Location, location, location

Effective advertising not only means a thought-provoking and/or eye-catching ad, but also valuable placement, which is just as important as the ad’s message.

I just recently returned from a week-long trip to Panama and discovered that ad placement in some cases is not well thought out.

In the small, mountain town of Boquete, for instance, a billboard for Bvlgari fragrance stands next to a busy bus stop on the main street. The site of the alluring model and attractively packaged perfume literally made me stop. Not because it was a beautiful ad, but because of who was exposed to it on a daily basis — namely the townspeople of Boquete.

These hardworking Panamanian people take a bus from their small homes in the country to town each day to pick coffee or perform landscape duties for just a few dollars a day. So tell me, do these folks really need or even care about Bvlgari?

Alysia Shivers is a marketing professional in the real estate industry with a background in newspaper and magazine writing and editing. She blogs about life’s adventures at http://Unlyshd.blogspot.com and you can visit her website at http://www.alysiashivers.com/.

Is it me or is your logo a little too sexy?

Good logo design is like good writing. When it’s done properly, it looks effortless. This doesn’t mean that designing logos is easy. It just looks that way.

When designers create a new logo, they typically walk away from their design and look at it at a later time so they can see it with fresh eyes. The following real world logos could have benefited from following this simple rule.

Technorati Tags: Good logo design

Taste the Victory: Coke Zero

Coca Cola is rewarding U.S. residents above the age of 13 year to a free 20-ounce bottle of Coke Zero!Why, might you ask?

The “Taste of Victory” promotion, and soda giveaway,  is a celebration of the Coke Zero 400, which is the 18th race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season held in Daytona Beach, Florida, win by Kyle Petty, one of Coke’s 13 sponsored drivers.

To claim your Coke Zero, you need to hurry up and visit the Coca-Cola Zero website by July 13 and follow the instructions to receive a coupon for the free 20-ounce bottle.

In addition to the free soda giveaway, Coke Zero is donating $1 to the Victory Junction Gang Camp charity on behalf of the first 10,000 people who request a free coupon.

Bill Kelly, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Brands, Coca-Cola North America  said, “In the end, it was a great race and that’s reason enough to follow through with our offer to give away free Coke Zero and to continue our support of Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction Gang Camp.”

Other Coca-Cola drivers who participated in the “Taste of Victory” promotion included Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Clint Bowyer and David Ragan.

What do you think of this promotion by Coca-Cola?

Source: Trendhunter 

Three Bus Ads that Grab Your Attention

Advertising is hitting the streets in all shapes and forms these days including on public transportation!  What do you think of the following three very creative uses of busses?

1. National Geographic

There is no better way to promote programming on the National Geographic Channel than using the artwork of a shark with its’ teeth strategically placed on the doors to simulate “taking a bite.”

Source: Small Business Commandos

 2. Dr. Best Toothbrushes

Who doesn’t love a flexible head toothbrush?  What do you think of this creative placement of a toothbrush ad?

Source: Design Idea

3. NZDating.com

Because of the routes of these two buses they often were seen in this pattern.  Talk about planning your advertising message!

Source: Ads of the World

What do you think of the idea of bus advertising?  Is it an effective advertising medium?

How do you rate the three ads above? Which is your favorite?

It’s All in the Picture

There really is not much else to say. Just take one look at this picture and you can see the picture says it all!

When I look at this ad, I see a company that is telling potential clients, “We will take you out of the trenches.” What person unhappy with their current employer wouldn’t see this ad and believe this is the job locator to go to? I think this recruiting company hits the spot!

Source

Technorati Tags: TalentZoo,Beneath the Brand,Dannie McClain,marketing,branding,advertising,recruiting

Dannie McClain is a Category Manger with a New Jersey textiles company. In her spare time she also blogs on a personal blog and can be see at Simple Home Basics.

Mr. Gnome: Has It Really Been Four Years?

Recently Travelocity won a branding award for the Roaming Gnome campaign. Conducted by the Association of Travel Marketing Executives, these are the only results-driven marketing awards in the travel industry.

The strange, stiff little wizard-like creature became the spokesperson of Travelocity in January 2004. Ever since, he has been globetrotting, experiencing more adventures than I could ever hope to have.

The award means that Travelocity used breakthrough thinking, and that the campaign gained positive results.

Travelocity’s CMO commented that despite many critics disparaging a campaign based on a lawn ornament, the gnome “has become a pop culture celebrity and ambassador for getting out of the garden and great travel.”

While a little offbeat, at least the gnome is attention-grabbing without slithering into creepy like the “peeping Tom” Burger King.

Christine Babick is a marketing strategist and linguist specializing in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause and relationship marketing. More…

Screen Saver Advertising?

