Tag Archive for: advertising

Taste of Wine Country with CBC Cooking Cottage

There’s something to be said about a weekend getaway to America’s wine region, Sonoma County. Breathtaking countryside, endless vineyards, the finest farm-to-table cuisine, all tucked into the rolling hills of Northern California. It’s the perfect spot to unwind and unplug – or to simply indulge in amazing food and a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

For 24 editors spanning a variety of lifestyle publications, this blissful vacation daydream became a reality during CBC’s Cooking Cottage experience from April 29-May 4.

The CBC Cooking Cottage is part of our House Program series and was born from the desire to provide editors and bloggers the opportunity to engage with a variety of brands in a tangible, meaningful way. Representatives from publications like Good Housekeeping, Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Women’s Health, and more attended the organized oasis and left with a weekend experience they won’t forget.

Each day featured a new set of socially-engaging activities, each hosted by a different brand. The agenda included events like a wine and cheese at Arrowood Vineyard with President Cheese, an exclusive poolside yoga class with Clif Bar, tours of two Jackson Family Wines vineyards, a Pinot and Potatoes Paint Night with Alexia, and many delicious meals in between.

The Cooking Cottage experience gave participants an enchanting taste of the rich Sonoma culture, as well as an insider’s look at highly-coveted brands like Omaha Steaks, Sambazon, Stonewall Kitchen, and Simply Organic.

But don’t just take our word for it. Scroll through the amazing photos posted by our guests on the hashtag #CBCcottage on Instagram.

Until next year, Cooking Cottage!

There’s something to be said about a weekend getaway to America’s wine region, Sonoma County. Breathtaking countryside, endless vineyards, the finest farm-to-table cuisine, all tucked into the rolling hills of Northern California. It’s the perfect spot to unwind and unplug – or to simply indulge in amazing food and a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

For 24 editors spanning a variety of lifestyle publications, this blissful vacation daydream became a reality during CBC’s Cooking Cottage experience from April 29-May 4.

The CBC Cooking Cottage is part of our House Program series and was born from the desire to provide editors and bloggers the opportunity to engage with a variety of brands in a tangible, meaningful way. Representatives from publications like Good Housekeeping, Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Women’s Health, and more attended the organized oasis and left with a weekend experience they won’t forget.

Each day featured a new set of socially-engaging activities, each hosted by a different brand. The agenda included events like a wine and cheese at Arrowood Vineyard with President Cheese, an exclusive poolside yoga class with Clif Bar, tours of two Jackson Family Wines vineyards, a Pinot and Potatoes Paint Night with Alexia, and many delicious meals in between.

The Cooking Cottage experience gave participants an enchanting taste of the rich Sonoma culture, as well as an insider’s look at highly-coveted brands like Omaha Steaks, Sambazon, Stonewall Kitchen, and Simply Organic.

But don’t just take our word for it. Scroll through the amazing photos posted by our guests on the hashtag #CBCcottage on Instagram.

Until next year, Cooking Cottage!

Buildings to Billboards: How Viacom is Tackling Social Issues

It’s almost time for spring-cleaning to commence, and that junk drawer in the corner of your kitchen isn’t the only thing that could use some sprucin’ up. The Internet is filled with clutter—from political rants on satirical news sites to therapeutic venting sessions in the comments section—sometimes meaningless commentary seems impossible to escape. But wait…there’s hope! Viacom recently launched a project that seeks to generate attention and incite change in regard to important social issues that are often ignored.

What’d they do?

Teaming up with Witness, a human rights organization co-founded by singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, Viacom released a series of PSAs titled, “Witness the Power of Story.” The subject matter of each PSA is catered to support each of Viacom’s networks (MTV, BET, Spike, VH1 and CMT) with a social good campaign. In order to have the most poignant impact, these campaigns resonate with each networks’ target audience:

  • MTV seeks to defy gender bias with their “Look Different” campaign
  • BET’s “What’s At Stake” campaign aims to inspire and empower African-American millennials
  • Spike raises awareness about veterans’ health issues with “Veterans Operation Wellness.”
  • Save the Music Foundation by VH1 is committed to keeping music education in public schools.
  • “Empowering Education” is CMT’s effort to improve rural education.

