Other Ideas for Promotion

    Advertising the brand is not only relegated to print ads and television spots. Marketing the products is also crucial in making a brand successful. “Very few products, services, or groups are unique; most are parity products, that is, they offer qualities and functions similar or identical to those of their competitors. Branding and advertising differentiates these parity products, services, and groups in a crowded marketplace.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 33.) I would aim to make Dr. Scholl’s For Her an even stronger brand by staging promotional events in select nightclubs nationally. The events would run concurrently with the unveiling of the billboards also in these markets: Las Vegas, Miami, San Diego, and New York. Marketing in these areas are useful because there are many visitors globally who specifically spend their days and nights constantly on their feet. “Finding a relevant insight into how people think, what they need or desire, and how they act, termed a consumer insight, is paramount for idea generation. That consumer insight should be coupled with an insight into the brand, according to Lisa Fortini-Campbell, advertising expert and professor in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Chicago. In her book, Hitting the Sweet Spot: How Consumer Insights Can Inspire Better Marketing and Advertising (2001), Fortini-Campbell argues that by combining consumer and brand insight, one can attain an advertising “sweet spot”—the most effective place to hit the audience with your marketing messages.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 68.) That insight becomes a power tool for any brand and advertising agency.

     I would start the promotional event by placing brand representatives in the crowds of the hottest nightclubs frequented by fashionable, savvy, attractive locals and tourists. I would have our brand reps wearing high heels, and of course the Dr. Scholl’s For Her shoe inserts, passing out our products to women in the crowd. They would have printed on them a cute slogan on them like, “After the club don’t take off your fabulous heels. CAUSE A SENSATION. NOT A COMMOTION. Dr. Scholl’s For Her.” Most clubs are dark and noisy so not much interaction might be had between the brand reps and the audience; however, when they wake up next morning and realize their feet do not hurt from the night before, they will look in their heels and realize our product saved the day. This tactic could be integral to creating the idea of a “raving fan”. They are people who become loyal to the brand and tell everyone they know about it. They get on the social media sites and blog about it. By creating these events perhaps every 6 months, we could create a direct correlation between Dr. Scholl’s For Her products and dancing on cloud 9 the entire night.

Analysis of Project in the Real World

    Creating an advertisement forced me to think of the wants and needs of a large target market. “…advertising calls people to action.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 3.) It is with this main objective in mind that I set out to form a compelling advertising campaign for the Dr. Scholl’s brand.

    I had to first research the brand and try to understand who they were targeting in their campaigns and also what their brand stood for. “Learning about your client's business (general industry or sector and particular business, product, service, or organization) is paramount. Being a creative professional in advertising necessitates learning about each product, service, or cause under assignment.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 16.) This is essential for an advertising professional to understand before embarking on creating a campaign. I learned through my research that Dr. Scholl’s is dedicated to creating the best product to alleviate many types of foot pain. It was most bought by men and women of an older demographic. That is why Dr. Scholl’s decided to create the Dr. Scholl’s For Her sub-brand. It is aimed at women 18-45 years of age that wear high heels or other uncomfortable shoes on a daily basis. They tapped into this market because it was not overly saturated with much competition.

    I then began looking for the “big idea”. I tried to think of a narrative that was compelling enough to stop a reader of a magazine in her tracks. “The ad idea should serve as the catalyst for visualization and composition, including determining content and context.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 155.) The ad I created rings true to many women from different backgrounds. Women can visualize themselves in that predicament and are compelled to buy the product as insurance that it will never happen to them.

    Creating the copy to accompany the image came easily. I imagined what I would say in a situation like the one in the ad. “Don’t let your blistered feet steal the spotlight."“Arrangements can seem ordered or random. Sequential arrangements have a discernible and specific order, or they can form a particular sequence. Also, one element or frame can seem to be the consequence or the result of the previous element. The quality of randomness in composition stems from an intentional organization where elements belong, yet no discernable pattern, uniformity, or regularity is readily apparent.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 181.) It may not be pretty but it’s true. We see it all the time in Vegas. Girls who think they are cute with their stiletto heels, but by the end of the night, they’re barefooted walking down the grimy street. “Some of the greatest advertising lines have two things in common: they don't sound like sales pitches, and they ring true.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 95.)

