Soon-to-be released "Up in the Air" starring George Clooney sheds a humorous light on corporate downsizing; however, an obvious marketing burden exists for Paramount Pictures. Since production, the United States has been hit with an economic downturn resulting in an increase of unemployment and debt. Today, it appears that downsizing may not be portrayed as comical as previously imagined. "Up in the Air" is set to be released in theaters on Friday, at a time where America is battling the worst economic crisis in over 70 years; thus, the film's theme may pose a potential threat to filmmakers as moviegoers may not want to see their real-life situation replicated onto the big screen. As a result, Parmount is seeking to exploit a number of marketing and distribution tactics to appeal to a widespread audience.
What are your thoughts? What marketing strategies could be implemented here?
Disney/ABC Television Group expanded its hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy online on November 19th with a web series spin-off called “Seattle Grace: On Call.” This web series is set to have six individual webisodes, each one being four-five minutes in length. The show will take place in Joe’s Emerald City Bar, a popular location where the doctors hangout. Familiar faces from Grey’s Anatomy will be featured in a documentary style show.
“Our goal with the Web series is to expand the ‘Greys’s’ universe by offering a unique perspective of the various happening’s at Seattle Grace, while paralleling some of the same story lines seen on the show” said Grey’s Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes. Additionally, the show will feature a behind-the-scenes “making of” episode. Grey’s Anatomy fans can now strengthen their love and undying devotion for the show.
So what other advantages are there for networks to extend their shows online? It’s a cost-effective way to keep fans engaged with their brand. A successful show that engaged their viewers was NBC’s The Office during the summer of 2006. As a fan of The Office, I personally loved how I could still be entertained when the season had finished. Waiting for months for the next season to start was hard enough!
Other than webisodes, shows have extended their TV show’s brand by showing interviews with the cast or extending an episode online. This is a smart marketing move for networks to not only keep their viewers interested, but also get their viewers onto their website.
One of my favorite TV episode extensions was from the season finale episode “Give a little bit” on Entourage. In this episode, Matt Damon, Labron James, and Bono try to convince the main character Vince to support the charity OnexOne by arguing “It’s for the kids.” A “behind the scenes” PSA was shot to expand their episode online. Not only are Entourage fans entertained by the humor of this PSA, but they are exposed to the OnexOne charity. Great marketing if you ask me! To check out the charity and the funny PSA, go to here!
What do you do when you want to catch potential consumers off guard? Ask the advertising team at Coca Cola. Apparently in France, Coke drinkers were having difficulty holding onto their bottles. In response, Coke created a new packaging design equipped with special grips to make sure this would no longer be an issue. As for advertising this redesigned masterpiece, they decided not only to let their consumers have a better grip on Coke, but let Coke have a better grip on their consumers… with Velcro.
The above picture of the man (let’s call him Nathan) stuck to the ad shows him mid-attack. It’s 6AM and he is waiting at the bus stop like every other 4 days of the work-week. He is tired from a long night and knows it’s going to be a longgg day as he leans against the side of the bus stop enclosure. He sees the bus (which is now 4 minutes late) coming around the corner, and he goes to walk toward the street when…CAUGHT! He is now reeled in by Coke’s clever campaign as he reads the red advertisement, sees their new packaging and is instantly brought to joy, being that he was one of the many whom in the past, could notttt hold onto the bottle.
Or what about Sally, the 5-year old on her way to school? Noticing the advertisement instantly from vibrant red color and her affection for the soft-drink, she runs to it and instantly starts feeling the Velcro. When she realizes her scarf is now attached, she laughs and more than likely will tell her friends all about the sticky situation once she steps into class.
This campaign is effective not only by being visually appealing, but by literally grabbing people out of no where. If the ad itself did not keep their attention, the fact that they stick to it will, and will also stay with them for the rest of the day. Being that it is not everyday that you become stuck to a giant Velcro wall, word-of-mouth advertising has most likely played a HUGE role in their 3.8% volume growth since the campaign had been put into action.
It will be interesting to see how other companies will respond to Coca Cola’s out-of-the-box campaign. Will they try similar ways of gaining people’s attention? We will just have to wait and see.
