Brides Use Real Time Marketing

While reading “Real-Time Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott, I was fascinated by his Bella Pictures example. This company is a business that specializes in bridal photos across 36 different states. The business uses a variety of real-time marketing efforts to secure sales.

Bella Pictures uses contests and polls on its site to interact and engage with consumers. The company also tracks data on its consumers using data from software to build a portfolio with a potential sale before immediately contacting the bride. The company always makes sure to send an appropriate automated response as quickly as possible to follow-up with the bride.

I think this example proves that no matter what the industry or business, any person can use real-time marketing in their company. It will drive sales and provide a stronger relationship with your customer. It gives the business a chance to learn about the customer before even talking with them.

Red Bull Lost its Wings

I recently learned that Red Bull was sued for falsely advertising its drink will give you wings and supernatural abilities. The company has several ads that show cartoons flying and consumers participating in dangerous sports. The brand has become know for its tagline and engaging marketing campaigns.

Unfortunately, Benjamin Careathers realized that Red Bull does not give you wings and filed a class-action lawsuit against Red Bull. The company recently settled for $13 million. Consumers can also earn $10 cash or a $15 Red Bull gift card if they submit a claim online.

After this lawsuit, it will be hard for any marketer to make an advertisement without the fear of being sued. Red Bull was simply marketing its product as a drink for the inner daredevil, and didn’t mean any harm by the claims. Red Bull’s claims are obviously fabricated, so it is difficult to watch someone take advantage of a business in this way.

I think the false advertising needs to be given a closer look. Almost every commercial or print ad that shows food and cosmetics is falsely advertising its product. I can’t remember ever going into a McDonald’s and receiving a burger that looked like the same products in the commercials. Also, majority of cosmetic advertisements use Photoshop, and completely misrepresent the benefits of the product. I think advertising like this is way more untruthful than Red Bull’s campaigns.

Photo Comparison

Despite the irrational lawsuit, Red Bull handled the situation exceptionally well. Businesses may have to take a second look at its claims next time the company comes up with a clever marketing campaign.

Wilson Football Factory

Recently, I visited the Wilson football factory for a group tour with the American Marketing Association. In case you weren’t aware, Ada’s factory produces all of the footballs used in the NFL. This is a pretty big deal for such a small town.

Our tour offered a lot of information and there was a lot to see. We first were able to see the leather before it is cut and shaped into a football. There are only two options for colors, and that includes the classic orange or a maroon. All of the leather is dyed and marbled by a manufacturer before being shipped over to the factory.

We were told that all of the leather has small imprints of the letter w to prove that it is a Wilson football. So, next time you are playing a game, make sure to find the hidden letters.

What surprised me most about this small factory was how many manual laborers were on the floor. I was expecting the factory to be completely run by machines, but I was surprised to find out how many people it takes to physically make a football. It seemed like a hundred people were on the floor at once, and they were working nonstop the entire time.

I was also shocked to find out that all of the NFL footballs must meet a very specific weight requirement. Our tour guide explained how every single ball must be weighed and carefully inspected before being shipped. The organic nature of the leather material will sometimes cause the weight to differ, so several footballs become defects.

All of the footballs are made very far in advance. For example, the 50^th Super Bowl ball was already being produced, and we got to see a top-secret sneak preview! Not to mention, a lot of the balls are custom orders. Every NFL football has the date printed on the leather, so every ball is unique.

It was a very unique experience to check off of my ONU bucket list, and I would recommend everyone to take a tour. You can buy discounted balls, and the tour is entirely free. It may be one of the coolest things Ada has to offer.

Rock Bands in Real Time

When I was reading for class today, I noticed a section that really sparked my interest. Not saying our reading assignments aren’t always compelling, just that this section really made me feel like a nerdy marketer. In “Real-Time Marketing & PR,” David Meerman Scott explained how the Grateful Dead used real time marketing tactics on their 2009 tour.

I was completely surprised that a band as old as my father was using marketing strategies that certain corporations still haven’t even begun to develop. Apparently, you don’t have to be a millennial to use technology. I would have expected these marketing strategies to instead come from a pop singer and her hefty entourage of PR associates. Little to my surprise, the Grateful Dead is a bunch of grown-up hippies.

No matter your age, you can successfully run your business in real time, and below is how the Grateful Dead succeeded.

