Oops, she did it again.

The infamous Britney Spears has done it again. In her newly released video "Hold it Against Me" she featured four different brands: her fragrance, a brand of eyeshadow called Make up For Ever, Sony and a dating website Plenty of Fish. The day after the video aired, the website traffic spiked 20 percent. Apparently, the pop icon netted $500,000 from all the product placements.

I think it's definitely a new age for music videos. Product placement has only made a few apperances in music videos recently which is not typical, but with the rise of reality television MTV plays shows that will bring ratings, such as the ever popular Jersey Shore.

MTV proposed an alternative that questioned the outcome of music videos that placed messages that would influence the viewers to make a positive impact, such as displaying "Network for Good" alongside a video. The website donates to 1.3 million charities with the click of a button.

It is an interesting proposal and if it is implemented correctly, it may be a new era for advertising.

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/7359.aspx

Miracle Whip: Love it or hate it?

Kraft brand launched a campaign last week that features testimonials from people who either love or hate Miracle Whip. Then it welcomes viewers to post their own vote on the YouTube page. So far, lovers outnumber haters 6 to 1.

Celebrities who appear in this ad include Pauly D, Amy Sedaris and James Carville.

I think it is an interesting tactic to include consumers bashing on your product, especially celebrities. However, it does bring attention and gets people to talk about it.

Source: http://mashable.com/2011/02/22/pauly-d-miracle-whip/

Aunt Jemimah launches first social media campaign

PR firm Weber Shandwick and Aunt Jemimah worked together to develop a campaign to show consumers exactly how the famous breakfast items are made. The campaign started out on Facebook and features videos of veteran Aunt Jemimah employees cooking the breakfast food, who describe the "just like homemade process" and the people behind it.

The campaign will also have an extensive online ad component and will be offering coupons and recipes on the site. In addition to the Facebook page, there will be a Twitter handle (@LiveFromTheLine) in order to let the employees engage with their fans.

Article

There's an App for That?

One application for Droid, "Goole My Tracks" keeps track of things like miles traveled and speed. The app saved one driver from a costly speeding ticket when he was able to use it as proof that not only was he NOT speeding, he was actually going one MPH beneath the speed limit.

Apps are becoming a serious advantage for our everyday use. From a translation app to an app that allows you to confess your sins on the go, we are quickly becoming an application-driven society. Currently, if there's not a website for something then it's obsolete. How long until we think similarly with apps? It also makes me wonder what will come next. Will we rely solely on apps soon?

J.C. Penney Co. changes logo

Above, the old logo.

Above, the new logo.

After 109 years, J.C. Penney Co. has decided it is time to change their logo. They hope the new design, which was created by a graphic design student at the University of Cincinnati, will give their company a more modern identity.

They don’t want to make the same mistake that Gap made last year, so they received submissions and ideas from employees, design agencies and two art schools.

The logo will be officially introduced during the Academy Awards next Sunday.

Source

Dr. Pepper says women can't handle new bold drink

Dr. Pepper is marketing it's latest diet soda to men only. According to the article, most diet drinks are seen as girly, and most men don't want to drink them. I am not sure if that is true, but I think men would want to at least try this new drink after seeing the commercial. The commercial for Dr. Pepper's new bold tasting drink is being run mostly on the internet and in just a few test markets and is being market toward middle-aged, middle-American men. The ad is similar to a action movie trailer and features the main guy "in the movie" drinking the manly soda. The drink is supposed to have an extra bold taste that they are hoping will appeal to men. I think it's interesting that they found this to even be an issue. I have never heard a guy say he wouldn't drink a diet drink because he thought it would make him feminine. I think that maybe this is just Dr. Pepper's point of view. I can remember a long time ago when the DP ads were pretty feminine, with all the ladies swooning over the Dr. Pepper delivery guy, but they have since been gender generic to me.
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Fabricated Fairytales to Attract Young Drinkers.

Irish whiskey brand Jameson is set to release a new commercial sometime next month. Some may remember their comical depiction of "The Great Storm of 1781", where founder John Jameson saved a barrel of whiskey by tackling a large octopus, only to drag the barrel ashore at his own funeral.

The new commercial will be another tall tale, this one of a horrible fire that threatens the distillery. In order to save the building Jameson breaks open the dam flooding the entire city, but is praised for saving the whiskey distillery.

The idea behind these commercials is to attract a younger audience by creating a sense of tradition. Although there is no truth behind either of these stories, the advertisement will hopefully pull away from their older drinker image, and create an idea of authenticity traceable to 18th century Dublin.

http://global.factiva.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/ga/default.aspx?imt=2&ao=5&aod=0

Verizon and iPhone War Continues

Verizon released the iPhone and sales were far from record breaking.

