The Slender Vender via Geaux Creative
Oglivy Paris teamed up with Coca-Cola to produce a vending machine that would better market their product. I think it’s genius! It’s known as “The Slender Vender” and it is a very thin vending machine that was placed all over Paris to raise awareness about Diet Coke’s lack of calories. I think it was a creative way to market the product and am impressed with the campaign.
Wanelo and YOU via New Media & You
Have you or anyone you know said “I found this cool shirt on Pinterest, but I have no idea where to find it!” Well, yeah that’s probably Pinterest’s biggest weakness in a nutshell – people don’t know where to buy what’s on the post or if it’s even for sale. Pinterest is awesome in generating buzz about your business. But Wanelo (which comes from the line WAnt, NEed, LOve) takes it one step further and makes it so users can buy your product online. It turns the idea of Pinterest directly into a revenue model.
Before we go any further, it’s important to know that Wanelo doesn’t help sell everything – it does have a strong focus on monstly fashion and clothing. Keep that in mind if you’re considering using Wanelo to help with online sales. Yahoo! best describes the typical Wanelo user to be 14-30 years old, a woman, and a bit of a hipster.
So why use Wanelo? Why not just sell through your online store alone or use Facebook? Well just think of how Pinterest works – it’s fantastic for browsing…and discovery. It can boost your sales in a way normal e-commerce can’t:
It is quite different from normal e-commerce Internet shopping; it is much more like virtual window shopping. Rather, discovery commerce is much like browsing through a magazine catalog and discovering things that you didn’t realize you wanted to buy until you saw them, hence, “discovered” them. Education PR
To fully understand what Wanelo is, visit their “About” page. Here are some tips on how to use Wanelo to boost your online sales:
Here’s a video from Tech Crunch that gives a good overview of Wanelo and how you can make it work for your business online.
This is worth your time – so inspiring!
Oh, How Times Have Changed via Advertisements: the Ins and Outs
Ads in present day society are certainly very different from older ads in a number of respects. Advancements in technology alone creates a much different feel. Even the language has changed drastically. Advertising techniques that were effective 40 or 50 years ago would not have the same impact today. I decided to delve into the topic of how advertising has evolved through the years. Lego is a classic toy that almost everyone remembers playing with in his or her childhood. Lego was founded in the 1930’s in Denmark. The name “Lego” is derived from a Danish word that means: play well. An early Lego commercial (from the 1950’s) can be seen below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aGLzfZ3HJU
This ad definitely seems to be more educational and informative than typical ads today. It is very focused on outlining the purpose of Lego and the type of things you can do with it. Due to the limits in technology, they really had no choice but to rely more on language. They were not able to present the ad in color, and they did not have the flashy animations that we have today. A lot of this information was also conveyed through the use of direct assertions, which are statements about reality. At one point, the voice over states, “build hotels, animals, people, boats, skyscrapers and more!” A lot of the information in this ad is conveyed through a song about Lego. This song is quite slow moving and the words are clear; you have plenty of time to process the linguistic information. There was also some repetition in this ad, which is characteristic of educational messages. It was mentioned more than once that Lego is used “one by one.” I wonder whether the educational style would still have been prominent in advertising at that time if technology had permitted them to use more persuasive techniques (e.g. flashy graphics etc.).
This is an ad from 1991:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eFNaloQWsY
It is actually relatively similar to the ad from the 1950’s. It is even presented in a song format. However, the song format has changed. This commercial shows more of a rap style, while the 1950’s commercial used the tune of This Old Man (Knick-Knack Paddy-Whack). The language has changed as phrases like “word up” are used, which you would not find in the previous commercial. This ad also seems to focus less on showing how to build Lego “one by one” and mostly shows the kids playing with fully built Lego creations.
In the more current Lego commercials, there is definitely a greater focus on visual elements and animation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtyqEeprwJQ
In commercials like this one, the Lego characters are animated so it looks as though they have facial expressions (in some ads they are even animated to look as though they are talking). In this Lord of the Rings Lego commercial, there is even a brief animated battle scene; it is not just a kid moving each individual Lego piece or character. This ad seems to move in a more persuasive direction. There are a lot more visuals, moving images and fast editing.
