Kids are Naturals

Some of the funniest ads I've seen lately have featured young children, and Trigon BlueCross BlueShield commercials are no exception.  I've watched three commercials that tell consumers to stay healthy by eating right, going to the doctor for injuries, and exercising regularly through the voices of adorable children.   

Using children to get the attention of adults is smart, but the ads also work because the kids seem very natural and honest when speaking.  It doesn't seem as if they've been coached to say and do the things they do in the thirty-second spots.  They are also culturally diverse, representing a couple of different groups.  Particularly in the one featuring a little girl and a little boy, the two children are each members of a different race, but they talk and laugh together harmoniously, all while reciting healthy foods and their idea of Spanish.  

It’s interesting that the directors of this particular ad chose to use the scene when the girl and boy discuss what words are Spanish and which aren’t.  The girl says “Spanish” instead of “spinach,” and when the boy questions her about it, she replies, “Hakuna matata!” (like Timba and Pumba sing in Disney’s The Lion King).  He corrects her and says, “That’s not Spanish!” and then attempts to say “Como estas?” which is Spanish.  It’s a cute exchange of dialogue, but I’m not sure of the purpose of it.  Is this scene included just to add comedy, or to discreetly and subtly speak to the Spanish-speaking population using humor?  It'd be interesting to know what Spanish-speaking viewers think when they watch it, but I assume they'd chuckle at the kids' silliness and naïveté.  

I think these commercials would appeal to a broad audience because children are not inhibited by racial distinctions, they are innocent and truthful, and they are comical without even trying.  The kids speak to the members of their own groups as well as anyone who identifies with children or love to watch their antics.  

I think the advertisers reach multiple cultural groups by using young children to gently tug on their heartstrings with innocent humor.  I imagine people with children would watch these commercials and think about their own in relation to healthiness and insurance coverage.  Also, insurance companies sometimes have a negative reputation of being inconsiderate and uncaring, but using cute kids and their simple dialogue to promote Trigon's company gives off the impression that BlueCross BlueShield wants to help children and families and not make health benefits complicated.  

DJ iPod on the 1s and 2s!

Here's an example of a great, all-inclusive, universal advertisement-- the Apple iPod + iTunes marketing campaign.  In these television commercials, we watch silhouetted figures of young people dancing energetically to some current pop tune.  The three examples I've posted play songs from the rock and roll, reggae, and R&B musical genres.  Each dancing silhouette has a white iPod plugged into his or her ears and clipped to the hip.  

The concept of these ads is great because it deals directly with the multicultural issue.  How do you market a product that anyone can identify with and see themselves buying, owning, and enjoying?  You make the actors silhouettes, and then viewers of the commercials can imagine themselves rockin' out, jammin', or be-boppin' to their favorite song (that they purchased from iTunes and downloaded to their iPod).  

And the silhouettes resemble real young people--some have long straight hair, short curly hair, afros, and are wearing loose-fitting T-shirts and pants or shorts, skirts, Chucks, Nike dunks, and of course, the iPod.  Because of these characteristics, a viewer knows that there is cultural diversity among the figures, but instead of looking at other people enjoying the iPod and iTunes, you see yourself.

These ads reflect the music, the people, and the style of this time period in American culture.  And the commercials are fun, post-modern (with the fast camera cuts and wild angles), and visually appealing.  Only three colors are used: black, for the silhouettes, white for the product, and some bright neon color (like pink or green or yellow) for the background.  

There's one ad that features the song "Mi Swing Es Tropical," a reggae tune, and you can tell this one is culturally specific because of the song, the outline of the figures, and the soca dance moves.  It's the cultural of the Caribbean islands, but it still has the universal and inclusive effect of the other ads.

Simple, basic, and not a lot of fancy graphics or production, but effective because the ads speak to anyone; even if you're an older silhouette, you might watch these ads and have flashbacks to your youth.  Clearly, people under thirty are not the only ones buying and using iPods, so the ads must be working across age range as well.

The creators of the ads even added celebrity appearances to the ad.  For example, Mary J. Blige, as a silhouette, performs her current single "Work It" while a group of silhouettes do a choreographed dance behind her.  I think it's genius that they even mask the specific physical appearance of this recognizable R&B singer and made her blend in, as one, with the other figures in the commercial.  It unifies the piece and continues the theme of "this could be you." 

