An Adventure with Tide Vivid White


         Earlier this year, Betty White was chosen to speak on behalf P&G's Tide Vivid White.  She appeared in a TV commercial, online ads, in-store ads, and a live chat on Facebook.


         I think this was a pretty good move by Tide to help promote their product.  Not only is their product's name the same as Ms. White's but she is also ranked with Tom Hanks with the highest Q Score public favorability ranking.  This could in turn boost the favorability of Tide Vivid White.


         The objective for the addition of Betty White was more than likely to increase awareness and favorability of the product.


         The target audience for this particular advertisement is for younger women, who are into fashion.  Ms. White is encouraging users to break the rules and wear white.  They shouldn't be afraid to get it dirty because Vivid White makes it much easier to clean.

An Adventure with Pepsi

         Pepsi announced that Beyonce is their new brand ambassador the other day.  This means that "Beyonce will appear in print and out-of-home ads for Pepsi, as well as in-store advertising".  Beyonce will also be performing at the Super Bowl half time show that is sponsored by Pepsi.


         One of the biggest problems that Pepsi has been facing is that it was surpassed by Diet Coke and is now the third most popular soft drink (it previously held the #2 spot; Coke is #1).  Pepsi is in the situation where it needs to remind consumers of its presence, encourage trial of their product (which has been around for years), and to take back its #2 spot.  Another issue that Pepsi and the entire soft drink industry is facing is the movement to eat healthier.  Soda is known to be full of sugar and just plain bad for you.  I am not too sure how much Beyonce can change that.


         Pepsi has quite a broad target market, but with the addition of Beyonce as a brand ambassador, they are particularly trying to target teens to young adults.  To be honest, not many of my friends that are my age drink Pepsi.  They drink Diet Coke.  So I think that Pepsi trying to influence our age group is very important because of its size and influence on other generations.


         To be honest, I am not entirely sure how the addition of Beyonce to Pepsi will increase sales.  When it comes to food and drinks, the only thing that really influences my decision is the taste.  I don't really care who sponsors it or whom of my friends eats/drinks it.  If I'm drinking soda, I'm drinking Diet Coke, because that is what tastes good to me.  I don't plan on purchasing Pepsi anytime soon because of Beyonce.

An Adventure with Starbucks

            Starbucks released a steel card today, that will cost consumers $450.  But don't worry, the card is preloaded with $400 (the card itself costs $50 to make).  The card can only be found on Gilt.com and comes with a gold-level Starbucks card membership.  Only 5,000 have been made.

            I am really curious to know what exactly the problem or issue Starbucks was facing for them to come out with this.  Yes, this would be the gift for the ultimate Starbucks obsessor lover, but it is still pretty excessive for a coffee shop.  Starbucks is already considered a fairly overpriced coffee shop, and the addition of the metal card does not help that situation.

            The target market for this card is more than likely the Starbucks lover and/or collector, that has quite a bit of money.  I don't think I can name anyone that I know personally that would be willing to spend money the metal card.

            Personally, I think that this new card that Starbucks has produced is a bit excessive for this time where people want to save money, and are looking to find more and more ways to drink their coffee from home.  It will be interesting to see how exactly the sale of these cards do.

An Adventure with Macy's

            For my Consumer Behavior class, we had to analyze something in the media involving consumer behavior.  My group decided on one of Macy's latest advertisements, which involved Kris Kringle from Miracle on 34th Street...

            I really enjoyed this advertisement because of the nostalgia it brought back for me.  I think that Macy's wanted to put out a different advertisement than their "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause" advertisements for their Believe campaign.  The story of Virginia has been used for quite a few years, so Macy's needed to do something a bit different.

            I think that Macy's is trying to target a broad range of ages.  By including the Kris Kringle character from Miracle on 34th Street, they get the older age range, Justin Beiber gets the younger ages.  And the many other celebrities get everyone in between.

            I think this commercial was successful because it can successfully reach all ages and the commercial is successful in staying true to the Macy's brand during the Christmas season.  A negative of this advertisement might be that Donald Trump was included (which many people don't agree with), but I think that Macy's did a good job of combatting the backlash by making Donald Trump skeptical of Kris Kringle.  But personally, I don't care whether Donald Trump is in their advertisements or not, so I think that this advertisement has the potential to be successful in drawing in more customers for shopping and letter writing.

An Adventure with Gap

            In my Consumer Behavior class, we had a group present on Gap's new holiday campaign.  I found it to be a fun use of color and celebrities without it being too over the top.  Gap did not necessarily have a problem that they needed to solve, they just wanted to remind consumers about their product during the heavy holiday shopping season.

