Advertising 305 Journal

Restaurant

2007-11-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

I've come up with a brilliant idea for a restaurant. Want to know what it is? OK, but keep it secret!

While racking my brain for money making schemes one day, it hit me: how can I capitalize in the restaurant business. To my right on the feeder road stood a Hooters. Then it hit me.

Why not make a restaurant like Hooters that caters to women and gay men? Surely those two groups can be just as crass as men that eat at Hooters if given the opportunity. "Well," I thought. "Let's just open a chinese restaurant with scantily-clad men and call it... Wang's." I know, I know, it sounds vulgar. Well, one man's vulgarity is the other man's innuendo. I've already thought of how I would style the restaurant to make it fun, yet slightly intriguing like Hooters. We'd serve quality chinese food in a fun atmosphere. The waiters would walk around in tight, short bike shorts with fanny packs at the belt line for tips. There would be plenty of dancing for everybody. However, every now and then, we'd have a Wang's Party Night where the lights go off and the house music blares from all sides. Of course, this evening would double as a club and we'd have to have an age limit.

I've even thought out Wang's delivery service. Our cars would be all-black sedans with strobe lights and smoke machines inside. When the drive pulls up to your home, he's dressed in his standard Wang's attire. He'll offer you a 10% "party tax" with your meal. This entails him bringing a boom box into your house and dancing with you for a few minutes. Nothing risque, just fun.

The marketing strategy for this enterprise would resemble that of Hooters. Advertise the food and fun while slyly hinting at the the waitstaff and their assets. Of course, I'd have to franchise eventually, but that just means more money and easier operations. We could even put out a Wang's calender every now and then.

This, coupled with the Revolution Pops that were mentioned early on, should make me a rich man if I ever get the money to start up. Lord, help the world if I get money.

Jersey Sponsors

2007-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Here I am writing about the Houston Dynamo again. This time, it's about their jerseys. In fact, it's about MLS jerseys in general.

It's a long standing practice in Europe to have a corporate sponsor on the front of a team's jersey. Manchester United, Real Madrid, and AC Milan are just a few examples out hundreds of samples. Most astonishingly to an American mindset is this: hardly anybody minds it. American sports seem to be so sanctified in our society, the thought of putting an advert on the New York Yankees jersey or the Boston Celtics jersey seems unthinkable. However, all one needs to do is take a look down south and observe the soccer teams of Mexico. Pachuca, anybody? What about Morelia?

In actuality, America's own MLS is embracing the way of jersey advertisements. Let's observe: Chivas USA is sponsored by CoMex. Los Angeles Galaxy is partnered with Herbalife. Houston Dynamo are Amigo Energy. Real Salt Lake utilize Xango. Chicago Fire have a Honda advert on the back of their jersey. The Columbus Crew have just reached a partnership with Glidden Paints. Toronto FC are partnered with Canadian bank BMO. And last, but certainly not least, the team in New York is completely named after a company; Red Bull New York. This just leaves the Colorado Rapids, DC United, FC Dallas, the Kansas City Wizards, New England Revolution, and the expansion teams in San Jose and Seattle without jersey sponsorships.

This is a good move for the league, teams, and companies. It's good for the league because it represents the MLS' growing popularity. Now that the league is actually at a point where corporations want to spend their money to advertise with MLS, it means that the league is moving in the right direction toward gaining respectability. For teams, it represents money. The revenue generated by not only the sponsorship , but by jersey sales as well, allows them to remain financially viable. Lastly, it's good for companies because it gets their names out there. To be honest, I'd never heard of Amigo Energy before they reached a deal with Houston Dynamo to be their jersey sponsors. Now, their name comes to mind just as quickly as Reliant Energy, which is the main electricity provider and has the naming rights to Reliant Stadium.

As an American, I'm not offended by this. I'm not saying that I would like to see our uniforms turn into Mexican soccer uniforms, but I'm happy for the teams and the league. It means that soccer in this country is getting more viable. And if I end up moving back to Houston after college, I'll know that Amigo Energy exists. Isn't that all they're asking of me before I buy their product?

