Got to Love Dove

First off I have to say the creativity of Dove campaigns always really inspire me. Although some of them are goofy, their newest campaign continues the companies focus on the idea of "real" beauty by looking at the differences between how women see themselves compared to how others see them. Recently Dove created and conducted a social experiment to help prove to women that they are more beautiful then they think by having an FBI trained forensic sketch artist drawl two pictures of them based off of peoples descriptions without any sort of visual aid. The first picture that was drawl was based on each woman's description of herself and then a second portrait was drawl of the same woman but according the opinion of a stranger they had met earlier in the day. At the end of the experiment both portraits were shown and the difference between them are immediately striking. I personally love this experiment because I think it is a really special and touching way to demonstrate kindness and what Dove considers to be "real" beauty. I really encourage you to check out the campaign video and read the article for yourself, it's posted bellow! 

http://adage.com/article/creativity-pick-of-the-day/dove-artist-shows-women-beautiful/240914/       

Vine

It looks like social media app Vine is here to stay after the tragic bombing in Boston yesterday. About 30 minutes after the bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon detonated, Vine user Doug Lorman uploaded a 6 second video that become one of the first videos that provided coverage of the event for those trying to find out more information online. Vine, an Apple app, is a 6 second video media that has mostly been used up to this point by it's users to record parts of their daily life. Users can  can later upload videos that play on a loop and can be share easily on other social medias. As brands continue to experiment to see if Vine can be a social media platform that works for them, it seems as if Vine might have found it's place in breaking news and news coverage. 

Prayers for Boston. 

Gentleman Jack

For each and every college student out there, I bet you would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't had a run in with Jack Daniel's super-premium Tennessee whisky. Time to step away kiddies, Mr. Daniel's is calling "the Order of the Gentleman" with his "Gentleman Jack" whiskey. Although this smoother warmer beverage has been around since the late 1980's it hasn't had a spot light that the regular black label Jack receives. Brown-Forman, the label and brand owner, is setting out to bring the spot light to the Gentleman. Marketers expect to spend over $7.7 million on print, out-of-home, and digital media on their campaign "The Order of the Gentleman" and will be airing the first commercial during Sunday nights premier of CNN's "Parts Unknown".  Brown-Forman hope that this campaign will help not only to continue to build the name and size of the brand but also help to capture a larger share of the premium whiskey market which has had annual slow growth. The campaign aims to target men who are men who are transitioning from their "carefree single" days into more maturity. Because the regular black label Jack usually is associated with ones younger days, the compony wants to position Gentleman Jack as the next step up.  I think the campaign has a really cool objective and knowing this brand, the campaign is going to be one of a kind. Although Jack and I don't go that far back I'm really excited to see what comes next.    

Looks Like Hannibal is Back

It looks like NBC has found something to fill the Thursday night drama spot that has been vacant since hit show ER left the air. While other big time producers are coming out with more comedic upbeat shows such as ABC How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) and The Neighbors, NBC has decided to take a more grim outlook with their new show Hannibal.  At it's premiere last thursday, this cops and cannibals caper drew in about 4.36 million viewers and about 1.6 in the demo which compared to this time slots last occupant showed a 78% improvement. With NBC's unsuccessful track record in it's last four seasons in this notorious 10pm bracket, they hope that Hannibal will reestablish NBC's "iron clad stability" that they had from 1981-2009 with shows such as L.A Law and ER.  It should be really interesting to see how this new show does seeing as it will likely have a very unique story line that I'm sure people will be curious and drawn too. Also it will be interesting to see how this show affects it's competition such as Big Bang Theory and NCIS that also air at this time. 

http://www.adweek.com/news/television/viewers-have-little-appetite-nbc-s-hannibal-148444   

See You Later Leno!

As I am sure most you of you have heard, long time Tonight Show host Jay Leno has confirmed he will be stepping down. As of today his replacement has been made official and it seems that Jimmy Fallon will be holding down the fort. Along with changing hosts, The Tonight Show will also be returning to their original home at 30 Rockefeller Plaza after 42 years in California. While Fallon prepares to make the switch to his new position, none of the talk regrading his replacement have yet to be conformed although Seth Meyers has been pegged by SNL to be his successor. NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke commented, "we are purposefully making this change when Jay is No. 1, just as Jay replaced Johnny Carson when he was No. 1". I think it will be really interesting to see how switching hosts will change and affect both programs in terms of ratings, reviews, and advertising and what will come of both shows. It almost like a mini re-branding. 

http://www.adweek.com/news/television/it-s-official-fallon-will-succeed-leno-tonight-show-host-148378
   

No More Mr. Nice Dolphin

As the NFL drafts come closer, several teams are rumored to be planning on revamping for the coming season by unveiling new uniforms and logos for the draft. The only team that has conformed this suspicion by circulating the image of their new team logo has been the Miami Dolphins. After 4 consecutive losing season, The Dolphins say their new logo and uniforms are the first step in a "complete re-branding". They hope that with their new fiercer looking logo will help end the rap they for being cute and sporty and will instead take on a new mature aesthetic direction. According the internet polls, there has been mixed feelings about this upcoming change, some saying it doesn't live up to what football is all about. It should be interesting to see what the reactions are by the fans, the team, as well as the NFL as a whole when the logos are switched. If it was my team doing a major revamp, I can imagine i would be a little nervous too.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-29/no-more-mr-dot-nice-dolphin-miami-unveils-new-logo#r=most%20popular

What's More Important? Fast Shipping or Fast Returns?

According to a survey conducted by Boston Consulting Group, only 9% of 1,5000 shoppers interviewed said same-day delivery and fast shipping was a factor that made a big influence on whether or not they purchase the product. Instead, in both online and in store facilities, the factors that really matter to customers is free-returns and low prices. Mel Wolfgang commented that "the reality is that people care about the basics-price and the ease of retuning the good"instead of instant gratification that most marketers think customer crave. So why are companies focusing so much attention on communicating fast shipping? It's not like it's a brand new idea.

I found this article to be really interesting because i have been noticing when I'm shopping online a lot of the stores are offering fast shipping but in order to get that instant gratification, i have to spend more than i originally intended. In my mind, and most college students I know, although fast is great, low prices and being able to change my mind without extra costs is the luxury i would rather have. Fast isn't always better. I would hear about how your compony is going to save me money instead of offering me benefits that often end up to be costs.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/shoppers-prefer-easy-returns-over-quick-shipping-148126