My Brand Ideas: Here I will elaborate on some of my commercial campaigns. It is important that brands not only see great commercial ideas, but also see different ways we can enhance their products. Therefore, below are my "brand ideas" that expand on the relationship we can develop between the brand and the consumer.
Brand Idea #1: #SelfCare
My first brand idea will be the #SelfCare campaign. The campaign consist of three parts. The three parts are as follow:
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Social Media Outreach
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Website Network
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Positive Image Commercials
The social media outreach will consist of the hashtag #SelfCare. The brand will promote the hashtag all across their social media platforms. They will also encourage their consumers to use the hashtag. The brand will kickstart it with a video of women explaining their unique stresses, that only women go through. The video should be personal stories by women. For instance, it can contain expectations of women. The video can also talk about the oppression women face. Every video should end with #SelfCare on the screen.
The website networking will consist of driving consumers to the brand's website. The website will consist of resources for women. These resources will include suicide hotlines, women resources centers, domestic violence resources, and statistics about women. The website will have videos of inspirational women telling their stories.
The last part is, the positive image commercials that consist of commercials having empowering images of women. These commercials will have representations of people of color, disabled people, people of all different weights, and religion. It is important to show underrepresented groups in commercials because it gives the audience a chance to relate to the brand. It also gives customers a sense of inclusion.
Overall, I feel like these three parts will make a positive impact for women. It is crucial that the positive self care theme remains the focal point. While the #SelfCare campaign will drive consumers to the brand social medias and website, if the brand loses sight of the focal point it will do more harm than good. The image below is a good example of the resources the brand should promote.
Brand Idea #2: Dish Soap Brand Using TikTok
My second brand idea is one centered around TikTok. Needless to say, that TikTok has exploded in popularity. It is dominating the conversation when it comes to trends on social media. It differs from most social media platforms by being extraordinarily faced paced. The videos on TikTok tend to be short, but they always tell a story. Some stories are heartfelt, some are political, and some are funny. TikTok content creators are really good at understanding how to entertain users.
Usually, when I am washing the dishes I watch several TikTok videos. While I was doing that I thought of a campaign. The following campaign is for a dish soap brand (I.E. Dawn).
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The first part is the TikTok challenge which is called #GetOutOfDoingDishes
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The second part is promotion of the challenge on all platforms
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The third part is a reward for the best TikTok story
In my view TikTok challenges are the safest bet when it comes to going viral. They instantly engage people, and they are some of the most popular. TikTok creators can really show their creativity in this type of trend. As the hashtag suggest, the challenge is to video tape yourself convincing someone else to do the dishes you were supposed to do. TikTok creators should use creative ways to get out of doing dishes. An example can be someone convincing their roommate that they are sick and therefore cannot do the dishes, even though they are not sick. Another example can be a kid convincing their parent they need to do their homework and therefore cannot complete the dishes, even though the kid does not have any homework. The challenge #GetOutOfDoingDishes can be adapted to different products. For instance, #GetOutOfCleaning can be used for a Swifter brand. This should be an amusing challenge that targets all ages.
The second part is promotion of the challenge. The brand should promote this challenge on all of their social media accounts. The brand should also have some videos already made of people doing this challenge and should post it on their TikTok platforms. The videos should be entertaining and show different ways to approach the challenge. The brand should reach out to TikTok influencers and ask them to do the challenge.
The third part is awarding a prize to the best TikTok story. This prize can be monetary, a large supply of the brand’s product, or any other creative incentive. This will motivate creators to enter the challenge. The more the hashtag trends the better for the brand. The contest can last a month or two. It is important to allow enough time for the hashtag to trend, while also realizing the contest cannot stay for too long. This is an entertaining way to get a brand entrenched in the TikTok culture. It is vital that brands understand the potential of TikTok and how to galvanize it to their advantage.
Brand Idea #3: Enhancing a Sports Team Brand
My third brand idea is going to revolve around enhancing the Rutgers University Athletic program. I picked this program because it has struggled showcasing itself and because I'm an Alum. Despite the program struggling to showcase itself I believe it has great potential to do just that. With every problem there is opportunity. If I was recruiting Rutgers to my advertising firm I would suggest to them ways my firm can help their brand. The following would be suggested:
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New commercials/New graphics that emphasize NYC
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New show on their YouTube channel
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Promotion of athletes and chants
The first part is new commercials. I would tell Rutgers Athletics that it needs various commercials that emphasizes the proximity of Rutgers and New York City. The commercials need to be ambitious and they need to be in an array of categories like comedic, serious, and heartfelt. I would show the train ride from Rutgers to NYC. The commercials should show landmarks from both the city and from Rutgers. The audience will start to make the connection of Rutgers being "The New York College Team". The commercials should also have statistic of how many Rutgers' alum live in NYC, and show how many alums work in the city. The new graphics should also have these stats. The graphics will have clear displays of NYC landmarks.
