Imagine walking down the street and having advertisements change based on your gender, age, or race. This trend of ultra-targeted advertising has already started in London. Plan UK, a not-for-profit organization that helps children in third-world countries, launched a facial recognition billboard to promote its "Because I'm a Girl" campaign on February 22nd. As you may already assume, the ad is not the same for everyone. With 90% accuracy, the interactive advertisement scans pedestrians and identifies their gender. If it recognizes a woman, it allows her to see a 40-second campaign video, which promotes sponsoring a girl from a developing country to receive proper education. On the other hand, if it detects a man, it shows relevant campaign statistics and directs them to the Plan UK website. The purpose of this somewhat exclusive method of advertising is to show men "a glimpse of what it's like to have basic choices taken away." Personally, I think it is a bit creepy, but I'll have to get used to it (I'll explain why later).
The billboard, located at a bus stop on Oxford Street, cost Plan UK around $47,000 to execute (with help from Clear Channel UK, 3D Exposure, andCurb Media), and will only last for a total of two weeks (one down, one more to go). They hope to raise $400,000 in donations during the next four months, and believe the high-tech, emotion-inspiring billboard will motivate many of these donations. The amount of press the organization and its campaign has received due to the billboard will certainly help fundraising efforts as well--cue the need for PR professionals!
The 40-second video is part of a longer documentary, which showcases three 13 year old girls: Jasmine from the UK, Bintou from Mali, and Sur from Thailand. It highlights their differences, commonalities, obstacles, and dreams. If you have three minutes to spare, take a peak. Beware: it's emotionally riveting.
This new breed of outdoor advertising has incredible implications for the marketing industry. The technology used in Plan UK's billboard is the first of its kind and can be compared to the iPad and Xbox Kinect (combined). Not only does it scan faces, but it also measures the distance between the viewer's eyes, width of their nose, length of their jaw line, and shape of their cheekbone, to determine their gender. Ultra-targeted advertising through facial recognition software is in our near future. Some shopping malls are already testing the technology to more effectively reach and appeal to shoppers.
I hope this technology can eventually be applied to television and the Internet. Maybe one day I'll stop seeing advertisements for arthritis medication or Viagra. One can only hope!
It's incredible how much advertising time and press Macy's got today. The annual Thanksgiving parade, aired on NBC, has been a tradition since 1924 (85th anniversary!). Every Thanksgiving morning my sister and I watch the giant balloons and floats glide down 34th street from the comfort of our own home - around 44 million other people do the same and almost 2.5 million flock the NY streets to watch it live.
Today I had a HUGE revelation... the entire 3-hour program is a giant promotional opportunity for Macy's and the rest of the participants. Of course I knew this (somewhat) before, but not nearly to the extent it became apparent to me this morning. What I originally took as a giant Buzz Lightyear balloon transformed into an advertisement for Disney and Pixar. Nothing can be taken at face value. Instead of watching the parade in the same frame of mind as I had in the past, I couldn't help but listen to what the NBC reporters were saying in the background. They would give a brief (detailed) spiel introducing the balloon or float, its background, and, of course, its sponsor.
The entire production is phenomenal and so clever. In my opinion, it definitely is comparable to the Super Bowl. Companies pay a ton of money to fill the advertising spots during the Super Bowl game because they know there are millions of viewers. They buy eyes... a lot of eyes. The same thought process is understood about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! The major difference, however, is that the parade (AKA the advertisements) is the reason people are watching. It's the actual entertainment. While the Super Bowl commercials are just a side portion to the actual program. Lets be serious though, we all know there are plenty of people who watch the Super Bowl JUST for the entertaining, extremely creative, and usually funny commercials.
My favorite part of the parade has always been the Santa Claus at the end, signaling that Christmas is around the corner! Snoopy is definitely a close second!
POGS, AKtually Ashley
PS. Did anyone notice that when introducing Neil Diamond the reporters compared him the Mount Rushmore? "... and another American legend... Neil Diamond!" Ha!
This evening, at approximately 8:00PM ET, eight friends and I will be promoting Cruise America RV Rentals and Sales. Actually, we'll be driving the 30' RV for other purposes (ie. traveling to South Bend, IN for the Boston College v. Notre Dame football game taking place on Saturday afternoon at 4pm... it's a HUGE rivalry game, which is why we travel the 15+ hours-- GO EAGLES!) The RV we will be driving is legitimately an advertisement on wheels... and we're the company's execution strategy! I think they should be paying us to drive their vehicle from Massachusetts to Indiana rather than us paying them... but for some reason that's not how it works. ;-)
The advertisements are on the front, back, and both sides of the RV. There will be at least 20 Cruise America RVs on the road this weekend making the same trip. However, we are not all taking the same route -- lucky for Cruise America! They'll be expanding their reach and awareness through each separate group of BC college students. All we want to do is get to Notre Dame as soon as possible, be with our friends and cheer on our team... but we have another job too: promote the product (even if we aren't conscious of it).
