Promoting a Local Store

Our group decided that we were going to promote Mary Contrary, a local privately owned store in downtown Greensboro, NC.
For outdoor advertising we plan to make a chalkboard in the alley between Mary Contrary and its neighbor Shakra's spa. We will create the chalkboard out of black chalkboard paint and we will have a bucket of chalk available for our customer's kids to be able to play. This technique will also bring new customers in to the store and make our store more known. When children stop to play, their parents will be lured in to the store out of curiosity...plus, just as the shop Just Be... is known for the bubble machine on the outside of the store, we will start to be known for our chalkboard. The chalkboard will also have the name of our store painted on the top left corner and on the top right corner the item of the day will be posted daily and any specials or promotions that the store has for that week will also be displayed..this way customers are aware of what is going on in the store before they enter.
At Mary Contrary we will also give out bookmarks or magnets of Mary's Posy people to every customer. If a customer spends up to $25 they will get a bookmark and anything over $30 they will receive a free magnet. Mary's Posy people are especially made by Mary herself out of flowers from her backyard...the Posy people are then photographed and scanned onto our bookmarks and magnets. Customers can also buy plates and other decorations with Mary's Posy people printed on them. These bookmarks and magnets will start a viral marketing campaign for the store when other people see our customer's Posy People and become curious as to where they were purchased, etc.
To further our promotion of Mary Contrary we will also start a customer mailing list and each customer that gives the store 5 new customer names and emails will receive a special discount offer and each of the new customers will also receive the special offer. There will also be emails sent out monthly to let our customers know of the events and specials going on each month and to advertise special offers.
We hope these new strategies along with our monthly advertisements in local magazines such as downtown mags and women's mags (skirt) will further promote our local store and create a new customer base.

Lindsay Lohan

Every week there is a new story about Lindsay Lohan doing something crazy and dramatic. A couple of years ago she was anorexic and best friends with Nicole Richie. In 2004 she went from a full, voluptuous shape during the taping of "Mean Girls" to being all skin and stick-thin bones. During this time she also wrecked her car while she was driving intoxicated, and again was pulled over by the cops for a DUI at which time drugs were found in her car. Even incriminating pictures of her and Vanessa Minnillo were leaked to the public, displaying the two fooling around with knives. During this time Lindsay Lohan fooled around with her share of guys....

In the past couple of months Lindsay has gone from boys to girls. The media has been showing her with Samantha Ronson for some time. And every week the media goes back and fourth questioning whether or not Lindsay is interested in girls or guys now...showcasing the couples fights/romantic outings.

I think that all of the negative publicity Lindsay Lohan has gotten in recent years has actually helped the celebrity...She is more popular now than ever before...and even though she has been in movies since she was really young, she was never really recognizable until she hit the media with her bad attitude and unhealthy activities. Now she is one of the most talked about, photographed, and idolized stars of her time--people even dress up as her for Halloween.

2008 Superbowl Ads

I went and watched the top ten ads from the 2008 Superbowl, and I will have to say that three of the commercials really stuck in my head.
Well first of all, I have never seen Rocky or the Godfather, so the Budweiser and Audi commercials that took a spin off of those two movies really didn't make sense to me. But since all superbowl commercials are really targeted toward men, I can see how both of those two advertisements would get a lot of recognition.
The three that I liked the best though were the carrier pigeon ad by FedEx, The bobble head ad by Diet Pepsi Max, and the Justin Timberlake ad for Pepsi Stuff.
All three of these ads, as most all of superbowl ads, use humor as the message appeal. Since most commercials are targeted toward men during the Superbowl, most all advertisements either use the message appeal of sex or the appeal of humor. And then both of the Pepsi commercials use movie stars, probably to appeal to the younger audience.
After watching the Diet Pepsi Max commercial I really want to try the beverage and see if its any good.
Usually all the Budlight commercials are my favorite during the Superbowl. Budlight always uses humor as a message appeal and their commercials always succeed in making me laugh. This past year's Budlight commercials were pretty good, but they weren't my favorite.

What I Like and Don't Like in Advertisement

What I Like!!!

