I'm sure most have us have dabbled in some harmless Chatroulette fun...and that 'fun' has often turned into A LOT OF PENIS IN YOUR FACE! This is happening far too often - according to a study mentioned on Wikipedia, approximately 1 in 10 feeds from Chatroulette were either users exhibiting themselves in the nude or masturbating . This has caused some to question whether Chatroulette will soon be consigned to history because of their inability to control this controversial content.
However, recently Chatroulette has demonstrated some value in the world of advertising. Chatroulette has been used to promote Lionsgate's latest horror movie The Last Exorcism. Some unsuspecting horny teenagers have been the 'victims' of this campaign. They have set up their cameras, ready to be linked up to a random person, and to their delight, they have been linked up with a complete babe! She starts undoing her top and chuckles flirtaciously - and you can practically see the drool forming in the boys' mouths on the other end. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes roll back into her head, her face turns white, and she screams/roars at the camera! Pretty freaky shit for these poor boys who thought they were about to get lucky! After that, 'THELASTEXORCISM.COM' flashes across the camera. You can see a series of the best reactions below:
It appears that Lionsgate has targeted the right audience - 15-19 year old teenage boys represent the demographic most likely to want to see a horror flick. Therefore, Chatroulette, with its abundance of teenage boys wanking off, was a great choice of ad placement. However, obviously each time the ad was screened it was only reaching a very small audience. It would need to have reached thousands of unsuspecting Chatroulette-ers for this advertising to be effective. I assume that is why the 'best reactions' have been condensed into the viral youtube video above which has now been seen by over a million people, and will continue to be shared and create hype for The Last Exorcism.
Nevertheless, I think the initial idea of posing as a user on Chatroulette was a great new innovative way to target consumers. It definately cuts through the clutter because we don't even realise we're falling victim to an advertisement! And if I were one of those boys, rather than feeling 'jibbed' by the ad, I'd be pretty damn impressed with this feat of marketing...once I got over the initial shock! Of course, this leads to the obvious question - would this unexpected encounter actually incite you to purchase a ticket to the film? We will have to wait and see how tickets sales go once the movie is released in cinemas.
However, the brilliance of this advertising is in its uniqueness. If other films follow The Last Exorcism's lead, posing as Chatroulette users and going on to create a viral video of reactions, they might not share the same success because we've seen it before.
What do you think? What would your reaction be if you encountered this sexy-Chatroulette-imposter-turned-exorcist? Would it make you want to see the movie? Do you think we'll see a lot of brands pulling similar stunts on Chatroulette?
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Would you like a video game with your cocktail?
You know you’re living in the 21st century when you hear that Australia’s First Video Game Bar is upon us. But before you get too excited, put your nerd-gasm at bay; it’s located in Brisbane. Sorry Melbournians! But do not fear, the bar has plans to expand to Sydney and Melbourne, and their next stop is world domination!
So what’s this place called and how does it work? It’s called ‘Mana Bar’ and it opened up in March this year in the middle of Brisbane’s ‘night-club’ district. The bar is surrounded by walls of LCD screens and features the ‘next generation of video game systems available to play 7 days a week. You can even play games before they’re released!’ It promotes itself as ‘Australia’s First Video Game Bar’ and the bar’s owner, Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, believes it is in fact a ‘world first’. My initial reaction to this was, ‘Are you serious? How has this not been done before?!’ From working in a video store I know that adult gaming is becoming more and more popular, and another popular past-time for many adults is drinking! Put simply, it’s a marketing match made in heaven! I particularly like the way one eager Mana Bar-goer described it in the video below: “My two loves – video games, and beer - combined to form a nexus of awesomeness.”
Speaking of which, what kind of customers do we think this bar attracts? Is it simply a nerd-magnet? What sort of brand image SHOULD the bar (and the ones soon to follow in Melbourne and Sydney) portray? It describes itself as a ‘funky drinking venue, with a unique selection of drinks, and custom cocktails on offer’. And this classy image is reinforced with the photo below showing an Xbox controller next to a blue martini:
So is this classy image the right way to go? Or should it somehow give off more of a nerdy vibe? I’m not quite sure of the answer to this. As much as we may like to think of gamers as nerdy, social recluses, most of they guys I know love playing video games. In fact, whilst there probably is a small percentage of people who do fit the aforementioned nerdy, anti-social profile, I think that ultimately this bar would be appealing to the average male who DOES enjoy socialising. So perhaps the brand image should fall somewhere in between – neither classy nor nerdy – appealing to the ‘average’ guy. But I’m just not sure that that image would work quite so well with an Xbox controller placed next to a beer… Then again, maybe Mana Bar realises that people will visit this bar no matter what, and in the interest of making profits, it’s going for a cocktail theme.
Nevertheless, Mana Bar will have to be very careful. At the moment it’s free to play games, but if they start to charge a fee to play games and hitch up drink prices, they could see customers walking out the door. Furthermore, the bar has a maximum capacity of 50 people, and from what I’ve read online, it seems people are already annoyed about having to wait in line. A maximum capacity of 50 seems crazy for a place with such high demand! So Mana Bar is going to have to think about how to solve this issue, or people might decide that playing games at home is a far better option. Perhaps they should look at opening another bar in Brisbane to cater for demand, as well as opening up in Melbourne and Sydney?
