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.
This evening, I was meandering the streets of Venice, enjoying the old architecture, the cobblestoned streets, and the canal-view restaurants, when I looked up and saw this billboard. Interestingly, on all the streets that I had walked, this was the only billboard I saw...or at least the only one I noticed.
I must admit that while it is a relatively appealing billboard, it felt totally out of place on these charming Venician streets. To be frank, I was enjoying a break from the "outer world," where taxis honk their horns, cars dodge pedestrians, and billboards hawk their wares. In a sense, I felt like I had warped back in time to a gentler, kinder world where people cared about more than the brand name of their sunglasses.
But, on all other fronts, the charming city of Venice did not disappoint.
Have you ever wondered who owns the first bags that appear on the luggage carousel at the airport? Because, quite frankly, they always seem to go around and around and around ... with no one ever claiming those lonely, stray suitcases. As those one or two pieces of luggage pass you too many times to count, you continue to stare at the carousel, thinking that your luggage will suddenly appear, as if by magic.
Well, that happened to me today at the Venice airport in Italy. As I continued to peruse the pieces of luggage circling the carousel, it began to dawn on me that I was staring at a life size roulette wheel ... that happened to be advertising Casino Di Venezia. I must have read the name of the casino at least 12 or 15 times before my giant-sized green bag finally made its way to my side.
I love nontraditional advertising. It's ads like this that kind of sneak up on you, grab your attention, and then go on their merry way, leaving you informed - and possibly persuaded - in the process.
While in Hungary, I stopped to feast my eyes (and my stomach) upon kifli, fluffo, zservo, beigli, dobos torte, and countless other delectable treats at a local Budapest bakery.
In an instant, I flashed back to the days when my Grandmother (who immigrated to the U.S. from Croatia in the early 1900's) would make strudel, potica, and other favorites from her homeland. As kids, we welcomed grandma's treats, without a second thought to where the recipes originated from.
As I sat at a small cafe table enjoying my fruit-filled kifli, I noticed this Coca-Cola ad. I found it interesting on a number of levels:
1. I can't ever remember seeing pastries paired with Coca-Cola - it doesn't seem like a natural fit to me...kind of an overload on sugar.
2. This ad had quite a vintage feel to it, despite the new "Open Happiness" logo on the bottom.
3. I didn't need to be able to read the words to understand what the ad was saying.
Interestingly, despite a language barrier and an ocean separating Hungary from the United States, this ad did its job. It welcomed me to enjoy a Coca-Cola with one of the delectable pastries on display at this fine bakery ... without a second thought to where I originated from.
In order to convince Canadian consumers that new Pantene Anti-Breakage Shampoo is all it's cracked up to be, Pantene delivered a guerrilla campaign that made people stop and take note.
Pantene hung long braids from the windows of buildings throughout Toronto. Perched on the top of the braid hung a man climbing to reach his Rapunzel.
The message? Pantene's new Anti-Breakage Shampoo is so strong you could climb on it.
I would give Pantene a solid A for breaking through the clutter, while simultaneously slamming home their single-minded message.
Have you ever heard of Suzanne Cleary and Peter Harding? They are famous Irish dancers who have appeared on stage with Riverdance, as well as other Irish dance productions around the world.
But, their talents extend beyond doing fancy moves with their feet ... to doing fancy moves with their hands and arms, too.
Last year, Cleary and Harding created a video that showed the world just how "handy" they were. Their debut YouTube sensation, "We No Speak No Americano," has racked up 7.5 million hits since its debut on July 25, 2010, entertaining people around the world.
Later that year, Cleary & Harding put their hand-dancing skills to work for McDonald's in this video, by performing a four-handed flash mob while drinking Caramel Mocha at a McDonald's McCafe.
I must admit that I would sit up and take note if Suzanne and Peter showed up at my local McDonald's.
On May 22, 2011, the city of Grand Rapids shut down a large part of their downtown to create a video that would indelibly change the world's perceptions of their fine Midwestern city.
The video was a direct response to the "America's Dying Cities" online article published by Newsweek earlier this year. In this article, Grand Rapids was selected as #10 on the auspicious list of dying U.S. cities due to population declines in recent years.
This unedited 9 minute, 49 second one-shot video was heralded by American film critic and screenwriter, Roger Ebert, as "The Greatest Music Video Ever Made."
The video features more than 3,000 of the city's residents. Set to a live recording of Don McLean's "American Pie," the video is chock full of dancing and guitar strumming Grand Rapidians, pom pon swinging cheerleaders, backhand springing gymnasts, pillow fighting teens, champagne drinking newlyweds, swing dancing couples, and much much more. The video's crescendo is an aerial view of a place that Newsweek may have called "a bridge over troubled water" filled with those that are proud to call Grand Rapids home.
The video is carefully set to the words of Don McLean's famous song, showing football players passing a football to the words, "The players tried for a forward pass," a couple swinging their legs from the back of a pick-up truck to the words, "I was a lonely teenage bronking buck with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck" and the high school band marching down the streets to the lyrics, "the marching band refused to yield."
This expertly choreographed video simultaneously delivers the spirit of the residents of Grand Rapids, its attractive downtown and lakefront areas, its cultural diversity, and its unbelievably positive response to Newsweek's negative portrayal of their home.
