How Virtual Reality (VR) has changed the way we view the world

Posted on by Anonymous

Have you ever wanted to walk through the Amazon? Hike the Everest? Explore the Taj Mahal? BUT felt it was too expensive, or wanted to know what it was really like before making the trip out? Well now you can!

In this digital era, we have gone from physically traveling to a location to experiencing it in the comfort of our own homes through the power of Virtual Reality (VR).

What is VR?

A simpler version is to say that VR is “near-realty” and, with the right gear, can mock any environment of your choosing and allow you to interact with the imagery.

How is it currently being used?

There are so many ways VR is being used in today’s world. The most important one, and the one that comes to everyone’s mind is of course, gaming. VR in gaming allows for a truly immersive experience for players and allows users to teleport into a whole new world. Another main form of VR is in the healthcare industry, where institutions are using this technology for enhanced diagnosis and treatment. In addition, VR is being used in the following industries and more:

  • Automotive
  • Military
  • Education
  • Space

Similar to all things, VR has advantages and disadvantages to the technology. These differ based on what industry is using VR and how it’s being used, but there are some general pros and cons to be discussed.

What are some advantages of VR?

The first, and most obvious one is of course that VR creates immersive experiences. This allows for those who might be unable to take too many trips to explore areas of the world without leaving the comfort of their homes.

Beyond the use of immersive experiences, VR also has the chance to change the way we live our lives. For one, it can help individuals face their fears. Imagine being afraid of heights, and using the technology to stand on top of a cliff and look down. When I had first tried a headset on, it had the experience of a rollercoaster, and I was terrified. I am deathly afraid of rollercoasters, but what it made me think of was if I had one at home, I can start small and work my way up to getting over my fear. This can be used for many fears: heights, skydiving, scuba diving, etc.

This technology can be used in the mental health space. There has been a lot written about the use of VR for exposure therapy. It can provide people with a safe way to face their trauma and move on. In addition to a safe space, VR also allows for a controlled environment to slowly immerse yourself.

What are some disadvantages of VR?

Though there are a few disadvantages to VR, they all roll up into main issue: these experiences (as great as they are), are not real. We have already seen an increase in mental health issues and loneliness that have sprouted from the digital era. VR is only set to exasperate this. Not only are these experiences not real, they are conducted alone. This only leads to an increase in loneliness, because now, there is no reason to go into the real world and make deeper connections. We know the importance of building relationships, and this is in turmoil due to technology.

Should we all be using VR in marketing?

It truly depends. Similar to when we say that all platforms should not be used in every campaign, only the ones most relevant to your audience, VR should only be used if it enhances customer experience (CX). If it is used as a gimmick because it is innovative, you might be see a bump in traffic and awareness, but not ROI. When VR is used to better a marketing strategy and is relevant to your audience, that is when there will be an increase in ROI. For example, if you are in the tourism industry, it definitely makes sense to use VR technology to showcase various experiences to clients. However, if you are a wedding venue, you want to stay away from this. As a venue, you want to be able to have a great sales person that sells an individual on the location, not leave it up to chance that the person might come in for a showing after viewing a virtual tour.

Go forth and view the world a little differently with VR!

As marketers, should we trust big data more than our intuition?

Posted on by Anonymous

Notes from video below:

To understand the balance of data vs. intuition, it is important to start at the beginning.

What does data do?

  1. Marketing is all about understanding the consumer.
  2. Shifted from using psychology to make assumptions on human behavior to big data.
  3. Data is pulled directly from how consumers are interacting online. We know exactly how they find content and if they resonate with it or not.
  4. This is happening whether we like it or not. By 2020, more than 50 billion smart connected devices will be collecting data.

Positives of data:

  1. Information that is gathered online helps brands provide the best experience for their consumers, whether it is an optimized website or a more personalized email.
  2. All forms of data helps companies understand what customers like and what they don’t like.
  3. Data is a great way for marketers to justify budget allocations to the higher ups. When someone from c-suite asks about why you’re putting all your money into Facebook ads, you can show them exactly why.
  4. It also helps marketers optimize their budgets. As Peter Drucker said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Data helps you understand what is working and what’s not working.

Limitations of data:

  1. Bias plays a part in the limitation of data. As Neil Patel writes on his blog, this is because of survivorship bias.
  2. In addition, there is a lack of human emotion. Yes, it’s great to see that your Facebook ad is working, but data only tells you WHAT is working, not WHY it’s working.
  3. The WHY is key to understanding human behavior. Marketers still need to flex their intuition because data will never tell you the whole story.
  4. To be a truly impactful marketer, you will need to be able to interpret data to gain insight into the direction you should take but traditional marketing research techniques combined with your intuition also play a key role.

Final thoughts:

Even though we live in the age of data, there needs to be a balance between numbers and intuition. To be impactful in the world of marketing, you need to understand the what and the why. As data helps support what is working, your intuition will help with the why. You cannot have one without the other. It is key to be able to flex both skill sets and be adaptable as the world of data is constantly changing.

To make money, you have to spend money: Importance of website design and UX

Posted on by Anonymous

As I mentioned in my previous post, Why learning about fascination is the first step in self-awareness, our attention spans are not shrinking, but becoming more selective. It is now, more than ever, important for brands to ensure their digital footprint is optimized for today’s world.

The importance of websites has increased exponentially, and it is key for marketers to understand why. Let’s take a look at some reasons we should care about website design and UX:

importance of website design and user experience (UX)
Download the PDF version with clickable linksDownload

Website design and UX play a key role in keeping users on your page longer. This is key, especially for e-commerce brands, whose revenues are tied to their online business. Even though social media is the new, hot thing, it is important to not forget about your website. It is the one thing you own. Other platforms control your social media handles and can go away at any time, but your website is the one place consumers know to go regardless of what may happen.

Revisit your website, spend some money, make a lot of money.

The hidden benefits of sharing your data that law makers don’t talk about

Posted on by Anonymous

Imagine walking into a mall – one where every store is your favorite. Everywhere you look, all you see are brands you love that are stocked with the products you desire. Doesn’t this sound magical?

Well, this is exactly what companies are trying to do online. They are using behavioral data from users to personalize shopping experiences, and though it might sound surprising, around 63% of people want personalized experiences and are willing to share data in exchange for benefits. At first glance, this all sounds great. So why are people so fearful in this age of data? Because of privacy. Do we really have privacy? What do brands know about us? They have this data, but now what?

https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2016/12/consumers-want-more-personalized-marketing

Let’s take this step by step:

  • What do companies know about us?
  • What do they do with that information?
  • Is it fair that companies make money on an individual’s data?

What do companies know about us?

It’s normal to be afraid of what companies know about us. This can feel like an invasion of privacy. One thing to keep in mind when thinking about the data companies know is the concept of grouping. Individual data (also known as personally identifiable information) is not known. This information can include: name, address, phone number, date of birth, etc. When companies gather data, legally of course, they gather behavioral information from, what other pages you visited, to your search habits and more and then assign you a random number to keep it anonymous.

This is only taking into account what analytics platforms capture when you are on the internet. If you voluntary opt-in to platforms, such as email and/or social media, those companies will of course have your name, email address and/or your phone number.

Yes, it can seem creepy, but it’s important to keep in mind that unless you actually give someone your information, companies can’t legally collect anything that is identifiable. Now, the real question that comes into play is, what do they do with that information?

What do they do with that information?

Companies use the data they have to:

  • Better customer experience: Using information directly from the consumers allows companies to monitor feedback, analyze what products are working and keep a dynamic product strategy to better serve customers.
  • Enhance marketing strategy: Understanding the customer journey can help companies find consumers exactly where they are. This provides the experience of personalized shopping for consumers.

We have heard again and again that ads can be pretty annoying. Platforms like Facebook make it pretty easy to choose not to see ads that aren’t relevant.

Is it fair that companies make money on an individual’s data?

This is a pretty gray area, and there is not one right answer. On one side, you can argue that consumers are voluntarily going on these sites. Companies are letting users know as soon as they enter the site that they are tracking cookies. So isn’t this fair? Users know what they are getting themselves into, and companies are only using non-personal data to provide more personalized experiences for consumers, which they state they want. How can we expect companies to get personalized without giving away any data? You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Now, let’s talk about the other side. One can argue that this becomes unfair to mom and pop shops, who can’t afford the advertising budget of a Macy’s. There is no free competition because the internet is no longer an option. Everyone is on it, and everyone must compete on it. It can be said that small companies start off at a disadvantage because they can’t compete with larger firms.

Though there are arguments for both sides of the case on whether it is fair or not that companies make money on individual’s data, I believe that it is fair, as long as it is done legally. As mentioned in the article, there is a large percentage of those who are willing to trade in personal data for personalization.

Why should it be considered unfair that a for-profit company is making money on data that you as a consumer are voluntarily providing?

Sexism keeps on ticking as Mariner Watches releases their new social media ads

Posted on by Anonymous

It’s 2019, and we are still seeing sexist ads. Come on brands, be better.

If not for moral or ethical reasons, at least keep in mind that just deleting does not work – anything posted online follows you around forever in the form of screenshots. This is exactly what happened with the “luxury” watch company, Mariner Watches on the weekend of March 4th, 2020.

The campaign:

Mariner Watches was blasted on social media for 3 sexist ads (not only sexist, but images with tones of violence towards women) a few weeks ago.

  • The first shows a man holding a woman’s neck while pouring whiskey down her throat with the caption, “Like whiskey and a beautiful woman, timepieces demand appreciation, you gaze first and then indulge!!”
  • The second ad shows a barely awake woman with a hand around her neck with the caption, “Elegance is good taste plus a dash of daring!”
  • The third ad shows 2 women and 1 man, where one woman is completely passed out, with the caption, “Fridays are for _____ (fill in the blank.”

How did they react?

After people took to Twitter and Instagram, the company removed both their accounts and took down their website for maintenance. In addition, they also went to Facebook to issue an “apology.” I have the word apology in air quotes, because that is the best way to talk about the letter that we all know was not sincere.

The letter only managed to bring forward more issues about the company than resolve anything:

  1. It started by blaming the incident on a 3rd party seller. This calls to question why Mariner does not have better control over the content that is posted on their official accounts. Does everyone who sells these watches have access to post anything they want?
  2. Then, it went on to say, “We recognize that some of our followers found these pictures offensive.” Only SOME followers had an issue with these images? There is nothing about this image that would have caused only some people to complain.
  3. If the above weren’t bad enough, once trolls started commenting on the facebook post that anyone who found this offensive were just “prudish women who need to get laid” and calling them “feminazis,” Mariner went ahead and liked these comments. Can we take a minute to let the hypocrisy sink in? That’s right, this brand liked sexist comments on their apology for releasing sexist ads.

Could it have been handled better?

The short and simple answer: yes. There are two simple ways this situation could have either been avoided, or at least handled better once it happened.

  1. Have better oversight in the company over ALL content and be careful of posting permissions. This could have prevented something like this from ever happening.
  2. If this situation did arise, just own up to it. You messed up. Apologize and find a way to make up for it and move forward.

There are a lot of people who in this situation would wonder, who’s really responsible for this stuff – marketing or PR? As much as I would like to say that everyone in the company should have an eye out for this, and the CEO should be setting a culture where this would never happen, the marketing team is really the first line of defense. Social media and content falls under their purview in most firms, while PR should be dealing with the aftermath – or in this case, the apology.

Before we can dismiss this as just another failed campaign or sexist company, we have to consider the other side. Just for fun, let’s play devil’s advocate. Mariner Watches is a small, unknown company. To stand out, could they have taken advantage of the controversial topics in the world to gain publicity? Yes, it is bad PR, but maybe they want to capitalize on the people who will still buy their products, make some fast money, then try to make a comeback after this blows over. Is it not at all possible that this company was just trying to get its name known? With all this in mind, the one thing I have to say to all consumers is: Do your research before buying online. This campaign has brought up questions on if this brand is even real and it draws out concerns around online shopping and scams.

