Random Post Time

The 6-month (!!!) span between this post and my last entry correlates with a lot of activity on the home front and at work. I've also struggled finding topics to cover. I've always tried to center on advertising techniques that I find interesting or tactics that I want to learn more about. The point of this post is to bust the atrophy off my writing muscles. I'll do that by touching on a few topics that I've considered covering on this blog. Maybe I'll expound on these topics in their own posts. This post, however, scores off the Randometer charts. Sorta like this Bitmoji.

(Some friends at work introduced me to Bitmojis, which may or may not have contributed to that 6-month span.)

Sports Cards and Marketing

Growing up, baseball card collecting was a huge hobby of mine. I spent hours reading the stats on the back of cards and looking over every last detail of the photos on the front of the cards. It's hard to imagine getting so much enjoyment out of pieces of cardboard. The internet was not a thing yet so all that I learned about the hobby came from interacting with my friends. I was recently served the following ad while killing time on YouTube.



Sports cards have changed and so have the marketing efforts of card companies.

Instagram Frustration

I want to keep my Instagram profile public so I can continue embedding posts from my account. Unfortunately, some very questionable accounts have declared open season on my profile. Anyone can follow my public profile without requesting permission and boy do I attract some weirdos. I'm certain these are not actual people - they're obviously phony profiles. Each one has zero posts and zero followers but are following several hundred accounts.

I'm blocking most of these followers but if you know of a way I can fend off these weirdos while keeping my profile public, please leave me a tip in the comments!

NIKE Golf

So NIKE just announced that they will no longer manufacture golf clubs, balls or bags. They will continue to make golf shoes and apparel.

I think a lot of people share my stance on NIKE's equipment. I don't think the lack of equipment will hinder the success of their shoes and apparel. I've been a fan of both and have never owned a NIKE club.

Yep. Played on the Farm Links greens today!

A photo posted by Nick Baggett (@nick_baggett) on Aug 12, 2014 at 3:23pm PDT

Jim Varney

I was flipping TV channels the other day and came across the description for the 1993 Beverly Hillbillies movie, in which Jim Varney played the lead role. I never realized that he starred in any movies other than his "Earnest" films. Where a lot of people remember him for his movie roles, I remember Varney more for his 1980s television commercials. I've written before about the risks of celebrity endorsements and the safety of character endorsements. Reading up on Varney, I learned that he was a central part in a unique marketing strategy that enabled him to gain acting work across the country because he was not (yet) a nationally-recognized figure. This interview touches on that concept:



This approach allowed the commercial directors to use the same story frame for multiple ads and products.

For example, here's a local ad for Doubles Pizza.



And here's the same type of ad for Mello Yello.



Wonder why Vern was always on his roof?? And will we see a return to this kind of simple character endorsements?

OK, told you this post was going to be chopped full of randomness. I hope to return to consistent posting now!

What Super Bowl Ads Taught Me

When I was growing up in the 80's, there was always a lot of anticipation building up to the annual batch of Super Bowl commercials. The "Big Game" served as a premiere for these creative and memorable ads with each commercial break drawing as much (or more) attention than the action on the gridiron. Even though social media spoilers have stolen that excitement from this era's Super Bowl viewing parties, I'll never forget a valuable lesson I learned from watching my favorite Super Bowl ads of all time: the Bud Bowl series. 

We all know the concept of the Bud Bowl ads, which appeared during eight Super Bowls (1989-1995, 1997). If you need a refresher, Mental Floss did a nice review of the entire series. The outlandish prices paid by corporations for air time during the Super Bowl were discussed just as much back then as they are today. I was 10 years old when the first Bud Bowl ads appeared but even at that age, those commercials were a huge lesson in the concept of branding.

Breweries do not (cannot?) tout the true features of their product that appeal to buyers in their commercials (I'm not talking about how it tastes). As entertaining as they were, those Bud Bowl ads made me question their purpose. It baffled me to know that Anheuser-Busch spent all that money on multiple ads per game without really ever describing their beer. But then I noticed other advertisers taking the same approach with their commercial. NIKE didn't explain the comfort the new Air Jordans and I didn't hear about the smooth ride of the latest GM vehicle.

That's when it clicked. The Super Bowl isn't a stage on which you describe your product - it's an opportunity to connect with the audience. That euphoric branding moment of mine may seem about as impressive as when a person discovers their rhythmic abilities for the first time. But it's a moment I'll never forget...when I became one of those people that watches the Super Bowl "just for the commercials".  

{Top Photo: Courtesy}

My Ever-Changing Perception of NIKE's Brand

Judging by the apparel worn by today's 8-14 year old boys in my area, brand loyalty is spread much wider than it was when I was in that age range. While the core of the traditional typical outfit (t-shirt, shorts, sneakers) remains the same, it's very common to see different brands for each piece. For example, I see a lot of kids wearing Under Armor socks with their NIKE shoes. Seeing how mixing brands has become perfectly acceptable makes me wonder if my perception of brands has become extremely outdated.

Growing up in the late 80's and early 90's, I would only consider wearing NIKE shoes. I was a NIKE billboard then, head to toe. This was purely based on the fact that Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson wore NIKEs. Performance, durability, pricing and other factors wouldn't impact my purchases until I grew older, but NIKE continues to earn my loyalty. Back then, I viewed Reebok as an inferior competitor and Adidas was a non-factor. Under Armor didn't exist yet so my choice truly came down to NIKE. I don't pay as much attention to the athletic shoe industry now because I don't wear sneakers as often as I once did but I'm really impressed to see the emergence of Under Armor. Kids seem to really like these shoes.  

I think Under Armor is a long way from overtaking NIKE but they're definitely making a dent, which is something I thought would never be possible. The following video from Fast Company fittingly details the history of NIKE's brand.

Quick point I'd like to make about this video: Tiger Woods was not unknown when he signed with NIKE. Many people outside of the golfing world were aware of him and knew that he was destined for big things. Signing Tiger was huge though - it allowed NIKE to enter a sport much like Michael Jordan did for basketball.  When I try to define "branding", I always point to NIKE as an example. My attraction to their products has changed on many different levels over the years and my perception of NIKE's brand is what I use when I try to identify other brands today. {Top photo: Courtesy}