See Asia like the Asians... do you find this ad racist?

This Ad by Multipass Travel  Agency in the Ukraine has stirred up a debate on it being racist. 
I personally am not a fan of the creative or the execution...what do you think?

Shoes Shoes Shoes, A Cinderella story

What do women like? Shoes Shoes Shoes ... and guys.

'Shoes Shoes Shoes' is also the name of a Malaysian independent shoe retailer who combined both these likes into one of the most clever campaigns seen.

The concept: What if you could get a guy according to your taste in shoes, while simultaneously getting a discount on shoes?? too good to be true? or so I thought but perhaps having a live man on display in the storefront would convince the disbelievers otherwise.
The video below describes the whole campaign.

What I like about 'Shoes Shoes Shoes' the most, besides their amazing name which would do wonders on SEM, is their ability to identify a need of their customers and promptly come up with a solution that adds value to the brand, increases engagement & sales, all while satisfying their needs and the needs of men who are now presented with more opportunities to date.

If you were to meet your future husband after he got you a pair of shoes wouldn't you want to shop there forever?

Virgin ... can it do no wrong?

There are brand extensions and then are Virgin extensions, who have now applied the brand to a range of water purifiers... sure the name fits but can the Virgin brand be applied to everything from telecommunications, travel (even space), fitness, entertainment and still survive?
Most companies by now would have diversified into a family of brand names each according to a set category but Virgin, and I have sung their praises before, have managed to successfully apply the same brand across a wide variety of products.
While water purifiers may seem a bit random at best, I truly believe that Virgin deserve to be included in the list of best of global brands due to their sheer ability of adapting their brand from just a name to a lifestyle choice and maintaining its image through what may come.

Pepsi vs. Coca Cola ... the battle rages on

What better way to get consumers to try your product than the classic taste test?

Of course I never expected that this would be take place between age old rivals Pepsi & Coca Cola. In the day of multi-million dollar advertising, and superbowl commercials, it is still humbling to see that the most effective way of converting people is through the modest yet effective product sampling.

In fact this method has been so productive in 1976 that it will be resurrected this year to reach out to more than  1.5 million Canadian consumers with the Pepsi Ultimate Taste Challenge (ref: The Pepsi Taste Challenge)

I wonder what will Coca Cola will have to say to that?

Of Kittens & Firemen

What do women like?

Kittens & Firemen seems to be the obvious answer, or at least that's what Sauza Tequila are going for with their Axe effect ad.

Using a combination of adorable sexiness, this ad hopes to appeal to women, and while sure it's cute to see, but does it really sell tequila?

It does not reflect very well, that Sauza believe that their target audience will react by just displaying what they believe all women like, maybe after a few shots first....altho I may be biased to admit I might just toss my fictional cat up a tree :-)

Lynx / Axe for Men and Women? Unleash the Chaos!

So what happens Lynx (or Axe as some people know it) decide to launch a fragrance designed for both men and women? Chaos it seems, as seen in their latest campaign 'Unleash the Chaos'.

Why this sudden foray into unisex fragrances? Was the male market not sustainable? Or is it plain market expansion?

Either way they realized that attractions work two ways and should be capitalized on. But what does this mean for a brand who built its platform solely around men with their USP being attractiveness to women? Needless to say Lynx (or Axe) will have to aggressively push their brand to balance this gender in-equality.

Does this herald a move in brand position? How successful this strategy is needs to be seen as they enter an already highly competitive and segregated women's fragrance market where the concept of a product attracting the opposite gender is not a new one. 

Buy a Cannes Lions Grand Prix

This one is a bit different than my usual posts.
I came across this video in which a Russian copywriter, Euginy Danilov, desperate for a job in an ad agency put together an extremely clever way of obtaining one.
An amazing piece of personal branding, resulting in a variety of job offers at almost no cost.

While an amazing effort I only hope he can keep his promise!