by Next Wave Team | Feb 5, 2007 | Advertising, Change the world, Creativity, Differentiating Your Brand, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Guerrilla Campaigns, Low Budget Advertising, Practical Marketing 101, Public Relations in the Web 2.0 world
Guerrilla marketing started out as a way to get attention when a business had no cash to buy traditional media. Now, it’s what big companies look for when they are trying to make up for bad ad strategies.
Turner Broadcast Systems is probably reconsidering the cost effectiveness of a recent “guerrilla marketing” campaign for its Cartoon Network show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” where NY agency Interference placed signs that were mistaken for bombs in major cities including Boston.
FOXNews.com - Turner, Interference to Pay $2 Million for Botched Cartoon Network Ad Campaign in U.S. Cities - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
BOSTON — Turner Broadcasting Systems and Interference Inc. agreed Monday to pay $2 million for an unconventional Cartoon Network advertising campaign last week that caused a widespread bomb scare, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced.
This isn’t the first time that “guerrilla ads” for major corporations have caused more headaches than they were worth. Sony did a graffiti campaign for Playstation portable, and Microsoft plastered a city with static cling decals for a software product with similar bad PR results.
Chalking sidewalks, human billboards, street teams, PR stunts are all pretty harmless and effective tools. And while some may say that this botched campaign got lots of press, it didn’t end up being cheap or positive press for the client. Before considering a “guerrilla campaign” the question one must ask is: how would I feel if someone did this to my mother? My sister? Me? The golden rule applies.
Advertise onto others, as you would have others advertise onto me.
And, if you think you are getting a free lunch- here’s a tip: there is no such thing as a free lunch, just ask Turner Broadcast Systems.
by Next Wave Team | Jan 31, 2007 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Change the world, Creativity, Differentiating Your Brand, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Minorities in Advertising
First off, I have to plug one of my favorite guerrilla marketing websites: In Bubble Wrap- www.inbubblewrap.com where a small bookseller, 800 CEO Read, www.800ceoread.com is competing with Amzon.com and Barnes and Nobel, on a shoestring. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising, they give away 20 copies of a business book each day to an audience interested in business books. Considering the cost of the books (which they may get as a promotional copies anyway) and the cost of the site and postage, they are getting huge exposure for minimal dollars.
Not only do I have the opportunity to win, I learn something each day about a current business book. Today, the book talked about how Pepsi added marketshare by being the more politically correct marketer, in a day when all the people in ads were lily white.
InBubbleWrap: Pepsi Gave Us Some Jackie Robinsons
In the late 40’s and early 50’s, while Coca-Cola was visibly and enthusiastically supporting Georgia’s racist governor Herman Talmadge, Pepsi’s progressive CEO, Walter Mack, saw a way to make his uphill battle with Coke even out. And to be clear on this, yes, his primary motivation was the pursuit of profit. So, he decided to approve a campaign targeted at black consumers, and at the same time, hired someone to put together a team of all black sales people to push Pepsi on the African-American community. It worked. Pepsi soon became known as a “liberal” soft drink, inspiring entire communities to favor their beverages. Pepsi basically revolutionized the strategies of niche marketing.
Compare this with today’s attempts to connect with “new” markets. Dove has made a lot of noise and gotten a lot of attention with their Campaign for real beauty where they attempt to use models that look more like real women than waifs.
With Pepsi, it’s an example of a company going against prevailing social policy looking for profit. Corporate America now regularly enters political battles by supporting lobbyists and giving to political campaigns- and many hedge their bets giving to both sides. Being more “Green” is a marketing strategy with a political bent, and Toyota and Nissan have campaigned to tell us that many times their products have more American made content than American cars. Looking at “The Pepsi Challenge” I’m wondering if a company is going to position itself as an anti-war company to cash in on the growing displeasure with the war?
The best advertising creates an emotional response within the potential customer- we’ve seen companies wrap themselves in the flag for years- who will be the bold one to question the war first? Or has it been done?
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Jan 23, 2007 | Ad Agenices in Dayton, OH, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, How To Select An Ad Agency, Search and Business, Web strategy
Some local Dayton Ad agencies are starting to get a clue to what we do- and here is an example of one copying our list of Dayton Ad agencies- and posting it on their site.
Call it e-marketing, call it online marketing and communications- but, online is only one part of your complete marketing solution. The ability to build relationships with your customers isn’t just HTML- but here’s an example of what a copy job looks like:
Dayton Ad Agencies and BrainWave Emarketing
Need an ad agency? Get an ad agency. Need online marketing and communications? Get BrainWave.
Some agencies specialize in direct mail, some excel in public relations and some claim to be full service and do it all. BrainWave specializes in what we know - emarketing. And as you know, businesses that specialize in one category will outperform the departments in the one stop shops.
Some ad agencies can build websites. BrainWave builds a marketing tool that works for your business 24X7 and takes your online properties to the next level, making it an integrated part of your marketing communications and a true business value to your company.
We have provided a list of Dayton ad agencies. Call and discuss their online marketing capabilities before or after you have had a chance to chat with BrainWave.
Dayton Ohio Advertising Agencies
There is also another local agency that has a blog- although the integration with their main site is poor- and the content is focused on their own hip factor.
If you are looking for an ad agency in Dayton OH, Columbus Ohio or Cincinnati Ohio you’ve come to the right place- at least if you are looking to research- see our page: Agencies that aren’t The Next Wave.
