COSTA IMC Blog

A new innovation in technology manipulates how sound is transmitted. This advancement is capable of changing many aspects of how we receive sounds from speakers. This technology emits sound in a straight line similar to how lasers emit light. Only when a listener is in front of the hypersonic sound do they hear it. Stepping a couple inches outside of the ray of sound and one will miss the message.

Sounds too good to be true– imagine how this new technology can revolutionize the unwanted noise from neighbors in public places and tight confines– such as on airplanes and in automobiles (especially when parent and child have different tastes in music). Laptop speaker producers are attempting to incorporate this technology so that only the user will receive a blast of sound and anyone near them will remain oblivious.

But as marketers, how can this technology affect us and our endeavors? Clive Thompson’s article in Wired magazine gives an example used to promote a television show dealing with paranormal activity. When he stepped into the sound beam, he heard a woman whisper, “Who’s there? Who’s there?” Thompson’s article asks about the sanctity of the mind and raises questions about the use of hypersonic sound interfering with one’s right to privacy. However, think of all the cool ways this could be used to garnish attention and low cost, high ROI advertising– a store offers a sale and broadcasts it on their channel to shoppers passing by; supermarket displays now transmit their message through sound without distracting from the ambiance of the store; imagine Halloween pranks; a final two words: theme parks.

What other ways do you think this technology can change our lives? Do you feel like Thompson’s worry about privacy rights is warranted? Are you excited about this breakthrough in technology?

Links for further reading:
USA Today
Wired Magazine

… in your underwear is exactly what Jockey hopes you’ll do- except, they want you to video tape the endeavor and post it online.

Jockey is promoting a competition with a prize of $25,000 to whoever is shameless enough to dance in their underwear and gain the most votes. Jockey has set up a website with brackets like March’s Sweet 16 basketball tournament, allowing many participants to enter. This viral marketing attempt is sure to cause some stir.

Do you think Jockey’s campaign will be effective? Would you dance without your pants? Have you watched any videos? Any favorites?

Check out the action here.

A very important aspect to not only marketing but to life in general, is measurement. From early ages, we’ve measured our growth– or lack there of– through height charts, spelling bees, and report cards… In the field of marketing, rating systems dominate costs for ad placement, ROI is a religion, and sales growth is closely watched.

Heeding the needs of users, YouTube has stepped up to the plate. Now, anyone who posts a video on YouTube has access to a range of statistics. A clip producer may see what days of the week and even down to the hour when site traffic is most popular of their clip. YouTube provides information on where viewers are from by a state breakdown. A little analysis allows YouTube content providers the ability to see how long their clip remains popular. In the past, all users had the ability to see only ratings, number of views and clip comments.

“Effectively, we’ve become the world’s largest focus group,” said YouTube product manager Tracey Chan. “There are so many use cases. This really enables programmers and marketers to optimize their presence on YouTube.”

Paired with the addition of these features, I think we can expect more businesses to utilize the YouTube platform for tests and research. What do you think? Can you think of a way measuring YouTube usage can aid your business goals? How could it transform business in general?

To read the full story, check out the following links:

Wall Street Journal
AdWeek

To see the entire video from above, click here.

Apple is recognized as a stupendous player in the music retail market due to the overwhelming acceptance of iTunes, iPod and iPhone. iTunes contributed 10% of Apple’s sales last year, raking in about $2.5 billion while iPod sales totaled $8.3 billion. Apple’s iTunes is the second largest music retailer, only behind Walmart.

Last week, a buzz of excitement circulated over rumors that Apple will open the iTunes entire library for a premium price when purchasing an iPod or iPhone. Tons of questions come into play– like what about the artist? will the music companies go for it? how much will this end up costing the end user? when will we know if there is any validity here? how can anyone else compete with Apple? how will Apple recoup costs?

What do you think? Would you be willing to pay more for an iPod device if you had access to free music? Does this story interest you? Do you have your own concerns for music industry artists?

Read more from some of these links:

MSNBC
Yahoo! news
Washington Post
MacRumors

Integrated Marketing Communications tactics come together in Dove’s latest venture. Set to launch their new “go fresh” deodorant line, Dove hopes to give a sense of empowerment to young women. Through the use of a micro website, Dove announces “Real Women, Real Beauty.” That theme is echoed during “Fresh Takes,” a 5-unit micro series starring Alicia Keys airing during commercial breaks of MTV’s popular reality series, “The Hills,” on Monday nights. Today’s (Monday’s) advertising skin on social networking giant MySpace is also promoting the “Fresh Takes” micro series. Many commercials have led up to its launch for the past week.

Dove assumes their target market will be found watching “The Hills.” Rather than taking the chance of loosing their audience, Dove has hyped their commercial segments for consecutive weeks to give viewers further entertainment sponsored by them, content by them, featuring their products and product benefits. And, if a viewer is lost during the commercial break, all segments of the “Fresh Takes” series are available online.

Do you think Dove has prepared in a competitive fashion for reaching their target consumer? Do you think their use of a micro-series will be effective? What else could Dove do to compliment their campaign? Would you be apt to purchase Dove after this (assuming the product was intended for your use)?

Our nation is swept by changing trends… from fashion to lifestyle, the only constant is change. Take television for example. The boxes infiltrated our homes at an alarming rate– in 1946 with only 0.5% penetration until 1962, when televisions were found in 90% of households. The passing years have marked many advances in technology relating to televisions in different ways– from how signals are produced and transmitted, to the design and technology of the devices themselves, to American’s viewing habits and the rise of advertising and ratings.

