Nostalgic Marketing

What’s the deal with all these insurance commercials? Every single one claims to be saving everyone some money? Has the insurance industry seen a decline in their customers recently or has the competition gotten so fierce that they have had to up their game?

Lately, the commercials have gotten more and more clever and funnier. Geico started the trend but State Farm has caught up quick with its catchy slogans. The most notable being “The Discount Double Check.” The following commercial is just one in a plethora of commercials that feature the use of the slogan in a variety of situations.

This particular one resonates with me personally though because I remember my grandfather performing this magic trick on me. I had hair then. Yay memories!

The commercial is pretty straight forward. The best part is the end of the commercial though when the granddaughter double checks her brother’s hair to see if there are any more quarters and of course, not only coins fly out, but also a watch! I almost burst into laughter, even though it’s not that funny. This is because there were several things going through my head right at that moment. I thought about the Simpsons. Marge normally hides things from Homer in her crazy big blue hair and that made me smile. Of course fond memories of my grandfather also helped.

I really thought that State Farm did a really good job as far as connecting with their target market. I don’t think there are many people that haven’t had that trick performed on them in their younger years. Nostalgia is a powerful tool in the marketing toolbox and many companies have used it with great success. Of course digital media isn’t the only medium, take a look at this old print ad. It reminds me of a friend of mine from high school that had a VW Minibus. Good times!

I may not remember other insurance commercials but I will certainly remember this one because of its specific relevance to me. Good job State Farm. I won’t be switching from USAA anytime soon but it was certainly a valiant effort. Keep it up and if I need a “Discount Double Check,” I will certainly call.

Posted by Farrukh Memon

The nightmare of Kevin Durant

What two bigger stars in the game to shoot a commercial than an MVP and Scoring title candidate, and the “robin” of the team that won 27 games in a row this year. Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade star in this not so much of a nightmare advertisement. Kevin and Dwyane are also two of the most popular players in the game on two teams that many would put money on to meet again this year in the NBA finals. And the last time I checked, no one wants to grow up to be like the bench player, they want to be the star like Durant and Wade. What better way to get them to bring gatorade to their games or workouts than put their heroes doing it.

In the commercial Kevin Durant drives to the basket for a dunk and is blocked by Wade. Durant Wakes up from this nightmare and instantly begins to work out and train and practice. In all of these workout sessions he either eats a gatorade chewable, or drinks a gatorade before or after his exercise. Kevin Durant is then playing in the game and drives the lane and dunks over Wade, which he then wakes up and you can assume Wade will too go on to be fueled by Gatorade to a block.

This is a smart way for Gatorade to advertise not only its brand image  but multiple of its product lines. Gatorade wants you as the consumer to know that there is a product for all occasions. The idea Gatorade is trying to say to you is that without Gatorade being there to keep you going, you would not be able to achieve this, so drink Gatorade and you will be able to do whatever you can dream.

Gatorade also made possibly one of its most versatile commercials ever. Two of the most recognized basketball players in the world and they made a commercial without any dialogue. You don’t need to hear anything in this commercial to understand what is happening because the commercial isn’t about telling you what it can do to help you it hits at showing you what you can do with it. Not having and words in the commercial allows it to be aired in any country that sells Gatorade and has the sport of basketball, which is an extremely large market.

Putting the Life back in Life Insurance

State Farm always does a great job touching the hearts of viewers that are privileged to see their commercials.  Nothing about that changes in this State Farm commercial that portrays a mother stressed over medical bills and the agent allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief when he assures her she has enough money from the life insurance she purchased years ago.

See for yourself in this well made commercial by State Farm:

State Farm focuses on many different kinds of insurance, and has commercials for almost everything they sell.  This commercial does a great job of showing just how important it is to have life insurance.  Without purchasing life insurance this mother would have had a lot of trouble being able to support her son in this time of need.  As we all know,  a lot of things happen in life that are unexpected and leave us feeling like we are in trouble, but State Farm does a great job of showing their customers that they are there for them when times are tough.

