The man YOUR man ought to be

Old Spice began a campaign last year using social media, humor and their audience members. It debuted as a tv commercial and from there went to YouTube.



Old Spice ran an entire marketing campaign revolving around this male actor. Viewers tweeted and commented on YouTube videos in mass amounts, and positive at that. Old Spice asked viewers what they would like the Old Spice man to do. Then came a succession of requests, which Old Spice did surprisingly well and quickly to respond to. Old Spice responded to celebrities, influential personnel, the average Jo and social media people.

Here is one where the Old Spice man responds to @pingchat



In Old Spice's last video he says farewell to his viewers and like all good things this must come to an end.



This is an excellent example of how powerful social media is and the amount of money it can save a company. Old Spice didn't have to pay advertising fees to tv networks for a commercial spot. Instead they ran a majority of their campaign from YouTube. They made their campaign humorous, interactive and most of all enjoyable. They were able to reach millions through humorous videos. Over 5 million people viewed his "re:everyone" video.

Have you heard of any similar marketing campaigns that used social media in such an impactful way?

Crash the Super Bowl

Doritos and PepsiMax decided to try something new and teamed up for Super Bowl XLV advertisements. They ran a competition called Crash the Super Bowl in which the winning video received a cash prize and was featured during the Super Bowl promoting either PepsiMax or Doritos. This competition allowed their consumers to be actively participating in the marketing process. They were either filming and submitting videos or choosing their favorite videos to be featured during the commercial spots.





This video, "Pug Attack," was the winning film chosen out of 5,600 competitors. The producer uses a "cute" pug dog and humor to set the scene. This commercial became a hit because of a viral marketing campaign set in place by the creators weeks before it was put on TV. In just a couple of weeks the video had tens of thousands of views on YouTube. This specific commercial was tied for the top commercial with another fan-favorite featuring dogs, "Dog Sitter," a Bud Light commercial.

Four of the consumer-created ads from PepsiMax and Doritos made the top-ten ratings from the USA Today Ad Meter. The success behind these consumer-created advertisements proves that you don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money to create a successful or popular commercial. The idea of a competition involving the consumers is a correlation to the growing success of blogs, social networking and websites. These don't cost a lot to maintain but if done well, they can make a big impact on consumers and lead to success.

Do you think using consumer generated advertising is a good strategy for PepsiMax/Doritos?

Could the success behind consumer generated advertising change the advertising strategies for companies?

Audi Superbowl Advertisements

Hello readers!

As this the first post of the blog, I'd like to demonstrate the general format we will be using. For this example, I will use the recent advertisements presented by Audi prior to and during Superbowl XLV.

Audi used three commercials to preface the final minute-long clip aired on Superbowl Sunday. The first of these describes characteristics of stereotypical luxury car consumers. The aim of this commercial is to highlight the modern transition from stuffy, fluffy, and overindulgent products to illumination, innovation, and unrivaled inspiration. Audi clearly illustrates that their vehicles set new standards of expectations for the future. Receiving 839,570 views since the initial launch, this is the second most popular clip in this series.

The second commercial appeals to the viewers' humor as stereotypical wealthy characters and their personalities are described. The clip illustrates how the older crowd is attempting to reform the attitudes and behaviors of their younger colleagues in order to prevent them from making similar "mistakes" as they once did. Although not explicitly defined, the advertisement alludes to these mistakes as being purchases of luxury vehicles from competitors. This clip was the lowest viewed of the collection, only reaching a total of 172,759 views. It is also the longest.

Recognized as "the regent of the smoothiverse" by the New York Times, saxophonist Kenny G was employed as a prison riot suppressor in the third clip. Again, Audi has provided a stereotypical example of customer who purchases luxury cars - this time referencing their musical tastes. In the video, Kenny's talent is not to excite or stimulate the prisoners, but to quickly woo them to slumber.

Finally, the commercial that aired during the Superbowl was a culmination of the three prior advertisements. The plot line of a prison break is a creative metaphor to illustrate the escape from "old luxury". Each escapee was presented the option of either new luxury (Audi) or old luxury (Mercedes-Benz). This video received over 1.5 million views within 10 days.

Each of these clips presents an overarching theme that consumers of luxury vehicles are incarcerated in a metaphorical prison of generational stagnation. The final advertisement is the most crucial of the series and ensures viewers understand that there is only one escape route available. In order for these consumers to transition towards innovative products they must purchase an Audi.

Best Buy® Buy Back Program: Outdated World

This TV commercial produced by retail store Best Buy® represents a growing reality we face today in terms of the technology we attempt to keep up with. This commercial illustrates the continual need for consumers to stay on top of new innovation, while never knowing when the next new thing will come out. Something Best Buy® has attempted to provide us with is the understanding that "we know the feeling". Best Buy is making an effort to compensate those who want to stay on top, without burning a hole in their wallet. The Best Buy, Buy Back Program offers some reassurance that you won't be left behind.

The marketing aspect of this message reiterates the everyday reality plaguing many people who feel they are always behind the technology curve. What are some aspects that you feel you can personally relate to in terms of technology in today's generation? Do you feel that every few weeks or months what was new to you is now obsolete? And if so, what are your opinions about Best Buy's new program to help you cope with this fast changing environment? We would love to hear your input!

Introductory Post

Welcome readers!

We are a group of students at Pacific Lutheran University. This blog is a project for our e-marketing course. Below are brief personal profiles for each blogger.

Holly Dunning is a senior graphic design student, with a minor in Business Administration. When not designing for 425 and South Sound magazines, Holly enjoys the outdoors, and trying new cooking recipes.

Kelsey Johnston is a junior at PLU, majoring in Marketing and minoring in Communications. She is interested in fashion, cooking, yoga and traveling.

Barrett Stamps is senior at PLU graduating spring 2011. He is majoring in Management and Human Resources. His interests include playing golf and keeping up with computer and mobile device technology.

Jimmy Murphy is a senior majoring in Business Administration and Economics. He has a passion for cars, interest in global economics, and enjoys traveling.

We hope you enjoy our blog and encourage response and discussion!