Category Archives: Marketing Tidbits

U.K. Government Explores the Use of Emissions Zones and Surveillance Technology

18 Tuesday Mar 2025

Posted by in Chapter 04: Conscious Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Ethics, Chapter 06: Consumer Behavior, Marketing Tidbits

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London’s government appears determined to lower emissions; it also appears strapped for cash. The global capitol introduced an ultra-low emission zone plan in 2019, which imposed a daily fee on polluting vehicles (gas cars built before 2006, diesel engines built before 2015) that came into central London. By 2023, the fees applied throughout Greater London. The goal was to lower the emissions created in the city and encourage greater uses of more sustainable transportation options. Building on these efforts, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan recently suggested adding surveillance systems and monitors throughout the city, to track cars as they entered the ultra-low emission zones. At the same time, the national government reportedly is considering monetizing satellite surveillance technology that could be used to track the vehicles. Seeking these alternative sources of revenue seems critical; efforts to encourage consumers to switch to electric cars promise to eliminate approximately 25 billion pounds worth of revenue that the country currently earns from fuel taxes. Yet shifting the burden to consumers raises some legitimate questions too. The emission plan arguably affects working-class people disproportionately and detrimentally. As the cost of living in London has risen to untenable levels, they have fled to more remote areas, which offer relatively fewer public transportation options. Other challenges to the policies raise questions about their efficacy; an Imperial College London study suggested that the emission zones actually had little effect on air quality, at least in the months following their implementation. Lawmakers must come together quickly, to weigh policy options that will balance fiscal goals with public interest.

Sources: Phillip Inman, “If You Let Google Have Your Data, Why Not the NHS?” The Guardian, October 19, 2024; “The Ultra-Low Emission Zone for London,” London Assembly

Form Follows Function: The New Major League Baseball Jerseys Do not Receive Much Love

26 Tuesday Mar 2024

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In the spring, as temperatures warm, some people’s thoughts turn to baseball, and other people’s focus is on the fashion trends that will arrive, once winter coats are put away. This year, those interests are combining in interesting ways. The Nike Vapor Premier uniforms that Major League Baseball revealed as the official uniform for the 2024 season have prompted some strong opinions, many of them negative. Nike notes that it designed the uniforms to provide more performance benefits and lightweight functionality, but fans (as well as not a small number of players) note that the jerseys look more cheap and flimsy than lightweight. In addition, the redesigned shirts feature smaller lettering and, for many teams, non-embroidered logos and patches. Such considerations seemingly might not affect how players perform, but for fans who often shell out hundreds of dollars for an authorized jersey, the changes are deeply problematic. They look like “cheap knockoffs” instead of expensive, authentic versions, such that they cannot provide value in terms of signaling status. The smaller lettering also makes it more difficult to stake a visible claim on their back for their favorite player. Furthermore, team loyalties rank among the most powerful brand connections that consumers establish. Receiving a physical product linked to a beloved team brand—even if that product is made by a different brand (Nike) and distributed by yet another brand supplier (usually, Fanatics)—that evokes low quality perceptions is disturbing. Look, it’s hard enough rooting for the Oakland Athletics or Chicago White Sox. Do these poor fans have to deal with unlikeable jerseys too?

Sources: Nathaniel Meyersohn, “Why the New Major League Baseball Jerseys Have Players and Fans Furious,” CNN,February 21, 202

From Mickey Mouse to Winnie the Pooh: Many Classic Characters are Losing their Copyright Protection in 2024  

14 Thursday Mar 2024

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By design, copyrights can exist for only a certain amount of time. In the United States, for creative productions that appeared before 1978, that time is 95 years. (After 1978, the U.S. Patent Office changed the rules, such that most U.S. copyrights issued today last for the lifetime of the creator, plus 70 years.) A little quick math, and you realize that everything published in 1928 has lost its copyright protections. A little quick history lesson, and you realize why this particular annual milestone is significant: 1928 saw the introduction of a wealth of globally known, nearly universally recognized characters. A selected list includes Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, and Peter Pan. Because the initial versions of each of these characters first came into being in 1928, today’s creative artists, marketers, and advertisers can use them freely and for any purpose. They need to take some care though; the version of Mickey Mouse that is now accessible to the public is only the one that appeared in Disney’s first film featuring him, Steamboat Willie. More recent versions still fall under strict protections. But artists should not necessarily feel limited by that requirement. Copyright protection applies to various other artistic works, including songs and literature. That means that anyone can leverage the once-scandalous plot of Lady Chatterley’s Lover or the sounds of “Mack the Knife” and “The Charleston” in their current artistic endeavors, without fear of reprisal—at least in a legal sense. Nobody had better turn Winnie the Pooh into a murderous psychopath or anything, or they will be in big trouble with us.*

*Too late. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is terrifyingly slated for release in early 2024.

Sources: Sopan Deb, “These Classic Characters Are Losing Copyright Protection. They May Never Be the Same,” The New York Times, January 1, 2024; Darryn King, “Oh Much More than Bother: This Winnie the Pooh Is Terrifying,” The New York Times, February 9, 2023

Beyond Football: This Year’s Trends in Super Bowl Advertisements

22 Thursday Feb 2024

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People who tune into the Super Bowl might be classified into two main groups: sports fanatics who are determined to watch every down, and everyone else, who watches mostly for the commercials (and maybe a Taylor Swift sighting or three). But among this latter, more casual group of viewers, we can also find evidence of true dedication. That is, some 160,000 viewers register in advance of the game, agreeing to rank the commercials during the broadcast, and then USA Today publishes the results. The lists offer some interesting insights into current trends. For Super Bowl LVIII, nearly half of the top 10 most popular advertisements leveraged people’s nostalgic affection for good buddies: Danny DeVito helped Arnold Schwarzenegger enunciate the final syllable in “neighbor” in State Farm’s well-known tagline; Matt Damon complained to Ben Affleck that “Sometimes, it’s really hard to be your friend” before participating in a performance by the “Dun’kings” while wearing Dunkin’-branded jumpsuits; Jennifer Aniston (Rachel) forgot who David Schwimmer (Ross) even was, to make room in her brain for recalling what Uber Eats delivers; and the Clydesdales relied on their old Labrador Retriever friend to lead the way for a delivery by Budweiser. As these examples indicate, many of the most popular ads were humorous. But others actively sought an emotional appeal and made ethical claims, including Dove’s encouragement of bodily confidence among young girls; Google Pixel’s demonstration of how it was working to increase inclusivity among people with limited vision; the NFL’s determination to expand access around the globe; or the reminder from the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism that silence allows for hatred to persist, whereas making our voices heard means standing up to hate. In addition to their popularity among the estimated 123.4 million viewers who tuned in, we hope the advertisements were effective in meeting the companies’ marketing objectives too, considering that a 30-second slot cost a record-breaking $7 million in 2024.

Sources: “Best 2024 Super Bowl Commercials,” USA Today, February 13, 2024; Suzanne Vranica, “How Much Does a Super Bowl Ad Cost this Year?” The Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2024

Packaging vs. Reality: The Debate Over Product Representation

15 Thursday Feb 2024

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Does the cute picture on the package of consumer packaged goods, like candy, need to reflect the contents? According to one recent lawsuit, there should be no question. If Hershey’s, for example, develops a wrapper for its Halloween-themed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pumpkins that shows the candy embossed with the face of a cute jack-o-lantern, that’s what the candy should have. But in actuality, the candies take the shape of a pumpkin, without any additional décor or faces or colored candy additions. Consumers expecting the extra decoration on their treats in turn might find themselves disappointed, as well as frustrated if they spent a little extra money for that decoration. Similarly, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Footballs that Hershey’s releases in the fall for gridiron fans take the ovoid shape of an actual football, but they have no visual laces, as is also depicted on the labels. To make the case, the plaintiff in this suit must demonstrate that the “material misrepresentation” created by the attractive packaging is part of what induces people to make the purchase, even though it is not the product they will receive. What do you expect: Is what you see what you will get when you make a purchase?

Sources: Lavina Suthenthiran, “Hershey Sued Over Misleading Packaging on Reese’s Festive Candies,” Retail Wire, January 2, 2024.

Virgin Voyages Introduces JenAI: Jennifer Lopez-Powered Personalized Cruise Invites Take the Market by Storm!

08 Thursday Feb 2024

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Who needs Bennifer, when we can have JenAI? In the massively rebounding cruise industry, different companies are determined to grab the lion’s share of the market. Virgin Voyages is attempting to make its mark with a combination of two of the most popular entities in pop culture: Jennifer Lopez and AI. As showcased in a new advertising campaign, visitors to the Virgin Voyages website can input a script that will invite their friends and family to join them on a cruise, voiced seemingly by the world-renowned pop star. To support this novel capability, Lopez allowed cameras to capture her image and various phrases used during a day spent on the company’s newest ocean liner. When prompted by a user, the AI technology generates a video likeness, in which Lopez offers a personalized invite, along with a good reason (e.g., “Hey mom, let’s cruise, because you deserve it!”). Careful controls have been put in place, to avoid obscene or inappropriate content. But ultimately, Lopez has given up some control of her likeness, to help Virgin Voyages sell more tickets. According to the company, the novel advertising approach is effective, such that it has prompted 150 percent more engagement than its last campaign, as well as approximately 1000 bookings by people who had never cruised before. Let’s just hope those new sailors are not under the misapprehension that J. Lo will actually be on board. We think she might have her own yacht to sail. 

Sources: Emma Hall, “Jennifer Lopez Lets AI Do the Talking in Personalized Virgin Voyages Campaign,” More About Advertising, June 30, 2023; CNBC, “How Virgin Voyages Is Using AI—and a Partnership with J. Lo—to Boost Bookings,” July 28, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMo4lZQQ-So