The new Toyota Hilux’s brand promise is “Unbreakable” and they are supposedly targeting “the” new generation of consumers.

In attempt to reach these consumers and encourage these new consumers to visit the showroom and arrange a test drive, they developed a screensaver using the motion sensor built into the latest generation of laptops, to deliver a truly interactive experience and demonstrate the “unbreakability” of the 2008 Hilux, according to Ads of the World.

They then distributed this to a database of potential Hilux buyers, and encouraged them to forward it on. From the screen saver, users could click through and arrange a test drive at their local dealership.

What do you think of this advertising via screen saver?

Well, Toyota thinks it worked! There was an increase of 60% in some cases in Hilux enquiries reported by dealerships which of course resulted in an increase in actual test drives.

According to the articles, informal dealer feedback described the campaign as “compelling”, “entertaining”, “very engaging” and “really helps to reinforce that a Hilux is unbreakable.”

So, what do you think? Will we see more screen saver advertising in the future? Does this campaign work with the Toyota target market?

Source: Ads of the World

Dumb Ads

There’s an ad I’ve been seeing lately that’s built on a truly repulsive image. I’m not going to say who it’s for — because I know that many a bad ad started with a good idea — but I wish the agency and the client had stopped to consider how the image would be seen by the viewer.

Adding insult to injury, the copy is as off-putting as the picture: saying essentially that people who didn’t use their services were dumb. The most amazing thing is that the ad was for a very worthwhile service, one that a lot of people would benefit from knowing about.

Sometimes, in the quest to find a unique angle or break through the ad clutter, we go with things that we think are bold or shocking or cutting edge. We decide to grab the reader by the lapels and shake them, for their own good of course, forgetting that, as uninvited guests, we should be on our very best behavior.

I can’t remember who said it, but someone once compared ads to people, and said essentially that the qualities that make us like someone, are the same qualities that make us like an ad. So the next time you’re preparing a new campaign, stop for a second and ask yourself, would I like to hang around these ads? Or do I want to get as far away from them as I can, as fast I can?

Steven Stark is a writer and creative director who once used the word caca in an ad. You can see his work and read some of his other musings here.

Flip Flop Flower Beds! And More From Havaianas!

Flip flop maker, Havaianas, is creative not only with their footwear design, and other products, but in their advertising too.

The Brazilian brand is known for their use of wildly bold colours and fun, vibrant patterns. Havaianas also makes their presence by sending exclusive flip flops to Oscar nominees, as well as key global opinion leaders.

One of their most recent guerrilla promotions was a giant sculpture, shaped like a Havaianas sandal, with flowers sprouting out.

Think this guerilla campaign is great? What do you think about this other new product they are trying?
The latest product from the company is a limited edition doormat with a pair of exclusive Havaianas. There is literally a pair of the flip flops IN the doormat.

What do you think of the brand? And the product? And of course their marketing?

They immediately grabbed my attention with their innovate and bright products and also with their promotions!

Source: Trendhunter

Shark Jumping Cavemen?

 

When or when will GEICO retire the caveman spokesman? What will it take for them to realize that the joke is over? The caveman has jumped the shark. Let him go extinct…again. It’s not cute, funny or entertaining anymore. It has ran its course. I’d rather see Mrs. Butterworth talk about GEICO than a ‘caveman’ talk about dancing in Baltimore. I’ve said my point. No need to linger…GEICO, let him die.

Is this genius or laziness?

When Apple first advertised the iPod using silhouetted figures dancing on colored backgrounds, I thought the campaign to be brilliant. It’s simple, fun, engaging and memorable. What’s especially clever is how the ads demonstrate how a pair of white headphones (unique to iPod) makes your world more exciting.

But today, I wonder about iPod advertising’s effectiveness. Apple is running essentially the same campaign it did three years ago. Now, as I see it on CTA’s trains and at the stations and I ask myself, “Is that it?”

By now most consumers should be aware of the brand. Isn’t it time for Apple to extend the campaign into something more meaningful?

As a copywriter, I’m befuddled as to why Apple avoids using any text other than the brand name. Words could take these outdoor ads to the next level. They could provide product benefits, deliver promotional details, suggest new uses or just maximize the attitude. Words could convince consumers who are sitting on the fence to give iPod a try.

So as I stand on the Clark and Lake platform surrounded by silhouetted figures dancing on colored backgrounds, I ponder: Is this campaign genius? Or has Apple become lazy?

What do you think?

Technorati Tags: iPod advertising, Apple

Wrong message?

A drink responsibly campaign by a brand of beer or liquor. The connection has always befuddled me.

How does this message encourage sales? How does it strengthen the brand? Is the consumer supposed to think, "Wow, they care about me so I’ll be sure to serve that drink at my next party"?

