The Pitch

So AMC's new show the Pitch takes an inside look at the advertising industry and the competitive nature of the business. The show takes two advertising agencies and they compete head to head over a major account. The show shows everything from the initial meeting with executives, brainstorming and idea generation sessions, the entire creative process, and ends with the two agencies making their "pitch" and finally, a winner is chosen and rewarded with the account. I thought the how was pretty neat and interesting. Mac Lethal was awesome during the Subway episode! What did everyone else think about the show?

Nike Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iozZTJB2XOw

Above is the link to the new Nike commercial. Its called the "I would run to You" ad, and it might be my new favorite commercial. I like this commercial because it is so consistent with Nike's core competence. Nike is not about just shoes and athletic wear, but it is about a lifestyle. Thee commercial shows a girl enjoying Nike sneakers and how she incorporates Nike into her everyday life. It shows her running around everyday, comfortably in her sylish Nike shoes, while music in the background

Beautiful Women

I LOVE ads that showcase beautiful, skinny, perfect women. It's such a hot button issue nowadays. Everybody complains that these models in advertisements are not reflective of the real world. Critics argue that young women are pressured into looking like the beautiful models in all of these advertisements. Well, i for one, do not agree with that at all. This is advertising. The point of advertising is to make products look appealing. What better way to make a product look appealing than to have it endorsed by an attractive woman. The fact of the matter is that these beautiful women capture the attention of the consumer, which is the purpose of advertising. Therefore, they are effectively advertising by using these women. I'm so tired of hearing people say "well that's not what your average female looks like." That's because they do NOT want average females. They want beautiful ones that can draw attention to the ad. That's what makes the ads successful!

Going Green

"Going Green" is the hottest trend in businesses today. There is such a major focus on providing eco-friendly products and services, and manufacturing them in such a way that has minimal effects on the environment. In order for companies to be successful, they have to go along with the going green trend. A great way to gain support of consumers is by advertising the company's mission to reduce their carbon footprint and provide eco-friendly goods and services. People are more likely to buy products that are advertised as eco-friendly or "green" products, than similar products that do not promote green thinking. People are attracted to companies that hold high ethical values and place a great deal of importance on keeping the environment cleaner and safer. Advertisers should incorporate their "going green" strategy in theiur advertisements.

Word of Mouth

I think a lot of people underestimate the power of Word-of-Mouth advertising. Word-of-Mouth advertising is critical and can make or break a company's success. Word-of-Mouth simply refers to people spreading word about a company, product, or service. Word-of-Mouth has many potential benefits. One major benefit is that Word-of-Mouth advertising is free! Secondly, people often respect the opinions of their peers. If a close friend recommends a certain product or service over another, then you are more likely to purchase that product. Peers are great influencers of purchasing decisions, often based on their recommendations. The downside with Word-of-Mouth is that companies have little or no control over what people have to say. So if someone is generating negative Word-of-mouth about a company or product, then it can really affect the company's brand image and reputation. Nevertheless, whether good or bad, Word-of-Mouth advertising can make or break a company.

Social Media

The explosion of social media over the past year is truely phenominal and mindblowing. Social networking sites and social media usage and involvement is at an all time high. Facebook may very well be the most powerfully addicting site on the planet. It truely amazes me how many people engage in social media. 50% of all people capable of using the internet have a Facebook account. I bet you would have to stop and think a minute to come up with a list of 5 people who do not have a Faceook account. I don't even really like Facebook and barely use it for anything other than scanning other profiles, but I still have one. Facebook has made segmenting and targeting groups of people with similar interests very easy, and advertisers can use that to their advanatage. Facebook also allows people to write comments or seek out information about specific products. Social media is changing the landscape for advertising as we know it.

Animals in Ads

Is it just me, or is using animals in advertising to evoke emotion the greatest advertising startegy of all time?! I mean seriosuly, people are more sensitive to dogs, cats, pets, and anaimals in general than they are to their fellow humans. People can watch other people get injured, hurt, and kill each other, and think nothing of it. But anytime one of the animal cruelty commercials comes on with that sad music and all of the abused animals, there is not a dry eye in the house. People have such a strong attachment with animals, particularly pets like dogs and cats. Advertisers use this to their advantage, and very affectively, especially the SPCA. They rely on using aniamls to trigger emotional responses from the viewer. They just make you wanna go out and save every animal on the planet. I've never seen a comapny utilize emotion so well in advertising as the SPCA does.

Heres a link to one of their sad commercials for those who want to feel depressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc

Walking/Moving Advertisements

Have you ever stopped to think about how many ads we are exposed to on a daily basis. Even when we are not watching TV, reading a magazine, or listening to the radio, advertising is still everywhere. Nowadays people are even advertising on buildings and public transportation! These ads are becoming ever more popular and rightfully so. First of all, these ads are catchy and they stand out. They are really hard to miss. Another great thing is that they are moving ads, which means that they have the ability to reach a very broad and diverse audience. In addition, T shirts are becoming walking billboards. Many companies like Nike, Old Navy, Polo, and American Eagle do some of their best advertising on their own products. They put their brand name and symbol or logo right on their clothes and let the consumers do the rest of the work. Every time that a consumer wears a Nike shirt, whether they know it or not, they are engaging in advertising for that brand. Excellent strategy for companies who advertise on their clothes. It is a very inexpensive name to build up brand loyalty and spread the word.

Celebrity Advertising

A lot of companies are using celebrities and athletes in their advertisements in an attempt to capture the attention of the consumer and increase sales. The rationale is that popular celebs will draw attention to a particular product and build brand recognition. However, is celebrity advertising really all that effective at increasing sales and profits? That question is up for debate. Successful and ideal qualities too consider when endorsing celebrities are; attractiveness of the celebrity, having a celebrity-brand match, and choosing a celebrity that is well known and popular. Perhaps most importantly though is  to ensure that celebrities have a good reputation and have not been in the media for committing crimes or for bad publicity (like Tiger Woods for example). Some risks of celebrity advertising are that it is very expenseive, the celebrities may not know anything about or relate to the brand, or may act in a way that can negatively impact the company or the brands image and reputation. I just want to know where others stand on the issue of using celebs in advertisements. Do others think it is a good idea or is it too big a risk?

Super Bowl XLVI

The Super Bowl was this past Sunday and you know what that means! Lot's of great advertising and some of the best commercials of the year. However, these commercials and the TV time is not cheap, but quite the contrary. Companies advertising during the Super Bowl had to pay upwards of $3.3 million just for a 30 second slot during commercials. Companies are willing to pay however due to the vast audience that the Super Bowl attracts. But do the ads always pay off? That question is certainly up for debate. One thing that is not up for debate is that despite the high cost of advertising during the big game, some of the best commercials and advertisements of the entire year were displayed during the Superbowl. Anyway, Here are my top 5 favorite Super Bowl XLVI commercials in no particular order.

1. The Dog Strikes Back – Volkswagen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9EYFJ4Clo

2. 2012 – Chevy Silverado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxFYYP8040A

3. Transactions – Acura

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOL22euixuA

4. Man's Best Friend- Doritos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STb6ZSo5CPw

5. Sexy Chocolate- M&M's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cal3fODNJek