Internet Marketing- It's Still Marketing

Jessica LeBlond says:  
 
May 12, 2009 at 8:36 am 
 
I always find in interesting to pick apart ads and figure out who their target market is. I also find it intriguing when someone who is not the primary target market has the message resonate with them. It makes me question, what about their advertisement attracts viewers of different target markets? Is it the company and the marketer who they hired goal to reach a broader target market? How does this affect the primary target market if another target market is being reached as well? 
 
To determine who your insurance company is targeting, I’d need to pay attention to when and how often they air their commercials. Do they air it during family sitcoms? during the news? During financial programming? During children’s programs? Multiple times with different viewer ship? What age range, financial status, point in life (single, married, parents, retired) are the viewers? An insurance company is probably trying to reach more than one target market, so they probably have multiple spots in a variety of different programming. Perhaps one during a family sitcom, one during a sporting event, one during the news. 
 
While a 10 year old, or even a 4 year old (because I have noticed my 4 year old singing jingles from commercials as well. Her current favorite is “Beep Beep dot com” (Roadrunner), and the Aflac commercials) are not the primary target market, their parents (yourself and I) are. By making advertisements appealing to children, they are creating a lasting impression, and leaving an imprint on the young consumer. In many households, the child greatly influences the parents’ purchasing decisions, even subconsciously. How many times do we purchase even daily household items that we get input from our children? So that leads me to believe that the marketer who designed those taglines (life comes at you fast, and the BeepBeep.com jingles) knew what they were doing. They purposely played on the fact that their target markets would have children who would remember these advertisements for their parents. They are in a way, creating buzz marketing by getting the children to continue the marketing process to their parents well after the viewing of the commercial has taken place. This gets their product on the parents “short list” of companies they will call when they actually need the product. The repetition gets the name into their brain. When we are in a crisis and need to utilize a service, we often call the companies who’s names pop into our head first. Those names get there through advertising. 
 
So in answer to your questions, yes, I think a properly used tagline can make all the difference in a marketing campaign. As can the proper choices or memorable images, jingles and so on. I also think that your insurance company did achieve its goal of reaching its target market for two reasons: the first is you use their services, the second is they have made an impression on both you and your child, creating a more lasting impression in your family, and achieving the status of being on your list of choices. 
 

Carole Mahoney says:  
 
May 19, 2009 at 5:52 pm 
 
Great insights Jessica- in fact you are right. Using this example- it would seem that the marketing has missed it mark when the tagline resonates with a child who is not in a position to purchase insurance. Now if it the entire family was considered to be the target audience, you could make the assumption that the kids are seen as an influence factor to the decision maker (in this case- the parent). I may not be entirely convinced that is the case here- but with many products (like the everyday household items you mention) that is certainly true.