Promoting Style

New Blog!!!

2010-01-12T19:24:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I switched to a different host for my blog, so I will no longer be updating this site. Please follow me at http://emethot.wordpress.com/ !!

The Client

2009-11-22T16:21:00.001-08:00

A brilliant portrayal of client-designer relationships in real life situations. Yo ho, yo ho a designer's life is not for me. This is why I'll be sticking to the accounts side, so I can tell them who's boss!

For more hilarious accounts of clients behaving badly, check out http://clientsfromhell.tumblr.com/

Go Holiday (PC)

2009-11-19T22:22:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is this Gap Holiday commercial a rip-off of the Hillshire Farms meat ads with a cheer team twist? There is also the obvious connection to the FOX hit Glee, combining singing & dancing with acrobatic stunts. Throw in some Christmas sweaters and you have a recipe for a holiday commercial on Adderall.

Love the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa shoutouts, but Gap is getting heat for not making the campaign "Christmas-centric".

Either way, I'm loving all these holiday commercials :)

Twitter Legitimized

2009-11-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

It's been an exciting year to watch advertising tactics transition from 360 degree marketing towards heavy social media influenced campaigns. As an early fan-girl of Twitter, I loved watching the mainstream catch up. Early Nielsen reports showed that a negligent number of college students used Twitter. Now it's become the ultimate buzzword, with phenomenons like #Mileycomeback trending topics lasting for days and brands like Zappos.com reaching 1.5 million followers.

Now my dream agency, Razorfish, has released their 2009 FEED report that has got the internet all a twitter, pardon the pun. The face of the report, Garrick Schmitt, authored this Advertising Age article that peaks at the future of consumer experiences with a brand. I particularly enjoy how Red Bull has created an entire lifestyle, it seems, to suit their ideal consumer. Creating an experience campaign that focuses on social media outlets, with supportive traditional media, seems to be the innovative concept of the near future.

Every bird should get to fly

2009-07-20T20:51:00.001-07:00

For anyone who doesn't live in Washington State, you should take a moment to watch this commercial. Both spiritual and uplifting, this ad for WA State Lottery created by Publicis in the West (one of the few larger agencies still pumping out great work) won the ADDY Award for 2009 Best in Show. Enjoy :)

Another Failed Experiment

2009-07-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

Being of descent from a variety of races that boast dark features (French, Czech and Native American to name a few), I am constantly battling with unwanted dark hair. I tried Nad's when it first came out but realized I couldn't put myself through the pain nearly weekly to keep up with the growth of the hair on my arms. The wax certainly wasn't strong enough for my leg hair. I picked up a bottle of Jolen's, which is still sitting in my drawer. I fear that going from dark hair to bleach blonde will be a bit too much of a contrast against my skin.

I was curious when I saw the commercials for Smooth Away. I decided to try it out after reading a review in Glamour magazine (or was it InStyle?) that recommened it for use on arm hair.

The texture of the pads are very similar to a nail file, and that's what it smells like as you buff away your hair, and some skin. I saw no immediate results but after a few minutes of intensive swirling, I finally began to see the hair disappearing. I must say it did remove a great amount of hair from my arms, much easier than using a razor that is quickly clogged up. But I soon realized that there were some spots that would just not go away, no matter if I used the large or small pad (the box comes with both). Eventually I decided to just go over those spots with a razor, which left my skin raw in some places. I tried it out on my upper lip with the smaller pad and saw pretty good results there with minimal pain.

In the end, I will probably continue to use this product on my arms and face, but I was not as pleased with the results as I would have hoped. The amount of effort required to actual remove hair should lead this product to have a name like "Scrub Away".
*Note: I bought mine at Ace Hardware for $9.99 but it did not come with the lotion. Any lotion could work as a substitute.

Calling all Mad Ave worshippers!

2009-07-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

Being that I'm majoring in advertising and have a love of fashion, its expected that I am a complete die-hard fan of Mad Men, the AMC drama about advertising agencies in the late 1950's. The name "Mad Men" comes from the start-up of advertising, real advertising, on Madison Avenue when men were the only ones who ran the biz. Those who have seen the show know what the women are often the ones pulling the strings.

So you can imagine my excitement when I saw an opportunity to appear on the show as a walk-on extra by entering a picture of your favorite 50's inspired outfit, a la Joan or Peggy. The show teamed up with Banana Republic to hype the premiere of Season 3, August 16th at 10 pm. All you have to do is go to BR and pick up a Mad Men-inspired style guide, and enter the code on their website along with your best outfit. Long live classic fashion!

Stocking Up

2009-07-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Currently I am isolated in the middle of fashion nowhere, otherwise known as Eastern Washington, but I will be headed back over to the westside in a week. While in college I have little time to seek out my favorite beauty products, let alone be able to find them for a reasonable price, so I always stock up when I'm back home. I've been doing my research so I'm prepared for the kamikazee shopping sprees I will be experiencing for the two weeks at home and one week in Cali! As you know, Cali means Carlsbad Premium Outlets, where I will be focusing on fashion rather than beauty products.

So here is the list of items I'm planning on picking up when I'm back home. Those with a star are items I currently use that I need to stock back up while I can. The others were chosen based on advice from InStyle or Glamour, my favorite fashion mags! Please weigh in if you have any personal experience with any of the below brands. I still have stubborn acne that I'm constantly fighting and always looking for new tips!

Q-tips *A must-have!
Sonia Kashuk Hairbrush
Band-aid Friction Block
Dove Gentle Exfoliating soap bars *
Tweezerman Pedro Too callus remover
Sally Hansen Salon Healing cuticle oil
Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub-(I used this a long time ago, it received top marks for oily skin exfoliators in the Glamour Beauty Buys)
Olay Spa Exfoliating Ribbons
Loofah *Bacteria builds up on these quickly!
Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock *
Toner/astringent-Witch Hazel

Dream Closet

2009-07-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

It's time for a closet makeover. Not that I have much to work with in a college apartment, but I am determined to revamp by closet for easy access. The overall goal is to make creating an outfit simple and successful. I've slowly been taking steps towards reaching this goal.
1. Take everything out.
2. Eliminate clothes that no longer fit, are irreparably damaged, or no longer fit my style. 3. Sort clothes into like type. (Pants, shirts, dresses, skirts, sweaters, casual t-shirts, sweats)
4. Catalog all items. I haven't decided how I will approach this. I've heard of writing out every item of clothing or taking photos of every item (several sites exist that will put cataloged items together into outfits). Currently I've been taking photos of complete outfits, although not aggressively.
5. Decide on methods of storage. Buy appropriate storage bins/hangers. I've heard velvet Huggable Hangers are ideal for creating closet space and safely storing clothes. In the long-term, plastic shoe boxes! I've starting holding on to designer shoe boxes for ideal storage. Even further I will look at actually organizing my jewelry.
6. Place items back into closet!

One day, I dream of a closet with ideas merged from these four closets. Top left is Ralph Lauren. Top right, Mariah Carey. Bottom right is from the former Domino magazine. Bottom left unknown.

Poppy Shop

2009-06-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

So I've been a HUGE Coach fan my entire life (I even wear the fragrance) so I was pretty psyched when I heard they are releasing a new line with a friendlier price point. Poppy was recently released with a younger, vibrant feel. I'm loving the website design (you have to try the intro quiz for fun!) and items offered. From jewelry, scarves, jackets, shoes and of course bags this new line is sure to deliver. I have my eye on a gold tote called Poppy Op Art Glam Tote (also cute in orange below). I will certainly be on the lookout when I'm in the Carlsbad Premium Outlets in a month!

Gilty Pleasure

2009-06-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, my most fashionable friend invited me to gilt.com with one warning: hide your credit cards. I brushed off the invitation at the time knowing little about the site. I kept seeing it pop up in fashion-forward blogs and tweets. So I went to the site and sure enough, invitation only (thanks again for the invite!).

Now I'm addicted. I found the high-end twin to my Felix Ray Target find... for about quadruple the price. But still, I'm hooked. There is already a need to set aside a fund for this site.

Interested in joining? I personally invite you :)

Cheap & Chic!

2009-06-16T09:36:00.001-07:00

InStyle Magazine tipped me off to these cute but cheap swimsuits at Walmart. The line by Norma Kamali offers mix & match two pieces, all for $15 each. Or you could opt for this glamorous one piece for $20:
I'm considering it myself, although I'm not sure of the quality. If I was a bigger Walmart fan I would head over to the nearest store today. Check out more options at the Walmart site.

Harmony Between Man and Machine

2009-06-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Prius has done it again. I am blown away every time I watch the new Prius commercials. They manage to be emotionally moving and inspiring at the same time. This clip shows the making of one spot including the vision behind it and logistics of using people to make the world surrounding the Prius. Its a little long, but starting at 4:10 you can watch the clip of "Harmony". Not only will they catch the attention of all those eco-friendly people out there, but hopefully the rest of the world through the beautiful imagery.

Welcome to My Closet

2009-06-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

This will always be one of my favorite commercials due to the comedic play on gender differences and fantasies we all have. I'm still laughing after the 100th play. If you're not already familiar with this wonderful Heineken commercial, enjoy.

Summertime Means Beachwear!

2009-06-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

So I've been looking for a big wicker-esque tote with a gold/metallic finish for the summertime. I didn't have much time to look when I was back on the westside of Washington state so I've been keeping an eye out in the latest magazines I picked up. By chance I was going back through some old pages I pulled and found this Felix Rey for Target bag from a spread in Bazaar a few months ago.
I immediately hopped on the Target website, praying for a discount, and sure enough 50% off! It's marked down to $22.48. The inside is even more adorable.
I'm hoping my mom can find it on the westside so I can save the almost $10 in shipping (yikes!). Either way, there's no way I'm missing out on this one. I also fell in love with a similar design with a Chanel-style gold chain that detaches.

The 'Nordstrom' Experince

2009-06-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

My mother and I have been extremely loyal shoppers of Nordstrom. We attend the Anniversary Sale, well, annually and often refer to it as "mecca". So we were pretty much in shock when the head of the house at the Cafe came out and started scolded my mom for having a food allergy. She requested that our sandwich be made on a separate board due to a tomato allergy. The waitress made a note of it, but when the person in charge saw the slip, she came out to recommend that she order a salad (which looked like an even bigger risk despite the fact that we could watch the prep station). With such comments as "You know how it is when you go to a restaurant" from the head of the house, we were both appauled and my mom ended up just ordering a cookie and dessert.
Next we moved on to the salon shoes section where there were racks and racks of designer shoes on sale (*the heavens opened the instant we descended the escalator with a collective "AHHH"). I told my mom that if I found the Tod's jellies that I've been drooling over on sale that I would buy them. Sure enough, there they were in purple, blue and clear. After 3 "Oh my god"'s from myself, my mom was further shocked that no sales person came over to assist me as I tried the different sizes on. One lady finally approached me and honesty answered my question (some redemption) but then disappeared. I had to approach the salesman to receive the shoe pair, who then pawned off my request to another saleswoman. She (thankfully) was extremely helpful, although I was already sold on the purchase. She gave me her card and made a kind offer to stretch my other pair of Tod's ballerina flats since I mentioned they were too small. I will certainly be sure to find her, that is if I go back to the Bellevue store. You will most likely find me at a different Nordstrom next time.

Regardless, I'm in love. My new sandals go with everything, although I offer a strong advisory to wearing them in the rain. I got caught the other day in an intense rainstorm and had to shuffle to my next class.

