Now this blog is about group conformity. This is one of the most prominant human effects that we have on each other in our day to day lives. It can be quite umourous the way that we go to absolute extremes just to conform with each other and to be part of a group.
This is often thought of as something that young people do and we grow out of it however it is not true at all. I have no shame in admitting that I conform to various things in my everyday life including the latest fashions (well I try) the 'in' music even down to what I buy in a supermarket. The other day I was in Sansbury's and as I was picking up a certain brand of washing up liquid she picked up another and said "this ones better" in a stern and 'don't mess with me' kind of voice so did I stick to my guns and get good old fairy... no of course not I conformed and got the cheaper and apparently 'better' Sainsburys own which I have since found out it is not better however I know for a fact that if I were confronted with the same situation again I would buy what I was told and conform. It's Ridiculous isnt it!
In terms of Music I personally hate Dub Step which unfortunately is currently experiancing a renaissance and therefore I have to put up with it. When I was arranging my group event during the meeting with our venue manager when talking about the music playing at the venue when one of the group memebers shouted Dub Step I wanted to cry. That was obviously kept well under wraps though as I sat there smiling and nodding and minding my p's and q's in front of the venue manager until we got outside and I gave dear old Stevie a right talking to! No way jose would I have said anything at all whilst in the meeting and yet again just sat there and conformed. Afterwards it seems stupid but it happens more often that you think.
Sticking with the subject of music Jennifer Lopez has a new song out and again I hate it! Since when has being a talent show judge meant having number 1 hits even if the music is crap.... woops anyway.... moving things along when out and about and as it comes on everyone cheers do I stand there with a face like a slapped backside... Nooo definately not I wave my hands in the air like I just dont care and sing along to the worst lyrics in the world at the top of my lungs. I mean would you honestly go against everyone and look like a weirdo... Thought Not.
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsPvRtQIKG0&feature=related
This video shows conformity whilst linking in with groups. Each of us has to fit into a specific group and conform to the rules that are set by that particular group in order to be accepted. As this video shows the character that is narrating believes that the group she belongs to is the best and this is often the case. For example when I see The Only Way Is Essex on the TV whilst I am aware that walking a Micro Pig in a forest on a lead is not normal behaviour the rest of the show isnt exactly 'abnormal' in my opinion anyway whereas everyone and there dog in High Wycombe believes it's ridiculous and if I get greeted with 'oh my god you're from Essex... I'm gonna tell my daughter i've met an Essex boy like that show' once more whilst working I may have to punch them in the face. At this rate they might as well put me in a Museum. This is I guess however due to the fact that I have conformed in some way to how things are done in Essex and therefore to me it's not all crazy. This can be linked to Culture as certain places or areas have cultures that people adhere to.
According to a study performed by Gerard Keegan the main reason that we conform is 'To convey a good impression of him/herself'. This really does ring true as in the supermarket I didnt want an old lady to think I was being horrible by not listening to her.....
So there you have it we conform because we are too nice..... and they say people these days are selfish. I guess it just shows you.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Friday 1 April 2011
Cultural differences
So, have you ever wondered why you find something funny and the person next to you just doesnt? Well that could be one of two reasons.... Maybe they are simply from a different culture and therefore see things differently and find other things funny. The other explanation would be that they were German. (That was a joke..... oh dear swiftly moving on)
Culture can be defined as many things. Clifford Geertz defines it as simply 'The total way of life of a people'. This can be taken and explained in many real life situations and personally I have experianced different culture in the workplace as I have worked for the high street store Next since 2008. This was in a large store in Essex in a large shopping Centre. Since coming to University I have transferred to the High Wycombe branch and the culture is certainly different. Although it is based in a shopping centre it is nowhere near as busy and therefore the way things are done reflect that. The attitude is far more laid back and staff are well...... lazy. This would simply not be tolerated at the previous store and it did take a while for me to adjust to this new culture and new way of working, I still find myself doing things quicker than other people - and thats not me saying i'm better because i'm not its just the way I have been use to working and therefore the attitude and culture that I have difffers slightly to the other workers.
Men and Women often have different cultures and beliefs. The woman for example believes she's right and the man lets her believe it to get an easy life. I have touched on this previously in my blog about men and women's differences and there has been extensive resarch done on these differences which is extremely interesting.
Culture could also be defined as someones religion and belief system. Different religions believe in different things are have different values. For example certain religions don't eat pork as this is their belief. Certain religions don't believe men and women are equal and if my nan were still around and she knew that I was planning to eat meat on the upcoming good Friday there would be some serious issues! (Sorry Nan) This is all fine though as long as there is an acceptance between these religions and they at least acknowledge and respect other religious views. There is an on-going debate in the UK currently that the different cultures in this country are segregated from one another and it leads to an un-healthy atmosphere in communities or in the workplace. Although there are different cultures these days in communities this has always been an issue as the North of the country often have issues with the South of the country and vice versa. For example when my flatmate who heralds from the dark and mysterious Sunderland first ordered Chips with cheese and Gravy I did not believe my ears. 'That's just ridiculous' I believe were my words... I'd like to tell you her words but I wont go there. In my head that was just wrong however i'm sure that if I go to Sunderland with the Essex accent I pocess i'm sure there will be questions such as 'is everyone like that TV program' which I get on a regular basis anyway thanks to the unfortunately brilliant Only Way Is Essex. In my opinion therefore as long as their is an understanding between different cultures whether it is religious or otherwise I don't see it being a problem in either communities or the workplace.
Culture can be defined as many things. Clifford Geertz defines it as simply 'The total way of life of a people'. This can be taken and explained in many real life situations and personally I have experianced different culture in the workplace as I have worked for the high street store Next since 2008. This was in a large store in Essex in a large shopping Centre. Since coming to University I have transferred to the High Wycombe branch and the culture is certainly different. Although it is based in a shopping centre it is nowhere near as busy and therefore the way things are done reflect that. The attitude is far more laid back and staff are well...... lazy. This would simply not be tolerated at the previous store and it did take a while for me to adjust to this new culture and new way of working, I still find myself doing things quicker than other people - and thats not me saying i'm better because i'm not its just the way I have been use to working and therefore the attitude and culture that I have difffers slightly to the other workers.