"Ask real men questions about anything and get real answers." Guyspeak.com does just this. After observing their launch campaign on Perez Hilton, I had to go see what the website was all about. This innovative site provides women assistance in decoding male lingo and aids them in conversing with members of the opposite sex. I guess we men are difficult to read...but not anymore? Will this site work? First, users must ask a question pertaining to pretty much anything, e.g. turn-offs, school crushes, etc.; from here, they then select one guy from a wide range of types to answer their inquiries. Girls can choose the Girl's BFF, the Funny Guy, the Chic Geek, the Mystery Man, the Reformed Player, or even the Wise-Ass. Perhaps, these characters are simply a spin-off from MTV's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?," but nonetheless, props for a unique, entertaining, yet informative site.
While browsing for a new winter cardigan on Overstock.com, I wondered... what if I want to return this? Then I searched the site for a return policy and found myself at the Holiday Customer Service page. All that I needed to satisfy my customer service needs was found, including a LiveChat option! So, I can talk to a live person while I’m shopping online? In less than 30 seconds, Issac came to my assistance to answer any customer service questions I had. Here is the chat that I had:
Welcome to Overstock.com Customer Service, you are now chatting with Issac. Issac: Thanks for visiting Overstock.com, this is Issac, how can I help you? you: Hi, I am currently looking at a sweater online, and was wondering where I could also find the white tank top that is underneath it Issac: Hi there. I will be glad to assist you with that. you: It is the M by M. Kaplan Women's Pleated Open-front knit cardigan Issac: Can you please provide me the item number? you: 12285371 Issac: Are you referring to 'M by M. Kalan Women's Pleated Open-front Knit Cardigan' priced at $39.99? you: yes, that's the one Issac: Thank you. Issac: Please allow me 2-3 minutes while I check this for you. you: sure Issac:I will provide you the link where you have a variety of choices on 'Tank tops'. Issac: Please click on this link to view the different tank tops. you: oh great, thank you! Issac: Is there anything else I can help you with today? you: Yes, I was just wondering how often new items, like sweaters, are added to the site? Issac: Overstock.com deals in liquidation business so we are unable to assure you the exact time or the date when we will receive new stocks. you: oh alright! well that's all I need for today, thank you for your help! Issac: Thanks for visiting Overstock.com. Your feedback is important. Please click 'Close' and complete the brief survey which appears. It takes less than one minute. Chat session has been terminated by the Overstock.com Service representative.
Although I could have probably found the other tank top much faster on my own, I was still pleased with the time and attention that I was given. I could see when the representative was “typing a response” and had all my questions answered instantly. This live chat almost parallels to talking to a sales associate in person. For me, this was great customer service. I particularly like how Overstock.com gives the customer the option of talking to a customer service representative rather than them bombarding you online randomly.
I was intrigued to find more information about live chat, and found the company that Overstock.com uses, Live Chat by LivePerson. They claim their product will enable you to “monitor your visitors in real-time, convert visitors to customers, reduce operational costs, and boost customer satisfaction.”Their claims must be pretty accurate, because LivePerson currently has over 8,000 customers. Their product allows companies to not only interact with customers in real-time, but companies can track chat history, the contact ID, the current page their customer is on, how long the customer has been on the site, and the number of pages the customer has viewed. The software can be viewed here, http://bit.ly/2agwvR .
Most helpful for marketers, is the ability to track where the customer came from; you can see if the customer made an organic, sponsored, direct, or referral search. You can also see the campaign source used, whether it is through a search engine like Google, or more specifically through something like Google Adwords. This is valuable information for any company investing their advertising online.
So will more e-commerce sites hop on this trend? If it fits in their marketing and advertising budget, I highly suggest they do! It’s a win-win situation to achieve customer satisfaction and get a better understanding of their consumers online.
It’s a Thursday night. You’re on your way home after a late night with friends when “AHH!” you realized that you missed this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy! What are you going to do?? Luckily, television stations along with video streaming sites such as Hulu have provided viewers with a chance to watch these shows online at their own leisure. But when you are relaxing, wouldn’t you rather be sinking into your couch watching your show from your television screen than from your computer? Good news readers! There is a solution: Boxee.
