what were Jell-O thinking?

So Jell-O have come up with a unique way of launching their new product range solely targeted at adults, by creating a vending machine that only dishes out the goods to adults. Unique and definitely effective, but when reading this article by Dale Buss Jell-O tempts adults (no kids allowed) he makes a very valid point by targeting   exclusively to them they are ignoring their main target market which is kids. If you think about Jell-O is more of a kids treat than adults and that would explain their extreme positioning but how does this affect their brand in the long run?
It's important to remember your strengths before completely re-inventing yourself.
To add to this, check out the video talking about the campaign, those kids do not look like happy little campers. 

The return of the Old Spice Man

Ok so I like Will Arnett...most of the time and I can understand times are a bit tough with some of his recent ventures not doing all that great, but when I see an ad where you have a smart, wise-cracking guy telling you what to do I only think of one thing and that's the Old Spice Man. To be fair this may not be intended, either that or Old Spice did just so well that it is has been ingrained in my sub-conscious, in fact they did so well they can't live up to it themselves!
But coming back on track...When i saw this ad for AT&T all I could do was compare it to Old Spice (sorry AT&T).

But on the bright side Isaiah Mustafa is back!! Even if it's only for a Christmas campaign :-D
Are Old Spice in need of so much help that they had to bring him back? I'm not complaining, being an obvious fan, but it might help do the brand some good after their last couple of failures, would it be too much to hope that they actually keep him this time?

Nando's trying to hard?

There are some companies which thrive on scandal and there are others which ... well, don't.

For example Nando's latest ad is designed around the shock factor, does it need such extensive help to sell its chicken?

The concept of the ad is pretty normal, and true it has been done before making it so much harder to come up with something original, and while this certainly fits the bill it is a tad necessary.

There are other brands out there of which we expect them to be controversial, but Nando's is a family restaurant and while it may sell some chicken (?) you got to wonder what it does to its image.

Samsung the next big thing?

I think this is one of the boldest ads I have seen in awhile and that's also by Samsung.

Their phone designs have been eerily similar to the iPhone and the constant comparison to a certain extent have lacked originality.

But in this ad Samsung takes advantages of these similarities to display a direct comparison with its biggest competitor and depict exactly why their phone is better.

Definitely a bold move by them and certainly illegal in some countries but it does make a point.

Sure it may look better, and have a larger screen etc...but what about its functionality and that's why most people love the iPhone.

All about Appearances

A special edition Barbie doll has raised the ire of parents and not because of her un-realistic proportions but because she has pink hair, wears leopard print stockings and has is tattooed. This Tokidoki doll is iconic, funky and pays homage to Tokidoki an Italian based, Japanese - inspired brand.Parents are not too pleased with the deception of the doll as it is a far-cry from her normal appearance, although I find this to be more realistic than her normal plastic self. Is it just or are parents these days more (over) protective? Just because tattoos appear on a doll doesn't mean children don't know they exist or what they are. Barbie normally in itself should be of concern with her un-realistic depiction of the female figure. In that case isn't it much simpler just to stop the production of Barbie dolls??

Speaking of appearances Motorola is very excited to be re-introducing an all brand new Razr, an ultra-thin smartphone with head - turning innovation. Now while this sounds great, and the phone must look fantastic as well, this is not the early 2000's where the Razr initially made a mark. Motorola has to compete with the iPhone and Android phones where its combination of functionality with style and not too mention the intense brand loyalty these phones have...it's more than just about appearances..So can they do it?

Name your own can

I just came across this promotion being run by Coca Cola in Australia. For the first time Coca Cola has changed its packaging and instead of the brand name has a selection of 150 names representing the diverse cross-section of Australia's population, and by the off-chance your name is not mentioned you can have it printed on the can (what an amazing memento to have!). This promotion was supported by an online campaign of sending a virtual customized can to your friends via a Facebook app. The beauty of this promotion is that it merges Coca-Cola's spreading happiness campaign with its core branding principles while simultaneously engaging and rewarding its fan-base. It is very difficult to find a promotion that supports branding principles while engaging with fans/customers on such a core level. The fact that they have never changed their design except to have your name on it, would really resonate with the people. It's no wonder that Coca-Cola are the #1 brand. 

