Burger King has taken a good deal of flack lately about their new campaign Burger Virgins. The campaign is pretty simple, a film crew from Burger King went to regions of the world where people who have never seen a hamburger. They filmed the local’s interaction with the burgers and then asked them which burger they liked better, the Whopper or the Big Mac.
You can see the campaign here: http://www.whoppervirgins.com. The company that produced these spots is the same marketing firm that produced they ‘No Whopper’ campaign last year. Burger King is taking heat from groups proclaiming that BK is flaunting food to hungry people in impoverished countries.
Burger King went to great lengths, working with local governments, to find people who have food but who have never seen a hamburger. Still many groups protest the ad campaign and protest Burger King.
While people have the right to protest what they want, the protesters are actually helping promote Burger King’s new campaign. Burger King is getting a good deal of free press surrounding a campaign that in my opinion isn’t that bad.
I have been to close to 40 different countries in my life, have met plenty of people who have never experienced American cuisine. Am I some how denigrating them by putting a hamburger in front of them?
I don’t know, I might be missing something. What is your opinion.
So we know its out there, the marketing community has invaded social media and is using it for terrible causes. Ok, that’s a bit over the top but you get the point; top blogs are corporate blogs, the largest profiles are companies, the biggest twitter followers are brands…. This is our world.
I was in a discussion with a co worker about how he felt young consumers tuned out ads in social media and that they were often expensive to create. I agreed but was quick to retort with young subscribers are also the first to adopt marketing if it suits their needs.
Widgets and FaceBook is a great example of people still willing to freely sign up and participate in marketing. I began by explaining how just putting your message out on social media was as valuable as just putting something on TV. Sure you could see some upswing in users but there was no real quantifiable numbers.
Consider creating and adgame or widget that people could actually use. You know have a way of tracking users and user time with a medium that can push your message to multiple targets in multiple locations. Imagine trying to buy a promo spot on multiple channels in multiple timeslots you can see how paying a developer might actually be cost effective.
When you look at cross channel marketing and the cost of productions in traditional media vs. new media the cost isn’t that much different. I think as marketers we need to do a better job explaining cost vs. cost for new media and traditional media when dealing with clients.
Have you fought this battle before? Have you tried justifying development cost in the guise of production cost? Let me know.
Last night was The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which has become something to look forward as a mainstay of the winter season. But why all the fuss? A handful of gorgeous women flaunting what they have to offer in elaborate VS brand lingerie, that’s why. However, this big event can’t be meant to sell bras can it…so what is it all about? The answer would be selling “sexy.”
Just one simple yet entirely complex word. No one is going to buy a 5 million dollar diamond studded bra and 8 foot wings to wear around the house! But the point of this show isn’t really to focus on the outfits that the models are wearing. It is about the entertainment offered and the sexy models strutting the runway. They are selling a face and a body, not clothing. Would anyone wear a furry Santa outfit out in public? No. It is an eye-catching event that sells what most people really want, a glimpse of glitz and glamor. They are defining a brand as desirable and showing the world what it means to be SEXY.
Victoria Secret has found a way to grow far beyond their actual offering by selling an image of what is sexy and attaching their brand to that. When people think about fashion shows they usually think of skinny
models wearing crazy outfits from some couture line striding the catwalk in Milan. Victoria Secret has taken another approach and it has far surpassed any other fashion event, making the fashion show one of the premiere “go to” events for the trendiest and hottest players in the music, fashion and entertainment industries. When people think of Victoria’s Secret, they think sexy, they know sexy.
They are not selling bras through the fashion show, they are reminding the world of desire and style, of glamour and of SEXY.
The world is a strange place, often early adopters and innovators get nailed to the wall and forced to fail. I often see this when companies are trying to find a use for social media. They fumble around with Facebook applications and other things that really won’t help them market their ideas or products.
I have never been one of those marketing/pr types who suggested something to a client because its trendy. More often than not I tell a client that diving into social media isn’t the right thing to do. Something I tend to push clients towards is a text program.
Think about it like this: why do you want to use social media? To connect with your potential customers or brand advocates on a direct level. What better way to do that than with a the device that they can’t let go of? I might be in front of my computer 4 hours a day, but I am with my phone 24 hours a day (really I shower with it).
Text programs are a great way to push information to people who are already interested in what you do. By 
creating a creating a reason for customers to sign up for you text program you have created a channel directly to customers who want to hear from you.
The two examples I have shown here are great, discounts on food and chance to win a trip to Dublin. The Guinness text program really has a nice gimmick to it as well. By making potential customers ‘rate’ their Guinness, Guinness is making the customer feel included in the voting process.
I have actually created several really neat text programs for a variety of clients ranging from political to holiday planners. The one thing they have in common is creating value through information and connections.
Have you ever signed up for a text campaign or helped orchestrate one? Let me know.
Its 3 a.m. and you’re famished after a long night of bar hopping. You’re desperately searching for a place that you and your friends can go to get some late night grub. Where can you go to satisfy your cravings? Denny’s new Rock Star Menu was designed to do just that.
From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Denny’s is offering a late-night menu filled with items created by popular rock bands and musicians. These musicians come to Denny’s and dream up a menu item, like “The Hot N Cold Cherry Chocolate Cappuccino” by Katy Perry or the “Hooburrito” by Hoobastank. Whatever concoction they create is featured on the late-night menu.
The next morning, while you’re recovering from that nasty hangover, you can go to Dennysallnighter.com to post pictures of you at Denny’s, noshing on the Rock Star Menu items. Or, you can watch videos of the bands working in the Denny’s kitchen to create that delicious meal you ate last night. You can also vote for more bands to come and build the next Rock Star Menu.
The Rock Star Menu is a great way for Denny’s to reach ever elusive college students and young adults. Not only do they use social media creatively with their blog, videos, and pictures, but they are targeting young adults when they are most vulnerable: Drunk at 3 in the morning. Would a “Taking Back Bacon Burger and Fries” feed your after hours appetite?
