Insight | Page 9 of 15 | Pierce Mattie

Separating Fit from Fat – Junk-Food Advertising Aimed at Kids

The Canadian province of Quebec banned fast-food advertising to children in TV and print – 35 years ago. With more than a third of kids and teens today considered to be overweight, should there be a ban on junk-food ads aimed at the under-18 crowd? Isn’t it high time that the U.S. government did something about food companies and their “pester power”? Or will nutrition recommendations from the likes of SpongeBob continue to rule the day?

Video Game Marketing’s Scary New Rules

The video game marketing landscape is constantly changing. With gamers responding to developments mere milliseconds after being announced, it’s hard to stay out in front of the masses. Which means that video-game marketers are, like so many Call of Duty casualties-to-be, destined to the degradation of re-spawning (aka, dead and needing a restart) – unless they can somehow widen – or at least hang onto — their razor-thin lead.

GQ Spring 2013 Fashion Trend Report

For whatever reason, modern male fashion has, for several decades, become an actual trend in need of following. And not just thin vs. wide ties. Or pinstripe suits vs. solid ones. No. You’re expected to pay attention to colors and patterns. You also need to see whether certain “hot” fashions have any chance of being worn by regular-guy you. Fortunately, GQ’s Spring 2013 Trend Report has you covered. Kind of.

Promoting Beauty Products via Social Media

If you’re a brand interested in using sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote beauty-based products and services, remember that it’s imperative to deliver to engage consumers in a manner that is relevant, engaging and inspires them to act.

Advertising Just for You

Digital advertising is poised to follow you wherever you go, on whatever communication platform you choose to use. And it will lay in wait until you flip, click or like something that gives the ad cheetahs the perfect excuse to pounce. Need the proof? Look no further than your own mobile devices, or various pundits’ predictions. Or how about a startup that sends out coupons over radio waves?

Ethics on Your Plate: The Wicked Tuna Debate

The bluefin tuna, a giant of a saltwater fish that’s prized for its sushi-quality flesh, has been plummeting in numbers worldwide since the 1950s. So why is that bastion of all that is holy environmentally, The National Geographic Society, associating its name with a reality TV show that all but glamorizes the catching of bluefin? Is it to raise awareness about a critical conservation issue? Or is something else at play?

Using Gamification to Engage Customers and Employees

Expanding on the premise that most activities – including shopping and work – aren’t as stressful if they feel like fun, gamification has risen to prominence in the world of retail. Merchants as diverse as Nike, Whole Foods and New York-area drug store chain Duane Reade are taking a long, hard look at how online games and apps can help them improve the bottom line while keeping customers — and employees – entertained. And, the retailers hope, loyal.

Recycled, Reused and Redesigned: Clothing for a New Century

Recycled clothing has become something of a commodity these days. Practically everyone — from thrift shops to activist organizations to a designer with a household machine that could recycle and re-make clothes — wants us all hopping onto the latest recycling bandwagon. Is recycled clothing a timeless fashion statement? Or just another faux fad?

Marketing Lingerie to Tweens

Victoria’s Secret recently started – then pulled — a Spring ad campaign, “Bright Young Things”, which some felt targeted under-age girls, known as “tweens” – no longer children, not quite teens. Was it all just a misunderstanding? Did parental types over-react? What’s considered fair game when marketing products associated with sexual activity? Is lingerie really the problem, or is it something else?

Plastic from a Plant?

Companies that use plastic in the packaging of their products have been experimenting with the use of a plant-based substance that seems to work just as well as its petroleum-based cousin. With corporate giants like Coca-Cola and Heinz using PlantBottle technology, is plant-based plastic the real thing? And just how recyclable is it?