I came across a great TED talk from Jesse Schell titled "When Games Invade Real Life." You can check it out by pushing the 'play' button below:
A big point of this TED talk was the discussion of 'reality.' Do we escape from true reality to only go into a virtual world and seek out reality?
This discussion really got me thinking. So often we seek out 'reality' through various mediums, be it games, movies, television, etc. Is this a way for us (as the consumers) to find similarities or a common bond to certain programs/games/movies, in turn creating a feeling of familiarity and relation to them?
For example, does the fact that Top Chef uses Whole Foods market as their "go-to" grocery store allow consumers to feel a connection with the show, since they can relate to a previous shopping experience there? Does this plug allow us to feel like we belong? Can we find a reality in all of this?
Gen Y. Otherwise known as "Generation Next," "Millenials" or my personal favorite "Echo Boomers." The demographic is typically made up of 20- and 30-somethings who are very comfortable with technology. This generation is worlds apart from previous generations (such as Gen X), who were "immigrants" to many technological advances, while my generation seems to be made up of the "natives."
Shouldn't it be a piece of cake to target Gen Y? We are eager and open to new things. We're big on multi-tasking. We take risks and aren't afraid to get our hands a little dirty.
Well, apparently it's not.
It seems that the question of, "how do we reach Gen Y?" is continually on the minds of today's advertising professionals.
To get some more insightful and in-depth answers, I decided to dig a little deeper to figure out what makes this demographic 'tick.' To my surprise (and delight), there are actually agencies built around the premise that my generation (and future generations) need to be marketed to in a very different way. These agencies really seem to grasp what these tech-saavy generations are all about.
Take Mr. Youth, an innovative social media agency headquartered in New York City. This agency is based around the fact that consumers (specifically those in the younger generations) need to better engaged with brands. How does one do that? Presenting Five Rules to Engaging a New Breed of Consumer. Partnered with RepNation Media, Mr. Youth relays five new rules to remember when marketing to "Consumer 2.0" and how to apply these rules to your strategy. I've included a small synopsis/excerpt below as a 'teaser' into their insights:
The rule that I found the most intriguing had to be Rule #5, specifically Insight #2. Chamath Palihapitiya, Vice President-Product Marketing and Operations for Facebook is quoted as saying "We are putting advertising back in the hands of the people, so ads are less like ads and more like content and information."
Why do I find this intriguing? Because it is 100% spot on. Gen Y is a generation of non-stop "voting" for the brand you like the most. We join groups on Facebook, "Tweet" about it on Twitter, check-in at certain places on Four Square -- we (as consumers) are a brand's best ambassadors. We have all of the information to influence or change people's opinions, right at the click of a button.
What are your thoughts after reading the above article? Do you think that Mr. Youth has it right -- do these five rules apply when marketing to Gen Y? Or is there another way to really hit home with the Millenials?
How many advertisements do you think that you have seen today?
Did you know that the average American views upwards of 3,000 ads per day (Abadilla, 2010)? Yes, I said that correctly -- 3,000! I couldn't believe it myself, but when I started to think about all of the distractions consumers face on a daily basis, it made much more sense. Advertisements are everywhere we turn in the form of television, print, billboards, radio, internet and countless other marketing tactics.
With so much clutter going on, an advertiser has to wonder how they will engage their target effectively. Luckily, there are quite a few methods that will really resonate with your consumers. Here are a few of my favorites:
Webisodes
A 'webisode' may be defined as an extremely short internet television show. Each webisode may run anywhere from 2-15 minutes in length (O'Neill, 2010) and is usually a part of a larger series. The webisodes are typically sponsored by a specific advertiser, who tends to have a :30 and :60 spot play at the beginning or end of the segment. These tend to be a quite popular way to drive viewers to the Web site of a popular television show and keep them interested, long after their television sets have been turned off.
