How To Make A Point.

I've stumbled across some genius advertising recently. It's genius because of one thing: it tells you inexplicably what will happen to you if you do not purchase this product and as a consumer, I like that. Tell me what will happen to me if I don't buy your product to ensure I do. Like right now we're getting DIRECTV. Here's why:

Remain Relevant

Relevance is the key success factor in any organization. Relevance of your mission and values to what you do, how to achieve your goals, and how you are perceived amongst your consumers and the community. The challenge is then making sure your audience is aware of what you're doing. Enter marketing and social media. These tools increase online conversation and interest that stems into action amongst your audience. Then, you're relevant. 

I think this creates a segue to giving a perfect example of someone who is relevant to his mission and values: Charlie Sheen, Fiat and DIRECTV. Recently, Fiat and DIRECTV have been able to capitalize on the bold enigma that is Charlie Sheen in their advertising strategy. Both brands have stayed true to their marketing strategy to promote their product and brand value while Charlie Sheen does what he does best, living large (please don't make me type Winning). It's 2012 and the man's still relevant.

DIRECTV

Fiat

The Announcement

In 1991 the face of the HIV virus changed. Pre-1991, homosexuals were the face of HIV  in the community and it was always deadly. It was assumed and feared that HIV was contracted by coughing, touching, sweat. That face changed on November 7th 1991. It was now Magic Johnson. On Sunday night, ESPN film series launched 'The Announcement', a powerfully human documentary that told the heartbreaking story of Magic Johnson's battle with HIV.

On November 7th 1991, Magic Johnson announced to the world that he will be retiring from the NBA due to contracting the HIV virus. In 1991, this was expected. If you have HIV you could not be involved in physical and contact sports. 

Early detection may have saved Magic's life. While undergoing a routine physical, a requirement for his medical insurance at the Lakers, the virus was detected. One week prior to this diagnosis he found out that his wife, Cookie, was pregnant with their first child. They waited an anxious 10 days to find out if Cookie was also HIV positive as this would, in all likelihood, mean their baby would also have the virus. The result was negative. He then announced his retirement.

A man who was a basketball legend, surrounded by friends and loved by so many, suddenly found himself struggling to find a friend with whom he could play one on one. It was clear HIV was still feared. The same stigma was attached, no matter who had the virus. Magic openly discusses the struggles he faced once he announced his illness and at no time says he regrets his decision to publicly announce his illness. As he said "God gave this virus to the right person". He saw himself as a person who could reach people and educate about HIV. He couldn't remain silent; in his eyes he only had one option. How powerful! And he hasn't stopped working since. Magic has become a voice for HIV in the community, bridging the gap between knowledge and assumptions, educating how it's transmitted. He is the powerful voice for safe sex. 

In 1992, after playing on the Barcelona Olympics Dream Team with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, Magic returned to the NBA playing for the Lakers. This return launched the medical safety now adhered to by sporting teams around the world: gloves to treat athletes and removal from the game when a player sustains an injury that draws blood. He shortly left the NBA once more due to protests by the public and other NBA players.

This man was alienated by so many and yet he continued to work hard as an HIV activist. A strong, cheerful, bright positive personality found his place in the Magic Johnson Foundation and in Magic Enterprises. His foundation today has established five full service HIV/AIDS Treatment Centers in economically challenged, minority communities throughout the US. Magic's Foundation treats 1200 people each year. Since the foundation's launch, over 30,000 people have been treated. He provides 'medicine, anti-retroviral therapy, testing, counseling and ongoing disease management', and continues to educate and spread the safe message to communities throughout the US each year. As Magic said, God gave this to the right person. What an extraordinary man. 

A Ticket to Fashion Week

Fashion Weeks are historically an airtight invitation only event for editors and major buyers. The brand's goal for the week is to show their raw talent to secure their placement in exquisite stores and boutiques, coverage in major media and editorials or front covers of major fashion magazines. If you lived outside the fashion world, only snapshots of this decadent week were available to you long after the runway lights are turned off. This 2012 Fall Fashion weeks gave fashion admirers an exhilarating and groundbreaking exclusive reach to the worlds most exclusive fashion brands. We got a ticket inside.

During New York, London and Milan fashion weeks, liverunway.com streamed runways as the models stomped into fall. Oscar de la Renta set up a live stream on his website as did Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, Badgley Mishka, Prada in Milan and Alexander McQueen in London. Twitter hashtags were established to promote conversation about the runway, Facebook pages were set up to stream the live runway and fashion websites had smoke as they worked at lightning pace to have stills from the collection moments after the show ended.

