Advertising Principles & Practice // Week 4

23.09.2016 // Week 4
Chia Yee Hsean (0322352)
Advertising Principles & Practice
Exercise: Idea Sketches, and 
Project 1: Insight. (PlaySafe Condoms)

Lecture: Advertising Practice in Support of Marketing

This lecture started off with a quick refresh of the definitions of advertising and marketing. Mr Vinod then went on to describe the free market economy being “..a market-based economy where prices for goods and services are set freely by the forces of supply and demand and are allowed to reach their point of equilibrium without intervention by government policy". Such an economy leads to private ownership of businesses and competitive markets, which is where advertising comes in. Advertising in a free economy:

• identifies and differentiates products
• communicates information about them
• stimulates products’ distribution
• increases product use
• builds value, brand preference, and loyalty
• lowers the overall cost of sales. 

With an ever increasing number of private businesses and stiff competition, many marketing strategies have been developed to help set products apart, such as

• product differentiation - distinguishing a product or service from others,
• positioning - how you provide your product/service brand identification in the market
• market segmentation - dividing an entire market up into different customer segments, and deciding which customer segment to focus on.

In order to apply these strategies, we also learnt about the life cycle of a product.

1. Introduction: “Wean” product into market (pull/push strategy).

2. Growth: Maximize market share early.

3. Maturity: Fight for market share (ads focused on subtle advantages of product).

4. Decline: Minimize effort & time to maintain market. 

Finally, we learnt about the process of creating a market plan.

1. Understanding the target audience - Through the common four market segments: behaviouristic, psychographic, demographic, and geographic.

2. Planning process - Sets specific goals and describes precise strategies based on market analysis.

3. Creative process - Media messages (tv, radio, social media, etc.) are designed with coherence and brand identity in mind.

4. Reaching the target audience - The appropriate medium is chosen to target specific groups. the broader the reach, the more expensive it is (eg. TV, social media).

5. Integrated marketing communications - Media planning in the form of events such as press conferences, corporate social responsibility activities, event sponsorships, etc. to create a favourable reputation.

Outcomes of the lecture:

• Quick refresher of the basic advertising concepts
• Learned about the definitions of product differentiation, product positioning, and market segmentation
• Understood the lifecycle of a product
• Learned about the process of creating a market plan

In-class Activity:

Brief:
This video clip went viral recently:

It shows a Volkswagen Polo ramming a Malaysian Police car from the back and then speeding off. The incident was recorded by a dashboard camera and was uploaded onto YouTube which then went viral on social media. Viral marketing/advertising (sometimes) uses a pre-existing social phenomenon (like this incident) to advance a service or a product by leveraging on its popularity.

Task:

Your task is to leverage on this incident that has gone viral on behalf of Volkswagen's Polo brand of cars, and increase the brand awareness of the car. You can approach this by using humor, wit, or any other means necessary and make play of the incident to ride on its popularity.

Client: Volkswagen

Medium: Online Web banner (336 x 280 pixels)

Deadline: 30min–1hr

News Portal: 

The Malaysian Insider, The Star, The Malay Mail Online, etc.

The ad will feature on the home page of the news sites and on the side of the online article featuring the incident.

I was paired up with David and Sudar to complete this assignment. We came up with several ideas before proceeding with the one we thought was right for the task. We reasoned that we could have a humorous Raya-themed ad because we found out that the time of the incident coincided with the 2014 Raya Volkswagen Polo promotion. The ad depicts a new car owner who was very eager to show off his/her new car to the family, while hinting at a crashed police car such as in the hit-and-run video.

Figure 1: In-class activity Ad 1

However, Mr Vinod disagreed with us and suggested we come up with another ad. We then focused channeling a rebellious and a cool attitude that would resonate with the potential car buyers. Hence, we replaced the "P" in Polo to spell YOLO while slipping in another sly reference to the video.

Figure 2: In-class activity Ad 2

Times Weekly Forum

We have come to understand that Advertising is a paid form of communication and persuasion. If Publicity is free form of communication and persuasion, wouldn't it make sense for Marketing to use a free tool like publicity to communicate and persuade rather than Advertising?

Publicity would make sense, IF the marketing team are aware of the advantages and risk that follow with this method. The distinct difference that sets advertising apart from publicity, that is the cost, would mean different outcomes in terms of public perception of the brand/product. Because advertising is a paid form of communication, companies get complete creative control over the content and style of the ad. They can also reach their target audience with better accuracy through strategic placement of ads on specific websites or search result pages. However, advertisements are very expensive and may not be as effective in a society that is skeptical towards advertisements.

On the other hand, you have publicity where the cost is, at the very least, much cheaper than a conventional ad. The company could stage an event or send out a press release, where they invite the media to weigh in on the brand/product. But any news coverage that results is entirely up to the media. The media decide whether to tell people that “this is important” and “why is it important”, or whether it’s not. Publicity such as this certainly carries more weight, much like how word-of-mouth has more credibility. But the company does not get to control its spread, or how that publicity is used (in the present and the future). They also reach a far wider audience.

Both these forms of communication bring different sets of pros and cons. And its up to the marketing team to decide which method will work best to their advantage. I personally believe advertising and publicity are interdependent in their roles as marketing tools. Perhaps a controversial ad could achieve both effective advertising and publicity.

Instructions: 

Exercise: Idea Sketches

Project 1: Insight (PlaySafe Condoms)

Project 1: Competitor Insight

This week, I looked into gathering more information about PlaySafe's competitors and their products based on the list of questions provided in the assignment brief:

- Who are the competitors? (SWOT analysis)

- How and where do they advertise? 

- What is advertising strategy? (USP/SMP) 

- What do their Ads look like? 

- What is the difference in the product? 

- Where is it sold? 

Secondary research

Over the course of the past 4 weeks, I've browsed through (and documented) several online shopping catalogues/articles and visited local stores. From this, I've identified a few major competitors/key players in the Malaysia condom industry:

1. Durex
2. Okamoto
3. Care
4. Playboy

Each of these brands have their own market positions and strategies, and once we've identified those, we'll be able to create a unique marketing strategy that distinguishes the PlaySafe brand from its competitors.

1. Durex

Perhaps the most popular and trusted brand in the minds of Malaysians, Durex has managed to cement its status as the go-to condom brand here. It's got a wide range of condoms and distribution networks, both online and in-store. 

Figure 3: Durex Malaysia online store webpage.

And while the Durex brand is well-known for their creative ads overseas, the ads and campaigns that run in Malaysia are much tamer in comparison. Probably because they have to consider cultural and religious sensitivity in Malaysia. They rarely have any print ads (be it in magazines or newspapers) and the ones that are on print are very modest and not at all eye-catching.

Figure 4: The Star 2 pullout (dated 25 September 2016) featuring a Durex ad at the bottom.

Aside from that, their website and online campaigns are much more obviously geared towards young adults, with interesting videos, games, and articles that aim to educate young adults about sex. They've even collaborated with a famous local Youtube talent, JinnyboyTV, to produce a video that promotes safe sex. Hence, we can see an active social media/online presence from Durex helps keep them in the minds of Malaysian consumers.

Figure 5: The Durex Malaysia website features informative articles on the home page. It also has a "Hide Page" feature with a pink exclamation mark on the tab.

Figure 6: When clicked, the tab takes the person to a fake, seemingly-innocent page full of cute animal pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed the humour in this and find this resonates with Malaysians who are typically shy around the subject and wouldn't want anyone seeing them browse a condom website.

Figure 7: The Durex interactive page.

Figure 8: An online article reporting on the video collaboration between Durex and JinnyboyTV.

Figure 9: The YouTube video featuring Durex brand condoms.

The Durex products themselves have a very minimalist, clean design with bright colours. And you can find them in most convenience stores/grocery stores/pharmacies, with the Durex brand usually placed at the top shelf.

2. Okamoto

The Okamoto brand was established in 1934 and, according to the packaging, it's the top condom brand in Japan. They're more well-known here for their 003 condom series. I visited the global and Malaysia website and when I clicked into the Malaysian website, all I get is an outdated website interface plus a very annoying, looping Cantonese audio of their 003 series condoms.

Figure 10: The global Okamoto website.

Figure 11: The Malaysia Okamoto website.

This brand can be found in the typical 7 Eleven stores and online catalogues. The Okamoto 003 condoms have a unique product design to them, but that won't last them too long thanks to their lack of marketing within Malaysia in terms of advertisements and social media. And their annoying webpage audios. 

3. Care
Another brand with minimalist, candy-coloured packaging, Care seems to put in much more effort into its brand identity and marketing. The condoms come in different flavours and fits, and can be found in major hypermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies. They mostly advertise through their social media pages and events/campaigns hosted by them. The brand is aggressively trying to push for this young, hip brand image with its visuals and language, although their grammar and choice of words could use some work. At least there is still some sort of brand image going on. But in my opinion, this brand image they've created is pretty shallow. However, they still get placed high up on store shelves next to established brands like Durex.

Figure 12: the Care website with its funky visuals and lingo. 

Figure 13: The brand likes to feature ads of gratuitous pictures of ladies in their undergarments with half-baked copywriting.

Figure 14: Another ad featured on their Facebook page. This one was probably made in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

4. Playboy
The Playboy brand condoms were only recently launched in Malaysia back in 2014 according to these blog posts by a local social media celebrity. She had been invited to attend and promote the launch event, which was held at a swanky club and featured muscular waiters and sexy dance numbers. The Playboy condoms are only available at a handful of local pharmacies and online stores. Meanwhile, their ads seem dissociated from the brand image that people have come to expect from Playboy. They only seem to be relying on the worldwide fame and recognition of the brand name to push sales here.