The emergence of social networking sites like Twitter have allowed companies to reach out and really connect with their consumers. Companies such as Home Depot, Bank of America and Rubbermaid have devoted entire teams of people to listen to consumers' questions, concerns and suggestions. You no longer have to call an "800" number and sit through an automated recording before you can talk to a "real" person. All you have to do is log on to Twitter, search the company you'd like to get in contact with and "tweet" them in 140 characters or less. Don't think it sounds easy? When I was upset about a recent happening at Wachovia, I quickly "tweeted" them, letting them know my thoughts on the issue. Within an hour, I was "reply tweeted" by a representative who sent me the direct phone number of someone who could help. Companies are now using Twitter for customer relationship management (CRM), to help solve their problems and keep up brand loyalty (Razorfish, 2009.) In my opinion, it's definitely working.
Sponsored Television
Sponsored television is certainly not a new concept. Since the advent of the television, companies have sponsored popular cult-classics such as I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver. Now, however, companies are not just sponsoring a hit show; they are nearly becoming a part of it. A recent example of this would be Unilever's season-long sponsorship of Mad Men. Unilever has created six ads, set in the 1960's which will run during the current season of Mad Men. According to an article in The New York Times, "The first Unilever brand in the spotlight is Dove, to be followed by Breyers, Hellman's, Klondike, Suave and Vaseline" (Elliot, 2010.) This is the first known instance of incorporating numerous product lines from the same marketer (Elliot, 2010.) By utilizing the look and feel of Mad Men, Unilever is able to connect with the show's viewers and bring relevance to their products.
So what's your take on all of this? Do you think the methods shown above are good ways to allow your consumer to engage with your brand? Feel free to drop me a comment.
~ E
Works Cited:
Abadilla, E. 2010, April 4. 'Advergaming' arrives: RP ripe for digital advertising. Retrieved from: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/250977/advergaming-arrives-rp-ripe-digital-advertising
O'Neill, M. 2010, August 6. All About Webisodes and Brand Content. Retrieved from: http://www.campaignasia.com/Article/223825,all-about-webisodes-and-branded-content.aspx
Elliot, S. 2010, August 3. Commercials in 'Mad Men' Style, Created for the Series. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/business/media/04adco.html
Razorfish. 2009. FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/razorfishmarketing/feed-the-razorfish-digital-brand-experience-report-2009
Eye tracking has long been of interest to me, as I believe it is an extremely fascinating way to discover what really draws a consumer in to a given marketing tactic. As an undergraduate, I was taught that consumers will typically view an advertisement in a "Z" or "Backwards S" pattern, starting at the top left and working their way down to the bottom right.
In recent years, however, studies have shown that consumers are actually viewing advertisements in a "F" pattern. Similar to the patterns listed above, the "F" pattern states that consumers first read the top portion of an advertisement first (from left to right.) The "F" pattern notes, however, that consumers then move to the second line and read from left to right, making the second bar of the F. They then make one vertical look at the page before moving on. The picture below demonstrates a "heat map" where you can see how long subjects' looked at a page and where they looked.
The above is also a great resource into this topic, specifically related to online copywriting. It's a great quick read related to this subject.
So what does all of this mean for your brand? Essentially when trying to reach your consumers, studies are indicating that you need to place your product in the top left corner for the most accurate brand absorption. It has been reported that you will reach between 80-100% of participants by having your name featured in the top left of a marketing element, as opposed to only 10-15% in other areas (Eyetools.com).
Unfortunately I do not have the facts regarding the brand retention rate, but it is still certainly something to keep in mind when placing your brand name or logo anywhere. Top left is the way to go!
Works Cited:
Eyetools.com.Google Search's Golden Triangle [Blog Message]. Retrieved on October 24, 2010 from http://eyetools.com/research_google_eyetracking_heatmap.html
Have you been watching Top Chef this season? If you have, you may have noticed how certain products keep popping up, such as Dial Nutriskin. Not surprising because they are furnishing the $125,000 grand prize for the winner, but the way the products are almost unconsciously placed around the house to get maximum exposure doesn't always leave the greatest taste in consumers' mouths.
