The Product Is You, No. 17

IMG_1186[The Product Is You* is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. ]

Meredith, publisher of magazines such as Better Homes, Parents, More, and ReadyMade, and operator of various associated online properties, here explains to potential advertisers the reason they should buy space in the Meredith universe. If you are among the “75 million women” that the ad states are Meredith’s audience, that reason is you.

Often you the media audience are pitched to potential advertisers with statistics or catchphrases. Here, a visual dominates. Read more

The Product Is You, No. 16

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[The Product Is You* is an occasional Murketing.com series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. ]

Just as Bravo pushes the idea that its viewers are “affluencers” (well-off and inflential people, desirable to advertisers), the WE network concocts a name for those who watch its programming: They are “I Do-ers.” Does this mean they are overly willing to get married??

Not exactly. Read more

The Product Is You, No. 15

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[The Product Is You* is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks (or in this case a Web company) packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. ]

In today’s installment, Yahoo enlightens the advertising public (meaning the public that is made up of advertising/marketing people) about its users. The pitch explains: “We built it for him; Now it’s all about YOU!” That is, Yahoo is “all about” potential advertisers.

Above, a fellow I will call Yahoo Dude. And below, Yahoo Mom. They’re a somewhat disconcerting pair in that Yahoo Dude, even at a glance, seems a bit feckless to be a father. Kind of like that Levi Johnston guy. And Yahoo Mom looks about the same age. Or maybe she’s younger — sort of a Juno vibe? (I never actually saw Juno.) Anyway I don’t think we’re supposed to see them as a couple.

Point is: More after the jump.

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Read more

The Product Is You, No. 14

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[The Product Is You* is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. ]

In today’s installment, Rob, 37, stands in as the consumer that advertisers want. Look at him. He’s a loving father of course. And he has a pretty nice house. Probably a good amount of disposable income, too. You can get a hint of how he’s disposed of it by admiring his sunny kitchen.

“His job keeps him busy.” Rob, 37, has work. The income is coming in. Where will he dispose of it next?

I don’t know if it’s Rob’s day off and he feels compelled to keep up with work even during his quality time with the kiddo, or perhaps he just works at home. Either way, Rob, 37, is one of “those who matter.” You want him to “spend quality time with your brand.”

Most Product Is You advertising comes from specific media venues, such as a cable network. But Rob, 37, is one of those elusive consumers whose media habits aren’t so easily pinned down. This ad explains how the advertised company can help brand-owners “target your audience at scale across multiple channels.”

This service allows you to “place your message carefully,” so that you’ll reach him even if he is, oh, let’s say, spending time with his daughter, while surfing the Web, or whatever. This looks looks like a happy moment. Maybe your brand should be part of it. “Our platform puts your brand where consumers live online,” this ad tells marketers. “So you and your audience can enjoy a whole lot of togetherness.”

That’s what this service is for. It’s there so that Rob, 37, can spend quality time with his daughter, and your brand. A whole lot of it.

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The Product Is You, No. 13

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[The Product Is You* is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. ]

The message here is that a potential advertiser might be under the impression that ESPN watchers (like you, perhaps) have brains clogged with information about sports, and sports only. Not so, this ad argues: They also think about products. In fact watching ESPN and thinking about sports makes them think about products (and think about products flows seamlessly back into thinking about sports.

For example, a thought train from Boston Celtics to Fighting Irish flows naturally to Lucky Charms, to cereal in general, to orange juice, and then to the Orange Bowl. The message is that if you watch ESPN, that’s how your brain works. It is all connected in your buzzing brain. Wouldn’t a Potential Advertiser want to fling its brand into that buzz?

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* Related: Gladys Santiago has a Tumblr on related matters: Advertising To Advertisers. Steve Portigal has a somewhat related post, “Personas Leaking Outside The Enterprise.” Check ‘em out.

The Product Is You, No. 12

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[The Product Is You is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers.

Been quite a while since I posted one of these, but I had a chance recently to clear out my office and in the process discovered some examples I’d set aside. Here’s one. It’s an ad targeting potential advertisers on the History Channel.

“There is a type of consumer that advertisers crave,” this History Channel promotion tells members of the marketing profession. “He’s hard to find, but not if you know where to look.”

The idea is that you will find them watching the History Channel, and that’s where you should tell your corporate clients to buy ad time. Here are some attributes of the “consumer that advertisers crave”: Read more

Flickr Interlude / The Product Is You

Oxygen Upfronts 09, originally uploaded by GladiolaBean.

Those of you familiar with entries in this site’s series, The Product Is You, should be interested in this recent contribution to the Murketing Flickr pool.

I’ll let the caption explain:

This is Oxygen’s latest subway ad for the 2009 upfronts. Last year Bravo and Oxygen upfront ads were plastered all over New York. I thought it was weird to display ads that are so obviously industry specific in such a public arena. This picture was taken at the 49th station along the R line, which makes sense for the location since Media:Edge and MediaVest offices are nearby.

I really didn’t think Bravo and Oxygen would run this type of marketing campaign this year because of the economic climate, but I guess “affluencers, trenders, spenders, and recommenders” don’t know the meaning of the word downsize.

Click “all sizes” for more detail and to read the fine print. The graffiti is courtesy of a very insightful straphanger.

Thanks GladiolaBean.

[Join and contribute to the Murketing Flickr group]

The Product Is You, No. 11

[The Product Is You is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. Previous installments here.]

Here, in an from a trade journal, some insight into how Fuse, a cable music channel, thinks about its viewers. Regarding this “brand groupie,” we learn that: “Everything in her life is influenced by her music.” Thus, Fuse is the place to influence her — to “captivate trendsetting adults, 18-34.”

The Product Is You, No. 10

[The Product Is You is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. Previous installments here.]

A recent CNBC campaign touting its audience to potential advertisers emphasizes (once again) that those audience members are supposedly rich. The point is made repeatedly, juxtaposing the high-end version of some thing (a watch, kobe beef, Faberge egg, fancy car) against the mass version. You, the CNBC viewer, are special. Why? Because you have money to burn. According to these ads, anyway. The ad above and below says that “97 percent of CNBC viewers own securities with an average value of $1,631,000.” Another says the average CNBC watcher has a net worth that “exceeds $2.7 million.” All the ads use the phrase that matters most to potential advertisers: “purchasing power.”

Read more

The Product Is You, No. 9

[The Product Is You is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. Previous installments here.]

Here, another blunt example of the exchange these ads elucidate: The advertiser is invited to “buy” a CNBC household, and in this case the attraction (per the pitch at least) is obvious — such households are full of people with money. So much money they have a guesthouse. If metaphors don’t cut it, the boast about wealthy viewers is spelled out on a second page.