Figure 15: The Facebook page of Playboy condoms. 

Figure 16: The latest addition to their range, condoms with a minty sensation.

Exercise: Idea Sketches

This week, Mr Vinod asked that we start to focus on refining the few good ideas we had while also exploring more new ideas.

Drafts:

I looked into expanding the Hitler ad by listing down several pop culture icons and deciding how I can incorporate them. I also played around some more with the previous elephant ad by having different wildlife animals and tweaking different parts of the animal. And as time went on, I jotted down random ideas that occured to me and worked on those too.

Figure 17: Draft 1/3

Figure 18: Draft 2/3

Figure 19: Drafts 3/3

Sketches:

Figure 20: Sketches 1/3

Figure 21: Sketches 2/3

Figure 22: Sketches 3/3

Feedback

Specific feedback: The second attempt at the in class challenge was much better than the first one. It was communicable and relatable. The first one didn't seem memorable enough. Your research was quite interesting, the structure of your enquiry was logical and valid. I am very excited to see that you managed to stumble upon a Durex Condom ad in local newspaper. Your research in comparison to the rest is quite comprehensive, well done. Great work! I'm glad to note that you are enjoying your current book from the library. Books have a way of facilitating the creative spark.

General feedback: Mr Vinod urged us to form our own opinions when answering the weekly forum question; to comprehend what we've learnt and make our own connections/ meaning of it.

Reflection:

Experience: This week's lecture was quite lengthy, but the lecturer skipped through the less important parts and gave interesting examples throughout the lesson which helped. We also had a good discussion session, because there was much more communication of critiques and comments between each member. We all got to see great idea sketches from everyone.

Observation: I was less fidgety when the lecturer was looking through my work (haha)! I also found that I was able to speak up more during the discussion session, and give more comments/suggestions to my classmates. Not to mention I was more prepared to receive critiques.

Finding: I could probably attribute this improvement to what happened before class started. Before class, I had Mr Vinod look at my Publishing 1 assignment, to which he dissected and tore it apart beyond recognition, which was a good thing! It definitely stung to have only realised later that my project  was lacking in a lot of areas. But the highly-specific comments/suggestions were extremely helpful. And following that, I was very determined to improve which prompted me to accept more comments (as well as give more). 

Book of The Week:

Figure 23: Hey Whipple, Squeeze This!

I recently picked up “Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! - The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads”, a witty guide by Luke Sullivan. The book talks about everything from the ideation process, working on radio commercials, to the types of bad clients in advertising. A particular section that I read into talked about authenticity in advertising. When working on a project, the first order of business should be writing down the truest thing we can say about the brand/product. This relates back to the previous book I read about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and how we fulfil those needs through the products we consume. And this step really helps because the best ideas are old truths brought to light in new, exciting ways! Once we’ve found that truth, we can then figure out how to say the right thing the right way, thus solving both the client’s and our problem.

In an age of scripted reality shows and Photoshop, people have grown much more skeptical. Admitting that your commercial is a paid message with an agenda is one way to disarm that distrust. Personally, I do agree that these ads, although still not common in Malaysia, are very much appreciated by viewers. We as the industry insiders, just need to know how to deliver that truth to our (and our client’s) advantage. And when companies shy away from such truthful conversations with consumers, they risk becoming irrelevant and therefore invisible. 

The author then featured some examples of “truthful” ads such as the famous Volkswagen Beetle ad created by DDB. 

I’m really enjoying the insight and tone of this book, so I plan to borrow it back and finish reading it. 


References

Durex. Available at: http://www.durex.com.my/ (Accessed: 25 September 2016)

Arul, N. (2014) Durex pokes fun at youth with short film. Available at: http://www.marketing-interactive.com/durex-pokes-fun-at-youth-with-short-film/ (Accessed: 25 September 2016).

Okamoto Global. Available at: http://www.okamoto-inc.jp/en/index.html (Accessed: 24 September 2016)

Chuck, J. (2014) Playboy condoms Malaysia official launch @ the rabbit hole. 

Available at: http://www.chuckei.com/2014/01/playboy-condoms-malaysia-official.html#.V-gMI5N97EZ (Accessed: 25 September 2016).

Picture credits

Figure 1-2: In-class activity
Figure 3: Durex website
Figure 4: Star 2, The Star Newspaper
Figure 5-7: Durex website
Figure 8: Marketing Interactive website
Figure 9: Youtube
Figure 10: Okamoto Global website
Figure 11: Okamoto Malaysia website
Figure 12-14: Care
Figure 15-16: Playboy Condoms Malaysia
Figure 17-22: Personal documentation
Figure 23: Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads