Tweet yourself silly

Majority of us are on Twitter and Facebook, tweeting and posting away about what interests us, what were doing, what we LIKE, why we go somewhere, do something, say something and the list goes on and on and on and on....

Most of us are on Twitter to follow our favourite celebrities, musicians, brand and some of our friends...mostly the latter. Those who we follow are more than aware of why we do it and the power they have and hold till fame does them part. Facebook on the other hand is a friend connecting tool, with the splash of celebrity and a lot of our local favourites e.g. clubs, shops, restaurants and bands. So which platform has the most power, or are they reliant upon one another.

Twitter seems to be the place where brands and products flaunt what they got and get millions and trillions of followers to retweet, mention or trend them. Where as Facebook seems to create a more fleeting worth of awareness and making a smaller mark on the user. However when twitter is used as an awareness mechanism (seeing as it is 140 characters or less) and Facebook is able to provide all the information you need to succeed.

I have been pulled into the force field, I am frantically tweeting and posting about Dj Afrojack and his New Years Eve competition, mostly because I want to get his post to 10,000 likes and see what,when, where and how! I'm not going to lie I want to win, but in me advertising it like this means I may not, which is fine because I'm dying to know the details so I can meet the criteria to WIN WIN WIN!

So when it comes down to it, being on social media really does work ONLY if you have the style, the product, the hype and MOST OF ALL...the crazy followers to make the gears turn and get the engine moving. Having the correct followers and being able to create a brand perception that will motivate and initiate buzz, are all necessary elements to be ruling the social media world.

WHO has you in their social media force field? WHY have you been pulled in? WHEN will you ever get out?

The Branding Bunch

So here's a story of long loved branding...Coca Cola is part of many lives, its never new, in-fact it just works harder, to maintain its brand name!

Coca-Cola or more affectionately known world wide as Coke, it entered our live many moons ago with a pop of the cap, a tingling on the taste buds and a satisfied ahhhh. Coke we thank-you for your extremely long service to not only consumers but as the case study for the next generation of the advertising army.

We associate Coke as being fresh, fun, attractive and improving on our sense of community. For a carbonated beverage that is pretty damn good,  after all it is a universal word. 'Share A Coke' is the latest Coca-Cola campaign; it encompasses everything Coke is and has found yet another way to be current, to be noticed, to be purchased. So what is this 'Share A Coke' craze? It is pure GENIUS is what it is, the simple notion of putting a name on a Coke and telling the consumers to 'Share A Coke with Matt, Liam, Victoria....' captured the ever impulsive, attention craving and money wielding Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z.

But what about us folk with the left of field names? Fear not, this campaign is not half-baked, you can go to 18 Westfield locations around Australia and have your name printed onto a Coke can for FREE! What a great Christmas idea, did I mention it is FREE! I'll say it again GENUIS!

This campaign doesn't there you can even win $50,000 between yourself and some mates and if you don't have a Westfield near you share a personalised Coke virtually through there Facebook page. Coke was meant to be shared, to be loved by all and Coca-Cola Amatil has ensured this.

My Facebook timeline was at one point ruled by people getting there personalised Coke cans and a million questions of Where? How? When?. This was a perfect way of gaining the target markets attention, as us Facebookers love "sharing" our latest feats. Along with the online avenue, there is outdoor, television and radio commercials, this mix is perfect as it hits you no matter where you go...inescapable and as the ads are short and sweet (much like a can of coke) you pay attention. Honestly, who can say that they don't pay attention to a Coke commercial, there is always an intrigue into what they are doing next and when can I get it!

Coca-Cola has become part of history and will remain with us long into the future.

Viva La Coca-Cola!

Check out this link: Best coke ads

Krazy Kardashian Koncotions

Honestly, I had no intention on posting about them AT ALL! Then came along Gruen Planet and whaddaya know!

The Panel from Gruen Planet said it best! No denying the Kardashians are the incredible at what they do, bringing the world (and a million brands) to their feet and making a hell of a lot of money doing it! So how do they do it? Originating from the small time fame of their father, Robert Kardashian (Lawyer to OJ Simpson), they took this golf ball of fame and rolled it into a medicine ball, filled with kash. Hate them or love them, they've done it extremely well.

Enough from me...Let the Gruen Planet Panel of Wil Anderson, Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft explain the intricacy of the Kardashian Klad Kindgom.

(caution: Wil Anderson is ridiculously hilarious, stitches may result)

Lets Get Digital, Digital!

As I scroll down my twitter timeline I see the word "digital" pop-up on majority of the industry accounts I follow...which lead me to think...WHY DIGITAL, WHY NOW?

As of late digital and advertising have become two peas in a pod. One without the other doesn't seem to make sense. Driving down the main roads in metro areas you see billboards going digital, namely GOA, with a billboard that has at least 3 other advertisements on it - talk about maximising sales opportunities - and lets not start on the Twitter and Facebook craze, actually lets. Facebook and Twitter are free digital spaces for everyone! And it seems that small businesses are loving this, albeit without utilising it properly and having plenty of room for opportunity, and why wouldn't they? It reaches many, its cheap or free and provides you with the ultimate control on your brand.

Digital seems to be the most effective means of advertising, it is immediate, captivating and the most free-form -creatively speaking. It also serves as a great element in IMC strategies and hey it provides an interactive platform for the target market. What more could you want????

But will there be a point where digital joins the clutter crew? Will the initial intrigue disappear? Will the target market dismiss the message in all the advertising madness? And what will be done to avoid the impending doom? Only time will tell....

But why now? Well I guess it comes down to who is able to be the most innovative and experimental. It was only a matter of time until the digital world and the advertising worlds collided.  The Lynx augmented reality strategy was a cracker! It opened the eyes and the mind of the target market, making the Lynx brand ever more edgy and maintaining their boundary pushing, loin invigorating and mind boggling messages.

So digital seems the way for the future, until it is overtaken by something fresher and newer. Until then lets embrace the digital race and make the best of a good thing.

Crouching Tiger....Hidden Dragon?

Something I noticed for the first time! I have seen this commercial a million times...shows how much attention I pay to commercials (and quiet possibly the level of attention the rest of us pay).

The St. George television ad of "you can do better with a St. George home loan" has the St. George Mascot (the green dragon) hiding in the background behind a bush. I nearly spat out my coffee in disbelief that as an avid analyser of advertisements that I missed it!

See if you can spot it for yourself...I've already told you where to look, so get spotting!

St George - Do Better with a St George Home Loan

ENJOY!

Sponsorships - The story behind the man

Sponsorship, players need it and companies love it. Gaining a sponsorship is becoming more and more difficult for the next generation of aspiring athletes, whether they are the best or second best. In the beginning sponsorship was like an award, the best few within each field are given sponsorship, letting the world know that they are the best at what they do!
So what now? If you are an up and coming athlete, working yourself to the bone to be the best, to make it to the professional level, it is no longer enough, you need to have a "story". According to Ad News, a story makes the sponsorship, along with some talent. What are you to do when you come from a seemingly well off family, not battled against the odds, essentially handed a silver spoon of sport soup.
A stated example by Ad News is tennis protege Bernard Tomic, brilliant tennis player who entered the sport young and has recently worked his way into the top 100, but cannot gain a substantial sponsorship. At age 13 he earned sponsorship from Nike, Head, Optus and Tennis Australia, when he was a fresh face with a "story".

Imagine this, a young boy from Australia given a wild card entry to the Australian Open, where he will come up against the likes of Federer, Hewitt, Djokovich or Nadal. Can this young superstar of amateur tennis make it to the end? Will he be Australia's next Number One?

As nice as that story was...that is where it ended. And since then Tomic has been unable to wrangle up another story, therefore leaving him without any sponsorship that would leave a mark on the world. What advice would you give him? Injure yourself severely, work your way back to the top or have a family feud and become a trailblazer...HELLO sponsorship!

Adidas Is All In- Australian Edition

As earlier mentioned Adidas has launched its biggest campaign in the history of the brand. We are all used to seeing these extravagant campaigns overseas in America, Europe and China. But long behold the campaign has graced Australian soil.

Cultural Hub Melbourne is the hot spot for the latest campaign feature. It is hosting a 60hr competition, at Queensbridge Square in Southbank, consisting of six teams of three from New South Wales and Victoria competing to win a massive Adidas Is All In prize. The winning team receives a trip to Los Angeles to see Katy Perry in concert, watch David Beckham & L.A. Galaxy play, a $10,000 shopping spree and last but not least a VIP shopping experience...not bad at all for 60hrs worth of non-stop sports.

