Earn it like Beckham

A primary school boy when asked by his teacher, “What do you want to do when you're older?” replied “I want to be a footballer”. His dream did come true, and today he is not just a well-known footballer but also a fashion icon, model, actor,entrepreneur, a husband and a devoted father. Along with his singer/businesswoman wife, they form what is called a“power couple” accumulating an estimated net worth of £165million. David Beckham with his sportsmanship, looks, image and family makes him appealing to the consumers resulting inthe creation of ‘Brand Beckham’.

Beckham is one of the most recognized faces on the planet, and well-known to the masses. He is currently associated with the endorsement of Adidas, Burger King, Sainsbury's and Samsung. He was in an endorsement deal with Pepsi for 10 years till 2008. He played a leading role in campaigning and winning the 2012 Olympics bid for London, and was also involved with the UK’s bidding for FIFA 2018, which was won by Russia. He has his own perfume brand and last year launched his underwear line in partnership with
H&M. According to Forbes magazine, he is the world's richestfootball player and 7th most reached sportsperson in the world.

A good-looking footballer, fashion icon and family man who's always punctual and professional is a sponsor's dream. ‘BrandBeckham’ was not an overnight story but was the creation of Simon Oliveira of XIX Entertainment, marketing team of Adidas and his former manager Terry Byrne. ‘BrandBeckham’ has been a successful story of the sustainability of one’s name, even after the end of his sports career. Some of the other popular ‘human brands’ are Roger Federer, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey  and Tiger Woods, just to name a few.

Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

After a nice long holiday and months of grilling for my exam, now am finally free.

‘Old Spice’ always brings back memories of my childhood when I used to see my father using that great-smelling after-shave lotion from that red bottle. But it isn’t something I would ever think of using as I find myself more inclined towards ‘Gillette’ when it comes to shaving products. Old Spice made a clear distinction of itself from shaving to grooming, yet I was never attracted towards it. I then came across the character know as Old Spice Man played by Isaiah Mustafa as a part of their campaign ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’. It was catchy and funny, and targeted the women in order to create brand awareness. The ad went viral over the internet, creating a huge buzz, generating millions of hits and subscribers on YouTube, several million fan-page followers on Facebook, followers on Twitter and clicks to the Old Spice website.

The credit of the success for the campaign should be given to the small independent US advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. Another successful campaign undertaken by Wieden+Kennedy was with Nike, whose account they still control, making it one of the longest standing client-agency partnership. The success of the Old Spice campaign can be identified with the ability to keep the audience engaged with the brand through the face of ‘Old Spice Man’. People provided them with requests to do spin-offs on the original advert, and some of them were published on the YouTube channel with a period of 2 days.

The result of the entertaining video of Isaiah Mustafa being topless, wearing a towel, was a success. This also led to several similar fan-made videos on YouTube. Also notable is the spoof created by the Sun using the same advert, but with a topless girl, meant to attract the male audience. The success of the Old Spice campaign did work its magic in turning the brand around, and increased its appeal massively for the younger generation. I did buy the shower gel, and I have to admit, I liked it!

I'm lovin' it, McDonalds!

It’s snowing on my way back from class. It is cold, it’s late, with work early tomorrow morning; but I need my dinner. Then I saw a big illuminated ‘M’ and immediately thought to myself – “McDonalds to the rescue!” Yes! It’s McDonalds. Quick, cheap and filling! McDonalds is a life-saver, especially if you’re a drunk student coming out of a club late at night. Now even my colleague would vouch for that, as he was still hungry and unsatisfied after a Korean dinner gone wrong. We ordered a seafood hotpot, which had left a lot to be desired. And then, there was McDonalds to the rescue!

McDonalds’ story goes all the way back to 1940 as a barbecue restaurant and it remained the largest fast-food chain restaurant in the world until Subway took over in 2011. McDonald’s is a perfect example of a successful franchise, where only 15% is actually owned by the McDonald's Corporation. The McDonald’s slogan “I'm lovin' it!” is consistent throughout the world along with its logo and the theme. The slogan was created by McDonald's long-term advertising agency Heye & Partners from Unterhaching, Germany. McDonald's sponsors events, uses celebrity spokespersons, and has adapted social and interactive media full-fledgedly by prominently using tools of integrated marketing.

However, the course for McDonald’s hasn’t always been smooth. It has been in the eye of the storm far too many times for its own liking, with a history of numerous lawsuits and controversies. There have also been several instances of McDonald’s taking legal action against any restaurant using the word “Mc”. And quite contrary to my opinion, my father can’t stand the sign of the yellow ‘M’, after seeing its presence nearly everywhere, which he believes is a strong overdose of McDonalds. For all its flaws and lack of finesse, McDonalds is a NYSE listed company that has created more than 400,000 job opportunities, especially for the youths, and almost always saves the day when you’re in a dilemma or can’t find a place to eat!