The new campaign is titled “The Real Walmart” and includes three television ads communicating Walmart’s mission and values. In the first ad, Walmart customers (an accountant, teacher, fire fighter, etc.) explain how saving money by shopping at Walmart benefits their family and their future. The ad also tries to illustrate the economic and ethnic diversity in its customer base.

In the second ad, the audience is shown a 19-year old associate in Chicago describing Walmart’s career advancement opportunities.

The last ad is focused on Walmart’s biggest vulnerability: its business model – which has recently been scrutinized with the collapse of the garment factory in Bangladesh. The ad breaks down the company’s super-efficient business and logistical tactics that keep costs low for their customers.

The company has also set up a website which provides profiles of customers and associates (the “REAL” people of Walmart…not these shoppers).

Walmart’s CEO said: “We have wanted to do this for a long time because we know that people trust Walmart even more when they understand the opportunities we provide our associates, who the customers are that shop with us, and how we deliver low prices.”

After reviewing these commercials, we can’t say we’re blown away. They’re a little too boring to be the makings for a viral campaign. However, with all the brand-damaging websites, articles, and videos posted about the brand, it’ll benefit the company to have more positive information being picked up by search engines.

We also questioned why it’s taken Walmart so long to produce a campaign like this. The company has long been a target of activists. However, after conducting some research, we learned that Walmart raked in more than $469 billion in revenue last year (5 percent ahead of the prior year). So, the brand, while tarnished, isn’t hurting quite yet. Consumers looking to save money are still flocking to the store.

Do you think the “Real Walmart” campaign will be effective in providing the public with a new perspective on the controversial retailer?

Sources:

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/05/05/walmart-launches-national-tv-and-digital-advertising-campaign-show-real-walmart

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauraheller/2013/05/06/new-ad-campaign-promotes-the-real-walmart/

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2013/05/07/Walmart-Real-Campaign-050713.aspx#continue

http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/wal-mart-stores-inc-wmt-when-will-you-forgive-it-134882/

In the past, baseball, football, and other professional sports complexes were generally named after an important individual or based their location. Very few teams played in stadiums tied to a corporation.

In fact, in 1953, the Anheuser-Busch brewery wanted to buy the naming rights to the St. Louis Cardinals’ stadium and rename the park “Budweiser Stadium”. However, the league wasn’t too excited about naming  stadium after booze. So, instead, Augustus Busch renamed the stadium “Busch Stadium” using his family’s surname. And shortly after the investment was made, a new beer called Busch Bavarian Beer was introduced to the public in an effort to capitalize on the stadium’s new name.

However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the purchasing of stadium naming rights became a widespread marketing tactic. At this time, it became common practice for brands to be signing $400 million naming-right deals over 25 years.

Fast forwarding to today, the selling of naming rights is generating more money than ever. Farmers Insurance recently signed a $700 million deal to put its name on a sports and events stadium that lacks an official team and even has yet to be built.

So, where is the value in all of this?

Well, it’s hard to say. The return on investment with naming-rights deals is difficult to measure because of the many factors that are involved.

The obvious benefit of a naming-rights investment is increased brand awareness. It can make billions of positive impressions in the minds of consumers.  How is this possible? Well, marketers argue brand visibility goes well beyond the venues’ visitors. The venues and company branding can be seen by consumers as they scroll through their Facebook news feed, commute to work, play an online video sent to them by a friend, or watch the news. This type of marketing isn’t intended to persuade consumers to buy a product. It’s used to simply keep or create top-of-mind awareness for a brand.

However, historically there is no proof of positive ROI for a naming-rights tactic. Michael Leeds, an economist at Temple University, has done research on naming rights deals.  “The bottom line was we found really no evidence of any major impact on a company’s profits,” he said.   

Some marketers even argue that corporations investing in stadium naming rights lose value. For example, two years after purchasing the Met’s field, Citigroup was in need of a $300 billion bailout.

With that being said, most marketing experts can agree that when investing in naming rights, you are purchasing an opportunity not guaranteed profitability. Having the degree of visibility discussed earlier will help you leverage other marketing tactics, but if a company intends to spend the majority of its marketing budget on a stadium sponsorship, it’s likely it will never see the return on the initial investment.