Puss in Boots & Successful Branding

I have blogged a lot about the Old Spice guy and my total adoration for the concept and the ads, just to be clear the ones featuring Isiah Mustafa. So when Puss in Boots spoofed the idea to promote the movie, how could I not just love it??
Puss and Old Spice guy have so much in common, the cockiness, the attitude and the fact that most women just adore them. The idea is simple promote the character without actually promoting the movie, the spoof 'trailer' sells itself.
It's one of the few copies of the concept that have actually been successful, it's simple and sticks to the main selling point isn't that what branding is all about?

Ads: What were they thinking?!

Ok so when I saw these ads i was literally like what were people thinking?!

The first one was for LG's new oven which is to be 6 times hotter... so the ad depicts a cow being slaughtered by lil demons I think possibly in hell...and I get what they are trying to go with here about the efficiency of the oven, with 'hell' being a metaphor for the oven etc. but all I can think about is poor cow...i mean honestly what the cow do right? Even though it may be an artistic representation the cow definitely does not look happy, so it kind of detracts from the ad's effectiveness.

The second one is a Nissan ad in Brazil and it has ponies....yes that's right ponies, which look like right out of 'My Little Pony & Friends', and while for most of the ad I was like aww I could see where they were coming from and what they wanted to accomplish. The reason why this ad gets the WTF?! is because of the ending... it leaves you a bit dazed. People who are familiar with YouTube virals would find a striking similarity to the 'Nyan Cat'viral which got an insane number of hits, and I'm not quite why...so were Nissan planning to re-creating the success? I'm not sure but I don't think it hit the mark.

And finally I have to give a special mention to Old Spice. Their latest efforts involved a sailor who smelt surprisingly very good. Maybe it's just me but their ads are beginning to look a  little cliche. A word of advice stop trying to copy yourselves and come up with something original, the "Man your man could smell like" was great, but it's time to move on to newer and possibly better things. 

The New Digital Age?

I came across this new App the other day called Lawry's Digital Dinner Bell. The app functions as a virtual bell which notifies the entire family (who also have the app) that dinner is ready and come to the table.

It is scary to think that in this age the only way to get the entire family together is a via an app on the phone, and  that we actually need apps such as these. Is this where our future is heading? Makes you think. 

The new face of Old Spice

Here's the story Old Spice wanted to recruit a new face for their Old Spice campaign, they tried and failed.\

Why? Isaiah Mustafa was simply amazing! he had looks, charm, charisma and style, how can anyone top that?

And it's not like P&G haven't tried...twice! the latest venture being with Fabio as the new face, of course is the "duel"or "face-off" between the two models, Fabio lost, no surprises there. I'm not quite sure what the point of it was, maybe just a publicity stunt to maximize their use of Mustafa before he moves on to other things. Of course P&G would need a new face but why try the same campaign? A new one would be much better and more successful rather than just replacing a face. It would be new, fresh and exciting and does not give people a comparison base such as Mustafa which would be hard to beat. 

RIM - New BlackBerry range to save the day?

So RIM is set to release their new range of BlackBerry'....about time I say!
It has been in the news awhile now, with no definitive release date, but that time seems to be drawing to a close.
While most manufacturers only release about one or two amazing models a year, RIM has gone all out with a release of 5...yes five new phones! So it's going to be a fantastic time for all BB lovers out there.
Reviews about the new phones, 2 of which are touchscreen and 3 normal, are generally quite positive, which is good news as RIM could certainly use the boost. The only thing that annoyed me was the long delay in the announcement to an actual release date. I'm not quite sure of the motives, maybe it was to keep their stock riding high for a longer period? Obviously that didn't work.
I found it quite annoying as I was looking at getting a new phone at the time and would have loved to get my hands on the new range, it seems I would have been waiting a long time...
It also leads me to question why release them all at once?? Sales boost?
Well all in all, I'm glad they are releasing soon, as RIM could certainly use all the help they can get to gain market share in an increasingly Android world.

When to Re-Brand

In order to maintain a good image, and appease their consumers, food chains have decided to go healthy.

Burger King is adding more healthier options to its menu including fruit smoothies (yum). It's advertising this change by modifying its primary colors to red and black. It is refreshing to note that BK is one of the few companies which as part of its re-branding has actually trying to make some concrete changes rather than just changing its logo or colors.

In reverse McDonald's decided to change its Happy Meal in order to demonstrate their commitment to children's nutrition, without getting rid of their beloved mascot. This is excellent because the lovable Ronald has been a symbol for the company since way back when and to remove him would have been a sad goodbye. But by changing the Happy Meal to a more happier option Ronald will no longer stand as a symbol for growing child obesity, but instead for something better, which will go in line with him being the mascot for McDonald's children charities. 

Old vs New

But when Budweiser decided to change its colors in order to impress and (re)attract its consumers you have to wonder why. While it's great to refresh the brand style and image, this is mostly done when it plays an important part in overall strategy as well as to reflect changes in the actual product. So while Bud's new look might initally attract people to the beer again leading to an increase in Sales, this surge might only be short-lived as there is nothing to sustain it over a longer period. 

Not so great branding ads

While there are examples of great ads out there which really connect to the brand, at the same time, the exact inverse exists. There are ads which leave you wondering what was all that about...sometimes instead of adding any value they detract from it...why? Maybe because they just try too hard.

One such classic example is Skittles. I have been following their ads for sometime now and they seem to be steadily decreasing in sense or any brand value. I know they are trying to go for a crazy fun filled image, but it comes off being crazy nonsensical instead. Have a look at one of their latest efforts and you can judge for yourself.

moving on is the use of Russell Brand as a 'Brand' ambassador for HP (no pun intended ok maybe it was), while there's nothing wrong with it I don't see what's so great about it either. While Brand may be funny (clearly I'm not a big fan) I don't see how he contributes to HP's brand or the HP touchpad in any particular way. While he does not detract from it, I don't find him adding anything either.

Most Effective Branding ads

I have been collecting a couple of advertisements which I find to truly capture a brand's essence and some of these are just amazing...
I'll start with the best one first:

1) Pepsi
I always thought as a rule you could not depict your competitor in your advertising. But I guess rules are meant to be bent, as Pepsi does so in this amazing ad. It not only mocks Coca-Cola directly, but uses every icon connected with the company such as Santa and the Polar Bear and turns it against them. What can Coca-Cola do when their own symbols shun them for their competitor?

2) Lenovo
I think this is one of the most amazing displays of product effectiveness I have seen, but it does leave you wondering if it's genuine....What better way to show that the laptop can boot up in 30 sec than by throwing it off a plane and having it boot up to metaphorically speaking "save itself".... so simple and effective!

3) Ireland Road Safety Authority
A bunch of guys having fun while going out for a drive...what's wrong with this scenario? they are all holding guns, definitely not normal but it's what keeps you watching to know what happens next. The end is worth watching, and has the most impact. it definitely gets to the point.

4) Nike
Shoe Evolution...Nike through the ages, simply put shows the evolution of the brand, its shoes and how it has been the one true companion of the "runner" for 40 years, by focusing only on the shoes, great product focus.

5) KFC
A feel good ad by the company .... and it actually does make you go awww, but not sure how much it contributes to the brand. The ad is a tactic being used to change people's perceptions about it's negative image by showing that it brings people together, and leads to joy and happiness, rather than obesity no matter how long  you may be consuming it for.

6) LÓreal 
I am a bit undecided on this one.... Hugh Laurie is the new face of Lóreal's men line and this ad shows him at his cynical comedic best. Sure he's a great role model for guys but is he a good model for a skin care line? hmm sometimes irony is just more effective.

Brands - Battle of the Green's

Lately environmental commitment seems to be the latest trend for companies. Either in their mission statements, or advertising there is a line which states how committed to the environment that company is, but is this enough?

Brands today have found a more direct and creative way to depict their commitment to sustainability initiatives. 

Richoh for instance put up a solar powered billboard in Times Square. This billboard is surrounded by solar panels and wind turbines to give it the energy it needs to do its job, and if it is in-sufficient then that risk is what they readily accept. This is a fantastic idea, as by using renewable sources and opting not to use electricity at any time Richoh commitment is demonstrated, but you got to wonder if this is practiced throughout the company as well.



Coca - Cola on the other hand have demonstrated their own commitment to the environment by the first actual "living" billboard in the Philippines. The billboard itself in covered in thousands of Fukien tea plants which are housed in recycled Coca- Cola bottles and use organic fertilizer. The billboard helps alleviate air pollutants in a country which have an active battle with air pollution. This form of advertising is not only sustainable but actually gives back to the community.

If i had to pick I would say that between both brands Coca - Cola is definite winner. It's innovative, promotes the brand as well as doing its job, taking sustainable advertising to a whole new level. Coca-Cola overall is very proud of its commitment to sustainability and this is just another one of it ways of showing us.

As brands find new ways of demonstrating how committed to the environment they are it would be interesting to see the creative developments, which ideally will not only help promote the brand but actually give back to the community. This would be one type of advertising people can't complain about and you got to wonder at how     much energy consumption will be reduced!

Oreo: the brand that brings people together

Selling your brand through an emotional concept tends to be a lot more effective than using a product oriented one and I don't just mean using the shock factor.

This ad by Oreo is simple, yet amazing. It doesn't talk about the product, but it shows the relationship between father & son and lets the ad do the talking for them. Neat. What better way to depict your brand than through the beauty of relationships?

Heaven & Hell

I saw this advertisement for Samsonite by JWT, titled 'Heaven & Hell' and I absolutely loved it!!











 (You can click to see a larger image)
The ad captures the essence of what the brand is all about, and what an effective way to do it. That's right you never know what happens to your luggage once its checked in, and its definitely not as smooth a ride as it is for you we all notice a little wear and tear ...hence building on that theme (and with a little exaggeration of course!) you have an effective ad which depicts what the brand quality is all bout. Nothing happens to a Samsonite...period!

This ad is great for the brand, but I could not help wonder, would this affect people's perceptions of airlines and their luggage handling systems? Should we be a little afraid that we actually need suitcases like Samsonite?
I guess its this uncertainty which what the ad capitalizes on and which makes it so effective, leaving you feeling that your luggage had just a smooth ride as you.

Copycat Advertising.. Does it add any value??

I recently came across a post in which a question was raised about two ads by Nissan & Renault which were shockingly similar..the question was, which one came first?

Honestly, I do not know the answer, but what I am more curious about is why are they similar in the first place?

Both adverts, were for the brands' new line of electric cars, product similarity is not justification enough.
On the same vein of thought, a couple of deodorant  advertisements in India came under fire for being "too sexy" for public viewing. I assume that these brands intended on copying the "the Axe effect" to promote their brands as well.

But is there a point to copycat advertising?
I Think Not.

It just goes to show that, the brand in question does not have its own identity, but is dependent on the success of the brand they are copying. In fact, it may even have a negative effect in the sense that the viewer may end up comparing both ads and if yours is of an inferior quality it may just drive up the sales of the original brand.  So what then is the point of spending money to advertise your brand, when all you may be doing is promoting the brand whose creative was original in the first place? None!

It is better to have your own brand identity even if it may be as popular, but at least your original.

Ads which leave you HUH?!

Have you ever seen an advertisement and been like HUH?!
This usually happens when the ad in question either:
a)  does not connect to the recipient,
b) just does not add any value to the brand
OR
c) Both of the above.

I recently saw two ads which left me wondering what exactly were they trying to convey.
The first is for Chevrolet Celta: False Alarm
After viewing it, I was left wondering what does a "false alarm" got to do with the car? was the car meant for teens/young adults? did it help avoid "accidents"...or is it the car to be used when your still learning? so many questions and no answers... either way I don't see the value.

The second ad was for the Texas Dept of State Health Services (whew), for teenage smoking.

According to the ad's copy as a fact 8 out of 10 teens don't smoke any more...so what's the purpose of the ad? is it to display its effectiveness? or as visuals a teen stopping his friend from smoking the purpose of it is to discourage smoking? mixed signals...

As a future note, it would be much appreciated by viewers like myself if an advertisement was consistent and actually meant something for the brand.

Packaging Positioning: What does it represent?

Last time I spoke about appearances and it seems I will be re-visiting the topic now.

Retro Tide

P&G are taking a 'gamble' (no pun intended) to re-vitalize their brand by going back in time and bringing out the good ol' packaging. A few of their flagship brands, like Tide, will be available in their packaging from the '70s and to make it complete it will be complimented by retro advertising, to make a holistic campaign. Now generally I'm a big fan of vintage and going retro, I love the look, and the style and it definitely stands out from the modernistic style of most. But you have the question its purpose... P&G argues that its not a short term sale boost but what they hope will be an emotional connection to the purchaser by causing them to relive memories from their childhood. Fair enough..but what about Generation Y who are currently an increasing demographic in terms of purchasing power..well P&G goes on to justify that it will help remind consumers of the simpler times, when everything was basic, functional, and did its job...so what if people don't really remember the 70's? I feel is more of a tactic by them to help them remember the time when they were the market leaders, and they hope that maybe people will remember this too and go back to buying their products over their competitors. well here's hoping...

