Targeting Boomer Women...

With much of the focus directed towards younger, skinnier females, many
companies tend to over look the boomer markets--women over 40. This is
a huge mistake because many of these women still have a large amount of
purchasing power not only for themselves, but also for their families
too. After all, women ages 40 to 50 generally have more disposable
income than their younger counterparts. And even if they've already
formed brand allegiances, they're still open to change if approached in
the right way.

In the past, women would use word-of-mouth while talking with neighbors, friends, and co-workers
to see which products were working for them. Now, many women are busy
connect to the Web and surfing through the sites to research their
products. According to Media Post, women like to listen to the
advertisers message and feel involved, "Women look at things from a
totality, more big picture. They draw strength and power from a
collective and they're empowered when they feel they can help others."

Even blogging is becoming more popular with these women, as it takes them back to more traditional days of conversing with neighbors and friends (wom).

With
all of these combined, the most important outlook for marketing to
these individuals is to create flow and balance in their lives. Relate
a message that they can connect to would give harmony in their everyday
routines. A perfect example is off theswifter product, one that can be stored in any room, used at anytime, and save time which could be better spent with family.

It's
all about creating a message these women will relate to, something they
can talk about with others, and a message promoting harmony and flow in
their lives.

(to check out the full scoop, visit Targeting Boomer Women)

The Boston scare...

Last week two men pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges claiming they created panic by placing electronic light boards that caused a bomb scare Wednesday in Boston. Were they bombs? Were terrorists targeting Boston, one of America's most historic cities?

No, they were certainly not. In fact they posed no threat at all; they were a humorous and harmless guerrilla campaign advertising Cartoon Network's show Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the up and coming movie. Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens were the two minds behind the marketing technique and had no intentions of causing any danger. They simply wanted to create some word-of-mouth fuss about the cartoon show and hopefully get people talking about the movie. The boards depicted a cartoon character, known only by devoted Aqua Teen fans, making an obscene gesture at passing motorists. The comical part, one which most missed, is that not many people would have even related to the character, let alone talked abut the movie. The ironic part, however, is that this incident created more buzz than imaginable, and whether that is seen as positive or negative, "no publicity is bad publicity."

The moon men, or Mooninites, as they're known to the show's faithful, are delinquent outer-space men who make frequent appearances on the program. Photographs of the devices show several tiny light bulbs protruding from a circuit board that houses wiring and at least four batteries.

To watch the "work of art" take place, direct your attention here
Boston Scare Setup

Better yet, to watch the two make an even more hilarious press conference appearance, watch this Press Conference

So what do we learn from this?
Well, sometimes traditional advertising has its downfall. Sometimes spending large amounts of money on TV spots and magazine ads only goes so far. In order to gain more reach and more effective recall, it may be necessary to embark upon a campaign like such. Though these events may have been misunderstood or blown out of proportion, they still had the power to create such a rumor-generating story. Cities across the Nation caught wind of what happened and were discussing the issue throughout conferences, companies, and even college classrooms. It may be seen as bad press, however, judging from the show's already risk-based content, the controversial stunt will relate well with the audience. In other words, this publicity was exactly the thing to motivate more people interested in this humor to go see the movie.

On the other hand, when is enough, enough?
Advertising is becoming more invasive and intruding. It is not enough that we are bombarded with 1000s of messages a day, but now we have to be under public panic for such incidents?

To be an even more annoying devil's advocate, what if it is not advertiser's fault, and more of this Country's obsession with fear? How could we possibly mistaken kid-like night-brights for a terrorist threat and shutdown half of a city? It is certainly justifiable, the necessary safety precautions that were taken. However, I feel slightly embarrassed that the stunt is continuing this far.


In my personal opinion, I am quite impressed with the buzz this technique has created. After all, that was the sole intention, not to hurt anyone.

New trends...

As we know by now, companies are finding new ways and different strategies to effectively target their markets. One of their main goals in mind is to create a buzz, or to get people talking about something--similar to what super bowl ads do each year. Unfortunately, we are not blessed to have a super bowl everyday, nor are we lucky enough to generate that much buzz with our commercials.

To compensate for this, advertisers are turning to alternatives such as guerilla marketing campaigns and other outdoor, attention grabbing tactics. The strategy is to incorporate surprise which requires skillful planning. Tactically, your surprise on the marketplace will be too late for your competitors to react. Now we will talk about several rising campaign strategies and techniques used to "surprise" the masses, and create that viral buzz...


