Final evaluation

These 11 weeks have been one of the best 11 weeks I have attended class; I have experienced both wonderful classroom environments as well as the bad ones. This class was straight to the point and I knew what was expected of me; I just had to make the effort. Through all the class lectures I have learned about the world of advertising as well as the world around me. The world around all of us is a big advertisement itself, what we are what, what we eat is an advertisement. Through this advertising project I have learned that being creative is a key to being successful. And that doesn’t mean only in advertising; being in this class showed me that I need to think out of the box and show people something new while showing them the same brand identity as well as keeping up with brand standards. Not everyone will be in tuned with the brand or stay loyal but to keep it that way I need to entertain them as well as tell, or rather show why they need it. In my field of fashion things always change and trends remerge or reinvent themselves it is my job to tune in to the times and show consumers why they need to keep up with the trend and to do this I need to start thinking out of the box. With that in mind I feel I got what I needed out of the class and learnt a lot not only through reading chapters but as well as seeing the creative process in class and out of class;I have been in class every day and have been keeping up with my tweets and blog post

Analysis of Project in the Real World

You always have to know what you’re dealing with before you put out a product and before you can start to promote it. Research is probably the most important key to a successful product. I’m not talking about sitting behind a computer or a book and read what people are saying. I’m talking about going out there to see what’s working and what’s not working with other products. “To create something fresh, you need to know what has already been done. You've seen millions of ads in your lifetime and probably know what looks, feels, and sounds stale by now.” (pg 107) You know that a slogan is old when people are tired of seeing it; you can just tell by the way they’re looking at the ad! Some slogans can remain the same but you can always revamp it and cause a new sensation. Doing this has showed me that I needed to use a lot of creativity and I just didn’t know how to start it all. I had to look at the world around me what I do normally on a day to day basis. “In advertising, when you draw upon common experiences—funny, sad, bittersweet—people usually relate to them. The response from people should be something like: “Yep, that's how it is!”  (pg 82)To be quite honest I love looking at different ads in magazines, I especially like it when I can relate to them and say that life does go that way and yes that has happened to me before. When I do see messages like that I start to wonder how companies come up with the idea. Then I think about my reacting; it happened to them before! Or it happened to someone they know of. You would think a job such as advertising would be a breeze but it’s really not. These people literally draw in the world around them and go with it. And that’s what I did, I literally had to think of literal scenarios that happen in my life. “Often, when we are relaxed and not working at idea generation—perhaps while driving, cooking, exercising, showering, or doodling—a concept comes to us.”(pg 76). It took a while to perfect this concept that I came up with, then from there to make sure how people will perceive my message of “Everyone can be an Artist”. But then once I got that down everything else fell in to place. After all of this I have learned to respect the world of advertising and the things that they do. They make the product because they live the product.

Creative Content

“In print, you have two or three seconds to capture someone's attention. If you lose the consumer in the first second, you've lost 'em. Period.” (pg 220) However there is time for me to consider my audience’s attention through television commercial. I need to capture their attention immediately and if I don’t I usually have a window of five to seven seconds to get it back. Keep in mind every television commercial is 30 seconds long. “Carried through any campaign, there must be a distinct core idea, an underlying central concept or related ideas—one could call it a theme (a distinct recurring, unifying idea) or story.” (pg. 192) I have to stick to one theme; an artistic aesthetic that involves someone who is ordinary, someone you would normal see out on the streets. Using a celebrity in any ad can be risky, you always have to pick one that everyone is familiar with, someone who is within budget and someone who you know can deliver your message in your campaign. “A television commercial has to do several things to get people to watch and to keep them from zapping or texting or retrieving a snack or checking their e-mail or doing something else.” (PG 219) Showing an ordinary person can catch everyone’s attention (most of the time but not all the time), “Oh I like what she’s wearing” or “hey I have that same scarf” they relate to the star in the commercial, if they see a celebrity in the ad the audience knows that there is no way they can get the clothes they are wearing or any of their accessories.

“In marketing, we use storytelling about a brand or group to communicate related messages that, over a period of time, will distinguish, differentiate, reflect positively, construct or contribute to its brand personality, be memorable (stick), resonate, and influence people.” (pg 193)  Every story starts out as an idea and from there you start to build a story. My idea came from the nail brush from the nail polish bottle from there I came up with the thought of “Everyone can be an Arist”. As for a television ad I didn’t know what to think about the first few ideas of having a girl just paint with the small brush as canned. Then I thought about what if my commercial had a girl who was fashionable walk in to a museum with her friends. They’re walking having fun, having intellectual discussion among one another. Then they split up to different parts of the museum. One of the girls stands and admires a painting, she thinks about it and puts her hand to her face, trying to find out what the artist a women passes by and looks with her but she isn’t quiet admiring the same art. Across the way a man tilts his head and sees what the women sees as well. From there other people start to notice as well; but what is it? The women walks closer to the girl, she brings out her camera and then snaps a photo of her hand. Soon after spectators start to do the same and the tagline appears “Everyone can be an artist” with OPI.

The commercial setting is perfect; everyone expects to see people gaze at paintings but what’s so special about the girl who’s looking at it? And why is everyone staring at her and not what she’s looking at?  Ultimately the viewer should see that not every canvas has to be on the walls of a museum or a house. It can be anywhere! 

Promotion

This promotional campaign has to be introduced in a small way at first. Putting it out there for everyone to see on television is a little risky; the audience might not understand what I’m trying to say if I start off with a commercial. So opting for a magazine ad seemed like a good approach. “The relative value of “telling” versus “showing” an audience a story is a matter that goes back to Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Poetics.” (pg. 110) I can’t just approach my audience directly and tell them “hey you need to buy this product because you’ll feel like a true artist”. If I saw something like that I would feel a little pressured to actually buy it and not even end up using it. I need to give my audience a reason to buy this product.

Designing for print ad is the fastest way for me to contact my target audience. I need to have the ad run in fashion magazines and I need to grab the reader’s attention; we all know that most magazines that run print ads often have more than a few in them. I have to find a way for the reader to know what the product is and what the message is as well. If I give them a narrative about a girl going to a museum and have her looking at a  photo but the others are looking and taking pictures in her hand with the slogan “everyone can be an artist”, it will grab their attention. “When the line and visual work off one another, together they create greater meaning. Just like a good comedy team or a musical duet, the total effect is greater than the sum of the separate parts; it is seamless.”  (pg 210)

While thinking of how to construct my print ad I had to look further and set myself apart from other ads. As other nail product ads run in magazines or in news papers I had to show my ad to a younger audience. We all know that the younger generation seldom reads news papers, and magazines are now offered through mobile devices and on the internet. “The most important thing to realize about mobile phones is that most people have one, and they have one with them most hours of the day and night. It is the most personal of all media; it resides in our pockets and handbags.” (pg 240) It’s the easiest and fastest way for me to get my ad to women. Also what do women or nail artist use when they grab their phone, of course their hand. Most mobile phones are now touch screen; this is a perfect way for them to notice my ad and notice that its either they are using OPI or they are in need of a manicure and go buy my product out in the market. “People love their mobile phones and have become increasingly dependent upon them. Whether someone is waiting in a line at a theater or store, or sitting on a bus or in a doctor's office, that mobile device can provide entertainment or information.” (pg. 240) Not only am I informing them that OPI’s nail polish is a new form of art! But I can also inform them that they just might been in need of a touch up or a new option to a new color that we have on sale!

The Big Idea

OPI has always been a brand that is known for its collaborations with well known artist such as Nicki Minaj, The Kardashian’, Katy Perry, and even Justin Beiber. The company has also been doing a wonderful job on in creating collections that are in relation to movies; like their most recent collection; Oz the Great and Powerful. Using familiar faces as well as different types of media is a creative idea when running an ad in magazines and on billboards.  “An effective ad is driven by the underlying concept. An advertising idea— or concept—is the creative reasoning behind a solution. The concept determines the resulting message: what you say and how you design.“  (pg.68). OPI’s advertisement is straight to the point, it is a company that surrounds its advertising campaigns bases on peoples familiarity with the media. By using celebrities in an ad, we make a connection to the consumer’s daily life; they see a celebrity they admire and see that their nails are a certain color or they came out with a nail polish collection, they’ll be buying it off the shelves immediately. “Advertising has become more ubiquitous than ever, as advertisers try to find new ways to get their message through. Advertising differentiates brands, groups, and causes, and ultimately sells products and calls people to action.” (pg 3) I had to ask myself how does my campaign of “Everyone Can be an Artist” set apart from what OPI’s loyal customers have seen before. So I started to think about real life scenarious when it came to painting my nails. Other than the painful waiting game of drying, I would always think of myself as an artist when I have the nail polish brush in my hands. Then I started to think; Do others feel the same way? So I started to think of a concept of what if a girl were to be doing a painting or numerous paintings around her apartment and she just couldn’t get it right. So she goes off with her frustration and starts painting her nails. And of course I went with this idea!

“Once you generate an ad idea, you need to evaluate it, testing it for functionality and creativity. Most ideas require refinement to strengthen them and to ensure they will work in practice.” (pg 76) I had to give this slogan and concept a lot of thought. How are people going to react when they see this type of ad in print!? They just might be shocked to see that OPI has gone a different route to advertise to their loyal customers. Or they can be super accepting and just go with the thought. Especially now, nail art seems to be the new sensation that is going around. Innovators have been using nail polish as an extra accessory, now the nail is consider a small canvas that is a new mean of expression. “In any discipline, from science to music, creativity is valuable. Creative thinkers have an advantage—they have nimble, flexible minds, able to solve problems in ways most cannot.” (pg. 33) When hearing the phrase “Everyone can be an artist” you can think of not one demographic but everyone as a whole. They can be a doctor, a musician, a mother, a chief or anyone else you can think of. The whole idea of this one phrase is for everyone to feel creative while they paint their nails; whether it’d be a solid color, or a pattern, or maybe even a simple drawing of a flower.  The feeling of creativity doesn’t lie within an artist or someone who works in the art field but it lies in all of us when we pick up a brush.

