Check Out My Youtube Channel

Hello bloggers! If you like my blogs, you can check out my vlog channel on youtube! You'll see videos about marketing as well as many random videos that have no meaning but I enjoying doing. Just search for InsertDeAdvert!

What's With The Theatrics?

As Wayne and Garth had once said, we will not bow to any sponsors! We will not sell ourselves out! And we will not do things only because we get paid! We are the new generation!

Of course, while all this is being said, Wayne and Garth bowed to sponsors, sold themselves out, and purposefully displayed product placement because they were getting paid. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the new generation!   

Product placement or embedded advertisments are prominent in today's society. Just ask Michael Bay who has made a pretty penny or more exploiting the concept. Television shows support the idea, just check out any spotlight of American Idol. Movies are famous for it. Ever seen The Island? Try and count how many products are conveniently shoved at viewers, I bet you'll lose count.

But the thing is, we have grown so accustomed to having ads pollute our screens that we're able to ignore them. But what happens when we encounter them, or a strange theatrical variation of it, in an unexpected way?

Meet the comical genius, Richard Linley. A local theatre in Selby is currently running a production called Aladdin, Or The Wonderful Lamp. It's written and directed by the master of comedy himself (and no that is not a biased opinion).

What was interesting for me when I first saw the production, was their use of advertising embedded in the script. Dialogue such as, "He was the sweetest thing this side of Len's Bakery..." and "He was hot! Hot like the furnaces sold at McKeown and Wood..."

If you fail to recognize those companies or brands, that's because they are all local to Selby and are sponsors for the theatre. That's right! Local sponsors were mentioned in the play itself! Best part is, Richard made it funny! The crowd was falling out of their seats laughing at a man dressed as a woman talk about how sweet and hot his...or her...late husband was. Clever writing can make even the most absurd and blatant advertising work.

When advertising first trickled into our entertainment on television, many were sceptical and some were even outraged! I'd hate to see their reactions to a play like Richard's. Then again, maybe his clever writing will actually show people that ads can be stitched in to our entertainment, and be entertaining themselves.

From A Grave To A Page...

A final breath...

a lifelong rest...

forever buried...

in our hearts we carry...

sun will rise...

on our own demise...

we'll be together...

forever and ever.

-Rachel King-

Death is a difficult time for us all. We suffer physically and emotionally from the passing of loved ones. But we try to hold on to them. We desperately reach out to them in any way we can because we don't want to let go.

Today in Tom Brennan's class we watched a documentary called Facebook Follies. It explored the many negative impacts Facebook posts have on the lives of people. However the section that intrigued me the most, was the concept that Facebook could actually replace gravestones as a place to reconnect with lost loved ones.

Dr. Elaine Kasket, a psychologist from the University of London, has studied the way we mourn the dead. According to her, the way we mourn reflects our society. We're in a society that is so connected tthrough social media, it seems natural to try and connect with the dead by also using social media.  

On this, I agree with Dr. Kasket. Profiles of Facebook users who have passed, often remain active. And people really do drift to their profiles and write to them, sensing that somewhere up there, the deceased are still able to access Facebook messages.

However, Dr. Kasket feels that Facebook will replace the physical connection received from the grave site. I strongly disagree. Gravestones and sites are forever. They are constant. Even though Facebook is so widely used now, it may not always be in the future. Imagine if all we have to connect to someone who has passed is a Facebook profile. Now imagine Facebook, like MySpace, becomes obsolete. How do we stay connected?

A grave site is a physical place that one can go to be close to your loved ones. Seriously, you can't get much closer, they're in the ground. It won't change. It's not a fad. You will always be connected to them. You will always be able to go to them, to talk to them. No social network can replace that physical connection.  

Just recently my Grandpa passed away. He didn't have Facebook. And I don't need a Facebook profile of him to remember who he was to me. All I need is that place to go, to be close to him. That in itself, is what keeps him and I connected.

If I Gave It All Away For One Thing...

"Look, if you had just one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it? Or just let it slip..." - Eminem  

This is one of the children CMN Radiothon
will benefit, this young boy and his
loving mother. <3

I was driving in my car earlier, when I decided to scan through radio stations. I found myself settling into The Border just when the announcer broadcasted a Radiothon charity promotion for the Children's Miracle Network.

