Ever Wonder Why Watches are Set to 10:10 in Ads??

What was one point in history the only way you could tell time and use for a purpose, now the watch has become more of a fashion accessory than anything else. After the invention of cell phones that have a clock available with the touch of a button, people have lost interest in buying a watch for the purpose of actually telling time.

Personally, I am one of those people who have watches for the sole purpose of wearing it as an accessory. Even if my phone is dead, I will still forget that I have a watch right on my wrist with the exact time on it. However, if you are looking at an actual watch, some of you may have noticed that almost of all of the old school analog wristwatches are ALWAYS photographed and pictured in advertisements with the time of 10:10.

Does this time have a special meaning or history? Nope! This is done purely for aesthetics. For what reason, you ask? Well, the manufacturer’s logo is typically right under the 12 o’clock position (e.g. Michael Kors, Fossil, DKNY, Gucci, etc.).

Strategically setting the watch hands to freeze at the 10 and 2 points makes sure that the hand will not be in the way of the logo. Furthermore, those exact locations even out the logo proportionally and focus the buyer’s eyes right in the center toward the actual logo.

I have heard rumors that the watch is set to 10:10 because that is the time that President Lincoln was shot and killed, however it is an old trick that is done all for advertising!

It’s really interesting that this tactic has been used since watches first came out on the market and is still a valid tactic to this day.

Although all watches for the most part look the same except for color, material and price, the manufacturers of these watches need to show off what makes the watch unique, which is the brand and logo. Placing this at the center of the watch makes it easier for people to zoom in on who is selling the watch and because of this, it sticks in people’s minds and they remember that the logo was the center image of the entire ad.

Did any of you ever notice this? Do you think it’s an effective and smart idea? Have you ever wondered why it was always set at 10:10? Do any of you use watches to actually read time, or is it more of a fashion statement like it is for me?

Popcorn Protection Plan

This new piece of data will blow your minds away.

Here is an interesting new finding: eating popcorn in the movie theater makes people immune to advertising! A new study that was conducted by Cologne University has come to the conclusion that chewing makes advertising ineffective when sitting in the movie theater.

A researcher from Berlin has come out to say that “the mundane activity of eating popcorn made participants immune to the pervasive effects of advertising.”

I usually get irritated when I hear people munching and crunching on their popcorn, but apparently advertisers are beginning to get irritated as well.

The first thing that came to my mind when I was trying to process this study is how

scientists came up with this unique conclusion. A quick summary of the findings suggests that the reason why adverts have the ability to implant brand names into our brains is because our lips and tongues automatically stimulate the pronunciation of a new brand name when we first hear it.

Every time we see the name again, our mouth subconsciously practices the pronunciation of the name and that is how it manages to stick in our heads.

But chewing is disturbing this “inner speech” that advertisers have been using for so long to make us memorize the brand.

There was even an entire experiment where 50 people in a theater were given popcorn and 50 people were given nothing to eat during the show. I always snack on something when I watch previews in the movie theater and I never remember anything being commercialized.

At the end of the screening, there was a test and the study showed that the commercials had no effect on those who were munching on popcorn the entire time.

The man who created this study suggests that his research might in fact be the end of selling traditional popcorn in the movie theater. Any thoughts on that?

I personally think that it is a really out-of-the-box claim to say that popcorn is the reason why advertisements do not sink in our heads. However, I am not a psychology major, so I do not know the extent of this whole “inner speech” thing, but after reading the article in the Guardian I guess it makes sense.

Could food be the ultimate killer for all commercials?

Have advertisements found their ultimate weakness?

Do you guys buy this new study?

Deceitful Advertising

Advertising is a staple in making a product or brand name known. Advertising is defined as a form of communication used to encourage, persuade, or manipulate an audience. Although people do not generally like to be manipulated or deceived, it happens every day in the form of advertisements. For example, a popular advertisement for a weight loss pill promises results within a week. However, what the company does not tell you in their advertisements is that in order for these weight loss miracle pills to work the consumer must follow a strict diet and exercise plan. Many naïve consumers become convinced that by only taking the diet pill will help them lose weight. Which causes them to fall for the advertisement.

This is not new knowledge for consumers. We are all well aware that the constant messages we receive in advertisements are not completely truthful.  Recently in California, Tesla has received claims that it has violated advertising laws. Tesla has recently become a strong and leading brand in the market of electric vehicles.  The California New Car Dealers Association accuses Tesla of inflating the actual number of savings that might result from customers purchasing its vehicles. Things like this are not surprising. Car dealerships have always advertised their cars as being superior to what they actually are. In this case, as Tesla advertises prices that may or may not be true makes consumers uneasy. If Tesla is not truthful in its advertising, consumers might be discouraged to purchase these vehicles. Although advertising is a slight variation of the truth, it is essential that the company does not deceive the consumer in any major way. When allegations like this occur, it is more likely to give the company a negative image as opposed to the positive one it was striving to achieve. Negative reaction from advertising can be detrimental to a company who is just beginning to bloom. 

