Another Funny Beer Commercial….

Now that the holidays are behind us, I am getting in the spirit of SuperBowl weekend and great commercials! I love this commercial for Heineken beer. If anyone has ever had the challenge of writing a memorable, 30 second tv commercial, you understand how hard this task actually is – even though at times it appears easy. I think this commercial is ingenius! It is well thought out and definitely delivers the message in a very short time. I always love when humor is used also. I think that adds to us remembering it.

I love football, but I really can’t wait to see what the commercials have in store for us!

Please click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ZZreXEqSY

 Krista Rodriguez

Puppies and Promises

By now you have probably heard that President-elect Barack Obama has promised his two daughters a puppy when they move into the White House in January. Well, so has every major animal shelter, breeder and dog food company in America. Pedigree, is no exception.

Dear President-elect Obama

Pedigree has launched a marketing campaign to remind the Obama family that shelter dogs are among the best animals to adopt, and as a designer I believe that they have hit the mark. Their clean presentation and adorable puppy draws any animal lover in. Who wouldn’t want to adopt that dog with its floppy ears and wiry coat. Beyond the adorable image though is a very succinct marketing message that reverberates Mr. Obama’s campaign mantra of hope and goes further to subtly remind all of us of his campaign promises big or small.

Thank you Pedigree for producing a beautifully elegant ad while driving home a marketing message we can only hope President-elect Barack Obama will see and take to heart.

Allison Stulpin

Don’t Stop the Marketing

We all know the economy is not doing so well right now, and many businesses are cutting back on expenses in order to stay afloat.

One thing companies should not cut, if at all possible, is marketing, advertising or public relations and the agencies that do it.

PR-Squared has a great post about the reasons you should keep your agency, including the fact that an agency is cheaper than in-house PR. And it has been shown in the past that companies that stay in the public eye during a down economy benefit in the long run. Companies like Kraft and Jiff. Check out this article for results of studies that have been done about companies that continue to market in times like these.

Regardless of the studies, not everyone can afford to keep marketing. And that is where social media comes in. One of the beauties of social media marketing is that it is inexpensive to do in most cases.

Anyone can start a blog. You don’t have to pay someone to do it. All it takes is a little bit of your time each week to make it happen. And blogging is big. It’s a great way to reach your audience and have them reach back.

Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and MySpace are also excellent, free tools to use when communicating with your audience.

So, if you absolutely have to cut back on your public relations, marketing or advertising (we hope you don’t), keep social media in mind. You can still connect with your audience without spending a lot to do it.

Abbey
aswank@igpr.com

Gold Medal Opportunities

Allison Stulpin
astulpin@igpr.com

There is little doubt in my mind that many Americans have spent the last week at work in a blurry-eyed state due to the Olympic games, and who can blame them? With athletes like Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, Kerri Walsh and Tyson Gay, it’s likely that if you’re not watching you will be missing the latest record being pulverized or a come-from-behind victory accomplished with a fingertip by the best in their sport.

With all of this viewing comes prime opportunity for advertisers to push their products and peddle their services to the blurry-eyed masses through traditional avenues, but with a twist. While Americans are used to the media blitzkrieg that occurs during special events like the Superbowl and the Olympics, the Chinese are not. Despite being listed in the number two spot for the largest advertising markets, China is virtually untouched by Western product placement, and this makes the Chinese market the gold medal of advertising opportunities.

Dick van Motman, the chief executive of the Chinese division of DDB Worldwide, believes that in order for global companies to succeed they must “reinforce their image; align themselves with the China dream; and align with China entering the world stage.” Pepsi heeded this and seized on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Pepsi began its commercial blitz in China months before the opening ceremonies, and like many advertisers looking to flatter their hosts, Pepsi rolled out its limited edition “Go Red for China” pop cans’ advertisement. While this ad played to the pride of China’s people, it also pushed the product into a fresh market of willing consumers, catapulting Pepsi’s global status as well as its economic projections.

Pepsi was not the only company to heed van Motman’s statement, and a slew of ads have made their debut in a country ripe for this infusion of western-style product placement with a Chinese flare. I have included a few ads below for your viewing pleasure. Happy viewing!

McDonalds  – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Coca Cola 2008 Olympic Yao Ming Torch Relay TV commercial
Olympics Visa TV Commercial

The Art of Politics – a la CafePress.com

If you are an American, you have probably been bombarded with more than your fair share of political propaganda this election season. With all of the political debates, town hall meetings and breaking political news stories, the design of the supporting collateral materials is often largely ignored. This is the case, unless of course you are a designer who works with an assortment of politically minded professionals, all with an eye for political design.

I’ll be honest. It wasn’t until recently that I took a look at how design, specifically t-shirts, drives a political campaign, and this election season has been one of the most interesting, thanks in part to CafePress.com.

CafePress.com empowers its users by allowing them to create, buy and sell customized merchandise online using the company’s unique print-on-demand and e-commerce services. These services allow each storeowner the flexibility to create custom designs or even design on the fly with the potential to substantially increase their profitability. It is this flexibility that opens the proverbial can of worms when it comes to the latest in political t-shirts. Storeowners are given the ability to drive their personal message home to millions of people about a particular candidate, and this means that as an individual, you are no longer hard pressed to find a t-shirt with just the political message you are looking for.

I believe even the hardcore political junkies will have a hard time saying that there is no value in the political t-shirt after viewing the 285,000 political designs and 7,800,000 political products on CafePress.com. Young people in particular are flocking to CafePress.com to choose the perfect political t-shirt so as not to fall behind in the latest fashion trend while keeping a careful eye on how their t-shirt might impact their friend’s views on the upcoming election.

Whether you are a conservative, liberal or somewhere in between there is bound to be the perfect t-shirt for you. Keep in mind, the latest fashion trend is also declaring a message and influencing the political realm like never before. And if this is news to you, it’s time to climb out of your cave and take a look around at the latest fashion trend hitting the streets, as it just may impact who our next leader will be.

Allison Stulpin
astulpin@igpr.com