Flyers

2007-11-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it: I'm part of a ska band. This may be why none of us have any friends, as ska went the way of BetaMax in the early 1990s. However, we've had a pretty successful, albeit surprising, run in Houston. I credit this not only to our unmatched skills on stage, but also to our tenacious advertising.

I had an "in" with a guy a photocopy place back home. He agreed to let me make 100 copies of anything for $1. Thus, when it came time for my band to play a concert, I promoted it by printing 1,000 copies of our flyer. We plastered our high school, local businesses, bus stops, and electricity poles with them. Soon enough, it was impossible to not see our flyers the day before a show.

Our tactics were simple: cover every place that students might go. We never anticipated having an older crowd at our shows, so we targeted the young. One such place was Tapioca Teahouse, a tapioca tea shop that was frequented by students. They had a nice display shelf where people would post business cards and flyers about upcoming art events. We would calmly place our flyers in a stack next to the others. However, one day before a concert, we'd initiate a marketing blitz and cover all flyers with ours. Soon enough, it was nearly impossible to see anything other than the latest Dumbarton flyer.

In addition, everybody at 5 high schools in Houston knew who we are. Unlike most fledging bands, we had members spread throughout the city and each of us was just as zealous in promoting our product. Our shows did what high school shows should not: draw hundreds of people to see us.

Our incredible marketing strategy died down with time. Upon graduation, there was no point any longer. We'd all be going off to school. However, if I remark around my friends "Do you remember those flyers we used to print out for shows?" They give me a disgruntled look and say, "I still have multiple copies of every flyer you guys put out." "Well, I guess it worked!" I say. "Maybe, but I did get sick of seeing them," they'll reply.

Tyler's

2007-11-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

Here's an Austin-centric update.

Whenever I walk around the UT campus, I undoubtedly see two things: girls in Nike track shorts and people in t-shirts advertising Tyler's.

I don't get it. The shirt not only has the word "TYLER'S" written in big letters on the back, it's also on the front and the sleeve. Ironically, most people I see wearing this shirt with the Nike shorts appear to be very unathletic. Tyler's looks to be the last place they shop for what they need.

I've seen this before. Do you recall the old Gap t-shirts? I never owned one, but I remember seeing people wear them and I thought it was strange. They are paying a company to wear that company's logo on their chest. In a way, they're advertising for that company! This could be an incredibly ingenious way for clothing stores to get their brand name out there. For the Gap, it was all about having flashy print ads and commercials that showed young, happy people dancing and wearing Gap t-shirts. I haven't been in Austin long enough to know what Tyler's part marketing looked like, but if they never did anything other than print shirts, I'm amazed. Tyler's is ubiquitous along the drag not only because of their large neon sign and local Austin tradition, but because it's impossible to not see the name "TYLER'S" plastered on somebody's back at least once at UT.

The King!

2007-11-20T13:07:00.001-08:00

Here it is: my all-time favorite commercial. Every time I see it, I start laughing hysterically. They're the series of Burger King commercials that feature a character known only as The King. He never says anything. All we know about him is that goofy face. And in my mind, he is the most genius advertising campaign in recent memory. Why? Let's watch one of the commercials.

It toes the line between hilarious and flat-out creepy. The premise is just ridiculous. A man wakes up, only to find a silent, gigantic King lying in bed with him. But it's alright; the King has food! He has just woken up with the King. After the initial shock, the man and the King start patting each other on the thigh, as they've established this newfound friendship. And I'm rolling on the floor laughing. I can't even explain why. It might be because the King looks so strange. I certainly don't want to purchase the product - I just want to see more of the King.

This one is even funnier. The facial expression on the man once the King gives him food is priceless. At the end, it just becomes strange when the King is surrounded by wildlife. But the whole idea of not being terrified by this man when he suddenly appears in your face once you wake up is what makes these commercials so memorable. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of Burger King. I never have been. While the quality standards for fast food are always low, I've always thought Burger King to be lower than par. However, with the "Wake up with the King" spots, they've created the most memorable adverts I've seen in a long while.

These commercials began airing a few years ago, as I remember describing them to my friends and being unable to control my laughter during the description. Pretty soon, everybody knew who the King was. From there, he became kind of over-exposed, like all fads. However, I'll always remember his heyday as the funniest advertisement to ever hit my television. Now, people dress up as the King for Halloween. This is an example of advertising crossing over and becoming a part of greater culture, which for the company, is a great achievement. And the King has achieved this status in a relatively short period of time, compared with Mr. Clean, The Jolly Green Giant, or even the aforementioned M&Ms. Burger King has succeeded in establishing itself at the forefront of advertising that attracts young people. McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign does nothing for me and does persuade me to eat there. However, the King has stayed with me for years. I may not eat at Burger King, but I certainly mention their ad, and subsequently their product, to people who may go there.

He's just as awkward and funny in Great Britain!

M&M's

2007-11-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

One of the most vivid memories that I have of advertising as a child is that of M&M's commercials featuring the cartoon M&M's. Of course, lots of children's advertising features cartoons (i.e. Captain Crunch, Boo Berry, or even Grimace from McDonald's). But for some reason, the cartoons that stick with me the most are those with the M&M's.

Each M&M had a distinct personality. Red was the smart aleck of the group and he constantly picked on Yellow. Yellow was the well-meaning fool of the group. Blue was the cool, sophisticated M&M. I vaguely remember him playing the saxophone during his brief stint in television commercials. Orange was the neurotic guy, constantly afraid that he would be eaten for being an M&M. I guess you could say that he was the Woody Allen of the pack. Finally, Green was the lone female and packed all of the sex appeal. I can recall her seducing humans at all times with charm and good looks. Oddly enough, brown is the only color not currently represented in the character pantheon. A brown cartoon appeared in a few commercials, but never had a consistent personality.

It turns out that the M&M's characters have been around since the 1950s, although it was just initially Red and Yellow. Through the use of enduring cartoon characters, Mars is taking care of two markets at once: children who like cartoons and anything to do with them and nostalgic parents who recall the M&M's cartoons from their childhood. This is an example of brand loyalty that we've discussed in class - as the parents of children have most likely been eating M&M's all of their lives, they are more likely to give their children M&M's as treats. When they view the same advertising that they saw when they were children, they're likely to have their hearts melt (no M&M pun intended) and go out buy some for themselves. It works twofold!

Here is the one commercial that I remember from the mid-1990s that has run every year since it's creation. It combines two things that people love: Christmas and M&Ms. Of course, it's purposes is to promote the Christmas-themed M&Ms, but it strikes a chord with people. In fact, I think I'll write about Christmas advertising later on. But for now, enjoy the commercial itself:

As it turns out, M&Ms have been promoting their Christmas M&Ms with an endearing premise since the 1980s. Here's an early commercial:

Highway to Hell

2007-11-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

I've driven between Houston and Austin many times on TX-St. Highway 71. It's a long, lonely stretch of road that hugs the hill country and curves along river bends. It's barren of civilization and subsequently, there's hardly any advertising to see. Sure, there are a few billboards for truck stops along the way, but they're few and far in between. This isolated trail that society forgot, however, does have a few billboards of a different variety.

A surprising amount of religious billboards pepper the landscape between Columbus, TX and Austin. They feature fear-mongering depictions of heaven and hell, clouds and fire, happiness and damnation. Above these portrayals, a simple slogan pops in bright letters: "Heaven and hell. Do you know where you're going? Jesus is the way!" I've seen it so many times that I hardly recognize it anymore. However, when I first saw it months ago, I was taken aback. It wasn't until I took Advertising 305 that I really thought about it.

It's quite interesting that somebody has paid for the ad space to not make a profit, but to send a message that they find important. This isn't some kind of Ad Council spot that warns against drunk driving or drug use; this is a message that attempts to scare you into following it's intended purpose. And the interesting thing about this billboard is that it's the only one of any kind for miles on end. This works to the advantage of whoever paid to display it. The viewer's mind does not quickly forget it, as nothing else exists to cloud the memory. "Heaven or hell? Gee, I'd better think about this," a driver may think until they reach Austin. This billboard is unique in that it's alone and that the potential implications of it's message are far more dire than that of any car dealership billboard. I know that there are many other billboards like this, advocating anti-abortion positions or general religious beliefs, but this one in particular stands in my mind, perhaps because I see it so much. I may not be able to tell you the name of any car dealerships in Austin who promote through billboards along I-35, but I can certainly tell you about the "Heaven or hell" billboard that sits all by it's lonesome on TX-St. Highway 71.

Stadiums

2007-11-19T20:29:00.001-08:00

Before I write this, let me admit: I realize a ton of these entries are about sports. I really don't know why that is. Perhaps it's because advertising intrudes so much on sporting events and thus it's so obvious, but it's hard to ignore. And you know what? That's exactly what the companies and teams want! It makes money for both parties. Anyways, I was all set to write about companies purchasing the naming-rights for stadiums and how ridiculous it is, so let's get this going...

The names of sports stadiums are getting ridiculous. It's taken me a while to realize this, but I'm here now. What led to this realization? It hit me while I was watching the MLS All-Star game this summer. The game took place in Denver, Colorado in front of a sell-out crowd and against legendary Celtic FC. Where did this great game take place, you ask? None other than the beautiful, newly-built Dick's Sporting Goods Park. "Oh, no," I thought. "That name is terrible." Even after hearing it many times, I find it stupid. Worst of all, there is no Dick's Sporting Goods around me, either in Austin or in Houston. This means that whenever I hear the name, I have no opportunity to actually experience Dick's Sporting Goods for myself. Instead, I'm left wondering why they chose such a terrible name for a stadium.

But the terror does not end there. I come from a land called Houston, a land where we take pride in our stadiums. After all, we did built the Astrodome. It's only fitting that when we opened new baseball stadium in 2000 that we named it after the most "honorable" of corporations. Our new stadium was called Enron Field. We didn't know about it at the time, but that was to become quite the notorious name. Enron paid millions of dollars to get the naming rights to the stadium in our revitalized downtown and, well, I guess it worked out for better or for worse. After the Enron scandal, everybody knew the name of Houston's new baseball stadium. However, Astros management acted quickly and the stadium was soon named Minute Maid Park. Personally, I would have preferred to keep Enron Field, if only for notoriety's sake.

This is a trend that is now rampant amongst North American sports. Most venues that used to have traditional names such as Toronto's SkyDome and San Francisco's Candlestick Park have experienced corporate takeovers and have been re-branded Rogers Centre and Monster Park, respectively. Most people probably don't pay much attention to the names that are not so "out there," like Rogers Centre, but take one look at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena and tell me that doesn't seem a little excessive.

This is one of the most-exposed forms of advertising today. Every time you watch a sporting event on television, the announcer always makes sure to say the name of the venue a few times. The name is scribed across the court or field, jumping out at the eye. Eventually, it feels normal to say "Minute Maid Park" or "Air Canada Centre." This raises brand awareness around everybody associated with a particular team. And in that way, it's a very smart move by the companies. Sure, they may have to pay tens-of-millions of dollars for the naming rights to a stadium, but they're sure to recoup those losses by simply raising the awareness of their product. For instance, I had never heard of Dick's Sporting Goods before I watched the MLS game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. And look at me now, railing against it's very name! This entry certainly has come full circle, hasn't it?

Chalk

2007-11-19T19:25:00.000-08:00

One thing that I've noticed in Austin is the use of chalk advertising on sidewalks, especially along Guadalupe St. This is something I never I never encountered in Houston. I think it's a pretty cool idea; it's not the conventional way to advertise, thus for those who see it, it sticks in the mind longer than say, a billboard. One frequent advertiser that uses this medium is Gatti's Pizza. The illustrations are often done impeccably well, and oddly enough, don't seem to diminish after a hard rain. A side note: I've had Gatti's Pizza, and let me tell you, they need all of the memorable advertising they can get to make up for the taste of their product.

Gatti's isn't the only group that advertises with chalk. Before Barack Obama's recent campaign stop in Austin, the UT student organization for Barack Obama chalked up the sidewalks around the FAC advertising this event in bright, large letters. Naturally, the Ron Paul supporters painted over the ads, but they were still there.

