IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: ComStudies

  • PlayStation Lights Up the UK

    If one were to look at the Oxo Tower in London at night over the past few days, they might notice a striking difference in the lighting of the prominent building.  Covering the side of the tower are the famous control buttons of the PlayStation brand that replaced the usual OXO that can be seen on the tower.  In regards to the holiday season and the release of their newest PlayStation 4 product, the brand decided to take their advertising to new heights. Sony paired with Manning Gottlieb OMD media agency to change the letters for the first time in the building’s eighty-five year history.

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    When relating this recent event to Kenneth Burke’s Theory of Identification, we can see a clear connection between the consumer’s ability to recognize the PlayStation symbols, and the persuasive technique used by the brand.  Burke’s theory states that persuasion can only be communicated effectively when the two parties (the consumer and the brand sharing the product) have something in common. This means that only people who know what the symbols represent will be able to understand that this is an advertisement for one of the largest gaming systems in the world.

    This form of brand advertising seeks to create excitement and anticipation for the upcoming PS4 release on November 28th in the United Kingdom. Consumers are unconsciously motivated to have the PlayStation product on their minds when they see the symbols lit up every night.  This could lead to consumers talking about the product to friends or on social media or even purchasing the product when it is released.  In fact, 14.3 million people had tweeted about the lights within the first 24 hours that they were used.

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    Overall the strategy used by PlayStation to advertise and motivate their publics to think about this new product was a creative and original way to reach potential customers.  This is a method not commonly used and created a large amount of social media buzz that was beneficial to the brand.  What are some original and uncommon ways that you have seen brands advertise? Have you seen any brands advertise in uncommon places?

    -Aaron Love, Kara Zimmerman, Rachel Clay, Rebecca Hobbs

  • Will The Force Be With You?

          It’s Super Bowl season and we, as viewers, are ready for the stream of entertaining advertisements that keep us occupied between breaks. I’m sure everyone remembers last years buzz worthy Star Wars inspired Volkswagen commercial. How can one not be enamored with a little boy in a movie quality Darth Vader suit that genuinely startles himself by using “the force” to turn on his dad’s new Volkswagen? Beyond all the cuteness, the commercial relays the push-to-start feature that the affordable (and apparently fun) German car has to offer.
         To top its success from the last Super Bowl, Volkswagen has returned with yet another Star Wars inspired ad and the entertainment factor is undeniable. Yet what do barking dogs and Star Wars really have to do with the German automobile company?
         Advertisers take full advantage of the hype surrounding the Super Bowl to create innovative, touching, and entertaining commercials. Companies will pay extraordinary amounts of money to ensure that their commercial is seen by the millions of viewers watching the game. After all, this one time of the year advertisers can assume that almost every single American is tuning in. What company wouldn’t want their product showcased at this time? It’s like a black Friday Christmas sale for advertisers. These companies want to bring attention to their product in anyway possible, even if that means their product isn’t even mentioned until the last three seconds.
         In the Volkswagen ad, the viewer is unaware of the association between Volkswagen and Star Wars until the very end. This proved to be a very strategic move on VW’s part. Last year, companies were able to monitor which commercials made the biggest impact on viewers via Twitter, FaceBook and other popular social platforms. They measured the ad’s success by the number of times it was mentioned in the digital realm and were able to realize what struck a chord with the vast audience. What once seemed to be a hail marry concept of integrating marketing, advertising, and social media, is now an easy field goal for the IMC commercial championship. Volkswagen is betting that we will remember how fond we were of last year’s Star Wars theme and associate those same feelings with their brand this year as well. You can’t go wrong with puppies and kids, right?
    -Alexis Kapczynski, Kacy Cox, Sara Kaloudis, Josh Bowman

  • The Race to be First

    Reporting any new information to the public can be risky, especially when it is a headlining topic.  As any social media expert, one should always make sure that the information they are providing the public is 100% accurate.  Any false information can put you and your company’s reputation at risk.

    With overwhelming attention surrounding the football program at Penn State, every tweet, wall post and blog comment brings more and more Internet traffic to the school and community.  In a society that completely thrives and relies on Internet access, acquiring information has never been easier or faster.  Along with the ability to supply millions with information via Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, comes the responsibility to maintain an ethical mindset when sharing information.

    Joe Paterno, the recently released Penn State head football coach who served for 42 years, passed away at 9:25 am this past Sunday. On Saturday night, several hours before Paterno’s death, Onward State, a student-run news organization, reported through a tweet that the community icon had passed. The Onward State managing editor, Devon Edwards claims the tweet was based on an email hoax and has since resigned.

    It is shocking that a student organization (which presumably is more focused than professional organizations on performing tasks “by the book”) that is tied to an institution which has been so heavily shrouded in controversy recently, would fail to perform such a basic and necessary task as confirming information, especially when dealing with such an emotionally charged topic as the passing of Joe Paterno. Unfortunately, this is just the latest occurrence in what seems to be an ongoing problem with many forms of media.

    Managing Editor of Onward State’s Apology