special report
The marketing maze
Sick of seeing, hearing or reading about
Big Brother, Harry Potter, and the latest crappy
Hollywood blockbuster? Modern marketing is all about using advertising,
word-of-mouth and the media to make your product stand out from
the crowd.
Take the following four simple tests and find out how good you
are at negotiating the marketing maze.
A, B, C, Audi?
The Australian automotive industry has always
been expert at marketing its products.
In the 60s and 70s any slight repositioning
of name badges or tail lights on a Holden, Falcon or Valiant justified
the unveiling of a new model.
In the 80s, with the advent of the Button Car Plan, manufacturers
had to work harder. It wasn't good enough just to reposition a
name badge on their own cars, they had to put them on makes by
other manufacturers.
In the 90s and now in the first decade of the 21st century, it's
become more difficult to pick the latest Falcommagna from a Nissubaronda.
But here's your chance to shine. Just match the following pictures
with the corresponding car and score 3 points for each correct
answer.
A
B
C
1. Picture _____ shows the latest Holden Commodore with its unique
v-shaped aerodynamic grille.
2. Picture _____ shows the latest Honda Accord with its unique
v-shaped aerodynamic grille.
3. Picture _____ shows the latest Mazda 626 with its unique v-shaped
aerodynamic grille.
Poster poseur
One of the key elements of the marketing
campaign for any major motion picture is the movie poster. Promotional
posters not only advertise the movie itself but the talents of
its stars.
Below are photos of Harrison Ford taken
from the posters of some of his biggest hits.
They show the tremendous range of emotions - from broodingly resolute
to resolutely brooding - that the 61-year-old American actor is
capable of displaying in all his work on screen.
Your challenge is to pick which poster photo of Ford fits the
movie it promotes.
Remember - 3 points for each correct answer.
A
B
C
1. Poster ___ shows Harrison Ford as the brooding but resolute
President James Marshall in the 1997 action suspense drama Air
Force One.
2. Poster ___ shows Harrison Ford as the brooding but resolute
CIA heavy Jack Ryan in the 1994 action suspense drama Clear and
Present Danger.
3. Poster ___ shows Harrison Ford as the brooding but resolute
Russian submarine captain Alexi Vostrikov in the 2002 action suspense
drama K-19: The Widowmaker.
The politics of advertising
The next federal election is due in 2004
when both sides of politics will be marketing their policies and
leaders to voters.
Given the current political climate,
high approval ratings for Prime Minister John Howard, the leadership
problems within the Labor Party and the ongoing issues of national
security and economic management, let's see how you would market
the government and its opposition.
There's 3 points for each correct answer.
1. Which of these slogans do you think the Liberal Party should
use in the 2004 campaign?
(A) John Howard - fighting for US
(B) John Howard - doing the right thing, by George!
(C) John Howard - he listens, it's just that no-one tells him
anything.
2. Which of the advertisements below do you think the Labor Party should use in the 2004 campaign?
3. Which of the following advertisements do you think the Australian
Democrats should use in the 2004 campaign?
Is it number twos?
The market for household products in Australia
is worth billions of dollars a year.
The competition within market sectors
means manufacturers entice potential buyers with all sorts of
promises about their products.
A case in point is the market for essential products such as toilet
tissue.
But do marketing efforts based on product differentiation actually
work?
In this test, see if you can match the photos at right with the
correct products. Once again, 3 points for correct answers.
A
BC
1. Picture ____ shows Sorbent super-soft toilet tissue with floral
pastel prints.
2. Picture ____ shows Purex ultra-soft four-ply toilet tissue
impregnated with aloe vera.
3. Picture ____ shows Lady Scott hyper-soft powdered five-ply
toilet tissue with scratch-and-sniff holograms.
Answers:
A, B, C, Audi?
1. B – we think.
2. C – we’re pretty sure.
3. A – if the first two are correct then it must be A.
The politics of advertising
1. A, B, or C – does it matter?
2. A or B – see answer 1.
3. A – because it would cost slightly less based on average
rates for classified advertising.
Poster poseur
1. B – it’s clearly his “presidential” look.
2. C – it’s clearly his “CIA heavy “look.
3. A– no doubt it’s his “Russian submarine captain”
look.
Is it number twos?
1. C 2. A 3. B. (The test papers are available for inspection
if you don’t believe us.)
How you scored:
A, B, C, Audi?
0 points: Like us, you can’t afford any of them.
3 or 6 points: Like us, you stop at the showrooms and dream now
and again.
9 points: Unlike us, you are a car designer.
The politics of advertising
0 points: You could manage Kimbo’s next leadership challenge.
3 or 6 points: You’re just an average voter.
9 points: You are so damn brilliant you must be Graham Richardson.
Poster poseur
0 points: You show good taste by probably never having seen a
Harrison Ford flick.
3 or 6 points: You’re a Harrison Ford fan or on the borderline.
Either way, get a life.
9 points: You are Callista Flockhart.
Is it number twos?
0 points: Who gives a shit?
3 or 6 points: Who gives a shit?
9 points: Who gives a shit?