            Around the holiday season, consumers look for things that remind them of the love between all different relationships, because the season inspires that feeling.  So many brands that involve food or decorating try to use this idea of love in their advertisements, but its not as used in clothing brands.  I think Gap did a great job of using love in all forms while successfully advertising their clothing.  The only issue I've noticed with the campaign is that I have not seen any of their advertisements.  The only reason I knew about them was through class.  As long as they are promoted correctly, Gap should find these advertisements to be successful.  Love hits home somewhere for every consumer, and its always a great feeling to be reminded of during the holidays.

An Adventure with "Black Friday"

            The concept of Black Friday has been around for as long as I can remember.  My parents would wake up early (maybe 5:00 AM) to hit up Staples by 6:00 AM for the latest software updates for our computer or next year's tax software.  I experienced my first Black Friday while being employed at Vera Bradley at a local mall, working the 2:00 AM - 10:00 AM shift one year and the 12:00 AM - 8:00 AM shift the next year.  But I never experienced the consumer shopping side of it until last year, when I went out to Target at midnight for a fake Christmas tree for my apartment and some flannel sheets (exciting, I know).  I had such a great time last year, watching all the crazy people fight over TVs and the latest toys, that I was planning on going out again this year.  But maybe not as early as store opening this year...

            Target, WalMart, and other retailers have recently announced that they plan on opening their doors on Thanksgiving day this year, 9:00 PM and 8:00 PM respectively.  To be honest, I find this to be awful.  I find this to be a poor decision on the retailers' part, because eventually, we will find that Thanksgiving is no longer a holiday, but a shopping day.  The employees of these retailers that can not afford to take off work on Thanksgiving, will lose that special time that they had always been allowed with their families.  Instead, they will be spending Thanksgiving evening with crazy consumers, upset that the store has gone out of stock of the latest Blu-Ray player.

            This subject has been talked about quite a bit in the news, with many people upset about it.  I am not sure what the retailers' "problem" was in relation to the addition of these hours.  I am quite confident that they all achieved the sales that they needed to in previous Black Fridays, so why cause so much drama in the public eye over this.  I find it to be a bad PR move on each of their parts.

            I am not saying that these retailers will lose drastic amounts of business over this decision, because I am sure there are plenty of crazy people out there willing to wait in line even earlier than they were previously planning, all to get one item.  But I think that this decision has ignored the idea of giving thanks for what we as people ALREADY have on Thanksgiving, and encouraging people to not be satisfied with what they have and come shop even earlier, maybe eventually forgetting what the holiday is all about.

An Adventure with Duracell

            As we all know, Hurricane Sandy was quite a surprise for many people.  Many are still without power in certain areas, which has put a hamper on many people's daily lives.  Duracell decided they wanted to help solve this problem, so they brought charging stations into NYC and its surrounding areas to provide power for cell phones, computers, and even provided Wi-Fi so people could check email and find information on when their power might come back.  Not only did Duracell help local consumers, but they also opened up their offices to employees to shower and charge certain pieces of technology.

            Duracell did not necessarily have a problem themselves, but they were trying to solve their local community's problem of no power.  In return, consumers became more aware of Duracell and were able to associate it as a company that is helpful, reliable, and caring.  Employees gained more respect for the company they work for, which has been shown to increase employees' need to provide for the company.

            The general target audience for the charging stations is anyone that has some sort of technology.  More specifically, it is someone who makes the purchase decisions of the house, and someone that is reliant on technology.

            This was a great PR move by Duracell.  So much kindness came out of the storm, ranging from neighbors to companies, and Duracell made sure that they could provide that same kindness to not only their employees, but the entire community.

An Adventure with the Holiday Shopping Season

            Though consumers are mainly focused on Halloween being a few days away, retailers and producers have been focused on the upcoming holiday season for weeks.  Many retailers are already speculating as to what will be on everyone's list this year so they can prepare what to have in stock.  According to some researchers, the belief is that retro toys will be a huge seller. But there is also speculation that some of the new hot tech toys will be at the top of the charts.  Though the economy is not in its best form, many major retailers are offering layaway, which is helping to increase sales.

            My best guess at the retailers' problem is that they have struggled to sell higher priced items during the past holiday seasons.  People are spending so much on parties, meals, decorations, and gifts for others, that some people can not afford the high priced items.

            By adding layaway, many people believe that they can afford the items that they want and need because they are paying for the item over a period of time, rather than all at once.  They can also complete all of their holiday shopping earlier by placing items on layaway.

