Many of you likely know that Coca-Cola is celebrating its 125th birthday this year. In fact, I previously blogged about how they were lighting up the sky for their birthday on May 17.
Well, all good marketers know that one way to keep the news alive is to continually stoke the fire with new and interesting things.
Enter the new Coke birthday celebration can. Countries from around the world are marking Coca-Cola's 125th anniversary with nostalgic cans that are guaranteed to open up a world of happiness.
Many countries turned to Coca-Cola's colorful past of pin-up girls when designing their cans. Others looked towards vintage advertising and posters. Check out designs from Austria, Hong Kong, England, the U.S., Romania, Columbia, and Puerto Rico below.
This morning, while driving into work, I heard a radio ad for a marriage between Great Clips and Craigs List. Although I wasn't able to find anything about this relationship online, I did find a rather cool mobile app on the Great Clips website.
Hair salons liike Great Clips and Cost Cutters have always prided themselves on the fact that you don't need an appointment. Just walk in the door and snag the next stylist to get a cost effective hair cut ... without having to wait days, or even weeks, to get that highly coveted appointment.
But, the problem with this business model is that if 10 other people have the same idea at the same exact time, you might find yourself sitting in the lobby waiting for awhile.
In steps the new Great Clips mobile app.
This app will automatically find the salons nearest to your current location. Your job is easy. Just add your name, phone number, and the number of people in your group and then head on over to the store. While it may not guaranty that you'll earn a seat in the stylist's chair immediately, it does cut down on the amount of time you'll have to wait.
Nice application of a mobile app grounded in a consumer benefit.
In a recent move to clean up the parks in Prague, Prague 7 launched a new print campaign. Its message is rather simple:
Shit is not a cool brand.
Clean up after your dog.
Three print executions simply and cleanly - well not exactly cleanly - illustrate the dreaded look of your tennis shoes after unexpectedly walking through doggie doo.
Prague 7 extends their print campaign to their Facebook page. Judging from the guest posts on the site, 212 people gave a thumb's up to the campaign, offering up their words of wisdom regarding this eloquent campaign:
"Smart!"
"Excelente!"
"eewwww hahahaha great one! :D"
"Very clever!"
"Wow!"
"Shit!"
"Love the idea. It's a shitty business..."
And my personal favorite ... "Dirty genius!"
Now the question of the hour is this, does this ad speak to the poor souls that inadvertently walked through the doggy doo or does it speak to the dog owners who are shirking their dog poop scooping responsibilities?
I was watching TV the other night when a commercial came on that instantly grabbed my attention.
The spot opens with a garage owner telling his customer the "news" ...
"I've got good news for you, kid.
You're getting a new truck.
It's going to cost more than it's worth.
Besides, the truck's older than you."
My first thought at this point was to wonder when it is ever good news that your car has just reached its final resting place. Vehicles are so expensive these days that few of us are ever financially able to flippantly take an out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new attitude.
But, that's exactly when the rational side of my brain shut down and my heart took over the analysis of this commercial.
After being told to grab his stuff from the truck, the young dad silently moves towards his old, well-worn truck. He opens the glove compartment and pulls out a picture nestled safely inside, holding it up into the light to gaze fondly at the picture of his father and himself as a little boy. They are proudly standing in front of their brand new Chevy truck ... the same one currently awaiting delivery to the car graveyard.
He gazes fondly at the picture, clearly with a mind at war with the news he has just heard. The camera pans to a check being written for an undisclosed amount. He hands it to the station owner and utters three simple words that seem to have the same impact that "I love you" would have on a smitten lover ... "Just fix it" he says, and then joins his wife and son as they walk off into the sunset.
The last frame appears telling the viewer, Chevy Runs Deep.
.
I am such a fan of brand storytelling. I truly believe the most effective way to sell a product is to emotionally involve the viewer in the brand experience.
Congratulations to Chevy for a wonderfully powerful and engaging commercial.
Sainsbury's, a UK grocer that was founded in 1869, operates 557 supermarkets and 377 convenience stores throughout England. According to their website, they strive to deliver great products at fair prices, by exceeding customer expectations for healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food.
Recently, Sainsbury's launched innovative new fruit juice packaging which helps deliver this mission to their shoppers.
All of our lives, we have been told that we should eat fruit to stay healthy. In fact, the food pyramid we all learned about in elementary school urges us to eat five servings of fruit each and every day. We all know this, but often settle into an unhealthy pattern of eating.
So, Sainsbury's has launched an awareness campaign to help all Brits remember that all important five-a-day rule.
But, this is no ordinary awareness campaign. Rather, Sainsbury's took this message to the grocery store shelf by redesigning all of their litre juice cartons. Each juice carton features four transparent windows, with measurements alongside each window. The message? Drink up to line #1 (200ml) and you have just fulfilled one of your five servings of daily fruit. Drink up to the second line and you have fulfilled two servings. Drink up to the third ... well, you get the message. Which is what Sainsbury's is counting on.
Since this product revamp affects 6,500 products, Sainsbury's estimates this new feature will not find its way on to all of their frozen, shelf stable, and refrigerated juices until January 2013. While encouraging all Brits to be healthier, they are also working on making the UK environment healthier too, by reducing package weight on 65% of all packaging.
A win-win for everyone trying to live both a healthier lifestyle and to be kinder to the earth.
Bosch has launched a viral YouTube video which encourages people to change their own oil, by using a Purolator filter. According to their website, Purolator has been manufacturing and distributing automotive filters since 1923. The history of the oil filter category actually has its roots in Purolator, which was shortened from "pure oil later."
Well, anyway, back to their latest ad.
This video begins with an Amish man driving his horse and buggy. A super appears, which says:
"Can an Amish guy do an oil change?"
Honestly, I fully expected this was a spoof of some type. I was intrigued, so I continued to watch. I soon discovered this was no spoof. Bosch and their New York ad agency, Grey, actually created this commercial to encourage people to do their own oil changes.
I have to admit that I am close to speechless after watching this ad ... and believe me, that doesn't happen very often.
If I could assume the duty of being an account planner for Grey for one day, I could almost script the genesis of this idea.
Planner: Hey guys, Bosch has got this new way of doing an oil change that's really easy.
Creative: Really. That doesn't seem very interesting ... aren't all oil changes easy?
Planner: Well, yeah, but this one is really easy.
Creative: How easy is it?
Planner: It's easy enough that someone that has never done an oil change before could actually do it.
Creative: You mean, like an Amish guy?
Planner: Yeah. Ha ha. That's pretty funny. That's a good tagline ... easy enough that an Amish guy could do it.
Eureka! A creative idea is born!
Okay, I get the single-minded message. No circuitous route to get there.
But, I can't help but think that this commercial is making fun of Amish people and their religious beliefs. Amish people are prohibited from owning, starting, or driving a vehicle because it detracts from the Amish way of life. This is a fundamental tenet of their religious beliefs. It's so important that the consequences of even starting the engine of a car could result in being shunned from Amish society.
To illustrate this point, at the end of the commercial, the announcer and the Amish man engage in the following conversation:
"Do you ever think of starting one up?"
"No."
"Would you get in trouble if you started the car?"
"I would be shunned. My neighbors would have nothing to do with me."
"What if you tinted the windows?"
"Yeah, but God would know ... and I would know ... and you would know."
Is it just me or do you find this ad disrespectful?
Even, if this isn't a real Amish guy, but some actor that grew a beard, put a straw hat on, and wore plain clothes, it is still making light of a belief system that the Amish people hold near and dear to their hearts.
I am a huge fan of LinkedIn ... huge enough that I was included in their 100 Million Members campaign that broke last March as a way to celebrate reaching this important pinnacle in their evolution.
Now, I don't hand out my loyalty to just anyone. In my mind, a brand has to earn my trust and respect in order for me to become emotionally connected to the brand.
LinkedIn has done that in spades.
Over the years, they have provided me with the tools needed to become a far better networking and prospecting strategist. What I like most is that they never relax. Instead, they continually make improvements to their user interface, constantly devising ways to help their users seamlessly network with colleagues, clients, and prospects.
Case in point. Yesterday, I received an email from LinkedIn. The email contained a montage of pictures. To my delight, I actually knew the people pictured in this collage! It turns out they are individuals in my contact database that have changed jobs or revised their status since the beginning of the year.
But, the fun didn't stop there. Each picture was hot-linked to their LinkedIn profile. Plus, cute little messages, like "See Megan's new job" and "Where is Katherine?" were highlighted throughout the picture collage.
With this one simple email campaign, I was able to quickly determine which of my connections had changed jobs this year. People that were of particular interest to me required only one click to catch up with what is going on in their professional life.
