Do you play mobile games? What gender are you?

As someone who doesn't play games, online or off, I was a bit surprised to see a new survey by social gaming network PlayPhone found that 68% of mobile gamers are women.  61% of them play at home in their living rooms, and nearly a third of those play in the evening. (Baar, 2014)

What about you?  Do you want to play a game?

Baar, A. (2014, February 25)  Women Dominate Mobile Gaming Space.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/220115/women-dominate-mobile-gaming-space.html?edition=70233

Will putting Vines on billboards sell more Pepsi?

In an attempt to engage consumers via user-generated content, PepsiCo is bringing Vines submitted by users to digital billboards in the UK. 

In support of Pepsi Max's "Unbelievable" campaign, PepsiCo is inviting British consumers to submit Vines showing themselves doing something that defies imagination, along with the hashtag #LiveForNow.  (Sass, 2014)

I can certainly see people in engaging some foolhardy behavior in pursuit of their 15 minutes of fame , but I'm not so sure they will buy more Pepsi Max.  What do you think?

Sass, E. (2014, February 19)  PepsiCo Putting Vines On Digital Billboards in UK.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/219903/pepsico-putting-vines-on-digital-billboards-in-uk.html

Will you shop at Tiffany because of the 'No Dirty Gold' Movement?

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Tiffany, Target and Helzberg have joined the 'No Dirty Gold' movement.  According to the EPA, mining continues to be the country's most toxic industry.  And a single gold ring creates about 20 tons of mine waste.  That's pretty horrifying. 

The group's pact includes a promise to study metals supply chain, improve supplier sourcing criteria, increase recycled gold content, and seek more responsibly produced metals.  (Mahoney, 2014)

So what do you think?  Will this turn you into a Tiffany shopper?

Mahoney, S. (2014, February 13) Tiffany, Target Join 'No Dirty Gold' Movement, mediapost.com, Retrieved February 13, 2104, from  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/219485/tiffany-target-join-no-dirty-gold-movement.html

Is it time to stop using celebrities in advertising?

I used to think that the worst thing that could happen with celebrity advertising was that people would be so distracted by the celebrity that they would forget to notice what brand they were pushing.  Then I started to be concerned about the shill factor when the same celebrities seemed to be selling many products, most of which they didn't even bother to use. 

But this week a new possibility emerged -- what happens if your celebrity turns on you?

Amitabh Bachchan, an Indian movie icon, who has been associated with Pepsi for eight years had a change of heart after a school girl asked him "why he was promoting a drink that her teacher maintained was poisonous."   Hmm.  After some soul searching Amitabh has decided to end his relationship with the brand noting that he doesn't endorse tobacco or alcohol either.  Wow.  I'm sure that is an association that Pepsi doesn't need. (Forbes, 2014)

So what do you think?  Have you ever bought something because a celebrity endorsed it?  Do you think the use of celebrities in marketing is a good strategy?  Or is it time to find another approach?

Forbes, T. (2014, February 4)  Furor Over Bollywood Star's 'Deendorsing' Pepsi.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved February 7, 2014, from  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/218785/furor-over-bollywood-stars-deendorsing-pepsi.html

Will emphasizing durability be a successful strategy for VW?

After a year of declining sales, Volkswagen is taking a variety of steps to get the brand back on the acceleration track.  Strategically, they have decided to focus on the fact that they have more cars on the road with 100,000 miles or more than any other brand. (Greenberg, 2014)

It's an interesting strategy, but will it get them on the consideration list for Gen Y?

Greenberg, K. (2014, January 29)  VW's Brand Strategy Hones In On Product.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved January 31, 2014, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/218405/vws-brand-strategy-hones-in-on-product.html?edition=69380

If you want to communicate with young African-Americans send them a tweet.

As Twitter evolves we are seeing a definite minority skew for the medium, with African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans accounting for 41% of total users versus 34% for Facebook and 33% for total Internet users.

While the company is focusing on growing its Latino audience, its current sweet spot is young African Americans.  40% of African-American Internet users between the ages of 18-29 use Twitter compared with 28% of Whites in that age group. (Koh, 2014)

Advertisers that have taken notice and are doing something about it include AllState, Home Depot and "12 Years A Slave."  I imagine that others will soon follow.

Koh, Y. (2014, January 21)  Twitter's Racial Diversity Becomes Plum Selling Point.  Wall Street Journal. p.B1, B4

Finally, someone gets it!

Every year when I read the post game commentary about the Super Bowl ads I am appalled.  Apparently most of these so called experts have forgotten that the purpose of advertising is to sell stuff.  Instead of commenting on perceived effectiveness they stoop to the level of non-marketers and discuss which commercials they found most entertaining.  Who cares?

So a big thanks to Communicus for trying to see if any of the ads actually work.  And, guess what?  Most don't.  Based on a new study which tracked purchase intent, pre and post, four out of five Super Bowl commercials failed to deliver.  At $4 million a pop (plus production) that sure is a lot of wasted money. (Loechner, 2014)

I was not surprised to read that the Mercedes "Soul" commercial, which was at norm for likeability was a winner in terms of purchase intent.  It featured a clear message that I thought young men would find appealing.  I was actually surprised that it wasn't better liked.  Here it is so you can take a second look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGcaqQnqTJI

And this year, when you watch the Super Bowl ads think a bit about whether they make you want to buy something before you decide which ones you think are good.  You may be surprised at the answer.

Loechner, J. (2014, January 16)  But Will The Dogs Eat It?  mediapost.com.  Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/217209/but-will-the-dogs-eat-it.html