Consumers, stay vigilant!

Multicultural marketing is not a trend, it’s the new norm

Posted on by Anonymous

Who run the world? Girls!

Now, maybe this is just a Beyonce song lyric, but it is not too far from the truth because women’s buying power/influence drives 70%-80% of consumer purchases. Not only do women have more power in the market, but there has been a significant increase in minority groups’ buying power that cannot be ignored.

As Content Marketing Institute (CMI) writes, minority consumer markets are growing faster than the white consumer market. With this is mind, it is now, more than ever, important for brands to ensure they keep a multicultural mindset when creating content. This article dives into 3 key ways all companies can achieve this diverse mindset:  

  1. Remember these are real people, not just facts and numbers
  2. Meet them where they are
  3. Get outside help if needed

Remember these are real people

Though we live in the age of data, the number one thing all marketers need to remember is that there are real people behind the numbers and demographics. They all come from not only different ethnicities, but varying backgrounds and experiences that helped shape their values and beliefs. As the article states, the best way to do this is to explore what makes everyone human – dive into their core beliefs, find what makes your target audience similar, then expand into the nuances.

Though this is stated as a strategy, this article doesn’t do a deep dive into how companies can actually implement this idea. When it comes to understanding exactly who your audience is, I still believe in the tried and trued way – asking them. Find who your target audience is, and create a plan to survey them. This can be done in the form of online surveys, focus groups (which is my personal favorite because you can read emotions on faces in person), etc. Brainstorming in a closed environment is not enough to learn about real people and their core values. Brands can use this information to then create buyer personas and start exploring the groups within their larger target audience.  

Meet them where they are

Coming to an understanding of who your audience is generally not enough by itself. The next step is to gain insight into their decision making process, as this is how and why they will buy your product. Using the methods I listed before (surveys, focus groups, etc.), companies can learn the following about their target audience (and so much more):

  • What problems are they trying to solve?
  • What emotional triggers pushes them towards a certain product/brand?
  • Who in the household makes the decision? Who actually purchases?

Decision makers can vary from culture to culture, along with who also ends up making the purchase. It is important for brands to understand if there is a different person who they are targeting to sell to vs. who is buying.

Get outside help if needed

To avoid a potentially offensive campaign, the article states to start by bringing in a diverse team of input which I wholeheartedly agree with. It is always important to have diverse thought, especially for content meant for the public. However, it is not enough to just have diverse thought because this does not ensure you have captured the entire target audience. Individuals can be diverse, and still have varying beliefs from your audience. For example, as an Indian girl who grew up in NJ, I am not enough to capture the beliefs of girls from NJ or even Indian girls from NJ because we have all grown up differently. The best strategy is always to be in constant conversation with your actual target and test with a small group, if possible. Testing any major content against your consumers will get approval or feedback straight from them that can be taken back to the company. This can help brands hedge against the content they are putting into public eye.

Overall, the article is great in reminding us the importance of having multicultural marketing be the new norm. However, I feel that that there was no deep dive into actual strategies and implementation tactics for application. The points brought up and discussed were very high-level strategies of what brands should already be doing for marketing in general. Individuals cannot read this article and walk away with a clear game plan on how to implement a multicultural mindset for their teams.

The Oh She Glows app satisfies those looking for vegan recipes

Posted on by Anonymous

The average American spends around 86% of the time on their phone on apps, which is only a little under 2 hours! It has become crucial for businesses to consider moving past having a mobile-friendly sites and potentially creating an app. Similar to websites, apps must be created with the customer journey in mind.

In this post, I will be walking through the ever popular, Oh She Glows app. This brand started as a vegan food blog and has evolved into an empire and the founder, Angela felt creating an app was the next step for her community.