Now, you must understand that I am seldom wowed by email campaigns. I get over 100 emails a day and, frankly, I have a really hard time processing all that information each and every day. But, LinkedIn has clearly found a way to break through all that clutter by asking themselves one simple question, How can we help our users? How can we help Sue?
This is a great reminder to all marketers. Stop adding to all the information clutter out there. Stop stroking your own ego. Ground yourself in the mindset of the target. And ask yourself one key question:
Quick ... what's the first thing you think of when I say Zappos?
Let me guess ... shoes, right?
Well, Zappos is setting out to change that perception with their latest print ad campaign, in which women are shown wearing nothing but shoes. Covering the well, sensitive parts of their bodies, is a sign which reads "more than shoes."
In a story written by The New York Times, American Apparel's Director of Online Marketing offers the following:
“Are they doing it because they want to get attention
from blogs and Web sites that will write about it?
Or are they doing it because it’s the ad campaign that speaks
most truly to who they are and what they want to sell?”
For those that know the Zappos brand, you would have to agree that they are not a typical run-of-the-mill brand. Well renowned for their quirky sense of humor and appeal, customers appear to be very loyal to the brand and their unrelenting focus on customer service.
But, will Zappos customers associate the scantily shoe-clad models with the brand they know and love? Or am I merely playing into Zappos' hand by blogging about this campaign?
Alright, I admit, there is a childlike side of my personality that just loves little claymation figures. I think it may harken back to the days of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cartoon figure that I absolutely fell in love with when I was a child.
So, when this commercial for Hotels.com, announcing their 30% off summer sale, came on the other night, I was drawn in immediately.
As I watched the commercial unfold, I found myself wondering why the family's hair was consistently shown being blown by the wind. Until the rug pull happened, of course ... they were "blown away" by all the savings. Nice tongue-in-cheek Hotels.com.
The only thing I haven't been able to figure out was the lure of a free Amazon Kindle at the very end of the commercial. When I visited Hotel.com's website, I didn't find any mention of it either.
Building on a lifelong history of romancing their iconic vodka bottle, Absolut is inspiring artists around the world with its next adventure.
This journey began with a creative brief which was distributed to a number of the world's hottest young artists. Artists were given a clean canvas of a large Absolut vodka bottle and asked to create a masterpiece founded on the basis of their new campaign, "It all starts with an Absolut Blank."
The 18 artistically inspired bottles are intended to be a limited run collection. This inaugural line staged its debut in the UK, with plans to air advertising on billboards in L.A. in the near future. The completed artwork will be placed on public display and then extended into print, interactive, digital, collages, murals, and light installations.
Take a peak at some of the stunning designs created for this campaign.
A few weeks ago, I found myself on yet another airplane. In the past two months, I've racked up too many miles to count, traveling to Poland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Boston, New York, Dallas, Charlotte, and a few others that I'm sure I'm missing.
The economic effect on the airline industry has not gone unnoticed on my travels. It has become painfully obvious that there is no such thing as a free handout. You pay to check your bags. You pay to sit in an exit row. You pay for headphones. You pay for the flight attendant to be nice to you (just kidding). You even have to pay to get a little bag of pesky peanuts.
So, it was with delight on my most recent trip that the flight attendant offered me some cookies. Free Biscoff cookies? Heck yeah!
I was so excited to dig into the cookies that I didn't notice Delta's name on the outside of the package; but, I sure noticed their name once the wrapper was off.
Very cool. Delta-branded cookies.
Delta gets an A+ ... for giving me a free snack and for practicing 360-degree branding. Hopefully, a few other airlines will read this blog and reinstitute the era of free snacks.
When McDonald's recently opened their first location in Kimaya Kothrud, India, they chose to announce their "birth" like any proud parent ... with a photo of the new baby.
But, unlike the baby photos I am accustomed to receiving, this photo disturbs me on several levels:
1) Do Indians know who this pure white, clown-faced child is if they are not familiar with Ronald McDonald?
2) Is this really an awareness-building campaign? It does do a good job of announcing the birth of McDonald's; however, it does not educate Indians on the food that is available. Now, I know you may say that McDonald's is the same everywhere, but the truth is that it isn't. Certainly, there are staples like the Big Mac, but McDonald's offers regional menus to capitalize on the ethnic tastes of each unique market it is located in. This ad surely doesn't entice Indians with its regional menu.
3) Finally - and perhaps most importantly - this baby is just plain creepy. It's like a Halloween costume gone bad. Every time I look at it, I have a pretty visceral response ... and let's just say that this response doesn't exactly make me hungry.
While walking the streets of Vienna, Austria, I saw the above McDonald's ad on a billboard. I was struck by the fact that, no matter where you go, no matter what language you speak, we all speak the language of McDonald's.
I hurried to the Charlotte Airport on Friday as soon as I finished my meeting, hoping to catch an early flight back home. Unfortunately, every other business person traveling through the fine state of North Carolina had exactly the same idea. So, I found myself stuck in the airport with five hours on my hands.
Not one to sit idle, I booted up my computer hoping to tap into some free WiFi while in the airport. As I toggled over to the web, I came face-to-face with the screen below.
Fascinating - make Google your home page and access the web at the airport for free. (Truthfully, you didn't even have to make Google your homepage since the small print at the bottom of the page said: "No thanks, just take me online.")
Hats off to Google, who continually surprises with their innovative marketing techniques. Love it, love it, love it.
While staying at a Holiday Inn in Krakow, Poland, I was surprised to see Dove shampoo and body cream wash in the shower. What a great branding opportunity!
I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised ... only because I'm used to seeing products that are either branded with the hotel name or are an upscale brand name, like L'occitane or Aveda. The thought of a mainstream product (which can easily be purchased at a local Walgreens in the U.S.) intrigued me. I must offer a head nod to Unilever on the placement of this product in a Polish Holiday Inn.
However, I must admit, I was somewhat mystified when I turned to the sink and found additional shampoo and shower gel, under the brand name Damana Fresh. First, the shampoo seemed redundant ... just how much shampoo and shower gel does a person need? But, secondly, it seemed like a missed branding opportunity for Dove. Why not negotiate an exclusive arrangement for Dove?
I suspect there's some hidden detail that I am not privy to that explains this brand mismatch. Because knowing the likes of Unilever, it's unlikely they would miss this branding opportunity.
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.
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.
An advertising student of mine recently shared this 2006 Apple ad with me. I had never seen it before, but still found it relevant, as well as inspiring.
First of all, what a great ad. I even got goosebumps watching this .. seeing visual images of the late greats, like Martin Luther King, John Lennon, and Ghandi. I love the line, "...because the people who think they are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones who do."
Secondly, thank you Apple for validating all the creative people out there that have felt like a "round peg in a square hole" at some point in their lives ... or for some of us, who feel like this just about every day of our lives.
Third, even five years later, this ad still embodies the mission of Apple to think different, to push the boundaries of everyday convention, to go where no one has ever gone before.
This ad reminded me of the Joshua Walters video on being "just crazy enough." Sometimes, we look at that person with the purple hair, the young lady that marches to a different drummer, the individual with an interesting sense of personal style or a way of looking at things that is one or two steps out of synch with the rest of the world, and think, "What an odd person!" or "Why are they dressed that way?"
To me, Apple's ad is telling all of us not to admonish this unique individual, but instead to celebrate them and to recognize that the next great idea may already be taking seed in their mind.
To that, I say Hallelujah!
By the waz, if you personally identify with this ad, I would recommend Daniel Pink's book, "A Whole New Mind; Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future." It is a great read, validating that there is a place in our world for all the creative thinkers.
As I stepped out of Vienna International Airport this evening, the above image was the first sight that met my eyes. My driver was moving to his car so quickly that I barely had time to snap this picture. But, despite my less than stellar picture taking, this nontraditional advertising grabbed my focus from the moment I stepped outdoors (where it was only 18 degrees Celsius - what's up with that?).
I must admit my curiosity was piqued. Was this tower a place of business, did it serve some other purpose, or did it serve no purpose at all? I had to find out.
My searching led me to this YouTube video, which explained all. It actually is an airport control tower ... one of the tallest ones in Europe, to be exact. My continued searching helped me realize that what I saw this evening was actually quite boring to what the tower sometimes reveals to air travelers.
I wasn't able to find the cost of this tower or the strategy behind why Samsung constructed it, but according to Wikipedia (the finest authority in all the land), nearly 20 million passengers visited the Vienna International Airport in 2010.
Maybe that's all the eyeballs Samsung needed to justify the cost of this nontraditional advertising tactic. I must say ... it worked for me.
