There are no free lunches even in the .Com world

 

Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Sure! *The results may vary. Conditions apply.

Consumers like you and me who are in awe of celebrities often dream and aspire to be one of them. When this aspiration transforms into desperation, consumers become ginny pigs to anything and everything that is being endorsed by celebrities. The advertisers are well aware of our weakness to idolize celebrities. All the word-of-mouth campaigns, social-media efforts and celebrity-endorsement deals are designed to influence what we eat, love and fall prey to.

About two years ago, FTC banned the use of photoshop or any kind of photo editing techniques used by advertisers to enhance the appeal of certain class of products, especially cosmeti-ceuticals and fashion. L’Oreal's 60x voluminous mascara ad featuring Penelope Cruz, Lancome's miracle foundation ad featuring Julia Roberts or Maybelline's The Eraser ad featuring Christy Turlington were considered misleading or unethical as the ads failed to disclose warning to consumers that the images have been retouched and airbrushed to exaggerate the effects of the cosmetic.

So logically even the fashion retailers should fully disclose that the look and feel of their designer clothing may vary depending on consumer's size, height and appearance? For instance - a skinny jeans ad should have models in all possible shapes and sizes so that an overweight person is not mislead in thinking she is going to look like the size zero model in the ad after purchasing jeans in her size. Similarly, toothpaste companies should not put completely white colored teeth may be a little yellowish teeth will be less misleading to the consumers. Common seriously!!

The celebrities are merely paid puppets who convey the story drafted and directed by the mad men from the ad world to boost dollar sales. And the whole purpose of advertising and marketing is to link target customers' aspirations or unmet needs with the brand's value proposition. Still, in the interest of all the vulnerable consumers FTC has come up with the endorsement guidelines which plainly states that advertisers now have to make sure disclosures are clear, conspicuous and deception-free. As a result, every ad is required to have a fine print which states that the results may vary. Check out the micro fine print disclosure from the cosmetic companies.

The advent of new advertising media such as social media platforms and mobile devices, is changing the way advertisers play the disclosure game. The regulator is trying to catch up and has recently published .Com Disclosures, "Guidelines concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". The update states that disclosures “must be clear and conspicuous on all devices and platforms that consumers may use to view the ad.”

WARNING: And if an advertisement without a disclosure would be deceptive or unfair, or would otherwise violate a Commission rule, and the disclosure cannot be made clearly and conspicuously on a device or platform, then that device or platform should not be used.”

 

Independent bloggers who do product reviews must reveal any connection, in-kind payment or free stuff they get from the advertisers. Those who fail to disclose paid reviews or freebies can face up to $11,000 in fines from the FTC. What about Oprah Winfrey who started off as an ordinary TV hostess to later exude her 'O' influence on brands through her talk show. Is that less misleading? So, why FTC feels that product reviews by independent bloggers or the celebrity endorsers who push products on their personal blog or personal social network misleading?  

For instance - actress Gwyneth Paltrow attended the re-opening of the La Mamounia hotel sometime ago in Marrakech, Morocco. I believe Paltrow had an amazing stay at the posh hotel given the fact that she generously praised her stay at the hotel on her digital newsletter, Goop.com. While her travelogue article also talks about other recommended places to stay, things to do, must see places etc. in Morocco but we do not know if La Mamounia hotel review on her newsletter was an honest feedback or the praises were in exchange for a free stay. Check the link without the required disclosures here http://www.goop.com/journal/go/61/Marrakesh

 

On the other hand, check out the sponsored tweets of Kourtney and Kim Kardashian who are paid approx. between $5,000 - $10,000 per sponsored tweet to endorse a product through their own Twitter account. Notice the disclosures #Spon or # Ad. Does the fine print make the ad more transparent and less misleading to the consumers?

 

Here's Rich Cleland, FTC associate director's comment on such cases - The average consumer might well be aware that celebrities of Paltrow's stature often receive free clothing, trips and other swag. It is one of the issues where celebrity endorsements are a little different than person-on-the-street endorsements," he said. "Would consumers understand that celebrities are always getting free stuff? It's a factual question."

Honestly, in both the cases the celebrities or for that matter independent bloggers are entitled to their opinion and are free to express or support anything on their personal digital space.  Endorsers and bloggers need to be careful and responsible for maintaining their own authenticity to their followers. A mere fine print does not do much to protect anyone's interest. With increasing consumer awareness our expectations from such make-believe ads, tweets or blog posts are more realistic today than ever. Consumers need to use their discretion and not follow the lead ant blindly to land up in a pit. Stop blaming and choose wise!

Sources:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2013/03/dotcom.shtm
http://gawker.com/5442890/gwyneth-paltrow-will-never-answer-for her-e+crimes
http://www.wetpaint.com/moms/gallery/oscars-2013-kids-model-celebs-red-carpet-fashions-photos#3

* Header image is a Bella Pillar creation

 

THE BRISK FORMULA IS LEAKED!!!

Yesterday I attended an event at New York University where Megan Kent, the Chief Growth Officer of a pioneering ad agency - J. Walter Thompson (JWT), introduced her new and proprietary approach to branding, called “Brand Synchronicity - 7 simple steps to creating brands people intuitively prefer”.  Her rationale relied on how people buy on emotion over reason. She explained how brands can win consumer hearts and gain a powerful competitive advantage in the market place by establishing 'Brand Synchronicity' with the target customers. Marketers must know that emotionally driven behavior prefers congruence, storytelling, engaging the senses, synchronous behaviors and actions.  

My inquisitive mind could not rest. I wondered if marketing still relied on rationality or was rationality officially dead!! I researched if storytelling really was that powerful to get people to follow a brand? During my research, I came across this amazing marketing campaign which simply established the victory of heart over mind for this brand. As a result, the brand surpassed the $1 billion mark by annual revenues displacing established competitor brands from the store shelves. Kudos to the ad agencies!!

 

 

Brisk is a tea and juice brand jointly launched by the Pepsi Lipton Partnership, which by the way just turned 16 last year. Brisk is targeted mostly towards guys (18-24 olds) who respect diversity, flaunt "in-your-face" attitude and share similar lifestyle choices. These guys mostly live in urban areas and spend a lot of their time hanging around with friends, shop in C-Stores to take a break and recharge. They have an optimistic outlook on the future, constantly seek new experiences and instantly share everything they do, both online and in person. Self-expression is key to who they are.  

Brisk as a brand believes in inspiring self expression and the brand hits congruence with those who want to speak their mind, who aren't afraid to do what they like, and who drink what they want. The Brisk formula is 100% pop culture with fusion of bold flavors such as of art, humor, music, technology and style. The brisk story engages with its unique shareable content by putting a new spin on the pop culture, millenials love. But why does Brisk story stand out? Because the brand not only talks to its fans but also entertains them in their own language that breaks the daily life boredom with a bold attitude. Be it the brand's blue color, bold graphics used on packaging or the sensory impact of its flavors.  

It all started with the first campaign executed by JWT in 1996 featuring pop-culture icons in claymations, and was revived in 2010 by creative agency Mekanism. The advertisements highlight worn out celebrities who are dramatically reinvigorated by drinking Brisk. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Bruce Lee, Danny DeVito, Bruce Willis, Ozzy Osbourne, Sylvester Stallone, Danny Trejo and Eminem have all been featured in Brisk spots. Check out the first campaign snapshot here:  

Checkout how Brisk's storytelling gets pop culture twist, 'Reviving the Creative Mojo' in 2010

 

But traditional advertising alone didn't do the trick for Brisk. Brisk needed to let the millennial interact with the brand by sharing their own brisk stories. And thus 'Brisk 25' was created. It was a group of content creators, artists, bloggers who shared expertise on the millennial demographic. These thought leaders played a crucial role in creating innovative content and building a whole new online Brisk community. Through a series of facebook applications the campaign gained momentum as more and more millenials participated in the "Tell your Brisk Story" contest. And then, the final push came around the super bowl with the Eminem Brisk story, which soon became #1 video viewed on youtube. The buzz was further sustained with more content including uncut-versions, studio recordings and behind the scene videos. 

 

 

In 2012 the Brisksaber campaign took the brand's storytelling into the space, literally!! In 2012, Brisk partnered with the iconic Star Wars for the 3-D theatrical release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The true center piece of the campaign is the Brisksaber, the free mobile app along with digital content, popularized with both emerging media (instagram, Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter etc) and traditional advertising. 

 

The campaign was kick started with a 30-second spot featuring Star Wars characters as Briskified Yoda and Darth Maul, facing off for the first time on TV, radio, cinemas and youtube. Special Star Wars-themed cans were made available through a grassroots mobile marketing and a sampling tour. Brisksaber offered millenials with a highly addictive gaming experience bringing the iconic Star Wars characters closer to their fans right into their Androids, iphones and game consoles.  The way to proceed in the game was to buy especially marked Brisk bottles whose caps revealed a special code to be used on Brisksaber. This strategy married dollar sales with branded entertainment content. Here's the 2012 Brisksaber story for you.  

 

 

The campaign tripled Brisk's millennial community on social media with over 1.4 Million Facebook fans alone. Overall post campaign, Brisk annual sales jumped 27% in 2012. Yes Folks, the secret formula of Brisk's success is out - Brand Synchronicity established through congruence, storytelling, engagement and synchronous behavior and actions.
 

Sources:

http://mekanism.com/

http://www.ypulse.com/post/view/briskifying-urban-millennial-marketing-lessons-from-pepsi-brisk
Image in the header is a Bella Pilar creation

FACEBOOK Vs. TWITTER - THE RACE TO BUILD THE FASCI-NATION

As a small child I was always fascinated with fairy tales. My favorite is the Snow White and the Seven Little Dwarfs. I would often stand in front of my mirror and ask, "Who is the fairest in the land?" and pretend the mirror answered, "You are the fairest one of all".  I wondered what kind of algorithm the magic mirror would run to make me believe that I was the fairest one.

25 Years later it was surreal to meet my magic mirror in SallyHogshead, the speaker and author of FASCINATE.  She has developed a test that measures how the world sees you as a personal brand. The test gives a result as one of the 49 predefined archetypes based on 7 personality triggers namely Passion, Alarm, Mystique, Power, Prestige, Trust and Rebellion. I took the test and this time asked more realistically 'How can I fascinate the world?' And the mirror quickly replied, "I am the 'Evolutionary' with the primary trigger as 'Trust', secondary trigger as 'Rebellion' and dormant trigger as 'Mystique'.

The results were impressive but made me more inquisitive. I wondered how many such similar 'Evolutionaries' like me are out there? How will I fascinate my boss, my client and my customer amidst stiff competition from a similar archetype. Or even worse what if there is a superior archetype than mine?

If a pair of twin-archetypes, Facebook and Twitter took 'How To Fascinate' test I am guessing they both will be have primary trigger as 'Trust' and secondary trigger as 'Rebellion' and dormant trigger as 'Mystique'. Let's see how these two compete in a race to fascinate millions of people worldwide.

Here's the official Facebook and Twitter pitch to fascinate you

 

 

Beyond the initial pitch, Facebook, the center of your personal social network takes an early lead in building 1 billion users worldwide over 13 years. It is more personal information thirsty when it comes to creating your Facebook profile such as information about your school/college, family tree, interests and so on. You connect mostly with people you are familiar with. It is mired in the past as your personal story is out there on timeline. A longtime no see friend just needs to see a few albums to figure out how many kids do you have, what trips did you recently take, where are you working, and so on. But beyond a point Facebook updates like 'watching Silver Linings Playbook at AMC Times Square' or 'Feeling lazy to get up' do not fascinate me. So the frequency to log in on Facebook drops to just once a day. But yes, Facebook is much more flexible and versatile. You can upload pictures, videos, games, and apps to your profile; embed videos from YouTube; post calendar events along with a microblogging component.

Whereas the 7 year old Twitter, with its rapidly-growing user base, strong brand connectivity and positioning as the leading news and information-gathering network, is definitely challenging Facebook's audience size. Twitter - the center of now, is all about fun, speed and spontaneity. A brief intro and an email account is all you need to kick start your twitter account. I not only follow people I know but also comedians, musicians, athletes and celebrities I’ll never meet. Twitter, a microblogging service, at a cursory glance, only allows for text, more text, and even more text with links. Twitter updates are short and concise as they are limited to 140 characters only. It keeps the mystery going as you get to know people you follow slowly through their tweets or jokes or comments about news, fun articles and stuff about what's latest in immediate future. You are constantly curious to check what are the latest tweets about ?

Surprisingly, Twitter ends up fascinating people more when it comes to its consistent privacy policy. Time and again, Facebook has pushed the boundaries of people’s privacy by making things public that had once been declared private on its site. It continually opted people into new features that clearly overstepped the company’s original privacy agreements. Whereas, Twitter has never trespassed its users’ private information to  public even when it introduced new features. That's why millions of users including our favorite celebrities trust Twitter more.

Twitter is a sure winner as even top notch celebrities have embraced this platform over Facebook. Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake etc can easily break news to their fan base with the tap of a button. Kim Kardashian frequently uses Twitter to promote her projects – the most recent being her widely anticipated show with one of her sisters “Kourtney and Kim Take Miami” – and oftentimes, her fans (many of them also celebrities) do the work for her. All she has to do is retweet — such as the following example where Serena Williams did her bidding.

Alright East coast Kourtney & Kim Take Miami starts NOW!!! Tune into E!
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) January 21, 2013

Yes!!! RT @serenawilliams: Tune in to @kimkardashian and @kourtneykardash Kourtney & Kim Take Miami tonight at 9/8c on E! It's GOOD!!!
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) January 21, 2013

This race seems to be turning into a marathon in which only the best will survive. Similarly, when in the real world similar archetypes compete to fascinate same set of people, the winner is the one who is more versatile, more flexible and more agile to adapt to the new challenges and new circumstances. And remember winning a race is not an end in itself. As Sally Hogshead says "You need to fascinate in 9 secs to enter the door". The real struggle starts after you enter the door. And then, It is the persistent optimism and the endless efforts of never ever giving up which bears fascinating fruits of victory in the end.