A New Twist On QR Codes

Finally, a creative twist on QR codes. Recently, Guinness introduced the first product-activated QR code with its Guinness QR Cup. It may look like your standard glass, but when full of Guinness, it reveals a QR code.  When the glass is empty, you see nothing but a faint white pattern. The magic happens when you pour Guinness into the glass. The dark coloring of the beer fills in the spaces to complete the code.

As explained in an article from Adweek, http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/guinness-qr-cup-reveals-scannable-code-when-full-140602 , when you scan the code with your smartphone, it “tweets about your pint, updates your Facebook status, checks you in via Foursquare, downloads coupons and promotions, invites your friends to join you, and even launches exclusive Guinness content.”

This genius idea puts a new spin on QR codes and really exemplifies the potential that marketers have with these codes—which leads us to the question of whether your brand should be using QR codes and how.

An article posted by iMedia Connection http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/31810.asp gives a few simple, yet necessary tips for brands choosing to create their own code.

- Don’t leave it solely up to the QR code to gain the trust and engagement of the user. According to the article, “QR codes don’t create the engagement any more than the ‘like’ button creates the like.”  Communication is a key factor in informing and engaging the audience and enticing them to actually scan the code.

- Let your audience know where the code will take them and what it is all about. By doing so, he or she will be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate.

- QR codes are essentially only as good as where they take you. Make sure your code takes the audience to some place where they want to be. Taking them to more marketing material isn’t going to excite the audience. Encourage them to interact with the brand. Depending on your brand, take them to a place that may lead them to more information or even a point of purchase.

Guinness proves that there are hundreds of ways to bring life to QR codes. With the increase in the number of people using tablets and smart phones, QR codes have immense potential to bring success to a brand if it is done right. 

What are you experiences with QR codes, and do you feel Guinness may be on to something useful?

You Think Social Media Is The Best Way To Advertise?

In this age of social media, especially since Facebook went public, mixing advertising, marketing, and public relations seems to be the new trend. Companies are flocking to social media sites to try to find ways to communicate their messages to mass numbers of people.

An article published on eMarketer.com http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009065 actually proves that Facebook is not a great use of the advertising budget. Statistics show that 83% of people “hardly ever/ never” click on the Facebook ads. That leaves a very dismal 17% of people who click on the ads “often/sometimes.”

Social Fresh, a social media education company, states that according to a March 2012 poll ”61% of US Facebook advertisers used ads for awareness purposes. Yet a hefty 44% expected them to generate conversions.”

Generating awareness may be possible without clicking on the ads depending on what type of awareness the advertiser wants. If they advertiser wants to generate awareness for a brand name and logo, the ad may not necessarily have to be clicked on to do so. Getting the audience to engage themselves enough to generate conversation may be extremely difficult without clicking on the ad, if the ad’s purpose is to drive home a key message for products, services, events, etc.

People enter the social media realm for a number of reasons, but not to be bombarded with advertisements. The study also mentions company profile pages, but that too is not guaranteed to be effective. People click through pages to fast to be influenced by one company’s pages.

As a young advertising professional, you would think that I’d want to spend a large portion of our client’s budget on social media such as Facebook. I’m not completely sold due to the fact that the cost per click and impressions (on social media sites) are not providing a good enough ROI. Advertising is constantly evolving, and maybe I will think differently about social media advertising in the future, but right now I’ll stick to the more traditional methods of advertising that have proven ROI track records.

2012 London Summer Olympics: The Presence of Commercial Partners

BP is the Official Oil and Gas Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. BP will provide advanced fuels and engine oils for over 5,000 vehicle and fuel contest generators.

The corporation is working with LOCOG, who is responsible for preparing and staging the London 2012 Games, to create a program that inspires young people by fueling success across the United Kingdom.

BP and the Royal Opera House are teaming up with The Olympic Museum to create a free and unique exhibition. The exhibit will tell the Olympic story through the endeavors of ancient and modern Olympians. It will include artifacts, graphics, film and audio. The exhibition promises to be a highlight of the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad.

