These kind of viral advertisements are very focused in on their target demographic, and make a huge impact on the rest of the sports community. This particular ad places Sidney Crosby, and Nathan Mackinnon, both hockey players from Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia, at a Tim Hortons in Canada. Tim Hortons, a popular fast food breakfast chain in Canada, is famous for its doughnuts and Canadian service. This viral marketing is very easy to produce, and is extremely effective. Crosby and Mackinnon serve as the focus of the advertisements, while the product is left in the background. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as fans of the athletes are constantly looking for content outside of the sport. It allows viewers an insight to their persona lives and gives the chain credibility after being endorsed by a popular athlete and celebrity in their town.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Social Media: A Powerful, Dangerous Tool
These kind of viral advertisements are very focused in on their target demographic, and make a huge impact on the rest of the sports community. This particular ad places Sidney Crosby, and Nathan Mackinnon, both hockey players from Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia, at a Tim Hortons in Canada. Tim Hortons, a popular fast food breakfast chain in Canada, is famous for its doughnuts and Canadian service. This viral marketing is very easy to produce, and is extremely effective. Crosby and Mackinnon serve as the focus of the advertisements, while the product is left in the background. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as fans of the athletes are constantly looking for content outside of the sport. It allows viewers an insight to their persona lives and gives the chain credibility after being endorsed by a popular athlete and celebrity in their town.
Feel Good Ads
Now I'm a sucker for anything hockey related, however its ads like these that really leave a bad taste in my mouth. These ads are specifically targeted at your emotions and have absolutely nothing to do with the product or company that it benefits. This kind of marketing isn't meant to sell you the product. Its not even meant to sell you on an experience. This is just big business trying to play consumers into buying their products.
For me, advertisements like these never seem genuine because they are pedaling a product, and they make me as a consumer less receptive to purchase said product. I would prefer that compose integrate there product into the the ads more and be more upfront about what they are doing.
Lebron to?
If you haven't been following the NBA, Lebron James draws a pretty big following. As he is a free agent at the end of this season, its pretty safe to say that some teams are really excited about it.
Of course, none of these teams paid to have these billboards made up, but they all were strategically placed where Lebron would see them during each visit to the respective city. This may be the efforts of a desperate fan, who is really excited about the potential of the best player in the world coming to play for their franchise. While these campaigns are nothing but a bit of fun, they aren't that off for wanting Lebron in their city.
Many people agree that Lebron is an impact player, but what does that do for a city or a team. Lebron at one point left his team in Cleveland to go down to Miami. The results in ticket sales was bigger than you'd expect.
The Three years that Lebron was in Miami, there is a clear dip in ticket sales, however, after Lebron returns ticket sales spike once again to sellout levels for each game they play. This clearly shows that Lebron James is box office, and campaigning for him isn't the most ridiculous thing an NBA team could do.
Of course, none of these teams paid to have these billboards made up, but they all were strategically placed where Lebron would see them during each visit to the respective city. This may be the efforts of a desperate fan, who is really excited about the potential of the best player in the world coming to play for their franchise. While these campaigns are nothing but a bit of fun, they aren't that off for wanting Lebron in their city.
Many people agree that Lebron is an impact player, but what does that do for a city or a team. Lebron at one point left his team in Cleveland to go down to Miami. The results in ticket sales was bigger than you'd expect.
The Three years that Lebron was in Miami, there is a clear dip in ticket sales, however, after Lebron returns ticket sales spike once again to sellout levels for each game they play. This clearly shows that Lebron James is box office, and campaigning for him isn't the most ridiculous thing an NBA team could do.
We Are All Humboldt
Recently, a horrible bus crash in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada left a city devastated. The bus crash claimed the lives of 16 victims, all of witch were associated with a hockey team called the Broncos. This may seem like a strange thing to craft a campaign around, however this horrible tragedy was changed through great public relations, and the sporting community coming together to support a cause.
