Ford and Web radio station Pandora are partners in a new cause-marketing push featuring artists John Legend and Jewel. The fourth-quarter campaign allows Pandora visitors to use the platform's social share feature to share a "mixtape" from playlists compiled by either artist. When a song is shared, Ford and Pandora will make a donation to the artist's charity of choice. Ford signed Pandora to its Sync platform earlier this year. Promotional ads on Pandora with Ford branding feature the artists speaking about their favorite causes in short videos. The artists ask listeners to download their music and a portion of the paid fee is donated. Matt VanDyke, director of U.S. marketing communications at Ford, and Tim Westergren, Pandora founder and chief evangelist, revealed the new program on Tuesday at the IAB Mixx conference on digital media as part of Advertising Week events in New York. Ford is doing similar programs with This Week in Tech (TWiT) podcasts, Podtrac, and Revision3 Internet television that touts Ford products without traditional ads. The Revision3 program gave hosts of its tech culture show, Diggnation, a 2011 Ford Fiesta equipped with Ford Sync and asked them to talk about the Sync program with listeners. Westergren says the program builds on efforts the media company started last year that had artists asking consumers to download their own favorite songs. "It's in our backyard; we are using musicians with connections to Pandora, and we can weave information about their upcoming tours and releases into the campaign," he says. VanDyke said that Ford's marketing focus on its Sync product -- an in-vehicle media platform that allows passengers to stream content such as Pandora from their smartphones and other mobile digital devices to their vehicles' audio systems -- makes mobile apps a marketing opportunity. "I look at this space and say if apps are a $4 billion business by 2012, we had better be active and learn how to engage with people ... for me as a marketer, most in-vehicle mobile advertising is bad and this gives us a platform to do work that is engaging." But VanDyke said the company is not looking to monetize Sync by using it as an advertising space for third-party advertisers. "Right now, we are looking at it solely as a way for people to bring their devices into their cars without having to install other products. It creates consumer value to drive overall sales," he says. Westergren said cars are the Holy Grail for Pandora because 50% of radio listening happens in vehicles. "We are excited about the prospect of making Pandora as ubiquitous as broadcast radio," he said, adding that 65 million people use Pandora and 40 million are using it on mobile devices. Westergren said that since Pandora was founded on personalizing the music experience, it is essentially a "unicast" experience, allowing for targeted marketing. "Because you are having a one-on-one conversation you are no longer taking one message and blasting it out in a 'spray and pray' method. You can control messages to the individual receiving it. It allows us to tap into personalization and create meaningful messages at scale."
As they gear up for what many expect to be a very robust holiday season, online retailers are increasingly looking beyond the U.S., according to a new study from Forrester Research and the National Retail Federation. While 73% of online retailers say they already send products abroad from their home country's distribution center, 17% already have a foreign warehouse in place, hoping to tap into the world's 1.6 billion online consumers. And those that ship abroad say they get an average of about 5% of revenues from foreign sales. The report, which is part of "The State of Retailing Online" research series, conducted by Forrester for Shop.org, the online division of the National Retail Federation, also reports that U.S.-based retailers are still in the early phases of figuring out the logistics of selling around the world. For example, 37% currently require customers who want to return an item use a returns center in the retailer's country of origin, while 12% have an international returns center located in their own country to handle foreign returns. The report analyzed 87 online retailers and found the companies are beginning to see their efforts at site improvement pay off: Some 54% say they've increased conversion rates over 2009 levels, 27% have seen gains in units per transaction, 47% say the value of average orders has gone up, and 31% say they've seen a decline in shopping cart abandonment rates, a key measure of customer satisfaction. Retailing experts are keeping a close eye on all e-tailing efforts, with online sales expected to be among the most robust sectors in the upcoming holiday season. Kantar Retailing, for example, which just released its holiday forecast, is predicting hefty growth. "Online sales have been growing at double-digit rates recently due to a strong demand for e-book readers, e-books, smart phones, and other consumer electronics," it says in its release, which calls for a 2.5% gain in holiday spending overall. "This demand can be difficult to predict and represents a wildcard in our forecast."
