The Holiday Spirit at Starbucks

It's a season for giving. Most people are happier than they may be during other times of the year and generosity pairs nicely with that. A lot of people get excited for a new season at Starbucks to begin with- their favorite peppermint drink is finally back! But Starbucks has given another reason to visit a store and purchase a seasonal drink; if you buy one, you can get a second one for free to give away. The campaign is named "Give Good," and it plays on our elevated feelings of generosity.

Sometimes it's hard to justify buying yourself a $5 drink when you know you're about to be spending so much money on gifts, but two drinks for the same price, one of which you get to give to a friend, is not only easier to justify but also makes you feel good about doing something kind for someone during the holiday season!

It's a busy season, but it's also a season for spending time with loved ones. Starbucks has created the perfect opportunity for friends and family to take a quick break from their busy day to grab a festive cup of coffee at a great price! This holiday season, there's another reason for the attention to be on Starbucks beyond the design of their cups!

Stadium Advertisement

The Florida Georgia game this past weekend got me wondering why stadiums are still filled with static advertisements. I noticed them, but I think having the mind of a marketing student could be the only reason for that. I imagine most people at that game wouldn't be able to recall a single message and probably not even many brand names circling EverBank field.

We know static banner ads on websites result in virtually no recall and that moving, dynamic ads are significantly more effective. So why is that not being applied beyond the internet? A brand video scrolling across the EverBank stadium screen would surely be more memorable and attention-catching than a still image of the Bud Light logo, though the company is certainly targeting the right audience!

There is far too much stimulation in a stadium of 65,000+ people to expect that a static advertisement is going to be what grasps attention. During time outs and halftime, if a company wants to steal attention from others in the stands or performers on the field, their only hope is to produce something moving and engaging across senses!

Totino's Pizza Rolls on Snapchat

The current ad presence of Totino's Pizza Rolls on Snapchat has me genuinely cracking up every single time I see it, and I would be very surprised if I was alone in that! The short ad commercial shows a man who has just poured out an entire bag of pizza rolls onto a pan. He is just about to open another bag when a friend says, "Dude, the serving size is 6 rolls!" The man quickly responds with an emotional, "WHAT THE ****!" The ad leaves it up to the imagination of the viewer to finish the sentence.

With this ad, Totino's masters using humor in a way that still aligns with their brand. It's a very simple message that the Snapchat audience relates to on a nearly spiritual level...

NOBODY EATS JUST 6 PIZZA ROLLS!!

With a young audience dominating Snapchat, Totino's has a lot of potential to reach an important portion of their target market, and I think they capitalized on that by truly understanding the sense of humor of high school and college-aged kids who can resonate with the man who wants to eat two bags of pizza rolls in one sitting.

Ads can be irritating- popping up in the middle of the content you're actually trying to watch, but I find myself oddly anticipating the next time I'll get to see that Totino's commercial.

Hooked on Athens

You were smart enough to open your business in a bustling college town. You were so wise to set up your store in the most highly trafficked area of Athens. But you steer clear of an incredible opportunity to appeal to your largest group of customers-college students. Why?

The Hooked app is a free mobile app that gives college students access to short-term deals and discounts at restaurants in the area. 

College students don't care if it's 3:00 in the afternoon... if they can get free cheese dip, they'll make up a new meal and be at Barberitos before the deal is gone. The hooked app makes it easy to increase store traffic during slow hours and get your business on the minds of hungry students no matter what time it is. 

Some businesses certainly take advantage of this opportunity and consistently promote deals for their location on Hooked, but other companies continually deny requests to join the community within the app. The Hooked staff takes care of all management of promotions, so no extra time or employees are needed in order to implement the app and start seeing results. Measurements are automatically taken to record what promotions are benefitting the company the most, which could lead to increased profit for the company. It seems like a no-brainer, so why are some businesses so reluctant to get involved?

The first company that comes to mind is Chick-fil-A. Scheduling promotions for slower times- around 2pm to 4pm- seems like something that could greatly increase traffic and allow that stretch of time to more closely compete with their lunch and dinner rushes. From working at Chick-fil-A for several years throughout high school and the beginning of college, I know that numbers were always important to management, and that surpassing hourly goals was highly valued. Hooked has shown promising results for countless businesses, so it would surely bring in traffic for Chick-fil-A, a company already so loved by college students in Athens!

The Partnership that Will Destroy a Millennial Girl's Budget

If there are two things we can count on, it's that there will always be a crowd of young women in any given Target store, and that HGTV will maintain a following dominated by the same demographic. Recently, a partnership was announced between Target and Fixer Upper stars, Chip and Joanna Gaines, that immediately stirred up excitement and anticipation. The new product line will be called Hearth and Hand with Magnolia and will feature home/lifestyle designs created by the pair of brands. The launch is projected for the beginning of November. Fixer Upper fans and Target fans alike are eager to get their holiday shopping started with this exclusive line.

Not only am I one of those millennial girls impatiently awaiting November 5th, but I'm also impressed with the marketing behind the idea of the partnership. Without a doubt, Chip and Joanna Gaines have some raving fans who don't consider themselves loyal Target shoppers. And surely there are Target fanatics who have never sat down to watch an episode of Fixer Upper. 

What this partnership is doing is two-fold. Those people who are both Target and HGTV addicts are very pleased with both brands and they aren't holding back on the praise! There has been a measurable increase in buzz surrounding them ever since the announcement. But beyond that, Target and Chip and Joanna Gaines have combined their pools of consumers. Those who don't shop at Target but love the Fixer Upper stars are likely to drop in and check out the collection. Target will gain customers it otherwise might not have been ale to reach! Those who shop at Target regularly but don't tune in to HGTV for Fixer Upper will be exposed to the brand during the launch in November. If they like the products, they might have a newfound interest in Chip and Joanna's show! The couple will likely gain viewers they wouldn't have been able to reach without physical proof of their design style and taste located in Target stores. 

So the countdown begins...38 days until my bank account is drained and my budget is history! 

In the Box Marketing

Out of the box...

It's usually those extra creative ideas that grab attention and get consumers hooked on a product. Ironically, the strategy I'm interested in is the exploding market for boxed delivery services. All kinds of companies have taken an "out of the box" idea, packaged it in a box, and delivered it to the doorsteps of consumers who love a good monthly service. We've got monthly subscriptions for boxed meals, pet toys and treats, clothing, international snacks, jewelry, and so much more!

Is this market expanding so rapidly because of the convenience it offers consumers? Is it the excitement of receiving packages? I think it might be a combination of the two.

Why spend hours planning your meals for the week, deciding what ingredients you will need, and shopping in the busy grocery stores that are probably sold out of something essential? Boxed meal delivery services like Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and Home Chef capitalize on appealing to our desires for convenience and for saving time. They emphasize how easy it can be to provide quick, easy, balanced meals for you and your family when you subscribe with them, and they offer opportunities to invite your friends to the service and earn free meals.

Any why go visit a physical store where you have to wait in lines and push through crowds? Monthly services like BarkBox and Rocksbox will use some preferences you provide in order to fill a box with pet toys/treats and jewelry, respectively. Every month, you can look forward to that package arriving at your house. The contents of the box are designed to fit your personal tastes and styles, but you never know ahead of time exactly what will be inside. It's like receiving a special gift every month!

In a generation where receiving mail other than bills is a rarity and where time is more scarce and valuable than ever, any company that gets on board with boxed delivery services is bound  to have some success. It's now a thrill to receive packages and a stress reliever to find anything that helps save time for family, friends, adventure, etc. I believe the lifestyle of convenience will increasingly dominate the market, and it will become ever so important for businesses to gear toward it.

Prank Marketing Is Not All Fun and Games

I've always loved a good prank. I grew up watching TV shows centered around these elaborate plans. I follow accounts where friends or couples compete relentlessly to present the other with the best scheme. It's an addictive thing- watching something happening to someone else and thinking, "I would be SO angry or embarrassed if someone did that to me," and yet finding it hilarious at the same time.

It's no wonder brands would eventually think to infiltrate the market with this funny way of entertaining and grasping attention. Continually pushing pranks further and further to test boundaries, it was only a matter of time before a precedent was set. The 2009 marketing campaign of Toyota represents what going too far in prank marketing looks like, and it stands as a guide for other brands toying with the idea.

The Toyota strategy was a scheme to gather the personal information of unknowing individuals. People were encouraged to prank their friends by granting Toyota access to their email addresses along with other private information. The friends would later receive an email urging them to take a personality test. However, to get the final result, the participant had to agree to the terms of service, which discretely included giving permission to be contacted across all mediums. Over the next five days, they would receive emails, phone calls, and texts from a mysterious individual somewhere else in the world. The messages were harassing in nature and often inflicted fear on the people being pranked. At the end of the fifth day, they would receive a final email explaining the joke and that it's intention was to market the new Toyota Matrix. The mysterious person who had been scaring them was Toyota all along.

While some people did find this funny, many were angry. Amanda Duick, a self-proclaimed victim of the prank, felt she had reason and power to sue Toyota. Her lawsuit addressed the issues of emotional distress, negligence, and false advertising. Because of the prank, she believed she was being stalked and that her safety was threatened. It seems Toyota crossed the line with this strategy. They lost a $10 million lawsuit and cast a dark shadow on the concept of prank marketing, ensuring that brands to follow would certainly be more cautious.