What Happened to the Miller Highlife 1 second Super Bowl Commercials?

              I remember for about a month or two before last years Super Bowl between the Colts and the Saints the Miller Brewing Co. broadcasted tons of Miller Highlife commercials announcing their plans to broadcast 1 second commercials during the Super Bowl. The pre-superbowl commercials were hilarious and really got my attention, as well as informed me to keep a look out for the quick one second clips during the Super Bowl. I thought this marketing strategy was absolutley brilliant.
              By creating 1 second commercials to broadcast during the superbowl, Miller Brewing Co. was able to broadcast 30 times the amount of commercials throughout the superbowl as a company that spend $2-3 million to broadcast one 30 second ad. However, a 1 second commercial happens way to fast to notice and would not be effective at all if it were not for the pre-superbowl commercials. By creating the 30 second pre-superbowl  ad that they were able to broadcast at normal advertising rates rather than the outrageous Super Bowl premiums they were able to effectively advertise, and they were able to inform their audience to keep a look out for the upcoming 1 second clips. This, in turn, caused millions of  people like me who saw the pre-superbowl ads to think about Miller Highlife even while other commercials were playing because I was constantly on the look out for the one second blurbs.

Here is one of the pre-game ads -->

          

 I thought this marketing strategy was absolutley genious, however neither Miller, nor any other firm tried this strategy this year. What do you think? Is this a good marketing strategy?

Response to Abbys Superbowl Car Ad Post

I would agree with Abby that car companies (along with beer companies) have the most competition when it comes to advertising during the superbowl. It seemed as though every other commercial during the superbowl was either for a car or a light beer. I would also agree that the Volkswagen commercial was one of the funnier commercials of the night (and the doritos commercial with the little pug who breaks down the door). However, I would disagree that spending $2-3 million on a 30 second slot is a waste of money for these companies. Over 100 million televisions tuned into the superbowl this year which means well over 100 million people watched the super bowl this year (no one watches the superbowl alone). Also, unlike any other telvision broadcast, these 100+ million viewers usually dont tune out during these ads due to the reputation of superbowl commercials. Even though $3 million seems like a lot of money, being able to get your message out to so many people so quickly is very cost efficient. For example, if you compare the $2-3 million expense for the 30 second slot during the superbowl to the time and money needed to hand out 100 million volkswagen fliers, the commercial is much mroe efficient both cost wise and time wise. However, I would still agree with yotu that 3 million dollars for 30 seconds worth of promotion is a bit ridiculous.

The Facebook Marketing Strategy

            With the Academy awards just around the corner, I figured I would talk about the inspiration behind one of the nominees for Best Picture,cThe Social Network. In less than ten years the social networking site known as Facebook has become one of the most popular websites for all ages all over the world. After seeing the film the other day it is easy to see why facebook has avheived the worlwide success that they have in such a short period of time. The marketing strategies used to promote facebook, even in its earliest stages were second to none. CEO and founder of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg knew exactly what his product was, who it would attract, and how to attract them to it.
           Facebook is now a site that is available for use by any and everyone who wants to be a part of it, however this was not always the case. The core competency of Facebook was orginally exlusivity.The original marketing strategy was to offer the site to the select group of college students who attended Harvard University (like founder Mark Zuckerberg), and outsiders were only welcomed if they were invited by a Harvard student. This idea of exclusivity was what originally drove Facebooks marketing plan, because as we know, we all want what we cant have.
           However, the sites pupularity grew so fast that the founders of facebook quickly started to expand to other Ivy League schools and soon to all colleges around the country until facebook was the IT thing to have for any college student because it offered them constant updates and info as to what was going on in their social lives. In the film The Social Network they site excellent marketing strategies that the founders of the site used. For example, in one scene they discuss how they wanted to get their site onto a certain campus in Texas, however they already had their own social networking site. So, their plan was to promote facebook to every scool within 100 miles of their target school. This, in turn, would create word of mouth between the outside schools and the target school that would make the students need facebook. This is a brilliant marketing strategy that pushes the intial idea of exclusivity even if the site is no longer exclusive. Whether or not this account is factual is an entirley different story.
             Facebook, through excellent marketing techniques was able to expand from one school and one age group, to a site that is used by over 500,000,000 people  of all ages across over 100 countries, and has virtually revolutionized the way we interact and keep in touch with people. Now facebook also offers one of the most revolutionary techniques for other firms to advertise their products on the site. Facebook has developed algorthms that match peoples preferences, likes, and dislikes that are cited on their facebook page with products that are being advertised on the site. Now firms are able to much more easily and effectivley reach their target markets. However, there has been some controversy about this strategy, claiming that it is an invasion of privacy and should not be allowed by facebook. What do you think, invasion of privacy or simply good business?

Response To Doug Sacks Week 2 Post

I would definatley agree with Dougs point that using the marketing mix forces you to come up with a plan of attack as well as helps you figure out your strengths and weaknesses. It is crucial to be able to highlight your strengths as much as possible as well as work around your weaknesses while in a job interview. I also agree with Dougs take on pricing. It is definatley important not to undersell yourself, but at the same time it might not hurt to be willing to settle for less pay when there is more competition, especially in times like theses in which job competition is the highest it has been in years. If the employer is viewed as a consumer of you, it would make sense that he or she would be looking for the lowest prices.

Marketing Myself Using the Four Ps

       The four variables of marketing can not only be applied to a firm trying to promote a product, service, or idea, but also an individual that is trying to promote themselves to potential employers. As we discussed in class, the four main aspects of marketing can be summarized as Product, Place, Promotion, and Price. My goal upon graduation of college is to get into to music entertainment management. So how will I apply the four Ps of marketing to my attempts at getting a job in this industry upon graduation?
        The first variable of marketing is product. This describes how a firm must distinguish their product, service, or idea from the rest of the competition. In a traditional product marketing setting this would be characterstics such as the quality, size, style, or quantity of a product. In job application setting such as mine I would have to differentiate myself individually from others applying for the same position. I would site things such as my education in business management, my knowledge of music from all genres and eras, my experience managaing/booking a loacal band in my hometown, as well as other managmenet skills that i have aquired over the years.
         The second P, Place (or distribution) refers to where, in terms of location and coverage, a firm will market their product. For example, Burton Snowboards Inc. probably does not spend a large portion of their marketing budget in places like Florida and Texas, but rather Colorado and Vermont. For my situation, I will look to apply for postitions in large cities, such as New York and Boston, where there are large talent agencies, lots of music venues and recording studios, and most importantly tons of undiscovered bands and other talent.
           Third is Promotion. This refers to any activity used to inform the potential consumer about the organization and the products they offer. For a firm this might come in the form of T.V. and radio advertising, viral marketing and PR. In a job search setting promotion usually comes in the form of a resume or a portfolio with work experience, education, and references. Promotion is, in my opinon, the most important part of marketing both a firm and their products, as well as an individual looking for a job.
           Finally, the Price aspect of marketing is, for the consumers, probably the most important aspect of marketing. In a traditional setting consumers are constantly searching for the lowest prices available. In a job setting this is perhaps a college students biggest advantage. A college student, though he may not have as much experience as other competitors, he is probably willing to work for a much lower price than the older applicants.
           The four Ps of marketing for a firms product to its customers can easily be transferred to the concept of marketing yourself to employers. It is a very useful way of thinking about it.

In Response to Erik

       I agree with Eric and his take on marketing vs. advertising vs. propoganda. I would agree that advertising and propoganda would fall under the promoting aspect of the overall series of actions that is marketing as a whole. I also agree with Eriks point that while propoganda is, more often than not used to spread lies against an opponent, it can also be a legitmate and positive form of marketing. Propoganda is a good tool to evoke strong feelings about something which can be very useful in terms of marketing. The terms advertising and propoganda fall under the broader umbrella of marketing.

Marketing, Advertising, and Propaganda

          I would have to say the main difference between marketing, advertising and propoganda is the purpose of each of the terms. In all three instances, the goal is to convince the audience of something. The difference, however, is what exactly your are trying to convince the audience of.
          I think the goal of marketing is an attempt to sell something to your audience. Whether it be a product, a service, or something else, the goal of marketing is to convince the audience that your product or service is better than anyone else in your specific market. For example, if you were trying to sell a car  you would "market" the car on t.v., magazines, etc.and tell the audience all the positive aspects of the car and why it is the best choice for anyone currently in the market for a new car.
          The term advertising on the other hand is similar to marketing, however it is not necessarily an attempt to profit financially from selling a good or service. Advertising can simply be means of making an audience more aware of something that they may not have been aware of before they saw your advertisement. For example, the "Above the Influence" advertisements that encourage kids to say "no" to drugs are not an attempt to sell anything to its audience but rather to convince them of the dangers of drugs.
           Finally, while advertising and marketing attempt to convince an audience that what they have to say is right, the goal of propaganda is to convince the audience that what the opponent or enemy has to say is wrong. Propaganda, is often false and an attempt to bring a negative image of an enemy or opponent to the audience. For example, the Nazi regime used propaganda to convince the public that the Jewish community was the enemy and needed to be destroyed.
         While the goals of all three terms is to convince an audience of something, the difference comes in what the audience is being convinced of.