I have always loved the story of Johnnie Walker and I was so impressed to see this spot from BBH. Tyler found it and shared it with me, but I stole the post.
This is a wonderful brand piece and I believe that it will really help to establish the brand story with a new generation. I feel quite often brands feel that their stories have already been told and that consumers understand what they are and what they are about, but I feel that every generation needs to be re-introduced to every brand in a unique compelling and emotional way. This is really well done here.
It looks like BBH is on the copyright attack as several spots have been pulled off YouTube so don't be surprised if this link doesn't work soon. Why would an agency want to make it difficult for their spot to go viral?
Friday
Tuesday
Work I Wish I'd Done
I love advertising. Every once and a while, a brand comes along and does work that leaves you inspiried, passionate and hopeful that more brands will do the same. But few do.
Let's be honest. It is hard to do great work. It's hard to sell a concept through that doesn't scream about the product. It's hard to sell an idea that doesn't get ripped to shreds by the dozens of people (internal and client) that is has to get by.
But those teams that are focused and driven on creating work usually do. Sure, they might argue with their clients, ruffel some feathers and maybe even get fired. But eventually, a brand is going to find them and they are going to do something great.
That brings me to this spot from Virgin Media:
Great concept, direction, editing and music. Great work, all around.
Thanks to Mac for the link.
PS - sorry about the lack of posts in the past 10 days...just a bit wild but more are on the way.
Let's be honest. It is hard to do great work. It's hard to sell a concept through that doesn't scream about the product. It's hard to sell an idea that doesn't get ripped to shreds by the dozens of people (internal and client) that is has to get by.
But those teams that are focused and driven on creating work usually do. Sure, they might argue with their clients, ruffel some feathers and maybe even get fired. But eventually, a brand is going to find them and they are going to do something great.
That brings me to this spot from Virgin Media:
Great concept, direction, editing and music. Great work, all around.
Thanks to Mac for the link.
PS - sorry about the lack of posts in the past 10 days...just a bit wild but more are on the way.
Sunday
Saturday
The Future, Microsoft Style
Considering that I just posted about some mind-blowing social media stats, I thought it would be relevant to show you this (fake) Microsoft corporate brand spot.
"The future. Only 498 years away."
Amazing stuff.
Social Media Stats
Although this video takes it's cue's from a Sony corporate video put together about a year ago, some of the new stats in it are staggering. Even though it's very popular right now to to talk about the number of ways that social media has changed communications, I still think it's worth checking out the latest stats now and then and reminding yourself how unbelievable they are.
Friday
CP+B Creates a Good Microsoft Video
I'm not a big fan of the "I'm a PC" stuff. The little kids are cute and all and the celebrities help ensure that people watch the spots instead of fast-forward them, but they still feel a bit strange to me. I think it's probably due to the fact that they are referring to Apple without actually doing so.
As the market leader in software this always felt a bit weird (sort of like Coke calling out Pepsi in a $300 million dollar campaign). You're already doing well, why make consumers think about another campaign?
Anyways...here's a video for Microsoft that I like. I have no idea what the link is for (assuming MS Office) but check it out:
Thanks to Scott for the link!
As the market leader in software this always felt a bit weird (sort of like Coke calling out Pepsi in a $300 million dollar campaign). You're already doing well, why make consumers think about another campaign?
Anyways...here's a video for Microsoft that I like. I have no idea what the link is for (assuming MS Office) but check it out:
Thanks to Scott for the link!
Saturday
No More Formats
I hate being stuck to a media plan before a client has even given us a creative brief. It's so limiting to know that you've got to fit your idea into a box before you even have one. For some creatives though, it can be a good thing. You know what you're working towards and you simply have to check off the format.
I think good advertisers go beyond the format though. Great ideas definitely do.
That's why I love this short film (spot) from Adidas. It's a few years old but still reeks of cool, style and substance. You don't get more brand than this, however I can't think of many brands that do brand spots with so much product in them.
Here's to the 2:40 second format, the 4:40 second spot, the applications and the experiences that enable the idea, not conform to the traditional placement.
Thanks to Matt for the link.
I think good advertisers go beyond the format though. Great ideas definitely do.
That's why I love this short film (spot) from Adidas. It's a few years old but still reeks of cool, style and substance. You don't get more brand than this, however I can't think of many brands that do brand spots with so much product in them.
Here's to the 2:40 second format, the 4:40 second spot, the applications and the experiences that enable the idea, not conform to the traditional placement.
Thanks to Matt for the link.
Sunday
The TIFF Twitter Face-off
So the TIFF Twitter face-off has began with a pathetic exit from the blocks.
We will all have to wait and see who really understands the Twitter medium and gains followers by adding value. Let the battle of the twestival twits begin.
Thanks to @scroll for the heads-up.
- @TIFF09 has found itself a whopping 84 followers in almost 3 weeks.
- @TIFFinsider has 64 while following over 130
- @InforTIFFBell has an amazing 40 followers
We will all have to wait and see who really understands the Twitter medium and gains followers by adding value. Let the battle of the twestival twits begin.
Thanks to @scroll for the heads-up.
Pepsi: Warhol
As with any Lee Clow campaign there has been a lot of hype, discussion, and yes, some criticism.
Out-of-home has always been in my opinion a medium best used when treated like a canvas versus a poster, post-card, newspaper ad or even a online banner. An artist approaches a canvas with a very specific outcome in their mind, be it create a feeling of fear, energy, sadness convey a politcal message, inspire introspective searching or deliver shock.
Out-of-home in it's greatness should only ever have a job to deliver one message just the same. If you want to convery a benefit and price, move-on. If the outcome of the campaign is to successfully convey benefit and price, then you can use many different mediums and creative to accomplish this as a campaign. The OOH can be used to solely communicate the benefit, print can convey both and retail can be used to focus just on price. With a properly created media plan and accompanying creative you will; as a holistic campaign achieve your objectives. Every ad will not communicate the entire marketing communication objective.
I just realized this post turned into a rant on the proper usage of the medium...which it was meant to be at one point, but anyway back on track.
Lee Clow and his minions at Chiat were tasked with the launch of a new Pepsi logo. I love the campaign and I think they purposely delivered a very Andy Warhol feeling. The king of iconic artwork is very entrenched in the mind of Gen Y and older and the freshness of the campaign truly stands out and in a very simple manner showcases the logo while still "saying something".
As I mentioned earlier out-of-home should be the most basic, the tightest to true art out of the campaign outputs. Their purpose needs to be a single and compelling message. In this case the message Lee went with was not saying "new" or "introducing" it was getting the world to associate the logo with pop, soda or soda pop and recongize it as the new face of Pepsi without saying "new".
His selection of iconic visuals (excuse the pun) POP. I notice them on every street, even within a crowded environment like Toronto's Dundas square or Gardiner Expressway the first ad I see is Pepsi. It accomplishes one simple job and uses "pop" culture references and influence to deliver wonderful creative.
And they have been in this area before.
My Warhol:Clow collage:
Coca-Cola introduces interactive vending machines
Coca-Cola introduces an interactive vending machine. They call it a fantastic partnership between marketing, technology and their agency.
I say it is about time. What took them so long to add a brand experience to the vending machine. It was a lifeless, emotionally devoid consumer touchpoint. Now they can begin to integrate marketing communications, promotions, data capture and the true brand essence into the 1000's of vending machines that exist in some very high-traffic locations across North America.
At the same time I find the quote by the Global Brand Manager about how the the interactive vending machine is a fantastic partnership between marketing, tech and sapient very telling of where the minds of marketers are. I for one feel that this should be the case with everything that an interactive agency does for their client. Marketing problems are not solved by banner ads, landing pages, email blasts but by pairing the right creative solution to the marketing challenges. The creative solution for an interactive team is just as much a creative solution rooted in technology as it is rooted in the standard understanding of "creative" (copywriting and art direction) that connects through the internal truths known as insights.
I have a feeling that the interactive vending machine was probably something that Sapient showed to Coca-Cola creative presentation after creative presentation, educating them how they could effectively integrate their campaigns into the technical solution. A company like Sapient didn't just bring this idea to Coca-Cola in 2008/09. I have a feeling that it was Coca-Cola that waited until 2008/09 to buy the idea.
...and I think we should start calling them IVM's. Our industry is dying for another acronym.