There are times when a company will purposely create an advertisement that is slightly deceitful in order to create a humorous reaction from the consumer. For example, in this Axe commercial for its “Excite” body spray, it states that “even angels will fall” insinuating that if you wear this particular body spray you will create an attraction so strong angels will fall from the heavens. As consumers we are able to see that although this commercial is deceiving, it is humorous and does a good job at keeping the attention of the viewer. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EKLR894oMs

Thus, as consumers we are well aware of the misleading messages in advertisements. Whether it is done for comedy purposes or if its done to particularly manipulate the consumer it is important to always do research on a product you are purchasing. 

References

Hirsh , J. (2013, September 13). California new car dealers claim tesla violates advertising laws. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-california-dealers-claim-tesla-violations-20130916,0,3708769.story

 

 

laughs boost security

Security technology has advanced in great strides, but is not widely advertised.  I mean, how do make “security system” sound exciting?

 

When I think of the word Security, I think of safety, protection, and reassurance.

 

Princeton’s wordnet defines security system as “(computing) a system that enforces boundaries between computer networks.”

 

A recent campaign in Minneapolis made an excellent point:  Once a week, a paint crew was hoisted to repaint one side of a billboard from green to red and finally to blue.  The text on the ad reading: ‘“Paint Drying,” says text on the billboard. “Admittedly more interesting than explaining malware prevention.”’

 

I don’t know about you, but this sounds a little confusing to me. (Coming from someone who does not know too much about technology.)  It all sounds like something I need, but do not know much about.  It is such a serious topic, Security.  We use security software everyday on our laptops and PCs.  So how do I choose which company to use?

 

This is actually part of an ad campaign for Webroot, a malware company. After conducting a poll they realized that people didn’t want to hear all the technical jargon.  They wanted to know what they were getting from their security providers in plain and simple English.  Although this campaign is a little self- deprecating, it hit a strong chord with many individuals (such as myself) who tend to shy away or get scared of the fancy lingo normally associated with the product.

 

Many security companies have started adding humor to their advertisements.  This not only makes for an interesting advertisement, but it opens up the target audience for security software to a much broader audience.

 

Bitdefender, and anit-virus company has partner with Fredo&Pid’jin, a web comic known for it’s edgy humor.

 

Companies use security to protect themselves on a greater scale from thieves, or virus.  We even use security software through security systems in our homes, to protect out families and possessions.

 

Below is a video where a security technology from GE, take and interesting spin on a scene from the move Lassie.  This is the scene where Lassie and his young friend find themselves face to face with a cougar.  But don’t worry Kung Fu Fighting Lassie will protect you!

 

(r.d.) Retrieved from http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=security system

Newman, Andrew Adam. . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/business/media/22adco.html?_r=0

Souza, Victor. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/bitdefender-taps-quirky-humor-fredo-pidjin-comic-experimental-advertising-project-1689318.htm

Funny Security Technologies Advertisement !!!!! ### Epic – YouTube. (2013, April 29). YouTube. Retrieved September 5, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq7KbAqah1g

Link to Fredo & pid’jin comic : http://www.pidjin.net

A Bold, Brave and Black Ad

Many people do not know, but Dunkin’ Donuts is a worldwide company and has many locations all around the globe. The “DD” in Thailand has recently had a 50% increase in sales and many say that it is because of a very popular, yet very controversial ad that was just released in the country.

The advertisement pictures a beautiful, smiling young lady, whose skin was painted charcoal black, wearing a bright pink lipstick and holding the company’s new “charcoal donut.” Obviously, this sparked some anger in people, but none of these offended people are Thai…they are American! The CEO Nadim Salhani says, “So what? It’s just paranoid American thinking.”

His daughter is the one who is the model for the ad. The CEO told the Associated Press that he did not understand why he is not allowed to use the color black to promote the new product, because if the donut was white and he painted someone’s face white, would it still be considered racist? He thinks not.

The American Dunkin’ Donuts posted an apology on its website and promised to take down the advertisement because of it’s “bizarre and racist sensitivity.” The Human Rights Watch even complained about the ad and could not believe how offensive and crazy the campaign was.

I have attached both the magazine/Facebook advertisement for the “charcoal donut,” as well as the commercial for it (sorry it’s all in Thai I could not find English subtitles). Personally, I do not think it is offensive and I believe that it is important to understand the global context of the situation, because even if Americans are offended, the ad is not running in the States. If it was broadcasted in America, people would obviously react in a negative way, but it is on the other side of the planet, so the people of America and every other country need to be more understanding and open-minded about global mindsets in marketing.

The Thai Dunkin’ did not create the advertisement with the intentions of offending people or being racist. They wanted an ad that would be appealing to the eye and of course a pretty girl with bright lips but a pitch-black face would make consumers curious.

I like the concept of the commercial, I think it makes people interested to know more about the donut and makes them want to go out and purchase one. I don’t think that it is insensitive in any way; it simply appears to be a creative marketing tactic.

Sorry America, I’m going to have to side with the Thai people on this one. Stop taking things so seriously!!!!!!!!! Take a chill pill, people!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQMKqeHgEEs