Read Between the Ps

A New Ad Campaign by Wal-mart , covering the benefits it creates in the society, for the society...through jobs, savings, charity,etc. Pretty well analyzed by Adage in their Campaign Review ( Click the pic to watch the Ad ) The video is also available at YouTube , but is surely worth a watch , especially for people who have been following the latest concerns on Wal-mart and its policies.

Its not uncommon these days to imagine a city, which appears to be “young and hep” with an open mindset reflected in the Advertising Media, yet hosting a community grappling with high rates of maternal mortality and lack of awareness on women’s rights! When it comes to South America's largest and most prosperous country, Brazil is no exception to this. On one hand, the city government of Sao Paulo banned any public display of Billboards or Advertisements on vehicles, stating that it was an attempt to control the spread of “ Visual Pollution ” in the city. On the other, it is supporting a social initiative of spreading awareness on protecting women’s health and rights through media. Is there some sort of disconnect somewhere, or am I simply connecting two totally separate politically motivated moves? Product Promotion through Billboards is a common disturbing feature for the general residents of Sao Paulo, according to the mayor, Gilberto Kassab, who coined the term "visual

What happens when Marketers overuse their understanding of the Ps of Marketing and give importance to an altogether redefined set of Ps – P erception, P romises, P ackaging and P ills ? Sometimes, when Marketers are too much focused on the topline , they tend to over promise and under deliver , .. That’s when the black side of Marketing, termed as “ Deceptive Marketing ” evolves.. And this is exactly when a regulatory mechanism is required to stop them and tell them to introspect a bit – to tell them that they have overstepped the threshold limit of “ Ethics ” and “ Legalities ” and have forgotten the marketing side of Marketing… This is what US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has attempted to do, when it fined marketers of five weight-loss supplements - Xenadrine EFX, One A Day Weight Smart, Cortislim CortiStress and TrimSpa . The Settlements, which total $25 million in cash and assets, do not declare guilt but do include provisions prohibiting future advertising claims which a

Restroom Advertising is nothing new, not even at this blog – Have talked about Restrooms (the Advertising part!) before also, be it Guerillas in Restrooms or LCD Ads and posters inside public bathrooms - Marketers do not want to miss out on this integral space of consumer’s space. Having said that, another component of Marketing is being exercised on Restrooms now – From Advertising, Marketers have moved on to Branding of Restrooms . Have a look – At Times Square , P&G has sponsored a Rest Room and branded it as “ Charmin Restrooms ”, which provides good ambience and a nice view as well! Naturally, it is to enhance visibility of its “ Charmin ” Brand of toilet paper. According to an Audio Report from New York Times consumers are being cheered by employees singing and dancing with the music and telling you to go to the bathrooms! Call it Experiential Marketing or Sensory Branding (music being played inside the restrooms), advertisers sure are moving from Billboards to brandi

Long back, I had written a new and innovative ways of marketing music – through innovation in the distribution channel and creativity in branding. That time it was Putamayo, this time it is Miramonte Records... If Putamayo tried playing its world music in the retail outlets and restaurants, another music company, Miramonte Records , is trying newer ways to promote country music – by creating music and promoting those who would promote that very music! Specifically, the company, in its latest record “ Destination ” by Danny Griego, has produced a music video “ Wal-mart Girls ” and is promoting it big-time on the name – NOT because the girls the video features are from Wal-mart, NOT because the women shop regularly there, NOT because the song is dedicated to the women who visit the retail store – for that matter, the girls have NOTHING to do with WAL-mart per se. It is simply a matter of promoting the brand using the “Wal-mart” tag. According to the Adage article “ Danny Griego Market

Welcome, 2007 ! Its been a long wait... Finally, you have arrived! Looking forward to an exciting time with you over the next one year...