When Apple released the iPhone nine months ago, the stores were flooded with customers and Apple made plenty of sales. Information relating to aforementioned sales for Verizon were confirmed to be leaked by Apple.

AT&T is expected to develop plans with incentives to keep customers happy and maintain their contract with them.Technology keeps advancing and we can expect for competition between broadbands to continue.


http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/the-verizoniphone-part-2-electric-boogaloo_b15587#more-15587

Grammys Ratings Best in 10 Years

The Grammys award show boasted their best ratings since 2001 this year. Preliminary Nielsen figures Monday show the CBS broadcast attracted 26.6 million viewers, improving on year's audience by 680,000 viewers.

I can see why, the Grammys showed a high level of diversity among this years winners and performers alike. I, personally, was happy to see that Mumford and Sons not only took home an award, but performed as well! Arcade Fire took home album of the year, which is relatively rare for an indie artist. The normal Grammy players such as Lady Gaga, Rhianna, and Eminem were also there, making it appealing to most audiences.

Good for them! Hopefully this will show Grammy producers that the way to high ratings in the future is to model the show after this one!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/grammy-ratings-best-since-2001_n_822951.html

Bieber Approved Nail Polish

OPI Products is attempting a social media campaign to promote Justin Bieber's second line of nail polish. The young star designed the product and OPI incorporated the product into its Nicole nail polish line.

OPI is launching a contest that encourages consumers to incorporate their hands into a performance of one of Bieber's songs. Participants must videotape the performance, submit it on an OPI Facebook page and generate enough votes to win shades.

I understand that Bieber is a pop star that young teenage girls around the globe are falling in love with but it seems odd that someone would think to use a male in an attempt to increase or create sales of a product that is traditionally targeted more towards females. Though I commend Bieber for being able to tap into other markets for more money.

"Forgive Me iphone for I Have Sinned..."

Don't have enough time to make it into church to confess your sins? Don't worry the Catholic Church has go you covered. You can wipe your slate clean with Confession: A Roman Catholic App, available through iTunes for $1.99.

The Catholic Church has said this app doesn't take the place of traditional confession. The app is more is to promote Catholics to engage in their faith through technology. They feel this app will be very useful for everyone and may even bring people back into the Catholic Church.

The app leads you through an "Examination of Conscience" to help you figure out what your real sins are with "sinful suggestions."
The app customizes each user's list of sins and is password protected for privacy. Once confess, your sins are wiped away, so you don't have to fear of your sins being on the Internet.

I think this app says a lot about The Catholic church trying to get in touch with the new technology generation. I think the app is a good idea for the church. However, I don't know if I would want absolution from my phone.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/confession-app-roman-catholic-church-sanctions-iphone-app/story?id=12866499&page=1

New York City DOES Sleep (Around)

Apparently New York City actually does sleep, only it's with many people.

In the name of Valentine's Day, or "National Condom Awareness Day" as the creators are calling it, the New York City Health Department has created an app which makes it quick and easy to find free condoms around the city. The app, NYC Condom Finder, was released on Mon. and is a well-timed app for finding a distribution point nearby. NYC Condom Finder, which can be downloaded from the Android Market or Apple's iPhone App Store, uses GPS to pinpoint the user's location and generates a list of the nearest condom distribution venues and directions to get there.

Monica Sweeney, assistant commissioner for Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, has really emphasized that this app is perfect for Valentine's Day and that the agency doesn't "want not having access to be the barrier, but condoms to be the barrier." The agency says it's more convenient to have a mobile app to find the 3,000 distribution outposts throughout the city, despite already having a list of distribution spots that are on the city's website. "What we're doing is working to make New York City the safest city in the world to have sex," said Sweeney.

My thoughts: New York City is so damn crazy. I have GOT to visit!

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/14/technology/valentines_condoms_app/

Roses are red, violets are blue, Groupon is not so sweet.

Last week the online coupon site, Groupon.com, teamed up with the flower company FTD to offer customers a $40-for-$20 deal on Valentine's Day flowers. It was the first national deal for Groupon since their controversial Superbowl ad that ran last Sunday.


Groupon and FTD are now offering refunds to customers after getting complaints that the deal wasn't so sweet. The customers accused Groupon and FTD of inflating prices on some of the arrangements offered. Customers found the same offers were cheaper directly from the FTD's website.

FTD Group Inc. President Rob Apatoff did make a statement over the weekend.

"At no time did we inflate any prices. Absolutely not," Apatoff said. "Because there was some confusion with a few, we decided to step up and do the right thing to make sure everybody was happy."

But, this is still not good news for Groupon. Groupon did not need anymore attention after their Tibet commercial.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/13/groupon-ftd-deal_n_822360.html

'From Hooters, with love'

Looking for the perfect setting for your Valentine's Day date?

Look no further.

Hooters claims it is “a great place for Valentine’s Day” and in an attempt to attract sweethearts, Hooters would like its guests to “forget the ring, and bring her in for wings." On Monday, February 14 Hooters will be offering a special deal on both boneless and traditional wings: buy ten, get ten free.

"Just because we don't have a violin player and overpriced wine, does not mean Hooters isn't a great place for Valentine's Day," said Mike McNeil, vice president of marketing for Hooters of America, LLC. "Valentine's Day is about love, and what is not to love about free Hooters wings."

Surprisingly enough, for several years Hooters has also hosted a singles-only event called “Shred Your Ex.” On February 14, several Hooters locations will encourage guests to join in its ultimate Anti-Valentine’s Day party. To participate, attendees must bring a photo of their ex to shred and in exchange they receive a $1 drink.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this sounds like the ideal atmosphere for a date. I don’t think it’s a good idea for Hooters to host two events on the same day with completely different messages, even if there are free wings.

For lovers

For singles

Allstate's Press Release Joke Backfires

Allstate Corp. issued a press release showing the accident rates of drivers according to their zodiac signs, as a joke, but ended up backfiring. It said that Scorpios have a "perfectionist nature," making them the safest drivers in 2010 with only 26,833 accidents. On the other hand, it said that Virgos are "worried and shy" and had 211,650 accidents.

Allstate retracted the press release saying that it was meant as a joke, and that a person's zodiac sign in no way affects the way they base coverage and set rates. Allstate was inspired by the recent changes to the zodiac calendar and they used actual data based on the birthdays of customers and the amount of accidents they had been in.

They realized that their customers take their insurance expenses very seriously and either did not get the joke or did not appreciate it.

Twitter Take Over

As if Twitter wasn't already a huge success, NBC is trying a new experiment with local stations in New York and Washington D.C. that will incorporate news, local celebrities and you guessed it-Twitter.

"The 20" will feature 20 locals that "shape the local conversation", which be chosen by "combining input from social media organizations and factor trending local headlines and the topics driving local conversation."

NBC hopes to obtain news from more than one source and at a more rapid rate than can be given by the three, six and ten o'clock news. Not only will it give the information more rapidly, it will give relevant information that people are actually interested in.

NBC local media president Greg Scholl feels that it is "an exciting and innovative idea."

I personally feel like if it is executed correctly, the idea will take off and it will only be a matter of time before other news stations jump on the bandwagon. The only problem I see would be chosing the correct 20 people. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Kmart launches Twitter concierge service during Fashion Week

During New York Fashion Week, Kmart has given a number of "influencers" and bloggers a "survival kit," which includes things like lip balm, breath mints, and stockings.

Along with the survival kit, Kmart has offered a personal concierge service via Twitter. If the kit recipients need to refill any of their kit items or anything else (such as stain remover or a sewing kit), they may request it to @KmartFashion using the #KmartConcierge hashtag. Then, they may direct message their location details for a prompt hand delivery anytime between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. through next Thursday.

http://mashable.com/2011/02/09/kmart-fashion-week-concierge/

Angry Fans Seek 5 Million in Damages After Super Bowl Seating Fiasco

Shortly before this year's Super Bowl started, 1,200 temporary seats were deemed unusable. Angry fans have now brought lawsuits against the Cowboys, their owner Jerry Jones and the N.F.L with accusations of fraud and breach of contract. The plaintiffs are seeking 5 million in damages and making it a PR nightmare for the Cowboys.

One fan from Texas, Mike Dolabi, had paid $100,000 per season ticket that included the privilege of being able to purchase "comparable seats" for the Super Bowl. When Dolabi arrived he was forced to sit on the 10-yard-line in one of 1,740 temporary seats and said he was not even able to see the new giant video board.

The other plaintiff, Steve Simms, was one of 400 people who were denied seats after the 1,200 were deemed unusable. He was so obviously upset that he left the game during halftime.

The N.F.L. has offered two solutions to compensate the roughly 400 affected fans:

1) A free ticket to next year's Super Bowl game and $2,400 (three time the face value of the Super Bowl XLV game ticket held by the individual). The ticket to next year's Super Bowl is transferable.