The chalk is a cool idea, since I assume that most students look at the ground, listening to their iPods, while they walk to class. And hey, somebody might as well take advantage of the empty space before it's at a premium.

Ronaldinho and Nike

2007-11-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

I've talked about sports advertisements before, but I won't go nearly as in depth as I did previously. Why? Because I think the following commercial is just flat out cool!

It features one of my favorite athletes, Ronaldinho of Brazil and FC Barcelona. I always joke with my friends that he is by far the ugliest man that I have ever seen, but to compensate, he has all of the soccer talent in the world. One thing that I've always noticed about Nike is that their commercials rarely have anything, if ever, to do with their product. Instead, they opt for the big name endorsements, such as Ronaldinho, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, etc. Usually, they're shown doing something athletic, something inspiring. They never mention their Nike shoes, but toward the end of the ad, the swoosh logo flashes before your eyes. It leads the viewer to believe that the star did not do all of that on their own merits, but they had a little help from Nike on the side.

I love the set-up of this ad. By having a peon deliver his gold Nike cleats to him in a gold suitcase, Ronaldinho automatically demonstrates an air of superiority. It's awesome to suggest that the best soccer player on the planet needs extra-special cleats to perform what he does in this commercial. Observe:

This ad comes from a series of Nike commercials entitled "Joga TV." All focus on soccer and ridiculous skills that are obviously inherent of Nike soccer gear (never mind Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry are the ones who actually perform the moves). Here is an advert with Thierry Henry:

This is what Nike is so good at; making the viewer feel part of the game. They make the consumer believe that if they just had the same equipment as their heroes, they too could play like them. Just look at every Michael Jordan Air Jordan commercial ever done.

Honda Choir

2007-11-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

A friend recently showed me a Honda advertisement from the UK that is one of the most innovative that I've seen in a while. This is not the first "good" advertisement that I've seen from the British Isles. A few years ago, I went to a theater in Houston that was showing a collection of the best ads in Britain that year. Granted, they were the best, but they displayed a little more pizazz than their American counterparts. It seemed that they had a more creative feel, as though more thought went into it than having Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry, and Roger Federrer shave in front of a camera (recent Gillette advertisement).

Never mind all of that; I really enjoy this advert. The idea of having a choir mimic the sounds of a Honda Civic with no digital manipulation is so neat. The editing is well done as well, as shots of the car are intertwined with the shots of the choir.

This commercial works in a simple way: it's so distinctive, I remember the product instantly. If you ask me, "Who made the boring commercial for a pick up truck featuring some country western singer?" I have no idea, those come along all of the time in Texas. However, if you were to say, "Did you see the commercial where the choir imitates the sound of the car?" I would instantly say, "Yes! Honda!" That's because the concept is so novel that it sticks in your brain because the viewer has likely never seen something similar. See for yourself:

The Most Interesting Man In The World

2007-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

It takes a lot to infatuate me with an ad. I mean, to really make me love an ad. It has to be humorous, grand, and ridiculous. Well, one company has achieved this. That company is none other than Dos X beer.

Their newest campaign is nothing other than a stroke of genius. It's called Stay Thirsty, My Friends and highlights a man named the "Most Interesting Man in the World." Who is he? Well, I'll let the commercial explain...

Everything he does appeals to me. He bench presses nurses. He frees injured bears. He dresses like Ernest Hemingway and catches marlin. Most of all, he has a beard. This appeals to everything that I want to be. Dos X has mined genius here.

Why does this work as opposed to other beer commercials, which for the most part, I find annoying? It doesn't try to use dumb humor. Instead, it relies on an incredible concept and runs the gauntlet with it. Their website features clips of the Most Interesting Man in the World simply smelling flowers and blowing out candles, all exhibits of how interesting he really is. And he has to be for me to actually watch footage of him doing this. Dos X was smart when they planned this out because they know that young men like legendary things, and this Man most certainly fits the bill. Just look at him!

This ad appeals on so many levels, most of all class. It makes the viewer think that if they just drink Dos X, they'll become the Most Interesting Man in the World as well. After all, he is everything we aspire to be: popular, talented, and fuzzy.

