Social media has changed the way to do nearly everything, from sharing recipes and opinions to pregnancy announcements. So it’s no surprise that it has changed the marketing game, taking the power away from traditional media forms and putting it in the hands of influencers – those people on social media that can influence people’s opinions in both positive and negative ways.
If people ever needed a reason to believe in the power of personal branding, they just need to look at politicians to understand its influence. A personal brand is a politician’s biggest asset, as its what makes people believe in them, rightfully or not. Just look at newly appointed prime minister, Justin Trudeau – before every major public debate, where he would be meeting his opponents head on, Trudeau made sure to be seen being active. One time, he visited a boxing gym, and another he paddled a kayak near Calgary. This active lifestyle was part of his personal brand, and it attracted people to him. He recently admitted that he left his opponents “in the dust”, thanks, in part, to his personal brand.
Trudeau is definitely not the only politico to rely on the power of a personal brand to appeal to voters. With the United States prepping to elect a new president in late 2016, multiple candidates are prepping their brands, hoping to get an edge on the other candidates. This tactic is bipartisan, with candidates from both parties – the parade of republicans and the five democrats – trying to only put the best image of themselves out there, branding their image and trying to ensure that it’s loyal to their core message: “Elect Me”.
There’s a reason we wear jewelry, accessorize with funky hats, or pick out specific outfits before going out into our day — we’re telling the world who we are before having to say anything. In a word, it’s communication.
When your brand pushes out content, it’s not just to have something to say, it’s to communicate exactly what — or perhaps who — you’re all about.
We’ve all seen them, those ads proclaiming that they can get rid of hair loss, where the list of potential side effects sound terrible. Or the ones where they promote that this one pill is the cure for erectile dysfunction, only it turns your hair a flaming red. These types of advertisements, known as direct-to-consumers, have been in the spotlight, with many wondering if their side effects outweigh the benefits, much like the drugs they promote.
Direct-to-consumer or business-to-consumer (B2C) advertising for healthcare products has been legal in the United States since 1985, and currently they are only legal in the US and New Zealand, of all places. Twenty-two out of 27 EU nations do not support information to patient advertising, which is what these ads do: give information directly to the consumer rather than to the medical professionals. This is like auto parts manufactures advertising tiny screws that hold a piston together directly to the consumer rather than to the mechanic that will know even if the consumer needs that specific part and what a piston even is! Marketing pharmaceuticals in the United States is a multi-billion dollar business and that number is only expected to rise in the next decade.
Creating film marketing plans and film marketing strategies is a challenging task since there are so many movies being released every single day. Additionally, because box office sales have fallen 5% in the past year, and there has been a decrease in overall ticket sales, developing strong film marketing strategies has never been more important.
There are many female millennials travelling, consuming goal-driven media, experiencing career freedom, and closely relating to any of the characters in the HBO series GIRLS. But there’s an even bigger percentage of them who are connected by one thing — they’re moms.
Of the 1.5 million women who have become mothers in the past year, more than 85 per cent of them are millennials. Loosely defined as anyone born between 1980 and the early 2000s, millennials are now starting to outnumber the baby boomers as the largest living demographic. In point: they’re now the world’s largest consumer group.
In the past, it was the drive-in. Archie Andrews loaded up his jalopy with first date memory-making tricks, picked up Veronica Lodge (or Betty Cooper, depending on the weekend), and took her to see a motion picture — a MOVIE, that is. There, the happy teen couple watched moving pictures, made out in the backseat (to the chagrin of Mr. Lodge/Cooper), and filled up on 50-cent hot dogs and extra-large sodas when the intermission commercials came on.
But grabbing teens’ attention via moving pictures didn’t stop in the frosted malt’s heyday. In fact, it’s growing more than ever.
When it comes to marketing a business or product, there’s a plethora of options to choose from. It can be difficult, because there is not one right way to a successful marketing or promotional effort. There are numerous combinations of on and offline tools, types of media and communication channels that can be used in different strengths to promote a business. Think of it like a game of Tetris – there are many different ways to attack the stacking game, and the tactic that worked for your rival might not be what works best for you.
Let’s face it, we spend the majority of our conscious lives at work, so whatever we choose as a career needs to be meaningful. And one aspect, which helps to make for a more engaging career, is the culture at your workplace. Culture is important, it ensures employees are given the room to grow and reach their full potential, in addition to being a place people are excited to be a part of. To be truly creative, it’s equally important to think about the environment you surround yourself with, as it is to think about your internal creativity.
Ask any creative person out there, ‘why is it so hard to be creative,’, and you will receive a multitude of answers – I don’t have a muse, no one around me is creative, my iPod is broken so I can’t listen to music, I sit in a cubicle all day and never see the outdoors. When it’s your job to develop a creative campaign, it can be difficult to be creative when all you see are three beige cubicle walls all day. It’s only when you can get outside, or retreat into a good book, when you can finally get inspired and get your creative juices flowing.
Fashion marketing is a multi-billion dollar business, supporting the careers of numerous models, cameramen and make up artists, among many others. When done well, fashion campaigns can make a large impact on the marketing world as a whole, not just the fashion world. And with the advent of Instagram, making a successful campaign has become more robust and interesting than ever before. Read More >
