Wangdi Entry #3

McCann

The visit to McCann was exactly what I expected of a leading global marketing company. It did not disappoint. I knew that this visit would be a different experience from TargetCast, so I was very happy to have my expectations met. Everything from the physical space, to the presentations to the presenters brought my ideas of an advertising agency to life. Advertising has always fascinated me. I've always hoped to contribute to the creativity that engineers the advertising process and this visit fueled my ambition to work towards it. It was truly a privilege to visit the agency responsible for many of the iconic advertising campaigns that are embedded in our minds. 

I was not discouraged by the size of the company. In fact, the possibilities to work on high profile projects with high profile clients intrigues me. Although it might take awhile to score a big account in the beginning, the recipe of passion, hardwork and McCann's legacy make me believe that the sky is the limit. Despite McCann being a big company, it was assuring to learn that they had made physical changes to their office environment in order to transform their worker's space, in addition to improving the company's own physical image. Gary gave us terrific insight on his work at McCann, and his insider's perspective was very valuable to me. As a creative person myself, I loved that he restated how advertising is Art. I could definitely see myself working in an advertising agency in a company similar to McCann. 

TTIY: Virgin America

Observation on Social Media:

Virgin America is still promoting their amazing flight deals from $59- $70 each way. They have a relatively good social media presence with 455,600+ likes on facebook, 47,310 followers on twitter and 27,219 followers on instagram. The brand frequently posts custom made illustrations colored with their signature colors on their facebook page. While the brand logo isn't present, the subtle image of the planes in the background and the brand's colors make it hard not to recognize that is Virgin America. Pictured below are two examples: 

 Virgin America and the Environment:

Ever since the launch in 2007, Virgin America has been just as dedicated to operate as responsibly in  a carbon and waste-intensive industry as it is dedicated to reinventing domestic traveling. As a part of that effort, Virgin America teammates from the Atlantic to the Pacific participate in Coastal Cleanup Day activities every September. 

The company has teammate-led Green teams who work towards reducing the amount of waste that comes off the planes. The company also partners with other green partners such as the Plastic Pollution Coalition. And to show that their customers come first, Virgin America's Green team is open to suggestions and feedbacks from their guest to make their flights more greener. As of now passengers have access to SFO's easy-to-use hydration station before boarding the flight, passengers can have their disposable beverage cups refilled onboard whenever possible and plastic cups have been replaced with ceramic ramekins as of recently. 

In honor of Coastal Cleanup Day, Plastic Pollution Coalition created this educational video which will be available on Virgin America flights via Red in-flight entertainment system later this year: 

It has never occurred to me for airlines to go green, so this was refreshing to learn that the Virgin America takes these measures to be as green as possible. 

Current News: Exit Breaking Bad, Enter the Marketing Monsters

Followers of Breaking Bad, U.S citizens and faithful viewers of AMC were all sad to experience the series finale of America's prime-time TV show. But of course, marketers were on the other side of the spectrum. Companies were at bidding wars trying to secure slots during the airtime of the final episode. Advertisers paid upto $400,000 for a 30 second commercial. However, this bizarre marketing strategy grabbed our attention: Real Estate Brand Capitalizes on 'Breaking Bad' Finale with Digital Campaign. Real estate marketer, Century 21, abstained from a big broadcast media buy by placing an ad on craigslist for Walter White's residence in New Mexico. The three bedroom ranch style house was listed as an "Albuquerque Palace Waiting for You." The house was going at $150,000 with a phone number listed that actually worked. But the phony ad has been taken down since then. 

In relation to it's Craigslist post, the company also launched a Twitter and Facebook campaign to get fan's attention and to get notice by the show. The man behind the campaign, Matt Gentile, had this to say: 

"In today's media environment there's only so many Super Bowls, only so many opportunities to capture the attention and imagination of a mass audience, and Breaking Bad's season finale was one of those moments... Walter's house is like its own character on the show ... as the show is coming to an end we felt like the home is going to receive a lot of attention. This show in particular represents really exceptional quality and between those two factors it was a good opportuntity to move forward."

Gentile acknowledged that this form of marketing is bolder. And in this evolving industry, the bolder the better. The brand launched this campaign with the hope to attract a new demographic: males in their 40s who could be in the market for a home upgrade. While I am unsure if it achieved the result they were expecting, their marketing strategy did wonders for not blowing it's media budget by capitalizing on Breaking Bad.