Adidas has incorporated Facebook into the campaign (has anybody else noticed the increase in social media in campaigns? I sure have) through having Facebook fans "like" one of the competing teams. The team with the most "likes" wins! This latest move in the campaign is definitely asking its participants to be "All In".

Image from the Novafm website, promoting the challenge along with Facebook.

I am definitely getting the feeling that Adidas is all in with its current campaign.

Augmented Reality in Marketing (Social Media)

Augmented Reality is the midification of reality, replacing the real world with a simulated one. Why is this important for marketers?

The answer to that is quite obvious. The explosion of Smartphone sales worldwide has challenged the imagination of creatives to come up with marketing ideas that will combat the technological clutter. If you can’t beat them, join them. Although augmented reality ideas my be residing in the backs of many marketing heads and agencies right now, it is the way of the future and this new technology will provide numerous benefits.

According to the figures from ABI research, the market for Augmented Reality in the US alone is expected to hit $350m in 2014, up from about $6m in 2008. Augmented reality is exactly what marketers have been waiting for, hitting customers with the WOW factor. Not only this, but it is entirely unique, original, provides excelent personalisation, virality (as consumers wish to share their experience), Interactivity, and the content material.

My favourite example of this by far, is the Lynx ambush in London.

other examples include the following:

1. The Toyota Scion tC Take on the machine : an AR game on scion’s site. The user prints an AR marker which is used as a steering wheel to race with the new tC and win a spot in the global top 100 highscore board.

2. Subject 60: Volvo and EuroRSCG 4D teamed up for the promotion of the Volvo S60 by organizing five secret parties in Berlin, London, Paris, Milan and Madrid. In order to get an invite one had to find one of the code cubes, hidden in “naughty” locations around the city. The project was in collaboration with hand picked lifestyle bloggers and blog readers were given clues to discover the hidden cubes by using the Layar Augmented Reality browser.

3. Kit Kat Augmented Reality Gig: Agency Skive Digital of London created an Augmented Reality campaign for Kit Kat UK . Holding one of the special AR Kit Kat “4-Finger” bar packages in front of a webcam unlocked a one-off Scouting for Girls performance. The special packs also offered consumers the chance to win one of thousands of £100 Ticketmaster vouchers through Kit Kat Music Break.

4. IBM Virtual Mirrors: Created by IBM and EZFace. The special kiosks were placed in stores in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, covering major cosmetics brands, like L’Oreal, Maybelline, Covergirl and Revlon. The shopper can take a picture and virtually try on makeup, while the “mirror” takes into consideration such things as skin tone, facial features, and product colour. The mirror can make recommendations and allow the consumer to share a virtual makeover image with friends online.

Adidas "All In" - The Largest Campaign in the History of the Brand

In March, Adidas has just released their biggest and most expensive marketing campaign in the history of the brand.

The creative strategy used in the campaign, captures the passion of athletes, musicians and artists put into their “game”, and takes a gritty and authentic look into the visceral nature of raw passion. These celebrities give an insight into their lives and make the viewers realise that these celebrities got where they are today because they were determined to get there.

They did this by releasing numerous online and TV commercials, where various celebrities speak about their passions and show the viewers that anything is possible if you put your game face on. These celebrities include Katy Perry, rapper B.O.B, skateboarder Silas Baxter-Neal, soccer players David Beckham and Lionel Messi, and NBA star Derek Rose, to just name a few.

A strong brand always has to be efficient in the telling of a story. A story that rings true with the audience. But the challenge in brand communication is to develop its messages to be strategically consistent. And that is exactly what Adidas has achieved in their celebrity ads. Soccer Star Lionel Messi tells the audience how he started playing soccer at a young age, that he joined his first soccer team when he was about 4 years old,

  and that anything you love doing has sacrifices, but these sacrifices are always worth it in the end. Derek Rose spoke about his proudest moment in basketball, and that when he is on the court his mind is blank to everything but the game and how much fun he is having. B.O.B also spoke about his proudest moment in his career, but he also mentioned that his worst low in his career was also the best thing that could have happened to him as it gave him the fire to succeed. David Beckham summed it all up with “if you don’t enjoy the game, then there is no point in playing it”.

The campaign allowed viewers to get involved with the campaign through allowing them to interact with the website, posting comments on how they would run a soccer match if they could call the shots, enter into a competition to be a music reporter for Adidas and meet the biggest music celebrities, and picking an obstacle for Adidas to build at the International Skateboarding competition in London, and winning a chance for a paid trip there. This goes hand in hand with the marketing campaign, to show that no matter who you are, no matter what the game, you can play it and live the lifestyle if you put your mind to it.

At the heart of the campaign is the celebration of the game face – which is the look of glory or defeat we reveal at pivotal moments in a game. So Adidas asked its facebook fans to submit their own best game face photo for a chance to be in a special Adidas commercial that would be played at the MTW Movie Awards in June.  Adidas already engages in excess of 10 million fans of the brand on a regular basis across this platform.

One creative execution that Adidas has used is not a new one and has been used by many other brands, including Ralph Lauren, Samsung, Matell and Nike. Im talking about the use of 3D Laser Projections to give viewers an out-of-this-world experience that they will remember forever.  However, the grand scale of this particular project blew the others attempts at 3D mapping or Laser Projections out of the water. Adidas threw a laser exhibition at the “Palais du Pharo” in France, where the general public was astounded. The show featured massive projections of athletes playing basketball in the Palace and breaking it down to the beats of DJ Cut Killer. People stood amazed as jumbo-jet sized athletes and musicians did their stuff, and some even screamed when it appeared that the building was collapsing. Therefore Adidas’ strategy to get noticed and remembered, worked out extremely well as it hit newspapers and news channels all around the world. I highly recomend you watch the video, YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED!

The use of so many celebrities is Adidas’ massive marketing push to showcase the brand’s distinctive presence across different cultures and lifestyles, fusing the world of sports, music and fashion. Erich Stamminger, a member of the executive board responsible for Global Brands said that the brand’s  “creative concept brings together the diversity of the brand under one strong roof. From the court to the catwalk, the stadium to the street, we are giving an authentic statement with the credibility only Adidas has.”  At the heart of this campaign, the marketing message to the viewers, customers and the public in general is that when you love your game, whatever the game, you put your all into it.

Creative Double Page Ads!

Here are a few of my favourites to give you a taste of the creative juices flowing through the minds of the amazing advertisers of the world!

The first few are by Adidas...I always enjoy a sports company and its advertising brain. They really want you to get involved.

Apple, all fresh and well realistic...sort of...how about straight to the point.

And IKEA being its efficient and innovative best!

Like what you see, well only one option remains....Hit up boredpanda to see the rest of the ads! Do it, I dare you!

To Re-Brand or Not?

Fledgling carrier Strategic Airlines, has come across a bit of branding mishap. They are in a market that is already overflowing with established competitors and then they go about creating a brand and product without synergy, which results in a self induced coma. That is, finding your way into the market, but then deciding not to go right ahead and make yourself an exclamation point within the market!

So here we go...The problem: the name says one thing, the commercials say another and the destinations that they fly to, yet another. What is one to think of all this mayhem and confusion? Better yet what was the creative team behind the original brand image thinking?!?! (Although I have it on good note* that only $400,000AUD was spent on the original campaign...which does not go unnoticed)

Thankfully for Strategic Airlines, they have acquired the skills of CumminsRoss, a new full service advertising agency opened in January of this year. A risk you might be thinking, a newly formed agency re-branding a new airline carrier, but fear not the agency is fronted by advertising heavyweights Sean Cummins and Jason Ross. Who both have experience from working with Australian Airlines and Cummins has a one up on his partner, he has also worked with Virgin Blue with his former agency SapientNitro. (www.bandt.com.au)

However, what perplexes me most is the name,"Strategic Airlines" and the destinations they travel too. They have television advertisements, which are aired late at night and are aimed at up and coming business people (which falls in line with the name), however in contrast to this the destinations are primarily holiday spots, Bali and Phuket, regions of minimal business but major party, shopping and relaxation. (Bit of conflicting situation we have here) On the upside, I can understand the low-budget airline with a full service feature (I mean...who would not want that) and the targetting of up and coming business types, as we all know, that's us Gen Y, and we love being the centre of attention and wanted by a company. This however, is not enough to make a solid brand image nor a brand for consumers to relate too.

