Pretty Little SnAps... "A" Stroke of TV Marketing Brilliance

I'm constantly telling people how on top of the digital marketing game one of my fave guilty please shows, Pretty Little Liars, is. (Okay, maybe it's not that much of a guilty pleasure... I mean, I have written on this topic once before.) With that, it's no shocker that the show that knows it's Gen X audience the best has hit the major TV milestone of 100 episodes.

To mark this occasion, the show teamed up with one of the many brands ready to market to its sought-after target audience — Audi — for a fun new promotion featuring PLL fan-favorite Ian Harding, who plays Ezra Fitzgerald (half of the much-loved TV couple "Ezria"). What's truly interesting about this promotion, however, is how it made use of Snapchat.

Begun as strictly a mobile app for sharing short videos or photo snippets with your cell contacts, Snapchat is evolving into much, much more. The developers are continuously rolling out new features for the app and often (mainly on holidays and to launch said roll-outs) send messages to all users. It hasn't taken long for marketers to realize the potential here: Snapchat can allow a brand to have a "private" conversation or highlight an exclusive event/new product/etc. with fans willing to add them as a Snap contact.

Have a seat. Get comfortable. @IANMHARDING is hosting #PLL100 tonight live on our Snapchat. Get ready. #PLLAudi pic.twitter.com/1Lfwot168J
— Audi (@Audi) July 8, 2014

Audi jumped on this as an early adopter in a big way — with TV's most social show — and it worked. I caught wind of the promo via Instagram (screenshot below from @prettylittleliars) and added the brand to see exactly how it would unfold. The results? Pretty creAtive indeed.



For even more fun from #PLL100, including a live chat with a returning cast member, check out the hashtag's Twitter feed. Then, comment with what brands you'd like to see on Snapchat!

#ShipMyPants by Kmart

In a time where one single video (in this case an advertisement) can put you on the map, brands have to  really think outside the box to make their message compelling to audiences across multiple levels — social, print, digital and television. Kmart's most recent endeavor to "break the mold" did just that.

Kmart, a relatively conservative retail brand, took the topic of online shopping and turned it into a play on words that highlights their we'll-ship-it-to-you-free-anywhere (home or your favorite location) program while also appealing to its audience's sense of humor. The retailer used social listening as an early test to anticipate the reaction of a much wider audience, partnering with ad-creator agency Draftfcb Chicago for the full spot. The result? Up to 13 million views within the week and 18 million to date, on par with "viral" YouTube views of spots that aired during the Super Bowl.

Key Lessen: Pay attention to your social audience and use their reaction to help inform larger business decisions. The results could, and most likely will, surprise you.

Hashtag Fail: Herbal Essences

Our new collections aren't the only thing making a comeback! Check out our NEW ad #firsttime #GRAMMYfirst youtu.be/AI5UIP-qTs8
— Herbal Essences (@herbalessences) February 11, 2013

During Sunday night's Grammy Awards, Herbal Essences debuted a new ad for its classic collections. Though the ad is a good one that takes fans of the hair products back to the glory days of the "Yes, Yes, Yes!" tagline, the attempt at social media tie-in is — in my opinion — an epic fail.

The hashtag #FirstTime has a lot of conversation around it already and is used, most often, in instances unrelated to haircare. Plus, when you see it in the commercial, your immediate reaction goes to something that is most likely NSFW, amiright?

Let me know your thoughts on #FirstTime in the comments.

Super Bowl XLVII Ad Round-Up

The advertising profession's biggest day has passed. Naturally, I'd like to weigh in on what I found to be the most enjoyable ads of the night — top 5 style. (Though, let's be honest, nothing can top the blackout and the consequent buzz allotted both Buffalo Wild Wings and Oreo afterward.)

1. Jeep, Whole Again

Oprah is the only person who can follow Beyoncé. Also, I teared up. The end.

2. Tide, Miracle Stain 

I'm not gonna lie: Generally, my favorite commercials during the Super Bowl are NFL-related. It's the league's time to shine and I seriously love the sport so they totes speak to me. Though Tide is not the NFL, they did the best job this year of bringing football to life with this totally unbiased take on rivalry. Can it be next September already?

3. Budweiser,  #Clydesdales: Brotherhood

Horses + a "man's best friend" vibe = adorable waterworks. Ah, to have amazing pets.

4. Oreo, Whisper Fight

Shhh! Even the police whisper. This also wins for best social integration since it is a specific plug for the brand's Instagram account.

