Fuel for Life

The new diesel fragrance has really strong branding. I first noticed the advert on television and decided to look into the new diesel fragrance further by going to their website. I was really impressed. The website reflects the urban image of diesel and trys to draw the viewer 'into the unknown' by spinning fortune wheels and answering questions to determine where you are navigated to. The snippets of film within the website also add to the feel of the product, there is also a small section where you are able to view the tv ads, which is unusual for clothing websites. They are usually more concerned about getting you to the checkout. The diesel website is updated with the seasons, therefore it stays in touch with the fashion and doesn't have a generic shopping website feel about it. http://www.diesel.com/ Diesel also host a competition: see the website for more information.

Hoax crisp packet collections

I was shocked when I read an article about hoax collections of weightless objects such as crisp packets and bottle tops. People were being encouraged to collect such items under the premise that companies such as Walkers would fund life saving operations or give valuable medical equipment to hospitals. This such collection hoax became so well known that it was parodied by Walkers in their Gary Lineker "No More Mr Nice Guy" series of ads. In the ad (ca. 2000) schoolteacher Lineker exhorted his class to bring in Walkers crisp packets - the catch being that the packets had to be full for the crisp-munching teacher. To read more about the hoaxes click on this link:

http://www.messybeast.com/dragonqueen/walkers-hoax.htm

This just shows how powerful word of mouth can be, nobody collecting the packets really knew where the hoaxes had come from, however they still believed them to be true.

Why do promoters use flyers?

As we approach a new term in Leeds, the thought of walking to uni can be a daunting thought. 'Flyer's' are everywhere! By the third year at university most people know whats on offer in terms of nightlife and stick to what they know, the real bait are first years.

Every promotional flyer is thrust towards you in the hope that you may consider visiting that particular bar or club on that certain night. It makes you wonder when you see so many flyer's on the floor whether this promotional tool really works. However after talking to nightclub owners and working for promotional companies (yes I admit that I might be thrusting a flyer in your direction in the next week or two!) I have found that even though there are many other avenues that club promoters can go down to encourage people to go to their nights, flyering is always the most effective. “With flyer's, people are actually able to talk with the flyer distributor, ask questions, and get responses that may be available through an e-mail blast,” says Sean Saladino, director of operations for PK Graphics.

This is targeting at its best, each promoter can asess who they would want to attend their night, and based on what people look like, can make a quick decision as to whether they would be likely to attend. These people can then ask questions about the night and develop a 'relationship' with the flyerer, they then hopefully remember more about the promotion and are then more likely to attend the night. This method is proven to be much more effective than sending an email or text. The other benefit of flyering is that more than one person can be targeted at once, giving one person in a group a flyer encourages conversation, and word of mouth advertising begins. So although it is a pain to receive handfuls of flyers when you don't have a hand spare, you could see it as a compliment that the promoters want you in their club!

Gouranga

When I first went to Leeds I was puzzled by the appearance of 'Gouranga' on the M1 motorway bridges, I originally thought it might be advertising for a nightclub as there are flyer's and posters all around leeds for events etc, however I have done some investigating and apparently this is the reason for the repeated use of the word is as follows:

'Gauranga (Gouranga) was a nickname of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, a monk in India who 500 years ago founded the branch of Hinduism that during the 20th century was brought to the west by ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness, better known as the "Hare Krishna" sect).
Years ago the name Gouranga appeared on motorway bridges in the North of England and on various stickers, causing people to wonder what it was all about. It has been rumoured that the Scottish branch of ISKCON has been trying to spread the name of their spiritual ancestor through a guerilla-type campaign.' (http://www.joewein.de/sw/spam-neateye-gouranga.htm)

As I researched more into the subject of 'Gouranga' it appears that 10 years ago in Scotland everywhere was plastered in posters saying 'Gouranga' they have gradually been removed, and even though everyone seems to know about them few realise what they actually mean. So I don't know whether this is considered to be a good marketing campaign or not, the interest is there but nobody knows what they are interested in!

Ben and Jerry's

I saw this advert in the cinema for the first time on friday, even though it is really purely stock frame imagery it captured everybodies attention, people were talking about it after they had seen it, it captures the essence of the brand and communicates clearly with the viewer.

'Ben & Jerry have launched a new cinema campaign in the UK to celebrate the brand’s heritage as it draws to the end of its third decade. The 30-second spot, screening in 2,300 cinemas in the UK and Ireland this week, is created in a rolling photo-album style and features Ben & Jerry’s own memorable moments – their early days in Vermont, attending ice-cream school and the first 'Free Cone Day'. The album scrolls right through to their infamous ‘Cowmobile’ spreading love and ice cream around the US and displaying the success that the brand now enjoys.
Produced by Fallon London, the film uses still images directly from the Ben & Jerry's archive and in-house editors and acts as a whistle-stop run-through of the brand's rich 29-year history. A comical US voiceover helps to bring to life the visuals. The spot marks a departure from established animated cinema advertising and is a chance for cinemagoers to peek at the brand behind the iconic ice-cream.Ben & Jerry’s and Fallon are discussing rolling out the heritage campaign across Europe later in the year.' http://www.utalkmarketing.com/ (to see advert)

Gambling For The World

On Tuesday 7th August, Camelot were granted the 3rd consecutive Lottery license to control the game through to the end of the next decade. Theres no denying that the lottery has generated vast amounts of money for 'good causes' such as raising £2.2bn for the 2012 Olympic games. However the underlying issue is the increase in publicity and access points Camelot aims to employ to boost sales and ultimately lead to the successful introduction of the worlds first global lottery.

With gambling addiction increasing throughout the UK and the rest of the world, watchdog campaigners are angered at the new proposals to further increase advertising. Next Month Gambling sites such as 888.com are to be banned from displaying advertising banners on websites to online British browsers. Despite this Camelot have been given apparent Cart Blanche to advertise and promote through some of the World Wide Webs biggest company's such as EBay.