Advertising as Buzz
Sometimes advertising itself can spread buzz.Ads like “Kya aap close up karte hain” and “Pappu paas ho gaya” get people talking.
What about ads that masquerade the product? An ad can hardly enjoy the credibility of buzz however an ad can gain some credibility by successfully mimicking a tone used among friends or brining the friends themselves in the advertisements to give testimonials. In the end creating buzz is all about authencity
ETHICS IN BUZZ MARKETING - SONY ERICSSON
That Guy Showing Off His Hot New Phone May Be a Shill --- New Campaign for Sony Ericsson Puts Actors in Real-Life Settings
The U.S. arm of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. took "buzz" marketing to a new level. Its goal: To get consumers to pay attention to the new T68i, a mobile phone that can double as a digital camera.
THE CAMPAIGN
FAKE TOURISTS
In one initiative, dubbed Fake Tourist, 60 trained actors and actresses haunted tourist attractions such as the Empire State Building in New York and the Space Needle in Seattle. Working in teams of two or three and behaving like tourists, the actors and actresses will ask unsuspecting passersby to take their pictures.
Presto: Instant product demonstrations.
HIRED MODELS IN LOUNGES AND BARS
A second stunt involved the use of "leaners"—60 actresses and female models with extensive training in the phone’s features that frequented trendy lounges and bars without telling the establishments what they’re up to. The women are got scripted scenarios designed to help them engage strangers in conversation. One involves having an actress’s phone ring while she’s in the bar—and having the caller’s picture pop up on the screen. In another scenario, two women sit at opposite ends of the bar playing an interactive version of the Battleship game on their phones.
Other BUZZ initiatives
One involves "Phone Finds," in which the company will place dummy phones around cities so that consumers can accidentally stumble on them. The screen on the phone will direct the finders to a special Web site, where they will be able to enter a contest to win a free phone. The new phone with camera attachment, priced between $300 and $400, will hit stores next week.
ETHICAL OR UNETHICAL?
So far, so good. But do the actors then identify themselves as working on behalf of Sony Ericsson? Not if they can help it. The idea is to have onlookers think they’ve stumbled onto a hot new product. Sony Ericsson, which plans to spend $5 million on the 60-day marketing campaign said it’s all in good fun and just an effort to get people talking.
CONSUMER’S TAKE:
Consumer activists, though, weren’t amused. "It’s deceptive," said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a nonprofit organization founded by consumer activist Ralph Nader, when told about the campaign. "People will be fooled into thinking this is honest buzz."
MARKETER’S TAKE:
Even marketing executives disapproved. "It is reprehensible and desperate," says Paul MacFarlane, co-owner of the Experiment, a small ad firm in St.Louis, which has done work for Southwestern Bell and Anheuser-Busch. "They are trying to fabricate something that should be natural."
SONY ERICSSON’S JUSTIFICATION:
Sony Ericsson responded that most consumers wouldn’t be offended. "How many times do people that you don’t know come up to you and talk to you?" asks Jon Maron, director of marketing
communications at Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson of Sweden and Sony Corp. of Japan. "It’s very natural, especially in a club or restaurant." He adds that the actors will confess that they work for the company if they are asked directly.
Peter Groome, president of Omnicom Group Inc.’s Fathom Communications, the marketing firm that created the plan, also defends the tactics. He insists that the campaign isn’t "undercover" selling because the actors will simply demonstrate the product, not give a sales pitch.
Sometimes advertising itself can spread buzz.Ads like “Kya aap close up karte hain” and “Pappu paas ho gaya” get people talking.
What about ads that masquerade the product? An ad can hardly enjoy the credibility of buzz however an ad can gain some credibility by successfully mimicking a tone used among friends or brining the friends themselves in the advertisements to give testimonials. In the end creating buzz is all about authencity
ETHICS IN BUZZ MARKETING - SONY ERICSSON
That Guy Showing Off His Hot New Phone May Be a Shill --- New Campaign for Sony Ericsson Puts Actors in Real-Life Settings
The U.S. arm of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. took "buzz" marketing to a new level. Its goal: To get consumers to pay attention to the new T68i, a mobile phone that can double as a digital camera.
THE CAMPAIGN
FAKE TOURISTS
In one initiative, dubbed Fake Tourist, 60 trained actors and actresses haunted tourist attractions such as the Empire State Building in New York and the Space Needle in Seattle. Working in teams of two or three and behaving like tourists, the actors and actresses will ask unsuspecting passersby to take their pictures.
Presto: Instant product demonstrations.
HIRED MODELS IN LOUNGES AND BARS
A second stunt involved the use of "leaners"—60 actresses and female models with extensive training in the phone’s features that frequented trendy lounges and bars without telling the establishments what they’re up to. The women are got scripted scenarios designed to help them engage strangers in conversation. One involves having an actress’s phone ring while she’s in the bar—and having the caller’s picture pop up on the screen. In another scenario, two women sit at opposite ends of the bar playing an interactive version of the Battleship game on their phones.
Other BUZZ initiatives
One involves "Phone Finds," in which the company will place dummy phones around cities so that consumers can accidentally stumble on them. The screen on the phone will direct the finders to a special Web site, where they will be able to enter a contest to win a free phone. The new phone with camera attachment, priced between $300 and $400, will hit stores next week.
ETHICAL OR UNETHICAL?
So far, so good. But do the actors then identify themselves as working on behalf of Sony Ericsson? Not if they can help it. The idea is to have onlookers think they’ve stumbled onto a hot new product. Sony Ericsson, which plans to spend $5 million on the 60-day marketing campaign said it’s all in good fun and just an effort to get people talking.
CONSUMER’S TAKE:
Consumer activists, though, weren’t amused. "It’s deceptive," said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, a nonprofit organization founded by consumer activist Ralph Nader, when told about the campaign. "People will be fooled into thinking this is honest buzz."
MARKETER’S TAKE:
Even marketing executives disapproved. "It is reprehensible and desperate," says Paul MacFarlane, co-owner of the Experiment, a small ad firm in St.Louis, which has done work for Southwestern Bell and Anheuser-Busch. "They are trying to fabricate something that should be natural."
SONY ERICSSON’S JUSTIFICATION:
Sony Ericsson responded that most consumers wouldn’t be offended. "How many times do people that you don’t know come up to you and talk to you?" asks Jon Maron, director of marketing
communications at Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson of Sweden and Sony Corp. of Japan. "It’s very natural, especially in a club or restaurant." He adds that the actors will confess that they work for the company if they are asked directly.
Peter Groome, president of Omnicom Group Inc.’s Fathom Communications, the marketing firm that created the plan, also defends the tactics. He insists that the campaign isn’t "undercover" selling because the actors will simply demonstrate the product, not give a sales pitch.