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

New ways to reach consumers

Foursquare and IBM are changing the current advertising landscape of contact points and how advertisements and sales promotions reach consumers. As part of its “Smarter Planet” campaign, IBM built a billboard that changes colors based on what those standing in front of it are wearing. The video didn’t address this, but I would imagine that it could eventually track the number of colors people wear and sell that information to retailers who would base inventory and color pallets on the frequency of color choices worn by consumers.

Furthermore, Foursquare, a service that allows users to “check in” to places and update their social media status, is developing software that will alert individuals when they are in proximity to other friends using Foursquare. The software, Radar, will take advertising to the next level by sending users an alert with a coupon when they are in proximity to a participating store. This will be a more targeted approach that will enhance sales and shopping experiences as traditional methods have consisted of randomly sending text messages to consumers. 

However, there is the ever-present argument of invasion of privacy. Some individuals may not be comfortable about a billboard tracking the color of their outfit or when they receive a specific alert when they are at a specific location. Then there are technology fanatics that understand the evolution of technology and are more than willing to participate in new trends.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/ibm-billboard-changes-color-based-your-clothing-135035
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/are-location-based-ads-foursquares-radar-135746

TV Ads: Bridgestone v. BF Goodrich

Bridgestone gets it right in using humor to sell their product. The first ad depicts animals screaming as one is facing impending death, and the other critters are terrified as their friend is about to become road kill. The second ad depicts a situation that many of us have been in, wishing we could do the same as the actor in the commercial. I think the commercials are successful in terms of being memorable and demonstrating the product effectively.

In contrast, the BF Goodrich ad is presenting the brand as rugged and aggressive. If this is what the only goal they were going for, they did well. However, in connecting with the consumer, creating interest and being memorable, I think it fell short as I lost interest in the first 10 seconds. The commercial did use different camera shots to keep the ad moving, but it still showed the same truck for 30 seconds.

The Bridgestone commercials took a boring subject like tires and came up with a creative approach to showcase the product, all while keeping the audience interested.  Although I view the “Reply All” commercial as more of a joke than humorous, the animal one makes me laugh every time. This may be because of my sense of humor, or maybe because I’ve watched too many Disney movies and love talking animals.