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!

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.