Advertising Standards Authority Expand Authority to Online Space
September 2, 2010
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the U.K.’s independent regulator of advertising across all media, including TV, internet, sales promotions and direct marketing. The ASA’s mission is to ensure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful by applying the Advertising Codes.
According to an article from the BBC today, the ASA will expand its power to apply its Advertising Codes to online ads beginning March 1, 2011. Additionally, the ASA will have the power to ban marketing messages from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The ASA’s power will only apply to websites, online ads and online messages that are intended to sell products and services, so online publishers and journalists will not be subject to the ASA’s oversight. The BBC article noted that 75% of complaints to the ASA are related to misleading messages in ads, and beginning in March 2011, not only will the ASA have to power to restrict and ban online ads that are found to be misleading, but they’ll also have the right to purchase ad space themselves advertising other companies’ non-compliance with ASA standards.
For brands that are used to practicing truth-in-advertising and don’t mislead consumers, the new ASA reach to the online advertising space should be welcome. Now, advertisers will be placed on a level playing field in terms of assertions and claims. However, the online space is very, very big, and the ASA won’t be able to catch all advertisers who disregard the standards. This is a step in the right direction though, and consumers should benefit from it.
You can follow the link to read more about the ASA’s newly extended authority in the digital space. While most consumers are likely to be happy about the ASA’s announcement, there will undoubtedly be some people who believe this kind of regulation and oversight in the online space is unwelcome and excessive. What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts as a consumer and as a business person.
Mac vs PC Guy Commercials May Not Be Over Yet
August 31, 2010
A bit of a buzz has been going on related to the famous Mac vs. PC Guy commercials that have become a highly recognizable and popular advertising campaign which successfully repositioned Apple’s brand against the personal computer category leader, Microsoft.
I wrote about the Apple brand and Mac vs. PC Guy commercials on the Corporate Eye blog in May 2008 and again in October 2008, and now, over two years later, the ads are still popular. There aren’t a lot of companies or brands that can boast that kind of successful ad campaign longevity.
A new interview with Justin Long, who plays Mac in the Mac vs. PC Guy commercials, sheds new light on the ad campaign. While only 66 Mac vs. PC Guy commercials have actually aired on television (you can watch all 66 ads on the Adweek website), Long explains in an interview published on Time magazine’s Techland blog, that at least 100 commercials were actually filmed. However, he doesn’t know if those ads will ever see the light of day.
Similarly, Long didn’t know if the Mac vs. PC Guy campaign had met its demise yet or not. When asked ‘the’ question about whether the campaign had ended or not, Long responded, “I don’t know, they don’t really tell me much. I personally haven’t heard anything. I could get a call next week.”
As the Apple brand struggles to overcome some bumps in its otherwise easy path of growth that the company has enjoyed over the past several years thanks to innovative products supported by creative advertising, it’s interesting to debate whether the time has come to charge forward with completely new advertising or if sticking with continuity is the better approach. Only Apple’s marketing and executive teams can make that decision, but it will be interesting to see what comes next for Apple advertising.
What do you think? Is it time to retire Mac vs. PC Guy or is there still some life left in the characters Justin Long and John Hodgman play? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Brands Turn Heads and Build Business in New York’s Times Square
August 27, 2010
Earlier this week, I wrote a post about brand museums and factories that have become popular tourist destinations. Had I written that post a few years ago, Kellogg’s may have been on it, but the company’s Cereal City USA in Battle Creek, Michigan never drew the attendance levels it needed to survive (it closed in 2007). However, just because Cereal City USA wasn’t a huge hit doesn’t mean that Kellogg’s was ready to give up on creating branded experiences for consumers.
Enter New York City’s Times Square, which has become a brand hot spot over the past decade with more companies investing in unique retail locations there after seeing brands like FAO Schwartz and M&M’s succeed in drawing large crowds. This month, Kellogg’s jumped on the bandwagon by opening a store and cafe dedicated to a brand that has held a place in American pop culture for decades.
Welcome to Pop Tarts World.
Pop Tarts World started off with a bang. Already, 1,500-2,000 consumers visit Pop Tarts World per day where they can buy branded merchandise and taste unique Pop Tarts-inspired menu items. According to BrandWeek, Zeta Interactive has been tracking the performance on Pop Tarts World online, and already positive Pop Tarts brand buzz online has grown from 74% to 88% less than two weeks since the store opened. Furthermore, the Kellogg’s brand has also seen a boost in the positive online buzz of 6%.
And that’s not all. The Pop Tarts Facebook page grew from 1.8 million to 2 million people within two weeks with people not just visiting but also actively joining the conversation, uploading pictures of themselves at Pop Tarts World, and more. The online popularity of Pop Tarts has even surpassed brands like Wheaties, Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, and Quaker Oats — some of the dominant players in the breakfast foods segment in the United States.
Consumers love branded experiences that are either useful or entertaining (or both). Pop Tarts World is a perfect example of an entertaining branded experience. Not only that, but it’s also an example of a branded experience that people can share. Pop Tarts, entertainment, shared experiences that can be shared further through branded social web destinations — it’s a recipe for success.
What do you think? Will you stop into Pop Tarts World next time you’re in midtown Manhattan?
Image: Flickr
Brand Museums and Factories Become Popular Tourist Destinations
August 25, 2010
There are few companies in the world that have such powerful brands that the brand and all of the tangible elements of its history can be turned into a museum which people around the world actually want to visit. Similarly, there are factories that power brands which are strong enough to draw visitors from around the world. Today’s post highlights several of those branded museums and factories that have become popular tourist destinations.
At the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia visitors can taste Coca-Cola products from around the world, see a real bottling line, buy Coke merchandise, and more. Check out the video about the World of Coca-Cola below:
2. Hershey Museum and Chocolate World
Okay, Hershey’s makes chocolate, so there are some perks to visiting the Hershey Museum and factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania, including free chocolate. And the Hershey’s theme park helps, too.
Again, it’s hard to resist ice cream, but the Ben & Jerry’s Factory tour in Waterbury, Vermont is popular not just for the ice cream. The unique flavors that make the Ben & Jerry’s brand famous take center stage in this tour and visitors love it.
4. The Henry Ford Museum and Ford Factory Tour
Visitors to Dearborn, Michigan can tour the Ford Rouge Factory and visit the Henry Ford Museum which is filled with history and pieces of Americana. The trip can also include a visit to Henry Ford’s hometown, the historic Greenfield Village, as well as the Henry Ford Research Center.
5. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Theme Park
There is already a Ferrari museum featuring all the cool cars you can imagine in Italy, but coming in October 2010, Abu Dhabi will be the home of the new Ferrari World Theme Park complete with displays, driving experiences in real cars and on a real track, and the world’s fastest roller coaster.
What do you think? Have you visited a brand museum or factory? Is your brand powerful enough to be a museum? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Branded YouTube Channels to Benchmark
August 23, 2010
There are a lot of brands on YouTube, and many of the companies behind those brands have created branded YouTube channels where consumers can view video content related to those brands. Sometimes the content is informative, sometimes it’s entertaining, and sometimes it’s promotional. The following branded YouTube channels are included in this list of branded YouTube channels to benchmark not for the content of their videos but rather for the design and use of brand identifying elements in that design to make the channel unique and representative of the brand promise.
1. Disney Parks YouTube Channel
The Disney Parks YouTube channel includes the colors and graphics you’d expect from the world’s most popular family vacation destination, but it’s included in this list for the great use of links in the top navigation bar and the design of those links that make it very clear where visitors will go if they click on them. These are the destinations you’d expect visitors to be most interested in going to after viewing the Disney Parks’ video content.
2. Kraft Foods YouTube Channel
The Kraft Foods YouTube channel is included on this list because of the two navigation bars of links at the top of the page, which take visitors to a variety of useful information. Also, the content in the Kraft Foods videos is incredibly useful and includes recipes, cooking demonstrations, and more, all of which are appropriate matches to the Kraft brand promise.
3. Old Spice YouTube Channel
The Old Spice YouTube channel is included in this list for one reason — excellent use of a viral and hot marketing campaign to draw viewers, recognition, and conversations.
4. Verizon Wireless
The Verizon Wireless YouTube channel is included in this list for its great use of the brand’s color palette and the fact that the channel highlights a product that is currently very popular — the Droid. The link in the top right corner of the page gives visitors access to more product details. Also, visitors can scroll down the page and view videos by category rather than simply browsing through them by date as most YouTube channels are set up. This is a great way to deliver relevant content to specific segments of Verizon Wireless’ broader audience.
5. Harley Davidson
The Harley Davidson YouTube channel is included in this list for its visually appealing link graphics in the page header as well as for the use of the categorized video slider features that enables visitors to self-select the types of videos they’re interested in before they even scroll down further to see the more traditional YouTube channel layout and features.
6. Pepsi Refresh
The Pepsi Refresh campaign is very popular, and the Pepsi Refresh YouTube channel is included in this list for its seamless integration with the overall campaign as well as the great use of color and graphics that are very recognizable for the Pepsi brand. Also, the YouTube channel is a great example of one that encourages comments, conversations, sharing, and subscriptions as part of Pepsi’s larger social media marketing initiatives.
What branded YouTube channels do you think are good enough to be benchmarked? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
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