Pedigree Bus Shelter

Image Retrieved From: http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/2012/03/pedigree-bus-shelter.html

Pedigree has created an interactive bus shelter.  During the month of March in Trinity Bellwoods Park, Ontario dog walkers can find poop bags at the closest bus stop courtesy of Pedigree.  The goal was to promote Chicken & Rice + Dry Food with prebiotics.  The copy reads, "Help keep your dog regular".  A hhealthy digestive system is step one in keeping your dog healthy and "regular".  Unfortunately, the only method to check for a healthy digestive system is by examining your pooch's waste.  The Pedigree bus shelter offers an opportunity to check your pup's waste with transparent poop bags.  If it turns out that your dog is having digestive issues, the solution is on the shelter.  Buy Pedigree dog food and your dog will be healthy and "regular".

So, the Pedigree bus shelter not only disseminates advertising messages, but it reminds the consumer to be conscious of their dog's health.  This marketing communication technique is effective.  In that, the consumer associates a positive attitude with Pedigree because Pedigree is worried about their dog's health and provides a way to ensure a healthy dog.

Headline in photo: Help keep your dog regular.
Agency: BBDO, Toronto, Canada
Creative Directors: Gagne/Dave Stevenson
Art Director: Rebecca Dunnet
Writer: Shiran Teitelbaum

Information Retrieved From: http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/2012/03/pedigree-bus-shelter.html

Quiksilver Redefines Interactive Ads

Quiksilver is a skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding clothing and apereal compnay.  The company caters to action sports youth.  Quiksilver has teamed up with advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi to create an interesting take on traditional outdoor advertising.  Creative Director Simon Woller helped to devolope an outdoor advertising campaign that raises the standard for interactive ads. 

There are three vairations to Quiksilver's campaign, two skateboard ads and one surfing ad.  The skateboard ads are make up of actual skateboard obstacles that would be found at a skateboard park.  Skateboarders and adreniline junkies can actually ride the advertisements. This idea redefines interactive ads.

Skateboarding is illegal in many cities and skaters are are often chased out of private city areas.  Quiksilver not only successfully conveys advertising messages,  but it provides a place for riders to congregate and ride the obstacles/advertisements.

In this campaign, Quiksilver's target audience are young skateboarders and surfers.  The ads are highly segmented in a way that only skateboarders would be intereinterested in riding the skateboard obsticles.  Therefore, the people buying Quiksilver products are the ones interacting with the ads.

Another positive element is that the ads have a long exposure.  Because they are expensive and time consuming to put up, outdoor ads have a longer shelf live than other forms of advertising like print or broadcast.  Skateboarders can revisit the advertisements time and time again for fun provided by Quicksilver.

                         

  Images retrieved from:  http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/2007/03/quicksilver.html

Google Spent $213 Million on Advertising in 2011

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google spent over $70 million on TV ads last year in the United States alone, representing about 1/3 of the estimated $213 million that Google spent advertising all together in 2011.  In 2010, Google only spent approximately $56 million on advertising, jumping almost 400% in 2011.  The majority of Google's spending was for online ads, but the company also used newspapers, magazines, and TV ads.  

Much of Google's marketing centered on Google+, aiming to introduce its new social network to audiences.  Google took out a full page ad in the New York Times after the Dalai Lama joined Desmond Tutu in a Google+ hangout. 

Google also ran several TV commercials for Google+, including ones that ran during a Thanksgiving day NFL game, over the Christmas holiday, and The Academy Awards broadcast.  This commercial showed the Muppets singing their way through a Google+ hangout.  Google also ran a number of commercials advertising Google Chrome, (and my personal favorites), inducing "Dear Sophie," Lady GaGa, and Justin Bieber. 

I'm sure most of this money went to paying the two biggest pop starts in the world.. GaGa and Beiber. 

Check them out here:

Source: http://marketingland.com/report-google-spent-213m-advertising-itself-in-2011-including-70m-on-tv-ads-87175

Progressive's Fun-Filled "Best Day Ever" website

People feel very strongly about Progressive Insurance's TV spokeswoman, Flo. They either love her or despise her. Like her or not, though, she's certainly been an effective addition to Progressive's business - the number of new policies with Progressive has increased every year since Flo was first introduced in 2008 (WSJ.com)

Progressive recently introduced a new website, entitled "Flo's Best Day Ever," that plays off its popular "Best Day Ever" commercial.

There are many ways for visitors to interact with the Progressive brand through the new site's content. The website centers around a full-length animated music video for the "Best Day Ever" song. The site also offers a free download of the song. In addition, there is an Instagram photo page for visitors to submit their "Best Day Ever" photos, and links to Flo's and Progressive's Twitter and Facebook pages.

I think this website is going to be an effective addition to Progressive's media mix. It offers so many ways for people to be exposed to the Progressive's products and services, all while staying lighthearted and fun (two things normally not associated with car insurance). There are elements of advergaming (the Instagram photo contest), a viral video, and incentive to visit the company's social media and other sites for more information.

The car insurance industry is certainly competitive, and there is a major shift to appeal to young adults getting their own car insurance for the first time. With this website, I think Progressive will be able to compete with other major players like Geico, State Farm, and Allstate.

Chipotle making Eco-Friendly Lunch Bags

Seeming how I discussed Chipotle’s sustainable farming campaign, I thought it appropriate to blog about their newest environmentally friendly venture – the eco-friendly lunch bag. Chipotle’s lunch bags are made from recycled vinyl, used in their old billboard advertisements. The money made from the sales will go toward its charity organization – the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation: dedicated to creating a sustainable, healthful, and equitable food future. So, if you’re someone who likes to sport a lunch bag around town or someone who is always up for supporting the green movement, you might enjoy Chipotle’s latest green venture at a cost of only $18. In addition, customers who purchase a lunch bag before April 14^th will receive a coupon for 1 free Chipotle burrito to be redeemed on Earth Day (April 22^nd).

All in all, I applaud Chipotle for their efforts. I’d like to see more high-impact merchants step up to the plate and show that they care about something green that isn’t deposited into the bank. Lunch totes are practical and reusable (versus the brown paper bag I remember using as a kid). Creating the bags from recycled Chipotle billboards is not only creative, but it gives the consumer a sense of reward – that this bag is special because it’s a piece of Chipotle. As an environmentally conscious organization, more and more people will likely be drawn to the cause and want to support Chipotle because, after all, it feels good to take care of the environment!

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/chipotle-recycles-old-billboards-eco-friendly-lunch-bags-139213

http://www.cultivatefoundation.org/

Ben & Jerry's Supporting Marriages to all Ben's and Jerry's.

Ben & Jerry's UK has launched a new flavor in order to show their support of same-sex marriage. Their previous "Apple Pie" flavor has been creatively reformed into "Apple-y Ever After". I personally am happy to finally see a company outrightly say that they are supporting same-sex marriage and not really thinking twice about those who eat their ice cream who many not support this. 

This isn't the first time tat Ben & Jerry's changed their name of a ice cream flavor to show support for the LGBT equal rights. In 2009, the company took their most sold product "Chubby Hubby" and changed it to "Hubby Hubby" in order to show their response to gay-marriage passing in Vermont.

They even have taken it as far as to go to the social media. Ben & Jerry's has teamed up with a gay-rights organization, Stonewall. Together they run a website and a Facebook page where LGBT couples can "marry" on the sites and chose your partner and the option to share this among social websites including Facebook.

I personally think that what this company is doing is amazing and unique. They are notable for their support in same-sex marriage and they are not only funding their beliefs but they are promoting their beliefs, and especially with this issue is very brave. 

Do you think that Ben & Jerry's will receive any backlash ( which I'm sure they will) and to what extent?

Also, what other companies do you know of that openly support same-sex issues?

Credit: ABC NEWS

Siri Was Falsely Advertised

A New York man is suing Apple for falsely advertising Siri on the iPhone 4S. The plantiff, Frank Fazio, claims that,

"For example, in many of Apple's television advertisements, individuals are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie. In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S's Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri."

Fazio also said that Apple's Siri ads are "fundamentally and designedly false and misleading."

While I personally think Siri technology is pretty amazing, I do believe voice control is just a gimmick. Siri is inanimate. She's a piece of hardware. Do you really expect her to hear everything perfectly? Your best friend says, "what?" to your statements a million times. Why do the rules not apply to Siri?

Do you love or hate Siri?

source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,240153206,00.asp

Advertisement Analysis of Frontline Flea and Tick Spray

Retrieved From: http://www.capitalwraps.com/blog/bid/37402/Frontline-Defense-Crawls-into-Floor-Graphics-to-Deliver-Their-Message 

Creative Strategy

The target audience in this case are dog owners who shop in malls.  They probably live in suburban areas close to malls, and have a medium to high disposable income.  Golden retrievers are typical dogs of the family image.  Therefore, this ad addresses the consumer problem of keeping the family dog free of fleas and ticks. The promised benefit is that your home will he happier with healthy animals.  The support for the promised benefit resides in the copy.  “Get them off your dog”, and everyone will be happy. 

Strategy analysis

The proposed benefit; keeping your home happy with healthy pets, is indeed relevant and important to the target audience.  Families typically want to keep their loved ones healthy.  Dogs are man’s best friend and are an important to the family nucleus.  A strength of this strategy is targeting the family niche.  Parents want to maintain a healthy family.  Frontline offers a way to keep the family pet healthy, clean, and free from the burden of fleas and ticks. 

Tactics Analysis

The theme of this ad is simple; Frontline is a caring brand that is concerned about keeping pets healthy.  They have easy to use products that are readily available to purchase.  The use of large key visuals is important in this ad’s strategy.  This ad would not be as effective if it was the same size but filled with scientific facts and stats about how Frontline can help keep your dog healthy.  The nature of the ad allows for great interaction, and the amplification of fleas.  (This dog looks extremely itchy).  Furthermore this ad conveys credibility and expertise with the feeling of a doctor’s office through the use of white space surrounding the key visual.  When it comes to brand character, I picture a wholesome happy family in a big house with a well behaved golden retriever.

Brainiacs from Mars: On A Mission

 

A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV news aired a news story about an up-and-coming marketing firm called BrainiacsFromMars. The company describes its work as "high impact" and "unconventional." According the their website, BrainiacsFromMars "specialize in building headline grabbing marketing campaigns that inspire people, elevate your brand, and generate out of this world attention for your business." But the firm not only offers this advice to their clients, they have applied their strategy for their own campaign.

BrainiacsFromMars not only transform brands, they transform homes. At least they do right now. Currently, the firm is looking for volunteers to offer up their homes for billboards as part of a national campaign, similar to the popular Mail Pouch Tobacco barn ads of years past. The firm then comes in and paints the outside of the home in bold colors, adds the firm's logo, some social media logos, and even a QR code for passersby. In 3-5 days, your home could become the town's next billboard! 

But there's a catch. A good catch. If you can deal with your house being out-of-this-world bright, BrainiacsFromMars will pay your mortgage for the one month that your house is painted, which could even be extended for as long as one year! And here's one better: they will repaint your house afterwards!

A billboard home in Los Angeles, CA.
Credit: facebook.com/BrainiacsFromMars

BrainiacsFromMars CEO, Romeo Mendoza has stated that his plan is to help those families in need of mortgage assistance during this housing crisis. His goal is to transform 1,000 houses into billboards across the United States (Reuters.com). But the team isn't choosing necessarily the best location, they choose also based on the family's need. Since April 2011, Mendoza has received 38,000 applications for the program.

Two homes in Pittsburgh were being considered for this program, which is why the story was aired. It is a great opportunity for those homeowners, especially since most consideration was going to homes in Nevada, California, and Florida. If this just the beginning of BrainiacsFromMars, I can only imagine what they will come up with for future clients. I like the idea of this campaign and think that it will benefit the firm plus a ton of American families. Even if their home is used for only one month, that month without a mortgage payment is heaven-sent for a lot of families. I'm interested to see how this campaign develops and the results it produces.

Kony video an Obama campaign?

Don't, get me wrong, I am all about helping others everywhere in any way that I possibly can, but this KONY 2012 video seems a bit sketchy to me. Kony hasn't been through Uganda in years, as his biggest crimes were committed 15 years ago. I know there was no internet 15 years ago, but where was this video then?? I am NO WAY in favor of what Kony is doing. I think his crimes are disgusting, evil and most of all heartbreaking, especially when children are involved, but I am also in touch with reality. And reality says that there are much bigger issues to resolve before we hunt down one man in Africa. Which brings me to believe that this video is nothing but a mere campaign for Barak Obama's 2012 election race.

As a registered independent, I sway neither to the left, nor the right, so I have no bias towards this topic whatsoever. When I watched the 30 minute video on YouTube having absolutely nothing to do with our president, I couldn't help but notice the strong presence of Barack Obama. Here's why:

1. This video is all about hope and change, exactly what Barack Obama's 2008 campaign was about. Remember those posters??

2. The color scheme of the Kony 2012 posters. Red and blue?? Come on....

3. At 23:04 in the video, there is a picture of Kony, greatly resembling Obama's campaign poster pictures.

4. The letter signed by Barack Obama saying he will deploy troops to Africa, zoomed in right on his name.

5. At 20:03 in the video, they show a Kony 2012 sign right next to an Obama 2012 sign.

6. At 25:16 in the video, Shepard Fairey is standing right in front of an entire wall of Obama HOPE posters.

7. At 25:38 in the video, shown is a Kony sign right next to an Obama 2012 sign, again.

Watch (or skim) the video again and see if the second time around, you see what I see!

The Invisible Children...Are Now In The Spotlight

KONY 2012, has become a household name/phrase practically over night. Almost, everyone in the world has heard of KONY 2012 campaign by the Invisible Children Organization that launched almost a week ago. If you haven't, then crawl out from under that rock and take a look at what the whole entire world is talking about.
Long story short, this campaign is to support the arrest of Joseph Kony, an international criminal known to abduct and force African children into combat.

Invisible Children uploaded a 30-minute video campaigning the support of the world to help arrest Kony...and the world did just that.

The KONY2012 video, set a viral-video record of having 70+ million views in just 5 days. Which forced the company to quickly invest in a PR Firm due to their new found support and success.

This viral video is what every company dreams of for their advertising exposure. Which goes to show that it's not the money invested in the company but the content and in which you display it. Personally, I know that Generation Y is a very active member in social media and they need the sense of feeling entitled and important to something. 

Whether they meant it or not, this video was the perfect equation of how to effectively reach the digital age. 

My question is: Although this was for a wonderful cause, do you think companies will aim to mimic this viral video's strategy in order to gain the same international success? Or is this simply, just something that the world responded to?

Charlie Sheen: What a Difference a Year Makes

Exactly one year ago, actor Charlie Sheen was rambling about his "tiger blood" and "Adonis DNA" to anyone and everyone willing to interview him. He was simply a train wreck that the American public couldn't help themselves from watching.

Now, advertisers are hoping Sheen will once again draw viewers. Two new ads featuring Sheen - one for DirecTV and one for Fiat - started airing this month. Both ads primarily make fun of the former "Two and a Half Men" star and his reputation as a party animal constantly making bad life decisions.





These companies realize they are making a calculated risk in hiring Charlie Sheen to star in their commercials. On one hand, Charlie Sheen still captivates people, curious to see just what he'll do (or say) next. Also, in TV commercials, there are teams of professionals to control the image Sheen portrays - and to censor anything he says, if necessary! On the other hand, Sheen is not a "spokesman" in either ad - rather a comic foil in the storyline. Consumers may find him entertaining, but he's still a long way from being considered trustworthy.

While Sheen seems far more stable now than he did a year ago, I don't think anyone would be really surprised if he was back to making headlines for another "stunt" of his tomorrow morning. Advertisers take a chance when hiring stars for an ad campaign - a single bad decision on the part of the celebrity could force the company to pull the ads.

It will be interesting to see how Sheen's career continues to play out in 2012, and what the impact of these commercials will be. Personally, I think the Fiat ad doesn't make much sense - Sheen wasn't under house arrest - but the DirecTV ad is one of my favorite ads of 2012 so far. Keep up the good work, DirecTV and Charlie Sheen!

A Blast from the Past

Andrew Cracknell, author of the new book The Real Mad Men, recently wrote an article on The Huffington Post that briefly discussed the Creative Revolution of the 1960s (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-cracknell/mad-men-ads_b_1305136.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003#s721274&title=VW__Lemon).

Personally, I think the Creative Revolution is incredibly interesting. Roots of almost all ads that we see today, no matter the medium, can be traced back to the 1960s and what many analysts consider the birth of modern advertising. Maybe it's a mixture of a very personal love of both history and advertising, but before you can change the world you must understand where you've been and what you've done already.

Cracknell calls to mind some of the most memorable ad campaigns of the '60s, such as Volkswagen, Avis, Polaroid and Levy's, and points out that these campaigns were engineered by the same man, Bill Bernbach.

These ads were simple, concise and to the point. They were creative, thought-provoking and striking. The ads didn't talk down to consumers and assume that they were stupid. The ads engaged the audience in a conversation about the product or brand and what it has to offer.

That was the beginning. Today, we have incredibly involved and entertaining advertisements that not only inform us as consumers, but entertain and engage us. With the television show Mad Men, more and more people are finally taking more of a look into advertising, which is a huge part of the American consumerism culture.

Is Facebook's Timeline a Time Bomb?

I'm pretty sure it is safe to say that virtually everyone in the Internet has a Facebook, the social networking site that infamously overthrew MySpace out of the virtual world. Facebook, has created a brand for itself by being notable for connecting socially on the Internet with people you know through wall posts, comments and their iconic format. Facebook's original format made this company a multi-billion dollar fortune and a recipe for success. Smooth sailing for Facebook seemed to be in the horizons... Until it happened. Facebook introduced a new format, rebranding itself into not only a chronological written personal site but now also a photographic grouped new style... Say hello to the TimeLine:

Photo Credit: Google Images

Now, Facebook has inquired in a completely different format which also changed the objective of Facebook. With billions of users, a sudden change can either go really good-- or just flat out bad. I know personally that I did not invest in the Time Line yet because simply, I found it unnecessary. Maybe my outlook will change if I were to get it, but I don't have a desire too and I know I'm not the only one. But hey, I'm one of millions of millions.
But the biggest question that is going to come is: Will more people embrace this change or will the go on to neglect this change?


Have you invested in the change? How do you like the new features?
And finally, Do you think that Facebook made the wise decision of rebranding their image?