Augmented Reality - A Game Changer?

In the flesh, this German auto magazine ad for the new Mini Cabrio looks normal, maybe even irrelevant. But do as the instructions tell you, and this is what you get:

Mind blown? Mine was. Although I admit, my initial thought was, "Why?" But then again, it is a pretty cool, not to mention ground breaking, innovation. When you hold this ad up to your computer's webcam and you get a 3-dimensional model of the MINI Cabrio. You can rotate it any which way and see a detailed view of every angle, even of the interior of the vehicle--something you wouldn't be able to do up close and personal unless you went to the dealership and viewed the car. Now you can take a tour of a car just by sitting in front of your computer. Of course, you still can't drive it right there... This augmented reality approach could be a whole new standard for car advertisements that brings the consumer a very personal experience with the ad they could not previously get with normal print or TV ads for cars. 

This video of how this ad was made is pretty interesting:

AND you can try this out with a downloadable PDF here.

Nostalgia makes the heart grow fonder.

Nostalgia marketing has been used successfully by a number of brands, i.e Coca Cola, Mini Coupe, Volkswagen, Converse, Michelin, etc. The use of nostalgia usually works like  charm, since it triggers (hopefully positive, but sometimes negative) memories associated with that product. Triggering [fond] memories associated with a specific product is especially effective, because those episodic memories are emotional, powerful, and could thus override any negative associations one may have with that product. This reaction to a product creates a very dedicated brand loyalty and involvement, and often cult-like following. Take, for instance, the Volkswagen Vanagon, which has been brought back to resemble its earliest models (much like other cars have been brought back, i.e. the Ford Mustang, and the Mini Coupe), and the returning customers are loyal to their product, and very involved with the brand do to a nostalgic attachment. James Bond has also had great success with nostalgia. The franchise has faded out of existence, and revived many times, but remains consistent to its original elements. Bond's character always wears suits, has a very sophisticated charm, drives a beautiful car... the personalities M and Q remain consistent... Bond's relationship with women is constant, detached and always ends badly... "James. James Bond." No matter who is playing bond, these certain elements keep you in touch with the same spy character you, or you grandparent know and have grown to love.

Go look at this cool site that exemplifies the consistency of these iconic elements in the James Bond franchise: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20026367


However, there are some products that would only be killed by an attempt at nostalgia. As a consumer, it is hard for me to look back on any older version of a computer and long for the sweet (slow, error prone) times we had together. Apple, though brilliant, couldn't sell a throwback campaign based on this:

Apple's, and many other computer brands, are based o n evolution and progress, so its hard for them to successfully use nostalgia in their marketing. I will say though, that Apple manages to make a nostalgic reference with the release of their latest iMac. The evolution of the iMac has always been quite iconic and astounding, and they use this image, depicting that evolution, on apple.com and in the keynote that introduces the new product:

Although its not the traditional nostalgic approach, seeing images of these machines generates pretty much only positive memories of the machines. While depicting progress, the image reminds you of how great each of these innovations were at the time of release, especially the iconic 1998 desktop, and the iMac of 2002, which was the gateway for a whole new era of computer design.

I am curious as to whether or not nostalgic marketing would work for cigarettes in the US. Cigarettes are evolving as a product, not in favor of the classic images with which one might associate them. They are advertised less, and as cleaner. In many places, you cannot freely smoke wherever you like (in a restaurant, bar, or even right outside a building). Cigarettes used to be a symbol of freedom and rebellion, but the negative associations they have with major health defects has played a role in dwindling advertising, and way less positive imagery associated with cigarette smoking. I wonder, if Marlboro brought back the Marlboro Man, would it trigger fond associations with the connoted rebellious lifestyle of the iconic cowboy, or would it make smokers sad they aren't actually free to do what they want with their cigarettes anymore? 

The Harley Davidson Community

Here is quick look into the Harley Davidson lifestyle. This commercial even conveys the sort of community lifestyle Harley owners and bikers are all about. #StereotypicalHarley



Harley Davidson made great use of the already existing communal feeling motorcycle owners tend to have with each other. Often these biking communities take the form of bike gangs, and not everyone wants to be a part of that environment. There are also bike clubs, and huge rallies, for which bikers travel across country. Harley took a little something from all of these elements in biker communities and made them their own. The H.O.G. is a more friendly to motorcyclists not of the vagrant lifestyle, while also giving them the opportunity to share in that novelty with a group of people who share something in common with them. That the posse ride gives Harley owners the chance to bond with other Harley owners is a great way of creating brand involvement and identification. They ride with each other, tell stories, have their own oath--like a real biker gang... These posse rides enable the bike owners to make friends who they may share more experiences with outside the posse ride, but most likely revolving around their bikes--involvement. Sharing [fun] experiences with a group of people who also own Harleys definitely makes the Harley owners more attached to their bike and the brand.

Harley getting involved with the ride shouldn't dilute the effect it has on the riders. As long as the participants still get the same experiences, mostly revolving around them interacting with other participants, Harley involvement should enhance the experience and make customers feel even more trustworthy of the brand, who will be directly showing concern for their customers' needs. Initially I thought the extra involvement my get a little cheesy, but seeing as how most Harley employees are probably very much like the consumers who buy the product, their participation should only enhance the experience. In fact, if Harley staff participated in the ride, as customer participants did, while also doing their job and taking care of their customers, it would make riders feel very at home, and more attached to their brand. If bike owners see Harley staff members as buddies, not just salesmen, the posse ride would be made that much more meaningful.

Its difficult to suggest that Harley do anymore to increase brand involvement. They already offer several community opportunities. There are group rides everywhere, and all the time; events geared toward women who own Harleys; learn-to-ride courses... This company has done a lot to increase brand involvement, making sure that owners always feel they are a part of an exclusive community. The best part is that these events are very accessible--there are local events everywhere.

Go to this link to view the learn-to-ride courses: learn-to-ride

Go to this link to see a calendar of local events: events

Taste the Possibilities

I do believe Coca-Cola made the right choice in differing the Coke Zero campaigns the way they did in  North America from the rest of the world. As this "diet" soda was meant to widen the target market (to young-adult men) on diet soda, it was clever to eliminate "diet" from the campaign in North America. Young men in North America tend to see Diet drinks as being meant for older women. This strategy seemed to create great success in the areas they were targeting, and more, in the US. Without removing "diet" from the campaign, I don't think it would have had the same success. We, in the US, would have written it off as just another Diet Coke--why do we need that? By simply not calling it a diet soda, Coke lowered the age of the general target audience, including men, and even roping in young women.

The fake blog in Australia doesn't seem at all unethical to me, from a business stand point. Coca-Cola was looking for a new, different approach to getting their product out there--as they are known to do. Lying to consumers? Please. Everyone does that. Is something as trivial as a blog more unethical than the ads in the US, wherein they used lawyers who didn't know they were being recorded to fane a lawsuit against themselves? It was simply a campaigning strategy, and it worked. It simply appealed to peoples' interests, and connected them to Coke Zero. Sure it was done in a very personal way, but isn't that just all the more clever. Would you say Sony's fake website for the movie 2012--where it had a sign-up so you could be safe at the end of the world--is unethical? In a paranoid age, such as this, that fake website appealed to people's emotions, just as Coke Zero's fake blog did. It worked, and nobody is hurt.

Another product like Coke Zero: Pepsi Max. Maybe a little before Coke Zero, Pepsi launched a zero calorie soda targeted at young men. In their campaigns, the beverage is more explicitly geared toward men, not always successful at including women in their market. They also eliminate the usage of "diet" from their ads and brand name, which is clever and successful. But, as with many Pepsi products, Pepsi Max is not nearly as successful as Coke Zero. For one thing, I see hardly any evidence of an international campaign on Pepsi's part, and certainly not one as powerful as any of the Coke or Coke Zero campaigns. Pepsi Max does not touch on the consumers' emotions like Coke Zero, or even Classic Coke has done. If anything, Pepsi Max enjoyed a short lived spark of success, and has faded away to the point where I only thought of it from an internet search, because I couldn't think of an example other than Dr. Pepper 10--that will also eventually fade into the same abyss. As Coke Zero is not so explicit with showing who their new target market is, they do not limit themselves in terms of new campaign possibilities. Pepsi Max does, almost immediately move away from the Man theme, but with campaigns that hold little theme. The closest they come is with "Don't worry, there's no sugar!" Basically this, and other Pepsi Max ads imply that, with this no sugar soda, you can do things you normally couldn't.

Prop P: Outlaw Planking

PROP P: OUTLAW PLANKING

Planking is a danger to society. Always the catalyst to bad decisions and general lameness, the act of planking has finally taken a life. Recently, an Australian man in Brisbane plummetted to his death whilst planking on a 7th floor balcony. Even ignoring that planking offers nothing productive to anyone of any race, gender, age, or religion, is the death of an innocent man not enough to convince us to outlaw planking!

As we can see clearly from the images above, planking leads to debauchery, encourages obesity and even has even been a method of attempted suicide! Planking must be stopped! If we act now, and ban planking, we can save thousands of lives, and save thousands of people from wasting their time and losing IQ points.

Outlaw planking. Save the world.

Gender Stereotyping and Children

It's a given that ads use gender stereotyping in both negative and positive fashions. I personally accept whatever effect it may have on adults, though I think that it is the dichotomy of creating, reinforcing and simply reflecting stereotypes that makes ads so powerful and successful. What I think is more interesting, and more ethically challenging is how ads that gender stereotype affect children. As adults, we should be able to think and fend for ourselves, and in our world ads can be representations of us that we merely agree with or don't, or more or less fail to notice. But children, whose minds are still developing along with their sense of identity relative to the rest of the world, are more affected by advertisements.



Toys like Nerf, Hot Wheels, and action figures are specifically targeted at boys. When have you ever seen a Nerf commercial featuring a girl? Or Hot Wheels? This creates a stark division of interests engrained in children at an earlier age. It is blatant conditioning for the roles they are expected to fulfill later in life. We see this especially when we compare ads targeted at boys, like the one above, to ads for dolls and play kitchen appliances targeted at girls. Ads for products like Nerf and Hot Wheels are loud and aggressive, while ads for toys like Barbie or My Little Pony sing a cute, jovial song, and the girls are smile and giggle a lot, while the boys in their ads run around and yell at each other. The color usage is also usually very different. Colors in ads targeted at boys are bright and loud, while those in the ads targeted at girls use more pastels (pinks, purples, light blues), though they now often use bright colors, those colors still never evoke aggressiveness. You also see way more black in ads targeted at boys, and a lot of white in ads made for girls.



Do these stereotyping techniques always make girls adhere to the baby loving, caretaking stereotype bestowed upon them? No. Do boys always grow up wanting to drive fast cars and join the army? Also no. My concern is more with how gender stereotyping in ads affects how children identify with the world around them. What toys a kid plays with can be determined by many factors other than commercials--what is available at school, what their friends have, and mostly what their parents give them to play with. I identify with the girls who are upset when McDonalds gives them the "girl" toy instead of the "boy" toy. I also know the boys who were upset to the converse dilemma. Girls like us identified as "tomboys," and were not always accepted by our baby doll loving companions. Does gender stereotyping in advertisements contribute to kids becoming outcast for several years in school?




Conversely, there are children's toys whose ads are consistently gender neutral, most notably play doh. However, I would also call the product itself more acceptably gender neutral than barbie vs. batman. It seems that toys that serve as creative stimulus are generally targeted to both sexes.



Here, Barbie did something pretty cool. Here is an ad that just barely features the doll itself, but actually features women as pilots, fire fighters, teachers, doctors, athletes. An ad that says "I can be anything," putting the decision in the hands of the viewer, more like an ad toward an adult. However, I could argue that this is also targeted at the adult, the parent, who is a little less traditional than the other moms and generally wouldn't buy a Barbie for her daughter. I mean hey, it got me.

Absolut Semiotics.

Today I would like to take a look at the long-term Absolut ad campaign in terms of semiotics.

Most of us have seen these ads somewhere or another, mostly in magazines and occasionally on television. I think we can agree that these ads take pretty much the same shape consistently: You see a clear (sometimes integrated into its relative surroundings) image of the bottle, with a simple, bold caption, usually at the bottom of the ad reading "ABSOLUT _______." I invite you to look at the link to a gallery of Absolut Ads below to get a sense of the campaign's versatility.

http://www.absolutad.com/absolut_gallery/singles/

But with all these ads, seemingly targeting different nationalities, lifestyles, emotions, etc... What are these ads trying to tell us. A brief intro to the history of the Absolut ads tells us this:

Adman Geoff Hays of the TBWA ad agency in New York was asked to come up with a campaign for Absolut Vodka. The Stockholm team had taken great care to outline a campaign for the new product based on very specific guidelines - all advertising should center around the bottle, the product should not be identified with any particular lifestyle and the approach should have a timeless yet contemporary feel to it. 

Thousands of miles away, Hayes took these ideas one step further. The story goes that the idea for "Absolut Perfection" and the Absolut Vodka campaign came to him nee the bath. At that moment, in a New York bathtub, 400 years of Swedish tradition became a modern phenomenon.

There is the beginning of our answer. The point of these ads is to NOT target a specific lifestyle or culture, but to suggest that Absolut can be apart of anyones life and any country's culture. It can be everyone's vodka. Even the fact the Hayes came up with the ad idea in the bathtub manifests this very purpose.

But lets take a look even further, at the object in focus here: the bottle. The bottle has been a very important player in Absolut's essence and success. The bottle design was inspired from an old Swedish medicine bottle found in an antique shop, and appears as such. Think: a bottle that appears to cure all ailments. Upon further contemplating the bottle design, it was decided that it should have no label (usually it is clear, with the brand name in blue, with black script), so you could see the contents of the bottle. This goes along with the company's original slogan for the vodka, "Absolute pure." For various marketing and legal reasons, they modified it to be "Absolut." But thanks to their bottle, and various advertisements that imply it's purity, we still associate Absolut with pureness.

Overall, the Absolut ads collectively do not give off any particular ambience, appealing to any certain demographic. The ads purposely, though maybe they are less effective individually, attract all audiences from all regions and all walks of life. Absolut has manage to convey its origins as well as create the idea that it is the vodka for anyone, any time and any place.