As of Sept. 24, Jack Daniel's had gathered nearly 13,000 Facebook- and text-generated signatories for a petition to have the birthday of the spirit's creator/namesake declared a national holiday -- with in-person signatures generated during the month-long campaign's 10-city bus tour yet to be tallied, reports a brand spokesperson. Representatives of the Brown-Forman brand will deliver the signed petition to Congress when the tour, which began in Jack Daniel's home city of Lynchburg, Tenn. on Sept. 18, wraps up in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 29. But don't start making plans for that paid day off just yet. Technically, the U.S. doesn't have national holidays, and the brand is not actually asking legislators to sponsor a bill making "Mr. Jack's" birthday a federal legal public holiday. (And since the exact date of said September birthday has been lost to history, the brand says that any day that Congress might choose within the month to recognize the occasion is okay by it.) The exact nature of the petition's request is "open to interpretation," acknowledges the spokesperson. "We're having fun with it, to see what happens." "We certainly realize that there are plenty of very serious things going on in the country, but we also think folks should have a little fun with this particular campaign," explained Jack Daniel's master distiller Jeff Arnett, in a press release. The petition cites Jack Daniel's "embodiment of the American Dream," his fame in more than 135 countries, the endurance of his nearly 150-year-old business (the oldest registered distillery in the country), and his support of all parties (his only "platform" being "drinking responsibly") as among the reasons for officially commemorating his birthday. The "Back Jack" campaign located its "headquarters" online at JDBDay.com, which offers a special Facebook app for fans wishing to sign, a video to share with friends, a map tracking state-by-state support thus far, campaign posters, and opportunities to win badges and improve one's "delegate" status by getting friends to sign. Fans can also sign by texting JDBDay (to 68405), and in bars and other locations. In addition, the brand is promoting a JAGTAG that enables users to view a campaign video through mobile devices. Mr. Jack's 160th birthday is, of course, also being marked with a commemorative bottle that hit stores this month (suggested price of $29.99 for a 750-ml size). Like other Jack Daniel's commemorative bottles, these bear unique reference numbers on their neck tags, enabling purchasers to register them on JackDaniels.com. The brand's suggested official toast: "Here's to Mr. Jack, 160 years old and still out in the bars every night." In addition to Lynchburg and D.C., the tour visited Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York City.
DHL Express is launching a new global product campaign on Oct. 4 that emphasizes its time-critical shipping capabilities. DHL is highlighting its cross-border shipping expertise for export-oriented businesses. The campaign, which will appear in 30 countries, begins first overseas with the U.S. debut to take place later, according to a DHL Express spokesperson. Key markets include China, India, Brazil, Mexico, UK and Germany. Created by 180 Amsterdam, the campaign includes TV, print and online ads, and below-the-line promotion. Themed "No One Knows," the ads target small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as key industry companies, and focuses on DHL's unique knowledge of markets worldwide, regional and on local country levels. DHL serves customers in more than 220 countries and territories. Ads, which will run through December, will also stress DHL's competence in specialized full-range services for industries, such as health care/life sciences, technology, oil and energy and the automotive industry. "The relevance of cross-border express services becomes clear to companies when they look into opportunities abroad," says Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express, who presented the campaign at a press conference in Beijing earlier this week." DHL's global capabilities and local knowledge can help companies set up fast-to-market delivery systems, everywhere around the world. This is a central element of the campaign." Recent trade data signals continuously strong export figures. According to recent data released by the Transport Research Center of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), airborne trade between Europe and Asia, Europe and the Middle East as well as Europe and the Americas has gained momentum in recent months, despite the recent global economic downturn. The data suggest strong demand for higher-value fast-to-market goods, which typically travel by express.
Everyone has pictures they wish they could take again. They're blurry, off-center, dark or too bright in the foreground from a flash. Canon is looking to right a few of these wrongs with a new marketing campaign called "Your Second Shot." "There's a lot of clutter out there from a lot of different brands, with a lot of celebrity-endorsed products, but there's not a lot of technological propositions to the consumer," Michelle Fernandez, senior marketing manager for Canon, tells Marketing Daily . "We're really putting it in terms of what really matters to [people], which is getting a great photograph." The multimedia effort showcases the company's HS System, a technology designed to sharpen images even under poor lighting conditions. The campaign, which kicks off this week, begins by telling the story of Sofia and Dan, a young couple who traveled to Barcelona three years ago to take a picture where Sofia's parents first met. Unfortunately, the picture they took three years ago turned out blurry and dark. In a television commercial (and corresponding longer Internet video), the couple heads back to the spot to take a clearer shot using a Canon camera and the HS System. "Their story is one of missing that one singular moment," Fernandez says. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and they were not able to capture the photograph." Other stories that will be featured on the specially created microsite, www.usa.canon.com/yoursecondshot, show a woman recapturing the poorly photographed surprise she sprung on her father for his 60th birthday and a group of friends who made a bet concerning a mechanical bull. To increase engagement, Canon is also encouraging people to submit their missed photograph stories via the Web site, for the chance to inspire the next commercial in the campaign. The television commercial will begin airing in select markets this week before moving to cinema and cable outlets in November. The campaign will also include video and online components.
