BP Promotes Gulf Tourism?

http://youtu.be/tO2i_mMZfz4

BP has launched a new commercial that is promoting gulf tourism during the winter season. I find this interesting as we all know that BP is notorious for the oil spill and the awkward message from the CEO during their crisis communications efforts was criticized nationwide.

This commercial caught me off gaurd as I was half-heartedly listening to it and thought it was another tourism ad for Alabama. However, upon hearing about the competing states such as Florida and Louisiana, I decided to listen to the rest of the commercial to discover that it was a message from BP.

I think it is interesting as BP is trying to enhance their image by promoting tourism for the gulf states. This message may go over poorly in the affected areas, but it is a decent effort by the communications team for BP.

Continuing the Spirit of Giving

The key to successful strategic philanthropy is making it strategic. A non-profit has collaborated with a for-profit that provides a winning strategy for all. The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis was looking for a way to say thank you to its donors. They came up with the idea to load a Kroger gift card with five dollars. The strategic part being, when the donor goes grocery shopping, they load the $5 gift card with their grocery money, and after paying for the groceries with the card, Kroger donates 5 percent of the total amount spent to the foundation. Thus, each time the donor grocery shops, they are giving to the foundation.

This strategy is highly effective for cause related marketing for both the for-profit and non-profit organizations. The for-profit benefits by aligning itself with a non-profit that the consumer cares about, while the non-profit aligns with a for-profit that helps them easily generate donations.

Typically, for-profits will give cash (which is a non-profit’s favorite type of gift), but this strategy is effective because it is a continual circle of giving that creates a positive relationship between the sectors and the consumer.

Click here to read the article, http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/nov/24/cause-marketing-fulfills-circle-of-giving/.

Advertising that matches Brand Messaging

Amnesty International has been known for its creative ad campaigns. This one is strikingly different as it ties the brand message to its advertising seamlessly.

The campaign illustrated the effects of human bondage by placing advertisements in iPad magazine apps. When a user is flipping through a digital magazine and comes to the Amnesty International ad, the screen bounces as if it won’t let the user through, but then after a few tries, it pops up with the message “Torture disappears only when one is doing something about it.”

It is important to match the brand’s message through various types of advertising. It is even better when you can convey the message in a way that makes users stop and think about your ad, and have a strong call to action at the end. This ad is a great example that demonstrates an effective way of using interactive media to communicate the brand’s message.

Location Based Ads: The Future of Advertising?

Location-based ad targeting is a growing trend in the advertising industry. These ads are sent to mobile users via text or Tweets as soon as an individual checks into a store or location using Facebook or Foursquare. LocalResponse is a new company that has received $5 million from venture capital investments, according to an article by AdWeek. The article discussed that there are two types of location-based ads, explicit and implicit. Explicit is when someone checks-in via Foursquare or Yelp, and implicit is when people tag photos when they are at different locations.

According to the article, LocalResponse has software that allows them to tweet replies to a user’s check-in with a link to that business’s site or an offer. They say this has received an average of 40 percent clickthrough rate. This trend will most likely increase during the holiday season as advertisers and businesses like Macy’s are using QR codes and location-based targeting to reach customers. If effective, this should increase sales significantly.

Another interesting use of location-based targeting was used by Verizon. When people would check-in at competing cellphone companies or post complaints about a company, Verizon would respond with a tweet offering $100 to switch services to Verizon. According to the article, this campaign generated a 135 percent clickthrough rate. Location-based ad targeting will likely increase in the next few years, but there may be issues of privacy. Not everyone enjoys the idea of people knowing exactly where you are and what you’re doing; however, there are those that have boarded the technology train that will empower this type of advertising.

To read a few articles about this topic visit:
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/location-based-mobile-advertising-real-135758
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/dreaming-mobile-christmas-136213

This article counters mobile advertising and says that social media marketing is the future:
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/facebook-brand-exec-rip-traditional-marketing-136326

Interactive Print Ads

In honor of our print ads this week, here’s a look at what the futurture of print ads will be: interactive. We’ve all seen QR codes on everything from handouts to articles to coupons. Now, print ads are using them to provide a new interactive form of advertising to audiences.

Reporters Without Borders are using full page ads of dictators from Lybia, Iran and Russia with QR codes in the lower portion of the page. The ad does not contain any text or information, but only an outline for an individual to place their iPhone. Once you scan the ad and place it over the outline on the dictator’s mouth, the phone plays a message from Reporters Without Borders that talks about censorship in that country.

Reporters Without Borders has transformed the ad industry by providing inspiration to traditional brands so that they can develop ideas for themselves. Traditional ads will be able to go into more interactive means of advertising. Copy writing may become irrelevant as print ads will be able to talk, kind of like electronic tours replacing tour guides at museums. With talking print ads, copy space will be a thing of the past. As print ads use this newfound way of advertising, writing for the ear will become more important. Now, it's what you see and hear that will make print ads effective.

Visit this link to see the video and print ad: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/10-great-magazine-ads-dont-just-sit-there-looking-pretty-132401

Social Media Advertising: "Content is Advertising is Content"

In class this week we’ve talked about social media and digital advertising trends. So it begs the question: Why do we pay people thousands of dollars to monitor Facebook pages and tweets? It’s simple: they are information gatherers that monitor Facebook pages and Tweets and look for information and trends. Every time you update your Facebook page or tweet something, that information is stored.

This information is useful to companies that use sites like tweeteazy.com and other keyword sites that post the top searches. By seeing who is posting or searching with certain keywords or terms, companies will know how to target people based on their age, sex, location, relationship status, education and interests. With this information, all that you’ve provided for free, companies can target ads specifically to you.

Facebook uses “Sponsored Stories” and “Sponsored” tabs that have ads that are generated based on location, your interests and your friends’ interest. With the prices being so cheap, companies are withdrawing advertising from traditional newspapers and allotting more of their ad budget to these ads. With these ads, anytime you or your friends like a restaurant or brand, you become a sponsored story: “Content is advertising is content.”

Advertisers have to look at new ways to get their message to different and younger target audiences. In order to stay competitive, you have to stay relevant.

Take a look at the links below to get more information about social media advertising.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/trends-social-media-advertising-135802

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/trends-digital-advertising-135805

TV Ad: Aspen Heating & A/C Showroom