Kmart Controversy: Smart move for holiday spotlight

Kmart's recent Joe Boxer commercial has stirred up the internet recently:

The reactions to this ad have ranged from disgust to delight, and people cannot seem to stop talking about it. Personally, I find the spot hilarious, and it is definitely a commercial I would remember and recognize with the Kmart brand. This is especially important when considering Kmart must compete with alike stores such as Target and Walmart. 

This is not Kmart's first time to shake their commercials up, with past spots using phrases such as "big gas discount" and "ship my pants." They have done a great job of turning a television spot into an internet hot topic, all the while getting people talking and thinking about Kmart.

Whether it is offends or humors you, the "Show Your Joe" ad has put Kmart in the spotlight and made the brand relevant again in the beginnings of the holiday season. 

Insta-ads?

Instagram has begun introducing ads into their photo feed:

Admittedly, I nerded out when I first got the rolling test ad in my feed. Since then, I have not seen any true ads or sponsored posts. Starting off slow is a smart move for Instagram, and after time users will be used to the pictures just as we adapted to the sponsored posts on Facebook and promoted tweets on Twitter. What excites me about the Insta-ads is that they will be more tailored to the medium and hopefully more relevant to the feed that people look through daily. There are those that are worried the sponsored posts may be too intrusive, but we will not have a better idea until they are released and become a regular part of the Instagram experience. 

Allstate: Your Football is in Good Hands

Maybe I haven't paid enough attention at football games the past few years, or maybe it's the Badder-Meinhof Phenomenon (with new media on your mind, you see it everywhere), but I recently noticed Allstate had placed their logo in the field goal nets at DKR. As someone who has gone to every UT football game for the past 3 years, this seemed like a great play for Allstate; you can't help but think "you're in good hands" as your team kicks the football into the hands of Allstate for the game winning field goal (CC: Texas A&M, 2011 Lone Star Showdown, 27-25). 

When I first noticed the placement I was in awe, but shortly after I realized how long it took me to notice something so obvious. After some research I found that field goal advertising has been around for a few years, although some stadiums are still holding out, such as Michigan Stadium. 

There is no doubt that this tactic has been extremely beneficial for Allstate, and I look forward to other company's advertising ventures on the football field and what they can come up with next.

Testing 1 2 3....

Forgive me - this blog is a work in progress... 

I've been keeping up with my posts in a word doc and haven't had time to mess around with the HTML of this site. I'm working on it!

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming (or the Harry Potter marathon on ABC Family right now).