Uniqlo Creative Pitch

So, after doing our creative pitch for Cuties, we were assigned the job of devloping a creative campaign for the company Uniqlo based on another groups creative brief presentation.  Bascially what they said is that the target market ranges from college aged kids to early professionals.  They are "scared of their closet" and tend to pick the same "uniform" when it comes to activites.  Our group came up with some really good ideas in my opinoin. 

The big idea we came up with was "Uniqlo conquers the closet."  We thought this was appropate because it is branded close the insights that were uncovered by the creative breif that people are afraid of their closet when trying to pick out an outfit.  They tend to settle to conservative clothing that they have always seemd as safe.  We want Uniqlo to dominant the closet and conquer the owners fear of looking for an outfit for that date he has coming up, or for other similar situations. 

One of our favorite ideas that we came up with was a TV/YouTube commercial.  The commercial would include a real life situation where a Uniqlo rep finds a guy or girl on the street asks them to describe why they are wearing what they are wearing.  It on instance, for example, a guy would say "Oh I am wearing these jeans and sweater because I am going to meet up with a girl for drink and don't know what else to wear."  Then the Uniqlo representative would offer them a chance to look inside a "Uniqlo" closet to change his wardrobe.  Then it would skip forward tot he guy leaving the closet with a whole new outfit feeling cool and confident.  We think this ties directly into the big idea of Uniqlo conquering the dear of closets because it shows an individual from the target market explaining he is wearing what he is wearing just because he knows it is "safe."  But then it shows him after having a Uniqlo experience leaving the scene cool, calm, collected, and confident.  And (alliteration aside) those four feelings demonstrate how Uniqlo can conquer that afraid of the closet feeling.

Creative Brief for Cuties

A group in one of my classes had to come up with a creative brief for the company Cuties.  Cuties is a small clementine product with a few core benefits.  First, its claim to fame its simplicity to peel. Also, because of its simplicity it is perceived to be an easy ont he go product.  One of our objectives was to uncover customer insights as well as current non customer insights.  We also had to do basic research to see what the company holds true to themselves and uncover past marketing campaigns and how they were executed.

As we studied past commercials we noticed that all the old commercials we found had the message "Kids love Cuties because Cuties are made for kids."  So we knew right off the bat Cuties tries to appeal to this kids market but while attracting the younger market with these commercials we also believe they were trying to reach to the moms by saying "kids love Cuties."  Meaning that we always know moms want to make their kids happy, and whats a better way to do that then buying them the snacks they love. 

So after doing some prelimary research an uncovering some customers insights this is what we came up with:
-the target market for the creative brief should be kids and their mothers
-the target market for kids should be the trend setting kids, that are actively involved with extracirriculars and are thought of as the leaders of their class
-an insight is that kids are always on the move and want a snack to accommodate that life style, without
-Cuties offers a healthy alternative snack that won't stop kids from being kids
-Kids help the purchasing decision in snack shopping but the mothers are the ultimate purchasers.

These insights and ideas helped with preparing the direction we thought Cuties needs to take their next campaign.  We came up with a target market of "Alex" who is a 4th grade popular boy who sets trends and leads his class mates.  He might be a goof off at times, but he is a nice kid with a bright future.  He is actively involved in sports and after school activities.  We thought this was the best target market for a commercial because if they can land these influencers, you can ultimately attract the followers.    Some of the things we wanted Cuties to unveil in the advertisment creation process we some ideas we saw the advertisment playing out. 

For example, after the advertisement we want the kids to seek out the Cuties.  We can all remember when we were kids and accompanied mom to the grocery store visit.  At some point we would wonder off to grab our favorite snack, then sneak it back into the cart without mom seeing.  For me, it was Goldfish, I loved them.  I would go and run off, get the biggest Goldfish carton I could possibly carry and throw it in the cart while my mom was looking away.  We want kids to run away from mom and come back with Cuties.  That single minded proposition of "I need Cuties when I go to the grocery store, because I know that's what my kids want most," is what needs to change to make Cuties a successful clementine company.

