Brands

Web 2.0 Marketing Is Not Just For Geeks

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on October 11, 2007 - 10:25am.

I am in Austin today participating in the eMarketing Summit as part of the Innotech Conference. I had the chance to do a lunch keynote presentation following Alan Olivio of Yahoo - focused on marketing in a Web 2.0 world. The presentation had a great crowd of engaged people and most (surprisingly) managed to stay awake despite my excellent spot right after lunch.

3 Big Reasons Why I Am Not an Apple Enthusiast

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on February 23, 2007 - 11:17am.

As a marketer, I should be in love with Apple. After all, I have an iPod and a Mac at home - and Apple's marketing success offers lessons for anyone wanting a great case study on how to position products, launch them into the market, and use distinctive product design to connect with consumers. Getting underneath this polished exterior of brilliant products, however, the culture and identity of Apple leaves much to be desired in my opinion.

tags: Marketing | Apple | CE | Brands |

CGM, The Super Bowl and a New Model for TV Advertising

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on February 5, 2007 - 1:07pm.

The Superbowl is the real start to the new year for the advertising industry. Just as the Chinese new year comes on a delay from the celebration of January 1st, the Superbowl manages to turn public attention to advertising in a way that is far beyond the other 364 days of the year. As the approved Go Daddy spot nicely noted - "everybody wants to be in marketing" ... or at least pays attention to it, for a day. Today on blogs, there are lots of lists of favorites and the "ad-meters" are hugely popular on YouTube, USAToday and many other outlets. Many folks are talking about the rise of consumer generated media as the major trend to emerge out of this year's game. I think that's true, but in a way that may not be often talked about.

The 2007 Marketer's Sneak Preview Guide to Super Bowl Advertising

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on February 2, 2007 - 6:35am.

As the days count closer and closer to the Super Bowl this weekend, the hype about the ads is reaching the typical fever pitch that it always does each year as every news media outlet turns it's lens to who's running what, and getting consumers ready to share their reactions on the ads for their instant "rave-o-meters" and polls about the best ads. Lots of sites, including all the traditional news outlets, and (surprisingly) YouTube are just waiting for the ads and letting people vote on their favourites on the Monday after the game.

Trendspot: Simplicity Marketing from Apple, Nintendo, and UPS

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on January 23, 2007 - 7:11am.

Like anyone else, I find Steve Job's product launch presentations to be mesmerizing. Apple is certainly getting their mileage out of his typically irresistable keynote performance from Macworld, where Jobs announced the iPhone - marketing the download from the homepage of the iTunes store and probably getting millions of downloads already. Yesterday evening, I also saw another TV spot for the new UPS Whiteboard campaign - dedicated to simplifying the process of international shipping and how UPS can help your business.

The iPhone Controversy and Apple's Big Brand Challenge

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on January 11, 2007 - 10:01am.

Every news media outlet and just about every blog in the universe is buzzing about Apple's big iPhone announcement Monday at MacWorld. It has been a busy few days of announcements with CES, MacWorld and the Detroit Auto Show all happening this week and fighting for the headlines. As it turns out, the real headline grabber has been the rising battle between Cisco and Apple over the rights to the trademark iPhone name.

Despite it's perfect consistency with the rest of Apple's product line, it turns out the branded trademark "iPhone" actually belonged to Cisco since 2000, and they are also promoting a smart portfolio of products bearing the same name that quietly focus on reinventing the home telephone to include some of the features available in mobile phones. In a blog post about Apple's move of announcing their own iPhone, Cisco offers a thoughtful response painting Apple as the spoiled child who tried to get the name they wanted, couldn't reach an agreement in time, and decided to move ahead with announcing the name anyway.

Report: US Consumers are Ready for Relevant Mobile Marketing

Authored by dmw on January 5, 2007 - 1:36pm.

