"It's not a Charity. It's a Plan of Action."

In the past decade, global warming and environmental awareness has gained much momentum in the media and spanning global communities. But when I think of a sports community that does their part to sustain environmental awareness, one particular group comes to mind.

With a mission statement claiming, "a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education," the Surfrider Foundation has been pushing policies and principles since 1984. Over the years, this Non-Profit has created several successful initiatives and programs, such as beach protection, water cleanup, polution, and land preservation. Its most recent campaign which has caught my eye is its Project Blue Initiative - a partnership with the top 6 global surf retail brands. This partnership established a "Blue" line within each of these companies, where consumers can purchase items where proceeds will go to the Surfrider Foundation for preserving the coastal eco-system.

In order to create an outreach and access to the community, Project Blue extends itself with downloads, a site blog, and a MySpace Page (http://www.myspace.com/betruetoblue).

The following is a list of participating brands, which offer items that are produced from recycled materials or environmentally friendly materials in one way or another:

• Billabong: Clothing
  
• Dakine: Bags
  
• Electric: Sunglasses
• Nixon: Watches
  
• Oneill: Clothing
  
• Reef: Shoes
  
• Famous Surf Wax: Accessories

Although I am glad to see organizations and companies team up to participate in a socially responsible cause, I think that these should be marketed much stronger.

What Do You See?

You open your mailbox or go to your front door, and there is another print advertisement. You think "I hate junk mail and solicitation, and I just throw these things away. So why do they keep sending them?"

While searching the internet, I came across a new form of print advertising which is gaining popularity and drawing attention. If you looked out your peep hole of your door and saw what appeared to be someone outside, the odds of you opening it are large. But when you open the door, you discover it is a cardboard model taped to your door just below your peephole. This new form of advertising is gaining popularity and sparking interest into what is now being called peephole advertising.

This new form of advertising was first started by the creative expertise of Quorum/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi for Papa Johns Pizza. Papa Johns discovered the mailing out of coupon flyers was not as effective as desired, therefore they strove for a completely new concept. This sticker has already grabbed the attention of many and has won the Gold Lion for the best use of alternative media in direct marketing at the Cannes Advertising Festival.

Since the introduction of peephole advertising from Papa Johns, the German mail-order company Otto has taken advantage of this new creative technique as well.

With the introduction of this new direct mailing technique, I would be curious to see a comparison of the effectiveness of this new creative form of advertising versus the old direct mailing print ad.

New Face Lift: Would You Stay in One?

Old West Sacramento Billboard

New West Sacramento Billboard

Recently, the billboard off of I-80 in West Sacramento received a new face lift. This billboard is designed in an attempt to attract more tourists to the area, bringing the idea of "1,000 Rooms" available for tourist use or "30 Hotels" to chose from. As an idea and concept, it is effective in sending the message to travelers or tourists there are many places to chose from to stay. But when comparing the two billboards, I wonder why the old one was ever replaced...

The old billboard presents the idea to consumers of what all there is to do while at your stay in West Sacramento -- 1000 Rooms to chose from, Gasoline, Food, and Boating.

The new billboard, in my opinion, raises the question "Why?" -- Candy in the middle of a Dirty White Pillow?

To me, this ad does not make any sense in inviting people to play and stay in West Sacramento. When I saw this a few things came to mind:

• Besides your occasional mint at a higher end hotel, since when did hotels put candy on your pillow?
• Why is the white pillow brown?
• Who revised this article? - Capitol is spelled Capital on the billboard.

This ad campaign presents an interesting approach to an idea, but I do not believe the idea turned out to be as effective as desired. To answer my own question, if I was a tourist passing through I-80 and saw the new billboard, I would definitely continue to the next major town offering a nights rest.

Simple But Sweet: The Wiings Campaign!

Applause for the Marketers at Red Bull Energy Drinks...


The energy drink market in the past 10 years has exploded with competition and demand growing out of control. If you walk into a convenient store and look at the refrigerated section, right next to water and soda you can see Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, RedLine, Go Girl, and the numerous other brands that have emerged from companies trying to get a piece of the pie. One of the originals, Red Bull, has not only captured the energy drink market, it dominates all other brands. Since its expansion to North America in 1997, marketers have done an excellent job in creating a strong brand identity.

From the simple quirky commercials on TV, to the print ads in magazines, and not to mention the can image, Red Bull has created a consistent image and message across the board of the Promotional Mix. Targeting young adults, Red Bull has paved the way with catchy, yet simple, advertising often with young adult cartoon people. In my opinion, the simplicity of the commercials, print ads, and can has created an image for the company that mostly anyone familiar with the energy drink industry can recognize without text. They have mastered the art of consistency across all levels of the company to web design, product design, promotions, and even vehicle design. Even though the Red Bull product line is expanding into various beverages, you find the same look and feel which displays the pride in true brand equity they hold.

Red Bull not only is promoted through advertising, but they have created direct access to captured and potential markets. Red Bull has also submerged the brand through its Events, Wiiings Team, and Student Brand Managers. Red Bull's events can be some of the most prestigious, such as New Year's Eve Expositions, to the quirkiest ones, such as the Flugtag and the Soap Box Race. The Wiiings Team, which are genius in terms of publicity and public relations, are personnel that attend small local events and hand out free cans of energy drinks, along with a little pamphlet about the product.

All in all, Red Bull is not going anywhere anytime soon. The only thing that will lead to the collapse of the energy drink market is an even larger health conscious movement in the beverage industry. Red Bull is capitalizing on the Brand Equity they hold, and have pushed their image into every nook and cranny of action sports and motorsports industries.

For more information, visit http://www.redbull.com.