Evolution commercials tell a great story

Commercials must have a natural storyline that's understandable and can be followed easily by the audience. There are a lot of really artistic spots that do this and although I question how effective these commercials were at actually contributing to an increase in sales, they're gorgeous to watch and really inventive.

JOHNNY WALKER



SATURN



GUINNESS



The Guinness clip is fantastic - I like how the product is clearly presented from the beginning and as the commercial progresses the audience is left guessing about not what the product is, but where the guys are going to.

The Saturn clip is eyecatching, but I really don't see the link to the brand. It's also probably too sexual for the blobby functionality of most Saturn cars.

The Johnny Walker clip confuses me. The commercial has nothing to do with the product or the lifestyle. It has to do with a tagline. How can you tell? Well, let's say we kept the tagline 'Keep walking' but that the brand wasn't Johnny Walker, but rather Nike. Or maybe some life insurance company. There's nothing unique about the premise but still it won a bunch of awards for the direction, CGI, and music. Bizarre.

Consumers beware of scary marketing

Journalism can sometimes sound really terrifying and kinda miss the point. It's like so many Republican spin masters and commentators being interviewed on AC 360 recently who are making these pronouncements like the US Congress needs a thorough evaluation, constituent by constituent to determine who is pro-American and who is anti-American.

Really....?...REALLY.......? This matters now?

Now, I like CityNews. I think it's a good local news platform and the broadcast is definitely exciting, entertaining, and hopefully relatively unbiased and informative. It's always had sensationalist news stories, 'Find out which foods you're eating right now are killing you...after the break!' or 'Is the TTC killing you?' or 'Why Ontario's education system wants to kill your kids!' - I just made these up, but are they really too far-fetched? lol.

However, a recent piece on the website by Michael Talbot, 'Have advertisers gone too far?', makes it clear to me now that their online platform has wholly mirrored their television broadcast for devoting attention to eye-catching but paper-thin news stories.

Citing examples of obnoxious, out-of-home, experiential advertising (including Boston's video box scandal and SMS campaigns coinciding with the launch of Dexter's new season), Talbot asserts that advertisers (no Michael, they're marketers who dreamed these up...) have "delved into shady realms" and are engaging in sinister tactics to "pry your hard earned money away."

Um...what?

So I'm in this profession because I like to sell people things they don't need and I want to impoverish them?

Of course what's not being emphasized is the considerable new value that consumers are realizing in marcoms that are relevant and meaningful to them - value derived from new technology that can touch the consumer on a one-to-one basis. And consumers are responding! There's a reason why viral, P2P, guerrilla, and SMS are done - it's because (if done well) they are effective platforms for creating buzz and awareness. The interactive forms are also strong mediums to enhance consumer relationships with brands. So why is this so scary?

Evaluate the news a little more critically - that goes for you too Michael Talbot.


(i just think this is a funny picture!)

What's the deal with Microsoft's new ads?!?

As part of a new $300 million (yes, $300 million) ad campaign to reposition itself as a friendly, approachable, and human brand, Microsoft has launched these new commercials, mini-movies really, featuring the original odd couple, Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. Seinfeld earned $10 million for his zany performance.

Here's 'Shoe Circus':



Here's 'New Family':



What's the point of this ad? I'm really confused and scared right now. It's not a feeling I like! So, why are they trying on shoes? Is it supposed to be cute and irreverent?

Does anyone think that Jerry Seinfeld is relevant anymore? Is Bill gates really a charismatic and influential individual to Gen Y? Is he really even that influential to normal consumers, who, if they're of a certain age are doing everything they can to infantilize themselves anyway and would rather buy a new Apple than a new PC.

It's just a baffling commercial because Microsoft and their agency Crispin Bogusky & Porter believes that the simple new message of Microsoft "Delicious" or "Connectivity" is best communicated by obnoxious loud mouths. Simple messages don't need such a carnival-like atmosphere to be understood. In fact by giving this campaign such a massive context mutes and muddies that simple message. The fact that the commercials are 1:30 and 4:30 long and that there is not an immediate hook to clue the audience in to the whole value prop is confusing.

Nonetheless, we're talking about it and the ads have gone viral. He's what others have said:

The Good:
Seattle Post-Intelligencier

The Bad:
Wired
Engadget
MSNBC

The Ugly:
Scoble
Fast Company

They've gone viral, but as MSNBC analyzes, the virality is negative and reinforces the perceptual challenges that Microsoft has faced in the last five years.

...because the perception, now as before, is that Microsoft just doesn't get it.

Kraft's innovative online push for Peek Freans

Marketing Mag wrote about a great new campaign today, the launch of new Peek Freans cookies by Kraft. It’s the way the campaign was executed that excites me and makes me think that this was a good innovative push. I’ve never heard of a web-based soap opera to introduce new cookie varieties! From prowling around in the campaign's Facebook page, I think it was co-created by the digital arm of MacLaren-McCann here in Toronto (nothing is safe!!!)