From an advertising perspective...the promotion was simply amazing.

Johnny Spezzano was the announcer tonight, and he and his team seemed so passionate about the cause that it nearly brought me to tears. I actually spent two hours listening to one station without turning it. I wasn't even listening to the music, I was far more engaged with the stories from those who needed help. And to be honest, Johnny's pure enthusiasm and what seemed to be pure compassion sucked me right in to the cause.

Normally radio announcers are collected, there's a script or at least structure. But what I was listening to was raw. I could hear the cheers when someone had pledged to donate, I could see the shocked and sadden expressions to heartfelt stories being told. Johnny actually interrupted the music so restate the name of the cause and the number to donate. Dedication much?

His voice, as he spoke to all the listeners, was so encouraging. I remember him saying that he wasn't going to stop talking about it, he wasn't going to shut up, till they reached their goal of donations.

The mingling of testimonies and inspiring music was also captivating. In fact, just about everything The Border did for the Radiothon inspired me. I wanted to donate! Mission accomplished Johnny!

So if you had one shot, or one opportunity, to give someone everything they ever wanted, would you do it? Or just let it slip...

How Far Is Too Far?

According to Fox News, it's "employed scandal-driven marketing tactics for decades." ABCNews believes it's "stirring up a cultural out-rage again." And YouTube's TYT went as far as to call it, "ad porn." What could be so horrible that it has everyone talking like this? Calvin Klein.

Sex sells. This is common knowledge. But how far are advertisers willing to go to obtain shock value? Calvin Klein seems to have little to no limits when it comes to sexual advertisements. For years they have been polluting society with racy, controversial strategies leaving humanity disgusted.

From television commercials to magazine prints and from public billboards to newspapers, bare naked men and women have been displayed provocatively to advertise the distastefulness of Calvin Klein. But why?

Why such cheeky ad campaigns? Many successful brands have done well using a sexual appeal technique, but Calvin Klein takes the technique one step further, one step dirtier. Their ideas on advertising belong in places like strip clubs, not on public streets. If their commercials were a movie, they would be rated R! Restricted due to sever sexual content and nudity! No young child would ever have to bear witness to the audacity of their advertisements.  

Yet, they're filling out magazines and corrupting our streets. Anyone and everyone can see them. Even your kids. Is this the type of message we want our children growing up with? That women and men are sex objects? It astounds me how Calvin Klein can even be allowed to publicize those morals. But it happens every day.  

In fact, it seems the campaigns have been helping the brand bring in and retain customers. Just looking at their growth over the years and what they expect to make in following years, it seems that people don't care that their methods are inappropriate.

This leaves me wondering, if we're so lenient today about racy imagery broadcasted to our children, what is in store for the future...

Advertising For The Sick Minded...

Can you see what I see? 

You’re sitting at a booth in Applebee’s, sifting through the various items on the menu, when something in the corner catches your eye. A scoop of ice cream delicately placed beside succulent apple chimi-cheesecake. Though the advertisement was meant to entice one to purchase, for me, it made me burst into laughter!

Have you ever looked at an advertisement and say to yourself, “what were they thinking?!” Welcome to my recent experience at Applebee’s. Was the photographer of this picture trying to imply the provocative image? Or was this an honest mistake? This isn’t the first time my sick twisted mind ruined a horribly good (or bad?) campaign either.

Ever since I saw the first commercial for the Shake Weight, I couldn’t look at the product with a straight face. Now, I don’t want to blame it all on the advertising, as the product itself is simply too ridiculous, but couldn’t they have shown the man shaking the weight in a less, suggestive manner?

The funny thing is, neither of these two products were meant to be sexual. Neither of these products was even trying to capitalize on a sexual appeal technique, like Axe has successfully done in the past. So why do they appear so sensual?

We are sick-minded people.

Society has driven us to see everything in a twisted way. It’s no secret that we are all exposed to sex at an earlier age than our parents. So it’s really no surprise that we find every detail, every innuendo, and every suggestion in advertisements – even if they were unintentional.

That being said, advertisers have to be very careful when developing a marketing campaign. They should learn from the Shake Weight and Applebee’s, unless they want their campaign to be a classic joke.

Survival Of The Fruitiest...

Come at me, bro! 

In a world shaped by technology, where man can no longer survive without it, live two giants controlling the market. To the South is an innovation monster, appearing out of the shadows. To the East is a skilled rival, challenging the monster at every turn. And thus begins a battle between each. It is... The Survival Of The Fruitiest!

Are you a loyal Apple buyer? Or do you prefer Blackberry? According to recent market share statistics, the majority of you chose Apple. There have even been many articles published claiming that the days of the Blackberry are soon to be over, that Blackberry has lost the battle.

Lost the battle, but not the war.  

At least, this is my expert opinion. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am an avid Blackberry supporter, so my opinion may be biased, but nevertheless here are my two bits.

For starters I am down right appalled that the innovation kings actually copied an idea off Blackberry. Blackberry Messenger, or BBM as the kids call it these days, has been a distinct feature that separated the two smartphones. Apple stole this concept, renamed it, and thus IM (iPhone messenger) was born. What’s up Apple? Couldn’t come up with something on your own, had to steal an idea?

Secondly, I’ve never been a fan of the touch screen keypad. I’m like child that way, always got to have something tangible to touch. Not to mention the clicking sound of the buttons is somehow addictive.

Blackberries have everything you need, with no added trimmings. Generalizing of course, iPhones are targeted to a younger generation of game obsessed, app crazy users. Whereas the Blackberry is more simplistic, offering what you need without the clutter. I don’t mean to say Blackberries suit a more mature target, but it just seems to me that people use blackberries for their purpose, rather than goofy games.

So when it comes down to it, Blackberry has quite a good defense. They may need to strengthen their attack force, but I’m sure that behind their walls is a secret weapon they are just waiting to unleash against the monster.

We All Need A Laugh...

Hello readers. Look at your blog, now back to mine, now back to yours, now back to mine. Sadly, it isn’t mine. But if you started following Frank’s guidelines, it could look like mine. Look down. Back up. Where are you? You’re on the Internet, reading the blog your blog could sound like. Anything is possible when you be creative. I’m on a horse.

Out of all the forms of appeal techniques for advertising, humour is my favorite. Why? Because life is so depressing, so cynical at times that you just feel like ripping your heart out. Things could be going wonderful in your perfect little world, then BAM! Humor seems to be the only thing that can counteract the misery.

So why shouldn’t commercials be funny? Why shouldn’t they make people laugh during their lowest moments? I can guarantee people would rather watch a hilarious advertisement over an informational one. That’s why we tweet about them. That’s why we link them to Facebook, and search for them over YouTube. We need comedy, almost as much as we need to breathe. We need something, anything, to distract us from our dismal existence.

I hear so many people claiming that funny advertisements are good for a single laugh, but consumers never retain the message. You need to have more “substance” than humour. Yeah right! I can list off quite a few of my favorite commercials: Old Spice Guy, Axe commercial, Doritos, and the Berries and CreamStarburst guy! Guess what they all have in common? Humour!

Seriously, I think consumers pay more attention if you make them laugh, than if you use any other appeal technique. And perhaps I’m wrong; maybe some big wig knows something I don’t,  and maybe humour is a horrible way to advertise. But I don’t care.

Humans need to laugh. And with the world being as dark and cold as it is, I’m willing to accept humour in any form…even in an advertisement.

 

  

A Rose By Any Other Name...

There has to be some meaning
to this name, right?

"What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Romeo & Juliet

I often think about names a great deal; why is this called this and why is that called that? Even in my IMC class, we discussed the importance of names and how names are used to help build your brand. But how does one come up with the name Pepsi? If names are so important, why do they appear so god damn random?

After listening to an episode from the Age Of Persuasion, I learned about the creation of the Kodak camera, more importantly, the story behinds its name. The inventor, George Eastman, chose its name because it was "terse, abrupt to the point of rudeness, literally bitten off by firm and unyielding consonants at both ends" and thus resembled the sound of a camera shutter.

On Princess street in Kingston there's a car shop called Midas. I'm sure we've all heard the jingle, "Trust the Midas touch." Though I admit, I never knew what it meant until my sister informed me. The shop shaped their name after King Midas, whose touch could turn everything to gold. What a clever marketing angle, eh?

So if I didn't think about names enough before, I certainly do now. Apparently not every name is random like I initially thought. But it makes me wonder, what other wacky names actually have meaning?

The Show Must Go On...

It's not everyday you bring a company back from the brink of bankruptcy. Not everyday you revolutionize the music industry. Not everyday you concur major corporations. It's not everyday you change the world.

Of course, this was apparently the everyday life for one of the most visionary men of our time, Steve Jobs. Where would the world be without him? We would still be clicking away at our ancient MP3 Players, tediously working on our never reliable PC computers, and as for phones?! Don't even get me started. We would be stuck with the horrifying quality of the dreaded Blackberry. Note there is heavy sarcasm. 

Seriously, the guy was a pretty good marketer; he certainly brought Apple up from the shadows of death. But people talk about him like he was a saint or something. They literally worshiped him. Why? I'm sure if not for Apple some other company would have advanced us this far too. Maybe not in the same way, but even before the huge growth of the company our technology was advancing. 

Think about it. 

• Did Apple invent portable music players? No. 
• Did Apple invent the first smartphone? No. 
• Did Apple first introduce touch screen? Again, no.  

Now I won't deny that Steve Jobs and Apple have changed the way we live, but the world doesn't revolve around them. Literally. I'm content with my Blackberry, I rather adore my PC and to be honest I don't even own an iPod. Call me biased, but people put way too much power in to one man. 

That being said, I am sad to hear of his death. I do feel for his family and those close to him (pretty much everyone can relate) but I am also sad to hear if a milkman dies from Kentucky, or something random like that. I’m not insensitive; I just don't understand this emotional attachment the world seems to have for Apple and the now deceased co-founder. 

I pay my respects to the man-not because he was an absolute genius-but because he was a human being. Rest in peace Steve Jobs. It is sad, but the show must go on.

To Be...Or Not To Be...

Shakespeare was a brilliant man. One of my favourite writers of all time. He knew what he was good at, what he enjoyed, and he went with it.

You can learn a lot from a man like him, and one thing I learned is you have to do what interests you. I visited CKWS yesterday and I enjoyed every second! Grant Barber was wonderful, he opened my eyes to the possibilities while showing me the 'colourful' world of Corus Entertainment. Each department, whether it be production or sales promotion, ignited a little spark of enthusiasm in me. 

Of course, the highlight of the tour for me was the CKWS radio room, where I actually got to record a segment of a promotion for Chillifest, and the News room, where I wandered the set and admired the cameras. I felt so giddy inside that it was hard for me to remain calm and professional, but I think I played it off good.

In any case, after the tour I sat in my room, looked up to the ceiling and thought. I thought where I wanted to go after my three years at SLC, I thought about who I want to be, and what I wanted to do. I thought, Kingston, as small of a city as it is, has so many opportunities for someone like me.

Who knows! Maybe in three years I'll be sending in a resume to CKWS, all I know now is, I'm going to continuing doing, what interests me...and that's advertising.    

P.S check out the CKWS website! Maybe you'll be inspired like I have: http://www.ckwstv.com/

Turning The Page...

Goodbye naptimes, au revoir recess, farewell childhood and being a kid. Good day deadlines, hello responsibility, nice to finally meet you college and adulthood!

As my professor Robin Pepper would say, I suffered from major FUDS my first week of college. New people, new environment and new expectations! I was overwhelmed! Coming fresh from high school, the big bad world of college seemed rather... frightening to me. But within that first week, my entire outlook on the next three years changed.

My classmates were all welcoming and within the first few days I became good friends with most of them. I found myself making conversation, laughing, and enjoying my time in each an every class. 

I enjoyed Robin's class where we were instructed to build a contact sheet. Naturally, classmates and teachers will be included, but I actually went out and found a potential employer to add to mine. Grant Barber, an account executive for Corus Entertainment (www.corusent.com), met with me last weekend and we discussed the future of advertising. He even offered to give me a tour of CKWS! After our meeting together, I know this program will take me places I really want to go. 

So here I am, turning the page over to college, starting a new life, and all I can say is, things have never been better.