Meanwhile the Cola wars are on a new turf... the "green wars"... which company can be the most green. Both companies are battling it out to see who can be first to mass produce 100% recycled packaging. Pepsi are taking it one step further by producing recyclable cups as well in order to meet demands by increasingly educated and environmentally conscious consumers. What I am curious about is this being done to look good with the people, to increase sales, to beat Coca Cola or are they genuinely concerned about the environment?
It's not easy to produce recycled products as it also uses heaps of water and electricity so in reality its a trade-off between plastic or water etc...also will this affect the price of Pepsi? Many other companies use a strategy where they sell products either standard or environmentally friendly (at a higher premium) in order to segment the market. In other words people will pay according to values and income, but this is quite questionable, how environmentally friendly are these companies then in reality?? So therefore will Pepsi charge a premium for its products? there is a market to sustain it, but what effect will it have in the wars, and can they be then really called an environmentally friendly company? Check out the infomercial below to learn more about Pepsi's green cups.

All about appearances

McDonald's New Look

McDonald's has been changing the physical appearance of its restaurants in order to project a more wholesome and family friendly appearance. This is part of its planned upscale in order to generate a shift from just a fast food  brand to a lifestyle one. I find this change to be long overdue as it would be welcome with its friendly cafe style menu, and a place to sit and enjoy, instead of grab your food and run. Well true its following in the footsteps of Starbucks, and its not highly original, but its a move in the right direction, especially with all the negative connotations associated with fast food and obesity, this change is followed by the news that they will not let go of Ronald their mascot, and if this upgrade goes as planned then they will not have to.

As I'm on the topic of appearances, what about Gillette and the prowess of  their athletes?? First Federer and now Longoria, does Gillette have the same effect on them as Axe on dudes?? makes you wonder... all this is an elaborate scheme by them to prove their tagline of "being all that a man can be". Original? Yes, Believable? No, Entertaining? Definitely!, Effective? To be seen...If Gillette does not admit that it is a fake, then it has strong faith in the ability of its athletes combined with using its products to make them extremely good at what they do. You can see the video below and decide for yourself.

Best Ad Ever!

I may be deviating from my usual tirades about brands....but I have to say, isn't this one of the best ads ever??

And no I don't say that because I am a self-proclaimed cat crazy person, but because it makes an emotional connection with the viewer. It not only makes you go "awww...", but it declares its message in a way which does not use scare tactics or pity which is common in animal shelter/rescue advertising. Instead it makes you feel warm and fuzzy and induces you to help out, therefore living up to the 'humane' part of their name.

The ad, albeit indirectly says a lot about the brand itself, that it is a caring, emotive brand which connects to the people and with the animals and that they truly care for them, so it creates an image for the brand as well as effectively spreading the message, a double edged winner.

OBL for advertising...justified?

Well Osama or OBL as he is popularly tweeted as is it seems is (in)actively doing his part for social advertising. This ad was released online under the title of Seat Belt Awareness.. its highly doubtful if its authenticated, but it brings up an interesting topic of using OBL for advertising. 

While I am not surprised that given all the hype surrounding his death, it has made its way into advertising, but the fact is that it is still a highly political and sensitive issue for most people, and even if he is being used for the sake of public interest..is it justifiable?? 

Hitler being used in an ad for World Aids Day

On one side, it exploits popular culture just like companies exploiting the royal wedding by incorporating some form or the other into their advertising and admittedly even Hitler has been used his fair share in adverts; on the other hand it is quite recent and still extremely fresh to be used in an humorous manner, especially with threats of retaliation from certain quarters, and if you taken into account the multitude of information on OBL currently there's a good chance of it getting lost.

In the end though, it is always difficult to please everyone as there will always be someone who will be offended depending on the region of your operations.