The message is funny and the brand isn’t taking itself too seriously. Kraft is great at branding and the modernization of Peek Freans, a 150 year old bakery with a 50 year legacy in Canada, is pretty impressive. The campaign focus is clearly women, 30-45, who are not necessarily tech-savvy but have received a viral video message from friends before. The seven-part series encourages repeat visits and there is a strong call to action to register your email on the site so that you can be notified of the next video launch (I assume weekly?). Good for CRM purposes too since this is a form of opt-in customer acquisition.

They’ve built a microsite to highlight the video campaign and I assume, the eventual release of the new cookies, Brown Sugar Blueberry with Flax and Lime Coconut with Probiotic. A few things that are missing – more information about the product please! And perhaps some coupons that I can take to the grocery store on my next visit to entice me to buy the new product…

The article talks about this campaign’s reach through other online platforms including Flickr and Facebook to add context to the more costly direct mail and in-store sampling that will be done. I hope I see more of this campaign to get the fuller picture.

Good job, Kraft and MacLaren-McCann!

Back to school marketing: High School Conformity: the Musical!!!

The back to school retail crush is the second largest moneymaker for retail stores after Christmas. It’s when teen and kids apparel manufacturers roll out the latest styles and new clothes are bought for the next school year.

From a marketing perspective, back to school advertising fascinates me because of not only the sleazy shillery used to position the retail brand as the ‘arbiter of cool’ but also because the message must appeal to both kids and their parents.

The extent of my back to school shopping will be confined to gasoline and overpriced textbooks. For this, I’m thankful because I don’t have to endure the mania and feelings of inadequacy commonly experienced by kids half my age going back to school or entering high school for the first time. I remember the trepidation and anxiety of that first day. It was like a heady brew of excitement, untested confidence, and seriously laughable preppy thug bravado.

Kids going to school have enough to worry about, so why does it seem that retail marketers are now making them worry about whether they have the right clothes? I’m also sensing that the implicit message of these ads – conformity creates credibility – has become distastefully more palatable in recent years. It’s a common truism that having cool back to school clothes is important, but the difference with these ads is that you must now have the right back to school clothes. Like the retail big-box contagion spreading commercial infection across the suburban landscape, youth personal style and individualism is being nullified in favour of The Standard.

Who is The Standard? They’re the star of the back to school ad. They’re Nietzsche’s Ubermench, only in high school. The Standard is guided as much by rationality and reason as the desire to confirm. They’re identifiable by prominent logos and popstars brandished on neutral and unoffensively coloured clothing. They take a leading but never standout role. This is the person (notice that I didn’t say individual…) who all students strive to be.

How is The Standard advertised? Pay close attention in back to school ads for any of the following portrayals of The Standard:

• 25-year olds playing high school freshman performing highly acrobatic choreography in school hallways
• Token black hip-hop dancers shown immediately adjacent to The Standard (notice that The Standard is invariably white)
• Lip syncing lame lyrics, for example “I’m going back to school, and it’s so cool”
• And finally, The Standard is always shown as fitting in among the other Standards. This is critical.

So with that short preface, let’s evaluate some of the worst offenders in back to school marketing:


SEARS: Don’t just go back, Arrive



This spot amazes me. So Vanessa Hudgens, The Standard of High School Musical has been paid to lip sync and pulsate to an over-synthesized song about going back to school. If you can’t stomach the commercial enough to watch (and I can’t say I blame you), her dilemma is that she can’t decide whether to be The Preppy, The Rocker, or The Glam on her first day back. In the final act of the commercial, these three styles merge together to create some trashy-looking excuse for an outfit.

The tagline, "Don’t just go back, arrive" is intriguing and memorable. It’s stance is almost threatening and bullish to teenagers who are asked to rise to the challenge and go back to school as an indomitable fashion force.

Effective? I’m not sure… How easily will kids remember that this message is associated to Sears? Overall, this ad really doesn’t offend me because the message still resonates with the attitude that it’s ok to have a personal style. They’re also not hocking actual articles of clothing, more like an assemblage of awkward, juxtaposed pieces.

Listen closely to the lyrics though. My biggest criticism of this ad is the lyric “Be smart, look sharp, if you’re gonna survive”…um, what???


JC PENNEY: Get the look – The Breakfast Club



At first blush, this is a pretty lame excuse for a commercial. The director has reproduced and dehydrated the original John Hughes movie down to a highly clip-focused one minute homage. They even cast kids to look like Ali Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Anthony Michael Hall. The cover version of Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t you forget about me’ kinda blows, but alright…that’s what kids listen to today.

With the exception of the campaign tagline “Get the look” which whiffs of conformity, there’s nothing really offensive about this ad. But it’s stupid right? I mean, the people for whom The Breakfast Club was a relevant movie are now in their late 30s and early 40s. Why would they care about back to school shopping..............?

Wait, so you mean this ad is really targeted at the parents and not the kids? Smart.


