This ad for Gatorade's G2 is great because it appeals to athletes as well as regular consumers. It lists things that each "Candace" have not done, but the other has. It gives the reader the feeling that, even if she is not a professional athlete, she can still do great things (and G2 can help).

Athlete Candace: I've never lost half my body weight. I've never climbed a StairMaster to get away from my old self. I've never had to undo 35 years of bad habits. I've never looked in the mirror and seen someone I hadn't seen before. But I have tried as hard as I can to be the best that I can.

Other Candace: I've never dunked a basketball. I've n ever had to come back from a torn ACL to win 2 straight college titles. I've never been Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. I've never been criticized for the decision to become a mother. But I have tried as hard as I can to be the best that I can.

Hulu's Plot to Destroy the World

Hulu's recent commercial featured Seth MacFarlane, speaking in-character throughout the ad. I am unclear about why hulu, a site devoted to free broadcasts of tv shows and movies, hired MacFarlane to promote Family Guy (for which MacFarlane is the creator/executive producer). I'm not sure advertising for a free site to watch your show will bring revenue and profit to Family Guy itself.

My main point then, I guess: What's the point of this commercial and what company will be profitable from this video?

Thinking into it, it's possible that more [potential] viewers are reached through the Hulu commercial. Perhaps Hulu users hadn't heard of Family Guy, and now want to see what the excitement is about. Or maybe Family Guy viewers hadn't heard of Hulu, and will begin to use the site for other popular shows.

Not that it's a bad commercial, I simply just don't understand the overall purpose of it.

BK Squarepants

This Burger King commercial promotes the new 99¢ Kids Meal featuring Spongebob Squarepants. It seems to target parents in their mid- to late-twenties with children young enough to be familiar with and enjoy Spongebob. The song is a remix to the formerly popular "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot in 1992, which grabs the attention of those who remember the song.

The fact that Spongebob appears in the commercial means that young viewers will see the ad, making it even more important for the content to be appropriate. However, there are parts of the commercial that are somewhat questionable do to the portrayed sexuality.

Sixteen Tons

In this GE ad, coal mining is depicted as more attractive than in the past due to the fact that it is now "clean coal."

Ironically enough, the song playing in the background ("Sixteen Tons" by Merle Travis) was written about the misery of coal mining.

The following is a CBS news report regarding clean coal. It doesn't portray coal as 'attractive' as in the GE ad though.

Marketing to women

This ad cleverly targets women who may be concerned with the calorie count in beer... and/or have been lied to by their boyfriend. MGD attempts to relate to women by referring to relationships while promising a low-calorie beer.

As irresistible as chocolate

This commercial for Axe Dark Temptation came out just in time for Valentine's Day. What a smart way to incorporate women's love for chocolate into a product marketed toward men.

Beer chips?

Doritos is great at using humor to attract attention to their product and generate sales.

Put a little swagger in your step

Heard everywhere from MTV to national television shows to popular songs, swagger is the new term to use and way to be. Now everyone can have it with Old Spice's Swagger products. The target market here is adolescents through young men - the individuals who are exposed to the term/concept in everyday life.

[I found the actual product at my friend's house. Obviously the product line's target market is responding.]

Compiled from several online definitions...
swag·ger [swag-er]
-verb
1. to walk, talk, and dress in a boastful or arrogant manner.
2. to conduct one's self with pompous-like confidence in a way that would automatically earn respect.

While the definition suggests a negative connotation, adolescents and young adults consider the term trendy, acceptable, and a way complimenting someone.

Here are a few examples:
~~ I'm the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished with the spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid. - T.I., the song "Live Your Life"

~~ Swagger. You got it. You got swagger. - Lil' Mama, America's Best Dance Crew

Old Spice carries several Swagger-scented products. Go to the website to check them all out! http://www.oldspice.com/products/by_scent/swagger/

Dannon Brand Extension

Dannon is typically known for its yogurt products. There's Activia, which is supposed to keep your digestive system regular; DanActive, which is a yogurt drink that supports a healthy immune system; and Danimals, the kid-version yogurt drink designed to taste good and provide nutrients and other "good for kids" ingredients. Not long ago, I was buying bottled water by the case, and noticed the familiar logo of Dannon on one of the packages. I didn't think much of it because I consider Dannon a pretty legitimate brand; I purchased the Dannon water because it was cheapest at that time and place. It didn't taste different from any other bottled water I could have chosen. Dannon must have recognized that consumers are familiar with and trusting of their brand, thus making the bottled water industry a relatively safe market in which to extend to.

Eventually I came across Dannon Fluoride water bottles, which claims to be "Great for kids on the go!" The packaging also has a young kangaroo playing soccer - being an active kid, if you will. This targets both parents and kids. Parents want their children to drink more water, apparently fluoride is good for you, and it is made by Dannon, a trusted brand.

Dannon has done a much better job with brand extension than Kool-Aid. One reason is that they have not over-extended their brand like Kool-Aid seems to have done. Another reason is that Dannon seems to recognize which products to extend to; that is, what markets have the potential for success. Whereas Kool-Aid seems to extend to any product possible.

Kool-Aid Brand Extension

Well, we talked at length about Kool-Aid in class last week. Should we make a Kool-Aid energy drink or sports/exercise drink? The verdict was maybe. Take a look at other ways Kool-Aid has extended its brand:

Above is a picture of the Kool-Aid packets that many of us grew up with. Just add water and (more) sugar! The packets seem to be Kool-Aid's signature product.

In class we briefly discussed the creation of a Kool-Aid Capri-Sun-type drink; looks like they already thought of that with Kool-Aid Jammers.

Kool Pops - The Kool-Aid flavored version of the ever popular Otter-Pop. I don't know of anyone who doesn't like Otter-Pops, nor do I know of anyone who buys Kool Pops. Perhaps Kool-Aid extended its name to a product that is already dominated by another brand.

Versus

Something we didn't consider was Kool-Aid clothing. Clever, but given the brand's decreasing popularity, the creation probably came too late. By the way, the shoes have the brand logo on the back and have "Kool" imprinted on the soles... there's no way to hide the fact you're wearing Kool-Aid shoes.

"Oh Yeah!"

Does sex sell vodka?

It's a standard assumption that sex sells products. However, the marketers of Polish vodka Sobieski appear to be taking a different route. Maybe with the simple layout, clean lines, and matter-of-fact wording, Sobieski will become as popular as other imported vodkas.

Sobieski appears to be the only brand advertising just vodka. Take a look at ads from Skyy, Three Olives, and Smirnoff vodkas:

The Smirnoff ad is from 1964; using 'sex' to sell a product isn't a new idea.

All three ads use images of attractive and/or provocative women to make their vodka more appealing to consumers. But how well does it work? The 'sexy' ads cover three very popular vodka brands; Sobieski vodka is not well-known. Perhaps high sales are due to the eye-catching women in the ads.

Think about the last time you purchased vodka or any type of alcohol. What brand did you choose and why was that brand the one that came to mind? Was it because of the simple layout and clean lines in an advertisement? Or was it the attractive woman or man that grabbed your attention?