Will co-branded food trucks make you want to switch your cable provider?

In what has to be one of the most interesting media ideas I have heard of lately, Time Warner Cable is augmenting their sponsorship of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game with ballpark themed food trucks.  The trucks will offer foods linked to specific MLB cities, so the “Taste of Kansas City” truck will offer BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, while the “Taste of Miami” will have fried fish sandwiches.  The trucks will appear all over New York City – the host of this year’s game – and profits will be donated to charity. (Goetzl, 2013)

The only discernable link to TWC is the fact that TWC is the WiFi sponsor of MLB All-Star week and the trucks will offer a surrounding hotspot.  Is this enough?  Will this campaign help sell Time Warner Cable to the New York market?

Goetzl, D. (2013, June 24)  TWC Uses Food Trucks For All-Star Promotion.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved June 26, 2023, from  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/203221/twc-uses-food-trucks-for-all-star-promotion.html#axzz2XM5rwB6j

Hey guys, pass the mascara.

According to JWT’s new “State of Men” report, guys -- Gen Y guys in particular, are so comfortable with their masculinity, and so insecure about their looks that they too are turning to makeup to enhance themselves.   (Moses, 2013)

Skin care is a no brainer, as Dove realized when they launched their very successful Dove Men+Care line in 2010, with 60% of Gen Y men agreeing that it was acceptable for men to use skincare products.   But 18% of them also say it’s acceptable to use foundation makeup, 14% are ok with nail polish and 12% have eyeliner in their medicine cabinets.   (Berelowitz & Ayala, 2013)

So what do you think?  Is it time for Maybelline to reach out to men?

Moses, L. (2013, June 19)  Millennial Guys Are Turning to Makeup.  adweek.com.  Retrieved June 19, 2013, from  http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/millennial-guys-are-turning-makeup-150313

Berelowitz, M. & Ayala, N. (2013, June)  JWT The State of Men.  jwtintelligence.com.  Retrieved June 19, 2013, from  http://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/F_JWT_The-State-of-Men_Trend-Report_06.04.13.pdf

Will product placement in a movie, based on a video game, make people want to buy a Ford Mustang?

As part of its 2014 celebration of the Mustang’s 50^th anniversary, Ford has announced that they will be developing a campaign based on “Need for Speed.”  The latest version of the EA game is due out in November 2013, while the movie will premiere in March 2014.  The Mustang will be featured prominently in the movie’s cross-country race.  And, Ford will support both the launch of the game and the launch of the movie. (Greenberg, 2013)

The last time a movie made me want to buy a car was when The Italian Job remake featured the Mini Cooper.  So what do you think?  Will this be an effective campaign?

Greenberg, K. (2013, June 10)  Ford Gets The ‘Need’ For Mustang.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved June 12, 2013, from  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/202107/ford-gets-the-need-for-mustang.html#axzz2W0moSCw8

Will you buy your dad bacon for Father’s Day?

The folks at Oscar Mayer must have been putting in a long night when they came up with the idea of bacon gift boxes.  The three limited-release gift packs, available exclusively online, each contain 18-20 slices of bacon along with one of three gifts in a velvet jewelers box.  The three gifts to choose from are a stainless steel money clip, a pair of cuff links, and a multi-function tool.  (Lukovitz, 2013)

It certainly sounds like it might be right up dad’s alley.  What do you think?  Will you bite?

Lukovitz, K. (2013, June 5)  Oscar Mayer’s Men’s Gift Packs ‘Say It With Bacon’  mediapost.com.  Retrieved June 5, 2013, from  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/201826/oscar-mayers-mens-gift-packs-say-it-with-bacon.html#axzz2VPCgXRI7

It’s time to think some more about Out-Of-Home advertising.

While marketers continue to agonize about their inability to translate the potential of social media to actual sales, they may be missing out on opportunities in traditional media.  Out-Of-Home (OOH) is one of those media.  There is no doubt that it has been gaining traction as a mass media as television audiences continue to decline and fragment.  But I still wonder if it is getting the attention it deserves.

Recently several articles have discussed the value (and cost) of advertising in New York City’s Times Square.  And indeed the amount of traffic it attracts is powerful.  But the biggest eye opener for me was an article from the Wall Street Journal that discussed Verizon’s Precision Market Insights.  The product allows malls, stadium and billboard owners access to data about the activities and backgrounds of cellphone users in particular locations.  (Troianovski, 2013)

Connecting advertising exposure with action is huge.  The Phoenix Suns are apparently using the data to map where attendees live so that they can increase advertising in areas that haven’t met expectations.  Interesting.  But what really caught my eye was this – The average increase in traffic at a fast food chain was 8.4% within 24 hours of a promotion at a game.  That’s impressive and certainly worth a closer look.  Don’t you agree?

Troianovski, A. (2013, may 22)  Phone Firms Sell data on Customers.  Wall Street Journal.  p. B1

Psst. Those missing 18-49 year-olds are watching Univision.

Now that the 2012/2013 television season is wrapping up, some interesting data on audience trends has emerged.  While the traditional networks continue to lose 18-49 year-olds, Univision and Telemundo are showing gains among this key demographic.  (Hagey, 2013)

Here are the specifics:

Losers

CBS: - 3%

Fox: -22%

NBC: -7%

ABC: -9%

Winners

Univision: +1%

Telemundo: +7%

Latinos currently make up 19% of 18-49 year-olds.  But, nearly a quarter of Americans age 6-34 are Latinos.  (Loechner, 2013)  And, 25% of all births in America today are to Latinos.  (Lukovitz, 2013)  So we can expect those numbers to keep going up.

Advertisers clearly need to tune in.  Are you?

Hagey, K.  (2013, May 6)  English Ads on Spanish TV? Wall Street Journal.  p B7

Loechner, J. (2013, April 23)  A Fourth of Americans Age 6 to 34 Are Hispanic.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved May 22, 2013, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/198573/a-fourth-of-americans-age-6-to-34-are-hispanic.html#axzz2U3Pj1pvb

Lukovitz, K. (2013, April 9)  Beech-Nut, Goya Team On Hispanic Baby Food Line.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved May 22, 2013, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/197668/beech-nut-goya-team-on-hispanic-baby-food-line.html#axzz2U3Pj1pvb

Can an original song sell Oreos?

Still basking in the afterglow from the success of its Super Bowl power outage tweet, Oreo seems to have gotten its mojo back.  Now they are celebrating with an original song fans can download for free.  Before you get too excited, you should know that while it’s being performed by Adam Young of Owl City it was written by a creative director at The Martin Agency -- Dave Muhlenfeld.  (Lukovitz, 2013)

It’s cute, but once was certainly enough for me. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/Oreo

So, what do you think?  Will you download the “Wonderfilled Anthem?”  More importantly will you buy some Oreos to eat while you listen to it?

Lukovitz, K. (2013, May 14)  Oreo Unveils Animated ‘Wonderfilled’ Campaign.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved May 15, 2013, from  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200289/oreo-unveils-animated-wonderfilled-campaign.html#axzz2TOZwfyP5