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Times Square boasted a new store recently and the streets have been abuzz over the sweet addition. Promoters call it Pop-Tarts World and the 3200 square foot space contains an hourly light show, a café offering over 30 snacks and desserts including Pop-Tarts Sushi a as well as an interactive create-your-own-variety-pack vending machine. Though the 3200 square foot store has a lot to offer Pop-Tart fans, renting a space on Times Square is really more about brand marketing than it is about sales. “Our long-term hope is to strengthen the bonding between the brand and the consumer, and that has great benefits for the brand,” Senior Director at the Pop-Tarts brand, Etienne Patout, told the Wall Street Journal in a recent article. Averaging $1000 per square foot, Times Square presence comes at a cost but a 50-foot store front and a six-story billboard in view of 26 million annual visitors a year delivers priceless visibility.

Contributed by: Allison Jobes

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Be honest – have you ever bought a product solely because of its name or packaging?

*whispers* I have.

The bottle’s appearance sucked me in, the matte hot pink and matte yellow bottles at the end of a sea of glossy blue and purple cans. I moved in closer, seeing the name EOS emblazoned across the top. Instant adoration! I love the name because Eos is the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn, often signifying a new beginning. Double bonus verbal branding: they’ve made it an acronym apropos to their product line, the “Evolution of Smooth.” So, even if you didn’t know that Eos was the goddess of the dawn, they are telling you this is a new beginning, an innovation in shaving, a new era of smooth legs!

Thankfully, I have ended up loving the product, too. Vanilla Bliss, indeed.

Will I now buy their lotion, lip balm (smooth stick or smooth sphere) and other flavors of shave cream?

*shouts* Yes!

Maybe it’s not the smartest way to shop, but EOS sold me in five seconds flat. I wasn’t even looking to buy shaving cream that fateful day in Target.

I wasn’t even in the aisle.

Need a good laugh? Be sure to check out the latest Kotex commercials. If you’ve already been caught off guard by them, you are not alone! The commercials mock feminine product commercials of the past that have typically featured women “practicing yoga in white spandex, riding white horses along the beach, or airborne in cheerleader outfits,” according to New York Times writer Andrew Newman. The commercials feature women who ridicule the history of feminine product advertising, ironically including material from their own ad archives.

Kotex hopes this re-branding effort will help separate them from other feminine products. They recently launched their youth-driven U by Kotex line which features new black packaging and bright colors, signifying a revolution in feminine care. Their new slogan, “Time to break the cycle” enhances the humorous route they are taking to extend the brand’s reach.

Contributed by: Ashley Popham

Taste and smell are universal languages. We do not need a point of reference, a back-story, or an elaborate marketing campaign to know when something smells or tastes good.

This realization has paved the way for companies to begin using more than simple sights and sounds to reach to target audiences. Sensory marketing is based on the concept that a fully pleasurable experience will reinforce positive associations with a brand.

Check out two companies who are leading the way in the sensory market:

ScentAir
ScentAir helps companies across the globe create customized scents for their products and stores. According to their website, “scent marketing is how businesses are breaking through mundane and overused marketing gimmicks to reach customers emotionally.”

Scent Air has created signature scents for retail stores ranging from Sony to Lexus to Bloomingdales, as well as for hotels, realtors, and spas.

FirstFlavor
Imagine how effective a magazine ad for Hershey’s would be if you could actually taste the chocolate. FirstFlavor has recognized this power and enables companies to incorporate taste tests in their print ads and direct mail.

Branding and marketing a tool called Peel ‘n Taste®, the FirstFlavor website assures that “the flavor of your product is replicated in quick dissolving edible film strips which are distributed through individually packaged pouches to prospective customers.”

Would you try one?
Contributed by: Maghan Cook