This New York, London and Paris Fall Fashion Week I experienced every moment from my apartment. I oohed at Very Wang because I could see how her draping moved as the model waved through the catwalk. Something I'd never been exposed to in the past and it's something you can't imagine when just looking at a photo. Marc Jacobs runway began kinda kooky before he tranced you through an ethereal journey of Alice in Wonderland, Dr Seuss books, Jamiroquai (yes) and Willy Wonker, and you truly understood the immense talent of Marc Jacobs in the art of fashion. To experience this magic is truly a dream.

I believe fashion bloggers began to creek open the doors for the rest of us. Bloggers such as Tavi Gevinson and Susie Bubble now sit front row next to fashion editors and then share their experiences on their social media to us all.  In fact, Susie Bubble is getting ready for Versace right now. This social media conversation has also introduced us to the designers as they work. I follow numerous designers on Twitter as they tweet through their creative process and lives during fashion week. Fashion houses have extended the power of social media to their team: Nina Garcia, OscarPRGirl and DKNY PR GIRL share their world on Tumblr, Pinterest and Twitter accounts. They reply to tweets in real time with a real voice and share their world without losing the essence of the exclusive brand. It's smart social media in a smart industry.

The move for fashion powerhouses to openly introduce themselves to the community of global fashion lovers online is an essential use of resources to keep a pioneering industry on the forefront of media. It's opened an exclusive world to gain admiration from consumers without losing the essence of the brand. We all love and adore fashion brands perhaps more now that we can experience what an Oscar de la Renta runway means. We understand the craftsmanship that goes into each individual piece and have a new respect for the fitting and movement of gowns. We can also see the team behind the brand and our love for the fashion world and our favorite brand blossoms.

Thank you, designers for opening your world. Looking forward to Paris, Mr. Lagerfeld.

Sincerely,

Katie Lee

Oscar at work: thanks to OscarPRGirl Twitter

Backstage at Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta Runway New York Fashion Week Fall 2012

You Go Girl

This month is a beautiful month for the cover of high fashion magazines. Vogue adores Adele and Elle France supports healthy body images of women worldwide with their cover girl Tara Lynn gracing their cover.  Perhaps inspired by Vogue USA who started the year with the January Vogue starring the divine Meryl Streep on their cover.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should also mention Elle France is the publication who put themselves in public relations hot water when they stated the Obamas were embracing "white fashion" just the other month. This change of pace might be a strategy to gain positive conversation about their brand and obviously I'm blogging about it so it's beginning to have momentum.

On a positive note, I just love that the worlds most powerful media influencers are supporting healthy talented women to every reader and woman who passes the magazine cover. To me, this is magazine media using their immense power in a responsible way to promote healthy, happy women. 

You go girl!

January, 2012

March, 2012

March, 2012

Interactive Love

Dove has re-shaped the way beauty is marketed to women in recent years. The new (and improved) message to Dove users, primarily women, is you are beautiful the way you are, Dove wants help you keep your skin moisturized with our product. The Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty" was an immense success in 2006, you can see the launch video here. Since then, Dove has released a trail of advertising all delivering this same message and in quest for real beauty. It only seems fitting their next step in this story fits in around Valentines Day.

Dove has launched an interactive social media forum in London's Victoria Station. A massive electronic billboard lights up tweets and text messages from commuters with the hashtag #DOVELOVE. Questions in the beginning of the campaign were laced around the user of Dove products: "what makes you feel beautiful" and "who is the most beautiful woman you know?  why?". Today on Valentines Day, Dove asks, "what do you love about your Valentine" and is spreading more love by handing out white tulips to commuters.

I'm a woman who has experienced a serious commute and can I say that something sweet like this would have been enough to slow down my lightning pace steps through the train station and take in the beauty that is love. It is estimated 350,000 people will walk past this board everyday for the 7 days the billboard is active (until February 19th). I wonder how many of those are women whose lightening steps are also slowed to give way for a smile and a deep breath.

Marc Mathieu is Unilever's SVP of marketing, he told Marketing Week that brand marketers need to "be more noble". It's true in a world of advertising where L’Oreal creative is being banned in the UK for being too unrealistic. It's refreshing to have a beauty brand discuss the beauty of a woman, not how they can change her or tell her she can look supremely younger. It is indeed "more noble" to market with this intention. Bravo, Dove.

         Billboard at Victoria Station in the UK "who is the most beautiful woman you know? why?"

All Hail Madonna

There is no-one in the world like Madonna and last night she reminded us all of that fact. The woman did cartwheels on bleachers caught in between dancers in thigh high Givenchy boots after she had torn the Indianapolis stadium up by singing Vogue. Only Madonna can fill a sentence like that. 

