Equilibrium

The Internet has changed how we decide what to buy. At Google, we call this online decision-making moment the Zero Moment of Truth or simply ZMOT.

I have been in Spain for a month, and I have noticed how different Advertising,Marketing and the B2C relationship works. Here there is far less advertising. Especially by the local shops (I've seen no advertising for them). It seems that as in other aspects of the Spanish/US lifestyle, differences here really boil down to a simplification of extremes. 

Their TV commercials aren't consumed by Dannon commercials, and the streets aren't lined with McDonalds ads (although admittedly as limited as the Ads are here McDonalds is still the most prevalent….no big surprise there)

The major companies still advertise, don't get me wrong. But I venture to guess a cause and effect here:

When you go to the grocery store there are many less options from what I've seen. 4 brands of shampoo, 6 brands of cookies, 2/3 brands juice. The competition here is scaled down extremely compared to in the US. Therefore, companies here, much more than in the US, can allow their product to either speak for itself in quality OR monopolize the market because the customer has no other option.

Now this is just a theory from my space and time in Sevilla, Spain. In other parts of the country, perhaps it is different and there is more variety, very possible. And probable in bigger cities, especially with Fashion.

 But still it is interesting to live anywhere where Advertising is so limited because in the US even in a small town like Danville, VA you're going to see hundreds of ads a day. 

I commend Cheerios for not backing down on this Ad Campaign and for creating a second video after the viral chatter that ensued with their original commercial showcasing this Biracial family. I think it is important for the ignorance that exists to be ignored by the media, including advertisement. Martin Luther King said " Darkness can not draw out darkness, only light can do that" and Ad agencies have the opportunity to be a part of the light that illuminates the world, if only they would step up and do it.

Joan Gillman

Heightened consumer awareness of data is eroding the trust they have with collecting companies, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google, per a McCann survey.

Recently I've been doing a virtual internship with this guy out in California. It's been great! He asks for social media insight, I provide it and get paid. And the best thing is I know things now about social media and the possibilities they provide for businesses (especially start ups like his). 

However, recently I've been noticing that social media although it's great free marketing comes with a caveat my mother is always reminding me off. "Nothing good comes free"

The article lined to this entry talks about the fact that consumers are becoming more and more aware of the unbeknownst data collections that are occurring online with their social media sites There is an eroding the trust they have with collecting companies, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google.

Now personally I don't care if Facebook tells NetApp I love Oreos, but clearly many do. But there is this looming paranoia that companies have to adjust and adapt for. That is why now more than ever, brand trust is important between consumers and companies. Companies cannot simply be omni-present on social media sites and build reliability with customers (as it somewhat was in the initial internet era. Think those "You won the sweepstakes" popups you fell for at first). They must instead work that much harder now to build up good old fashioned word of mouth. Consumer are what some would argue is overly conscious of their security and that translates over purchases. 

Social Media comes into this because the way many companies react to what they believe consumers want is via data collection through social media sites. So when those sites are not longer trusted, or even bigger than that the government puts into action privacy laws prevented browser tracking, what are the companies back up plans.  In this day and age is it realistic to go back to the majority of data collection into consumer preference to be done by focus groups and surveys. 

Beyoncé is the new David Bowie! She's sprung a surprise on the music world by releasing her fifth album this morning exclusively on App

Yea Im calling BS on her quote, about this surprise release being a connection thing. However I give full props to Queen Bey because the surprise release was an amazing marketing move.

Within 20 minutes of the album releasing, without any direct promotion (some may argue her concert was subliminal advertising.) Beys album was all that was being talked about  on my Twitter TL. Free advertising through word of mouth

Even on Itunes, at the top of the main page, where normally there are variety of Album cover, Beyonce has a monoploly as it featues nothing but black and white visual from her album's video. Monopoly distribution

She definitely did this to eliminate the threat of piracy, but i dont think that makes her sneaky or money hungry, as many of the blogs are saying. Yes Beyonce is an artist. But shes also clearly a grown woman about ther bottom line $$. 

And this was proof of that. She just made sure she her album didn't get leaked so she can make the most money as possible. And what business savy person wouldnt do what they could to make sure that the product that they worked that hard on wouldnt be stolen or dilluted if they could. Thats exactly why Apple does their conference to announce new products, she just found a way to make something intangible (in this day and age) as music and distribute it in a way that maximizes her profits.

The best business is done on one's own terms and in the case of Beyonce's self-title 2013 alubum she created a situation where just that occured. and her terms is making album sales so she get awards, recognition and market herself to the max. She's about making money, marketing, and making sure albums drop on time for award deadlines. she is all about 80% marketing and 20% talent. Clearly she released the album without promoting it to avoid it being leaked and with the way it is today with the internet/bloggers/FB/Twitter who needs media promotion really? She can now catch up on promotion moving forward through her fan base becaue her work has (almost) always consistently spoken for itself. 

Interactive advertising at its...best?

I love this advertisement. Not only was it creative but it engages the audience with a fantasy most people don't even realize they have. People go to scary movies, and haunted houses because humans have this somewhat innate addiction to controlled fear. Being chases by a crazed serial killing doll in real life is not funny in the least bit. But this advertising gives an audience the ability to first had feel what it would be like to experience that level of danger with no real life threatening effect. And after that how could any of the effected audience forget about the movie or really resist going to see the movie itself.

Snapchat will need to address marketers' concerns about reach, brand safety and targeting before it can launch an ad business.

A blast from the past: Advertisements created by the real "Mad Men" of the 1960s, and some ads they'd like to forget.

My how times have (not) changed

Is the sexism as OBVIOUS in advertisement now, but Herbal Essence and *insert any make up or perfume or clothing* advertisement _______(here)__________. No women aren't blatantly dumb in ads anymore but when was the last time you saw an ad where women didn't have to be beautiful. Where they're noticed for more than just a cute face, not that being pretty has anything to do with the sale of tampons. But still in commercials men can be anything they want. "The Worlds Most Interesting Man", sports stars, the bread winner, cheeky or even a 1920s cowboy.

But women are stuck in the same roles they were in the 20s. Even if the line in the copy aren't the same. The evolution of women's roles in the industry is the same.

More times than not, simple products themselves. Of not role but a pretty (sexy) (awe-inspiring) product, next to whatever is being sold. Both products sold, as a dream, a possibility, something to strive for. But just like that Big Mac, that never quite looks the same when you pull through the drive through. These expectations of women are also unobtainable. Not only in that you will never look like these women (these women don't even look like these women, they're photoshopped), but also in the sense that there is no way and no reason that women can or should be like the women in these ads. Characterless but unmatchable beautiful. Have a brain, have a thought, a joke, an opinion. 

My point: Don't show me a video of the "Ten Most Sexists Commercials EVER" in black and white and try to pretend sexist ads are thing of the past. Its happening everyday.