Competitive analyses

I have a lot of faith in OPI and I can say I am a loyal customer; the paint on the brush doesn’t come off thick and when you put it on your nail it goes on smooth. I do admit that somewhere out there will be a product that will beat out OPI but so far I can only think of one; Essie is one of the biggest brands that is in trend (behind OPI of course). “Most smart creatives do some digging themselves. The Internet, of course, has made information more accessible than ever. Develop an understanding of how best to conduct research, specifically where to look for and gather information.” (Pg 16) Going to both websites and asking people around is a good idea however, I am lucky to have access to both products.  As a person who tested both brands I can say that both OPI and Essie do have a lot in common but both are different in many ways.

From a consumer point of view OPI is easier to find in the store; for example when going to a drug store or a local market OPI has its own section. Is also color coded and with their new collections they do set that apart from the normal colors that a consumer would usually see. Essie is also the same way; but I do believe that since they have their typography in white they draw in more attention.  Black is a typical color that is seen in my opinion, you can see it some products. “A critical component is learning about the audience—the targeted, specified group of people at whom you are aiming your message, design, and solution.” (pg 16)  I’m not saying that you don’t see white either, but if we pay attention to font as well you can see that Essie is more youthful bringing. Times new roman can be classy and you can take it seriously but it’s played out just like Arial font. I admit Essie caught my attention because of that, it’s youthful and its girly and the colors were softer looking and not so mature when I became acquainted for the brand, so I took a chance and tried it out.

I was a bit apprehensive at first being so used to one brand and trying something new is like dipping your feet in to what you think is a warm pool but in all reality its freezing cold. But when I tried the paint was a little watery but true to its color. OPI often has its troubles with color change especially when it comes to their crackle nail polish. However they have improved on that, I feel that Essie got it in one shot and didn’t have to reformulate again. That’s a wonderful aspect to look at when you’re picking nail polish, in my experience the thicker the paint the longer you have to wait. “In an overcrowded, competitive marketplace, relevant and engaging branding can ensure efficacy for a quality product, service, group, individual, or commodity. Not only does branding identify and distinguish, it builds equity (the value of the brand or group).” (pg.49) A lot of girls who do their own nails are always on the go and often don’t have time to go to the salon so they do it themselves. However if they’re so used to doing a lot of activities in a fast pace motion they might have a problem when it comes to dry time. The back fire to it all my nail color didn’t seem to last that long when I used Essie I was a little upset because the color I used was a pastel color, and to get the right consistency of a color so light is hard to obtain on such a small canvas. I’m a pretty active person I take care of my niece and nephew often and when my niece saw the paint chipping she looked at me and said “not pretty”.  If a 3 and a half year old girl can notice small detail then so can someone who is in their adulthood.

Although they are a bit consistent in color, the paint is way too thin. Especially for the price that a consumer is paying for; Essie bottles cost around eight dollars (this is with tax) and it’s a bit hard for me to cope with that when the economy is down. And even if their bottle has a cute box shape as well as cute typography is it really worth the eight dollars I’m going to spend. Every consumer should always think about the saying “you get what you pay for” when you go shopping. I can openly say that at times Essie will be worth it, but for longevity of the paint, design and price OPI is a brand you can rely on. 

Essie is a fairly new brand that’s developing its name as well as brand loyalty. But with OPI’s smooth opaque paint it will be hard to beat. OPI is known to deliver wonderful long lasting colors that are bold enough to be seen from far away. It will probably take a few years for any brand to catch up to such a brand as this one. A completive nail polish company needs to work twice as hard and be twice as creative as OPI to achieve equal success.

Week 10 EOC: What makes a good campaign

“Everyone can be an artist”; It is consistent with the brand voice.

“Everyone can be an artist”; it will start a conversation in pop culture.

Everyone can be an artist; go out there and find them! Using OPI is one of the best ways to become an artist. Either gender can do it; if you are a mail who told you that you can’t do your girlfriends nails!? If you’re a girl ask yourself what is the difference between both a painter and you doing your nail. “Everyone can be an artist” makes not only women feel powerful but everyone powerful. For those who paint you often paint because you want people to see the beauty in your thoughts, or you want to share what you are feeling. Everyone has a reason as to why they are an artist; but when you paint your nails or when you paint your girlfriends nails do you not realize you’re making someone feel beautiful? You are creating beauty on the outside as well on the inside, giving self confidence to yourself or to your love ones is something that everyone can do. And if you do it well you can create a master piece.

Nail art is seen everywhere now; people of all ages, all sizes as well as other genders tend to get their nails done. Colors will always be a trend, with nails they stepped it up, creating small intricate designs like hello kitty or Batman or Superman on nails is now a part of the norm. Innovators today are using different colors and mixing colors with their nail polish and creating new colors. I can openly say that nail polish is the new paint; with what people are officially drawing on something so small and so detailed is talent. It releases the inner artist in all of us and shows that everyone and anyone with a nail brush can be a part of the art movement.