.Nostolgic

Nostalgic advertising has been used many times before and they sometimes have favorable outcomes. The reason for this is because it elicits a response from the consumer other forms of advertisement does not. For example, have you ever saw, heard, or felt something that took you back into time? If you have, that reminiscent feeling gives you a moment in the past and you just have to be there. Well, that's what some advertisements successfully do. Jack Daniel's "Legend" campaign did a great job of this. They showed legendary artists and bands such as Frank Sinatra, Mudhoney, and Joey Ramone. Their goal was to capture rock 'n' roll legends and associate that with Jack Daniel's. They intended to capture the greatest times and aligned it with their product. A large group of direct Jack Daniels consumers would probably be attracted to this commercial. Not only that, it could spike interest in non-direct Jack Daniel's consumers. According to www.adweek.com, it increased their Brand Power Index score (it is measured by the amount of social media buzz and online searches a brand receives every quarter) by 27% (Adweek Source). Although nostalgic advertisement has an advantage, it could have a negative impact as well.

A way for nostalgic marketing to negatively effect consumers is through eliciting negative associations in consumers. Certainly, Frank Sinatra could remind people of World War II, or a time when their girlfriend dumped them. These associations come in numerous forms and can sometimes not be calculated. But for example, if studies suggest that showing a bicycle in advertisement can boost market sales because it reminds people of their good times in the past, then why not go with that. 

Honestly, there is not much to say about negative effects in my opinion. I feel that there will be people that do like a nostalgic feeling and that there will be people that don't. Sometimes it favors the company and sometimes it works against it. Although this is not a 50/50 case, there are cases where nostalgic advertising can be very effective. It can help bring back the good times and memories to consumers. In effect, encourage consumers to purchase these brands' products.

Let's Ride.

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Brand communities do develop greater involvement in a brand. For example (a brand other than Harley Davidson), Facebook and its ability to unite people on a website. It is the number 1 social networking site because it creates a community for people to congregate to. Cynically speaking, it's like how a country creates national pride through the use of flags, national anthems, etc. People find something they identify with, which helps unite other people together (even people who are not associated with the organization, but people who desire to). Sometimes people desire to be part of something and Harley Davidson used that to their advantage.

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The word "posse" in "Posse Ride" says it all. If you are participating in the "Posse Ride," then you are part of a "posse." Although this is a superficial analysis, it says a lot. A "posse" is defined as a group of men who may be armed. You can make the conjecture that people who take part in these events are people who believe they are tough, or people who want to be tough. Let's face it, how can you not be or appear tough with a large group of motorcycle riders. Moving forward, within these "Posse Rides" motorcyclists bond with each other. They do this in a sense of riding together and sharing their lives with each other in various ways. Moreover, promoting camaraderie, which enhances the
meaning of the brand.

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I don't believe Harley Davidson should get more involved with the rides. Any more involvement would make riders feel controlled, or policed. The idea of Harley Davidson is for riders to feel free on the open rode without any restrictions (yeah, and that sometimes gets out of hand). The riders have created the image for Harley Davidson and they continue to do that. Any interference by the company will dilute the meaning of Harley Davidson. Let's face it, Harley Davidson is known for their riders, not for themselves (if that makes sense). To elaborate, the Harley Davidson riders promote Harley Davidson, they no longer need to promote themselves.

There are no other ways Harley Davidson could promote it. They have a lot of motorcycle gang members ride those bikes. They are not only nationally known, but internationally known. They are known to have one of the loudest motorcycles ever. Again, if there were any interference by Harley Davidson, I feel like it would not seem organic. Organic in a sense that they are what they represent. Meaning that the riders and the way they are portrayed (the people who they desired to attract) are what makes a Harley Davidson motorcycle attractive.

Buy Nike. Just Do It.

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 Nike has been in the game for almost half of a century and have been growing ever since. Nike is not just a name to the consumer. It's a lifestyle. It's the life people choose when they exercise, play a sport, and walk around. Everywhere you go, you will see the word Nike and its notorious swoosh on pretty much anything.

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Nike has targeted its consumers who derive from all sorts of economic standing in society. They mainly target consumers ages 16-55 who possess high income standing or are part of the high income standing. The high income target market man cause medium to low income standing consumers to desire the product as well. And so far, this effect has occurred and has been occurring.

What makes Nike so attractive in comparison to its rival brands? For starters, they invest hugely into their Research and Development. Nike interviews customers to find what they can do to improve their products. As a result, they may put a logo somewhere noticeable, or have a commercial that includes specific scenes to attract more consumers. In addition, they also do testing on their products. This would include how the materials part of the product react to certain circumstances. For example, they would test the composite of a soccer cleat. This would include how it is affected with weight, in different temperatures, etc. Not only do they find ways to conform to the customer, they also are innovative risk takers. Nike has made products other brands would not dare to do.

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Two of some of the most recent successful products are the Nike FuelBand and the Nike Flyknit Racer. The Nike FuelBand was priced at $150. It has an electronic screen filled with a variety of colors and can calculate the amount of calories burned, miles traveled, number of steps taken, and NikeFuel points earned. It was considered unorthodox because the Nike FuelBand was considered to be in a different market (the technology market). The other product was the Nike Flyknit Racer. It was also an unconventional product. It was a shoe that was created through "knit threading rather than multiple layers of fabric" (Austin Carr, Nike: The No.1 Most Innovative Company Of 2013, www.fastcompany.com). This unorthodox creation yielded extremely light shoes. The risk taking Nike took, hit the consumers fast and hard. Making innovative and useful products can cause shift the consumers behavior positively (As we see here).

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Nike is not old. They have been competing with other brands for half of a century, but they have found ways to flourish like new. Through the heavy investments in their Research and Development Department and risky product creations, they have become one of the best brands there are. A lesson from one of Nike's tactics is to take risks through innovation. But be innovative in a way that serves the consumers better than before. The better it can be done, the more people are going to desire it.

It Works.

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 Greenpeace, founded in 1971, is a foundation that aims to protect the environment through direct-action. They execute this through investigating environmental crime, confronting environmental abuse, and finding solutions to help save the environment. Greenpeace chooses not to affiliate itself with the government or corporations. They believe that it goes against their values. Instead, they market themselves to individuals or different organizations that do not harm the environment.

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The market themselves to the public in many ways. You can visit the six social networking websites that they have. These include Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and Twitter.  These sites contain: updates about environmental issues that are occurring throughout the world, pictures of animals, and news about Greenpeace. Another marketing strategy they use is standing outside stores with their trademark t-shirts. What happens is they ask people who walk in and out of stores for a minute. Then, they give an introduction of what Greenpeace is. Afterwards, they ask if the individual would like to donate money, sign up for an weekly email updates, and many other things related to Greenpeace. Their advertising tactics don't stop there. They also do public protests that make the news and do interviews with news people in order to get TV time.

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Greenpeace is an organization that has grabbed the attention of many people. For instance, in today's news, Greenpeace activists are detained in Russia for attempting to aboard an Arctic oil platform. They have made headlines on BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, and other big media companies. They have not only made an impact on American news, but worldwide news as well.

Some of the things they do may seem radical. I don't know whether it's right or wrong. All I know is that it works.