Creative Content

    My print ad for Dr. Scholl’s For Her Shoe Inserts feature a glamorous woman on the red carpet. In a shocking twist, she has her stiletto heels in her hand and not on her feet. The photographers are in a frenzy snapping pictures not of her beautiful gown or attractive features, but of her shoeless feet. A “sensor” black bar is placed over them because they are bruised from her high heels and dirty from walking barefoot. The copy states, “Don’t let your bruised feet steal the spotlight. CAUSE A SENSATION. NOT A COMMOTION” with the logo for the product in the corner. “Most creative professionals would agree that when one—the line or visual—is the “star” or “hero” of an ad, then the other should take a supporting role. If both visuals and words are competing for the consumer's attention, then it may cause confusion or a power overdose. The visuals and the words should work cooperatively, complementing each other…” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 97.)

    The copy and picture work in harmony together to complete the narrative of the ad. “When the line and visual work off one another, together they create greater meaning. Just like a good comedy team or a musical duet, the total effect is greater than the sum of the separate parts; it is seamless.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 210.) Without the words in the advertisement the picture become confusing and arbitrary. The combination of both are in turn supposed to create a sensation.

The typography is just as important as what is acually said.  “Selecting a typeface, handmaking type, or using found type for its aesthetic value and the impact it will have on screen or in print is as important as the attention paid to imagery.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 132.) I used a very simple font and bold faced it to create a sense of importance. The white of the text also gives it more prominence within the visual so it does not become lost when looking at the ad. “In graphic design, typography is designed on two levels—denotation, the literal meaning of the words, and connotation, the meaning suggested by the design of the typography and the type's relationship with the images.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 129.)

    “Two to three seconds is all someone will give to a print advertisement. Can you grab someone's attention? Can you keep it?” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 210.) This are the questions posed by every advertising professional. In my ad I have abandoned the expected and shocked the viewer with a scene that women may have experienced and yet none are proud of. Also because there is a black bar which is normally used to censor the inappropriate, the viewer’s attention is grabbed. After the initial shock, women feel empathy because of the situation. “An ad idea is visually and verbally expressed through the creation, selection, combination, manipulation, and arrangement of visual and verbal elements and the written copy. A big idea is a solid, creative, on-brand idea that is large enough and flexible enough to be used effectively across media for a period of time.” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising by Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 68.) They then become bonded with the brand which can lead to many other ads of the same theme. If Dr. Scholl’s For Her Shoe Inserts can prevent these humiliating scenes from ever happening, why not buy them?

Promotion

    For any advertising campaign to become successful, the creative team needs to strategically place the ads for the target market to see. “Commercial advertising promotes brands and commodities by informing consumers; it is also used to promote individuals, groups, corporations, manufacturers. Commercial advertising takes many forms, from single print advertisements to campaigns in any media to sponsorships to branded utilities.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 7.) My campaign will use such reasoning to grab the attention of women across the nation.  

    My target audience are women from their early 20’s- to late 40’s or 50’s. They are women who like to go out on the town and are constantly on their feet. She has a flair for fashion or at least an appreciation for it. She is savvy of the world around her and knows all the latest news and gossip. She loves to go shopping and hanging out with the girls whether it be for an easygoing lunch or fun-filled night out on the town. My understanding of this customer drives me to place ads where they frequent and in what they read.
     
    I would start by placing my advertisements in the leading fashion and lifestyle magazines. From Vogue to People, she will see it towards the front to middle of the publication. Placement within the magazine is crucial as well. Placing the ad within the front to middle pages provides the best odds the reader will see the campaign. If it placed in the front, she might immediately skip over it knowing that it is comprised of all ads. If it is placed in the back, she might grow bored of the publication, put it down and never come back to it ensuring the ad will never get seen. My next area of placement would be on buses, benches, and subways/train stations. Any area that gets a fair amount of foot traffic is ideal. People of all backgrounds would walk past it and it would be the best place for exposure to a wide audience. My innovative thinking and risk taking would cause me to consider placing the ads on billboards in the country’s hippest hot spots. The Las Vegas Strip, Miami’s Ocean Drive, San Diego’s Gaslamp District, and New York’s Meatpacking District or SoHo. These are areas that have a large presence of nightclubs and restaurants that many young stylish women frequent. I would strongly suggest the brand sell in all of the surrounding drugstores and markets. Also placing the ads in these markets creates a stronger hipper image for the brand. “In an overcrowded, competitive marketplace, relevant and engaging branding can ensure efficacy for a quality product, service, group, individual, or commodity. Not only does branding identify and distinguish, it builds equity (the value of the brand or group).” (Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 49.) I want to people to associate Dr. Scholl’s For Her with the stylish woman on the go instead of the elderly orthopedics image of yesteryear.

The Big Idea

    Imagine the most glamorous movie star of today. Charlize Theron? Anne Hathaway? Nicole Kidman? Imagine now that she is nominated for the Oscar for leading actress and she must do what every woman in America expectantly watches on the tv from their living room couch-walk the red carpet. There are dozens of the most beautiful designer gowns and women decked in million dollar diamonds. Imagine that most glamorous movie star delicately stepping out of the limo and in only a few steps in her six-inch stiletto heels she-TAKES THEM OFF! She can’t bare the excruciating pain any longer and would rather bare the embarrassment then walk one more step in those gorgeous death traps. The photogs go crazy snapping pictures of her bare feet covered in blisters and not-so-fresh appearance. All eyes are on her for sure, but not for the reasons she hopes for. The very next day she makes headlines and is on the cover of every magazine. Every photo is from the knees down. No one pays attention to her haute-couture gown by the leading French designer or her expertly applied makeup and hair. Her heels despairingly hangs from her bejeweled finger, no longer the prized possessions they once were. Sadly, she caused a commotion instead of a dazzling sensation.

    Women everywhere across the nation can empathize with the pain this lovely leading lady was going through. "In context of a storyboard:Choose from among conventional conflicts: person against person, person against society, person against himself or herself, person against machine, etc. Once you determine the conflict, determine the message, characters, and plot.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 108). Many women know what is like to fall in love with a pair of heels at first sight only to come to loathe them at first wear. Understanding the target market is crucial to creating an ad campaign that resonates. From this understanding is where a solution becomes anticipated. “The morphological method is based on analysis and synthesis. You analyze a problem by defining all its important factors, as well as the immediately apparent options for solutions. Then you synthesize, that is, combine the factors and options to produce a matrix containing possible solutions.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 33.) Dr. Scholl’s For Her shoe inserts could have easily changed the outcome of that famed red carpet. She could have stunned a nation with her glamour and beauty, but instead she shocked and terrified women everywhere. “Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable. The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour. And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 108). Women want to look up to the stunningly gorgeous actresses and believe they live fairytale lives. It is the fantasy that creates an escape from their everyday lives. Dr. Scholl’s For Her is an easy way to keep the glamour of a beautiful outfit going all night. From the red carpet to dinner to dancing to the walk home, Dr. Scholl’s For Her creates the cushioning and support needed to keep feet happy all night long. CREATE A SENSATION. NOT A COMMOTION.

Competitive Analyses

   One has the fun prints, colors, and shapes and the other has the reputable history and strong advertising. So which brand has the cornerstone on the foot inserts and cushioning market?

   Foot Petals was created in 2001 by podiatrist Lisa Aldatz (http://tinaaldatz.com/about-2/). Their strength as a company comes from the design of their product, the website, and the strong social media presence. The design of the foot cushions are solely aimed at women. There are more than 10 different cushions that range in a variety of colors, prints, and shapes. In addition to the design of their product, Foot petals has created a lifestyle image for the brand based on the design and content of their website. The site includes blogs by writers on everything from fashion to lifestyle. Another great marketing tool they use is the creator herself, Lisa Aldatz. She provides her insight on the best products to use based on the needs of the consumer in her “Tina’s Tips” section. Along with a well-designed website, Foot Petals is active in social media with a Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube account. Through this word of mouth, they have appeared in many magazines and press outlets, and while their advertisements might not be widely creative, they have a strong customer base and attractive design.

   On the other hand, where Dr. Scholl’s For Her shoe inserts excels, is their imaginative and strong advertisements. “…Everyone wants to create imaginative, effective advertising—fresh work that hasn't been done before, ads that make people watch and then act, solutions that make other creative professionals say, “I wish I had thought of that!” Creating the “same old” won't grab anyone's attention.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 107.) Dr. Scholl’s already has a long history of offering comfortable products, so when they created Dr. Scholl’s for Her, they had a customer base that was vast. However, they only have about 9 actual different cushions and only one product came in several colors and with one print. The reputation of the brand and the ads are what get people talking about them. One such series of ads revolved around the idea of fairytales women grew up with. Cinderella’s carriage is pictured at the ball and the copy write states, “Dancing ‘Til Midnight In Glass Stilettos. No Wonder She Left a Shoe” (http://www.ormadesign.com/drscholls_ad.html). A simple yet powerful slogan appears on the bottom left of the ad- “Fashion is Fantasy. Pain is Not” (http://www.ormadesign.com/drscholls_ad.html).