When it comes to looking at apps from a customer acquisition point of view, you want to look at anything front-facing that the customer directly interacts with. You can audit an app using these categories:

  • Aesthetics
  • User experience
  • Business case/path to purchase

Aesthetics

When it comes to food, it all comes down to aesthetics. For food bloggers, on both website and social, the first goal is to make their images as appetizing as possible. Who is going to go ahead and look at your recipes if the pictures of the food don’t make someone want to try it out? The app, Oh She Glows, does a great job of showcasing crisp, beautiful imagery of her recipes and food. From when you first open the app, all the way through to the recipe, the design stays consistent. It is clean, minimalistic and puts all its focus on the food – which is really why people are there! This simple design, that is reflective of the brand personality from the website, makes this app such a pleasure to use, as it allows you to browse recipes without unnecessary features. An easy to use app lets the user feel that you have kept their needs in mind and will build a loyal customer base, thus positively affecting customer acquisition strategy.

UX (user experience)

The number one reason to download this app? Its content. There are so many great recipes on this app to help anyone looking for vegan recipes (quick and easy all the way to more advanced recipes). This app, like the website, makes it easy to filter by the type of recipe (breakfast, main entree, side, etc.), dietary restrictions, season, budget-friendly, and so many more.

One innovative aspect in this app I have not seen anywhere else is the ability to cross of ingredients in a recipe. I know that sometimes when I am cooking, there is so much going on that you can forget what you have already added in. This feature allows you to click and cross off ingredients so you can easily keep track! This sealed the deal for me because it goes beyond the functionality of any regular recipe blog. Oh She Glows took notice of an issue the user can face in real-time and created a solution. UX is all about making it easier for the consumer to not only go through the app, but ensures it is convenient when using everyday.  

Business case

Not every brand needs an app (even though it seems like everyone is creating an app nowadays). There has to be a business case for it, and there definitely is one for Oh She Glows. When it comes to recipes, users pull them up on their phone while in the kitchen. It is much more convenient to open an app and go to favorites, rather than opening a browser and keeping tabs open with recipes. With its easy navigation and visual appeal, this app is one that users will keep on their phone for convenient access to tons of plant-based recipes and is definitely worth the space on your phone! Because there is a business reason, this app helps customer acquisition strategy for Oh She Glows by creating a loyal base on another platform.

As a brand, the key thing to keep in mind is: just because everyone is creating an app does not mean your business needs one. It is important to first think about the user journey and determine if an app is necessary and if so, then think through the aesthetics and user experience.

Now, who’s hungry?

4 ways Califia Farms created a “churn-free” website

Posted on by Anonymous

Websites can make or break a business. To build a successful brand, you will need a loyal following and trust and both of these are built over time with the use of a website. The past few years, we have seen an increase in the importance of UX (user experience). Having a great UX for consumers only works in a company’s favor – a Forrester study shows that having a good UX design can boost conversion rates by 400%!

As someone currently transitioning into a plant based diet, I decided to take a look at the website of a brand I have been keeping an eye on for my almond milk, Califia Farms.

When conducting an audit, there are 4 main categories to assess:

  • Design/Aesthetics
  • Content
  • Mobile-First 
  • Path to purchase

Design

The second the webpage loads, you can instantly get a feel for the personality of the brand. Califia is young, fun and vegan! Both the website and packaging reflect the brand image through the use of whitespace and minimalistic appeal. The placement of the various products creates an aesthetically pleasing site that places an emphasis on the milk they are selling, and not overwhelming the users with colors and patterns. The copy is pretty standard, but can be fun at times on the website when it pays homage to being dairy-free (ex: one image states “milk sans moo”). Though the website is not innovative by any means, Califia focuses all their attention on a simple, clean website that creates an easy path to purchase!

Content

Content is key (yes, even for e-commerce)! With the large shift into plant-based diets, there is so much information on the internet about what to eat, what not to eat, how to make the transition, etc. Companies have an opportunity to capitalize on this movement and provide information for their target audience to build trust and loyalty. In addition to vegan recipes, Califia Farms has also started including tips on living the vegan lifestyle, which is very motivating to see!

