Australian Cigarette Plain Packaging, Does it really put you off?

Its been a while since the Australian government changed cigarette packaging in Australia to plain green packaging with graphic warnings displayed on the front of them. An example of the plain packaging is shown below.

As you can see from the picture above this packaging has eliminated cigarettes brand's visual identity. Therefore leaves consumers no way of differentiating between cigarette brands other than price. The graphic images that take up three quarters of the front of the box create negative connotations associating smoking with cancer, blindness and even sick children.

But is this really putting people off? Well I am a non-smoker and I believe that because smoking is so addictive, people are going to continue to smoke regardless of the warning labels of cigarette. However the packaging does allow smoking to be portrayed as a more harmful and 'less cool' activity compared to the past. 

The Buzz of Guerrilla Marketing

Companies continue to look for different ways of marketing their products and services in order to win the competitive race in their market. One of the techniques that is used time and time again is Guerrilla marketing and no it has nothing to do with gorillas! Guerrilla marketing is basically low-cost unconventional ways of promoting a product or service. Examples of Guerrilla marketing could be anything from flash mobs to 3D billboards. It all depends on what the company is wishing to portray. These are some interesting examples below.

Creative stuff! Well I think they are! This form of advertising is a good way of standing out in the crowd as consumers continue to be exposed to more and more advertising material. Therefore it is a very effective way to get your brand out there and get people talking.

Dumb Ways to Die and Win

Viral video from Metro Trains in Melbourne Australia's campaign to promote train safety that was released in November 2012 is an example of a very creative viral video. When released "Dumb Ways to Die" received 2.5 million views within 48 hours (1) and 4.7 million views within 72 hours (2). This cute advertisement portrays the dangers of traveling on public transport in a innocent way. This video is targeted at a wide range of consumers from primary school students to young adults due to being a computer generated cartoon video that everyone can understand. The campaign was devised by McCann in Melbourne and has been viewed all over the world.

So how effective was it? Metro reported a 30% reduction in comparing the period of November 2011 to January 2012 and November 2012 to January 2013 when the campaign started (3). This is a very positive outcome to the campaign. The clear message advised by McCann and Metro Train them self has lead to great success. This shows how powerful the internet can be and how companies can use the internet particularly social media to their advantage. (watch "Dumb Ways to Die" below--->)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw

Footnotes

1."Metro's tongue-in-cheek transport safety animated video goes viral on social media". The Age. 19 November 2012.

2.  "Cute Melbourne safety video Dumb Ways to Die becomes internet smash". Herald Sun. 19 November 2012.

3. Stephen Cauchi (14 February 2013). "No dumb luck: Metro claims safety success". The Age. Retrieved 15 February 2013. 

Search Engine Advertising, is it effective or just a waste of time?

As the internet has evolved more and more businesses are looking to develop online marketing strategies in order to keep up with competition. One of the tools that is commonly used is Search Engine Advertising (SEA). What is SEA you might ask? Well SEA is advertising at that is displayed at the top or within a search engine results page (See the picture below for clarification!). This advertisement is targeted using certain keywords chosen by the business that are related to their business.  The cost of these ads can vary but the business often pays per click with a budget set. After the budget is met the ad will not be displayed anymore. Clever isnt it?

However how many of us look at the ads at the top of one of our Google searches and say to ourselves that ad looks dodgy. Well because of this many consumers ignore these ads and just label them as spam or even just annoying. But if they are placed effectively they can work very well. For example if you are looking for an online used book store the ads at the top of the search may be useful as the geographical location of the online store is not a big deal. However if you are looking for a plumber it is possible that the ads at the top of the screen will not be useful as they might be ads for plumbers outside of your residential area or even your state that have just chosen plumber as a keyword. It may be good for these type of businesses to use another form of online marketing.

Therefore it is very important for businesses to choose there keywords wisely and determine whether SEA is a suitable way of advertising their business to avoid economic losses.

Good Old Old Spice

This Old Spice ad is one of most catchy ads I have seen. It is one of those ads that don't talk directly to the consumer, they are talking to the potential purchaser of the product like 'The Girlfriend' or 'The Wife'. This particular ad 'The Man Your Man Could Smell Like' was one of the fastest growing vital videos of 2010.

This commercial portrays the ideal image for the purchasers partner, that if they buy Old Spice for their man he will smell and be like the man in the commercial. Its true when they say sex sells because this commercial uses it very well together with humor. This ad is by far a very effective advertisement. 

Classy Chanel

Today I went to the supermarket and came across this Chanel advertisement at the back of a style magazine.

I like Chanel always do their print advertising quite well as they always portray the classiness and sophistication of their brand. The black and white colouring used shows Chanel's 1900-1920's heritage. This has been consistantly used throughout many of Chanel's advertisements, print and film.

Chanel likes to portray women in a classy elegant way which I believe is a positive image for women in this day and age. Many women look to role models that are portrayed in a sexual way that sets expectations for women to dress with little clothing and be stick thin. That is why Chanel set themselves apart from may other luxury fashion brands. They portray women in a classy way not a sexual way. Allowing women to feel empowered and confidant when wearing Chanel products.