Copycat Branding

Pepsi has been in the news for its latest part in the cola wars, the Pay-it-Forward vending machine. The concept and technology behind it is quite novel and could possibly be the first in a long line of socially networked and interactive vending machines. The way it works is simple, you can choose a beverage, put in the contact details of a friend and they are notified of a drink redeemable at a vending machine of their convenience. It's about spreading the love and getting real people to act voluntarily as brand ambassadors..plus who would want to pass up on a free drink?? This campaign would involve a large expense on behalf of Pepsi, but overall is reminiscent of Coca-Cola's happiness campaign and their Happiness machines whose main aim is to encourage social interaction and bonding over the drink. This has been a long running aspect of their campaign and the happiness machine is a logical extension of it, but it would be interesting to watch how Pepsi develops their campaign further and the success rate of the machines, and how will Coca-Cola retaliate?

Pushing the boundaries of imitation is the new commercial of Edge shaving gel, and its eerie likeness to the Old Spice Isiah Mustafa campaign. It's hard to find a good video of it and this is the best i could do.

But it's one thing to seek inspiration and another to blatantly copy...what does a brand achieve out of that? The goals, ideology and style are completely different, even if the product may be similar the budget would have been better spent on developing the brand further and in creating a unique identity..enough said.

Lately it seems to me, most car brands have been adopting the word 'innovation' into their advertising, with Citroen - "celebrating innovation" following closely behind, Nissan's - "Innovation for all". If all brands are innovative..isn't that just the norm then?

Hyundai: The Honest brand that does (not) keep its promises

Hyundai has been recently making news about its 'Assurance' policy which they had cancelled after the program helped them meet their expansion goals. The initial policy involved a job loss protection guarantee for Americans who after having purchased a vehicle would be allowed to return their vehicle within a year if they were to loose their job. An excellent idea which enabled Hyundai to gain mass appeal to consumers and which allowed them to build brand awareness and gain a larger share of the US market. In their ad marking the first year of the program (as seen below), they assure their customers that they are in it together, and till the economy improves they will be there to support their customers, so what happens when there is a turnaround and the policy is cancelled?

According to Dale Buss'article 'Hyundai Cancels Assurance Policy', this move was made as the purpose of the program has been fulfilled, i.e. to build awareness and gain a larger share of the US market. So what about the people? Unemployment figures have only risen, and therefore its only logical to ask where's Hyundai's promise now? If I were at the American public I would definitely feel cheated and used to say the least. And Hyundai's reasoning of the program that it was waning anyway just does not cut it. I may be being a bit harsh, but when a promise is made, you expect it to be kept, especially since the foundation of a brand lies in its promises to its consumers.
So when Hyundai launched a new 'Assurance' program, i.e. a new way to gain the trust of the American public, it makes me wonder how long this one is too last. The new policy, also marketed as 'Assurance' could lead to some confusion with the people, especially since the last one was not carry forwarded as it was 'assured' to be. The new policy as described in Dale Buss' article 'Hyundai's Trade-in Assurance: Let the driver beware', is said to be quite favorable for the company and would benefit them greatly..but what about the brand? That wait's to be seen. But in all fairness Hyundai are an honest brand, they don't beat around the bush and quite open to their consumers for the reasons behind their old & new Assurance program.

Brand Essence in Advertising

The message a brand tries to convey is the essence of what the brand is all about. I recently saw a Pampers ad which reflected the current position of the company. Initially, their advertising centered on a functional positioning, the new ad 'For every little miracle' tugs on your heart strings and has a decided emotional appeal which reflects the evolution of the brand especially in a very competitive market where you got to have more than just a functional edge, combined with Pampers well recognized name within the industry it would help in getting a leg up in the market.

Another advert which captured the brand essence beautifully was the new ad for the new VW beetle, 'Black  Beetle'. Its zippy, fast, kinda cute, and overall quite appealing, just like the new 2012 Beetle.

A great example of this is the Old Spice campaign. I have talked about it before, and the sheer loveliness of it, their new ad, with a new spokesman, while similar is just not quite the same. Somehow I feel that by copying it and trying to be similar the magic of it is missing, are they trying too hard?? is it too much to say bring back Isaiah Mustafa!

What is refreshing to see is a brand actually being critical of itself and its efforts to be environmentally responsible. I am talking about Starbucks and their critique of themselves for Earth Day. Through their advertising they hope to encourage their customers in participating with their recycling initiatives, in a win - win situation. 

A good way to measure up on how committed a brand is to the environment, would be to read the article "The 7 stage evolution of a socially responsible brand" by Simon Mainwaring, in which he highlights the seven stages a brand goes through to become socially responsible. Its a good tool to be used in measuring where on the ladder of responsibility a brand is. 

On a related note, the Nissan Leaf seems to be having some supply issues. Besides the States, the car is also available in Japan and Europe, but unfortunately production has not been able to keep up. Ideally it would have made more sense to launch the car in one country at a time, establish a strong base, satisfy demand, while steadily increasing promotion in other countries, or at least have a strong production base before having to face such issues, which only reflects poorly on the brand. This combined with increasing competition from the Volt and other brands, the Leaf is going to find itself in a tight spot. 

Ads:What are your examples of Great Ads?

Ads have a lot of responsibility in conveying the right image of the brand, it has to be consistent with their image, message and what they stand for.

Lately BIC's new virals for their BIC Flex 3 razor is brilliant. The ad itself depicts a Human Curling game, where a clean shaved man is slid across the ice to land on target, for an entirely smooth experience, its short, to the point, clever, original, funny, functional, engaging and memorable...exactly what an ad should be! And it is followed up by a game where you get to 'curl' first hand either using your webcam or keyboard. the webcam is definitely more fun..but tiring. Overall an excellent campaign in which the viewer is engaged and the point gets across..one of the very few.

On the other extreme is the latest Ford's 'inner child'ad which shows a teenager driving a new Ford  Focus who is so excited talks in a childlike voice...I'm not entirely sure what exactly Ford are trying to convey but neither is the message distinct or the ad remotely appealing, the sooner I forget about it the better.

Mark Bilfield's recent article on 'The Anatomy of a Great Ad' is a good read, he mentions what are the characteristics of a great ad, such as:

1. Does the advertising educate or entertain the customer in a unique way to be memorable
2. Does the medium persuade the viewer that the product or service is the best choice?
3. Is the product or service going to make me a better person or make my life easier/more productive?
4. Does the advertising tell me where to get more information to purchase your product? (Is there a clear call to action?)


He goes on to mention some examples of great ads including the recent Chrysler 200, Intel Core i5 processor, and one of my favorites the Girl Effect. What are your examples of Great Ads?

The ad edition

Is it just me or do ads seem to be getting just crazier? Remember when they had a message, stood for something, conveyed a feature, functionality or purpose? This is no longer the case. The primary function of advertisements now, is to engage consumers on a level where they will be able to promote the brand or the product.

Case in point is the viral Skittles campaign, if you haven't see it yet, see it here:

It is different, yes, engaging..not entirely sure, brand engagement...a maybe..but I have got to ask what is the main purpose of this campaign? What are Skittles hoping to convey with this? Many companies when planning a campaign of any form have objectives, goals, and how to measure it. With the advent of social media, the pre-planning phase has decidedly taken a back step, where priorities are how to become the next big viral sensation. But then what? What happens to the brand when the next big thing comes along? A campaign can only be considered successful if it accomplishes its goals, and not on the number of hits it gets.

Which brings me to Air New Zealand's new safety video which while entertaining, the main purpose of which was not encourage passenger safety but to promote the brand of the airlines itself...to what end?

One of the best advertisements I have recently seen is the 'Test your Awareness' campaign, which encourages users to keep their attention on screen in order to spot the difference, or count something etc. These ads test how alert the viewer is to what's going on but the odds are you are bound to miss something regardless of how perceptive you may think you are. Test yourself in the video below.

This campaign was to promote road awareness by Transport of London. The reason I find this to be a successful campaign is not because it's different or it stands out, but because it engages viewers, holds their attention and gets the message across! How aware are you?

I know recently talked about advertising for the iPad, but I was quite impressed by their latest ad for the iPad 2. Simple, visual, evocative and effective. It showed what it is capable of accomplishing, its features while depicting its effectiveness, its literally back to the basics for them, and its refreshing!

On a separate note, the Coke wars are now to include Coke light, where in an attempt to exploit the connection between fashion and being thin, Lagerfield himself, who is an ardent ambassador for the brand, has designed a selected range of Coke light bottles. Unique, snazzy and definitely tasteful it is an ideal positioning to the target audience. Sheila Shaynon, discuses it further in her article here. But what I want to question is the implications if it. Lagerfield famously lost 90 pounds by being on a diet of stewed vegetables and Coke light, thus explaining his love for the brand. But what does this mean for the average person? There is a lot of negative publicity when it comes to crash diets &  negative self images especially in teenagers, therefore for Coke is this a positive or negative implication for their brand, does it mean they support and encourage it? By using Lagerfield as an ambassador it certainly looks that way, but when he offers who can say no?

The Return of the Infomercial: What makes beer taste good?, Sex tips,Safe driving & more...

In my last post I mentioned about how Ikea have are phasing out their 100 watt bulbs and are now only selling their energy saving ones to display their commitment to the environment also along in line with California's state wide ban on the 100 watt bulb. But this change does not come easy as it involves educating consumers about the benefits and features of energy saving bulbs. This approach has been found quite favorable by many brands who have now taken to educating consumes about benefits in their product category, rather than just promoting their own brands. The return of the Infomercial?

This type of advertisement was used by the beer makers Samuel Adams in the US, in which they educate consumers that Beer tastes better when it comes in brown bottles, and fortunately for them all their beer is available in brown bottles. So is this truly for the benefit of the consumer or the brand? or do they both win?

This is also used in educating people for social benefits. One major problem in the States (and elsewhere) is
texting while driving, and to combat this the auto industry is coming up with a range of solutions which includes having an array of gadgets, hands free of course, on the dashboard to help, such as Chevrolet's voice to text feature which  enables you to access social media via voice controls.But is this enough? Often enough people have to be educated about the benefits and dangers of such devices, and one such example is Ford's campaign in US high schools to educate about safe driving.

Sometimes educating people is the best way to gain new customers. P&G have created a new microsite targeted towards men in which they educate them in virtually everything from money to career, relationships & sex etc. Through this they hope to create a central destination for men to go to when need information and they wish to discuss matters, a segment which has high growth potential. In the past, these type of sites have usually been targeted towards women, but now there is a growing realization that men would find these sites useful and they would use them, so men are not that different after all....But what does P&G hope to gain from this? Besides the fact that they offer products in all these areas and experts on the site would recommend their brand over others, thus creating a brand community of followers. P&G also offer a range of household products, and since men are increasingly active participants it can be hoped that their loyalty will extend to these brands as well. Check out the website: Man of the House

What is a Brand? Defined by what it says .. or what it does?

What is a Brand? Is it defined by what it does?

Recently a lot of brands have been more pro-active when it comes to social and environmental concerns, do these efforts reflect at all what a brand is about?

Toyota recently launched a crowd sourcing effort entitled 'Ideas for Good', where they invited developers to create apps that addressed social needs within their society out of which the 5 best app winners get the Toyota choice of their pick...hybrid of course. In this way Toyota wins threefold, it not only gets to promote its cars, re-brand itself as being socially conscientious and help others as well. They have a good chance of succeeding because this re-branding effort is reflected in their production of cars which are more environmentally friendly.



As Toyota are promoting their existing range, Ford have started promoting their almost complete electric vehicle the 2012 Ford Focus Electric even before its release. The campaign is centered around promoting discussions about electric vehicles (or EV) and the environment. Ford have been successful in the past with their social media campaigns, and while it is a good idea to create a buzz, such promotions need to be carefully monitored. Firstly, they have to ensure that there isn't too much hype that the car cannot live up to & Secondly, they will have to address consumer concerns such as 'range anxiety' which most electric vehicles face so as to curb the negativity on the actual product reviews. Maybe this would have been a good research initiative rather than a promotion?

Ford Focus electric badge

Levi's WaterLess Logo

While some brands promote their social goodness others prefer taking a low key approach where actions speak louder than words. I'm talking about Levi and their sustainable WaterLess denim, where they have cut back on the amount of water required to make their denim by 28% and that times 1.5m pairs is a significant amount, 16m liters less to be specific. This is an excellent initiative where by Levi's have demonstrated their commitment to the environment without all the bells and whistles, and the best part being....it costs the same! Although now it would be ideal if this would be done to ALL their denim, then they would be truly be called an environmentally friendly brand!

Ikea's Energy Saving Bulbs

Commitment to the environment is demonstrated by California's state wide ban on the 100 watt bulb, which has been picked up by retailers such as Ikea who have stopped selling th product and have switched to 75 watt bulbs instead, and sure they may be a little more expensive but it means lower electricity bills in the long run.  If you have the power to make a difference then why not??