   A compelling and powerful ad campaign is what I will offer Dr. Scholl’s For Her shoe inserts. Where they might lack in design, I will provide in a creative and thought provoking advertisement. I intend on tapping in on women’s insecurities and providing a solution: Dr. Scholl’s for Her. “A critical component is learning about the audience—the targeted, specified group of people at whom you are aiming your message, design, and solution. The audience is the main group who would purchase this product, utilize this information or service, or patronize this entity or brand.”(Landa, R. (2010). Advertising By Design: Generating and Designing Creative Ideas Across Media. Page 16.) The fantasy series of ads were well designed and I intend on making a just as compelling ad campaign, if not bigger and better. Because in the end, women should “CREATE A SENSATION. NOT A COMMOTION”.

Week 8 EOC: My Slogan

1.Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Courier Font

2.Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION- Broadway Font

3. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Hightower Text Font

4. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Tempus Sans ITC Font

5. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Lucinda Calligraphy Font

6. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Gill Sans Ultra Bold Font

7. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Poor Richard Bold Font

8. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Goudy Stout Font

9. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Algerian Font

10. Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION-Papyrus Font

Week 8 BOC: Progress on Final Project

   I have started creating my advertisement and have received good feedback from it. The slogan is "Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION". I feel that it is a good play on words and it gives a strong visual imagery on the effects of the Dr. Scholl's Shoe Inserts for Her. I have decided to create a print ad to visualize the slogan. It will be a side by side cause-and-effect type photo. On the left will be a very glamorous woman walking down the red carpet with all the photogs snapping away. She is the epitome of what every woman wants to feel and look on a night out on the town. On the right side will be a woman who is the complete opposite. She has a very beautiful dress on but she has her heels in her hand and has bandages covering her feet. The paparazzi's cameras are all pointed down to her feet and no one is paying any attention to her glamorous dress or beautiful face. She looks ashamed and the press look completely shocked. This has obviously has created a commotion and will definitely not be good for her image! That's exactly what might happen if Dr. Scholl's Shoe Inserts for Her are not used! There are too many women to go out for a glamorous night out on the town feeling confident just to end up walking barefoot because their shoes are just too painful. It could all be avoided by using the shoe inserts in the first place!
   People I have told seem to respond well to the general layout of the ad. When I present the slogan they pause for a second and then when I describe the imagery of the red carpet they smile and completely agree. Every woman has experienced the displeasure of a beautiful but painful pair of heels. No matter how fierce they look, the night will not end well if the heels cause an immense amount of pain!!

Dr. Scholl's Shoe Inserts for Her: Create a SENSATION, not a COMMOTION

   The product is synonymous with the image of many fashionable women around the world letting out a huge sigh of relief. The product is Dr. Scholl’s Shoe Inserts for Her. They cushion the foot when extended wear of stiletto heels, or any uncomfortable but fabulous shoe, becomes too painful to last the night. God forbid she ever have to take off her artful heels because they’re simply too painful to walk in! Never should a woman risk the germs and potential damage to their feet from walking barefoot with heels in hand and neither should they have to create a barrier of unsightly bandages around their foot. Walking with the shoes in hand become the walk of shame and an interesting reversal happens. Heels become the enemy and not the lovely creations of art they once were. This is where Dr. Scholl’s Shoe Inserts for Her save the day. The fashionista should “Create a sensation, not a commotion”.