Granted, this ad hits home with its message, which is illustrated in a fantastic way, but wouldn’t ads of this nature be better suited coming from MADD?

Source: Ads of the World

Roots “FLICK OFF” Campaign

 

Made you look didn’t it! Did you think the above was telling you to “[BLEEP] OFF”? It says, “Flick Off,” as in flick off the power when not in use.

There’s a good chance quite a few of you had to do a double-take or look a little closer.  That’s exactly what Roots wants you to think when you see it on a t-shirt worn by a friend or even a random passerby.  The image above is part of Roots campaign to make the environment better off by conserving energy and make people become more conscious about taking better care of the environment.

For those of you unfamiliar with Roots, that’s okay.  It’s a Canadian brand that hasn’t quite made its way into the cerebral real estate of American consumers yet.  “Roots is Canada’s leading lifestyle brand known around the world for its wide range of quality leather goods, clothing and accessories.” (Source: www.roots.ca)

I LOVE Roots’ “FLICK OFF” campaign.  Currently, it is my favorite campaign.

1.  It brings conscious awareness to environmentalism without having some extreme nut job scare the bejesus out of you by his or her preaching or rants and raves.

2. The slogan is simple: “FLICK OFF.”  The message is clear.  Flick off (turn off) your lights, power, etc. when they are not in use.

3. The font of “FLICK OFF” makes the brain take notice and most likely do a double take.  It’s creating a memory node with a better chance of registering and storing in your memory bank compared to the hundreds of messages you see daily.

3. The “O” in “OFF” represents a power button.  Pretty clever and relevant to the message. Power requires energy. If you have a Mac computer just look at the power button. It is the same as the “O.”

4. The shirts have more than just the “FLICK OFF” message.  Here are a few of the messages: “STOP THE GLOBAL MELTDOWN: FLICK OFF”; “TAKE ACTION, CHANGE THE WORLD, STOP GLOBAL WARMING, SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: FLICK OFF”

5. The campaign has made me more aware of my own energy usage and has me trying to conserve energy as often as possible.

My only real critique of the campaign is that the “FLICK OFF” slogan doesn’t necessarily make one associate it with Roots.  From a branding perspective, that’s a bit chancy. However, not every piece of apparel needs to slap its name/logo on the front of a shirt. In fact, I prefer most apparel brands don’t do that.  You don’t see a Banana Republic button down with “BANANA REPUBLIC” pasted on the front of it (or on the back for that matter).  On the simple view of it all though, it’s the message being conveyed that is most important not the brand. That’s what Roots has set out to do with its “FLICK OFF” campaign and that’s what it is achieving even if it is only one person at a time.

Adios,

Michael

PS-For the record, I have a few of these shirts and I often have people say to me, “whoa. At first I thought your shirt said something else.”

Technorati Tags: Flick Off, Apparel, energy conservation, environment, Roots, Roots Canada

Creative’s - Down on the Farm

British humor is a bit different that what we’re used to here in the States. My brother-in-law is from England and we don’t always laugh at his jokes. We for sure never laugh as hard during Faulty Towers as he does.

Regardless, for anyone who has spent any time in the agency setting and have worked with the creative team, you’ll enjoy this trip back to the farm. 

Compliments of Elaine Fogel over at MarketingProfs

Social Media Mistakes According to Jaffe

During a recent integrated advertising conference, Joseph Jaffe has provided an interesting perspective on Social Media mistakes made by some of the top marketers: Sprint, Sony, T-mobile, Target and Starbucks. Jaffe has been challenging corporations and individuals to harness the power of social media and new opportunities for one to one communication. I think it’s a challenge to all of us, to bring our brands to the conversation. This age of conversation is an open door for brands to change the game and truly interact with consumers. Are you up for the challenge?

Head over to AdAge for the Video.

Diversity Marketing: DC-style

As Sens. Obama and McCain contemplate their choices for VP, speculation abounds to who will be the eventual picks. Even as the role of the VP becomes a more prominent one, the person chosen still has to paint a picture that voters can relate to and balance the potential negatives of the presidential candidate. So the marketing choices that these two campaigns face are obvious. Senator Obama faces skepticism on multiple fronts including his age, lack of experience, and his race. We, as marketing observers, can be assured that the his top VP candidates are most likely experienced, white males with some gray hair. Senator McCain must overcome ageism and all the stereotypes it evokes. Those stereotypes include lack of vigor, being out of touch, and not seeming as ‘cool’ as the new kid on the block. Assuredly his top VP choices include someone younger, charismatic, and potentially a minority (in race or gender). And as we have seen marketers increasingly utilize more ‘diverse’ actors and models in the mass market to paint a picture, now we will be able to see that ‘diversity’ play out in the national political arena as well.

