Gender Roles Contiuned

While learning about gender stereotypes,  in our workshop we watched an ad for Rose Petal Cottage, that would have been hilarious, if I didn’t think the ad agency was dead serious with their campaign. It made me think that there must be no women, or even parents working at the advertising agency. The ad looked like it was made by some men who didn’t actually know what kids like. I understand that you have to work with what is given to you, but I’m sure there are other was to sell a playhouse then just berating your audience with “This is for girls!”. The jingle’s incessant chanting “A place of my very own” began to feel like they were saying “know your place”

But then I stopped to think about my own childhood. I had a little play kitchen as a child, and I know for a fact that hasn’t made me want to do any cooking. Perhaps we all are over thinking this- oh god those little girls are playing with a washing machine…. that’s not fun, that’s just chores. That is just too much. Trying to indoctrinate little girls into thinking chores are fun? Boo.

Seeing those little girls wash some laundry, cook, and take care of a baby doll got me thinking that there must be a better way to sell a playhouse without demeaning little girls.

Well, after watching this and discussing it in our small groups, we came to the consensus that there are simple edits that could be done to update this ad and turn it into something more inclusive. Simple things like having more gender neutral colors, and including a boy in the ad would automatically level the playing field for representing gender roles. Having the little boy be just as excited about playing with the baby doll, or doing the laundry is a good step the in right direction.  The company should probably also add other toys that aren’t so domestic, or if they really want to stick with that theme they could easily add toys that would be meant for yard work to get the kids outside of the house.

Consumer Behavior- Air France

A day in the life

Air France

The ad for Air France is very chic. The model looks like she just stepped out of a modern day Versailles, and hoped on a plane for a spur of the moment getaway. Of course the Palace of Versailles is one of the most decadent buildings in Europe, so it seems that Air France is trying to promote themselves as a primer European airline for international businessmen.  Their consumer must be able to afford a business class ticket, but would be unwilling to pay more to upgrade their flying experience to a different airline. I’m going to assume the target consumer is a man; female models are used a lot to market to men. He probably has a demanding work schedule, but does take time to enjoy some of the finer things in life.  His wife also has a demanding job, but their combined salaries provided their family with high end goods. He does need to travel a lot for work, and as a result would like to travel in comfort.

1.Gender Split -Men

2. Age-  30+

 3. Marital Status- married

 4. Job – business/marketing

5. Car – BMW

6. Urban/Rural- urban

7. Grocery Shopping – Wholefoods

 8. Favorite Clothing Brands – High end

 9. Favorite Music – Alternative, Folk rock

 10. Favorite Movies – Wolf of Wall St

11. TV – House of Cards

12. Alcoholic Drink – Top shelf Whiskey

13. Non-Alcoholic Drink –Pellegrino

 14. Favorite Type of Eatery - Steakhouse

15. Fragrance – high end

16. Sporting Activity -Skiing

17. Vacation Destination -  Ski resort

18. Dog or Cat.- Dogs

19. Kid’s Names- George, Ava

20. Mac or PC- Mac

“Let them fly coach”

Consumer Behavior

 Taco Bell’s Cool Ranch Doritios Locos Tacos

As consumers, we are always on the lookout for products that will fulfill are needs and desires. Taco Bell’s launch of their Cool Ranch Doritios Locos Taco is a great example of a company who knows who their consumer is, what their consumer wants, and how to best advertise to their consumer.

When you think of Taco Bell, well…. You realize that it’s not meant to be a gourmet option. Their target audience is teenagers and young adults. They are very into using social media, and want to go out with their friends without exhausting their resources. They want to think about fun rather than think   about health.

Taco Bell received so much positive feedback from their first Nacho Doritos Locos Taco, that it was only a matter of time before the perfect combination of Cool Ranch Doritios flavorings and taco shells became available.

 Taco Bell knew that their demographic is younger, and used many different types of social media exposure to market the launch of their new cool ranch flavor. A month before the release of their Cool Ranch Taco, Taco Bell started their #CoolRanchDLT twitter campaign, and  used a series of videos on their YouTube page, and paid YouTube celebrities to endorse their product to help market to a younger demographic.

Here is one such Youtuber, Tyler Oakley, getting an “exclusive” taste of the first tacos before they were released to the general public.

When all was said and done,  the ad campaign was a great success. People who ate Taco Bell’s food loved the new flavor. The marriage between Taco Bell and Doritios (Frito Lay) only strengthened each brand, and since the products launch in march of 2013 over 600 million Doritios Locos Tacos have been sold.

That is why this ad campaign is such a good example, Taco Bell listened to what people wanted, utilized the proper social media channels to reach their key demographic, and came out on top with a successful launch of a new product.

http://www.boston.com/business/news/2014/02/07/most-memorable-product-launches-the-last-year/ucjNyolz9bylgJf8ZDpl6M/story.html#slide-11

Political Campaign Workshop

Political Campaign

For the political campaign workshop, my group chose to focus on a fun approach to highlight the need for electronic devices to be allowed and integrated into a college learning environment, thus The Screensaver Party was born. The goal: Electronic devices should be allowed in all college classes. The Slogan: Electronics for all!

Since our goal was to bring electronic devices into every class, it seemed only natural to want to campaign through social media, and utilize the power of memes to convey our message. Using memes was a quick cost efficient way to spread the word about the campaign. It allowed us to easily sum up our message, and deliver it to the people who would be most affected by it. When people supported our cause, they would repost our memes, spreading the word to their friends and their community. We wanted to use hashtags such as #stopkillingtrees to highlight the importance of switching to a paperless classroom. That demonstrates that the need for electronics being used in every classroom isn’t just about transitioning into a modern society, but also could have a actual positive impact on the environment.

Our campaign would be based on making people feel happy, and want to be involved in a movement. In theory, using this method of “propaganda” is a great way to reach our target audience. With more time, I feel as though this could end up being a very successful campaign. By incorporating humor, while maintaining our message of progression and conservation, the campaign could be warmly received to students looking for a change in classroom politics across the nation.

Environmental Campaign

Surfrider Foundation- environmental campaign

Water is one of the few things that everyone around the globe can impact at a local level. A big factor in global ocean health is just getting people’s attention. Getting people to stop and understand that small lifestyle changes can have a global impact on the environment. That is why Nonprofits such as the Surfrider Foundation need clever ways to get people more motivated to take action, and to help spread their message.

The Surfrider Foundation has been actively campaigning to protect oceans, waves, and beaches since 1984.  Of course, the ways of reaching out to people through advertising have changed a bit since then. Today, the Surfrider Foundation actively promotes visibility through Activist Spotlights, where members of the foundation have a chance to be seen on the front page of their website, and show how members of the community are helping to keep the ocean healthy.

Another way the Surfrider Foundation is reaching out to a new demographic is through the use of their twitter campaign #everydropcounts.  Every Drop Counts asks people to pledge to skip a shower on March 22, World Water Day. Once you take the pledge, a link brings you a webpage that shows how much water you will help save just by skipping one shower for one day. Then Surfrider Foundation dares people to keep going, and keep up their water saving efforts.

Also, the Surfrider Foundation promotes visibility by showing local community campaign efforts. California alone has 35 active campaigns throughout the state, and through Surfrider,  people who are interested in becoming more active in their local water conservation can find on a map active campaigns near them. From protecting beach ecosystems to working to “rise above plastics” everyone can find their niche.