Boxee is a free downloadable software which allows its users to view their own media, or stream it from the internet, all in one central location. No longer will you have to open up multiple browsers in order to watch a missed episode of a show or listen to Pandora. It now is ever so conveniently right in front of you. By simply connecting your computer to your television screen, you have your media and entertainment world right at your fingertips. Don’t have the right music to go along with the slideshow of your Grandmother’s 70th birthday party? Not a problem. Simply click your Pandora link and you and Grandma are set. This software not only is convenient, but allows you to keep organized.
Another neat feature Boxee provides a social networking component. You are able to share with your networks on Twitter and Facebook what you are currently doing on the software (much like LastFM.com). Say your friend forgot to watch this week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy too. She sees through your Twitter that you are watching it. She is instantly reminded that she needs to catch up, and thanks to you, won’t be behind when you all talk about it at lunch tomorrow. (What a good friend you are!)
Thanks to Boxee, you can now relax, turn on your television, and watch your favorite show all at your own convenience. Problem solved.
With the constant advancements of cell phone technology, it is hard to believe that there was a time when there was only one feature… to call. Within the past decade, we have seen extraordinary improvements and watched cell phones grow (or shrink) from what they were then and what they have become today. We are now able to take pictures, record video, download various applications, use Photoshop, pl--- WAIT a second. We can use Photoshop?
That’s right! About a month ago, a new application was released by Adobe which allows its users to edit their pictures right on their mobile devices. Sorry iPhone users, this application is only applicable for Android phones. By setting up an account, you will be able to automatically upload all of your new photos straight to this application in order to quickly remove that red eye, touch up a photo, or perform any of the other features available. You also are given the ability to save and send back to your computer in order to make other edits. How convenient!
With new apps popping up left and right, it makes you wonder, what will be next?
For diehard Yankees fans, the ethical dilemma surrounding Game 6 of the World Series was whether or not to purchase tickets, upset their wives, and wipe out their bank accounts. That's right, tickets were selling for as high as $24,900 for a World Series ticket last night. Perhaps sitting behind the dugout aside of Kate Hudson as she yells of her beau A-Rod would be the selling point; whatever the case may be, fans shelled out outrageous prices for their tickets as they flocked the new Yankee Stadium to witness the Bronx Bombers' 27th World Championship. In what has become the highest-grossing event in StubHub history, ticket prices had ranged from a mind-blowing $475 to an abominable $24,900. Just think: With $400, one would find themselves in relatively good seats, yet now it wouldn't even buy standing room behind the foul pole.
This has taken the term "fan-atic" to a whole new level, with online prices for mediocre seats in the ballpark (pun intended) of $600-$1000. Located on the Legends level in Section 17A (four rows behind the dugout) were the priciest in the venue for a whopping $24,900 EACH. Are you crazy? This poses the title question...World Series Ticket or a Brand New Car? $25,000 can buy you alot of things, especially when it is very well one's entire annual salary. Other pricey seats were found alongside the first-base line nearing $17,500 each. Fans were online purchasing tickets for roughly $700 for seats that would not only give you a nosebleed but also make the players appear to be as minuscule as ants. All in all, the average ticket price on StubHub went for $973, this factoring in those big spenders and those Yanks fanatics. It is safe to say that some wives were displeased with their husbands last night after spending their entire savings.
Let's take a look at some of the prices for "average" seats at Yankee Stadium last night:
Terrace Level (300 Level) Home Plate $1,000/each.....Foul Poles $600/each
Main and Field Levels Home Plate $2,000/each.....Foul Poles $1,000/each
On the bright side, at least those who shelled out the big bucks got to experience New York win its 27th title, and first in its new home.
When it comes to creating methods of promoting your company, the sky is the limit. By attaching a small banner to flies, Jung von Matt took this phrase literally in order to help promote the Eichborn Publishing Company at the Frankfurt book fair. As you can see in the video, their logo was brought to life as flies were released throughout the convention center, acting as mini aerial advertisers.
While watching this clip do you notice something odd? Are people actually smiling at the flies? Being that they are most commonly though of as an annoyance, it is funny to see how well the bystanders react once noticing that these are not just your ordinary flies.
However, was their idea truly original, or just following the trend? In the past few years, we have seen countless companies use animals as their main focus in advertisements. Starting with the Geico gecko, animals have been kicking humans out of the lead spot, taking over the main spokesperson role.