Men and Women often have different cultures and beliefs. The woman for example believes she's right and the man lets her believe it to get an easy life. I have touched on this previously in my blog about men and women's differences and there has been extensive resarch done on these differences which is extremely interesting.
Culture could also be defined as someones religion and belief system. Different religions believe in different things are have different values. For example certain religions don't eat pork as this is their belief. Certain religions don't believe men and women are equal and if my nan were still around and she knew that I was planning to eat meat on the upcoming good Friday there would be some serious issues! (Sorry Nan) This is all fine though as long as there is an acceptance between these religions and they at least acknowledge and respect other religious views. There is an on-going debate in the UK currently that the different cultures in this country are segregated from one another and it leads to an un-healthy atmosphere in communities or in the workplace. Although there are different cultures these days in communities this has always been an issue as the North of the country often have issues with the South of the country and vice versa. For example when my flatmate who heralds from the dark and mysterious Sunderland first ordered Chips with cheese and Gravy I did not believe my ears. 'That's just ridiculous' I believe were my words... I'd like to tell you her words but I wont go there. In my head that was just wrong however i'm sure that if I go to Sunderland with the Essex accent I pocess i'm sure there will be questions such as 'is everyone like that TV program' which I get on a regular basis anyway thanks to the unfortunately brilliant Only Way Is Essex. In my opinion therefore as long as their is an understanding between different cultures whether it is religious or otherwise I don't see it being a problem in either communities or the workplace.
Friday 25 February 2011
I'm so down with the kids.... not
This weeks blog is on Generation Marketing. This is when a product is aimed at a certain generation, various methods are used when doing this such as Nostalgia; Values; culture and gender roots.
Every generation has its own identity and something which they as a whole can relate to. For example Generation X which usually involves people born in the 1960's to roughly 1982 love the Beatles and the police (the band that is, no one likes the real police!) Now you may think this is a generalisation and there will definitely be exceptions to the rule however during that time period Sir Paul McCartney was the closest thing to God and so you can bet your life that at every party that had a hint of cool about it would have had The Beatles playing. This is much the same as nowadays going into a party and not hearing Rihanna - That's just not normal is it? 'ooh nah nah whats my name' sorry flashbacks of last night; I'm digressing however the point is that if Mr Marketer wants to make those people that come under generation X feel good about a product and would want them to buy this it may cross their mind to play some 'Hey Jude' in the background. This would link into some Nostalgia and could give a product a helping hand in getting into those tricky consumers brains..... scary isn't it! Even more so if you remember that women do the shopping mostly and therefore you don't just have to get a place in any brain.... its a women's...... Now they are really really scary. Poor bloke he's going to need all the help he can get.
As mentioned above culture has a large impact on generations and therefore marketers have to keep this in mind. Now in the 60's something of a social revolution took place - so I'm told anyway I'm to young to know what that means. I believe they called it the 'swinging sixties'.... not sure if that sounds magical or disturbing to be honest but we shall plough on nonetheless. This time represented a change in attitude among this generation and everything was much more care free and open. The most famous Marilyn Monroe picture was of her in the dress that was flowing effortlessly in the wind This I believe represents so much more than just an attractive women in a nice dress but the whole attitude of a generation. Everything was flowing in whatever way it wanted and for the first time thats the way it was suppose to be. This therefore must be reflected when marketing and advertising towards Generation X. Everything must seem care free and just a little bit rebellious. This generation is also known as the baby boomers and therefore they like sex as well. So why not play the sex card when advertising as well? Sex sells doesnt it?
Another way of looking at marketing to generaation X would be to play the 'children' card. Because they were known as baby boomers the majority of this generation had two or three kids. Therefore now they are older and their kids probably have kids they may feel as though they have lost that part of their belonging (or not as the case may be) they therefore need something to fill all of their time and they may want to get away on a cruise and this cruise company may feel compelled to mention the fact that there will be no children on this cruise? - Just a thought.
Generation Y on the other hand are viewed in a different way and therefore should be advertised to in a different way also. They are generally people born in the 1980's and 90's however this may vary depending on who you ask. This generation for many is more difficult to pin down as the emmergence of digital technology has really taken effect. This means that with such a wide array of things in the digital universe and with the carefree attitude of generation X carried down even more so there really are limited things that will cover the whole generation. This is not just because of the diversity between the attitufdes but also the ethnic diversity. The UK is far more ethnically diverse than it ever has been again meaning that each race and culture will have their own ways and value systems. So is generation marketing over? Is it now an impossibility for Mr Marketer to lump together a whole generation of people? Apparently not but you need to do it in a segmented way, appealing to different bands of people within our generation. 'Appeal to our ego, our parents, AND THEN our senses'. That is the comment made by a 23 year old media professional from the United States who believes that we have to be shocked and our attention grabbed bfore the traditional marketing methods of appealing to our senses can take place. This may explain why techniques such as Flash Mobs are being used more frequently?
There is a sub section to generation Y that are called 'the i pod' generation, this is because they have grown up completely with things such as I pod's and technology in general at their beckoning call. They are the younger members of generation Y. I'm not sure whether i feature in this section or not however I have decided that I am down with kids and that I am going to plant myself in the I pod generation. After all I own an I pod and invartiably listen to it everyday... I also have a laptop and as a student I use that everyday.... oh wait so does my dad.... ok maybe i'm not in the I Pod generation then... its really an unknown entity as the debate as to the age of consumers that grew up completely with technology rages on. Without a doubt the biggest development for generation Y has been technology and how integrated this has become in our day to day lives. I mean technology is so trusted that the London Stock Market is run on a new computer system that would never go wrong....... oops. Marketers have had to become open to all sorts of digital ways to market to generation Y as that is how their lives are lived. Having Coca-Cola or Tesco as a Facebook friend is common place nowadays..... err just me then.
Because marketers do have to break generation's into sub groups now they may consider doing this for gender. This has been going on for years but has become more prominant nowadays as both Men and Women are pretty much equals in terms of the world therefore women are not just aimed at when advertising a new hoover like they may have been bofore but they are aimed at for everything including breakdown cover.
This is the same for men, they are no longer always rugid and just want a ploughmans for lunch - oh no they want style and sophistication and they want delicately put together wraps with organic ingredients- man sized portions of the stuff obviosuly. This is something that marketers have to take into account when aiming at generation Y as for the most part people care about their appearence more.
