In my Marketing class last semester, we were talking about brand management and how it is crucial that companies build brand loyalty among their customer base. Well, that's all fine and good, of course. I like my "Three Musketeers" bars and no one will be able to convince me that "Snickers" or "Twix" have fluffier or more delicious chocolate.
What I didn't realize was that some people were taking this kind of brand loyalty to a whole new level:
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I guess it's too bad that WalMart changed their logo--hope he's okay with that!
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I hope he is getting some referral commissions for this when he goes to the beach.
This last one surprised me most of all--talk about dedication to social networking:
Back in the days of "The Andy Griffith Show", it was not uncommon to see Andy stop by the gas station to buy a Coke (the actual product). Sometime during the 70's though, there was a public backlash away from this kind of overt advertising during movies/TV programs and, as a result, products in shows became generic and unrecognizable.
Advertisers are sneaky though; they've realized that TiVo, Netflix and YouTube are effectively eliminating the effectiveness of commercials. They have slowly worked their marketing efforts back into movies and television over the last 30 years or so--some of them quite subtly...and other's not so much.
Enjoy!
Great Video about Product Placement in Movies
Will Smith Advertising Converse in "I, Robot"
I don't even like Converse and this video kind of makes me want to try them out.
Thought Process: Will Smith is cool--Will Smith wears Converse--if I wear Converse, then I will be cool like Will Smith!
"Transformers" Plugging for ... just about Everything
And last but not least, the famous (or infamous) daytime soap opera "Days of Our Lives" has made a shameless contract with General Mills to market Cheerios.
I actually just found out that Proctor & Gamble/WalMart are producing family movies with their brand names products all over them as well.
So keep your eyes open the next time you see a movie or TV show--you might be surprised by what you didn't see before!
I'd love to hear of any other good (or bad) product placement that you've seen / heard about.
TV these days just isn't what it used to be. I sit down every so often with siblings and all I see are shows with bratty, know-it-all kids with morons for parents and "laugh tracks" in the background.
People used to tell me that the shows that I watched as a kid were just as dumb so I decided to watch a few of them again (now that I'm older) and I still argue that they are better than the mindless garbage that is on these days.
Thus, I give you: The Top 5 Shows from My Childhood (in no particular order):
Pokemon
Dexter's Laboratory
Yu-Gi-Oh
Magic School Bus
Recess
What were your favorite shows from your childhood? I'd love to hear what would make your "Top 5 Shows" lists! Post comments below.
Do you ever wake up in a cold sweat, horrified by the thought of Facebook coming to an end? Can you imagine life without it? Do you even remember life before online social networking?
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And no, MySpace is not the correct answer.
I mean, do you really remember the early days of social networking when online hooliganism was just beginning to hit its stride?
Think hard.
I know that it's difficult to even imagine life without Facebook at your fingertips and Twitter tweeting at you every second of everyday about what Britney and Justin (Bieber or Timberlake) are up to.
Well, if you ever lose sleep at night worrying that someday the Facebook fad will pass and you will be stuck with 9,000 friends that never read your status updates, then check out this video:
I have always wanted to be like Santa Clause. He really is an idol for me with his bowl full of jelly, long flowing beard and heart full of charity and Christmas spirit.
Although I'm not too fond of the bowl full of jelly part, I am definitely excited about growing out my long flowing beard in order to help out those less fortunate this Christmas season!
The Christmas Beard Foundation is trying to raise awareness (and donations) to help out orphans in the Ukraine that really need some help.
So why not be a little bit more like St. Nicholas this Christmas season by donating even a few dollars to help those in need and by growing out your beard to raise awareness for this worthy cause.
