Super Size Me

Per Kleppner's book, a number of lawsuits have been filed against fast food chains charging that their promotions of high-calorie, fatty menu items have led to various health problems namely obesity. Also, per the CDC, in 2007 only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%; 30 states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25% and 3 states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.

So, my question to you is do you think it's the advertisers fault that there is so much obesity in America namely in children? I think that the advertisers are doing their job for the companies and it's the companies job to make sure that they have healthy food on the menu. I think that people make their own choices and they choose what they want to consume. These days families have such busy lives with both parents working that it is easier to pick up fast food than cook a healthy meal but with the rising cost of food and gas it may be cheaper to cook at home in the end.

Advertising for the Melting Pot

In years to come there will be no single nationality of African American, White, Hispanic or Asian. I think everyone will be mixed with all different cultures. When kids today make friends I don't think they see color they just want a friend to play with. I am mixed with Black, White and Indian. My grandson is mixed with everything except Asian. All cultures are different and advertisers need to find a way to appeal to each one to sell their products. If a culture feels excluded they will not buy that product and pass the word onto others.

I haven't seen any commercials on local television advertising for any African American, Hispanic or Asian products. Maybe when an African American show is on they will incorporate some black products in the commercials. Most African American products are advertised on BET, Black Starz or TV1 cable networks. Whereas, I'm sure the Hispanic products are advertised on the Hispanic cable networks. Does anyone know where the Asian products are advertised? The only time I see all the ethnicities in one place is at the grocery store. Some of the products are in separate sections, for example the chinese and mexican foods, and what is considered the African American foods, i.e. collard greens, are on the shelves with the other products in the same food category. Do African Americans, Hispanics and Asians use different products than Whites other than food or hair care products? If not, then I think the advertisers just need to include more African Americans, Hispanics and Asians in their commercials for them to feel included.

Packaging

Packaging plays an important role with products especially now. Most companies are trying to be environmentally friendly. Some consumers are using the cloth bags for their groceries and some celebrities have or are endorsing clothing lines that are safe for the environment and are all natural. If the packaging doesn't catch your eye with the design, colors and words then more than likely the product will go unnoticed and be replaced by a more eye catching product. Also, since there may be the same products for numerous companies your packaging must stand out. For instance, if you want spagetti sauce there is Prego, Ragu, Newman's Own. There are several different types of chips and beer on the market.

In my opinion, it's not just the packaging that will temp the consumer to buy the product. It still has to be a good product no matter what the outside looks like. It's the inside that counts.

Personal Brand Names

Oprah is her own brand. She has the Oprah Winfrey Show, O the Oprah magazine, a radio show on XM satellite radio, Harpo Films, Oprah's Bookclub and now OWN the Oprah Winfrey Network on cable television. Even though Oprah has not put her name or image on food products, clothes, shoes or perfumes she is her own brand. Oprah's target market is women and if Oprah endorses a book or other products on her show women flock to the stores. Oprah can make or break a product. I think that is why a lot of companies want her endorsement as one of her favorite things. I can honestly say I too have been bitten by the Oprah bug. I subscribe to her magazine, watch or TIVO her show and I have also bought a couple of her favorite things, the inexpensive ones that is, and I have read some of the books that she endorsed. All of Oprah's brands are registered trademarks of Harpo, Inc.

Martha Stewart is another woman with her own brand. She has a TV show, Radio show, Martha Stewart Living magazine, furniture, crafts and she has the Martha Stewart Collection of bedding, pots and pans. Martha is another businesswoman with a strong target audience of women and can get them to the stores to buy the products.

Companies spend a lot of money to help define and establish their brand. Oprah said "my brand developed deliberately by accident. One choice at a time. No strategic planning. No marketing or development experts. Just daily choosing to do what felt like the right thing to do."

Nobody's Watching

The first television advertisement was broadcast in the U.S. on July 1, 1941, when the Bulova Watch Company paid $9 for a 20-second spot aired before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. The average cost of a single 30-second TV spot during the 2008 Super Bowl game, which is known as much for its commercial advertisement as for the game, has reached $2.7 million. My have times changed. I think during the game is the only time anyone really watches commercials. These are suppose to be the best commercials the companies have to offer to advertise their product to over 90 million viewers. These are the commercials that are critiqued around the water cooler on Monday after the game and they need to stick in the consumers head.

Other than big games, I don't think hardly anyone is watching TV must less TV commercials. Normally, if you are watching TV when the commercials come on that's your cue to go to the bathroom, get something to eat or make a quick phone call. Most people don't have the time to sit and watch TV anymore. They are either on their computers, working a second job to pay for basic needs, going to school at night or taking care of the kids. Even the kids aren't watching TV because they are playing video games or are on the computer. If there is a show that you want to watch and you won't be home you will TIVO it and when you do watch it you will fast forward through the commercials, at least I do.

I guess the companies will have to continue making TV commercials in hopes that someone is watching.

Advertising in Color

Per Kleppner's, one of the most versatile elements of an ad is color. It can attract attention and help create a mood. The best colors for advertising depend on what you are advertising. It also depends on the colors of your brand which should be emphasized in the ad. If you are advertising for a restaurant the food colors should be vibrant and mouth watering. It should make you want to eat the food right off the pages or at least want to dine at the restaurant. Whereas, if the colors are bland or a black and white print ad it doesn't make food look appealing or appetizing. It is an attention getting device because people notice a color ad more readily than one in black and white.

If I see a certain color or image I automatically think of a certain company before I see the sign with the company name. When I see a red circle with a dot in the middle I automatically think of Target, or the color orange I think of Home Depot or brown I think of UPS. These are colors that are associated with the brand of the company and should be emphasized in the ad.

Slogans

When I researched the word slogan it said, "a memorable motto or phrase". I think a slogan for a product should be short and sweet and something that sticks with you to remind you of the product. Whether it be a jingle that sticks in your head for hours on end or just a snappy phrase. Anything that makes you remember the product when you're at the store to lure you to the product to buy it or to shop or eat at a certain store or restaurant. While watching television today I wrote down some of the slogans that I saw. For Example, Lending Tree - when banks compete you win; Gatorade - is it in you; Diet Pepsi Max - wake up people; IHOP - come hungry leave happy and Capital One - what's in your wallet. When you hear the slogan it should automatically remind you of the company or product. Do any of these remind you of the company or product? The only one that sticks in my head is the slogan for Capital One because if I heard the words "what's in your wallet" and didn't see the commercial I would automatically think of Capital One because they are connected.

Companies sometimes have to reinvent themselves. As they grow and evolve so does their slogan. Here are a few examples:
Wendy's old slogan was "Where's the Beef? Their new slogan is "Do what tastes right".
McDonald's old slogan was "We love to see you smile" New slogan "I'm lovin' it".
KFC's old slogan was "Finger Lickin' Good" New slogan "There's fast food , then there's KFC"

Sometimes it's better off to leave well enough alone. I would not connect Wendy's with their "do what tastes right" slogan nor would I connect KFC with their new slogan if their name wasn't in it. "Where's the Beef" was the best slogan, in my opinion, because everyone was saying it and you knew people were talking about Wendy's. Sometimes people would just blurt it out if they were at another hamburger joint and there was a small beef patty. McDonald's new slogan "I'm lovin' it" is a jingle so I automatically think McDonald's anytime I hear it.

If you would like to see some other slogans refer to www.textart.ru/database/slogan and you can put in an advertising category and they will give you the slogan for it.

Coupons

Per Kleppner's, coupon promotions are among the oldest forms of sales promotion and they are without question the most pervasive category within the promotion industry. They are often distributed through mail, magazines, newspapers, internet. Coupons first saw widespread use in the US in 1909 when C.W. Post conceived the idea to help sell breakfast cereals and other products. Internet coupons have become popular because there is no postal cost and the printing cost is borne by the person that prints the coupon rather than the business that issues it. I noticed that some stores will not accept internet coupons because they say that some of them are fraudulent. Some store will accept other in-store coupons or match prices if you can bring in the ad that shows the same product. When I worked at Albertson's they would not accept any internet coupons and if you brought in a Kroger coupon that was doubled or tripled they would give you the money off but not double or triple the coupon. There are people who save hundreds of dollars in one grocery run by clipping coupons. They only buy whats on the coupon, even if it's an off-brand, they calculate whether it's a good deal or not, and then they buy the sale item. I wish I could do that. I'm the person that clips the coupons and either forgets to take them to the grocery or forgets to give them to the checkout person. The Sam's Club does not accept any type of coupon. I guess since you are already getting the item in bulk they figure you're already getting a good deal.

Media - Newspapers

Per Kleppner's book, newspapers appeal primarily to an upscale audience, especially those adults age 35 and older. Nowadays I don't think very many people actually read a newspaper. My friends laugh at me when I tell them I need to buy a newspaper. If they read the paper, they normally read it online instead of actually buying the paper. I would rather buy the printed paper because it seems that there are more articles in the paper than reading it online. I like the Friday and Sunday paper the best. Friday there is the Star Time with all it's advertisements for entertainment and restaurants and on Sunday there are all the store ads. Even though I know you can also look online for the Target ads I get very irritated when the Target ads are not in the Sunday paper. Besides the Parade that's the other insert that I really want to read. When I am reading the paper unless I am in the market for furniture or clothes I pass right over the ads.

I think Black Friday, day after Thanksgiving shopping day, is the best time for newspaper ads. I think it's easier to have paper ads to compare the prices than to look up all the ads online and compare. When I go to the store to shop I take the ads with me. I don't want to print them out from online and use up my ink when it's already done for me.

Media - Magazines

I know that magazines need to have advertisers to help pay for their magazines and to sell products but when I'm paying $15 for a yearly subscription to Oprah and Essence magazines or $4 from the stand I would like to have more articles than all the advertisements especially since I don't buy anything that's advertised. It seems like half the magazine is advertisements. I don't think that consumers buy the magazines for the advertisements. Maybe some will buy a product that was seen in Home and Garden if they are decorating or remodeling but I don't think that the majority buy anything. I know each magazine has it's own niche target market but how many consumers are actually buying products that are seen in a magazine? Are you??

Media - Radio

The first credited radio commercial was a 10-minute live commercial from station WEAF New York on August 28, 1922 for Queensboro Real Estate Corporation. Radio reaches 93% of all Americans 12 years and older every week. Depending on where you live and traffic you could spend a minimum of approximately two hours a day in your car just coming and going to work not to mention the time you spend in the car if on vacation. With local, internet and satellite radio there are a wide variety of radio stations to choose from. You have easy listening, rock, country, hip-hop and R&B. The advertisers have to curtail the products to the audience that listens to the different stations.

I normally listen to R&B, rhythm and blues KRNB 105.7, and my radio station normally stays on the same channel, unless they start talking too much, then I switch around but I always come back to my normal channel. I think the radio advertisers have their work cut out for them because normally when you're listening to the radio you either want to listen to what's happening in the world or you want some soothing music not alot of commercials. The only things that I have bought that were advertised on the radio are concert tickets or tickets to a play. Other than that I only listen to the radio for the music.

Media - Television

During the weekday the majority of consumers are at work and the rest are out of work, on vacation or stay at home moms watching daytime television. Normally there is nothing on TV during the day except soap operas, court shows and talk shows with commercials aimed towards women. The advertisements are either commercials during the shows or products that are being marketed on the show.

Imagine White House Black Markets surprise when Michelle Obama was on The View and wore a black and white sleeveless sundress that she dressed up with a black pin and told everyone where she bought it. Before nightfall that sundress was sold out on the internet and in stores and was on back order. Mrs. Obama was a walking advertisement for White House Black Market without them having to pay a cent for advertising. I don't think she meant to advertise for them but it was 6 women sitting around chatting about clothes and I'm sure she nor White House Black Market knew what an influence she had on women's clothes. Okay, I will confess, I did take a look at the dress online but didn't want to pay that price for one dress so I passed. I'm sure it wouldn't have looked as good on me as it did Mrs. Obama.

Target Marketing - Women

According to Kleppner's, women comprise 51.4% of the U.S. population and purchase or influence 85% of all products. Per a Harris Interactive Study, women control 75% of the household finances and 80% purchasing decisions. Unlike the former years where the men were the breadwinners and dictated how and where the money would be spent the women in the family have finally found their voice. They have cracked the glass ceiling and are making higher salaries and can decide how they want to spend their money. The women are the ones that shop for groceries and clothes for the family the majority of the time so I think the advertisers target them more. Men are more likely to already know what they want before they go shopping. They go into the store, get what they want and leave usually without buying anything else but what they went for. Women on the other hand browse the mall. A big "sale" sign will bring us into your store every time and more than likely we will walk out with a armful of bags of items that we don't need and will probably return just because we saw the store was having a sale.