While visiting the exhibit, you can view Olympic Medals and Torches dating back to 1896.  The Hall of Champions, featuring the stories and inspirational achievements of great Olympians from the modern Games, will also be on display.

You can tour Greece through the vision of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the man behind the revival of the Olympic Games many centuries later. The experience will continue with the stories of some of the iconic Olympic athletes and moments of the last hundred years of Olympic history.

BP is devoted to fueling the future through its partnership with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Low-carbon BP fuel for vehicles in operation will transport athletes and officials as well as food and supplies to and from the Olympic Village, the Olympic Park and other venues across London.

Check out the video here: http://www.bplondon2012.com/london_2012_fuelling_the_future/

Going Digital: How Newspapers are Being Affected

Ever get annoyed while reading newspapers due to ink smudges left on your fingers, the noise when trying to fold the pages just right or the difficult task of putting the newspaper back the same way you received it?

You’re in luck!  Now a days, more and more people are not spending their quarters buying daily newspapers outside grocery stores or at news stands.  Instead, they are purchasing a subscription to the various types of newspapers directly from their laptops, iPads, smartphones or Tablets.

With the growing technology, it pushes brands, companies and agencies to use another medium to reach its targeted audiences.  What challenges that can arise for those advertisers are the tiny print of ads when viewed on screens, the easiness to click and skip right through pages filled with advertisements and the possibility that those digital consumers are most likely on the go and skimming through each page while paying no attention to ads or stories they have no interest reading.

However, in the article, Readers Respond To Newspapers’ Digital Ads, Erik Sass discussed the possible positive effects of digital newspaper advertisements.

When describing the results of a survey conducted among 2,518 online viewers, Erik stated, “Newspapers have a wide digital reach, with 60% of respondents saying they looked at an online version from a laptop or desktop in the last week, while 26% said they looked an online version using a smartphone, and 12% looked at online version using a tablet.”

“73% of respondents said they have used printed circulars included in newspapers in the past 30 days, and 74% said they make a point of looking at printed Sunday circulars,” he added.

Going along with the information provided in Erik Sass’ article, a recent News Release provided by The Media Audit  earlier last week touched on the same subject displaying the headline, Newspaper Websites Continue to Dominate Local Web.

“Newspapers continue to be the dominant player in local market media websites as they take 16 of the top 25 spots,” explained Robert Jordan.

After going through the list created by The Media Audit (“a syndicated multi-media and retail study conducted in 100+ US markets”) it was prevalent how individual newspapers gained a top spot on their list.

From the their research, Bob Jordan, the president of The Media Audit concluded that, “When you look at the newspapers with the strongest websites, you’ll notice these newspapers also have strong print penetration (60 to 70%) in their markets.  This indicates strong relevance of the newspaer and its website in the community.”

“Newspapers are still the largest news gathering organization in any community and this positions the newspapers and their websites for what the community wants,” he added.

After reading Erik’s article and the news release, it is noticeable that with the growing advancements in technology, newspaper advertisers are still able to properly target their audiences both in print and online versions.

Do you think that print newspapers will eventually disappear and could this trend be the outcome for magazines, trade publications and newsletters?

Hope You Never Receive One of These!

In his article, BreakUpWithYourAdAgency.com: Funny stunt or distressing gag?, Rupal Parekh explained his confusion of Rockit Science Agency’s new site’s purpose and the reasoning behind its creation.

Parekh’s main question was, “Why would an agency, knowing the challenges that shops today face in maintaining a lasting relationship — everything from shortened CMO tenure to cutbacks in marketing budgets — make light of the issues?”

With Rockit Science being an agency who represents over a dozen different companies and organization including Pepsi, Cotton and BlueCross BlueShield, in our opinion, it wasn’t going to do anything to tarnish its name and was definitely not making a suggestion for any of its clients.

Rockit Science’s VP, Bret Sims explained the website launch as, “It’s meant to be for fun and show our agency’s creativity.”

