Saturday, February 9, 2019

Brands Sure Can Waste Some Money on Super Bowl Commercials

Okay, I want to weigh in on the Super Bowl commercials and I always like to give a bit of time to reflect. My main take away this year was the dominance of beer commercials and not what I would have expected. These were the "greening" of the genre with brands touting their natural and organic qualities.

Bud placed a major communication on their lack of corn syrup in their Lite Beer, which was a well placed slap at their lite beer competitors. The famous Budweiser Clydesdale's even galloped into the wind against a backdrop of wind turbines. Again, Bud sent out a timely message to a growing market of eco-conscious and health-conscious consumers.

KIA? "What was KIA thinking" when they filmed their new large 8-passenger Telluride slogging through muddy water. Why not have shown it off in high end advantage against the ski slopes of Telluride for a little extra name impression.

Pepsi's "Just Okay" commercial certainly wasted big dollars selling the lack luster "We're okay" message. What smart company spends millions to do that? The same company that spent a million or so to tweak its classic logo into a "smile". Just saying, isn't there something about the product that is better than just okay? If not why not co-brand it with something else like your KFC or Taco Bell brands. Or, you could have jumped on the Super Bowl's health train and touted your Quaker Oat brand.

Olay's "Killer Skin" was another "why did they do that moment? Who wants to buy a product that gives them dead skin. I mean vampires are dead and that was their pay off visual. A shame that a well respected product line aimed at an older women had to fast forward to death.

Really, Hyundai spent how much for their Super Bowl viewing audience watch an elevator go up and down. Some advertising has complete lost track for trying to promote their product as part of their brand. Should I just ride an elevator and call Uber or Lyft? Why buy a Hyundai?

Bon & Viv's Spiked Seltzer was a complete waste. For what to me was a new product, I learned nothing. Why the under water tank setting? Why not some more emphasis on what they heck it is and what I should look for in a store.

The game was more riveting than the commercials.





Friday, February 1, 2019

Have Wellness On Your Mind? Why Not Begin Sharing Your Knowledge, Insights and Inspirations With Others?

If you want to start your own blog, but keep thinking that there are already too many blogs on the topic. Think, again! Wellness is a great general topic to begin thinking about if you have a personal interest in health. Decide what particular group of readers that you would relate to best. Narrow it further by deciding if if you want to reach men, women or both. Do you have a knack for talking with teens, young moms, retirees?

From nutrition and fitness to spiritual and mental health, the range of topics in the wellness genre is broad. So, ask yourself, "Do I prefer to write about healthy recipes, organic foods, exercise, diets, safety, etc? After you've decided what aspect of the topic most interests you, then do some more research.

Google those various segments of your interest and see what comes up. For instance, search organic food blogs and get an idea for the number of bloggers engaged in this topic. Review how they have sliced and diced the topic: what are their writing styles, do they follow their topic farm to table, do they include recipes, shopping tips, etc. Then google another wellness topic, etc.

Start your own wellness blog by deciding what you want to say. How might that be similar to or very different from the blogs already online. With a clear vision of what to say, it's time to pick a domain name. Remember you can attract readers by including a term that they might be searching if they are interested in your topic. Next, choose where your blog will be hosted. Sites such as Blogger are free.

If you choose a wellness blog, congratulations because your own blog will help you stay informed and be inspired to continue maintainong a healthy lifestyle. these websites are full of useful resources to help boost your well being.

This is Go Red Day so show your support for the American Heart Association!