Chase Freedom Card

The picture above is of the Chase Freedom credit card. I was flipping through a Vogue magazine and saw an ad for this Chase Freedom Credit Card. It was a picture of flowers and a flower pot. The flowers were made out of dollar bills. The Ad was promoting the cash back feature of this credit card if you purchased something that had to do with landscaping or gardening. This ad was designed to be promoted during the Spring time. I think it was creative for Chase to create certain ads designed to target at certain times of the years. I also think it was interesting that Chase is making cash back options for those who purchase gardening tools since many people will begin to garden during the Springtime. I think Chase has done a great job promoting their different credit card or debit card options. I think the creative department for Chase has been very successful in the different ads they design, whether it is on print or in commercials. 

I think the recent TurboTax ads have done a great job associating themselves with the whole idea of GPS. Many people these days know what a GPS system is and that it helps someone get from destination A to destination B. These TurboTax ads are trying to show their customers that they are very easy to work with and will help you file your taxes every step of the way. The idea of associating a brand with a well known product helps customers understand how easy something can be. 

Ford Focus Sweepstakes with the CW

I know I have mentioned reading People magazine a lot throughout my blog- it is my favorite magazine. One ad I saw in the magazine was promoting the 2012 Ford Focus. Next to the Ford Focus was a contestant from America's Next Top Model TV show broadcasted on the CW network. This is a great marketing tactic to attract the younger viewers from the show in hopes that they are attracted to the car as well. Ford is a huge sponsor of the shows on the CW and Ford commercials run throughout the entirety of teach show. During the America's Next Top Model show, the contestants have to complete challenges that tie in with the Ford Focus. The message of this advertising campaign targets a specific demographic, yet it reaches across multiple channels- print/tv/online/social media and more. I think it's a great idea for a product, especially cars, to team up with a show or tv network to promote their brand. 

Kardashians and Shape-Ups

Kim Kardashian and mom Kris have teamed up together to promote the Sketcher's Shape Up brand of shoes. I saw an ad featuring both Kardashians in People magazine, but could not find the ad online. The ad  fell right in the middle of the "hot body secrets" article in People. I think this was a great placement for the ad because it is an ad for shoes that can be worn to tone parts of your legs and butt. Many people who read People magazine and read this particular section are looking for easy secrets that will help them get tone and be fit. Using the Kardashians to promote the product has also helped sales because the Kardashians are very well known. Kim is also seen as a sex symbol and she has a great figure. People who look up to Kim will be intrigued to wear the Shape Up shoes. 

New 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

When I first saw this commercial, it seemed as if it was similar to every other car commercial. The video of a car going over rocks or driving through mountains seemed to be a reoccurring theme throughout many car commercials over the years. However, the language used by the narrator in the commercial set this commercial apart from other car commercials. "If it can do this, here. And it can do this here. Imagine what it can do here." Those words were said while the car was driving over rocks or towing something very strong up a mountain and the last screenshot was of the new Grand Cherokee driving through a very bad snowstorm. Jeep has been known to be unsteady and have a high rate of cars tip over. Since many other car companies have trucks and SUVs that are built "Ford Tough" Jeep is trying to get that same notability. I think this commercial does a great job of showing the car's ability to maneuver in different weather patters or situations. It shows the SUV capability the car has as well as the sleek look and sturdy hardware. I have always been a fan of the Grand Cherokee so I was happy to see Jeep come out with a 2011 style. 

Got Milk?

The got milk? campaign has utilized the tool of using celebrities to promote their product for a long time.  The ads always consist of a celebrity holding a glass of milk and the celebrity has a milk mustache. The message at the bottom of the ad always talks about how drinking milk is necessary so you have protein to build strong muscles and bones. The ads don't necessarily promote a certain kind of milk, they just promote the message of how important it is for people to drink milk. I am not sure on how these ads can be measure to see how effective they have been. However, I think it is great that milk is trying to promote strong bones. 

Toyota- Number One for a Reason

With all the public hype over Toyota and criticism for the recent recalls, Toyota has strived to rebuild their image among its valued customers. Many people, including Toyota customers, have been very upset about the recalls on the Toyota models due to safety hazards. Being involved with a Toyota dealership, I understand the pressure these recalls have put on the dealerships themselves. I also understand the anxiety the recalls have brought upon the Toyota car owners. With that being said, I think Toyota has done a great job in promoting their brand and proving why they remain to be the #1 selling retail brand in America, even after all of the recalls have been made public. This ad was seen in People magazine. It doesn't show any of the cars Toyota is introducing for the season like many other car ads have shown. However, it states why Toyota is # 1. It highlights the positive points Toyota has to offer. I think this is a great move for Toyota as a company. Toyota wants to build back the respect it once had so their customers can trust them again. 

Skinny Can

A skinny can? Really? This diet Pepsi advertisement was shown in a People magazine I was reading while on my flight out to Arizona. I understand that a skinny can may appeal to some women because they will think they are being 'skinny' while drinking the diet pepsi. However, I think the whole skinny can campaign is not the smartest idea diet pepsi ever came up with. The whole idea of the campaign is to appeal to women who want to drink diet pepsi and enjoy the taste while not taking in more calories or gaining weight. I think this skinny can takes away the amount of liquid that normal diet pepsi cans have in them and the skinny cans will leave the drinker thirsty and wanting more. The ad itself promotes being skinny. The model used in this advertisement is very frail and thin. Her arm is about the size of my pinky. I know I'm exaggerating, but really. The media these days portrays the perfect image of women to be as skinny as models. In my opinion, models are not healthy for how thin they are. I know Pepsi is trying to promote their '0 calorie' drink and showing skinny models on the ad is their way of proving you won't gain weight. But, with Pepsi being the large corporation that they are, I think they could've done a better job of promoting their new '0 calorie' drink without making it look like you have to be that skinny to drink the product. 

NHL Commercials- Toews

This commercial caught my eye the moment in appeared on screen. This commercial seems as if its a home video rather than an advertisement for the NHL Playoffs. It is a home video of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews ice skating when he was a little boy. The theme of this commercial is "Make a Wish" and in the home video, you see Toews ready to make a wish and blow out candles for his birthday. The next few screen shots are of Toews holding the Stanley Cup from last year's Championship title. The series of videos and photos make it look like Toews was wishing to win the Stanley Cup when he was older and then his wish came true. The commercial brings a smile to anyone's face, whether a Blackhawks fan or not, because it shows the story of a young boy with his dreams coming true as he grows older. This is a great way for the NHL to appeal to its viewers on an emotional level. This is one of my favorite NHL commercials. The punchline at the end states, "History begins with a wish. History will be made." This proves that every moment in the NHL playoffs will count as a huge part of history for any of the players and fans. NHL has great commercials highlighting their players and the success of their players. Last year during playoffs, I remember a commercial about the Stanley Cup playoffs from many years ago and they paralleled the MVP back then with Toews. It was so cool to see the transformation of the game of hockey over time. 

Chase Stepping Up with Iphone Application

JP Morgan Chase bank has stepped up in being the first to truly introduce the Iphone application for its bank. With this application, you can deposit checks, transfer money, pay bills, etc. I think Chase has done a great job taking the initiative in promoting the cool feature of taking a picture of your check on your phone and depositing it straight from your Iphone. Chase has shown this application in commercials and in online advertisements. I have not seen another commercial promoting this feature on the application; however, I do know that other banks have this feature as well. Chase took a step ahead of the other banks and made their name well known for its increase in technology in order to satisfy their customers. I think many people are appreciative of Chase's determination to stay loyal to their customers.  My mother works in the IT department for Chase Bank and I can see firsthand the amount of hours it takes for a simple project to get done. Some may think this application is not reliable; however, Chase has a screen that pops up after you take the picture to verify the information on the check. Also, a message pops up if the information in the picture does not verify the information on the check. 

Southwest's Rapid Rewards

This commercial caught my eye the instant it was on tv. Seeing a man laying down on a luggage carousel made me keep watching to figure out what he was doing! I think Southwest has come out with a great series of commercials promoting their 'Rapid Rewards' program. The commercials are short and to the point. They are very funny as well. Some of the other commercials included a man being chased by a huge red ball of tape or a family being trapped by men putting red tape all around them. The commercials stand out because they are different and comical. The ending of the commercial is great too because it states the main message of the commercial, "Unlimited Reward Seats. No Blackout Dates. No Blackout Tape." Often times airlines get rid of your miles you have saved up if you don't use them in a certain period of time. Here, Southwest is trying to prove that you can use your miles at any time without them forcing a blackout date. 

The Enterprise Way

I saw this commercial the other night when I was watching the Blackhawks beat Vancouver. Nothing about the music or the people in the commercial caught my attention; however I head the phrase, "...start a new advertising campaign" and my eyes were glued to the screen. Enterprise is starting a campaign where they interact more with their customers to ensure customer satisfaction. They are going to emphasize the fact that Enterprise is a family-run business. I think that is a huge asset to a business. My family has a family business in car dealerships. My father, along with my 84 year old grandfather and my father's four younger brothers, have been owning and operating a series of car dealerships in the Chicagoland area. My grandfather's father, Joe Bredemann III was the first to start the business in 1912. Since then, the family has increased it's sales by adding new dealerships. Today, there are four dealerships: Ford and Lexus in Glenview, Illinois, and Toyota and Chevrolet in Park Ridge, Illinois. Every summer, my siblings and I have worked various jobs at the dealerships and have had an active role in the business. My father and his siblings stress the "family-owned" aspect to their customers and I believe many customers remain loyal to our business because they know they can trust our support. I think Enterprise should truly benefit from this new campaign 'The Enterprise Way.' 

