Blog 10.2: Pearle Vision

Product – Pearle Vision

Price – The commercial does not actually mention the dollar price. However, the promotion is trying give price appeal to those who are looking for an eye doctor who tells the truth about being cheap.

Place – I watched this commercial during a break on channel 5 news on Monday evening at the gym.

Promotion – A woman who is probably in her upper 20’s with red hair is sitting in the eye doctor’s office. She is asking him many questions and he is hooked up to a lie detector. He continues to tell her about how their prices have not changed and continues to pass the lie detector. An automated voice comes on to close out the commercial by saying, “There are no surprises at the register. Another way we are different. Take a look at pearlevision.com.”

Industry – Retail. Hospitality. Medical. Frames.

Describe the Target Market –
This promotion is primarily targeting people who are sick of the pricing strategy at vision clinics being confusing. Likely, this target market is a woman who has been burnt out with all of her eye doctor visits a d wants it to be easier.

Does it work?
Maybe. I am not as convinced that this commercial is rememberable or has anything unique about it. At the same time, nothing is outrageous.

Blog 10.1: Old Navy

Product – Old Navy Hoodies and Crews

Price – Adult hoodies are $12 and children hoodies are for $8.

Place – I watched this commercial during a break on channel 5 news on Monday evening at the gym.
Promotion – This commercial takes place in an all white interior airplane staring Jennifer Love Hewit. All the dialogue is styled to be like a flight attendant speaking. “Attention all passengers, we are getting a style upgrade,” the automated voice speaks over the intercom. Jennifer soon appears and starts to talk about the new narrow fit hoodies that can be used as flirtation devices. Her hand signals look like that of a flight attendant routine. Mom, Dad, and two teens pose in their new Old Navy outfits as the commercial concludes.

Industry – Retail. Hospitality. Clothes.

Describe the Target Market:
Old Navy is targeting Mom and teens. Most retail stores have a very specific age range of their target market. Old Navy has taken on a different strategy for providing clothes all in one store that anyone in the family can purchase. In almost every scene this commercial shows a young mom with a teenage boy. This reinforces Old Navy’s ability to have clothes for both adults and kids. Additionally, the pricing strategy features a deal for parents and their kids.

Does it work?
Yes. I think this commercial is rememberable and it makes a clear shot at targeting mom and children.

Blog 9.4: StateFarm

Product – StateFarm

Price – This promotion does not a specific price, but is advertising that StateFarm has significant discounts.

Place – I passed this billboard on hwy 55 in Plymouth, MN on Sunday afternoon March 10th. I have seen this billboard probably 3 other times around the Twin Cities, but have not grabbed my camera quick enough.

Promotion – This promotion ia a bright red billboard on the side of the road that in white letters says,” oozing with discounts” in a large text with an underlying phrase, “up to 40%” in smaller text. All of this text is positioned to the right of a cheeseburger that has cheese drooling down the side.

Industry – Insurance. Auto. Home. Medical.

Describe the Target Market:
StateFarm is a national company that provides insurance and financial services (1). They have had to make significant marketing efforts to compete in the highly concentrated insurance market. The primary differentiator from business to business in the insurance industry is the price. This promotion is specifically targeting individuals who want a good deal on their insurance. Since everyone is required to have auto insurance, all insurance agencies are trying to provide the most for the least price. This explains why StateFarm is using this approach.

Does it work?
No. Every time I have seen this billboard I think about what a bad idea it was. The cheeseburger picture seems out of placed, far reached, and doesn’t help display the quality and heritage of the company.

Works cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Farm_Insurance (1)

Blog 9.3: Claritin

Product – Claritin Allergy Medicine

Price – This promotion does not mention price. However, the promotion is selling the quality of product and the freedom provided from usage.

Place – I watched this commercial between Seinfeld episodes at the gym on Wednesday evening March 6th.

Promotion – This promotion features a woman probably in her mid to upper 20’s who teaches outdoor recreational activities. The commercial starts with the camera out of focus to make the viewer feel like they are experiencing the haziness of allergies. Once the main woman holds up Claritin the screen clears and happy music starts to play saying, “I can see clearly now that the rain is gone.” This woman then proceeds to rock climb, white water raft, and climb heights. She exclaims, “I don’t let allergies stop me from leading the way, so I get Claritin. It works hard to relieve my symptoms and only Claritin is proven to keep me alert and focused as someone without allergies. Don’t let allergies hold you back!”

Industry – Pharmacy. Retail. Medical.

Describe the Target Market:
Claritin in general is targeted towards individuals with allergies. This commercial is precisely targeting individuals who love outdoor activities and physical activities, but get held back a groggy from allergies. The commercial does not specify, but alludes to Claritin’s specialty for relieving outdoor allergies.