I say it is about time. What took them so long to add a brand experience to the vending machine. It was a lifeless, emotionally devoid consumer touchpoint. Now they can begin to integrate marketing communications, promotions, data capture and the true brand essence into the 1000's of vending machines that exist in some very high-traffic locations across North America.
At the same time I find the quote by the Global Brand Manager about how the the interactive vending machine is a fantastic partnership between marketing, tech and sapient very telling of where the minds of marketers are. I for one feel that this should be the case with everything that an interactive agency does for their client. Marketing problems are not solved by banner ads, landing pages, email blasts but by pairing the right creative solution to the marketing challenges. The creative solution for an interactive team is just as much a creative solution rooted in technology as it is rooted in the standard understanding of "creative" (copywriting and art direction) that connects through the internal truths known as insights.
I have a feeling that the interactive vending machine was probably something that Sapient showed to Coca-Cola creative presentation after creative presentation, educating them how they could effectively integrate their campaigns into the technical solution. A company like Sapient didn't just bring this idea to Coca-Cola in 2008/09. I have a feeling that it was Coca-Cola that waited until 2008/09 to buy the idea.
...and I think we should start calling them IVM's. Our industry is dying for another acronym.
Best Buy adds "Social Service" to their resume.
You can find Best Buys Twelpforce (@twelpforce) on Twitter waiting patiently to provide additional customer service.I see adding Twitter to customer service as a no-brainer. Give your call centres access to Twitter and while they are waiting for the next phone to ring they can be responding to tweets. Simple? yes. Cheap to implement? Yes. Used by most companies? No. Why not?
The Olympus Pen - Stop Motion Video
When I first saw this video I wondered if the marketing department briefed their agency and this was the idea that they came back with, or if someone brought this idea to Olympus, or if it was created by someone who just loves the Olympus Pen Camera and now they are benefiting from the actions of a brand advocate.
After a quick Google search I found out that Olympus created the spot for the 50th Anniversary of the Pen Camera so it appears the first option is most likely correct. Also found within the search was this video which was apparently the inspiration behind the Pen Camera video.
Well done Olympus and their agency.
Saturday
Palm Pre goes Bing, Bing, Bing
So I understand the spot is old news but somehow I just caught onto the choice of words. Bing, Bing, Bing. This was definitely intentional but three weeks ago when I saw this for the first time it never sunk in.
Tuesday
Creative Makes a Difference
When I first started at an ad agency, I questioned the extend to how far creative could go to help a brand and drive sales. I emailed an old professor and even asked him to recommend a couple of books that show the direct tie between creative and sales.
Thoughout my agency journey, I've since realized what a stupid question this was. Brands are build on creativity and the best one's aren't afriad to change the game and stand out. The most common examples are also some of the most successful companies - Apple, Nike, Honda - among the few.
So when a creative colleague of mine sent me this video, I had to post it immediately. Created by a team in Australia, the video shows how some smart copy can change the value of a product in a consumers mind.
The exection of this case video is great. Same product, same medium and just a bit of creativity. I especially like the "Google it" tag at the end. Want to have a great way to show your digital success? This is it.
Nice work team and thanks to Ken for the link.
Thoughout my agency journey, I've since realized what a stupid question this was. Brands are build on creativity and the best one's aren't afriad to change the game and stand out. The most common examples are also some of the most successful companies - Apple, Nike, Honda - among the few.
So when a creative colleague of mine sent me this video, I had to post it immediately. Created by a team in Australia, the video shows how some smart copy can change the value of a product in a consumers mind.
The exection of this case video is great. Same product, same medium and just a bit of creativity. I especially like the "Google it" tag at the end. Want to have a great way to show your digital success? This is it.
Nice work team and thanks to Ken for the link.
Saturday
Best video of 2009? Maybe. Greatest wedding entrance? Yes.
Not ad related at all but related in the fact that is amazing, contagious and made my evening.
Tyler found this by searching the bowels of the internet also know as Perez Hilton. In Tyler's words this will be the "best video of 2009".
UPDATE: Ty here - I wanted to add a thought to PC's post. If I was the CMO of Pepsi, I would buy this video and brand it immediately. Can you think of a better example of how to "JOY IT FORWARD?". It fits perfectly with the new campaign and would do wonders as a TV spot. Even though this video already has 7 million views, a ton of people will never see it unless it's on TV...Pepsi (or another smart marketer) could benefit a ton by leveraging this great content. Check it out:
Tyler found this by searching the bowels of the internet also know as Perez Hilton. In Tyler's words this will be the "best video of 2009".
