"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

I never feel comfortable running unless I have the Asics logo near me. Not just on my shoes, but also on my wicking-fabric shirt so that I know there will be no itches when I pass mile-8. Yes, Nike has the Prefontaine-Bowerman narrative that runner ‘historians’ enjoy, but I always picture Asics as the brand that pushes me to run a little further, stretch a bit more and make my shins feel painless.

It does not take much for this brand to convince me how great it is for runners. But it made me think of how can a runner-centric brand communicate its features for all athletes? Furthermore, how can it do so without potentially alienating its core audience? This made me think of Asics 2016 ‘Want it More’ campaign, where Asics and its agency, 180 Amsterdam, attempted to answer these questions:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETyxVQWKPzw

‘Want it More’ did not play it simple by generating awareness for the brand. Instead, it went deeper in addressing the obstacles one may have encountered while trying to achieve his/her fitness goals, whether it is just to simply remain healthy or to prepare for the next mud run. Cake, parties, gym selfies: these are a few of many challenges all athletes have experienced one way or another. It was a move on Asics’ part to create a connection with a relatable perception of what it means to be an athlete in a distracting world.

via Google Images

But as it expanded its targeted audience in 2016, its recent communications seem to have revert back in targeting runners while showing few references other athletes with the Asics brand. What could have halted Asics’ expansion after revealing the ‘Want it More’ campaign? Asics may have tailored ‘Want it More’ to earn preference over its competitors like Nike and Under Armour. But it seems to had fallen short in its conviction. Indeed, its communications had a mixture of implied and direct messaging that showed Asics to the brand that would help them ‘want it more’ in fitness. But one reason for the conviction not being as successful may stem from its targeted audience not being sold on setting aside their brand experience for a brand that they may still see as a ‘runners’ brand.

Instagram: @asics

Convincing athletes who have a strong connection with Nike, for example, like I do with Asics is a hard thing to sell; but that does not mean its impossible. My view is that the ‘Want it More’ campaign was an over-reach in trying to target every type of athlete instead of targeting audiences who are considered ‘runner-adjacent’ (i.e., tennis players). Of course, Asics is not the only brand that attempted to expand its audience. Brands such as Nike, Skechers and New Balance had tried similar approaches, whether it is a form of celebrity endorsements or influencers. But one’s prior brand experience–the self-confidence of wearing Under Armour in a gym; the memory of wearing Asics GEL-KAYANO trainers in your first 20-mile run–stills play a factor on trusting another brand in wanting it more than before.

References:

Asics America. (2016, February 18). ASICS challenges all athletes to ‘WANT IT MORE’: integrated campaign launches with open letter calling on athletes everywhere to step up their training. PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asics-challenges-all-athletes-to-want-it-more-300222290.html.

Gianatasio, D. (2016, February 19). Asics gets down and dirty, and very sweaty, in 180’s ‘Want It More’ campaign. Adweek. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/creativity/asics-gets-down-and-dirty-and-very-sweaty-180s-want-it-more-campaign-169779/.

It is widely known that music sales have been declining for years due to numerous factors. One factor is the emergence of digital streaming and another because of consumers getting access to free music illegally. With these problems it makes it very important for artist and their labels to find creative ways to get the music consumers attention and to get them interested into purchasing music. In December of 2013 one of the biggest stars in the world, Beyoncé, introduced her long-awaited self-titled album “BEYONCÉ” unexpectedly. This way of marketing caught the entire world off-guard. Earlier in the years she performed at the super bowl, and at the time she was in a middle of a world tour. Saying this album release was shocking would be an understatement. Marketing tactics like this and other well thought strategic plans is what the music marketing and promotion is turning into. In 2016 we saw multiple artist attempt to use game-changing unique marketing strategy to introduce their new work to the world, and here are a few of them:

• Rihanna – “Anti” (Album Release Promotion)
  • Pop music’s bad girl took longer than anticipated (4 years) to release her highly anticipated 7^th studio album. On January 28^th, 2016 she released her album “Anti” for free through the streaming service Tidal. Two days after the album was released it was announced that the album was certified platinum by the RIAA, due to a deal that the star made with Samsung. Individuals who had a Samsung phone received a special code to download the album, and the first million Samsung users who downloaded it received the album for free. A very interesting Marketing Strategy.

• Kanye West – “The Life of Pablo” (Album Release and Fashion Show)
  • One of the most prolific rappers of all-time is also one of the most creative entertainers that the world has ever seen, if you let him tell it. I do have to give him credit on being one of the most creative musical acts of his time. This was displayed in 2016 when his highly anticipated 8^th album, “The Life of Pablo”, was released. The promotion for the album was very confusing. He changed the name of the album a few times and he changed the release date often. This project has an unfinished quality about it which made some of his fans scratching his head. There was a method to his madness and during his “Yeezy 3” fashion show and debuted his long awaited album as well his clothing line to a packed Madison Square Garden, filled with his family, associates, peers, fans, and critics. So marketed his music with his clothes, which is an interesting concept. For weeks the album could only be heard on Tidal. This album became the top album ever streamed online with 250 million streams in the first 10 days and 400 million streams in the first 6 weeks before it was released to other streaming platforms.

• Gwen Stefani & Target – “Make Me Like You” (Live Music Video)
  • At the 2016 Grammy’s something happened that never happened before, a live music video was broadcasted. Rocker Gwen Stefani teamed with target to produce a live music video for her then new single “Make Me Like You”. There was a lot of practice and preparation that went into being able to pull this off, and it was very risky to do it in front of the biggest night in music. This unique way of marketing her single didn’t help with the sales or the popularity of the song. However, it is still a tactic that maybe could work for another assist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uljUDtv1Kw

• Beyoncé – “Lemonade”
  • It might seem crazy but she did it again! This time is was a little different but it was still centered-around the element of surprise (and the Super Bowl). Days before the Super Bowl she randomly released a video called, Formation. The video and song immediately went viral and days later she surprised the world again by making a guest appearance performing at the Super Bowl for the 2^nd time in 4 years! Right after she her performance at the Super Bowl she had a commercial announcing her stadium world tour, which sold out immediately. Weeks later she announced that she would be releasing her album a week before the tour starts. However, this wouldn’t just be considered a regular album, this was a visual album that debuted on HBO before it was released on any streaming site or any other retailer. The rollout of this album along with the music, content and theme of the album made this one the most critically acclaimed albums of all time. Most have considered “Lemonade” her greatest body of work because of everything that went into the album. She performed elaborate mind-blowing performances to literally every song off the album on the biggest music stages in the world (MTV Awards, BET Awards, Grammys, Country Music Awards, Tidal X, Super Bowl). These are the biggest formats that music has to offer and she promoted her album on these shows. To cap it off at the end of the year the Formation Tour was rated the top tour of that year. She did 49 shows and grossed  $256 million.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60aCpaG2S6E

These are amazing feats by these artist but this shows how strategic you have to be as an artist now. Artist have to learn an authentically-unique way to market themselves to make them appealing to the music consumer so they ultimately want to support them. I believe we are in a time where music consumers want to see that artist are putting their all into their music, videos, and shows. They want to see top-level entertainment and thought in an artist’s work before they support them financially. Music marketing is growing into a creative and interesting field.

Ah, the Oscars, an 89year-old event honoring achievement in the motion picture arts. For the occasion, this past Sunday, the normally tourist ridden Hollywood Blvd turned into an actual avenue of movie stars gliding down the red carpet as human ads for designer gowns and expensive jewelry.

From a broader, social perspective, one might find frivolity in this ceremonial act of fancily dressed, famous people handing out gold statues to other, fancily dressed, famous people, but I am always, unapologetically, engrossed in this pageantry. I am not alone in my love for the Academy Awards, as it is the second largest live television event in the US, only surpassed by the Super Bowl. Naturally, every year, advertisers take full advantage of the massive television audience. According to The Business Insider, this year, brands payed up to 2.1 million for an Academy Awards spot (Rath, 2017).

Despite its seemingly superficial nature, the Academy Awards has had its share of social and politically charged acceptance speeches (Bishop, 2017). Following this theme, and in line with the commercials from Super Bowl LI, several of the ads aired during the 2017 Oscars took a social stance. Most notably, was one for The New York Times who saw this event as the perfect platform for launching its first ad since 2010 (Rath, 2017). In the minimalist commercial, entitled “The truth is”, the text “the truth is” remains on a white screen, while conflicting messages appear then dissolve, one after another. It then reads “The truth is hard to find. The truth is hard to know. The truth is more important now than ever” and ends with the paper’s logo (Papenfuss, 2017). This campaign builds itself off of the negative criticism and attacks President Donald Trump has aimed at the media, and is also combatant of his administration’s utilization of “alternative facts” (Rath, 2017).