He admitted to hearing clients’ problems and described the most common as, ” [agencies] are not adopting the principles behind social media.”

After looking at the website (BreakUpWithYourAdAgeny.com) it looked harmless and as a funny and creative way to target ones frustration with their partners.  One feature was being able to choose a mood which when generated, will correlate with the background of the letter-bunnies and butterflies or tombstones and skulls.

The site may be funny and meant as joke, but it’s prevalent that Rockit Science would agree with many other agencies that if a client is having a difficult time with its agency or the agency is not meeting their criteria, the best option is to talk with one another.

What do you think of the website-gutsy on the part of the agency or seen as being creative?

Surviving Social Media

Charles Darwin’s famous theory summarized as the “survival of the fittest” holds true both in natural selection and in  constantly changing business practices.

In Eric Savitz’s article, 10 Ways Your Business Can Combat Digital Darwinism, he explains how it is more than just knowing who your customers are, but also having an understanding of their behaviors.  Due to the always changing technology and social media habits, no matter if it’s a big or small company if they understand and adapt to the changing behaviors of consumers, technology’s influence, they will be able to deliver value and build a  strong relationship.

Brands need to realize the overall impact of social media both on their end and with the consumers.  When new technology and different interactive mediums become available, consumers’ mind sets evolve with new expectations.

“…digital Darwinism-the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than the ability to adapt,” stated Eric Savitz.

“But if you are to change, you need to better understand exactly how technology is influencing the behavior of your customers and why,” he added.

Everyone can be adaptable to change, however it is the way one goes about doing so that affects the end result.  Even though social media is thought of as the force that is pushing consumers to interact with sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest through smartphones and iPads, the ultimate forces are the evolving habits of consumers.

Eric describes why changes are occurring in business environments when he states, “What the social media gurus aren’t telling you is that the landscape for business isn’t changing because of social media-it’s changing because consumer expectations are evolving.”

“The truth is that you can create brand pages on every social network you can imagine and you won’t succeed unless you know whom you’re trying to reach and where, what it is consumers expect and value, and how these channels represent a meaningful opportunity for you and your customers to connect,” he added.

Wanting to succeed and being able to succeed are too different thoughts.  In order to succeed, a brand should know its customers and how to reach them-through various mediums, offering different opportunities, delivering the value expected, and by always having a open-line of communication.

In order to successfully reach target audiences on social media sites, brands should understand 10 trends and resources that consumers interact with:

1. Social networks
2. Geolocation check-in services
3. Crowdsourced discounts
4. Social commerce services
5. Referral based solutions
6. Gamification platforms
7. Mobile device usage
8. Online presence
9. Consumer click path
10. Expectations of connected consumers

Besides keeping up to date with these 10 top trends of evolving consumer habits, Eric summarized his findings as, “To succeed, it takes a culture of customer centricity and the ability to recognize new opportunities and adapt based on what the present.”

Do you believe that the developments occurring in social media sites influence you to purchase differently? Possibly due to the mass amounts of brand status updates or constant tweets advertising why its brand is the best?

Strategy Before Creativity

In a recent article, Six Reasons Media Strategy Should Come Before Creative,  Antony Young described various reasons why the delivery of a brand is becoming more important than what is being said in that same delivery. We were always taught to think before you speak– now a day companies are beginning to strategize (think) before they have the correct ad text and images (speak).

Young explains in prior years, marketing campaigns were concerned more about the television spots and appearance rather than the approach and actual planning.  However, this marketing process is changing and he [Young] believes it has to do with the following six reasons:

1. We’ve Moved From a World of Mad Men to Math Men (and Women)
2. The Big TV Idea Has Lost Ground to Small, Smartly Placed, Relevant Ideas
3. Right Media, Right Message
4. Content is Still Very Much King, But Which Kind of Content?
5. Adaptive Marketing
6. Media is More than a Venue for Your Ads

We agree with all of Young’s reasons and see numbers 2, 3 and 4 as significant reasons why the marketing process and meeting agendas are changing.

The Big TV Idea Has Lost Ground to Small, Smartly Placed, Relevant Ideas

“The Big Idea just isn’t a scalable proposition in advertising”, said Antony Young.

“Smart, tactical use of custom messages in different media at relevant times, locations and environments is what creates engagement”, he added.

With many brands eager to have that “one” big or great idea, they are forgetting that the combination of smaller good ideas can have a similar affect among viewers and establish the necessary long-term relationship.

Right Media, Right Message

“He said the relative importance of different media would help him judge the potential campaign concepts better,” explained Young while sharing a story about a past job experience.

No matter what creative team or ideas a brand may have, if they are not executed in the correct manner or medium then they will lose their effect.

A proper advertisement for either a magazine, billboard, 30-second commercial or online banner has to not only reach the correct target audience, but also make sense when viewed in those mediums.

Content is Still Very Much King, Bu Which Kind of Content?

Antony Young’s advice was to create a media plan prior to determining what various forms of creative assets are needed.

We consider strategy the road map for any communication.  By developing a plan first, it allows the marketing/advertising team to think of new ideas, edit old ones to fit within the plan and make sure the text of the ad and visuals make the ideas come to life!

Do you think that having a strategy prior to finishing the creative aspect will produce a better outcome among the targeted audiences? Or do you think creativity is what sparks the ideas within a successful strategy?

Quaker Oats Gives Iconic Figure a Makeover!

Can you see the differences between the two pictures?

Yes, there are notable differences between the backdrop ‘Larry’ (and yes, the Quaker man has a name in case you didn’t know) is positioned in front of, but can you recognize some of Larry’s fine details that have been altered?

In her article, ‘Larry,’ Quaker of Oatmeal Fame, Gets a Makeover, Sarah Nassauer explains how the revamped logo wasn’t done to necessarily catch the consumers’ eyes.

Subtlety was a primary aim.  The “goal is not to have anyone notice that he is different,” explains Michael Connors, Hornall Anderson’s vice president of design.

When introduced in 1877, Quaker Oatmeal represented a brand that symbolized a quality meal  and a trustworthy one too.  Nowadays, consumers are trying alternative ways to become healthier and keep up energy throughout those long work days.  Due to the overwhelming statistic of the green initiative and healthy choices, Justin Lambeth, Quaker’s chief marketing officer, knew they had a successful 134-year-old brand that needed no change in its quality, but instead in its image.  He chose to adjust the logo to realign the brand with consumers’ new healthier decisions and lifestyles without losing any of the brand’s equity.

Besides Larry’s broad shoulders being revealed, a trimming of his hair, a removed double chin, and smoothed out face and neck, Mr. Connors summarized these tweaks by saying “We took about five pounds off of him.”

In thinking about this subtle branding revamp, we remembered other brands that did similar edits to their logo including StarKist editing its iconic figure, Charlie the Tuna.  Decades ago StarKist commercials would show Charlie and his friends smoking cigars and playing poker under the sea.  However, if those commercials would be broadcast in the present day, we would expect the brand image of StarKist to decrease.  Since there is a vast amount of negativity towards smoking, those types of commercials would now lead to a negative brand image.

Another iconic logo who has undergone over 5 adjustments to keep up with the changing image of women is Betty Crocker.  When the economy was low, she taught consumers how to cook on a budget and along with her cooking habits changing so did her gray colored hair and complexion.

Quaker’s adjustments made to its brand image is a good example of how a company should constantly recognize the changing lifestyles, habits, and opinions of its consumers and consider ways to keep their brand relevant.

Companies should be aware of the likes and dislikes of its consumers along with the processes those consumers take to buy their brands.  Knowing these details will aid in forming a positive relationship with consumers and enhance brand equity.

Do you think there are any other brands out of date with today’s society values?

Brands’ Advertisements on Television & Online

Nielsen is known as a “global leader in measurement and information” and provides its clients with the understanding of their consumer which is the tool needed to make right decisions and will help with profitability.

In the article, New Nielsen Ratings to Measure TV and Online Ads Together, Brian Steltes discusses how Nielsen is taking its efforts a step further and beginning to use a new system to fulfill all of its clients’ needs.

“The new system, given the name “cross-platform campaign ratings,” will combine Nielsen’s existing television ratings, which measure the reach and frequency of ads on TV, with Nielsen’s new online campaign ratings, which apply the same measurements to the Web.”

“This is a major breakthrough.  This measure will show you the reach of your campaign on TV, the reach of your campaign online, and will show you the overlap between the two,” said an enthusiastic Steve Hasker, president of media products and advertiser solutions at Nielsen.

Frustrated companies and angencies have been wanting and needing a way to analyze if the combination of their advertisements on two different mediums have a positive or negative effect on the brand.

• Do both forms of advertising portray the brand in a similar and correct way?
• Do each reach the intended target market?

Nielsen’s new system foreshadows many benefits for clients and buyers.  With this system, clients will be able to optimize the television-online campaigns.  For buyers, it will reduce problems when media buying.

For example, a car company is advertising a new type of car in a television commercial and at the end summarizes a way a consumer could win one of the first 100 made.  This campaign includes both mediums and in the client’s mind the efforts should work together…but does it?

This car company could then use Nielsen’s “cross-platform campaign ratings” to see if their vision was correct.  With the use of this system, the client could see how many people are viewing its commercial and if a similar percentage of online users are entering the contest after viewing the commercial.  This information will aid the car company in determining if their ads on both mediums are receiving the anticipated views and interaction.

Next time while watching television, try to identify those commercials that direct you to a company’s website or social media sites.  Also, notice how many companies  actually replay their current commercials on the main page of their website.

With the ever-changing technology, Nielsen also foresees an extended cross-platform system that will eventually deal with smartphones.  This system may involve analyzing the use of apps or the amount of QR codes scanned by consumers compared to the company’s other forms of advertising.

Ready or Not the New Facebook is Here!

Nowadays Facebook is becoming a useful tool not only for individuals, but also those brands that are reaching out to their audiences on a personal level.  When buying a specific brand at a local grocery store, the only possible bond formed is with the cashier, who doesn’t have any connection to that brand.  However, Facebook is opening up a new communication tunnel that will allow a consumer to have a connection with the brand through its Facebook page.

This tactic of brands forming relationships with consumers through Facebook will improve with the introduction of timelines on brands’ Facebook pages.  Timelines, seen in the top middle of a page, will represent a “first impression” of the brand because it will be the first amount of information a consumer will see when clicking on a page.

In the article, Thriving on the New Facebook: Four Steps for Your Brand, Sean Corcoran explains the four steps in connecting with consumers and getting them to go beyond the timeline and to start interacting with the brand.  These four steps included:

1) Learn how to earn your way into the news feed.

• 1/3 of women 18–34 check their Facebook status before going to the bathroom when they wake up in the morning
• Most people don’t visit brand pages, so newsfeeds are where the real action is
• Learn how to regularly create content that people will want to interact with and share with their personal, professional and public social networks

2) Orchestrate both the drumbeat and the pulses.

• “Pulses” help increase engagement on an infrequent basis
• “Drumbeat” of conversations keep the community active

3) Manage, analyze and act on real-time data.

• “Smart” content calendar – one that is proactive in its planning around seasons and promotional periods, but also reactive in that it is optimized based on the data available in near real-time
• Success will require both the analytics tools and the people in place to use those tools to collect, manage and analyze it

4) Seamlessly integrate all the necessary skill sets.

• Requires skill sets that include PR, CRM, customer service, analytics, advertising, editorial and creative development
• Challenge-getting those skills to work together in real-time

Some brands’ timelines that are worth checking out are Subway, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, and Advertising Age.  Many of these brands displayed its company’s history or its “first”.  For example, the first Subway sandwich, the first store opening, and the first issue.