5. Taco Bell, Viva Young

Part of their ongoing "Live Más" campaign, this commercial rocks because it turns fun.'s "We Are Young" into a Spanish song and entertains the idea of a nursing home sneak out. Senior citizens are always funny. Always.

Best Celeb Endorsement: Tied between Best Buy's Asking Amy (Amy Poehler) and Samsung's The Next Big Thing (Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, LeBron James)
Best Tie to New Orleans: Bud Light's #HereWeGo "superstition" ads (here and here).
Worst Commercial Noise: Go Daddy's #TheKiss. Seriously, no one needed to hear that.

NARS + Andy Warhol

Isn't it app-tastic? A recent "Profile Makeover" Facebook app from NARS Cosmetics finally brought the art of Andy Warhol to the world of Facebook, thanks to the beauty company's Limited Edition Andy Warhol Collection.

Though a great idea, the app's run has ended with all that's left being the below video. The brilliance of this idea comes from it not only being a "game" of sorts but a game that allows the brand to spread the word through fans in a fun way that doesn't come off as "branded."

You Grew Up. So Did We.

Thanks to a wonderful co-worker bringing this to my attention, I can share with you probably the coolest marketing video out there right now.  

The gist: Internet Explorer has rebranded and updated its services to be hip to the times.

The spin: 90s nostalgia. Using this idea, they're appearing to millennials by showing that not only did 90s children grow up, but so did their favorite, original web browser.

Has this compelled you to use Internet Explorer once again? I, personally, just may have to.

Simple. Brilliant.

In a brand new marketing ploy, Clorox has jumped into the spotlight with a truly brilliant campaign. How? By capitalizing on the product's basic functionality.

"Bleach It Away" combines clever billboards throughout Las Vegas with a fun digital counterpart for fans to fill-in-the-blank. The downside: In true "What Happens in Vegas" spirit, the phrases some people come up with may be less than ideal... but, hey, it has people talking about Clorox and reaches a new audience. These days, classic brands such as this need to find relevance in a crowded market where consumers will not necessarily have the same brand loyalties as boomers once did.

[Side note: Clorox has quite an impressive Facebook following but not so impressive engagement in the social space — maybe that's their next aim... ;)]

Here Comes the Sun (Courtesy of Tropicana)

I know this is fairly old news but let us marvel for a bit at the brilliance of the above Tropicana marketing stunt.

The original idea for "Man Made Sun" was launched in 2010 when Tropicana brought sunshine-y joy to the Arctic during their "dark days" — it may be in quotes but they literally have dark days ... like, a whole winter of them. What you see here is their marketing effort in London, January 2012. Crazy? Yes. Brilliant? Yes. (That "sun" is 30,000x larger than a football field!)

Share your fave marketing efforts of 2012 in the comments.

Backstreet's Back...With Killer Social

Contrary to popular belief (at least according to everyone who makes fun of me for still being a fangirl), the Backstreet Boys are still around and they still have a huge following. With 6.5 million Facebook fans, 395,000+ Twitter followers, a quickly growing Instagram community (at 15,000+) — they've even opted to join Pinterest to stay on top of things — and a pending star on the Walk of Fame, they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

Though I could gush a lot about my love for the boy band of all boy bands, I wanted to take this time to share a marketing lesson about the music entertainment industry. Why is BSB my example? Simple: They are getting SMM (that's social media marketing) right. Sure, Taylor Swift does a great job, too, because she offers a personal relationship with her fans — mainly by showing adorable vidoes of her cat, Meredith — but BSB, on top of doing fabulously wonderful "throwback" posts of them back in the day, have recently amped up their game since Kevin's return, and it is paying off.

Sprinkled through this post are behind-the-scenes photos that BSB has been sharing from their London recording studio, where they are currently at work on their eighth studio album, including shots of them behind the mic (top left), collaborating with other artists/producers (middle right — that's Craig David, remember him?) and goofing off in their free time (left). What's so genius about this? In my experience as an Internet creep, I have never once seen an artist give fans this much of a glimpse into their everyday work life... in real time. Not only is it interesting, but it's exactly what fans want to see. Thumbs up, boys.

The New Face of Movie Marketing

It's no big shocker to anyone that I love movies. I love that they can make you laugh, cry, dance around or even teach you something. I love the amount of thought and artwork that goes into each one. I especially love the millions of different combinations that, since the 1920s, have been used to tell great stories ... on camera. Most of all, I love the way(s) they're marketed — exciting trailers, gorgeous posters, press tours, premieres, etc.

Movie marketing is brilliant, glamorous and, at face level, seems so simple. Social media (another "love" of mine) is beginning to change the way this marketing is done. Films like Chronicle, The Muppets, The Vow, Paperboy (above right) and Five-Year Engagement are just a few examples of movie studios jumping on the bandwagon and getting social right. For those that have hit theaters, this has meant major Box Office pay-off.

I present to you a pre-release case study on Five-Year Engagement's social strategy, which I very much believe will result in significant success for the film (something I suppose we'll find the answer to come April 27):

Though not as intense as was the online promotion for actor Jason Segel's last film — The Muppets — the strategy behind Five-Year is impressive. While the movie does have the standard Facebook page and Twitter handle, it has still found a way to take social a major step further. Instead of adding to these "standards" by merely creating a site for the film, Five-Year has created a wedding blog for its engaged characters, Tom and Violet. Further, the film has opted to use its YouTube channel as a vlog for those same characters. Only time will tell what other shenanigans Segel and his crew will come up with so stay tuned (and check out the trailer for Five-Year Engagement below!) ...

Page 23 — Consumerism

Page 23 (English subtitles) from Jeroen Houben on Vimeo.

Oh the effects of consumerism. This short film takes a stab at the whole ideal...through the facade of IKEA. Incredibly brilliant.

Magnum Ice Cream: Another Case of Clever Marketing

Magnum Ice Cream has arrived in the U.S. market and to kick off its arrival has created Cinema Magnum. The three incredibly fun, artistic and beautiful short films were developed to really help Magnum set the bar as a luxurious ice cream brand "for pleasure seekers." Since I happen to be a huge ice cream fan and fashion connoisseur (the films are directed by Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld and star one of my personal style icons, Rachel Bilson), I've decided to share each of them with you below.


Titled "Art Class"


Titled "Photo Mood"


Titled "Applause"

I know what I'll be purchasing later today . . .

Neatly Packaged

Ever bought anything solely based on its packaging?

I just did.

Norwegian company VOSS maintains one of the most unique package designs I have ever seen and is the exact reason I purchased a bottle of its still water over the weekend. The bottled water just does not look like anything else on the shelf next to it (and it's glass rather than plastic!).

What are some of your favorite packaged products?

PR Word of the Day: One-Sheet

One-Sheet (n.): A single document that summarizes a product for publicity and/or sales. Used most often in the entertainment industry.

What spurred my sudden interest in one-sheets might you ask? Well, Harry Potter of course (because let's face it, I'm such a nerd that if there's a Harry Potter article floating around the Internet, I will read it). To the right is the just-released official one-sheet for the final installment of the Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2. Chilling, no?

For other Deathly Hallows promotional posters click HERE.

Kathy Beth Terry's 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)'

She loves JTT and Hanson and is a master at Skip-It, she's singer Katy Perry's alter ego Kathy Beth Terry.

For her latest single release, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," off last summer's Teenage Dream, Katy Perry has gone the extra mile when it comes to promotion, creating an entire persona for the vid in the form of Terry (it includes custom Facebook and Twitter accounts!).

My thoughts? Utterly genius. Through her alter ego, Perry is exposing an outrageous version of her childhood. I mean, who in our generation didn't love JTT (he was, like, the Justin Bieber of the nineties) and dance around to Hanson's "MMMBop"? Maybe some of you did not but I, for one, did and Terry had me cracking up (not to mention extremely jealous that she got Hanson to be in the video). Check out the music video below, also featuring appearances from Corey Feldman, Kenny G, Glee's Kevin McHale and Darren Criss, Rebecca Black and Debbie Gibson.

Product Placement: Going Too Far?

In Britney Spears' newest music video, directed by the "mastermind" behind Lady Gaga's "Telephone," it's almost impossible not to notice the blatant (and shameless) product placement.

Now, I think product placement is generally a brilliant idea and have come to expect it in feature films, but in music videos? For one, it's not a lot of screen time to deal with, so to truly place something well, it's bound to be obvious (and, need I say, distracting).

Did you spot the products? If not, I'll tell you those that I noticed (to name a few): Radiance, Paris Makeup (this one's fuzzy because I couldn't get a good look), PlentyOfFish and Sony. Were you able to spot more?