Movies

Short post, but I thought I’d keep you updated. I’ve always been fascinated by movies. At a young age, I found solace in the vast worlds and intricate story lines and I never looked back. A movie’s sole purpose is to entertain; and while some movies are more or less entertaining than others, many of them have their shining moments that makes the journey worth while.

Up to now, I have always referred to movies as the “black sheep” when it comes to marketing. Movies have the unique selling proposition down, as there are no other identical substitutes. Are there substitutes? Sure, there are literally thousands of movies, but no two are exactly alike. Movies are a “black sheep” because of their flexibility when it comes to marketing. There are movies that have release dates this time next year, but they are already advertising with posters and trailers! If this was 90% of other products, people would not be patient enough to wait and just buy an acceptable substitute in the meantime. With movies, we are forced to wait and the anticipation only grows. If you’re excited about Avengers Infinity War, you’re not going to pop in Batman V. Superman and call it a day. You might do that, but it’s not going to make you want to see the new Marvel movie any less. I see this as a major advantage for movies and I foresee the amount of money spent on movies and their marketing campaigns to only increase.

As fascinating as the marketing standpoint is, I like to sit back and enjoy movies on their own. It was also brought to my attention that I usually have an opinion or two about whatever movie I’m watching. So without further ado, I’ve decided to expand this blog into my very own film diary! I’m excited to initiate these movie discussions and hope you’re looking forward to my movie posts as much as I am! Stay tuned and be well!

Crayola Silly Scents

It’s been a while since my last post, but I decided to go back to my roots and examine some commercials! Fortunately, I’ve been able to move away from cable TV and towards streaming for all my entertainment needs, but unfortunately, that means I’m not seeing/critiquing commercials nearly as much as I used to. So without further ado, in an effort to stay sharp, I present my analysis of Crayola Silly Scents:

Right away we notice a classroom with kids inside, coloring with Crayola’s new Silly Scents markers. I would peg the main Ad execution technique as “slice of life” with a hint of nostalgia. What I mean by that is, we’ve all been there. Coloring with friends in class is a fairly common occurrence at elementary schools as far as I’m concerned. Given, it has been over a decade since I’ve been in an elementary school, but I digress. It seems completely within the realm of possibility, so let’s just go with that for now.

Next, we see a child sniff a marker and pull a watermelon out of his nose. Now, before I continue, I must bring up two things. First, this is something that I miss about seeing commercials regularly. Commercials can and often times are completely ridiculous. They only have so much time to relay the information about their product to us, the consumer, and I find it interesting to see how different brands go about doing that. Crayola is selling Crayons to parents that want their kids to have as much fun as the kids in this commercial. Once again, I can completely believe this scenario, that is until we see the CGI watermelon make an appearance. I will file this technique under “fantasy” because I can’t remember the last time I pulled 1/4th of a watermelon out of my nose. The second thing I’d like to bring up is the fact that this is probably going to upset some people. I mean, you can’t really put anything on the internet nowadays without people getting offended, but the image of kids sniffing markers? I don’t think that’s what the people over at D.A.R.E. had in mind. Regardless, I laughed out loud, so I’ll add “humor” to the list of techniques used. 

Next, we see a classmate’s reaction to the watermelon sniffer and she also decides to take a whiff of her marker! Lucky for her, she got the cotton candy scent. That must be 100 times more pleasant to pull out of your nose than a watermelon. Either way, we get another reaction shot from the classmates, as well as another kid reaching to sniff his marker. I’d like to add the “demonstration” technique here as well. We get not one, not two, but three kids showing us at home how to effectively use this product! Sure you can color with it, but why use it for it’s intended purpose when we could smell it instead? If you’re a kid watching at home, you’ve got to be wanting to sniff some markers by now! And for those several reasons, I’m also adding “unique selling proposition” to the list of techniques. Crayola is leaving other marker/colored pencil companies in the dust! Those other companies may have cheaper markers that color just as well, but do their markers smell like watermelons, cotton candy, popcorn and who knows what else? I doubt it. Are the kids with those markers sniffing them anyways? I honestly don’t know, but I’m guessing probably.

