Currently listening to: “Season of Poison” by Shiny Toy Guns
I remember when this commercial first came out. Caused a whole bunch of ruckus. I mean. It’s from a condom company. How can the commercials not be risque? Although I don’t know how effective an ad can be when it basically says men are pigs unless they use condoms. It implies that the female has nothing to do with the whole safe sex practice, that it is entirely up to the man to provide the protection. That is simply misleading and I suppose a little insulting. I wonder what the company’s response to the viewers’ reaction was?
Currently listening to: “Half Asleep” by School of Seven Bells
That word is tossed around a lot lately. What exactly is it, and why should I care?
Well, as a gamer…I’m not supposed to like advertisments in games but I kind of do. Sure it does get a little annoying when you’re waiting for the game to load and there’s a stupid commercial for…I don’t know, lollipops or a movie trailer. Or while I’m saving the world from a zombie invasion in Resident Evil 4, I see an ad for Coke. (Just so you know, there aren’t Coke ads in RE games. There is only one evil corporation in Resident Evil-land and it’s the Umbrella Corp.)
Anyway, advergaming, according to eMarketer.com, has been around since at least the early 1980s when Kool-Aid and Pepsi developed Atari 2600 games that featured their products and distributed the game cartridges as promotions. American Home Foods also had a video game that promoted Chef Boyardee that it distributed on floppy disk. Subtle. Very subtle.
There are three general types of advergaming:
1. Games placed on a company’s website or a company-owned site in order to keep visitors on the site longer. The game may or may not advertise the company’s products but as long as the visitor remains on the site, the longer they are exposed to the company’s message.
2. A commercial video game played on computers or game consoles. The game is developed with a specific purpose in mind. The United States Army sponsored an extremely successful game called America’s Army in an effort to increase recruitment.
3. Product Placement, or in-game advertising.
Advergaming is more advantageous than you think. Gone are the stereotypes of overweight, bespectacled man boys thumbing controllers in a dank basement. There are loads of other demographics, including young children and female professionals. It is a very lucrative market.
Currently listening to: “Knights” by Crystal Castles
Well, it’s nearly the end of the year. And that means it’s time for the usual end of the year lists. Not to be outdone by the rest of my fellow bloggers, I decided to make a list of my own. It’s a showing of some of my favorite ads, either print or video for the year. I’ve picked them because of their uniqueness and memorable nature. Ads today can be repetitive. It’s nice to see some companies step it up.
Boost Mobile: Don’t Call it A Comeback
I absolutely loved this. It’s silly, but really memorable. I didn’t even know what was being sold at first, but then after going on the internet to find out more, I realized it was for Boost Mobile. The company has done a really good job by creating a character that’s funny and likeable. This particular video has nearly 34,000 hits on YouTube. Another recent commercial featuring Washington has come out, but the first one is still the funniest.
Scholastic Media: Pumpkin Carving
I tried to get a video, or even a picture of it, but I couldn’t find anything but an article. To promote its Goosebump HorrorLand console game Scholastic Media had a man, elementary schoolteacher Stephen Clarke set up and carve pumpkins in the middle of Times Square on Halloween. He was attempting to break a Guinness Book of World Records as well, for most pumpkins carved in an hour. This is such a great example of guerilla marketing. Interference, Scholastic Media’s marketing partner said the campaign was a success. In a bustling city like New York, nearly 3200 people watched Clarke for twenty minutes as he carved up 50 pumpkins. That’s amazing. The city that never stops moving, slowed down a little for an elementary school teacher hacking up pumpkins.
Read here for more tales of guerrilla marketing: CLICK ME!
Currently listening to: “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap
The one product that came to mind when I was writing this was Airborne. It was supposed to be the cure all supplement, the one to prevent the flu and the common cold as well as stave off harmful bacteria. I kept hearing people rave about the product. Living in the dorms my first three years of undergrad, you were lucky to escape the year with just a couple of sniffles. It was ridiculous sometimes. One person would get sick and it would spread like wildfire. No wonder people flocked to the Airborne supplement. People on my floor raved about it.
Earlier this year, the pill “created by a school teacher” finally settled a lawsuit over its supposedly false claims. The makers of the wonder drug, according to a March 2008 NPR ARTICLE agreed to pay $23.3 million in class action lawsuit. Why? False advertising. Turns out the wonder drug ain’t so wonderful. Airborne’s claims of warding off illness and boosting the immune system couldn’t be proven with evidence.
Searching all over the net, I found countless blogs and news stories about the falsehood of the pills. Airborne went from being a miracle pill to drug enemy number one. How does a company repair after taking an image hit such as that? At their website the company acknowledges the suit, but vows to put it behind them. I found this info kind of buried on their press release page. I’m not saying they’re trying to hide it. But it does look like they just wanted to gloss over the whole thing. One thing that is mentioned is that Airborne states that the old slogan and promises of a cure all is not the same attitude used today. I had no idea the company is nearly 10 years old. Airborne chooses its words carefully. Instead of saying the pills boost the immune system, the ABOUT section claims:
“The Airborne health formula is designed to support your immune system through its blend of vitamins and minerals.”
