PPL

PPL - Product Placement

 

     PPL is very effective way to advertise some products. PPL is an abbreviation of product placement or embedded marketing. It means that company give money or support to provide some stuff to company which makes movie or TV show. And then, company can show their product in movie or TV show. Nowadays, many companies are using this method to advertise this product because this method is using people’s mind. In other words, people will recognize and prefer some products which are showed in movie or TV show. People who watch movie or TV show cannot recognize particular products which are showed on TV. However, after watching TV, when people buy something which they need, they will choose products which they saw on TV. That’s why company uses this method which is called PPL. Let’s talk about some examples of PPL.

     We can find many PPL in movie. Have you ever watched movie titled “I am Sam”? In this movie, Sam who is mentally retarded person is working at the Starbucks. And also, Sam talks about Starbucks’ menu continuously to memorize menu in the movie. When people are watching movie, they think that Sam is just working at the coffee shop and memorizing Starbucks’ menu. However, Starbucks got positive company image from this movie. After watching movie, people thought Starbucks which hires mentally retarded person is good company. Additionally, people also memorized Starbucks’ menu like Sam. As you see, it’s very positive and useful method to advertise specific company or products.

     Another example of using PPL is just showing some specific products very often in television. Apple is the typical company that shows their products on television frequently. Look at the picture on the left upper side. Can you see how many Apple’s products in there? There are 9 products of Apple, but when people watch that TV show, they didn’t recognize. That method also use human’s instinct. Human feel familiar with what they usually use or see. For this reason, although Apple spends a lot of money, apple always tried to show their products repeatedly on TV show.
 

     To sum up, we always watch PPL on TV, and prefer some products which are showed on TV frequently. Of course, we cannot recognize about this circumstance. For this effect, company spend a lot of money for PPL, and PPL usually give enough profit to company. Company which makes TV show can get money from advertising company and advertising company can make a profit at the same time. It’s the win-win situation to both companies. However, if company put their products a lot on TV show, people cannot concentrate on TV show, and they will feel inconvenience when they watch TV show. It will cause negative effect to company. To get a high profit by using PPL, company should control a boundary line of products amount which are showed in TV show.

Advertising

Advertising Techniques

     Advertiser promotes their product by using various methods in advertising. For example, there is close up effect, sound marketing, using attractive model and using celebrity etc.

 

     First, close up effect is frequently used for car advertising. For example, in the case of AVANTE, the angle of shot seems to look up the front of the car. This is an effect which makes the small car looks bigger or luxury so that it can appeal to the people who don’t prefer small size car.

     Second, sound marketing is strategy to stimulate customer’s emotion by using sound or song. For instance, Headquarter of STARBUCKS spreads the CD regularly to the stores worldwide. The CD has songs that experts choose and these songs should always be played in the store. Customer might feel unique atmosphere or sentiment so that they might want to visit the store again.

     Finally, there is a way to let attractive model appear in the ad. For example, when people see that pretty model wears certain brand’s skirt, they might want to buy the brand’s skirt because the skirt which the model wears looks good.  

 

 

     Like this, if advertiser uses effective method to promote their product, consumers might be more likely to care about it and have a desire to buy it.  I think using those method is important to advertise the product.

 

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

 

1.    Do you believe brand communities like Harley-Davidson result in greater involvement with the brand?

Yes, I believe. I heard that Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle brand which is very famous among the people who enjoy riding motorcycle. The reason why the brand can be popular is a power of brand community. The brand community is what is created by the product. People who involve in the brand community usually exchange information about products each other. In case of the Harley-Davidson, people gather together to enjoy riding motorcycle. This is an important point to result in greater involvement with the brand. The Harley-Davidson doesn’t have to advertise by itself too much because people who ride the motorcycle together are promoting it. According to what I heard, when they enjoy riding together, many men want to join them because it looks cool. That is, without effort to advertise it, the brand is seeing the effect from them.

2.    What elements of the Posse Ride do you believe enhance the meaning of the brand for the riders?

Have you ever felt dangerous when you ride a motorcycle alone? I never ridden a motorcycle but according to what I heard from riders, it is hard to be found by drivers when they drive a car because of the motorcycle size that is relatively smaller than a car. This fact can be a potential danger to threaten riders because if drivers didn’t notice that there is motorcycle behind them, a car can be a kind of dangerous barrier to pass the way for riders even though riders try to avoid a car. However, if you ride a motorcycle with many other riders, drivers can see the group of riders easily. Riders can decrease the burden of risk when they ride together. That is, riding the motorcycle together is much safer than riding it alone. Likewise, the safety can be one of elements which enhance the meaning of the brand for the riders.   

3.    Should Harley-Davidson get more involved in the ride or would that dilute the ride’s meaning to the participants?

I think getting more involved in the ride brings benefits to Harley-Davidson. The power to make their brand strong is attributed to the Posse Ride. Encouraging them to ride is good way to keep or even develop their brand power. The Posse Ride accounts for a big part of Harley-Davidson advertising. Toyota spent a hundred million dollars to advertise Camry, while Harley-Davidson spent only a million dollars to advertise a motorcycle. This fact proves that how important the Posse Ride is in their advertising. Therefore, Harley-Davidson should support the Posse Ride in order to keep getting advertising effect from it.

