Swiping on Tinder will now get you a Bud Light Ad

Tinder ran it's first video ads on Thursday.  The first brand to place the ads is Bud Light, promoting its "Whatever USA" campaign.  Right now, the companies are experimenting with different video lengths.

For Anheuser-Busch Inbev this may make sense.  They have been making a big digital marketing push with it's "Whatever USA" campaign.  The campaign lets followers on social media compete for a an invitation to a boozy party in "Whatever USA".  The Tinder ads lead users to the website where they can enter to win.

Tinder has been increasingly forming relationships with brands. For example, TV shows, like Fox's "The Mindy Project," have run promotions on the app.  Cleverly, they built faux profiles of its lead characters.  Bud Light's ads, however, are not meant to look like dating profiles on the app.  

Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FW-5y1fCL8
Artilce here: http://adage.com/article/digital/tinder-launches-paid-ads-bud-light-s-usa/297906/

10:09 (Apple) vs 10:10 (Everyone else)

Most watch ads use 10:10 as the watch’s default set time.  Some of the more famous watch makers have a preference for an exact time, for example, Rolex uses 10:10:31, TAG Heuer likes 10:10:37 and Bell & Ross opts for 10:10:10.  I didn’t know this, or never paid it much thought, but watchmakers have been using 10:10 in ads because it appears symmetrical and does not cover up the brand logo, which are usually engraved beneath the 12.

So why do all the Apple watch ads display 10:09?  And you know there is a deliberate reason.  It’s because they’re always ahead of the times! According to the Business Insider article, “It all boils down to Apple using a cheeky pun to symbolically stake its claim to the smartwatch market, all while tipping its hat to an age-old watchmakers tradition.”  Apple has been known to use display times that have a significance meaning.  Apple uses 9:41 on all of its iPhone ads and promotional materials because it was the time when Steve Jobs first unveiled the iPhone in 2007.

 

There are some other theories on why Apple is using 10:09, saying that 10:09 is more symmetrical.  But the pun theory is my favorite.  Either way, we know that Apple pays attention to every detail and the choice was no mistake.

Check out the article here:  http://www.businessinsider.com/why-apple-watches-all-display-1009-in-advertisments-2015-3

Guess What? Now you can pay your friends through Facebook

Facebook Messenger has a new feature, the ability to send payments to friends.  This long-awaited app is no surprise.  Though mobile payment is a crowded space (including Venmo), none of the other apps have the reach Facebook does.  Facebook's intent is to keep users on their site longer and keep Facebook 'sticky'.  They want to come up with different ways their users can 'play' with their site and this is one of them.  Right now, Facebook is only accepting debit card information.  Even so, gathering all this payment information has a lot of potential for future revenue streams and other internal apps.

The article points out that eMarketer, a Digital marketing firm, estimated that in 2014, US adults spent 21 minutes per day on Facebook on average.  That is 6% of their time that they spend online. Behind Google, Facebook is the second-most trafficked site domestically and globally.  Facebook is trying to prevent users from using outside apps for certain tasks.  

I think a big thing is that this might help Facebook Messenger's image.  People were upset that Facebook split the Messenger app off of the main app.  Not only that, the image gets further tarnished when people realize that Messenger is always running in the background and gathering all sorts of information.

I guess we'll see what success Facebook has with the payment service.  

Check out the article here: http://mashable.com/2015/03/17/facebook-payments-messenger/

Saving Face: Honda has a new ad campaign asking customers to get their recalled cars fixed ASAP

This isn’t your typical ad campaign.  Honda has decided to launch an ad campaign specifically asking owners to fix cars recalled for the Takata airbag inflators that are at risk of exploding during a crash.  I think it’s smart of them, not only to save their brand from potential damage but also, it is in the interest of their customers’ safety.  The campaign will have all types of ads like full-page ads in more than 120 newspapers and 30-second radio spots in more than 110 regional markets.  The most unique part of their campaign is that they will serve customized ads to Facebook users who own recalled Honda and Acura cars.  Honda provided info that identified the owners to be used in cross-reference with Facebook data.  This way Honda can target the ads to the specific owners by using Facebooks ad service.

