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.