4.    In addition to experiences such as Posse Ride, what other ways could Harley increase involvement in the brand?

When a rider continuously purchases the product of Harley-Davidson, giving an additional discount can be one way to increase involvement in the brand. If Harley-Davidson does so, riders are likely to keep utilizing the brand’s product. Or giving a kind of certification which represent that the rider is special can be one of ways. The certification will be what riders want to receive because it proves that the rider who get the certification achieve recognition from Harley-Davison so that riders feel that they are very special. They even might feel superiority among the riders. If so, the certification can encourage riders to increase involvement in the brand.

Consumer Behavior

'CK one' : successful launch

A black picture of people is one of ‘CK one’ advertisements. It expressed the perfume’s softness and simpleness. Calvin Klein is a brand which places importance on product’s image. ‘CK one’ which is a first unisex perfume caused sensation and attracted consumers. It claimed to be genderless and reflected on young people who are free spirit in 1994. Furthermore, there was a special strategy in this advertising. Viewers could send the e-mail to the characters that appeared in the ad. In addition, the character’s life story will be introduced on the Internet. They are not fictional characters but the characters that are able to communicate with people who are outside of the ad.
 

That is, this advertising considered consumers’ interests, personalities, or cultures at that time.  In 1994, people were getting open-minded about new things such as unisex thing. The ‘CK one’ took advantage of the trend of the times. The fact that the ‘CK one’ is a first unisex perfume attracted consumers’ attention so that the advertiser could launch it successfully. The unisex perfume is a product which is ahead of the time and consumers were more likely to accept new things at that time.  That’s why this advertising can promote the product successfully.

I think it is important to consider consumers' behavior when advertisers want to promote their product. If they don't think about consumers' interests, culture, society or economy, nobody care about the product that they advertise. For example, if you need to write an essay by hand so you need to buy a pen, you might consider whether a pen is comfortable to write or not. There are so many pens in the store and those are all different. There might be think pens, bright color pens, pens with cute decoration and so on. What you need is the pen to help you write an essay by hand comfortably so you might find those kinds of pen. If advertiser promotes the pen which focuses on comfortable function, they can draw your attention. That is, their strategy is successful to launch the product. Likewise, considering consumers can be first step to launch successfully.

Environmental Campaign

National wildlife Federation(NWF)

 



"National Wildlife Federation(NWF) is a non-profit conservation organization that works to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future."



The picture NWF posted on the Facebook

     NWF is conducting an environmental campaign by using digital technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, and U-tube. For example, NWF posted a picture with a short note on the Facebook: “Feeling the heat this summer? You’re not alone. Alaska's polar bears are going without food for longer and longer due to rising temperatures and rapid Arctic ice melt. Obama's recent plan to address climate change offers hope, but billionaire Big Polluters are trying to block the Environmental Protection Agency from setting carbon pollution limits. Polar bears can't keep waiting!”

Campaign is a series of movements that appeals to the public in order to achieve certain goal with mass communication such as TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, movie and so on. In ad section, campaign means an overall ad plan for a certain period. I think letting people know about an environmental campaign is very important because even many people don’t know about it. Using social media is one of effective ways to product the campaign because nowadays most people utilize social media such as Facebook, U-tube, and Twitter etc. Social media enables people to access the environmental campaign easily. If they see the campaign, they might get an interested in it. Therefore, social media can be a good mediator to connect the public to conservation organization like NWF. In this regard, I think digital technologies are useful to conduct a campaign.

Racist Stereotypes in Advertising

Black Herbal Toothpaste AD

 

 

 

I was shocked when I saw this advertising at first. I never understood why the advertiser made the ad like this. In the ad, a tiny girl was crying because she missed a balloon. The balloon stuck on a utility pole. A black man who saw crying girl climbed the pole and found the balloon for her. At the moment the man was about to give it back to her, her mother brought her, looking scornfully at the man. The man went back to his home with the balloon. In his room, there were already so many balloons which seem to be abandoned like today. The man lies in bed weakly. Then, the fact that the bed is a toothbrush reveals and he changes into black toothpaste. It was black herbal toothpaste advertising!

According to the advertiser, this advertising means that toothpaste is usually white but new black toothpaste can keep white teeth regardless of a color. That is, whites who represent white teeth and blacks who represent the black toothpaste which have good effect and pure mind should co-exist. I could understand the purpose of this ad a little until I noticed that advertiser didn’t have a bad meaning like what I thought. However, I still think that this idea is racial discrimination in itself because this ad basically includes the meaning that white is good and black is bad. This ad separates people into blacks and whites. It tries to deliver the meaning that although the toothpaste is black, it is good.   

As time goes by, racial discrimination is decreasing but it still exists. I think the difference between the past and present is people’s attitude or reaction toward it. For example, there were so many ads which include racial discrimination in the past but nobody blames or minds it. On the other hand, people are sensitive about it these days. I think it means public awareness of it is changing in a positive way.  

