Dove's 'Choose Beautiful' Campaign

In 2015, Dove released a campaign titled 'Choose Beautiful' which was part of their many advertisements for their Movement for Self Esteem. As in many of Dove's campaigns, women from around the world are called to renounce the media's portrayal of perfection and replace them with a strong message of female empowerment. 

This particular campaign focused on women in five different global cities. Each woman was given the opportunity to walk through one of two doors. One held a sign above that read, 'Average' and the other 'Beautiful'. The video showed a large majority of the women chose to walk through the door labeled 'Average.' In addition, a few women made comments attempting to justify their decisions such as "Beautiful, to me, felt too far out of reach" or " I went through the average door. I didn't even hesitate." Other women regretted their decisions automatically, "I didn't feel good after walking through the door that said average, because obviously I had treated myself as average." 

Soon, the tempo of the advertisement increases as many women find the confidence to walk through the door labeled beautiful and ultimately chose beautiful. Although the campaign consisted of what was meant to be a simple inspirational message, it received a hefty amount of backlash. Kat Gordon, founder of the 3% Conference, which advocates more female leadership in advertising, called the 'Choose Beautiful' campaign, “heavy-handed and manipulative." Viewers complained that the ad was patronizing. Many questioned what changed the women's opinions of themselves. In addition, many argued that the campaign was not rooted in science since Dove did not perform an actual social experiment. Dove focused on the statistic that only 4% of women think they're beautiful. However, they did not consider the research that 71% of women are satisfied with their beauty. 

It seems odd that many viewers disapproved of a campaign whose purpose was centered around helping women to see their own beauty. Regardless of the backlash, Dove's campaign continued to see amazing results through empowerment marketing.

Click the link below to watch Dove's 'Choose Beautiful' campaign. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=59&v=7DdM-4siaQw

State Farm Commercial: Neighborhood of Good Campaign

This past holiday season, State Farm debuted their commercial titled, "Don't You (Forget About Me)" which was used to promote the company's Neighborhood of Good campaign. The commercial features a man singing the song, "Don't You Forget About Me", while in a shelter filled with many volunteers and homeless adults and children. Friendly conversations can be seen taking place, as food and drinks are given out, while the shelter illuminates with warm lighting and a glowing Christmas tree. The camera then does a close up of the man singing, as he cups his hands together while taking a   quick break from playing the piano to warm up his fingers. The camera then pans out to reveal the man sitting in the exact same spot, however now the shelter is virtually empty of volunteers, while many homeless people are still gathered around. "The season of giving ends, but the need remains," is  then displayed on the screen, which then transitions into, "Volunteer at NeigborhoodofGood.com."

During the holidays, a high demand for volunteers for the homeless and poor can be prominently seen. The Salvation Army stands outside of hectic businesses in the hopes that people will donate money to help those less fortunate. Since the Christmas season is all about giving, it is easy for people to feel an emotional need to donate or contribute in any way they can. That is what organizations like the Salvation Army count on, and the holidays are usually the time of the year when they do receive the most money and donations. But for many people, the spirit of giving can dissipate after the season is over. State Farm decided to call attention to that while also giving viewers a solution on how to fix it by joining their movement and becoming a volunteer. The message of their commercial is true; homeless people will still remain homeless after Christmas, just like less fortunate people will remain poor. Although an unfortunate reality, it is something that people should be reminded of. The commercial touched on the emotional appeal of its viewers, using as very realistic depiction of a homeless shelter and homeless people. The song, "Don't You Forget About Me," ads an auditory touch which makes the audience feel connected just a little bit more.

The full commercial can be seen below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceK5ukiw6cc

Samsung: Growing Up Campaign

During their "Growing up” campaign, Samsung was able to use a variety of advertising strategies to communicate with smartphone users.  The iPhone once started out as a revolutionary product that could provide tools and services to consumers, however Apple seems to be more concerned with profit, as opposed to providing such services.  Samsung used competitive strategies to drive this campaign, targeting areas of weakness for Apple that consumers are beginning to become concerned about.  