Currently listening to: “Gold and a Pager” by The Cool Kids
Okay, so I have to admit something. I never really paid attention to the “sponsored links” websites on search engines. For the longest time, I honestly thought they were fake websites. Haha, it’s ridiculous yes but that’s seriously the truth.
Our discussion this week had the old brain wheels churning. Initially, I thought that search engine advertising was unethical. And yes, it isn’t right to deceive people. But I believe as long as they are made aware of the paid sites, then is there really a harm?
It isn’t deception tactics. It’s capitalism. Search engine companies have to make money. I think offering top spots to companies willing to shell out major bucks is okay, just as long as some recognition for their sponsorship is made. I think ultimately the choice lies with the search engine user. People need to learn how to search properly, using the correct keywords.
Google is one of the best search engine sites out there. It is relatively easy to use, and it clearly marks the sponsored sites. Also, Google realizes that the Internet is not a permanent fixture. It is constantly changing and any effective search engine understands that it must change as well.
Currently listening to: “Les Champs Elysées” by Joe Dassin
I’ve always had a fondness for newspapers. Some of my greatest memories were of my father and I reading the Baltimore Sun or the Washington Post every Sunday. I used to love pressing the paper to my nose, inhaling the smell of the paper and ink.. To this day, I still love the acrid smell of fresh, wet ink. Newspaper is the Grandpapa medium. It may seem outdated, to walk to the corner cafe or the grocery store and drop one or two bucks for information you can get for free on the web, but newspapers are a part of history, both globally and at least personally for me.
It seems that today everything is electronic. You can watch television, get medical advice, go to school, pay your bills, and heck even become an ordained ministerand save your friends the trouble of looking for one for their special day.
Did new media really stake the competition? Well, look at it this way: back in the colonial days, newspapers and pamphlets really started to take off during the American Revolution, some papers in defiance of the tyranny of Britain, some for it. People were looking for new ways to express their ideas and beliefs. Aren’t we doing the same thing today, trying to express our opinions? That’s what I think about blogs and a host of other mediums, like podcasting. People are just trying to make their voices heard.
I don’t believe newspapers will completely fade out. There are some, like the Times and the Post that are historic. This will never change. But the reality is, they are dated. People can gather info much quicker from 24-hour news sources.
So where does this leave one of my favorite pastimes?
Currently listening to: “Zeine Keit” by Dancer vs. Politician
I never really realized how much goes into designing a website. There’s so much to take into consideration. There has to be an equal balance of things. Too many images and graphics and the site can feel heavy or weighted down. Too little and it will look sparse. Too much color hurts the eyes while not enough can make it seem bland or boring. There’s fretting over the perfect font. And of course there’s the dreaded white space. So many things to take into consideration, it may seem almost impossible to create the perfect website.
But see, there isn’t such a thing. No website is going to get all the design qualities just right. But there are a number of sites that create a breathable flow with basic design, eye-catching colors, and copy that is detailed but simple and easy to read.
As usual, I went on a ‘net quest. I found really cool lists by PCMag. They had a compilation of the 100 Classic Websites and the 100 Best Undiscovered Sites. ( CLICK ME!). They were divided into categories like Music, Tech, Social Networking, and the like. I perused through the lists, looking at the different sites and what exactly made them the best of the best. I especially liked the site Wolfgang’s Vault. It was a place to search and listen to vintage recordings of some great live albums by music legends like Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan.
It seems like most of the sites were judged on their content and unique offerings rather than their design. So I decided to look elsewhere for some best website designs. Not long after, I found what I was looking for. Web Marketing Association has an annual Web Design contest where companies can submit their sites to be judged. The criteria include: design, ease of use, copy writing, interactivity, use of technology, innovation, and content.
The 2008 Winner was Azavar Technologies for their Justyna Collections Catalog. Indeed, looking at the site, it is easy to see why. The design is simple, modern, colorful, and eye-catching. The images do not take away from the copy but enhances it. The site is easy to read and to click through.
Currently listening to: “Sugar Water” by Cibo Matto
I’ve been meaning to post about this for awhile. Burger King has been known for its, well odd advertising. Odd is really the only thing that comes to mind whenever I think of that creepy as hell Burger King (okay, so I guess creepy too).
The latest series of Burger King ads introduce us to the “Whopper Virgins”, people from remote countries like Budapest and Greenland, people the ad claims have never tasted a burger, and who do not even have a word for burger in their language. They are the ultimate taste test, the ad claims. In front of the Virgins they set a tray one side with a Burger King Whopper and the other has a McDonalds Big Mac. The commercial shows the participants eating both and then saying which one they prefer.
Harmless, right? I don’t know about that. Something about this campaign really doesn’t sit well with me. It seems a little unethical. It almost feels like Burger King gleefully takes advantage of the “ignorance” of the Whopper Virgins.
Boo! The Burger King is ALWAYS watching
Naturally, I went online to research. I wanted to see if anyone else shared my viewpoint. And surprise, surprise I did! Apparently people were outraged, calling them offensive and a blatant example of the ignorance of American culture. Brian Morrissey, writing on Adfreak.com, likens the campaign to colonialism and declares it “embarrassing and emblematic of how ignorant Americans still seem to the rest of the world.”
Others call it Good PR, as it created a buzz about the campaign and the desire to see the videos, but puts the company in a bad light. Russ Klein, Burger King’s president of global marketing strategy, defended the campaign in a news release: “During a time when consumers are craving it most, honesty and transparency are the heart and soul of this campaign. By embarking on a voyage of this magnitude that held no guarantees and left us open to vulnerabilities, we took a leap of faith that our signature product would win people over at first bite.”
It seems that Russ Klein is either really delusional or just a jerk. Yes, your company was looking for a way to give the public what they wanted: an honest taste test. I understand that concept. But I’m not sure if this campaign is supposed to be humorous, or serious, but it definitely makes the term “ugly Americans” pop in my head. I wonder what the effect of a food loaded with grease and saturated fat did to those people with a normally pristine diet.
Here’s one of the Whopper Virgin Videos. You can decide where the unethical behavior lies.
I think I’m quite tech savvy. I’ve learned (finally) how to do html correctly and all on my own. I can do design work using Photoshop (somewhat) and Quark (the only really cool thing Apple has to offer). And I am quite handy with a PowerPoint, among other things.
So, why haven’t I done a podcast? And to be honest, I still hadn’t figured out what it actually was. It sounded plenty painful. I put this awesomely big brain of mine to work and went searching for information on the elusive Podcast.
The New Oxford American Dictionary describes podcast as “a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player.” It also includes video. The word is derived from “broadcasting” and “iPod” (I swear Apple is freaking EVERYWHERE!) SOURCE
According to Nielsen/Net Ratings, approximately 15 million people have recently downloaded a podcast. According to estimates, the number will be 56 million by 2010. They are popular. Or PODular (I’m sorry, I had to). Even WVU’s college radio station WWVU-FM has podcasts available on iTunes.
Podcasts are pretty neat, because they go where you go. You’re downloading straight onto a music player or computer, the information on hand wherever. They are the ultimate tool for cool: jazzing up a website. A lot of the sites I came across that had podcasts were interviews with celebrity, news about new products, and just general tomfoolery. It puts news and commentary in the hands of anyone. Anyone can make a video or a podcast about whatever strikes their fancy. There are podcast shows. Just do a YouTube search and see what comes up.
While podcasts are cool, I wish they were interactive. And also, sometimes they can go on for a long time, depending on how long-winded the speaker is. You can’t really download parts unless they’re available that way. You have to listen to the whole thing.
But still, they are a very interesting new media. One that is sure to be around for a while.
Here’s one of my favorites, featuring British comedian Ricky Gervais. It’s a backstage look at his show Extras. It’s a weekly podcast.
Currently listening to: “At My Most Beautiful” by R.E.M.
So my post a couple of days ago (yes, it was on the 8th but somehow posted on today’s date) talked about how I researched ways to increase blog traffic. This entry is about my two of my favorite blogs.
Oh No They Didn’t: I am sorry to say this is a secret guilty pleasure of mine. It’s celebrity silliness at it’s finest, giving us star-starved normals our daily dose of meaty celeb news. It’s gossipy and kind of trashy, but all in good fun. I have honestly spent a good two or three hours clicking through. I wish I could say I was looking at something of value but hey, I’m at least allowed one bad habit.
PostSecret: hosted by Blogspot, PostSecret.com has become a global haven for all those dirty little secrets. The original concept was this: people would mail their deepest secrets, wishes, fears, anything they needed to get off their chest to a post office box in Germantown, MD. The operation was the brainchild of Frank Warren. Each week since the website was started in 2005, Warren would post different secrets. I’ve always loved how extremely personal, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and at time humorous other people’s secrets could be. It’s amazing, this tiny peek inside someone else’s life. There’s nothing like anonymously sharing a secret with millions of strangers that’s surprisingly liberating. Part of me is always hoping one day I’ll read a secret that’s destined for me.
One reason why I think blogs like ONTD and PostSecret are extremely successful is that they are highly interactive. PostSecret couldn’t exist without users submitting and commenting on anonymous homemade postcards. ONTD relies on feedback and catty comments from their readers. Both blogs engage the viewers and encourages feedback. I’ve never actually submitted anything to either sites, but who knows, maybe I will.
In other cool news, my blog was FEATURED! I was doing a Google search on turnupthemedia (Don’t act like you’ve never done it before) and a link to the blog was on a Viral Video chart page. It’s all because of my “Bff Jill”. I knew that vid would come in handy! YAY ME!
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