#10 Consumer Behavior

During last week's class we looked at two images and analyzed them in a group. One of them was an ad for Airfrance, showing a new suite. The other was an ad for Stella Artois, a famous beer company. I will be looking at some of the consumer behavior for this ad. 

The picture of the ad is here

Right away our group analyzed the target audience. The ad is probably meant for men, probably around 30-50 years of age. This is due to the very alluring picture of the woman leaning back in the seat, wearing a fancy dress. They are most likely businessmen who are looking for a new way to travel around the world. We also discussed the possibility of the ad being suitable for women as well, seeing as how the woman shown is not really too over-sexualized in any way and other visual indicators.

We thought that the target's job would be in business, with some kind of high position high in the work chain. The high cost of traveling around the world in first class plane ride would definitely exclude many people from choosing this airline, but those that can afford it would enjoy it very much. We thought about what ethnicities the target audience might be, but everyone just kind of pictured the stereotypical rich, Caucasian business man traveling alone. All ethnicities travel in first class when they can afford it. 

Seeing as how this is an AirFrance ad, the person traveling is obviously going to and from somewhere in Europe. There might be various destinations that would attract their attention, such as bigger cities like London, Paris, or Berlin. Busy cities, with an air of exoticness and lots of interesting places to visit for tourism as well as  business to be conducted. 

The target audience probably owns a fairly high priced car, such as a BMW or Mercedes. A luxury sedan would definitely fit the tastes of someone looking to fly to Europe in first class. 

We looked at some of their food and drink tastes as well. They would probably prefer to eat at more expensive restaurants, probably three or four stars. We also thought about what kinds of alcohol they would consume. I pictured a traveling wealthy businessman to drink scotch, whiskey, or vodka. They would probably not drink cheaper beers, IPAs, or martinis. 

#9 Political Manifesto/Political campaign

My group decided to do a campaign on preventing sharks from being killed for their fins. Shark finning is a practice that is extremely harmful to the ecosystem of the ocean. Tens of millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins, which are sliced off while the shark is alive. The shark is then dumped back into the ocean and left to die an extremely painful death. Most of the shark fins are used in Asia to create shark fin soup, a delicacy there. Our campaign would raise public awareness of this issue to have more people lobby against shark finning and to make the practice illegal in the entire world.
We created various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get interest from everyone who has an account that can view the tweets and Facebook posts. I also came up with a slogan for our campaign: "Sharks are friends, not food." This play on the popular Finding Nemo phrase is so that people can easily recognize the reference, and to see the irony in the phrase; the sharks in the movie use this phrase except its 'fish are friends, not food'. In this case it is us humans who are eating the sharks that say our campaign slogan instead.
A few examples of the work our campaign has created to raise awareness

This is our campaign's facebook page. We created it so that people can easily view discussions about our movement.

Here is the instagram account that we are using.

An example of some tweets that we are doing in support of our cause.

This picture of a friendly shark is our campaigns logo. Our cute shark friend does not yet have a name.

And finally here is the poster that I created to really nail the point home.

With all of these unique and memorable posters, pictures, and slogans, we are hopeful that our environmental campaign can gain support among people across the world so we can stop shark finning. Sharks are very misunderstood creatures and are essential to our world. We have to protect them.

#8: Consumer behavior in light of product that launched successfully or failed

In this post I will talk about a product launched that was received very well by consumers. In March of 2013, Taco Bell launched a new kind of taco called the Nacho Cheese Dorito/Cool Ranch Dorito Locos Tacos. These were produced in partnership between Taco Bell and Frito Lay, the parent company of Doritos, for a new taco shell that incorporated Doritos flavors. There was a lot of advertising done for the new product. Taco Bell took to social media to promote the launch as well as videos, using the hashtag #CoolRanchDLT on Twitter to draw social media attention from potential consumers.
An interesting tactic that Taco Bell also used was that the company reached out to people who expressed interest in trying out the taco, and invited them to go to local establishments that had nothing to do with food, such as barber shops or flower stores. The people then had to use a secret code phrase and if done correctly, would receive the new Dorito Taco. If the phrase was said incorrectly, they received a product that was actually from the place, like a haircut from the barber shop/flowers from the flower shop. All of this was captured live and used for television ads and internet. Facebook and Instagram was also utilized to spread the world.
The result of this was an extremely high level of consumer interest as everyone wanted to try this new kind of taco. The public received the two new tacos extremely well, as Taco Bell has now sold over 600 million of the two types since. It was a commercial success.

Environmental Campaign using Digital Technology

An environmental campaign that I found interesting was done by a company that we all know, Apple. Last year, they released a video that talked about their desire to help the environment by releasing more products made with environmentally friendly materials and using greener energy. The CEO himself took the time to voice the video, which really speaks about Apple's goals towards being a better company for the sake of the planet. I was really impressed by their commitment and goals. Their data center is soon to be running on all renewable energy, which is no small feat. The facilities in Nevada are all predominately powered by solar energy. They are also building a 134 acre field that will house another solar energy array, which will boost renewable energy even more. Overall I am very impressed by their commitment to renewable and clean energy. Being one of the biggest companies in the world, they have access to more tools then most, which is one thing that I feel is being overlooked. While much of this could be for a healthy public image in a time where global warming and the use of fossil fuels is becoming a big crisis, I think that they do care.