By John Waiveris - July 2005Photos by John Waiveris and Michael Schreiber"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way." – Edward de Bono, Maltese-born Psychologist and Authority on Creative ThinkingSomehow a box of "Clarinex Morning Crunch" ended up on my breakfast table this month. I am not really sure how it got there, but I can't stop thinking about it. What makes this one silly ad stand out?"The average adult is exposed to 3,000 advertisements per day." Meaningful Marketing, page 30.
Two Extremes in the MorningFirst of all, the cereal box was very clever. It's hard to throw food out - especially something we'd buy anyway. Second, the ads on the box target allergy sufferers when and where they experience their symptoms the most. Marketing textbooks might call this psychographics, but it is common sense. What are people thinking about when they read your ad...or more importantly, when and where are they most receptive to your message?Just 20 minutes after breakfast, I find myself deleting spam email messages that have nothing to do with me. I am just another name among millions and someone spent $100 to bother us. It is an inexpensive way to market - but untargeted to the point of being useless."Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight." – Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, Scottish Philosopher and Author
Look Up - Creating a Spectacle in the Sky
Fourth of July weekend is a time for fireworks, barbeques, and spending time outside. The next two ads really stood out. The first happened years ago in Albany, New York. Price Chopper was clever to have windows on a building spell out their name. Now, it's probably a little over the top - though I wonder if they earned that right by sponsoring the event. (Although we can't all sponsor $20,000 fireworks displays, perhaps there are others that we can.)
Here's another: This year on July 3rd, we were all delighted to see 5 airplanes writing words in the sky. We all ran outside and grabbed our cameras. T-A-K-E--T-H-E--O-R-E-C-K--C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-E Golly, that really makes me want to try out vacuum cleaners. On the other hand, lots of people were outside and it might have been a topic of conversation around the grill. (Anyone know how much it costs to rent 5 airplanes for a day?)"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in." – Andrew Jackson, 1767-1845, 7th President of the United States
Another Roadside Attraction
The next three examples are on the road. I really like the U-Haul truck example. They were clever to make the back of the truck the most interesting part. I followed this one in the photo for several hours and marveled at the 3D painting. It catches you at a time when you are thinking about driving and moving (and perhaps bored out of your mind).
Another example popped up at the gas station. A funny plastic ad was attached to the gas pump handle (making it a tiny bit more complicated to operate). And, amazingly it was for dialup internet access that eliminates popup ads. Maybe they are looking for wide audience appeal - but honestly, the last thing I am thinking about at the pump is dialup Internet. In contrast, there was a great ad next to the gas prices advertising a way to save 8 cents per gallon.
Finally, here is a great example of classic Americana (in Canada of all places). This giant "Muffler Man" was repainted to hold a Coke and hotdog. It inspired me to take a photo and maybe stay for a bite to eat. While I was there, several other cars did the exact same thing. I bet creating your own roadside attraction is quite profitable.
Ads are funny these days. It seems that you can't go wrong by being creative and unique. What do you think? Are there ads in your life that stand out as clever? Contact me and let me know what you think. I'll probably send you a free t-shirt.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Non-Traditional Marketing Approaches that Work
Advertising is usually the most important element in any brand marketing plan, but many companies are finding that other approaches are also effective. Some have pursued these approaches out of necessity, being unable to support national advertising campaigns, while others are just more innovative than most in developing their marketing repertoires.
Following are some examples of non-traditional marketing techniques:
• Membership Organizations (Harley Owners Group [HOG], Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Collectors Club, Pond’s Institute)
• Special Events (HOG Rallies, Saturn Owners Homecoming, Jeep Jamboree)
• Museums and Factory Tours. Examples include the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta and Las Vegas; CNN Factory Tour in Atlanta, Kellogg’s Cereal City USA in Battle Creek, MI; the American Girl Place in Chicago, the Crayola Factory tour and store in Easton, PA; the Hallmark Visitors’ Center in Kansas City, MO; the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour in Waterbury Center, VT; Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA; The Vermont Teddy Bear factory tour and store in Shelburne, VT, Dewar’s World of Whisky in Aberfeldy, Scotland; MacWorld Expo (85,000 make this pilgrimage!) and the annual Saturn owners homecoming in Spring Hill, TN.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Following are some examples of non-traditional marketing techniques:
• Membership Organizations (Harley Owners Group [HOG], Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Collectors Club, Pond’s Institute)
• Special Events (HOG Rallies, Saturn Owners Homecoming, Jeep Jamboree)
• Museums and Factory Tours. Examples include the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta and Las Vegas; CNN Factory Tour in Atlanta, Kellogg’s Cereal City USA in Battle Creek, MI; the American Girl Place in Chicago, the Crayola Factory tour and store in Easton, PA; the Hallmark Visitors’ Center in Kansas City, MO; the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour in Waterbury Center, VT; Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA; The Vermont Teddy Bear factory tour and store in Shelburne, VT, Dewar’s World of Whisky in Aberfeldy, Scotland; MacWorld Expo (85,000 make this pilgrimage!) and the annual Saturn owners homecoming in Spring Hill, TN.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Audi's New Viral Campaign is Catchy
Posted by: David Kiley on May 16
Audi has finally confessed to me what they have been up to with an oddball marketing campaign that didn’t look like an ad campaign when I first stumbled on it.
