#Addys2016

Just a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Pittsburgh Advertising Awards (The Addys) with the Pittsburgh Advertising Federation as a student volunteer. As a volunteer I got to participate in judging weekend back in January. While there I set up all of the print work for the judges to review and saw which pieces won and which agencies received awards. While I dedicated almost an entire weekend of my time, it was definitely worth it and the opportunity to network with Ad Fed professionals in such a personal setting was payment enough.

As an award show volunteer, I helped with registration and handed out the awards. Brunnerworks, one of the region's biggest agencies, always walks away with the most prizes and this year was no different. Other big winners included MARC USA, Garrison Hughes and Wall-to-Wall Studios. Below are some of the print campaigns that were winners.

This year I am interning for one of the agencies that won big, MARC USA. It was exciting to see/feel the energy the agency had the next day when everybody found out the awards they had won. The above ad designed for the Roberto Clemente Museum won a gold Addy for the Agency as well as a Judges' Award of Excellence, along with this spot for Rite Aid. 

Here are a few other pictures and a link to the Post Gazette Article.

Surprise From Jay Pharoah

With competition running high, companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are always trying to produce the best advertisements and content to their customers. Pepsi chose it's New York Times Square Arby's location to run it's new campaign because it is one of their most crucial customers. The campaign featured Saturday Night Live's Jay Pharoah to revamp their new(ish) interactive soda fountain machine. The "Spire" fountain originally came out in 2014, but PepsiCo wanted to get more recognition for the "next-generation soda fountain." Jay Pharoah popped up on the soda screen as people would walk up to refill their drinks. What better way to create buzz and interact with customers than a freestyle from a known actor?

Watch the video below:

Look Up

I'm sure all of us have experienced the sudden anxiety of being separated from a cell phone, whether its from losing it in bed or going downstairs for one minute to get a glass of water. "Did someone text me? What am I missing on social media right now?" Some of us even experience what is called "phantom cell phone syndrome".. thinking that your phone is vibrating but it's really just an itch in your body sending an incorrect message to the brain that your phone is going off in your pocket. We are WAY to attached to our cell phones. Technology is constantly altering how we process information and even interactions with our friends/significant others.

This humorous Coca-Cola ad from 2014 reminds us that there is a whole different world out there in front of us. Maybe it's not so bad to look up every once and a while.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u3BRY2RF5I

Explore the World With Expedia and St. Jude

With real-time virtual reality as an up and coming trend, some companies are beginning to utilize the new platform. Expedia did a wonderful job incorporating the 3-D cameras into a campaign they did with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. These sick children aren't able to explore the world like any ordinary kid. They spend most of their days surrounded by hospital walls and doctors. Expedia wanted to give these kids the opportunity to explore the world with them. A temporary 360-degree system was installed in the hospital so patients could be virtually transported to places all over the world. This touching ad is enough to get anyone to appreciate the brands values.

To learn more, both Adweek and Adage covered the story.
http://adage.com/article/behind-the-work/expedia-takes-sick-children-thrilling-real-time-adventures-leaving-hospital/303218/

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-expedia-builds-gorgeous-vr-room-help-sick-kids-travel-world-170343

Non-profit Ads Tap into Game of Thrones Culture

Cause-related advertising has shifted toward finding new ways to target advertisements to specific audience groups in recent years. Nonprofits are trying to differentiate their causes from others vying for attention, a difficult task in today’s media saturated society. The International Rescue Committee launched a campaign March 14^th in hopes to do just that, in reaching out to fans of pop culture.

The popular HBO television series “Game of Thrones” has teamed up with the International Rescue Committee in order to raise money for real-life victims of conflict and exile. “Game of Thrones” is an epic fantasy series featuring story lines about civil war and banishment, making for a perfect partner for the humanitarian relief organization aiding refugees. This campaign will feature actors from the extremely popular show in online videos, raffle off celebrity-related experiences, and offer the chance for show merchandise for donations. Ads will appear exclusively online on the International Rescue Committee microsite, YouTube channel, and social media platforms.

The campaign will run through the series 6^th season starting April 24^th; however, the first public service announcement of the campaign has already been released. The video features actors and actresses from the show speaking individually about the struggles of refugees hoping to escape war, famine, and destruction. The campaign urges viewers to “rise up” and donate, utilizing the tagline “Rescue has no boundaries” and the hashtag #RealmToTheRescue.

This campaign is a smart decision for the International Rescue Committee. Not only does “Game of Thrones” have enormous popularity, but also a parallel of stories exists between the show and reality. A fictional story of displacement and conflict joins forces with a real-life story of the similar struggles, hopefully making it easier for audience members to create a connection to the cause and be prompted to donate. “Game of Thrones” fans make up a huge target audience in which the IRC now has access to, bringing the cause to the audience, rather than the audience to the cause. Actors in the video emphasize this story is not fantasy and they can be the heroes, rather than simply watching them on TV. Three other videos are set for release, which will take a lighter tone than the initial video. A lighter tone, along with the introduction of “perks” of winning show prizes, used for this younger audience will most likely be more successful than the initial serious tone video. Fans of entertainment want to be entertained; therefore, the IRC needs to provide something interesting to this audience in conjunction with their message in order for the campaign to be effective. 

To learn more about the International Rescue Committee and the campaign visit their website.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Marketing is much like the Wizard of Oz. When you begin to look behind the scenes and understand the motives of marketing, you will forever be aware of the tricks and tribulations advertising agencies use on consumers.

At times, I wish I still possessed the naivety of my per-undergraduate and communications study courses. I don't watch movies, read ads or look at the internet the same as I used to. Now-a-days, I am way to jaded and stubborn to admit defeat with successful marketing. When marketing is done well, and I am sold on a certain product or service, I begin the acceptance process by first succumbing to defeat; by acknowledging that I was successfully targeted and a victim of a creative campaign. Only after I admit this to myself, I begrudgingly am able to accept what I know understand as good marketing.

To give an example of this, I will forever ruin food photography for everyone. If you are aware of this, read on for enjoyment, however if this is something that you have not realized, sorry for ruining it, but I'm pulling back the curtain on Food Photography.

Faking It uncovers the glue, instant mash and unsavoury secrets of food photography

Photography is rarely an honest medium, particularly in the delectable yet deceitful world of food photography. To make things look delicious, photographers and art directors have many a trick up their sleeves, and set designer and art director Sandy Suffield has decided to fling open the doors and reveal the tricks of the trade...

More>>

Emotional New Under Armour Ad Is A Work Of Art

On Tuesday Under Armour released a brand new 90-second advertisement featuring Michael Phelps. This hauntingly artistic ad serves as Michael Phelps' emotional goodbye to the Olympics. His grueling training regimen is on full display throughout this advertisement. Phelp's raw facial expressions as he swims, lifts weights, eats, undergoes cupping therapy, and tosses in bed as he tries to sleep creates an emotional response in viewers. Audience members are mesmerized as they take in Phelps' extreme work ethic to prepare for the Olympics. This advertisement generates the sense that it is different from all other ads featuring popular athletes. There is a feeling of authenticity and genuine emotion that is rarely seen in other ads. Phelps is emotionally exposed in this advertisement, his sweat and grunts indicative of just how serious the 30-year-old legend is about his 5th, and most likely final, Olympic Games. 

This ad is part of Under Armour's "Rule Yourself" campaign, which was launched about a year ago; however, this is the first time the campaign is gaining a lot of attention. The overarching goal of the campaign is to promote Under Armour's training apparel, but there's a broader message that is speaking to athletes around the world. Within the ad, the tagline, "It's what you do in the dark that puts you in the light" is reminding people that success does not come naturally or easily. Success is only achieved through hard work and dedication, two activities Under Armour can help consumers carry out. Under Armour has perfectly captured the true nature of what it means to be an athlete, rather than just the glamor of being famous. Every athlete understands the amount of work, often with pain and stress, that must be put into a sport in order to become the best. This ad connects athletes from all different backgrounds and skill levels, from amateurs to professionals. The combination of artistic camera angles and images, "The Last Goodbye" by the Kills as the musical choice, and copywriting, is what makes this advertisement so powerful. It evokes emotions within the target audience and builds a strong connection to the brand. 

Under Armour also released a bonus video showing Michael Phelps and his fiancee, Nicole Johns, viewing the advertisement for the first time. Phelps and Johns' reactions perfectly reflect the emotions evoked by this ad. Check it out here!