If It Fits, It Ships

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has done a terrific job of rebranding and reinventing their brand by promoting a flat-rate box to ship anywhere for a low flat rate.

Their philosophy changed on the way they do business was mainly due to the deficit the postal service was dealing with, and the economy. With competitors such as FEDEX and UPS all seeing an increase in revenue due to their service and price, the USPS had to do something since they were in debt. Their choice was to offer a flat-rate shipping box and it has helped.

Due to the struggling economy, many businesses and people are finding an alternative solution to ship their mail and packages by not spending out of their means or budget. The USPS just aided them with their product.

This relates to what we have discussed in class as a company/organization, especially a government organization, rebranding itself to compete and create awareness on their new product to help people ship mail and packages for one flat shipping rate. Their promotions have been simple, using a catchy tag line, and the products colors matching with the postal service colors.

Conan is back!

I love the commercials for the new Conan O'Brien Show on TBS. It's funny, catchy, and again, has a lot of humor in it.

Conan has been off the air for quite some time since his departure from NBC's, the Tonight Show. Since then, Conan has revamped his image, and of course, his brand, to persuade the newer, and older audience from the NBC network to follow him. His new shows are more raunchy, hip, and eye-popping as it will get your attention. Also, with a new campaign called TeamCoco, it's a YouTube channel and on his official site where the audience can view segments of his shows, as well as full clips of interviews, monologues, etc.

This relates to what we have been talking in class because since Conan left, nobody would thought he be back in the TV business. Since then, he changed his image, and revamped the brand to persuade both newer and older audience, as well as taking a different step on how the show will work. Revamping the brand and image can have rewards as well as ratings.

The New 4G Network

Recently, T-Mobile has upgraded and improved service and brand by offering a new, faster network, as well as expanding the phone catalog. By offering a new, faster network and broader option of phones, T-Mobile thinks and hopefully it will convince new consumers to sign up for their service as well as convince other network customers to switch over to their network.

T-Mobile just launched a TV commercial that is a spoof and spin-off of Apple's very own commercial on the iPhone. T-Mobile directly attacks the iPhone 4 and AT&T with an Apple's legendary "You're a PC and I'm a Mac" ad format. In the T-Mobile commercial, as shown below, it's similar as it has a white background shot, and characters resembling the products. The characters in the TMobile commercial are the new MyTouch 4G and the Apple iPhone. T-Mobile's newer MyTouch 4G, an android phone, plays on the fact that you can video chat with the myTouch 4G anywhere using T-Mobiles HSPA+ network, rather than using Apple's FaceTime video chat which only works via Wi-Fi.

T-Mobile plays on the fact that you can video chat with the MyTouch 4G, anywhere using T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. As you know, Apple's FaceTime video chat only works via Wi-Fi.

This relates to what we have been talking in class as it is a somewhat a newer way of promoting your product by having simple colors, a catchy commercial, and product.  The strategy is well put as it compares and contrast.

Love My Wings

Lately, I really like the Buffalo Wild Wings commercials, for it is not only football season, but, because their wings are actually that good, beating out other competitors like Wing Stop, Wild Wings and even Pizza Hut's very own WingStreet campaign.

In the Buffalo Wild Wings commercials, it is all related to a sports kind of theme, since practically it is a sports bar and grill. But all of their commercials tie into extending the time of the game for the people to continue to enjoy their food.

Also, with newer restaurants opening nationwide, they have promoted and campaigned heavily. Recently, got a postcard in the mail stating a new Buffalo Wild Wings is opening down the street. The postcard design looks simple, and attractive. Their promotion is to get the first 150 people to come in and they will receive a year of wings free and also for just bringing in the postcard, you get 10 wings free.

This relates to what we have talked in class since the postcard has simple design that has making it attractive. Also, the promotion strategy is very well organized and attracts your attention since the restaurant does have a good reputation.

Protecting You From Mayhem

I love the new commercials by Allstate: it's catchy and has a sense of humor, which is good. The new campaign by Allstate which is designed as to "nobody protects you from mayhem" which says it all, all the mayhem or problems you run into during your life. Whether it be on the road, air, water, Allstate will protect you, no further questions or obligations.

The new Allstate commercials have an actor portraying every possible hazard you can imagine that'll affect your insurance from driving. One spot portrays as a teenage girl texting while driving, and what was funny about that commercial was he was driving a pink Dodge Durango while trying to text and call, swerving all over the parking lot. Other spots portray him as an attractive jogger dressed in pink headband and carrying pink dumbells. This commercial was intended as another distraction while driving. The campaign's purpose was an attempt to invoke fear in consumers from their everyday life situation from weather related to burglary to incidents like in a parking lot to someone keying your car.

This relates to what we have been talking in class as it improvises a new strategy that'll draw attention to the brand, as humor plays a dramatic role. Also, the new Allstate campaign has not just been on television, but on radio and print ads such as magazines, and mail. In the mail form, it's pretty much simple, and complex, as the mail publication has just a simple Allstate logo with information, with a white and blue kind of design. However, I've seen mail print forms with the mayhem actor, with a picturesque design to draw attention and to make it attractive.

My Xfinity

Recently, Comcast decided to broaden their product selection by adding VoIP (voice over internet protocol) in the previous years to their already popular selection of cable television and high-speed internet, cable internet that is. I was surprised and delighted they decided to change their campaign and brand image to Xfinity, a combo package of VoIP, cable and internet. Previously, it was called a Triple Play bundle package. It seems more attractive and easily recognizable then the old Triple Play brand.

It's basically a new brand that has many new technological advances in media and room for growth.

Xfinity was started during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver, when Comcast was on the verge of buying and merging with NBC. And the agreement went through, as GE (General Electric) and Comcast had a joint venture agreement to buy NBC. The agreement included offering more HD television programs, revamp, redesign, and increase the speed in the infrastructure in high-speed internet. Also, offering VoIP, and other technologies competing and leading the competition with other cable, and media companies.

With the new design, and campaign logo to kick Xfinity off to a good start, you can do just basically anything with Xfinity. Xfinity was designed to be consumer friendly, as well as a media and technological standpoint. From cable to internet to DVR to even your phone, you can connect to the internet anywhere in the world.

This relates to what we have been discussing in class by re-designing, re-positioning a brand, and creating awareness on a previous brand, and putting a new logo and concept as well as rebranding an already large market for their triple play package of voice, cable and internet.

Here comes the.....BOOM!

I'm really fascinated and hyped up by the new Nike commercials on how they manage to change their perspective by throwing in catchy moments and phrases.

Nike decided to turn things around and stay competitive by producing a commercial about that magical moment in sports. The Boom! Campaign was designed to help capture the loyal fans and newer audience to draw your attention on their products by implementing and persuading you that by using their products, it will help you define those high-impact moments in sports by the fascination of their product.

It's that game changing play that determines what the whole outcome is about, winning. It's the plays you want to see on replay or ESPN Sportcenter's Top Ten Plays.

I'm really impressed how they threw in big-name celebrities/stars like rapper Rick Ross, Tim Tebow, Nndamukong Suh, and others.

This commercial relates what we have been talking in class by designing a commercial or advertisement to building that strong relationship between the brand and the consumer through elements of integrated marketing communications. They also used television to capture the audience by the power of sight, sound and motion. The elements and combination of video shots, sounds and the way the commercial was formatted was to immediately capture and inspire the consumer to use their product.

As an athlete and sports fan, that special and magical moment really gets you hyped, and emotions swirling because you live, breathe to stay fit, competitive and worked hard to get to that point where a magical moment will happen anytime. Everybody can relate what Nike is saying. You just have to wait patiently, your instincts will kick in and the time will come.