BlendTec Continues its viral dominance

No surprise but this video is at 3.2 Million views in less than 2 days.

Absolut entertainment

I'm sure some of you have seen this already, but it's a new piece of branded entertainment directed by Spike Jonez. It's about 15 minutes but well worth it. Is this an ad? I don't think so...but it's entertaining, that's for sure.

Thoughts?

It's one thing to say that your brand is cool...

...and quite another to actually communicate it. No headlines, explanations or special offers. Just an attitude and a perspective. If you don't get it, Adidas doesn't really care...they're not for everyone...(the new work from London...)

The Decision Paradox

Lately, I've been reading a lot about the effects of the abundance of choice on consumers. With the internet offering limitless choice - from different blogs to any product you imagine to any type of niche community you could want to be a part of or create - we've all got a lot more choices to make.

Technology (ie. the internet) was supposed to make things easier. Email is faster (and cheaper) than a phone call, some would argue. Smartphones allow you to answer your Email even when you're on the go. Digital PVR's allow you to watch TV when you want. RSS readers let you aggregate all your favorite stuff in one place.

We think that more choice equals more opportunity.

The problem? There is to much of it. And our 'free time' is fixed. We can try to squeeze more into it, but there will always be only 24 hours in a day.

The truth is, studies have shown that more choice leads to paralisis - or what some call 'The Decision Paradox' (popularized by Barry Schwartz in his book 'The Paradox of Choice"). The famous example often cited in marketing books occured in a grocery store.

Here is the example from Schwartz book: Researches set up a small table with 24 different jars of jam on it. They offered consumers the ability to try any jam they wanted. Consumers then had the option to purchase any of the jams if they liked what they had (and they could try as many options as they wanted) and get one dollar off on the purchase. Weeks later, the researchers returned and set up the same table in the same place. The difference? They only provided 6 different types of jams. Consumers could then try, and buy, if they liked one of them.

The results were telling: “Thirty per cent of the people exposed to the smaller amount of jams actually bought a jar; only three per cent of those exposed to the large array of jams did so.”

The examples go on. From mutual funds to different types of iced tea, Schwartz references a variety of examples that you can't ignore. I'd recommend watching his 2006 TED talk to check out more on this topic.

In digital, and in all communications, we each have a ton of choice. The number of sites that 'aggregate' content are in the millions. I can connect with friends on dozens of platforms and technologies. I can read, write, comment or share anything I want. I have a ton of choices to make on how I use my time.

Deciding how to make these choices doesn't necessarily mean sitting down and truly evaluating every one I have. I don't have time and you don't either. So I fall into patterns, I make choices that are easy and I make ones that are enjoyable and (hopefully) beneficial in the long term.

As a brand communicating, I don't want you to try to do everything. I don't want you to create a site that aggregates every type of content imaginable and let's me find something that's relevant to me. I want you to guess and focus on something that is relevant to you and hopefully a segment of your consumers.

True, you will get people who don't care. But if you give them a simple choice to make, they might actually stick with your communication experience. If you tell them that you do everything and all you have to do is find it, I'm gone.

To end on a quote from Schwartz:

"The more options there are, the easier it is to regret the one you've made".

Samsung: Own the angles

This video is just pure fun while showcasing product benefits. I also love the randomness of monsters in March.



I think that by making it relevant to the social media space it will see success being shared there. Everyone can relate.

Red Cross: Old Man

There is something nice about this spot for the Red Cross. I can see a lot of potential in the idea and what they are trying to say but the execution is a little off. I want more emotion, I want something to make me feel more than I do. Is it the song, is it the editing or is it just me?

Red Cross "Old Man" from Sam (Patrick Samama) on Vimeo.

Found on The Curious Brain.

Yup this is all kinds of awesome

My favourite parts are:

1. Glasses at the start
2. Picture of Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony at 35 seconds
3. The wii boxing motions he makes
4. The gun sound effects
5. The muffins at the end - I thought you ate all your food through straws?

Mercedes and Josh - I am

Just watched this new spot from Mercedes. I have to say that, as a whole, automotive advertising get's me down. It tends to be all the same - little story, 15 seconds of the car and then a push to the website with the relevant, 'new age' car configurator. Some automotive brands have done amazing work (see Honda as a reference) but most are just bland, boring copies of each other.

I can't really remember a Mercedes campaign that I've enjoyed but something about Josh Brolin and a well shot, well-written script is resonating with me.

An older spot but one from the same campaign I find interesting as well - shot from the perspective of the car. Something you rarely see these days. It's also anti-advertising which I think is quite interesting (and delightfully post-modern).

What do you think?

DK should change their name to Xerox

So this is currently one of the most viewed videos on the internet... to bad it is a complete rip off of the one below. I hope DK (UK) is ashamed.




Lost Generation was created a couple years ago in early 2008.



In an industry that prides itself on our ability to be creative it is sad that we continually find examples of blatant rip-offs. At the same time I truly believe that clients are also to blame as they are the ones still buying this crap.

Let's make a pact:

Agencies will promise to be more creative and original.

Marketers will promise to be better informed and closer to pulse of the industry so they can call bullshit on their (soon to be former) agency when regurgitated crap is presented.

Microsoft Pivot [Data Part 2]

Lauren recently sent me a link to a new product from Microsoft Live Labs called Pivot. Pivot is a new application that allows users to sort through huge sets of data (called 'collections'). The data could be anything - from every donation made on Kiva to the relationship between one football player to another.

The brilliance behind this application is that it makes finding connections between huge sets of data accessible to anyone. You don't need to be an expert in statistics to see patterns provided by Pivot.

I think that the data examples provided in the video below are interesting, however I think that the real application will come when you input your social graph into an application like this. Imagine being able to view your holistic connections to everyone on Facebook beyond the first friend? Or track the people you talk to most, creep on most frequently or try to avoid?

From a brand perspective, the connections gained from this could provide valuable insight. Imagine uploading the Brand Tag data set and finding the connections that consumer have to various brands based on their perceptions.

All in all, just another example of the new types of creativity that are going to shape communications (and everything else) in the coming years.

Just Good Stuff

An old ad but a good one. Goes along with some of my recent posts about great storytelling. If you've read the blog for awhile, you know that I'm a sucker for Nike and most stuff that comes out of W&K.

Let's make better work. And remember stuff that is actually good.

This is the future of creativity

The Economist recently published a special report on data. If you haven't noticed, it's everywhere. Smart brands are using this data to create better experiences for their customers, optimize work flow and make their organizations more efficient.

Creativity is no longer simply about one big idea to catch someone's attention and shift their perceptions about a product or service. Creativity is about using massive amounts of raw data and turning it into an experience that is relevant, authentic and personal for the user.

I'm going to be writing more on this subject in the weeks to come but if you want to see what's around the corner, you need to read this report and watch this talk (from the creator of the Internet) as soon as possible.

SEO - The Ugly Stepchild

For the last number of weeks, I've been doing a lot of SEO work for a client. Unlike experience design or creative development, SEO is a process that is incredibly granular, time-consuming and rigorous. It contains many aspects - from choosing what keywords to optimize your site with to understand the competitive set against each term - and each one changes every day.

The other challenge with it is that it's only half in our control (sort of like the rest of advertising). Except it's not just the consumer we have to worry about engaging, it's the search engine as well.

Studying the Google algorithm - although tedious - has been extremely rewarding. Anyone can talk about the basics of SEO (you know, the three sentences that usually contain the words content, headings, copy and links) but few people in agencies actually acknowledge that it is critical to the creative process.

We spend so much time designing experiences and ads / video's / apps that drive or distribute them. Most of our tactics - if not all - cost a ton of money to implement (whether on the media or the production side).

The great thing about SEO is that once the basics are in place, users find you. Sure, you have to update and stay vigilant among your competitors to ensure your ranking stays high but it's worth it when you don't have to pay for a huge percentage of your site.

I know it feels strange asking about keyword optimization in a meeting with creatives but if they're not thinking about it, you've got to be.

To start on the basics of SEO, check out this page and this great site.

Pure Black Sunshine

I have been meaning to share this recently launched site from Extreme Group for a while. It is a very interesting and unique approach to selling coffee online.

Check out the video then drop by PureBlackSunshine.com

Black Sunshine Coffee from Matt Hubbard on Vimeo.

You need to "Think" about banner ads

In the online space a strong creative idea can be greatly impacted by poor consideration of the website, technographics, and the online behaviour of the visitor.

My example is this banner ad for Toyota (also seen above) as created by Saatchi & Saatchi Toronto.

As you will see it does have some element of cool and yes it will cause the pattern interruption that most online advertisers are looking for but in my mind it fails because the ad does not work within the site, nor does it consider the user behaviour or their needs.

This is a 100% brand centric experience (if you can call it that) and not a consumer centric experience.

So lets breakdown the mistakes.

1. Consider screen resolutions and the visible area: I have viewed the exact page on Canada.com on my 13" MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro using Safari & Firefox (first screen shot). The viewable area of this page cuts off the screen directly underneath the bigbox. Great! you think. Not at all. The value of the page is hidden and with the animation of this banner heading in the reverse direction that users move within a website they are ensuring that fewer people have an opportunity to see the ad.