How’d they do it?

These aren’t your typical PSAs. You won’t see them on a poster, in a Facebook video, or the magazine in your doctor’s waiting room. Viacom has bigger plans. Instead, the media company is projecting astonishing and unbelievable (but unfortunately true) statistics, quotes and videos onto buildings in New York City.

 To all the ladies out there—have you ever been old “you’re too sensitive” or “you’d look prettier if you smiled?” MTV’s PSA is working to raise awareness of these stereotypes by projecting them around Manhattan. For BET’s PSA, a video is shown with the following statistic: “Stereotype: More black men are in prison than in college. Reality: Fifty-nine percent more black men are in postsecondary education than in jail.” Spike kept it short, but incredibly eye-opening with the statistic, “Twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day.”

All PSAs were strategically placed in order to increase their impact and relevance, such as VH1’s stats, which were shown on the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Similarly, Spike’s video about veterans’ health can be seen on an armory in Washington Heights. All the feels, am I right?

Why’s it matter?

Viacom’s ultimate goal is to generate awareness and make an impact; thus, feedback is fundamental to this project. At the end of each PSA, viewers are encouraged to visit the Witness.Viacom.com website to explore each networks’ initiative and upload their own photos, videos or stories using #story4change.

People have become blinded to the abundance of clutter we see on the Internet and social media every day. Score one for Viacom for the taking the initiative to put real problems in perspective for people every day with this engaging campaign.

 

SOURCE: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/viacom-turning-nyc-buildings-billboards-combat-gender-and-racial-bias-170206

 

“Using Comparative Advertising can be a Ballsy Move”

It all started in late December when Verizon let the ball (or should I say balls) drop by debuting a new commercial claiming that their performance was 1st in the US for data, calls, speed, and reliability. The ad was titled, “A better network as explained by colorful balls.”

In the commercial, the four major US carriers including Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T each have their own colored balls that race down a path and into their own designated pool. Verizon wins the race, displaying their superiority over the other brands while supporting the credibility of their RootMetrics study.

Verizon was obviously hoping to see a response from consumers, resulting in new customers and higher sales. However, what they didn’t foresee was the response they would get from competitors they’d just thrown under the bus.

T-Mobile’s commercial, titled, “The rest of the story,” accused Verizon of omitting information, claiming they have added coverage for 100 million people in the last two years. The ad ended with, “Verizon didn’t tell you that, did they?” – a clear shot at the rivaling brand.

Sprint felt the need to get in on the action, as well, defending themselves in a commercial titled, “Sprint Presents: Nice Try Verizon.” In the commercial, they too accuse Verizon of leaving out information, claiming that they have the fastest download speeds than any other carrier.

How’s that for a little competition? The good news for us is that while these leading carriers fight over who is better, it is the consumer who ultimately wins. Both Verizon and Sprint offer to pay for the fees to change carriers, which can sometimes be several hundred dollars. Sprint also started a promotion that cuts their rates in half. Not too shabby a deal.

Better offers and new campaigns make the prospect of changing carriers more appealing, showing the prevalent nature – and the continued effectiveness – of comparative advertising.

Emerging Industry and Tech Trends for 2016

As 2015 is coming to an end and next year’s planning is kicking into full gear, it’s time to take a look at some emerging trends that will rule the digital landscape in 2016.

Different sources have varying perspectives on the top-tier trends, but for the most part everyone can agree that mobile and new gadgets in innovation will top the list. With the endless new devices topping holiday wish lists this season (iPad Pro, anyone?), marketers will definitely be zeroing in on optimizing their mobile platforms, and getting to the forefront of mobile ads.

Untitled 111

Source

 

In an era where anything and everything is becoming digitalized, it’s important to keep an eye out for technological trends. Virtual Reality and 360 tech has had tons of buzz in 2015; it will be interesting to see where this takes us, and how advertisers will be able to integrate this into their projects.

Similarly, wearable tech like TomTom’s GPS watches will definitely be top of mind for advertisers in 2016. Whether or not the platforms will allow for advertising opportunities is still pending, but given the latest trends of social media brands opening up their platforms for advertisers, it wouldn’t be surprising if we start seeing pop-up advertising on our watches, too.

