The Oscars - An Advertiser's Friend or Foe?

An advertiser’s most precious commodity is the eyes of consumers. When it comes to the viewership of the Academy Awards, it is a heavy-hitter for potential advertising profitability.

Hyundai, Sprint, and J.C. Penney are a few companies taking a chance on the 84th Annual Academy Awards this year, despite the nominees for Best Picture not being blockbuster films. The movies up for Best Picture in 2011 were definitely popular in their own respect, but were smaller and arty, appealing to an older audience. This could potentially translate into less mainstream appeal, and fewer viewers tuning in, which is a negative for advertisers.

ABC’s Oscar ratings are typically contingent upon the Best Picture nominees, and audiences vary each year. A few entries this year include: The Artist, The Descendants, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, and The Tree of Life. All these films are cinematically spectacular, but cannot compare to the broad box office appeal of Avatar and Forest Gump.

There is a lot of speculation about the number of expected Oscar viewers, but advertisers can still benefit from the broadcast’s relatively large audience. Getting advertisements seen by a mass audience is becoming increasingly difficult because of stiff competition, television programs, and the long list of “other things” people could be watching or doing instead.

Strategy is important in the ad game, and Hyundai is addressing the issue by specifically targeting female viewers during the Oscars this year.  Other notable Academy Award advertisers will include American Express, AT&T, MetLife, and Paramount Picutres.

Last year, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences chose superstars Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts in an attempt to gain a younger audience. Unfortunately, the socially awkward and uncomfortable duo did the opposite, and irked just about everyone watching.  Luckily, the master of Oscar hosting, Billy Crystal, is on his way to save the day, due to a fall out between Eddie Murphy and Brent Ratner.

Will you be watching the Oscars this year? Leave your comments and opinions below, and don’t forget to follow us here at Oster and Associates on Twitter and become a fan of us on Facebook!

Successful Trade Show Booth Secrets Releaved!

I recently attended a seminar on Trade Show Marketing Strategies. Since some of our clients attend various trade shows pertaining to their industries, I was excited at the opportunity to learn new ideas and helpful information that I could pass on to our clients.

First, it is important to select trade shows and venues that make sense for your company. Oster and Associates has the tools and resources to thoroughly research which trade shows your company should be attending. There are 2 different types of trade shows: Horizontal (shows with a broad base of sellers and both broad and narrowly focused buyers) and Vertical (shows with narrow base of buyers and sellers). Most B to B companies should focus on vertical shows that fit within their industry.
 More secrets are revealed after the jump!

Taking Advertising to the Next Level

On Sunday night, music lovers/appreciators/worshipers gathered under a blanket in front of their televisions for the 54^th Grammy Awards and were entertained, shocked, and goose bump ridden. Sure, there was the mourning of Whitney Houston, the triumph of Adele, and the exorcism of Nicki Minaj, but this time the real star was a surprising one.

The commercial was ‘cute’ at first; a cartoon farmer with his cartoon pigs in a cartoon land. Then came the chills when a familiar tune was deciphered but not in its normal form; a cover of the Coldplay classic, "The Scientist," by Willie Nelson.

Check out the very emotional and incredibly well-executed ad after the break! 

Advertising with Instagram

New and innovative opportunities for digital advertising and media platforms arise in the least expected of places. Trendy social media applications have made a big statement in the last couple of years thanks to the growing popularity of the iPhone. 

Instagram is a free photo sharing application that was introduced in 2010. By 2011, it was the top ranked app on iTunes. Instagram allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it through a variety of social networking services. 15 million users have taken advantage of this iPhone exclusive application since its introduction, and remain loyal to the app by frequently uploading their photogenic snapshots to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr, and Posterous.

Read more about Instagram after the break!

The Power of (Marketing) Love

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and the Oster and Associates crew is buzzing with excitement.. At least some of us are. The female Osterites seem to be excited for a night of celebrating: Dinner at a romantic candlelit restaurant with hopes of a nice bouquet of flowers or a sentimental gift. However, the guys of the group aren't as thrilled about what's been coined a "Hallmark Holiday." Thanks to brands like Teleflora, See's Candies, Victoria's Secret, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, consumers feel pressured to come up with some uber-romantic date to woo the apple of their eye–and we're not exempt from that feeling.

We got to talking around the office: Does the onslaught of Valentine's Day marketing sway your visions or views of the Day of Love for the better or worse? We asked Kerri and Tyler to give us a "Battle of the Sexes" view on the topic and see if their ideas of the day of love are warped in any way. Continue reading to see their responses.

Facebook Goes Public: Timeline Disliked

 

When I started working for Oster and Associates I had the privilege of “upgrading” my Facebook profile to the Timeline. That experience forced me to cope with something that most people fear: change. According to online pollsters at Sodahead, a majority of Facebook users disliked the new Timeline. In fact, 70 percent of users favored the dated Facebook ‘wall.’

This isn’t the first time Facebook has disappointed us with a confusing layout. Not long ago, the ‘newsfeed’ was met with universal dislike. After a while, though, it was quietly accepted by users. Although most Facebook changes are met with hostility, membership on the website continues to grow exponentially.

We live in a nation that is uncomfortable with change. Period. This is because we fear the unknown. Here is a typical Facebook scenario regarding layout changes:

When a new Facebook layout is forced on users, it is disliked. After the initial chagrin and user complaints pass, they become more and more familiar and comfortable with that change. Finally, users accept the change - it is forgotten about.

Keep reading to find out about Facebook's financial future!

Oster and Associates' Favorite Ads of Super Bowl 46

The Super Bowl, or as we in the advertising industry like to call it the Brand Bowl, was again a bit a of a dud this year, but there were some commercials that stuck out to us here at Oster and Associates. Anything related to dogs seemed to be front-runners for the top picks, but at the same time it looks like half of the firm will be purchasing Silverados when the apocalypse comes later this year.

It was a pretty clear majority consensus that Coca-Cola was the big stinker of the group. The polar bear ads were just very out of place and very unimaginative. The same could be said about the GoDaddy.com ads. I am not the E*Trade baby's biggest fan, but it looks like I am alone in this statement. I gotta hand it to Anheuser-Busch––my curiosity has peeked and my taste buds would definitely like to try your Bud Light Platinum.

Want to know who each of us in the agency chose as their favorite ads of Super Bowl 46? Keep on reading to find out!