Can't find Swash at Supermarkets

P&G new product, Swash, was unveiled, but you cannot buy it, which is a new Tide laundry product, at any stores. They only sell it on the Internet. P&G also announced that they are testing e-commerce launch through launching the product only online. “Swash products are being targeted to Gen Yers who tend to re-wear their clothes rather than wash them after every use.”
There are four different types and functions of Swash: fresh it up, smooth it out, steam it out, and get it out. Simply, spray them on clothes to dampen fabric, then smell, wrinkled areas, and stain will disappear. Those processes are explained at Amazon.com, and you can also get it through the online.

People are getting more demand on online shopping, and this exclusive online launching product may appear more because younger generations are more likely to buy products on the Internet and very less cost of distribution and advertisement. The digital technology has rapidly developed in a decade, and its advanced technology has become more interrelated into our daily lives.

Dawn Saves Wildlife?

Dawn has been doing a campaign “Everyday Wildlife Champions." Dawn used diverse channels to boost the campaign, which donates $1 to two wildlife charities-the Marine mammal Center and the International Bird Rescue Research Center-as consumers type donation codes on the bottom of Dawn bottle. This campaign is designed to collect up to $500,000 by 31 Dec 2009.

The interesting feature of the campaign is Facebook. There are 16,972 fans in Facebook page, “Everyday Wildlife Chanpions.” People seem to love what Dawn is helping with marine mammals and birds. The Facebook page informs how two organizations are supporting mammals and birds and their information to encourage people to stand for their campaign. Actually, it works; so far they have collected $210,425 donations and people wrote great things about this campaign on the Facebook page. In addition, those of fans whom shared Dawn-branded Flair buttons and send them to their Facebook friends were mostly females ages 18 to 49 which is the Dawn’s target ages.

This campaign shows how the social network brings people to the website for donation and creates great atmosphere about the company and product which increases sales revenues. It seems a successful marketing, but there was a negative comment about P&G on the page saying, “but to my understanding Dawn products are in association with Procter and Gamble which as much to my knowledge tests on animals or at least has failed to state that they don’t test on animals.” This kind of a comment could damage the campaign and make antis. Moreover, people will no longer trust any campaign ran by corporations.

Tide iPhone Application

P&G also starts making iPhone application! P&G’s the most famous Laundry detergent, Tide, became the first iPhone application. They made the free “Tide Stain Brain” application. This application provides information of removing stains at home. In addition, users also can share their tips and tricks each other with anyone who has the application on their iPhones.

It is a great marketing and advertisement because it is free and satisfies people’s need and convenience. Ads or campaigns arrive anytime on your hands. This is a fascinating marketing strategy. As Google bought Admob.com, a mobile ad company, the value of mobile for commerce is huge and its function and efficiency become advanced.

Now, iPhone is the digital icon that people eager to have. I expect that P&G will make other iPhone applications to attract more consumers. Application is not only advertising a product but also providing what consumers need with a little cost. As a result, the products will be familiar with consumers, and this mobile communication will result in consumption and appeal their products to users efficiently. However, sooner, iPhone or other mobile carriers will charge for applications more and more, then we need a substitution for that. Not only P&G but also other companies need to create their unique or exclusive advertisement platform rather than depend on present platforms to take an advantage from that.

Interactive Ad on TV?

According to The Wall Street Journal article, “Talking Back to the TV,” in 2008, “more than 60% of big advertisers said TV advertising had become less effective over the past two years.” However, now TV is ready to compete with the online advertising. As I wrote on the last blogging, companies have begun paying attention to engagement with consumers, but it was about the Internet. Since TV commercials were excluded from the feature of engagement with consumers, the online advertisement has grown rapidly. Eventually, TV is now available to engage with customers. How? Some companies have already started TV commercials called “interactive advertisement.”

P&G is one of the companies. Charmin toilet paper ad with interactive features has been appeared on TiVo subscribers’ TVs. As Charmin bears show up on the TV screen, a green thumb emerges in the right corner of the screen which says, “Apply now for a valuable coupon from Charmin.” If audiences click the thumb by using their remote controls, then the program freezes and asks for coupons on the screen whether they want to receive the coupons by mail. If they request the coupons, then they receive it by mail. This is the real engagement and interaction. Other types of interactive ads have aired on the satellite Direct TV and Dish Network as well.