I predict for the future that more of this "flyvertising" will be implemented. Not only is it creative, but it is becoming the new norm. Companies should learn to embrace the use of animals in order to survive in what has become the advertising jungle.
With the recent celebration of Halloween, there has not been a more opportune time to explore the sports world's most appealing and appalling uniforms. Since I first began constructing this blog, it seems as though others have come before me and have now dabbled into this unchartered territory with several sports networks and online publications releasing lists of their own. Below, you will find some of the ugliest, wackiest, and unimaginable uniforms to ever hit the sports world. Some rules of thumb: unfortunately mustard yellow and brown will never be an ideal candidate for team and/or uniform colors (sorry Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Pirates, Vancouver Canucks), pants are not made to be worn during hockey games, and conversely, shorts are never to be worn in professional baseball. Denim is made to be worn socially not athletically, let the pioneers wear the 'pioneer hats,' and leave camouflage to our soldiers.
The "Not So Good"
San Diego Padres, 2003 "The Camouflage"
Nortorious for some poor uniform and color choices in the past, the San Diego Padres sported camouflage jerseys in honor of the U.S. armed foces during the 2003 MLB season. This choice was a little better than their vintage brown and yellow uniform years earlier. (AP/espn.go.com)
Hartford Whalers, 1982 "The Infamous Pants"
A short-lived fad over the course of the 1982-83 season, the full-length hockey pants were worn by the Hartford Whalers and Philadelphia Flyers, but were quickly replaced by the end of the year.
(itsarinklife.com)
Kentucky Wildcats, 1996
"The Denim Look"
Kentucky Wildcats grew national attention after having a successful '96 season concluding with an NCAA Championship run. Despite their on-court success, the Wildcats were most notable for sporting a faded denim uniform--a concept developed by Converse. (ukwildcatsblog.com)
Houston Astros, 1977 "The Ugly Stripes"
Combining the colors of Orange, Red, and Yellow in a rainbow pattern, the Houston Astros' jersey were dubbed nicknames like "Rainbow Guts," "Creamsicle," and "Spaceball." You know it's time to change uniforms after these nicknames.
(espn.go.com)
Dis-Honorable Mentions:
Pittsburgh Pirates (1999) Alternate Uniform and Cleveland Browns (1964) Home Jersey
The "Ugly"
Denver Broncos, 2009
"AFL Throwbacks"
Celebrating the AFL's 50th Anniversary, the Denver Broncos wore arguably one of the ugliest jerseys to ever be worn on an NFL field. A bright yellow top with brown lettering combined with brown pants and vertically-striped socks had Broncos fans wanting to throw away the throwbacks.
(sports.yahoo.com)
Chicago White Sox, 1976 "The Softball Shorts"
The only MLB team to ever expose their knees in uniform and now we all know why. This 1976 softball-inspired jersey was short-lived but the atrocity has been a conversation piece since its introduction.
(Getty Images/NYDailyNews.com)
Vancouver Canucks, 1970s
"The Flying V"
Leave the name to The Mighty Ducks. This V just isn't working. Is it a coincidence most of the ugliest jerseys feature brown, orange, and mustard (puke) yellow? To sum it all up in one letter, V. This infamous jersey was comprised of a V-shape over the shoulders, almost resembling a cape.
(ampsportsduo.blogspot.com)
Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
"Those Hats"
What were they thinking? Those hats must have been too tight and were cutting off brain function.
(SI.com)
The "Trendiest"
Oregon Ducks, 2007 "Green and Yell-O"
The Oregon Ducks and Nike seem to continually introduce fashion-forward jerseys. Sporting their bright yellow and dark green uniforms from 2006-2008, the Ducks made a name for themselves on the NCAA football turf.
California Redwoods, 2009
"Lime Green Fighting Machine"
In its inaugural season, the UFL has released rather vibrant jerseys that are actually appealing to the eye, as depicted by the California Redwoods' lime green, baby blue, and white tops. It's a shame the UFL is doomed to become the next XFL.
Las Vegas Outlaws, 2001. Rod Smart aka "He Hate Me"
Speaking of the WWE's XFL, who could ever forget Rod Smart aka "He Hate Me" for the Las Vegas Outlaws? The XFL last just one year in 2001.
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