Jager Meister Music Tour

As the line between product placements, reviews and write-ups gets thinner, it’s important for brands to understand the context of their content as well as their audience’s purchasing decision matrix. Setting up a placement or advertorial can be one piece of the puzzle, but it can’t be the only.

Paid advertisements and purchased editorial content have existed for decades, but more than ever, that line has continued to blur. At the same time, consumers have become savvier in recognizing and accepting the distinction in product placements in everything from TV shows to blog reviews. With this recognition, the real question has become “how does an atmosphere of paid placements impact consumers and their perceptions?”

It used to be that product placement in TV shows and movies were almost a subliminal secret, only overtly recognized by marketers and astute observers…but today people have become more distinctly aware of the product positioning. This has created a situation that requires additional thinking on behalf of the brand and their agency as to how a placement may be perceived. Will a product review on a blog be looked at as pandering for a free gift, or does the audience trust the author’s opinion anyway?

Consumers are already apt to do their own research and are more likely to ask themselves, “Am I getting ALL the information, or just what someone was willing to pay for me to know? Could there be more out there?”

Setting up a placement or advertorial can be one piece of the decision puzzle for a customer, but it can’t be the only. Along with traditional media coverage, social reviews/feedback and other marketing tactics, there needs to be a variety of touch points and content that leads toward a positive view or decision about your brand or product.

As we move towards additional transparency, it’s critical to make sure that every piece of your marketing mix is cohesive and supports what is put out for the public. In addition to the content and the context of the placement, is your brand thinking about how a customer may follow up after seeing it?

Clear-water beach is a popular tourist city on the west coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. Tourists relish in the beauty of more than 2.5 miles of white sand. The subtropical climate gives Clear-water Beach almost-perfect weather year-round. One of the most popular tourist activities in Clear-water Beach is snorkeling.

When to Snorkel

Snorkeling season in Clear-water Beach usually runs from the end of February until the beginning of September.

Chartered Groups

There are many chartered snorkeling outings in Clear-water Beach that range in price, duration and difficulty. Check for the option that works best. Some charter groups are Capt. John’s Scuba Dive Clear-water, Diving Clear-water and Dream Catcher Explorations (see Resources).

Non-chartered

Snorkeling in Clear-water Beach is easy without a chartered group. Many of the most beautiful underwater sites are easily accessible without a boat or professional guide. Use caution when snorkeling without a guide: Use the buddy system, and always inform someone of where you are going and when you expect to return.

Reefs and Wildlife

When snorkeling, you can expect to see a wide variety of fish and wildlife. Stingrays and turtles are common, along with the occasional dolphin. Brightly colored fish and sponges can be found in the coral reefs just off the coast.

Equipment

Snorkeling equipment can be rented or purchased at many places along the beach. Because snorkeling is a popular activity, finding the equipment to do so is easy.

Calling all luxury marketers… According to a recent survey conducted by the Affluence Collaborative, the reason a luxury consumer engages with his or her favorite brand via Social Media is vastly different than those of the general population.

The majority of people like their favorites on Facebook or follow them on Twitter in order to receive discounts and deals. But the luxury consumer, those earning at least $200,000 a year, don’t care so much about discounts and deals, they follow their favorite brands for the simple reason they love the brand or have an affinity for it and thus act as brand ambassadors, which of course is truly priceless.

One other interesting note from the above chart is what scored the lowest in terms of reasons why people follow brands and companies via Social Media. Seems being entertained is not that important so go easy on the clever Twitter, Facebook & blog posts, unless of course you also deliver something of valuable, i.e. content.

Another intriguing finding from the survey was the fact that affluents are not using the same Social Media platforms as the general population per se.

Number 1 overall was Facebook, of course but Twitter and LinkedIn are attracting affluent users at almost twice the rate of the general population.

The bottom line in ALL of this is reaching affluent consumers is no different than reaching any other demographic. You need to do your research, find out what appeals to them and where to find them. In the case of affluents, they clearly don’t want deals and discounts and offers… they want to engage with the brand itself.

They want real, authentic engagement with the brand so skip the sales pitches when it comes to affluents and Social Media and keep it clean, keep it real and yes… keep it on brand.

Are you a luxury marketer or a marketer in general?

What are your thoughts on all of this?

How do you reach your target audience via Social Media?

You know I’ve been going on and on about my camera…..and how I am patiently waiting (hint,hint) to get my DREAM CAMERA….the one I am in love with….the one and only….CANON REBEL…..and nothing else would do.

Well, few days ago I was browsing around….catching up with some reading over at the fabulous SITS GIRLS blog when I came across Bleach It Away campaign.

Not only I could win $25,000 from Clorox, but I can also win CANON REBEL camera from SITS Girls for being a part of the campaign…..all I have to do is to share my Messiest Moment…..with pretty much the whole wide world…..piece of cake.

I have two boys….messy moments are daily occurrences in my life….

Then I thought…..you know what….anybody have messy moments living with boys in their life…..

How about The Messiest Mommy Moment…..especially when the mommy in question is a detail oriented clean freak with OCD….

How did you know I am talking about myself?

Well, here it goes….not my proudest moment, but one of the funniest and definitely messiest moments of my life.

….It was August 2009….scorching hot…..A/C couldn’t keep up…..

It was my youngest son’s 7th birthday. As every year I spent weeks planning and preparing special theme cake for him.

It took me three days….working during the night and early morning before the heat fills the kitchen….

The cake was finally ready….all it needed were small tiny details.

As every year the whole family and friends gathered at our local pool for Sam’s Pool Party. After the pool party everyone gathers at our house for BBQ and birthday cake.

I left the pool party by myself 30 minutes earlier to get a head start and finish the cake.

The house was HOT…..I was sweating bullets….

It was time to take the three tier cake out of the fridge….then it happened…..SLIP….BANG….BUM…..CRASH….

I was on the floor surrounded by my son’s birthday cake….cake was everywhere….I was MAD….I was UPSET….I was HYSTERICAL….

Suddenly I really don’t know what happened….it was probably the combination of heat….lack of sleep and anger, but I went nuts.

As I was sitting on the floor I grabbed pieces of cakes and I started throwing them around….there was cake everywhere…I was throwing the cake and screaming….

…..the kitchen door opened….and there they were my husband and the birthday boy.

First….the looks of disbelief followed by hysterical laugh….followed by yelling at my older son in the driveway….”Hurry up, you gotta see this….mommy lost her mind ….this is epic”.

Yup, there you have it….my messiest moment….

Btw, I collected myself….hubs cleaned up the kitchen with Clorox (of course) while I had a shower and while everyone was busy enjoying delicious BBQ I managed to whip up a delicious Chocolate Swiss Roll with whipped cream filling….cause that’s the way I roll.

….and don’t worry….you won’t find any pictures of me losing my mind…I made sure of that!

I received information about Clorox’s Bleach It Away campaign and am sharing my messy moment for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls. To learn more about the messy moment program, check out www.BleachItAway.com. Sharing your story on the Clorox fan page gets you entered for the chance to win $25,000 and daily prizes, and you can grab a coupon for Clorox® Regular Bleach.