Marketing Matters

 

Someone sent me an e-mail the other day that reminded me of the fluidity of marketing. They had images of ads from the past that really brought home the point: what might be appropriate today could be disaster tomorrow. This goes well beyond simply being politically correct. In fact, the current backlash of being overly PC today can make being unPC very PC (did you see the GoDaddy Ads on Superbowl)?

Which made me consider the fact that smart marketing often involves breaking the rules. 7Up did it when they became the UnCola. Avis did it when they boasted about being #2. Brenner Associates has been effective at gaining client visibility by breaking some of the most hardened rules regarding press releases (see earlier post). But as my piano teacher told me many years ago, you really need to understand the rules before you can break them. That’s because it involves risk. But then (as the same wise piano teacher told me) you never attain real greatness without engaging in some level of risk taking.

Well, with unnecessary over-analysis aside. I think the following ads from the past speak for themselves. Hope you enjoy…or at least find them thought provoking.  Next week, I’ll post a few more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And oh yes, if you have similar print advertisments from the past that belong in this collection, I’d be happy to share them in future posts. Just send them along.

admin Communications Industry, Misc., Uncategorized Advertising, communications, digital marketing, marketing, portland pr, portland public relations, PR, PR Tips & Thoughts, social media

As most everyone knows by now, on January 12, 2010 Haiti was all but leveled by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. And while TV news played a big role in informing the world about developments related to this disaster, it was non-traditional digital communications that really stole the show.

It was cell phones and websites, Twitter and blogs, personal websites and social networks that called the world to action and resulted in one of the most successful relief support (donations) efforts ever conducted.

 Soon after the word of the earthquake began to spread, agencies such as the Red Cross and AmeriCare jumped into action. The word spread and requests for donations to help relief efforts were at the forefront of the messages being relayed.

 In a matter of days, the Red Cross began receiving millions of dollars from $10 donations sent via text messaging over mobile phones.

In addition, bloggers jumped into action, creating conduits for receiving and delivering additional donations. WhatGives!.com , launched a 24 hour fundraising telethon that raised thousands of dollars in aide. Partnered with a radio fundraising broadcast, they raised thousands more.

At the same time, those that gave and those that were concerned got onto their Twitter and Facebook pages to tell the world of their actions and ask that  readers do the same.

The result was the quick accumulation of much needed relief donations. The Red Cross alone raised more than $21 million – that compares to $400,00 raised for Hurricane Katrina and more than 5 times the amount raised in mobile donations in 2009 by ALL CHARITIES PUT TOGETHER.

The use of digital media has once again proven to be a highly effective means of spreading the word and calling people to action. 

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