Patrick McKenna's expressed thoughts at the Mobile Advertising Summit at B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill in New York on Tuesday might have sounded familiar. The manager of marketing communications at BMW, reporting to the new head of divisional marketing Dan Creed, sounded the same themes as Ford's Matt VanDyke, who spoke earlier in the day at the IAB Mixx digital media conference. BMW's onboard multi-media platform, like Ford's, is basically a dock for an array of mobile devices people bring into their cars. He said BMW is developing device and content deals with the likes of BlackBerry and Pandora, and also developing a platform to deliver audible emails in vehicles. "In-vehicle technology is a two-pronged business for us. First, we are marketers looking at mobile as way to communicate the BMW brand. The second prong is a car's relationship to mobile with the car acting as a portal to mobile devices," said McKenna, who was interviewed by Matt Freeman, CEO of Mediabrands Ventures. He said BMW marketers know from on-board data streams what devices owners are tethering to the onboard system. "The car itself tells us what it's pairing with it. Thirty-two percent of BMWs are paired with iPhone and 26% with BlackBerry." He says automakers have to "surrender" onboard operating systems to mobile devices. "For many years, lots of technology was fixed, built in and designed to stay with the car. Now, what the car runs will come through a mobile device that stays in your pocket. Those apps run through the car but aren't based in it," he said. "Technology inside the car is a challenge partly because when it is fixed in the car and stays with car, it ages and depreciates at a faster rate than the car. If we can rely on mobile devices being operating systems, the car is neutral." McKenna says that, from a marketing standpoint, BMW is mulling the car's access to digital media as a way to deliver time- and place-relevant messages, using BMW infrastructure as a place for luxury companies to deliver messages. "It could be a luxury hotel or provider of luxury services seeking an affluent population," he said. "If you have people driving new BMWs, you are talking about a universe of people who are income-qualified. If you have the right people in the right places and know there's a five-star hotel nearby, that might be the time and place for an outside message. We haven't scratched the surface of that, but it's where it could go."
I'm going beyond the press release and into advertising territory in this column, after a recent article in The New York Times' "On Advertising" column grabbed my attention. It discussed the trials and tribulations of a new female "enhancement" product that is having a hard time getting airplay. Pun very much intended. Most readers of that article would surmise that its purpose was to highlight the disparity between what is acceptable in advertising -- or not -- when it comes to "our" sexuality, as well as the double standards that exist within the advertising today world today. To me, the article also raises another red flag: the very aggressive and divisive political atmosphere that has engulfed our country when it comes to women's choices and the freedom and control that we have over our bodies. And let's not forget the media cohorts, either. However, as this is not the appropriate place to discuss political issues, I won't. So let's go back to advertising. Advertise like it's 1959 When it comes to today's media market (or did I mean to say meat market), one could argue that society has progressed a great deal since the early days of television and print advertising, à la "Mad Men." More and more, we have been exposed to TV shows, commercials and ads that feature interracial families, homosexual couples (albeit male, predominately), and an altogether a more laid-back attitude when it comes to discussing and displaying things of a sexual nature. This, however, is not the case when it comes to female sexuality -- which seems to be as taboo as ever if we take the boycott of this female product as an indicator. Zestra Essential Arousal Oils, a product designed to enhance the female sexual experience, is struggling to find networks or publications that will run its ads. I have to say that Zestra's commercial is really rather lame, especially compared with ads for same category products like KY gel and Trojan condoms. It's a number of middle-aged women talking about their diminishing sex drive due to getting older and having children. Hello out there -- there is nothing remotely "inappropriate" about either, and I can very confidently make this statement as a mother of two almost grown-up children, and as a woman approaching the company's target customer's age. Right now, Zestra is having a tough time getting approval to air its ads. The company has had its ad pulled from prime time on most major networks -- the very same networks and stations that run male enhancement ads for Viagra and Cialis ad nauseum. Even Facebook pulled the ads after just a couple of weeks. In the end, Zestra has had to settle for the graveyard shift -- after midnight -- when its target audience is fast asleep, dealing perhaps with hot flashes and worries about their university-bound children and the associated financial obligations. And I can tell you, that is definitely not sexy, on air or in real life. So why this double standard? Why is it okay to publicize men's sexual needs, but not women's? Looks like we can't have it both ways What this situation makes apparent is that while we have become more accepting of certain social issues -- we have no problem watching "The Situation" get his rocks off with several females at a time -- there is still an enormous double standard in acknowledging the comfort level of women's sexuality, in any medium. While we seem to be perfectly fine with ads showing women as sex objects (Heidi Montag, Kim Kardashian, et al.), it suddenly becomes unacceptable once real women start discussing their real sexual needs and desires. Since when did American media become uncomfortable with recognizing the sexual needs of women equally? Are we less progressive than the Europeans, or even the British -- supposedly prudish -- who quite openly discuss sexual topics like S&M and sex toys in their daily papers? Watch the ad and tell me what you think. Is it so racy for prime time compared with its male counterparts? Are the networks right to ban an ad like this? And what message are they sending to American women?