It is really difficult to market towards a whole generation however it can still be done. Just in a more spiradic way. Just wait until generation Z hits full flow....
Every generation has its own identity and something which they as a whole can relate to. For example Generation X which usually involves people born in the 1960's to roughly 1982 love the Beatles and the police (the band that is, no one likes the real police!) Now you may think this is a generalisation and there will definitely be exceptions to the rule however during that time period Sir Paul McCartney was the closest thing to God and so you can bet your life that at every party that had a hint of cool about it would have had The Beatles playing. This is much the same as nowadays going into a party and not hearing Rihanna - That's just not normal is it? 'ooh nah nah whats my name' sorry flashbacks of last night; I'm digressing however the point is that if Mr Marketer wants to make those people that come under generation X feel good about a product and would want them to buy this it may cross their mind to play some 'Hey Jude' in the background. This would link into some Nostalgia and could give a product a helping hand in getting into those tricky consumers brains..... scary isn't it! Even more so if you remember that women do the shopping mostly and therefore you don't just have to get a place in any brain.... its a women's...... Now they are really really scary. Poor bloke he's going to need all the help he can get.
As mentioned above culture has a large impact on generations and therefore marketers have to keep this in mind. Now in the 60's something of a social revolution took place - so I'm told anyway I'm to young to know what that means. I believe they called it the 'swinging sixties'.... not sure if that sounds magical or disturbing to be honest but we shall plough on nonetheless. This time represented a change in attitude among this generation and everything was much more care free and open. The most famous Marilyn Monroe picture was of her in the dress that was flowing effortlessly in the wind This I believe represents so much more than just an attractive women in a nice dress but the whole attitude of a generation. Everything was flowing in whatever way it wanted and for the first time thats the way it was suppose to be. This therefore must be reflected when marketing and advertising towards Generation X. Everything must seem care free and just a little bit rebellious. This generation is also known as the baby boomers and therefore they like sex as well. So why not play the sex card when advertising as well? Sex sells doesnt it?
Another way of looking at marketing to generaation X would be to play the 'children' card. Because they were known as baby boomers the majority of this generation had two or three kids. Therefore now they are older and their kids probably have kids they may feel as though they have lost that part of their belonging (or not as the case may be) they therefore need something to fill all of their time and they may want to get away on a cruise and this cruise company may feel compelled to mention the fact that there will be no children on this cruise? - Just a thought.
Generation Y on the other hand are viewed in a different way and therefore should be advertised to in a different way also. They are generally people born in the 1980's and 90's however this may vary depending on who you ask. This generation for many is more difficult to pin down as the emmergence of digital technology has really taken effect. This means that with such a wide array of things in the digital universe and with the carefree attitude of generation X carried down even more so there really are limited things that will cover the whole generation. This is not just because of the diversity between the attitufdes but also the ethnic diversity. The UK is far more ethnically diverse than it ever has been again meaning that each race and culture will have their own ways and value systems. So is generation marketing over? Is it now an impossibility for Mr Marketer to lump together a whole generation of people? Apparently not but you need to do it in a segmented way, appealing to different bands of people within our generation. 'Appeal to our ego, our parents, AND THEN our senses'. That is the comment made by a 23 year old media professional from the United States who believes that we have to be shocked and our attention grabbed bfore the traditional marketing methods of appealing to our senses can take place. This may explain why techniques such as Flash Mobs are being used more frequently?
There is a sub section to generation Y that are called 'the i pod' generation, this is because they have grown up completely with things such as I pod's and technology in general at their beckoning call. They are the younger members of generation Y. I'm not sure whether i feature in this section or not however I have decided that I am down with kids and that I am going to plant myself in the I pod generation. After all I own an I pod and invartiably listen to it everyday... I also have a laptop and as a student I use that everyday.... oh wait so does my dad.... ok maybe i'm not in the I Pod generation then... its really an unknown entity as the debate as to the age of consumers that grew up completely with technology rages on. Without a doubt the biggest development for generation Y has been technology and how integrated this has become in our day to day lives. I mean technology is so trusted that the London Stock Market is run on a new computer system that would never go wrong....... oops. Marketers have had to become open to all sorts of digital ways to market to generation Y as that is how their lives are lived. Having Coca-Cola or Tesco as a Facebook friend is common place nowadays..... err just me then.
Because marketers do have to break generation's into sub groups now they may consider doing this for gender. This has been going on for years but has become more prominant nowadays as both Men and Women are pretty much equals in terms of the world therefore women are not just aimed at when advertising a new hoover like they may have been bofore but they are aimed at for everything including breakdown cover.
This is the same for men, they are no longer always rugid and just want a ploughmans for lunch - oh no they want style and sophistication and they want delicately put together wraps with organic ingredients- man sized portions of the stuff obviosuly. This is something that marketers have to take into account when aiming at generation Y as for the most part people care about their appearence more.
It is really difficult to market towards a whole generation however it can still be done. Just in a more spiradic way. Just wait until generation Z hits full flow....
Tuesday 25 January 2011
I'm a nice guy....... most of the time
This weeks blog is on Values. These can vary for different people and can depend on Religion; the way they were raised; Their environment and previous experiances.
Now for me personally when asked to list the three most important things to me that I value the most I went for Family; Friends and Money.
The first two suggest i am a very well respected and grounded person who cares for there loved ones and then i hit you right in the face with Money. I mean lets face it without money you are kind of stuck aernt you?
You cant go on Holiday - and the way this countries climate is that is DEFINATELY a bad thing. You cant buy a nice car - Which means you will have to invest in an AA membership and be laughed at when your on the road side pretending to be 'taking a break from driving' when really yoiu are waiting for Bob to come and tell you that your engines bust and you need to get rid of the scrapheap that you drive.
There are some people that say they'd rather be happy than have lots of money. They are LIARS! (in my opinion anyway) Money makes you happy as all of the things that you cant do without money you can do when you have got money. Its not really that difficult to work out is it. You ask Richard Bransan if he would give all his money to charity and i know what the answer will be. I can just picture it him lying on his own private island and saying'yeah alright, ive worked hard for this empire but sure i'll give it all away'. He may feel good about himself for a couple of weeks but when the novelty factor wares off he will be craving the lifestyle that money and power gives him.
This is my own creation that kind of throws the convential values out of the window but I believe it rings true....
=
+
+
+
=
HAPPINESS!!!
This is the best theory I have learnt since being at Uni thats for sure. It's really true to life and there are no real counter theories. This is how it works..... end of Story!
As i mentioned earlier our values can be changed by our experiances. When I got thinking about this i started to make a list of how famous events that have happened in my life time may have effected me and my values.
I will warn you there are quite a few and i shall start with the earliest that i remember and work my way up.
The first International event that i remember happening was the death of Princess Diana. I will always remember this day as although i was still fairly young i remember it being August 31st which is my Brothers birthday and us all as a family sitting in the living room and looking at my brother opening his presents (dont worry i cant remember what he got). My mum then turned the TV on and saw the news. I remember her utter shock at the news and she was sitting there staring at the TV with her hand over her mouth for a good 10 minutes. Being young still myslef i didnt quite understand the magnitude of the news but i remember being incredibly concerned about my mum and her reaction. This I suppose in reflection bought my family higher up my values list.
Secondly I remember the twin towers collapsing. Again I was fairly young so I didnt realise the enormity of the situation, however again I used the people around me's reaction to gauge how serious the event was. At school the following day we had a special Assembly where the local vicar came in and we all said a prayer for the victims and their families. I knew it was serious as the vicar doesnt get out of bed for nothing. This made me more aware of the world and made me value life itself more as there were so many people that had been killed in these attacks and therefore it detracted my attentions away from the more material things such as money and fame (which by the way I was convinced was going to be my fortay - being famous that is; exactly what i have and had to offer for that matter I've no idea)
On a lighter note I remember the World Cup of 2002 in Korea as my uncle actually got tickets and was out there for the whole tournament. I therefore convinced myslef that i'd seen him on the TV at least three times a match - Once I was convinced I was with him which on reflection is impossible but trying to tell myslef that would have fallen on deaf ears. I remember going into school early one morning as England were playing and the school was showing the match. That walk to school will probably always be in my memory as everywhere you look there were my friends walking with flags, cars going past racing home to get to the TV. Mum's and Dads come to think of it (they must have developed a fever or something - I think they call it world cup fever) briskly walking their little angels to school so they could get home and turn on the box themselves. Just a general feeling of anticipation and nervousness yet a celebration. Obviously it was the bogey stage of the tournament that England cannot seem to get past (the quarter finals) sure enough Michael Owen slotted a beaut past the goal keeper putting England 1-0 ahead at half time. The atmosphere in the school hall was palpable..... will they wont they? - can they? Obviously they ended up losing to Brazil 2-1 and the atmosphere.... well it went sour. Being a primary school attending male footbll was my life and as far as i was concerned and the other 14 boys in my class were as well. This might sound quite far fetched and hollywood but there was a feeling of comradory in the classroom that day. A sort of 'it will be alright' attitude..... oh they were the days - biggest issue was football... oh dear. Because of this though Friends suddenly became very important as we were all dissapointed but we all played football against the younger years in the playground and obviously we were England and we won the world cup so all was forgiven by Lunch time... At the time though we all helped each other through a very difficult time - i mean it was really tough - What? - I'm being serious!
Fast forward a few years and we get to the Recession - At this point i was at Secondary School and therefore thought I knew everything. Therefore when i got home one day and my mum was ironing (don't worry it gets better) she was in tears. I thought i'd done something wrong at school (she took things like that very seriously) then I looked at the TV that was on in the corner. Big Bold letters at the bottom of Sky News said 'LEHMAN BROTHERS GOES INTO LIQUIDATION'. My dad worked for Lehman Brothers and there was confusion as my mum couldnt get hold of my dad and therefore she thought he'd lost his job. All of a sudden (this sounds very shallow) but I thought 'oh no what about that Holiday'. It turned out that because of my dads role he was needed while they sorted the debts out so he was given a contract for a further year. The future however was still uncertain and I definately noticed the difference with my parents and the purse strings. I being a teenager didnt understand this at all but it definately had an affect on the way I view money and weather it is as important as i originally thought. My dad ended up staying on in the same building which is in Canary Wharf with Canary Wharf limited so he actually never lost his job really but it taught me a lesson to not to take things for granted and to not be quite so single minded as I looking back now I realise that my Mum was genuinely scared which again makes me think of Family rather than money more in my list of values
So there you have it! My values have been shaped by various things that have gone on in the world. As the time you don't think your affected but looking back you certainly are. Values are very personal and are not good or bad. I tried to find a song that repesents values. I did find it difficult if im honest but i came up with 'Bring it All Back' by S Club 7. Yes I know what you're thinking and yes it is cheesy but also tradgically catchy. It kind of explains how life can shape values and how 'life is sent to try you' and just be who you are with your own beliefs and values. Enjoy and on that rather embarrasing note i'm going for my dinner!
Friday 17 December 2010
Women are crazy..... It's been proven
Advertising is often fairly straight forward. Lets face it, often its over complicated but the end goal is as simple as you can get. Sell whatever product you've got to as many people as you can. Well yes...... but i'm afraid it does get slightly complicated when you add in something called gender. This is something that many of us will never understand and to be honest the advertisers struggle as well.
Advertising to a man is completely different to advertising to a women. It's not rocket science to figure that out. Men value different things to Women and advertising therefore reflects this. It is easy to figure out the adverts that are aimed at the different sexes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU0eTv9sOfw
This advert is obviously aimed at Men as they usually like football and therefore it will get their attention. Combine this with the element of humour and Lucozade have got themselves a great advert. It's the sort of thing that guys will talk about down the pub and before you know it everyone is talking about that Lucozade advert with the old and fat guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBbagBlbwCw
On the other hand this advert is clearly aimed at Women as women want to be informed as well as entertained whereas the majority of the time men want to be entertained by great humour or a hot woman. This advert manages to get across the relevant information about the calories that are in each Malteser as well as the humour element. This manages to subliminally stamp out the message that Maltesers are un-healthy as well as incorporating humour. What women doesn't find taking the piss out of their husband funny? Maltesers also sponsor Loose Women which is definately aimed at Women and is an hour of man bashing at its best. Women will be emptying the supermarket shelves of maltesers.
Melanie Yarborough of Neutral Corner completed some research where she posed the question 'do men and women see different things?'. Now if you ask most married women if their husbands see the pile of washing that needs to be done the answer would most definately be no. Just like if most husbands were asked if their wives see the fact that their car needs washing, again i think it will be a no. This article was headlined with the quote "There really are fundamental differences in the way men and women process information...Women tend to process more extensively more different pieces of information...Men tend to rely more on mental shortcuts..." This was concluded by National Public Radio's 'Talk of the Nation'. This is why in advertising there are such obvious differences between adverts aimed at men and women. Men like to keep it simple 'here's my product here's a sexy women selling it to you, now go buy it'. Whereas women like to see beyond the product. They like to see where this product will fit in with them and how it will improve their lives, they need to relate to a product before they purchase, if they can't see themselves using it then you've had it. Simply put women look at the bigger picture whereas men see it, if they like it they buy it.
Simple block colourings work well in adverts aimed at men because it's simple. Not too much to think about and does what it says on the tin and is perfectly functional. That is why the slogan for 'No more Nails' is actually 'Does what it says on the tin'. Guys like this; there's no jumped up sales twit selling them something they don't need or care about or some soppy back story, it's simple if you need something to stick use no more nails. Besides they've already got enough on their plate worrying about who should be the next man to take the poison chalice that is the England job and how West Ham are going to get themselves out of the drop zone.
Adverts aimed at women however are very different; there is colour; more colour and then.... you guessed it. More colour, there are flowers that have been arranged perfectly of course and picturesque beaches with Jamie Redknapp elequently narrating just how amazing his holiday is whilst hitting a golf ball for miles on a desserted island. Put simply a womens plate is never full, they want their adverts to be informative; look good; have personality; make them think; evoke emotion and feature some eye candy as well. Men would take the first and last one and be happy with it.
Women tend to worry a lot and as previously mentioned have a lot on there plate constantly. Men just dont need the bother. This video illustartes this perfectly.
http://www.guzer.com/videos/advertising-to-men-women.php
So what does the professional say? Well Brassinton points out that 'Knowing who you are talking to is the foundation of good communication'. You may think this sounds easy and obvious however trying to create a profile of your target consumer is often very difficult and it's the adverts that manage to do this that are the most successful.
So there you have it..... Women are crazy and have very full plates, men are well lazy and have small plates. Simple really isnt it. Getting adverts to adhere to this is not always as easy though.
Advertising to a man is completely different to advertising to a women. It's not rocket science to figure that out. Men value different things to Women and advertising therefore reflects this. It is easy to figure out the adverts that are aimed at the different sexes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU0eTv9sOfw
This advert is obviously aimed at Men as they usually like football and therefore it will get their attention. Combine this with the element of humour and Lucozade have got themselves a great advert. It's the sort of thing that guys will talk about down the pub and before you know it everyone is talking about that Lucozade advert with the old and fat guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBbagBlbwCw
On the other hand this advert is clearly aimed at Women as women want to be informed as well as entertained whereas the majority of the time men want to be entertained by great humour or a hot woman. This advert manages to get across the relevant information about the calories that are in each Malteser as well as the humour element. This manages to subliminally stamp out the message that Maltesers are un-healthy as well as incorporating humour. What women doesn't find taking the piss out of their husband funny? Maltesers also sponsor Loose Women which is definately aimed at Women and is an hour of man bashing at its best. Women will be emptying the supermarket shelves of maltesers.
Melanie Yarborough of Neutral Corner completed some research where she posed the question 'do men and women see different things?'. Now if you ask most married women if their husbands see the pile of washing that needs to be done the answer would most definately be no. Just like if most husbands were asked if their wives see the fact that their car needs washing, again i think it will be a no. This article was headlined with the quote "There really are fundamental differences in the way men and women process information...Women tend to process more extensively more different pieces of information...Men tend to rely more on mental shortcuts..." This was concluded by National Public Radio's 'Talk of the Nation'. This is why in advertising there are such obvious differences between adverts aimed at men and women. Men like to keep it simple 'here's my product here's a sexy women selling it to you, now go buy it'. Whereas women like to see beyond the product. They like to see where this product will fit in with them and how it will improve their lives, they need to relate to a product before they purchase, if they can't see themselves using it then you've had it. Simply put women look at the bigger picture whereas men see it, if they like it they buy it.
Simple block colourings work well in adverts aimed at men because it's simple. Not too much to think about and does what it says on the tin and is perfectly functional. That is why the slogan for 'No more Nails' is actually 'Does what it says on the tin'. Guys like this; there's no jumped up sales twit selling them something they don't need or care about or some soppy back story, it's simple if you need something to stick use no more nails. Besides they've already got enough on their plate worrying about who should be the next man to take the poison chalice that is the England job and how West Ham are going to get themselves out of the drop zone.
Adverts aimed at women however are very different; there is colour; more colour and then.... you guessed it. More colour, there are flowers that have been arranged perfectly of course and picturesque beaches with Jamie Redknapp elequently narrating just how amazing his holiday is whilst hitting a golf ball for miles on a desserted island. Put simply a womens plate is never full, they want their adverts to be informative; look good; have personality; make them think; evoke emotion and feature some eye candy as well. Men would take the first and last one and be happy with it.
Women tend to worry a lot and as previously mentioned have a lot on there plate constantly. Men just dont need the bother. This video illustartes this perfectly.
http://www.guzer.com/videos/advertising-to-men-women.php
So what does the professional say? Well Brassinton points out that 'Knowing who you are talking to is the foundation of good communication'. You may think this sounds easy and obvious however trying to create a profile of your target consumer is often very difficult and it's the adverts that manage to do this that are the most successful.
So there you have it..... Women are crazy and have very full plates, men are well lazy and have small plates. Simple really isnt it. Getting adverts to adhere to this is not always as easy though.
Saturday 11 December 2010
Rocking around the christmas tree..... oh not that one again!
Now I will warn you I am listening to Christmas songs whilst writing this blog about nostalgia which thinking about it might actually help however I apologise now for a few dodgy festive references along the way.
Now down to business, Nostalgia is defined by Solomon as 'A bittersweet emotion when the past is viewed with sadness and longing'. It goes on to say 'many 'classic' products appeal to consumers' memories of their younger days'. Now this basically is the way we feel when we look back at previous times and often the way we yearn for those times to come back. Now being Christmas in a few weeks the festive tunes are being played to death in shops and on radio. This has a nostalgic effect on most people as the majority view Christmas as a fun holiday with many fond memories of previous Christmases and how great they were 'back in the day'. This is why for me personally when I hear the opening bars of 'All I Want For Christmas' I get all nostalgic and happy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ymlnxMZkXA
I have Nostalgic memories of fantastic big family christmases of years past and it makes me want to relive those moments. This is why the same christmas songs come back around every year as it makes those nostalgic memories re-surface and puts us in a reminiscent mood. Now obviously 'All I Want For Christmas' is the best christmas song in my opinion but some people like the Pogues; Wham and for some unknown reason even Noddy Holder. Whatever your favourite song is it doesn't really matter the one thing that all of these songs have in common is that they were recorded years ago. There's history to these songs and they can be associated in our minds with certain things that happened in the past. Christmas has so much tradition that a song like All I Want For Christmas which was recorded 16 years ago is considered a 'new' Christmas classic unlike Chris Rea and co who have been around for 'donkeys' as my nan would say.
So we know what Nostalgia is but the definition provided also mentioned the fact that 'classic' products are often bought back and sold again. Why are they successful? Because of Nostalgia of course. Let me explain..
When you hear your nan saying 'it was better in my day' this is not necessarily a fact; to be honest its probably complete rubbish but she's saying it because she feels nostalgic and comforted when she talks about when she was younger and care free. Companies are aware of this and tap into it by bringing back products that were popular when she was young and care free making her think ab
out happy times when she see's her beloved sherbet lemons on the supermarket shelves, what does she then do? Buy them of course. Another example would be the Cadburys 'bring back Wispa' campaign where customers used social media to communicate with Cadbury's that there was a demand for the Wispa bar to be bought back. This is because of the happy memories that people had of the Wispa bar and therefore they wanted to relive those moments again. Sure enough Wispa bars were put back into production and they were a roaring success and are still on our shelves today all because of Nostalgia. Clever isn't it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLf8E9Hd4Dstube.com/watch?v=lLf8E9Hd4Ds
Now I work in Next and retro sweets are flying out of the door at the moment. Yes I know what your thinking 'I didn't know Next sell sweets now'. Well yes they do and they also sell chocolate which is far too nice but I'm dig
ressing... Why is this though? I'll tell you why it's because Mr CEO of Next wants a piece of that delicious Nostalgia pie. The chocolate is not just chocolate but chocolate slabs with swirls and packaging that is suppose to resemble a home-made product. Now many moons ago on average more home cooking was done, that's therefore what the modern consumer is yearning for however they obviously haven't got the time so they pay poeple like Next to do it for them. The sweets are not just the latest flavour of the month but are white chocolate mice and strawberry bon bons complete with flying saucers. (Totally just ripped M&S off) I have personally walked past people in the shop as they look at the sweets and they say 'ooh I remeber those' then they turn to their husbands who are bored out of their skulls and say 'Mick look at these which ones should we buy'. They then can't decide and buy lots and lots. So who's the Winner? Mr CEO of Next obviously. Genius......Nostalgia buying is a comfort to consumers and it is thought to be one of the leading sales areas during the recent
recession. According to Laetherhead Food Research The classic products and 'retro' items that are available were big sellers during the tough economic times as these types of products comfort people. Ever wondered why when you pick up the latest edition of the Argos catalogue you question whether it is in fact the latest edition and not the 1970's version. Everywhere you look there's a 'retro' kettle or a 'retro' toaster or even 'retro' radio's. Of course these items aernt really retro at all. Oh no because back in the day kettles werent electric but this one is and dear old gran wouldn't dream of having a piece of wire mesh to put over her toaster so she could warm a croissant or two but obviously now it's part of the package. The 'retro' radio is obviously DAB digital allowing the modern consumer to listen to anything he or she likes from accross the country. I kind of miss the crackle when the little old wireless is trying desperately to find signal dont you? So really it's a load of old tosh that is just clever marketing that us Nostalgic fools are taken in by; the 'retro' effect is really all in the mind. Just like Nostalgia really.
Businesses don't try and hide the fact that they are using Nostalgia on consumers either. The retailer Past Times actually sells a book called 'Remember When' here's the best bit it is described as 'a nostalgic trip through the consumer era'. And people are seeing this and paying £9.99 of their hard earned cash to sit there and read about what they use to do, and what they use to like, then have telephone conversations about it to Mary down the street and Bill at the pub. The power of Nostalgia is quite astounding.
I might sound as though i'm having a go at people for this but I have to admit I am not immune. I am looking forward to Christmas so much that I can't stop talking about it. My flat mate and I were discussing our various rituals on christmas day in so much detail that on the day I shall look at my watch at 12.01 precisely and think 'Neils mum's basting the turkey'. Why do we have these conversations? Because it makes us feel good, reminiscing about what we or family members have done in the past - it just makes you feel good and comforted. That's why when I went down to Sainsbury's to buy some Christmas biscuits (it has to be done) I was bombarded with Nostalgia. The boxes werent just Sainsbury's biscuits but were 'j Sainsbury' biscuits. Now we all know that Sainsbury's hasn't been known as that for years however there is a history to that name which makes us think 'oh I remember that' and we buy the biscuits.
Nostalgia can be triggered by any one of our five senses so it's almost impossible to avoid it. Retailers are on to a winner with this as there is no limit to the amount of people that are affected by Nostalgia. There is no specific target market for Nostalgia as anybody can feel Nostalgic by anything or product on the supermarket shelf.
I was set a task in which I had to create a Mood Board full of things that make me feel Nostalgic. This was easy and of course I filled it with Food, (obviously extremely bad for you but oh so good) TV programmes (real kids TV from back in the day that did not feature someone dressed as an idiot whilst having a TV on their tummy). These were things that made me feel Nostalgic and are personal to me. They remind me of happy times when I was growing up and I must admit when I was carrying out this task I did have the biggest grin on my face imaginable. Here are some of the images I used in my Nostalgia Mood Board:
BN BN do dooo do doo doo BN BN........ No just me then
Simply the best Kids TV show of all time....
♫ 'Its the Circle of Life' ♫...... The best Disney soundtrack in the history of the world.
To illustrate the point that Nostalgic memories are individual I asked my Nan to come up with images that are Nostalgic to her. Here is what she came up with.