Anyway, what do you guys think? Would you go to Mana Bar if there was one in Melbourne? Or wherever you live? Do you think it will be a success? And do you think that a ‘classy’ image is the right way to go?
So what’s this place called and how does it work? It’s called ‘Mana Bar’ and it opened up in March this year in the middle of Brisbane’s ‘night-club’ district. The bar is surrounded by walls of LCD screens and features the ‘next generation of video game systems available to play 7 days a week. You can even play games before they’re released!’ It promotes itself as ‘Australia’s First Video Game Bar’ and the bar’s owner, Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, believes it is in fact a ‘world first’. My initial reaction to this was, ‘Are you serious? How has this not been done before?!’ From working in a video store I know that adult gaming is becoming more and more popular, and another popular past-time for many adults is drinking! Put simply, it’s a marketing match made in heaven! I particularly like the way one eager Mana Bar-goer described it in the video below: “My two loves – video games, and beer - combined to form a nexus of awesomeness.”
Now of course there is the argument that you can fulfil that some love at home; invite a few mates over, bring a few slabs, pump up the Xbox – and you’re good to go! Free from the hassles of sharing with other patrons, and free from the need to put on respectable clothes (if any at all). In the comfort of your own home, anything goes! Nevertheless, I still think lots of people would make the effort to leave their homes to come to this bar. A bar like this would have a completely different, much more exciting atmosphere from the one at home. So maybe people would choose the ‘home option’ when they want a relaxed drinking occasion, but when they feel like ‘making a night of it’, they’d opt for the ‘Mana Bar option’? What’s more, this bar provides a great way to meet people! What better way to break the ice than to challenge a person you’ve just met to a fun and flirtatious game?! Say, this bar might even give nerds a chance at love!!
Speaking of which, what kind of customers do we think this bar attracts? Is it simply a nerd-magnet? What sort of brand image SHOULD the bar (and the ones soon to follow in Melbourne and Sydney) portray? It describes itself as a ‘funky drinking venue, with a unique selection of drinks, and custom cocktails on offer’. And this classy image is reinforced with the photo below showing an Xbox controller next to a blue martini:
So is this classy image the right way to go? Or should it somehow give off more of a nerdy vibe? I’m not quite sure of the answer to this. As much as we may like to think of gamers as nerdy, social recluses, most of they guys I know love playing video games. In fact, whilst there probably is a small percentage of people who do fit the aforementioned nerdy, anti-social profile, I think that ultimately this bar would be appealing to the average male who DOES enjoy socialising. So perhaps the brand image should fall somewhere in between – neither classy nor nerdy – appealing to the ‘average’ guy. But I’m just not sure that that image would work quite so well with an Xbox controller placed next to a beer… Then again, maybe Mana Bar realises that people will visit this bar no matter what, and in the interest of making profits, it’s going for a cocktail theme.
Nevertheless, Mana Bar will have to be very careful. At the moment it’s free to play games, but if they start to charge a fee to play games and hitch up drink prices, they could see customers walking out the door. Furthermore, the bar has a maximum capacity of 50 people, and from what I’ve read online, it seems people are already annoyed about having to wait in line. A maximum capacity of 50 seems crazy for a place with such high demand! So Mana Bar is going to have to think about how to solve this issue, or people might decide that playing games at home is a far better option. Perhaps they should look at opening another bar in Brisbane to cater for demand, as well as opening up in Melbourne and Sydney?
Anyway, what do you guys think? Would you go to Mana Bar if there was one in Melbourne? Or wherever you live? Do you think it will be a success? And do you think that a ‘classy’ image is the right way to go?
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Try and find me NOW future employers!
When we think of Facebook, we think of a place to connect with all of our 1000 'friends' (haha, good joke Kate). But it is becoming evident that Facebook is now being used for other purposes - namely, for smart, privacy-invading (some would say) employers to 'suss out' a job candidate before making a job offer. By default, our Facebook profile has become a place to market ourselves, or our own personal 'brand', to future employers.
However, like with any brand, we want to send a positive, endearing message to our target audience (future employers). Herein lies the issue for many of us. What exactly should we be revealing on our Facebook profile? Many people have come to the conclusion that any photos which display drinking alcohol and having a good time send an undesirable message to employers. As a result, I have a number of friends who have changed their names on Facebook to outwit their potential future employers from ever coming across these photos. One friend even changed their name from 'Amy Smith' (to respect her privacy, this is not her real name) to 'Amy Tryandfindmenowfutureemployers Smith'. I kid you not! I found this quite amusing. It demonstrates the great lengths we are going to to stop future employers from finding us online.
On the other hand, I was quite surprised to hear what a certain tutor of mine (who works in advertising) had to say on the issue. He said that when his company is looking to hire people, they go through their candidates' Facebook photos, and if there isn't a photo of them taking their top off, or equivalent, they won't even consider them for the job! Of course, he then realised that that was probably taking things a little too far, but essentially what he was trying to say was that he WANTS to see photos of job candidates having fun! After all, these are the people he's going to work with, and no-one wants to work with someone who's no fun!
But he also implied that it depends on what type of job you're going for. Generally speaking, a person who works in marketing or advertising needs to show signs of creativity and fun as these traits can be critical to coming up with innovative marketing ideas. Whereas, a person who works in accounting may not require these traits to the same degree. So does that mean that myself and my fellow budding marketers are safe to keep our real names on Facebook and show the world our drunken photos?? I'd like to think that perhaps this is the case! Of course, we have to proceed with caution, and I think that allowing the world to see us curled up next to a toilet, surrounded by suspicious chunky contents is probably stretching the limit just a tad.
Also, it's common knowledge that everyone has a Facebook profile these days (and if you don't, what the hell do you do with all that spare time?!). So if a potential employer tries to find you on Facebook but can't because you've changed your name, you have to wonder what they might think. Would this not potentially cause them to consider that you might be hiding your profile from them? And then, a more ominous question might follow - well then, what they hell are they hiding?! In effect, they might be more concerned about your character than if they'd just seen your photos in the first place!!
Soooo, after that essay (whoopsies!), what I really want to know is what you guys think? Do you think it IS safe for us 'marketers' to keep our real names and show who we really are on Facebook? And for those of you who HAVE changed your names on Facebook, what is your opinion? Have I changed your mind at all??
However, like with any brand, we want to send a positive, endearing message to our target audience (future employers). Herein lies the issue for many of us. What exactly should we be revealing on our Facebook profile? Many people have come to the conclusion that any photos which display drinking alcohol and having a good time send an undesirable message to employers. As a result, I have a number of friends who have changed their names on Facebook to outwit their potential future employers from ever coming across these photos. One friend even changed their name from 'Amy Smith' (to respect her privacy, this is not her real name) to 'Amy Tryandfindmenowfutureemployers Smith'. I kid you not! I found this quite amusing. It demonstrates the great lengths we are going to to stop future employers from finding us online.
On the other hand, I was quite surprised to hear what a certain tutor of mine (who works in advertising) had to say on the issue. He said that when his company is looking to hire people, they go through their candidates' Facebook photos, and if there isn't a photo of them taking their top off, or equivalent, they won't even consider them for the job! Of course, he then realised that that was probably taking things a little too far, but essentially what he was trying to say was that he WANTS to see photos of job candidates having fun! After all, these are the people he's going to work with, and no-one wants to work with someone who's no fun!
But he also implied that it depends on what type of job you're going for. Generally speaking, a person who works in marketing or advertising needs to show signs of creativity and fun as these traits can be critical to coming up with innovative marketing ideas. Whereas, a person who works in accounting may not require these traits to the same degree. So does that mean that myself and my fellow budding marketers are safe to keep our real names on Facebook and show the world our drunken photos?? I'd like to think that perhaps this is the case! Of course, we have to proceed with caution, and I think that allowing the world to see us curled up next to a toilet, surrounded by suspicious chunky contents is probably stretching the limit just a tad.
Also, it's common knowledge that everyone has a Facebook profile these days (and if you don't, what the hell do you do with all that spare time?!). So if a potential employer tries to find you on Facebook but can't because you've changed your name, you have to wonder what they might think. Would this not potentially cause them to consider that you might be hiding your profile from them? And then, a more ominous question might follow - well then, what they hell are they hiding?! In effect, they might be more concerned about your character than if they'd just seen your photos in the first place!!
Soooo, after that essay (whoopsies!), what I really want to know is what you guys think? Do you think it IS safe for us 'marketers' to keep our real names and show who we really are on Facebook? And for those of you who HAVE changed your names on Facebook, what is your opinion? Have I changed your mind at all??
Hello World!
Hey everyone,
Welcome to oh.my.BLOG! Here I will be discussing a number of wild and wonderful things to do with digital marketing, or 'e-marketing'.
So who am I and why should you listen to what I have to say? Well, I won't lie, I'm not exactly a technology or 'e' guru...it took me months before I got around to adding any applications to my iPhone (shhh, don't tell anyone). However, I am in my final year of Marketing and Management at Monash University and therefore what I can offer you is my profound* marketing wisdom...So get excited!
All comments are welcome - good, bad or ugly! Enjoy :)
Kate
* = subject to opinion
Welcome to oh.my.BLOG! Here I will be discussing a number of wild and wonderful things to do with digital marketing, or 'e-marketing'.
So who am I and why should you listen to what I have to say? Well, I won't lie, I'm not exactly a technology or 'e' guru...it took me months before I got around to adding any applications to my iPhone (shhh, don't tell anyone). However, I am in my final year of Marketing and Management at Monash University and therefore what I can offer you is my profound* marketing wisdom...So get excited!
All comments are welcome - good, bad or ugly! Enjoy :)
Kate
* = subject to opinion
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)