What do we really see?

My son pointed out to me an advertisement in the Sunday paper. The couple in the ad was African-American. The woman had her hair styled very similar to Michelle Obama's and was dressed very similarly - sleeveless shirt, tied at the neck. The man in the ad looked striking similar to President Obama. Just a coincidence, I don’t think so. Here is a clever marketer using our “feeling good” about the first African-American President to sell their product. Clever.

Everyday Marketing Happens

Every day we are surrounded - more like bombarded - by marketing in the news. Products and services are constantly changing and developing. Are we even aware of this? Do marketers really reach their intended audience? Why do marketers even change what they are doing? What motivates them to redesign a package, or lower the price, or start a new advertising campaign? I am going to start tracking all of changes I notice and see if I can spot trends or reasoning.

First one – the Megabus - http://us.megabus.com/. Fares as low as $1 from Des Moines to Chicago passing through Iowa City. What a great idea. Lots of college students traveling back and forth from the University of Iowa to home in the Metro area – many with no transportation – because parking is so expensive at the university – so let’s try a new mode of transportation. How do we get folks to buy in – low fares, wifi connections, comfy seats, clean, fast and no in between stops. I think it will be a hit!!