I call bullshit.

Where I come from, when someone tries to sell you a load of manure, it’s not uncommon to use these words to show that you disapprove. When I read Stan Mieses’ words about the amazing “Milk mustache” campaign, these words immediately came to mind.

In a recent Feature/Campaign article, Adweek devotes two-pages to glorifying Lowe’s creative work of photographing celebrities donning a milk mustache.

In terms of branding, I’ve got to object. How does this campaign help position this beverage? Drink milk so you’ll have some dairy residue above your upper lip? How is this a product benefit?

Goodby’s “Got Milk” campaign used a much more insightful approach to selling milk. Milk is the perfect companion to the foods you love. Without milk, your favorite foods aren’t the same.

In fact, this concept was so powerful, the milk mustache folks adopted the tagline and retrofitted it into their campaign.

If Lowe Worldwide president Sal Taibi and Milk Board CEO Kurt Gratzer want to fool themselves into believing milk mustaches help increase milk sales (which they don’t), they’re welcomed to doing so in their own boardrooms. But when they conspire to get Adweek to praise their campaign as brilliant creative work, I’m sorry I’ve got to call bullshit.

Technorati Tags: Stan Mieses, Milk mustache, Adweek, Got Milk, Sal Taibi, Kurt Gratzer

Tweet2Win

Social media has taken the marketing world by storm with sites like Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, etc. An old faithful friend of marketing is a contest. Online contests are a great way to gather information from the people who are visiting your website. From one of my Twitter Followers, I learned about a contest yesterday that has these two worlds colliding. If you Twitter, then you can enter this contest to win a variety of prizes, which are drawn on a weekly basis. In order to be entered for the drawings, you have to Twitter about the contest. For an added chance to win, you can blog about the contest.

This is the perfect example of how marketing is not a one time mailing or creation of a brochure. Marketing is a process that requires multiple steps and the use of multiple mediums. In this case the use of a contest (marketing 101), Twitter (social media), and blogging (social media).

Bravo Tweet2Win!

For more information on the contest, visit www.Tweet2Win.com

Philly’s Derrie-Air

Two of Philadelphia’s news publications recently drew ire for publishing false ads for fictional airline, Derrie-Air. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News placed false ads in their newspapers complete with a fictional website, FlyDerrie-Air.com. The tongue-in-cheek campaign, meant to test the reach of the pubs in print and online, describe a new way to fly. (They recorded a click-through rate of 1.25% compared to average of 0.5%) Derrie-Air determines your ticket price based upon your weight. Of course, given the recent pricing moves by domestic airlines consumers would flock to the these ads due to curiosity or sincere interest. Ethicists decry the campaign but I think it ingenious. I think the campaign’s message is attention-getting and hilarious. It is a perfect capitalization on current trends. It is a great attempt to highlight the remaining usefulness of newsprint publications. Take a look for yourself. 

The Clinton Brand: Where Does It Go From Here?

In the world of political marketing, the Clinton brand has a storied past and now, an uncertain future. We witnessed the meteoric rise of Bill to the presidency with his amiable charm and distinctive thumb tuck assuring the heart of every American. He has been credited with leading the nation, and the free world, for eight years through a recession to prosperity and from atrocious genocide to peace. The Clinton brand possessed the characteristics of diplomatic, likable, believable, and charming. Applying the Clinton brand made fundraising no chore and assured large crowds of fans. And  of course, as with all brands, it encountered turbulent times. The Lewinsky Effect placed a tarnish on the first two-term Democratic president since Harry S. Truman. The characteristics of shame, infidelity, dishonesty, and imperfection were added to the list. The decline of the brand attributed to the defeat of the ‘king’s’ successor. A turnaround was needed. The brand was whipped and beaten. A resurrection was needed. In comes the second part of the brand, Hillary, launching herself on the national scene. In comes Bill working on international issues in concert with his predecessor. The brand reclaims some of its former glory. Skip a few years and Hillary sets out to use the Clinton brand as a kingmaker. She was unstoppable. Inevitable. Unfazed by the new entrants to the market. Unaware of the loss of brand equity. Unaware of the rising brand equity of Obama. She fights back. She fights, as some would consider, dirty, negative. She tarnishes the brand again. Bill fights back. He has a few Freudian slips. He tarnishes the brand. But where does the Clinton brand go from here? The brand equity is deflated…for now. The brand supporters are moving on. Can we expect to see the Clinton brand in the national spotlight again? What actions will the Clintons take to reclaim their brand? What will be the new defining characteristics of the brand? Marketers, grab a pad and pencil. Take note. Learn how to re-invent your brand by watching the next steps of Billary.