Burt's Bees: The Budget-Diva's lipgloss

Dear fellow Diva,

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "Burt's Bees"? My first thoughts go straight to their awesome chap-stick line.  But apparently this awesome, "Earth friendly, Natural Personal Care Company" also creates products for personal care, health, beauty, and personal hygiene.  With that said, Burt's Bees offers over 197 products for facial, body, lip, hair and other necessities   So you're saying that I can rub bee's wax over other parts of my body besides my lips?! This is good news.

What frustrates and confuses me the most is that this 25 year old company has such an extended line into other health realms, and I was not necessarily fully aware of it!  When I think back to my numerous budget-friendly trips to Target, I do recall seeing other products besides the lip balms, but how can they make me think of their product line beyond the Budget-Diva's lipgloss? 

Our generation is obsessed with everything natural - that "home-remedy", feel-good, minimal-processing idea that will magically diminish your every flaw. "But it's 100% natural, so it MUST be good for you!" So Burt's Bees is doing an excellent job at honing in on this "all-natural" idea that appeals to so many of us Divas. 

Sometimes nature gets the best of your health.  I feel like this is exactly the insight Burt's Bees uses to guide their products and inspire their consumers to purchase their natural, pure products.

"The best way. The natural way."  Burt's Bees is a great company in promoting a healthy, sustaining, natural personal care line. Now... if only prices weren't too freakin' expensive!

xo

-Diva

Kardashian Kollection

Dear Fellow Diva,

The Kardashians are a controversial topic in itself, but being a biased Diva that I am, I stand behind these Armenian queens and their business endeavors.  The post will be dedicated to all things Kardashian: from public views (of loyal fans) and the brand they have created and continued to grow since its development.

To keep it clear, I have always been a fan of the Kardashian since the beginning of the first episode of the first series of KUWTK (Keeping up with the Kardashians).  That being said, it has been hard for me to divert my attention away from this addicting chaotic family that has sass, class, and so much attitude.

Because of so much attention the Kardashians have had in the recent couple years, I do not feel the need to go into too much depth of their history and who they are exactly.  I am just hear to gravel at the success the three sisters - Kim, Kourtney, and Kloe - have given to their name, enabling them to launch their career in the fashion industry.  Introducing, the Kardashian Kollection:

Whether you agree or disagree (in this case you should agree because I doubt you have any supportive claim against my flawless views), these girls were smart in channeling their famous, fabulous life into a clothing line to promote and sell.

The only problem with the clothing line could potentially be the lack of options.  They do have a full line, featuring pants, shirts, dresses, shoes, and accessories - but only minimal options to choose from in each category.  But lets be real - the Kardashians are perfect and they get it right the first time - the pieces they do offer are fierce. Get over it.

The advertising objective that is constantly being portrayed here is the clothing line is for all shapes, sizes, and levels of Diva-ness. Because of the sisters are psychically different and have their own personal styles, they make sure to promote that idea through the advertising commercials and other campaigns.

The insight of the the Kollection of the the Kardashian Klan as a brand is simple: I want to look sexy with the body I have, but sometimes I cannot afford the expensive clothing lines at Nordstrom.  I want to look like a Diva, but I am on a budget."  And that is exactly what the Kardashian Kollection is trying to help aspiring Divas - to channel their inner fabulocity by wearing affordable, sexy clothes.
  
The SMP (single minded proposition) after looking more in depth with what these girls have to offer is "Everyone can be a Kardashian".

I love these girls, especially their sense of style.  Their Kollection screams "Diva"! And that is why they earned a spot on this weeks Dramatic Interpretations of Various Advertisements.

xo
-Diva

Just Do It

Dear fellow Diva,

So tonight and tomorrow, I get the joy of listening to Brandon Thornton speak on behalf of Wieden+Kennedy.  You all probably are wondering why I am even posting about this, because most of y'all have never heard of W+K. Have you ever heard of the famous slogan, Just Do It - Nike? Yeah, I got your attention now.  Well low in behold, this independently owned American advertising agency is best known for is numerous works with Nike.  And for all of you Divas out there who sport around Norts (Nike Shorts) - we all are well aware of the well-known tagline of Just Do It.

