Should Marketing run our presidential elections?

I was thinking today about marketing and found my self wondering about how much marketing picks our president.  Whatever the candidates do is told to them by an advisor.  What they dress, speak, drive, everything is planned.  We as Americans want a president that looks good and can speak well.  I believe those are the few things, along with how many cool signs we see out on the road, that we pick our presidents by.  The presidential campaigns are all about who has the best marketing.  Back in the day there were no television ads or debates, all it was were few public appearances and maybe a radio discussion later on in history.  Most of the time Americans had no idea what the president looked like only what his beliefs were.  We used to pick a president on who we thought would be the best at leading our country not who had the best T-shirt or written speech. Do you think Americans feel differently and if so how do you think we pick a president?

In response to Todd

In the first hour i think that the target will be on those football enthusiasts that cant wait for the season to start so they have to watch this.  I think that there are too many commercials during the draft but thats my view.  I think that it is way to built up and that it needs to scale down.  Im surprised with the stats that it beats out the NHL Playoffs and basketball because i only care about who the Patriots draft and no one else.  I switch the channel after the first 3 people are picked and wait until my team is up.

Charlie Sheen Dropped from Hanes Advertising Campaign

Actor and very popular sitcom star Charlie Sheen has been removed from the advertising campaign for Hanesbrands.  Charlie who had been a pitchman for the company for almost 2 years has been released because of his famous arrest on Christmas Day.  The star was charged with domestic violence and the company said that it was a straight forward easy call for them to make.  Since Charlie's arrest he has been removed from 2 and a half and has been on a celebrity roast which the other members really got to him about his troubles.  What i remember most about Hanes are the commercials they do with Micheal Jordan about the T-Shirts and underwear not Charlie Sheen.  I believe the company made the right call but do you?  After all some television networks think the publicity works in their favor.  Would you now hire Charlie Sheen for a new television series?

In Response to Maggie about Dr. Pepper

I think that it was a bad move on Dr. Peppers part as well.  I also thought that the female customers that enjoy the drink will no longer enjoy the drink.  I think that the fact that it has less calories can benefit women along with men so I dont know why they did that.  I do think that the move was intentional.  I think that they knew what they were doing but may not have understood the repercussions.  

Advertisements in Video games

In video games today companies do little advertisements in the background and sometimes during play that dont always catch your eye even though they are right in front of you.  When i play Tiger Woods 09 i sometimes see these little hidden advertisements that i had never seen before and they are so obvious.  For example when i hit the golf ball it sometimes zooms in on the ball and shows the symbol for EA sports on it.  This i thought was clever. But do i really buy the game because i saw the little ad. Or even do other people watching the game buy the ad? There arent many golf games out there so im wondering why they do it.  Do you buy video games when you see the ads in the games or buy them because they are good and you heard about it from a friend?

In response to Matt

Personally i love baseball and am a die hard Red Sox fan.  In my eyes they didn't go too far just because the fact that this is the oldest and most iconic park in the history of the game.  I think the more they flaunt it the better and i love the fact that it is a country wide phenomenon. Even people outside of New England should come enjoy the park because it has been through so many catastrophes.  The one problem i have with all this marketing is that Fenway cant really fit any more people.  Fenway park had sold out for something like 10 years in a row and your put on a waiting list for season tickets for almost a generation.  I know friends that have  grandparents that were on the waiting list and still have yet to receive the opportunity to purchase the tickets.  An average game at Fenway can cost 80 dollars.  So Fenway doesn't really need the marketing because the people already go for the significance of the ballpark not always the game.

In response to Emmit

I like that people are starting to come up with other social media sights instead of Facebook because i think Facebook is getting old and boring.  I to agree that Facebook will die soon and some other social media sight will come in and swoop everyone off there feet but I don't think it will be this one.  Facebook to most people around the world is still too popular to overtake.  Even with the creation of twitter i still think it is too powerful. I believe that twitter will be a goner before Facebook is.

In Response to Marc

This is something that i have noticed before and have definitely asked my self whether or not it is right.  Many shows bring attention to themselves by doing these kinds of things.  One good example of how a television show brings in an audience is Sportscenter. Sportscenter has a special part of the show dedicated to a foundation called make a wish.  Sportscenter shows the story behind the young child and also shows how athletes help them and give them something else exciting to live for.  Although this shows how sincere the television show is, they really do it to bring in advertisement and awareness of the show.  I think it isn't a terrible idea though.  It is almost ethically wrong to do but it is also bringing awareness for this kind of disease and probably raising money for the child.  In your case it is bringing awareness of good people and spreading the word that it is ok to help someone in need even if you are complete strangers.  