Honda has come under more scrutiny recently because of the slow pace of fixing the recalled vehicles.  Honda states the goals of the campaign “are to save lives and prevent injuries.”  The ads urge concerned owners to visit the Honda and Acura websites and hotlines to see if their car is affected.  They also say that the owner will be provided a loaner or rental car if needed.  Hopefully, this ad campaign will be effective.  The campaign follows Honda’s action of mailing out millions of recall notices.  The rollout of the campaign is strategic.  It will start in the 7 US states with high year-round humidity (which contributes to the ruptures) and then 4 other states.  I’m not sure why but there will not be a national rollout.  I guess they’re just targeting the areas they think are the most at risk and where the most ruptures have occurred.

See article here: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/honda-launches-campaign-urging-recall-repairs/297560/

Apple's New Ad Campaign "Shot on iPhone 6"

 

Even though Apple has never been the leader in worldwide phone sales, the iPhone is considered the world’s most popular camera.  Apple is leveraging this position in its new ad campaign.  The campaign features photos shot by iPhone 6 users.  It includes the work of 77 people in 70 cities in 24 countries posted in a gallery page on its website, other print outlets and outdoor signage like billboards.  The web gallery includes tips and what photo apps were used to capture the shots.  Apple reportedly crowdsourced the photos from social media apps, like Flickr and Instagram.

 

 

There are a few points Apple is trying to make with this campaign.  The first is that the iPhone 6 is a powerful creative tool and turns any user into a photographer, whether professional to causal.  Also, they want to emphasize the fact that the iPhone just isn’t the most popular camera phone in the world but the most popular camera period.  This ad campaign fits in with an ongoing series of ads that promote the iPhone, iPad and Mac as tools for creativity.

 

The article can be found here: http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/01/eventually-someone-will-make-a-good-android-camera-phone/

Check out the gallery here: http://www.apple.com/iphone/world-gallery/

How Apple is localizing its marketing message in China

Apple is opening up 5 new stores in China in the five weeks before Chinese New Year (Feb 19^th).  In order to make the biggest impact, Apple is trying to localize its’ marketing messages by leveraging the most important holiday in China.  China is such an important market for Apple and they need to make a special effort with their messages to the Chinese consumers.  There are a few ways Apple is tailoring their ads.  For example, there was a video on Apple’s China website posted before the Lunar New Year in which a girl using Apple products to record a song that transports her grandmother back to her youth.  When you watch the video, you can pick up on a lot of local cues in the background of the video like lanterns and antique furniture.  This video is an iteration of the Christmas video that Apple released in the US.  The same themes are present in the video like families, getting together with loved ones and giving gifts but this one has been catered for the Chinese customer.

Here’s the video:  http://www.apple.com/cn/start-something-new/#film-holiday

We all know that Apple ‘wraps’ up a store to cover up construction before the new store is unveiled and the ‘wraps’ of the new stores that recently opened up in China had a local flare to them.  For the store in Hangzhou, Apple hired a famous calligrapher, Wang Dongling, to cover the ‘wrap’ with a poem about the city’s famous lake.  And for the store in Chongqing, a mural was created that wrapped around the store.  They had photographer Navid Baraty take photos of local scenes, and had local-born artist Yangyang Pan paint over them. 

I think Apple needs to find a way to relate to the Chinese consumer and these are a few ways they are trying to do that.  Since they are competing with China’s domestic electronic producers, whose reputations are continuing to strengthen, they need a way to stand out and prove that they are not simply an American brand but a global brand available to everyone.

See related article here: http://adage.com/article/global-news/a-glimpse-apple-localizing-message-china/296940/

Apple is localizing its message in China

Apple is opening up 5 new stores in China in the five weeks before Chinese New Year (Feb 19^th).  In order to make the biggest impact, Apple is trying to localize its’ marketing messages by leveraging the most important holiday in China.  China is such an important market for Apple and they need to make a special effort with their messages to the Chinese consumers.  There are a few ways Apple is tailoring their ads.  For example, there was a video on Apple’s China website posted before the Lunar New Year in which a girl using Apple products to record a song that transports her grandmother back to her youth.  When you watch the video, you can pick up on a lot of local cues in the background of the video like lanterns and antique furniture.  This video is an iteration of the Christmas video that Apple released in the US.  The same themes are present in the video like families, getting together with loved ones and giving gifts but this one has been catered for the Chinese customer.

