Archive for Publicity

Old Spice and Interruption

June 21, 2012 / MHBAdmin / No comments

By: Wendy Lin

With 71 years of history, Old Spice is a brand of deodorant and body fragrance for men. Its campaign had been carried out by Wieden + Kennedy (Portland branch), one of the top advertising agencies, branding the product with the slogan of “Smell like a Man, Man.” Shot in three days, this commercial was uploaded to Youtube in February of 2010, accumulating 30,000 views that snowballed into 250,000. As of June 2012, the video has amassed over 40 million views.

In the commercial, the main actor, Isaiah Mustafa, presents himself as a smug stud who has the toned and muscular body that all women would lust for. As opposed to calling out to the men who would actually use the product, he calls out to the girlfriends/wives of these men. Why? Perhaps it hints at the power of the sexes. Or perhaps he confidently plays the psychological game with the men, taunting them with his ability to appeal to the female masses and that if they can’t look like him, maybe, just maybe, all men should at least smell like him. At least one body sense should suffice, right?

What’s even more interesting is the usage of the tactic of interruption. David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR, had explained the technique of interruption used in the TV industry as a way to “interrupt people so that they pay attention to a one-way message.” The main actor in the commercial brilliantly carries this out technique through commanding and continuous statements. “Look at your men” offers that split-second for the audience to take their eyes off of him, but the audience is then quickly redirected back to him with the firm command, “Now back to me.” The message is clear: “Focus on ME.”

Did you anticipate that this guy in shower would end up on a white horse as prince charming? I certainly didn’t. The unpredictable elements such as the scene switch to the ocean or the oysters that became diamonds all act to hook the audience to see what would happen next.

What do you guys think? Did this commercial have your complete attention for the 32 seconds it lasted? Or were you already off doing something else in the first 5 seconds? Is interruption the best method to use for one-way messages, or should marketers be moving away from one-way messages altogether?

People, Profit, and the Planet

April 16, 2012 / MHBAdmin / No comments

By: Elizabeth Urbic

The belief that corporations can and should take an active role in achieving socially and environmentally sustainable solutions is growing, so much so that organizations that neglect to embed sustainable practices within their structure will suffer the consequences, sooner rather than later.  Whether or not the concern for environmental impact is present in the corporate leadership of an organization, the interest in profit and business prosperity certainly is, and it is becoming increasingly true that consumers and talented employees place great value in sustainability.  Sustainable practices are simply becoming good business.

Sustainability is a broad and continually developing construct that evades a universal definition.  Most definitions draw upon the principles of the Brundtland Commission’s report, Our Common Future (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987):

Sustainability is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

As far as corporations are concerned, there is an emergence in defining sustainability based upon three pillars:

1.  Economic sustainability is fundamental to financial success in that basic survival requires that expenditure not exceed income.

2.  Social sustainability embodies the humanitarian context of business, relating to issues of poverty and income inequality; disease; access to health care, clean water, and sanitation; education; and broader issues associated with the business’ impact of globalization on economic development.

3.  Environmental sustainability considers the impact of business on the quality and quantity of natural resources, the environment, global warming, ecological concerns, waste management, reductions in energy and resource use, alternative energy production, and improved pollution and emissions management. » Read more..

Tough Guys, Tough Products

April 12, 2012 / MHBAdmin / No comments

By: Robert Davies

Advertising is in now way new to the sports world: NASCAR drivers wear countless emblems on their suits and cars, soccer teams display their sponsors on their jerseys, and all sports arenas are covered in advertisements for numerous sponsors. Likewise, sponsorship is not new to the rodeo crowd. Vegas.com, Jack Daniel’s whiskey, and Stanley power tools have long been advertising at Professional Bullriding (PBR) events. However, in 2008, Dickies workwear decided that they would sponsor the unsung heroes of the rodeo: the bullfighters.

The bullfighters are responsible for the safety of bullriders once the riders are thrown off the back of a bull. They put themselves in harm’s way to protect the lives of the defenseless riders until they can climb to safety. Dickies decided that these men embody the idea of “toughness,” and thus would represent their durable work clothes well.

» Read more..

Effective Crisis Management

April 2, 2012 / MHBAdmin / One comment

By: Shaz Poormand

Crisis Management is the process of managing threatening situations that can harm a company on many fronts, including its reputation and sales. Crises take many forms, making the need for a comprehensive crisis management plan absolutely essential. Lerbinger (1997) identifies seven categories that most crises can be organized into:

  1. Natural disaster – earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues, etc.
  2. Technological crises – “Houston, we have a problem”
  3. Confrontation – when people confront a business about their practices, ethics and anything else they could be unhappy with and demand change, e.g. Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955
  4. Malevolence – extreme action is taken which either directly or indirectly threatens the company, e.g. Chicago Tylenol Murders
  5. Organizational Misdeeds – when managers make choices that are harmful to the company
  6. Workplace Violence – can be either physical or verbal
  7. Rumours – nasty locker room gossip that tarnishes a company’s reputation.

» Read more..

Making Noise By Staying Quiet

March 28, 2012 / MHBAdmin / No comments

By: Wendy Lin

PepsiCO released the first “deaf” commercial in 2008. It employed deaf actors as the characters and used conversations carried out through sign language. The idea behind the commercial was the desire to reach out to a larger audience, one that included a normally marginalized minority that other soft drink companies (and indeed other companies in general) did not normally target for advertisement. This strategy was both clever and tactful. Focusing on the typically ignored deaf community brought praise and respect to Pepsi, due their considerate change in point-of-view for the individuals portrayed in the commercial.

» Read more..

« Older Entries  

Theme by ThemeZee.com