The.Good.Life

I've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what I want to do next.  While my future is still up in the air, there is one thing I can be sure of:  I want to be involved with the marketing/advertising industry.  

I know, I know, a ton of people want to be in advertising.  What does it take? For starters, it takes extreme creativity and a passion for developing a brand.  While I have the creativity up here (points to head), I don't have the creativity here (lays out hands), so what have I decided?  I'm looking to be an account guy, a salesman of sorts.  What do I want to sell?  A product, a service, an idea, and a brand.  How do I plan on selling this?  Through an analogy that popped into my head just a few days ago, something I'm tentatively titling (and awaiting suggestions on), called the "Marco Polo Plan" an the "Sharks and Minnows Solution."  Just a little something fun to think about next time you're out back at the pool.

In advertising, the two most effective ways of reaching an audience are communicating directly with them or letting them come directly to you.  More or less the push and pull methods.  Which is more effective?  It all depends on the planning and execution, but it's safe to say that each are very reliable in terms of reaching an audience.  

The first plan I'd like to talk about is based loosely off the popular swimming pool game Marco Polo.  Why am I resorting to children's pool games to get my point across?  Because everyone knows it, it's a simple concept, and it describes exactly what a company wants to hear in terms of results.  Where am I going with this?  Let's look at the game at its most basic level.  


There is one player, Marco, who is unable to see anyone else in the pool.  There are then numerous other players, Polos. who hide amongst themselves in the pool.  The catch?  Each time Marco states his name, the other individuals must reveal there location by stating Polo.  Enough of the history lesson - how does this relate to advertising?  There are so many companies out their without a brand identity.  Their target audience is out there, revealing their locations, and still they cannot seem to find them.  I want to help companies make sure that they never have to be Marco again.  It's the simplest push method around.  Find their target market, where they spend money, where they shop, where they network, what websites they visit, etc, and put them in direct contact with them through targeted campaigns and promotions.  No longer shoud companies swim blindly through the water asking for signs of life- take your blinders off, get out there, and make your presence known.

Never heard of Marco Polo or just don't like the idea of the MPP?  Well let's try the pull method, based off the other popular swimming pool game, "Sharks & Minnows."  This one might be a little less popular, but the basics are still there.  One individual, the shark, stands outside the water while the other individuals, the minnows, try and swim across the pool without making a splash.  When the shark hears a splash, he/she is then allowed to jump in the pool in an attempt to tag a minnow.  No one wants to be a shark, but in case, you should be willing to take a risk.  Advertising says, make a splash, let the consumer come to you.  Just being a small fish, flying under the radar, doesn't work for businesses.  In this case, the shark is the consumer.  He/she is waiting to be shaken or stirred.  Advertising makes it possible to reach the consumer, communicate knowledge, and allow the user to act upon his or her discretions.  I want to be the one who makes it possible for small businesses to be heard, and I want to be responsible for creating the splash that gets the sharks biting.  
Let me know what you think about the Marco Polo Plan and the Sharks and Minnows Solution.  Pitch it to the clients or pitch it in the trash?  You be the judge.  Either way, this should hit home with a few and give you a little something to think about next time you hear the kids in the pool.

Short on time but want to share this video with you.  An advertisement at a restaurant in Germany.  The freshest fish you'll find.  Pretty ingenious to me.  Affordable, interesting, and attention-grabbing.  I don't like fish, but I'd at least take a picture.  

Augmented reality is on the horizon.  What is augmented reality you ask? Let's look at the first word: augmented.  Augmented means improved, additional, or multiplied.  Add the word reality, and we're looking at improved reality with multiple dimensions.  Where are we seeing this most today?  Movies.  3D movies are the simplest form of augmented reality.  They make you think that you are immersed in the film, experiencing things in front of you, around you, and behind you.  While 3D movies are pushing the film industry in new directions, I think the use of augmented reality in advertising is what is really going to change the lives of consumers in the future. 

My first introduction to augmented reality in advertising came about a month ago.  One of my favorite bands, Blink 182, teamed up with Frito Lay to create a brand awareness campaign for a new flavor of Doritos.  What's the catch?  If you buy a bag of the Doritos before a certain date you will get a ticket in your bag.  With this ticket you can go to a website at a certain time on a certain date, scan the ticket through your webcam, and enter into an exclusive concert venue featuring a live performance from Blink 182.  How did this work?  With mixed results. 

I did go purchase a bag of Doritos and got my ticket.  The night of the concert, I scanned the ticket, got into the online venue, and watched the performance.  It was pretty cool actually scanning the ticket and feeling like I was seeing an exclusive performance.  The concert itself however, didn't deliver much reality at all.  Hunter Hidman, creative director behind the promotion stated, "The experience literally explodes out of the bag onto your screen."  While that was true (the screen was a Doritos bag, and it ripped open to have the band playing) it wasn't as explosive as I'd thought.  My ideas for improvement?  Still working on them.  But this is just the beginning and companies are starting to find new and innovative ways to approach this idea of augmented reality. 

The newest company to hop on the AR campaign is Best Buy.  What are they doing to break the barrier?  Offering 3D Weekly Advertising promotions through a specialized website that uses your computer's webcam to create virtual 360 degree images that rotate before your eyes.  How does this work?  To be honest, I haven’t tried it yet.  Do I think it's a good idea?  I'm on the bubble.  The website (http://www.bestbuyin3d.com/) makes it look pretty cool, but truthfully, I don't think were in the technological age yet where people won't leave their homes to go look at products in stores.  Seeing an image from an ad in 3D is very interesting, but it still lacks the reality of seeing the product in-store.  I think that it's a step in the right direction but it's not 100% there  just yet. 

Best Buy isn't stopping there.  Their next step in breaking the barrier between the company and the consumer is offering a new Twitter based service they call Twelp Force.  While I get the play-on-words (Twitter+Help = Twelp) I don't know how this is going to take off.  It's a Twitter page managed by technological experts who answer tech questions via Twitter 24/7.  I understand the concept, appreciate the simplicity, but am still unsure whether I think Twitter is a good platform for tech questions.  With questions and answers restricted to 140 characters, I like the idea of short and simple, but find it hard to believe that most questions can be handled as such.  Once again however, I don't see many other companies offering a Twitter based solution service, so my props to you Best Buy.   

The point of this post is this:  Think outside the box.  In fact, think outside the circle, because in today's world I think everyone is connected in ways more reminiscent of a circle than a square.  What can companies do in the future with a webcam and a computer?  What product or service can you offer your clients via Twitter? What promotion could serve as the next driving force for your brand's identity?  It's these new technologies that are paving the way for the next generation of consumers, and it is up to us to find new and exciting ways to communicate our messages to them.   

Check out more on the Doritos and Best Buy campaigns here:http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/07/blink-182-rocks-augmented-reality-show-in-doritos-bag/ 
http://www.bestbuyin3d.com/

I just came across this new ad for Fruit by the Foot.  I can't believe it still exists.  It's basically like chewing on rubber for 2 hours and it takes about four brushes and 2 cartons of floss to get it out of your teeth.  I liked it as a kid though, not going to lie.  Anyway, here's their new ad which features two weird kids battling it out with fruit by the foot.  My personal favorite, replacing his fingers with fruit by the foot.  But I gotta say, the whole DNA thing, very smart my friend, very smart.