Anyways, this was quite a ridiculous commercial, but I didn’t hate it. I assume Crayola has done their due diligence to ensure the marker fumes are nontoxic. Here’s the list of Ad techniques I spotted in this commercial:

• Slice of Life
• Nostalgia
• Fantasy
• Humor
• Demonstration
• Unique Selling Proposition

Until next time… Have a good one.

 

Did You Know? Movies

All movies have their own unique selling proposition because they’re all tailored for different people with different tastes. Some people have no interest in seeing the Avengers, but that is why advertising is so important! Because it is possible to sway those people on the fence with strategic marketing efforts!

Movies have a huge advantage when it comes to advertising because they don’t have to worry about indirectly promoting a substitute (similar product). If you were to see a commercial for shampoo or lotion, but it told you it wasn’t coming out for a couple of months, what would you do? If you’re like %99 of people, when you go out to buy shampoo or lotion, you’re not going to go home empty handed because the new brand wasn’t there. You may recall the brand and even the commercial, but in the end you buy what’s available. And movies have the ability, unlike many other products, to build anticipation before their release! This is good news for the people sitting in the Box Office. IF YOU MAKE MOVIES, THEY WILL WATCH THEM.

Shark Week Is Coming

The title says it all. It’s a bad week to be a seal!

Honda Accord Domino Commercial

Hands Down, one of the coolest commercials ever. I don’t even want to know how long this took to make, but it sure is fun to watch! This was done using only parts from the Honda Accord. Pretty impressive, right?

Commentary: Ford Ad

Based on THIS article, is there an ethical issue?

In this situation, Ford Motor Company is under scrutiny for releasing some questionable advertisements last week. The advertisements originated from their Indian unit which used an advertising agency outside of Ford, called JWT India. As of today, it’s still unclear whether anyone at Ford India had actually approved or even seen the ads. Either way, these ads have been labeled “Disgusting” and “Demeaning to women”. Needless to say, the ads caused a sever uproar with online consumers.

The ethical situation here is obvious once you’ve seen the ad. For any company to connect their organization with such a blatantly sexist advertisement is risky to say the least. Many news readers have even used the word “stupid” and it really is. It’s just logic and common sense. Even hinting at the fact that men are superior to women is unethical; and untrue. Not to mention the fact that women (in India) are already in the spotlight from recently passed violence against women laws. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior. Ford has been in the game a long time and will probably remain here for many years to come. All Ford can do is learn from this error and keep moving forward.

This article honestly surprises me and the advertisement surprises me even more. I don’t think I’m the only one though. Ford expressed genuine shock and concern for this event. Their first action was to apologize to the public and locate the source of such advertisements. This was honestly the only option that Ford had. There’s no point in trying to deny or cover up their mistakes. We all make mistakes, and I think as people we must learn to be accepting of others mistakes.

Commercial: Carlton Draught “Big Ad”

This is another hilarious advertisement and yet again, a foreign company has really outdone themselves. Carlton Draught is an Australian lager that released the memorable “Big Ad” in 2005. I found it interesting that this advertisement was promoted even before its broadcast on television. The promotion in this case was a viral marketing technique which consisted of streaming the advertisement over the internet. With over 100,000 downloads the first day; The viral release of the “Big Ad” was so successful that the company reduced its television media budget so as not to overexpose the advertisement. Well done.

Mad Men

I’ve just recently got into this show recommended to me by my father. He obviously knows my plans to major in marketing because that’s a lot of what this show is about. I watched the first episode of season one and was instantly in love with the show. Two days later I’m already starting on the second season!

Mad Men is set in the 1960’s. Donald Draper, played by Jon Hamm is the protagonist in the show. In the first season, Donald is an Account Manager at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency. Don’t let these big words fool you though, there is plenty of excitement to go around. When you see Mr. Draper get himself into a predicament, you’re gonna want to see him smooth talk his way out of it.

When I see Donald in action and I see what he does for a living, it makes me want to pursue something similar.  I haven’t been specific which way I would go with my marketing degree, but I know it will be something like this. Advertising. Making money by getting people to pay for a product. No doubt a challenge, but I think I’m up to it.

Since it’s time on air, Mad Men has received critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style. The show has also won multiple awards, including fifteen Emmys and four Golden Globes. I’m not saying that this show is for everyone, but awards aren’t won for nothing. A lot of talented people put their time into making this show, and it’s apparent in every episode. Check it out!