In Response to Will

Do you think personalized ads are good or bad? Why? 

I would have to agree with Will.  I would much rather have to sit through ads that I am interested in rather than something I could care less about.  Sales are always good to know about.  However, I understand why people are getting upset.  It is unsettling to think that you are constantly being tracked online.  It is too easy to get information about people from the internet.  One of my coworkers was talking about this matter Friday.  He told me how he did not like how you are constantly being followed on the internet.  The junk emails he gets drive him insane.  So I can see both sides of this tracking and ways of advertising.

New Wendy's look

http://grubgrade.com/2013/02/21/new-look-wendys-starting-next-week/

Wendy’s the fast food restaurant is now going to change their advertising, packaging and new crew uniforms.  They want to have a more upscale look.  They are changing the packaging to seem healthy.  In the new packaging they have taken away the color yellow.  Wendy’s has already added “healthier” stuff to their menu and they are trying to get away from their fast food look.  This is a way to draw in more customers because more people in society are becoming aware of the health dangers of fast food.  Their logo has not been changed since 1983 and I feel that huge fast food restaurants such as Wendy’s, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, etc. should not change their logos because that is how they are known and have been known for so many years.  This whole brand transformation just seems like a waste of money to me.  The idea of fireplaces and Wi-Fi makes me think they are trying to be either a Starbucks or Panera.

Do you think this new image will attract more customers?  Is the Transformation necessary or a waste of time and money?

In Response to Will

So what was your favorite commercial and why?

In my post below I talked about the Dodge Ram and the Budweiser commercial.  These two commercials were also two of my favorites.  They both had the stories that pulled you in and made you happy.  I'm not a huge dodge fan, but the commercial was still great.  Since Dodge and Budweiser are known by almost everyone they really didn't need to go into details about their products.  Society already knows what they sell and already have their opinions on whether they like them or not.

Guts Glory Ram

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIXRz4QRkPI

This 2013 Super Bowl Commercial was all over my news feed.  I have many friends and know many others who live on and grew up on farms.  They were all and are all very hard working people.  Many of them posted this video for others to view.  It amazes me how some companies can grab and keep your attention with a short story and barely say anything about the product or service they are trying to get you to purchase. The 2013 Budweiser Super Bowl commercial does the same kind of advertising and many posted and talked about this commercial as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs&noredirect=1

In the Dodge Ram commercial almost the entire 2 minutes a man is talking about farmers. They show a few clips of the truck throughout the video,  then the last few seconds shows a Dodge Ram. They do a great job of pulling the viewers in to appreciate the farmer and wait until the end to gear you towards Dodge Ram trucks.  The target audience is clearly known as the hard working men.

Do you think this is a good form of advertising? Should they pull you in with a short story or give more details about the truck?

In response to Melissa Moriwaki

Do you think the best kind of social media to use depends on what industry you are in?

Yes, I think the best kind of social media to use depends on what industry you are in. However, I think in most cases it is best to start off with either Facebook or Twitter because they are more widely used by the general population.  They are more gender neutral than some of the other social Medias, such as Pinterest that is more geared towards women. For retailers they are a good way to advertise sales and special events. For other businesses it is a good way to help people become aware of current events of your company. For example new research or things you are sponsoring and any events you are hosting.

What social media do you currently follow and what things have you become aware of from this exposure?

Can a T-shirt Save the World?

    Do you think a partnership with Product (RED) can improve Gap’s image? Is it a sign that they are making a commitment to corporate social responsibility or do you agree with critics who say their involvement is an attempt to spit-shine the company’s image while continuing to do business as usual?

I think partnership with Product (RED) will not improve Gap’s image.  This partnership brings celebrities to help market a shirt.  A portion of these proceeds will go to The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.  It does seem as though Gap is just trying to spit-shine the company’s image.  By saying that a portion of the proceeds go to The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa makes people skeptical.  I wouldn’t want to pay for a shirt if the money is said to be going to help others and then have only a small portion be given to them.  Also, once people have already bought the shirt to show support in funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa they will find other businesses and ways to donate and support.  Since the customer is only there to buy that one shirt the business will not be doing any better in the long run.  If Gap’s image ends up looking better at all it will only be during this time period.  Then their business will continue as usual.

Basically, I only believe they will look good for a while because they are having celebrities help sell the shirts and make it seem like a better cause then it is.  A good cause would really be if all proceeds went to The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.  This also doesn't mean the company will be run in a different way.

Do you think a portion of the proceeds going to a Global Fund is acceptable?  Or should all proceeds be given to the fund? (Especially is Oprah and Bono are promoting it)

In response to Joe Maturo

Do you like variety and options when buying something?


Of course I like variety and options when buying something.  However, I also love companies that are more specialized.  For instance, if I were to buy something like a kayak I would want to purchase it at a store that is more geared towards outdoors stuff or just canoes and kayaks.  I would not even think to look in a store like Walmart because they sell such a variety of things and I would not think that the kayak would be of as high quality.  I would agree that a variety of different sized and colored kayaks would be a plus.