6613-820-6599
nata_advertising@yahoo.ca
korochkova.n@gmail.com
Natalia Korochkova
SKILLS
Professional
• Preparing Creative Briefs, Contact & Status Reports and Account Proposals
• Developing, writing and presenting IMC plans
• Project Management
• Thoroughly assessing client’s needs and communicating them to the team
• Media planning and preliminary budgeting
• Compiling and analyzing target audience data using IMC Crosstab
• Conducting media analysis using NADbank, Print Reach & Frequency and BBM
• Familiar with a variety of research techniques
• MS Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Adobe Suite - InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator
• Basic knowledge of Dreamweaver
Personal
• Highly motivated and willing to learn
• Ability to multi-task and work well under pressure
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Superior leadership and interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Exceptional presentation
• Attention to details
• Sensitivity to team members’ and clients’ needs
• Strong organization and time management skills
• Ability to work effectively both as part of a team and individually
• Creative and open-minded
• Fluent in English and Russian
EDUCATION
2005-2008
Advanced Advertising Diploma,
Algonquin College, Ottawa
Dean’s Honours List - 2005, 2006 & 2007
WORK EXPERIENCE
2008, March - April
Media Intern
HBS Marketing, Ottawa
• Prepared preliminary media budget
• Evaluated Google AdWords campaigns
• Examined and proposed media placement options and partnerships
• Collected and interpreted target audience data
• Compiled a media list and prepared a publication POV
• Researched and proposed a list of potential clients
2007, January - April
Account Executive
Leg Up Advertising Agency, Algonquin College, Ottawa
• Effectively managed a team of four
• Coordinated development of advertising and branding materials
• Reviewed all work at its various stages and ensured adherence to project timelines
• Prepared Creative Briefs, Contact & Status Reports and Account Proposals
2007, June – August
Telephone Representative
Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy (OFCP), Ottawa
• Provided the residents with the information on the OFCP and free clothing pick-up
• Acquired personal data from the call recipients and entered it into the database
• Actively encouraged the residents to donate used clothing and household items
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
2005, Fall
Sales Associate
Canadian Diabetes Association, Ottawa
• Sold various merchandise in Algonquin College
• Informed students and faculty about the risks and prevention of diabetes
2005, Summer
Front Gate Monitor
Cisco Systems Bluesfest-2005, Ottawa
• Issued wristbands to patrons that had already purchased tickets
• Answered festival-related questions
REFERENCES
Available upon request
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
The last one...
So I've missed the last class.. again. I seem to be constitutionally incapable of waking up before 8 a.m. But from what I've heard this last post is about our overall feeling on new trends in advertising and our fav trends. First of all, I have to say this was my favourite class despite the fact that I didn't show up for each class (it was my body's fault, not my mind's, I swear!:) If it wasn't for this class, there is no way I would have learnt about all those cool trends and have checked out and found all those new sites. And even more, I would have nothing to talk about in my internship interview. So thank you!
Guerrilla marketing and branded utility are definitely my favourite trends. I would love to work in an agency that specializes in guerrilla marketing. From the consumer's point of view, I can say that I've learnt quite well to ignore traditional advertising. The only reason I pay attention to it is because I'm in this industry. I also have to admit I don't believe almost anything I hear or see in ads. Very skeptical. Word of mouth has much more effect on me than a super expensive TV spot. That's why guerrilla advertising, in my opinion, has so much power. People see unusual and cool stuff and spread the word. Then I get hooked and go and learn for myself. Same with branded utility. Checking out something useful is awesome and makes me so much loyal to the brand than any traditional advertising.
Right now, in my career, I'm taking a road of media planning. What I have realized is that media planning can be so much cooler and so much more creative than traditional NewCap and Ottawa Citizen mix. And new trends are constantly changing media planning. Remember a solar-powered billboard for Nedbank in South Africa? Or "Save Our Climate" billboard for WWF Canada that used sunlight to show the effects of global warming? Here is the link if you haven't seen it yet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpvnnu66v8. It's pretty cool (was a nominee for Media Innovation Award from Marketing Magazine). This stuff is innovative use of media but it's guerrilla marketing in a way that it creates buzz and even those who haven't seen it themselves will hear about it from others. As a media planner, I need to be aware of this stuff, and I need to be aware of those trends. Online videos, shows, movies and podcasts are also something I have to constantly keep updated on - a big media placement potential lies there. Same goes for all the social news and networking sites. I need to know what's new and coming and working in the world of branded apps, widgets and other manifestations of branded utility. Basically, I need to constantly update and educate myself on all those trends we have talked about in this course since my career will have everything to do with them.