Sports Advertising

2007-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

Like most full-blooded American males, I make sports and caring about sports a part of my life. Granted, I should note that I hate American football. I loathe it. Nothing intrigues me about fat men running into each other for 4 hours of Sunday. A lot of people would think that this puts me at a cultural disadvantage, but I beg to differ. As it turns out, my two favorite sports are basketball and soccer (proper football to the rest of the world). My hometown of Houston has professional teams for both these games: the Houston Rockets and the Houston Dynamo.
I try to keep up with both of my teams by reading the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Press online. This, coupled with visiting the teams' websites as given me plenty of exposure to their versions of sports advertising.

The Dynamo, who, to my hysterical delight, just successfully defended their claim to Major League Soccer champions, used the following slogan for their run during the 2007 MLS Playoffs: "Dream. Scream. Believe. It's Playoff Time!" Billboards with this slogan were plastered all over Houston with pictures of players screaming in victory. Newspapers ads were taken out to an absurd degree and hype was generated. What was the result of this advertising blitz by the best football team in Houston? Both playoff games against in-state rivals FC Dallas and the Kansas City Wizards drew the largest crowds in Dynamo history and a palpable buzz was created in Houston, which usually a city dominated by American football. Just how much of a success were the crowds? The first game against FC Dallas drew an attendance of 30,088 (4th all-time on the attendance list for an MLS Playoff game, excluding an MLS Cup Championship game) and the Western Conference Final against Kansas City drew 31,000 (2nd highest attendance all time). Through aggressive marketing and the promotion of bargain-priced 4 ticket bundles, the Dynamo made people care about their product and in the process, created thousands of new fans in the city of Houston by way of a winning team. This is an example of sports marketing creating an important mood in a city.

The Rockets, on the other hand, are just trying to capture the mood of the playoffs like the Dynamo, they're trying to set the tone for the entire upcoming season. As such, they've chose the slogan "It's Time." This, to me, invokes much more than the Dynamo campaign. In order to understand the ad, you must first have some knowledge of the Rockets' recent history. To sum it up: the Rockets have not advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs since 1997. Throughout this drought, they've been advertised as serious contenders in the NBA, yet they've never reached their full potential. After losing a painful 7 game series to the Utah Jazz in the spring of 2007, the Rockets have opted for urgency in their latest campaign. The organization, by picking "It's Time" as they're slogan, are relaying that sense of urgency to the fans and pumping up expectations for this year. "What's it time for?" you may be asking. The organization wants to know in a not subtle way: a championship.

So what makes these ads so effective? First off, they appeal to our emotions. They let us know that it's encouraged to be passionate about a team and it's quest. They let you know that you're not alone in your excitement. More so, they raise your expectation level to an absurd level. After all, how else could the Dynamo have lured 30,000+ into their stadium when the second-most attended playoff game in MLS this season drew 20,000 people and the Eastern Conference Final between the New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire drew less than 11,000 people whilst the Dynamo-Kansas City game drew 31,000? Surely, the "Dream. Scream. Believe." blitz helped raise awareness about the club. Sports advertising appeals to our emotions and works as such. When I went to both Dynamo games, I screamed. I dreamed. And most of all, I believed in my team.

Potential Products

2007-11-18T16:53:00.001-08:00

My friends and I often up with ideas for products that we believe could make us rich and set us up comfortably for a while. This is probably because we fear the stagnation that we're told life will bring after college ends. Oddly enough, most of our ideas deal with confections, which of course, we can't major in at UT. Here is one of the ideas that we think could work, why we think so, and ways to market them:

Revolution Pops
Are you familiar with the children's popsicles that look like superheroes? You know, Ninja Turtles, Mario, or various cartoon characters? Well, you're aware that they look cartoonish and fun. Those seem like things that children like. Our idea to capitalize on this particular area of confection is called "Revolution Pops." These would be fun popsicle versions of some of the world's most notorious and infamous revolutionaries and dictators. Here are the five flavors we've come up with thus far:
Lenin Lemon: the tanginess of lemon, the tartness of Lenin.
Che Cherry: Combining the sensuality of cherries and Che Guevara's portrait.
Robespierre Pear: An effort to soften the brutality of Maximilien Robespierre with the delicate flavor of pear.
Francisco Franco Fruit: An undetermined flavor. Needs to fool the eater into thinking that it's sweet only to have an awful, unbearable core.
Mao Mandarin: A natural combination of the brutal Mao and the zesty mandarin orange.

Admittedly, most of these men should not be immortalized into candy. But here's our rationale: nearly 20 years have passed since the fall of communism and the Soviet Union. There is no true ideological menace against the capitalist American system. Therefore, the frightening signs on yesterday's revolution are the quirky symbols of modern kitsch.

As an inane college student, I know that if I were to see these marketed on a small scale, I would initially buy them for aesthetic value. Of course, if the flavors were good, I would have to buy more. Simply put, college students like silly things!

With enough clever advertising and a Soviet-esque font, I think Revolution Pops could be a big hit! It's this type of irreverent humor that appeals to college students and those willing to laugh at, or oddly enough, feel nostalgic for, the past. An example of new free market societies reminiscing about the Eastern Bloc days of yore is happening in Germany right now. In Berlin, a new hotel has opened with an East German theme. All of the rooms are styled like those of East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Coupled with films like Good Bye Lenin! and The Lives of Others, there is an obvious, albeit odd, nostalgia for communism in Germany.

Such a product could be marketed at a local level, especially in a city like Austin. As Austin likes to keep itself weird, this could only add to the image it has constructed of itself. By way of advertising via college radio, the Austin Chronicle, etcetera, we could reach a large number of students who would be interested in our product.

Observation Study

2007-11-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

1. Time and Location
Central Market , main Austin store on South Lamar.
Tuesday afternoon, 3:00 PM, early November.

2. Types of Customers
All ages, however dominated by middle-aged women.
Mixed ethnicity, although a white majority
Occupation: Presumably unemployed, yet wealthy.

3. Who are the Customers With?
Most of the customers are either alone or with their young children.

4. What Kinds of Products do they Purchase?
Most of the customers are purchasing groceries. A few of them buy prepared coffee or entrees.

5. How are they Dressed? What do they Drive? How do they Behave?
Most are dressed casually: track suits, t-shirts, sweatpants, etc.
Tons of them carry their cell phones and most drive luxury-brand (Lexus, Land Rover, Infiniti, Mercedes Benz) SUVS.
Most meander through the complex: there isn't a whole lot to do at Central Market.
The majority appear to be housewives be the cars they drive and the fact that instead of working in the middle of the afternoon, they're at a gourmet grocery store with their kids.

6. How Long Does it Take for them to Make a Purchase Decision?
Most seem to know what they want beforehand; some carry a shopping list. However, some do look confused in the cereal and drink aisles, as there are so many options.
The majority move quickly - they don't linger in any particular section too long.
The customers that move fast seem to know they're way around the store. Thus, it would seem safe to say that they shop at Central Market frequently.

7. Are there People Looking Around as Opposed to Making a Purchase? Is there a Difference Between the Two Groups?
Yes! I can vouch for this personally. You may have wondered why I'm observing a grocery store. Well, I'll tell you: FREE SAMPLES. Central Market has tons of free samples in all sections. Speaking from experience, their is a noticeable difference between the two groups; one looks intent while the other feigns interest in every product that they sample, as if to make themselves feel less guilty about eating a free meal.

8. What Can You Tell About the Customers? What's the Store's Biggest Appeal to Them?
I can tell that most of the customers are wealthy. Besides their appearance, the prices of most items in the store are quite expensive. Central Market is much more costly than H-E-B or Fiesta (Do they even have Fiesta in Austin? I know they do in Houston). This is because the people who actually shop there (unlike me, who just eats the free food)for their day-to-day groceries can actually afford what the store has to offer.

This observation was interesting because it somewhat solidified views that I already had about Central Market and it's clientele. The store obviously caters to a specific demographic: people with time and money. It would be interesting to observe the store at peak hours in order to see if the make-up of the crowd changes at all, but I don't have the will to fight traffic on South Lamar at rush hour.

