Monthly Archives: November 2013

by | Saturday, November 2, 2013 · 4:24 am

November 2013 Viral Videos

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Every week Advertising Age, in conjunction with company Visible Measures, publishes a list of the week’s top performing videos. The weekly chart highlights viral video ads that appear on online video sites. Each ad measures viewership of brand-syndicated video clips as well as social video placements that are driven by viewers around the world. True Reach™ quantifies the total audience that has been exposed to a viral video campaign. There are three key factors for viral video success:

  1. Reaching the tastemakers.
  2. Building a community of participation.
  3. Creating unexpectedness in the video.

Regardless of the type of product or service, the country of origin, or the importance of the message, what matters is reaching the audience in a way the both entertains and informs.

Check out this week’s top videos and discuss what makes them “go viral.”

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Bring up Ad Age’s weekly Viral Video chart: http://www.visiblemeasures.com/adage
  2. Have students examine how the ads are measured by Visible Measures.
  3. Divide students into teams. Have each team select an ad on the top video chart and analyze the ad.
  4. What is unusual?
  5. Who will it interest?
  6. What is the key message?
  7. How effective is the ad at getting the company’s brand and message across to viewers?
  8. In teams, have students design a viral video for a product of their choosing. What are the elements that are needed to go viral?

Source:  Advertising Age, Visible Measures – weekly update

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by | Saturday, November 2, 2013 · 4:23 am

Airplane Safety Rocks It!

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Finally, an airline safety video that we actually want to watch! Say goodbye to boring old safety lectures and watch the energetic and fun video from Virgin America Airlines to learn the rules about carry-on baggage, electronic devices, and seat belts.

The five-minute video uses multiple dance styles and music genres to get the point across about safety in the air. To expand the campaign into the realm of social media, Virgin America is also inviting people to submit videos of themselves dancing to the song to win a guest spot in the video.

Why can’t more announcements be this entertaining?

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Ask students what are other boring safety or routine announcements/signs that surround consumers. (e.g., traffic signs, parking, hygiene, boat safety, etc.)
  2. Why are these announcements boring? What is the importance of the announcements?
  3. From the list, divide students into teams and have each team select a message to reinvigorate.
  4. Who is the target market for the message?
  5. What are the key components of the message?

Source:  Fast Company, 11/13

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by | Saturday, November 2, 2013 · 4:15 am

Radio Listening and the Weather

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The changing seasons bring changes to everyone’s lives. From the clothes we wear, to the food we buy, to the music we listen to, the changes in weather influence what we do. According to Nielsen Research (using portable people meter – PPM – ratings), the different seasons also affect what radio stations audiences listen to as well. In the summer of 2013, there was record-breaking growth in Country music. As we move into the fall and winter seasons, spoken word audiences are growing.

Among the highlights from Nielsen’s October data:

  • Sports radio – a significant increase in listner shares in the age groups of 25 – 54 year olds. Sports also grew by double-digit percentages due to increased listening for fall football and Major League Baseball playoffs.
  • News – as vacations end and people settle into regular work patterns, news/talk radio has grown by 6% across all demographics.
  • Hot Adult Contemporary (Hot AC) – this has been trending for some time and achieved the best 3-month performance in the 18 – 34 year old demographics as well as the best 5-month stretch for the 25 – 54 demographic.

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Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. View the report: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2013/seasonal-influence-how-radio-listening-trends-change-with-the.html
  2. Discuss key components for creating effective radio advertising.
  3. Divide students into teams. Have each team select a product or target market.
  4. How should the radio purchase be adjusted for product and seasonality?
  5. Have each team develop a :30 and :60 radio ad for the product/market.
  6. What stations would be best for the ad?

Source:  Nielsen Research, 10/31/13

 

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