Funny ads are the most memorable ones

We all know that sometimes, the best part of working in advertising, can be the cultural spin offs of the ads we create. When a company generates millions of views from one ad on YouTube, you can bet that someone wants to make fun of the campaign. And why shouldn't they? By making satirical ads these people bring more brand awareness to the campaign. It could almost be considered a tip of the hat as these well known brands can make almost too amusing of ads in their own way. Take the Matthew McConaughey Lincoln ad which could be considered confusing to some. It simply has Matt driving through a city talking to himself and nowhere in the commercial are any features of the vehicle. Saturday Night Live enjoyed placing Jim Carrey in a Lincoln just to hear what he had to say:

Original:                                                                        

  Parody:

Now I know I can't be the only one who had no idea what Matthew McConaughey was trying to tell me so it was nice to see some spin offs of the ad itself. In fact, I tend to prefer ads that have a humorous aspect to them. One of my favorites is the HBO Go commercial First Cousins. It shows the ever so awkward moments of watching a TV drama with the family and some unbearable moments that come up. That is, the awkward scenes:

I think these fun ads are more likely to be spread on social media as well. How many times have you shared a funny upcoming Super Bowl commercial or an ad that just hit your funny bone? Another thing to consider when creating these ads is if they will be considered in poor taste or controversial. Take Ragu's Long Day of Childhood campaign as an example created by agency BFG9000. The premiere of an ad called Parents Bedroom gave Ragu the sixth spot for trends on Twitter the day it aired but also became host to controversy. What do you think of this Ragu ad? 

Finally, there are just some ads that can be fun while having a serious message. This Similac US ad was praised for drawing users in for an important message.

Advertising's Next Big Thing, is Journalism??

By Talia Kirkland

As I searched through the web attempting to find some enlightening and/or innovative content, I was bombarded by the multitude of Kim Kardashian Super bowl previews. Page after page, I stumbled across the same few dozen topics; a handful of “GoDaddy” rants ridiculing the site for promoting animal cruelty (as if the company is known for setting the standard for moral content). And a few more posting regarding the Big Ad Show, I mean Super Bowl Sunday.

And yet, no matter how sensationalized the post none of these stories seemed to be prominent or relevant to the industry as a whole. But after an hour or so I was ready to succumb to the celebrity of Kim K. and discuss the ever so interesting topic of “selfies” and data plans.

Then it hit me like a breath of fresh controversy. There is was right in front of my face:

Link

Sponsored ads the next big thing in advertising are “Sponsored Ads”! I could hardly believe the novelty in the headline of the “article”.  

As I began to read the advertisement for the October edition of adage.com I could feel my heart begin to pound. This advertisement read as if it were an authentic, editorial written by a journalist. If it were not for the banner dismissing the authenticity, the average web junkie may proceed with readings thinking wow Microsoft is dominating the tech world.

So just how many of these ads slip through the cracks, how many of these “ad-ditorials” go unnoticed.  I mean this article alone had 324 shares; it’s uncertain how many views. I received my undergraduate degree in journalism like thousands of other individuals who may take offense to this practice.

But is this deception? Well according to the advertisement industry not only is it not deception, but it’s also not a trend. This form of “sponsored content” or native advertising is here to stay. According to article on AdAge.com by Michael Sebastian, the ad industry has made a lucrative profit from this practice. “Media companies say they've struck gold in the form of content marketing,” said Sebastian. And the times reported a 16.5% increase in digital-ad revenue during the third quarter -- the three-month period from July through September -- compared with the same time last year. Fueling the increase, which nearly offset declines in print advertising, was its native-advertising product Paid Posts.

Check out this advertisement from Netflix advertising their new season of Orange is the New Black which was featured in the New York Times, one of the nation’s most esteemed newspapers. The ad entitled, “Women Inmates: Why the Male Model Doesn't Work” was not only enlightening but factual. But why go through such lengths?

Well that answer is quite simple from my perspective; I am tired of the same old traditional form of advertising funny dog stories no longer excite me. But this copy driven form of advertising reaches the intellectuals or least everyone who deems themselves an “intellectual."

