Oscar Prediction

So my pick, UP, didn't win. It was a long shot as it was going up against some pretty big movies. After the awards the popularity of UP on many of the social networking sites went down a far bit. This was due to the fact that almost everyone was discussing the winners and not so much the losers.

UP did, however, win best animated film. Which is a great accomplishment none the less.

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Rise of the Devices

Mobile marketing is definitely the next big thing to happen in advertising. With the new rise in 3G mobile phones and app stores such as the Apple store, Blackberry World, and the Android store being able to reach your audience is becoming much easier and cheaper. I believe that mobile marketing is a great way to connect with your audience and am fully open to the idea as long as it is targeted and the person opts-in. Just sending e-mails or text messages isn’t enough it has to be targeted so that it can be used.

One mobile experience that I have come across that I think is a great example of mobile marketing is that you can now get your concert tickets through your phone either from ticketmaster or from Rogers. This is a great way to never forget your tickets at home and can offer a better overall experience to the customer.

the broadband challenge

So our challenge was to see how long, minimum 1 night, we could go with only using the internet for all our media options. This was specifically directed at television and the radio and to see if our experience was better or worse, and of course to keep an eye out for advertisements as well.

Well for me it wasn't that hard. Radio for example i can do without all together. I am still one of those guys who buys and listens to CD's. I almost never listen to streaming music online unless it is a preview of a new album on an artists page and only listen to the radio when I'm in the car. I buy my CD's then transfer them to my computer when i want to listen to them on my Ipod.

Video content is another story. I hardly visit station sites and usually resort to youtube. I think, for me anyways, after being in school for 5 years and constantly doing projects on my computer and time i can get away from it is a welcome change. If i decided today that I will only use online resources for entertainment I would drive my nuts. Two main reasons for this is that i only have a laptop, which is way smaller then my TV and that my computer is located in my office.

Apart from my views however, i do believe that online resources for radio and TV will gain overtime due to the fact that is will be cheaper and in some cases free. Many people, especially students, fell that paying for TV now a days is a waste when you can already view the best shows online. I fully understand this.

Broadband will surly effect ad spending in the future mainly due to the change in viewers. I believe there will always be both, but their will definitely be a clear demographic for both which advertisers will take advantage of.

Branded Utilities

Brand Utilities have become a major part in the IMC strategy. It allows a company or brand or even a product to potentially be with you where ever you go. One great example of this was the Nike+ app for the iPhone. This little app is probably the best example of a branded utility out and one that all others should use as a template. Basically all it is, is a little timer in your shoe that acts as a pedometer and then syncs it to your iPhone. You can then compare it with you friends, trainer, or your running team. But it doesn’t just stop there, you can also by a Nike+ shoe specifically for it and even a watch that can also be synced up too it. It is a great way to not only sell your product but to also engage the consumer straight on and to give them a more positive feeling about your brand. The next time that runner goes for a run the first thing they will think of is Nike+.

As an owner of an iPod Touch and a Blackberry I use a couple of branded utilities. I use several different apps such as Facebook, Sportsnet, and for the past 2 weeks during the official 2010 Vancouver Olympics app. One missed opportunity with the Olympic app, that I felt would have made it much more enjoyable experience would be to allow others to upload theirs photos straight to the app. The app as it stands is basically just a digital tour guide for the lucky ones actually visiting Vancouver, where I felt that it should have done more to make those who couldn’t have made fell more apart of the games.

One brand that I kind of wish would make an app is TD Canada Trust. They have EasyWeb already why not convert it to make a little mobile version.

Guerrilla Marketing

Off by hand I can't think of any guerrilla marketing that i have been exposed too. I have researched guerrilla marketing online a far bit for personal interest and for some class projects. Two of my favorites are:



and...



I find thats both of these are very easy and quick to understand. One of the worst things i find with some out of home advertising is their lack of a call to action. I think the Mr. Clean campaign could have had a better call to action, but all in all very good.

As for the Urban Spam video i do feel that in larger cities there is an overwhelming number of ads on telephone polls, billboards, and posters but i feel that if you create an innovative ad in a new way it will always stand out from the rest.

can "UP" rise above the rest?

the movie that i will be researching and follow over the next couple of weeks is the animated film UP. UP is only the second animated film to be nominated for best picture, the first being "Beauty of the Beast" which was long before the best animated feature category existed. It is somewhat of an underdog which many believe is only there because of the Oscars now accepting 10 nominees. As far as I can see there isn't really to much chatter about UP, maybe due to the fact that it is a commonly used word and not a recognizable title as some of the other nominees.

One nice little article i found talking about UP's nomination was from the site www.reuters.com, which wrote that:

"The Oscar buzz this year couldn't be higher for Pixar's "Up," not only for best animated category but for best picture, thanks in part to a lucky-to-be-born late blessing of 10 best-picture nominations (up from the usual five).

A double nomination also would create complications -- and not only for executives at Pixar and its Disney parent who might have to shell out some extra coin on a broader campaign.

Pixar and director Pete Docter might hope that the best-picture momentum will carry it to a victory in the animation category. But for some voters, it could slice the other way, prompting them to choose something else in animation because they've already put "Up" high on their best picture ballot. (In that sense, "Up" would be unlucky to be nominated twice.)"

This might not be good for UP, but of course anything could happen at the Oscars.

Election Strategy 2.0

Barack Obama was the first President to utilize social media into his campaign. Not only social media such as youtube to get his message across but he used every piece of social media that was out at the time. The goal was not only to blitz this audience with PSA's and speeches but to build a relationship with this audience as no other president before him. Not since JFK had a president appealed to such younger voters then Obama. And he used every piece of media to target them. Obama used every piece of social media that was available such as youtube, facebook, flicker, twitter, myspace, and many more to deliver his message to the people.

One of the biggest messages that i got from his digital campaign was that he was building a relationship with the audience instead of trying to sell them ideas and beliefs.

A local brand that is doing a great job with social media is our very own Glue Magazine. They are primarily on facebook but in just a few weeks have managed to befriend quite a number of students.

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I chose to take a look at the travel market. Being as this it one of my interests, as I’m sure it is with everyone. My dad travels a lot with work, and although long at times and somewhat lonely he truly does enjoy seeing the different parts of the world. I decided to look into different travel sites, not only those of booking sites but those where you can learn and discuss with others about trips you or someone else has taken. I decided to look at magazines and compare them to some travel sites online.

My magazine source is a travel magazine called Conde Nast Traveler. This was a gift from my aunt for Christmas. Although I have looked through them quickly when they arrive in the mail I’ve never really sat down with one and looked through it. After looking through many issues I found that this magazine is one of the best. Although it targets an older upper class audience, with ads for Louis Vuitton and cruise ships, it does have some great pictures and highlights some pretty incredible trips and hotels one can book.

After looking through countless issues I then decided to go online to see if there was an equivalent to this. I found a bunch of blogs most of which targeted a more niche market, such as trips for couples, businessmen and women, and students. These blogs really only focused on those individuals experience and is very limited in content and picture. Another problem with blogs is the little to no advertising which limits ones brand impressions upon the reader. The magazine does however have a nice number of brand interactions which gives the reader a cool insight. One great example of this is on the last page of the magazine. It’s an advert for the different apps one would need for travel for their Iphone. I found this a great way for someone like me to get started on my passion. By downloading these featured apps one could pick from hundreds of restaurants in other countries, book a trip, take a virtual trip of that city, or even learn a different language.

I now look forward to reading more blog posts from these sites and for my next issue in the mail.

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