In the DirecTV spots, a rich, Russian man shows off his miniature giraffe.

The advertisers have even taken it as far as creating a website that has fake information about the species. The website is written in broken English – the way the actor speaks on the television commercials. It also has a few pictures and an 'about' tab, telling visitors the perks and care maintenance of having a miniature pet giraffe. You can even sign-up to be on the waiting list for one. I was number 1,296,026 on the list because the next available one born has been reserved for Prince. The most interesting part of the website is the live cam that shows one of the two miniature giraffes roaming around in a barn or outside.

I personally don't think the DirecTV commercials are that great. You can check them out here on YouTube. It's even crazier that they pumped more money into creating the website and carried the miniature giraffe theme to an extreme. This marketing ploy, while cute, is not very effective in my opinion. I'm not even sure if this gimmick would stick in my mind long enough for me to consider switching cable providers.

Geico on the other hand has rolled out several commercials with the tagline, "Easier way to save." A couple of the commercials feature various animals in the spots performing a duty to help their owner save money. The most popular one is the guinea pig commercial. This commercial has gotten a lot of recognition but I'm still unsure of how effective it is.

Even though I'm still new to the business, I often stop and ask myself, "Does this commercial or advertisement make me want to go purchase the product/service that was just offered?" Since I'm not really in the market for new insurance or a cable provider, perhaps this is why they don't strike a cord with me. Or maybe these ads really are a dud. Watch the videos and decide for yourself.

OK Go is known for their unique music videos and this video is no exception. However this video prompted the question, "Is this one of the best product placements ever?"

My opinion, YES.

While cars being featured in music videos is nothing new, (i.e. Fiat in J. Lo's video for "Papi") this video encompasses the car as the actual instrument, something I have never seen done before. While the video probably wouldn't have been able to be made without Chevy backing it, Chevy gets the reward of reaching their demographic of 18-34 year olds in a new and interesting way.

The video currently has 18,884,982 views on YouTube; combining that with the Super Bowl commercial views, the only thing I can say is bravo Chevy; or more importantly, bravo to your advertising agency!

(Source: AdAge)

A couple of commercials that I've seen have left me to wonder how the featured product relates to the creative that represents it.

1.  Mentos breath mints (Fresh maker)

The scene: A girlfriend and her boyfriend are sitting on the couch.  The girl screams when she sees a spider (made me think of myself).  The boyfriend runs to the rescue to get rid of the spider.  The spider takes the boyfriend's finger and flips him around the room.  This made me think it was a RAID commercial.  When I realized that it was a "Mentos" spot, I tried to figure out how the ad tied into the breath mint. It is to make me think that the Mentos mints will make me stronger, not fresher.

2.  Geico.com

This is the one with the little annoying pig screaming as he goes down the zip line.   What are they offering? Life, car, homeowners or recklessness insurance?  At first, I thought it was an advertisement for a Ski Resort.  I thought the commercial was cute but really don't understand how it represents Geico.

There was another commercial that I've seen, but I can't recall what it is right now.  Guess that means it didn't make a big hit with me.

I know that I'm just one person out of probably millions that watches commercials, but if I can't understand the logic of the creative, how can anyone else?  If the sale of a product is based on the advertising, I think the creative needs to come across a little more clearly then what I've seen.

As pointed out to me by my esteemed colleague and fellow Wildcat loyalist, Katy Miller, a look at Mercedes-Benz’ advertising reveals some interesting contrasts: For instance, the brand is the lead sponsor of the German Football Association and just acquired the naming rights to the Superdome, yet it’s also the lead sponsor of the world’s most fabulous (and feminine) fashion festival — Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

I was curious as to how Mercedes’ gender-bending marketing approach affected its gender identity among consumers, so in a strictly administered, completely unscientific survey, I asked 19 guys and 19 gals (including 33 Bulbs) to assign a gender identity to each of these brands: Coke, Target and of course, Mercedes-Benz. Respondents were instructed to designate each masculine, feminine or neutral.

Here’s what I found:

Coke and Target drew a strong consensus among the group. A whopping 92% deemed Coke gender-neutral, while an 84% majority said Target leaned feminine. When considering the brand gender of Mercedes-Benz, however, the picture wasn’t so clear.

Overall, 47% of those surveyed viewed Mercedes-Benz as a masculine brand while another 47% felt it neutral. Only 6% saw the brand as feminine.

Among males, 63% said the brand seemed masculine, while another 26% responded neutral. Two of the guys voted feminine.

Among females, 68% said Mercedes-Benz was neutral, while the remaining 32% felt it had a masculine gender identity. Interestingly, none of the ladies voted feminine.

So what does this all mean?

According to the survey, a majority of guys see Mercedes-Benz as, well, a guy, and a solid majority of women feel the brand is, at the very least, un-masculine enough to be called neutral. And though I expected to see more feminine votes in the women’s group, the even split between masculine and neutral seems to jive with the brand’s varied marketing approach.

For what it’s worth, I personally see the Mercedes brand as feminine, but I suspect it has something to do with my fondness for Pebbles’ 1988 hit “Mercedes Boy,” (LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPZwbWZpyho ) which has been mercilessly coursing through my brain for the length of this project. What do you think?

It is our job as our client's strategic partner is to engage consumers with their products.

There are several ways of engaging a consumer, however there is one place that is most important....

The website.  Whenever I am in need of information I always go straight to the website and I think most people use websites for the exact same thing.  So, it is the perfect opportunity to "win" that customer.

But, most websites do not warrant customer interaction and ultimately engage them as they should.

In a recent article written by Daniel Alves, Design Director for 352 Media Group, Alves outlines 9 ways to improve upon this such thing.  A few things stuck out to me, that I think often slip our minds.

Make a promise. He talks about the importance of telling users that their information is safe, that it won’t be shared with any third party and the importance of placing this promise right next to the submit button.  This message eases one's fear and makes them more likely to provide their info.

Have some fun. Spice up your website with a little humor and give your customers a laugh.  First of all who doesn't like to laugh?!? Secondly, laughter eases the mind and makes you feel more relaxed and therefore more applicable to providing information and wanting to be apart of the product.

Take a look at the article?  What do you think about his 9 ideas?

During a recent visit with my Grandmother, Mary Swan, she let me comb through her vintage clothes that had been delicately stored in a bedroom closet for the past 40 years. As we poked through all of the nooks and crannies for treasure, we found an inconspicuous box on the top shelf that held what I consider to be the jackpot of all finds. In this box was a Cosmopolitan magazine from November 1911!

As I very carefully turned the fragile pages, I saw what Cosmo used to be, “...a publication for aspirational women.” Women with hopes and dreams of being more than the predetermined stay-at-home-mom (which is definitely a full-time job on its own).

I was amazed to learn Cosmopolitan began as a family magazine, launched in 1886 by Schlicht & Field as The Cosmopolitan. Sadly for Schlicht & Field, they were only in business for two years before they had to close their doors.

John Brisben Walker acquired the magazine in 1889 and, with the help of E. D. Walker, The Cosmopolitan became the go-to source for fictional short stories, novels and series until around 1950.

In 1965, Helen Gurley Brown took over as editor in chief. In an effort to rouse sluggish sales, Brown decided to give The Cosmopolitan a facelift. The magazine was renamed Cosmopolitan and the publication became more about single women and their sexual liberation--a much different kind of aspiration than Schlicht & Field had in mind, I’m sure.

In a time when women were trying to liberate themselves, I find it interesting that Brown’s attempt--intentional or not--to “sexually liberate women” ended up sending a message that in order for a woman to lead a full life, she needed a man.

And what is Cosmo today? Well, by looking at the cover of the November 2011 edition, it’s a magazine for women who are only interested in pleasing their man rather than themselves, being stick thin in order to please the public and their view of “beauty” and wearing the latest fashion.

So much for being liberated.

When comparing the early 1900’s version with today’s, it’s amazing to me how one person can dramatically change the way we market to and for women. Even though Brown didn’t singlehandedly change the view and status of women, she played a big part. Although I don’t agree with the message today’s Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) sends, knowing the full story of Cosmo shows how much impact one person-- or advertiser--can have.  Pushing the envelope and doing something different might be uncomfortable but it also might change the whole game.

I am hosting a small family Thanksgiving this year at my modest Louisville home. As a 26-year-old, I’ve been bringing a side dish or dessert to the big meal for the last few years. But having a big, beautiful turkey centerpiece at Thanksgiving is always the responsibility of the host — and it’s something that I have admittedly taken for granted my entire life.

That is, until this year. For me, the pressure is still pretty low. It’ll just be me, my husband, Mom, Granner, (What? I’m sure there are weirder Grandma names out there) and my brother and sister. But there have got to be young cooks out there who will be hosting in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, even friends or co-workers. Those are the people who are scared featherless to get their first Thanksgiving turkey right.

In an attempt to capture that young audience in their most vulnerable, horrified moment, and stuff them with a little brand loyalty, Butterball has taken to the web. It seriously runs the gamut on online resources for turkey cooks. The site has YouTube videos, podcasts, tips and articles, portion calculators, recipes, and a mobile site that makes it easy to view all this content from your phone.

I was most shocked to learn that 1-800-BUTTERBALL is a national hotline that has been talking cooks through turkey emergencies every November and December for 30 years. Yes, seriously! Since 1981, people have been calling a “Turkey Talk-Line Expert” when they accidentally catch their bird on fire. You can’t deny, the brand has found its niche. I may not be a terrified first-timer, but I will probably end up going with Butterball for my first Thanksgiving turkey. Their ability to evolve with the times, offering the new generation of turkey-makers advice and help in all the online mediums we use, has got me pretty buttered up.

What would it take to get you to choose one brand of potato chips over another? When standing in your grocer's aisle, contemplating the perfect brand and flavor for an afternoon snack, you may ask yourself, "How do I know which one is for me?" "How can I be sure if the ingredients are real or merely chemically based?" Well, fret no more, my friend.

PepsiCo is unveiling an innovative way to market Lay's potato chips. Beginning this month, the company is launching new vending machines that will demonstrate how Lay's creates their potato chips. This is no ordinary vending machine, you see. It does not accept money or coins! It only accepts potatoes! Now I bet I've got you wondering...

Wondering, how will this work?

Wondering, how will I get my beloved bag of chips?

Well...

First, a promoter will be standing by to give you your golden ticket (the potato) to start the vending process. You simply drop the potato in and a show unfolds before you. It shows you how they wash, peel, cut, cook, salt and package your chips. As soon as the demonstration is over, a warm bag drops down for you to retrieve. It seems as if they've just made the bag especially for you- cooked to order!

These special vending machines will not be distributed everywhere. They will be rolled out to retailers such as Walmart and Carrefour in Argentina. These retailers will simply be product sampling testers. If all goes well, you may be seeing one of these vending machines at a store near you. Click here to see a video sneak peek of the new and innovative machines!

I’m a big fan of great packaging. More than once, I have bought something just because I enjoyed the way it was packaged.

Recently, I ran across a fabulous packaging design from Lee Jeans. Pushing their eco-friendly initiative, their “Never Wasted” campaign features a shopping bag that can be repurposed into many different items. These items include a game board and game board pieces, dice, masks, boxes, and a pencil holder, among others.

This packaging has all the key elements of a nice design: Fun, Functional, and eco-Friendly. If anything, this design has made me want to go buy a pair of Lee Jeans just so I can get the bag.  And apparently, I’m not the only one. Lee Jeans stated “A surge in interest from patrons forced us to produce 1000 times more bags than the initial production of 3,000 bags.”

I enjoyed a quick lunch today at the local KFC, which I hadn’t been to in a few months.  When I walked in, I noticed the interior had been remodeled and had a fun new design including bright colors, digital display boards and even bar-style seating…pretty sweet!

I placed my order, just a simple Snacker Pack, but in classic Ashley style, I couldn’t order it straight up and decided to ask for a buffalo chicken snacker, which is usually an option on the menu.  The response I got was “we don’t flavor our food anymore”.  Say what?!

As marketing experts, we spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to craft the perfect setting for your dining experience, as well as the message to drive you through the door, and menu and beverage teams spend hours going through dozens of recipes to find the perfect combination of flavor.

On the operational level, especially for a chain with as many units as KFC, it is difficult to prepare the staff for every question they might encounter.  But for a brand that prides itself on its world-famous 11 herbs and spices, to tell a customer that they no longer flavor their food, seems like quite the marketing nightmare, as I’m surely not the only one to notice the absence of buffalo chicken.

Today was a reminder that everything that goes in to a campaign is only a piece of the puzzle.  There are some things that are beyond our control, like the words of an employee or even the closure of a bridge.