I think advertisers have ethical responsibilities although the government can’t force them to have ethical responsibilities legally. Advertisers always try to show their advertising many people to promote their products. Accordingly, many people must be influenced by the ad. For example, if an ad has connotation that something is good although it might be not, people are likely to think that it is good without realizing it because the ad makes only good image about the something. Like this, advertising have a power to make people trust it and even to persuade them. I think power entails responsibility as much. That’s why advertisers have ethical responsibilities.



Semiotic Analysis

1. Print- Softlan Ultra

  Deonotation: Men are doing wrestling. The man who wears red clothes is trying to beat blue man, while blue man seems to be released as if he forgets the game. This situation is very weird because wresting is hard sports so it is impossible to look peaceful like him during the game.   

  Connotation: This is fabric softener advertising. Even though the blue man is playing wrestling, he is completely absorbed in red men’s clothes which might be washed by ‘softlan ultra’. When people see this ad at first, they might think it is weird and then they may laugh after realizing what this picture means. There are audience and the place looks stadium so this game might be real. The player should do wrestling seriously but he doesn’t. This point causes people to laugh and think how good the softener is.   

2. TV- Mc Donald

  Denotation: A boy is getting treatment in dentist’s office. A doctor requires him to open his mouth but he shuts the mouth again and again. When the doctor is about to see inside of his mouth, he suddenly shuts the mouth or avoids the doctor.

  Connotation: The boy is watching the fried potato on the billboard which is outside of the dentist’s office. Whenever he sees the potato, he opens his mouth regardless of the dentist. Though he is receiving treatment, he doesn’t care about his situation and just focuses on the potato. This scene causes people who see this ad to laugh and to think how the boy wants to eat the fried potato. Advertiser can appeal how delicious the potato is.   

 3. Outdoor- Nestle

  Denotation: In the picture, river which is made of chocolate is flowing. There are birds on the chocolate bars.
   Connotation: The river looks so sweet. Advertiser might intend people to imagine how sweet the river is and make them want to eat this chocolate. The reason why birds are there is to express that even the birds like it.

Advertising Agency

Leo Burnett

The Leo Burnett is an advertising agency whose work I like. According to the Wikipedia, “Leo Burnett was an advertising executive and was among the most creative men in the advertising business. The 19^th century was dominated by the copy-heavy ads with lengthy product descriptions and selling arguments, however, he developed fresh simple icons that came to symbolize easy-to-understand product benefits for the 20th-century consumer.”

 

 

I saw the Galaxy Gear and Note3 ad which is created by Leo Burnett LA and Chicago. The ad is like a film. It presents the story of a girl who makes her grandfather’s old toy store even more amazing. She prepares everything to improve the store by using Galaxy Gear and Note3. She takes pictures, searches information and notes something important with using them. According to the SAMSUNG, “We follow the passion of a girl who helps save her grandfather's shop by finding inspiration in her everyday life. With the help of the new Samsung GALAXY Note 3 and Gear, she creates her own masterpiece. We follow her journey through dance, using the innovative features of the Note 3 and Gear, like My Magazine, Action Memo, and Smart Relay, to change her everyday into something amazing." I surprised that this ad didn’t try to reveal their product to promote. In this ad, the girl just used her cell phone naturally. Consumers who watched this ad might get an interest about the phone she used and they might want to buy it. In this way, the agency can intrigue their attention without aversion which unreserved ad might cause.

These days, skills which ad agency uses are very various. I think it means that ad market developed as consumers’ demand increased. Above all the Leo Burnett’s ad is creative and effective. That’s why I like it.

Brand Culture

 PRADA

 

     I think brand culture is powerful because people are affected by a brand name without realizing it. I have a funny story to tell in this regard.

 

 

     A girl posted a picture on the Internet website. She asked people to judge whether the bag in the picture is fancy or not. Then, many people replied that the bag is unfashionable so it's better to buy another bag. In fact, the picture is photo-shopped by erasing the prada logo. A few days later, the same girl posted the same picture on another website. The difference between last picture and recent picture is that the bag in the latest picture has a brand name which is Prada. Most people who see the brand name said that the bag is nice and polished. The girl wanted to show this different reaction about same bag to other people so she captured the both sides of comments and posted it. After seeing that, many people shocked because they realized that they might consider only a brand name when they decide to purchase something.

     This story tell us that brands definitely impact on our spending habit today. It can be a good thing or not. we should consider seriously.

Advertising

iphone5

     The advertisement which I'm interested in is iphone5 ad. It focuses on the iphone's function which is the quality of call sound. In the ad scene, we can see the orchestra. When someone who apears only with a voice asks conductor to turn them down, he does so. Then, the someone say that this is the background noise when you make a call with iphone5. The impressive point is that the ad let us see what advantage is, using a orchestra, if we use the iphone5. By using visaul content for advertising, the advertiser can make viewers understand better. Those kinds of skills are interesting to me. I wonder how advertisers draw viewers' interest. I think iphone5 ad is one of them. That's why this ad is interesting to me.