Friday, March 30, 2007

R2D2 Teams Up With the Postal Service

2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the original release of Star Wars in 1977. To celebrate this milestone, Lucasfilm Ltd. (in charge of Star Wars) is teaming up with the US Postal Service. They are promoting 15 new stamps released on March 28th that feature numerous characters from all the Star Wars movies including Han Solo, Chewbacca, Yoda, Darth Maul, Stormtroopers, and R2D2 to name a few.

To promote the stamps the US Postal Service is setting up about 400 mailboxes nationwide that will resemble a beloved character from the series, R2D2. This character's shape is somewhat similar to the shape of mailboxes so it was the perfect idea to connect Star Wars with the mail system. This alternative marketing strategy is a great way to create buzz because the look of the mailbox is sure to grab your attention. Also, the R2D2 is such a famous character from the series that people who are not complete fanatics about Star Wars would be curious about new Star Wars event is in the making. This character allows the promotion to reach a large audience.

I read an article that explains many parts of the promotion. The mailbox makes this promotion interactive as the mailbox displays a website called http://www.uspsjedimaster.com/ where people can vote for their favorite stamps in the collection. Voting takes place from March 28th through May 23rd. The winning stamp will be revealed on the first day of issue on May 25th. People who vote for their favorite stamp have a feeling of being involved with the promotion. In addition, the website has something called The Jedi Shipping and Mailing Master Challenge. This is a Star Wars themed challenge that uses USPS products and services. The contest is explained in detail on the site. The winner gets an all expenses paid trip for 4 to the 30th anniversary Star Wars party in Los Angeles.

So first the mailbox catches your attention. Next, it is a call to action for the website. This shows you that there are new stamps available you can vote on and there is a contest with a great prize. It is a great marketing strategy because it is effective at grabbing attention and calling for action. Chris Scalf is the artist that was hired to make the mailboxes look like R2D2. He is an avid Star Wars fan himself so it was a job he was passionate about. His website explains his design and some of the restrictions put on him by the USPS in his design. There are certain areas of the mailbox that could not be covered that were some essential R2D2 parts. He worked around his restrictions and made a great design that have already caught the eyes of many.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Promoting

One reason for writing this blog is for people to actually read it. If people read my blog and make posts I can get feedback on my information and share knowledge with other people. One way to promote a blog is to throw the URL for the blog around. One thing I've done to promote this blog is entering my URL on my facebook profile under my websites. Anyone who is browsing through my blog can click on a link directing them straight to my blog. This is a good spot to place a URL because most people browsing facebook are bored and are looking for something interesting to click on. I know that personally I go on facebook in between classes when I am bored and have nothing to do but kill time. Also, facebook is so popular now people are bound to at least see that I have a website. I cannot make them click my link, but placing it on facebook makes it easy. Another great place to place a link to my site is as an away message for AOL instant messenger. As with facebook, people on their computers who are bored check their buddies' away messages to see what they have to say. Some people place links to youtube videos they want to share with friends. Placing my URL in my away message is another way for people to easily access my blog when they have nothing better to do than to check away messages. A blog is made to share with people and promoting it is an essential part of running a blog.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Risky Business

Phillips has introduced an electric shaver called the Bodygroom, which is designed to remove hair from men’s delicate and hard to reach places. Their marketing strategy was risky, but it was an online hit. The interactive website is hysterically bold. Shaveeverywhere.com pushed far beyond the limit with regards to male grooming.

The website has an introduction with an odd and creepy guy in a bath robe. He explains the uses and benefits of the Bodygroom. However, he does this in an awkwardly frank manner. The Bodygroom is a modified shaver made exclusively for men and their fury underarms, backs, and undercarriage. He speaks obscenely about removing hair from a man’s genitalia using ridiculous sexual innuendoes. The sound bite censors many of his words and inserts pictures of objects such as a carrot and nuts to get his point across. In my opinion, the most foreword of his phrases must be his speech about the “optical inch.” He explains that by using the Bodygroom on his man-bits has given him an optical inch, making his man parts appear larger.

Aside from being outrageously frank about his genitalia, he does get into the health and rational uses of the Bodygroom. He explains that removing hair from these places reduces odor and the potential for certain bacteria. The site is effective in the way that it explains all the uses of its product and places where it is sold. This allows visitors of the site to make immediate purchasing action.

This website is so ridiculous that it is worth checking out for a laugh. Its ridiculousness makes the site memorable and ties into the product. The creepy guy and the sexual innuendoes do not negatively affect the brand because viewers of the site understand the message and the purpose of the site. The site is an extremely risky strategy because of its potential for negative criticism. However, it came off perfectly and Phillips did a great job with this marketing plan.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Second Life Advertising

Second Life is growing at an incredible speed. People are intrigued by this virtual world where they can interact with people from all over the world. Companies around the world have caught on the the phenomenon and have entered the virtual world themselves. Second Life has become a great way for companies to reach consumers. With traditional marketing becoming less effective, Second Life is a great place for some companies to reach people. Also, many people who are in Second Life are more technologically savvy and the type of people more resistant to traditional marketing.

One island I visited while touring Second Life was LeoBurnett. This was a funky island with huge trees and some sort of bridges connecting the trees. Avatars (characters in Second Life) could walk into the trees, climb up them, and explore. One interactive component on this island was the ability to pick up a giant pencil. This pencil was larger than the character. There was also a giant apple that avatars could pick up and hop on as a means of travel. If this was some sort of marketing it was not successful because I don't know what it was for other than being fun.

One marketing trend that seems to be huge in Second Life is billboards. They have billboards posted everywhere including one that I saw for a recent movie called 300. They are using Second Life as a tool to promote their movie and stir up interest. One area in Second Life that I visited was called the Freebie Warehouse. This area had a lot of billboards that it used, but many of them were not for companies. One was for a casino that was located elsewhere in Second Life. Another that comes to mind is one that was offering money for avatars to dance. Avatars have the ability to dance in Second Life and this particular billboard gave away Second Life currency for signing up to dance somewhere in Second Life. I stumbled across, and remembered, these two billboards that I had no interest in. This should show companies that if they find the right islands to market on they could get massive amounts of exposure. If they find islands that their target audience visits they could be very successful.

I think interaction is key in Second Life. I visited a Nissan dealership where they allowed avatars to test drive their vehicles. I hopped in a car and started to drive all around the island. This was fun and I remembered it. This is the goal of marketing in Second Life.

If my company, New Tree chocolate, were to advertise in Second Life they would be wise to use interaction as much as possible. Set up a huge billboard with a New Tree representative avatar sitting under the billboard so people could ask him or her questions. I would pitch the"giant pencil" idea. However, New Tree should give out giant New Tree chocolate bars for people to surf through the sky with. When the avatars fly they could be floating on a New Tree bar. This would be fun and remembered by people who try it. This would get their name out there and get people interested in the new company.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Marlins Take A Chance


The Florida Marlins are having a lot of trouble bringing people into the ballpark these days. Last year the team was ranked dead last in Major League Baseball with an average of less than 15,000 seats filled. To give you an idea, this is less than 40% of the available seating in the stadium.


In 2003, the team was selling out tickets as the team eventually made it to the World Series. They had an exciting team that Marlins fans were willing to pay big bucks to see. Now that the team is struggling to win games, fans are losing interest. The Marlins also have the disadvantage of being a relatively new team. They joined the MLB less than 15 years ago so they do not have fans who have been by their side their whole lives. Other struggling teams at least have fans who have been there for the good and bad times. These fans went to ball games with their grandfathers when they were younger. These established teams have a tradtion that they share with their fans, so they are more loyal. There are less loyal Marlins fans for the simple fact that they are new. To build up their loyalty they need another way to fill the seats in their stadium.


For the 2007 season, the Marlins are taking a chance on 3 TV commerials that break the traditional mold. They are using actual players from the team as actors in their commercials. The idea for the ads is for the players to be in full uniform and approach people doing things in their everyday lives such as shopping in a supermarket or watching TV in their living room. The players stop these people and ask them something to the effect of, "Where were you last night?" The ads playfully, but agressively ask the fans what they were doing last night that was better than going to a ball game. The team wants to see if this up-close and personal approach works with the Florida fans. The ads are somewhat humerous in their tone and the way players, fully suited-up, are coming up to people in unusual places to find out why they are not coming to the game.


The Marlins had to cut their payroll due to the lack of fan interst in the team. This year they plan on special promotions such as fireworks and live concerts during some games to motivate fans even more. This TV campaign is something new and the Marlins are in desperate need of success in their upcoming season.

Monday, March 5, 2007

So Easy A Caveman Could Do It...

Joe Dyton, better known as the Geico caveman, is a fictional character that has become a marketing success beyond Geico's wildest dreams. This fictional character has become a fan favorite from television commercials to the Internet. Joe and his cast of cavemen have been frustrated with Geico's tagline, " so easy a caveman could do it," for some time now. In the commercials, the cavemen have been on a fictional TV show where they are interviewed about the slogan. They have also been seen talking to their psychiatrists to deal with the humiliation the slogan has brought them.

These humerus ads have caught on and they have great retention. Whenever someone sees the caveman on TV they know it is an ad for Geico. This is half the battle with television ads. There are so many funny ads, but many times no one remembers what brand is advertising. Geico has some marketing geniuses. They have made their message clear: Geico is easy. They have expressed this message through many successful humour campaigns, but none as successful as the caveman.
The caveman phenomenon has become so popular that there is an interactive website called CavemansCrib.com where visitors can tour the caveman's apartment. Some of the things visitors can do is dress Joe, play with his iPod, listen to his phone messages, read his journal, etc. The site has so much you can do to get to know the caveman. The features that the site has to offer reinforces everything in the commercials. For example, the iPod plays songs from the commercials and visitors remember the commercials. His popularity has Geico's name everywhere.


The latest development with the caveman is, believe it or not, his own television sitcom. There is a deal that is still in progress that would feature three of the stars of Geico's caveman commercials for an ABC sitcom. The idea came about when a fake trailer for a Caveman movie appeared on youtube.com. This gave the marketing the idea that the sitcom was possible. In an article i read on AdAge.com today, Geico's VP Creative Director was quoted as saying, "The story arc of the caveman was already in episodic in nature. There is character development and storyline."


People enjoy the cavemen because they are so angry. Their frustration is so entertaining to all who watch the commercials because the premise of the ads is so outrageous. The character is already known by the public and he peaks a lot of interest. I look forward to see where this sitcom idea is headed.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Facebook Marketing

Facebook is a great tool that companies are finally taking advantage of. One of the major goals in marketing is discovering where to find the target audience. Facebook members can be narrowed down to an almost exact target market. Facebook members used to have to have an official college email address to be eligible for a membership. However, Facebook was recently opened to a select number of high schools. This expanded the audience that Facebook currently reaches. However, the majority of Facebook's use is still held by college students. This means that the primary target audience is college students and recent graduates with high school studnets as a secondary target audience. The college users make up the majority of the social network. This primary target is a fairly well educated group of individuals with a lot of purchasing power. What better place to advertise than a website many students visit at least once a day?

Now that March is here, March Madness will soon begin. March Madness refers to the NCAA men's basketball tournament that attracts a huge audience. It is an exciting tournament that starts with 64 teams with one team crowned nation champion. Each year around this time sports fans create brackets and predict what teams will beat who and which team will finally win the tournament. Last year facebook set up an online bracket, which made it easy for students to make their picks. They allowed groups of people to compete against each other to see who made the best picks. They also had a Facebook-wide competition for the best picks. This year they brought back the brackets, which were reintroduced to Facebook today.


This year facebook has four tournament sponsors that include Geico car insurance, Champion sports apparel, Borat the DVD, and a movie called Disturbia, which is coming to theaters April 13th. These sponsors have taken advantage of a known target audience in a medium with vast exposure. This year they are giving away large cash prizes for the contestants with the most accurate brackets. This gives students more of an incentive to enter the Madness if they were not previously inclined to do so. This gives the sponsors an even greater reach with their advertising. Some of the advertising costs put in my the sponsors goes to the $25,000 grand prize.


Geico is a company that young people can relate to. They have funny commercials and high recall. Champion is a less popular sports brand. However, they are trying to integrate their sports apparel with a sporting event, which should work well for them. Borat was a hit movie in 2006 and it is advertising its highly anticipated DVD release. This is also a good opportunity for Disturbia to advertise because the the movie comes out soon after the conclusion of March Madness. Facebook makes up the target market that all of these sponsors are seeking. All four sponsors work well in this medium.

Here is a link to Facebook's March Madness page with the sponsors displayed down the right hand side. Unfortunately, people who are not members of Facebook will be unable to see the link.