I still stand by my previous comment -- it would be really nice to be paid for my promotional services!
Wish us luck this weekend in the Holy War! Eagles on the Warpath!
What does a big, juicy, multi-patty cheese burger have to do with Nick Lachey? Everything, according toEagle's Deli.
The famous Eagle's Deli of Cleveland Circle, is a favorite to locals and Boston College students. If you have never heard of Eagle's Deli, it is a standard burger joint featuring an array of burgers and menu options. It is absolutely delicious -- especially The Zoo (yum)! It is also known for its Challenge Burgers, which range in size from 1 1/2 pounds of meat to the notorious Eagle's Challenge burger with 5 pounds of meat, 20 pieces of bacon, 20 pieces of american cheese, 5 pounds of fries, 1 deli pickle, and 1 fountain soda... all for around $60. Many, and I mean many, brave (and hungry) people have attempted to tackle the Eagle's Challenge burger within the allotted 1 hour, in hopes to get a $60 refund, $100 gift certificate and to have the burger named after them. Apparently only one guy has succeeded (I'm still skeptical)... but the courage (or embarrassment) of the rest of the other challengers' failed attempts are always flaunted on the Wall of Shame in the restaurant.
Eagle's Challenge Burger
Nick Lachey visited Eagle's Deli in 2010 and supposedly took a crack at the Eagle's Challenge burger. Nick Lachey is not just an ordinary customer for Eagle's Deli, he's famous... or was famous. I guess that because Nick Lachey was once a "big-time celeb", the owners of Eagle's Deli believe he still deserves to have a burger named after him (even if he didn't come close to conquering the real challenge.) The Nick Lachey Burger has 1 1/2 pounds of beef, 6 pieces of swiss cheese, 6 pieces of bacon, 1/2 a pound of fries, and a fountain soda.
I laughed when I saw the Nick Lachey Burger on the menu. I though to myself, what guy would ever have the courage or self-esteem to mumble out 'I'll have the Nick Lachey Burger, please.' If I ordered it, I don't think I could manage to get the full order out before giggles took over. It is also a burger that deserves to be at the end of every joke because it is not even close to matching up to any of the real Challenge Burgers. I am sure it was not the intention of Eagle's Deli, people are more scared of ordering the Nick Lachey burger than the much larger Paul Jones Burger!
On another note, where did Nick Lachey even come from? I do not intend this to be mean, but he completely fell off of the face of the Earth after he and Jessica Simpson broke up. Was this was a publicity ploy set up by Eagle's Deli or by Nick Lachey's agent? When patrons walk into Eagle's Deli, the first thing they see is a picture of Nick Lachey on the Wall of Shame.
My peers and I are the main target consumers of Eagle's Deli, and Nick Lachey is not an appropriate celebrity to promote Eagle's Deli burgers. Also, consider the fact that Eagle's Deli agreed to create a smaller burger to add to their impressive Challenge Burger menu... what does that say about Nick Lachey? This makes both parties seem pretty desperate... but as they say, "all publicity is good publicity?"
PS. Something that DOES make a TON of sense is Eagle's Deli and Man v. Food... Check it out.
"House" music. "Techno" music. "Electronic Dance" music. These genres describe the current lifestyle and trend of teens and 20-somethings across the world. These labels, however, do not give the experience justice.
Tomorrowland is a three-day annual music festival that takes place in Boom, Belgium. Fitting name for the town, right? It features a long list of Global artists who perform for a reported 120,000 attendees who travel to this festival from all over the world.
Not only did this video grab my attention for the full 14 minutes, BUT it also made me realize the marketable value of a promotional "after" video. This is a great way to promote an event and get people interested. It also allows the attendees to re-live their (hopefully) amazing experience -- while simultaneously crossing their fingers in hope to spot themselves in the video!
The Tomorrowland 2011|Official After Movie gives me the chills and makes me smile. I admit it may be because I really enjoy the music and the vibe, but it also definitely has a littletiny bit to do with the transformational aspect of the video. It has an unreal ability to transfer excitement and thrill to the viewer, which is definitely something marketers and event planners strive for. I bet they never thought of looking to the "rave" industry for insight!
"Turn up the love now." -- Swedish House Mafia
Just admit it. You LOVED it!
Side Note: The greatest part about NOT having a specific focus for my blog is having the flexibility to write about topics like this! Can't fall short on expectations when there's nothing specific to expect!
