You’re More Beautiful than You Think – The Self Concept

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you look closely at all of the things you would change about the way you look?

Dove have created an advertisement that will change the way you see yourself and will help you realise that you are more beautiful than you think. This advert is all about the self-concept which strongly influences consumer behaviour. The self-concept is a theory that is believed to show what a person holds about their own attributes and how they evaluate these qualities.  Self-esteem is very closely related, personally I have very low self-esteem and seeing this advert gave me the boost of confidence that I needed.

The very successful beauty/personal care company Dove was first launched in 1955 and sells products all around the world in more than 80 countries. Over the years, Dove has produced many different marketing campaigns to promote their latest products to the consumers, most of which are done through advertisements on television. One that particularly caught my eye was one of the ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ as it showed women explaining how they looked to an artist. Most of them appeared to describe their facial features in quite a negative way. The artist would then draw exactly what he was told without actually seeing the person. However, strangers then described how they looked and the outcome was completely magical. Strangers gave details about the same person but saw them for how they really looked. Please what the video.

 

 

 

The difference between the two sketches at the end really shows that maybe we are more than what we see. We are more beautiful that what we believe. This theory is called the ‘Looking glass self’ which is how other people see you. It can be completely different to how we see ourselves as we are more critical about what we look like. I personally love this sketch that Dove did and I think that people with low self-esteem should definitely give it a watch. This proves that everyone see individuals in many different ways. This could be a negative thing, however it can also be positive and encouraging.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you enjoyed the video and helps you to reflect on how you see yourself. Feel free to leave comments below.

Naomi Pearson

 

 

Bar Maroc - The Little Moroccan Hideaway

Ever wanted to eat one of your favourite meals in a themed bar? Like the sound of Morocco on a cold day in Huddersfield?

Well the Moroccan themed bar known as Bar Maroc brings you on the most amazing experience that takes you to another place. This bar uses sensory marketing to enhance the overall impact and hopefully creating a memorable experience. The over 18’s bar engages each of the senses which helps to bring out the full potential of this unique Moroccan bar.

 

Although the restaurant is dark and mysterious looking, the bright coloured materials will make your eyes come alive. The purples, oranges and yellows stand out against the dark room. Candles are located all around the bar, on each table and in the corners of the room in order to create affective mood lighting which then gives a relaxed and stress free atmosphere.

What kind of bar or restaurant would be successful without the amazing smell of food? Bar Maroc is famous for the pizzas and crepes. But what makes them so special? Many people love this place as it is meat free and definitely affordable. Choose up to 3 veggie options to top your pizza to create your own personal meal. Some may be put off by the whole ‘no meat’ thing but it is one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted, give them a try. The candles also contribute to the wonderful smell of Bar Maroc as the different scents drift towards you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ‘The Hidden Gem of Huddersfield’

 

Bar Maroc isn’t like normal bars and restaurants as they have sofas and soft chairs to sit on, which almost gives it a homely and warm feel. They are very comfortable to sit on as they use soft materials and fabrics which makes it stand out against traditional wooden furniture. Pillows and blankets add to stimulate the senses as they are gentle to the touch. I think that this adds to the overall experience as it feels like you are sitting in a traditional Moroccan bar.

Music is played to tie the place together. It is only background music so you can still talk to friends and easily hear others. However, it doesn’t play Moroccan music, it mainly plays relaxing music which you can follow on Spotify as they have their own playlist.

Due to this being a restaurant, food is the main source of taste, however Bar Maroc also sells a wide range of drinks, from tea and coffee to fruity alcoholic cocktails. All of these will excite your taste buds as they taste delicious. Of course they sell other alcoholic beverages, beers, sprits and ciders but soft drinks are also available so there is something for everyone.

I personally love Bar Maroc as it adds value to the food and beverages by creating a memorable experience. It is a very unique bar which ultimately improves the brand experience as it is different to every other bar in the Huddersfield area, therefore more likely to connect to loyal customers. By engaging all of the senses, each person has their own perception on the experience, thus making it more personal.

Thank You for taking the time to read my blog post, I hope you enjoyed it and found it interesting. please feel free to comment, I would love to hear about your Bar Maroc experience.

 

Naomi Pearson

A Rollercoaster That Is Out Of This World

It is now your chance to become a ‘Galactinaut’ and take a trip into another world!

The famous rollercoaster ‘Air’ at the popular theme park Alton Towers gets a makeover as it is transformed into ‘Galactica’. Sounds amazing right? That’s because it is!

Galactica is the very first virtual reality rollercoaster, as passengers can wear visor headsets that makes them see a whole new universe. Galactica formally known as Air was opened back in 2002 that gave the riders a sensation that they were flying. The ride lasts approximately 3 minutes and reaches speeds of almost 50mph, but as of February 2016, the ride is now known as Galactica.

This ride is all about taking you on an experience that is so realistic, you may actually feel and believe that you are flying into space. The rollercoaster creates a unique and memorable experience as the latest technology can take over your senses.

The brand new opening of the rollercoaster has been advertised on television which is used to capture the audience and persuade them to visit the theme park and try out the new ride and have their own unique experience. The clip below shows the official advertisement for this ride which I think is very affective and shows its potential in becoming a very popular and successful rollercoaster.

 

I think that this new campaign is a good idea as it engages with the audience as many childhood dreams will be turned into a reality. Many people have always wanted to have the chance to fly around the galaxy and this visual effects visor allows the riders to experience just that. I would personally love to try out the new Galactica ride as I have never experienced something like this before. From the advertisement, it is clear to see that it appears thrilling and exciting and I'm sure thousands of eager visitors will be queuing up to try this new technology.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Please leave comments below if you have any questions or thoughts about this new rollercoaster. Are you brave enough to take the launch?

Naomi Pearson

 

 

 

Traditional Marketing

What is the best form of marketing a product or service?

Traditional marketing is a way of a company or a brand communicating with their potential customers. Many businesses have been using traditional marketing for years, as it is a way to promote or advertise their products or services. The main traditional marketing techniques are newspapers adverts, posters, flyers or leaflets. These can be very popular however they don’t always reach or capture the eyes of their target markets. Other forms of traditional marketing are more direct methods such as telephone calls or television adverts.
 



Advertisement in local Newspaper

 

Some companies believe that traditional marketing techniques can be very successful in reaching their consumers, however several new business believe that these are not the best ways to market their products and services. Some businesses think that experiential marketing is the best option to market products as it can be more memorable and have a greater impact upon them. In my opinion, I feel that the target audience for the product or service is a huge factor to consider when researching how to market to them. For example, the age of the customer may influence how they will be exposed to these marketing campaigns. Older people may be more likely to notice or read an advertisement in a newspaper as opposed to the younger generation that may be more interested is getting involved in a workshop or activity.

Last month, I was planning my own charity event called ‘A Trip Down Memory Lane’ in order to raise money and awareness for AgeUK. The overview of the event was a memory afternoon that included games and other activities with plenty of tea and cakes. The target market for this event was the older generation (aged 65+). I feel that the best way to contact our audience was directly through telephone calls, this was very successful as I phoned up a local care home and sold 18 tickets. We also created a poster and leaflet that we would hand out to small businesses, supermarkets and the AgeUK charity shop. The poster that we sent out is very bold in colour which will make it easier for elderly people to notice it. Because this event was very challenging to market, we even put an advert in the local newspaper which did attract several attendees on the day.

 



I think that traditional marketing may not be the best approach when promoting to the majority of consumers as it is much easier and less expensive to promote through websites and other online pages. However in this case, traditional marketing is the most efficient way to contact our target market. The direct phone calls, posters/leaflets and the newspaper advert combined together all helped to reach our audience which in turn increased the number of attendees at this event. I believe that this form of marketing helped to make the event successful.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope that you enjoyed it.

Naomi Pearson

 

 

 

Sensodyne Attempts to Break World Record

Sensodyne Attempts to Break World Record

It’s not a shock to hear that people don’t like going to the dentist. Which is why when Sensodyne launched their new product ‘Complete Protection’ it was important that the product appealed to the consumers. In order to make this more exciting and memorable, Sensodyne came up with the brilliant idea of trying to break a World Record with the most people taking part in an oral hygiene lesson.

 

This campaign was branded ‘The Great Sensitivity Test’ which was set up in three different zones that took you on a journey to the final Record Breaking stage. The first zone that was presented in the exhibition included a buzzer game called ‘How Sensitive Are You’. This gave the participants a chance to win prizes while waiting to get their teeth checked by one of the professional dentists. Following into zone two stood a ‘Giant Molar’ which was used as a good photo opportunity which could then be found on the website later that day. Finally, zone three was the section that everyone was waiting for…the time to break a World Record. With the help of almost 6,500 free sample distributed, the World Record was broken with 232 people learning how to look after their teeth the correct way.

The aim of this exhibition was to help launch and promote the new Sensodyne product. This lead to over 150 media mentions after the event which shows how successful this day was. This also was a great opportunity to give potential consumers a positive and memorable experience for this brand, therefore they are more likely to purchase it in the future. This could even help publicise the brand through word of mouth, as consumers will talk about their experience to friends and family. This in turn will widen their market as it will encourage more people to try out this new product.

Below you will find the link to the website of Sensodyne 'The Great Sensitivity Test’.

http://www.hotcow.co.uk/portfolio/sensodyne-case-study.htm

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope you found it interesting.

Naomi Pearson

The London Eye Catches Eyes with a Colourful Display

The London Eye catches eyes with a colourful display

Due to the popular social media site Facebook, the London eye gets a makeover to reflect the talk about the General Election last year. A photo of the London Eye lit up with different colours proves to be the main topic of discussion with the users of Facebook and Twitter. This use of sensory marketing has been successful in my opinion as more and more people discussed the General Election. This marketing method stimulates the senses, particularly sight as the colours can be seen from miles away. The beautiful colours light up the dark streets of London in order to keep up the popular trend of voting.  

 

Since the striking colours lit the famous Wheel, the amount of tourists that have taken a ride has increased dramatically. This was also set to increase the number of people that were voting which had a positive impact as in a short period of time, there were more than 52 million interactions. Each colour represented a different party so it was like a huge pie chart in the sky. I think that this is a great idea as it helps everyone keep up to date with the latest statistics which may affect the public. This form of advertising the General Election is mainly focused on the experience that the public will get, an example is that they take a ride on the London eye which will improve the experience almost making the memory more exciting and last longer.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I hope you found it interesting.

Naomi Pearson

What is Sensory Marketing?

Sensory Marketing

Marketing is a very important feature for any company, as it creates awareness of a particular brand’s product or service. There are several different types and ways of marketing a product, but some may suggest that the most effective way is to use ‘Sensory Marketing.’ It is used to stimulate certain or several senses of the body which then immediately builds a connection to the product or service. Which then will result in a higher chance of the consumer purchasing the product or service.  

‘Sensations aim at expressing a brand's identity and values as something distinctive and sensorial, in facilitating the multi‐sensory brand experience.’ (Hultén 2011)

This quote from the journal article Sensory Marketing by Bertil Hultén states that the marketing technique which stimulates the senses is what makes the brand have its own identity. Each product or service of a particular brand will show the most important values, which will be the core of the experience that the product provides. The consumers will automatically recognise a brand through the senses, such as taste and smell.

Vision – The easiest way to recognise a brand is through sight. Consumers will be able to identify the brands clearly by their logos and the colours that are used. Colour is very important when determining a brand’s logo as each colour can represent different meanings and emotions. For example, the colour ‘red’ can stimulate hunger as research has shown. This is why most restaurants and fast food places have used red in their logo. This is a great way to encourage hunger and they are therefore more likely to buy a product from the organisation. One particular brand that has taken full advantage of this is the very popular brand ‘Coca-Cola’. The logo is red and white which consequently boosts your hunger levels.

Smell – Another powerful way to engage with consumers is through smell. This is known as the ‘limbric system’ of the brain. Although this can be one of the most difficult senses to stimulate as it depends on the way a product or service is marketed. For example, products such as perfume and aftershave are goods that are clearly emphasised on smell. If a specific perfume is being advertised in a magazine, how will the customer know if the product smells nice if it is on paper? The solution to this is marketing a magazine that includes ‘scratch and smell’, this allows the consumer to scratch the paper which leads to a release of the perfume smell, which will then result in the customer smelling the product and possibly purchasing it. Smell can also help to activate memory which can either be positive or negative, therefore the product can connect with the consumer on an emotional level or experience.

Touch – Also known as the ‘haptic sense’, touch can be a great way to market a product or service. Most stores now have several products on display as it is a chance for the consumers to actually try these products first hand. Phone shops present the latest phones in the shop as it allows potential buyers to touch and feel the products before they purchase them. Clothes shops also have most of their products on display as customers like to know the texture and material of the product before they buy them. This immediately creates a connection from the product or service to the customers. Nowadays, young children love to explore their surroundings by touching them, so the texture and consistency of the product needs to be just as appealing as the look of it.  

Taste – The taste of a food or drink product should be at a high value in order to have loyal customers. Food and drink must have a good quality standard to build up a positive reputation on a particular brand. However, brands and logos may not always be the best products as more and more people now are all about ‘good value for money.’ More customers are paying less for unbranded products that are at the same standard and quality as the leading big brands. For example, cheaper supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi, market their products by doing blind taste tests. This consists of the customer tasting the same product from two different brands. One of the brands will be the more expensive, popular and well known and the other will be a cheaper and unknown brand. The interesting research shows that most customers cannot tell the difference between the products. By showing this on media such as television, potential customers will see this and may purchase the cheaper product as it still has the same quality value as the more expensive products from the bigger brands.

Sound – Music and noises can help to market products. This is due to the fact that music and sound can influence people’s mood. It can impact the emotions, thoughts and feelings of an individual which can either lead to a positive or negative impression.  The speed of sound can affect the responsiveness and the direction of the consumer. Hearing a specific song or sound can help to motivate, connect and inspire the customers therefore creating an interest in a product or service.

All of the senses have a huge impact on the way we perceive products, brands and services. They can work together to create an emotional connection to the individuals when marketing goods and produce.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope that you find it interesting.

Naomi Pearson