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Everyone’s Favorite Ad Man Makes His Big Return

By on June 9, 2017 in Advertising, Campaigns, Communications, Marketing, Media, Public Relations

He’s the man you know and love despite his questionable life choices. He’s charming, smart and witty (not to mention incredibly handsome). He’s Don Draper and he’s back. No, the popular TV drama surrounding a New York ad agency set in the 1960s is not coming out with new episodes, unfortunately. But, AT&T Audience Network will be showing all seven seasons of the critically acclaimed series starting June 12th.

 

don draper

 

AT&T Audience Network is available to the subscribers of DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-verse. Audience Network is the first network to have attained Mad Men’s off-network rights. The show is going to air commercial free with occasional marathons on Saturdays. Chris Long, the head of the network, explains that they have seen a major boost in their viewership because they are commercial free. He also said this gives viewers the opportunity to catch up on a show that they may not have seen without interruption or if you’re like me, an opportunity to re-watch one of the greatest TV shows ever created and swoon over Don Draper. In addition to Mad Men, Audience Network will also be airing Weeds after attaining the off-network rights for that show as well.

 

GROUP - Mad Men _ Season 7, Gallery - Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

GROUP – Mad Men _ Season 7, Gallery – Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

 

Tune in June 12th to watch Don Draper and all of our other favorite ad execs on AT&T Audience Network!

 

Read more on Ad Week.

Is Kik Replacing Snapchat?

By on June 2, 2017 in Advertising, Events, Launch, Marketing, Paramount Public Relations, PR for Businesses, Press, Public Relations, Snapchat, Social Media, Social Media for Business

Social media comes in many different shapes and sizes. From Facebook to Snapchat to Pinterest to Kik, there are a variety of ways for us to stay in touch with our friends and favorite celebrities every day. Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest are widely known by many, but what is Kik?

I’m sure many of us have heard the phrase, “You got a kik?” but what is it really. Kik Messenger is an instant messaging mobile app available for Android, iPhones and Windows Phone operating systems. Through Wi-Fi, you can send and receive messages, videos, sketches and other content with any of your friends that have the app and register a username. Sounds a little bit like Snapchat with similar capabilities and a focus on anonymity. Kik made its debut in 2010, but why did it get lost in the shadow of Snapchat?

kik

Ad Week recently published an article about Dunkin’ Donuts’ interesting marketing move involving Kik. On National Donut Day this year, Dunkin’ Donuts will create and sponsor the first branded face filter on Kik. This face filter will be in addition to the filter they will be creating for Snapchat. While Snapchat face filters have become increasingly popular in recent years, this is the first time a major corporation will be paying for a filter on Kik.

dunkin

Dunkin’ Donuts could be onto something here. Kik is making its first major comeback in the always evolving world of social media. Will other major corporations follow in Dunkin’ Donuts’ footsteps and create and sponsor face filters for Kik? Or is this going to prove to be a complete waste of money for the coffee and donut company America runs on?

Make sure to grab a donut for National Donut Day!

For more reading, visit Ad Week.

 

Models with Down Syndrome Becoming More Visible

By on December 7, 2016 in Advertising, Campaigns, Public Relations

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Over the years brands have stuck to the traditional idea of using regular everyday people to represent their brand’s image. From time to time, advertisers would occasionally feature people with disabilities, but recently models with Down syndrome have become more visible. Fisher-Price recently released a new advertisement featuring Lili Boglarka Havasi, a 2-year-old model with Down syndrome, in a commercial for the Fisher-Price Little People Sit ‘n Stand Skyway. People with Down syndrome have also been featured in ads for other popular brands such as McDonald’s, Target, A.C. Moore, Zulily and have been spotted on New York catwalks.

So why has this trend started? Advertisers eventually caught on to the fact that consumers preferred a broad cross-section of individuals included in advertisements. The response was positive, especially from millennials, to inclusiveness and portraying “authenticity” in advertising. Using models with a physical disability allowed them to communicate their values and connect with customers.

Parents of children with Down syndrome say that it’s about time advertisers noticed the distinctive beauty of people with the condition. One mother, Megan Nash of Buford, GA, has a son, Asher, with Down syndrome and will soon be modeling for the OshKosh children’s clothing line.

down-syndrome-couch

When Nash first submitted his pictures for a casting call she was told they weren’t included in the final round because the retailer hadn’t specifically asked for child models with special needs. Nash shared her story on Facebook, which went viral. This resulted in the story getting back to OshKosh, who then stated it wasn’t the company itself, but rather the talent agency that had turned her down. OshKosh then invited Nash and her son to a photo shoot for the company’s holiday ad campaign.

Numerous brands are continuing to include people with Down syndrome and even groups such as Changing the Face of Beauty have focused on improving the inclusion of models with disabilities. In 2015 they set out to find 15 retailers who would commit to using models with disabilities in their advertisements.

People with Down syndrome are continuing to be featured in acting roles and advertisements. Perception continues to change and Nash continues to have hope in progression for people with disabilities. “They’re not going to say, ‘Oh, that boy has Down syndrome,’” she said. “They’re going to say, ‘Look at that jacket the boy is wearing in the ad.’”

To read more visit The New York Times.

“She’s a Lady” but She Doesn’t Fit the Mold

By on November 14, 2016 in Advertising, Campaigns, Fashion PR, Paramount Public Relations, Public Relations, Women in PR

muscles

H&M developed a new advertising campaign earlier this year that clearly states there is no correct way to be a lady. Set to the song “She’s a Lady” by Tom Jones, the commercial goes against the very misogynistic themed tune. The advertisement by Swedish agency Forsman & Bodenfors features many women who in the past would not be considered the ideal “lady” that is described in the song. An article by AdWeek describes the implications of this commercial.

There are some very iconic people involved in this stand-out commercial including actress Lauren Hutton, model Adwoa Aboah, transgender actress Hari Nef, Design Army’s Chief Creative Officer Pum Lefebure and Lion Babe’s Jillian Hervey. There is something uniquely inspiring about this campaign’s direction, which clearly goes against the societal norms of what it is to be a lady.

short-hair

The new fall 2016 fashion line by H&M is presented in this commercial and it isn’t until after you view it, that you find out there is a hidden message in this fashion preview. The campaign helps to create conversation about the oppression of women in a seemingly entertaining way.

The commercial challenges the traditional concept of what it means to be a lady in a variety of ways. Most people think of women (ladies) as having long, thick, luscious hair, but H&M’s new commercial features a woman who has a bald head and challenges the viewer’s thoughts on what is beautiful. A woman is beautiful and a “lady,” no matter the length of her hair. Throughout the commercial women are curvy, transgender, bald, muscular, and don’t have “lady-like” posture. All of these women are still ladies, no matter what the traditional thoughts on that label are.

armpit

H&M made a strong advertising move by creating a commercial that is not only entertaining, but has a heavy social message behind it. There is sure to be a lot of opinionated talk about this bold campaign.

View the full commercial: https://youtu.be/8-RY6fWVrQ0

Read more at: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/hms-stunning-new-ad-subverts-what-you-think-lady-should-look-or-act-173487

Parallax News’ Daily Brief Offers Three Viewpoints on Top Debates

By on November 2, 2016 in Clients, Press

parallax-news

Parallax News is a daily email brief that breaks major debates down into multiple perspectives. Each brief shows multiple viewpoints from politicians and experts – ranging from the left, right, center, or otherwise – in one place. This allows readers to better make up their own mind on issues. Parallax explains controversial topics in areas such as the 2016 Presidential Election, national security, emerging tech and the environment.

Recent briefs have looked at: Why Is Trump Saying the Election Is Rigged?/ What Does Donald Trump’s Tax Leak Mean?/ Does Hillary’s Child Tax Credit Make Sense?/ Will the Debates Swing the Election?/ Should the U.S. Retaliate Against Russia?/ Is Wikileaks Good for Democracy?

h-clinton

America is more polarized today than at any time “in the last two decades.” Recent events such as allegations of the Facebook trending bias, concerns of algorithm bias, and the stark political divide of the 2016 election are a few examples. As America relies more and more on digital media for their news, Parallax aims to fight against political polarization by showing conflicting perspectives in one place.

“We created Parallax to expose readers to viewpoints they wouldn’t normally see, and probably don’t agree with. This can lead to constructive debate and a more nuanced understanding of society, regardless of your political beliefs,” says Michael P. Daley, CEO & Publisher of Parallax News. “The idea behind our multi-perspective approach is that we feel like digital polarization and the so-called ‘filter bubble’ are big dangers to intelligent content and politics. The 2016 Election has been living proof that Americans are not having a cohesive argument.”

“This doesn’t mean that everybody needs to all of a sudden agree with one another,” Daley says that he does not expect that to happen any time soon. “But it’s pretty hard to achieve any progress if citizens are living in completely different political realities. That doesn’t only affect marquee issues like immigration, but also other crucial topics like infrastructure and education. Exposure to multiple perspectives is a healthier way to read about the world.”

Parallax News offers a free daily email brief, Monday-Friday, with the day’s top debate broken down into multiple perspectives. To subscribe to Parallax News daily emails, visit: http://subscribe.parallax.news/

Parallax is on Facebook , Twitter , and Medium as well.

ABOUT PARALLAX NEWS

Parallax News is an e-newsletter that delivers short daily explainers about major issues in policy and culture to your email from three different perspectives. Parallax News offers three, 100-word viewpoint paragraphs to engage readers across all political and cultural standings. For more information please visit Parallax News on Facebook, Twitter, and Medium.

Get into the Social Media Spotlight!

By on August 26, 2016 in Social Media

facebook

Have you ever wondered why your company’s social media accounts aren’t taking off? You’re thinking, “Other companies have a large following and seem to be so successful on social media, why are our social media follower numbers so low?” Well, having social media accounts, and having an impactful social media presence are two entirely different things. It takes more than just having the accounts and occasionally posting to them about your business to make your company successful on social media. In this post we are going to give you some useful tips from our own experience, as well as tips we found from Forbes “How to Conquer Social Media #LIKEABOSS”, to help you make an impact on your consumers through social media.

  1. Not everyone wants to hear about what your business is currently working on. Yes, it is important to share what you do as a company, but it is also important to post things that will get people talking. For example, if you are a travel company, try posting an article you find about the best places to travel in the world. That is the type of post that will grab people’s attention, get them to click on your article link, and most likely comment on the post and share it with their fellow “wanderlust” friends. This not only puts you in the spotlight, but it shows people that you have more uses in mind for your Facebook and Twitter accounts, than just trying to push your business onto your followers.
  2. Having social media and being active on those accounts shows your consumers/followers that you, as a company, are human. It makes you more assessable because you are constantly communicating with the world; and therefore humanizes you (Forbes 2016). Show the world that you have a personality! Occasionally share that funny video of a dog struggling to get out of bed and relate it to how the people of your office feel on Mondays, but make sure to maintain a balance between professional and personal posts.
  3. Social media ultimately does a great job of increasing awareness of your company. Basically, it can help to spread the word that you exist. The world is in the technology obsessed age and social media is a big part of that. It is partly free advertising, as well as the gateway to communicating with your audience, which are both big perks.

social media

Ultimately, think of social media as a strategy to help you reach an objective or goal. It is one path that can help you succeed, but will not be the “make” or “break” for your company. If you keep this in mind, use it as a tool, and make sure to create interesting posts consistently, it may be the extra push you need to get you in the spotlight on social media and in the business world.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brianscudamore/2016/06/29/how-to-conquer-social-media-likeaboss/#19697fed7b08

Budweiser Taps into American Patriotism with New Branding

By on May 17, 2016 in Campaigns, Marketing

PPR_Blog_Bud

The countdown to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio has officially begun and with just under 3 months until the opening ceremony brands big and small have the opportunity to take advantage of one of the most watched sporting event in the world. Budweiser is doing just that with the introduction of their new beer cans and bottles they have aptly renamed “America.”

According to NPR, summer is the best selling season for beer with about one-third of all U.S. sales happening between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Combine the busy beer season with the 2016 Summer Olympics and Presidential Election and this summer is primed for what Budweiser Vice President Ricardo Marques says will be “the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen.”

In addition to the new name, the beer the cans will also feature phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” The summer cans and bottles will hit the shelves on Memorial Day and will run through the November election; a seven month period in which every Budweiser sold in the U.S. will read “America.” Marques addressed the name change saying “Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we’re honored to salute this great nation where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years.”

To go along with the new look, Budweiser is introducing the “America is in Your Hands” campaign. This summer long campaign will focus on “reminding people from sea to shining sea to embrace the optimism upon which the country was first built.” The new cans and bottles will be featured in a national TV spot that is set to premier June 1.

The rebranding of Budweiser’s cans and bottles hopes to capture the patriotism of U.S. consumers. With the 2016 Summer Olympics, Presidential Election and the Copa America Centenario, U.S. patriotism will be running high, and Budweiser hopes this new branding will attract even more U.S. consumers. Despite the mild backlash by many after the announcement of the name change, Budweiser is taking advantage of a unique opportunity this summer and only time will tell if the campaign will strike success.

For more about this topic check out NPR’s full article here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/10/477499942/budweiser-will-call-itself-america-for-a-limited-time

Apple Wins Over Customers with Humor

By on April 21, 2016 in Advertising, Campaigns, Feel Good

PPR_Blog_AppleMusic

With iPhones, MacBooks, Apple Music and the newest Apple Watch, it seems that there’s nothing that Apple doesn’t offer customers these days. Through well thought out advertising campaigns and continuous customer support, Apple has been able to maintain a respectable brand image and keep customers coming back for more.

After a recent controversy between Apple and the U.S. government, Apple needed a strategic PR plan to draw customer’s attention away from the conflict and bring the focus back to the products. With a new string of advertisements highlighting various Apple products and their many features, the company was able to do exactly that.

According to Marketing Magazine, “[Apple] has been many things for many people, but there’s one trick it hasn’t tried in some time. Being funny.” The most recent advertisements released by Apple feature two very different celebrities: superstar singer and songwriter Taylor Swift and Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster. Both of these spots have been a favorite among the public, each racking up millions of views and thousands of shares shortly after being released.

These ads seem to be paying off quite well for Apple. The Swift ad, which featured the popstar running on the treadmill while rapping to Drake and Future’s single “Jumpman,” under a playlist called “#GYMFLOW,” boosted Apple Music into the spotlight of streaming music. “Jumpman” experienced a 431% increase in sales globally thanks to the campaign and the playlist featured in the ad, #GYMFLOW, has increased by 325%, making it the fifth highest streamed playlist on Apple Music.

After experiencing millions of views and shares, it’s apparent Apple has struck advertising gold.  Marketing Magazine says that all these views combined with the positive press the ads have received, more or less ensures that that there are more jokes to come from Apple in the near future.

For more info, check out the Marketing Magazine article here: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1390080/apple-finds-its-funny-side-again-seals-the-kiss

Always Releases New #LikeAGirl Commercial Challenging Gender Stereotypes

By on March 4, 2016 in Advertising, Feel Good

Emoji

Procter & Gamble’s Always brand aims to support girls as they make their transition from puberty to young adults. With their latest #LikeAGirl campaign, the company is redefining confidence by turning the negative phrase “like a girl” into a term of empowerment throughout a series of commercials that have been released over the past year. The first ad in this campaign featured a social experiment that asked people to do things ‘like a girl’ and found that adults took this to mean ‘silly’ or ‘not good enough’, while young girls did them the best they could. The latest commercial for this campaign used research as the basis for the video and found that 67% of girls say that female emojis imply that girls are limited in what they can do and 75% said they want emojis to be more progressive, portraying female police officers and athletes.

According to Mashable, the new video brought together a diverse cross-section of girls and young women, 11 to 18 years old, and asked them “do emojis represent them?” and then captured their authentic spontaneous reactions when scanning the available emoji choices. The video follows the baffled faces of young girls as they scroll through their phone, many realizing for the first time that few women are represented and the girl category is limited to the color pink. “There’s no girl-professional emojis, unless you count being a bride a profession,” notes one of the girls in the commercial.

Executives at Always have approached the Unicode Consortium about expanding the available emojis to more accurately tell stories about how girls live today. Unicode president Mark Davis responded in an email saying, “the Consortium has been working on full representation of gender in emojis. We appreciate the efforts that Always is taking to collect feedback and input into the process for new emoji characters.”

Mashable also highlighted how this campaign is helping to reinvent the Always brand. “At more than 30 years old, it was considered a Mom brand and needed a refresh.” In order to appeal to the next generation of users, Always used young women as the focus of their new campaign. By casting a positive light on the traditionally insulting “like a girl” saying, the first commercial of the campaign made waves immediately. Over 75% of young women had a positive reaction to the phrase, “like a girl,” after seeing the video, when only 19% felt that way before, according to P&G research.” Since the release of the first video, Always has continued putting out advertisements focused on instilling confidence in young girls.

“This generation, they’re not just looking for a p­roduct,” said Michele Baeten, global associate brand director for P&G’s Always. “They’re buying into the values of a brand.” After losing relevance with young women, the release of this campaign was exactly what the brand needed in order to show the public that they are invested in addressing important social issues and dedicated to helping young women be their most confident self.

For more information on the #LikeAGirl campaign, check out Mashable’s full article: http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/girls-emoji-like-a-girl/ – OF7fQQ0nYqqG

Top Themes Seen in Super Bowl 50 Commercials

By on February 12, 2016 in Advertising

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Many watch it for the game, others for the halftime show, while some of us like to sit back and enjoy the entertaining commercials. It’s the annual American tradition: the Super Bowl. The New Yorker ranked this year’s best and worst commercials. At an average of roughly $5 million dollars for thirty seconds of air time, the stakes are high for Super Bowl commercials to be funny, memorable and ultimately, to sell a product. This year’s batch of commercials featured some distinct trends, including the use of celebrities, dogs and Public Service Announcements.

Celebrities

Many commercials this year capitalized on the use of celebrities. Bud Light featured comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen in a political satire commercial. The two are unlikely presidential candidates, with Schumer’s good-natured provocative humor and Rogen being Canadian. In the commercial, the two united the nation with something “everyone agrees on”—Bud Light. By poking fun at the divided political climate and using comedians that are extremely unlikely to become president, Bud Light connects to all its viewers and brings them together over beer.

Dogs

No matter how cliché, it seems everyone has a love for all things cute and cuddly. This year, Dorito’s made a hilarious use of dogs trying to get into a grocery store to buy Dorito’s chips. After being chased out by grocery store security, the dogs dress in human-like outfits to buy their coveted chips. The paradox of dogs in human attire is easily a source of laughter for everyone, making the commercial enjoyable and memorable.

PSAs

The NFL aired dramatic public service announcements during the Super Bowl to raise awareness and promote a change in behavior against domestic violence and sexual assault. This commercial featured a simple text conversation between two friends with a reference to one girl’s boyfriend in passing indicating that she was potentially in danger. The NFL has recently been criticized for being too lenient on charges of violence against women among their players. Last year, eight NFL players were arrested for violence against women, and five were arrested the year before. Half of these players still play for the NFL, demonstrating leniency. By creating a PSA against domestic violence and sexual assault, the NFL is combating controversies by publicly standing against violence against women.

Aside from the entertainment value of the Super Bowl commercials, the end goal is to increase sales for products or to raise awareness through PSAs. The viewers—all of us—decide the success of the commercials by how we react to them and this year’s overall response was positive.

Read the New Yorker’s full article on the Super Bowl commercials here: http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/super-bowl-ads-the-best-and-worst-of-2016

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