Check out how: Samsung Trends Compared to Apple

As years go by, prices of Apple products, specifically the iPhone, continue to rise.  However, although prices are rising, there seems to be a lack of innovation with each model.  Each release usually introduces new charging cords, new cases, new headphones, and several other products that need to be purchased with the new model, resulting in a very large grand total.  This was shown during the campaign, when the Apple user had several cords plugged into the iPhone and the Samsung user did not.  Samsung was also able to portraying that Apple consumers can be viewed as "prisoners" who are unable or unwilling to stray from Apple no matter what.  This was shown, when Apple customers were waiting outside in the rain, with the Samsung consumer casually walking by.  With recent criticism of the price of the iPhone X, being accused of slowing down older models, as well as the issues Samsung addressed in this campaign, many wonder if Apple consumers will begin to seek other providers.

Samsung was able to show that Apple has become more of a brand as opposed to a product and service provider.  Consumers are more concerned with having the latest iPhone, rather than buying a product for the specific services it offers.  Some Apple consumers will even order the newest iPhone before actually testing it.  These are all issues that Samsung was able to bring to light.  There are other Smartphone providers that can provide similar and some may argue, more innovative services and Samsung was able to demonstrate that with their “Growing Up” advertising campaign.

Burger King Anti-Bullying Ad

Late last year, Burger King released a video ad that was a PSA for anti-bullying. It grabbed the attention of a lot of people when it was first released, since it was something so different from typical Burger King and other fast food advertisements.

In the video, actors are shown where some kids are bullying another kid inside of the Burger King restaurant. There are hidden cameras inside the restaurant filming everything and the reactions of the customers. Also, behind the counter, another actor playing a worker in the restaurant is shown beating up the whoppers that people ordered so that when they receive their food, it is messy and smashed.

The hidden cameras show more people going up to the counter and complaining about the food that they received and only about one or two people going over to the kid who is being bullied to try and help him. The majority of people who clearly witnessed the bullied kid chose to ignore it and instead complain about their food.

The whole point of this ad is to show that people will complain about their burger being "bullied, as Burger King called it, but they are not at all likely to do something when they witness another person in the restaurant being bullied.

I believe Burger King released this ad in order to spread more awareness about how much bullying actually occurs, especially in pre-teens and teens, in order to encourage people to stick up for others when they see something that is wrong. Burger King was also very smart with the release of this ad, because it gained them a lot of positive attention and allowed them to stand out from other fast food restaurants.

The Power of Music within Advertising.

Music can not only make an advertisement more impactful and more enjoyable to watch, but using music in an ad allows for the viewer to be able retain the information better than they would if the ad did not have music. Commercials such as Good Goes Around by Cheerios shows how music can even be the central part of the advertisement. Through song, Cheerios is able to create a powerful and effective ad  as a result of presenting their message in song form. This way consumers have a higher chance of remembering the commercial and the message behind it because of the song that can get easily stuck in your head, which is Cherrios‘ desired reaction. Music can not only enhance a commercial but it can be the primary medium that explains and reminds consumers about the product in a way that does not make the consumer think that they are being sold to.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rxjEQ8-P1OU

2017 Design Trend: Cinemagraphs

Every year I'm curious to see what design trends are entering and/or exiting the market. Behance created a 2017 Design Trends Guide with 20+ trends to exercise and/or watch out for. Number 2 on this list is Cinemagraphs.

Cinemagraphs are upscaled gifs of still images which include subtle elements of movement. Somewhat like Apple's new live photo feature. Personally, I've always loved a good, effective gif. I think the movement creates visual interest and generally leaves a positive user experience.

I agree with Behance that cinemagraphs will be become increasingly popular in 2017 and most likely for a few years to come. In my current role, there has been a push from the top to increase animations in our marketing materials with traditional gifs, short videos, and cinemagraphs to be used on our websites, in email, and on social media.

Check out these fresh cinemagraphs! (Warning: while some are super subtle - others are much more surprising and fun to watch/guess what will be animated.)

Social Marketing: Heineken

Social marketing is much like commercial marketing, but with one major difference in agendas: Social Good vs. Financial Gain.

Unlike big corporations or brands, non-profit organizations are largely focused on influencing behavior to benefit society as a whole rather than pushing a new product or service. Great examples of social marketing include Above the Influence's "Who Controls You" campaign, and truth's "finish it" campaign.

However, some big brands do choose to use their national and/or global platform to push social marketing along with their products and that is a win-win for all. Last year Heineken released "When You Drive, Never Drink" using racing legend and safety pioneer, Jackie Stewart to demonstrate responsible drinking by not drinking and driving.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tV6gygNPetU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


I'm not familiar with Jackie Stewart so even though I appreciate this commercial, it doesn't exactly resonate with me. But what does are these infographics about moderate/responsible drinking surveyed and targeted towards millennials.

The bottom line is that Heineken has made it clear that they care about the well being of their consumers and the well being of the families, friends, and strangers around those consuming their product. Above pushing their product, they're pushing responsible drinking.

Home is Where the Heart is

Seattle-based home buying company, Zillow recently launched a campaign that tugs at the heartstrings of even those with the iciest of cold hearts. Each of the five video advertisements features different types of families/people searching for a new home. Zillow knows that purchasing a new home is both an emotional and often stressful experience, and they want to show their market that they care. The various stages of life, most often known as the "slice of life" technique has been proven effective in helping aid company relations with their target audiences. In the screen grab featured from YouTube, this particular ad features a young boy and his father who are forced to move after the loss of their matriarch. According to CEO Jeremy Wacksman, stated in their accompanying press release, "We hear so many incredible personal stories about the different paths people take to homeownership. We were inspired to bring the modern home shopping story to life with this campaign".

In addition to tugging at heartstrings of viewers, the company took an important stab at acknowledging the buying patterns of millennials, who have been often criticized as renters and not homeowners. The segment entitled "Just Me" features a young woman who is searching for a new apartment, but is advised by a coworker to purchase instead to gain long-term investments, even though it is only her living in the home. This particular commercial tapped into an audience that Zillow's principle competition has not taken advantage of thus far.

Know Your Client

As a public relations/advertising practitioner we are consistently reminded that appealing to the target market is the most essential part of any successful campaign. However recently, beauty company Shea Moisture, has missed the mark on what seems to be their target audience entirely when they attempted to appeal to new audiences. The company, which was started in 1912, promotes products using certified organic Shea Butter, which has mostly been advertised towards African American women. The company attempted to open their brand to more women, by including a variety of Caucasian women in their latest campaign for sales at Target. The campaign was met with backlash from many as they were accused of "white washing"a proud, African-American company that has lasted a decade.

The company took to social media to openly and honestly take responsibility for their lack of sensitivity towards their target audience who has been using the product loyally, even admitting that they simply "f-ed this one up". It was refreshing to see a company admit to their faults simply and effectively communicate with their market directly via the sites that they most often use. How do you think companies can increase their target audience without losing a key demographic in the process?

Is Word-of-Mouth Advertising Becoming Obsolete?

Some smaller companies rely very heavily on word of mouth advertising. Why? It comes down to a few simple reasons. One being the heavy cost of advertising in today's world, and another being that they want to appeal to a certain target audience or a certain geographic location that is more centered around where their stores are located. One example of a national level of word of mouth advertising is that of The Walking Company. Specializing in comfort shoes, The Walking Company has over 250 stores throughout the United States and a few located in Canada. Based in California and being so large of a chain, most people would think that they would allow some money towards advertising. In a sense, they do. They have advertisements on Pinterest and located in their stores in shopping malls or plazas. What they do not do, however, is commercial or web-based video advertising. The Walking Company has had some very good success with this. Each of its retail locations, of which there are over 250, pulls in $1 million annually. Some locations do between $1.5 and $2 million depending on where they're located. In my mind, it seems as though The Walking Company has deployed some successful word of mouth campaigns. Sure there are companies that really cannot do it well, but if a company is established well enough and has a loyal customer base, as well as delivers quality products, word of mouth advertising will continue to be one of the most effective forms of advertising out there.