Starbucks Free Cup of Coffee for Voters-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2J8KJDsqqY

On November 4th, election day, Starbucks is giving a free tall coffee to all voters. For their ad campaign, the company's message appealed to guilt and fear, asking the audience, "What if we all cared enough to vote?"
Then the company continued the ad by answering their own question, prompting the audience by saying if we all did vote (100% of us) our country might be a better place, and our world might be a better place. That is a lot for each citizen to carry on his/her back; that each person's vote could determine their own future, other citizen's future, the country's future, and possibly the world's future. And strikes fear when the viewer realizes when the polls close there is no way to go back and vote and try to make a change.
The ad really hits home and gets the audience to think what would happen "if we cared as much on Nov. 5 as we care on Nov. 4th?" The ad then finishes by telling the viewer that if he/she goes out to vote on election day, then Starbucks will give him/her a free coffee!
I love this ad because it is straight to the point, and gives multiple reasons and incentives for people to go out and vote on election day. I think it is very important for everyone to voice their opinion and vote, because their one vote could really make a difference in our country, especially in the state that we are in right now. And Starbucks's advertisement states just that, and helps the viewer realize that 100% of people should vote...and in getting to this point, Star buck's even questioned viewers and it almost made me feel as if the company was trying to tell the viewer that he/she would regret not voting. Plus, it gives incentives to vote such as people will not regret the decision to vote, one vote could change the country and world, and all voters get a FREE CUP OF COFFEE!!


The Speech PSA-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLdFreZRw0s&feature=related

This was a commercial for MTV's Think campaign, "it's your (sex) life". This commercial definitely appeals to humor, but it also has an underlying message of fear. The ad starts off with a girl putting her pants and jacket back on, and a guy in a dorm room bunk bed asking the girl, "are you leaving?"
Then the girl proceeds to give a one minute speech on how she will never sleep with a guy without a condom and that it was absurd for the guy to even think that she would ever consider having sex without a condom. In her speech she even refers to the guy in the bed as "Guy I Almost Slept With" and tells him she has one rule about sleeping with someone and that is "you gotta use a ticket if you wanna ride the ride". The girl even asks the "Guy she almost slept with" if he really thought wearing a thin piece of lubricated rubber between their hot, sweaty bodies would be worse than staying the night alone?!!!....
I thought this advertisement was hilarious...and the speech seemed to be something no guy would ever want to hear, but one that every guy should hear. The ad almost seems like it could happen in real life. But it conveys a message very clearly... THINK. USE A CONDOM. At the end of the ad..across the bottom of the screen it says "YOUR BODY. YOUR RULES" and I know how most girls like to set their own rules and be bossy whenever possible. The girl in this ad told the boy her own rules and made it so either he had to follow her one rule, or he ended up empty handed....in this case, the boy ended up empty handed.



What I don't Like

Axe Dark Temptation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2q0rPWF4Jw

We all know what commercial I am talking about, and I am just really turned off by the content of the ad. The message of this ad is supposed to appeal to sex, and while I am usually open to sexual and provocative ads (usually I find these ads somewhat humorous) I find this commercial almost disgusting.
First of all, the boy in the commercial was actually good looking BEFORE he put the Axe body spray on...and then he just became a walking candy? I don't get it...He breaks off his nose and puts it into two girls' ice cream cones? How sexy or hot is that? Why would anyone want a guy with a hole in his face where a nose should be? How is that attractive? Plus, after he becomes chocolate his eyes become beady and bug like and creepy! And then girls start licking his face? and biting his butt? (I am not sure about anyone else, but those are two things that I do not participate in with my boyfriend or guy friends). Not to mention the commercial ends with one of his arms melting off and the other being torn off by a passing vehicle!!
The ad turns from being very sexual to what reminds me of a horror flick.
Plus, although the ad says the new Axe Dark Temptation is as irresistible as chocolate, I am still left wondering how a chocolate boy with a missing nose and two missing arms has anything to do with a body spray. Plus, in comparing the scent to be as irresistible as chocolate really turns me off...since I used to work at ColdStone Creamery and I used to come home smelling of chocolate all the time, and believe me the scent was not irresistible. It made me sick. Too much of a good thing is OVERKILL!! And I don't think this advertisement was very enticing.


