After 5 months and 85 posts, I am putting the Almost People microblog on hiatus. I have a lot of writing and teaching to do in Winter/Spring 2010, and I anticipate not having time to create content for this site. I appreciate the positive feedback I have received, and I look forward to starting a similar project in the future!
—Chris
Indicating that plans to discontinue Gatorade Tiger Focus had been set for some time, Gatorade has announced it will stop selling its Tiger Woods branded drink. At BrandWeek.com, a Gatorade representative indicated that “[w]e decided several months ago to discontinue Gatorade Tiger Focus along with some other products to make room for our planned series of innovative products in 2010. We hope to share more about our 2010 plans soon.” Woods’s damaged public image was not cited as a reason for this decision.
Reference:
Gatorade Drops Tiger (the Drink)
Posted at BrandWeek.com on December 8, 2009, by Kenneth Hein
In this week’s The Economist, the Schumpeter column is devoted to consideration of the power and potential of Oprah Winfrey’s personal brand and her connection with her fans, in light of her recent announcement that her talk show will be ending in 2011.
Reference:
“Schumpeter.” (2009, November 26). Brand royalty. The Economist, 393, 78.
In partnership with the new Avatar film, Coke Zero and McDonald’s are introducing Avatar-themed augmented reality products, according to AdAge.com. These products’ packaging—not the actual colas or burgers themselves—will activate online content when they are held up to consumers’ webcams. For a Coke Zero ad highlighting this packaging, click here.
Reference:
Marketers Hop on Augmented Reality Bandwagon to Promote ‘Avatar’
Posted on AdAge.com on November 19, 2009, by Andrew Hampp
Forty percent of U.S. workers feel unmotivated and a quarter of U.S. employees do not feel loyal to their current employer, according to an August/September 2009 survey conducted for Career Builder.com by Harris Interactive.
In a new blog post at Harvard Business’s Conversation Starter blog, Jim Hart highlights the importance of delineating a company’s purpose in order to improve employee motivation and performance. Hart, president and CEO of Senn Delaney, a consulting firm dedicating to re-shaping corporate cultures, asks business leaders to consider employees’ relationship to the company’s purpose: “Do they feel like they have a personal connection to that purpose and their role in achieving it?” He offers the advice of Dupont CEO, Ellen Kullman, who recently said, “Making sure that people understand the mission — and linking their daily activities to the company’s broader purpose — is essential to reducing fear, maintaining morale and keeping employees motivated.”
References:
Four in 10 US Workers Unmotivated; 24% Not Loyal
Posted on MarketingCharts.com on November 23, 2009
In Tough Times, Help Your Team Remember Their Purpose
Posted on Harvard Business’s Conversation Starter blog on November 23, 2009, by Jim Hart
Singer Taylor Swift will be penning her own line of greeting cards and stationary for American Greetings. These products will show up in stores in the Spring, along with a set of customizable online greetings. As quoted on Brandweek.com, the CEO of American greetings highlights the strengths of associating with Taylor Swift: “Her abilities as a storyteller and songwriter make her a natural at writing cards for consumers of all ages. She has the unique ability to connect with her fans through life experiences and greeting cards do the same—cards help people express, connect and celebrate these events with the important people in their lives.”
Reference:
American Greetings Taps Taylor Swift for New Line
Posted on Brandweek.com on November 17, 2009, by Alex Palmer
New research on the effects of product placement in TV and movies indicates that repeated prominent product placements can negatively impact consumers’ attitudes toward a particular brand. However, subtle product placements can results in positive attitude effects, even with repitition of the subtle placements. Interesting, repeated prominent placements may have negative impacts on consumers’ attitudes toward the particular TV program or movie in which the placement occurs, which could harm the value of that media property over time.
Reference:
Homer, P. M. (2009). Product Placements: The impact of placement type and repetition on attitude. Journal of Advertising, 38, 21-31.
A new article by Eva Van Reijmersdal of the Amsterdam School of Communications Research outlines important findings about the effects of product placement. Specifically, she describes how product placement can improve brand memory but, under certain circumstances, can harm brand-related attitudes. She also discusses how product placement can impact attitudes even without audience members remembering the placement.
Reference:
Van Reijmersdal, E. (2009). Brand placement prominence: Good for memory! Bad for attitudes? Journal of Advertising Research, 49, 151-153.
A new study by researchers at Arizona State University and Indiana University explores the effectiveness of product placement in films. The researchers’ analyses indicate that product placement in successful films does predict increases in stock prices. They show how placement effects are improved by brand equity and tie-in advertisements but are harmed by violent film content and lack of audience absorption. Other factors, such as critical acclaim, placement blatancy, and character associations are explored in the article.
Reference:
Wiles, M. A., & Danielova, A. (2009). The worth of product placement in successful films: An event study analysis. Journal of Marketing, 73(4), 44-63.
A new posting on AdWeek.com considers the question of “What can we be doing to help consumers, and improve some aspect of their lives?” Euro RCSG co-CEO Jeff Brooks shares his thoughts about the importance of advertising yielding some benefit to consumers.
Reference:
The Rise of ‘Advertility’
Posted on AdWeek.com on November 9, 2009, by Jeff Brooks