Called the Art of the Heist, the campaign began with a fictionalized theft of an Audi A3 at a Manhattan dealership in late March. To give the theft a sense of realism, an actual glass door was broken at the dealership, police tape was put up around the place and security men stood guard over a crime scene. Wildpostings went up around New York City and other cities seeking information about the stolen car. The “campaign” then morphed into cyberspace, taking over blogs and fansites of Virtual Reality Gaming, an odd but interesting past-time where cyberspace and terrestrial life inter-mingle in a mystery story. I thnk my schoolfriends who played Dungeons and Dragons obsess over these games.
This off-beat start to the A3’s launch made it into traditional TV and print ads a few weeks ago. Those ads made sense to people who hadn’t been following the game online, but each ad was tagged with an inquiry to readers and viewers seeking information abut the stolen car. That way the ad onoly made total sense to people following the game. About 125,000 people were following the game online, according to Audi, as of the first week of May.
Read my online piece about the whole Audi campaign, created by Durham, N.C.-based McKinney & Silver with Chelsea Films.
To get the full impact of the way the campaign lays out, you have to invest at least 15 minutes to a half hour to decide if you want to be sucked in to the story of this stolen car. It is a far different, and more involving, marketing effort than, for example, the BMW Films launched a few years ago. But like the BMW films, one of the beauties of these viral campaigns is that they stay up on the Internet indefinitely. That means even if an interested gamer or Audi enthusiast is interested, he or she could decide one slow night when their date cancells and there is nothing on TV, to sit down and plunge into the world of Nisha, Virgil and Ian and the stolen A3.
The hotlinks to get inot the game are StolenA3.com, Lastresortretrieval.com, and Virgilkingofcode.com — all created by Audi to support the game. Fans have also launched Web sites, such as Heist.smirkbox.com, and Argn.com, that enable devotees to follow the action.
Audi only needs to sell about 6,000 A3s this year, and about 12,000 a year for the next few years. The key for them is creating enough mystique around the cars so they can avoid slathering on profit killing rebates. If the cars perform half as well as an inventive marketing campaign, they should be pleased with the results.
Couch Potato Teens Helping Sites Like Mania TV
Posted by: David Kiley on June 13
With first quarter Internet Advertising Revenue topping more than $2.8 Billion, a 26% boost over the same time period during 2004, more ad dollars are being diverted from the TV and moved to the Net where more of today’s teens are spending time.
American Express chief marketing officer John Hayes recently said “The couch potato has been replaced by the Web surfer”. That’s going to help increasingly rich media site and portals like MSN, ESPN.com and www.ManiaTV.com, a 24/7 live Internet Television Network.
ManiaTV.com is an interesting site. It’s gone from zero to 1.5 million visitors per month since September last year. Music videos that stream, videos that can be requested, message boards, giveaways, video interviews with performers and bands, video product demos, and on and on. A lot of the stuff isn’t to my interest, but I can spot a solid creative business model when I see one. The level of interactivity and participation by visitors is impressive and progressive. Visitors with webcams can even upload their comments and join the content. So far, Levi’s, Dodge and the U.S. Navy have advertised. Check it out.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
With first quarter Internet Advertising Revenue topping more than $2.8 Billion, a 26% boost over the same time period during 2004, more ad dollars are being diverted from the TV and moved to the Net where more of today’s teens are spending time.
American Express chief marketing officer John Hayes recently said “The couch potato has been replaced by the Web surfer”. That’s going to help increasingly rich media site and portals like MSN, ESPN.com and www.ManiaTV.com, a 24/7 live Internet Television Network.
ManiaTV.com is an interesting site. It’s gone from zero to 1.5 million visitors per month since September last year. Music videos that stream, videos that can be requested, message boards, giveaways, video interviews with performers and bands, video product demos, and on and on. A lot of the stuff isn’t to my interest, but I can spot a solid creative business model when I see one. The level of interactivity and participation by visitors is impressive and progressive. Visitors with webcams can even upload their comments and join the content. So far, Levi’s, Dodge and the U.S. Navy have advertised. Check it out.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Nike's Big Butt is Bold and Beautiful
Posted by: David Kiley on August 15
Maybe its because I’m not a 32 waist, but this new ad from Nike via ad agency Wieden & Kennedy is spot on. Sure, I like Nike ads that glorify athleticism, performance and disciplined bodies too. But most of the people I see shopping in Foot Locker for new tennies have jiggly butts, imperfect thighs and barely defined abs and pecs. Call this ad “reality advertising.”
Hollywood and Madison Avenue, while still full of superficial people who don’t get it, are increasingly nodding to “real” people. The Dove campaign comes to mind, as do shows like The Practice and Ed, which in recent years featured attractive and compelling plus size actresses. Sure, there are “real” people with pecs and abs working out. I’m not anti pec. But this ad shows a greater spirit of inclusiveness, while maintaining an air of aspiration.
A few years ago I attended a writers conference and asked editors at Esquire and Men’s Health why they didn’t seem to write stuff or feature editorial that was aimed at men who will never have abs. In other words—me. They just sort of dumbly burbled that “that’s just the way it is…skinny and pretty sells.” This new Nike ad is a good chapter in a conversation that needs to continue…that a person can be healthy and lead a healthful life without necessarily having abs, pecs or a tiny butt. Heck, I still have about 60-70 pounds I’d like to lose after loising about 150. But my fat, cholesterol, etc are beyond perfect. And I can ride a bike as long as most of my ab-blessed friends.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Maybe its because I’m not a 32 waist, but this new ad from Nike via ad agency Wieden & Kennedy is spot on. Sure, I like Nike ads that glorify athleticism, performance and disciplined bodies too. But most of the people I see shopping in Foot Locker for new tennies have jiggly butts, imperfect thighs and barely defined abs and pecs. Call this ad “reality advertising.”
Hollywood and Madison Avenue, while still full of superficial people who don’t get it, are increasingly nodding to “real” people. The Dove campaign comes to mind, as do shows like The Practice and Ed, which in recent years featured attractive and compelling plus size actresses. Sure, there are “real” people with pecs and abs working out. I’m not anti pec. But this ad shows a greater spirit of inclusiveness, while maintaining an air of aspiration.
A few years ago I attended a writers conference and asked editors at Esquire and Men’s Health why they didn’t seem to write stuff or feature editorial that was aimed at men who will never have abs. In other words—me. They just sort of dumbly burbled that “that’s just the way it is…skinny and pretty sells.” This new Nike ad is a good chapter in a conversation that needs to continue…that a person can be healthy and lead a healthful life without necessarily having abs, pecs or a tiny butt. Heck, I still have about 60-70 pounds I’d like to lose after loising about 150. But my fat, cholesterol, etc are beyond perfect. And I can ride a bike as long as most of my ab-blessed friends.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Word of Mouth versus Advertising
Posted by: David Kiley on August 30
At the risk of shooting the hands that feed me, I know full well that word of mouth is far valuable to a marketer than advertising. Just ask Audi what was more important to their brand—-the advertising they ran in the late 1980s and early 90s,or the lingering word of mouth over false accusations that its cars accelerated out of control.
The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), a very interesting organization, has begun a Word of Mouth Versus Advertising blog on its website. [Thanks for the head’s up Adrants]. One entry makes a terribly obvious, but nonetheless interesting point about how a saturation ad campiagn, like the ones favored by drug companies, for example, kill word of mouth, which is far more valuable to marketers. Why? “Because people tell other people about things they think they don’t know about,” writes one poster. Good point. Another poster: “If you want to spark word-of-mouth, the first thing you need to do is realize it’s not about you. Word-of-mouth only works if your give people an amazing story to tell so that THEY are the introducer of something new, cool, different, interesting, or outrageous.” Another good point.
There are some good posters there. But I hope more people from ad agencies and marketers chime in with real-world war stories.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
At the risk of shooting the hands that feed me, I know full well that word of mouth is far valuable to a marketer than advertising. Just ask Audi what was more important to their brand—-the advertising they ran in the late 1980s and early 90s,or the lingering word of mouth over false accusations that its cars accelerated out of control.
The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), a very interesting organization, has begun a Word of Mouth Versus Advertising blog on its website. [Thanks for the head’s up Adrants]. One entry makes a terribly obvious, but nonetheless interesting point about how a saturation ad campiagn, like the ones favored by drug companies, for example, kill word of mouth, which is far more valuable to marketers. Why? “Because people tell other people about things they think they don’t know about,” writes one poster. Good point. Another poster: “If you want to spark word-of-mouth, the first thing you need to do is realize it’s not about you. Word-of-mouth only works if your give people an amazing story to tell so that THEY are the introducer of something new, cool, different, interesting, or outrageous.” Another good point.
There are some good posters there. But I hope more people from ad agencies and marketers chime in with real-world war stories.
http://bluespotmedia.ning.com/
Paraphrasing Andy Warhol
Posted by: Burt Helm on March 08 My prediction: there will come a time when everyone in the world will know someone who is competing in a user-generated video contest. It just happened to me for the first time. Disney and CareerBuilder.com are running one they’re calling the Disney Dream “Job” Contest. Users submit videos telling why they should have a job as a Disney character at one of the theme parks, and my friend Eliza is trying out for the job of Princess-in-Waiting (her video’s below). Until now, I was ready to dismiss user-gen as a fad that will peak and peter out in the next year or so. But it’s different when you witness it first-hand. I’m amazed at the rapacity with which my friend Spencer (Eliza’s boyfriend) has been going after friends and friends of friends to visit the site (how many times have you emailed me, Spencer?). It has really convinced me user-gen is giving marketers powers of attraction and engagement they’ve never had before. The person who makes the video for these contests is doing a great thing for the brand. But the entourage of viral zealots she inspires is really the thing. Why else would I, an innocent bystander, have spent the morning watching videos of people dressed up as princesses and pirates?
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