Adidas: Faster Than Your Shadow

I thought that after a couple of very critical blog posts, you would like to enjoy a funny one.

Nike has a lot of very successful advertising campaigns. Just think of the “Just do it” campaign. This simple slogan is certainly one of the best in the world. How many people do you see every day with a Just-do-it-T-shirt? A lot!

However, competitor Adidas does not sleep.

Personally, I find following advertising even more appealing:

I wish I could run that fast! 

Maybe I should get some Adidas shoes???

Smoking

Some people do it; some do not.

Some people love the taste; some people cannot stand the smell.

Some people would die to have a cigarette in special moments; some people actually die of smoking.

Some facts about Smoking:

Smoking kills more people in the United States each year than car accidents, alcohol, AIDS,

murders, illegal drugs and suicides combined.[1][1]

Smoking is one of the most controversial uses of legal substances that harm health and can cause major diseases. Smoking causes more than 440,000 deaths per year in the US, including 49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure.[2][2] However, smoking is widely accepted in society. 

To raise awareness many anti-smoking groups have to create drastic advertising campaigns to increase smoker’s awareness of the danger of smoking they impose on themselves and their environment.

These advertising ads speak for themselves. 

They have ever- thing good ads need:

Simplicity, Creativity, Provocation!

Pasta, Pasta e Pasta!

Before I came here I definitively knew, that the food in the US would be way different from home. Having an Italian background my normal food at home consisted mostly of pasta in varying forms. I ate pasta nearly every day and who now thinks that this is boring has no knowledge about all the different kinds of pasta:

Pasta col sugo, Trofiette col pesto, Pansoti con salsa di noce, Lasagne, Tortellini in brodo, Tortelloni, Pasta all`amatriciana, Pasta col sugo di pesce, Pasta col sugo di oliva, Pasta con sugo di funghi e panna, Pasta con le vongole, Gnocchi al pesto,...

I could continue endlessly. There surely is one sauce of pasta for every day in the year!

I do not want to judge the typical American food (ok, yes maybe I want to), because there are exceptions to it.


Just let the pictures speak for themselves!!!

As I experience it every day in the dining hall. For me typical American food is:

Burgers, fries, onion rings, sandwiches and a lot of Mexican food.









Now please, consider carefully each one of the three following pictures! 

Pasta col Sugo

            

Trofiette col Pesto

Pasta con Funghi

 I really like you Americans, but in food matters you can learn some things and I am not speaking about Macaroni and Cheese!

Pasta: Non c'è qualcosa più buono nel mondo!

Definitively the Most Effective Way to Go to the Gym

Wikipedia gives following definition of a fitness center: "A health club (also known as a fitness club, fitness center, and commonly referred to as a gym) is a place which houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise."

Sport is not only necessary to maintain a healthy body (and a good shape) but also increases people's concentration ability, team building and to learn to handle the emotions of victory in defeat.

Some regions in America have a lot of problems with obesity rates which costs the health care system millions of money. Therefore, the state wants its citizens so go to the gym.

Such a fitness studio can only be built in the US!

However, nobody says that the workout has to start before you actually enter the gym!!!

Brand Identity

Brand Identity "is a combination of many factors, including the name, logo, symbols, design, packaging, and performance of a product or service as well as the image or type of associations that comes to mind when consumers think about a brand." (Belch&Belch: Advertisement and Promotion 9th Edition).

We always perceive the process of branding from the perspective of the consumer. 

However, who says that companies cannot brand us?

Maybe it is time to rethink who influences who, and who has the ultimate control over buying behavior: 

We - the consumers 

     or                          

They - the companies and advertisers.

Shock Ads

Shock Ads are defined as advertising, "in which marketers use nudity, sexual suggestiveness, or other startling images to get consumers' attention." (Belch&Belch: Advertising and Promotion 9th Edition).

We are living in a world in which we get in touch with advertisement nearly every moment we are awake. From TV ads, over radio campaigns, billboards or flyers. Where we go the advertisement will follow us (if it hasn't been there before).

This is the reason why most people develop a system of selective attention: We do not actively perceive every ad we come across. We simply ignore some ads to protect ourselves from information overload.

To get our attention advertisers have to be creative. 

Shock Ads are one method to get the attention of people. 

Here another advertisement of Benetton:

People may find this advertisement not appropriate and morally incorrect. However, I am sure that the advertisers achieved their goal of getting the attention of potential customers. Moreover, this advertisement may encourage people to critically evaluate norms and values of our society.

Cars

One of the first things I learned in the US is that you need a car!!!
You nearly can't go anywhere if you do not have a car. And the larger the car, the better. I do not want  to start a discussion about environmentally friendly cars and the advantage of smaller cars, which consume less fuel.

However, I really doubt that in some cases cars are necessary: