Site Visits (Agencies)

During our three weeks in Berlin we had to opportunity to visit various sites some of these included: McCann Erickson, Wall Agency, Meta Design, Mercedes Flagship store, amongst others. The first three agencies listed above seemed to be the most constructive to me. McCann Erikson gave the impression of a traditional advertising agency. The office was divided into working sections according to job title/description. Creatives were working on one side and executives on the other. To me this agency provided us with the most realistic setting of what we can expect to see and perhaps what it would be like to work with this type of company. They presented on one of their biggest accounts- Lufthansa. The most relevant point I took away from the presentation was the challenges that are present when marketing to different cultures. They discussed how they actually have to travel to India and China to find models to incorporate into the campaign. When dealing with aesthetic factors of campaigns they must take into consideration cultural values, which include roles of family members or the significance that various colors represent to different cultures. For example, for their campaign that was placed in India they actually ran two different commercials. One commercial depicted a grandfather and granddaughter reuniting after the granddaughter had been studying abroad. This commercial is representative of the importance of family in Indian culture. As an American this was interesting that they had to travel to the location to shoot the commercial, in the United States the population is so diverse that it would not be nearly as difficult to find models.

Another agency we visited was Meta Design and for me this presentation was amazing! They specialize in sound branding and spoke about how sound can actually create an experience for the consumer you are advertising to. After listening to various sounds it became apparent how sounds provide us with familiarity (burning fire/ city street sounds) and familiarity is important when establishing relevance in the mind of who are speaking with. This agency discussed how IBM’s signature sound has held a strong presence and how it has been able to keep the same signature sound but evolve over time. Towards the end of the presentation showed us their Lufthansa account as well. The music throughout the presentation demonstrated how sound sets the stage for various emotions that can be felt for example: joy, love, anticipation and then be associated with the brand.

The last agency we visited in Berlin was the Wall Agency. This presentation was also an incredible experience because of its interactivity. We took a virtual tool and saw the various mediums they work with to advertise. This agency specializes in street furniture that can be used by advertisers and really demonstrated their technological capabilities. We were shown models for dog waste bag receptacles, public toilets, newspaper stands, bicycles, and pay phones. During the virtual tour we were able to see real-life models and replicas of their street furniture concepts that you can see from the images below. At the end of the presentation we were shown an S-Bahn station — Friedrichstraße. The presentation demonstrated how a company can buy advertising time for a very reasonable cost that would incorporate the entire station. Using light and screen displays they can use the ground and walls of the station to grab the attention of people travelling through out the station.

The last two agencies discussed above really demonstrated the technological capabilities that are present in Berlin. It was a very good learning experience to see how international agencies are reaching out to consumers. From an IMC perspective any of the concepts were useful and something can be taken back to the United States and incorporated into advertising. Although in South Florida public transportation is not very common the street furniture concepts could be used. Also, the metro station advertising concepts could be very applicable in locations like Washington D.C., and New York City.

Reflections on working with IMK Students

Overall, I would have to say that my experience working with the students of the IMK was an eye opener and an experience that I am grateful for. I know that many of my classmates had tremendous difficulties and it was quite obvious during our Friday presentations. During the first week one of the students I was paired with had terminated her studies at the IMK, therefore, I was left to work with only one German student. Him and I got along quite well I would have to say. We had some difficulties keeping in touch due to our poor Internet situation at the hostel. However, once coming together I felt that we worked well with one another. I think a large part of this can be attributed to the fact that he was well spoken in English. He had the opportunity to study for one year in the states during his high school career and then through the IMK he had an internship in London. His ability to communicate in the same language placed less of a language barrier on our group and allowed us to work efficiently.

During my second week I had the opportunity to work with two German students. This group was a bit different than the first week. There were different personalities this time, I worked with a male and female-the male student was very laid back and the female was a bit abrasive and liked to take charge. A lot of the times I felt that I was not on the same page as them as far as ideas we were throwing out and brainstorming on. During this week we were given the task to create fundraising tactics for an existing campaign on Sabah Rhinos. Some of the ideas that I was mentioning were based on my experiences from residing in the United States. I think the German students felt that these ideas were far-fetched or not traditional, therefore, probably would not work. I will say that I felt both of these students were very intelligent, although they were very nervous about their English. I had mentioned to them that there English was fine and that they should not be so hesitant about making mistakes. For this group overall I think that these details that this assignment called for placed much stress on the group because of the short time we had to work on it. However, besides our initial brainstorming issues, once we had a strategy it was easier to understand on another and our final project came together. The image displayed above on the right hand was our presentation of this assignment.

The last week seemed to be the most stressful for me. Although the task did not seem as difficult as the past weeks, there were many language difficulties this time around. One of the girls I was paired with had moved to Germany from South America a few months prior and the other girl was a native German who was not well spoken in English. I felt that when working in this group much of the time was spent looking up translations from English to German. Again I felt both these students were intelligent and hard workers. Due to the fact that there were so many problems with understanding one another due to their lack of ability in English and my complete lack of ability in German, this caused problems structurally for our assignment. I did get along with both students, but, felt that overall our project this week was not strong in terms of the handout and power point. My team the last week was the most eye opening, I would have to say that I learned that sometimes there is no way to break the barrier but the assignment must get done. I realized that final week that you have to do the best you can with translations and spend the time as productively as possible.

Overall, again like I said earlier I am very grateful to have had the experience. It gave insight into what it would be like to work in another location outside the United States. It presented some of the issues that you would face working with clients of a different culture. Much of the feedback and structure of the Friday presentations were different than one would experience back in the States. The clients were very critical when it came to feedback and the German students were extremely serious and hesitant to express themselves in any way that was out of the norm. The differences were interesting to me and something that I would love to gain more experience working with. From an IMC perspective the friday presentations demonstrated the importance of having clear understanding of messages internally and externally. If there is an internal problem it will be obvious to the client you are presenting to. On an external level if there is message complications the presentation will not be effective in getting the message across to your consumer, which ultimately is your most important task as an advertiser/marketer.

Minorities in Advertising

My observation of minorities in advertising in Berlin is that it is very minimal and almost non-existent. After spending close to one month in Germany, I was surprised that the majority of advertising is not targeted towards any minority groups. Furthermore, the advertisements do not display minorities within the advertisements themselves. I found this to be very unusual due to several factors. First, Germany is an industrialized country known for its innovation and technology. It is very surprising to see that a country that is so advanced failing to recognize minorities. Secondly, there is a large immigrant population, consistent of Turks and other Middle Easterners that are not recognized through advertising either.

I chose the following advertisement to demonstrate that even when companies are advertising about a minority population in Germany it is not very obvious based on the visual images. In this particular advertisement for Turkish Airlines and Turkey the two models used in this advertisement are two Caucasian children that look very European. Given that much

of Turkey’s tourist population is probably streaming in from European countries, it understandable that they would show two European children on the beach in Turkey. However, it would make more sense to me to incorporate Turkish models or people who look more ethnic. Considering the large Turkish population in Germany I believe that this advertisement could be more effective if they recognized Turkish people and perhaps ignite interest for them to visit their home countries. From a different view point show a typical setting of the country with people from the country, to give a tourist a snapshot view of something they could see or experience.

The only other advertisement that I came across during my four weeks in Berlin that was targeted to a minority population was an advertisement for alcohol. I found this advertisement placed in a Mexican restaurant called, “Cancun”. This restaurant would be a popular tourist spot because it is located in a central S-Bahn station right outside Potsdamer Platz. The advertisement was in poster form placed towards the back of the restaurant. They were advertising for Havana Club—a dark Cuban rum. This advertisement did display a minority and the person look like they coincided with the product as far as ethnicity. My only problem with this advertisement is that it would not be completely noticeable unless the person was carefully observing their surroundings.

I think that in such a cosmopolitan city such as Berlin, which is the capital of the county the economy could benefit from acknowledging other populations other than Germans in their advertising. As a minority living in the United States I feel that advertisers do an extensive amount of research advertising to the diverse populations residing within each state. I think that this is important to consider when you stop and think about what factors people think about when choosing places to live. I think that as a minority I would think very carefully about locating in Berlin due to the simple fact that I would never be acknowledged or even advertised to. I do understand that in comparison to the United States the figures of minorities residing in Berlin are drastically lower. However, as companies become global it is important their brand image demonstrates that they acknowledge all types of people of various races, ethnicities, and skin colors.