Rivalry or Tag-Team

American Idol stood proudly atop the hill of success for many years. It was one of the most-watched shows in the past decade, and it finally seems to be approaching its last days. With the recent explosion of The X Factor, American Idol has had a difficult time retaining their audience.

Although this may seem like an upsetting fact for American Idol, I think there is a method to the madness. Both programs are partly owned by Fox, and seems to have a strikingly similar strategy for both shows. Not only does The X Factor have the two most adored judges from American Idol, Simon and Paula, but they also have competing sponsors for both shows. American Idol is sponsored by Coca-Cola, At&t and Ford. This is all too familiar to The X factor's sponsors: Pepsi, Verizon Wireless, Sony, and Chevy. Even the websites have a near identical layout: American Idol vs. The X Factor . Their bright red and bright blue logos are just about the only differences in these programs.

There are too many similarities to point out in one blog post, but I will say this: Touche Fox, you've added yet another successful program to your list of giants- only this one, we've all seen.

Mitsubishi concept town

At First Glance: Hm, I wonder if they're talking about Normal, Illinois- it sure looks like it. Cool concept, almost like a concept car, but even bigger- a concept town. Oh, they are talking about Normal, Illinois. I wonder why? Cue Catchphrase: "Welcome to the new Normal." ...Perfection.




Mitsubishi's "Welcome to the new Normal" campaign/concept really hit home, literally and metaphorically. As I attend the Chicago Auto Show annually, I see many concept cars. Mitsubishi raises the bar with The New Normal concept town. Up until this commercial, I had never heard of "electric charging stations," but figured they were necessary for the electric car to survive. Mitsubishi takes initiative and starts the ball rolling in Normal, Illinois.

Tobacco Advertising

Winston Cigarettes was known for their famous slogan, "Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should." For Winston's advertising campaign in the '60s, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble take the main stage in this TV commercial.

This commercial is a little shocking to me, only because I did not grow up with tobacco being advertised. More importantly, I think it is interesting to analyse the target audience in the commercial. Clearly, The Flintstones is a children's show. Adults may have watched with their children from time to time, but Winston is targeting children in this commercial. This strategy seems somewhat relentless to me (give the kids a chance), but it also is pretty logical: get kids to think smoking is cool by using the Flintstones, and start them early because nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Logical, yet a tad unethical.

In the pictures below, Winston is reaching out the the working man. A different approach, but still looks like it would have been effective in the '60s. After all, it was the number one selling cigarette from '66-'72.

Buona Beef's social media campaign

At First Glance: Buona, like Buona Beef. How-Big-Is-Your-Buona? HOW BIG IS YOUR BUONA?! Hilarious

I saw this advertisement on a billboard on my way back up to Milwaukee this weekend. It took me a second to really comprehend what they were doing. At first, I recognized the "Buona" brand which is highlighted in orange. Then, I realized what they were doing: a play on words. I think it is especially clever for Buona Beef to do this because it really makes people stop and take a second look (At least for people that understand "Buona" is pronounced Boh-nah).

Not only did it make me laugh, it showed me that their brand has personality and ultimately led me to their website Buona Beef. The website is nicely laid out, with easy navigation, appealing design and a really cool social media campaign. By liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter, you are entered for a chance to win free Buona Beef for a year!