So, what is product placement?
According to Meriam Webster, product placement "is the inclusion of a product in a television program or film as a form of paid advertisement."
Do I agree with this definition? Yes and no. There are many times where a company is well aware of their product being used in conjunction with a form of entertainment. There are other times they do not. Regardless of the definition, it is an interesting concept to understand, especially with the invention of TiVo and DVR's, where we can "cut out" commercials by fast forwarding through them. Having an advertisement almost integrated into a program can be a brilliant (or annoying) way to get your product noticed.
Though no one is 100% sure of when the first legitimate product placement took place, most believe that its beginning was in the mid-twentieth century. Whether it was panning over a brand name candy bar or a large, well-known retail store, the use of recognizable products in movie and television story lines started to become more and more prevalent, especially in the 1980's and 1990's.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
A few of my favorite product placements can be found below. Some of these placements have been good for business, others have not. See if you can guess which ones were a success by watching the clip, then read below to see if your guess was correct.
1. Reese's Piecesin E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
Many of you have likely seen the above clip from the 1982 hit movie, E.T., prominently featuring Reese's Pieces in the storyline. Steven Spielberg originally reached out to Mars, Inc. to feature their M&M product as a luring device for the world's most famous alien. The company politely declined. Spielberg then approached Hershey's, and catapulted the relatively unknown Reese's Pieces into mainstream popularity. Sales for the candy reportedly increased by 65% after making their big screen debut. (Marich, 104-105)
This clip shows quite a few spliced scenes in which Tom Cruise is seen sporting Ray-Bans. Perhaps this is because Ray-Ban signed a reported $50,000-a-year deal with Unique Product Placement in order to get their sunglasses placed throughout various movies and television programs (Select Specs, 2009.) Ray-Bans went on to appear in over 60 entertainment programs between 1983-1987; throughout 1983 (the release year of Risky Business), the company reportedly sold 360,000 pairs of Wayfarers. This was HUGE for the company, as they were rumored to potentially discontinue Wayfarers before the release of the film.
3. Reebok in Jerry Maguire (1996)
Many of you may not have known about the above "commercial" which was to be featured during the credits of the hit movie Jerry Maguire. I'm sure you do know, however, that the movie was HUGE for product placements -- over 25 brand names were featured, from Coca-Cola to Gatorade to Toshiba. Reebok was among those companies, reportedly paying Tristar $1.5 million dollars in "merchandise, advertising, promotional support and other benefits" to be featured in the movie (Elliot, 1997.) The agreement was that along with being a part of the storyline, the above "commercial" was to be run during the credits. This of course never happened and the footage ended up on the cutting room floor. Reebok sued for breach of contract, and eventually settled out of court with the studio.
There's no escaping the fact that product placements are everywhere you turn these days. So I want to know your opinion. Product placements: friend or faux?
Feel free to leave a comment for me in the area below.
James. (2009, March 9). Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses - Popularity of an Iconic Design. [Web log message.] Retrieved from http://www.selectspecs.com/blog/ray-ban-wayfarer-sunglasses-popularity-of-an-iconic-design/
Stuart, E. (1997, February 7.) Reebok's Suit Over 'Jerry Maguire' Shows Risks of Product Placements. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/07/business/reebok-s-suit-over-jerry-maguire-shows-risks-of-product-placement.html?pagewanted=1
Merron, J. (2002, July 15.) Reel Life: 'Jerry Maguire'. [Web log message.] Retrieved from: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020716.html
Marich, Robert. Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies Used by Major Studio and Independents. Focal Press, 2005. 104-105. eBook.
Welcome to Presence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder, dedicated to helping you understand who today's consumers are and what they are looking for. I hope you find the tools and information presented here both useful and informative. Enjoy.
