Not sure if your non-virtual social life is up to snuff? Looking to improve it? Ironically, there’s now an app for that: Ultimat Vodka’s “The Social Life Audit” (found at www.sociallifeaudit.com). The app employs Face.com’s facial recognition API and access to the network’s database of more than 2.5 million bars, restaurants and nightclubs to analyze the user’s Facebook photos and Facebook Places check-ins. The program then scores these “social life assets” and assigns pass/fail grades in categories such as “Gender Ratio,” “Average Mood” and “Social Status,” accompanied by personalized infographics. It also suggests local social activities to help improve one’s scores. Users can compare and share their scores with those of their Facebook friends. A leaderboard ranks Social Life Audit performances of Facebook users across the country. The process takes under 30 seconds. The app is an extension of the recently launched, $8-million “Find Balance, Find Ultimat” campaign from the Patrón Spirits International vodka brand and agency Amalgamated. The campaign -- which spans ads in consumer and trade print media and out-of-home in key markets, as well as digital and social media elements -- seeks to encourage hard-driving professionals with a taste for luxury products to make time to get out, socialize with friends…and treat themselves to some Ultimat vodka. The app, produced/created by Stink Digital, is intended to “provide consumers with a fun, interactive look at how their social lives compare to others’, while suggesting local bars and restaurants where they can relax with friends and work toward achieving more balance in their lives,” sums up Jennifer Long, brand director, Patrón Spirits Company.
Americans have turned into grocery-store Ninjas, and new research from Deloitte shows that in a typical shopping cart, fully 7 out of 10 of their items are discounted. But as consumers continue to intensify certain types of deal-seeking behaviors, such as having precise price limits for certain brands and items, they’re losing interest in others, including private labels. Pat Conroy, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and consumer products sector leader, puts it into perspective for Marketing Daily. Q: Consumers backing off private labels is big news: Your new research finds that 49% say they are no longer interested in store brands. What gives?A: When the recession started in 2008, people looked for many ways to cut costs. Even last year, they were still going through this process of discovery, saying 'I’m trying new products and not having bad experiences.’ They enjoyed experimenting, and liked the money they were saving. And they felt those brands were as good or better than name brands. Now they know what they like. Nine in 10 say they have already figured out which store brands and private labels work for their families, and which ones don’t. Q: So what are they experimenting with now?A: They’re through experimenting. Last year, they were still writing lists in pencil. Now, it’s in ink. And since they know what works, they can focus on what is most important to them, which is time. Shoppers are trying to become more efficient. Yes, they want to be frugal, and they’ve gotten very good at that. Now they want to recapture some lost time. That was a main driver before the recession, and they are returning to that. Q: So they are less focused on price?A: In some ways. They’re saving money by knowing exactly what they want before they walk into a store. They do expect deals. But the presence of deals in the store seems to be more important than the depth of the discount. Q: What are they focused on?A: Sport. They are proud of themselves, with 75% thinking, ' I am a smarter shopper than I was a year ago,’ and they see themselves as competing against stores and brands. They become emboldened, energized, and enthusiastic. For example, 80% do their own research and have a predetermined price point. And 66% shop when they know products will be on sale. Q: So how can stores work with that gaming mindset?A: Give the shopper more. We also just did a study on mobile technology, and as customers become more comfortable with smartphones, retailers will be able to give them bundles of information while they’re in the store. That’s so important, because consumers have become increasingly deaf to brands and offers. I call it the crisis of the similar. Q: What do you expect in the months ahead?A: With this skilled a shopper, I think this holiday may be a bloodbath. People know they can wait out the retailer and manufacturer. Someone will blink. Q: When will consumers relax this shopping vigilance?A: They won’t. This recession left a scar, not a bruise. Retailers and marketers had better get their heads wrapped around it. It’s not going to change.
