Product Placed and Promoted Underwater?

Sony the father of the walkman has come out with a new and waterproof walkman. This isn’t your old school tape deck walkman, this is a new waterproof Mp3 version. Being that I enjoy lots of different water activities it only natural that I enjoy all, the new waterproof take-with you anywhere electronics. But the reason I bring you this is not for the technology but in which the way Sony with the help of the ad agency Draft FCB decided to market this new product. The product is waterproof so they decided to put the Mp3 player inside a sports water bottle filled with water. Then the water bottle was sold in vending machines in gyms and pools and was debuted in New Zealand. This is a great example of thinking outside the box regarding the marketing mix. Both places and promotions are very different then your traditional routine of buying electronics.

I find this great for many reasons, first being I like waterproof electronics and find this product interesting and exciting not to mention you also get a fairly nice looking water bottle. Second, the promotion of this product is very unique and show cases its main feature brilliantly, inside of a water bottle in a vending machine. There nothing like buying a product packaged inside a full bottle of water. And is almost genius as opposed to just selling it in a store or electronic boutiques. Some other points I enjoy are the fact that this could be possibility sold in beach or resort type places. For example in a summer/beach type resort and could even be sold in a vending machine at the boardwalk or in the hotel lobby. I’m originally from Brazil and if you know about Brazilian culture you know how much of a beach culture there is. And at the beaches in Brazil you can buy anything from swim suits, suntan lotion, sunglasses’, and food to pretty much almost anything someone might need for the beach. And I have a strange feeling that this waterproof walkman in vending machine with other beach type products would do great in these types of environments.

What do you think? Could you see yourself buying a set of waterproof headphones from a vending machine? Do you think it brings good awareness or is it just a fad?

My Experience at D.C. Create

Face book D.C

By: Bernardo Berndsen

My Experience at Create

I was fortunate enough to participate in an advertising challenge in Washington D.C; held at the Face Book offices in the heart of the city. It took place on September, 28 2013 on a beautiful Saturday morning.  Head honchos from all the marketing and advertising agencies of the D.C area where there, along with some of the brightest aspiring young marketers and advertisers of the area. We assembled to use our talents to help eight local non-profits in hopes of obtaining more awareness for their causes. There were eight non-profits clients Byte Back, DC Scores, Father McKenna Center, Iona Senior Services, Jubilee Jobs, Life Pieces to Masterpieces and S.AF.E.

Advertising teams where comprised from the large group of aspiring marketers who showed up for the challenge; me being one of them. It was a diverse crowd some with months to a year of experience to those with little to no experience in the marketing world. Some trying to make their mark in the industry, while others where just looking for a taste of the rush of compiling an exciting and innovative campaign. We were given twelve hours to perform the challenge of producing a viable and effective strategy and we would accept our team-mates and clients at random; and then present our ideas in front of judges comprised from head honchos and in front of the opposing teams.

We started together with an event brief with the rules and regulations and a quick background brief from the soon to be assigned non-profit clients. To be split into and directed to our working areas, where we began with more detailed conversation with our assigned clients. After 45 minutes of learning more about our client’s needs and criteria we began.

I can’t speak for all teams but, we began by introducing each other and relaying each other’s relevant skills and talents.  Our team was comprised by two lightly seasoned aspiring advertising account people, two students and one fresh graduate and with a diverse range of majors, marketing, communications, finance, and economics. We then started by spitting out ideas that had been brewing while meeting with the clients and the process began.

Soon we would start to be visited by some of the great marketing minds in D.C to help mentor us along the way.  After a few hours of research and coming up with ideas and killing ideas we would soon see the light that was our strategy. “The story is the vehicle” the social media manager twitted. We would talk in circles about our tactics in executing our strategy to talking in circles of what and how we would present our ideas. To then run out of time in building a presentation visual.

Towards the end and closer to the presenting time, everyone in our team went to game mode. We kept looking over the brief that we had produced while discussing what should be presented and in truth we had so many ideas that is was not possible to present all our ideas in the ten minute allotted time given to each team. People where sitting down hand writing scripts while other stood in a presentation positions with smart phones and tablets reviewing the brief material. Then we practiced; we were able to get two and a half good runs right before we had to go up and meet the rest of the crowd.

Some of our ideas on the board

When we came to the board room where the presentation would take place; we were one of the last teams to enter the room and it was packed. All where there the non-profit clients, the mentors, head honchos, judges and the eight teams of aspiring advertisers. The room was hot and the room was ready for business. You could feel the nerves rising but it wasn’t something that could be seen. (When I speak of nerves I’m referring to the young advertisers.) Everyone had their poker face on and where ready; I clearly even remember the first presenter that sat next to me. When he presented it was great and I felt he did well so I complemented him when he sat. For him to then say “that was nerve racking, and thank you”. And after seeing all the presentation I feel that every team did very well.

At the end our team didn’t win; congratulations to team Byte Back! But it was a great experience and the challenge was not really about winning or losing. It was about learning, helping and networking. In the process I think everyone in the project learned more about non-profits in the area and the hurdles to bring awareness to their causes. Those aspiring got a fix of the rush of building a strategy and those looking for a taste got a mouthful.  I even feel that the seasoned executives learned a little.

In all it was a great turn out and I’m very grateful to all the sponsors that helped to put Create together. Without their guidance, support and motivation this event would not have been possible.  And I feel all who participated in the event will attest that it was a great learning experience. At the end eight non-profits left with real viable strategies worth of over $50,000 pro-bono-marketing and a ton of young D.C advertisers gained a valuable experience.

Presentation time.

My school and internship affiliates on the facebook wall.

Travel Will make you Better, This I Believe

By: Bernardo Berndsen

I wrote this not to long ago for NPR’s This I Believe. If your not familiar with the segment This I Believe. It’s a written and oral presentation of beliefs people have; usually outlining an experience in their lives that brought their belief into fruition. If you’ve never heard of This I Believe, I recommend checking it out, it can be very inspirational. I decided to share this because I believe that travel is a wonderful thing that brings character and understanding to a person. And I feel that travel will make you a better person both professionally and personally. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.

 This I Believe, Travel

I believe in travel. Travel is much deeper than just the voyage from one place to the other. Travel is an experience, it is an adventure but most importantly of all, travel opens your world; it opens your mind it changes the way you think.

Being like most Americans, I began my life here as an immigrant, I had moved to Los Angles from Brasilia Brazil. I was young and at the time, I didn’t understand why we were moving or enjoyed the fact that we were. But we did and I was still too young to really understand what a difference it would be.

My parents have always been avid travelers, and while in California we traveled everywhere. We visited the Rocky Mountains and saw snow for the first time. We visited San Francesco and I rode a trolley. We visited Las Vegas and got to experience the mesmerizing lights, while walking the strip under the desert sky. I was young then and didn’t really know why we visited all these places, but we did.

A few years later my father got a job offer in Washington D.C so again we moved. This time I was older I had friends, I liked my school in California; it was nice. I didn’t want to leave. Again we moved and again my parents made us travel. We went to Pennsylvania to see the Amish, to New York City, to get to know the real China Town and Broadway. I got to see the gators in Florida, and civil war reenactments in Virginia.

And as I became older my own appetite for travel grew, I visited Canada and saw Niagara Falls, I visited family in Paris France and got to stand underneath the Eiffel Tower. I went to Mexico and ate flat tacos and visited Germany, to see where my German heritage came from.

From all my travels I come back, back to my home in Virginia, but I come back different, I come back changed. I come back with new stories and experiences; I come back with more knowledge of the world. I understand why people jump the boarder to find better opportunities; how public transportation can be wonderful; the power of Niagara and understand why people spoke so highly of its magnificence.

Travel is what has allowed me to be trilingual, with no accent in two of the languages I speak. Travel has made me understand more about what is happening in the world and why things are the way they are. Travel is what has made me the person I’m today, it has opened my mind and has changed me. Travel will make you better this I believe.

Know the Industry, Know the Product, and Know the Service.

By: Bernardo Berndsen

For anyone in the communication industry weather you’re an account person or a strategic planner you need to know the industry, product and service you’re working with.  Even though this seems elementary many marketers over look these aspects. Knowing your audience and clients are not only useful to Ad people and marketer but small business owners; and almost any industry will be able to benefit from better understanding of their consumers.

Why?

From an account managing view it is best to know not only the company’s direction but also the industry in which it operates. You might be asking me “why would an account manager need to understand the industry?” When you trying to acquire an account you need to be able to relate with your client and gain their trust and belief that your agencies is who they should select. When clients meet to view a new proposal they want you to understand who they are and what they stand for. Same goes for their products or services. If an manager of the account can relate to their industry this will relieve them of any reservations that your don’t understand how you will be able to provide for their needs properly. Which brings me to you client’s needs; by understanding their ins and outs you’ll be able to communicate on their level. You’ll become one of them and by doing so you’ll better understand their needs and fully and pass their expectation. Knowing their information can even help make your job easier, it will help you ask the better questions to trigger the right strategy to implement.

At the end it’s a win, win for everyone, your clients get better then what was expected work and you understand how to communicate better. Not only will you produce better work and learn how to communicate better but it will also bring your clients and their consumers together. It will bring more sales and more profit and most importantly you’ll gain the business and great reputation from your client. That at the end will gain you more referrals and will make you a better communicator. So get to know the industry, products and service it will make your job better!