When Advertising and Journalism Collide 

Advertisers + Journalist = Funny 

Television Ads and Giving Celebrities a New Personality

The most recent Geico television ads with Ickey Woods really showcased to me the ability that tv ads have in giving celebrities/ ex-pro athletes a new chapter in their fame.  I'm sure we are all familiar with the Geico commercial where the ex-Cincinnati Bengal celebrates with his infamous "Ickey Shuffle" at the deli when his number is called to pick up his beloved cold cuts.  In the wake of this hit ad, Geico has come out with a few more cold cut-themed ads with Mr. Woods and I get a kick out of them every time.

Its pretty amazing to me how advertisiers have this ability to give  celebrities this fresh and new image.  If you would have asked a random person on the street who Ickey Woods was in June, I am sure they would have had a difficult time coming up with a response let alone saying he used to play in the NFL.  Then again, they may still have a hard time today but if you mention the phrase "cold cuts," I can only imagine how bright the lightbulb would go off above their head.  Theses Geico ads have certainly given Ickey this new chapter for his career under the spotlight.

I look at the Direct TV ads with Rob Lowe the same way.  While Rob Lowe has remained under the spotlight much more consistently than Ickey, I am a firm believer that Direct TV has recharged Mr. Lowe's celebrity battery with his quirky characters "Painfully Awkward Rob Lowe", "Super Creepy Robe Lowe", and " Crazy Hairy Rob Lowe".  Although, I'm sure the Parks and Recreation fans would like to think otherwise.

The advertising industry can be very influential.  Not only with the messaging, branding, and promoting that happens with the industry's day-to-day grind, but with the ability to create these new characters and giving old characters a tune up by associating them with a brand, image, or idea.  I can only imagine how many times Ickey has been stopped in the grocery store deli over the past few months.

Mobile Ads: To Free or Not to Free?

In a world where people are glued to their smartphones, what better way is there to connect with customers than to advertise on their phones?  More and more these days, brands are reaching out to their customers with apps, popups, and in-app ads.  But is this the right way to go?

In-app advertisements, in particular, are a double-edged sword.  Certainly, it's true that more and more people don't want to pay for games and apps, particularly on Android's OS.  To solve this problem, the developers use the advertisements to pay for the app instead.  However, there are many people who find these ads incredibly annoying, and sometimes there isn't even an option to pay to get rid of the ads.  Even those who wouldn't pay still might get annoyed by the ads and have a negative opinion about the brand or product being advertised.

Does this mean that advertisers should avoid using mobile ads?  Not necessarily.  It just means that as the trend continues to go this way that they'll have to focus on improving the types of ads the consumer receives on a mobile app and continue to improve the experience.  If they can find ways to make it less annoying, whether it be through a different way of receiving the ads or simply just a better, more aesthetically pleasing design.

This is still a relatively new frontier, and there will surely be many improvements to come, as advertisers these days need to be on cutting edge.

John Oliver and Native Advertising

Comedian John Oliver on his show Last Week Tonight recently questioned companies’ means of using native advertising. He argued that “…the trendy marketing practice is a threat to the editorial independence of newsrooms, tends to mislead readers, erodes trust, and is a disturbing symptom of the broader financial problems hampering print news organizations as they adapt to the Web” (Gillette, 2014, para. 1).  

Link to video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_F5GxCwizc

Oliver notes that many companies have gone into the native advertising game because it is very “lucrative” (“Last Week Tonight,” 2014). For Buzzfeed, 100% of their revenue comes from branded content (“Last Week Tonight,” 2014). Some companies say that native advertising is fine as long as it is clearly marked, but what Oliver points out is it is often not clearly marked and consumers cannot determine what is native advertising and what is actually news (“Last Week Tonight,” 2014).  

Link to picture:

http://paidpost.nytimes.com/netflix/women-inmates-separate-but-not-equal.html

Oliver gave the example of a New York Times article titled “Women Inmates: Why the Male Model Doesn’t Work”, which looked like a real article but was in fact a paid post for the Netflix show Orange Is the New Black (“Last Week Tonight,” 2014). Oliver compared this article to Katy Perry’s song “Roar” saying, “It’s like hearing the one Katy Perry song that you like. You think, sure, this is the best possible iteration of Katy Perry, but it still feels wrong to be listening to this” (“Last Week Tonight,” 2014). The problem, Oliver says, is that companies are not going to be as clear with their native advertising as the New York Times, so it could erode the trust with consumers who are unable to distinguish between real news and paid advertisements (“Last Week Tonight,” 2014).

Personally, I don’t feel native advertising should exist. I cannot tell when an ad is real or if it is an actual story and I don’t want to be played, in a sense, by the company into believing something is real when it is not. I don’t think there is a way to make native advertising less deceptive. The only way would be to mark the ad very distinctly that it is an advertisement, however, I still feel that companies would try to deceive.  

Gillette, Felix. (2014, Aug. 5). Native-Ad Experts Critique John Oliver’s Harsh Critique of Native Advertising. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-05/ad-industry-execs-weigh-in-on-john-olivers-native-advertising-takedown

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (2014, Aug. 3). Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Native Advertising (HBO). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_F5GxCwizc

Coca-Cola creates friendship with Friendly Twist video

No other company is quite as good when it comes to making fun new marketing ploys to test with consumers than Coca-Cola. Last year Coca-Cola placed vending machines on college campuses that dispensed Coke bottles with newly designed bottle caps. The twist, as it pans out, is you need to make a friend in order to open the bottle and enjoy the product. This allowed Coke to design a consumer friendly cap that allowed college freshmen to mingle with fellow students and enjoy their product at the same time. Take a look at the video below. What made this ad so successful?

Branding YOU

At my internship we are launching a new social media campaign and trying to establish brand identity through technology and social media. As an intern, it was my job to research successful social media campaigns in regards to branding. As I was researching, I came across an interesting article that was titled "Personal Branding 101." The first sentence began explaining that it is effective to conduct a personal SWOT analysis. This intrigued me and made me think about how we are so concerned, especially in our last semester of college about finding a job. Along with paying off my school loans, the one thing that I am most afraid of when graduating from college is finding a job in my field. I have learned so much at Duquesne, and now I want to put it to use in a real world setting. It scares me to look around at how many other people have the same ambitions that I do, and who are graduating with the same degree. 

In advertising, we spend so much time focussing on branding and promoting our client. This article really gave me insight on branding myself. Advertising is more applicable to our everyday lives than just what we do for our classes or our future employer. Advertising ourselves in a positive way could be the reason that we reach our goals in life or get the jobs that we want. The first step was defining goals and aspirations. I saw that as how a client would define to an agency what they want the campaign to cover, and what they want the end result of the campaign to be. The most important thing I got out of this article was assess yourself. I feel as though we are always so caught up in the next thing that we are supposed to be doing, and we are always on the go. This article emphasized the importance of knowing where you stand, and how you can get to your goals. We all want jobs in a field related to advertising, but it is crazy how much advertising can relate to us as people as well. 

Starbucks and Meeting Up

Starbucks has recently launched a new campaign to help people with their communication problems. The ads are entitled "Apology," "Date" and "Kick." They have the sounds of people talking at what could be a Starbucks location, but the people are not seen. Rather, a text message conversation is shown as a text translation of what the people are saying, but it becomes apparent that there is more being said than can be seen in a text.

The focus of this campaign is to push people to meet up instead of chatting in a text. At the end of each ad, the text "Sometimes the best way to connect is to get together," can be seen. It is followed up with the Starbucks logo.

In today's society so many people rely on sending texts as the dominant way to communicate, but this ad clearly illustrates that face-to-face communication is more powerful and meaningful. Starbucks wants you to spend more time sitting in their coffee shop than running around and communicating via text message.

What Has Tricycles, Trophies, Wheelbarrows, and is Orange All Over?

The answer is Brunner.

This past semester I interned at said advertising agency as the Account Management Intern. Jumping into an agency, as it turns out, is just as confusing as moving into a completely new culture -- new language, new customs, new attitudes. I had no idea, what so ever, as to what I was supposed to do, how I would fit in, or even where I was supposed to go and I nearly broke my neck tripping over a tricycle when I came through the elevators and stepped out into the art-deco lobby with the big, floating staircase suspended in the middle. The orange walls were as welcoming as they were intimidating, warm yet obviously purposeful -- scary for someone who felt like they had no purpose being there (just yet). I can't forget to mention, either, the wheelbarrows tucked away under the staircase loaded with trophies, which was one of the most exciting things to see, realizing at that point that I was stepping into an environment that not only was scary and new, but competitive and recognizable in the industry.

My first day wasn't too overly terrifying. Meeting the new interns who were clearly just as lost as I was made me feel much better. None of us even knew how to fill out our I-9 and W-2 forms. Talk about the blind leading the deaf. That's what HR is for, I guess -- the seeing eye dogs of new hires.

When we were told that the intern project was going to be suspended that semester, we realized it was our chance to shine and to make something of our lost-puppy-like appearances. Contacting a local anti-bullying, musical comedy act, The Josh & Gab Show (later, just Josh+Gab), we jumped head first into a complete rebranding effort, along with apparel design, flier design, posters, mailers, website overhaul etc... Being the main point of contact between the Brunner Intern Agency and Josh and Gab, I was responsible for communicating, as clearly as possible the desires of Josh and Gab to everyone.

Anyway, a long story made semi-short, you can see some of the projects we developed and handed over to Josh and Gab below (note: The bright blue and pink logo "The Josh & Gab Show" found in the top left of the first image is the old logo. Everything else you see is brand new).

What's Really in a Name?

(Courtesy of Cargo Collective)

-Talia Kirkland 

What's really in a name?

I mean Jay Z and Beyonce have managed to justify naming their child,Blu Ivy. And close pals Kim Kardashian and Kanye West pulled off naming their new bundle of joy, NorthWest.

But, what about naming your own company, is that somehow different?

If you were asked to develop a name of your own company in one day what would you call it?

Well, I'm no expert but I can relate to this bizarre question. My team and I were given one week to construct a company name for a class project. And I thought to myself this does not add up. Jay Z and Beyonce were given nine months and that's the best they could come up with; and we they have at least a dozen Grammy awards.

So really what is in a name? And how do you name your own company?

A group of young social-media marketers in Paris recently went with Kids Love Jetlag, which joins sister agencies Hello, Sunshine and Furious Monkeys as part of France's eccentric Fred & Farid Group.

After hearing that peculiar name, here is a compiled list of outlandish agency names: 40 Strangest Agency Names.

So now that we know where some of the strangest names come from, where do creative agencies get their names from? Rob and Joe of Cargo Collective decided to analyses the names of some well-known agencies and work backwards, to create this impressively complex Taxonomy of Advertising Agency Names.

Just for fun... lets watch the Ad Game?  (click video below)

NFL for the Entire Family

Although most of the football buzz is surrounding the upcoming Super Bowl and the advertisements that will take place for this event, this NFL Shop TV Spot is one of my all time favorite commercials. Not only does this commercial advertise a brand, being NFL gear itself, it does so in an indirect way, by not mentioning the product that is being advertised until the end of the commercial. I like when advertisers take this approach because the video grabbed my attention and got me interested, without pushing a product or pressuring me to purchase something right away.

Another thing I like about this particular ad is that it is only 30 seconds long, but in that time frame the NFL Shop tells a story that families can relate to, while advertising their product, which is NFL apparel, at the end of the spot.

My favorite thing about this video is that it incorporates family and football, which are two things that I believe will resonate well with audiences of many demographics. The NFL reaches millions of fans each year, so by putting a family spin on this particular TV spot, people will be able to relate to their favorite team, while also bringing memories of how they began following that particular team. NFL Shop TV Spot

10 Million for a Super Bowl Commercial?

This year the price of an ad that will run during the Super Bowl increased $500,000 or 12.5% from last year (Smith, 2015, para. 1). Companies are now buying the spots at $4.5 million (Smith, 2015, para. 1). Seth Winter, an NBC executive, said 95% of the ad inventory for 30-second spots have already sold (Smith, 2015, para. 1). What made headlines was the fact that Winter said this asking price was actually a “steal for advertisers” (Smith, 2015, para. 1). The reason for this is that with online views, and other PR around the advertisement the actual value is around $10 million (Smith, 2015, para. 1).  

“We did an analysis around last year’s Super Bowl that Fox ran, and our analysis showed that with all of the video distribution pre- and post-game, the value of the PR, the value of all of that which advertisers used to activate around their investment that it reached a very solid good foundation number of $10 million” (Smith, 2015, para. 2).

(Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4 )

The Super Bowl is important for advertisers, as it is a time when viewers actually tune in to see ads. Viewers even have a strong brand recall after seeing these ads (Smith, 2015, para. 5). When an ad is seen during the Super Bowl it can then be passed around on social media, viewers can re-watch it on YouTube, and media coverage can spread the ad even more. For example, Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” ad has almost 55 million views on YouTube (Smith, 2015, para. 6). Therefore, even though this year’s price for a 30-second spot has increased from last year, it is a 44% discount on what the “fair base price of a 30-second spot ought to be” (Smith, 2015, para. 11).

I definitely agree with Winter’s comments on the value of a Super Bowl ad. Not only do people talk about the ad after it is shown, but if the ad is liked by many viewers it is remembered well after that year’s Super Bowl. For instance, one of my favorites was the following Volkswagen commercial. 

(Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIMWeKO5U8o )

The video went viral in 2012, but yet three years later I am still talking about it with my friends.

Smith, Chris. (2015, Jan. 16). Could A Super Bowl Commercial Really Be Worth $10 Million? Surprisingly, Yes. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2015/01/16/could-a-super-bowl-commercial-really-be-worth-10-million/

McDonald's Signs Ad: Appealing to the Emotions

McDonald's recently released a pretty unique ad in which the subject of it pertains to multiple McDonald's store signs across the country that show messages of hope in response to American tragedies such as the Boston Marathon Bombing, 9/11, and the Columbia space shuttle crash.  A video from CNN Money (link here http://money.cnn.com/video/investing/2015/01/12/mcdonalds-new-ad.cnnmoney/) discusses the various reactions the American public has expressed in response to the ad, mentioning that the majority of people on Twitter had mentioned the ad was in poor taste.  One guy on Twitter even mentioned the ad had more poor taste than the McRib (thought that was pretty witty).  But, the video also mentions that ad agencies are giving major props to McDonald's for the ad, as it showcases how cut into the American fabric the brand actually is.  One thing that was mentioned in the video that I was not aware of, is the fact that McDonald's stock and sales are at a significant low at this point.

To me, this is nothing more than McDonald's trying to appeal to the emotions of its American consumers with a popular pop song by Fun. and stills of various signs across America showcasing how McDonald's has America's back, in an effort to lure people back under the Golden Arches.  Nothing wrong with that, but maybe McDonald's should be looking to aim their message strategies toward a more product-centered agenda.  Ad agencies are right.  McDonald's is cut into the American fabric.  Its one of the most American things in existence, right up there with apple pie, Chevrolet, and baseball.  But, so is obesity and sedentary lifestyles, which is kinda sorta related to McDonald's huh?

McDonald's made a smart move with this one.  They know exactly what triggers the emotions of the American public: American pride.  Especially in the wake of American tragedy.  Is it enough to get people to come back to McDonalds' and indulge on the McRib?  Uh maybe not, and judging by people's reactions on Twitter, the answer is probably not.  If Mickey D's wants people to come back, I'm thinking the product is going to need an overhaul.  But then again, who will actually be headed to McDonald's for pita bread and hummus? Stranger things have happened though.

    

How Oreo won the 2013 Super Bowl

While officials were trying to restore power to the Superdome during the 2013 Super Bowl one of the advertising agencies of Oreo, 360i, raced to come up with a social media concept to be used. The result, a fun poke at the power failure, generated over 15,000 retweets and more than 20,000 likes on Facebook. Agency 360i provided a perfect example of how a quick reaction to a specific social event can lead to practically free marketing with the buzz it created. Almost immediately after the tweet news agencies wrote articles on how Oreo "won" the super bowl with their clever ad. So what made this possible? Oreo had a brand team on stand by ready to react to any amazing play or, in this case, a power failure. About half an hour after play resumed Oreo tweeted the "You Can Still Dunk In The Dark" tweet. This should be an example to other advertising agencies that having a get together for these big social events can prove themselves worthy of an excellent marketing idea.

https://twitter.com/Oreo/status/298246571718483968/photo/1