Brands need to keep elements of fascination in mind while creating their website (see earlier post on importance of fascination). Califia Farms does this is 2 ways:

  • Trust: For full transparency, Califia Farms includes nutritional and ingredient information on product pages along with all reviews (yes, even the bad ones).  
  • Passion: To showcase their passion for the vegan lifestyle, this brand has a great About Us section, filled with history behind the company and the name.

Mobile-First 

In today’s digital age, brands need to adopt a mobile-first strategy, not mobile-friendly. With on the go shoppers, you want to capture your audience that is researching on mobile devices. I was not able to click through the mobile version of the website because every few seconds on the homepage, it would automatically scroll to the bottom (I tried this both on my iPhone and a colleague’s android). Though the rest of the website might be fine, I was instantly turned off and did not want to stay. This is definitely an area of improvement for Califia Farms and should be a key focus because consumers research brands while in store and this could have easily shifted a purchase to another brand!

Path to purchase

The Califia Farms website was built to sell, which becomes clear from the heirarchy of the navigation and the numerous amounts of CTA’s (call-to-actions) posted just on the homepage alone. There are not many clicks before the user can purchase (Homepage > Product > Cart), and this minimizes the times a consumer will leave the funnel before completing the sale. This website makes it very easy to convert users and has designed this site with the purpose of sales in mind!

Overall, Califia Farms has a wonderful desktop website that allowed me to purchase a product easily, and kept me interested and engaged through its content. However, with a large focus on mobile, this brand will need to up its game in responsive design to make it easier for shoppers on the go! When creating a website, remember: it’s all about the user! When you keep this in mind, loyalty and trust follow.

Comment below and let me know of your favorite websites and why!

Why learning about fascination is the first step in self-awareness!

Posted on by Anonymous

When was the last time you remember paying attention to an ad or blog post for more than a few seconds (well, hopefully this doesn’t fall into that category)?

That is where the intersection of marketing and fascination plays a key role. As seen on the How to Fascinate website, “Fascination is a neurological state of intense focus, one that creates an irresistible feeling of engagement. It’s almost the same as falling in love.”

It has been said that as humans in this age of information, our attention spans are now shorter than a goldfish’s. However, seeing as I can easily sit down and binge watch a few seasons of Netflix, I refuse to believe that. I found my answer through a study done by Prezi – that our attention spans are not shrinking, they are evolving and becoming selective. It is now, more than ever, important for content to stand out, be compelling and more fascinating. With content that places individuals into a state of fascination, companies can capture the attention of their audience.

The same goes for people – What is fascinating about you? Why do people gravitate towards you? How do you play to your advantages to increase your influence? People can use this knowledge to help them network, gain influence and progress in their careers!

There are many different types of fascination, something Sally Hogshead (branding expert and author), dives into in her book, How the World Sees You. After reading how my fascination archetype helps me in my day to day, I went ahead and took her Fascination Advantage Personality Test. After answering the quick and painless 28 questions, you will receive your answers. In the results, you will see your:

  • Primary and secondary advantages: describe your most effective modes of communication where you come across as influential and most fascinating
  • Archetype: formed using your primary and secondary advantages
  • Dormant advantage: the one that holds the least amount of potential for you to be fascinating

My results:

When I received my results, my initial reaction was one of shock – mostly because Prestige sounded a bit snobby and obnoxious. However, as I read through the description of each advantage and the archetype, I saw how relevant they were. They described me perfectly! My archetype, The Connoisseur is someone who uses their high standard for details and excellence combined with their passion to influence those around them. After my initial excitement for taking an assessment to gain more insight into how I influence others, a few thoughts came to mind. The biggest being that the assessment is a bit biased. The goal is to find out how the world sees you, what they find most fascinating about you, yet you take the test for yourself. I started connecting my experience with brands and marketing.

