Get a conscious...

When we hear about marketing, we tend to think of traditional ads, such as a billboard boasting the newest Nike shoe, or a glossy magazine ad featuring several beautiful models.

I've also noticed recently that when I tell people I'm interested in majoring in marketing, they give me a look of disgust that I believe could only be topped if I casually brought up my interest in joining the Nazi party, or becoming a politician. It's somewhat understandable, especially in today's world, where the consumer must battle through a barrage of ads daily. Marketing is not perceived as a "noble" career. Marketing doesn't save lives. It doesn't work towards ending poverty in Africa.

Or so I thought.

Recently, however, in my quest to discover the socially conscious side of my future career, I stumble upon (read: my uber-good doer friend sent me) a link to a blog about 56 Impressive Ads about Problems in the World. Ranging from hunger to obesity, drugs to anti-violence, these ads really get you thinking. I definitely recommend you check out the full site, but here are a few of my favourites:

Disabilities

Anti-drug

Child soldiers:

Buckle Up

International Aid

Condom-AIDS

International ideals

International.

If I could have a word of the month... scratch that, year; "international" would be it.

For some reason, for the past few weeks, the world suddenly became so real for me. I don't know if it came from (re)reading Eat, Pray, Love; deciding where I wanted to study abroad next year; or my friends from the U.S. coming to visit me and exclaiming over how "different" and "Canadian" everything is (side note: there is not really a difference. The U.S. and Canada could be the same country... Luckily for Canada, they're not). But the fact that an entire world exist out there and I haven't even scratched the surface of exploring all of it struck a nerve. I can live (mostly) anywhere in the world (there is, of course, a few countries that wouldn't look kindly on an American crossing their borders). But sitting there, thinking that I have spent 19 years of my life contained in two countries, on one continent, is so depressing. There is an entire world out there, so many experiences to be had, yet many people never leave the safety of their country? I guess you could say I officially have wanderlust.

This, combined with Del's blog about "New Marketing", or how quickly marketers are forced to respond to constantly evolving pop culture, made me think about international marketing, and how difficult it must be for a single company to target consumers in different countries, raised in totally different cultures, with vastly different pop cultures. Is there a Pandora's box of international marketing? A single advertising campaign that transcends borders, surpasses cultural barriers and delivers an identical message to consumers in all corners of the world?

The logical side of me says no. The world is far too different, the people have such vastly different backgrounds, for a campaign like that to ever be successful.

However, the idealist in me looks at the world now compared to 30 years ago. We can communicate with anyone in the world in nanoseconds. Ideas and trends, thanks to blogs and the internet, can start in China and spread to Brazil in moments.

So is culture becoming one? Are the lines between countries and divisions in beliefs slowly corroding away? Along the same lines, shouldn't the barriers in marketing be doing the same? Can't we create a ad that encompasses the beliefs of many different people in many different countries who are connected solely in the fact they are connected?

I believe this is becoming possible. And its up to the next generation of marketers to create it

A not so subliminal message

Anna's blog bananas about subliminal advertising got me thinking. After reading Buyology, I haven't been able to look at advertisements the same way. Even the most innocuous flower shop commercial is scrutinized for signs of inappropriate hidden sexual content or a soundtrack recorded to subliminally force you to believe the solution to all your problems is found in a beautiful rose bouquet.

Subliminal advertising scares people. We've grown up being taught to fear sacrificing control of our brains. High school discussions about 1984 basically cemented the fact that mind control is always evil. Thus, when the news about subliminal advertising got out, people treated it like it was the bubonic plague, pushing for laws and regulations prohibiting the use of such methods in advertising.

My question is: Is it really that bad?

If you think about it, everything around us could count as subliminal advertising. That guy smiling at you from across the room? Without saying anything, he is conveying interest. Even if you don't consciously feel yourself relaxing, or notice how he seems more appealing, you find yourself drawn to him more than you were before he smiled. Isn't that exact what the point of subliminal advertising? Convincing you to feel or think something you would've have thought about before seeing the ad? If we keep with the metaphor, traditional advertising is like the guy coming up to you and saying "Hi, I think you seem interesting, and I would like to talk to you". Subliminal advertising, or the smile, gets the point across, but in a way that your conscious mind often has trouble recognizing. In some cases, the smile is even better. The in-your-face approach can often be creepy and a little intimidating. In the same way, the subtle product advertisements seem to be generally much more effective than the infomercials that present you with all the features of the product in a dull, overly glorified manner.

People fear subliminal messages because they're afraid that after watching a particularly powerful piece of propaganda, they will be inspired to go out and attempt to kill the prime minister "for the motherland". Personally, I don't think the human mind works that way. It is receptive to subliminal advertisements to a certain extent. Subliminal messages could make you crave a Coke while watching American Idol, but it will not convince you to go against something completely against your morals. Neither technology nor our understanding of the human mind have reached that level.

At least, not yet.

5 Products Every Student Needs

My previous blog post was meant to serve as an introduction to this, but I went a little overboard. Therefore, without further ado, the 5 best procrastination tools/products every university student needs to get:

1. Zoomquilt: Download this as your screensaver. Now. It is a collaboration done by artists that is

a never ending loop of the trippiest images you can image. Turn this baby on, and guaranteed no work will be completed in the next hour.

http://zoomquilt.nikkki.net/

2. Webroot's Social Media Sobriety Test: Prevent drunk posts that you don't want your grandma to see. Need I say more? http://www.socialmediasobrietytest.com/

3. Damn it, my mom's on Facebook: Not a real product, but needs to exist.

4. Electrolux Vac from the Sea: For those time where you've already exhausted all other procrastination resources and must resort to cleaning (aka studying from econ), Ads of the World wrote about an awesome vacuum cleaner made from Gulf Coast trash. http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/electrolux_vac_from_the_sea

5. A bed: Simple, yet so powerful. Nothing aids procrastination more than a huge, comfy bed calling out your name for just one more nap.