Hyundai has inked a three-year partnership with the Recording Academy to become its “Official Vehicle Partner.” The multi-year partnership gives Hyundai the role of exclusive vehicle partner of the Grammys as well as original music projects. The partnership focuses on the Hyundai 2012 Veloster, a three-door coupe that the automaker is marketing to 20 and 30-something multitaskers. Hyundai actually began the collaboration last month with Re:Generation, a program centered on a documentary about a disparate group of DJ's who get together with legendary talents in different music genres to create five new electronic music tracks. Steve Shannon, VP marketing at Fountain Valley, Calif.-based Hyundai Motor America, said in a statement that the multi-year partnership involves Hyundai commissioning original works of art and new music projects. The Re:Generation trailer is at www.regenerationmusicproject.com, and youtube.com/veloster, where the five songs will also be posted. Hyundai says some 1.25 million visitors have accessed content via social media channels. In addition to screenings, the automaker will have digital apps, social media, online streaming and PR over the next year around the project, per Hyundai. As part of Hyundai's partnership with The Recording Academy, the latter will host screenings and make the film content available through its own social media channels. Meanwhile, Hyundai gets star billing as “Official Vehicle Partner” of both the Grammy Awards and Grammy Week. The automaker will run two 60-second spots on the Nov. 30 CBS Grammy Nomination Show. Hyundai says the two spots comprise content from the Re:Generation project plus behind-the-scenes video assets. At the 54th Annual Grammys at Staples Center on Feb. 12 (the show airs on CBS) Hyundai will have vehicles around the red carpet leading up to the venue, and the automaker's vehicles will also chauffeur stars to the awards ceremony, and be on display at the "Grammy Celebration" after-party. The automaker says its cars will also be at the Special Merit Awards and Grammy Nominee Reception. It will also have a presence at the Pre-Grammy Gala & Salute to Industry Icons event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel the night before the telecast. Finally, 10 viewing parties in Recording Academy Chapter cities will include Hyundai displays.
The share of hospitality loyalty program members increased by 13% versus one year ago, contributing to higher overall customer satisfaction scores, according to iPerceptions. During the economic downturn, many companies invested in their loyalty programs as a means of stimulating immediate bookings and longer-term brand loyalty, said Claude Guay, president and CEO of Montreal-based iPerceptions, whose clients include InterContinental Hotels, Hyatt, Fairmont, Best Western, Choice Hotels International and Wyndham Worldwide. “Their efforts have paid off, as members tend to have more positive Web site experiences than nonmembers, being that they are more familiar with the Web sites, visiting more frequently to make reservations, earn points, manage their accounts, “ Guay says in a release. “This results in members developing stronger relationships with the brands and exhibiting stronger loyalty over time.” The share of loyalty program members increased from 66% in Q3 2010 to 79% in Q3 2011. This trend was evident among both business travelers -- whose share of members rose from 80% in Q3 2010 to 90% in Q3 3010 -- and leisure travelers, whose share of members rose from 63% to 70%. Overall satisfaction scores increased during the same period, from 71 to 73, due in large part to the continued growth of loyalty program membership. Most attributes measuring the online experience increased significantly among loyalty program members between third-quarter 2010 and third-quarter 2011, suggesting that Web sites are doing a better job of meeting members’ needs -- either through site changes or more targeted offers. Content Relevancy continues to be identified as the key strength of the hospitality and tourism Web sites, indicating that they excel in providing meaningful, relevant information. Despite the large share of loyalty program members, however, the Web sites still struggle to convince visitors that they offer the best rates, as determined by comparatively lower scores for the Bottom Line attribute. Business travelers increased from 24% in Q3 2010 to 27% in Q3 2011, while leisure travelers decreased from 67% to 63%. Leisure travelers who came to make a reservation increased from 31% in Q3 2010 to 33% in Q3 2011. Visitors who did not complete their reservation because of price increased from 14% in Q3 2011 to 27% in Q3 2011, while those who did not book due to technical problems decreased from 17% to 5%. The report analyzed immediate post-experience feedback from more than 130,000 people visiting over 160 hospitality and tourism sites to identify issues and trends facing this unique industry. The data is international, with the USA representing 52% of the total, Canada 7.7% and the remainder of the world 40.3%. The full report can be found here.