The campaign started very impactful and lasting hashtags including, #HumboldtStrong, #WeareallHumboldt, and #SticksoutforHumboldt. These campaigns were taken on by NHL teams with placing hockey sticks at the entrance of each door honoring the victims of the crash.
Teams also supported the Broncos by having a themed night to come together with both teams honored the fallen victims by wearing jerseys that all say Broncos on the back of the jersey.
These small steps, led to massive support of their team, and the GoFundMe campaign set up to offer financial support to the families. The GoFundMe page raised over $15 million dollars, the most in website history. this viral campaign supported by all different hockey teams now will make a lasting impact on the families of a horrible tragedy
The campaign started very impactful and lasting hashtags including, #HumboldtStrong, #WeareallHumboldt, and #SticksoutforHumboldt. These campaigns were taken on by NHL teams with placing hockey sticks at the entrance of each door honoring the victims of the crash.
Teams also supported the Broncos by having a themed night to come together with both teams honored the fallen victims by wearing jerseys that all say Broncos on the back of the jersey.
These small steps, led to massive support of their team, and the GoFundMe campaign set up to offer financial support to the families. The GoFundMe page raised over $15 million dollars, the most in website history. this viral campaign supported by all different hockey teams now will make a lasting impact on the families of a horrible tragedy
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Brandless Branding?
I’ve recently come across an ad on my Instagram feed that struck my attention. It was an advertisement for a brandless line of products. The concept is an online grocery shopping service that entirely leaves out any sort of brand name.
They’re based in San Francisco and Minneapolis. According to their website embedded below, “Our mission is deeply rooted in quality, transparency, and community-driven values. Better stuff, fewer dollars. It's that simple.” This product line is meant to be cheaper than your typical grocery store prices. Their concept behind this is that without attaching a brand, they can avoid a BrandTax. “BrandTax™ is the hidden costs you pay for a national brand. We've been trained to believe these costs increase quality, but they rarely do. We estimate the average person pays at least 40% more for products of comparable quality as ours. And sometimes up to 370% more for beauty products like face cream. We're here to eliminate BrandTax™ once and for all.” This is an interesting concept that i have personally never seen done before. They focus on healthy and safe products at affordable prices, which is a great business model considering the current trends. They also have a large focus on corporate social responsibility. They partner with Feeding America and donate to the organization with every purchase made.
They’re based in San Francisco and Minneapolis. According to their website embedded below, “Our mission is deeply rooted in quality, transparency, and community-driven values. Better stuff, fewer dollars. It's that simple.” This product line is meant to be cheaper than your typical grocery store prices. Their concept behind this is that without attaching a brand, they can avoid a BrandTax. “BrandTax™ is the hidden costs you pay for a national brand. We've been trained to believe these costs increase quality, but they rarely do. We estimate the average person pays at least 40% more for products of comparable quality as ours. And sometimes up to 370% more for beauty products like face cream. We're here to eliminate BrandTax™ once and for all.” This is an interesting concept that i have personally never seen done before. They focus on healthy and safe products at affordable prices, which is a great business model considering the current trends. They also have a large focus on corporate social responsibility. They partner with Feeding America and donate to the organization with every purchase made.
In theory, I believe this is a very cool concept, and could be incredibly successful due to the fact that it has not been done before, or at least has not been well known. But what strikes me about this company the most is that by focusing on a particular business model and public image, they are creating a reputation for themselves. Doesn’t this make the Brandless company a brand? Is what they’ve come up with just more of a vision for image and not actually a no-brand product line? I like the thought process behind this company, but in the end, isn’t it just ironic?
How Fortnite Got So Big, So Quick
Fortnite is all the rave right now in the gaming industry. It’s a free game that can be played cross-platform, giving it the ability to interface with a wide array of video gamers. in addition to approaching current gamers, the eSports community is rapidly growing with millions of dollars in investments from other industries, as well as the Twitch acquisition from Amazon. Twitch currently is a multi-million dollar industry, due to its rapidly growing fan base as well as corporate sponsorship. This is comparable to a social media site for gamers. Ninja, who is a popular twitch user, live streams his gameplay. If you thought that video gaming wouldn’t prosper financially, Ninja was interviewed recently stating he makes $600,000 in one month - playing video games! This has been able to capture the attention of gamers and non-gamers alike, bringing much attention to the video gaming community, as well as Fortnite itself. Mainstream celebrities have also been featured on Ninja’s livestream gameplay, bringing in a larger than expected fan base due to the incorporation of celebrities such as Drake, Travis Scott, and Juju Smith-Scheuster. 
The use of social media marketing and celebrity endorsements is a great combination for companies to bring to the table. Incorporating this type of advertising into the video game industry was a fantastic adjustment and has widely increased the size and income of the field.Saturday, April 21, 2018
Facial Based Advertising: Data Security
With the rise of social media there has been a significant increase in data that people are revealing about themselves. Many people do not realize that an app, game, service they are using actually is letting advertisers and companies know specific and accurate information of their audience.
We have seen this problem come to the surface with the Facebook / Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which millions of Facebook users data was sold to use for advertising. How is this a problem? Well advertisers are not only able to receive physical characteristics such as age and gender, but with the rise of social media, advertisers are now able to obtain psychographic information such as interests and hobbies. From there, advertisers can strategically use ads to sway your opinions and views, based on things you like or are interested in.
This is shown with this video in which, fans of sporting events are now able to access a facial-based identifying app. This is a fan engagement tool used to entice people to want to use the app so they can see photos of themselves in the audience. However, the overall goal is for advertisers to understand the demographics of their audience. When people use the app they accept the terms to publish their information. So they are letting the app know their age, gender, sexuality, profession, email, and much more. So for example, on Tuesday's a sporting event can know the majority of their fans are white, middle aged women. From there advertisers can determine which ads they want to publish on throughout the stadium during each night.
In my opinion, I think there needs to be regulations on social media and the data advertisers are allowed to obtain. Also, I think there needs to be a movement to educate the public that these tools, games, quizzes, services, etc. are being used to obtain specific data, not to entertain people.
We have seen this problem come to the surface with the Facebook / Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which millions of Facebook users data was sold to use for advertising. How is this a problem? Well advertisers are not only able to receive physical characteristics such as age and gender, but with the rise of social media, advertisers are now able to obtain psychographic information such as interests and hobbies. From there, advertisers can strategically use ads to sway your opinions and views, based on things you like or are interested in.
This is shown with this video in which, fans of sporting events are now able to access a facial-based identifying app. This is a fan engagement tool used to entice people to want to use the app so they can see photos of themselves in the audience. However, the overall goal is for advertisers to understand the demographics of their audience. When people use the app they accept the terms to publish their information. So they are letting the app know their age, gender, sexuality, profession, email, and much more. So for example, on Tuesday's a sporting event can know the majority of their fans are white, middle aged women. From there advertisers can determine which ads they want to publish on throughout the stadium during each night.
In my opinion, I think there needs to be regulations on social media and the data advertisers are allowed to obtain. Also, I think there needs to be a movement to educate the public that these tools, games, quizzes, services, etc. are being used to obtain specific data, not to entertain people.
Friday, April 20, 2018
Nihilists and Gamers - Arby's Social Media Branding
When people talk about fast food advertising, people most often think of the Wendy's Twitter or Burger King's invasive smart home device targeting. However, they aren't the only brands with notable strategies.
Ever the underdog, fast food brand Arby's has made a reputation for themselves by targeting a demographic that often also identifies as an underdog - nerds. They began this strategy back in 2015, by starting to make references to niche pop culture, such as video games and anime. The photos below showcase some of these references, which are often photographs of crafts made out of cardboard, a unique art style that also attracts attention from crafters.
The copy accompanying these ads is usually a simple reference to whatever is featured in the picture, and rarely references Arby's themselves, letting the food and colors of the picture speak for itself. This subtle, not-in-your-face style and lack of overusing hashtags is a different approach that most fast food brands do not opt to take. This strategy greatly differs from their radio and television presence, which is highly dominated by their 'We have the meats' slogan and takes on a hyper-masculine, chill guy attitude and tone, however, has thus far proven to be successful, giving Arby's a follower count of 823k and a Facebook following of over 3 million.
Not everyone thinks this strategy is effective, however, and as often happens on the internet, parody accounts pop up. Arby's biggest internet troll is most notably the Nihilist Arby's Twitter, run by a copywriter and punk rock star, Brendan Kelly. The account tweets cynical thoughts framed in a corporate tone, such as "Lots of other fast food twitters say crap like 'fries make everything okay.' But you know what? Life sucks & the fries do nothing. Eat Arbys." On why he started the parody account, Kelly stated, "Twitter is such a great medium, but it's misunderstood, generationally. It's like an awesome newspaper where everyone can customize what they get by following certain entities, whether they want comedy, politics or naked chicks. But then you have these dumb corporations that just don't get it, you know? And fast-food brands unbelievably perpetuate the most terrible of ideas." When the Twitter account got particularly big, Kelly made the following video, acting out the personality of the account:
As a PR move to combat parody accounts like Kelly's experiencing larger followings and engagements than their own account, Arby's addressed him directly, by visiting him at his office with a bag of Arby's and a puppy in tow. They left him with a note that read, "Cheer up, buddy. You live in a world with puppies ... and sandwiches."
When brands can acknowledge their trolls in ways that isn't trying to 'drag' or fire back at them or deny the humor of the accounts, it leaves a better taste in everyone's mouth and leads to positive PR for the brand moreso than trying to gain 'cool kid' credit, akin to Wendy's account. By not trying to shut down the account, Arby's shows they support creative freedom, which is consistent with the brand they try to make through their above showcased nerdy-crafty style of advertisements. Keeping this branding consistent within the niche they have found is what has allowed Arby's social media strategy to remain successful.
Ever the underdog, fast food brand Arby's has made a reputation for themselves by targeting a demographic that often also identifies as an underdog - nerds. They began this strategy back in 2015, by starting to make references to niche pop culture, such as video games and anime. The photos below showcase some of these references, which are often photographs of crafts made out of cardboard, a unique art style that also attracts attention from crafters.
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| Source: Arby's Twitter |
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| A screencap of a Game of Thrones themed Arby's Facebook Post |
The copy accompanying these ads is usually a simple reference to whatever is featured in the picture, and rarely references Arby's themselves, letting the food and colors of the picture speak for itself. This subtle, not-in-your-face style and lack of overusing hashtags is a different approach that most fast food brands do not opt to take. This strategy greatly differs from their radio and television presence, which is highly dominated by their 'We have the meats' slogan and takes on a hyper-masculine, chill guy attitude and tone, however, has thus far proven to be successful, giving Arby's a follower count of 823k and a Facebook following of over 3 million.
Not everyone thinks this strategy is effective, however, and as often happens on the internet, parody accounts pop up. Arby's biggest internet troll is most notably the Nihilist Arby's Twitter, run by a copywriter and punk rock star, Brendan Kelly. The account tweets cynical thoughts framed in a corporate tone, such as "Lots of other fast food twitters say crap like 'fries make everything okay.' But you know what? Life sucks & the fries do nothing. Eat Arbys." On why he started the parody account, Kelly stated, "Twitter is such a great medium, but it's misunderstood, generationally. It's like an awesome newspaper where everyone can customize what they get by following certain entities, whether they want comedy, politics or naked chicks. But then you have these dumb corporations that just don't get it, you know? And fast-food brands unbelievably perpetuate the most terrible of ideas." When the Twitter account got particularly big, Kelly made the following video, acting out the personality of the account:
As a PR move to combat parody accounts like Kelly's experiencing larger followings and engagements than their own account, Arby's addressed him directly, by visiting him at his office with a bag of Arby's and a puppy in tow. They left him with a note that read, "Cheer up, buddy. You live in a world with puppies ... and sandwiches."
When brands can acknowledge their trolls in ways that isn't trying to 'drag' or fire back at them or deny the humor of the accounts, it leaves a better taste in everyone's mouth and leads to positive PR for the brand moreso than trying to gain 'cool kid' credit, akin to Wendy's account. By not trying to shut down the account, Arby's shows they support creative freedom, which is consistent with the brand they try to make through their above showcased nerdy-crafty style of advertisements. Keeping this branding consistent within the niche they have found is what has allowed Arby's social media strategy to remain successful.
Fire and Ice
Fire and Ice
Brendan McLaughlin
This was a much needed success after Pepsi’s media nightmare concerning the commercial with Kendal Jenner. That advertisement was highly criticized because it was seen as belittling the protests against police brutality that was sweeping the nation. This most recent Superbowl commercial has made an impact on viewers, though, and secured the popularity of Pepsico’s two biggest brands.
Glossier and social media branding
If you were subscribed to Glossier's email list on February 22nd, 2018, then you woke up to an email titled, "Business News (It's Good)". In it, founder and CEO Emily Weiss announced an additional $52 million in investments from the company's Series C round.
What does this mean? It boils down to this: a minimalistic makeup brand is now getting a lot more investments. And where is it all going to go to? According to the email Weiss sent out, to "keep building the beauty company of the future". Glossier wants to create a beauty company that listens to its customers, as it always has.
If this product demonstration video isn't self-explanatory enough, Glossier is a makeup brand that isn't out to change how you look. Their motto "Skin first. Makeup second." is evident in all their advertising campaigns that feature natural girls with little makeup on.
Their unique brand positioning aside, their product ads themselves also have a minimalistic feel. Most of Glossier's social media feature simple styles, plus their Instagram regularly seeks to interact with their customers with tips and Q&As. They update their Instagram stories regularly with makeup tutorials, "mood of the day", and product details. Those that follow Glossier's Instagram get to see all of Glossier's makeup products and watch how the products work. Even better, they put an emphasis on those who wear little makeup and show how Glossier can still be your makeup brand.
Utilizing various social media strategies, Glossier has earned a large social media following, surpassing one million Instagram followers back in February.
Glossier's social media accounts have a similar theme of simplicity and happiness. They've utilized every part of their online presence to their advantage, whether it's their website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or even direct marketing emails. They have become so successful, yet there's currently only one retail Glossier store! It's currently in NYC and is just as pink, simple, and minimalistic as the rest of their brand. With a permanent Los Angeles store to be opened in May, it'll be exciting watching this company unfold into a popular minimalistic makeup brand.
What does this mean? It boils down to this: a minimalistic makeup brand is now getting a lot more investments. And where is it all going to go to? According to the email Weiss sent out, to "keep building the beauty company of the future". Glossier wants to create a beauty company that listens to its customers, as it always has.
If this product demonstration video isn't self-explanatory enough, Glossier is a makeup brand that isn't out to change how you look. Their motto "Skin first. Makeup second." is evident in all their advertising campaigns that feature natural girls with little makeup on.
Their unique brand positioning aside, their product ads themselves also have a minimalistic feel. Most of Glossier's social media feature simple styles, plus their Instagram regularly seeks to interact with their customers with tips and Q&As. They update their Instagram stories regularly with makeup tutorials, "mood of the day", and product details. Those that follow Glossier's Instagram get to see all of Glossier's makeup products and watch how the products work. Even better, they put an emphasis on those who wear little makeup and show how Glossier can still be your makeup brand.
Utilizing various social media strategies, Glossier has earned a large social media following, surpassing one million Instagram followers back in February.
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