Or:

2) A free ticket to a future Super Bowl game of the fan's choice, including next year's, if so desired, and round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations provided by the N.F.L. This offer will be personalized in the ticketholder's name and is not transferable.

I think that the offers sound reasonable for the fans who purchased the tickets at the cheaper price, but for the fan who had season tickets should definitely be compensated much more than he is being offered.

This is obviously a PR nightmare for the Cowboys and the N.F.L. The PR teams are going to have to work hard to earn the forgiveness from the fans and get their trust back.

Groupon Super Bowl commercial offends some

It generally takes a lot to offend people, but Groupon did just that with their Super Bowl commercial. The company, which sells group discounts, started their commercial talking about the Tibetan people's suffering. It then proceeded to say, "But they still whip up an amazing fish curry, and since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com, we're each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15 at Himalayan restaurant in Chicago."

Groupon certainly has created buzz from the advertisement, but it isn't a positive stir. They also mocked efforts aimed at saving whales and the rainforest in two other commercials. In return, they are matching up to $100,000 in donations for each cause.

http://www.theworld.org/2011/02/07/super-bowl-groupon-ad-offends/comment-page-1/

AOL is Alive and Kicking

If you're like me, you thought AOL died along with broad band connections years ago. However, its new acquisition of the Huffington Post has proved that they are very much alive. With Huffington Post's innovative use of social media as a news outlet, AOL has proved it knows how to evolve and make strategic moves to benefit the company.

HuffPo was founded in 2005 and from the start utilized social media. It has been the poster child for how a media-based company should evolve with social trends. This is probably the reason why the co-founder and editor-in-chief of HuffPo will be named the president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which will include all Huffington Post and AOL content.

This acquisition didn't come cheap. AOL will spend $315 million on the deal, but the strategic move should prove to be very beneficial. This should serve as a reminder to everyone that staying with the social trends is not only important but necessary to keep your business alive.

Redbox to Offer Online Streaming Service

Redbox has offered customers easy access to the latest films at bargain prices and announced last week it will offer an online streaming service. The company is currently looking for partners, but continues to expand by now offering game rentals at $5,000 Redbox kiosks. The company has to managed to reach over 16 million customers through an online database that offers promotion and Redbox news. Redbox has not announced whether it will charge per rental or offer a monthly subscription program.



http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=144383

News Corp. launches digital news paper

On Wednesday News Corp. launched The Daily, a digital newspaper that can be read on an I Pad or other tablets. The Daily will cost 99 cents a week or $39.99 a year. It will feature news, opinion, sports and lifestyle content, including audio, 360-degree photos and video.
The new paper is being closely watched throughout the media industry, and is being seen as a new way to make money in an industry that has been hurting. "We can and we must make the business of newsgathering and editing viable again," said Chairman Rupert Murdoch. "We believe The daily will be the model for how stories will be told and consumed."
The Daily will be distributed using a new billing-and-delivery system from Apple that will automatically charge the customers credit card every week or year so readers don't have to pay each time they want to access a new issue.
This project is likely to change the way news is received, and could help save an industry that is seen as "dying". It will also save loads of paper!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960804576120072163471538.html

Egyptian Social Media Advancement

Egyptians protesting for the removal of their president have been given a voice thanks to a new tool that is brought to the world by Google, SayNow and Twitter.

The Egyptian government has been threatening to terminate Internet to those who speak against the current president or advocate his removal, but with phone service still available they are able to use this new social media to record their opinions and share them with the rest of the world.

Launched the same day as President Hosni Mubarak's controversial speech in Cairo, this service allows anyone in the world to call one of three numbers to record a message that will then be posted onto Twitter. This is extremely important for the citizens of Egypt however, because they have been using social media sites to congregate for mass protests.

The idea was specifically for Egypt, but anyone can leave a message in support of their efforts, or follow them on Twitter at #Egypt.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/middleeast/02twitter.html?_r=1&hp

Office Depot selects IMPAQT to increase search engine marketing

Office Depot has decided to look for help to increase its search engine marketing capabilites to help increase returns of overall marketing dollars. The search engine market is a highly competitive market that has the ability to increase business or bring it to a halt.

IMPAQT is a leading search engine marketing firm that has experience with other enterprise-level retail clients. The work that IMPAQT will be able to do for Office Depot will help create more traffic on Office Depot's Web site.

I think that this is a great idea for Office Depot because it will help the company to be more competitive and have a stronger search results presence.


http://www.prnewsonline.com/prnewswire/Office-Depot-Teams-Up-with-IMPAQT-to-Step-Up-Search-Marketing-Capabilities_6067.html