2. Consider the user: Why would anyone go to Canada.com? They are their to view news, information and learn. They have arrived with curiosity or a specific need, problem or goal. This is not a site where users will spend much time on level 2 landing page. They are trying to get the level 3 where the find the actual stories. All of this information is quite a ways down the page. With a scroll of 90 pixels our user will loose any opportunity to view the actual ad. It takes about 10 seconds to get the digging man into the leaderboard. Trust me the user has long ago left the page or scrolled down to see the content.
3. Consider the functionality of the page: I never have and never will allow any piece of online advertising I touch to interfere with the navigation. This ad I imagine would render the navigation useless as it moves through that section of the site - not something that in my opinion positively impact the users experience or perception of the brand.

So basically we have a "cool idea" that through it's execution has ensured that as few people as possible actually have a chance to see it, is created in a way that negatively impacts user experience and renders the navigation useless. In the end I give it a 7 for the idea. 3 for the execution

Comfort

Really like this idea...that is all.

Found via adgoodness.

The Spectrum of UXD

I like it. Spent a good 20 minutes looking at this tonight. That is all I have to say about that.

Great Storytelling

Look - All I want is a sweet story from a brand that actually is creative vs. boring and useless. If you aren't creating content that people wouldn't want to watch outside the walls of your marketing meeting room, start over.

What is this strange content I'm talking about? Start here. Short, amateur films. Raw, great stuff.

Facts About Projection from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

As you start to evaluate your next campaign, I hope you think about what the story behind it is. What are you actually trying to get people to think and do? I love digital and I love all the channels that we can us to engage people with. But sometimes, all we want is a little escape. And a little (fun) story from a brand.

MTV Networks: Slurpee spot for 7/11

Ad agencies aren't yet shaking in their boots but media groups such as MTV have been able to showcase that they can deliver quality creative while cutting out agencies and media groups.

Slurpee from Johan Polhem on Vimeo.

Found on The Curious Brain

Quality & Value both win: Quiznos

The latest TV spot from Quiznos Canada. Quality and Value decide they don't hate each other. I laughed and you just might too.

Nikon #Justbecauseyoucanshouldyou

Nikons new site for the Coolpix touch allows you to browse using hand and face motions recognized by your webcam.

Why?

Site navigation should be created to be simple and enhance the user experience not to destroy it. There is no benefit to the user to navigate the site this way. There is also no benefit to Nikon as the user just gets frustrated and realizes that this fancy feature is there because it is cool not because it is useful.

Before you know it you are wondering, "do I even need a touch screen on my camera or is that just there for cool factor and not for functionality or improved experience?.

This is a classic #justbecauseyoucan should you.

P&G: To their Moms, they will always be kids

Thanks to @martindelaney for sharing this with me.

Touching and true ... is that an insight? :)

Less content, More filters

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the weird transition I went through without my iPhone. At first, I missed it. Then I became desperate for it and felt like I was missing out on everything. And then, almost suddenly, I realized that the majority of content I consume on a daily basis - from the news to industry gossip to the latest creative - was essentially spam.

That might be a bit harsh. I do love reading and feeling like I'm 'in the know'. But it's the truth.

Today I went on my Google Reader for the first time in a week (a long time away from it for me). With over 100 sites and well over the "1000+ unread" items mark, it was overwhelming. Where do I start? What is actually worth me reading vs. ignoring?

The future (and by future I mean a few months) is going to be about filters. The idea that "if it's important enough the news will find me" is true in a broad sense. I just hope that when it comes to what I like, my digital tools will help to keep the spam out and the good stuff in.

But it doesn't stop there.

My reader was populated with content that I wanted to read. At one point, every site was individually added by me because the content attracted me for some reason. It got my attention and I decided it was worth a subscription. (my guess is that for every 10 sites I come across, I'll actually subscribe to 1 or 2).

Now let's put our advertising hats on. We are targeting (in most cases) people who are overloaded. Who have subscribed to their favorite sites with the hopes of getting a snip bit of content that they actually like. They don't want to be interrupted, distracted or fooled. They want their content and they want to move on.

If you're considering making an experience in digital, make sure it's timely, immediately relevant and fun. After all, I've got 100 sites that I already know I love and not enough time in the day to make it through them. And that's not even counting Facebook, Twitter or any email account (I've got 5).

What can you do to convince me to make it through yours?

Hint: it's not a contest.

Image of the day: And you think your brand stands out?

I love this picture. It reminds us of how difficult it really can be to make a brand stand out at retail, or even online.

Nokia Connects

A nice campaign for Nokia in London. The brand is having problems raising awareness of built-in GPS and location search applications on a wide-variety of their handsets. To help raise awareness, they used one of the most common location markers known to man - a signpost. Only they made it huge, digital and totally interactive.

Check out the video below:

The World's Biggest Signpost from adghost on Vimeo.

What I like about this campaign is that it ties the real world to the digital one. Whether you live near Tower Bridge or not, you can see the favorite places and destinations that people who participated choose. Nice work.