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.

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.