Aussie's Opposites Attract Spray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBEO8t9XIGo&feature=related

In this commercial a kangaroo is getting a massage when Aussie's Opposites Attract Hair Spray shoots out of the kangaroo's pouch. This advertisement is supposed to be humorous, however, when the Aussie Spray pops out of the Roo's pouch, it actually looks as though it is popping out of somewhere else...if you know what I mean...
In turn, this commercial actually grosses me out. Who wants to use hairspray when it has popped out of a kangaroo's vagina?
On top of this, the information was not beneficial or cohesive. The narrator actually says, "Don't get rubbed the wrong way" and for the longest time, as a viewer of this commercial, I am sitting here pondering exactly how that has anything to do with hairspray?
Oh, and one more thing, even if the hairspray did seem to shoot out of the kangaroo's pouch, I am stuck wondering why a kangaroo would be carrying around a bottle of hairspray, in her pouch or any other holding place.

Creative Brief

Allstate Parent-Teen Driving Contract

Client Information: Allstate is an insurance company whose motto is "Are you in Good Hands". They are most well-known for their auto insurance, especially their commercial advertisements for their auto insurance. They also provide boat, home, motorcycle, renters, and business insurance. The company also offers a parent-teen driving contract that any parent can create for their own teenager to follow while driving.

Project: This project is to do a one minute commercial advertisement for Allstate's Parent-Teen Driving Contract.

Prepared By: Christie Collins

Approved by: Supervisor Kim Neil

Background and Overview: Allstate is already an established company that is well-known for their automobile insurance. However, the company has recently found how dangerous and wreckless teen drivers can be; with over 6,000 teenagers involved in fatal accidents each year, teen drivers have become a very important target market for the company. And teen drivers have not only become a strong target market for Allstate, but Allstate also genuinely cares about the lives of these people. The parent-teen driving contract is not insurance itself, but is a way for parents to teach their teens of the dangers of driving and to start a serious conversation with their teen about the consequences of wreckless driving. The contract lists eight key topics that can be read by both parents and children, and then allows the parent to make rules that their teen must follow while driving, and consequences of breaking those rules. This contract allows for the parents to be more involved in their teen's driving experience, to help insure that their child has a safe trip.

Objective and Purpose of the Ad: For this campaign we will need to introduce the contract and let our audience know how important it is for teens to be very aware drivers. We want to "start the conversation" between parents and their teens about safe, defensive drivers. To do this we need to strike a small fear in our target market by giving straight statistics of wreckless teen driving, and perhaps show the audience just how many people are affected each year. Allstate wants more customers, but also less deaths; it is a very serious matter when we are talking about young peoples' lives. The commercial needs to grab the attention of the audience and strike fear in them, but not make it so parents never want their teen to drive! The commercial has to be subtle but memorable.

Target Audience: Our target audience will be any parent of a teen driver. These parents will be the ones to initiate the contract, however, we can hope if a teen driver sees our ad, it will also catch their attention and at least allow them to consider the consequences of driving carelessly.

What is the single most important thing we want to say? We want parents to realize they need to talk to their teen about driving and we want to help them start this conversation by giving them an easy suggestion on how to go about talking to their teen.

What are the supporting rational or emotional reasons to act or believe?
6,000 fatal teen car accidents happen in a year!!!! Parents must do something to help this statistic decrease and Allstate wants to help!

Mandatory Elements and Helpfull information and insights:
1. 6,000 teen drivers go out for a ride and never come back
2. Must include teenagers in the scene. Perhaps driving or having fun, hanging out with friends
3. Must not only tell the number of fatal teen accidents but the commercial needs to try and show the audience visually just how many kids that is to die in one year
4. Must not completely scare the client away from wanting their child to drive. The commercial should leave out the words "fatal crashes" or "deaths" and try and take a more subtle approach.
5. The commercial should have a particular background song that brings in the audience and is relevant to the advertisement- Jason Wade from Lifehouse "From Where You Are"

Schedule: We need a complete, full minute commercial by February 15, 2009. The commercial must air the next week.

Out of Home Advertising

Advertisements are everywhere these days; through television and magazines in homes, to billboards and blimps outside.

One of the oddest, yet most clever advertisements are posters in public bathrooms.
I think posters on the doors of bathroom stalls are one of the oddest places to advertise, but they also always get the attention of consumers as well.

I know that when I go to a concert or out to a bar or a restaurant and there are advertisements on the bathroom stalls, I almost always end up reading them.
But I also would not expect companies to actually advertise in such "grungy" places. It is out of the norm, but it works.

Positioning for Flat Earth

I think that Flat Earth' positioning and target market fit the chip quite well. I think health conscious women in their late 20s-40s would really enjoy this chip. Chips are usually considered a junk food, but there is something about the crispness and chrunchiness of a chip that makes it hard to keep consumers away, even dieting consumers. I think Flat Earth's idea to make a chip out of fruits and vegies is brilliant. That way the consumer is getting the "crunch" of a chip, while also intaking the nutrients their bodies need.
It seems that many women in the 20-50 year old range are seeking ways to say fit and healthy and keep their bodies nourished, so Flat Earth would be ideal for these women who need an extra delicious, boost.
I also enjoy the commercial because the brand is all about making the impossible possible. In the commercial the woman character discovers the impossible- a delicious chip made out of vegetables, that gives her body 1/2 a serving of vegies in every once. At the end of the commercial the pig that lead her to the chips also does the impossible- it flies away. The pig in the commercial also represents the logo for Flat Earth that is a pig with wings.

If the brand was positioned to a younger audience, I would suggest making more flavors like the Apple Cinnamon Grove, and adding sweetness to the flavors. Maybe a Pumpkin Nutmeg flavor, or a fruit and yogurt. The brand should probably also use handsome men in their commercials, like perhaps to make the impossible happen, have a frog that turns into a good-looking man at the end of the commercial; instead of a pig that flies away.

Ethics in Advertising

It is hard to say whether advertisers are right or wrong when targetting children, or teens. From one standpoint, I think that in recent years advertisers have been smart to start targetting children and teens rather than adults, because even though the adults are the ones with all the buying power, children and teens are very influential in what thier parents buy. I know as a kid I got whatever I wanted, in fact, I still do. And when I was younger I would make the biggest fuss if I didn't get what I wanted. And this is the same for many children; they will nag their parents and make a fuss until they get what they want. I think it is a smart move for the companies to target children and teens in their ads, it increases sales, and broadens the market. However, I also think there is a line that advertisers should not cross. Marketing toys to children and teens is a lot different than promoting alcohol and cigarettes.

When it comes to advertising alcohol and cigarettes, advertisers should be careful not to target children or teens. I think it is unethical to put a print ad promoting alcohol in a teen magazine. Teenagers are not old enough to buy the product, and it is illegal for parents to buy this product for their teenager. There is a reason for the age limit. Teenagers are not responsible enough to drink alcohol (as a teen I would have disagreed with this arguement), they do not know their limits, they are too immature, and many teens use the drug for fun, to be cool and popular. Teenagers do not understand the harmful effects of alcohol, and I do not believe that we, as a society, educate our teens enough when it comes to the topic of alcohol. And advertisers are feeding off of this. Advertisers make drinking alcohol seem so exciting...and many advertisers try to link drinking alcohol to living an ideal lifestyle...too many times I have seen beautiful people in expensive clothes, lying by a pool, drinking alcohol. I am not going to lie, as a teenager this type of ad made me want to drink alcohol, it is very intising.
All teenagers see when these types of ads are on tv commercials or in teen magazines print ads is FUN! Many do not even consider alcohol a drug...they do not see the addiction problem they could face, or the memory loss, or the increased aging rate. So, for one I do not think it is ethical for advertisers to promote alocohol to kids and teens, the other thing is that I think parents and schools need to educate kids about alcohol and other drugs at a younger age...and educate them better.

And advertisements for cigarettes should be limited too...I haven't seen a cigarette ad on television for many years...but advertisers should be careful with print ads for cigarettes just as alcohol. Even though there is now the Surgeon Generals Warning on packages and in ads, it still does not mean anything to teenagers. The only thing that matters is if smoking makes them look cool, and when smoking is tied to movie stars and extravagant lifestyles...teens are going to try and get cigarettes and teens will smoke. And again, just as with alcohol, I do not think that children and teens are educated enough about the effects of smoking. Tobacco and Nicotine are drugs too...and smoking cigarettes is also very addicting.