In a new ad campaign timed to the holidays, Western Union demonstrates the adage that gifts are as much about giving as receiving. In three television commercials from Dallas agency Moroch Partners, the wire transfer company depicts three scenarios in which giving money to someone makes them feel more connected to the recipient’s life. In one commercial, an aunt (heard only in voiceover) explains: “To my niece, it’s money for a new camera. To me, it’s seeing the world through her eyes.” “With this new campaign, Western Union is raising awareness on the many ways we can make someone’s day better,” a company spokesperson tells Marketing Daily. “While sustaining the company’s 160-year history of innovation and helping people improve lives, the new branding elements depict visual timelines that invite consumers to be a part of the worldwide campaign.” Other scenarios depicted in the commercials are a mother sending money to her son, so he can buy a bus ticket home, and a man sending his brother money to buy a new shirt and tie for a big job interview. The spots will run in international markets such as Bulgaria, Romania, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, with customized voiceovers. “The advertising theme, ‘Better Today, Better Tomorrow,’ emphasizes creating positive moments throughout the holiday season by giving the gift of possibility,” she says. “Because the theme resonates with anyone wishing to give a gift this season, the campaign lent itself well to an international scale that could still be localized for individual markets.” The theme is also meant to tie in with the company’s overall “Moving Money for Better,” branding platform and its recently announced “World of Betters” Internet initiative through which people can share how they would use $1,000 to make the world a better place. Through that initiative, which launched on Nov. 1 and will continue through Dec. 15, Western Union will award 100 suggestions with the cash to accomplish that goal.
Toyota is launching the third season of its Appetite for Life campaign for the Toyota Venza crossover. The program centers on webisodes featuring celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, who for the past three virtual seasons has been a kind of gustatory Jack Kerouac, traveling U.S. byways in a Venza, eating, cooking, and hanging out with Americans. This season, which actually runs until next October, Zimmern is heading south of the Mason-Dixon line. The series -- via Saatchi & Saatchi LA, with some production heavy lifting from MSN -- comprises 20 two- to-five minute episodes, and will have Zimmern offering help to people in the South who were hit by regional disasters from tornadoes to floods. The effort includes support of Feed America. The series, which launched Nov. 17, has Zimmern engaging in such efforts as opening a pop-up version of Mike & Ed's Barbeque in Tuscaloosa, Ala. to help raise funds to rebuild the real thing, which was destroyed along with pretty much everything else by one of the dozens of twisters in this year's apocalyptic tornado season. He also coordinates a canned food drive for the people in Athens, Ga., to aid victims of recent flooding and tornadoes, helps Katy's Katfish in Rainsville, Ala. (also leveled by a monster twister this year) get customers back through the door, and uses the Venza to do Meals on Wheels deliveries in Atlanta. Those Alabama episodes showcase the features of the Venza while detailing scenes of horrific destruction that the region is still digging itself out of and has made parts of the South look more like Bangladesh than the U.S. Margaret Keene, executive creative director and Chris Pierantozzi, creative director at Torrance, Calif.-based Saatchi & Saatchi LA say boomers --the core Venza consumers -- are particularly involved in charitable activities, and are thus likely to connect with the series on that level as well as with the epicurean theme. The automaker has been forthright about pitching Venza to Boomers (albeit fun-seeking Boomers, which is how all Boomers see themselves) bucking a rather traditional approach of ostensibly marketing anything with wheels to young people, and it connects with older consumers' inner hipsters. This past summer Saatchi & Saatchi launched a Venza campaign in which boomer parents -- in a role switch -- were the ones having all the fun, while the kids who have moved out, or moved back, are actually the worried, uptight, generally stodgy, and bored ones. Pierantozzi says that while Saatchi & Saatchi developed the idea, the agency partnered with MSN for production of the project because of MSN's reach and acumen around content creation. "They have lots of experience and the production companies they use do amazing work. We knew the production value would be great," he says. Keene adds that the MSN relationship also reflects, more broadly, how the migration of digital media from the periphery to the center of creative campaigns has changed the essence of asset creation and delivery. "It's really about partnerships now, not just the media buy. It's about quality. [The series] looks like a beautiful, high end reality series, and has the look and feel of the [Toyota] brand; it's not the old webisodes all of us in the industry used to do. Production partners are really, really important." Pierantozzi says the agency, MSN and Zimmern used their respective social networks to make each of the events -- the restaurant pop-up, the re-Grand Opening of Katy's Katfish, for example -- a success. "We used social networks to reach out to people in the community, we put up fliers, we got the word out," he says. The Venza is featured in the series, as video footage captures the car from different angles and focuses on Zimmern using the vehicle's different features and amenities. And the microsite in which the episodes are embedded are also Venza centric. "We set up the website so that as you watch there's a separate module to one side that showcases the car; and when [Zimmern] uses a specific feature, the module highlights that feature as well," says Perantozzi. Keene says the site is a consumer experience designed to appeal to boomers. "The content is relevant; we designed it so that they will spend a while onsite," she says. The Venza crossover, first introduced in 2008, resides both in terms of price and size between the RAV4 compact SUV and the mid-sized Highlander crossover. Calendar year-to-date Venza U.S. sales are down about 17% to 33,157 through October.
The Shop Small movement is back again this year, encouraging consumers and small business owners to get involved with Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26. With national TV commercials and extensive online awareness campaigns, your local business is bound to benefit. But make sure to do your part by adhering to these four tips to help get the most out this well-publicized event. Socialize your involvement early on. Prior to Nov. 26, let your community know via Twitter, Facebook, in-store promotions, newsletters and other social channels to stay tuned for compelling offers and sales that you will make available to customers on that Saturday. If you are on Twitter, let everyone know you are participating and add the #ShopSmall and #SmallBizSat hashtags to your tweets. Offer a compelling deal for the day. To compete with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, get creative with an offer that will drive in-store visits and sales. Highly compelling offers such as “Buy One, Get One Free” on select items or 30%-50% off purchases will help you compete in a very competitive shopping season. By sharing your offer with the Amex Small Business Facebook page, you may also be included in their city guides in select markets. Create a video to personalize your business and explain why Small Business Saturday matters to you. There are more than 27 million small businesses in the U.S. that make up 60-80% of all new jobs created (Small Business Association), so let your community know why it's important to shop local! Video is an authentic way to let your customers know why shopping local is vital to the community and what your business has to offer. Personal assistance, unique products and knowledge of your customer base can make that personal touch that much more powerful. Leverage the creative materials created by American Express. This year it's easier than ever for small businesses to participate, thanks to the wealth of marketing materials that American Express has created for local businesses to promote their participation. From in-store signage and e-marketing tools to free Facebook ads, local businesses can leverage these turnkey materials to bring awareness to their products and services. What are some other good ideas you have to take advantage of this event? Would love to see your ideas in the comments.
In years past, exceptional/astounding/astonishing/outstanding creative pushed the advertising envelope. Consider Apple’s pivotal “1984” ad or Wendy’s unforgettable “Where’s the Beef?” But now, thanks to technology, innovation in advertising is about connecting with consumers. Want to make a great ad? Make it engaging, informative, useful or fun (or if you’re really good, all of the above). As the digital landscape evolves and the generation of “digital natives” moves into the spotlight, how can advertisers engage a generation that’s all mobile, all social, all the time? My bet is that those of us paying the closest attention to consumers – using tech and data to anticipate their wants and needs -- are going to figure it out first. Here are five ways you can put consumers front and center in your advertising: 1. Inform and entertain. Smart marketers -- as they continue to leverage leading-edge technology -- are going back to basics: creating advertising that puts consumers first. No matter how the digital landscape evolves, this is a strategy that’s bound to pay handsome dividends. Ads that provide consumers with utility, entertainment and value are an asset for the consumer, whether they are recipes from a food brand or road conditions from an automaker.