Yet, due to ever changing and advancing technology, we find ourselves on the brink of another monumental change. The newest trend in how we consume broadcast content doesn’t reach us through use of a television. With the rise of Web 2.0, we no longer need our fancy flat screens to view our favorite network shows. Many adults are finding the convenience of watching from computer screens. “A study in October from Nielson Media Research claims to have found that one in four Internet users had streamed full-length television episodes online in the last three months, including 39 percent of people ages 18 to 34 and, more surprisingly, 23 percent of those 35 to 54,” reports Brian Stelter of The New York Times.

What does this do for advertisers? The rise of digital video recording devices and TiVo® has sent the television advertising world into a tizzy already. Now as reports indicate that viewers aren’t only playing back recorded shows at a later time, they are doing so through media that doesn’t support the same avenues of advertising. The cost spent to advertise during a 30-second spot on television far surpasses the cost of equivalent advertising during the same show broadcast over the internet.

Marketing professionals have a pressing challenge to overcome with this new insight. What do you think the first plan of action may be? How will marketers shift campaigns after news of this report? Can we expect to see more stringent product placement? What about more crossover advertising utilizing both internet and TV?

As a consumer, have you watched television shows over the internet? Are you likely to purchase shows to download on a video iPod or stream them for free on websites like Hulu.com? After reading this, are you more likely to check out your internet television options?

To read the complete article, click here.

To visit Hulu and watch the latest episode of one of your favorite shows, click here.

Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They get married. Things fall apart. Girl goes her separate way. Boy is devastated.

Ian Usher is a boy in a similar situation. He’s made a life for himself with the woman he loves. He describes it as a “good life”– full of all the things one aspires to have: nice house, decent car, stable job, toys like a motorcycle and jet ski, reliable friends, adventurous hobbies… But, in what his friends describe as a mid-life crisis, Usher is auctioning his “life” and all his possessions in one lump package to the highest bidder through eBay!. On the day the auction ends, he vows to leave his house with only his wallet, passport and clothes on his back, head to the airport and purchase the next available ticket to an unknown destination.

This campaign is causing a stir. Through a simple website and blogging, Usher is raising awareness. He hasn’t even started the auction– in fact, the auction is not scheduled until June, but news media from different continents have picked up the story, spread it further, and accentuated the hype. In a simple poll housed on the alife4sale.com site, there have already been 50,000 answers submitted (although, that is not an indication of unique visitors or how long they spend on the site).

As marketing professionals, what can we learn from this? Is the crazy story a one-time sensation? Can we identify a lesson on viral and guerrilla marketing and incorporate it into our own campaigns? How would you do such a thing? Would a company be able to pay him rights to advertise during the sale? Would he take it?

What more, is Ian Usher just crazy? Is this in fact a mid-life crisis? Do you think he’ll regret his decision to auction off all his material possessions?
Check out “A life 4 sale” for yourself. Click here.

Excitement builds this month at Lysol in preparation for a new product release. Hand sanitizer Healthy Touch is the the first release from Lysol outside of home disinfectant products. Healthy Touch will be direct competition with the leading hand sanitizer brand, Purell. Healthy Touch’s release is scheduled for launch via a 30-second TV spot starting April 1st.

“This market has been growing for the past few years, so it’s the perfect moment for us to go in,” said Silvina Vilas, new product development brand manager for Lysol.

In a report by ACNielsen (Schaumburg, Ill) rating the popularity and market competition of Lysol products, the company continues to reign first among disinfectant sprays and toilet bowl cleaners. Lysol earns second place honors within the kitchen disinfectant and air treatment categories. They have also garnished third place recognition in the bathroom and all-purpose cleaner categories.

Will Healthy Touch surpass Purell? Was it a good move from Lysol? Which hand sanitizer do you use?

To read more, click here.

Giant social networking site Facebook is trying a new approach to generate profit. They intend to start paying members to sell products among friends. Member’s will be paid a 10 percent commission on all sales made from their recommendations. Market Lodge is the name of the program. Its creation is based on the grass roots marketing approach stating the ease and speed in selling products recommended by friends.

Facebook’s found its members would be more willing to help sell products if there is a monetary incentive regarding the recent introduction of the Member Lodge program. Members will have the opportunity to personalize their own “stores” and chose from over 1200 products from approximately 50 different vendors. “We think this could be very lucrative for Facebook’s members,” said bSocial co-founder Sue Spielman.

Are you a Facebook member? Do you think more people will join Facebook after this announcement? Will this turn into a Social Ebay?

To further read, click here.

Google? Apple? Ebay?

No, no, and no. Its a brand you probably never think of– until you need something to dip your french fries in, smear on your hotdog, or to accompany your morning eggs.

That’s right, folks. Heinz ketchup. America’s most satisfying brand. In the American Consumer Satisfaction Index study created by the University of Michigan, Heinz received a rating of 90 of a possible 100 points. How did Heinz accomplish this amazing feat of such high consumer satisfaction? Credit is given to the amount of trust instilled in the brand. Heinz has been producing quality products for over 100 years. They also have a wide variety of sizes and variations of products. Additionally, Heinz added 200 new products to their line in 2007 alone, up from an increase of 150 new products introduced in 2006. The same years also welcomed an increase in marketing expenditures of more than ten percent.

Would you say that you are satisfied with your ketchup? Is your brand of choice Heinz? Is there enough differentiation between products in the condiment category? I would agree for mustards- but ketchup? Are you surprised to learn that the highest rated consumer satisfaction brand is Heinz?

Further reading:

The American Consumer Satisfaction Index
Heinz Squeezes Out Highest Consumer Satisfaction Rating