Energy Strips

The reason for this blog is just for the fact that it is comical.  I'm an immature kid for my age and this advertisement made me chuckle. The problem with this advertisement is that it was under the category of worst ad campaigns in the last 5 years.  id does have terrible quality for an ad, and the people acting in the ad seem lost but it is still funny.  The product that they are trying to sell is like a Listerine patch that you stick on your tongue to give you good breath but instead it gives you a boost of energy.  watch the commercial and give me your thoughts.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH56PuqaFJg.     Is this a good marketing strategy? That is, does the commercial make you want the product, or turn you off because it is obviously referring to something else. 

Say Goodbye to No Battery Life

A new Battery has been designed to make sure that you dont have to recharge every night of the week.  This battery will use a flexible organic material held between two plates of graphite.  It is Said to be able to keep batteries charged up to 20 times longer and be half the price of a battery today.  Everyone of my friends that has a smartphone always complains that there battery is dying.  The reason for this is because not one Iphone on this planet has zero applications.  Half the reason for having the phone is to have the applications.  The applications are far too advanced for the Iphones battery life and this new battery will greatly improve battery life ans stop the complaints.  Is this big news for you?  does your battery life stink on your phone?

In Response to Allison: The next big thing

This microchip thing is pretty cool and i would definitely invest in one.  If this is the next big thing then i want in because who wants to be behind in technology. If i were to try and create something i would try to involve cars and alternative sources of energy.I think that that would be the best way to go seeing as everyone wants us to be a cleaner plant.  So far all the efforts have almost fizzled out because they cannot produce a suitable vehicle that can stay on the road for a substantial amount of time.

Fashion Trends

In the U.S. we tend to have a lot of fashion statements that show how we like to live our lives.  Some may wear  Abercrombie or Kohls brand clothing and that tells a lot about who we are, what class we belong in or what we think we are.  Marketing strategies try and pick out the latest in fashion based on what the celebrities are wearing assuming that young adults and even adults will follow in their footsteps.  This is a risky plan because it all weighs on whether or not the fashion statement is what they think it is.  Sometimes companies are off of their strategies and are set back and forced to try again if their company is still alive.  A funny fashion trend that failed consisted of skinny jeans for men and a wallet which was known to be more like a "purse".  Most men would agree with me that this may be a little uncomfortable. Stay away from the skinny jeans.  Is this a failed product in your mind?  should this company take another approach and create normal jeans for men?

In response to MArc

I think that all companies should be advertising on some sort of tablet device.  Its the new hit technology today. If your not then your behind the times and need to seriously fire your marketing team.  Its almost like if you dont have a facebook, are you in a cave? Some companies may not have the money to fund some of these new trends. some may think why spend the time and money now when in a year there is going to be something even better. who knows but i think they should invest in advertising using these devices now

Youtube

Am i the only one who hates Youtube now? Why is it that every time i wanna watch something i have to sit through minutes of pointless ads that i eventually get so pissed off at that I forget what im trying to watch.  Ever since they came up with this wonderful idea i find myself trying to avoid the website.   I do agree that youtube has become a very popular website and i see what there trying to do with the advertisements.  i thin it is very  smart but also extremely annoying.  The good thing now is that they have given you the option to skip the ads.  But there is a catch, you still have to watch at least 15 seconds of the ad before you can skip it.  I find that this makes it more tolerable but still  stupid.  I appreciate the effort that these companies put in to not only the ad but also the strategy.  Agree or disagree?

In Response to Evan Woollacott

I agree with everything that you said.  When people are intoxicated i think that they are in one of there more vulnerable and we all know gullible states. Its the perfect way to advertise.  I would totally buy the first beer that i saw or the beer with the coolest logo or even the one thats got the brightest sign because it attracts my drunken self.

IN Response to Maggie Carter

I believe that most of our problems are cause by consuming too much.  We consume more and more gas and more and more oil and look where that has gotten us. Now we are going to have to deal with the consequences later in life.  Another problem dealing with consuming is that of money.  The richest people in the world horde there money because thats what makes them happiest.  They put there money over seas so they no one but them can touch it in the US.  Now look at our economy.  The economy is also telling us to spend more because it needs more.  its an endless cycle that i pray our generation can fix and if not avoid.

Who Do We Market To?

Today's world is all about technology and efficiency.  Mostly the younger generation has really latched onto this and is expanding it even more.  I would say that companies have really started to move specifically to this group of people and away from the older generations even our parents generation.  My father doesn't have a Facebook and neither do any of his friends.  Facebook is a foreign language to him and he probably wouldn't even know how to sign in.  Yet today is all about Facebook and related companies.  When do the older members of society get attention?  Should companies continue to forget about them and stay with the young? or should we try and incorporate the older people?

Marketing in Sports

One of the best ways to market a product is through sports.  Everyone watches it and no the majority of people cant get enough of it.  Whether it be through the channel or on the jersey, its everywhere.  When athletes get into trouble their contract with companies get cut off because they know how important those names are to there company and bad publicity is never good.  Look at Tiger Woods for example, after all the problems he had his own video game wouldn't sponsor him, Nike cut ties and so did the car company that he was sponsored by.  Every game you watch you can pick out at least 30 or so ads.  In fact we probably watch more ads then we do actual games.  What do you think is the best sport to advertise in?

Has Marketing Gone Wrong

I took a class last semester on communication and we were assigned reading in a book that was all about showing the real message that some companies are trying to get out there about there product and what it can do for you.  Many of us are blind to the actual affects of these marketing campaigns.  Some people actually get dragged so far into there scheme that its to hard to get out.  An example of this would be cigarette ads back when we were younger.  They portrayed cool young women and men that love cigarettes so much that it makes them happier people.  Not one message in the ad was telling people how harmful they are to your body.   Now those people that were dragged in are addicted and its hard to stop.  The company succeeded in selling there product but at the cost of how many lives and for what, MONEY.   Another good example is dieting foods.  Every dieting ad has that sexy girl or guy front and center and pretty much tells you "eat our product and look like this". FALSE.  Many women and men have eating disorders and psychological problems because there trying to look perfect, these ads don't help the cause. Should it really be all about the money or should some customer safety come into play?

In response to Emmit

I personally Like the Bud commercials because it shows that there an american company and have been around for awhile. there not all that funny but i see them as kind of bad ass because they are so old. the Clydesdale horses and the wagon are sweet and they are still a huge reason why people visit the factories. bud heavy's all day

Super Bowl Advertisements

This year my favorite football team was on the field, the New England Patriots.  this was the first Superbowl i have watched and been into since the last time they played in a Superbowl. It doesn't interest me to sit and watch two teams that i don't care about for three hours.  The one and only reason i would ever tune into the game was because of the many commercials that are put out specifically for the game.  Companies spend so much money trying to get the most memorable ads out there because so many people watch the Superbowl.  This years ads were a bummer to me because they weren't that funny, except for the dancing M&M.  I would say that this was one of the more disappointing years that i have watched which is odd because this was one of the most hyped up super bowls ever.  do you think that the ads played during the Superbowl can make or break a companies year?

Is Marketing Helpful

In my opinion Marketing would be a useful course to take even if you are not going to be in the management or marketing department in the future.  The reason I say this is because everyone is always trying to sell something and advertise something in their own personal way.  When your telling someone a story and they dont believe it we immediately try and sell our story to them to make that person believe. Another reason would be that we never know what might happen after we graduate college.  My father did not go into the profession that he thought when he graduated college.  He was an English major and found his way into sales which he has been successful in. Now i don't know if he took a course in college for marketing or sales but i believe it is very helpful.

Mys

The way i would market myself to a potential consumer would be simple and effective.  As myself i would have the highest quality materials and the finest craftsmen that assembled me.  I would be as cost efficient as possible and extremely strong and durable. I would be as easily transported as possible and available to as many people as my team felt would be possible. My team of marketers would create the most elaborate advertising that hit every potential customer out there and they would also have a team of personal sales reps that would go around and promote me even more.  My price as I stated earlier would be the most cost efficient and fair as possible, if I were selling myself as a product I would be worth more than the eye can see probably somewhere in the range of $5 to $10. Sorry 5 to 10 million dollars. I'm state of the art.