            The target audience for layaway is more than likely lower-income families and young professionals struggling to afford gifts for everyone.  The idea of completing a shopping list months before the holidays can also be quite appealing to anyone.  So many people stress over getting everything done that this could draw anyone into a major retailer, and maybe even encourage them to purchase more than they initially intended (impulse buys).

            I believe that this addition of layaway could be very successful for retailers as long as it is advertised enough (WalMart appears to be doing a good job now; I have seen a lot of their advertisements for layaway on TV), as well as encouraged to consumers while at their point-of-purchase.

An Adventure with Birchbox

           I was on Twitter again this past week (what's new there?) and of the many helpful articles that my professor tweets throughout the week, one in particular stood out.

           The Beauty of Birchbox is an article analyzing the marketing behind the 30 to 50 different variations of boxes that Birchbox sends out monthly, full of samples of beauty supply products. Though I am fascinated by beauty products, I tend to stick to my normal routine, very overwhelmed by the idea of switching things up. This idea was one of the many things touched on in the article that has been attributed to the success of the Birchbox monthly shipments.

           From the article and knowledge of the product, I would guess that the problem that Birchbox is trying to help solve is the issue that sales of higher end, lesser known beauty products are falling.  This is probably due to the fact that people are overwhelmed by the paradox of choice and also worried about committing to a product in such a large quantity when they have never tried it.

           Obviously, Birchbox is attempting to solve this problem by providing smaller sample sizes of beauty products that are tailored to the wants and needs of each consumer.  In return, the consumer may become a frequent user of the product, therefore purchasing the product in full size.

           This target audience is more than likely women who are interested in beauty products.  A typical consumer might look like...a young woman (maybe 24), just recently out of college, beginning her journey through the working world. She is willing to spend money, but only on things she is confident will work, and she is especially interested in anything that allows her to pamper herself. 

           Having heard of Birchbox before reading this article, but not entirely sure what it was, I was interested almost immediately.  I am now considering trying Birchbox, and the products that come with it.

An Adventure with the Top 10 Female Ad Icons of All Time

            I recently read the article "Ad Age Picks the Top 10 Female Ad Icons of All Time".  I was drawn to it because I find brands to be really interesting, especially the spokespersons/mascots for them.  I figured, because of my interest, I would recognize all of the ad icons mentioned.  To my surprise, I only recognized half of them (Morton Salt, Betty Crocker, Miss Chiquita, Rosie the Riveter, and Flo).  The other five did not ring any bells.

            This was a bit of an awakening to me, of just how many advertisements are out there, and how long they have been around.  I have always know that there were many advertisements, but to think that there are widely recognizable icons that I haven't heard of (I know I'm fairly young) makes the world of advertisements seem so much bigger to me.  Its also a big realization of how much a brand or company can change their way of advertising, because I have heard of the companies that are mentioned in the article, but I wasn't aware of their icons.

            Though this article didn't have all that deep of an insight, I gained quite a big insight.  My eyes were opened even more that advertising is much more than what I have seen on TV or in a magazine.  Advertising has been around for such a long time and can have big changes throughout that time.  And the next generation of children may not recognize even the icons I recognized because of the constant change.

An Adventure with Facebook and Psychographics

            While on Twitter, I noticed that my professor tweeted an article with Facebook in the title.  Me being me, I was instantly interested.  I find Facebook to be quite interesting.  People post many different things on Facebook (some of which they really shouldn't), and don't necessarily realize where else that information is going besides their friends' newsfeeds.

            Social media in general has gotten a lot of press regarding allowing what employers see from your profile.  Not many people are aware that Facebook is aware of what brands, companies, and products you are liking, and informing marketers of what else to advertise to you.  This is the premise of "psychographics".  

            "They can target based on interests and lifestyles instead of just what is on their mind at the moment."  From a company standpoint, this can be great for marketing towards exactly what the consumer wants.  But from a consumer standpoint, this can be considered a bit creepy.  I'm not sure I want Facebook making decisions for me on what exactly I might be interested in regarding what things I have "liked" on the site.  I realize there is a benefit to it, but it is a little bit too Big Brother to me.

            The article also touches on the point that Facebook might be feeding this information they are currently gathering to other sites in the future.  This would be a great money maker for Facebook, but it teeters on the line of sharing some information that Facebook users may not be comfortable sharing with marketers.

            As a marketing student that is also a consumer, it is hard to take a definitive stance on the subject, although I am leaning towards keeping my privacy.  We'll see if that changes as I go further in my career and society becomes more open...