 

Real Recognize Real: Reaching A Multicultural Target

Another article I found of interest on Ad Age's website tackles the issue of authenticity in advertising. How do advertisers effectively market a product to a specific cultural segment of the population? This question is valid when asked of any segmented market--white, urban, businessmen in their late 30's, Latina working class women in California, African American teenage males in Atlanta, the stay-at-home-mom in suburbia. Regardless of the group, there is a specific and more effective way to market to each one without basing advertising techniques on stereotypes, assumptions, or the "models" already seen in popular culture.

The above question is even more pertinent, however, when applying it to multicultural (and underrepresented) segments of the population. I read a quote in an Ad Week online article by Marty Markowitz that states, "The buying power of African-Americans is expected to exceed a trillion -- yes, trillion -- dollars over the next several years, yet they represent less than five percent of the advertising industry workforce."  I could write a separate blog on that quote alone, yet I mention it to comment on the fact that African Americans, for example, are an important factor in the commercial world and should be represented as such in the advertising job market.  I'm not advocating that they be "singled-out," when marketing to or when working in an agency, because apparently that has negative connotations and "divides us" (as stated by a commenter on the Ad Age article), but rather that their needs be considered by advertisers when marketing products.

I'm also not advocating political correctness, which is usually insincere in my opinion, but I'm encouraging advertisers to be accurate and honest when trying to connect with a multicultural market.

So how would ad agencies do this?  How do you reach, say, the African American population in Atlanta, in an authentic and non-stereotypical fashion?  I have two suggestions; someone else please feel free to offer others.

1. Hire and promote advertising creatives who proportionately reflect the diverse and multicultural population of the U.S.  The quote by Markowitz, the president of the Brooklyn Borough (see article), highlights the current discrepancy. Having a culturally diverse workforce is crucial to bringing multiple and different perspectives to the ideas that are the basis for ads. A creative team of five white men in their 50s probably don't have an accurate

 understanding of the cultural nuances of a young Latino community in Texas.

Of course, ad agencies must take it a step further from this point.  Don't assume that your African American art director understands everything about the African American population in Savannah, unless she grew up in Savannah.  This is only one step in a plethora of actions advertisers should take to better understand a segment.  Also implement my next suggestion.

2. Perform thorough market research.  It would seem to me that a practical and relatively inexpensive way to know and understand the wants, needs, and expectations of a targeted market is to go out and talk to them. Conduct some focus group sessions; listen, observe.  Maybe cast someone from that particular community in the commercial you're shooting.  Pick up and read a local black magazine--I don't know.  The point I'm trying to make is immerse ad professionals in the culture, learn something, and then get together and brainstorm.  And when an ad is created, run it by someone from the target market you're trying to reach (not someone in the agency).  And please, please stay away from current mainstream media representations.  I guarantee you'll get it wrong if you use MTV's "Flava of Love" as an example.

History in the Making

Here's an example of diversity in advertising. Produced by Burrell Communications and Giraldi Productions for Verizon Wireless, "History in the Making" is a video that is part of a print, radio, and online media campaign that aired in select movie theaters across the country during black history month in 2006.  Featuring spoken word artist and poet J. Ivy, performing the poem he wrote entitled "History in the Making," the video is a part of Verizon's community support advertising campaign.  

One reason I like it is because the advertising is subtle, yet effective.  You wouldn't know it was an advertisement at all if it wasn't for the tag and Verizon logo at the very end of the two-minute video clip.  So what is the cell phone company advertising?  It is brand awareness.  The ad is not directly promoting cell phones, accessories, or wireless plans, but it is making Verizon Wireless's brand known to the public, and specifically, the ad's target market, the African American community.   The target is obvious because the ad shows an African American male portraying an element of African American culture during black history month.  

I like the ad because it is a positive portrayal of this community (and more of these type of positive images are necessary to balance and off-set the negative ones we are bombarded with everyday, in news media as well as advertisements).  I like the ad because it is artistic: the visuals, the shots/camera angles, the lighting, the words (a poem), the main character's (a poet) theatrical performance.  The ad is educational -- if you don't know much about spoken word or black history, this video will give you a taste of both.  

The ad is also well done because it has universal appeal.  While the primary target market is the African American consumer, anyone interested in art or literature or poetry or culture or history or reflecting on history in general (hence the tag "making your own history") will be able to relate to the ad and its message.  

It also is not overtly advertising a p

roduct; I like subtly, and the artistic inspiration 

behind the ad is enough to make me go to Verizon's website after realizing the company's involvement, strategically placed at the end of the video.  A viewer is likely to watch this video and feel entertained and inspired as opposed to compelled to go out and buy Verizon's newest cell phone (assuming they know what it is . . . 

that ad doesn't say so).  And I like that.  It's effective advertising, and it's diverse, and it's original.  

I would like to know the figures on Verizon sales after the airing of this ad.  Even if sales did not increase, I still think this video is an indication of the potential of diverse advertisements.   I think a plethora of ads like this one, released to the market methodically, would begin to have  positive effect on the sale of brands.  Repetition and familiarity are what give advertisements their power over one's subconscious.  I also think this type of advertising strategy is a good way for companies to try to relate to their various and different markets. Consumers are not all the same and have different wants and needs.  A company that learns how to meet the wants of all its markets will be the most successful one.  

I really like this ad and thank Shani for posting a comment on my first blog post and recommending it to me.  :-)

Check out this blog for more information about the director of the spot, Giraldi, his company, and Burrell Communications.   

Recruiting Diverse Candidates at the Collegiate Level

I think I've mentioned in a previous blog that one way to diversify the images in the ads and commercials we see everyday is to diversify the staff at the various ad agencies, especially the larger ones that work on the big accounts.  It seems that one organization is attempting to do this by partnering with a university.  The idea is to reach prospective advertising professionals before they enter the business--when they're young, enthusiastic and still learning.

The 4 A's (American Association for Advertising Agencies) is teaming up with  

Howard University, an historically black college/university located in Washington, D.C.

According to an article published in Advertising Age, the 4 A's will be granting $1 million to Howard's Advertising program in an attempt to address the diversity issues in the industry o

n the management level.  So now the 4 A's, the leading association for advertising professionals, is funding a program that targets an underrepresented group in the ad industry and that will do research to identify what more needs to be done to improve diversity in the industry.

It sounds good on paper, and in a spirit of optimism, I will venture to say it is an honest attempt on the part of the ad industry to try to tackle this issue.  It's a start.

However, the comments at the bottom of the Advertising Age article raise a few important and interesting questions to this proposal/pledge:

1. What steps are the 4 A's implementing to address diversity problems within the industry? What support is there for ad professionals already in the business who are members of underrepresented groups?

2.  What real work can be done (at Howard University) with $1 million? The ad industry is a multi-billion dollar business.

3.  Is this a PR stunt on 4 A's part to detract attention from the true seriousness and immediacy of the issue?

4.  The grant is for addressing diversity issues in management.  But what about "creative" students and professionals (those who conceptualize and design the ads)? 

I think these are all valid concerns that I hope people on the board of the 4 A's are aware of and planning to address with other initiatives.  The first question is a big one because the plan to recruit diverse candidates while they're still students is useless if the students find it difficult to be hired after graduation or if there is no support for them if they do get jobs. 

$1 million is also a small sum compared to the billions of dollars the ad industry rakes in annually.  It will be interesting to see how Howard divides up this amount for use in their program.  Will most of that money go toward research?  Research is still a rather passive way to act on the issue--it's looking at diversity from the outside as opposed to doing work from within the ad industry.  I'm not sure how much money it would take for this type of partnership to be successful, but $1 million doesn't seem to be much of a sacrifice (or commitment) on 4 A's part.

Point 3 is probably the most serious criticism, as it calls the 4 A's integrity into question.  Time will tell if this is indeed a PR stunt--if the partnership only lasts a year or two, or if funding is cut to an even more pitiful amount.  I'm sure critics will be keeping a close watch.

Lastly, the fourth concern touches on an issue close to home, as I aspire to be a copywriter after completing school.  Managers are important, especially since we know there are not many managers of color in the ad industry, but at the end of the day, hiring more won't address the concern I've been highlighting -- the creation of more diverse ads.  Creative professionals (art directors, graphic designers, copywriters, creative directors) are still the ones who conceptualize and create the ads we see everyday.  They pitch their ideas to the managers.  Managers of color can criticize and shoot down the concepts for one-dimensional ads, but there still needs to be fresh, diverse faces in the creative departments to bring these fresh, diverse ideas to the table in the first place.  So the 4 A's missed one half of their industry professionals with this partnership.

I optimistically stated earlier that this initiative was at least a start.  But when will the ad industry move past starting into real action?  Let's hope Ad Age will be reporting on other programs to address these issues sometime this year.

SoBe it: African American celebrity in ads

I hate this commercial.

But let me explain why, since I know there are avid television-watchers (which I am not) who think this ad is humorous and entertaining.  

I remember when I first saw the Thrillicious: SoBe Life Water ad--it was during Super Bowl XLII this year, and I, like most Super Bowl viewers, watch for the game and the commercials. However, my response after seeing this ad was, huh?

Naomi Campbell and dancing lizards re-creating the choreography to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to sell SoBe water?   I didn't get the concept or the point.

Now, I know one reason why the creators of the ad chose to cast Naomi Campbell--back in the '90s, the model starred in a music video with the King of Pop.  Do you remember 

"In the Closet?"  I do, because I am a loyal MJ fan, despite his eccentricities, and I think Ms. Campbell is a gorgeous and glamorous model, despite her alleged temper and run-ins with the law.  I don't, however, find lizards agreeable.  And the more I watch this SoBe commercial, the more I realize I am also slightly offended by the lizard sporting a diamond-encrusted grill.

The first time I noticed the lizard's grill, I think I was in shock. Now I'm just irritated and disappointed by the advertiser's stereotypical and simple-minded understanding of members of the urban and Hip Hop communities.  You should ask yourself, why is the lizard wearing a grill?  What does this ornament have to do with models, Michael Jackson, "Thriller," or even SoBe beverages?  Some might say it's funny.  But then I challenge you to contemplate, but why is that funny?

It's problematic, to me.  And rather stupid.  Ignorant stupid, not funny stupid.

At any rate, I wish advertisers would think of more creative and innovative ways to create ads that actually link to the product's identity, message, or purpose to sell the product.  When will we tire of recycling old pop culture images, throwing in a celebrity or two for good measure, and adding in some dancing computer-animated lizards and calling that good advertising?  It doesn't help that two African American celebrities are used to further reinforce this cultural pastiche and artlessness.  They are unknowingly the butts of a bad joke.

I wonder if SoBe product sales increased after this commercial aired.  I hope not.

"Yes, We Can"--a non-traditional political ad

Have you seen Barack Obama's music video "Yes, We Can" on Youtube?  I'm sure you have by now; it's a couple of months old.  It was created and produced by Will.I.Am., a member of the (former) Hip Hop group Black Eyed Peas. (I don't think they really classify as Hip Hop anymore--maybe more pop--but that's my personal opinion.)

Anyway, Will.I.Am used text from Obama's speech in New Hampshire in January 2008 as lyrics for the song and video.  Various music recording artists make an appearance in the

 video, singing the lyrics of the speech with an original guitar tune strumming in the background.  A few of the artists I am familiar with are Hip Hop and R&B artists Common, John Legend, and Fonzworth Bentley, but there are many others.  The ones I mentioned are African American, but this is a multi-racial and multi-genre music video. 

Or should I say, ad?    

This is so much more than a music video.  It works as a political ad--created by an entertainer to support a political candidate and his message.  There can be no mistake about its message--the actual recording of the speech is used.  It has all the elements of an effective ad--celebrity appearances; it plays to the emotions; it's memorable, creative, and catchy.  It was probably inexpensive to produce.  I don't know if Obama "officially" endorsed this video, but I know he's aware of its existence.  

It's on his Myspace and Facebook pages.  Which leads me to my other point--this video uses non-traditional media.  I first saw the video on YouTube, but I first heard about it on Facebook, a social networking site.  I've watched it on all three sites (before even visiting Obama's campaign site to view it).  It's not a TV commercial, but it serves the same function.  It advertises Obama, Obama's campaign strategy of hope, Obama's slogan "Yes We Can," and the celebrities who support Obama.  I sing along to the song in this video just as I would sing along to, say, the old Kit Kat commercials.

What's even more remarkable is that regular, everyday Obama supporters continually post the video on their social networking pages, YouTube, and blogs, leave comments, tell their friends, and essentially the video--and the cause--spreads by word-of-mouth.  A modern grassroots effort, if you will.   Obama is truly the multi-media, interactive, new media candidate of the future, but he's campaigning now.  What will be interesting to see is if his opponents, and political leaders in the future, follow in his technologically-savvy footsteps.  No doubt he has young people in their 20's working on his campaign marketing strategy.  I think they're doing a great job to reach one of his most important target markets--young voters under 35.

Not to minimize the importance of Obama's platform, but it's true that this music video is an ad that sells a product: Barack Obama's campaign.  Talk about product placement.  I'd buy it.  

A Touchy Subject

On Thursday, March 27^th at 5:00 PM, I attended my first “webinar.”  For those of you not familiar with the term, a webinar is an online seminar.  This particular panel session was designed and hosted by Adversity and the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP).  Adversity is a newly formed non-profit organization dedicated to increasing minority involvement in the ad industry through education and networking, and the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program provides internships at ad agencies for creative advertising students with a multicultural heritage. 

The panel consisted of six individuals: four who are currently working in creative management positions at ad agencies around the country, and two students or former students of the advertising portfolio schools the Creative Circus and VCU Brandcenter.  The panelist make-up was important and effective, because the members were a diverse group in terms of job position, gender, age, and ethnicity.  They discussed their opinions on the preparation needed to secure a job in the ad industry—whether or not to attend a portfolio school, networking, and building your book (portfolio)—as well as experiences they have or have not had that they felt was unique to their race/ethnicity while working in the industry.

I won’t belabor you with details on job requirements or interviewing techniques, both of which were discussed at the webinar but which are not the purpose of my blog.  I’m most interested in the experiences minority individuals have while trying to create the ads we see everyday.  Perry Fair, a former creative director at the True Agency in California and a middle-aged African American, made a most telling comment (although I think he attempted to sugar coat it).  He said, and I’m paraphrasing, that he personally had not run into any obstacles while progressing in his creative career as an African American man.  He’s worked for predominantly African American ad agencies as well as the “big” ad firms.  But he also advised students to not let themselves be pigeon-holed into making only one type of ad, or ads for one particular group (he was referring to racial groups).

To me, that could be a potential obstacle for minority creatives.  Mr. Fair insinuated that there is a possibility that as a minority art director or copywriter, you could be hired by a "big" ad agency to work only on ads that target whatever racial group that you belong to.  I guess that's not a problem if you're Latino and only want to create ads for Latino consumers.  Then you might take a job working at a Latino-owned ad agency.  Otherwise, such hiring practices could potentially stifle your work as a creative.  What if you want to create a diverse group of ads for many different markets?  That won't be possible if the only campaigns your creative director gives you are things like marketing tortilla chips to the Mexican population in Atlanta.  I know that is an extreme example, but my point is that it is problematic to approach diversity in the industry in that way.  

I wish this obstacle that Mr. Fair briefly mentioned had been discussed more in the webinar.  I would have liked to know what he did to overcome it, since for him to mention it means he has some experience with that kind of limited job assignments.  But he didn't elaborate, and no other webinar participant touched the issue, so I was left with more questions than answers.  It was an interesting topic to bring up, though, and I think the webinar would've been stronger and more helpful to attendees if the panelists had discussed similar issues and had not recited the same old "polish your book" and "don't give up" rhetoric that most of us already know. 

Introducing: A New Kind of Advertising

Hello, and welcome to my blog on Advertising for All.  My personal and professional interest in the representation (and misrepresentation) of minorities and women in media sparked the idea for this blog.  The need to diversify the ad industry has become a hot topic in the past couple of years among ad professionals, and it is my intention to highlight ways in which this undertaking is occurring, as well as encourage discussion on places where more improvement is necessary.  It is my belief that the ad industry should accurately and effectively reflect the consumer market that it serves, both in the kinds of ad professionals that are hired and in the types of ads that are produced. 

In February, a good friend of mine, who works at an advertising portfolio school in Atlanta, forwarded me an email with a link to an article in the New York Times.  I was startled and amazed by the subject of this article: Hip Hop recording artist and business mogul, Jay-Z, had just opened a multicultural ad agency in New York City.  The name of the agency is Translation Advertising, and Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) will be part owner and co-chairman with another African American entrepreneur, Steve Stoute.

I was amazed by this news because my first thought was, “This man can do it all!”  For those who might not know, Jay-Z is somewhat of a Renaissance man of the Hip Hop generation: he is a rapper, part owner of a basketball team, and the former president of a record label, and owns his own clothing line, not to mention his other projects, marketability, and superstardom.  Now he’s set his sights on the advertising industry.  I think he has all bases of the entertainment industry covered.

But after the “wow factor” wore off, I began to contemplate what this might mean for advertising and diversity.  Mr. Stoute and Jay-Z’s main reason for creating Translation Advertising is to market to the minority consumer group that is underrepresented but accounts for approximately $2 trillion in buying power in the U.S.  Creating ads that understand and relate to the culture is their top priority.

I can see this agency creating jobs and a place for minority ‘creatives’ (the ones who actually create the ads) in the industry.  Additionally, I can see Translation Advertising leading the way for change in the industry over time; a change in how to market to this minority consumer group without the current air of taboo or misunderstanding. 

I’m excited about it.  Mr. Carter should expect to see my resume and portfolio on his desk in 2009.