Psychology in Marketing: Blog 5

Psychology is an underlying factor in the success of large marketing campaigns. Knowing how your product or company makes people feel can be the basis for creating customers. Initial impressions of people, places, or things can have a huge impact on whether people feel comfortable in participating in the benefit of your company. Many first impressions are due to something more than just the company name, but the feel of your store, product, etc. The most important factor of feeling in a company interestingly has a lot to do with COLORS. With a broad spectrum of colors it is hard to find the proper color to depict what you are trying to show... or is it?

Colors are known to create emotion. The best example of this is that it is said McDonald's used the colors yellow and red because those colors create hunger in people, but to some people red means anger and yellow is bright and happy. In all reality it truly depends on personal experiences for what you believe each color represents. After careful analysis this lovely chart has been made to show what colors are used by what company's and what they intentionally chose as a color to represent their missions.

                                                           Color Emotion Guide       

When it comes to color, there is no certainty what the best one to use is. There is however, a correlation in the way that colors affect buying habits. According to Niel Patel, "Color is 85% of the reason you purchased a specific product." It is important as a marketer to understand that colors can affect whether people will buy your product. In the video below, several color facts have caught my attention:

1. Yellow and orange are more likely to have you buy something in the "buy now" buttons
2. Blue makes you want to trust the company (contrary to the photo above)
3. If you're a politician... don't use green
4. Women don't like colors like grey, orange, and brown; but they do like blue, purple, and green
5. Men also like blue and green, but they also enjoy black

Ultimately, the way that you choose the colors of your company will not satisfy everyone. With these tips hopefully you can incorporate the psychology of color into the future success of your business!

Fifty Shades of Grey: Blog 4

Why this conglomeration has made us all "fifty shades of fucked up"

Fifty Shades of Grey, has disturbed my life. Not for its S&M and kinky situations, but for how many times it is brought up during a normal day in my life. Several little aspects of the book have something relatable to anybody's daily life. For a college student, such as me, I can't even eat in my dining hall without being disturbed by the English Breakfast tea or cringing at a man dressed up with a grey tie. I'm currently petrified sitting next to an elevator... that is how deeply engrained this book (and movie) are in my head.

These obnoxious interludes of distraction are why I believe that underneath the lingerie and handcuffs, there is a brilliant marketing mastermind at work. It is important to notice that, in America, there is a prevalent display of sexual innuendos in the advertising world. This isn't a mistake, the reality is that our current generations are programmed to be enticed by flawless women, muscular men, and fantasies beyond reach. "Sex sells" is a common concept accustomed by the advertising industries. It is said that teens are the main attraction to sexual appeals in advertising because they are the most capable of spreading the ideas and creating brand loyalty among all demographics. Many companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Calvin Klein are known for their provocative men and women models barely wear any clothing. It is true that sex can sell, it is proven that many companies who adopt this kind of advertisements see an increase in sales.

While searching the web I found an interesting article that shows how to use the "sex sells" campaign.
Five ways Advertising Sex Increases Business Success

1. Get noticed - Pay attention to the design of the advertisement, choose colours, words, and pictures carefully, and proofread the advert before publishing it.
2. Be the dream - The most successful advertising taps into the dreams of the customers and shows the potential customers how the product fits into that dream. Show how your product helps the target market tap into those dreams.
3. More than one night stands - When designing your advertising keep in mind two ideas: you want to form a long-term relationship with your customers rather than have one-time buys, and you want to attract attention more than once.
4. Variety adds spice to sex - Variety adds spice to life and using a variety of themes in your advertising campaigns will ensure that your advertising retains the customer’s interest in the long-term
5. Go for satisfaction - Your business advertisement is only the start of the process in satisfying your customers. Make sure your advertising is truthful and does not make claims that your product cannot meet as this only leads to unhappy customers in the end.

The marketing behind this years most intoxicating addiction uses these five steps. For example:

1. Get noticed- GREY is the most effective color in this industry, it reshapes this once bland color and now poses as the world's most intriguing hue.
2. Be the dream-By using a college student who goes through common life stages (i.e. first love, moving apartments, etc) we can easily connect to Anna's life creating the possibility that we could go through this.
3. More than one night stands- The book possesses a connection with the reader that encourages you to reread the books, and with the release of the movie plenty of people are intrigued to either read the books for a first time or reread them.
4. Variety adds spice to sex- Fifty shades has variety in the respect of moving from paper to the cinemas. Coming out on Valentines day also encouraged a brand of fifty shades of grey teddy bears, which was the perfect gift for many couples this year (shown below).
5. Go for satisfaction- The hype for Fifty Shades was created at the announcement that there would be a movie. Many people were anticipating a raunchier movie than shown, but with the lower evaluation (rated R) the audience was more accepting to the fact that only so much can be shown without it being a true porno.

 (p.s. this little guy cost $90)






The Fifty Shades of Grey industry has used the "sex sells" technique successfully because it is mixed with what I like the call the possible fantasy. I am completely and utterly distracted by everything Fifty Shades. My friends who went to the movie with me send me vines or buzzfeed stories relating to this company. Their domination of social media has made it easier for fifty shades to confront me anywhere. This is the reason why Fifty Shades of Grey is and will continue to be the global phenomenon of 2015.

Subliminal Messages: Blog 3

The art of Subliminal Messages is incredibly sneaky, entertaining, and once you catch it.... its quite the revelation.

Subliminal messages are the hidden symbols that companies place in their advertisements to increase the interest of viewers. Marketing campaigns use this technique in the hopes of concealing hidden messages, adding humor to situations, and creating indirect appeal.

Some subliminal messages are found in businesses logos:

Tostitos logos have the subliminal message of two people eating tostito chips and salsa! My friend just watched me post this picture and she freaked out because she had never noticed it before.

Other kinds of subliminal messages are hidden in ads:


This Burger King ad has a sexual appeal which uses subliminal messaging to sexually attract men to try the new BK super seven incher.

One of the largest corporations to receive the most publicity is Disney.
The following photos from the Lion King and the Little Mermaid

         

Marketing in hockey/controversies: Blog 2

Marketing Controversies in the Hockey World

Boston Bruins 2011

Today I share with you one of my favorite campaigns by the Boston Bruins. Boston is known for their Championship winning teams, Dunkin Donuts, and terrible driving skills. Boston also provides an interesting breed of humans called the "masshole." This term becoming prominent on Social Media in recent years. Why do we deserve such a nickname? I believe this hysterical campaign by the Bruins provides reason enough. 

For all players, fans, and those who know any stereotype relating to the world of hockey, it isn't hard to believe that such a campaign, as this, exists. Trash talk is the basis of any sport, especially in the professional world. Chirping off the ice and placed into the streets of Boston only provides further encouragement to the city to put faith into their team. (Which seemed to work considering they won the Stanley Cup that year).

Unfortunately, the humor shown in their campaign was taken the wrong way by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Seeming a harmless joke and marketing strategy, the Bruins received a ton of harsh feedback. A Tampa talk show encouraged their fans to retaliate by bombarding the Bruins marketing firm with upset calls. The Bruins marketing team complied and took down the ad.
The next round of playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers only meant one thing. Redo. The Bruins continued the campaign with this…

Luckily the Flyers have a better sense of humor, and let it remain posted up around the city of Boston. Whether a masshole or innocent bystander, a little humor on the streets is the best attribute of marketing.