E-mail or Snail-Mail?

As a recent graduate of an American military training program, I have a very definite fondness for letters, and the United States Postal Service (USPS). There is just nothing quite like mail call at the end of a grueling day. Knowing someone cared enough to put pen to paper, especially nowadays, is truly motivating, I know many of my peers, or myself, would have had a much harder time if not for those letters from home. That being said...

The United States Postal service has been losing a great deal of ground to electronic mail, and it is easy to see why. E-mail is free (usually), relatively secure, and much more convenient. It would seem that for most people, receiving an e-vite is as acceptable as an RSVP card in the mail. In fact, the only thing keeping the United States Postal Service afloat right now, are businesses (Read: junk mail). In keeping with this shift in major consumers, the USPS has started a new ad campaign aimed at those customers.

Here, we see the USPS has a new approach, to emphasize the security, and convenience, of traditional mail for businesses to reach their customers. I think it speaks for itself in terms of simplicity and reminding people that it is, in fact, more secure to use paper over an electronic file.

I couldn't find a way to embed the other video in their campaign, but here's a link to it:

Face to Face Ad

Again, we look at the way "snail" mail can be a point of utility and value for a business in communicating with their customers. And, again, it is presented in a simple manner, that makes sense.

Overall, I think that no one would disagree, a letter in the mail will always be better than an email. But, with the "green," movement, and with people finding emails more and more socially acceptable, snail mail will continue to lose ground. However, I doubt the USPS will ever cease to exist.

Link to Washington Post article:

www.washingtonpost.com

Virtual Emotion (but emotion nonetheless)

I may not look it, but I am a fairly avid video gamer. I'm not particularly great at any one game, but I do enjoy wasting a few hours shooting terrorists, zombies, Nazis, or Nazi zombies. That being said, there is a new ad out from Sony that is sort of groundbreaking in its approach.

There are three major video game consoles on the market; Sony has the Playstation, Microsoft the Xbox360, and Nintendo has the Wii. Each of these consoles have certain game franchises which are exclusive to their platforms, in addition to each having a separate network for online gaming against other people. Furthermore, traditionally, the holiday season is the time during which the most anticipated games of the year are released.. So, all of this adds up to a ramp up in commercials for video games starting right around now, as most people cannot afford to buy the flagship game for each system (most people only have one). Often, these commercials are for one specific game, but Sony has done something new, they made a commercial which ties in all fans of Sony, regardless of what franchise they're most in tune with.

To Michael. I'll be honest, when I first watched that, I got goosebumps. Say what you will, but when you accomplish something difficult, virtual or not, there is a definite feeling of pride. This is even more likely with the scope of video games nowadays. Some games have HUNDREDS of hours of gameplay built in, you may well build your character from the ground up, going through missions and tribulations together. You grow attached to your character, whether it be a soldier, a greek mythology figure, a spy, or an adventurer. Sony has capitalized on this emotional connection, to solidify that idea that a video game is more than just a game, it is now, more than ever, a way to escape into a world where you can achieve the impossible.

Sony: Long Live Play
Xbox360
Wii

Beer Keg Capitalism

Its a Friday night, freshman year of college, and you're looking for a party. How can you find a good place to go hang out? In the times of our parents, word of mouth did, and still does, the bulk of the marketing. Someone is cool with the underclassmen and they talk to their friends, who talk to their friends, and so on. Word gets out via text and passes from dorm room to dorm room.


The parties would be simple, a few kegs in a basement, some Christmas lights or black lights strung up, and an iPod plugged into the stereo... But, a new trend has emerged.
Freshmen are demanding better, and they're being rewarded. On a campus as small as Marquette's, there really is only ever three, maybe four, decent, "public" house parties. So, competition is limited, but plays a crucial difference between breaking even and making enough to cover rent. If you have beer, music, and people, it used to be good enough. But now, you can see houses competing for business. Like any other enterprise, they use two methods; marketing, and improving their "product." Upperclassmen are now using mass-texts, Facebook marketing, and Twitter advertising. Parties are themed now, and professional-quality amateur DJs are setting up shop in the basement corner.


How did this happen?
At first, and I think rightly so, people were leery to use social media to market underage drinking. But many college students have grown up with these forms of media and have gotten both saavy and comfortable enough to use them to this end. This is HUGE.


Its a barometer of how these forms of media are integrated into our lives, and affecting our psyches. Which, judging by how much better my weekends have been getting, is positive.

Why, yes, I DO like Megan Fox

We all know Facebook makes its money from advertising, and we all know that they've been saving all of the info we ever typed into a comment box or status update since we got an account in high school. And, yet, it is really uncanny their ability to zero in to what I like, and sell me things I already have. Not just products, but a lifestyle, a set of tastes.

Case in point, one of my "interests," is sailing. Its on my profile though it isn't that pertinent to my day to day life. Still, I always see little ads on my screen for sailing schools and sailing products. Going a step further, a few days a go I tweeted about needing a new jacket, and one of my fellow bloggers tweeted me a link to Atlantis Weather Gear, Atlantis.com, which I checked out. Boom. The next time I logged into Facebook, there it was, did I want to "like," Atlantis Weather Gear?