Facebook's News Feed a Limited Engagement for Advertisers

Less than eight years ago, facebook was known as the site for college students to interact with other students from around the country who were going to the same college as them. A college email address was required to sign up for facebook. Myspace was the leading "social network." Since those eight years, facebook has transformed into the largest social network in the world. Anyone can sign up with any sort of email address. Companies are creating company pages in order to interact with their clients. Famous athletes, actors, and actresses also create pages or facebook profiles to interact with their fans. Since signing up for facebook is free, the facebook team makes their money from advertisers on their website. I found this article about how long an advertiser should post in order for the most people to see their post and 'like' it. According to this facebook article, "Facebook posts receive 50% of their likes in the first 1 hour and 20 minutes, 80% in the first 7 hours, and 95% within 22 hours." This means that in order to get the most people to see a post, a company or brand should leave the post up for 22 hours. However, an employee from General Motors believes that any post with a customer is a good thing, no matter what length of time passes. If they keep interacting with the customer, the customer will remain loyal. It's crazy to think about how much ads sell for based on time and space on a news feed. It has become a norm to have a facebook today. I think it is great that companies and brands have taken advantage of this to profit from it. 

Groupon Brings in Big Deals!

I was looking for a good Thai food restaurant the other night when I was home for Easter break. My sister showed me this website called Groupon that has a ton of deals for stores and restaurants in the city you choose. Since I was looking for a Thai restaurant, I was hoping my sister or my mom would know of a good one that was in my price range. Unfortunately, they aren't too familiar with Thai food so they didn't know about many Thai restaurants by us. I received an email earlier in the day from Groupon and I hadn't looked at it yet. I went on the internet to look for Thai restaurants in the area and my first instinct when I go on the internet is to check my email. I saw the Groupon email and saw that there was a deal and a coupon for a Thai restaurant in Chicago. It must have been my lucky day because I immediately went to that restaurant and I had a coupon for half off! 

I think Groupon does a great job of promoting the restaurants and stores they have sales and coupons for. Since this certain Thai food had a coupon, I ate dinner at it. It was a great restaurant and the food was great, all for a cheap price. Thankfully Groupon helped me find it! 

Wendy's Takes the Gold Medal for Sea Salt Fries!

According to this commercial, more people who were polled by Wendy's think that Wendy's sea salt fries are better tasting than McDonald's french fries! Being an avid McDonald's fan, I had to try the sea salt fries myself. When I was growing up, I always had Wendy's instead of McDonald's. The Wendy's was closer to my house so my mom or my babysitters would take me there for my chicken nugget and french fry fix. However, in third grade when I moved to the east side of town, I realized everyone went to McDonald's instead of Wendy's. I guess it was a far drive to Wendy's now and it made more sense to go to McDonald's.  From that point on I continued to go to McDonald's for my chicken nugget and french fry meal. I have grown to be very bias to McDonald's, sad I know, and I will always have that love-hate feeling for their food. I love the way it tastes at the time I'm eating it; however, I hate the after feeling of being so full and feeling so unhealthy from eating all of the greasy food. When I tried the sea salt fries I was very satisfied. The french fries still tasted great and I didn't feel as greasy and unhealthy when I ate them from Wendy's. I wish there was a Wendy's that was closer to my house or even closer to campus in Milwaukee. 

This commercial served to differentiate Wendy's from McDonald's and give one statement to it's viewers- Wendy's is better than McDonald's. 

Bredemann Dealerships Advertising

Over the summer I worked on a number of marketing related projects for our family car business. Along with updating the website with featured vehicles, I created new specials for certain car models. I also helped my sister and the rest of the marketing group decide on different sources of marketing that would be effective for the dealerships. Since many people in our target range view the Chicago Tribune website, we thought it would be a good idea to take over the Cubs page during the Spring time and the Bears page during the Fall. On the Chicago Tribune Cubs Page , we have banner ads that show the different dealerships and we also have a video of our current TV commercial. From the beginning of the year, we have noticed a huge increase in website traffic coming from those who click on the banners from the Chicago Tribune Cubs page. When people click on any of the advertisements on the Cubs page, they are redirected to the Bredemann Family of Auto Dealerships Website . We are very fortunate to have been successful enough to pursue these types of advertisements in order to increase public awareness of our car dealerships as well as stress awareness on us being a family owned and operated business since 1912! I look forward to working with my sister in the marketing department again this summer.