The second part is a new show on the Rutgers YouTube channel. The show will be shaped in the model of "Hard Knocks" on HBO. It will follow both training camp and spring practices. It will show the culture of the team. It will also show how hard student athletes work by showing the athletes' routine. There will be interviews of players and coaches where questions will be asked about their hobbies, routines, and sports. Players will be "mic'd" up during practices. The show will be edited in order to give behind the scenes footage and access to the audience. At the same time the show gives Rutgers' athletes a platform to be known. This is especially important in this era of Name Image and Likeness, that we are in. The audience will grow a bond with the team and players. It will also give an opportunity to widen the brand of the athletic programs in a unique way.
The last part is the strategic promotion of athletes and chants. In this era, it is important to flood your social medias account with your athletes. Everyday there should be a post of a Rutgers' athlete with their name and social media displayed. There should also be videos of your athletes' highlights and interviews. This will make your athlete's brand bigger, which will make Rutgers' brand bigger. The athletes should be one of the main focuses of anything you do, including the TV show on your YouTube channel. Rutgers should also promote some of its' chants more. Display the chants during commercials, billboards, and social media. New chants should be introduce. For instance, a "Rutgers Roll Call" which consist of the student section saying the name of players until the athlete response. The "Rutgers Roll Call" will be done during every sporting event. This will help outsiders identify Rutgers' culture.
The hope here is to show some of the creative ideas I can bring to an agency and in turn a brand like Rutgers.
Brand Idea #4: Campaign for a Streaming Show
My fourth brand idea will be a campaign for the show “The Bear” on Hulu and FX. I picked this show because it deals with heavy trauma and hard topics. The campaign is one that will make the audience rethink how they watch shows on streaming devices. This will be the most thought provoking and interactive show of all time. It should be noted that this campaign will be optional for the consumers. The audience will be able to watch the show normally like any other show or they can watch with this new engaging format. I am a believer in the Rule of Three. Therefore, the campaign is broken down into three parts:
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Interactive Chat
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Pop-up Bubbles during the show
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Call-in podcast after the show
The first part is the interactive chat. The chat will be similar to a YouTube chat during a live stream. It will be located on the side of the screen. The audience is going to be able to access the chat through a phone application. One will be able to login into the app through your Hulu account. The chat will have a different question or topic every episode. The audience will be able to respond to that question or topic by writing in the chat. They also can post about their experiences and things they noticed on that particular episode. Responses to other comments are encouraged. Unfortunately, chats like this are a target for “internet trolls” and immature people. Therefore, a moderator is needed, and the chat will be on a 30-minute delay. Moreover, the moderated will need to approve messages before they are posted. The goal with this chat is to build a community. The audience is not just watching a show, they are collaborating with each other. Sharing ideas about an episode, on a controlled platform, will entice people to stay engaged year-round.
The second part of this campaign is the pop-up bubbles during the episodes. These pop-up bubbles will appear at different times through each episode. The bubbles will have different messages inside of them. Some will have statistics about relevant themes. For example, if one of the characters mentions how Chicago’s black population is decreasing a bubble will pop-up with a statistic to back up that claim. The bubbles will also have links the audience can click on, the links will be of articles and other resources. For example, if a domestic violence scene is shown a bubble can pop-up with an article of domestic violence. The bubble can also have resources for domestic violence survivors. Lastly, the bubbles can contain warning signs of different behaviors that are not explicitly obvious. For example, if one of the characters is manipulating someone a bubble can emerge saying why and how this is manipulating behavior. Another example is if one of the characters is a narcissist a pop-up bubble will appear when signs of narcissism are displayed by the character. This will force the audience to look at their own life and relate to the show on a deeper level.
The last part is the live call-in podcast show. The podcast will be aired directly after the most recent episode ends. The show should also air on the show’s YouTube channel and its’ application. The podcast show will allow viewers to call-in and express any sentiments they have about the episode. There will be an energetic host that will make the show enjoyable and informative. The podcast show should have polls where fans can vote on different topics, and the results will be revealed at the end of each podcast show. Famous guest can be zoomed in if they are fans of “The Bear”. Unfortunately, like any show with call-ins there can be “trolls”, but there should be a moderator to vet the calls.
Encompassing all three parts will lead to a community and an interactive show like no other. (I have made three commercials for this show, it can be seen here.)
