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. 
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