W+K has worked only many campaigns with Nike, Coke, ESPN, Honda, Old Spice, and many other big-named companies. W+K is a prime example of what you SHOULD do when advertising.  Their successes and contributions to many different companies have positioned them into the dominant advertising agency force they are today.

After the presentation that Brandon gave, it was interesting to hear him even admit that big time agencies such as W+K have their own problems and issues to deal with.  With such a high reputation of being the best, how do they continue to create innovative ideas and creative methods to create successful campaigns for their clients?

One of the key features that stood out from the rest is that they promote the idea to "walk in stupid". The idea to "fail/fall harder" is genius! This insight the company has for themselves is a reassuring method to keep their employees motivated.  I know I would be motivated. Now, if only these principles were instilled with all of my professors...

Sensa: Weight-loss system

Dear Fellow Diva,

I know I am not the only Diva out there who likes to indulge in some of the best high-caloric, fatty-filled foods out there.  But lets be real, I am neither a 6 year old girl with a growing body and speedy metabolism nor a boy who can eat whatever he wants and still have a rockin' body.  Unfortunately for us women, we have to watch what we eat AND exercise if we want any hope of achieving Halle Berry's body in Catwoman.  Lucky for us, Sensa is a new weight-loss supplement here to help our cravings:

"Sensa was designed to work with your sense of smell to help trigger Sensory Specific Satiety"

....right.

I first became introduced to this new sensational diet "sprinkle" after seeing one of their commercials on TV -- check it out

Naturally, with every new hot, on-the-market diet method that is introduced, I am somewhat intrigued and what to know more.  After analyzing this Sensa commercial, their biggest problem was I had no idea what the hell sensa did and how it even worked.  The only indication I could gather was that you apparently shake and sprinkle this magical powder on food and then you lose a bunch of weight.  Too good to be true?  You decide.

So what IS the problem?
As previously mentioned - the commercial does a poor job at even indicating what the product is, how you use it, or any other important information of this dietary supplement.  They are trying to get the audience to check out the website for all of the information about Sense instead of listing the main ideas and objectives on the commercial.  They do what most dieting strategist do and try to get your attention by showing weightloss successes and results from average, every-day people.  So how the hell are they differentiating themselves from  Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, or Hydroxycut?

Their current advertising objective holds true with some of my previously mentioned ideas.  They are pulling at the guilt strings of all over-weight, health cautious girls out there.  They want to appeal to muliple crowds, more than women, so they of course had to ad in a couple men with testimonials of how much weight they loss as well.

The insight that Sensa is targeting basically screams:
"I want to lose weight, but I want to be able to eat all the foods I currently eat."
or
"I want to be skinny like Jessica Alba, but I need something that is easy to use."

Sensa's single minded proposition is somewhat still vague to me only if I am going off of the commercial itself - but being the smart Diva I am, I decided to venture into their website to dig a little deeper into what exactly they want to be portrayed as: Tired of using salt? Sprinkle, eat, and lose weight with Sensa.

Sensa needs to work harder on their campaign and advertising - they are too vague and sloppy with their execution.  They did a good job at transforming the WAY you can use a weight loss product (shaking and sprinkling the product like a salt shaker), but when it comes down to cold, hard facts - what makes Sensa's supplement any better than the rest?

Ciao for now

xo
-Diva

Sasha Fierce

The ultimate Diva. My biggest idol.  Sasha Fierce.

Beyonce Knowles has branded herself into the most respected Diva in today's society.  This post isn't critiquing a commercial, a company slogan, or a business campaign strategy.  This post is solely dedicated to Beyonce and how she became her OWN personal brand.  