Cambridge, Mass. - According to a new report by market analysis firm Forrester Research called "Is The US Ready For Mobile Marketing?", early results show that consumers will readily engage in campaigns as long as marketers deliver valuable information or content, even though 79% of consumers perceive the concept of mobile ads to be annoying.

Miller Beer, NFL Team Up to Localize Sites

Authored by Peter Krasilovsky on January 4, 2007 - 9:56am.

I’m a little late on this, as we approach the football playoffs, but Miller Beer has been targeting local consumers this season by providing local team content and commentary on its MillerLite website, while linking to the teams’ websites. The Miller efforts is part of a broader tie-in with the NFL, wrapped around its Very Important Beer Drinker (V.I.B.) campaign.

MTV Creates New Unit for Adult-Directed, Male-Skewing Brands

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 8, 2006 - 2:15pm.

New York - Viacom's MTV Networks this week announced the creation of the MTVN Entertainment Group, which will encompass the company's "adult-directed and male-skewing brands."

DEMMX: Yahoo Media Group Reveals Part of Its New Strategy

Authored by Jay Baage on November 29, 2006 - 9:51am.

From the DEMMX Conference: Vince Broady, Head of Entertainment, Games & Youth for Yahoo gave the audience a glimpse of their new “brand universe” strategy with a demonstration of the newly created Nintendo Wii site. “Yahoo Media Group under Lloyd Brown is now really coming into its own,” he said at the DEMMX 2006 Conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Buzz Watch: Maxim Opens… (wait for it) Steak Houses!

Authored by Jay Baage on October 26, 2006 - 10:49am.

Maxim, the men's magazine famous for featuring sexy women wants to extend its brand to another kind of flesh - a chain of about 15 steak restaurants - Maxim Prime. ”It will not be about overeating, it will be about the social experience of dining," says Stephen Colvin, chief executive of privately owned Dennis Publishing, the magazine's parent company.

Usually, when a magazine wants to boost its bottom line, it does it through licensing new ventures, usually in the Internet space. Progressive Dennis publishing recently announced such a move with the launch of Monkey Magazine. Read more about it in my article about coffee table porn here. Now, Dennis Publishing takes a more unexpected move in opening the steak houses together with financier Jeffrey Chodorow's China Grill Management.

The Dark Side of Social Media And 5 Ways to Avoid It

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on October 23, 2006 - 10:05am.

PR blogs have been on fire the past week debating the Walmart blog fiasco with Edelman at the helm. Some have taken a subtle delight in Edelman's failure (see comments on Richard's response post), while others have shared fears about what this means for the future of PR and social media. At it's core, the Walmart case illustrates what is quickly growing to become the dark side of social media - the ease with which the truth can be manipulated.

Dove's Evolution of Beauty Campaign Goes Viral on YouTube

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on October 20, 2006 - 11:32am.

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty has been one of the most talked about campaigns of the year, earning praise from people in the advertising world, as well as from real consumers for representing something different to the typical fashion advertising. By focusing on the distorted perception of beauty that much of the fashion industry is guilty of promoting, Dove successfully separated it's brand from that category and made it stand for something different and something real.

Crest Whitestrips Debuts Campus Promotion on Facebook Social Network

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 12, 2006 - 12:33pm.

New York - Procter & Gamble said on Thursday that its Crest Whitestrips brand has launched a promotion on social networking site Facebook targeting students on college campuses. Members of the "Smile State" group on Facebook at 20 schools will be able to receive pre-release movie screening passes; participate in rock, paper, scissors contests; view blogs from Island Def Jam artists; and compete for the chance to host a private concert at their schools.

5 Reasons the NFL is the Dominant Sports Brand in America

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on September 20, 2006 - 7:38am.

About two weeks ago, I was travelling on a Sunday evening - the first Sunday evening of the NFL season. That evening, there was a brilliantly scripted game scheduled to pitt the New York Giants against the Indianapolis Colts. The "drama" came from the game being a nationally televised chance to see Eli Manning (quarterback of the Giants) take on his older brother, Peyton Manning (quarterback of the Colts). In the Washington Dulles airport, at every gate the game was on television. And not just on, but everyone was watching - even people who never watch football. What is it about the NFL that commands such attention, even from those who hate sports or even who hate the game? Why does the NFL deserve to be mentioned in the context of successful brand marketing, and perhaps could even be considered the most successful sports brand in the US (even more so than Nike)?

Anheuser-Busch to Launch Broadband Entertainment Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 6, 2006 - 5:41pm.

St. Louis - Anheuser-Busch announced on Wednesday plans to launch an online entertainment network -- Bud.TV -- that will feature multiple channels of original content targeting the same young male demographic as the company's television ads. Slated to launch in February 2007, Bud.TV will feature webisodes, sporting events, user-generated content, field news reports, celebrity interviews, music downloads and comedy clips.

The Power of Integrating Advertainment with Product Placement

Authored by Rohit Bhargava on August 28, 2006 - 7:30am.

Product placement is hot in Hollywood and television right now. Fueled largely by advertiser's fear of consumers fast forwarding through their ads, product placement deals are popping up everywhere. Related to this trend is the rise of "Advertainment," in which advertisers focus on creating entertaining branded content. This is not about simply placing your brand in the context of preexisting programming. Advertainment is about creating entertaining content and weaving a brand message into it. One pioneer in this space was BMW, who released a DVD of BMW Films several years ago. Since then, many others have tried this idea in different ways - including American Express with the Directors Series ads and Ford with their branded ads during American Idol featuring contestants performing songs while riding around in Ford cars. The power of this type of advertainment represents a trend in the television advertising: creating advertising that is so entertaining, people want to watch.

Yahoo, MasterCard Partner for Online Music Promotion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 4, 2006 - 12:15pm.

Santa Monica, Calif. - Yahoo Music announced on Friday that it has partnered with MasterCard on a promotion that will offer cardholders a free year of Yahoo Music Unlimited when they purchase a year's subscription to the service. Yahoo and MasterCard also said they will continue to develop additional seasonal promotions.

Coke, Apple to Give Away 70 Million iTunes Songs in Europe

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 2, 2006 - 1:38pm.

London - Coca-Cola announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Apple on a promotion that will give away more than 70 million iTunes song downloads and hundreds of iPods in Europe.

Sprite Creates TiVo Showcase for "subLYMONal" Ad Campaign

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 25, 2006 - 1:19pm.

Atlanta - The Coca-Cola Company on Tuesday introduced a new TiVo Showcase interactive ad for its Sprite soda brand.

Web 2.0 Marketing Is Not Just For Geeks

3 Big Reasons Why I Am Not an Apple Enthusiast

CGM, The Super Bowl and a New Model for TV Advertising

The 2007 Marketer's Sneak Preview Guide to Super Bowl Advertising

Trendspot: Simplicity Marketing from Apple, Nintendo, and UPS

The iPhone Controversy and Apple's Big Brand Challenge

Report: US Consumers are Ready for Relevant Mobile Marketing

Miller Beer, NFL Team Up to Localize Sites

MTV Creates New Unit for Adult-Directed, Male-Skewing Brands

DEMMX: Yahoo Media Group Reveals Part of Its New Strategy

Buzz Watch: Maxim Opens… (wait for it) Steak Houses!

The Dark Side of Social Media And 5 Ways to Avoid It

Dove's Evolution of Beauty Campaign Goes Viral on YouTube

Crest Whitestrips Debuts Campus Promotion on Facebook Social Network

5 Reasons the NFL is the Dominant Sports Brand in America

Anheuser-Busch to Launch Broadband Entertainment Site

The Power of Integrating Advertainment with Product Placement

Yahoo, MasterCard Partner for Online Music Promotion

Coke, Apple to Give Away 70 Million iTunes Songs in Europe

Sprite Creates TiVo Showcase for "subLYMONal" Ad Campaign

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