No shoes, no shirt, no iPod?

On February 14th (Valentine's day) the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue was released. This year, the issue took a very different turn. Although there were still nearly nude women on almost every page, musicians and music in general was highlighted. One of the most talked about photographs was of model, Marisa Miller being covered only by her Video iPod. Marisa's and the other models' playlists were featured in the magazine as well. Listed below is Marisa's playlist.

Marisa's Playlist
1. "Hole In The Earth" - Deftones
2. "Digital Bath" - Deftones
3. "Love Like Winter" - AFI
4. "Patience" - Guns N' Roses
5. "Whole Lotta Love" - Led Zeppelin
6. "Tangerine" - Led Zeppelin
7. "Pictures Of You" - The Cure
8. "Caring Is Creepy" - The Shins
9. "I Ran (So Far Away)" - A Flock of Seagulls
10. "King Without A Crown" - Matisyahu
11. "Empire" - Kaddisfly
12. "The Saints Are Coming" - U2 + Greenday

Although Apple has not admitted to paying for the placement, consumers and the industry alike are speculating. On the trend hunter website, many internet surfers posted their thoughts on the issue. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ipod-becomes-bikini-thats-hot/. An interesting fact pointed out on discussion boards is that the iPod is not even turned on. The screen is blank but the supermodel has the tiny white earbuds in her ears. If iPod paid for the placement, wouldn't they want their product on? Or is the image enough?

The brains behind Sports Illustrated were certainly right on track when coming up with this idea. I hadn't heard of this placement until reading blogs about it. I'm sure thousands of young males have been talking about it for weeks now. This product placement tells a story that the iPod is exciting and sexy. Everyone uses one. (Even naked supermodels). The photograph is eye-catching and provocative. It is a perfect match for the target market of young males.

The Future of Advertising??

In 2002, the futuristic thriller Minority Report came out in theaters. Staring Tom Cruise, Minority Report used product placement to help describe the year 2054. The cool Cruise gave the brands he used a hip image. Interbrand Corporation, an Omnicom company, produces a website called brandchannel.com. (www.brandchannel.com) This website is the only site that is an online exchange about branding. On the site you can search for movies by year and find out which brands are featured in them.

Minority Report contains product placement for brands including Audi, American Express, Nokia, Century 21, FOX, Gap, Pepsi, Lexus, and Bulgari. Brands like Audi, Panasonic, and Nokia used the storyline to show how they will keep evolving. Consumers are wowed with the futuristic technology and associate the brands with innovation. The Lexus concept car used in the movie is a realistic view of the future. Concept cars like these are shown on the website and it is amazing for consumers to see these vehicles actually on road.

Other brands including Gap and Pepsi use the future to show how they will always be present in life. The brands have the same image but change slightly with the "new technology". Gap uses personalized advertising on the store. The computer reads each person's ID and greets them by first name. The computer knows what you have bought, your size, and style preferences. The store can actually help you shop. This adds to Gap's already helpful image.

Other advertisements also prove to be interactive. The movie shows how billboards and other ads dominate life. The ads can recognize people and call you to them on first-name basis. This is a definate possibility for the future. We see personalized internet ads based on a log of recently visited websites. Is this the future of advertising? Although it seems overwhelming now, will we ignore these advertisements as easily as we ignore them now?

Carrie Bradshaw & The Cosmo

For many young women, Sex & the City represents what being a young, successful women means. The four women on the show live and work in New York City. The plot follows the women through terrible dates and fights between friends. The star of the show is Carrie Bradshaw, a writer played by Sarah Jessica Parker. Her signature drink is the Cosmopolitan. As the show increased in popularity over the years, the drink did as well. Although the show went off the air a few years ago, girlfriends will still get together to watch Sex & the City DVD's. Women were so excited that a show was around that was from a women's point of view. Before SATC, a women's view was rarely accurately portrayed. Carrie was an inspiration to all women because she was successful and glamourous and also had flaws. She represented a real woman.

Now, although the show is over, Cosmopolitans mean Carrie Bradshaw to many women. They take on the characteristics of the quirky character. The drink is hip and sophisticated and women feel so when they drink them. James Bond made the martini popular, but the girls of SATC made them classy for women.

Pinkberry

Pinkberry is a rapidly growing chain of frozen-yogurt shops that is hitting America's hippest cities. The chain was started in West Hollywood by a young woman named Sherry Hwang. Her inspiration were the popular frozen yogurt shops in Korea. The only two flavors of the yummy yogurt are plain and green tea. It's made from real yogurt, free of preservatives, fat free, and has only has 25 calories per serving. The yogurt can be personalized when customers chose from the many toppings including blackberries, kiwi, and Fruity Pebbles. Nicknames by customers as "Crackberry", the product appeals to trendy, health-conscious consumers. Customers flock to Pinkberry because of the product itself and the hip atmosphere. There always seems to be a line outside of Pinkberry. There is no advertising used, only word of mouth.

Pinkberry was recently talked about on MTV's reality show, The Hills. The show follows a group of trendy friends in their early twenties. The girls have the hottest jobs, party at the hottest clubs, and apparently eat at the hottest places. In a recent episode the girls chat about a recent date at Pinkberry. The quick product placement got thousands of viewers to wonder what Pinkberry is. The girls are thin and beautiful and admired by girls (and guys) across the country. This free publicity gives Pinkberry another edge over competition. The shop is associated with the cool and beautiful. The brand is becoming an attraction. People don't simply go to Pinkberry to eat frozen yogurt, they go in order to be seen and tell others of their experience. As the brand continues to grow, it will be interesting to see if Pinkberry upholds the trendy image.

