As I was flipping through the newspapers one morning, my wife pointed out that the advertisement which Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo placed (above) was different from most other clothing retailers.
First, it focused on a single product category and showcases the range of colours and styles available. Uniqlo is clearly targeting those looking for sweat shirts with hoodies. This singular focus will appeal to customers in this category.
As I was reading my copy of the daily newspaper yesterday (yes, my family and I are still traditional newspaper readers), a colourful brochure with coupons popped out. As I glanced through its content, I couldn’t help noticing this promotional message which appeared to be a wee bit ironic in my view:
For a start, using a glossy, printed coupon and distributing it on a large scale hardly counts as being environmentally friendly. Free canvas or drawstring bag giveaways are also so common that many of us have more “recyclable” bags than we’ll ever use in our lifetimes. This begs the question of whether these are truly as resource friendly as they claim or just another premium item.
Everybody talked about the shirtless Abercrombie & Fitch greeters in 2011 (Courtesy of A&F)
Let’s talk about sex in advertising – one of the longest running meme in the history of ads.
Time and time again, the topic has ignited heated discussion amongst marketers, manufacturers and moralists alike.
Does sex sell? Would a sexy ad have a better chance of grabbing the attention of one’s target audience? Or will it just be too “been there, done that” to have any effect?
Courtesy of Lenovo
Anybody following the global technology market would know how brutal it is. Battles for distribution channels, platform acceptance, supply chain efficiencies, and brand leadership have led to the spilling of blood on both Wall Street and Main Street. This has led to companies merging, being acquired, ousting their CEOs, or stopping their product lines altogether in desperate bids to survive and thrive.
Against such a backdrop, PC companies can ill afford to focus purely on features and benefits when marketing their electronic wares. They need to connect more deeply and resonate emotionally with their target audiences. Cool designs, functional specifications, and state-of-the-art features can be so easily copied that PC makers need to dig deeper.
Anybody who has followed Burger King’s advertising strategies in recent years would know that it doesn’t shy away from controversy. Embracing an all out assault to shock and awe – moral sensibilities notwithstanding – the popular fast food brand has adopted sexual innuendos and stereotypes both subtle and not so subtle in its advertising around the world.
Examples of its amorous and attention seeking ads include the following:
1) Bikini clad “BK Girls” which were featured in print advertisements…
Do you consider this a good slogan?
In the world of branding and advertising, developing a catchy slogan or tagline is probably considered the Holy Grail of the craft. They can be found in practically anything and everything, from shampoo to milk powder, movies to museums, cities to churches, and cars to condos to credit cards.
Almost any organisation or institution worth its corporate salt would purvey these one or two liners, in the hope of raising mindshare, deepening heartshare, improving top-of-mind recall, and of course growing brand equity.
Don’t make your customers go on an uphill battle (Source)
As I was running this morning, I’ve noticed a very interesting observation at the jogging track on a little hillock near my home. This was the same place I’ve gone for my regular exercise for close to 8 years. Its a little loop which goes for about 680 m per round.
Almost everybody was going in the same direction (except me – I’ve got a thing for running against the human traffic…;)). What’s more, they were all IGNORING the directional signages painted on the track which said “START” and “END” along a certain path.
Corporate Storytelling should be as alluring as the Dance of 7 Veils (courtesy of rjg329)
One of the things which I have been wrestling with lately is this:
How can I keep my customers continually keen in my products and services beyond a short-lived campaign?
More importantly, can we sustain their interest over a longer time span and find different ways to build on it?
As I was walking to work recently, I couldn’t help noticing the following workplace safety advertisement on a bus stop shelter (I have a peculiar habit of noticing outdoor advertisements of all shapes and sizes):
Put up by the Ministry of Manpower’s Workplace Safety and Health unit, the poster had a simple and succinct message reminding everybody to be careful and to take care of themselves. This is important as some 29 per cent or 3,000 workplace injuries last year were from non-factory industries like retail, entertainment and services.
This morning, I was alerted to this full page advertisement in The Straits Times by Tessa Wong, one of its journalists on her Twitter account. Created by NTUC Income, a leading general insurer in Singapore, it caught the eye of many on Twitter who retweeted it to their friends and followers.
I applaud NTUC Income for scoring several goals (this being World Cup season) with this: