Bosses Versus Fighters

There are two groups that populate the market. Those two groups are bosses and fighters. Bosses dominate the market place while fighters struggle to get a proper share of the market.

In the mobile device world (based purely on operating system) are iOS (Apple) and Android, while less popular mobile operating systems like Windows, Linux, or Opera struggle to even be relevant. Let's look at the market share of smart phones. We can see that Android reign's supreme with total usage, but that may simply because many of the smart phones that come free with a contract are Android. What I would really be interested to see, would be the stats between flagship and mid-ranged Android devices, such as the Galaxy S4 or the Moto X,and ect. holds up to the other OS in terms of numbers. Because of this skew in data, I want to disregard Android in my discussion. I also own a Galaxy S4, so I don't want to be a form of bias :)

 Instead, the two systems I want to take a look at are iOS and Windows. Apple has historically been in the shadow of Microsoft in the computer world. Right now, Microsoft still reigns king in the computer world, with less than 5% of the market share being Mac computers. This is a whole different story in the mobile world. In 2007, Apple unveiled to the world a device that would forever change the mobile market, the iPhone. With the iPhone came iOS and the app store that synced to your iTunes account. There was an app store that added to the whole Apple ecosystem. Soon people could download games, business apps, you name it and the app store probably had it. Because this technology was new, many developers decided to invest time and money to develop for the iPhone. Some of the most iconic apps are Angry Birds and Flappy Birds. This meant that this one phone created an entire community for people to consume media and entertainment.

Microsoft has already been in the mobile market well before Apple has with their PDAs. They were large, clunky, and expensive. I know because I have had the displeasure of using them to ring up orders at work. Of course, seeing the success of Google and Apple, Microsoft themselves wanted a cut of the pie. They created a Microsoft operating system for phones. It didn't do so well as the user interface was clunky and the app store was barren. This deterred developers from developing for Windows phone, and without developers, there was no community to consume apps.

It was only recently that Microsoft saw  need to drastically change. Their user interface, dubbed "Metro" was added onto their Windows 8 PCs and tablets. They have an exclusivity deal with Nokia to produce more phone. I honestly think that the current Nokia Lumia is a rather attractive phone with great hardware that would shame the iPhone 5S. Unfortunately, the software isn't quite there yet and there is much resistance to the blocky UI of Metro. This clumsy UI has also tainted the reputation of their Windows 8 OS for PCs. One of the designers of Windows 8 even stated that Metro is the anti-thesis for power users.

I think that Microsoft has a long way to go before even being seen as a viable 3rd options for phones. Apple is often criticized for stagnating improvements with their hardware, but their software takes full advantage of the tools available. Right now, Microsoft has some of the most amazing hardware, but no way to utilize it.

Seriously, it's blocky...

Greenpeace Versus Fracking

Greenpeace is an environmental group known for cultivating a cleaner environment, sometimes via aggressive tactics. I know that in the U.S., Greenpeace is categorized as an eco-terrorist group- Organizations that have been accused of eco-terrorism in the United States include the Animal Liberation Front (ALF),[7] the Earth Liberation Front (ELF),[7] Greenpeace..." ***

Well, in the UK, their local Greenpeace has set up a campaign against fracking. They do so using peaceful means such as protesting and setting up petitions. The slogan they go by is "Not for shale". I think that this is a very clever slogan and play on words. It obviously sounds like "not for sale", signifying that their land is not to be bought out and destroyed by the destruction that fracking bring. It can also mean that their organization's virtues are not for sale. Shale is also the source of oil while fracking. They basically will not sell out for oil.

From what I've seen, their online campaign isn't that large. They do have a website that details all the downsides to fracking, as well as links that lead to more information and Greenpeace UK's various social media sites

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/greenpeace-launches-nationwide-legal-block-fracking-20131010

Me As a Consumer

Ads always have a target audience. If I see an ad that interests me, chances are that the demographic for that ad is the 20-something year old male, tech-savvy, college student. That means that some things that would catch my attention would be "manly" things, like fast cars or something sexually driven, the latest and greatest tech gadgets, all budgeted towards the broke college student.

That would mean something like this would excite me:



 Here is a beautiful car being represented by Eminem, a rapper I like. Without doing any prior research about cars, I would be pretty excited about owning one. Unfortunately for Chrysler and other companies, I like to make informed purchases. This is partially because I have limited funds as a student and that I want to make the best of the money I spend, especially on what I consider major purchases.

Here is an example of an ad that would make an informed consumer roll their eyes:



 This is Apple introducing their "Retina Display" on their iPhone 4. They boast that a Retina Display is the sharpest display on the market. At the time this was true, but just barely edging out the already aging Galaxy S2 by a few pixels per inch (ppi). The current flagship Apple phone, the iPhone 5S still boasts the same Retina display with runs at a resolution of 640×1136. Even a non-flagship Android phone boasts a higher resolution. For instance, the middle of the road Moto X has a screen running at a resolution of 1280x720. By those numbers, even the Moto X would qualify as having "Retina Display". In all honesty, the current iPhone is a great looking phone with a beautiful display. They are also backed with a brilliant marketing team that make the standard seem like an extraordinary feat.