So from what we know to what we don't. Where to from here for Strategic Airlines. Well a name change for starters, a new advertising campaign, a greater variety of media vehicles, with a new message and well a new target audience to go with it, or a change in destination, whatever is cheaper and more beneficial in the long run. Speaking of which, the long run, where do we see soon-to-be former Strategic Airlines? Flying high or grounded on the tarmac? I guess that is now in the hands of CumminsRoss.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-udZV3r6tEqc/TVpOoPeVjKI/AAAAAAAAA2A/Ly0Tp5r8DVM/s1600/strategic.png

*Good note: BandT.com.au

Creative & Funny Ads for the Week

Upon finding some ads that made me giggle, and some that made me go "thats pretty creative!", I decided to post some amazing ads every week...or at least I will try to do this on a weekly basis. So for this weeks edition...enjoy!

The story of 42 Below Vodka

New Zealand based 42 Below Vodka went from making absolutely no profits, to being an internationally recognized (and loved) brand. The company's rapid growth has been accomplished through "viral marketing," or using person-to-person selling without the originator's involvement, through the use of web-based postcards, text messages promoting company events, and "virals". In doing so, however, the company has also engendered controversy over its ads and executive statements.

This is a story of Pink Dollars, Russian brides, fake blogs, and online wars. The story features a company that breaks the rules of image and relationship management, and doesn't "give a toss" about the consequences; of the praxis of public perceptions and public relations; and a look into a place where corporate social responsibility is not only honored, it is blatantly disregarded. This is the 42 Below story.

Social (Advertising) Network

Advertising through a feature film format (and I don't mean like the yellow Camaro aka Bumblee Bee in Transformers)....who would have thought of such an idea ! Well Nike Basketball did.
We as marketing and advertising students are taught that points of differentiation is key - Cutting though the noise - among many other concepts and principles. With this in mind, I will bring to your attention the latest advertising strategy utilised by Nike Basketball 'Kobe Bryant is the Black Mamba' starring Kobe Bryant as 'The Black Mamba', Danny Trejo as 'The Crippler', Bruce Willis as 'Míster Suave', Kanye West as 'The Boss' and directed by Robert Rodriguez. This star studded line-up have come together to create a 6 minute feature film to advertise one of basketball's greatest players, Kobe Bryant's...wait for it... the latest shoe in his line. Which should come as no surprise seeing as Kobe Bryant has an amazing pull over aspiring basketball players and those who just want to be Kobe (on or off the court).

Information stop: For those of you who are not aware of Kobe Bryant and his alter ego 'The Black Mamba', simply put he has a killer focus on the basketball court and the ability to strike with speed and precision, much like his namesake the venomous Black Mamba snake.

Like any advertising strategy, there are the initial questions of: How are we going to reach our consumers? What media vehicles will we use? When should the film be released? Which media vehicles, in which order?
Personally, I believe Nike Basketball did an amazing job in choosing the right media vehicles and strategy behind the release. Like any feature film and true to hype building, they were 30 second trailers on the Nike website, Facebook page, YouTube and various fan blogs. This, believe you me, sent fans crazy. All anticipating the release, just as much as Nike VP of global marketing, Davide Grasso.

True to IMC concept, they released it through a few different media vehicles. There was the Nike Basketball event, where the sponsored players, feature film stars and executives etc attended and saw it first hand, and a simultaneous release in cinemas in the LA region and Nike Basketball's Facebook page. There will also be support through using print, out-of-home and cable television channels and of course YouTube.

For more info see: Nikebiz

Information stop: The release also coincided with the 2011 NBA All Stars Weekend (18-20 February 2011) which was being held in LA at Staples Center, home of Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers. The All Star Weekend is when the top NBA players from the East and West Conference, as voted by the fans, play one another for bragging rights.

I myself came across the film on my Facebook page, when a friend has posted the video and it appeared in my news feed. Being an advertising student and an avid NBA fan and a Lakers and Bryant fan, I took immediate interest in the strategy behind it all and how the social network is bringing the advertising world together.  


You be the judge...watch the video!

  

Top 10 Creative Billboards...

We see hundreds of them, but can anyone ever recal even one? If you see these, you will.