I also want to mention one really great site I came across while doing research for one of the blog posts - New York Festivals (http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/). That's where you can learn about International Advertising Awards In All Media. I have learnt about so much cool and different stuff in their Innovative Advertising Awards section.
The last thing I want to say is thank you. For baring with barely awake us each week. Reading all of this each week. And just helping us to see the bigger picture of the ad world. I've realized there is so much that I don't know yet and have to learn (in life and in this industry) and it's AWESOME!
Guerrilla marketing and branded utility are definitely my favourite trends. I would love to work in an agency that specializes in guerrilla marketing. From the consumer's point of view, I can say that I've learnt quite well to ignore traditional advertising. The only reason I pay attention to it is because I'm in this industry. I also have to admit I don't believe almost anything I hear or see in ads. Very skeptical. Word of mouth has much more effect on me than a super expensive TV spot. That's why guerrilla advertising, in my opinion, has so much power. People see unusual and cool stuff and spread the word. Then I get hooked and go and learn for myself. Same with branded utility. Checking out something useful is awesome and makes me so much loyal to the brand than any traditional advertising.
Right now, in my career, I'm taking a road of media planning. What I have realized is that media planning can be so much cooler and so much more creative than traditional NewCap and Ottawa Citizen mix. And new trends are constantly changing media planning. Remember a solar-powered billboard for Nedbank in South Africa? Or "Save Our Climate" billboard for WWF Canada that used sunlight to show the effects of global warming? Here is the link if you haven't seen it yet - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpvnnu66v8. It's pretty cool (was a nominee for Media Innovation Award from Marketing Magazine). This stuff is innovative use of media but it's guerrilla marketing in a way that it creates buzz and even those who haven't seen it themselves will hear about it from others. As a media planner, I need to be aware of this stuff, and I need to be aware of those trends. Online videos, shows, movies and podcasts are also something I have to constantly keep updated on - a big media placement potential lies there. Same goes for all the social news and networking sites. I need to know what's new and coming and working in the world of branded apps, widgets and other manifestations of branded utility. Basically, I need to constantly update and educate myself on all those trends we have talked about in this course since my career will have everything to do with them.
I also want to mention one really great site I came across while doing research for one of the blog posts - New York Festivals (http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/). That's where you can learn about International Advertising Awards In All Media. I have learnt about so much cool and different stuff in their Innovative Advertising Awards section.
The last thing I want to say is thank you. For baring with barely awake us each week. Reading all of this each week. And just helping us to see the bigger picture of the ad world. I've realized there is so much that I don't know yet and have to learn (in life and in this industry) and it's AWESOME!
Monday, February 18, 2008
It's all about experience (and permission to offer it)
Experience Marketing: American Girl
What American Girl, a division of Mattel, has done is just mind-blowing in terms of complete experience it provides its customers - daughters, mothers, families and friends. On the company's website, http://www.americangirl.com/, American Girl is described as "one of the nation's top direct marketers, children's publishers, and experiential retailers." The company offers " inspiring products for each stage of a young girl’s development—from her preschool days of baby dolls and fantasy play through her tween years of self-expression and individuality'. The products include books, dolls, clothes, toys and accessories. But that's just the top of the iceberg. What American Girl really sells is experience. Starting with American Girl magazine, variety of activities on the website, Real Girl of the Year and other awards, movies featuring American Girl characters, fashions shows, bookstore events and affiliated charities to American Girl Place and Boutique and Bistro.
American Girl Place in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offer an unforgettable experience. American Girl Place Los Angeles opened in April, 2006 at the Grove, a shopping and entertainment centre. The Place includes several Boutiques; American Girl Theatre where visitors can watch a musical; American Girl Cafe where girls can put their favourite dolls in the Treat Seats next to them and enjoy "girl-friendly menu choices"; Photo Studio where girls can get their picture taken that will appear on the souvenir cover of American Girl magazine; and Doll Hospital Admissions services for "dolls in need of some extra care".
Following the success of American Girl Place New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, American Girl Boutique and Bistro were opened in Dallas and Atlanta in 2007. According to American Girl press release (January 16, 2007), "the American Girl Boutique and Bistro will carry a rotating selection of the company’s popular dolls, outfits, and accessories as well as a variety of its best-selling American Girl books. In addition, American Girl fans can treat their dolls to a new ’do in the Doll Hair Salon and enjoy brunch, lunch, dinner, or an unforgettable dessert in the casual Bistro. Designed as the ultimate place to celebrate girls’ birthdays and other special occasions, each American Girl Boutique and Bistro will feature separate party rooms where girls and their friends can enjoy American Girl–themed parties, complete with organized games and activities, special food and cake, and party favors. Various girl-and-mom-friendly programs and classes will also be offered at the store throughout the year."
American Doll offers one of a kind experience that is equilly appealing to moms and daughters. I'm honestly just blown away by all the creativity, consistency in all efforts and understanding of the target audience this marketer shows. It's almost like a Disneyland - exclusively for girls.
Permission Marketing: Seth Godin
I came across a blog of Seth Godin, a guy who wrote a baunch of books offering fresh view on marketing including one called "Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers." Check out his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/. I found a couple of entrees on permission marketing which really made me think about this topic. Seth says "permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them." In his opinion, those who give you real and obvious permission really do pay attention. And the permission has to be obvious. "Real permission works like this: if you stop showing up, people complain, they ask where you went." He emphasizes the importance of patience and humility for permission marketers.
I certainly think this is something we need to pay closer attention to. In today's world saturated with advertising people have learnt so well to ignore it - I'm one of them. I don't want to see, hear or read what I don't care about.. do you? Sometimes when you walk down the street in downtown area, you'll get an odd guy or two passionately trying to tell you how to get to heaven. Did you ever actually stop and listen? I didn't. I was focused on moving away from him as fast as I could. So aren't we doing the same thing practising "interruption marketing"? And then hoping someone will like the guy's tie or accent and will finally listen to his "get to heaven in 3 easy steps" speech. Just something to think about.
What American Girl, a division of Mattel, has done is just mind-blowing in terms of complete experience it provides its customers - daughters, mothers, families and friends. On the company's website, http://www.americangirl.com/, American Girl is described as "one of the nation's top direct marketers, children's publishers, and experiential retailers." The company offers " inspiring products for each stage of a young girl’s development—from her preschool days of baby dolls and fantasy play through her tween years of self-expression and individuality'. The products include books, dolls, clothes, toys and accessories. But that's just the top of the iceberg. What American Girl really sells is experience. Starting with American Girl magazine, variety of activities on the website, Real Girl of the Year and other awards, movies featuring American Girl characters, fashions shows, bookstore events and affiliated charities to American Girl Place and Boutique and Bistro.
American Girl Place in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offer an unforgettable experience. American Girl Place Los Angeles opened in April, 2006 at the Grove, a shopping and entertainment centre. The Place includes several Boutiques; American Girl Theatre where visitors can watch a musical; American Girl Cafe where girls can put their favourite dolls in the Treat Seats next to them and enjoy "girl-friendly menu choices"; Photo Studio where girls can get their picture taken that will appear on the souvenir cover of American Girl magazine; and Doll Hospital Admissions services for "dolls in need of some extra care".
Following the success of American Girl Place New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, American Girl Boutique and Bistro were opened in Dallas and Atlanta in 2007. According to American Girl press release (January 16, 2007), "the American Girl Boutique and Bistro will carry a rotating selection of the company’s popular dolls, outfits, and accessories as well as a variety of its best-selling American Girl books. In addition, American Girl fans can treat their dolls to a new ’do in the Doll Hair Salon and enjoy brunch, lunch, dinner, or an unforgettable dessert in the casual Bistro. Designed as the ultimate place to celebrate girls’ birthdays and other special occasions, each American Girl Boutique and Bistro will feature separate party rooms where girls and their friends can enjoy American Girl–themed parties, complete with organized games and activities, special food and cake, and party favors. Various girl-and-mom-friendly programs and classes will also be offered at the store throughout the year."
American Doll offers one of a kind experience that is equilly appealing to moms and daughters. I'm honestly just blown away by all the creativity, consistency in all efforts and understanding of the target audience this marketer shows. It's almost like a Disneyland - exclusively for girls.
Permission Marketing: Seth Godin
I came across a blog of Seth Godin, a guy who wrote a baunch of books offering fresh view on marketing including one called "Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers." Check out his blog at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/. I found a couple of entrees on permission marketing which really made me think about this topic. Seth says "permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them." In his opinion, those who give you real and obvious permission really do pay attention. And the permission has to be obvious. "Real permission works like this: if you stop showing up, people complain, they ask where you went." He emphasizes the importance of patience and humility for permission marketers.
I certainly think this is something we need to pay closer attention to. In today's world saturated with advertising people have learnt so well to ignore it - I'm one of them. I don't want to see, hear or read what I don't care about.. do you? Sometimes when you walk down the street in downtown area, you'll get an odd guy or two passionately trying to tell you how to get to heaven. Did you ever actually stop and listen? I didn't. I was focused on moving away from him as fast as I could. So aren't we doing the same thing practising "interruption marketing"? And then hoping someone will like the guy's tie or accent and will finally listen to his "get to heaven in 3 easy steps" speech. Just something to think about.
Branded Utility: M&Ms
Check out http://www.mms.com/ because it's friggin SWEAT! I must have spent a good couple of hours on this site. BecomeAnMM is one of the fun things the site offers. Create your own character then take a pic of him/her in a Photo Studio or have him/her star in a movie (and you get to choose your own soundtrack too). Here are my pics:
And that's not all. Download wallpapers and Screensavers. Send fun e-cards. Play numerious games. Prepare for the Academy Awards by getting tips on throwing your Oscar party, learning about Red Carpet Do's and Dont's and Dressing for Scene. Get recipes, holiday ideas and party tips. And of course customize your M&Ms and even your M&Ms merchandise. M&Ms really does take it to a different level by offering you a complete fun brand experience and a lot of useful cool stuff which what branded utility is all about.
Also check out http://www.psfk.com/ for posts on Branded Utility. I suggest reading an interview with Benjamin Palmer of Barbarian Group (http://www.psfk.com/2006/11/branded_utility_1.html) and one with Gabor Vida of Teknision (ever heard of him?) (http://www.psfk.com/2006/12/branded_utility.html)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Broadband Revolution? Hmm
Alright, so I took on the Broadband Challenge and...
...and well, I still prefer regular TV.
I started out with MTV.ca. The site allows to watch music videos, music news and TV shows episodes. Great! I decided to check out A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. All went well until one episode after another would freeze after about 2 minutes into it. And never work again. Not fun. I don't know if I should blame my Internet connection for this misfortune (although I have high-speed) or not, but I quickly lost interest in this site and moved on.
Next was Joost. A baunch of shows, videos and even channels. Awesome! Except in order to be able to watch anything, one has to download Joost. I started the download but after realizing it would take quite a while, I gave up. Plus some content is not available in Canada. Moving on.
About Torrent stuff. I did have ABC (Yet Another Bittorrent Client) on my computer at some point in the past. However, whenever I tried to download something, it would never work. Finnally, I deleted the whole thing. I have heard some people using it succesfully, however. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.
I also have LimeWire. It's great for downloading music. But movies or shows... well, I guess I just don't have enough patience.
I really liked TED, however. This great website offers a lot of talks that can be searched by date, topic, tags as well as ratings such as "most jaw-dropping", "most persuasive", "most courageous", "most inspiring", "most funniest" etc. Surprisingly, I was actually able to watch a couple of talks without any problems or slow downs. I definately think this site is good for education and insparation, but not as an alternative to traditional TV.
...and well, I still prefer regular TV.
I started out with MTV.ca. The site allows to watch music videos, music news and TV shows episodes. Great! I decided to check out A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. All went well until one episode after another would freeze after about 2 minutes into it. And never work again. Not fun. I don't know if I should blame my Internet connection for this misfortune (although I have high-speed) or not, but I quickly lost interest in this site and moved on.
Next was Joost. A baunch of shows, videos and even channels. Awesome! Except in order to be able to watch anything, one has to download Joost. I started the download but after realizing it would take quite a while, I gave up. Plus some content is not available in Canada. Moving on.
About Torrent stuff. I did have ABC (Yet Another Bittorrent Client) on my computer at some point in the past. However, whenever I tried to download something, it would never work. Finnally, I deleted the whole thing. I have heard some people using it succesfully, however. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.
I also have LimeWire. It's great for downloading music. But movies or shows... well, I guess I just don't have enough patience.