Have you ever noticed that when a couple goes shopping that usually the woman has worn the man out with shopping that he is sitting on the bench, with the bags, outside of the store while the woman is shopping.

business.com - Guide to marketing to women by Matt Alderton

Target Marketing

Marketing.about.com defines target market as a group of individuals whom collectively, are intended recipients of an advertiser's message. Whereas Kleppner's book defines target marketing as identifying and communicating with groups of prime prospects.

I never thought of myself as a "prime prospect" but I guess everyone is in a way. Anytime you buy something on the internet and give your email address or you sign up for a give-away, wedding or baby register or move into a new home you would be considered a "prime prospect". When I bought my home I received numerous "welcome" packets in the mail with various coupons and places to shop around the neighborhood. Periodically, I still receive Val-packs in the mail with various inserts and coupons. When my daughter was pregnant she signed up for a baby register and she receives parenting magazines, coupons for formula and diapers and other coupons pertaining to babies. Does it ever stop? I don't think so. I think if they can get a few people to buy the product that's being advertised then they have done their job.

You just need to be careful about what you sign up for or you may receive more "junk" mail than bills which may be a good thing.

Jingle (Sung to the tune of the Oscar Meyer song)

My Jingle has a first name it's S-H-O-E-S
My Jingle has a second name it's B-U-Y-E-R
Oh I love to browse them everyday and if you ask my why I'll say
because DSW has the price to fit my A-C-C-O-U-N-T.

Brand Names vs Generic

Kleppner's Advertising Procedure book says "a brand name that customers recognize and respect is one of the most valued assets of a company". I tend to agree with that. I for one grew up as what a call a "brand name" kid. All of our clothes, shoes and household items were brand names. There were no "generic" brands in our house. Unfortunately, my child also grew up as a "brand name" kid. She did not want to wear tennis shoes that were not Nikes or clothes that came from Target because they were not the brands that she was use to. As an adult I tend to buy brands that I grew up with because that was all I know. You wouldn't catch me buying off brand toilet paper or toothpaste because I grew up with Charmin and Crest and those are the brands I recognize and know are good products. I know there are others but why change now.

Some time ago I worked part time at Albertson's. One of the other employees was telling me about the Albertson's brand chocolate chip cookies and how good they were. Me being me wondered how good they could be since they were not being advertised on TV and they were generic. Not knowing that they are the same as brand name cookies with different packaging and maybe a few different ingredients, but to me they were not the brand name. If I had on a blind fold to do a taste test of the brand name cookies vs the generic cookies you could not have told me that the Albertson's brand cookies were not Chips Ahoy.

Don't be fooled by the packaging and commercials for brand name products because some of the generics taste just as good or sometimes better than the brand name, but on the flip side some of them are worse. The generics definitely cost less in this economy.

www.associatedcontent.com; www.lifehacker.com

Advertising 101

I don't want to bore you with how advertising began, http://historymatters.gmu.edu, but in the early 1700's, http://adage.com, it started with American colonists making announcements about goods on hand that were for sale. Today it has progressed to television, radio, billboards and magazines just to name a few. Everywhere you turn someone is trying to sell you something. You can't sit down and watch TV with your family without a commercial coming on to sell a product. It seems like the kids are the main targets. There's always a commercial about the next best toy to the cheesiest Mac&Cheese. The next thing out of your kids mouth is "I want that or can I have that".

I remember when I was a kid and Puffa Puffa Rice cereal was the newest cereal on the market. My sister and I wanted it and when we went to the grocery store and my mom asked which cereal we wanted we pointed it out. We couldn't wait until the next morning to eat some. That was the nastiest cereal we had ever eaten. Back in those days there wasn't much money to waste and when you asked for something you had to eat it all. My dad made us eat the entire box of cereal no matter how much we complained but that didn't stop us from asking for anything else we saw on the commercials.

Moral of the story, be careful what you buy from commercials they don't always live up to the hype.

All about me

Hello All,

My name is ValerieH and I will be attending the Advertising class. I am a junior at Northwood. This will be my sixth class with too many left to count after a ten year hiatus from school. I rec'd an Associates degree from TCC and have been in the banking field for 21 years but would like to get back into accounting if anyone has any leads on a job. Changing jobs was my motivation for returning to school so I am back and determined to graduate by the end of 2009 if i can just get past Algebra and Statistics.

Prior to banking I was in the Air Force for 5 years as a Security Policeman.

Please bear with me on the blogging as this is my first time using this media.

See you all in class
ValerieH