Posts by Brandon Pierce:
Y2K: The End is Nigh
IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND!
As we are preparing for the end of the world next year, I’m reminded of Y2K.
Remember 1999 and the computer manufacturers warned us they’d neglected to account for the century turn over on their little digital calendars? … And thus the world was about to end.
The Got Milk? campaign capitalized on the hype:
Here’s how Nike took advantage of the fear:
Fear has always been a motivator for public opinion. Fear of lack of sales, fear of not having the right technology, fear of the end of the world! Usually I think of fear as a political tool, but it is also a powerful marketing tool.
The examples above are most definitely tongue and cheek. However, people were really concerned the world was going to screech to a halt as surely as if an EMP had obliterated all electronics. I’ve often wondered just how much money the Y2K software fix developers made off this fear.
One more example, this one is a print ad:
This ad for Isogon's TICTOC Year 2000 compliance software made a strong point. TICTOC was used to test Y2K compliance for MVS applications by setting fictitious dates on a job-by-job basis. (Image courtesy of Isogon Corporation, www.isogon.com)
How are advertisers currently capitalizing on fear?
What brands have you seen using fear in advertising?
Anonymous Web Browsing
For better or worse, The Tor Project offers users the ability to erase their digital footprints when surfing the web. For Free. According to The Tor Project: Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and [...]
A Broken Link on YellowPages.com
I started this post when I hit a broken link for a company whose domain name pointed at a YellowPages.com listing. I was searching fora retailer of a particular type of glass. I don’t know if the company with the broken link is out of business or not, I just hit the broken link and [...]
GI Joe, why I liked my action figures, by @BrandonPierce
Here’s another example of a Manufacturing Desire: When I was a kid I loved buying GI Joe figures. The lil 4 inch ones were like crack to me. I would get such a rush off picking out the one I wanted. I’d stand in that toy aisle for an hour at a time, carefully picking [...]
Manufacturing Desire (Part 1)
Right after college one of the random jobs I picked up was sales in the computers department at Best Buy. I didn’t take much away from that job overall (sorry Best Buy, but you’ll see why after you read this post). The one tidbit I did pick up was their focus on “lifestyle questions”. By [...]
Google that Kleenex!
The brand has become the object or action.
Authenticity is the word.
Authentic posting on Social Media is assumed superior to push market messaging for a very simple reason: We want to Trust the brands we give our money to.
Chief Harvester- Let’s help CarlSometimes even doing a good deed can go wrong. Carl Wheeler stopped to help a minivan on the side of the road on I-40/85 early one July morning. A drunk driver collided with the parked minivan, and Carl was hurt badly. Darren Jones, the driver of the out of gas minivan died on the way […]
Chief Dirt Digger- Recipe : Leftover Spicy Zucchini Stir Fry BakeYou all may remember my Spicy Zucchini Stir Fry recipe. Well, this is a fun leftover bake that is perfect for breakfast! Time : Start to finish approximately 40 minutes What you will need : Leftover Spicy Zucchini Stir Fry 2 potatoes 4 eggs 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 medium tomato 1/4 cup red […]