The final ads that I would like to discuss are print ads. The first is from the 1970’s, and the second is from the 2000’s.
Both ads focus on Lego and the imagination, but they do so in very different ways. The earlier ad focuses on language. Its reads, “more than just a building toy, LEGO makes anything your child’s mind imagines, anything his hands build.” The very popular ad from the 2000’s conveys basically the same message, but no text is used. Instead, it is more of an implication. It implies that with Lego, you can create anything by using your imagination. I also think this is a fairly strong implication that is likely to be consistent across audiences. This progression through the years really shows that today we rely less on explanatory language in advertisements. Fewer things are explicitly stated, and we allow the audience to draw their own conclusions in order to create a more memorable experience.
Do you think that our purchasing behaviors would be different if all ads today were more educational than persuasive? Really, it is the massive amounts of advertising that we are presented with these days that makes persuasion necessary: it is a constant fight for out scarce attention. I feel like people today don’t have the time, or don’t want to expend the mental effort to analyze an endless stream of language heavy, educational ads. In a world of too much choice, are we less educated about the products we purchase?
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aGLzfZ3HJU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eFNaloQWsY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtyqEeprwJQ
http://aboutus.lego.com/en/lego-group/the_lego_history/
http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=76178
http://reubenmiller.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/18/picture_3.png
A Simple Guide To Mobile App Marketing by Kim Cohen
Is there an idea bubbling in the back of your head for an app that just has to be created? But, then, perhaps you’re thinking, “why create an app just to enter a marketplace already crammed with over a million apps? Is it even possible to get your app noticed any more?”
The above image shows the rapid growth of the apps market (thanks to the telecomblog and Chetan Sharma consulting).
The mobile app industry is booming, and since the one-million-app mark was reached in late 2011, the competition to get your app noticed in the marketplace is fierce. However, there is space for your app, and, if marketed correctly, your app can and will succeed.
Marketing an app is often treated like an after-thought, left to after the initial idea has evolved and is placed in the market. It is at this point that the full-scale marketing plan goes into force. Stop!
Marketing planning should start at the very beginning of app development, well before it is launched. There are a number of factors that you must consider in the early stages of your app development, including branding, keywords, and competition.
Your brand is what represents you and your company. It doesn’t matter if your business is within the financial or gaming sector, branding is equally important. When you are developing your app and designing your brand, you must take the following into consideration: the name of your business, the style of the app and, of course, the icon that will represent you in the app market.
The brand that you develop becomes transferable to other mediums; it will remain static in new apps that you may later develop — a new website, or merchandising and so forth. Your brand is how your clients will recognize you and connect with you. The initial impression your potential users will get of your app and brand is on your app’s download page, your screenshots, brand identity and app description; this is what will convert possible users into downloads.
What is a keyword? In the app world, a keyword is a word or phrase that your user will look up to understand what your app does. If your app is a children’s game called Donkeyman (this is a purely fictitious name), the most appropriate keyword would not be [donkey] or [man], but something relevant to the game, like [educational children’s game]. Having a keyword in your name helps your app get found. It’s also important to have it in the description.
Wondering which keywords work for your app? There are companies out there that specialise in ASO (App Store Optmization). Try their free trials to see what works.
Using your knowledge from your keyword exercise, you are now equipped to find out who your main competitors are, find out what their other keywords are and see how they rank in the market.
From this exercise, it is also easier to determine which category you should be placing your app under. Choosing the right category is difficult, and you will need to take a calculated risk. If your competition is fierce in one category, it may make more sense to choose another relevant category that was not your first choice but will get your app ranked higher and, therefore, more likely to be downloaded.
Once you have launched your app, the second stage of mobile app marketing takes over. The first thing I recommend clients do, is to connect to an apps store analytic program, like Millennial Media or App Annie. This enables you to view the progress of your app.
Submitting your app to app review sites will increase your brand awareness, allowing potential clients to discover your app while they are reviewing similar apps or while they are searching for an app they are considering downloading.
Encourage your users to review your app after download. Positive app store reviews will build trust in prospects who are wondering whether to download your app, especially if the app is not free.
Creating apps has become increasingly easy, especially with companies offering free app creator programs. Coupled with the right marketing strategy, the app market is still a place that offers successful business opportunities. What are you waiting for?
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land.