This came after a push. Apparently this is a nice film that puts my nan in a good mood. To be honest we were struggling to understand Nostalgia and this was followed by and i quote 'what about a gas mask'. Now I am aware that Nostalgia is personal however I'm not sure we've fully come to grips with the term Nostalgia. This is why I moved on to My Grandad where he came up with The War. He visited Cologne in Germany where he use to be based and he said that he felt very Nostalgic and lots of old memories came flooding back when he visited his old base. 
These things mean nothing to me at all and I personally cannot think of anything worse than hearing about the War and it feels me with dread rather than happy memories but this just illistrates the point that Nostalgia is personal and whether you're old or young you have your own Nostalgic memories that are personal and apply only to you.Now I'm nearly done and so is the christmas album I'm listening to but I think I've just run into another great example of Nostalgia. Now Mariah Carey has the best Chritmas songs right. So when she's getting old and we are bored with her dog squeals but she needs a hit album, what does she do? Release a Christmas Album. The album features a new version of All I Want For Chritsmas which is labelled 'extra festive' after a listen I can safely say that a few extra squeels does not mean 'extra festive' in my book and therefore I'll stick to the original however it's a brilliant idea from a marketing point of view as even if people don't like the new version it will remind people of the old version and therefore people will go onto i tunes and download it. Nostalgic feelings will be in abundance and everyones a winner. You feel great because you've listened to a great christmas song; I tunes does great and capitalises on the mad holiday that is Christmas and Mariah bags herself another hit.
So there you have it now I'm done but I've got to finish my christmas shopping and I'm off to Morrisons to buy myself some Chocolate coins. I use to love those as a kid, apparently they've bought the white ones back..... I'm going to buy loads.
Monday 15 November 2010
I'm rare.... apparently
So for this weeks blog I will be talking about personality and self concept. Every person is an individual and values different things. There are different types of personality that can be measured by completing a personality test. Questions and real life situations are put to the individual and then there answers are measured to conclude their personality and therefore personality type.
I have just taken a personality test and I can reveal that I am an INFJ personality type. Which is a visionary apparently. It is also one of the rarest personality types as only 1.7% of the UK population have this personality type. which I guess is why no one laughs at my jokes. That makes me feel better, there was me thinking I was just a little bit crazy but there are people out there like me. Well a few people anyway. When comparing my results to a Simpson's character I have the same personality type as Lisa. This is a good and bad thing, am i organised and caring well yes but am I also a pedantic worrier who occasionally get's right on people's nerves? unfortunately that ones a yes as well.
The most common type of personality in the UK is ISTJ. These people are protectors and they honour their commitments and take criticism well however they do sometimes think that they are always right. Don't you just hate those people!
According to Kotler there are various factors that influence our behaviour including our culture and Social Class. This then leads to our status and role socially as well as our Family. Personal factors then come into the equation such as our age and what stage we are at in our lifecycle. After this comes our personality and motivation and our behavior. So your personality can change according to these factors. This means that if I was to move to Australia that my personality may well change because of the environment that i'll be in. So I may well go from Lisa Simpson to Homer Simpson, I'm not sure which one I would prefer.
Having a certain personality type is not a good or bad thing and doesn't represent any intellectual or social class of a person, it merely explains what type of person you are and how you work. Employers will often use this to understand what their employee values and what type of worker they may be. This is called the Miles Briggs type indicator and is based on the theory of Carl Jung.
Companies often look at this and create products for different personalities. This is coming into effect more and more nowadays as the public is becoming irritated by the perfect image that is put accross in many advertising campigns. I mean lets face it are there going to be many guys who will look like Christiano Ronaldo or David Beckham in their Armani briefs?.... Exactly. Do you think that all women's hair is going to look like Cheryl Cole's? No whether their worth it or not the fact is unless they have their own personal stylist it's not going to happen. That's why campaigns such as Dove that use 'real women' with real curves who don't look like twigs was so successful. This type of campaign gave people that don't have that much confidence in their figure more confidence because in the adverts they were seeing people that they could relate to therefore they would feel empowered by the advertisement and buy the product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4umCDmKDxc
Companies also create personlities for themselves as a brand or for individual products. This is so the consumer can relate to the product and form a relationship with a brand. An example of this would be Calvin Klein, now if you were thinking about a person from the Calvin Klein ad's for arguments sake i'll call him 'Mr K' you would think he would be uber cool, in his mid 20's or early 30's; wear aviator sunglasses; enjoy long work outs; shop at Urban Outfitters; have a high flying job in the City; enjoy long weekends in the country with his siizzling bit on the side whilst driving the new Audi R8. What i have just done is profile the personality of 'Mr K'. He is the target market that Calvin Klein would be aiming at. Because 'Mr K' does actually exist. Not in person of course but the type of person that 'Mr K' is are out there waiting for their next delivery of CK's and they can relate to 'Mr K' which is probably why they buy CK undies and also why they have just ordered the latest CK fragrance.
Soloman defines perception as 'a person's make up which consistently influences the way the person responds to his or her environment'.
Self Concept on the other hand is defined by Soloman as 'the beliefs that a person holds about his or her attributes and how he or she evaluates those qualities'
So someone's personality is the way in which they are and someone's self concept is the way in which they think they are. For example I thought that I wasn't that nice however according to the test I am caring and nice. And by the way you can look that up it's true I promise.
Often people try and adapt their own self concept by portraying a certain persona as they are aware that if they wear certain things it will enhance their external status. For example when I make the occasional trip to dare I say it to Primark (which by the way is only to be whispered) I dont like to be spotted as my self concept is of a classier persuasion than Primark (or so I like to let evryone else think) On the other hand when I make a trip into Hollister I parrade out of their with the paper bag feeling happy as I am aware that others will see this and will think of me in a better light. You may be thinking that this is all very shallow and surely not true but i'm afraid it is. We like to build what we as individuals consider a good self concept as we would like others to think of us as highly as possible. To be honest i'm so bad for this I refuse to even refer to Primark by it's real name and I now prefer Primarni. It just sounds better don't you think?