Does it work?
Yes. I think Claritin’s messaging is consistent. All of their commercials have the same type of scenario. However, this could also be a point of weakness for the lack of creativity.

Blog 9.2: Re/Max, For All the Things that Move You

Product – Re/max realtors

Price – This promotion does not mention price. However, the promotion is selling the quality of service and promised excellent delivery.

Place – I watched this commercial between Seinfeld episodes at the gym on Wednesday evening March 6th.

Promotion – This promotion features people from all stages in life talking about thinks that they love in their house. A nerd and his nerd cave, a little boy and his secret passage, an old man and his closet space, a teenage girl who loves to run on a running path, a tall guy who needs high ceilings and such. An automated voice comes on delivering the message that, “Re/max has over 90,000 agents to find the perfect fit for all the things that move you.” Concluding with a young woman happy in front of her house that asks the viewer, “what moves you?”

Industry – Real Estate. Construction.

Describe the Target Market:
Re/max is an international retail company that uses a franchise method for its global business model (1). In this particular commercial, Re/max is targeting individuals who are looking to move and is using the emotional factor to motivate action. By featuring all different scenarios of people who now have a home with features they love starts the problem recognition for individuals who do not feel as satisfied with their current living situation. The commercial is not clearly targeted at just males or just females. The targeted audience seems broader than age of gender specific, but to anyone who wants to find a house that they love.

Does it work?
Yes. What stuck out to me was Re/max’s strong UVP statement, “For All the Things that Move You.” It is clever and rememberable while highlighting their core and actual product.

Works Cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RE/MAX (1)

Blog 9.1: Fructis Style Disorder Power Gel

Product – Fructis Style Disorder Power Gel

Price – This promotion does not mention price. However, the promotion is selling the utility of the gel and its’ ability to hold hair for 24 hours.

Place – I watched this commercial between Seinfeld episodes at the gym on Wednesday evening March 6th.

Promotion – This promotion features a young man sitting in a college classroom. He is white, with skater hair and wearing a blue shirt. Suddenly he notices a guitar player behind him and smiles as he is then taken to a rock concert and is crowd surfing. An automated voice speaks as rock music plays with these scenes unfolding. The automated voice reports, “New Fructis Style Disorder Gel. Strong hair? 24 hour hold. Because you have a 24 hour life.”

Industry – Cosmetics. Retail.

Describe the Target Market:
Garnier Fructis is a hair product line that has several product platforms. This commercial is advertising the new release of a hair gel that holds for 24 hours. The commercial is very obviously targeting college boys who do not want to fix their hair throughout the day. More precisely, college boys who like adventure and are not very reserved, but have a wild side. These boys are not looking for an expensive hair product, they don’t care about their hair extensively, but are willing to fix it once in the morning and want it to stay that way for the rest of the day.

Does it work?
To my perception, yes. I think that this commercial is very clear and specific in their messaging to their target market. It is very obvious to pick up on who they are targeting.

Blog 7.4: Caribou Coffee Cup

Product – Caribou Coffee (White Chocolate Turtle Mocha)

Price – This after purchase promotion does not mention price, likely because the customer has already made their purchase and is aware of the price. However, the cup that holds the customer drink’s is covered with reminders of why their purchase was a good choice.

Place – I purchased this cup of coffee on Saturday afternoon at about noon at a Caribou Coffee located in Blaine, MN.

Promotion – This promotion is a post-purchase advertisement. The cup in which the customer’s coffee is delivered has writing on it saying Caribou’s slogan, “Life is short stay awake for it.” Additionally, the protector that they give to prevent hands from getting burnt has a call out to caribou’s website while highlighting, “this product is made from 100% post-consumer fiber.” The purpose of this promotion is to further establish brand loyalty and increase repeat visits.

Industry – Retail. Hospitality. Coffee.

Describe the Target Market:
Caribou Coffee is the second largest non franchise coffee retailer in the United states with over 400 locations (1). They have made significant efforts to directly confront their primary competitor Starbucks. Caribou is targeting the same audience as Starbucks and has had to execute many initiatives to set them apart in the saturated coffee-house market. One of Caribou’s successful marketing initiatives was when customer’s submitted answers so the company themed question, “What do you stay awake for?” Following this, they put the top 50 or so answers on their cups. This increased the traffic of Caribou’s website while creating news for social media marketing. With this promotion Caribou is targeting young adults who are a part of the environmentalism movement and care about recycling and saving the earth.

Does it work?
Yes. The call out about using recycled materials is a nice call out reminding the consumer why Caribou is so great. The cup marketing that Caribou did I think was such a great idea.

Works Cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribou_Coffee (1)

Blog 7.3: Inspire Malibu

Describe how the company/business used the four “P’s” to add value and/or promote the product or service.

Product- Inspire Malibu Treatment Center

Price- Actual price is not mentioned. However, the commercial mentions that it is affordable. Rather the promotion features the quality of experience and the significant help it provide to addicts.

Place- I saw this commercial while running at Fitness 19 at about 8:45 pm on Monday 3/25/13. I was watching Seinfeld on channel 45.

Promotion- This is a commercial featured on channel 45 in between Seinfeld episodes. The camera starts to show the beautiful location and features of this rehab center. The sun is shining, the grass is green, the sky is blue – everything looks perfect. An automated voice comes on saying, Are you struggling with addiction or refuse to let a loved one suffer from substance abuse? Pick up the phone right now and call Inspire Malibu.” Soft piano plays in the background as different scenes of happy people occur in this beautiful home.

2. What industry(s) is the product or service a part of?

Health. Hospitality. Medical.

3. Describe the target market.

Inspire Malibu is targeting individuals who have had some type of substance abuse and are wanting to be free. This commercial in particular seems to be targeting the families of these individuals with substance abuse addictions. This is obvious because of the strong emotional pull the commercial is appealing to with the music and the way the questions are asked. This commercial stuck out to me because of the intensity of the emotion that it is trying to trigger in the viewer. They show all of these perfect scenarios with this beautiful music to initiate the problem recognition process in the viewer. “I want Joe to be as happy as that,” these are the kind of thoughts that this commercial is trying to provoke.

4. Does it work? Why or why not? Any general observations?
Yes. I think that the advertisement is effective particularly in its emotional appeal to the audience. I think that the service is unique. I have never seen a rehab alternative like this so this company has a point of differentiation.

Blog 7.2: Pet Supplies Plus

Product – Pet Supplies Plus

Price – Prices varry based on the product featured. A special sale is taking place between February 21 – March 27, 2013.

Place – I received this advertisement in the mail on 2/28. This was included in a packet of local Bloomington deals.

Industry – Food. Pet. Pet health and care.

Promotion – This promotion is a miniature magazine ad that was included in large pile of local deals. On the cover it has a A happy dog and cat with words in between them that says, ” you’re cute when you save. Try it now.” Beneath this headline is a ton of different options of pet food depending on the animal with bright purple letters displaying the great deal.

Describe the Target Market:
This promotion is targeting animal lovers who melt at the sight of a cute animal. These animal lovers want to take care of their pets, but can’t necessarily afford to buy the high-end animal food. This promotion is specifically targeting people who have a dog or cat. This could even target a mom who has to buy animal food for her child’s pet. The price point is fairly reasonable and this store has a ton of different brands, so mom can get everything she needs in one stop.

Does it work?
No. The ad is fairly busy and I am unclear to the message they are wanting me to walk away with. Mail advertisements have very low return. This suggests that there are more impacting marketing efforts that this company can make.

Blog 7.1: Ikea Magazine

Product – Ikea Kitchen remodel

Price – At the bottom center of this front page in white bold letters it highlights, ” Kitchen starting at $1799.”

Place – I received this advertisement in the mail on 2/28. This was included in a packet of local Bloomington deals.

Promotion – This promotion is a miniature magazine ad that was included in large pile of local deals. On the cover it has a beautiful kitchen with dark wood cupboards and white counter tops. Bold white letters border the top center of the cover saying, “It’s time for the kitchen you have always wanted!” In the lower center of the cover it has the same bold white font, but in a smaller size saying, “$1799.” It has an even smaller font size right above this that says, “kitchens starting at.”

Industry – Home furniture. Hospitality. Entertainment. Interior Design. Retail.

Describe the Target Market:
Ikea is a privately owned, international home products design company that designs and sells home appliances and furniture (1). This company has made significant strides in expanding into the American market and has become known as one of the top home appliance stores. Ikea’s target market is going to be primarily women who love modern interior design. This person cares about their home, but does not want to spend a copious amount of money on redecorating. With this promotion they are specifically targeting local homes, to raise awareness that they are not located far. Additionally, they are trying to catch the eye with the low price point in an effort to get the reader to search through the magazine. Interestingly, they place “starting at” in a very small font. Meaning that the featured price is the absolute low-end and likely not the kitchen the viewer is seeing.

Does it work?
Yes. I fit within Ikea’s target market and this beautiful kitchen caught my eye. It has a home feel, but it is a sharp look. The low price point is a point of differentiation for Ikea, which is evident on this promotion.

Works Cited:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKEA