Saturday, March 27, 2010

Midterm Visual Component Proposal

After completing the first part of the project by writing an essay about possible newly used marketing techniques for the Cooper Cooler, I will now begin the visual component part of the project. For this part, I would like to create a logo for the for the Cooper Cooler product. After searching the company's website, it seems they lack a basic logo for their product.

For desiging the logo, I plan to use both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. In Photoshop, I will edit and change possible images that I will want to use for my logo. In illustrator, I will be using the basic shape transforming tools, text, and various effects that could make my logo more appealing to the eye.

I envision my completed digital illustration to be rather simple, since it seems this type of design would fit the company and product image. However, I will utilize the Adobe programs to make the logo look professional, clean, and eye-catching.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Cooper Cooler Essay

With an increased desire in the marketplace today for more innovative products, many companies are beginning to find that it is a necessity to continuously incorporate new marketing techniques to appeal to their target market. Revolutionary Cooling Systems, founded in 1996, has developed an innovative, technologically advanced beverage cooling system known as the Cooper Cooler. By implementing various marketing techniques including narrowcasting, emotional branding and product placement, Revolutionary Cooling Systems can help the Cooper Cooler become an everyday household device.

Located in Hyde Park, New York, designer Greg Loibl preaches the Cooper Coolers’ six main technological advantages over other products. These competitive advantages include speed, reliability, versatility, space efficiency, ease of use, and innovation. By simply adding ice, the electronic cooling system can chill a can of soda forty times faster than the typical freezer and a bottle of wine ten times faster than the freezer. Not only does this allow people to enjoy colder beverages in a shorter amount of time, but it also takes away the need to pre-plan or worry about the refrigeration of products before parties. Revolutionary Cooling Systems advertises the Cooper Cooler as great for parties, unexpected guests, tailgates, dormitories or offices, and guarantees to improve customer satisfaction for restaurants and bars.

Even though the company already offers a great product, it still lacks a key component for success. The marketing of the product to consumers is just as vital as having an innovative product itself. Without successful marketing techniques, consumers may not see the reasons to purchase the product, or may not even know the product exists. One great marketing technique the company can use is known as narrowcasting. Narrowcasting is known as disseminating specific information to a very specific audience, and not to the entire general public. Within marketing, this can also be further defined as deciphering a target market for a product. The target market for the Cooper Cooler can be defined as people who have middle to high income and are the age of approximately 25 or above. While the Cooper Cooler is a great, innovative product, it can definitely be depicted as a luxury item over a necessary product as it is priced at $100.00. For this reason, it would make perfect sense for the company to target people with higher incomes, giving them the necessary extra monetary capital to purchase the product. The company should also target wine drinkers. One of the major products the Cooper Cooler can chill is wine bottles. According to Winebuzz, a popular wine drinkers publication, the Cooper Cooler is a great product for wine drinkers who want their wine at the perfect temperature or who continuously have unexpected guests. Similarly, the product receives praise in Simplywine as a great innovative electronic that can perfectly chill wine. With a high amount of interest in the product from these publications, the Cooper Cooler should be narrowcasted towards wine drinkers. Narrowcasting could also be an effective technique to use towards sports enthusiasts. By segmenting the market and focusing only on this demographic, the company can increase its product awareness towards people who would be more interested in it. The product was featured in Sports Illustrated as a great tool for tailgating as it can help chill warm soda or alcohol right before the game. The increased attention from this market would make it perfect for Revolutionary Cooling Systems to focus their advertisements on this segment.

The company could also use emotional branding to more effectively market the Cooper Cooler towards their target market. According to Marc Gobe in his book Emotional Branding, in order for a company to reach a specific segment of people it must first identify and associate with the emotional characteristics of that group. Emotional branding is very difficult for any company to successfully implement with its customers. This is due heavily to the differences of people, even within a target market, that could purchase the product. For example, Gobe once again states that emotional branding amongst women may be very different than branding with men. Women tend to associate more with characteristics such as respect, individuality, stress relief, connection, and relationship. To market towards women, Revolutionary Cooling Systems could create advertisements that would stress these characteristics to help generate emotional branding. These could include advertisements such as chilling a glass of wine simply and easily to better deal with a hard day’s work of stress. By creating an advertisement like this, the Cooper Cooler could emotionally brand with women who are looking for that stress relief. On the other hand, a more rugged, fun, and athletic appeal could be created to help emotionally brand with men who are tailgating. Using advertisements such as the Cooper Cooler chilling a warm beer before the big game could help the brand become emotionally attached with men who are looking for that characteristic.

The company could also effectively market the Cooper Cooler to the public through product placement. Product placement can be defined as using a real commercial product in fiction or non-fiction media through an economic exchange. Many consumers in the market place are becoming tired with “in-your-face ads”. According to How Stuff Works, an online publication, “The latest trend in advertising is to make it, well, less advertorial.” A company like Revolutionary Cooling Systems can do this through product placement. By making their product noticeable in a movie, TV show, or other media device, the company can create a brand image without using a direct advertisement. Product placement could also help associate the product with a specific image. By having the Cooper Cooler in a sports movie, it could once again appeal to their target market of tailgaters. Revolutionary Cooling Systems could also pay a TV show to use the Cooper Cooler during a wine drinking scene, which could also help increase brand awareness towards this market.

Many effective marketing techniques, including narrowcasting, emotional branding, and product placement across media are used by companies today. They not only help increase brand awareness, but also increase an emotional attachment between the product and the consumer. By using these techniques, Revolutionary Cooling Systems can help the Cooper Cooler become a major success within the market. However, new techniques are arising yearly for marketing products to consumers. This can include neuroscience marketing, rhetorical marketing, or even the use of text messaging to help increase brand frequency and awareness for their product. If Revolutionary Cooling Systems wishes to become, and stay a success, it needs to continuously think of new and effective ways to market their innovative product.

For more information, visit the company website, or here is a great video demonstration of the product.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Illustrator Practice Picture

Original Picture (top) and a revised one using Illustrator (bottom)

Midterm Project


For my midterm project, I will be choosing the choice of Project 1. I will focus on new techniques for marketing or advertising the heavily unknown product the CooperCooler. The CooperCooler is a highly innovative, relatively unknown product that helps cool drinks from room temperature to freezing cold in minutes. It is was invented by local Greg Loibl in Hyde Park, New York. I feel it is a great product that with newly used advertising and marketing techniques could really prosper in the market. For more information on the product and company, click here.