Sources:

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/152714975.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/name-that-venue-and-collect-billions-of-brand-impressions-2013-4

http://www.askmen.com/sports/business_100/106b_sports_business.html

http://mentalfloss.com/article/20239/brief-history-stadium-naming-rights

If you think you’re saving the whales or curing cancer by “liking” certain pages and posts on Facebook, you’re not…according to UNICEF Sweden. The organization recently launched a shaming advertising campaign targeting slacktivists. The organization is looking to communicate the simple message that Facebook “likes” don’t save lives.

In April, UNICEF Sweden released three television ads and a poster advising the targeted audience to support humanitarian aid through monetary donations instead of social media activity. The ads have since gone viral receiving more than 40,000 views on YouTube.

One of the most poignant scenes from these commercials is that of a young orphan speaking directly to the audience from inside a dilapidated room explaining that he’s not worried because of the size of UNICEF Sweden’s Facebook Fan base. “Sometimes I worry that I will get sick, like my mom got sick. But I think everything will be alright. Today, UNICEF Sweden has 177,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook,” he says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZBKVq87W1Y

However, the ads in general do have a more light-hearted, sarcastic tone in their criticism of many business’ and organizations’ obsession with “likes”. In one ad, a larger gentleman purchases beer with “likes”, and in another ad, a man purchasing a cashmere sweater explains to the clerk that he’ll be paying for it with social currency. The campaign’s ads all end with the slogan: “Vaccines can’t be bought with ‘likes’ either.”

UNICEF Sweden does acknowledge that many social media efforts do assist in building awareness for certain issues, but they are concerned most social media users’ activism will end with the “like” button (and they’re using the imagery of a starving orphan to remind its audience of this).

Coming from a marketing and public relations perspective, there are many parts of this campaign that can be criticized.

1.)  It seems as if the organization is assuming their Fans and Followers who are active on social media do not donate to the cause. Is there research that proves this? Why not allow both activities to occur?

2.)   Like we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, research has shown that shame tactics do not instigate action. They produce negative emotions and, in turn, turn off the targeted audience.

3.)    It’s clear the organization does not understand the purpose of social media. Social media is used to develop and cultivate relationships. It is an inappropriate place to be demanding monetary donations.

So, what do you think? Will this campaign push their audience to give or will it just bring about the same “word-of-mouth” marketing the campaign is dismissing?

Sources:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/3/4296194/unicef-facebook-activism-ad-campaign-likes-dont-save-lives?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://adland.tv/country/sweden

http://thefw.com/tags/facebook/

http://mashable.com/2013/05/01/unicef-facebook-likes-dont-save-lives/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

After eight months of working as the Marketing/PR Intern at Baer Performance Marketing, I have learned more about the industry and myself, in regards to my career, than I have in my four years of marketing classes.

Before starting at BPM, the only marketing experience I had gained outside of class was as a forecasting intern. Although a great experience and something to put on my resume, forecasting and days filled with charts and numbers was not for me. From that position, I realized I wanted to use my creativity in my marketing career. Going into my senior year, I felt as though I was at square one trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my degree. Upon completing this internship, I can confidently say I know exactly which field of marketing I want to enter.

Throughout this internship, I have gained knowledge in social media, public relations, market research and so much more. My writing skills were able to improve through writing press releases, blogs, and radio advertisements. I was given the opportunity to participate in brainstorming meetings and was able to see how a marketing campaign was executed at each step of the process.

Molly and Aaron were never too busy to help me with a project or answer any question I had. With their guidance and feedback, I was able to determine my strengths and have been able to call on these during interviews for full time positions, better than I would have ever been able to without this experience.

Baer Performance Marketing did an amazing job creating an internship program that not only worked with my school schedule, but also provided me with the opportunity to discover my strengths and which part of the industry I best fit. I will always remember the knowledge I have gained at BPM and am extremely grateful for having been given this opportunity.

At Baer Performance Marketing, located in Green Bay, WI, our mantra is work hard, play hard. We’re a small agency that dares to be different. We have experienced exponential growth in the past year with a large focus on social media and interactive efforts. Therefore, we are looking to add a Business Growth Strategist to knock our clients’ socks off! Our ideal candidate is a marketing/public relations/advertising professional as well as a bold social/digital media expert with a knack for growing revenue. The hired candidate would be responsible for maintaining and growing BPM’s social media and digital marketing expertise. To join BPM’s marketing team, a candidate must possess drive and determination to be the best. The right candidate must have experience in initiating and mapping out marketing strategies using social media, interactive and traditional marketing avenues with the goal of exceeding our clients’ expectations!

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or an Associate’s degree combined with relevant experience is required.

- Sales experience is necessary.

- A strong work ethic, positive attitude

- An ability to multi-task in a fast-paced, deadline-sensitive environment

-  Great organizational skills and attention to detail

-  Strong analytical skills

-  A competitive nature

-  An ability to take constructive criticism

-  Strong computer skills and ability to troubleshoot issues pertaining to social media, mobile and Email marketing

-  Proven success implementing social media/mobile marketing campaigns

-  Experience with SEO and Google Analytics is preferred .

-  Graphic design and computer programming experience is desired.

Primary Responsibilities

*  Creating comprehensive social media and mobile marketing strategies to increase our clients’ visibility, membership and engagement

*  Cultivating and following through with new business leads in all aspects of BPM’s services with a focus on social media, mobile and email marketing

*  Creating recommendations and implementing relevant social media techniques, processes and tools to improve outcomes and efficiency

*  Monitoring and analyzing results of social media accounts, contests, and internet advertising as it relates to client goals and objectives

*  Keeping on top of new and emerging trends in social media, mobile media, and internet advertising — this includes applications, sites, and tools

*  Identifying and implementing innovative and alternative ways to leverage social media activities, Email, mobile, and traditional marketing.

*  Maintaining regular client contact and responding to questions/issues promptly

*  Working collaboratively and effectively within a team environment

*  Defining key performance indicators and implementing measurement and analytic methods to gauge success

If we just described you and you are reliable, hard working, organized, and looking forward to being an important part of an up-and-coming marketing team, please email Aaron Baer at aaron@baerpm.com with your cover letter and résumé.

Blog post by: Melissa Ignasiak

Shortly after the first explosion occurred at the finish line of the Boston Marathon this past week, social media sites were full of eyewitness accounts and victims attempting to contact family members. The first reports appeared on Facebook only moments after the first explosion and over 2 million tweets were posted with updates and prayers from people around the world, who actually found out about the incident on social media sites before hearing about it  through a news organization. Most importantly, because cell phone service was not working well in the area, the Boston Police were able to communicate with marathon runners through Twitter, keeping them updated on safety protocols and advising them to use social media to contact family members.

Living in a digital age, social media is used as a critical means as communication, not only in a citywide crisis, but is also beneficial in a company-wide crisis. Social media can help companies carry out crisis communication better, faster, and more cost-effectively. Without having to take the time to write up a formal media release and distribute it to media channels, companies can provide immediate distribution and real time updates on social media sites. In addition, Facebook auto posts allow companies to stay connected to their fans and keep them regularly updated on progress.

Although using social media can be a huge help in handling a crisis, it is also important to have a communication plan in place for when a crisis occurs. The most important thing is that people are getting the correct information in the right places from the right people. Any organization in a crisis is responsible for communicating together as a single voice with a single message. Establishing relationships with influencers can help to distribute the correct information.

It is also important for an organization to have a communication plan set ahead of time. Unfortunately, social media can also cause a crisis, such as a company’s Twitter getting hacked. By having a plan set in place ahead of time, organizations do not have to scramble to figure out what to do next and can immediately begin to diffuse and improve the situation.

Social media began as a way for people to communicate with each other and has now become a critical element in emergency and crisis response. With the help of social media, organizations can react quicker and reach out to those affected by the crisis. No matter the severity of the crisis, implementing social media crisis communication plans correctly could save the image of a brand or even lives.

Sources:

http://www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com/blog/2011/11/16-best-practices-for-social-media-crisis-communications-from-blogworld/

http://www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com/blog/2013/03/10-social-media-lessons-about-crisis-communications/

http://kdvr.com/2013/04/15/social-media-key-for-communicating-after-the-boston-marathon-boming/

Position Description:

The marketing internship is a temporary position intended to provide undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity for professional development in the rapidly evolving marketing industry.

Interns will be assisting in media planning and buying, promotions, marketing material design, brainstorming, writing press releases and story pitches, networking, updating social networking sites, preparation for client meetings, and much more.

The internship will last for at least 12 weeks, and the schedule is flexible. Exact hours will be discussed and agreed upon by the successful applicants, Aaron Baer (company President), and academic advisor (if internship is being used for class credit).

*****Please note that while this is an unpaid internship, many of the current clients provide perks for BPM’s interns.*****

Qualifications:

Interns will be selected based on applicable coursework and experience relating to Marketing/Communications/Public Relations. To be considered, applicants should have completed a significant amount of upper division coursework.

Necessary skills include:

· Strong communication skills, both oral and written

· Intermediate to advanced computer skills

· Strong critical thinking skills

· Demonstrated ability to manage multiple assignments

· Must be a go-getter and possess the ability and desire to bring ideas to the table

To apply:

Email resumes and cover letter to Molly Lubinsky at molly@baerpm.com, or feel free to call #920-632-7648 to schedule an interview.

Please check out www.baerpm.com for additional information.

When you are halfway through a long, exhausting workday, why not take a break and reach for the perfect break time candy…a Kit Kat bar. The chocolate wafer was initially introduced in London in September 1935 as “Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp” and was renamed two years later as Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp. Within two years of its launch, Kit Kat had become Rowntree’s (a Nestle company) most popular product. During World War II, the candy was portrayed as a valuable wartime food and was advertised as “What active people need”.

In 1957, Donald Gilles of the J. Walter Thompson ad agency created the slogan “Have a break. Have a Kit Kat” with the idea of associating the Kit Kat bar with the enjoyment of a short break from the working day. One year later, it was used on the first television spot for the candy and the commercials became extremely popular in the 1980’s when boardrooms and newsrooms were shown breaking off pieces of a Kit Kat bar.  The classic “Gimme a Break” Kit Kat jingle, written by Ken Shuldman and Michale A. Levine, was introduced in America in 1986.

In 2004, the makers of Kit Kat decided to take a break from the company’s 47-year old slogan. After some market research, Nestle discovered that while most people knew the slogan and the jingle, it was starting to have little effect in convincing them to buy the candy. “Our findings indicated that the workplace break is now less structured and formal. The new slogan is acknowledging that a break is less formalized but, even it is for five minutes, you can maximize your enjoyment with a KitKat,” says a spokesman for Nestlé.

Although the brand no longer uses the famous slogan, Kit Kat has been able to create and advantage with a jingle that consumers can sing off the top of their head and included it in many memorable commercials. The idea that you do not need a special occasion to break off a piece of the candy and that it is a perfect break time snack will forever remain a staple of the Kit Kat brand.

Sources:

http://www.nestleprofessional.com/uk/en/SiteArticles/Pages/History_of_KitKat.aspx?UrlReferrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.google.com%2furl%3fsa%3dt%26rct%3dj%26q%3dhistory%2520of%2520kit%2520kat%26source%3dweb%26cd%3d2%26sqi%3d2%26ved%3d0CDwQFjAB%26url%3dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.nestleprofessional.com%252Fuk%252Fen%252FSiteArticles%252FPages%252FHistory_of_KitKat.aspx%26ei%3dkN9eUcaRGsrn0wG9w4D4AQ%26usg%3dAFQjCNHhBIlHidUTo-dP5VjrXi0QbPUw3w%26bvm%3dbv.44770516%2cd.dmQ

http://www.adslogans.co.uk/site/pages/gallery/have-a-break.-have-a-kit-kat.8411.php

http://www.adslogans.co.uk/site/pages/gallery/have-a-break.-have-a-kit-kat.8411.php

http://www.fastcompany.com/997393/best-advertising-slogans-all-time-according-digg-users

http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/investopedia/hugely-successful-ad-campaigns?page=5

http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/09/updated-the-best-ad-jingles-ever?page=5

http://www.just-food.com/news/kitkat-ditches-have-a-break-slogan-after-almost-50-years_id81649.aspx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/aug/03/advertising.uknews

Whenever the most famous band or celebrity couple decide to call it quits, fans are put in a state of shock. This is exactly what happened when the world’s most famous candy duo, Mike and Ike, decided to split last year after 72 years together. New packaging began appearing in stores with either “Mike” or “Ike” scratched off the box with a marker. On the back of packages with Mike’s name crossed out, a message from Ike blamed Mike for “spending way too much time on his music.” Packages with Ike’s name crossed out had a message from Mike blaming Ike for “spending way too much time on his graffiti art.”