This is also partly the reason why we are obsessed with celebrity culture and why for days after the X Factor we are still discussing Simon's botox; Cheryl's hair; Danni's dresses and er well maybe not Louis but the reason for this is because it is a fantasy and nothing like the majority of peoples day to day lives. We pit the ideal against the actual, this is why Danni Minogues new fashion line is doing so well because she has worn some of the dresses on the show and it is seen as an escape as ordinary girls want to emulate their idol and the perception that she gives off as being a style queen. Its also why red hair colouring will go through the roof as Chezza is now rocking the look. Simon Cowell may get mocked for his brilliant white nashers but I bet you would have yours done as well and Louis...... well I guess that's why Ireland is in trouble.
Cooley (1902) saw self concept as the 'looking glass self' and says that feedback from others plays a huge part in our self concept. We adapt our self concept to try and make us out to be the best we possibly can. Ever wondered why girls hit the town with 5 lots of foundation slapped accross their face? No it's not to look like a tangerine but to create a self image that they are happy with and one that they believe others will approve of.
so there you have it. Our personalities are the way we are and can be affected by many different things, basically it's our make up and the way we are as a person naturally and our self concept is the way that we think we are. Often these two things are poles apart.
I have just taken a personality test and I can reveal that I am an INFJ personality type. Which is a visionary apparently. It is also one of the rarest personality types as only 1.7% of the UK population have this personality type. which I guess is why no one laughs at my jokes. That makes me feel better, there was me thinking I was just a little bit crazy but there are people out there like me. Well a few people anyway. When comparing my results to a Simpson's character I have the same personality type as Lisa. This is a good and bad thing, am i organised and caring well yes but am I also a pedantic worrier who occasionally get's right on people's nerves? unfortunately that ones a yes as well.
The most common type of personality in the UK is ISTJ. These people are protectors and they honour their commitments and take criticism well however they do sometimes think that they are always right. Don't you just hate those people!
According to Kotler there are various factors that influence our behaviour including our culture and Social Class. This then leads to our status and role socially as well as our Family. Personal factors then come into the equation such as our age and what stage we are at in our lifecycle. After this comes our personality and motivation and our behavior. So your personality can change according to these factors. This means that if I was to move to Australia that my personality may well change because of the environment that i'll be in. So I may well go from Lisa Simpson to Homer Simpson, I'm not sure which one I would prefer.
Having a certain personality type is not a good or bad thing and doesn't represent any intellectual or social class of a person, it merely explains what type of person you are and how you work. Employers will often use this to understand what their employee values and what type of worker they may be. This is called the Miles Briggs type indicator and is based on the theory of Carl Jung.
Companies often look at this and create products for different personalities. This is coming into effect more and more nowadays as the public is becoming irritated by the perfect image that is put accross in many advertising campigns. I mean lets face it are there going to be many guys who will look like Christiano Ronaldo or David Beckham in their Armani briefs?.... Exactly. Do you think that all women's hair is going to look like Cheryl Cole's? No whether their worth it or not the fact is unless they have their own personal stylist it's not going to happen. That's why campaigns such as Dove that use 'real women' with real curves who don't look like twigs was so successful. This type of campaign gave people that don't have that much confidence in their figure more confidence because in the adverts they were seeing people that they could relate to therefore they would feel empowered by the advertisement and buy the product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4umCDmKDxc
Companies also create personlities for themselves as a brand or for individual products. This is so the consumer can relate to the product and form a relationship with a brand. An example of this would be Calvin Klein, now if you were thinking about a person from the Calvin Klein ad's for arguments sake i'll call him 'Mr K' you would think he would be uber cool, in his mid 20's or early 30's; wear aviator sunglasses; enjoy long work outs; shop at Urban Outfitters; have a high flying job in the City; enjoy long weekends in the country with his siizzling bit on the side whilst driving the new Audi R8. What i have just done is profile the personality of 'Mr K'. He is the target market that Calvin Klein would be aiming at. Because 'Mr K' does actually exist. Not in person of course but the type of person that 'Mr K' is are out there waiting for their next delivery of CK's and they can relate to 'Mr K' which is probably why they buy CK undies and also why they have just ordered the latest CK fragrance.
Soloman defines perception as 'a person's make up which consistently influences the way the person responds to his or her environment'.
Self Concept on the other hand is defined by Soloman as 'the beliefs that a person holds about his or her attributes and how he or she evaluates those qualities'
So someone's personality is the way in which they are and someone's self concept is the way in which they think they are. For example I thought that I wasn't that nice however according to the test I am caring and nice. And by the way you can look that up it's true I promise.
Often people try and adapt their own self concept by portraying a certain persona as they are aware that if they wear certain things it will enhance their external status. For example when I make the occasional trip to dare I say it to Primark (which by the way is only to be whispered) I dont like to be spotted as my self concept is of a classier persuasion than Primark (or so I like to let evryone else think) On the other hand when I make a trip into Hollister I parrade out of their with the paper bag feeling happy as I am aware that others will see this and will think of me in a better light. You may be thinking that this is all very shallow and surely not true but i'm afraid it is. We like to build what we as individuals consider a good self concept as we would like others to think of us as highly as possible. To be honest i'm so bad for this I refuse to even refer to Primark by it's real name and I now prefer Primarni. It just sounds better don't you think?
This is also partly the reason why we are obsessed with celebrity culture and why for days after the X Factor we are still discussing Simon's botox; Cheryl's hair; Danni's dresses and er well maybe not Louis but the reason for this is because it is a fantasy and nothing like the majority of peoples day to day lives. We pit the ideal against the actual, this is why Danni Minogues new fashion line is doing so well because she has worn some of the dresses on the show and it is seen as an escape as ordinary girls want to emulate their idol and the perception that she gives off as being a style queen. Its also why red hair colouring will go through the roof as Chezza is now rocking the look. Simon Cowell may get mocked for his brilliant white nashers but I bet you would have yours done as well and Louis...... well I guess that's why Ireland is in trouble.
Cooley (1902) saw self concept as the 'looking glass self' and says that feedback from others plays a huge part in our self concept. We adapt our self concept to try and make us out to be the best we possibly can. Ever wondered why girls hit the town with 5 lots of foundation slapped accross their face? No it's not to look like a tangerine but to create a self image that they are happy with and one that they believe others will approve of.
so there you have it. Our personalities are the way we are and can be affected by many different things, basically it's our make up and the way we are as a person naturally and our self concept is the way that we think we are. Often these two things are poles apart.
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