Wireless Advertising

While advertising is continually changing and evolving to meet the needs of new markets it is important for advertisers to always be aware of the next "big thing." These days the challenge for advertisers is to come up with the best way to market within the world of mobile devices. With cell phones and PDAs as popular as they are marketers are finding inventive ways to catch our attention through this new interface.

One mobile program that I think has really embraced a successful way to market via cell phones is MizPee. MizPee is a service that helps subscribers find the nearest ladies room. MizPee users sign up online at the website and provide their cell phone information. While out and about on the town users can log on via their cell phone and MizPee will provide them with a list of the nearest bathrooms.

What makes MizPee a perfect venue for wireless advertising is that it displays small-sized, location specific ads on each page. These ads have to be small enough to fit on a cell phone screen while maintaining the ability to catch your eye, which is a difficult thing to perfect. However, standalone ads just won't deliver on the small platform, they have to be integrated into the program. MizPee has addressed this issue and insures that the ads their users receive are not only specific to area where they're searching for a bathroom, they also offer deals. For example, a MizPee user searching for a bathroom in the Mission district will be shown ads featuring a deal on tacos at the Taqueria just up the street from where she's standing. This format is really smart because it easily creates a user relationship with the consumer.

Chocolatey Delight!

As a big fan of chocolate I decided to write a post about the wonderful world of chocolate advertising. I have to admit, I have given in (big time) to numerous commercials promoting chocolate. Just one shot of a KitKat bar being bitten into and I'm running up to the corner market, and don't even get me started with the Ferrero Rocher ads. Who can resist? Now, as a woman and a chocolate fan I have noticed that all chocolate ads are geared towards women...are women the only ones who truly love chocolate or is this a marketing device that manages to attract both men and women? I decided to investigate. In an article written by Glenda Cooper for the Chocolate.org website I learned that women have been the target audience for chocolate marketing since the second World War, when Caley's chocolate would send a box of their treats to female air raid wardens to make sure they had "extra nutrition to keep them going." Rita Clifton, chair of branding agency Interbrand even says that "Women are the key to chocolate advertising." Using women as the target audience for chocolate ads insures that women will continue to purchase chocolate when they feel the need to indulge, as well as suggest to men that the key to a woman's heart is through buying them the popular candy. Personally, I will always enjoy watching a good chocolate commercial, but I enjoy succumbing to the marketing plan and indulging with a Hershey bar even more! Below, a couple of my favorites...







As always you can check out more videos at my YouTube group.

Turkey Day Advertising

'Tis the season to be jolly...and to be overwhelmed with advertisements! Every year the Thanksgiving holiday seems to bring with it an abundance of holiday ads. As much as I love holiday advertisements the ads that are created for the specific Turkey-Day celebration always crack me up. I think that the holiday itself often brings up memories of meals gone wrong and dramatic family reunions, so it is fitting that the advertisements created for Thanksgiving would either promote the hilarious happenings surrounding the celebration or try to promote a "perfect" Thanksgiving meal. Along with the turkey dinner that is always expected on Thanksgiving many families watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What most members of the audience don't realize is that the parade is one large marketing device! Suite101.com has a great article about the advertising/promotions lesson that can be taken from Macy's yearly parade.

Below are two of my favorite Thanksgiving ads. You can find more at my YouTube group.

Mac vs. PC

One of my favorite ad campaigns is the Mac vs. PC campaign, created for Apple by TBWA, the company's ad agency. Since it's debut the Mac vs. PC commercial has expanded into somewhat of it's own mini-show. Currently there are 29 different ads from the campaign airing in North America. TBWA did a great job of creating specialized Mac vs. PC ads for the U.K. and Japan. For the British audience the ads were recast with a comedy duo from England, David Mitchell and Robert Webb. They were reshot with different dialogue and a slightly longer format. They can be seen at Apple UK. The Japanese campaign was recast with a Japanese comedy duo, the Rahmens.

There are numerous reasons as to why this ad campaign was so successful. Here is a list of just a few of those reasons;

1. The song in the ads, "Having Trouble Sneezing," is catchy and calming.

2. Easily recognizable by the simple template that is used in each ad.

3. Funny.

4. Justin Long (who acts as the Mac) is cute and easy to relate to.

5. Campaign coincided with the change of apparel for Apple employees at retail stores as well as a change of signage.



You can watch all the Mac vs. PC ads at the Apple website.

Advertising Beauty

In the world of beauty advertising the company Dove has emerged with some fresh and enlightening advertisements. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was created by Ogilvy & Mather and Edelman Public Relations Worldwide in 2004 for the U.K. market and was later launched in the United States and Canada. The ad campaign is focused on celebrating real and natural beauty. Instead of using models each ad features women who represent the natural physical variation of what real women really look like. As part of the campaign Dove launched the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, to help girls increase their confidence. Personally, I feel like this ad campaign is the best thing that has come out of the advertising industry in years. Growing up I was bombarded by images of skinny and tall models who looked nothing like me. Seeing those images for too long makes a girl feel like maybe she should change. Dove's campaign is not only changing the face of beauty advertisements, it is reminding women that they are beautiful just the way they are. This confidence boost is something that American women have needed for a long time!

This "evolution" ad was the first of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty...

Welcome to Zoetrope!

I am proud to present my new blog, Zoetrope! This blog will be dedicated to discussing the latest ads, ad trends, and the advertising industry in general. Enjoy!