We are currently in the process of ordering branded AKC Marketing coffee mugs - we have mentioned before how much our AKC team loves our coffee!
Today, we received a sample of the coffee mug. The mug design is fairly simple – white ceramic with our AKC logo. For this sample, we specified a metallic silver ink for our logo. Instead of metallic ink, the vendor substituted actual silver leaf. At first glance, we thought they were pretty neat. However, as you will see in the below video, it turned out to be slightly problematic…
Lesson learned. Don’t attempt to put a metallic mug in the microwave.
Just a little Friday afternoon fun for you! Have a great weekend everyone!
Just as anticipated, if not more so, are the commercials that will make their debut during Sunday’s game.
Last year, we highlighted some of the most memorable Super Bowl commercials of all time and noted that a 30-second commercial in the 2011 Super Bowl cost an estimated $3 million. It has been estimated that a commercial in Super Bowl XLVI will cost companies an much as $3.5 million for their 30-seconds of fame. Roughly, that equals about $116,600 per second that the commercial airs.
In the years since the first Super Bowl in 1967, aside from the dramatic increase of commercial pricing (reports have shown that a 30-second ad in Super Bowl I cost around $37,500), one other notable development has emerged in recent years that is changing the world of Super Bowl advertising: the release of commercials online prior to them airing on Super Bowl Sunday.
People no longer have to sit through the game if they are interested in nothing more than weighing in on their favorite commercials. All they have to do is go online and the commercials are there for the viewing.
Honda teased their Super Bowl ad a few days ago, which stars Matthew Broderick in a spoof off the 1986 classic film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Currently, the commercial boasts more than five million views.
According to a recent release from PR Web, Volkswagen is the most anticipated Super Bowl commercial this year. Last year, their Darth Vader “The Force” commercial was named by many as the best Super Bowl commercial of 2011. This year, they released a YouTube video teaser of their 2012 ad which features a chorus of dogs barking the Star Wars Imperial March. Currently, the teaser has more than 10.5 million views on their YouTube channel.
A recent article from Chicago Tribune quotes the General Manager of Brand Marketing at Volkswagen of America as saying, that for a marketer, “the Super Bowl is really not a game on a Sunday afternoon anymore. The Super Bowl is a three-week PR and social media campaign.”
Long gone are the days when a company placed a 30-second commercial and waited in anticipation to read reviews in Monday morning’s newspapers. The evolution of social media provides companies with the platform to maximize exposure without costing them an extra dime.
Critics believe pre-releasing commercials takes away the element of surprise. However, it is hard to argue that companies should not be taking advantage of gaining millions of commercial views through forms of “free advertising” such as YouTube.
Have you viewed any pre-released 2012 Super Bowl commercials this week, or are waiting to view them all on Sunday? If you have, do you have a favorite so far?
In today’s society, we are constantly bombarded with various forms of advertising. Whether this is through more obvious streams such as print ads or TV and/or radio commercials, or less obvious grassroots marketing techniques such as a person’s T-shirt you read as you walk past an individual at the mall or the branded coffee mug you drink your beloved cup-o-joe out of every morning at the office, advertising is all around us and has a profound effect on a person’s buying decisions.
As you can see, every new advertising trend has influenced the next generation. TV commercials heavily influenced viral marketing, viral and online marketing influenced QR codes, and so on.
So, how do we, as advertisers, use the very latest in advertising to break through the clutter and reach our targeted audiences?
A recent infographic posted on StumbleUpon, The Sneaky Psychology of Advertising, provides a deep look at the unique ways advertisers are reaching their customers and how those methods have changed over the years.
The infographic starts out by stating that every day, each of us is exposed to an estimated 3,000 to 10,000 brand exposures. Those are astonishing statistics that reiterate how important it is for businesses to be targeted and strategic in their advertising and marketing campaigns.
What sets your advertising apart? Are you making the necessary steps to ensure that in a world filled of ads, your product isn’t getting lost?
This Sunday, January 8, would have been Elvis Presley’s 77th birthday.
A display of some of our AKC associates' personal Elvis Presley collections... yes, that is a velvet Elvis canvas in the back!
And, although the King has been gone for nearly 35 years, many people will still be honoring and celebrating the Rock ‘n’ Roll Legend’s birth this weekend. Simply take a look at what Elvis’ mansion, Graceland, is doing to celebrate and you can begin to understand how excited Elvis fans still get about his birthday.
So, why are we talking about the King? Well, surprisingly enough, we have quite the little group of Elvis fans here at AKC. It is even more surprising when you begin to think that out of our mini fan club, most of us weren’t even alive at the time of his death!
So, how has the Elvis spirit been able to stay alive over these past 35 years in a way that has intrigued people in their twenties and younger to not only know who he is, but be interested in who he was, the music he produced and the impact he had? Simply put, it’s in the branding!
Elvis is still everywhere! Even after all of these years, you can still find his face on t-shirts, coffee mugs, pillows, paintings, etc. Take a look at the below recent TV commercial starring the King (note: the commercial is for a Greek fashion retailer) and it gives you a pretty clear idea that the Elvis brand is still very much alive, still extremely recognizable and still… loved!
There is something about the King that makes him a true symbol of America. Happy Birthday Elvis!
What things peak your interest? Sports? What about fashion? Maybe it’s cooking up a delicious recipe? Whatever it is, one social network is making it possible for people to share their interests, while also drawing from the interests of others.
Pinterest is all the rage for many with interests in areas such as crafting, DIY projects, decorating, designing and cooking. Serving as a virtual pin board, Pinterest allows users to find and share images by “pinning” photos of inspiration to personalized Pinterest boards. Your customizable boards can focus on whatever you choose. Planning a wedding? Create a wedding board and pin up-do photos, gorgeous bouquets and delectable cakes to that board. Getting tired of the same-old recipes for dinner night after night? Create a cooking board and pin recipes and photos of fabulous food creations to your board.
Many of us here at AKC have become quite enamored with Pinterest. After all, being the right-brained creative thinkers we are, having a place to house the creativity all around us on a daily basis is something we view as tremendous! Below, is a screen shot of AKC PR Account Director, Jamie’s, Pinterest boards.
Here at AKC we know we are extremely fortunate for our many blessings. 2011 has been a year of many accomplishments, and we are very grateful to be able to work with such wonderful people throughout the year!
We wanted to take a minute to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope your holidays are filled with special memories and all those dear to you, both near and far.
Thank you for working with us to make a wonderful 2011. We look forward to an even better 2012!
What a great time of year! Holiday lights line the streets, stores are full of frenzied shoppers, holiday plans are being made with loved ones and mail boxes are overflowing with cheerful holiday cards.
A couple of weeks ago, in honor of the holiday season, we shared with you one of our favorite holiday campaigns, the “Elf Yourself” Office Max campaign.This week, we thought we’d share yet another one of our favorites with you: Old Spice’s 2011 “Manta Claus” campaign.
Most of us are aware of Old Spice and their genius marketing campaign starring Isaiah Mustafa, aka: Old Spice man, with the “man your man could smell like” campaign. Take a look at the campaign’s first video:
This commercial launched a series of videos starring Old Spice man. Old Spice even developed a live tweet video campaign, which allowed Old Spice twitter followers to tweet at Old Spice for the chance of a personalized video response from Mustafa. The campaign was hugely successful, enough so to inspire a future holiday YouTube campaign.
For the 2011 holiday season, Old Spice man is back as Manta Claus, where he is responding to tweets and vowing to give gifts to all 7 billion people on earth. According to Old Spice man, “it is the very least he can do.”
Check out the first video of the holiday Manta Claus campaign:
To view more Manta Claus videos, visit Old Spice’s YouTube page or follow Old Spice man on twitter.
We want to know, what’s your favorite holiday campaign or commercial?
Video marketing is an increasingly popular way for businesses to promote their products and services.
Think about it. Which is more engaging for you as a consumer? To read a ten-page product analysis report, or watch a two minute video that brings to life the product’s story through customer testimonials and interesting facts?
Most of us would agree that the two minute video sounds much more entertaining.
Don’t get us wrong, product analyses and annual reports very much have their place within the marketing-sphere. And, just as these reports must be a part of a business’ strategic plan, choosing to include video as a part of your company’s internet marketing strategy is a must.
We have produced a number of videos for our clients to increase their viral marketing efforts. Most recently, we produced a video for one of our clients, Becker Underwood Sustainability, which educates viewers on the agriculture industry’s need to feed a growing world population, and how one of their products, Vault® HP, can help.
Check out the video below. How can you incorporate video as a part of your online marketing strategy?
AKC’s Merchandising Sales Manager, Shawn Brincks, was highlighted in the Des Moines Register this morning as a central Iowa business leader you should get to know.
As Merchandising Sales Manager, Shawn directs branded identity and special promotions for AKC.
You can check out the featured article by clicking here.
We enjoyed learning a little more about Shawn… we hope you do too!
Here at AKC, we have officially gotten into the holiday spirit!
First thing this morning, we tuned our office radio to Lite 104.1, which has provided us with nonstop holiday music throughout the day in the background as we work.
This afternoon, we even took a few minutes out of our day to assemble and decorate the beloved office holiday tree (while sipping on some hot chocolate with marshmallows… yum!).
Being in the industry that we are, to us, the start of the holiday season also gives us a time to reflect and share some of our favorite holiday marketing campaigns.
Do you have a favorite campaign?
There is no doubt that one of the most successful viral marketing holiday campaigns in recent years to surface has been Office Max’s Elf Yourself campaign, which lets users turn headshots of family and friends into dancing or singing elves. Participants are then able to share their video creations via social media platforms or email. The campaign mixes the perfect combination of humor, timeliness and personalization, and has been a definite holiday hit for Office Max.
In honor of the Elf Yourself campaign, we hope you enjoy the below video of the AKC tree decorating team of elves!
At AKC Marketing
we honestly assess the perception of your company. We push to market you above your competition. We do this by igniting your inner brand - focusing on what your true value to the marketplace is. To make it impossible to be ignored in your industry.
We are currently in the process of ordering branded AKC Marketing coffee mugs - we have mentioned before how much our AKC team loves our coffee!