1. The band produced CDs in real time for concertgoers. The recording crew burns three CD tracks during the show. Then, before the audience leaves the concert they can pick up the recording of the show they just witnessed.

2. The band created real time photo books for their audience. During the show, the Grateful Dead’s photographer took behind-the-scenes photos and immediately posted them to Blurb.com. Afterwards, the concertgoers were able to purchase the hardback books containing these photos from the performance that they personally attended.

Grateful Dead Photo Book Cover

If I ever had the opportunity to purchase real time memorabilia from a concert I attended, I would have immediately pulled out my wallet. The fact that the products are personalized makes the buyer feel connected and special. It is also a product that makes the concert attendee want to share his or her experience. Thereby, Grateful Dead fans become word-of-mouth marketers.

The band was extremely innovative in their marketing tactics at their concert, by creating special souvenirs for their fans. As any band member would say, long live rock and roll.

Taking Advantage of Ebola

Although a deadly virus that could potentially wipe out various parts of the globe, Ebola has one advantage. Marketers can potentially make money off of the virus. One entrepreneur has already created a website selling Ebola prevention suits, and he has already doubled his investment.

This clever businessman is Drew Pearson, and he is currently making a descent wage off of Americans’ fears. He claims the company is legitimate, but I can’t imagine people are going to be walking around in public with these suits anytime soon. I also have a feeling his sales are more due to people buying timely Halloween costumes rather than protective gear for a future epidemic.

This seems like a huge marketing scam that is borderline unethical. Pearson has the right product at the right time, but it may be creating more fear than actually helping fulfill a need. However, he also did what every marketer is taught; he responded to changes in the market faster than anyone else.

Whether or not Pearson’s marketing tactics are unethical, he makes a great costume for Halloween. As ridiculous as the website and Facebook looks, Pearson is making money fast, and it isn’t by pure luck.  

Lady Lumps

October means one thing to my sorority; it’s breast cancer awareness time! We pink out campus, plan several fundraisers, hold our annual pink football game, encourage everyone to wear pink and volunteer at Race for the Cure runs. The entire month is dedicated to raising money and awareness for breast cancer.

Through all of the years and hours I have spent going to our events and fundraising, I have developed an emotional connection to the disease. However, I honestly have not taken the time to educate myself on the causes, effects or treatment of breast cancer.

As a 21 year old, I just haven’t felt it was enough of a concern to stop and learn about the disease. However, it doesn’t make much sense to fundraise for a cause I don’t know much about. So, I am going to utilize this blog as an opportunity to teach readers and myself about the warning signs of breast cancer.

One interesting video I came across cleverly explained how there are several signs for breast cancer. Majority of the time, we just hear medical professionals and women talking about checking for lumps. It seems like every breast cancer survivor I speak to goes through explaining the moment she found her lump, but there are actually several other warning signs.

Some other symptoms of breast cancer can even include enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit, vaginal pain and weight loss. You don’t typically think of these symptoms as signs of breast cancer, but they are also indicators of the disease. This video created by the Scottish government also gives great illustrations of the signs.

It is also important that you are giving yourself monthlybreast exams. Yes, please feel yourself up, because you could save your life. Almost half of breast cancer is detected through women feeling lumps in their breasts, and early detection is key. So, make sure to check yourself at least once a month.

What Scandal?

As I am making my way through “Real Time Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott, I noticed an interesting section on how to deflate scandals. The section highlighted David Letterman’s scandal in 2009 when he was accused of extramarital affairs with coworkers. Due to Letterman’s quick response to the incident on his TV show, the story quickly deflated and his reputation was barely tarnished.

I didn’t even know that David Letterman ever had an affair, so this story taught me how important it is to act quickly and honestly to scandals. Meerman suggests that if a bad story is going to be released, it is better to tell the story on your own terms. Otherwise, the media will be releasing information about the event for weeks or months after the event occured. It is better to release all of the facts and data as soon as you can and move on quickly.

Meerman does give some good advice, but it is really no different than what my mom taught me when I was five. Hasn’t it always been known to report your mistake immediately instead of trying to cover it up? Every child knows that when you break something expensive, it's better to tell your parents immediately than to try and hide the mess.

The same theory can be applied to businesses and celebrities. Covering up mistakes is only going to hurt your reputation so be honest and do it fast, or your mother won’t be happy.