IPhone Commercials- Status signal?

Remember the days before the Iphone was invented? People had flip phones, if they even had cell phones at all. Having internet on your flip phone cost a fortune. There were no "applications" and the most music you could have on your phone was the ringtone you downloaded for a dollar. However, Apple, along with other venders for smart phones, have changed the way the world contacts each other. Now, it is very rare to see a business man or woman without a smart phone. Now that Verizon came out with the Iphone, most people who had Blackberry's have switched to the Iphone simply because, well, it is the Iphone. The Iphone has been so highly praised by everyone because of everything it can do. The commercials that show that the Iphone can be used as your boarding pass for a plane or can deposit a check by simply taking a picture of it blows our minds. The Iphone is portrayed as a universal remote that controls our lives. This Apple commercial proves how the Iphone is portrayed as a status signal nowadays. This commercial is basically saying, "Well, then you don't have an iphone. You aren't as cool or as significant as those with the iphone." Oh, how the world of cell phones has transformed...

QR App Used in Magazines and Print Ads

Recently on my flight during spring break I was reading a People magazine. I noticed an advertisement for John Frieda hair products. Since I have used John Frieda shampoo and conditioner for the past year, I continued to read the ad to see if there was a new product on sale. At the bottom of the ad there is a bar code. Next to it reads, "View the 'Get the Look' video on how to weightlessly repair your hair for full-bodied style. Download a QR app to scan this code or watch at johnfrieda.com." I researched this QR App and realized it can be downloaded for many smart phones, including iphones. For iphones and ipod touches this app can be downloaded from the QR App for Iphone Website and this site also gives more information about the QR application. I think this is a great way for companies to get more people to access their website to learn more about their products. This also allows for a company or the marketing department of a company to track the number of people who view their site based on using the QR application. This can tell how effective this QR app is and if the application is worth the amount of money the company is paying to use it in their advertisements. 

Subaru Outback Honeymoon Commercial

I saw this commercial when I was recently on vacation in Arizona. I first noticed the commercial when I heard the song playing. I still do not know the name of the song that is in this commercial; however, I will find that out soon. When I heard the song, my attention was directed to the commercial. I then noticed a man and a woman dressed up in wedding apparel driving through what looked like the countryside. I have seen many car commercials before and actually have worked on analyzing different car commercials when I worked at my father's car dealership this past summer. This commercial did not strike me as a car commercial because I felt more like I was watching a love story unravel instead of specific focus on the details of the car. The commercial as a whole had a very upbeat and light hearted feeling as the viewers watched the happy newlywed couple settle in the tent for their honeymoon. The punchline, "We could have gone a more traditional route, but it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable" is used to describe the honeymoon as well as the car. The honeymoon wasn't traditional because the couple was having their honeymoon in a tent in the countryside. Also, the commercial is trying to prove that the car isn't traditional and there must be something new or improved about it that makes it nontraditional and would make the car memorable. This commercial appeals to mainly a female audience because it is about a sweet love story. I also think the commercial appeals to people in their late twenties, early thirties who are around the age of getting married and looking for a car that would be perfect to begin a family with. Overall, this commercial definitely appealed to me and I thought it was a cute way to catch the audience's attention without being over dramatic. 

Gmail Advertisements

Last Saturday I was sitting next to my sister as we were watching Law and Order. She was on her computer, typing an email to a friend while I was telling her about this advertising class and the different projects we have had to do throughout the semester. My sister was an advertising and public relations major with a minor in marketing and currently works for an advertising agency in the Chicagoland area. I told her about our blogs, and she showed me a way of advertising that Google uses for Gmail on the computer that I thought was very creative.

Gmail detects certain keywords in the emails you write and picks different advertisements that relate to the keywords in your email that Gmail detects. For example, my sister was sending a few emails back and forth with her girlfriends from college about meeting for dinner at a Sushi restaurant the next weekend. Since she emailed her friends a few times that week about sushi, Gmail detected "sushi" and "Chicago" as keywords and pulled up different sushi restaurants in Chicago. I think this is a great way for Google and Gmail to promote the different ads that they sponsor. Showing ads that are related to people's interests that come from their emails is a unique way to grab the attention of the person using Gmail. It will give the ad a higher chance of being clicked on. Talk about technology these days...

Apple's Creative Marketing Techniques

As everyone knows, Apple is very creative with their marketing techniques. The infamous Ipod commercials with the bright colors have caught everyone's attention and have made a label for the Apple company. The simple layout of an ipod with a person dancing and a bright color behind it is known as an Apple commercial. The commercial or ad doesn't even have to have any words on it and the viewer will know it is an Apple commercial or ad. A few months ago, Apple stayed away from the bright colors for its advertisement on their website about the Beatles. About a month before the announcement, Apple's homepage had an advertisement that took up the first half of the homepage. The message read as stated above, "Tomorrow is just another day. That you'll never forget. Check back here tomorrow for an exciting announcement from iTunes." This advertisement was displayed for a few weeks before the announcement was released. I believe this is a fantastic marketing technique because it entices people to consistently go to Apple's homepage. This advertisement must have created much more traffic for Apple's website. When consumers visit the website to check for the announcement, it is very likely that they stay on the website and browse the new Apple products, possibly purchasing one. One day, the announcement was released and it was the the Beatles songs were now available on iTunes. Apparently there was a lot of debate about whether or not the Beatle's songs should be on iTunes and this news satisfied many people. However before the Beatles news was released, my friends and I would guess what product Apple would create next. I think this way of marketing for Apple was a great success- it was insightful, yet brilliant. 

Derrick Rose

I know this blog is supposed to be about different marketing campaigns, etc. however I saw this youtube video about Derrick Rose and wanted to share it with as many people as I could. This video truly encompasses the emotions of Chicago Bulls fans throughout the past year. Derrick Rose is one of the youngest and best players in the league. His drive and passion for basketball as well as for being a team player have significantly helped the Bulls this season. Often times while on facebook I will see this video posted on my friends's walls. This shows the pride Chicago Bulls fans have for their hometown basketball team. 

With this being said, I think this video could be a great marketing tool for season ticket holders of the Bulls. Since Derrick Rose is young, it is likely he will be a member of the Chicago Bulls for a long time and the Bulls will (hopefully) continue to do well. This video has over 90,000 views on youtube. If I was a season ticket holder and I saw this video in an email from the Bulls, I would feel so proud of the Bulls and confident that they will do well in the years to come. Moreover, I would most likely buy another year's worth of season tickets. This video used as a marketing tool for the Bulls is just a thought of mine... maybe if I stick to my dream of working in the marketing department for a Chicago sports team I could make this idea into reality!

The 'Baby' Appeal

Throughout the past year it seems as if babies have been a common theme used in advertising for different companies. One series of commercials that many people remember is from E- Trade Stock brokerage company. I remember during last year's Superbowl, the E-Trade commercial instantly caught my attention. Hearing a man's voice come out of the baby's mouth caught everyone's attention. Since then, other companies have tried using the 'baby appeal' that E-Trade had labeled to their commercials. An example of another company using the 'baby appeal' is Volkswagen. Although there is no baby talking in the Volkswagen commercial, an adorable baby is used to appeal to the consumers. Take a look at the commercial below. 

This commercial is for the new Volkswagen Jetta. From the commercial, I believe the target audience is for   men or women in the late twenties to early thirties who are looking to start a family or who have already started one. These men or women have an average income and are looking to save money on buying a car. This commercial caught my eye because I thought it was clever that the baby dropped his sippy cup right when his dad was dropping his cup after he saw how cheap the car was. I showed this commercial to my brother and we both laughed out loud when we saw this because it seemed as if the baby was the one realizing how cheap the car was before the dad did. My brother is in his mid twenties and at the age where he is thinking about marriage because he is settled into his career. This 'baby appeal' definitely caught my attention as well as my brothers. I think Volkswagen did a great job of appealing to its consumers as well as it's target audience. 

Marquette University introduces the MU IPhone Application!

Marquette University introduced the MU athletics Iphone application in early February! Marquette mobile is $4.99 per year and can be purchased through the Itunes store. This app gives its owners the quickest way of finding out information about different Marquette athletic teams. The application provides headlines of each sport, the scores and schedules of the athletic teams, and also some video clips from the games. I think this is a great way for any Marquette fan to stay updated with their school activities. Even alumni can now find out more about their favorite MU teams by using this application! I am currently a Blackberry owner and I wish Blackberry had applications such as the MU Athletics App so I could stay updated with the MU athletic teams straight form my phone instead of looking online! Throughout the years, more and more people have been purchasing smart phones and the creation of applications has skyrocketed and have significantly contributed to Apple's profit. I think it was a great idea for Marquette to create this application. In the future, I plan on purchasing an Iphone and I will most definitely make sure I purchase this application as well. Go Marquette!