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.