It is hard to debate whether advertisers go too far to push their product...especially when it comes to alcohol and cigarettes. As I said, if kids and teens were better educated about these drugs, there would be less of a chance that they would fall into being a victim of the drugs. However, when advertisers tie these drugs into fantastic, fun, extravagant lifestyles, the education of the products only goes so far.

Being "cool" rules over anything.

Brand Identity: Free People

Free People is a unique, creative brand that targets women in their 20's who want to feel simple pleasure, and freedom in the clothes and styles they wear. The focus for Free people is to create different looks for women, no matter what their personalities, so not one person will come out of the store dressed like the rest of the customers who shop there. Selling mostly through wholesale, and more recently branching to boutique stores around the country, Free People is growing, and looking for energetic, confident women constomers.



Core Identity

Product Thrust: stylish, contemporary clothing, accessories, and shoes
User Profile: women in their 20's who are creative and confident. These women like freedom in their dress so that their clothes can be as unique as each of their personalities.
Clothing Quality: well-made, durable, strongly constructed clothing at an affordable price
Core Image: appeals to the images of "femininity, courage, and spirit"


Extended Identity

Brand Personality: exciting, fun, stylish, creative, adventurous, romantic, spirited; for every woman, for every day, in every life
Product Scope: affordable stylish clothes, shoes, and accessories, and recycled vintage attire
Subbrands: WE THE FREE, vintage decorative hand made clothing
Logo: the image of a dragonfly; symbolizing freedom. The customers are free, able to fly/soar to new heights, and confident to reach their goals while staying comfortable and true with themselves
Brand Colors: neutrals and vivid pastels, or darker hues; very feminine and natural
Heritage: In the 1970's Dick Hayne developed a clothing line in Pennsylvania that allowed women to feel freedom and creativity through their dress


Value Proposition

Functional Benefits: Affordable clothing line that provides comfort as well as style and uniqueness with extras like a vibrant lounging area for boutique customers, and artistic hand made fixtures to bring an aesthetically pleasing experience to all customers.
Emotional Benefits: Feeling free to be yourself, while pleasing an artistic personality. Subbrands give back to the environment by recycling and re-designing vintage clothing articles
Self-expressive Symbolic Benefits: Self-expression is very evident throughout the entire Free People theme through handmade articles of clothing and fixtures, to encourage women to be themselves: confident, comfortable, creative, unique, romantic, adventurous, and strong beings.
Credibility: Creative, functional quality clothing that is comfortable



All Information found through Free People in the "Our Story" section of www.freepeople.com. 2008.

Top 10 Advertising Agencies

1. J. Walter Thompson
2. Leo Burnett Worldwide
3. McCann Erikson Worldwide
4. BBDO Worldwide
5. Grey Worldwide
6. DDB Worldwide
7. Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
8. Foote, Cone, & Belding Worldwide
9. Y & R Advertising
10. Publicis Worldwide
(Shimp, Terence A . Advertising, Promotion and other aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications)



Several Ads from these Agencies that I enjoyed included the following:

Leo Burnett's
If...Insurance
The Risk Experts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ2XjVNFcuw

I enjoyed this Leo Burnett advertisement not only because it had a cute animated mouse in it, but it was also humorous and unique.



J. Walter Thompson's
Grolsch-"Mr Jone's"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZuhJTHe_FQ

I love the song, I love the fabulous lifestyle that is portrayed in the commercial, and I like the gorgeous actor. Its funny how the Dove commercial below is actually trying to show the negative impact that an ad like this Grolsch commercial can have on young children and socitey...I still like the ad though.



Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
Dove- Onslought Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=321Kb8pBu5s

I think this advertisement for Dove was not only entertaining, but also gave a good satirycal representation of how the American fashion industry and the public can have a negative influence on young children. Most advertisements today display beautiful, skinny, famous people in their ads...not many ads display what the average American woman looks like, and this can make people too overly concerned with outward appearances.



Leo Burnett's
Cadillac Escalade Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0h9-t1SxEk

This commercial made it obvious that Cadillac decided to take a different route in advertising for the Escalade. Instead of targeting an upper-middle class suburban customer base, this commercial focused on the hip-hop culture. It adding heavy background beats and showed off the Escalades' flashy chrome accents, shiny dash, and serious bass speakers.