Black Friday Commercials

So I was watching TV on Thanksgiving night, and was bombarded with commercials for "Black Friday" specials. I must have heard the phrase "4AM doorbusters" over a hundred times. It got to be pretty obnoxious, and repetitive and it made me wonder how effective these commercials really are. Yes, they do inform people of the specials, but they all sound the same. There were very few ads that were able, in my opinion, to break through the clutter. Among those were the Target ads. They all featured the same blonde woman who was very excited about "Black Friday." All of Target's commercials informed the viewer of their specials, but they did so without screaming at you. In fact, the commercials featured very little dialogue and relied primarily on visuals and some text at the end of the commercial. In this situation, they broke through the clutter by being quiet, not trying to yell over everyone else like so many other ads do.

TCBY Makeover

30-year old TCBY (The Country's Best Yogurt) recently underwent an extensive makeover. In order to keep up with the newer frozen yogurt stores, TCBY has introduced a new self-serve feature, along with a new image altogether. Before the fro-yo trend took over America, TCBY was the leader in the frozen yogurt category. They are hoping that their rebranding efforts will help them reclaim the title. In addition to the store now offering self-serve yogurt, the logo has been completely changed along with the appearance of their stores. In my opinion, the new store looks inviting and much better than their older ones. I think that TCBY's plan will be successful because although it looks new, they still serve the same yogurt that has kept them in business for three decades.

Tiffany & Co ads

I read a lot of magazines, and I always pay attention to the advertisements in them. This is mostly because they are fashion ads, and aesthetically pleasing, but they also do a good job of communicating the attitude and image of brand in an industry where there are many copy-cats. Recently I have noticed a change in Tiffany & Co's ad campaigns. Their ads have always caught my eye because of the gorgeous jewelry featured in them, but I have started to notice that the ads have become less focused on selling products, and more focused on selling the Tiffany "experience." If you compare the two ads below you can see a distinct difference. The first is clearly showcasing their product offerings, and the second is more about selling a lifestyle associated with Tiffany & Co.





It is very interesting when you compare the two because the message given to the consumer is much different. I think Tiffany is smart to move towards ads that create a sort of fantasy around the brand. It draws people in and communicates to them that if they purchase Tiffany jewelry they can have a piece of that lifestyle. And although this type of advertising is a little misleading, I think it is a smart change.

Twitter

Confession: I tweet, I twitpic, & I retweet. I am a daily twitter user and I love it. Although I don't have that many followers and my tweets are probably not at all interesting to strangers, I love being a part of the twitter community. It really is one of the quickest ways to send and receive information, and often that info. comes direct from the source. For example, last week Kanye West decided to go on a long tweet-rant about his "Today Show" interview with Matt Lauer. I was able to read his thoughts the second he wrote them, as opposed to reading a paraphrased version on a blog the next day, or a watered-down account of the events from his rep. This may be a fairly superficial example, but it still illustrates how twitter makes people feel more involved and connected to social happenings. It is a fascinating media and I can't wait to see how it will be used in the future.

Are Magazines Really Going Extinct?

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this in one of my advertising classes or even in daily conversation, I would be very rich. And although it is something a lot of people are saying, I don't know if I believe it. Yes, I understand that because of the iPad, smart phones, and the Internet the trend is to go paperless; however I don't think this applies to magazines as much as people think it does. Maybe I'm just sentimental and don't want to except change, but ever since I can remember I have been buying magazines partly because I love to tear the pages out and keep them. I also have two full bookcases at home filled with not books, but magazines; and I know plenty of other people who do the same. Reading a magazine that you can hold in your hand is an experience that I do not think technology can accurately duplicate. For example, saving an image to your desktop is not the same as tearing a page out of a magazine. So while I do agree that technology is going to change the media and advertising industry in big ways, I am not willing to let go of my hope that magazines will remain as they are (or at least coexist with their iPad aps).

Product Placement

Product Placement. It is used so much that people have become almost desensitized to it. We forget that the brand names were strategically placed there in return for a payment; and are not just part of the set design. This is one of the reasons why it is so successful: because so many consumers overlook the fact that it is still a form of advertising. When done right, product placement can greatly increase sales simply because of the exposure it brings to the brand, and also because fans of the program want to own a "piece" of their favorite show, or use the same products their favorite characters use. There is a sort of "look I have that too" reward that comes with owning a product placed in a TV show or film. And another great thing about it; people aren't changing channels or fast forwarding during the actual program.

Online Advertisements

I would love to know who thought it would be a good idea to create online video ads that start playing with no warning. These ads seriously give me a heart attack every time I'm on a website and they start automatically. The worst is when I have multiple windows open and I have to search through all of them to find the source of the noise. Honestly, when I encounter the ads I never end up having positive feelings towards the advertiser; I am usually annoyed, frustrated, and angry. I think advertisers need to find a balance between engaging online advertisements, and ones that are just plain intrusive.

Non Traditional Advertising

Static cling stickers are an interesting aspect of non traditional advertising. I recently read up on them for a report I had to present in my media class. They are a pretty cheap method of advertising and are usually used in a guerilla-style campaign and are often placed without permission. And although I know this is not an extremely new way to advertise, I really admire the creativity that goes into them; especially the creativity involved in using the natural environments to shape the ads.