I really liked TED, however. This great website offers a lot of talks that can be searched by date, topic, tags as well as ratings such as "most jaw-dropping", "most persuasive", "most courageous", "most inspiring", "most funniest" etc. Surprisingly, I was actually able to watch a couple of talks without any problems or slow downs. I definately think this site is good for education and insparation, but not as an alternative to traditional TV.
Then, off course, there is YouTube. A great source for commercials, music videos, political info and funny stuff. But, again, is not a replacement for traditional TV.
There is another website I had success with in the past - http://www11.alluc.org/alluc/. A year ago or so I spent nearly 3 days watching OC and Friends on it. And I definately used it as a substitude for traditional TV. However, that was at a friend's house and I didn't seem to have any connection/speed problems except for few occasions. When I tried to watch full TV shows episodes at home though, I experienced some problems again. Which makes me think it may have something to do with my Internet connection.
A word on advertising. I don't remember seeing any ads at all to be honest. Obviously, if you download stuff, it's commercials-free. On MTV.ca, I saw a tiny clip for MTV while watching a TV show episode. There are really no ads on YouTube (I've read somewhere they are making a point not to saturate the site with advertising 'cause that may drive people away). Haven't seen any ad content on TED either.
The verdict? Not a fan of downloading. Not a fan of staring at a screen waiting for stuff to unfreeze and load. Not such a big fan of watching TV online. With a little more patience and better Internet connection, I could probably spend a little more time watching stuff online. But for now.. for now I'll stick with the good old TV. And even though I only have 4 channels at home, I find it enough and more satisfying than watching stuff online. For some reason, I preffer to read online rather than watch or listen.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Social News or "I'm in Control"
Since the concept of social news is pretty new to me, I decided to do some research. What I have found amazed me. As it turns out, there are over 380 social news sites online. I came across Dosh Dosh, a blog "about how to make money online". Check out this post http://www.doshdosh.com/list-of-social-media-news-websites/. It provides a list of 48 social news sites devided into 2 categories: General Social News and Niche Social News.
Among General Social News, there is Digg, Netscape and Newsvine, a new-to-me site that I've found quite interesting. Newsvine's got articles on a variety of topics. Users can submit links to articles from mainstream media as well as create their own profiles and blogs. As the owners of the site describe it, "At Newsvine, you can read stories from established media organizations like the Associated Press and ESPN as well as individual contributors from all around the world. Placement of stories is determined by a multitude of factors including freshness, popularity, and reputation. Contribution is open to all, and editorial judgement is in the hands of the community." You can check out local weather, read news from mainstream media or written by Newsvine columnists (basically people like you and me with their own blogs), search news by tags or users, take a look at the "most active" articles (most voted and/or commented on). The topics covered are much broader than those on Digg in my opinion and appeal to a broader audience. I think Newsvine users and visitors have a lot of control of what they want to read. The way I see it it's like mainstream media PLUS opinions of many individuals. If you don't like the mainstream article on the topic, you can always find one that someone has written to express his opinion which can be pretty similiar to yours.
There is a wide variety of sites among Niche Social News sites suggested, ranging from celebrity gossip and wine to stock and investment news and open source software. One that may be of interest to us, ad people, is perhaps Design Float (http://www.designfloat.com/) focused on design-related content. The site covers advertising, web design, graphic design, identy & branding etc. After clicking on Advertising category, I've selected Creative Advertising entry and guess what. The link took me to a Russian (!) blog that features a whole lot of guerilla marketing stuff from all over the world! Check it out at http://malevi4.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/creative-advertising-2/. All the stuff posted is in English (except for the author's comments) so you should have no problem understanding it. Well, let me tell you I found that pretty amazing, and am planning to come back to Design Float again.
Overall, I think Social News is a huge trend right now, and I don't think it's going anywhere any time soon. So we, advertisers, need to find ways to use it to our advantage. We have to be careful, however, since I think part of the reason those sites are so popular is that people feel freedom and in control. Overpopulating these sites with advertising will take that away and may kill the trend all together. How can we use this trend in advertising? Take a look at Chictini (http://chictini.com/) and Iliketotallyloveit (http://www.iliketotallyloveit.com/). Those sites are focused on new cool trends, styles and products and have links to online retailers where those products can be purchased. This is where Social News and advertising effectively merge in my opinion.
Among General Social News, there is Digg, Netscape and Newsvine, a new-to-me site that I've found quite interesting. Newsvine's got articles on a variety of topics. Users can submit links to articles from mainstream media as well as create their own profiles and blogs. As the owners of the site describe it, "At Newsvine, you can read stories from established media organizations like the Associated Press and ESPN as well as individual contributors from all around the world. Placement of stories is determined by a multitude of factors including freshness, popularity, and reputation. Contribution is open to all, and editorial judgement is in the hands of the community." You can check out local weather, read news from mainstream media or written by Newsvine columnists (basically people like you and me with their own blogs), search news by tags or users, take a look at the "most active" articles (most voted and/or commented on). The topics covered are much broader than those on Digg in my opinion and appeal to a broader audience. I think Newsvine users and visitors have a lot of control of what they want to read. The way I see it it's like mainstream media PLUS opinions of many individuals. If you don't like the mainstream article on the topic, you can always find one that someone has written to express his opinion which can be pretty similiar to yours.
There is a wide variety of sites among Niche Social News sites suggested, ranging from celebrity gossip and wine to stock and investment news and open source software. One that may be of interest to us, ad people, is perhaps Design Float (http://www.designfloat.com/) focused on design-related content. The site covers advertising, web design, graphic design, identy & branding etc. After clicking on Advertising category, I've selected Creative Advertising entry and guess what. The link took me to a Russian (!) blog that features a whole lot of guerilla marketing stuff from all over the world! Check it out at http://malevi4.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/creative-advertising-2/. All the stuff posted is in English (except for the author's comments) so you should have no problem understanding it. Well, let me tell you I found that pretty amazing, and am planning to come back to Design Float again.
Overall, I think Social News is a huge trend right now, and I don't think it's going anywhere any time soon. So we, advertisers, need to find ways to use it to our advantage. We have to be careful, however, since I think part of the reason those sites are so popular is that people feel freedom and in control. Overpopulating these sites with advertising will take that away and may kill the trend all together. How can we use this trend in advertising? Take a look at Chictini (http://chictini.com/) and Iliketotallyloveit (http://www.iliketotallyloveit.com/). Those sites are focused on new cool trends, styles and products and have links to online retailers where those products can be purchased. This is where Social News and advertising effectively merge in my opinion.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Social Networking: Personal Experience of the Masses
In my opinion the advertising possibilities of Social Networking websites such as Facebook are unlimited. Let's take a local clothing boutique for example - Victoire in Ottawa Downtown. Victorie specializes in independent Canadian designers and local Ottawa designers. The key customers of the boutique are women 18-25 years old. Now, how do you reach these women locally without spending ton of money (one would assume the ad budget isn't very big in this case)? Well, first of all, Victorie doesn't have an official website but... has a MySpace page (check it out at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=87473347) . The page's got all the store info you need, a blog you can subscribe to, some pictures plus a bit of a personality expressed in the profile details and added music.
How can you expand the boutique's reach further? Facebook, off course. Undoubtedly, Facebook beats anything else in reaching that 18-25 demo. You can start with creating a Facebook page for the store to establish some interactive presence. Facebook users can become Victorie's fans and whenever they interact with the page, their friends will automatically get the updates in their News Feeds. Seeing friends taking some action with the company adds a personal aspect to Victorie, and the three sentences of the social story can create much more awareness and potentially generate more sales than any other local media vehicle. Taking it even further, Victorie can create an application with the Facebook Platform allowing the target audience to have an even more personal experience with the company. Something like "here is all the clothing and accessories we've got. Now choose your model and dress her the way you want". Or "create your wish list and post it on your profile" or "message your fav items to your friends". Really, sky is the limit. If Victorie wants to get some first-hand opinions from its potential customers, all they've got to do is create a poll.
As you can see REAL brand/product/company interaction is a REAL trend in advertising these days, specially if you want to reach the young and restless. We don't want messages targeted at masses anymore. We want to have a personal experience and we want to decide what that experience is going to be.
How can you expand the boutique's reach further? Facebook, off course. Undoubtedly, Facebook beats anything else in reaching that 18-25 demo. You can start with creating a Facebook page for the store to establish some interactive presence. Facebook users can become Victorie's fans and whenever they interact with the page, their friends will automatically get the updates in their News Feeds. Seeing friends taking some action with the company adds a personal aspect to Victorie, and the three sentences of the social story can create much more awareness and potentially generate more sales than any other local media vehicle. Taking it even further, Victorie can create an application with the Facebook Platform allowing the target audience to have an even more personal experience with the company. Something like "here is all the clothing and accessories we've got. Now choose your model and dress her the way you want". Or "create your wish list and post it on your profile" or "message your fav items to your friends". Really, sky is the limit. If Victorie wants to get some first-hand opinions from its potential customers, all they've got to do is create a poll.
As you can see REAL brand/product/company interaction is a REAL trend in advertising these days, specially if you want to reach the young and restless. We don't want messages targeted at masses anymore. We want to have a personal experience and we want to decide what that experience is going to be.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Guerilla Marketing: Fun, Scary... Effective!
Guerilla marketing is definately the coolest part of the advertising these days. Having done a little research, I'm amazed how creative advertisers around the world get. I came across a couple of websites that have a lot of cool guerilla marketing and other advertising posted. Check them out:
Some guerilla marketing stuff that blew me away:
"Take out a condom and help the fight against AIDS", Brazil.
Done by Escala Comunicacao e Marketing, Brazil. On the World AIDS Day, 500 condoms were put together to form the word "AIDS" in various spots throughout the city. Over 8,000 pedestrians have interacted with the poster by the end of the day. This guerilla marketing effort visually communicated how use of condoms can help to stop the spread of AIDS. I think it's brilliantly simple and simply brilliant.
"Prejudice is one of the worst side-effects", Denmark.
This guerilla marketing effort from Denmark is a literal take on the attitudes towards HIV positive individuals. On the World AIDS Day, a number of individuals walked around in balloons wearing a t-shirt with the campaign slogan "Prejudice is one of the worst side-effects".
I came across several guerilla marketing efforts where the placement of the ad was cruicial to communicating the message. See for yourself!
"Save the paper, save the planet", WWF. Watch South America turning from green to black as more and more paper towels are used.
"Noodleslurper", Mondo Pasta, Germany. "Huge stickers of faces turned ships into permanent pasta slurpers".
Wolf hot sauce, Thailand. These visuals placed on hand dryers in washrooms clearly comunicated how hot this Wolf stuff really is.
Some other really cool stuff:
"Friends of The Earth", Hong Kong. In this poster, polluted air speaks for itself. The poster is blank with a clear sticky coating over the headline and the visual. Over time, dust and dirt stick to the poster revealing the headline "Polluted air pollutes" and the visual of lungs. 
"Take your kids for a check-up of their jaws and teeth before it's too late", custom pacifiers marketing local orthodontist in Germany. Scary stuff!!
"1 in 5", Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta (by MacLaren McCann Calgary). In order to comunicate that mental illnesses affect 1 in 5 people, numerous "1 in 5" scratch off tickets were distributed in office buildings, malls, food courts etc for people to discover, scratch & learn. 
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Blog It Away and... Get Paid!
Welcome to my blog, guys!
And what's a better way to start off a blog than to talk about blogging? Only to talk about blogging and its use in advertising today! So here we go.
I came across an article by a Washington Post author, Sara Kehaulani Goo, called "Product Reviews And Links Turn Pages Into Profit" (check it out at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002405.html). As it turns out, online bloggers can and do make money and advertisers are willing to pay them!
According to the author of the article, during the past several years a number of firms which solely purpose is to connect bloggers with advertisers have appeared. One of these companies, Chitika, pays people who feature images of various products on their blogs. Bloggers can choose what products they want to be displayed on their blogs and are in turn paid for each click on that image. The categories of these products range from consumer electronics to food and beauty items.
Another interesting fact that I’ve learnt is that apparently, according to David L. Sirfy, chief executive of Technorati company, there are several hundred bloggers for whom blogging is a full-time job. For around 10,000 bloggers it’s their secondary source of income.
There are also a number of firms that help bloggers and companies seeking to buy online reviews of their products to connect. One of those firms, ReviewMe.com, asks bloggers to disclose that they were paid for the review. However, not all advertisers leave satisfied since the reviews are not always positive.
This article have shown me that the world of online advertising is constantly growing and expanding. New options and opportunities to reach the target audiences occur, and it’s extremely important for us, advertisers, to stay on top of them.
Stay tuned! I'll discuss Guerilla Advertising in my next post. Until then... have a good one!