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?