Source

Another industry trend that’s particularly interesting is the growing prominence of disruptive competitors, or small niche brands taking on industries dominated by a few key players. Services like Dollar Shave Club and Uber have been extremely successful in staking a claim within industries that have not seen new competitors in quite some time.

Untitled

With the emergence of new technologies and companies creating new markets for themselves, marketers will have to work harder than ever to stay ahead of the innovation game. Who knows what platforms will open their doors to advertisers in 2016! As ad-people, we’re staying on our toes, poised to create, to evolve, and to innovate in the name of the ever-changing game.

Source; Source

 

Are the Jingle Bells Being Rung Too Early?

As we pointed out a couple weeks ago, year after year, the holly jolly season makes a grand entrance sooner and sooner. With marketers hopping on board to grab the attention of their target consumers, initiatives are consistently being pushed to bring the merry spirit to life earlier in the year. But how early is too early for the Christmas Creep?

Screen Shot 2015-11-11 at 10.17.23 AM

[Source]

For brands, it makes total sense to hook consumers with deals and steals through early-on initiatives. In a study done in 2014 by the Harvard Business Review, nearly 60 percent of shoppers started buying for the holidays as early as September and October. What’s drawing these people into the pre-pre-pre-holiday madness? The benefits.

Both consumers and brands get huge takeaways from more holiday-focused shopping. More time to buy means higher customer satisfaction: fewer items out-of-stock, less risk of shopping chaos, and a larger period of time to institute sales and POP deal opportunities throughout the span of three months. So at the end of the day, the few who continue to complain about the early arrival of Christmas are trumped by the rise of those who don’t mind the early, themed holiday pushes – and sure as heck take advantage it.

What about those companies who don’t conform to the preemptive holiday craziness? One company that continues to fight the Christmas Creep is Nordstrom, who continuously, year after year, decides to hold off on holiday marketing and decorating until after Thanksgiving, earning the respect of those still willing to enjoy the little bit of fall that lingers in November before Christmas season officially hits in December.

Nordstrom

[Source]

Will there be any “bah humbug” critics of this year’s Christmas Creep? Or have we all succumbed to the allure of the months-long bargains and early-released holiday shopping campaigns?

Tell us what you think: bring on the bargains or hold off on the holidays?

Advertising Through AdBlock Plus

Companies such as Instagram and SnapChat have taken their widely successful social media apps and managed to turn them into money-making advertising machines. By launching services that integrate company-generated content into the interfaces, these mobile applications are able to capitalize upon their preexisting user-base through compensation by advertisers.

Screen-Shot-2015-11-04-at-9.54.57-AM-300x170
Source

The newest company to monopolize on their users is AdBlock Plus, a download that blocks annoying pop-ups and allows users to bypass YouTube’s pre-video advertisements. Because of ad-blocking extensions, ignoring online advertising is easier than fast-forwarding through commercials. Eyeo GmbH, the makers of the popular download, are trying to make money off of their new program, ‘Acceptable Ads’. This would allow companies to pay and have their ads bypass the blocker, as long as they adhere to a set of guidelines.

Screen-Shot-2015-11-02-at-3.46.10-PM1-300x110

Source: Twitter

This new program allows AdBlock Plus to make the most of its pre-existing user base by charging advertisers to ensure that their messages are reaching their target. The sole reason to download an ad blocker is to eliminate exactly what they are trying to sell: ads. Having paid content on SnapChat and Instagram has so far been well received, as the ads don’t seem to interfere with user experience. However, users who are accustomed to an ad-free experience may find this new program disruptive and counterproductive. Since selling ad space to companies defeats the whole purpose of an ad blocker, it’s unclear how the company will fare in upcoming talks with publishers, considering its now roundabout, slightly oxymoronic chain of operations.

The Instagram Effect

Take a picture, edit it with a cool filter, and post it for all your friends to see your retro, high fidelity lifestyle. AdWeek has dubbed this the “Instagram Effect:” the filtered, structured, “Valencia” way of seeing life through Instagram’s oh-so deliberate lens. The impact has not only affected Instagram’s laymen users, it’s also had the same effect on brands.

