A New Platform For Advertising

Advertisers are always trying to find new creative ways to reach and engage with their audience. This can be accomplished by using traditional media, which can include: television, radio and newspaper. Advertisers also have the opportunity to benefit from new media.

Although transitional and new media are great and effective, we have to keep up with trends and be able to capitalize on the opportunities that these trends set. So what is the new trend advertiser need to start taking advantage of? Ever since the immerse popularity of the investigative crime podcast, Serial, that aired in 2014, podcast have made an impressive comeback. Raw Voice, a company that specifically tracks the popularity of different podcasts and the effectiveness they have on their audiences, claims that the number of unique monthly podcaster listeners has tripled from 25 million to 75 million in just a few years.

Podcast have become a powerful tool to reach niche audiences and tends to be highly engaging mediums for delivering messages. I think it’s important to acknowledge that podcast really do target specific segments. People will choose to listen to a podcast because they actually like listening to the host discuss topics that interest them. Once advertisers know who their target audience is and why they are listening to certain podcast, they can capitalize on this medium by expanding their brand awareness.

Podcast are able to draw more engagement to a brand while delivering the message effectively. Podcast is an old yet revolutionized medium that advertisers should start using in a greater capacity.

Volkswagen “Connected Dog” App Lets Your Dog Walk Themselves

Volkswagen has recently designed the app, “My Volkswagen.” This app was created to let the driver control elements of their vehicle more effectively. Volkswagen thought it would be a great idea to construct something similar for a human’s best friend. This idea let to the production of “Connected Dog,” in hopes to make a dog owners life just a little easier.

In order for the Connected Dog app to function properly, the dog must wear a headset. This headset contains multiple functions like GPS and a live cam, which can all be viewed while on the app. This app is also capable to administer the dog with location-specific voice commands and rewards the dog by affirming the dog for good conduct. This can be done through the earpieces of the headed set in which the owner can respond with “good-boy/girl.”

Check out the video below, if you want your day to get one-hundred times better.

All of this just seems too good to be true doesn’t it? Well that’s because it is. This was Volkswagen way of grabbing’s people attention by delivering something no other car brand has done before. The closet item to come close to this technology are pet wearable GPS and track collars. I suggest that Volkswagen patent this design because it does show some potential. But personally, I still think having a walk with your dog by your side is better.

 

McDonalds, Thank You For Your All-Day Breakfast

Ad agency, Leo Burnett Chicago, has helped McDonalds curate a commercial specifically thanking those who make all-day breakfast possible. I’m not sure about other McDonalds consumers but I’m all about their ninety-nine-cent large drinks and all-day breakfast menu, obviously.

It’s now been four months since McDonalds made 24-hour breakfast available to their consumers. As a result, McDonalds revenue had a jumping increase of 5.7 percent in same-store sales in the United States. McDonald’s CEO, Steve Easterbrook, has claimed that increase of sales had to do directly with the new changes in the menu.

McDonalds ad is set to air during the Oscars and is titled, “Good Morning Oscars.” This commercial will be reaching out to a greater audience as a result of timing and relativity. The creative tone of the commercial is set as McDonalds acceptance speech for the great reaction received from their recent menu reveal. McDonalds message of appreciation is directed to their employees, manufactures and consumers. The topic of this commercial is rare but the message and the way it’s portrayed makes it a strong statement for the company.

 

How Periscope Landed Two Ad Creatives Job Interviews

Those who engage in social media platforms typically do so for many reasons like social interaction, expression of opinion, or entertainment. In the last few years, social platforms have unintentionally influenced users to use its site for other purposes. More and more users have started using social apps like, Instagram, as their personal online portfolio. Curating a personal online portfolio can target potential employers to visit ones work while learning about the individual in the process.

In search for full time jobs, ad creatives Tim Menko and Ingmar Larsen decided to pitch their portfolio on the live-streaming app, Periscope. Making it the first live Periscope portfolio-review. Before their showcase, Menko and Larsen created a press release and emailed the release to their contacts in the industry and in social media, inviting agencies to tune into their live-stream.

On Feb. 16, more than 100 people tuned into the duos Creatives 35-minute presentation allowing the event to generate buzz in the industry. Although 100 people tuning in to the conversation does not seem like much engagement, it is when the live-steam was targeting a specific audience. It wasn’t much longer after their presentation that Menko and Ingmar started receiving request for job interviews.

Menko and Larsen thought out an ingenious plan that was both creative and innovative which ultimately landed them potential jobs. Both Creatives capitalized on an opportunity they saw and truly delivered their message. This is a great example on the capabilities of social media and the networking that it brings.

Will Ferrell Becomes An Exotic Animal Expert

In recent years, late night shows have gained more media attention than year’s prior. With host like Jimmy Fallon, Trevor Noah, and now Stephen Colbert on CBS, the late night show audience has skewed to a younger generation. These segments have now become the second most valuable time slots for not just advertisers but for hosts as well. As hosts compete for viewership, they use their platforms to take creative risks to draw in the viewers. To prove their relativity, host will have guest artist, actors, comedians, and sometimes, exotic animal handlers to appear in their segment. Wait, what? Exotic animal handlers?

Recently, late night host, Stephen Colbert, aired a live show were comedian Will Ferrell attracted late-night viewers as he played an animal handler. The intended topic to be discussed was of Will Ferrell’s newest movie, Zoolander 2. As Colbert called Ferrell into the stage, Ferrell made his appearance dressed in khaki shorts and zookeeper styled attire. When asked why he was dressed this way, he responded, “I’ve noticed your late-show is kinda new and you don’t really have an animal expert yet.” After a moments pause, Ferrell continued and said, “I thought I could step in and fill the gap.” Ferrell manged to bring various animals to the stage including the audience favorite, Mulan, a “short-spined Peruvian mongoose.” Clearly being a domesticated kitten. Ferrell ditched the typical conversation of promoting a movie and delivered something unexpected.

Will Ferrell and Stephen Colbert made a great pair of match-up entertainers. Its these kinds of acts that draws in viewership while increasing tv ratings and making late-night segments worth watching.

Watch the full episode or tune in on weeknight to watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS.