Newspaper Plans to Revamp Mindset

In this technology driven world featuring tablets, computers, and smartphones, print appears to be heading for the wayside media experts predict. Mediums for information have drastically increased and more so digitally.  Majority of users can log on and find out world news in the matter of seconds with the touch of a button.

The Internet is in discussion as the new axiom for searching information, but the Newspaper Association plans to rebuttal this stance with a new ad campaign entitled, “Smart is the new sexy.” The plan is to advertise the newspaper as the place for people to become more informed, aware, and savvy.

One of the taglines will read, “Be able to find Iran on a map” with a woman reading a print newspaper at a table. It continues on with another messages, “know what the city council is up to behind closed doors.”

In the eve of newspapers undergoing a severe transformation, the Newspaper Association intends to revamp the usual association with newspapers to a more appealing image.  The Martin agency heads the new ad campaign.

“We all grew up assuming that the world would have the kind of journalism that newspapers provide,” said Mike Hughes, the president of the Martin Agency. “The fact is the financing model for newspapers has radically changed over the years. We have to be thought of in new ways.”

The fresh ad campaign could not come at a better time. With print newspaper revenues declining and the growth of online newspapers vastly growing, print needs a new mindset.

“It’s a campaign for what newspapers represent, whether they are in print, online, or mobile. What they represent are the ideals of an informed citizenry and democracy.”

With the upcoming presidential election, protestors occupying Wall Street, political upheaval in the Middle East, and many other pertinent world events, people need to be informed.

As the old saying “Sex Sells” lets cross our fingers it appeals for a literary vehicle.

Ad Campaigns Begin to Shift From Passive to Interactive

In the age of steadfast technology and fast pace communication, the traditional model of engagement with the consumer has undergone reconstruction. Nowadays, a consumer can type in a product in a search engine, “like” a Facebook page, and SMS their entire contacts in the matter of minutes.

Companies can now interact with their consumer on a higher degree than ever before. The emergence of these communication innovations has changed how advertisers market their product to their target audience. An agency must utilize these new platforms, in order to benefit the company optimally. These technological breakthroughs have led advertisers to develop a different way to motivate their consumer.

                  Behavioral scientists begin to unravel new findings in consumer engagement. That’s right; the days of the old traditional model of Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA) are vastly numbered. Consumer’s mindsets react more with interaction, actively participating with their product or service on their own time schedule. Due to this visual, hands-on approach marketers should be aware of some psychological factors that could intrinsically motivate the consumer.

Portraying a consumer in an advertisement is highly effective in certain cases. The key is autonomy. They propose if the marketers advertise the product in an enjoyable, realistic light it would enhance motivation. Secondly, if the consumer can participate in an activity, they are more apt to be inspired.

Discovery is a powerful tool to develop a relationship with a customer; it engages them to desire to learn more. For example, a company challenges its consumers to a digital scavenger hunt. Consumers participate, some win prizes, and it’s communicated through different platforms on the Internet, and from their the possibilities are endless.

Another way of engaging with your customer is through personal relevance. If the customer believes they are empowered, it creates interest. They believe they have a say in their message, and that creates importance.

Finally, everyone reaches to have their thoughts, feelings, and actions remain constant. It is common for their thoughts and feelings to change because of the initial action. If a consumer has taken this step, they are more willing trust the company, and develop a relationship.

Times are changing. Marketers must reform passive, traditional styles of ads and transition their mindset to the current consumer. A new generation enters the market, as another one exit. Companies will succeed, if they are willing to adapt…will yours?

Postal Service Announces New Ad Campaign

On the eve of reporting historic revenue losses, the Postal Service has decided to keep striving forward. The logistics provider will launch a couple of new ads revolving around their “If it fits, it ships” campaign this weekend. This weekend the two ads will be televised. If you are watching college football or news broadcasting, you will probably notice the new spots. These advertising broadcasts hope to remind of the consumer that print mail is not hacked like e-mail, and still providing safe, reliable deliveries.

Although reporting monumental losses, there is a ray of hope. “We’re not trying to say technology is bad. But the predictions of how fast customers would leave us were overstated,” said the manager of advertising and media planning for Postal Service Joyce Carrier. “The switch has been much slower than originally anticipated.”

Still, without a shadow of a doubt the Postal Service must continually compete to be in business.  Representatives announced last Friday a loss of $10 billion dollars, resulting from a decline in mail volume and increase in labor costs. Along with a massive dip in revenue, there is a movement to begin closing post offices, processing facilities and offering worker buyouts. Not only increasing closures and layoffs, they continue to raise the bar of advertising.

In 2010, the Postal Service spent $145 million in print, television, and online advertising, a mere $40 million increase from previous years.  Now, although a huge spike in marketing expenditures recently, it’s still a small amount spent compared to UPS, FedEx, and other brands. With more anticipation of reporting losses, “we just want to slow it down” Carrier said

It still remains to be seen when the digital age will top print materials, but the Postal Service will continue to support the security of using and receiving paper mail.

Update from AdWeek in New York

Advertising Week NYC 2011

With a copious amount of conferences and announcements, the 8^th annual Advertising Week kicked off this past Monday and has hit the ground running. The first day premiered over 30 expert panels, with plenty of more to come. High- ranking executives and media traveled to convene pitch and discuss pertinent topics involving advertising and marketing, such as Bill Koenigsburg CEO of Horizon Media, Tim Vanderhook CEO of Specific Media, Catherine McLean global head of public affairs and managing director for Porter Novelli Public Services, to name a few.

There were several interesting discussions and announcements…

The first of which derived from Scott Galloway, a NYU professor and head of think tank L2 at the American Magazine Conference. He predicts the magazine industry will be “double dipping” soon, due to the emergence off social media giant Facebook. The scale of Facebook’s reach appears to be unprecedented, which should not be overlooked by publishers. He went on record and said, “Your livelihood is being threatened.”

Another intriguing story came from a pioneer in social media, MySpace.  SpecificMedia, owner of MySpace, sent out CEO Tim Vanderhook and pitch man Justin Timberlake to the floor. Although a slim turnout, MySpace unveiled to a small group of marketers their position to be an outlet for “voices of the unknown” to become stars.  This unique feature targets a younger community of demographics, perhaps a reason why MySpace can be valuable.  A very possible opportunity, but users are concerned about the outlook of the design. The VIP event quieted the storm though, with many onlookers agreeing it looked notably nice.

ABC and Yahoo have collaborated to form a new digital news alliance. With ABC looking for a digital news presence, and Yahoo searching for ways to stay competitive, the deal could not be more advantageous. The major announcement of their new website debuting soon, GoodMorningAmerica.com, will be apart of the Yahoo Network.  ABC and Yahoo will also launch three video series highlighting “Newsmakers.” These online videos will air online before reaching TV.

More highlights of the prestigious Advertising Week in New York to come…

A Bigger, More Ambitious Advertising Week Is Set to Begin

POSTED FROM New York Times, October 3 : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/business/media/a-bigger-more-ambitious-advertising-week-is-set-to-begin.html?pagewanted=print
By STUART ELLIOTT

MADISON AVENUE claims that the annual Advertising Week in New York is like New York Fashion Week for smart people. The fashionable set counters that Advertising Week is like Fashion Week for ugly people.

As the eighth annual Advertising Week starts, it seems the organizers are smart in at least one way: They have significantly beefed up the agenda for the event — which begins on Monday and continues through Friday — with a lineup of compelling subjects and marquee-name speakers.

“It has grown in its importance,” said one speaker, Carolyn Everson, vice president for global marketing solutions at Facebook. She is to deliver an address on Monday, about “The Power of Connections” that are made through social media, at the Mixx Conference and Expo sponsored by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.

She intends to discuss, she said, how “if you embrace driving the value of social through your marketing organization, it can really deliver results,” using as case studies Facebook’s work with advertisers like American Express, Nike and Procter & Gamble.

Also, Advertising Week “is becoming more global,” Ms. Everson said, offering as an example her “hosting over 25 clients from Brazil at our party on Tuesday.”

Facebook will also hold during Advertising Week the initial meeting of its new Client Council, she added. The council is composed of marketers like Coca-Cola, General Motors and Procter along with agencies like BBDO Worldwide and the McCann Worldgroup.

The Advertising Week organizers have also wooed more associations into scheduling big events during Advertising Week 2011 than in previous years, joining annual gatherings like the Mixx conference.

For instance, a leading national magazine conference that in recent years has been held in Chicago, Phoenix and Boca Raton, Fla., will take place for the first time during an Advertising Week. It is the 2011 American Magazine Conference, being presented on Tuesday and Wednesday by MPA — the Association of Magazine Media and the American Society of Magazine Editors.

There will even be posters in more than 40 Duane Reade drugstores in Midtown Manhattan — near the conference site of the Grand Hyatt hotel — that proclaim, “Welcome to the magazine capital of the world.”

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The agenda for Advertising Week 2011 “is very ambitious,” said Matt Scheckner, who has been the executive director since the initial Advertising Week in 2004. He predicted that the number of participants would be “a little north” of last year, when about 70,000 people attended.

Another aspect of this Advertising Week that is intended to increase its appeal is the scheduling of presentations that, the organizers hope, will make news rather than plow familiar ground.

One such panel, titled the “Advertising Week Financial Forecast,” is planned for Monday, with participants that include ZenithOptimedia, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Google. Executives of ZenithOptimedia, part of the Publicis Groupe, said last week that during the panel they would update their most recent predictions for advertising spending, both in the United States and globally. Usually, the fall updates of the ZenithOptimedia quarterly forecasts are made through news releases.

Another element of Advertising Week meant to raise its profile is the inclusion of sessions devoted to a problem that has long vexed the industry: increasing the diversity of its work force.

For example, there will be a daylong event on Tuesday with the bold title “Where Are All the Black People?” Attendees will be able to talk to agency recruiters and have their portfolios reviewed by creative professionals.

And on Friday, about 100 students from 14 colleges and universities around the country will attend the first Multicultural Media Talent Pipeline, a six-hour forum sponsored by an agency called Forty-Two Degrees at MediaVest/MediaVest Multicultural, part of the Starcom MediaVest Group division of Publicis.

“I have all these open positions currently, and unless I poach from another agency, it’s hard to find qualified professionals” who are black or Hispanic, said Steven Wolfe Pereira, executive vice president and managing director at MV42°, as the agency is informally known.

“A third of the country is multicultural, and I can’t find the people?” he asked rhetorically, adding: “It’s not just diversity, warm and fuzzy. The clients are clamoring for it. It’s a crisis that we don’t have enough multicultural talent.”

As an incentive for students to attend the forum, Mr. Wolfe Pereira said, one of the sponsors, InteractiveOne, a network of Web sites aimed at African-Americans, “is offering two paid summer internships for summer 2012 for two of the participants.”

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If all that fails, the organizers hope that some star power will help lift Advertising Week above the realm of the same-old, same-old. Among the familiar faces scheduled to appear are Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams of NBC News; Bernie Williams, the former New York Yankees outfielder; and performers like Steve Harvey, Jennifer Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker, J. B. Smoove (a k a Jerry Brooks) and Justin Timberlake.

Some comparisons between Advertising Week and Fashion Week are made in jest. However, Mr. Scheckner described a feature of the latter that the organizers of the former covet: having all the week’s events at a single site, like Bryant Park or Lincoln Center.

The panels, programs and parties during Advertising Week, by contrast, are divided among multiple locations.

“I think what you’re going to see in 2013,” Mr. Scheckner said, is Advertising Week’s consolidation at a sole location.

Coca-Cola will “Move to the Beat” for 2012 Olympics

 

Mr. Ronson with Athlete's

Coca-Cola begins to plan ahead for the upcoming London Olympics and this time they are embarking on a new creative frontier… The marketing campaign, titled “Move to the Beat” introduces Mark Ronson as the artistic director for the piece, a British music producer with strong popular appeal. As one of the world’s leading beverage companies, Coca-Cola will seek to incorporate music, youth and sport for it’s next global masterpiece.  The campaign will feature five Olympic athletes, who will act as brand ambassadors for the beverage giant.

The marketing director, Claudia Navarro, comprised the talented group of athletes from around the world. They are: Darius Knight, 21, is a U.K. table tennis player; Kseniya Vdovina, 24, is a Russian runner; David Oliver, 29, is a U.S. hurdler; Dayyan Jaffer, 17, is an archer for Singapore; and the final spot is Maria Espinoza, 23, is a taekwondo star.

These athletes will become the faces for the marketing campaign, revolving around the creative music of Ronson. The song will be highlighted by the tones of the hard working athletes. Mr. Ronson mixes the emphatic sounds of the athletes with the beat of the song to intertwine the focus of the campaign: “reaching young people with global music efforts.”

For example, Ms. Vdovina willingly ran on the treadmill until her pulse read 120 times per minute, which was the rate of the tempo, to incorporate the physical endurance of the athlete with the beat of the song.  Also, Mr. Knight’s grunts and Ms. Espinoza’s squeaks will also be merged within the song.

Ms. Navarro has said the 2012 Olympic campaign is very different from the 2008 campaign in Beijing. She said, “Stories don’t live in one specific media. Last time, we made a TV commercial. This time we are telling stories. And mobile has an incredibly different role- it means there’s an interface with our stories anytime, anywhere”

To tie-in the global effort of the sounds of sports and music, Coca-Cola has also signed musically gifted British singer Katy B to perform the song by Mr. Ronson.

London plans to have an early showing of the performance this week for a select audience of 1000, featuring the young athlete ambassadors and students.

So how were these athletes chosen? Well, for one they needed to be apart of the sports team selected by Mr. Ronson. Coca-Cola also wants to be clear, and states.:“The athlete’s weren’t chosen because they are gold medal hopefuls. They were chosen because of their smiles, they way they talk and because they are the right fit for Coca-Cola,” from a recent article.

These award winning athletes, as well as the final product of music genius Mr. Ronson will be showcased in a documentary, which will be available on TV, cinema, web, and any other platform.

The much-anticipated song will be released March 2012.