 “ …Everyone wants to create imaginative, effective advertising—fresh work that hasn't been done before, ads that make people watch and then act, solutions that make other creative professionals say, “I wish I had thought of that!” Creating the “same old” won't grab anyone's attention.”(Advertising by Design Second Edition, Robin Landa, page 107). It is with this thought that the slogan was created to exemplify the power an exquisite pair of heels has over a woman and thus provoke her to act by appealing to her vanity. “Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable. The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour. And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.” (Ways of Seeing found in Advertising by Design Second Edition, John Berger quoted by Robin Landa, page 108). The tranformative power of the shoe inserts can change a pair of heels from being the Devil to being a Godsend. Every woman wants to be the most breathtaking woman in the room and feel it as well. It is  near impossible to do that when your feet are killing you. Creating a sensation evokes the image of men fawning over you and women being jealous of you. It is essentially every woman’s fantasy. Essentially, the word “commotion” is a synonym for sensation; however, it is the connotation behind the word that gives it a negative spin. A commotion creates the image that there is disorder, turmoil, and riots breaking out. Women can either create a sensation by feeling and looking marvelous in their heels or they can create a commotion when they are spotted walking with heels in hand, dirty feet covered in blisters. Dr. Scholl’s Shoe Inserts for Her are the difference between a horrible night and a terrific night.

EOC Week 6: Vintage Ads

    

• Py-Co-Pay Toothbrush advertisement from the 60's: The product was marketed as a product that could be used by astronauts in space. At the height of the space race, Americans were fascinated by everything space related including what products astronauts used.

• Tufsyn rubber-a type of rubber used in tires by Goodyear: Tufsyn rubber is an especially durable rubber that the Goodyear company used for their tires. It was also used in the advertising as a way to set themselves apart from the competition.

•   Retsyn- a breath freshener used in Certs: Retsyn was a special ingredient created by the Certs company that was only used in their product. "According to the Certs Cool Mint Drops Page, Retsyn is a combination of partially hydrogenated cottonseed, cooper gluconate, and flavouring. Aka: oil, copper sugar, and a vague but unremarkable chemical" http://www.omg-facts.com/Other/Certs-Mints-Invented-An-Ingredient-Calle/53428#wXMqjrthj3oxLfx4.99. It was used as a marketing ploy to set themselves apart from the competitors.

   I think vintage ads are fundamentally like the ads of today. They speak to the culture and attitudes of the people. The agencies representing the brands all want to create advertisements that grab the viewers attention by representing cultural phenomenons and public interests. This is represented as such in the ad for Py-Co-Pay toothbrushes. They used the remarkable events of the moon landing and space exploration to capitalize on the marketing of their product. Without the added interest of the space program, Py-Co-Pay toothbrushes are like any other toothbrushes. The Goodyear Tires ad made sure to feaure the fact that tufsyn rubber was used in their product. The abrasion-resistant rubber was highlighted because the agency spoke to the fact that more and more families were taking road trips on vacation. They wanted to assure the public that their special tires would not pop or deflate on such trips. The universal theme of love and lust is used in the ad for Certs mints. This spoke to the millions of single Americans out there trying to find that special someone. It could certainly be used in an ad campaign today. It is essential for advertisements to capture the zeitgeist in order to become effective. In decades past, people did not have the capability to fast forward and skip over ads, so the creator might as well entertain them in the process of selling them products.

 

  

 

 

EOC Week 5: Superbowl Ad

•     The nature of the brand or group: This ad by Budweiser reflects the spirit of the brand. The ad depicts a fawn and the cartaker who becomes quite attached until he sells the young Clydesdale to the Budweiser Clydesdale group. He goes to a parade in which he knows the horse will be marching in and becomes wistful at sight of him. He is about to leave when out of nowhere the Clydesdale comes running full speed to see him and they embrace. The ad is entitled "Brotherhood". The brand Budweiser is based on the commroderie of drinking beers. It is the spirit of brotherhood when drinking their products that they are refering to.
• The goals of differentiation and distinction: The Budweiser brand is differentiating themselves by storytelling. They never show the actual product but do show the brand and the different aspects of that brand. It becomes more of a lifestyle instead of just a product. It manipulates the public by envoking an emotional response. We all know what it is like to have to let go of something we love and then the immense joy of being reunited. It is with this emotional tug on the heartstrings that the advertisement becomes effective.
• The target audience: The target audience is a large public. Obviously, because the product is only intended for those twenty-one and older, the brand aims to appeal to men with a spirit of brotherhood. Every man knows the meaning of commroderie and have a special band of brothers. Budweiser drives this point home by replacing traditional friends with a very special fawn. This also appeals to women who love to see cuddly animals and special bonds between animals and humans.
• Positioning: The Budweiser brand has strategically placed their ad on the best program of the year in which hundred of millions of household will be watching. This gives them the most public platform in which to sell their product. They wanted to create an emotional tie to their product and it was effective because there were thousands of tweets immediately after the ad was ran.