I was all about the ads last night, but I'll be honest, after her half time performance I just wanted to call the whole thing off and watch a full Madonna concert. Man, I hope that woman tours again soon, I'll be there in my thigh high boots cartwheeling in the stands for her. Obviously. 

All Hail Madonna.

A GIANT 2012 Super Bowl

Insert glaringly obvious blog post. However, this was my first Super Bowl experience in America and so I will rightfully blog about it. I love that the first time I watched the half time show, it was Madonna performing. Major. I lost all sense and was dancing around the lounge room to classic Madonna. Girl, those boots were beyond. 

This was the first time I watched the ads in unison during the game (apparently there was football too).  I loved watching the placement of the brands at different times during the game. At one point, Chrysler was pretty on its game, as was Lexus, Honda and Toyota...but no Ford. Eventually Ford came to the party, but she was wearing the same dress she wore for the last 10 parties and I was left too bored to even mention it here. 

I was tweeting like a mad woman and joining in on the #superbowl, #adbowl, #brandbowl, #whartonfoa party. Super fun. I'm a super nerd. 

Here are my all important top 4 from Super Bowl 2012: 

M&Ms - "Sexy and I Know It"

This was a brilliant introduction of 'Brown' to the M&M's advertising series of characters. It's not just me who loved the tone, message and creative content of this ad. Kellogg School of Management Clinical Professor of Management, Tim Calkins agrees. "At Kellogg, our review evaluates the ads based on strategic execution and the potential to build brands, and M&M's did this well".  On a side note, I think I can relate to Red just a little too much.

Chrysler - "It's Halftime in America"

Anytime you bring in Clint Eastwood, you're bringing in the big guns. Amongst the clutter of fast cars with hot girls doing ridiculous tricks (seriously, the Sonic car sky dived out of an airplane), Chrysler brought a heartfelt clear message to America. The execution of this ad was flawless as it was played during half time. Eastwood's delivery of the message had me proud and motivated for America and hey, I'm not even close to being American. It was a brave sentiment that stood out from every other ad during the Super Bowl. It was deep and provided Chrysler with amazing cut through of the metal clutter surrounding it. Nice.

Doritos - "Man's Best Friend" 

This was one of the first ads shown in the first quarter and it had me laughing for the next three quarters. Doritos is the master of Super Bowl ad execution and now it seems social media influence; Man's Best Friend scored 73, 724 tweets in the 45 minutes after the ad was shown. Doritos always provides a clear message to their audience: you will do anything to get your hands on those Doritos. It's true too, I tried to run down to the CVS on the corner to get my husband some Doritos just before the game and the place had SOLD OUT. Doritos stayin' on top! 

Sketchers - "Go Run Mr. Quiggly!"

I have to say it, any brand that swaps Kim Kardashian for a dog is genius. Dogs had the run of the ad world last night and I think Mr Quiggly was easily in the lead. I mean, he moon walked over the finish line in his red Sketchers. What more do you want? The creative is genius, the message is clear and the product placement is sublime. Mr Quiggly also had a nice response on Twitter with 35, 256 tweets in the 45 minutes after the ad aired. Now, to go get me some red Sketchers and a Mr. Quiggly! 

If you'd like to join me on Twitter, I'd love to see you. I'm over at @therealkatielee

Good Parenting

Super Bowl is a huge time of year for football, but more importantly, advertising. It's the mecca of advertising. Brands spend months preparing for this one day's advertising spot and will invest millions to ensure it's shown where it will gain most exposure to their target market. They're witty, they're fun and they're designed to get your attention. One context that is particularly rare in Super Bowl advertising is good parenting. Last year for the 2011 Super Bowl VW launched a campaign in which a child's imagination was nourished by his parents.

When I was a child there was camping under sheets that were propped by chairs, lounges, beds, washing baskets...anything we could get our hands on. The linen cupboard was left bare and my Mother only supported our fortress, as long as we cleaned it up afterwards. We even had a secret code to enter. Yes, it was that serious. That was the 80's. In 2011, I see things have changed for kids, but the good parenting remains. This makes my heart warm. I don't want to give the element of surprise away; I'm too crafty for that. So watch the film and give it up for awesome parents everywhere nourishing their child's imagination, in whatever form that may be.

Dr. King

August 28th, 1963 was a brilliant day in world history. This film shows Dr Martin Luther King leading men and women of all colors, races and backgrounds, linking arms, walking together to secure a different future for themselves and their children; a future of "riches of freedom and the security of justice". 

Today is Martin Luther King day in the United States. What an important day it is.