The new packages directed candy lovers to the brand’s Facebook page where many celebrities, including N.B.A. star Lamar Odem, posted videos of their reaction to the split. Without many details, consumers were left wondering what had happened between the two and whether there was any chance of reconciliation. Little did they know, the pair had announced their split in hopes of gaining the attention of new and younger consumers.

The campaign, developed by The Elevator Group, aimed to capture consumers between the ages of 13 and 17. “Teenagers who are the primary target are not receptive to advertising that would be a direct sell about the attributes of Mike and Ike candy,” says Mark Richardson, president of the Elevator Group. “They see it coming, and they don’t want to hear us talking about it.” Social media also played a very large role in the split. By using Facebook as the main social media platform, the story of the split was able to develop over many months while keeping the target consumers involved by posting comments and videos with their reactions.

One year later, the results of the campaign split are in. After a year of some time apart, Mike and Ike have decided to get back together and the brand has grown 7.2%, the best growth year in more than a decade. The Mike and Ike Facebook page also tripled, reaching just under one million fans.

The split campaign did much more than increase the brand’s sales. By launching the “out of the box” campaign Mike and Ike developed new ways to communicate with its new consumers, and it gave them a chance to rebrand themselves. Social media had never been a large part of the brand’s messaging before the split. With new consumers in mind, the brand turned to Facebook knowing the potential success it could provide with their younger target audience.

With a new campaign that launched March 27, 2013, Mike and Ike will take the next year explaining why they broke up and how they got back together. The brand will also reveal some new changes to appeal to the brand’s new customers. Mike and Ike have never been portrayed as real people until now. The campaign’s new movie trailer includes real actors portraying Mike and Ike in the action-packed spoof. A new, modern design will also replace the old packaging that has been used for the past few decades.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/business/media/mike-and-ike-campaign-concocts-a-dispute.html

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-04-13/business/mc-mike-and-ike-divorce-20120413_1_candy-store-mike-hot-tamales

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/mike-and-ikes-breakup-lifted-sales-and-social-148183

This past week, Pepperidge Farm released a new ad campaign entitled “My Yummy Secret”, highlighting the time when women turn to Milano cookies when they need a moment to just slip away from their busy days. The ad features a husband and wife preparing for a dinner party with the husband’s boss and his wife. The woman is shown in the living room getting her fix before dinner. She claims that she is still “getting ready”, and soon after he asks her how many she has had, he sits down to join her in indulging in a bag of Milano cookies. It is not until the end of the 30 second spot that the audience actually sees what is taking the edge off of their dreaded night.

Over the years, Pepperidge Farm has come to realize that mostly women enjoy their Milano cookies during the “me time” of their day.  Pepperidge Farm is “making a serious investment to support the icon brands” says Suzanne Goodrich, Business Director, Pepperidge Farm Cookies. She added that because women feel so passionately about the cookies, the brand wanted to capture this strong connection in a fun and clever way.

This campaign has become so successful because it is enjoyable, surprising and relatable, three important aspects when seeking to grab an audience’s attention. The husband’s concern about his wife’s behavior and the amount she has had adds to the perfect combination of seriousness and humor before the audience realizes it is only a bag of cookies that lowers her anxiety level. The idea that a simple bag of cookies can do so much captivates the audience with a surprising twist and creates a scenario in which any woman could see herself.

Sources:

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-milano-cookies-148058

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130318006120/en/Pepperidge-Farm-Launches-Fun-Milano®-Cookie-Television

http://www.vendorseek.com/how-to-get-attention-with-advertising.asp