Speaker Prep for Julie Talbot

Tomorrow in my Advertising class we are going to have a guest speaker from Burt's Bees named Julie Talbot.  I look forward to heaing from Julie because, jsut base on my knowledge, Burt's Bees is a lesser player in their respective industry.  However, for having such a small market share I would like to see how they have been able to capture a niche market and how they plan on moving forward with they advertising and brand managing.

After doing a some basic background checks and through my current insights on the company Burt’s Bees.  Julie Talbot, the Global Brand Manager for the company is going to give an interesting inside look on Burt’s Bees strategic marketing objectives.  Just from a consumer standpoint I think is that they current are focused on a niche market.  I know they offer personal health products like lip cream, soap, etc.  I think their brand awareness is relatively low compared to their competitors (Dove, Olay, Blistex) so I think they need a strong marketing plan to raise brand awareness, while staying true to their niche market.

A question I’d like her to answer, although I expect her to give thorough explanation during her lecture, is “How is Burt’s Bees marketing strategy plan currently trying to raise market strength is their industry, while staying true to their brand name and niche market?” 

Nike's Fuel Band - A Success Story

Recently in my Advertising class we discussed what it meant to be creative and how to come up with big ideas for companies looking to tackle a new advertising objectives.  I couldn't help but think about one the best (in my opinoin) marketing companies in the world in Nike, and their evolution and implementation of their Nike Fuel Band commercials.  I know from the beginning Nike kinda of played a guerilla marketing side and let the customer base try it and spread their experiences with friends and let it take off.  However recently I have seen some Nike Fuel Band commercials, like the one I have posted below, and I really think they did a great job of coming up with a big idea that tackles all the elements my Advertising professor discussed.

First off here is the commercial:

 



 

Okay, so what did you think?  Pretty smart right?  Kind of cool, really upbeat, kinda sends a message right?  At least I thought so.  Well lets take a look at some of the things brought up by my professor that she believes a big idea must contain. 

 

 

First--keep it simple.  Yes, this idea was simple as pie.  "Life is a sport, make it count."  This idea ties directly into their product with the fuel band because you are supposed to wear it as an every day thing to monitor your exercise.  Next, my professor talked about when creeating big ideas to remember to be truthful tot he company and stay branded to the company.  In my opinion, this idea stay true to Nike's brand.  It goes without saying that when people think about Nike they think about sports, and Nike wants to make life a sport with their Fuel Band product.  They are trying to make every day activities count as exercise.  I think when Nike's executives were working on this campaign they thought about what is the truth about Nike and they uncovered that people want to work out everyday and stay healthy but aren't sure of what counts as excerise then Nike comes in and says, "You know what, taking the steps instead of the elevator counts as excersise.  Life is a sport so make it count.  Don't wasting it."

 

I think this ad is branded at the core of Nike and the Nike FuelBand product in that it revolves around exercising daily and making life count with exercise.  They also cleary tied the commercial in with pop culture which made it entertaining and attention grabbing.  I also think the execution was properly executed to ignite conversations among prospective customers.  I think not only the commercial will ignite and create popularity for the product, but the Fuel Band itself will spark conversations as well because of the involvement it has on people's every day life. 

 

Overall, I think Nike did and excellent job at being creative coming up with a big idea that was branded at the core of Nike, was attention grabbing, and convincingly executed the core message of "life is a sport, make it count."

 

 

Really a Deceptive Ad?

Deceptive advertising.  It is a term, I'm sure, many people are plenty familiar with.  The FTC places regulation and ethic codes on advertising that restrict companies to what they are able to say in advertsing.  An example mentioned in class the other day by my Advertising professor was the Sketchers lawsuit.  Sketchers shoes has been sued for saying that their "tone-up" shoes were not clinically proven to be an effective tool to building muscle.  The lawsuit settled for over $40 million.  Another lawsuit some might not be as familiar with was the Nutella lawsuit claim made by California mom who had been feeding her kids Nutella consistantly, because she believed it was part of a healty breakfast.  Kind of shocking, right?  I mean who really could believe that Nutella, a chocolate spread, is part of a healthy breakfast for kids?  Apparently this woman did, and she took her claim to court against the company Ferrero, the makers of Nutella.  In the court documents she said that advertisement made claims that Nutella was "healthy" an "part of a balanced meal."  Let me show you this ad first, you have to check it out......

Alright, so at no point did this commercial specifically say that Nutella was healthy, or part of a balanced meal so you might think this crazy woman who has been feeding her kids chocolate, and getting them fat has no basis for a claim.  Well, as it turned out she wom the claim.  In fact, she settled on a $3 million.  Wouldn't that be nice.  Honestly, I think this is rediculous.  Sure the ad said that her kids "love" eating Nutella for breakfast and that her kids "want to eat it."  What kid wouldn't want their mom to be preparing toast with chocolate for breakfast.  Yes, the ad did say at the end that "breakfast never tasted this good."  Big shocker there, huh?  I could Skittles, and Oreo's for breakfast and it would taste good too.  But, if you aren't skeptical at the appearance of Nutella being healthy, you can always read the nutritional facts that say that per 2 table-spoon serving there are 21 grams of fat and 200 calories.  But if I'm in Vegas right now, I am putting my money on the fact this woman neglected to do anything of the sort.  Either way, Athena Hohenberg, the mom of the century, won herself $3 million and Nutella has cancelled running this ad, as well as changing their nutritional labels, so this mistake (I guess you call it) doesn't happen again.  In my opinion, no chance this was deceptive advertising, but it just shows how careful companies need to be before running an ad.

Source:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/04/26/151454929/nutella-maker-may-settle-deceptive-ad-lawsuit-for-3-million

Quality Guest Speaker on Strategy

So in my advertising class a couple of weeks ago we had a guest lecture given by Steve Grant, who is the Head of Strategy for an up and coming digital advertising agency.  I have to say, I was pretty impressed, not only by doing some preliminary research before the lecture, but by Steve himself who seems so enthusiastic about his industry and job.  Just by doing a simple Google search on Steve and his company, Modea, it brang up a load of articles dated around the time he was hired by the company.  I read some interviews he had given at the time, and they all seemed to be pointing in the same direction as for his future plans of Modea.  His plan at the time was to bring in a intensly competitive strategy to this small advertising agency.  He wanted to expand the company and take on more challenges.  Both plans worked out well.  What I gathered from Steve in person, was that he brought in a strategy that dealt intesively around the focus of its' clients.  Modea had been a small agency located in a rural southern town of Blacksburg, Virginia.  Now they are able to take on clients like Prudential because of the name they have established in customer satisfaction.  Prudential seemed like Steve's most exciting, as well as challenging experience he has had with Modea so far.  Steve emphasized the importance of doing research to gather consumer insights on the company as the first order of business when dealing with a new client.  The reason Prudential was such a challenging client is because everyone seemed to know the name Prudential, but they weren't familiar with all of their business practices.  Prudential does such a variety of practices, that some cannabalize other parts of their business.  They wanted the public to know that they also offer retirement plans, and financial expertise.  Steve went on to tell us about allt he challenges that arose in his deal with Prudential, but at no point did he seem unhappy or dissatisfied.  Overall, Steve was very energetic about his experiences and insights.  I realy enjoyed his guest appearance in class. 

Budweiser's Still Got Super Bowl Game

Rolling along with the Budwesier Super Bowl commercial theme, I wanted to take a little time to talk about another commercial done by Budweiser that I enjoyed.  Super Bowl XLVI was the most watched program in United States history.  Over 111 million Americans tuned into the highly anticipated rematch between Tom Brady and Eli Manning (USA Today).  Budweiser capitalized on it.  I know the Super Bowl is over 7 months old, but I didn't have a blog to talk about it 7 months ago so give me the chance to praise Budweisers ad "Eternal Optimism" now.

I think this was the best commercial of last year's Super Bowl.  Clint Eastwood's Chrysler commercial was pretty boss, but I think Enternal Optimism was the most thought out and strategic advertisememt of the lot.  The uplifting spirit of the commercial resonates with the audience in every generation.  How hard is that?  Pretty damn hard.

The commercial goes through decades of triumph and good times in American history, and surrounds the inspiring atmosphere with Budweiser's name.  I think what Budweiser was trying to tell through the commercial is that America has been through tough times before, but we always come out on top, and when we do, the Budweiser brand is there during the celebration.  The timing of the commercial is impeccable.  The economy in the America had been struggling for over 3 years, people were starting to get a little restless when thinking about the future.  Budweiser aired the ad with the intent to show the audience that even though the present might be a little tough, America is going to fight through it and when we do and its time to celebrate our great triumph Budweiser will be there, as it has been for over 90 years. 

The ad was moving for Americans of all ages.  It starts with clip of a post prohibiton celebration, and touches on a post World War celebration, an image of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, then shows our triumphant victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics, and finishes with more of a rave-like party scene accompanied by Budweiser.  It feels good as an American to watch the ad, and it makes you want to buy Budweiser.  It shows they have been the American beer through think and thin and when this recession ends, then more good times are waiting with Budweiser.  Awesome Ad.

Check it out here.

Sources:
USA Today

An Early Ad That Resonated

Bud-wei-ser.  A three syllable sentence that has resonated with me for over 15 years.  Without looking it up, I couldn't for the life of me tell you what two teams were playing in what Super Bowl.  But I can tell you the first advertisement I truely remember seeing was the Budweiser three frog Super Bowl commercial when each of them were able to mutter a syllable of the Budweiser name.  I know, pretty big throwback right?  But when I was laying around really concentrating to remember what the first ad I ever saw was, this one reached the furthest back.  I took the liberty upon myself to look it up, and that commercial aired during Super Bowl XXIX.  As it turns out, it was one of the most historic Super Bowls of all time....figures.  Steve Young threw a record 6 touchdown passes and after the 49ers won, they became the first franchise to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy 5 times.  However, I was only 6 at the time, so I can't blame myself for not remembering the game.  It is pretty stunning, however, that I can remember one of the ads during the game. 

The commercial is pretty basic in itself, theres a link on the bottom to check it out.  But the only words spoken during the commercial are "Budweiser".  Breaking down why I think it had an impact on myself and why I have remembered it all these years, there are a couple reasons that jump out.  Right off the bat, this commercial aired during a Super Bowl around the age where I really started getting into sports.  I can remember sitting around with my dad and his friends wacthing football and having a great time even as a kid, so clearly those memories are still pretty concrete.  Also the commercial itself was a great hit.  I can remeber after the game people going around trying to mimic the frogs from the ad for weeks.  The simplicity of the ad is another reason the frogs commercial has been one of my all time favorites.  No actors were hired, it wasn;t trying to be over the top funny, it jsut wanted to stick to people, and it clearly did. 

I have to applaud Budweiser's marketing effort through sports, and especially the National Football League.  They got me early.  To the day Budweiser is the beer is prefer when watching either the Hokies on Friday, or the Jets on Sunday (as rough as it is).  Please check out the commercial below, if you haven't seen the ad.

Description of What to Come

My name is Sean O'Dea.  I am a senior at Virginia Tech studying in Pamplin's College of Business, pursuing a degree in Marketing.  I was born and rasied in Connecticut, a little less than an hour outside New York City.  A few of my hobbies and interests are sports (especially the New York Yankees and Jets), food, good music, and hanging out with my friends.  Pretty standard stuff.

Over the course of the school semester I will use this blog to post about many aspects of advertising including past history, future direction, and everything in between.  This blog will mostly consist of scheduled assignments for my Advertising course, but I will also include posts when I feel inclined to express myself about something that has been on my mind (of course with the primary basis on advertising and/or marketing).

This is my first experience using a blog, and I look forward to seeing how I progress my writing style and insights over the course of a the next few months.