Category: Advertising & Marketing

Super Bowl ads 2015: staff opinions

Posted on by Brian Lee

BRIAN:
Instead of picking a favorite, I want to talk about how many sets of commercials used the same elements. For example:

  • Both Toyota and Microsoft followed the life of someone with prosthetic legs.
  • Both Carnival and Toyota used a recording of a famous speech to overlay over b-roll.
  • Both Sprint and Discover featured a screaming goat.

To me, it just goes to show that you have to work really hard to stand out from the crowd. You may think you have a unique idea, or you may think you’re the only one taking advantage of something trendy, but in all likelihood, someone else is doing the same thing.

TAYLOR:
In between being a disgruntled Colts fan (#DeflateGate) and planning a wedding, I managed to watch a bit of the Super Bowl. The ad that stood out to me most was McDonald’s “Pay With Lovin’.” Earlier in the week, the company teased it was going to announce a new form of payment which, we now know, includes hugs, selfies and high-fives. I think McDonald’s did a great job of incorporating its longtime slogan of “I’m Lovin’ It” to something time-related with Valentine’s Day. Also, who doesn’t like free hamburgers!

GABRIELLE:
One of the only Super Bowl ads that really stuck out to me this year was Dove Men’s Care. The majority of Dove advertisements I’ve seen in the past are typically marketed toward women through images of natural beauty and empowerment. This time I thought it was great they focused on men. I really liked how they framed the “Real Strength” of men through the videos of fathers caring for their children. They did a great job of evoking emotions and challenging gender stereotypes.

Plan ample time for marketing and PR

Posted on by Brian Lee

We’ve been hired last-minute to generate publicity for numerous projects and events–for example, we were brought in to do PR only a few days before a restaurant’s grand opening–so we know it is challenging, but not impossible, to work under such a short timeline. However, individuals and businesses should do themselves a favor and plan well ahead to lay the groundwork for marketing and PR.

For earned media relations, especially TV or radio, don’t expect to contact a producer two days before your event and then get scheduled. We typically try to schedule live interviews at least a month out. Meanwhile, daily newspapers are at least one week out, and magazines are at least three months out. Don’t forget the time required for developing a messaging strategy and performing media training.

For marketing, remember that it takes time to build awareness and repetition with your target audience. It also takes time to develop (and place) ads, promotions, newsletters, collateral, etc.

Takeaways From ALS #IceBucketChallenge

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

By now we’ve all had our social media accounts filled with people dumping buckets of ice water on their heads and making a donation to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. Within the month, it’s no surprise the Association has seen an increase in donations from $1.9 billion to $70.2 billion. But what does this Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon do for public relations and campaigns in the future? Here are a few takeaways:

1. Encourage grassroots thoughts.
Many probably don’t know that the Ice Bucket Challenge was not created by the ALS association. According to Facebook research, it was started  by a video in late July from former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease. At the heart of the campaign is the key to any successful grassroots campaign, which is shareability. In today’s world, people want to be at the forefront of social movements, which then help increase their validity.

2. Involve everyone!
Another reason for the success of this campaign was the sheer number of people it involved. The campaign was smart in having everyone nominate a handful of others to complete the challenge, helping it spread like wildfire.

3. Make it fun and easy.
How many people have a bucket, ice, water, video camera and a social media account to post it on? Almost everyone. The challenge took advantage of items around the home that were easily accessible to people of all ages.

4. Timing is everything.
It’s not every day the weather is warm enough for people to dump ice water on themselves, so this campaign had to happen in the summer months. Additionally, July and August are two of the most common summer months for vacations, leaving people with the time to participate. Also, the short 24-hour turnaround time of the challenge helped with its viral spread.