Let's face it, nobody else will ever be able to name their child Beyonce, unless it is Beyonce herself naming her child after herself.  Beyonce has grown into a powerful Diva that represents so many individuals.  Through her entertaining career to community involvement, B is highly respected and praised on a day to day bases... by me.

Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter is the definition of a triple threat: singer, dancer, and actress.  Not only does she do all three talented acts, she has so much more under her star-studded belt.  It all began with being the lead singer of Destiny's Child - but I don't need to go into this best-selling girls-group of all time - everyone should know you need to pay your "Bills bills bills"! (song reference.. come on, girls, focus)

After her emergence through Destiny's Child., Beyonce successfully strutted down her own path to her solo-status career.  In the first couple years, she won FIVE Diva Grammy Awards.  Her second album earned her SIX - which broke the record for most Grammys a female artist has won in a night. 

We all know Beyonce has a great voice, but apart from her work in music, she has also ventured into acting and designing.  I will forever have Dream Girls' soundtrack on repeat - if you are reading this now, go and listen to the soundtrack on youtube!

From Grammy awards, MTV awards, Most Beautiful Women,  Influential Celebrity (#2), Artist of the Decade, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many many more - Knowles is an inspiration in every aspect of the entertaining industry. 

Let's be real - When you're name is Beyonce, married to Jay-Z, and have a child named Blue Ivy... you've got it all.

Ellen and Sofia take CoverGirl

Makeup is a girl's best friend, and CoverGirl NAILED it with this ad campaign for the new foundation.  I, myself, am a CoverGirl cosmetic user - the main reason why is because of their use of females who represent their products.   Covergirl advertises their cosmetics line by allowing "cover girls", fashion models who appear on the front cover of women's magazines, to wear its products. CoverGirl makes up for lack of direct individual customer service by providing a wide variety of cosmetics available at reasonable prices.  Many successful models have represented CoverGirl Cosmetics, including Tyra Banks, Brandy, Molly Sims, Faith Hill, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Keri Russell, Taylor Swift, Carrie Tivador, Dania Ramirez, and Drew Barrymore.

The newest member to this Diva cosmetic brand is my girl, Sophia Vergara.  What an excellent representation CoverGirl chose - Sophia exudes femininity, humor, and Latina power.  I love the idea of contrasting Ellen DeGeneras with Sophia Vergara - double the Diva, double the cash flow CoverGirl with get after this duo on this commercial

With further analysis of this commercial, there are potential questions that non-CoverGirl cosmetic users may have:

What is the problem?

Well one obvious being the fact that CoverGirl is opening and knowingly using Ellen as one of there spokespersons.  It should not be a mystery by now, but Ellen is in fact a lesbian - more power to her!  Recently, it has been a growing trend for companies and business to voice their opinion  on gay rights - CoverGirl has decided to follow this trend and are praising Ellen to the point of making her a spokeswoman for their cosmetic line.  I personally think this is an awesome move by CoverGirl, but I understand that CoverGirl has potentially displeased and turned off some purchasers by this decision.  Whatever, they didn't want you to wear their makeup anyway!

Moving on...

What is the advertising objective in this commercial?

Obviously the advertising objective is to get women to purchase their new product, but because of this new twist of incorporating two dominant celebrity figures, both who represent a huge demographic portion of the US - there is a new objective.  This is one of the first times Covergirl has used two celebrities in the same commercial.  Ellen has been a veteran rep for Covergirl for the past couple years - she does a good job at identifying with the older crowd (I use the term "older" lightly).  Sophia represents more of the ethnic, hispanic demographics - and this was a very good, strategic move by CoverGirl since Sophia is already well known and liked Nation-wide because of her role in Modern Family, she also targets the Hispanic demographics too!  Way to go CoverGirl
CoverGirl is known for being the makeup that's for every girl: whether you're old, young, or any ethnicity.  CoverGirl is here to please every Diva - no matter where she comes from or what she looks like.

Who is the target? What is the Insight?

See above response.

Single Minded Proposition?

CoverGirl is for every Diva, no matter what you look like, where you are from, or who you are.