Susan G. Komen

I can go on and on about Susan G. Komen For the Cure and how well they utilize modern advertising and marketing technique. But let's face it, you'd be bored after the first three paragraphs. One thing they do extremely well and has caught many people's attention for the past two years is their unique use of social media, namely Facebook.

I recently was browsing through my Facebook news feed when I saw a status that my younger sister posted. It said "I am going to Colombia for 8 months!!!" I immediately started asking questions. Why would she be doing that? Is it a mission trip of sort? How is she affording this? I sent her a text to get to the bottom of it. She quickly replied telling me it was for breast cancer awareness. This reminded me about the breast cancer awareness Facebook statuses two years ago that corresponded with where a girl likes to put her purse when she gets home. "I like it in the closet" and "I like it on the table" were some of the popular ones. It forced people to ask questions and stuck in peoples heads. 

Social media is a great resource. It is so easy to get on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and more. On the contrary, it is not easy to do well because there is so much clutter to break through. Susan G. Komen cuts through this clutter every November.

Controversial Planet Fitness advertising

At First Glance: I can see how people would think this is funny, but this seems pretty controversial for an upcoming fitness center. I don't see the benefit in singling the body-builder type out.

Planet Fitness recently ran this "not his planet yours" campaign. It is an interesting and direct approach to reach their target market, but it also clearly singles out their non-target. As consumers we generally see advertisements that attempt to reach their target market by appealing to the type of people the target consists of. Planet Fitness decides to reverse this concept and poke fun at the people that are not in the target. This approach seems risky. I wonder how it has worked out for Planet Fitness.

Coca-Cola "smashes" its brand

Coca-Cola has been a super-power in the beverage industry and in the advertising field. One thing that Coke does is "smash" their brand. I recently read Brand Sense by Martin Lindstrom, a book about the benefits of sensory branding. A crucial concept in sensory branding is the idea of "smashing" the brand. In other words, can you cover up the logo of a brand and still easily identify what the brand is. Coke's done this throughout their entire brand, from their color scheme to their bottles, Coke is a "smashable" brand.

Other than the small logo at the bottom, this print ad for Coke is seemingly logo-less.

Nissan Leaf campaign

At First Glance: That's funny, the alarm clock was gas-powered. I think I see where this is going, what a cool idea- by who, though? Really shows how much we depend on electricity.

This is a great emotional campaign by Nissan to promote their new, fully electric Leaf. It shows how electricity plays a huge role in our lives by creating dramatized scenes with gas-powered computers, copy machines, hair dryers, alarm clocks, coffee machines and many more. This 60-second spot packs a big punch.

Nissan premiered this commercial during the 2011 Super Bowl. It displays the same mysterious quality as the first commercial, where the audience does not know the product until the end of the one minute commercial. It also gives the audience a feeling of suspense. What will this polar bear do? Where is it going? The brilliant hug from the polar bear tops it all off, and Nissan finds its way into millions of hearts around the world.