This is the evolution of TV technology. Once, I have imagined that audiences may participate in the TV programs at home while watching the shows, but first ad succeeds to make a connection with audiences who are potential consumers of products. Actually, Unilever already have done 40 interactive ad campaigns, such Axe commercial with a bike game and Breyers ice cream with matching the scoops of ice cream. Those are all happening on the TV not on the Internet. Fortunately, TV is getting smarter. There are still many people who love TV, but TV still has to be stronger and develop against the Internet. I eager to see more that TV competes with the Internet and get back their power.

P&G wants a new payment model

In the past decade, the Internet advertising market has become so powerful. MarketingWeek reports about the importance of the online advertising, so as we all know, the amount of money is flowing into the Internet advertisement. However, the article points out the importance of “massive success of search” that “still accounts for two-thirds of online advertising spend” and strengthen the channels that magnetize most of them.

Since its convenience of containing and formulating information of financial services or products, the online advertising is so attractive to corporations. Therefore, measuring engagement is a big issue. Companies have been measured the engagement of products or services by simple CPM deals or click-through rate.

However, Procter & Gamble had a briefing with media owners about a new payment model: beyond just seeing advertisement or sign up for e-newsletters. For instance, companies pay as consumers watch videos and play games. Online publishers and media agencies responded differently. They worry about the definition of success in advertising because of utilizing their own metric rather than using the apparent click measurement.

Now, the dependency on the Internet in the society has grown tremendously. It truly becomes a part of our lives. The online advertising has been growing fast so far and it will take most of the pie in few decades unless a better device emerges. Therefore, as P&G points out, a new model payment for online ads is inescapable to be more efficient to charge ad payments.

The Mobile Era

The mobile marketing is getting important for companies and the impact of the mobile marketing on the advertisement may change the environment of the marketing industry. Recently, Google bought AdMob.com which is the mobile advertising network. AdMob, which also advertise Procter & Gamble over mobile pohones, will help Google with the mobile ads. Google paid $750 million dollars for this company. We can reach anyone who has a cell phone in a minute, and the cell phone became an essential possession with high technology which enables the Internet access and more.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) recently announced the finalists for its Fifth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards, and Proctor & Gamble is one of the finalities recognized by MMA. 2ergo India, a marketing company, promoted the Olay mCoupon campaign via mobiles in India. They offered a complete mobile ticketing, coupon, and customer loyalty solution. There are over 450M mobile subscribers in India, and the number of people using mobiles will rapidly increase not only in India but also China and all over the world.

Within a few decades, I imagine that we no longer receive paper coupons as now we received a cell phone bill and a bank statement via e-mail. Everything seems fast and convenient in terms of getting information because of the smartphone. People bring the most powerful information tool in their pockets, and it sticks us everyday. The media industry should focus on the small device, the smartphone, to reach as many audiences as they possible.

The Online Ad in the Future

Online advertisement becomes crucial. It is believed as the next level of the marketing tool and it already has happened. According to Jeff Levick, AOL President of global advertising and strategy, “marketers can no longer rely on TV to provide them with a safe environment to advertise.” Also, a senior marketer at P&G said, “more than 60% of network programming will be reality television and I can’t put my brand there.”

We already have seen many reality shows and still see some products on the shows. However, it is getting difficult that the products get involved with the reality shows since the reality TV shows are less relevant to the scripts directed by directors and advertisers. That means the products on the shows are less under control of marketers if you do not set up the reality show which directly related to the product. For example, the “Iron Chef” show was sponsored by the soy sauce company, Kikkoman and the candidate chefs made Japanese food, Yakitori, with many different types of Kikkoman soy sauces. As this indicates, the TV advertising will be limited, but it could be more relevant to the product and marketing.

Levick points out the three stages in the life cycle of online:
1. between 1990 and 2000 - getting people online
2. between 2000 and 2010 - connectivity and platforms
3. in the next decade - content, because people are consuming more online.

Digital technology and online have developed and becomes ubiquitous in our daily lives. Lastly, Levick mentions about the “niche.” He said the niche audiences are the real opportunity and also the challenge for brand advertisers. Individual consumers are reached by search on Google, the search engine, and people carry their mobiles in their pockets everyday with the Internet connection. Therefore, advertisers should be smarter and adjust themselves to understand individual tastes rather than general statistic flavors.