Here’s the video:  http://www.apple.com/cn/start-something-new/#film-holiday

We all know that Apple ‘wraps’ up a store to cover up construction before the new store is unveiled and the ‘wraps’ of the new stores that recently opened up in China had a local flare to them.  For the store in Hangzhou, Apple hired a famous calligrapher, Wang Dongling, to cover the ‘wrap’ with a poem about the city’s famous lake.  And for the store in Chongqing, a mural was created that wrapped around the store.  They had photographer Navid Baraty take photos of local scenes, and had local-born artist Yangyang Pan paint over them. 

I think Apple needs to find a way to relate to the Chinese consumer and these are a few ways they are trying to do that.  Since they are competing with China’s domestic electronic producers, whose reputations are continuing to strengthen, they need a way to stand out and prove that they are not simply an American brand but a global brand available to everyone.

See related article here: http://adage.com/article/global-news/a-glimpse-apple-localizing-message-china/296940/

LinkedIn Ad revenue up 46% in 2014

In 2014, LinkedIn’s full-year advertising reached $454.5 million, a 46% increase from 2013.  They made $153 million in the fourth quarter alone, a 53% increase over the same time last year.  This huge bump in ad revenue can be attributed to the smart marketing decisions the company has recently made.

LinkedIn now has a content-marketing product which they dubbed “sponsored updates”.  These sponsored updates allow advertisers to put their blog posts on LinkedIn members’ home pages.  Last February, LinkedIn started allowing advertisers to publish long blog posts on their site (“long-form posts”).  This form was so popular with advertisers that there have already been more than 1 million of these posts on the site.  This specific type of content marketing was a big component in the ad revenue increase, making up one-third of total advertising revenue.  I think the key to this type of content is that it is original and advertisers are able to target professional audiences with appropriate content-based marketing messages.  LinkedIn members grew 25% in the fourth quarter and have now reached 347 million.  As the number of members grow, so do the number of advertisers.  There were around 5,000 advertisers on LinkedIn in the fourth quarter.

Check out the article here: http://adage.com/article/digital/linkedin-sold-454-million-advertising-year/297001/

$4.5 Million for a 30-Second Super Bowl Ad vs $4.5 million for Social Digital Ads

The Super Bowl is tomorrow and NBC is charing $4.5 Million to run a 30 second ad on TV.  It's no surprise that a lot of brands can't afford this.  What's the cheaper option? Digital media.  Digital media ads have picked up this year, in spite of rising prices, and brands are using them to complement or replace their Super Bowl spots. 

Adweek conducting an amusing (in my opinion) off the record discussion with a group of ad buyers and experts about individual digital ad prices.

So what can $4.5 million dollars during the Super Bowl buy you in digital ads?

1) Ten "Premium Day" $425,000 Promoted Trends on Twitter 
Usually $200,00 for one day but $425,000 during the Super Bowl

2) Four Days of $950,000 Facebook Reach Blocks
With a Reach Block, brands are guaranteed that their promos show up in 100 percent of a target audience's newsfeeds at least once a day

3) Five $800,000 YouTube Masthead Ads
Typically $300,000-$400,000 a day but can spike to $800,000 during the Super Bowl

4) Six Days Worth of $750,000 Sponsored Snapchat Snaps

Digital ads are more in demand but will remain cheaper.  Super Bowl ads are so expensive because there are so few of them.

Here's there article: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/what-45-million-could-buy-if-spent-social-ads-instead-super-bowl-spots-162485

Email Marketing by Fashion Brands: Email me... but not too often.

I am guilty of signing up for email distribution lists of certain fashion brands and then getting mad when they keep emailing me.  That's why I found this article on Econsultancy particularly interesting.   It investigated different criteria of email marketing including the frequency of emails, use of subject lines, email content, special offers and sales, editorial voice, personalization and others.  These tools are ways in which the company tries to convince the email recipient to open the email and then, hopefully, take an action.  

The frequency and content of emails are the two things that effect me the most.  The most extreme example was Gap, not only did they email me almost every day but their emails were full of content and featured clothes that I never buy there.  The author of this article experienced the same thing:

Gap emailed 7 times in one week.  There are different reasons why these fashion brands send out emails - brand awareness, customer service, selling product, special offers etc.  But I agree with the author, there is a fine line between the right amount of email and too much email.  In terms of content, I originally signed up for the emails because I wanted to know about their sales, specifically on their active wear.  However, when I get multiple sales emails in a one week (rarely on their active wear) then I just assume they're always having a sale on clothes I don't care about and I don't need their emails to tell me anymore.  Needless to say, I unsubscribed.