Germany: Adidas Travels in Style

Tired of walking the streets of Munich, Germany? Now, you can travel in style with Adidas.

Adidas (pronounced Ah-dee-dahz) is a German-based company, along with rival Puma. What better way to promote the heritage of your brand than to move throughout the tourist area in Munich?

I'm sure this product endorsement doesn't hurt Adidas' marketing budget all that much. Yet, it is simple and effective.

And so you ask - did I take a ride? No - I chose to tour the city on a segway instead. All in all, it was a fascinating experience.

Germany: Apple Transcends Language Barrier

While in Munich, Germany on Friday I saw the above ad on the side of a fabulous old historic building. Interestingly, the building was being renovated, so a sheet was placed over the entire side of the building ... then an artist's rendition of the building was pictured, along with the iPad 2 ad. Very clever.

In this ad, Apple chose to use the universal language of visual images. The only words that viewers saw were iPad 2. A visual of the product and a rainbow of different colored cases was shown beneath it.

It would appear that Apple has transcended language and cultural barriers. Regardless of what country you come from, we have all become accustomed to the common language used by Apple in their advertising ... a white background, a colorful product visual, the Apple logo, and the brand name of the product being advertised.

How many brands can you think of that can eloquently sell their products around the world, without any copy? It's quite a feat.