In February each year, one of the biggest sport events of the year in America takes place, the Super Bowl. This event has 97.5 million viewers. And that’s just people that are watching the game on TV! Super Bowl is like Christmas Eve for all the advertising agencies. They know that for once people actually want to see the commercials during the intermissions. It has become a part of the whole event. It’s more like a movie trailer than everyday, regular commercial. Some years ago they asked people what the score of the Super Bowl was, they could not remember. But when they asked what commercial they saw during the Super Bowl, they could name a bunch of them. People even like to discuss which one they thought were the best one.
In 2007, a 30 second TV commercial cost about $2.7 million. It’s a lot of money just airing for 30 seconds so they better get the message out in an effective way as possible, they can’t simply afford to make a mistake. Of course you see all the big companies like Budweiser, Pepsi, and Coca– Cola etc.
One very common theme to use is humor. This is something that Bud Light has used for years to get our attention, and they are really good at it. My best Super Bowl commercial would be Bud Lights- the hitchhiker. A couple driving their car one night and see a hitchhiker. The man asks the woman if they should pick him up, and she answer that he has an axe. The man protest by saying “but he got bud light, and there is probability a reasonable explanation for the axe. So they pull over and ask him what’s with the axe. And the hitchhiker answer” It’s a bottle opener”.
The larger majority of the target group is men above 21 so it makes perfectly sense to advertise product like this during Super Bowl. Beer has become a thing that you have to drink during the game, it’s almost like ritual.
Another Super Bowl commercial was the Audi R8. This got the inspiration from the Godfather. Instead of finding the horse head in the bed they replaced it with the front a car. This one is a little bit confusing for me. I did not like it, and having a hard time figure out the message of it. I mean, the commercial is about 1 minute so it going to cost Audi a lot for airing it. At least they should have a clearer message.
Then we have the classic Apple commercial, 1984. This commercial was only aired once. Only once and for 1 minute! You do not think a thing like that is ever going to be remembered or get the message out. They pretty much put all their money on one card. Today, people still discuss and praise that commercial.
Bud light
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aO3TO5L0bM
Audi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_sshN-URJY
Apple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R706isyDrqI
Monday, November 24, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Celebrities and Public relations
You always hear a person talking about rumors or scandals that involves celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Tara Reid or Britney Spears. What once were good pr have become bad for them. Somewhere on the way they crossed the line. I think that is hard to take them serious any more. What ones were a great image has faded away more and more. And of course, the gossip magazine love to write about it.
Romances do not seems to be enough anymore. It seems like the latest trend is to get really drunk or getting exposed on pictures. Another “trend” is going to rehab. For example Lindsay Lohan has been to rehab some times now. If she could show that she really have changed and learned from the experience she might be able to build up her credibility again. Give the press something else to write about instead of driving drunk etc. For example, making another movie with some popular guy that she can have a brief romance with, ala Hollywood style. That will give people other things to talk about. Or join an organization like safe the rainforest. That will defiantly raise some eyebrows and they will probably think, what does she care about the rain forest. But if this is successful people might get by all the bad things that happened in the past. A good thing would be to party less, or drinking more responsible.
Another celebrity that has been to a lot throughout the years is Britney Spears. After her major breakdown, losing custody of her children, she has managed to work her self back up again. First of all is she back in the music industry again, working to release a new album. She has also been allowed to visit children 2 days a week and have one sleepover. This shows that she really have turned her live around and she trying to make up for the past. What would make it even better, seen for a PR perspective, is if could fined the perfect boyfriend, so they can become the next American Sweethearts and have the fairytale ending that people want her to have.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Blog of my choice: Coke Zero
The launching of the Coke zero was incredible. First the audience was showed a short teaser trailer, like it was a movie or something. The only message they left was: Zero is coming, a specific date when the whole thing was going to be released and a website. When you checked the webpage is was just a countdown and some information that really did not tell you anything what was going on. What Coca cola tried to do was creating a buzz, making people talk about the product. Later one found out what was really going on.
Coke zero defiantly stands out from cokes other brands. This one is more targeting towards a younger audience instead of a mass marketing. And it seems like they a targeting specially towards young male, judging from the commercials or the webpage. However, Coke zero is after the people with a special lifestyle that do not what to drink regular soft drinks and are more aware and careful about their figure.
Coke zero has, according to me, really done a great job with their positioning of “Zero sugar, as it should be” or “Real taste, zero sugar”. This is often connected to the story in the commercials, like; Life as it should be or break up as it should be. What they are trying to say is that things don’t have to be as hard as you make it; it’s always an easier solution. The commercial is adding more attitudes to the brand, like cool people that want a change drinks Coke Zero.
So Coke has really managed to put another diet soda on the market. Their advertising and positioning has been excellent and I think that they really have connected with their target. I really like their teaser trailers before they launched the product, how they tried to create a curiosity about the whole thing.
Coke zero defiantly stands out from cokes other brands. This one is more targeting towards a younger audience instead of a mass marketing. And it seems like they a targeting specially towards young male, judging from the commercials or the webpage. However, Coke zero is after the people with a special lifestyle that do not what to drink regular soft drinks and are more aware and careful about their figure.
Coke zero has, according to me, really done a great job with their positioning of “Zero sugar, as it should be” or “Real taste, zero sugar”. This is often connected to the story in the commercials, like; Life as it should be or break up as it should be. What they are trying to say is that things don’t have to be as hard as you make it; it’s always an easier solution. The commercial is adding more attitudes to the brand, like cool people that want a change drinks Coke Zero.
So Coke has really managed to put another diet soda on the market. Their advertising and positioning has been excellent and I think that they really have connected with their target. I really like their teaser trailers before they launched the product, how they tried to create a curiosity about the whole thing.
Picture:
http://images.digitalmedianet.com/2007/Week_23/kmhpxsfs/story/ghost1.jpg
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Message appeal
One commercial that I think gets the message out very well is the Nike soccer commercial “Take it to the next level”. In the commercial you follow a man on his way to the top of his carrier. On the way to the top you see a lot of famous soccer players, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The message for this commercial is practice makes perfect, it’s time to take it to the next level. Of course there is Nike products all over the commercial. But I think if you see your favorite soccer player wearing Nikes’, you want to have the same as him because if you going to be as good as him you have to have the same gear as him.
Sometimes it’s dangerous to use celebrities in commercial because they maybe not trustworthiness, expertise or the respect for the brand. In this commercial it is not going to be any problem with that at all. How is more expert and trustful than a soccer player in a soccer commercial?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc3PZ3Im5aQ
Another commercial that get the message out in a creative way is the Berlitz – language for life. Humor always good tool get the targets attention. In the commercial you see a German coast guard on his first day at work. He gets an emergency message saying: Mayday, mayday we are sinking. Unfortunately his English is not that good, so he answer: what are you sinking (thinking) about. This commercial plays a little bit down on foreign countries that may not be as good at speaking English, but it is funny and presented in a good way that makes the audience think about maybe they should improve their English. I think that the humor in this commercial attracts attention to the brand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT86iWiH2mI
One of the worst commercial I have ever seen is Playstation 3 – This is living. There are several commercials with the same concept. According to me, they fail completely to deliver the message. In the ad people are doing different things like dancing, sitting in a bathtub and quotes old movie cues and in the end a women sitting on the toilet in just her underwear and say: “This is living” and the she flush. I think this commercial is just confusing and do not really say anything about the product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJRbf76jXHE
Another ad that doesn’t get their message out is Benetton. This billboard shows a newborn baby in the hands of a doctor. Benetton ads have become a wake up call that people have an equal value, but the ad does not say anything about the products that Benetton sell. I don’t think this message works at all. They are not going to sell more clothes if they advertise like this. And I believe that people will be confused when they see their ads.
Sometimes it’s dangerous to use celebrities in commercial because they maybe not trustworthiness, expertise or the respect for the brand. In this commercial it is not going to be any problem with that at all. How is more expert and trustful than a soccer player in a soccer commercial?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc3PZ3Im5aQ
Another commercial that get the message out in a creative way is the Berlitz – language for life. Humor always good tool get the targets attention. In the commercial you see a German coast guard on his first day at work. He gets an emergency message saying: Mayday, mayday we are sinking. Unfortunately his English is not that good, so he answer: what are you sinking (thinking) about. This commercial plays a little bit down on foreign countries that may not be as good at speaking English, but it is funny and presented in a good way that makes the audience think about maybe they should improve their English. I think that the humor in this commercial attracts attention to the brand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT86iWiH2mI
One of the worst commercial I have ever seen is Playstation 3 – This is living. There are several commercials with the same concept. According to me, they fail completely to deliver the message. In the ad people are doing different things like dancing, sitting in a bathtub and quotes old movie cues and in the end a women sitting on the toilet in just her underwear and say: “This is living” and the she flush. I think this commercial is just confusing and do not really say anything about the product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJRbf76jXHE
Another ad that doesn’t get their message out is Benetton. This billboard shows a newborn baby in the hands of a doctor. Benetton ads have become a wake up call that people have an equal value, but the ad does not say anything about the products that Benetton sell. I don’t think this message works at all. They are not going to sell more clothes if they advertise like this. And I believe that people will be confused when they see their ads.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38802000/jpg/_38802079_benetton_ap.jpg
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