As an informed consumer, I do my best to try to filter out all the marketing jargon and cut straight to the nitty gritty. I will scour the internet for specifications, reviews, and pictures that aren't pre-rendered. This however doesn't mean that an ad doesn't have an effect on me.  If I see a product that catches my eye, I will do further research on it. More often than not, a great product is standing behind a great ad.

Ads: Now and Then

Advertisements have been around as long as the trading of goods have been around. According to Wikipedia, Thomas J. Barratt, "the father of advertising", created on of the first slogans in the 1860s, "Good morning. Have you used Pears' soap?" This slogan was ubiquitous to the brand of Pears soap that was being sold for many decades after its debut.

 When cars were first being promoted by Ford, they had the same need to get their brand out there.

This is an old ad created by Ford to promote their newly made cars. It depicts a family: a father driving, the mother in the front passenger seat, and the sister and kid brother in the back. Ford Motors didn't take the approach that Barratt did. Barratt created a catchy slogan that would embed the soap he was selling into the mind of the mass consumer. Ford instead created a more sophisticated, full-paged ad to showcase their touring car. The ad shows the "ideal" vision of a family driving through the countryside with their new For Motors touring car. The text explains why a Ford car should be a Ford Car should be a family's next large purchase. The ad also gives the product the illusion of exclusivity and scarcity by saying the car is in high demand and limited supply.

Here is a Ford ad from 2013 that showcases the Ford Fusion. I noticed that the car itself is more of the focus in most modern car ads, such as this one. Car companies are no longer trying to sell the image of a driving America, because most of us already have to utilize motor vehicles in our lives. Instead, Ford has to try to stand out to the plethora of other car companies. They do this by highlighting the 37 mpg as well as running a viral video campaign.

It's interesting to see the change in direction in the two ads. The old ad tries to sell off a new product by selling a lifestyle, while the new ad has to struggle to keep up with the competition.

Here's the "viral" video the link in the new ad leads to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfJ5Vuvlu8A

Thoughts On Rose Pedal Cottage and Diet Coke

Ketchup Bottle: This ad shows a woman with a bottle of ketchup with the text "You mean a woman can open it?" It is meant to show the woman as being so weak that she can't even open a bottle of ketchup on her own without the help of her husband. This particular brand is advertising their new vacuumed sealed bottles by having a cheeky jab at woman stereotypes.

Rose Pedal Cottage: This product is obviously targeted towards young girls. The commercial shows two girls playing house by doing various household chores, such as: baking, cleaning, taking care of a baby. These are all stereotypical chores that woman do. Not only is the cottage being sold, but gender roles as well. I'm not entirely sure how to spin this commercial so that it's completely free of the negative stereotypes. I feel that everything from the product itself to the name "Rose Pedal Cottage", is already playing towards female stereotypes. The product was built to appeal to girls with the pink design an flowery exterior, because of that I don't believe that be completely rid of negative stereotypes without redesigning the product. I suppose the commercial can have both girls and boys playing house.

Diet Coca-Cola" This ad shows a group of women drinking diet Coke. They see an attractive man mowing grass and toss him a can of Coke. The Coke is shaken and gets his shirt wet, causing him to remove his shirt, ensuing in flirtatious stares and smiles. All in all, gender stereotypes are unavoidable in advertising, especially with a product like the Rose Pedal Cottage.

Gender Equality in T.V.

The Simpsons is one of the longest running T.V. show. The show comprises of the Simpsons family: Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bard, and Maggie. By composition of numbers, the gender ratio is fairly balanced- 2 males and 3 females. Gender stereotypes are still prevalent in the family's dichotomy. We have Homer, the bread winner of the family, who is shown has dimwitted, but well intentioned. Then there's Marge- she embodies the stereotypical, nagging, stay at home housewife. Bart is the rambunctious eldest child. He's a trouble maker and isn't too bright when compared to his genius sister, Lisa. Lisa is the socially awkward middle child who happens to be very smart. The youngest child is the baby, Maggie. She spends most of her airtime being a silent, cute child. The Simpsons family is a caricature of the "typical" American family. I think that the stereotypes portrayed are playful instead of harmful.

A Look At a Local Ad Agency

I want to take a look at Liquid Agency, an ad agency that's based near Silicon Valley. The reason I picked this agency is because they have done various videos with large tech companies like Intel, HP, Logitech, Microsoft, Seagate. ect. I've found that in in most tech-based ads, there is less focus on flash and a larger focus on substance. I think it's interesting to note that this company's video focuses on the performance of the new product as opposed to how an Apple or Samsung may try to entice a customer with gimmicks and flashy ads. Liquid Agency understand that they represent a great product and so there's no need to embellish anything. This agency is interesting because they are partnered with some of the biggest tech firms, yet most of their ads are very subtle.