Top 10 Slogans of the Century

2007-11-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

1. Diamonds are forever
2. Just do it.
3. The pause that refreshes
4. Tastes great, less filling
5. We try harder
6. Good to the last drop
7. Breakfast of champions
8. Does she... or doesn't she?
9. When it rains, it pours
10. Where's the beef?

a) Miller Lite
b) Clairol
c) Wheaties
d) Morton Salt
e) Coca-Cola
f) Wendy's
g) Avis
h) Nike
i) Maxwell House
j) DeBeers

Answers: 1=j, 2=h, 3=e, 4=a, 5=g, 6=i, 7=c, 8=b, 9=d, 10=f

This was a fun activity. I was able to recognize 9 out of the 10 slogans; the only one that I was unaware of was the old Coca-Cola slogan, "The pause that refreshes." However, the rest were easily recognizable. Why is that? I think that there are many factors at play. First, in their given contexts, they're all very catchy and perfectly describe the product. For instance, my favorite is the Wendy's "Where's the beef?" campaign. I was not alive for the heyday of this slogan, but it became associated so strongly with 1980s culture, it's impossible for any child of the 80s to not recognize the commercial with the 3 old ladies that came with it.
What has made these ads so pervasive in American culture is just that - they're pervasive. These slogans have been pounded into our heads throughout our lives. As children, we hear them and are thought about Teddy Roosevelt coining the Maxwell House slogan. We've seen the Simpson's parody the "Where's the Beef?" by showing the unfortunate Gary Hart and the lifeless Walter Mondale engaged in debate, with Hart throwing the line into the forum. Of course, Homer Simpson's there to say, "Mmmm, beef."
That's part of the reason all of thse companies have become mainstays in their respective industries; people remember their product. If you were to say, "Where's the Beef?" around somebody who's at least 20 years old, they would instantly comprehend the reference. After all, isn't that the goal of advertising?

PC vs. Mac: "Boot Camp"

2007-11-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

As a Mac user, I'm offended, shocked, and slightly upset. Well, maybe not really. However, if I were Steve Jobs, I'd have mixed feelings about this spoof. After all, since it's decline in market share, Apple's whole marketing ploy has been that it isn't Windows and that OS is more user-friendly than Windows. However, by allowing Mac users to run Boot Camp within OS X, Jobs is just admitting that OS X can't do everything and that users may just have to install Windows. I guess the spoof did a decent job at catching the underlying sentiment of Jobs' actions. On the whole, I feel the parody does a good job of mocking the ubiquitous Mac v. PC ads. Admittedly, the acting could have been better, but overall, bravo!
However, these parodies/ads do get a little tiresome after a while. When the Mac ads were on all of the time, I got a little tired of seeing John Hodgman made a fool of and reliably, the ad got old after a while. I guess the same thing can be said of the parodies.

Soviet Louis

2007-11-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I just love ridiculous advertising that's not necessarily trying to be funny. The ad at left is hilarious to me because it's obviously not trying to be. It's a photograph of the former Premier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Mikhail Gorbachev, taken by the famous Annie Lebowitz. Naturally, although the focus is on a sullen-looking Gorbachev, the ad is about the Louis Vuitton bag at his side.
What makes this funny to me is Gorbachev himself. Here sits the man who was once in charge of the U.S.S.R., the world's largest bastion against capitalism, in an Annie Lebowitz ad for one of the most luxurious brands on the planet. I did some research on this and found a New York Times article that shared my perspective. The author mentioned that shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev appeared in a Pizza Hut in Russia! Here is the commercial:

I found the commercial on YouTube, and as you might expect, it was quite funny. It's absurd to see Russians arguing communism and capitalism, pizza and no pizza in the company of Mikhail, who sits quietly in the corner slicing pizza for a small boy. "This is so stupid, it's genius!" I thought to myself.
Then again, I'll admit, the Louis Vuitton ad has worked; it's forced me to research the ad and it's participants. To this day (months after I initially saw the ad), I reference the "Gorbachev Ad" to my friends who no longer find it funny at all. However, if I'm in the market for high-end luggage, the first brand that will come to mind is Louis Vuitton. After all, "Gorbachev made me buy it."