TARGET: The Jonas Brothers



I’m really sorry for posting this, but we’re a youth marketing agency and the Jonas Brothers are a highly influential brand to our target demographic. Nothing offensive here, other than perhaps the Jonas Brothers themselves. It’s your standard celebrity endorsement ad, not a whole lot of conformity, other than perhaps subtle message to shop at Target because that’s where the Jonas Brothers were advertised.

Effective? Maybe for teenage girls. It depends on how well they can convince their moms that celebrity endorsements are more powerful than cost-savings, so therefore they should choose to shop at Target.


WAL-MART

A bunch of ads here, all of which are uncompromising in their sleazy salesmanship and unabashed lack of morals.

#1: The Kiss



What an appeal to terrified moms fretful over how their children will be accepted and well-prepared for school. Wal-Mart’s value proposition is, of course, its cost-savings over competitors. This message is prominently made clear in the voiceover at the end. I also think that the actress playing the mom needs to lay off the Dramamine. She sounds like she’s lucid dreaming when uttering the line “that’s why I go to Wal-Mart”….no, that’s why you’re hypnotized into going to Wal-Mart!

#2: Hannah Montana



Wow…why is that 12 year old little girl dressing like she’s 23?

This is only a half-spot, 15-second commercial so it packs a small punch. The difference between this and a longer spot is that the focus is on the articles of clothing rather than the overall style (this would have required a story arc). And do kids entering school need to ‘bring it on’? Bring what on?

#3: “I can’t go with her…”



“I like your top” – there, 10 seconds in and the audience has already been informed that the reason why this new girl is allowed to sit at the lunch table with the other girls is because they think her style fits in with theirs.

And that’s really what back to school advertising is all about. Yes, I’ve left the worst commercial to the end because I think Wal-Mart really made no qualms about the message it wanted to convey in this spot. How about the line “she needs to feel good about herself without breaking my budget”? This assertion only reinforces the insecurity of many young girls to feel included and popular by having the right clothes. Obviously ‘feeling good’ comes from only having the right clothes for back to school, and not from a more intrinsic, self-derived confidence with oneself.

Wow Wal-Mart, what a stinker.

But the question that I just want answered is why is this older woman talking to herself in the middle of a busy high school hallway….?

Want to keep me off drugs? Make me laugh or make me scream! - Part II

(To set the record straight, this blogger only uses one drug, Aspirin, and does not drink or smoke anything. However, she does not mind if others do responsibly. Which is why she's writing this.)

In the previous post, I looked at the not-so-memorable and definitely not so persuasive drug ads. DARE was big in the 90s, and yet the kids donning those t-shirts are the ones harvesting mary jane in their dorm closets. Something didn't work.

There's really no way to judge whether a campaign is effective or not, because its rather impossible to track which would-be user has watched what program/worn which t-shirt. But there are definitely some ads that make you think, or gasp, or say "WOW." Recently, I think we've had some memorable ads. Both of these ads aim to stun, whether making the viewer laugh or gasp in horror. And you don't stun with words. In any film school, you are told that good film making is about showing, not telling. What we have found are two North American ads that quickly show the dangers of drug use in ways that will be remembered by the viewers later on.

This one comes from MTV. Although the network has long abandoned music and opted to be a start-up vehicle for Southern California teens turned celebrities, they have come up with this masterpiece.

When I showed this in my marketing class, I had more fun watching the faces of my classmates. They were calm, then gasped in disgust and proceeded to laugh at the mumbled punch line. The message came very quickly afterwards. Marijuana is regarded as being a "light drug" with numerous researchers arguing that it's less toxic than alcohol and that the main reason it hasn't been legalized is the difficulty of related taxation. The key here was not to get you to stop using it, but to avoid operating heavy machinery, illustrating by the severe lack of judgment displayed by the two gentlemen in the front row seats. They didn't talk about the possibility of car crashes, severe bodily harm or incestuous lip locks. They showed. Wouldn't you remember this one? Wait until you see the next.

The folks who made this have really thought it through. I can really appreciate the horror movie feel, reminiscent of the shower scene in Psycho and The Grudge. The contrast of the light bathroom, the girl-next-door and her future self, battered and crying on the shower floor, pleading for her to alter her future, actually had me saying "Holy crap!" Again, show, don't tell. She doesn't talk about the life of an addict, her images on wounds on her previously flawless face speak volumes of the dangers of meth addiction and how quickly that stage is reached.

When producing these sorts of advertisements aimed at a young audience, I think it's vital to understand the maximum power of your message and adjust accordingly. We are creatures of "do whatever we want" so telling us what to do won't help. We need information! Being condescending with ridiculous preppy afterschool specials never worked. Speaking of which, here's an example...

You can't prevent drug use or drug abuse, as some would argue, or purchases. The key is to make sure you embed these images in young minds and connect them to messages that you want to reappear when your audience is making certain decisions, be they drug use or buying t-shirts.