Posts by: Storm

Marketing maven,Social Media/Transmedia fanatic, Self proclaimed Art & Design Junkie, taking on the world one day at a time while living authentically.

JCPenney in 2012

JCPenney is ripping up the marketing playbook, breaking down barriers and starting fresh.

Their new concept includes a tiered pricing system, a store in store system focusing on their partnerships with Cindy Crawford, Sephora, the Olsen Twins, Bisou Bisou & more.

However, what really caught my attention is the way JCPenney’s is integrating mobile marketing with their direct mail.

In their February Catalog, they included Text shopping options in addition to specific product information. Doing this allows the reader to quickly order the product without having to search for item numbers via the eCommerce site.

However, what really excites me is what JCPenney might do with this new mobile strategy.

JCPenney can set up partnerships with stylists, create layouts in their catalogs and make it so consumers can order full outfits in seconds. They can have the code on the bottom of print ad’s, outdoor advertising, on commercials, and partner with movie studios. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie and didn’t say, WOW- Great dress. Imagine if you could pull out your phone text the number & have the outfit ordered before the character has even changed clothes.

If they are willing to continue to create monthly catalogs- They could tap into the power of Social Media sites like Polyvore, Instagram, & Pinterest and have consumers enter to win a chance at creating an outfit to feature in the catalog & so much more. Think of the possibilities.

I’m beyond excited that the 110 year old company is learning some new tricks & they have definitely won my attention. I’m envious of their digital team & hope they embrace digital marketing and continue to innovate.

Going to the Wolves…..

Eristoff Vodka developed a fantastic guerrilla marketing campaign that utilized a number of fake online videos that tried to convince London that one of the acts had escaped & that wolves were roaming the streets. Wolf in London!!

In November, they launched a fictional website called Dakov Circus and promoted a “Circus Freak Out” event. They also ran advertisements in Time Out and London blogs. After the launch, Eristoff made an announcement that the “Wolves of Vale” act had been suspended until further notice.  Then they uploaded fake videos, similar to the one below, to YouTube & Social Networks. They supported the campaign with Twitter postings to drive people’s interest & excitement.

Check out their videos below:
Escaped Wolves in London

Thank You Redditgifts for bringing Santa back to life.

I was obsessed with Christmas growing up and I believed in Santa. My parents made a consistent effort in making the holiday “magical” by surprising us with the Christmas gifts we really wanted even if they didn’t make it on our Christmas list.

As I got older the magic became tarnished by my 2 older sisters and their goal of tormenting their little sister. However, my mom was sure to explain to me that everyone has a little “Santa” inside them and that all we have to do is look around for someone who could use a little “Christmas magic”. So, I spent my pre-teen and teenage years leaving “surprise” Christmas gifts for random acquaintances that I knew needed a little magic in their life.

Fast Forward to 2010, My mom’s tradition had fallen by the wayside and I was having a bit of a blue time. I wasn’t really in the mood for Christmas celebrations but being a fan of Reddit, I signed up to participate in a Redditgifts exchange. I did my part and sent my gift and didn’t think much about it until one day I got home and found a package. When I opened it, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of my secret Santa Claus and the effort that went into it. They single handily made my blue mood turn cheery and bright. It was exactly what I needed to remind me how magical Christmas could be.

So, Thank you RedditGifts for bringing Santa back to life and reminding me that each of us has a little bit of Santa inside.

And Thank you Redditgifts for inspiring me to walk in my mom’s footsteps by looking for people in or around my life that seem to need a little magic and trying to delight them with an anonymous Christmas Gift.

I’m Sorry…Now, that I have your attention

Over the past year, corporations of all shapes and sizes have embraced a teenagers cree- “If I admit it, and apologize now, I’ll be in less trouble”. We saw it with Groupon’s Super Bowl Gaffe, Kenneth Cole’s Twitter travesty and most recently Netflix’s Fee hike that helped introduce Quickster (It’s exceptionally bad when you need an apology for your apology speech).

It’s such a popular thing to do that Domino’s built an entire Marketing campaign around their Mea Culpa. It started with saying they had “cardboard pizza” and now it’s on to attacking the cheesy goodness of their breadsticks. I’m hoping they stop attacking their products before they reach the cinnamon sticks. You see- I LOVE Domino’s cinnamon sticks and will be terribly offended if they say it’s awful- I mean what does that say about my taste buds? I’m warning you, Dominos. Don’t touch the cinnamon sticks.

Now that I’ve warned Dominos, I must say that as a marketer, I believe that the Mea Culpa is not the best marketing plan. In fact it’s a risky short term plan and does damage to your brand equity. It’s like the Boy who cried wolf- It only counts the first time and then people quit believing you. Remember that GroupOn- the superbowl isn’t that far away.

However, This Thanksgiving I came across the very first “I’m sorry” that I believed and at the same time endeared the brand to me and inspired this post.

This is their apology:

Lagunita Sucks Holiday Ale

 

This is their product:

Genius. It cracked me up and spoke to every single beer lover at our table. We passed the box around so everyone could read it and then talked about how awesome it was that they took their operations gaffe to heart and then could have some fun with it. Multiple people at dinner posted the box on their Facebook accounts, and some even tweeted about how it sucked that it happened but at least they made a good beer. It also made us really want to try the feared BrownShugga Ale, so I put a reminder in my ICal to look for it next Thanksgiving. Don’t mess up again, Lagunitas.

Seriously though, Great job Lagunitas Brewing Company.  You have a fan now and I hope that BrownShugga is as good as Holiday Ale.

 

 

The Art of Occupy Wall Street

Art activism has been a key element of social protests for hundreds of years. Below are images from the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

Above: Artwork from the #OWS movement’s Day of Action.
Below: Occupy Wall Street poster available for free to any protester from an online supporter

Below: Artwork from the Nineteen Hundred and Eleven Party who’s goal is to create interactive artwork that celebrates our enduring desire for social justice and change.

Below: Artwork from the Occupy London movement in support of #OWS

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