In addition to products, you can see your entire personality represented in things Facebook thinks you should "like." Do I enjoy hunting? I do.. and country music? Yes... Do I want information on a masters in homeland security? You get the point.

What's even better, is now Facebook has joined Spotify, spotify.com, a music sharing application and the result is a live feed of what your friends are listening to, and an opportunity to check out their personal playlists, you can even tailor a radio station, a la Pandora, but with input that it pulls from your page. I've noticed it has the uncanny ability to play exactly what I wanted, and I never really put in too much information.


None of this is necessarily news, most of us have known it occurred, and we've all heard how great, or terrible, this is. I for one, am aloof. If it makes life better, cool. There's nothing on my page everyone doesn't already know about me anyway.

The Koozie Effect

I'm not sure when it started, but more and more companies are using a student ambassador to serve as a liason for their brand and the communities of students on campus. It is a strategy being used by a huge variety of companies, from Taco Bell, www.tacobell.com, to Southern Tide, southerntide.com, to Zaarly, zaarly.com.

These companies are looking for a means to tap into an existing network provided by the Rep in order to increase their brand awareness on campus. In return, the student gets hands on experience in both an executive and networking role, as well as all the koozies, Croakies, and stickers they and their friends could ask for.

VV Croakies

Indeed, all it takes is one box of branded freebies and a bright student to turn an entire school's Facebook feeds into a rolling slideshow swamped with pictures of friends in branded plastic sunglasses (we call them Rage-Goggles). That is the true power of this Campus Ambassador/Rep, they can make any social gathering into a marketing event. You would have thought my pre-party for Day Glow last Friday was sponsored by Zaarly because of how much of their stuff my friends and I have accumulated.

The truly savvy companies look at the trends and fads on campus, the Rage-Goggles are a prime example, and focus on those for their freebies. I can't even count how many of the above I have, and when I am at a party you'll always see me with a koozie from a brand I'm probably wearing at the time. This instant conversation starter makes me, and all the other kids with the same, into tiny billboards, but unlike a real billboard, I can talk.

So, here's to koozies, Croakies, and rage-goggles, and if you see a purple one anywhere, grab it 'cause that's the only color I'm missing. 

Selling War

Its no secret that the American military establishment works and collaborates with Hollywood, it has proven a fruitful relationship for both since it became a real partnership following World War One. Hollywood gets access to areas and equipment and the Military gets some good PR and advertisement.

Recently, we've seen such films as Battle: Los Angeles, www.battlela.com, which portrays the Marine Corps fairly accurately (The tactics and lingo are slightly off, but they got the most important part, the attitude, correctly) and Battleship, www.battleshipmovie.com, which features the modern US Navy. These films serve almost unapologetically as feature length commercials, everyone knows they aren't winning Academy Awards. And yet, we still flock in droves to watch Marines kill aliens.


There are however, films that seem to depict the negatives of military service, Platoon or Jarhead are notable examples. But in the words of novelist Matthew Swofford, they still work as a recruitment tool, "because the magic brutality of the films celebrates the terrible and despicable beauty of their fighting skills."


So whether they mean to or not, any movie that displays the violence and character of action present in war will serve as a commercial. And, as one of the kids who fell for it, I am totally okay with that.


Sources:
http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/09/09/Brandcameo-090911-Warrior-.aspx


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92421139

ADD? More Pills!

It might be the cynical side in me, but while watching Millionaire Match-Maker tonight, a commercial for Intuniv, a new medication for children who have ADHD, came on. It was interesting because I hadn't seen a commercial for an ADD/ADHD medication in a long time, and it raised my eyebrows a little because of the show selection. I mean, let's be honest, when I watch Match-Maker, I know I'm indulging in a bit of trash-TV. I consider it a guilty pleasure, and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. So, that brings us to my point.
Does Intuniv purposely market to the kind of woman/mother who watches that kind of TV? If so... I guess I sort of applaud them for shamelessly picking the correct demographic. What kind of target does that kind of company seek? The Mom who worries if her kid's got ADD, and I apologize for this mindset of mine, but I think that's the sort of adult woman who's watching this stuff at 9pm on a Sunday night. I found the TV spot on YouTube, at 1:07 we see a Mother watching her son do what to me seems like totally normal kid behavior. If I was in a maze at the age of 11 I guess I'd appear like a candidate for an ADD medication as well. The Mom states that the doctor agreed, and then we cut to Happy Family at Breakfast watching the son pack his backpack, then Approving Teacher nods as the son presents a diorama, then karate practice, Happy Family at Dinner, and finally, Happy Family at Board Game Night. The whole commercial seemed so tiredly cliqued that I immiediately didn't take this product seriously. Oh well. I guess my future kids will just have to handle their ADD without a bunch of pills.

Intuniv's official site:
http://www.intuniv.com