Chic-Fil-A has over one million fans on Facebook. They are rolling out a test “free sample” ad campaign, where users enter their shipping address to receive a free Chicken Biscuit. Users can place this form on their profile or share their action with friends. What a great way to push past awareness and get customers right into stores!

This test is gearing advertisers and marketers up for coupons and other incentive-based ads in the future. Facebook has announced that they are adding new features to help them get the most out of the system, although we have yet to find out what those may be.

The retail chain is spending a huge dent of its $200 million ad budget for this year on new TV and Web Ads to introduce “The Shack” as its new name for advertising and marketing purposes. Signs outside of stores will remain RadioShack. The company hopes this popular rebranding technique will allow it to hold onto to its brand heritage and attract more tech-savvy shoppers.

“When a brand becomes a friend, it often gets a nickname — take FedEx or Coke, for example,” said Lee Applbaum, RadioShack’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “This creative is not about changing our name. Rather, we’re contemporizing the way we want people to think about our brand.”

As part of its new branding, the chain recently expanded its own proprietary brands and added more national brands such as T-Mobile. It’s also signed a marketing agreement with Lance Armstrong, who next year will compete in the Tour de France and other races under Team RadioShack. “We have an iconic American legacy brand,” says Lee Applbaum, chief marketing officer at RadioShack. “This is a way to ensure that customers understand our innovation in products with a focus on mobility, leading brands and knowledgeable associates.”

The search engine fight has just begun, and there is no question that it will take a long time for Bing to make Google shake in its boots anytime soon. And, even though Yahoo has about twice as much search market share in the U.S as Bing, it should still be a little worried. Bing’s growth has been impressive in its first month. They are also giving Google a run for its money with Microsoft Office on the web.

The most important competitor though of course, is Apple. Microsoft has just announced that they will be opening up retail stores. Their locations? Right next to Apple stores.

Microsoft was never eager to run an advertising campaign, until Apple did. Fortunately for them, Apple never had a large enough market share to really threaten Microsoft. That is, until the Apple “Get a Mac” campaign, a huge hit, highlighted an array of features supporting its clear superiority.

Last year, Microsoft responded with its “I’m a PC” campaign, which got some attention, but not enough. The new Laptop Hunters campaign has achieved tremendous success, which can be measured by Apple’s response: calling Microsoft and begging them to stop the ads. More specifically, they argued the ads were inaccurate and must be pulled immediately.

Microsoft’s COO Kevin Turner, when asked about the new ad campaign, offered this bit of information:

“And you know why I know [the commercials are] working? Because two weeks ago, we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey - this is a true story - saying, ‘Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices.’ They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I’ve ever taken in business. I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, ‘Is this a joke? Who are you?’ Not understanding what an opportunity. And so, we’re going to just keep running them and running them and running them.”

As the battle gets hotter, consumers should not only look forward to more creative campaigns, but their counter replies to each other!

But here’s one ironic example of this strategy backfiring. What if (like in my case) your musical interests include “everything except punk rock, metal or heavy rap”? As you might expect, it is the metal keyword that gets picked up. The word “except” gets overlooked. So you end up with ads like: “Want metal ringtones? Get ringtones from your favorite metal bands…” Yes, it does seem like a trivial flaw, but we’re in the 21^st century. Basic things like this, I think, are soon to be improved.

I have created two Facebook “test-characters”: Joseph A. Wilder, a 27 year old male from Madison, Wisconsin, Louise Marshall, at 19 year old female from Portland, Maine.

Using these characters, I will explore the way the advertisements work by adjusting variables like interests, favorite books, music, sexual orientation, religion, relationship status, groups and more. Keep posted.

BMW Z4 Roadster in Action

Although art has been used in advertising for centuries, it is unique to see a car company commission a work of art and promote it as its main ad campaign for the season. BMW is no stranger to their contributions to the world of art. Over the three decades their cars have been the object of art and design to renowned artists like Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. It is an interesting strategy that BMW uses to draw attention to their sports cars; to which some people may argue has the design like a work of art itself. Using a car to help create vibrant, modern art piece showcases the artistic and free spirit prowess that the car possesses.

BMW chose to promote their campaign for the Z4 Roadster in cinematic style, along with the documentary style short film that will run on the Discovery HD channel until late June. They are also doing heavy web promotion with video banners that will run on website venues for CNN, Dow Jones, Yahoo, Conde Nast and Wired and even the takeover of the MSN homepage for one day in May.

As far as print goes, page-spreads have been published in several popular, target audience magazines such as Art & Antiques, ArtNews Esquire, W and Elle Decor. There will also be an eight-page insert running in the June issue of Vanity Fair, and a cover-page slated for the June issue of Dwell magazine.

Creating a Masterpiece

External coverage includes airports in 10 key markets with billboards that show the painting headlines such as, “Not all artists are depressed” and “Rarely does the paintbrush rival the painting,” and in cinema advertising (before the trailers start) which is where I first noticed the BMW Z4 “Expression of Joy” campaign.

Art will always find its place within advertising because it adds certain emotions and gives a significant life to an otherwise ordinary product.

Without the art work campaign, the BMW Z4 Roadster would be just another head turning BMW – very fleeting and typical. The art work of Robin Rhode and the special promotion that went into this campaign removes the ethereal aspect of sports car advertising. It adds lasting power in the marketplace and solidifies its place in the art community.

Aerial View of "Expression of Joy"

]]> http://www.buzzwordchasers.com/buzzworthy/bmws-expression-of-joy-a-blissful-synergy-of-art-and-advertising/feed/ http://www.buzzwordchasers.com/buzzworthy/hulu-taking-step-toward-logic/ http://www.buzzwordchasers.com/buzzworthy/hulu-taking-step-toward-logic/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:53:05 +0000 pbonner http://www.buzzwordchasers.com/?p=263 Computers are quickly evolving to encompass every way one could possibly consume media. Everything from reading books to watching movies is available on the small LCD screen of your laptop.

The largest resistance has been reserved for the most logical transition: our old friend television. It’s not studios or networks, but the general public who are simply not watching television on their computers. Many networks have tried to air their shows independently on their own websites but that never did catch on. Sometimes the lack of interest had to do with the programs or sites not being user friendly, but mostly they had to do with the target audience.

You Do Hulu

More often than not websites target the younger demographics. In terms of television and movies, Hulu has begun simultaneously directing ads to both the young and the older generations. By keeping their website simple but engaging, they have reached the unreachable; they have taught that old dog a new trick.

Hulu was not the first to try to air television shows, but it is the first to succeed. Hulu did something rather revolutionary; they gave the people what they wanted. They offered television and movies with extremely limited interruptions and even gave viewers the option of watching their program straight through (after viewing a slightly longer commercial at the beginning). Their website design is extremely user friendly. It has a simple aesthetic, making it easy to browse, and the advertisements are arranged without cluttering or confusing.

Hulu’s continued success depends on a number of variables. With a website like Hulu and the success they have had, competitors are sure to appear. Their partners, the television networks, have stock in Hulu, and are getting their shows more and more exposure because of the online “on demand” set up of the website.

Aggressive Ads and Convenient Contracts

With the aggressive television ad campaign featuring Alec Baldwin and other celebrities, Hulu is maintaining its status as the leader in streaming television and movies. But because of the foundation of Hulu, long term success is not guaranteed. The website makes money off of advertisements, and the product they offer, television shows, are owned by separate networks, who are also their partners. If those networks decide to pull their programs and start their own website, then Hulu is left without a product, and advertisers will quickly pull their ads leaving Hulu with nothing. This point has undercut almost every acclamation Hulu has racked up from various critics.

The best shot a website like this has at making it long term lies in the hands of the contracts with the networks to distribute their shows. Short of that, the only other option left is to market aggressively so they can be the dominant name, if not the only name, in the online on-demand industry. By being the only option, and a force to be reckoned with, networks will keep supplying Hulu with their shows and Hulu will continue to make money.

Eric Feng, the Senior VP at Hulu, is taking the proper steps to ensuring the consistent success of the website. Though still dependent on outside networks and advertisers, Hulu is marketing themselves so they are desirable to the networks because of their attractiveness to viewers. So networks like NBC and FOX who are rivals on the television are partners on Hulu because they have no other option. Hulu just needs to keep it that way.

My profile is full of information which makes me ripe for marketers. I have a list of the music, movies, and books that I enjoy. I list the jobs that I have and post the groups I’m a part of, not to mention all of my interests. I put myself into a demographic; I spoon feed the marketing industry.

Commercial Network Sites

They have my age, my location, and they know my jobs. It is not hard for anyone to figure out what I would buy. My Facebook profile is peppered with little unobtrusive banner ads for T-shirts sporting logos of the bands that I listed in my musical preference or tickets to a concert in my area. Your profile is a target and there is a company aiming for you.

Flexibility is the Key to Networking

With any amount of advertising there are many pitfalls, and to be competitive on the social network sites companies need to be as fluid and flexible as the website. Social networks thrive off of activity, whether it is wall posts, profile changing, or new applications or games. Companies that set up their own page or profile and offer something back to users stand the best chance of prospering.

Much like viral marketing, social network marketing also needs to rely on consumer participation. By making groups or offering icons that are post-able on group member’s profiles companies see their name being carried by many different users on their profiles…for free! But also like viral marketing there is the difficulty of keeping these incentives original and continually intriguing.

Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace the key to being successful at reaching your consumers is to play into that particular social network. The style and objectives of the network are found out by seeing how activity is monitored and to understand what gets popular and why.

Cutting Edge

The challenge is the same as any other type of marketing: keeping it relevant. Styles and preferences change and with lightening speed what is popular becomes disposable. When a company is a part of a social network, that company sees firsthand the changes as they occur. These social networks are a way to monitor trends and the preferences of the masses. It’s no surprise that in the extremely personalized world of social networks there are marketers personalizing their advertisements for you.

Marketing Minus the Middle Man – Made By You, For Your Own Consumption

Many companies are choosing to up their marketing to viral. This is the practice of spreading information in nonconventional ways, so that when it is consumed it is passed on. Many different industries have turned to viral marketing. The convenience of YouTube and Google make putting promotional videos out and getting them viewed very simple. The videos can be made with limited cost, and uploaded and viewed for free.

Viral marketing is a relatively new concept, first truly mastered by Hotmail. They added an invitation to join Hotmail at the end of each email, inexpensively exposing themselves to mass quantities of people. The logic is simple: save money on advertising, gain more exposure through creative avenues.

Warner Bros. Watches You Watching the Watchmen

One of the most pronounced and an intricate viral marketing campaign to be waged was the epic superhero movie, The Dark Knight. There were videos highlighting the story line between Batman Begins and its sequel; false Gotham newspapers were created; short campaign videos and advertisements for characters in the movie; and an interactive scavenger hunt. By involving itself in the life of the consumers, The Dark Knight became more than a movie, it became an event. The in-depth, interactive development and execution of Warner Brother’s viral marketing campaign paid off with the second highest grossing movie of all time.

The Watchmen, which premiers on March 6^th, shows Warner Brother’s perfection of viral marketing. Building off their interactive viral marketing, Warner Bros. led contests where fans following the movie’s production could make commercials for products used in the movie. Videos were put out during production highlighting different aspects like the costume and wardrobe, set design, and different pieces on character exposure.

For Warner Brothers it has become a simple formula: give the people what they want, keep them enticed, keep them following the progress of the movie’s production, and it will yield record breaking results.

Going viral is good for just about any business. Low quality videos from huge names like ESPN, Mentos, and Coca Cola have positively impacted those companies’ exposure and revenue. By offering video contests for the general public, those companies save money on shooting an actual commercial while still increasing awareness and consumption. The key is keeping people involved, keep them interested by the product and they will spread the word about the product.

Ethical Issues

Viral marketing does dance on a line of empowerment and manipulation of the consumer. Word of mouth marketing seems innocent enough, but it has lead companies like Proctor and Gamble to enlist teenagers to spread word of their products to their peer groups. This tactic can dupe people, rather than enticing them. If a person does not disclose the fact that their job is to create buzz for the specific product they are recommending, then their tactics becomes unethical.

Because of the nature of viral marketing and the ever changing technologies, this strategy has the ability to adapt and has the potential for longevity. Similar to other types of marketing, there is also the possibility the general public will become so inundated with viral that they will become desensitized. Until the viral immunization however, it is seems to remain a recipe that almost guarantees success.

Displaying these advertisements above the fold in plain site they are offering a very unique media buying opportunity as opposed to other networks which suppress or bury ads beneath layers of content below the fold.

The minimum ad buy currently sits at $25 and they are sold based on a CPM model (cost per thousand impressions).

While there has been no test of the advertisements running on this system versus Facebook’s SocialAds, this system has been positioned as a direct competitor. We are not so sure that the CPM model will wok in the long run though.

A self serving (like facebook), targeted cpm machine that has a built in pricing module that increases or decreases the cost per thousand impressions based on what criteria you choose.

Example - Add 3.00 per CPM to target your text ads by company size or $6.00 to target by seniority.

You can choose to advertise to the all of Linkedin members in the United States or you can target specific members with up to 2 categories such as Company Size, Job Function, Industry, Seniority, Gender, Age, and Geography.   It would awesome if you could do more then two categories but it would likely cost $150 per CPM.

You start by creating your ad as seen below.

Next you Schedule your ad and choose your budget.  It can be anywhere from $25 - $2000.  That’s right $25!  Give a/b split testing a whirl on that budget.

After scheduling and selecting your budget and ad volume you then get to setup your advertisment in real time.

An easy to use editor lets you see exactly what your ad will look like to the viewers as seen in the right hand column.

After creating your advertisement you are then taken to an easy to checkout billing page.

As easy as a few steps anyone can setup and deploy an ad.

their intuitive user centric dashboard lets you manage and report on your active and past ads served.

With Linkedin current audience of 27M+ professionals with an average household income of $109,000.  Larger advertisers on Linkedin have been reporting $45 cpm’s while most social networks are barely getting $1.

Linkedin has the right model in mind which will allow them to offer a very targetted advertisment and allow a higher revenue curve which is justifible by the media buyer.  Choosing to deploy their own advertising network rather then jumping on the bandwagon and joining someone elses looks like it will proove to be very fruitful in the long run. Linkedin is also allowing Publishers to join their network which allows them to increase their inventory of impressions.