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.