Chasing a Moving Target
I once worked on an ad for a baby product. As my art director was putting together some comps for internal review, she decided to put a stock photo of a black baby in one ad. There were no ulterior motives, no creative brief mandates—just that the black baby was cute and we rarely saw them in the publications the ad was going to appear in. We thought the ad would “cut through the clutter†as the cliché goes.
As we presented the comps internally, our AE objected to the image. “Well, I don’t know if they are a large percentage of who our audience is.†The “they†being black parents. In other words, the AE was convinced that an ad prominently featuring a black baby would only appeal to black people.
I bring this up because right now, our nation is challenging conventional race and gender notions, the kind of conversation which the advertising industry prefers to avoid.
Part of the reason for advertising’s reticence, of course, is fear. By that, I’m talking about the agency’s fear of the client’s fear. In my career I’ve heard a few times, as excuses, that the client is a closet bigot. Or that the client is a man who doesn’t respect women. Or that the client is a woman who has a problem with men. Whatever the personal idiosyncrasy is, it means “they’re never gonna go for it.†And so, the agency can’t afford to raise the blood pressure of whoever pays the bills.
It’s not hard to understand this mentality. People most identify with and relate to other people who look like them or share their backgrounds. There’s a comfort level there. But this is mass marketing. The world, and the marketplace, is an uncomfortable one. We have to sell products and services to other people who are not like us.
Decades of market research and focus groups have killed off our ability to treat consumers as individuals, or humans. If the intended audience doesn’t fit into a convenient demographic category, we don’t know what to do with them. It’s not something can be solved with 50 versions of a microtargeted banner ad or e-mail. People simply aren’t predictable in their purchasing behavior, no matter how much careful research and planning we do.
So how long will the advertising industry keep trying to sell work to people who think just like we do? How long will we keep giving awards and rewards for creative work that speaks primarily to us?
The ad industry doesn’t innovate. We lag behind. You only have to watch the news to see the old delineations and definitions crumbling.
It’s possible the next President could be a Harvard-educated, half-white, half-black Christian son of an Kenyan Muslim man, who was raised by his white mother and grandparents in Indonesia and Hawaii. How would you market a product to him? Does he fit into any target audience description you’ve ever seen on a creative brief? Could you make any assumptions about him based on that profile?
The best ad concepts require a leap of faith, and often a leap beyond logic. But most of us in the advertising industry are not prepared to be so nimble. That’s right – we’re not prepared.
The overwhelming majority of advertising agencies don’t attract the best and brightest minds. Or the most innovative and forward-thinking. The small fraction of outstanding work we do is lost in the sea of mediocre work, which then permeates the mindset of clients and consumers. They’re accustomed to what’s conventional, and we’ve become accustomed to deliver it.
But conventional thinking isn’t in vogue this year. I’ve heard, among other things, that today’s young voters don’t see “race†or “gender†in this Presidential election. Maybe, maybe not. But these voters are also consumers. And whether the majority of voters opt for change or not, it’s a daily reality for those of us in advertising and marketing.
Markets are changing. Media is changing. And change isn’t easy. It’s not going to be enough for ad professionals to understand what changes are taking place. Rather, the key to our success will be knowing how to turn those changes into strategies, messages, and advertising that will benefit our clients.
All of which brings me back to that black baby in the comp. I don’t know if that baby would be a more acceptable choice if America elected a black President or came very close to electing one. But I’d like to think so.
After all, advertising professionals have been sometimes called “mirror makers†for our ability to hold up a mirror to the people. Yes, we have that power. But we can’t hold a mirror up to the people if we can’t keep up with where the people are headed.
Find More Target Audience Articles
Redmond is a unique blend of rural and small town living. It is home to Microsoft, so it is full of technological knowhow. But it is a rugged Washington city known for pristine landscapes and temperamental weather. If you are looking to relocate, Washington State has seen a tremendous increase in population. That is mainly in the Seattle area, though. If you want a quiet, outdoor experience, renting a Redmond apartment is a good choice.Redmond is in the Sammamish River Valley. Logging was a major early industry. Starting in the 1880s, there were many lumber mills in the area. The first railroad began servicing the community in 1888. The community incorporated in 1912 in order to improve infrastructure and tax the numerous saloons. Logging’s decline began in the 1920s. Farming replaced it as the backbone of the economy. With the completion of a floating bridge in the early 1960s, Redmond became a more attractive residential community. In the 1970s, high-tech firms began locating in the city.Now that spring is here, it’s time to get outside and be active. From petting farm animals to catching air on your skateboard, Redmond offers plenty of outdoor endeavors. One of the great aspects of Redmond is its blend of urban living with a farmhouse feel. If you haven’t already, check out the wide variety of diverse, enchanting parks in Redmond.A list of Redmond Parks worth visiting follows:Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway NE: Operated by King County, this park stretches more than 600 acres and has a little something for everyone. The park includes the only velodrome in the state; an off-leash dog area; a climbing rock; an airplane flying field; picnicking and fishing areas; paths for strolling; playing fields and tennis courts; great bird watching; and the historic Willowmoor Farm.Idylwood Park, 3650 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway NE: When the weather heats up, this is by far one of Redmond’s most popular places because of the beach along Lake Sammamish. Kids can cool off in the water while parents can catch a cool breeze in the shade of one of the many large, old growth trees at the 18-acre park. It’s a great spot of picnics and also features a bathhouse, plenty of parking, a fun-filled playground and a car top boat launch. If it’s hot out, this is the place to be in Redmond.Edge Skate Park, 8420 161st Avenue NE: Get your roll Ñ and grind Ñ on at this high-flying park. The 1.4-acre park is a skateboarder’s dream come true. Located right next to a Metro Park & Ride, the park features two large quarter pipes Ñ one on each side with a pyramid in the center. In addition there is one set of steps, one rail, a rail wall and several places and edges to grind. It’s a skate-at-your-own-risk park and also welcomes rollerbladers.
need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage
Hi there, I have placed a google map into a how to find us section on a webpage I am making, but when I put the
In recent years, blogs and social media monitoring have become a fundamental part of the press office operation and many PR agencies’ bread and butter services.
As social networking has matured, companies need to engage proactively to ensure their brands are effectively supported.
Traditional media such as magazines, newspapers and TV channels have increasing numbers of journalist-written blogs as part of their online presence, meaning a top tier of blogs are seen as being just as influential in the media landscape as their e-zines and print media counterparts. There has also been an increase in the number of business-led social networks, business users of blogs and micro-blogging tools such as Twitter and Google-owned Jaiku, and multimedia social sites like Flickr.
However, a huge portion of the blogosphere and social media landscape is not professionally produced and individually these sites do not have huge audiences. Collectively though, these smaller outlets comprise as much as 99 per cent of the social media landscape and together form a powerful force that the PR industry is looking to harness. As the majority of blogs and social media sites contain personal content written in the first person, viral issues and stories can spread quickly. The sites connect people and when issues spread virally across social networks, they become big news for organisations that they affect. This is why tracking blog buzz across the whole of the web is critical for reporting on brand image, online coverage, and building a picture of customer perceptions.
An example of how effective a viral campaign can be, was when an online grass-roots campaign was formed on the social network Facebook. Protesting against an overdraft charge that the bank HSBC was imposing on recent graduate accounts, thousands of students joined forces online through a viral Facebook group which generated massive media attention, and forced a u-turn at HSBC. Within just a few weeks of the group launching, the bank scrapped the overdraft charges.
Over the last year, the fact that blogs impact a company’s brand image online has become more established. Marketing, PR and communications departments are increasingly exposed to the impact blogs have on a brand’s reputation, whether that’s negative coverage of a product or an online petition or a campaign across social networks. As this issue has gathered momentum, companies have realised that blogs and social media need to be actively managed not just monitored.
Some progressive brands are already doing this successfully. US retail bank Wells Fargo for example has a team dedicated to responding online to bloggers’ issues and complaints in order to increase positive sentiment around the brand online and reduce the amount of negativity that might emerge.
What caused the need to move from monitoring to engagement? Early adopters have led the charge. And the masses have followed. We are seeing social media’s evolution in the business ecosystem move from early adopter to mass market status and web tactics are rapidly becoming better understood tactically and strategically as part of the PR mix. The challenge is to turn the opportunity into action.
Brendon Craigie works for Hotwire, an international public relations consultancy specialized in technology PR.
Their digital media practice specializes in counselling companies in the Web 2.0 sector, such as web site infrastructure tools and services, digital and internet marketing services and information providers.
need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our florida web design company homepage
I created some nice looking buttons using TextBoxes. Then I put them into the left had cell of a table. It looks great! But then when I minimize the screen the buttons move out of the place where I put them! And on other computers the buttons are not even close to being in the cell that I put them in. QUESTION: How do I anchor these textbox buttons to stay where I put them no matter what computer or if the window is minimized?
need a website? want to be #1 on Google? visit our website design company homepage
A recent article said “Investors how have done the best in the long run were those who focused on preserving capital in bad markets.” And, some mutual funds advertise that they are willing to move heavily into cash when the downturn started, helped cushion the blow of the bear market. Question: how can we find out this information daily/weekly? Yahoo finance may be able to tell us the % of cash in the portfolio, but it does not give daily/weekly/monthly update. It only updates at most quarterly, isn’t it? It is greatly appreciated if someone can point out a website/resource that shows this kind of information. Thanks.
website design company
Follow us on Twitter!
