talk

This summer, I spent nine weeks as a creative services and new business development intern at the vox collective. I had hoped to intern at an agency this summer to find out more about what people in the different departments of an ad agency do on a day-to-day level, since I knew I was interested in advertising, but I wasn’t exactly positive as to whether creative would be a better fit for me than accounts would be, or whether new business development might turn out to be more fun for me than media would. I also wanted to get a feel for the culture, hours, and atmosphere at an agency. In the end, I found out about all of this and more. I learned an enormous amount about advertising and life at an agency, and also about myself.

As a creative intern, I had the opportunity to write copy for the Meet the Optimists campaign, and the chance to sit in on meetings and brainstorming sessions for projects involving clients like Verizon and Macy’s. I really enjoyed being a part of the kind of creative strategizing that goes on in meetings like this, and writing copy gave me a chance to hone my writing and editing skills. On the days that I helped the new business team, I learned how to effectively research companies, product categories, and consumer habits, and also how to prepare creative briefs and new business development briefs.

I also got to help with the planning and launch of the Mutli-influentials brand, and with the preparations for the Raul Higuera exhibition event, which were both really fun ways to learn about the kind of work that goes into a brand launch or a special event. In addition, I got to write for the vox collective blog (www.voxcollective.com/talk) about everything from fashion trends to the recession. Since I love writing, this was a great opprotunity for me.

But what I think impressed me the most was the culture at vox. Everyone I met was friendly, helpful, and encouraging, but nobody shied away from giving me assignments that stretched my abilities and showed me I was capable of things I never thought I would have been. I learned that voxers love to work extremely hard, but play hard too. They’re great collaborators and are truly enthusiastic about their work, whether it’s media management or account direction, so I got to intern in an inspiring atmosphere. And from traffic meetings to client meetings, life at the vox is not only fast-paced and purposeful, but it’s fun as well. I’m thrilled with the way my summer internship turned out, and very grateful to everyone at vox who made it possible and shared their knowledge and experience with me.

Written by Charlotte Blumenfeld

Quidditch. Hogwarts. Gryffindor. Even though you won’t find them in the Oxford English Dictionary, if you haven’t been living under a rock (or sequestering yourself from all entertainment media coverage) for the past decade, you probably know what these words refer to. The sport played by Harry Potter and his pals, the school they attend, and the house in which they reside all comprise integral parts of the storyline at the heart of one of the biggest print, motion picture, licensed merchandise, and web content media juggernauts in recent memory.  In fact, after reviewing worldwide box office returns, Warner Bros. announced in a 2007 press release that the Harry Potter film series had become the most successful movie franchise in history. When the sixth and latest installment of the film series hit theaters on July 17, the franchise raked in $58.2 million in North America alone within just the first twenty-four hours of its release. Harry Potter, with all its attendant sequels and products, has clearly achieved real cultural ubiquity in many regions of the globe—and the blockbuster financial returns to match. And its momentum doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

So what can marketing and media professionals learn from the runaway success of the latest Harry Potter film, and of the Harry Potter franchise more generally? Firstly, as the old adage goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Although marketers should always be looking for ways to innovate and to deliver more value (or at least more perceived value) to the consumer, the franchise’s continuing profitability is living proof that once a brand name identifies itself as a strong presence in the marketplace, its essential character shouldn’t be tampered with. Just as Harry Potter content has been leveraged in multiple media channels, but has not been diluted or stretched too thin, so to speak, by being licensed for use on merchandise targeted to either the toddler market or the 65+ one, other brands shouldn’t try to be all things to all people. At the same time, throwing financial muscle (in the form of underwriting the costs of heavy promotion) behind a brand name that has shown itself to have natural appeal to consumers of both genders and a wide variety of age groups has been a savvy and lucrative decision for everyone involved in the Potter franchise. The same key strategy has worked extremely well for market leaders like Coca-cola and McDonald’s, and could prove to be a valuable approach for managers of smaller brands as well.

Written by Nicolas Pinto

Billy Mays, the famous commercial pitchman, most known for his role in the OxiClean commercials, passed away on June 28, 2009, at the age of 50. Mays began his career at mall shows and convention centers near Atlantic City. There he learned the tricks of the trade from other veteran pitchmen and practiced his talent until he got to the top and became the famous OxiClean yelling pitchmen. His breakthrough helped the Appel family and Orange Glo International into a $200 million powerhouse. This year, he teamed up with his long time friend Anthony Sullivan to start on a Discovery Channel show “Pitch Men” aimed to show the world the process of the products that start from ideas that everyday people have, to multimillion dollar products that reach every house hold in America. Billy Mays knew how to turn an idea into a powerful invention, and helped people make their dreams come true.

Famous commercials from Billy Mays:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NNv2oiWdRU

http://www.asseenontvvideo.com/Billy-Mays.html

Written by Melissa Schwartz

In this day and age, technology seems to be establishing itself as the go-to medium for marketing campaigns. However, some major companies are taking an old school approach when it comes to promoting their products and services—and they are generating positive results!

Nike’s “Paper Battlefield” campaign, which consisted of a series of silk screen posters featuring and created by the top 10 teenage stars of the Nike Basketball League, just won the renowned Cannes Design Grand Prix on June 24^th.  What makes this win most interesting is that in an applicant pool consisting of over 1,100 campaign entries, many of which were touted as ‘technologically innovative’, Nike’s campaign utilized a 10^th century platform (silk screening). They were renowned “for simplicity over technical virtuosity or category-busting innovation”; according to the Cannes design jury.

Nike isn’t the first power-brand taking a back to basics approach to marketing.  In 2007, UPS launched their now infamous Whiteboard campaign, a series of commercials featuring a man drawing mundane pictures on a white board in order to tell stories about different UPS shipping options and company values. Since the commercials first aired they have received over 100,000 hits on YouTube and were even parodied by arch nemesis—FedEx.

So why are such basic campaigns generating so much consumer buzz? When companies such as CBS Outdoor are developing advertising platforms which allow consumers to connect their iPhone to a display screen via WiFi or 3G to create personalized posters, how is one guy with a pen and a white board making headlines?  I could only imagine it is at least partially due to the fact that consumers are constantly inundated with cutting edge media. Ironically, technical and creative innovation has become the norm. In an era where each design company and advertising agency are attempting to outdo one another with the most attention grabbing and novel ideas, the presence of straightforward campaigns–where the message, not the medium, is the main focus—can be relieving. Throw in the fact that in this economy marketing budgets are being cut left and right, and everyone seems to be scaling down, letting go of some of the bells and whistles associated with modern advertising may just be the way to go.

See these ads at:

http://whiteboard.ups.com/#

http://adage.com/cannes09/article?article_id=137548 

I’ve heard it stated before that the sale of “small luxuries” like lipsticks and other beauty products actually increase during times of economic recession.  It seems this is ringing especially true right now with Latinas!  Latinas are more image conscious than non-Latinas in that 57% (compared to 42% of non-Latinas) said that they do “whatever it takes to look younger”.  In fact, Latinas are actually spending more than women of other races in the clothing, footwear, accessories and make-up departments!

Some cosmetic brands (Sephora, Clinique, L’Oreal) have already foreseen the great buying power that the Hispanic community presents and have expanded their line of products to incorporate more appealing options for Latinas.  Also, and possibly more important, these products live alongside and often in conjunction with their general market counterparts.  By doing this, these brands are actually creating a sense of acknowledgement amongst Latinas.  And being that Latinas are brand loyal consumers, I think it’s safe to say that no brand can afford ignoring them!

Experience leads to understanding.
Understanding leads to insights that can’t be learned in a seminar or from a book.
There is much talk these days about how the insight gained from ones colored life experience, adds to the understanding of a multicultural society.
I speak candidly of the discussion surrounding Judicial Nominee Sonya Sotomayor who enjoys a quick wit, a sharp mind and an honest tongue; all traits praised in Caribbean culture. It is ironic how her ethnicity not only influences her perception; it may be misleading how she is perceived, especially by those who do not understand her culture. The fact that she is so misunderstood gives credence to the argument that there is a large segment of the population that just “doesn’t get” multicultural.
The funny thing is that Sotomayor’s perfect English her credentials and her judges trappings leads this segment assume she should behave according to the protocol for women of their ethnic backgrounds, a stark contrast to the ones she grew up with. Aside from being female, Sotomayor might have little in common with a demure southern belle, or a housewife in the Hamptons.

One’s life experience for better or worse will always inform ones perception.
This only becomes a liability when one is not in touch with this fact, and assumes that everyone should share his point of view.
I think it’s noteworthy to be able to admit that our experience, ethnicity, religious upbringing, and our gender influence our perspective.  We do our best to look beyond that as necessary especially when trying to understand others, and leverage it when the time is right. Often enough this honest acknowledgement of our own colored lenses gives us extra motivation to get to know how others tick. It is this honest search that is to be valued in marketing as well as on the judicial bench. Taking no opinions for granted, making no assumptions, we are best armed to search for truth.

America’s Needle has Permanently Shifted.

We are not the United States of 15 years ago, and never has this been more apparent than in the election of our new president. Barack Hussien Obama represents everything that is different about our new America from the inside out. Younger than most of his predecessors , half black, half white, raised between Hawaii, Kansas and Indonesia - his complete profile could not be more different that those of Presidents past. His election and his cabinet nominees send a clear message for brand managers across the nation. Today’s mainstream market has fundamentally changed. It looks, thinks, and responds in a way that is completely new. This has been extremely hard for most traditional marketers to grapple with; and though it has led to much speculation, few have managed to plan and capitalize on this new American psychology. Those that have such as Obama, Nike, Apple, and others continue to reap enormous benefits.

It’s safe to say that the speed at which technology and media have been evolving have made us a more informed people with easy access to information in our language from around the world. The gadgets and widgets that keep us plugged in have made us avid yet selective (and  often critical) consumers of information. It has also made us a more empowered consumer, as platforms such as cnet, amazon, youtube, google groups, social networking sites and others allow us to complement or criticize brands and products as we see fit. With one click we can spread the word good or bad whether companies like it or not.

At the same time, immigration and globalization have changed our inner composition as a country and our exposure to other cultures abroad. With the entry of so many peoples from Latin America and Asia the apple pie of America has slowly evolved into more of an exotic fruit salad; richer in color and taste. As a people, Americans have a more global sense of self; what used to be patriotism to country alone has evolved into a loyalty to planet, and the world as a whole. This is what is causing the great leftward shift that has our conservative republican party flustered. Country First is not as relevant as People and Planet First.

continue reading “The Needle has Shifted”

Media Nerd is a native New Yorker and grew up among people of many different ethnicities. All the immigrant groups that contributed to the Boom generation had a very different experience from today’s Hispanic immigrant; to think that the Hispanic immigrant will behave the same way is to misjudge the current environment and mood. Becoming “American” doesn’t mean abandoning where you came from. The world has gotten smaller thanks to major improvements in communication and mass media technologies, so a large immigrant group will retain its native language. Hispanics are also rightfully proud of their heritage and this must be respected in your advertising efforts.

So Media Nerd invites you to have a margarita or a mojito while pondering the following:

1. Hispanic media availability and use is very different from general market. Television is by far the primary reach medium, so you must do this one correctly. You can’t replace it with anything else.
2. It’s not enough to translate your existing TV or radio spots into Spanish; they need to be culturally relevant. There are core values common to most Hispanic groups, but there are many vernacular nuances. You need a Hispanic ad agency with an ethnically diverse staff to provide their expertise in this area.
3. Just as language and media choice will affect your effectiveness, so will timing. If you discover that your Hispanic sales peak differently from your general market sales, your agency should be flighting your media buys accordingly. Launching everything simultaneously will make no sense if Hispanics start and finish their Christmas shopping earlier.
4. If you need to do local efforts, keep in mind that all markets are not created equal. Los Angeles and Chicago are primarily Mexican, New York and Miami are primarily Caribbean, Miami is more Spanish-dominant while New York is more bilingual; all of these factors affect the local media landscape and the users’ media habits.
5. Spanish-language newspapers are not likely to have a lot of reader duplication, so if your agency recommends 5 of them in a mid-sized to large market, that’s because you will need all five to reach the market.

As they say in novelas, “No te preocupes.”* A good Hispanic agency will be your strongest ally and best friend in capturing the hearts and minds of this market.

*Don’t worry.

By now I’m sure we’ve all heard of the Swine Flu epidemic which has been creating media frenzy for the past 2 weeks. IF you have not heard of it, frankly I’m a little concerned for you, and not because of the threat Swine Flu poses. In light of the current outbreak I have been stocking up on Purell these days but that is as far as my preventative measures have taken me. However, others are taking it to a bit more extreme measures… I give you the Flu Fashion Respirator Mask! They look like the surgical masks you would find in a drug store just wrapped in “stylish” fabric. The collection includes bandana prints, tie dye and of course what line would be complete without animal prints?! I haven’t been fortunate enough to see anyone sporting these on the streets of NYC yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time!

America is at its most multicultural when it is in the kitchen and the dining room. What we eat is a product of both our immigrant backgrounds as well as a more global and connected world.  Instead of a melting pot, we now have a delicious tossed salad with a multitude of options for dressings. Latino culture, with its growing influence, is part of this dining revolution. This Latino boom is driven by both mainstream interest in all things Latin, as well as a stronger interest by Latinos of all levels of acculturation to go back to their roots. This creates an opportunity for grocery stores and super-markets to develop in-culture experiences that will appeal Latinos and non-Latinos alike.

Creating an in-culture experience begins by knowing your local consumer base. You should invest in research to learn about the Hispanics in your sales area. Two of the key areas to look at are the nationalities and levels of acculturation represented. The nationality is key as it determines what types of food and products they’ll embrace. The level of assimilation is another key element that will influence the experience and products they seek. Those less assimilated to American culture, usually Spanish dominant, will be more attracted to products and experiences from back home.

Once you have a sense of the size and make-up of the population you’ll be in a better position to determine what type of experience to create. You should spend time with the consumer to find out more about the products and brands they want, but more importantly about the role of food in their lives as it will be these insights that will allow you to establish a true dialogue.

Any Hispanic grocery program should start with understanding that food is one of the cornerstones of Hispanic culture. As a result going to the supermarket, for instance, is a family experience where everyone plays a role. The dining experience is equally participatory, with multiple generations sharing a dinner table, as well as recipes. This applies to special occasions.

Given the central role of food in culture, the super market can play a strong bonding role with your Hispanic consumer. This is why bodegas are so popular both in Latin America and in U.S. Hispanic markets. They are meeting places to obtain not only the most fresh produce and products, but also where they connect with their communities.

This is one of the biggest lessons for American super-markets as they speak to Latinos, how to create this experience of trust. And this is more than just the product, this is about having the right staff who can speak the language. It’s also about creating events and having communications that speak to these insights. And with close to $1 trillion in purchasing power, and growing, that is a recipe American super-markets cannot afford to miss.