State Farm is a very well known insurance company that is trusted and respected.  They are known to have great commercials that get their point across about the different products they have and how they can help you or benefit your life, and also something you can relate to.

This commercial hits home with a lot of parents who would do anything for their children.  Many parents without insurance who watched this commercial are probably considering getting insurance now because you never know when something unexpected may happen to a loved one.  This is a great marketing strategy by State Farm.  They are able to connect with many different demographics on a personal level and try to fulfill a need of having insurance that many people don’t have, but need to have.

Anything you can do, She can do better!

In my advertising class, we discussed gender roles within ads. My professor, Amy Young, explained, “gender stereotypes are incredibly common in advertising such as a woman being portrayed as a quiet, submissive, sexually available, young, beautiful, thin, non-intellectual, and unemployed individual.” She then showed us a Nike commercial that broke out of these stereotypes. According to Adweek, Nike’s commercial "gives voice to a generation of ass-kicking women."

Nike’s “Voices” commercial has four of the most independent, powerful, and influential women in the athletic world. Joan Samuelson, an Olympic gold medalist marathoner, stated that during her time, girls did not run around in public. Lisa Leslie, an Olympic gold medalist basketball player, stated that the boys on her team would not pass the ball to her. Olympic boxer Marlen Esparza stated that her father told her she couldn’t be a boxer because she was too little. With Diana Taurasi, who is another fellow professional basketball player, explained that people are not used to seeing many woman being so passionate.

Samuelson, Esparza, Leslie, and Taurasi are excellent role models that represent women who went against the typical normative gender roles and continued to follow their passions. Nike did an inspirational commercial, marketing female power and incorporating it with their brand. How the ad was formatted was clever and captured the audience’s attention. 

Nike positioned the athletes in front of the camera and only showed their faces. It felt as if the ladies were having a personal conversation and talking directly to you. There was no music and it was just them talking. By doing this, the commercial had a quiet yet powerful vibe because it created an environment that was serious and calm. Then Nike filmed young girls in confident stances, holding sports equipment and lip syncing as the professional athletes spoke. This made the whole commercial more powerful because many girls typically are judge by gender roles. 

The commercial portrayed the girls doing particular sports like football, baseball, and boxing because the general public would associate those activities with masculinity. This image proved to the audience that all girls can play any sport. At the end of the commercial Nike showed its signature saying, “JUST DO IT,” thus implying any young girl could play any sport she wants regardless of her gender. 

The commercial had nothing to do with a product, but with getting a message out there. By doing this Nike created a personal relationship with young girls who want to pursue their athletic careers. Therefore, Nike’s commercial will enhance its image positively because it is sharing a new message that is empowering. The sports company is creating brand loyalty because they specifically marketing to young girls but with an inspirational message. Nike did a great job creating a personal connection towards their targeted audience. 

Helpful Neighbor

Ace the helpful place, while rather new to the e-marketing world, does a very good job with their recent line of neighborhood commercials. Ace has always prided themselves on being your neighborhood friendly place for all your home improvement needs but has often fallen to the bigger names such as Lowes and Home Depot. This commercial however is just what Ace Hardware needs to boost its brand name. This nicknames commercial for Ace is a great combination of many key marketing and advertising elements.

The commercial starts off with a normal question one might ask their neighbor about their yard, “how do I keep my grass green?” also a question we feel a hardware store should be able to help us with. The “neighbor” who is in an Ace Hardware uniform, takes the man on a quest through the garage and into the backyard, past other “neighbors” who are all in Ace uniforms. All of the Ace workers address the main character in a nickname such as “The Rodfather”, “Hot Rod” or “Rodman”. While Ace is not as big as Home Depot or Lowes it needs to find other competitive advantages such as customer service and being able to share that neighborly feel with the customer. Truth is most people, don’t know where to begin on most household fixes or problems and the last thing someone wants to do is go to a store where they feel belittled. With this commercial Ace shows that it’s customer service is like walking through the hedges to the neighbors, a very comfortable experience.

Secondly the way the commercial runs through the garage, into the front yard, and finally finishing in the backyard, The Ace employees are all working on a task that is very common to our seasonal fixes, and Ace wants you to know that no matter what your question or concern, you can come to Ace and get a knowledgable answer in an comfortable environment. Much like how you feel in your neighbors yard, like you can ask anything to a close friend.

While we are full of a generation of do it yourselfers and local grown lovers, Ace Hardware does exactly what it needs to make a good commercial. In this commercial Ace tells the consumer they not only have everything you need for your jobs around the house but they do it with their excellent customer service. I personally enjoy going to a local hardware store where I can feel comfortable with the employees and with this commercial I feel that Ace will have to make a few more nicknames for the new regulars.

It All Starts at Dick's

After watching this commercial I couldn't help but feel like I was invincible.  Although Dick’s Sporting Goods is an athletic store, this commercial can relate to just about anyone.  The main point is that it takes hard work to be successful in any endeavor you wish to pursue, and Dick’s does an awesome job of capturing that through the lens of athletics.

Unless you have seen this commercial numerous times, you probably wouldn't think this was a Dick’s Sporting Goods commercial as you were watching it.  Most commercials that are inspiring and motivational like this are done by companies like Nike or Under Armour, and interestingly enough Dicks Sporting Goods sells both of those kinds of products.

The story line of the commercial is laid out nicely because it shows people who haven’t succeeded yet, or are set back form an injury; and what they do and the sacrifices they make in order to reach their goals.  I am an athlete myself and seeing some of the things in this commercial was really inspiring and helpful.

In regards to Dick’s Marketing style, this obviously relates to sports but it can also relate to anyone with goals and dreams of bettering themselves.  For example, if you work for a company and want to be the top seller, you have to work hard, set goals, and sacrifice some things in order to make that vision a reality, and that is what this commercial is trying to convey.

Also, the fact that Dick’s didn't reveal itself to the audience until the very end of the commercial was something I think was a great idea.  The commercial does a great job of grabbing the attention of the audience and then giving them the name of the company who is a part of the commercial.  All athletes now know that if they want to do what it takes to be the best, “it all starts at Dick’s.”

Clicking and cropping doesn’t have to be the only way to look cut!

Have you ever photoshopped your picture because you looked bad in it? Or do you usually crop your photo to only show the good parts of your face? We all know that most people who use Facebook crop and touch up certain parts of their body or face to make themselves look attractive or reasonable. We all have done this and yet some are ashamed to admit it. Gold’s Gym in Costa Rica uses both a social media outlet and image to get customers motivated to work out!

Translation: "What you leave out of Facebook, put it into Gold's Gym "

Pic&Translation credit: Adsoftheworld

Although Gold’s Gym is a United States based corporation, the company does a smart job in marketing to individuals outside of the U.S. In the print ad, the audience gets an image of an overweight individual who is trying to crop his photo to cut out his body. The image is set up to be on the computer, and when a little message pops out it states “what you leave out of Facebook, put it into Gold’s Gym.” 

The message itself is smart, clear, and simple. When we want to cut certain parts out of a photo, it usually means we do not like how we look. In other words, if you don’t like your body, Gold’s Gym is there to help you get healthy and fit! Even though the comment is short, it gets the  message out to the targeted audience. It helps gets an individual motivated to lead a healthier life. 

The image of the individual and then connecting it with Facebook was an excellent idea. We usually change our appearance the most through online medias such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Gold’s Gym created a great relatable connection with fitness and social media. 

The targeted audience of Gold’s Gym is people in their 20s and 30s who are not confident with their appearance due to their weight. The ad itself is extremely simple yet powerful. It tells what people usually do through a social media outlet along with a message that connects with fitness. This well thought out ad motivates any individual to work out and join Gold’s Gym.