Norway

This week I've decided to blog about Norway, a country I'm unfamiliar with but soon became interested shortly after watching a several YouTube videos. Based on the videos, Norway seems like a simpler country, not controlled by the consumerism of Great Britain and America. It reminded me of Ireland or the U.K. of the past. The people enjoyed life and human relationships, as it seems. They seemed like a social people, and sought to experience all life had to offer. The towns looked rural, and little to do with advertising and branding.
As for most European countries, the commute differed from American traffic. There were few cars on the road, and those which were were small and compact. Train tracks ran throughout most of the country, as it is one of the most efficient way to travel in the country.
It seems odd to brand a country, but most of the videos seen were a good representation of Norway as a brand. If you seek adventure, simplicity, beatiful scenery, and welcoming natives, then Norway would be a brand for you!

McDonald's

It seems like forever since I've last posted on this blog! Anyway this week we were asked to investigate a National Brand and see how they market to multiple cultures. I chose McDonald's, as I've always noticed that they have marketed towards many cultures particularly the Hispanic market. Thei home page consists of several images featuring several characters from different backgrounds. There are Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics displayed doing numerous activities while enjoying McDonald's food. Most of the page was reflective of their advertising strategy. In fact, there were more minority models in many of the images seen on the site. The site also featured the ability to change the language to Spanish with one-click.
Their were several links featured that ported me over to McDonald's endorsed pages. The most noticeable was Myinspirasian.com, a website that recognized Asians in the McDonald's work place and among other things, activities that Asians would find enjoyable and interesting.
There was also 365black.com, a web site that targeted African American visitors, very similar to the Asian web site.
More of the same was featured, and I was fascinated by the whole experience. I had no idea that McDonald's was THIS diverse in their marketing efforts!

The advertisement I decided to write upon this week is a Japan based ad which was filmed several years ago. The ad was so popular that the "short" version was also aired in North America. The commercial is for the video game company, Nintendo, and i know I've written on their company before but I love what they do with marketing. The advertisement features several hundreds, if not thousands, of school aged Japanese kids sprinting, jumping, flipping (etc.) to the nearest electronics store to get their Nintendo product. All the children were previously bored in school and anticipating the release bell. I think this ad says wonders about the youth culture in Japan.
As we all know, Japan is a country that manufactures a great deal of wonderful electronics. Whether it be television, cell phones, and in this case, home video games. The current generation of Japanese youth is incredibly interested in new technology and eager to play hours and hours of video games. Nintendo is hugely popular in Japan and its clear in this ad that most kids would do anything to get their hands on a system. This is a type of ad that I think could work in many countries, including the U.S., and still be successful with minimal changes.
The commercial ends with the face of a thousand Marios. Nintendo's flagship game and mascot.

Leather Flag -- San Francisco

Last week I blogged about Castro street in San Francisco, California. The area is famous for gay and lesbian pride, and it's reputation preceded the video. The video featured the raising of the Leather Flag at Harvey Milk Plaza, a few streets over from Castro. The video was shot in September of 2007, and featured several older, gay men, proudly hoisting the large flag. The men stood united, posing for pictures, sharing kisses, and also dealing with police officers. the culture seen in the video was expected given the neighborhood. there was little to no dialogue, but the presence of nearly a dozen gay men helped display the culture of the neighborhood in San Francisco. The Leather Flag was hoisted in honor of Gay Pride Week.

San Francisco, CA -- Castro and 19th

Having recently seen the film 'Milk', I decided to explore the Castro district of San Francisco, CA. The Castro district is believed to be the best known gay neighborhood since the 1960s and 1970s, and today still supports many LGBT activities and events. What I saw in Streetview helped support this claim; the street posts were draped with rainbow colored flags from North to South, maintain the historical heritage of the community.
One of the most interesting parts of it all was the small business'. There were still many locally owned shops maintaining business in the area, with several "chain" stores open along the way. the 'Castro' theater still looked new, and stands as an historical landmark. It was playing "Planet of the Apes" that day (not the Mark Wahlberg version). If the technology wasn't so new, you could mistake the area for something out of the 70s, because its barely been touched by corporate America. It was a pleasant site to see such a famous district remain true to its roots.
I've always wanted to go to San Francisco! The city itself is beautiful and its always portrayed in film as being such a peaceful place to settle.


