Week 13A Online Advertising - Analysis of the Marketplace

Sponsored advertisements are a constant thing on my Facebook and Instagram feeds.  Just opening up my Facebook I immediately see an ad.  This ad has a headline "Ready to Land a TEDx Talk"? 

There is a picture of the back of a guy speaking to an audience.  This guy is selling a guide on how to narrow in on what your special message is and how to turn it into a TED Talk.  Personally, I'm annoyed by these ads because there is just so many "experts" out there that want to sell you their guide on how to do something.  This ad is targeting people who want to be seen, who feel that their story should be told to the world.  I believe everyone's story is valuable but I don't like the idea of giving people this idea that by taking this guy's class, they are going to be giving a TED Talk.  I like the concept of teaching people to find their special edge or what makes them valuable or interesting and how to share their story.  Looking through the comments, I found that there were comments saying "I did it, this was great" "Let me know when you come to my town" "This is so oversaturated" "Quality of TED talks have greatly diminished as of late".  The reactions of people varied.  There were some people that missed the whole concept of what this guy was trying to sell.  They thought he was connected directly to the people who select TED Talk speakers.  They wrote comments asking how to speak to someone, because their story needs to be heard.  They didn't get the point that this ad is selling a guide.  In my opinion this ad was not effective.

The next ad I came across was for BILLY Footwear.  This footwear is made for all people but especially for people with disabilities that have a hard time tying their shoes or getting their shoes on.  It has a special zipper that goes all the way around to make getting them on an easy zip.  They provide ankle support and are a great shoe for fitting over ankle and leg braces but are still stylish and don't make the person feel they have to wear an ugly shoe just because they are disabled.  The ad was a video of little kids zipping their shoes up and easily putting them on.  They go off running and playing.  It is so cute.  It appeals to all kids.  The reason this came up on my feed is most likely because I have purchased several pairs of these shoes for my daughter because she has leg braces and also it is very difficult to get regular shoes on her without a zipper. I've bought them in different sizes and colors for different occasions and to accommodate her braces when they are on or off.  Recently BILLY Footwear sponsored our Angelman Syndrome Foundation Walk and provided discount codes and were donating a portion of their sales to the foundation.  That connection to BILLY Footwear is probably another reason they showed up on my feed.  I don't mind it at all.  I hope they grow as a company.  They sell their shoes in Target but they are hard to find because they are often times sold out.  The ad has the video which is great and then right below it has pictures of shoes that you can scroll to the side to see the selections.  It is a clickable link as well to take you to their website.  Also, they have a new tagline that says "Flip, Zip, Go!" That's a great way to describe the ease of wearing these shoes.  They make them in adult sizes too which is great for people with all sorts of needs.  I might even try a pair myself someday for casual wear.  This is one of the few ads that I truly don't mind seeing and am actually happy to see their ads popping up because I want them to do well because of what they have done to help my daughter in her day to day life.  Not to mention they are so cute on her.  Also, as I scrolled through the comment section, I could tell the people commenting were real customers.  For example there was a comment "As an adult with neuropathy I love your shoes. I can't tell where my floppy toes are so seeing them in the shoes before zipping them up helps so much."  I totally understand what she is saying.  My dad has advanced Parkinson's disease and describes this same issue.  It's nice to see people benefit from these shoes.  Also, BILLY Footwear liked and commented a single Heart emoji, which is so simple but shows they acknowledge and appreciate their customers.  It must be nice to get real feedback from customers that are benefitting from this shoe.  Another comment was similar but from a woman with muscular dystrophy who wears AFO's (Leg braces) like my daughter.  She mentioned her physical therapist recommended them which is also how I found out about them.  My daughter's physical therapist recommended BILLY shoes and told me they were sold at Target.