Inspiration Found

2009-06-01T19:07:00.001-07:00

I've discovered that *news flash* I'm not alone in the endless hunt for everything beautiful. I don't know why it never occurred to me that everything beautiful may also be beautiful in another person's eye. While browsing through the settings of blogger I discovered an area that featured blogs, where I stumbled upon Swish and Swanky, a featured blog right now. This quaint blog immediately caught my eye with images of Audrey Hepburn and a room designed entirely around Eiffel Tower sculptures. How exhilarating!
This blog led me to several other wonderful sites that I've added to my "places for inspiration" links. One site incredibly pleasing to the eye is Sweet as a candy; I have to learn how to crop photos in an interesting way like she does. I also appreciated the collection of photos she placed together, a great place for an instant pick-me-up.
I can only hope this site will evolve to mirror the inspiration and intrigue that these sites evoke. I will keep collecting images and ideas for when that day comes.

If I could turn back time...

2009-05-28T20:12:00.001-07:00

... and be back in Milan this spring (I cannot believe it was only a year ago when I was there!) I would have saved my money and bought these Tod's jellies. The Tod's ballerina shoes I bought (for way too much last spring) kill my feet by the end of the day. I can promise you these would not crunch my toes or be difficult to clean from the Pullman dust. My white leather Tod's sitting in my closet? I cannot say the same.
Not that this color is practical, but they also come in black, silver, white, and clear!

Chanel No. 5 brings the heat

2009-05-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

My grandmother wore this scent, and the air of mystery surrounding this perfume captures her personality perfectly. Scenes from this take me right back to Paris... and make me question the way women are portrayed as sexual objects that men can't resist (Gender & the Media college course in action). Sleeping naked on a public train? I think not. Still evokes an emotion I can't help but get sucked into.

I think I enjoyed watching a brief history of Chanel No. 5 more than that video however. Check out this site for images of Coco, what flowers are used in the formula, and how it has reinvented itself.
Chanel No. 5: The Story

We all get bad press

2009-05-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone could benefit from a publicist. Just think of how well celebrities say "I can't reveal any details" yet they leave you with just enough to leave you hanging. Do you know how many times I wish I had said that? They know exactly how to build up a celebrity's image, and how to quickly do damage control when something goes wrong. All those times you've been screamed at in the face, not that they could avoid all those attacks, but they could certainly help you deal with the situation appropriately. They are like personal brand builders. This concept is so important right now because people need to maintain a pure image in the mind of their employers. Granted not even the best publicist can recover from incidents caused by people like Eliot Spitzer, but they certainly prove their abilities when the celebrity's image does recover. Think of Bill Clinton! Many people thought he was despicable (many people still do), but today we've moved on to remember him as a effective leader and environmental warrior.

You Can't Win 'em All

2009-05-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/tnt-cancels-trust-me/

I have to devote one post to one of my growing favorite shows that I recently found out was canceled. Trust Me depicted life in a fictional advertising agency RGM that boasts clients including Dove Hair Care, Bertolli, and Buick. Product placement was the obvious source of funding for the show, which would feature one product as a client for an entire episode. In this sense, the show was doomed from the start. The only people that could relate to the show were people in advertising because not many people can believe that advertising is stressful and harmful to your personal life. Since advertising is depicted as a glamorous career, audiences had a hard time connecting with the characters. Also, many people have a chip on their shoulder when they think about advertisers due to beliefs of subliminal messages and false advertising. The audience who watched the show could never relate to the problems of the people who lie to them everyday. The last few episodes of Trust Me gained 1.4 million viewers, which was too low of a number for TNT to cope with. Sadly, Trust Me got the axe along with many other creatively successful shows.

The College Achilles Heel

2009-05-04T01:17:00.000-07:00

Textbook prices are a heated topic among college students. Raising buyback prices by the Bookie was an item high on the list for ASWSU this semester. I decided to compare prices for my books for the upcoming semester to see how much I could save by shopping prices online. Granted convenience should be factored into the prices offered by the Bookie since it is much easier to buy books on campus. The Bookie practices demand-based pricing, by placing prices and how many books they will buy back based on how many textbooks the teacher reserves for the upcoming semester. You could even accuse the Bookie and Crimson & Gray of practicing price fixing since they sell and buy back books at nearly identical prices. However, in comparison, sites like Half.com and the Amazon Marketplace offer great deals for used books thanks to online auction pricing systems.
Here is what I found for the book Retailing by Dunne
The Bookie: $168.90 New $126.70 Used
Amazon.com: $159.96 New $65.00 Used
Half.com: $54.95 Best Price
Ebay.com: $60.00 Lowest bid
Moral of the story is sometimes it pays to shop around.

Any way you want it

2009-05-04T01:04:00.001-07:00

The messaging strategy of this commercial is brilliant on AT&T's part. Someone finally realized that Generation Y is all about the band Journey as the classic throwback. Play any Journey song at a social gathering and you can instantly have the entire room singing along. And as we all know, texting is a signature trait of Generation Y'ers. So with a quick call to action message at the end to get their AT&T phone anyway they want it, viewers are left with the simple message they need to convince them this is the phone for their generation. This commercial also follows the AIDA model extremely well. The target audience's ATTENTION is immediately grabbed by the song, their INTEREST is peaked when they see the easy to use features of the phone and how texting is made so simple. DESIRE is built at the end of the commercial when customers feel the need to buy the latest phone from AT&T to fit their texting needs, then ACTION is taken by the consumer who goes out and makes the purchase. That's the way we need it.

Nice Try Time Warner

2009-05-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

The greatly hated Time Warner Cable tried to schmooze college students at one of the Cougar basketball games by handing out free noise makers. This promotional item certainly entertained students throughout the game and may have helped ease bad relations students have with the cable company. In the Pullman region, there are limited options for cable service, which is why Time Warner is able to offer average service at high rates. Time Warner was smart to try and get their image integrated into college basketball games. Even if a student wasn't at the game, they may see a picture taken from the game through consumer-generated media. A certain amount of word-of-mouth marketing also occurred from this marketing stunt from students talking about how they received the noise maker. All in all, good effort from Time Warner, but you still have a ways to go in my book.

Product Placement Complications

2009-05-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

Advertisers spend millions of dollars to place their brand in highly viewed shows or movies. The common belief has been that by placing your brand in specific movies, the advertiser benefits from reaching a target audience and being "endorsed" to a certain degree by the characters or actors in the show. This clip by Martin Lindstrom from Advertising Age raises an interesting question, does product placement work? According to their study which scanned the brains of consumers when they viewed the product placements, sometimes the brands were actually deleted from the viewer's mind. Whether or not this study proves that product placement actually works is questionable. A better question may be do consumers actually receive the message, properly decode it, and then become convinced to buy the product? Or, as seen from the backlash after Transformers was released, is product placement a huge incentive for consumers not to buy the product. These are important questions that advertisers must answer before paying $26 million to be a part of the next episode of American Idol.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1370868150/bctid3302395001

Major Tom in Control

2009-05-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

Lincoln made a smart move when they teamed up with rising band Shiny Toy Guns to produce this commercial. Then Shiny Toy Guys made the smarter move, after much anticipation, releasing the cover of the Peter Schilling song on their website FOR FREE! Unfortunately it has expired (sorry for everyone who just got excited) but the limited time free promotion of the song got the Shiny Toy Guns name out there to a whole new audience. As for why this is smart for Lincoln:
1. They teamed up with a hip new band to stay current with the Young Influentials. This download actively sought after when people heard a clip during the Lincoln MKZ commercial.
2. They stayed current with their core demographic who were around when this song debuted in the 80's along with David Bowie's similar themed tunes about Major Tom. This is the second cover of a "Major Tom" song for a Lincoln commercial. The first was a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" for the 2009 Lincoln MKS.
3. The space/futuristic theme of the song and lyrics about taking off fit perfectly with the features of the car and style of the commercial.

For anyone interested, here is the original version of the song by Peter Schilling, quite entertaining:

April Showers bring May... Sales?

2009-05-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Floral delivery companies are counting on promotional discounts and advertising to keep sales up this year for Mother's Day despite the recession, as discussed in this Advertising Age article: http://adage.com/article?article_id=136417
Flowers are certainly considered a seasonal product, with peak sales during the December holidays, Valentine's Day, and 25% of sales occurring in May for Mother's Day. That's why sales this upcoming month are critical to keep the competing brands alive. The big players are Proflowers.com and 1-800-Flowers.com who both have devised advertising strategies to see a smaller hit in sales than one might expect. Luckily, its anticipated that most people who bought flowers last year will also buy this year, but at a lower quantity.
Proflowers.com offers discounts to people who mention the DJ's name that announced the promotion on the radio. This allows marketers to figure out which radio ad placements prove to be the most effective. A clever strategy for the marketers! 1-800-Flowers.com launched the Spot a Mom campaign across multiple media platforms with 50% of spending on the web. They utilized buzz marketing through Facebook, Twitter, and blogging to remind people to buy flowers for all the "moms" in their life. This should prove an effective Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategy because it encourages people to place more than one order through their website. It should be interesting to see which strategy works!

2009-04-13T21:42:00.001-07:00

LOVE this commercial. It reminds me of the many hamsters I had as a child, which was probably one of the goals of the marketers. They clearly have identified their target audience for this low-income, young/hip car. The hip hamsters break the mold of the everyday work ethic that middle-America follows. Instead they evolve and end up in the city, which is many young, college graduates' dream. By showing the hamsters who own this car as moving beyond the pack, they identify their target as trend-setting young adults who love the latest technology. The technology highlighted in this commercial is the MP3 plugin, a must-have car accessory for 16-30 year olds. Generation Y and beyond will quickly attract to this car with the flashy features and cool vibe set by this advertisement.

Social Media, get used to it

2009-03-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Many people may deny the future on popular social media sites, such as Twitter, but the success stories of Facebook, Myspace, and other social websites has created a new industry in itself. Professionals in advertising and marketing must stay aware of trendy sites like these in order to stay current with their audience. For example, Starbucks uses Twitter as a form of Customer Relationship Management by replying to negative posts about the company and offering instant answers to customer questions. Twitter's search engine is a genius way for companies to hear what consumers are thinking about their company, without the hassle of searching and monitoring blogs.

Target uses Facebook as a permission form of advertising, where consumers who are a fan of Target merchadise can add Target as a friend. Therefore, Target can send direct messages to people who are already interested in hearing about the latest specials. Advertising on sites such as Facebook also provide methods to target your ideal buyer. You can choose to focus specifically on location, age, education, sex, and other demographic specifications. Reaching your target audience has never been easier. Marketers that plan to reach Generation Y and beyond should get used to these type of marketing tools and familiarize themselves fast. Companies like Mashable that specialize in social media provide free tips to companies and consumers alike to maximize their experience in the social world.

Branding Recall

2009-02-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

I found this very interesting after I analyzed the new Tropicana label a few weeks ago. They decided to pull the new design and go back to their roots with the orange/straw image, but they will be keeping the "squeeze" orange-shaped cap. The defense from Arnell is priceless, I agree the cap has an "ergonomic" appeal to it. This is the first "recall" I can think of by a brand.

http://adage.com/video/article?article_id=134889

Self-Branding

2009-02-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

Today, the art of branding yourself is more important the product you are trying to sell. Once you are able to find a job, there is always the possibility that you can be laid off the next day. Luckily there are several bloggers jumping to the rescue of the rapidly growing unemployed to teach us how to stand out from the crowd.

http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/
This article about personal branding shows the marketing steps you can make to help create your own brand, no longer just for the celebrities. Its amazing how similar it seems to a regular marketing campaign: research your passions & strengths, find a niche market that fits these strengths, creating your Personal Branding Toolkit including business card, resume/cover letter/references, portfolio, blog/website, LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, Twitter profile, video resume, wardrobe (yes! an excuse for that new coat), and even your email address! An awesome step-by-step process to taking your professional career to the next level.

http://www.quicksprout.com/2008/09/20/creative-business-cards-that-make-you-look-twice/
These are fun and creative business cards that I promise will set you apart from the crowd. Mine would be similar to the Diesel Design organization-based cards, but perhaps more colorful. Just reading these have convinced me to jump on the bandwagon... I'm already part way there!

For the Love of Snapple!

2009-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hooray for Snapple! As a health-freak, I rejoice that Snapple has switched from high-fructose corn syrup to REAL sugar. What a concept! The bottles have also been redesigned to fit into your cup holder (a necessary update) and the label refreshed to focus on the "All Natural" ingredients. Snapple has always been a favorite brand of mine, but I have pulled back buying it since my junior high years when it was readily available. I will still buy it whenever it is offered, now I may go out of my way to buy it.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/reading-the-tea-leaves-snapple-refreshes-itself/

Pepsi Reloaded

2009-02-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

When I first saw the reveal of the new Pepsi logo, I, along with a few editorial opinions from AdAge, was unimpressed with the $1 million revamp. My main beef with it was the way it was presented, jumping on the "change" bandwagon, and the money put towards a new logo seemed unjustified in a tight economy. Nevertheless, I was intrigued and have kept researching the buzz behind the design. Then I found this article, and was blown away.

http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2009/02/science-behind-new-pepsi-logo.html

The PDF takes you to a document explaining the science behind the design. Check out the YouTube video as well for an entertaining overview of Pepsi's logo history. I didn't realize there was a different design for each version (diet, MAX, etc.) until I read this. The claim that the logo pulls the customer down the aisle to the product may be bogus, or a very clever form of package design. It shows that Product is an essential part of the marketing mix, severely impacting the way people perceive a product during promotions and while making a purchase decision. This marketing campaign has certainly put Pepsi at the top of people's evoked set for soda, but will it change consumer's attitude toward Pepsi as a whole? It may change Pepsi's market position in terms of innovation and freshness, but they cannot help a preference of taste that most consumers have towards Coca-Cola or another soda product. Either way, Pepsi, consider this my round of applause.

Practical packaging?

2009-02-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

I am constantly intrigued whenever I walk past this endcap display in the supermarket for organic and specialty items. This week Pom juice was placed on this display in a package that practically sells itself. It is safe to say that the marketer did their research on the target market to determine what type of packaging would be appealing to the consumer. As a woman who would be drawn to a product like this, I find the packaging appealing, yet am baffled by the practicality of it. The juice is highly priced, yet the design doesn't allow for maximum capacity of the product. Yet the important aspect of Product (from the 4 P's) is what sells this item. I certainly have been tempted to buy it on multiple occasions, if my boyfriend would let me.

Grocery brand dilemma

2009-01-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

Branding is an all important part of marketing your product. I always find it interesting seeing the variety of products created with the Margaritaville brand, when originally the concept comes from a song completely unrelated to Jammin' Jerk Shrimp. It demonstrates how a brand represents a way of life for the consumer, which in this case is a care-free Jamaican lifestyle. Another item that catches my attention is when a company decides to redesign their product packaging, which is an incredibly complex industry. Tropicana took a 180 in my perspective creating this new design. To me this represents organic, fresh, and clean, but for some reason was unappealing to my tastes. I went for the Florida's Orange juice nearby this week, afraid to try the new packaging. The decision of Pepsi to rebrand is a widely controversial subject right now. I will try to find the article that caught my attention about it for my next post.

Beginning of an Era

2009-01-25T16:40:00.000-08:00

Maybe not the most fascinating era, but a notable one at that. The time of Obama, a shift in power, and hopefully a reverse in the economic state. Stay tuned for notable trends in the market via the limited selection of products that reach the Pullman market.