Product Names

I was eating Honey Bunches of Oats cereal the other day, and on the back of the box was the history of the name of the cereal. I realized that a lot goes into naming products, even ones such as cereal that may seem unimportant. The makers of Honey Bunches of Oats first had a different name that didn't have anything to do with food, but rather with nature. They tested teh product and found that people loved the cereal, but not so much the name. So they added bunches of oats to the cereal, as well as frosted flakes, and came up with the name Honey Bunches of Oats. The target market loved it, and that has been the name ever since. I guess product names are more important that I thought.

Food Packaging

Pictures of food on food packages always seem to be perfect. For example, if there is a picture of a hamburger, there is just enough lettuce and tomatoe showing, the bunn looks soft and fluffy, the meat looks juicy and the cheese is melted to perfection. Howver, when you actually get the food, the lettuce may be wilted, the tomatoe green, the bunn greasy, the meat much thinner than in the picture, and the cheese is half-way on teh patty and half-way hanging off the side of the burger. Not that I really mind that much cause it still tastes pretty much the same, but I just realized that they make food look so much tastier on the packages. Its a great way to get people to buy it! I've noticed this since I was little, but have never thought of it as a marketing ploy.

Product Shelf Placement

(Here is an example of product shelf placement for BBQ sauces)

I had never really given any thought to where on a store shelf a product was located. After we learned about it in class one day, however, I started to pay more attention. I realized that I am drawn to items at my eye level a lot more than items where I have to bend down to see them. For example, I wanted to get some new nail polish the other day, and after looking some over and moving on, I realized that I had only looked at the polish that was at my eye level or a little above or below. It made me understand why marketers pay a higher price to have a better shelf placement for their product. It actually works.

Womens Magazine Ads

I've noticed that in womens magazines there are often many clothing/perfume/makeup/facial cleanser advertisements. I've also noticed that many of those ads focus more on the model than the product it is promoting. All of the model s are gorgeous, and many times they are actually celebrities. I got to thinking about it, and the companies are actually marketing and trying to sell the feeling of beauty. Women look at these ads in magazines and see beautiful women, and might think, "If I wore that or used that product, I would look like she does."

An example of this is Hayden Panettierre in the Neutrogena ad. Hayden has her hair done and a makeup artists made her look fresh and pretty without looking like she is wearing hardly any makeup, but most women don't look like this when they wash their face in the morning. They probably have no makeup on and their hair is unkempt from sleeping. But the ad wants the viewer to see the beautiful woman in the ad and associate beauty with their product. Viewers also may be drawn to the ad because they recognize the person in it, such as Hayden.

Placing beautiful woman and celebrities in advertisements directed at woman is a good marketing strategy because it works. I find myself being drawn to products, such as clothes that I wouldn't normally wear or even think looked cute, if a beautiful woman is wearing them in an advertisement. I'm sure other women do the same thing.

Photography

My cousin showed me some pictures online the other day of my hometown high school's girls and guys basketball teams. They were candid pictures taken during a game, and were on a certian photographer's website. I asked why he was taking pictures of the teams, adn my cousin told me that he wanted students from my hometown to start getting their senior pictures taken from him, so this was his way of getting his name known and advertising. Anyone can go online and see the pictures and all of the photographer's information, and I thought it was a great marketing idea.

CUB Dining Ads in Evergreen

I've noticed in the Daily Evergreen that the CUB sponsors an advertisement for their different dining options every now and then. The ad always catches my attention because it has pictures of students eating at one of the CUB diners, and then a quote of what they thought of the food. It is always a positive quote, I've noticed. I know that the CUB would not run an ad with negative quotes, but I still feel more assured that the food is good when I read positive comments by students like myself. This is a good marketing strategy!

New Mountain Dew Can Design

The soft drink Mountain Dew just came out with a new can design (shown in picture). I wonder if they changed it to appeal to a certain target market, such as kids and teenagers. The kryptonite-like ice in teh background is edgier than the mountains that use to be on the can, so I'm guessing that the company wants to seem more hip or cool so that the younger generation will want to buy Mountain Dew.