Quickly after debuting in October of 2005, Desperate Housewives became one of the most popular shows among women on television. The show follows a circle of stylish women living in the suburban neighborhood of Wisteria Lane. Women all of the country (including myself) waiting patiently all week for the show on Sunday. I watch the show with friends and sometimes family. In addition to the plot, we remark on what the women are wearing and using. Marketers caught on. Product placement soon became a major component of the show. Women all over the world wanted to wear Gabrielle’s high heels, purchase Bree’s top-of-the-line kitchen appliances, and drive Lynette’s mini-van. Product placement also allows smaller advertisers to associate their brands the show committing the tens of millions of dollars a national ad campaign would cost.

Delivery Agent, a company which builds, hosts, and manages online sales for over 100 entertainment properties, recently created the website SeenOn.com. The website is devoted to product placement and gives consumers an opportunity to buy the exact items used in their favorite television shows, magazines, and movies. On the website, Consumers can browse by television show, episode, product brand, product type, and even character. ABC is now capitalizing on the nation’s fascination with the housewives. Consumers are able to log onto the website and see what their favorite housewife is wearing. About 150 items are listed per show and visitors to the site can Delivery Agent CEO, Mike Fitzsimmons remarked that, “Today, it’s a two-step process: You watch a show on TV and go online to complete a transaction.” [http://http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6372780.html?display=News]

In the near future, viewers will be able to use interactive products for digital cable and buy the products they see with their remote control. To me, this is an incredible opportunity. I love online shopping but it's hard to tell what the products actually look like and how they fit. By seeing them on my favorite celebrities, I can judge how much I will like them. Although we all understand that product placement is paid for by corporations and celebrities often don't actually use the products, product placement seems to be more personal. We develop relationships with characters and will eventually develop relationships with the products they use. Product placement is here to stay!

Tweens and Celebrity Product Placement

Tweens are kids aged 9-11. Not quite kids and not quite teenagers, these youngsters are media-savvy, fickle, and always changing their style. America's 25 million of them spend and influence more than 50 billion dollars a year! With these numbers, it's easy to see why this group is so popular with marketers.

With Tweens always changing their minds, advertisers struggle to keep up with the latest trends. In Tina Wells' article, " Buzz Focus: Cracking the Fickle Tween Code", the constantly changing market is examined. Through surveys and focus groups, researchers have found out that Tweens are smarter than we thought. These kids love commercials, celebrities, and all media in general. Wells' article remarks, "From US Weekly, "Entertainment Tonight," and tons of online gossip sources, tweens know what celebs actually love and what they are paid the big bucks to pretend to love. " For this reason, Tweens pick up on product placement. They feel that products featured on tv shows are cool, while promotions featuring Jessica Simpson are fake.

Many parents and organizations protest advertising to children. They feel like kids don't understand that advertising is for a profit. Kids are smarter than we think. At 11 or 12, most girls love learning about new lip glosses and cds. Why do you think they buy TeenPeople and CosmoGirl? They Tweens crave information about new products just like everyone else.

PR Student

As a college student interested in Public Relations, I want to learn as much as possible before finding my first job. I recently watched a few podcasts for my Audience Research class that will help me learn a bit more.

The first podcast was on Ad Age and was an interview with the editor of American Demographics, Bradley Johnson. He talked about how it is important for people working in Communications to know the American people. He talked about how to market is changing. The middle class is shrinking and the gap between the rich and poor is getting larger. For the first time since the Great Depression, people are spending more than they are saving. In a few years I'll be entering the "real world" and a country in economic trouble doesn't make me excited to be out there alone. He also talked about how by 2030, two-thirds of the American population will be in the South and West. It will be interesting to see if New York, Boston, Chicago, and other cold-weatherer cities hold up. Will they still be the major hot spots in 20 years? Another interesting fact was that the income of women is increasing. This leads to bigger spending power and more independance. This fact paired with the fact that for the first time ever, more American women are unmarried, than married (51%), could be leading to changes in the American economy and family. Will products continue to be targeted towards the average family with a mom, dad, and two kids? Will single moms be the majority? It will be incredible to see the changes that the field of communications will go through.

The second podcast was on edelman.com and it was about Careers in Communications. The podcast interviewed two seniors in college, one graduate student, and one recent graduate who is working in Edelman offices. The students talked about their interviewing experiences and their interest in public relations. It turned out that most of the students found pr later in their college careers. They wanted a profession where it was their job to keep up with news, trends, and always keep learning. PR promises change and excitement. The students talked about how every interviewer was interested in EXPERIENCE. It was not enough to just have a degree and a good G.P.A. Employers were interested in internships, practical applications of work, and experience in everything. An important tip was to always ask questions and keep up the conversaton. The students also talked about how it's important to find out what you're interested in specifically. Interests outside of PR can help you find a job you really love. Sell your outside interests and passions! This got me thinking about what I would really love to do. I have always been interested in kids, so I could maybe work in the PR department for a corporation that works with kids. I also love planning events AND watching movies or television about weddings, so maybe I could be a wedding planner. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

In other news, I got picked for Park School's trip to France!! I leave in late May for two weeks in Dijon, Paris, Geneva, and more!!! Wish me luck!!