After viewing the video, even Newsweek felt compelled to send a message to Grand Rapids, posting the following message on their Facebook page:
To the Grand Rapids crowd:
First off, we LOVE your YouTube LipDub. We're big fans, and are inspired by your love of the city you call home.
But so you know what was up with the list you're responding to, we want you to know it was done by a website called mainstreet.com -- not by Newsweek (it was unfortunately picked up on the Newsweek web site as part of a content sharing deal) -- and it uses a methodology that our current editorial team doesn't endorse and wouldn't have employed. It certainly doesn't reflect our view of Grand Rapids.
Nice save Newsweek.
I have been to Grand Rapids many times, as a former client of mine (BISSELL) calls Grand Rapids home. On each of my visits, I found the city to be delightful, full of friendly, hard-working and caring individuals. I am amazingly gratified to see a city pull together in the midst of negativity, to produce an uplifting and inspiring work of art, when it would have been all too easy to lash back in a negative way.
This video should be a lesson to all of us...when faced with negative publicity, we have two choices: 1) Echo the negative response or 2) Find a positive way to turn the negativity into something positive.
KUDOS to Grand Rapids for not mudslinging. Maybe our nation's politicians should take note.
WARNING: In a new controversial push against smoking,
the FDA will require graphic photos on cigarette packs.
This headline really grabbed my attention this morning as I stepped outside the door of my hotel room in Dallas. When I took a moment to look at the pictures, I was stunned ... to the point that I actually looked at the newspaper once again to make sure I hadn't picked up The Onion rather than a USA Today.
My first reaction was this: Cigarette smokers know full well that every time they take a puff, they are increasing their chances of developing lung cancer ... just like an overweight person knows that repeatedly devouring large quantities of desserts makes them more susceptible to Type II diabetes or a heart patient understands that living a sedentary lifestyle in front of their TV makes them more susceptible to a heart attack.
So, why would the FDA open themselves up to a firestorm of controversy and criticism?
Which led to my second more thoughtful reaction ... Did the FDA conduct market research to prove that the insertion of graphic visual images on cigarettes deters individuals from smoking?
And, of course, the answer is yes.
Findings from international research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proved that, depending on the country surveyed, as many as 25-50% of smokers believe they would be more likely to quit smoking after viewing these images.
While I am quite confident that many smokers will yell "discrimination" when these changes go into effect, if it stops even a handful of young people from picking up their first cigarette and if it takes the "coolness" out of smoking in our nation's schools, this fundamental shift in "truth in labeling" is worth every criticism or snide comment received.
If you're my age, you may have memories of the Exorcist or even Amityville Horror. You know the drill ... homes or children haunted by an unseen evil force. Heads spinning. Pea soup spewing. Priests praying chants. All of it leaving you with a somewhat unsettled feeling.
This commercial helps you feel the same sense of trepidation that a priest must feel as he confronts the devil he wishes to exorcise. It does the job so expertly that, at times, you actually feel like you are watching a horror flick rather than a TV commercial.
It isn't until the very end of the commercial when the brand being advertised is revealed. Instantly, you find yourself swinging from trepidation to hilarity in a few short seconds.
I don't want to spoil the plot ... watch it for yourself and tell me what you think of this ad!
Every father dreams of his son becoming a ballerina, right?
Well, not exactly.
But, this commercial makes all hormone crazy teenage boys seriously think about becoming just that.
The spot opens with a group of guys having a beer together. One guy finishes off his brew and slams the empty Isenbeck stein down on the table, announcing, "Sorry, but I have ballet classes."
His friends look at him as if he's lost his mind, as he drapes the pink satin ballet pointe shoes around his neck and strides out of the bar. As he confidently walks towards class, man after man stares at his back as he passes by.
The scene flashes to ballet class. It is only then that one begins to understand exactly why he enjoys his ballet classes so much. Shot after shot of him perched beneath women in compromising positions paints a pretty clear picture of his "inside" look at women from all angles.
As the class files out, his friends all look at the young ladies with appreciation ... and at their friend with a whole new set of eyes.
He grabs a drink of his favorite beer and the super reads, "He who knows, knows. Isenbeck."
Definitely an entertaining ad guaranteed to raise a few chuckles. (Unless, of course, you happen to be a male ballerina.)
You're watching one of your favorite TV shows when a commercial comes on. Time to grab a snack or to make a restroom visit.
But, before you even have a chance to leave the room, a young blonde boy grabs your attention by smacking a piñata. Hard. And just like the Energizer bunny, he keeps hitting and hitting and hitting. As time wears on, he becomes more and more aggressive ... to no avail.
I think to myself, "Now this boy has a lot of rage inside of him." Since I am often watching Criminal Minds when this ad comes on, the words "budding serial killer" wade unabated into the fringes of my brain, without permission from the kinder side of my brain.
Finally, this young lad gives up, mystified as to why his efforts have not opened up the treasure trove of goodies nestled deep inside the piñata truck.
Everybody stands by mute. What to do now?
Then, the gentle movement of the breeze turns the piñata truck and we see a VW insignia on its grill. A super comes up: "Built like a Volkswagen. The 2011 Tiguan."
My husband and I laughed out loud the first time we saw this ad. Love it, love it, love it.
Unfortunately, VW vehicles are just not built for those of us who are over 6'0" tall (myself included).