Imagine you are Company A, who is thinking of their branding strategy. The key is not looking internally, but first focusing on what your consumers think. Brand perception is key! To understand how your company is viewed in the eyes of the consumer, who would you survey? The internal company or your consumers? That is where I felt a slight disconnect with this assessment. If this was about how everyone else sees me, and I answering my own questions, wouldn’t the answers reflect how I view myself?

While replaying my reaction to the results, I remembered that none of it seemed new to me. As I reflected, I realized that as someone who put a heavy focus on improving myself to becoming a successful entrepreneur, I went through a lot of self-reflection. As Forbes writes, self-awareness is crucial for entrepreneurs. I felt that this assessment is more geared to those who have not spent much time self-reflecting.

Sally Hogshead does a great job relaying the importance of fascination in her book and is definitely something I would recommend to those who are on the path of self-reflection. When it comes to the assessment though, it feels biased to answer your own questions. It can be a good start to those who are new to the workforce. Fascination is an extremely useful topic and should be explored by everyone, whether done informally or through a more formal assessment.

Did you take the assessment? Comment below with your personal experience!  

Olay tackles human emotion in #KillerSkin ad during the 2019 Super Bowl

Posted on by Anonymous

No matter how much we as humans believe in logic, it truly all does come down to one thing: Emotions. This is something we, as marketers, must take into account! As much data and insights we might have, people can be irrational, so though numbers can guide us, it all comes down to understanding human emotion.

We all strive to be part of a community and that sense of belonging comes from a shared interest or feeling. Content marketing is powerful when it evokes emotion, which in turn allows it to be shared authentically. We can pay to have content shared, but what use is impressions if people are not genuinely interested? The Super Bowl that occurred this past weekend is a prime example of brands tackling (HAH – pun intended) human emotion to entice people to share.

After watching the many commercials that get aired during this game, the one that drew me in the most was Olay’s #KillerSkin ad. The two words that come to mind when I think of Olay’s Super Bowl commercial are odd and funny. In between the noise of brands all competing to be seen during this time, playing it safe is not an option. That is exactly why this commercial stood out to me. If you have not seen it yet, see video below (or click here to watch Olay 2019 Super Bowl commercial), I HIGHLY recommend it!

From the beginning, this commercial built anticipation for the viewer (I genuinely thought this was going to be a horror film trailer), but quickly threw them off base through humor. As she states in the ad, it only took 28 days, and she looks so different that even Face ID could not recognize her. What started as a trailer to a slasher film, led to a bit of humor alongside a brand message of what Olay does for the skin.

In addition to tackling human emotion, Olay did a wonderful job when choosing the celebrity, Sarah Michelle Gellar. As someone who is widely known for her works such as, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, Gellar is a 90s queen that is extremely relatable to the Olay customer. As stated in this Forbes article, even just one endorsement (done properly) can show a 4% increase in sales. The Olay customer who would be using anti-aging products is in the same age group as the women who would have been watching Gellar back in the day!

Of all commercials, I absolutely loved that Olay was a prime example of push vs. pull marketing. Throughout the whole ad, you never felt that they were “pushing” a product onto you. You were able to engage with the story, where they showcase the brand of anti-aging products and that was it. Olay did not promote any specific product, and focused solely on engaging the audience through shareable content. In less than 10 days, the ad garnered over 16M views on YouTube, and the use of #KillerSkin has allowed Olay’s tribe to be a part of the conversation and share their own content. Olay wanted to ensure they spoke to their tribe of women who actively watch the Super Bowl. Though the Super Bowl was traditionally always thought of as a male dominant viewership, this could not be further from the truth. As TVision points out, women paid 26% more attention to the commercials than men, and typically account for nearly half of the NFL audience.

As Stephanie Robertson, Brand Director for Olay, stated, “Olay wants all women to be bold and empowered, and in a way, we’re doing just that, as a brand, by showing up in a place that is historically focused on men.” With this is mind, Olay and others have made a conscious effort to reach the underrepresented female audience!

Comment below and let me know your favorite Super Bowl commercial!