Product Placements with James Bond

I am a huge James Bond fan and the new movie “Spectre” will be released in theatres soon. I think its fair to say that James bond has always been associated with class, sophistication, luxury and adventure. I feel that the topic of Learning and Memory relates to James Bond as a model in the observational learning process. Through the Bond franchise’ history, they have been many product placements used within the film. Some product uses define his personality and I feel that the concept brings value to the product. I also found a video featured by Bloomberg that is posted below outlining the history of product placements and James bond. There is even a Wikipedia page outlining every product or service that has been used in every movie. I think there is a lot to be said about product placement changes in such a long running medium.

Heineken James Bond Ad

Belvedere Ad features limited edition bottle

The previous move “Sky fall” featured Heineken beer, as a new placement and I found that interesting. I thought it was funny in a way because every product is typically upscale and more affluent in pricing. Heineken is probably the only relatable product that I would willingly purchase. I do not really have funds for an omega watch, Austin Martin or luxury resort villa. They are probably a few people within the demographic of Bond fans that can afford these luxury products but I’m seeing more placements that are geared towards the general public such as Sony phones and computers, and maybe even Belvedere vodka for the martini connoisseur. 

The James Bond franchise earns a great amount of money from this but I wonder what I think there is a balance for the image of James Bond as well as the markers who use this. I think the markers have benefited a lot from having Bond use their products but I think it’s important for the creators to still keep the Bond image. Products of a lower quality can actually diminish his image.

Sources: 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-10-26/james-bond-a-history-through-product-placement

Perception Tactic use in the Airline Industry

I came across a couple of articles that describe some new trends in the airline industry. Some of these trends are good and some are bad for the consumer but generally perception has allowed airlines to maximize profit and improve passenger experience.  New technology advances have paved way for the concept of interior mood lighting. Airlines are modifying their aircraft to have mood lighting in the cabin. Mood lighting is an interior lighting system where calm and neutral lighting is seen throughout the aircraft. Calm blue lights, purple lights and orange or yellow glows simulate a different time of day during flight and can streamline the boarding and inflight experience process. 

Iceland Air Hekla Aurora Livery

Mood lighting has been said to relax passengers, reduce jet lag and actually simulate time changes. I felt this relates to the topic of perception when the stimuli of colour and vision affect consumer patterns.  Iceland air recently reconfigured a flagship aircraft with this technology and called the aircraft Hekla Aurora. The aircraft was even painted with a stunning northern lights livery. For Iceland, this technology was used for a unique purpose for simulating northern lights, which is commonly seen within the remote northern country. For Iceland air, mood lighting was a way to incorporate the natural beauty of Iceland and create a consumer experience based on the visual display. I visited Europe last year and unfortunately, for me, the aircraft did not have mood lighting and I experienced jetlag for the first time.

Hekla Aurora Northern Lights Interior

While mood lighting has advantages, they are a downside to some practises. Airlines are secretly making the standard economy class seat much smaller than the standard norm in the past. Airlines do this to accommodate more passengers, increase revenue and decrease operating cost per passenger. While it benefits airlines, it may not benefit passengers in some cases. An article I found mentions that a Boeing 777 300 ER which is a commonly used passenger jet is more commonly configured with 10 abreast seating (3-4-3) as compared to the original 9 abreast (3-3-3). The seat pitch (distance between seats) is also being reduced by putting less padding on the seats and making them thinner. I remember flying to Europe last summer and I actually was on a new American Airlines Boeing 777 300 ER when I flew back to North America. I was seated in economy class and the configuration was 10 abreast. I am 6 foot 2 and I did find it uncomfortable. I don’t think passengers of a smaller stature would be affected but I’m not a huge fan of this trend. It’s interesting how marketers are using a few tools with a basic understanding of perception and changing a whole interior to maximize profit.

Market Demand Changes for 10 Abreast seating

Sources: 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-22/airlines-add-mood-lighting-to-chill-passengers-out

http://www.icelandair.ca/hekla-aurora/

https://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/12/30/nippon-airways-cautiously-enters-high-density-economy-seating/

Cash Diet Challenge

I'm a huge fan of personal finance and I believe it relates very much to consumer behaviour. I watch Suze Orman, and Gale Vaz-Oxlade's Till Debt do us Part and Princess. I was browsing online and found lots of articles regarding cash-only-diets including the article I posted below. In a world of credit cards, debit and plastic payments it seems that cash has become a rare tool in consumer transactions today. After reading some information, I decided to try it for myself. Starting today, I will pay for all my expenses only in the form of cash (except rent, cell phone and some other transactions). At the beginning of December, I will see how much money I save as compared to using plastic to cover purchases. Research suggest that cash is a tangible tool and when you see it go, you are more likely to change your spending habits without even knowing. Credit cards and debit cards have a set amount but consumers are less likely to notice and may subliminally spend more than usual without noticing.

Sources:

http://gailvazoxlade.com/othervoices/show-me-the-money/