Untitled8

Brands are starting to realize the benefits of moving away from their more traditional, “perfect” photography for campaigns. Instead, they choose the more candid Instagram platform (however “filtered” it may be), which allows consumers to relate to the not-so-perfect portrayal of their product.

As industry veterans take cues from the contemporary social media landscape and its rampant transparency, they’re realizing that consumers are hyper-conscious of overly staged photography. The days of fake smiles and meticulously posed quasi-families eating cereal covered in Elmer’s Glue “milk” are perhaps over…

One of the many brands hopping on the bandwagon is Taco Bell. Their creative team, as of late, has focused more on realistic moments in time—such as friends eating tacos at the beach together—rather than overproduced, heavily styled food-tography. This tactic has great potential to ignite ethnographic relatability in Instagram-using consumers and, likewise, a touch of lifestyle envy and aspiration.

This sort of authenticity in advertising has become a very big part of the evolution of the new ad and marketing world. And as a social media platform, Instagram has become one of the top sites for major brands looking to capitalize upon this trend, allowing agencies to move away from traditional designs in favor of the very interface(s) their consumers use most.

So what makes an effective marketing photo in today’s Instagram world? Perhaps a simple shot of your food, edited with the Hudson filter, sharpened, brightened, structured and cropped. Just like the normal, consumer Instagram-er. Simple, on-brand, honest, and natural.

[Source]

 

The Growth of Biometrics in Advertising: Exciting or Invasive?

When Apple introduced its iWatch in 2015, some of the most exciting capabilities included features that are able to track the biometric qualities of the wearer, including heartbeat, acceleration, and temperature. While these features are advertised as fitness-related benefits, many are seeing possibilities with these technologies in advertising. Marketers can test different ad campaigns with the ability not only to learn the viewer’s vocal reaction, but also be given insights into how they are reacting internally, based on their physical changes.

b

Both biometrics and wearable technologies are hugely expanding markets, and some companies have already taken this technology and adapted it into their own products. TomTom, for example, has introduced an action camera that can mark places in the video deemed most “exciting” through the use of an optional heart-rate monitor. These spots are specially marked within the Bandit Action Camera and make editing and uploading content in real-time more mobile and convenient than ever before.

Two companies, specifically – Mindshare and Lightwave – have teamed up at the forefront of this creative branch of advertising analytics, envisioning biometric technologies as a way for companies to tailor consumer experiences in real-time. Jeff Malmad, head of mobile and the wearables unit at Mindshare North America said, “Being able to get the data from the watch and the phone simultaneously and create better and more adaptive experiences is something that’s just going to grow in importance for brands” [Source].

As popular as wearable tech has become (see the Infographic below for proof!), one can’t help but have privacy concerns regarding the experiences some devices are proposing. The consented-to analyzing of bodily responses to ad campaigns is one thing, but the fear of getting fired if your boss finds out about your high blood pressure has an almost “Big Brother” feel to it.

How soon do you think we will be eating at restaurants with lighting that changes with the mood of the diners? And maybe more importantly – isn’t that a little creepy?Untitled

[Infographic Source]

[Source]

It’s An Instagram World, And We’re All Just Trying to Keep Up

With a constantly growing fan base, Instagram has continued to find new and exciting ways to keep up with its ever-developing consumer. Looking ahead, companies must recognize the importance of having a strong presence on “the gram” so they can utilize its newest features to the best of their abilities.

Insta-artsy

A recent trend in many companies’ Instagram profiles is the so-called visual strategy of “insta-tiling.” Profiles feature photos in a mosaic-style grid that, together, make one larger image. Each individual piece of the puzzle usually has different bits of information, providing more detail than a single post would. Posting nine images instead of just one also provokes viewers to further explore what the brand’s profile has to offer. [Source] What do you think about this strategy’s effectiveness? Are you more prone to click-through when you have nine photos to choose from?

insta

Jumping on the Advertising Bandwagon

On Tuesday, the company announced it would make yet another monumental change to its mobile app. Instagram now has plans to open up users’ news feeds to all types of advertisers. From the global fashion brand to the corner boutique in the user’s area, users will be able to see it all by this fall.

Closing the Deal

In addition to the wider variety of advertisers, Instagram will also be testing a new “shop-now” button. This e-commerce link will allow users to move directly from the image to a page where they can purchase the featured item. Companies like Banana Republic have already taken advantage of this new update. [Source]

One can only hope that with the addition of more advertisements, users’ feeds will not become cluttered with “Click Here for Free Coupons” as so many Facebook news feeds have now become. In an interview with the NY Times, Instagram’s global head of business and brand development ensured fans, “Visual storytelling for brands has more resonance… But we want to make sure the ads [you] see are for things that matter to [you].” We agree, sir. We’d like for our Instagram content to matter to us, too.

 

 

 

 

Tablets (And Phablets) Blur Lines For Marketers

The smartphone market grew a few sizes in Fall 2014 when the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus displays surpassed 4.7-inches – essentially the size of the hands that used them. However, while smartphones are growing, tablets are shrinking: the iPad Mini sports a petite 7.9-inch display, while the Microsoft Surface 3 is only 10.8” diagonal. With these devices converging in size and portability, there’s an increasing trend of PR and marketing agencies rethinking their mobile budgeting, as well as the tablet’s overall purpose in the market.

Untitled

Once upon a time, a tablet was intended to be a portable device or go-to for frequent travelers. Now, as the below infographic reads, studies show that the tablet is used most often at home [Source]. This increasingly narrow use of tablets—in certain locations, with a few certain uses, like playing videos or games—has moved the tablet from the “mobile” category, to the “desktop.” At the same time, consumers are doing even more on their phones, from watching videos, to shopping, playing games, and now paying for goods and services. The larger, smarter phones on the market have been accordingly dubbed “phablets.”

So herein blur the lines. Agencies now must determine how to categorize the floundering tablet, and where to allocate budgets between smartphone and tablet.

Meanwhile, dare we consider the effects of the Apple Watch and other wearable technology on re-defining “mobile”…? Stay tuned.

[Source]

Mobile-Tech-6

How Old Do I Look? (And What That Means to Marketers)

Have you seen Microsoft’s new How-Old platform? So far, it’s been a source of viral humor:

blog pic 1

blog pic 3

But in reality, this development could be a game-changer for marketers and advertisers. If algorithms can accurately determine people’s ages and genders from their photos and other public media, then we as marketers can better target them.

Think about these overwhelming statistics regarding visual platforms:

Instagram

o   Launched less than 5 years ago

o   77.6 million estimated users in the USA alone [Source]

Facebook

o   Made public less than 10 years ago

o   1.44 billion monthly active users [Source]

These numbers are incredible, and they reflect the astounding rate at which companies that rely on digital interaction and a robust social presence can grow in this day in age.

So, if sites like these are already the golden conduits for marketers and advertisers to reach their audiences, and these audiences use such platforms to create strong social presences via picture sharing, then Microsoft has hit the jackpot.

By identifying demographics like age and gender, which arguably could lead to psychographic identification, brands and their agencies are one step closer to correctly targeting their ideal end consumers. All in all, the genius How-Old platform seems to be the start of something that will improve the efficiency and success of digital marketing. In the meantime, it’s the start of a great laugh!

[Source]

Nike Gets Inside Women’s Heads in New Campaign

In the midst of the “fit revolution,” there is a greater push to exercise more. (Plus, who doesn’t love to wear those incredibly stylish gym-to-everyday outfits!?)

For those of us who actually make it to the gym and put our outfits to good use, we push ourselves in hopes of getting the physical results we yearn for. Sure, the fitness obsession can get a little crazy sometimes, causing women to compare themselves to other athletes, but it also helps us motivate one other. Nike has decided to turn this concept into a campaign. The focus? Women motivating other women.

The campaign’s first commercial is based on the inner dialogue of women while they are exercising. It’s called “Inner Thoughts”, and we have to say it is pretty spot on. It’s all about pushing yourself when you think you’re done; aiming to “just do it”, with results that make you #betterforit.

Like we touched on in our blog post a couple weeks ago, this campaign is on trend with the advertising movement toward specific targeting of the female consumer. According to Business Insider, Nike believes its women’s line could add $2 billon of additional sales by 2017. Hence, Nike recognizes that women’s spending power is huge and is still growing, and women make up a massive portion of its customer base.

How do you think women will respond to the #betterforit campaign? Will the motivation translate to consumer involvement?

blog

Source: Adweek.com

Super Great Stories Make for Great Super Bowl Ads

Sometimes it can be hard to fit in everything you want to show off about a product in the span of a 30-second TV spot. That being said, when that time slot alone costs upward of 4 million dollars, you don’t have much of a choice.

This year, many of the Super Bowl ads that resonated with us were the ones that developed – however briefly – a strong story. Of course, a simple story line isn’t an automatic recipe for success, but it’s still a good start to creating an emotional tie between the viewer and the brand.

Looking through the lens of this year’s Super Bowl ads, let’s take a peek at three key ingredients for memorable storylines.

1. Originality. For some advertisers, originality was a challenge this year. Anyone else notice an abundance of father-centric ads? It makes sense; it is the right target audience.  Watching the Super Bowl is often thought of as a father-son or father-daughter activity, which resulted in more than one brand using this as an angle to approach their viewers. Amongst all the dad spots, it quickly became hard to stand out. Particularly, both Toyota and Nissan focused on this story line: developing a relationship between a father and child. This is even more confusing since they target similar segments – and coincidently are both car brands. The concept may be a memorable one, but there’s a big chance people who saw both ads will confuse the brands behind them.

2. Leverage Well-Known Characters. Another trend this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads displayed was the value of already established characters. When trying to tell a story in a short time span, using easily referable characters avoids timely introductions and saves precious seconds. Snickers made the most of the technique, with a Brady Bunch-themed commercial featuring Steve Buscemi and Sons of Anarchy’s Danny Trejo.

3. Use Real People. A good story doesn’t always need to be scripted by advertising masters to get a spontaneous approbation from viewers. While Budweiser told quite a tale, puppy included, other spots used “real people” and still managed to stay memorable. Microsoft profiled two everyday technology-users that greatly benefit from innovation to show off their brand’s core values in a friendly and touching way. Always also put relatable, everyday people in the spotlight to redefine female stereotypes, and although they didn’t quite stick to a “story” format, their real people had a real impact.

It’s difficult to agree on which Super Bowl ad came out on top, but it’s safe to say that many achieved their goal. That is, they were able to capture the viewer’s attention and keep it long enough to last at least 30 seconds. They were also able to establish an emotional connection with the viewer using these three key tactics above. How about you: what were your favorite Super Bowl ads this year?

 

This post can also be found on the Publicity Club of New England’s site!

Hello ELLO

Simple. Beautiful. And ad-free?

Ever feel like your social media feeds are completely overrun with advertisements for products that, eeriliy, you have recently searched for? It happens to the best of us – and it is no coincidence.

Ello wants to change that. The new platform was originally created by a group of seven artists and programmers as a private social media network, but when word got out (as it typically does in our fast-moving digital world) they decided to release it to the public. As of right now, Ello is invite only, and playing “hard to get” seems to be working for it – Ello is now one of the web’s most exclusive social networking sites.

Luckily, Ello has promised to never change its mission. It is a USA Public Benefit Corporation, which makes it impossible to ever sell ads or its users’ data. The best part of it all? Ello is completely free to use! It exhibits a more artistic, raw side of social networking that other channels don’t have, explaining in its manifesto that the creators believe in “beauty, simplicity, and transparency.”

It’s difficult to say this early on whether or not Ello will succeed as a social networking site without interplaying with advertisers. But let’s say Ello takes off, skyrockets into popularity, surpasses Facebook and Instagram, perhaps… Where does this leave the future of social advertising? What happens to social media marketing if our target audience is part of a club where no brands are allowed?

To see what the site is all about, request an invite by visiting the Ello Home Page. And then, tell us what you think!

ello

Image courtesy of Ello’s home page