SEAN TINER

This week, Imaginary Foundation , a t-shirt company, and Starbucks offered one-day promotions to entice customers to visit either physical or online locations and purchase products. Both companies leveraged social media and email to connect with their target audience and engage potential prospects. Case Study 1: Imaginary Foundation Imaginary Foundation had their one day sale coincide with The 40th Anniversary of Apollo's Moon Landing. On June 22, 2009, the apparel company sent an email about the 1/2 off t-shirt sale. (Imaginary Foundation Apollo Anniversary Promotion Email) Lessons Learned: Imaginary Foundation What Worked: The campaign appealed to the rational and emotional benefits of a prospective customer. From an emotional perspective, the email was sent on the day of the anniversary, which gave only 24 hours for the email recipient to make a purchasing decision. Customers needed to quickly respond and purchase a-shirt. From a rational perspective, a prospective customer s...

In an era where standing in long security lines and being herded around like cattle makes most airline passengers feel unappreciated, Southwest Airlines continually takes a fun approach to making customers enjoy the experience of flying. Yes, they don't have personal television screens or foldout seats to make the ride more enjoyable. However, Southwest continually tailors their customer service to make customers feel appreciated and engaged in the brand. As conveyed in the The Rapping Flight Attendant movie, continually taking a fun, yet professional approach to business can engage consumers in a brand and make a brand's experience more enjoyable.

As companies reduce marketing budgets to survive in the current economic climate, creative marketing strategies are being utilized to create awareness and attention for products and services. Toshiba's new television commercial illustrates how ordinary people (not celebrities) can be creatively incorporated into a campaign. The advertisement focuses on the body as form and creatively engages the viewer through unique perspective and unusual choreography. In the years and months ahead, not all companies will continue to have rock star marketing budgets, but brands can continue to receive significant attention for their products by implementing unique, creative concepts.

Engaging in the conversation, does not mean sending coupons or constantly encouraging consumers to purchase a product. It means opening a dialogue that is beneficially rewarding for BOTH parties: the consumer and the brand. Frequently, brands expect that a weekly email blast with discounted products will engage consumers for the long term. Each week, marketers send countless emails offering "exclusive" deals that are only available that week. There are only so many products, clothes and computer products that we can purchase at one time. After a few months or even weeks, we eventually become numb to this strategy. Instead of reading the emails, we delete them. Although constantly offering coupons may create quick sales, it does not develop a brand's value in the long term. Consumers WANT to feel engaged in a brand. They WANT to feel connected. They WANT to be associated with other consumers who share their same passion. Instead of having one advertising campaign, Apple ha...

From having millions of social networking friends to text messaging supporters with campaign updates, Obama is leading the creative polls. Now, to remove the hanging chad from the innovative advertising ballot, Obama is running campaign advertisements in XBox360 games. What's the point? Well marketing firms will argue that it's to create awareness with a 18-25 male audience, but I believe the real value is in the windfall of free PR. From being featured on CNN to covered by countless bloggers and reporters, Obam's unique form of advertising is generating a large return on investment. Imagine if campaign organizers used print advertisements, instead of the XBox360 advertisements. How many headline stories would that generate? The real value of advertising is encouraging other people to spread the word about your product, service or brand. When creating campaigns, it's important to add an innovative element that will intrigue viewers and gatekeepers, the individuals who ...

(Original Andy Warhol Film) (Branded Film) Recycle Content? It's a strategy that has paid large dividends for the hip hop industry. With a plethora of YouTube movies, I'm surprised more brands do not edit existing viral films. It's an experimental idea that may hit a home run. Surf's Up! Last year, a YouTube user posted an edited Andy Warhol commercial that featured a Quiksilver surfboard (see films above ) . Although the movie has only received 10 thousand views (to date) and not gone viral (over 1 million views) , the editing allowed Quiksilver to creatively market to an established audience, Andy Warhol fans. Each time a YouTube user searches "Andy Warhol," he or she has a chance of discovering Quiksilver's commercial. The film is naturally discovered and reflective of the user's interests. I feel the strategy of recycling content can be replicated by an array of companies, especially for newer brands seeking to create awareness and interest. Alt...

The NBA season is only a few bounces away and this year fans will cheer for a newly branded team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes, Seattle's storied franchise, the Seattle Super Sonics, relocated and also changed their name. Normally, when a team relocates the name, logo, and colors transfer with the franchise. Following a legal settlement to relocate to Oklahoma City, Clay Bennett, the new team owner, agreed to release the Sonics' naming rights and affiliated marketing material to any future NBA team in the Seattle area. Did Bennett also release the brand's equity in the process? Although the Sonics have struggled in recent years, the franchise's 40 year history has developed the team into a household name. It will take years to restore the same brand familiarity with the Thunder. When the Lakers moved from Minneapolis in 1960, the team's name transferred to Los Angeles, which preserved the brand's equity. When a conglomerate acquires a company, the underlying v...

In an effort to compete with Apple's growing market share and ubiquitous marketing, Microsoft recently launched a 300 million dollar "image improvement" campaign. The goal is to redefine the stereotypical "boring" Microsoft user depicted in Apple's advertisements. The first teaser commercials feature Bill Gates & Jerry Seinfeld enjoying life as everyday Americans. At 10 million USD, was Seinfeld the right celebrity to launch the campaign? Seinfeld's popularity peaked during the 1990s with his television show, the same time that Apple's mainstream popularity started to accelerate. Is Seinfeld the innovative image that will help redefine a technology brand for the 21st century? From political bloggers to Pharell to Eva Longoria, the new Microsoft commercials that launch this week depict everyday Microsoft users. The advertisements personalize Apple's interpretation of the stereotypical Microsoft user. Will it work ? The consumer's experi...