UPDATE: Just before posting this blog tonight, I put a few puzzle pieces together and figured this out, which helps all of the post make a little bit more sense:
The “screaming” commercial, along with a host of other marketing pieces for jcp, was designed by Mother NY, who does work for Target. The cover of the February jcp catalog and the “good” commercials were created by PMH, the same agency that worked with Target for nearly a dozen years until May 2011. PMH also does work for GAP (see logo reference in first paragraph) and is now the Agency of Record for Sephora, which has their retail locations inside jcp stores. I am not sure who did the new logo for jcp, but I can tell you that it is their THIRD logo in THREE years! And honestly, I am hoping there will be a 4th within the next year, because I am not a fan of this one.
So, “things are changing” at jcp today. You may have seen their new logo, or a TV commercial about the “change”. Maybe you noticed something was shifting from their Facebook page. For me, I first noticed something was happening with their marketing campaign when I saw the new logo (and I instantly thought of the horror that was the GAP logo mishap) and then received a catalog in the mail (and was pleasantly surprised by how “nice” it was, although very Target-ish looking). Next, I happen to walk through my living room when one of their TV commercials was airing – and it kinda scared me. Seriously. There were lots of women (and a couple of men) screaming. It definitely wasn’t a TV commercial that made me want to continue watching it and then go shop at jcpenny.
Last night, while checking my email and catching a glimpse here and there of whatever my husband was watching on TV, the screaming commercial came on – and reminded me again, that I didn’t like it. Since I had the computer on my lap, I decided to do a little research and see what other people thought about it. According to the jcp YouYube channel, apparently more people like it than don’t. Hmmm. Guess I am in the minority there.
However, I actually really DO like some of other new jcp TV commercials (I am not sure if they are airing yet, but you can see them on YouTube). Again, they are very similar to Target ads, but hey, mimicking is one of the best compliments someone can give, right?
So, I have two thoughts that I want to post here about the new jcp marketing campaign. One is, that I am surprised by the inconsistency of the campaign as a whole. I like to live by “consistency is king” when it comes to marketing campaigns, but I actually believe the INconsistency of this campaign might actually work for them.
Second, the more I think about it and the more I watch the “screaming” commercial, the more I don’t like the way it is portraying women that shop for deals & discounts. This spot makes women look absolutely crazy – which is insane in itself. Nearly every woman that I know – wealthy or living paycheck to paycheck – uses coupons. It is almost a way of life nowadays with the way our economy is. In this commercial for jcp, it is making women who clip coupons, look like total freaks.
Below are a few of the new spots – along with the one I don’t like. What are your thoughts on this new campaign? Do you love it? Hate it? Don’t care?
Not-so-good TV commercial:
Good TV commercial:
Another good TV commercial:
By the way, does anyone else find it interesting that Target is a CIRCLE and jcp is a SQUARE?
So, I know I’m a bit late on this, but nevertheless, I have to admire a fellow artist for his/ her work, however shocking or unique it may be, as I come across it… And, even if that something plays part in certain illegal activity such as destruction of the very ads that fellow execs in this industry spend countless hours creating, then re-creating, and doing all over again! I find the work of Poster Boy (NYC) to be clearly controversial but pretty darn remarkable.
Have a look for yourself of his work created with self-adhesive advertisements & a run-of-the-mill razor blade:
“I don’t have anything planned besides what line I’m going to hit up… Nothing planned, just go there, see something, get inspired and do the work”, says Poster Boy.
In light of a recent exhibition, which was scheduled for September 15th at Trinity College’s Austin Arts Center in his hometown of Hartford, CT, ARTINFO News reports on the details of STREET ALCHEMY and why they scrapped his solo show. The decision for the college to cancel said show fell on the shoulders of the vice president for finance and operations. Spokeswoman, Michele Jacklin claims, “It came to the attention of certain people at Trinity late last week that there were legal issues associated with Poster Boy and his artwork,” she said. “Chief among them was that illegally obtained materials may have been used in creating his artwork.”
Wait, wasn’t this made clear in the fact that this underground (and until more recently— anonymous) artist’s work is comprised of various advertisements spliced together to form meaningful collages & therefore (arguably) original artwork? What, defacing public ads isn’t illegal? Were they oblivious to the public knowledge that is his prior arrest(s) for said acts? I guess these didn’t spark any red flags. Regardless, of who knew what and when they knew it, it pains me as a closet artist to see another’s chance to finally shine be swept out from underneath them. Now,don’t get me wrong, I get it, it’s illegal anyhow. But I do feel for the guy.
After years — dating back to 2008 and perhaps even before — of flying under the radar to conceal his identity and still content with receiving little recognition for the unique pieces he so stealthy created, it’s hard not to be able to give proper credit where it’s (in my opinion) due now.
Though most famous for his underground work throughout the subway platforms of NYC, Poster Boy (Henry Matyjewicz) also dabbles in other forms of mixed media, including collaborations with fellow street artists on larger installations to other projects on, you know, those little things we call billboards. What began as something to simply keep him occupied — these mashup advertisements — have caused quite the stir, though still allowing him to leave a mark in his own way (as he’s been loosely compared to other more well-known street artists such as Shepard Fairey; Works include: Obama “Hope” poster).
Take a look for yourself at the collection and you be the judge. Love it OR hate it, the boy’s got skill & tact without a question.
Check out more images from his Flickr stream here.
From the latest in viral videos and buzz-worthy content, to unique ad campaigns and social media network upgrades, it comes as no surprise that we’ve been plenty entertained here in the office at Tarte. Creativity, innovation and humor are among the many qualities that we crave in our personal and professional lives, which of course is further cemented by our comical work environment. Nevertheless, it’s always a great way to start the work day when your inbox greets you with a little nugget of advertising joy sent by a colleague OR a post is made to one of our many social media channels that sparks a frenzy of conversation.
(You should know. We share it all with you… well, almost.)
Of all the new thoughts, ideas, articles, advertisements, trends, and more — Here is myTop Ten: inspirational, attention-grabbing, and all over LOL-worthy happenings in the ad-mosphere as of late and in no particular order:
1. HOPA Dry Erase Girl (Quits her job!)
Now, I don’t care to admit when I’m behind in the world of viral humor, let alone when I’m behind a whole calendar year. However, this had to be the most entertaining, jaw-dropping thing to enter my inbox this weekend. If I remember correctly back to well, yesterday, my first thought: WHAT?! Next thought: You go girl!
While, indeed, this did turn out to be another (successful) hoax concocted by the site’s creators, it certainly reminds us all of our insatiable appetite for a good story and some deliciously juicy entertainment. Props to the guys at theChive for making it happen and punking the public yet again.
2. Spotify
More productive than turntable.fm and perhaps a bit more office-appropriate at that is Spotify, the latest in music compiling, playing, discovering, and sharing. Spotify is “all music, all the time”, as it is both a free and mobile service, in which account holders may retrieve music from an extensive library of over 15 million tracks to compile into playlists and share with friends anytime, anyplace. An interface that is reminiscent of the Kazaas or Napsters of years past, makes for easy navigation and music accessibility. Did I mention that one of the very masterminds behind the ever-controversial Napster, Sean Parker, is in fact one of the many behind Spotify as well? You heard it right! Again, I digress.
Though admittedly, Spotify is less interactive than turntable in that it lacks the same 90’s chatroom capabilities, it does contain a newsfeed functionality, which keeps users in-the-know of music happenings, including various artists and recent song suggestions. The allure here being: Users have the ability to listen live by streaming songs from their account, to save playlists for later listening pleasure (offline), or to listen-on-the-go (depending on account level). Not only is this searching and listening made easy, but also sharing and accessing jamz is easy to do without the added pressure of download times and monopolizing computer space.
“I hope you’ve been well. Actually, I know you’ve been well because I’ve been watching you and not in a creepy way… only in public places at appropriate times from afar like a big brother slash superhero-life figure minus the biological relation, who cares about your safety deeply.”
Perhaps you’ve been distracted by helping baby pelican birds or painting houses for elderly people who lost the ability to paint? Maybe you’ve been busy building an orphanage or ripping out mass loads of weights and can’t get to the internet to check out the hilariously funny, charming and attractive ‘old’ Old Spice guy take on Fabio for the title of most handsome-est Best-of Old Spice guy?
Fear not, dear readers, he is back. In case you’ve been following the nothing-short-of-amusing ad campaign by Old Spice, which increased in popularity due to its incredibly toned, deep-voiced public figure (and witty brand characteristics), Isaiah Mustafa is back by popular demand. In a recent challenge by new figure, Fabio (yes, Fabio), the ‘old’ Old Spice guy accepted said challenge and without any shed of doubt won in a voter poll on which they’d like to see as the face of Old Spice. Advertising genius at work.
In case you missed it while cruising Facebook during your daily social media regimen, the world’s largest social network quietly rolled out a new feature displaying statuses that were posted on that given day one or two years ago. And, this doesn’t just apply to your personal statuses. Keep your eye out while cruising other’s pages (specifically photo albums) for the “On this Day” box, and you will notice their posts from years past— here you can tell who was really lovin’ life… or hating it.
Although their intentions with this feature are unknown, it’s proven to be a fun little addition to the product, while also reminding users of their investment to Facebook over the years, including the impact it has had on each of our lives.
Has Facebook been reminding you of status updates from your past? Let us know what you’ve been seeing or what you think about what you’re seeing and any thoughts on the new feature in general!
“You’ve probably already been improving the lives of your friends and family by helping them switch to Gmail, but we all have that one friend who hasn’t made the jump. Who’s been indifferent to your prods and reminders. Who still emails you from that embarrassingly out-of-date address, an address that should be laid to rest like so many other items of it’s time.”
In an attempt (of many) for world domination, Google has created a unique way to recruit more Gmail account holders by way of our very loved ones, who advocate for the email hosting service by encouraging them to join and quite literally staging an email invention by email. You can also visit: http://www.emailintervention.com to customize your intervention email, selecting messages:
1.) Straightforward: I’m here to help
2.) Concerned: I’m worried about you
3.) Outraged: You’re embarrassing me.
Whatever the reason, if you ever wanted your friends to get onboard with Gmail (maybe find yourself another daily Gchat PIC?) — here’s your solution. 778, 547 Interventions and going strong! Google, you have quite the way, you do.
6. Caricatures on Facebook
This could be you! With the help of artist Adam Ellis, your Facebook profile picture could be interpreted for you using his unique style of caricature drawing. Be careful what you post though, friends, your picture could be next and not nearly as flattering as may be depicted (sike!). But seriously though, see above for images from his series entitled “Never Be My Friend”, which of course was created with purest of intentions… purely for fun that is. And, all of which I am LOV(E)-ing!
Visit Books of Adam for more entertaining sketches and insights into the artist’s daily life.
7. Computer Vision Syndrome — An Infographic for the Eyes
How fitting, right? At point 7 of 10 that I’m on of writing this blog, I am already feeling the effects of CVS and it’s only 10 a.m. While I’m hoping this serves as an amusing break in your workday, I also feel ya on the whole blurry-eyed, achy feeling from too much eye-to-screen contact. Well, here’s a teaser from the infographic “Healthy Eyes”, which provides a number of tips and techniques for how to ease your eyes into the digital world.
Check out the article on Mashable for the full image, which also gives you a peek at present and future technology aimed to help us adapt to the inevitable.
8. 6 Creative Uses for iPads — Small Retailers & Lovers Alike
Though I’ve not personally jumped on the iPad bandwagon, with the majority of the world In the thick of this type of technology, they have been some interesting ways to leverage social media and technology in small business while also contributing to the consumer experience. Whether it’s shops and salons or local restaurants, businesses are getting onboard with the digital world just like everyone else and are using it in ways to grow their business.
“The iPad allow guests to control the flow and timing of their experience,” says Paul Motenko, co-founder of Stacked. “Guests can order a drink and appetizer and then entrees and desserts, when they are ready — or their whole meal at once to move things along faster.” Guests also have the option to pay via iPad (credit card info is encrypted for security purposes) without the extra wait and added hassle of server bringing the bill.
Scenario 2: iPad as Entertainment at Tenoverten in New York
Don’t worry, they haven’t said goodbye to glossy magazines just yet! Though, this Tribeca nail salon has found ways to please her patrons by positioning iPads at each station instead for customers to use as they please. “It’s a great tool for them to multitask while taking a little time out of the day for themselves,” she says. “And it’s one of the most differentiating things about our business as we are the only nail salon in the world that has an iPad at every manicure station.”
Would you consider getting a crowd-sourced tattoo? What if it was for a good cause? According to The Social Tattoo Project:
“People care about a world crisis… for a week. But we think the world’s issues deserve more than just a moment of empathy. The Social Tattoo Project is making empathy permanent. Our volunteers are getting tattoos that represent worldly issues, but they have no idea what their tattoos will be. They are letting you decide.
For each tattoo, we will post 4 trending topics on Twitter, and the most tweeted trend will be the subject of the tattoo. To vote, tweet #socialtattoo and your #favorite trend of the 4 to @social_tattoo . With your vote and our volunteers’ skin, we can make what the world empathizes with today, what we care about forever.”
So, maybe you’re not into ink, and that’s okay. Regardless of your personal opinion on the matter or your taste in tats, it’s always cool to stumble upon unique causes with great intent, especially when social media is used in interesting ways to launch said cause and ultimately bring people together.
10. Project Cuddle Introduces John Stamos’ Guide to Cuddling
In support of John Stamos’ charity Project Cuddle — a nonprofit geared towards saving abandoned babies (681 in U.S. & Canada to date) — he and former co-star (Bob Saget) of the 90’s sitcom Full House, recently got together for a cuddle sesh in order to generate awareness about the rising issue. To say that the thought of Stamos and Saget in a loving embrace may bring to mind a few mildly disturbing images is quite the understatement. It is, however, hilariously funny and certainly contains quite the ‘wow-factor’ that they were likely going for. Oh yeah, they went there.
You may not look at uncle Jesse or Danny Tanner in the same way as before, but if you have an appetite for boundary-crossing humor — consider yourself satisfied. Oh yeah, and that part about not looking at uncle Jesse the same? I’d be lying if I said that John Stamos’ good looks didn’t grab my attention even as a 9 year old.. but, you know, without the whole wild mullet ‘do.
Check out the 3-minute clip of this Equal Opportunity Stud that has us falling off the chair and gasping for breaths it’s so funny. Be warned this video contains sexual references and occasional profanity. See: Stamos Snugglefest
Find something you like? Tell us! Leave your comments below, and share with us what’s floating your boat this week!
Mashable posted Facebook’s newest advertising change this morning, revealing the new ability to target users by zip code:
Advertisers wishing to target Facebook members in specific zip codes can now do so. The social network has made the new targeting option available to advertisers via Facebook’s Power Editor and Ads Manager self-service tools.
Facebook has confirmed that zip code targeting, which was spotted by Politico, is now available in the U.S.
“The zip code targeting launched yesterday and this change was made due to requests for such a change,” a Facebook spokesperson tells Mashable.
Advertisers, previously able to target members by country, state or province, can now direct ads and sponsored stories to users in more localized areas.
“Over the past few months Facebook has been showing sidebar modules asking users to confirm which of several zip codes they are closest to or live within,” Inside Facebookreports.
Now that advertisers have the potential to reach hyper-local audiences, what types of ads should Facebook users expect? Local merchants and small businesses are the most likely candidates to promote products and services by zip codes. Politico also theorizes that the addition of zip code targeting will factor into upcoming elections.
“In an election cycle when social networking is expected to play such a big role, Facebook’s new program signals its intention to be a major player in the sprawling, and lucrative, market of local campaigns,” the site contends.
Why we’re excited:
Several of our clients are local merchants and small businesses. This new ability to hyper-target people in their area will be greatly beneficial in any upcoming Facebook Ad campaigns. Better targeting = More relevance to the consumer. Hoorah!
Helpful tools:
We immediately searched for a thorough and legitimate way to search for zip codes. USPS has several ways to search from them. Check it out here: http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/
Are you wondering what other businesses are spending on their social media activities? Would you be surprised to learn that social media spending habits are on the rise? Well you shouldn’t be – nearly all marketers are increasing their lead generation budgets for social media and blogs! The average company actually increased their spending from 9% to 18% on social media from 2009 to 2011. In fact, small businesses, like many of the ones we work with here at Tarte are spending THREE times more on social media than larger businesses! (via HubSpot) I found it interesting that 75% of social media advertising is used for acquisition and 65% for retention, versus 85% of email marketers use email for acquisition and 90% for retention. Take a look at a few of these charts to see if your business is on track with the social media trend!
What about you, how does your social media spending compare to these figures?
attention of certain people at Trinity late last week that there were legal issues associated with Poster Boy and his artwork,” she said. “Chief among them was that illegally obtained materials may have been used in creating his artwork.”
anytime, anyplace. An interface that is reminiscent of the 
quite the ‘wow-factor’ that they were likely going for. Oh yeah, they went there.