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Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Barcelona, CT, España

My blog post this week focuses on Barcelona, Spain. Spain's a country I've recently wanted to visit, and a trip interested me even more because of Street View. The first thing I noticed while panning around several streets was the automobiles. It seems they are more environmentally friendly, compact, and not quite as flashy as their American counterparts. There were also many Mopeds patrolling the streets, even more than cars at times. The argest sized vehicles were vans, but they were stockpiled with several commuters.
I had also noticed that the area had a clean and historical look to it. There were few ads and modern shops, despite the fact that it was a busy intersection. It's more of a rare sight to see areas like that in many countries, but it's been able to successfully maintain it's local heritage.
Many of the streets signs remained the same. Red means Stop, Yellow meas Slow Down, you get the idea. Although one sign referred to a public bus as a "Taxi Bus".
Those were just some of the sights I noticed.


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Sweden

During the Powerpoint on Culture, I read that in Sweden men and women are viewed equally and the role of masculinity is of secondary importance to care and nurture.  I was interested in reading more about Sweden's cultural views after reading this.  I Google searched and found the website Kwintessentials.com (http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/sweden.html) and read up on etiquette and culture in the country.  For one, family is extremely important to the Swedes, especially the role children play.  The care for children is considered some of the best in the world, and many laws have been established in order for the best possible upbringing.  Parents are allowed up to 60 days off per year to care for a sick child and father or mother must take an absence from work until the child is 18 months old.  Aside from family value, hospitality is also of the utmost importance.  Although Sweden is considered an egalitarian country, hospitality and eating arrangements are formal.  Punctuality and proper attire are important signs of respect.  

With business etiquette, it is awfully similar to American standards.  You must be a sharp dresser, have a firm handshake, and be able to look at your fellow business person straight in the eye.  However, business cards are not a necessity.  

I unfortunately found very little about the role role of men and women, but my findings were interesting nonetheless.  

IBN Live

With this assignment, I wanted to research an English speaking news station, and luckily I came across the IBN. The IBN is the actually Britain’s CNN targeted towards English speaking Indians. I found the station on Tuesday morning, towards noon, and it seems I tuned in when most of the air time was sold to advertisers. The majority of the broadcast was a block of ads for numerous car companies, Orbitz gum, and the most interesting of them all: a Bring an End to Domestic Violence ad. The Domestic Violence ad was interesting because it was far different from what American social marketing is. It featured a group of street cricket players (tough looking guys, no v-neck sweaters) overhearing the cries of a woman from an nearby apartment building. The group run towards the building, bang on the door, and a pissed-off man answers. The commercial ends with a stare down between the men, and the announcer saying “Put an end to domestic violence”. Very effective social marketing!
The broadcast continued with a heated debate concerning a the split of Indian Election Committee. The details are a bit fuzzy because the speakers were loud, and the streaming content wasn’t the best quality, but everyone involved was angry, including the reporter. It that sort of unbridled enthusiasm you rarely see on American broadcast television.

Radio One, 91 FM

I explored several different radio stations this afternoon until I finally settled on Radio One, 91 FM out of Dunedin, New Zealand. I’ve always been interested in the country and I was given a great opportunity to hear music its people liked. According to the link, Radio One is classified as a Alternative station; I figured I hear something similar to American radio stations like FNX or BCN. Apparently I was wrong. The segment I listened to featured calming ambient music, and after some time, I grew fond of what I was hearing. The bands kind of reminded me of ore well known ambient bands like Boards of Canada, however many of the artists were country-bred.

Surprisingly, there were limited commercials!

Later in the day, I listened again. At that point familiar artists like the Chili Peppers and Cold War Kids could be heard. In between songs, a mellow DJ chimed in and spoke about America and President Obama. He asked listeners to answer the question: “What video game system did Obama bring with him to the White House?”. The answer: The Wii.

Moreover, the web site was nicely pieced together (compared to some others), and it offered links to playlists, upcoming events, photo galleries, and store link. It was typical of many radio home pages, with advertisements for concerts, DJ promotional material, and contests to win tickets or “a 100 CDs”.

Radio One had a unique on-air vibe that was easy to listen too and enjoyable. I could have easily mistaken Radio One for a local American station, which made the experience all the more welcoming!

Here’s a Link to Radio One’s home page: http://www.r1.co.nz/index.php