes repetition works along with the with the company/agency strategy. Throw in a catchy jingle or a recurring storyline and you have the user hooked. They’ll be whistling your jingle all day, or they might visit your website to “continue the story”. But ask yourself a question, “Did you really capture them?” If I have a jingle stuck in my head it’ll go right out the door when I start jamming in my car. Now, “Same Old Love” by Selena Gomez is stuck in my head.

(look at that 50 million views)

Now that doesn’t mean I’m going to go grab her new album. I could go to your website and play around, but I might get bored and go look at pictures of cats. I know that companies/agencies have done their research and they know what they’re talking about but it still gives me a funny feeling. I don’t deny that this tactic works for some consumers, I’m simply saying that it’s annoying. Annoyance is an interesting subject when it comes to advertising, it’s a slippery slope. Repetition in advertising is never going to go away, pun intended. Companies and agencies aren’t perfect. They can’t guarantee that each user will see each ad once, and frankly they don’t care. The more you see the ad, the more the message has a chance of sticking. Back to the slippery slope. Nobody likes to be annoyed.

I’d rather watch this

What happens if a fly is buzzing around your face? You take a swipe at it. What happens if you see a commercial over and over? You forget about the product or message and think about how annoying it is. At this point the strategy the company/agency started out with is now the thing that ruined their chance of doing what they set out to do, sell a product.

 

This is a serious concern for sellers. In today’s world, it’s getting harder and harder to get commercials out there. Do you know why?

Cause people find them annoying.

I’m one of many millions of users of Netflix, which is ad free. Millions of people have Hulu Plus, which is now commercial free.

 

I’ll definitely pay the extra $4 for No Commercials

 

Many internet users use AdBlock, which even works on Youtube ads. It’s safe to say that we have a lot of ways to avoid ads.

 

Advertising is at a crossroad. What’s the solution?

Content.

You need an ad that makes people pause their live T.V. to show someone else. You need an ad that get over 500,000 views on Youtube. You need an ad that gets people to ask other people if they’ve seen it.

I know what you’re thinking. “It’s easier said than done”. To that, I’d say if sales or market share don’t increase due to your ad campaign then you haven’t done your job. So stop making excuses and do it. Give me and every other consumer a reason to enjoy watching live TV.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to Netflix.

-N