UPDATE: Ty here - I wanted to add a thought to PC's post. If I was the CMO of Pepsi, I would buy this video and brand it immediately. Can you think of a better example of how to "JOY IT FORWARD?". It fits perfectly with the new campaign and would do wonders as a TV spot. Even though this video already has 7 million views, a ton of people will never see it unless it's on TV...Pepsi (or another smart marketer) could benefit a ton by leveraging this great content. Check it out:
Wednesday
Nike: Federer 15
Two :15 second ads would have made more sense.
I liked this the first time I saw it but the second time I felt like they could have done something more emotional, more symbolic. The spot does not do his legacy justice.
I liked this the first time I saw it but the second time I felt like they could have done something more emotional, more symbolic. The spot does not do his legacy justice.
Nike SB: Good Day
Nike SB has been doing some great work lately. Not only from an advertising standpoint but also from a sponsorship and product creation standpoint.
Enjoy the tunes, the tricks and the beautiful cinematography.
Enjoy the tunes, the tricks and the beautiful cinematography.
Le Film: Microsoft Office 2010 Ad
There are some great moments within this. At least they can laugh at themselves.
Now, my next question is, what percentage of site visitors actually download silverlight and enter the site? I bet that hurts metrics and skyrockets the bounce rate.
Yes...We've Gone AWOL
Sorry to all our regular readers about the lack of posts in the past week. With the day jobs and a small conference that we're organizing in Canada, AdJoke has taken a bit of a summer break. We're going to still be posting every week, it just might not be on the daily schedule until September 12th hits.
Check out what we're working on here and thanks for your patience!
Check out what we're working on here and thanks for your patience!
Saturday
The Viral Video Formula
I think that in the last five years, every marketer has uttered the words, "Let's make a viral video". From the Pizza Hut disaster to Samsung and their LED sheep, they're literally everywhere. Most fail, but some make it. And the ones that do typically get a nice write up in AdAge and other marketing pubs to talk about how great they are.
So is there a formula for making a viral video? Some magic list that a creative should follow when they get a silly request from client like this one? If there was one, here's a potential top five points:
1. Use scantly clad women who are seductive and over the top. See Diesel SFW
2. Do something with an animal. They can be cute, or just plain weird.
3. Do crazy with a random accessory. Like with Ray Ban Sunglasses
4. Get an athlete to do something crazy. Even if it isn't real.
5. Use a baby (see below):
To be honest, I like the new baby spot from Evian. And so do the people who use YouTube (over 3 million hits in a few weeks). So, what else would you add to the list?
So is there a formula for making a viral video? Some magic list that a creative should follow when they get a silly request from client like this one? If there was one, here's a potential top five points:
1. Use scantly clad women who are seductive and over the top. See Diesel SFW
2. Do something with an animal. They can be cute, or just plain weird.
3. Do crazy with a random accessory. Like with Ray Ban Sunglasses
4. Get an athlete to do something crazy. Even if it isn't real.
5. Use a baby (see below):
To be honest, I like the new baby spot from Evian. And so do the people who use YouTube (over 3 million hits in a few weeks). So, what else would you add to the list?
Nothing To Hide...
Here's one of the most viewed video's from YouTube over the last week. I love ANZ as an airline. Not a bad spot, nice idea and it certainly seems to be resonating with the YouTube community (ie. The World).
Friday
Forbes integrates Google into their site
As I was doing research on a post-in-progress when I went Google and entered my search terms. The third or fourth organix search result was an article on Forbes.com. Upon clicking through on that link I was greeted with this wonderful Google ad unit.I look forward to seeing this on more sites in the future because it makes so much sense for content aggregators, news sites, retail sites and content providers. Google in all of it's search majesty may not every time deliver you to the best content within the site you have selected so by providing visitors with access to being able to see all related content just within that site the visitor delivered by search is provided with the best possible chance of finding the right content quickly.
I would be interested in finding out what % of visitors interact with this unit and if it has reduced the bounce rate of search based visitors.
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