Moving Boards-- These portable boards are a brand new product recently introduced in the US that are sure to turn heads. This patented illuminated billboard is truly unique and offers advertisers the opportunity to reach consumers whenever and wherever they want, day or night. Boards are worn by Brand Ambassadors and offer signage on the back, as well as additional signage on the front (featured above their heads). Moving Boards are perfect for geo-targeting and are available in all markets across the country. Companies like Dodge, Ford, and Burger King have already jumped on the wagon and have been seeing increases in their sales already.

Segway Advertising-- To date Segways have been some of companies' most popular mediums. Segways offer advertisers an excellent opportunity to communicate with consumers anywhere and everywhere. Companies' Brand Ambassadors are trained on all aspects of a Client’s program and approach and interact with target audiences to communicate this. Segways offer elevated exposure and have a certain wow factor that attracts consumers. They are engaging, spark excitement and continue to meet and exceed Client expectations. Take a stroll on any busy NYC street and be prepared to chat with several Segway marketers!


AD Bicycles-- These bikes offer targeted bus shelter size signage and the opportunity to deliver high-impact impressions and dedicated exposure along pre-determined routes or in specific areas/neighborhoods. AD Bikes can travel anywhere a bicycle travels offering signage on both sides of the vehicle. Drivers may also be outfitted in branded apparel and can approach and interact with pedestrians and distribute collateral/promotional materials as desired. Similar to moving boards, these devices capture the attention of audiences and nearly force people to pay attention to this moving message in front of them.

Though all of these tactics (and more) are not seen flooding the United States' cities, be prepared. Tactics and strategies like these three are bound to catch on here and give advertising a whole new medium. I have personally experienced several of these campaigns, including many for movie trailers/openings. Something that has truly impressed me was the use of moving boards for the V for Vendetta movie, except the boards contained video footage! These new guerilla campaigns are evolving into something else, creating the buzz, and taking advertising to the next step!


When you implement the strategy and the tactical precision of a strong guerilla marketing campaign, you can take valuable impressions and impact the consumer face to face for a spike in awareness and profits...

Podcasting...

Over the weekend I had a chance to listen to some interesting pod casts. The First one was extremely hilarious. It was an interview with Ad Age publisher and the Geico Gecko (the actually little green guy). Though most of the content and questions were rather comical and irrelevant to the industry, there was some great insight leaked.

It was rather entertaining to listen to this reporter ask some serious questions, and hear the cocky little Gecko respond back with his witty remarks. When asked what the Gecko has to do with car insurance, he defensively responds, "what does a giant have to do with beans, or a fat little boy made out of dough do with rolls?"

But as the humor fades, the truth still exists, Geico has been seeing huge increases in ROI, sales, and other great improvements. So what has this little green gecko really done to Geico?

"...that's why I exist, you can talk about Geico's great rates all day long, but if you don't do it in an entertaining way, people are going to change the channel."

This quote by the gecko is true, if your advertising doesn't hold the audiences attention, let alone gain it at first, your message will never stick with them.

As the gecko closes he states,
"the day i look the the mirror and I'm not amused, is the day I look away..."



The Second cast involved participation between Edelman's Steve Rubel, Michael Wiley, Ming Yee, and Leah Jones. They debated the involvement of companies and PR in Wikipedia. It is an interesting subject, whether or not companies should be controlling the content that people are posting about them. Of course, there is going to be negative subject matter on the posts, perhaps even misrepresented facts. If the companies know that this site is not purely credible, is it correct to be monitoring what they want?

Steve Rubel starts off the debate by saying it’s not really necessary for the companies to be involved with other people's "editorials." To correct any mistakes, a company should use the "talk pages" of Wikipedia by posting several other sources disproving the original error. Though most agree, this only gives rise to more debates about what is in fact an "error." We should all know that Wikipedia is not based on pure facts, or at least doesn't need to be. An error--like writing about Starbucks lacking of free wireless Internet--is only wrong in the company's eyes. With it being a stab at the company, criticizing certain aspects, should employees and CEOs be allowed to omit this information?

The debate goes on to discuss the topics of "notability," "padding," and more Wikipedia policy.

I was unaware of such a topic, and now, find myself rather intrigued. I feel it is unnecessary to become involved with such a site, but on the other hand, think it’s crucial for companies to monitor false, or harmful information. With that said, this does not mean they should omit certain discussions that they feel negatively about (even if true). I was even subject to posting false information about a site in my last bog, and was contacted in a very polite way (and now the issue is corrected). As long as companies go about the issues in a truthful, polite way, I feel their involvement is fine.


(*Interesting note, podfade=too much time passing in between postings.)


Learning through pod casts is just as entertaining and beneficial as learning through blogs/articles. The narration and dictation can sometimes prove to be even better.
I suggest people to start searching and listening to such casts of anything that interests them. It is amazing how much is out there, especially for free...