“The truth is” ad campaign, places into practice Heath and Heath’s (2007) first and fifth principles of a sticky campaign, simplicity, and emotions. As The New York Times branding executive David Rubin noted in a recent interview, the ad campaign’s “idea is to be a part of that discussion about what does it mean to find the truth… what is the role of journalism and journalists in that process, and what is the role of reader in supporting that journalism?” (Papenfuss, 2017). The Times’ new campaign provides a simple message and ties it with complex emotions about the current state of society.

But what is the true meaning behind this campaign? Is it purely political? An act of resistance by a part of the media who feel oppressed and mistreated by this new administration? Or is it emotionally panning to those who also feel oppressed by the changing political landscape, in hopes that they will subscribe to the paper? It is no secret that the general newspaper industry has struggled in recent years, due to the rise of internet journalism and blogging (Smith, 2016). However, in the months leading up to the campaign’s launch, The New York Times reported their highest increase in sales since 2011, with the sale of 276,000 digital subscriptions and 25,000 print subscriptions, in its fourth quarter, (Pallota, 2017).

I, personally, think their motives are two-fold. Surely, the Times hopes to secure themselves a front and center spot in the discussion of media’s place in politics, but gaining more subscriptions won’t hurt them either. Perhaps they see the momentum received from recent controversies as a means of taking them out of the fading state of their industry.  It will be interesting to see what successes, if any, The New York Times will have with its new campaign.

Bishop, B. (2017, Feb 23).The long history of Oscar speeches as political protest. The Verge. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/23/14714468/oscars-2017-academy-awards-political-speeches-history

Heath, C., Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York, NY: Random House.

Papenfuss, M. (2017, Feb 26) The New York Times is running a ‘truth is hard’ ad during Oscars.  Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ny-times-truth-ad_us_58b2813ee4b0a8a9b782eba0

Palotta, F. (2017, Feb. 2). New York Times touts subscriber growth with a jab at Trump. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/02/media/new-york-times-subscribers-trump/

Rath, J. (2017, Feb 23). The New York Times wants to fuel political debate around what ‘the truth is’ with its latest TV ad. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-want-to-fuel-political-debate-with-newest-tv-ad-2017-2

Smith, G. (2016, April 19). The fading newspaper. Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/the-fading-newspaper

Social networks are no longer a simple communication platform but also as a major source of information. Have you ever wondered why certain information get shared so much and go viral on social networks?

Even though there is no magic rule for a content to go viral, most of the wide spread information share similar characteristics. Stickiness is one of them. Malcolm Gladwell was the original thinker of the concept of stickiness. An idea, concept or product is considered as stickiness when it is remembered, repeated, and acted upon by a large number of people. Chip Heath and Dan Heath expanded the idea of stickiness by introducing the 6-letter “SUCCES” principle. Sticky ideas are simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional and stories.

Viral posts are usually simple but unexpected ideas. People like to share surprising content. Marketo’s 2013 survey and the following research in 2015 revealed that people love to forward and share amazing and surprising posts on their Facebook. Those content would initially attract people’s attention with a short simple title that concisely introduces the core information to the audience. Huffington Post’s most shared article in 2015 is a good example.

The provocative title indicated that the article was about the possible cause of addiction. Simple enough. But that’s not all. It triggered people’s appetite by saying that the cause of addition would surprise you. The post was thought provoking and made people eager to share.

People love scientific research, especially the one with surprising results that can blow your mind, just like the Marketo survey. Scientific survey has its natural character of credibility among audience. Besides, being able to be distributed through the Huffington Post, a credible medium with great reputation, helped the post gained more authority. People trust it, so share it.

Stories that are able to emotionally engage people can easily go viral on social networks. In 2013, a message from the Cordell family kids successfully obtained over 1 million likes on Facebook within seven hours. The sign read, “Hi World. We Want a puppy! Our dad said we could get one if we get 1 million Likes! So Like this! He doesn’t think we can do it!”

It is not only kids; cats and other pets have become cliché on the Internet. A cute cat dressing in a holiday outfit, a singing Siberian Husky, an adorable baby trying to escape the crib do equally well on social networks.

What’s your thought about sticky content on social networks? Have you read, liked, or shared one of those posts during the past year?

Reference

Cernel, S. (April 15, 2016). How to create sticky social media content. Retrieved from http://simplymeasured.com/how-to-create-sticky-social-media-content/#sm.0000dme2qglydcucrrr1hri2xtzr5

Davis, B. (May 20, 2014). What are the best social media marketing campaigns of all time? Retrieved from https://econsultancy.com/blog/64865-what-are-the-best-social-media-marketing-campaigns-of-all-time/

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York: Random House.

Rayson, S. (December 2, 2015). How to go viral: Lessons from the most shared content of 2015. Retrieved from http://buzzsumo.com/blog/go-viral-lessons-shared-content-2015/

As of February 21, Magic Johnson became the Executive Vice President of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers used to be one of the most exciting and successful organizations in the NBA. However, the team has just posted two of the worst consecutive seasons in franchise history, and are on pace for another historically bad season.

So, what does this have to do with marketing? All sports teams go through ups and down, but I am always fascinated when historically great teams come crashing down to unimaginable lows. How does this happen?

I think sports fans and the general public often believe that sports boil down to whether or not athletes perform at game time. Yet, the Lakers decision to turn all basketball operations over to Magic Johnson, a legendary player who is one of the most decorated Lakers of all time, but has no experience in sports management, seems to suggest there are other factors to consider.

It seems to me that the Lakers are trying to leverage Magic Johnson’s reputation as a means of reshaping the organizations image. We have seen this strategy work in more traditional business settings. It is common for companies to attach themselves to a celebrity or influencer to gain credibility. However, can this work for a professional sports organization?

Magic has been a fixture in the Los Angeles sports scene and community since the 1980s. Therefore, he has the reputation and credibility needed to be an influential leader, even though he lacks management experience. Do you think Magic Johnson can succeed? What can he do to improve the Laker organization? What dangers does the organization face if he is not successful? Do you think this decision is worth the risk?

Reference:

Plaschke, B. (2017). Can the greatest laker ever save the worst lakers ever? Los Angeles Times. February, 27, 2017. Retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-plaschke-web-20170221-story.html

Imagine for a moment, It’s Saturday morning, and you’ve just poured yourself a refreshing glass of fresh juice. That initial gulp is so satisfying as you quench your thirst. Have you ever paused and asked yourself, how is this juice produced? It tastes great and says it’s 100% juice on the bottle, but what’s the whole story?

Commercial juice producers such as Tropicana, Minute Maid, and Ocean Spray among many others, claim that their pasteurized, 100% not from concentrate juice is pure and simple. However, some of the juicy details of how the juice is produced is conveniently left unsaid. How can this be? Fresh squeezed juice should be simple to make. Take fruit and squeeze to extract the juice and pulp right?

First, oxygen is removed from mass produced juice as this increases its shelf life up to one year. Big deal, the oxygen is removed, why do I care? The oxygen can be re-added prior to delivering to the grocery store right? The issue is that removing the oxygen also removes flavor. How is the removed flavor added back to our precious morning beverage?

The answer is with flavor and fragrance companies that produce flavor packs to give the juice its aroma and flavor. The flavor packs vary depending on region. For example, the flavor is slightly different in the United States than countries in South America such as Brazil due to different consumer palates. These companies often produce perfumes and fragrances.

The flavor packs can be omitted from the ingredient list because they are derived from byproducts of actual fruit. Again, the label says that the juice is 100% juice, but what about the flavor? Is this ethical? Is this deceiving? Should these companies inform their consumers that they are drinking re-flavored juice?

References:

Hamilton, A. (May 6, 2009). Freshly Squeezed: The Truth About Orange Juice in Boxes. Retrieved from http://civileats.com/2009/05/06/freshly-squeezed-the-truth-about-orange-juice-in-boxes/
Chan, C. (2011). Dirty Little Secret: Orange Juice IS Artificially Flavored to Taste Like Oranges. Retrieved From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/29/100-percent-orange-juice-artificial_n_913395.html

“If you want to understand how a lion hunts, don’t go to the zoo. Go to the jungle.” – Jim Stengel

Besides the sports side (because I do enjoy American football), watching the Super Bowl has always left astonished. Considering the size of the event (everything is big and glorified), the amount of media, celebrities, lights, technology, and of course ADS, the Super Bowl is a kaleidoscope that is quite overwhelming and difficult to digest. Maybe it’s because I was not raised in an American household and don’t have the American factor in me, or maybe because I found it tiring that less than 10 percent of the broadcast is dedicated to the actual sport.

Yes, only 10 percent of Super Bowl LI was the actual game and ads represented twice as much time: 24 percent! No wonder why everyone is excited to watch the commercials and companies pay fortunes ($5 million per 30 seconds – no wonder why people are mad these days) to air during America’s night.

I have to admit that watching the ads is a fun and interesting exercise. With big budgets, companies produce very short films that can be very compelling. And, observing the ads, one can acknowledge and understand the current trends in society.

For obvious reasons, some of the ads decided to get political. With a vast number of Americans still ruminating about the most divineness presidential election in the last decades, firms needed to get on the political bandwagon. But the question is where do companies want to stand?

To begin with, firms adjust their marketing strategies to the real world, and today we live in an unprecedentedly political uncertain world. Consumers want to be associated with a brand that is connected to their reality, and today that reality is along the political context. Marius Luedicke, a marketing professor at City University in London, explains that this type of cultural branding is aimed to position the brand “either as an ally to solve a functional problem, evoke emotions, or solve a cultural problem”.

And, the political Super Bowl ads received tons of free publicity. Budweiser, Airbnb, and even an unknown company, 84 Lumber, got tons of buzz during several days. According to attention analytics company iSpot.tv, all of the political ads garnered at least a 61% “positive” sentiment.

I have my doubts when mixing politics and private companies, especially in the US with the lobbies, fundraising, or the Citizen United case vs FEC. In the end, behind every layer, a company’s unique goal is to make profits. The usage of a political message is to get a reaction from the public and potentially increase their sales. Super Bowl ads aren’t acts of activism; I would have preferred the $9.8 million dollars spent on the Budweiser ad to go to a foundation or an NGO. Here is a great parody of SNL about companies wanting to use a political message in their ads disregarding completely the product.

But, as I mentioned before, Super Bowl ads are a reflection of the society, and if Budweiser, Airbnb, and Coca-Cola take a political side it’s because they know where the majority of the consumers stand. The majority of older voters (ages 65 and over) supported Trump, unlike Clinton who won the majority of younger voters (ages 18-29) and the popular vote by over 3 million votes on November 8^th. Younger generations tend to be more progressive and are more inclusive to diversity, companies will logically side with the future or stay quite. Just ask the CEOs of Uber and Under Armour.

References:

Ago, Douglas Quenqua Added 28 Hours, 2017 February 13, and 2017 February 10. “SNL Mocks Political Ads from Super Bowl LI with Bruising Cheetos Sketch.” Campaign US. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://www.campaignlive.com/article/snl-mocks-political-ads-super-bowl-li-bruising-cheetos-sketch/1424005

Berg, Madeline. “The Internet Loved Those Political Super Bowl Ads.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/02/06/the-internet-loved-those-political-super-bowl-ads/#6b049b920060

“Now Under Armour Has a Trump Problem, Too.” HeraldNet.com. N.p., 10 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://www.heraldnet.com/business/now-under-armour-has-a-trump-problem-too/

Savransky, Rebecca. “New Nike Ad: ‘Equality Has No Boundaries’.” TheHill. N.p., 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/nike-unlike-under-armour-decides-to-take-a-firm-political-stance.html

Tyson, Alec, and Shiva Maniam. “Behind Trump’s Victory: Divisions by Race, Gender, Education.” Pew Research Center. N.p., 09 Nov. 2016. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/behind-trumps-victory-divisions-by-race-gender-education/

“Why Are Adverts Becoming More Political in the Age of Trump and Brexit?” The Irish News. N.p., 10 Feb. 2017. Web. 13 Feb. 2017 http://www.irishnews.com/magazine/2017/02/10/news/why-are-adverts-becoming-more-political-in-the-age-of-trump-and-brexit–928438/