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

Talk About Being a Hypocrite!

Ok, maybe that is not what you were talking about.

I watched this video on YouTube about a branding agency called mono that is moving to uptown Minneapolis, and people are trying to prevent it from moving there. They are picketing and trying to get signatures because the agency is using kids in ads (for Sesame Street, mind you), and the people
feel mono is brainwashing consumers into buying things they don’t want.

First of all, when you watch this, where is the punch line at the end? There has to be a joke – somewhere??

Second, aren’t they essentially also brainwashing people into their strange methodology? Look at how many people sign their petition just because they ask them to. I applaud the people that didn’t fall for it!

And my third and final point, who has the time to petition something like this? They really should put all their “spare” time into something more meaningful, such as a charity.

While advertising may sway your decisions on purchases, it is also because of advertising that we can get all the facts on big purchases so we can shop as educated consumers.  Can you imagine the bland existence we would be living in without advertising?  Thanks to advertising, we can see that there are choices to make, and we make them based on the education we garner from such agencies.

Krista
krodriguez@igpr.com

“Pooliticizing” on the streets of California

In light of the upcoming election, I thought I would discuss the grassroot politicizing that has begun to creep into the advertising mainstream. One “movement” in particular caught my eye as both disturbing and creative. Venice artist, designer and activist Greg Beauchamp decided to take to the streets adorning dog feces with his opinions of John McCain’s proposed policies on the economy,  foreign policy  and how he feels about McCain’s campaign tactics.

Greg Beauchamp - Political Opinion

I won’t argue with the creative, albeit unconventional, method Beauchamp chose to get his feelings across to the general public. As a matter of fact, I audibly laughed when I first saw the image of a little pile of dog poo with a mini sign in it.

After I stopped laughing, I realized his method proves nothing but the fact that there are stinky political extremists on both sides. Beauchamp chose to stoop to a new low in political advertising, and however ingenious the idea may be, I find it to be irresponsible both from an environmental and a political standpoint.

From an environmental standpoint he chose to litter the public sidewalks. Some could also argue that his advertising method would encourage others to leave their dog poo behind in hopes that it would be used for future “pooliticizing,” leading to an even larger and potentially stinkier problem. The political standpoint is obvious. Both camps have had their fair share of low jabs, either directly from their camps or from the extremists that have taken to the streets in support of their candidate. This kind of behavior only encourages more of the same from the other camp.

As a designer, I always enjoy out-of-the-box creativity, but this may have gone just a little too far outside of the box for me. After my initial reaction, I was a little disgusted.

What do you think?

Click here to view more pictures of Greg Beauchamp’s “pooliticizing”

Allison Stulpin
Graphic Designer

A Sucker for McDonald’s Monopoly Game

Every year at about this time, a crazy phenomenon occurs…Monopoly at McDonald’s! I get sucked in! It is VERY unlikely that I will win ANYTHING! And, yet, I go in and buy more McDonald’s food than anyone should, with the hope that I’ll win that $1,000,000! In fact, just today I bought the Big Mac meal…large size, so I could get the Monopoly pieces on the fries, too! One of the pieces I got was Park Place! All I need is Boardwalk, and I’ve got $1,000,000 coming my way! I’m SURE I’ll get it “next time” I’m there! I’m sure of it!

So, this got me thinking…surely I’m not the only sucker for McDonald’s Monopoly game. Otherwise, they would have stopped the promotion year ago. So, I think, “What is it that drives me to this place for decent food, that’s not really good for me, to spend my money with the hopes of winning a million dollars??” And, that’s when it hits me! It’s the dream…the hope…the wish…the once in a lifetime opportunity. What would I do with a million bucks? Who knows! But, man wouldn’t that be cool?

And, what McDonald’s has done so well is taking the simple concept of what used to be played with tear-off pieces and a brochure-sized game board, and integrating it with the web. So, now they make it so you feel like you have twice the opportunity to win. All the game pieces you get at the store have a code that can be entered at www.PlayatMcD.com for a chance to “roll” the dice for a turn on the virtual game board of Monopoly. Outstanding!

Or course, McDonald’s has partnered with FootLocker, Shell gas stations and Coke to offer instant prizes, as well. Once again, making you feel like you just can’t lose!

The PlayatMcD.com web site does a great job of getting you to register, so they gather all your relevant information (I assume they will use that for market data, as well as sending me something at some point).

One thing that’s lacking is web video. There is some sound included on the site, but wouldn’t it be more powerful to actually watch a video of last year’s $100,000 winner telling his story of a pessimistic attitude, how he never thought he’d win, but he kept trying, and after 3 or 4 visits he got that winning piece? Video is such a powerful medium and can say so much with very little. We have been able to integrate video into web sites and have seen some great results. I just think McDonald’s missed out on a huge opportunity to take a great concept one step further.

In the end, they got me! Video or not, I’m hooked. I can tell you what meal and what size to get to ensure you get the best chances/most pieces! Sad! But, if I can just get that one other piece…Boardwalk! I’ll be a millionnaire! Whew! I’m hungry…anyone for McDonald’s??

Matt White
mwhite@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

Now What?

Have you seen the TV commercials: two people climbing up a rock cliff, one grabs a rock which causes a huge boulder to break loose. The boulder then falls, as the climbers watch, directly on top of their truck sitting below the cliff. Or a guy is sitting in a coffee shop working on his laptop when a tube of lip stick rolls to his foot. He picks it up and hands it to the woman sitting at the table next to him, only to turn around to realize his laptop was stolen. Each commercial ends with “Now What” and then NowWhat.com.

Any idea what these commercials are for? I didn’t either; so after a year or so of seeing those commercials, I finally decided to check it out. Visit www.nowwhat.com. Great site! And great advertising! Although it took me some time to respond, I’m not the audience. For college students and young professionals, I have to believe this resonated. It’s an ad campaign for insurance giant, State Farm. But, very subtly advertised.

This is a great example of an integrated marketing campaign. TV commercials (I believe I’ve seen outdoor billboards, too) drive traffic to the web site. The web site allows you to play games, sign up for free music, watch videos about (what else) insurance, and they’re even hosting a live steaming music concert with well-known artists in just a few weeks.

The reason I say it’s a “great example” is because it hits several criteria that I think define a great campaign:

1. It gets your attention. Funny commercials, with a teasing message.
2. It motivates the viewer to action. Obviously, you’re supposed to go to NowWhat.com
3. It connects with the audience. The clear audience is 18-25 year olds, beacuse of the use of graphics, music connection and gaming options. I don’t know much about the insurance industry, but I would guess that establishing a relationship early on has to be their goal. I’ve been with my insurance company since I got out of college (it just so happens to be State Farm).

I don’t know how well the campaign has worked. But, I have to believe it’s doing okay, because it’s still in effect at least 12-18 months after I first saw my first NowWhat.com commercial in 2007.

Smart Business or Irresponsible Advertising?

Allison Stulpin
Graphic Designer

With so many advertisers competing for face time, it’s no surprise that companies would use suggestive advertising to get your attention. However, if you are JCPenney you may be saying, that’s just not our image. Or is it?

At the recent Cannes film festival, an ad for JCPenney won a Bronze Lion award, which in and of itself is a great achievement. However, in this case, JCPenney and its advertising agency, Saatchi and Saatchi, New York, are saying they had nothing to do with it.

For those of you who have not seen the ad, you may be questioning why a large company and an equally talented agency are not claiming this award winner. I was curious as well, so I watched the ad to see what all the fuss was about. To my surprise, the ad was definitely not inline with the wholesome image JCPenney portrays in its traditional advertising venues. My first thought was of the irresponsibility of the ad and the potential impact it could have on the target market.

Although I was initially surprised by this suggestive and irresponsible approach to garnering new clientele, I took a step back and thought about how brilliant this strategy could be for both JCPenney and its advertising agency. Even as the denials fly, this ad is picking up steam across the Internet, creating a buzz like no other. In business terms, this may be the break JCPenney needed to jump start its tween and teen sales, translating into one smart move regardless of who actually commissioned the ad in the first place.

So, is it smart business or irresponsible advertising? You decide.

Storm Chasers

So, I’m watching Larry King Live last night, and they are showing a web video from these two guys who sat right in the middle of a tornado in Iowa or Idaho or something like that on Wednesday morning and recorded the whole thing as it was happening.

Here’s the link to the video: Amazing Tornado Video

Of all the possible first things that could come to mind…Wow, how crazy? Man, what a cool experience?! How do they do that?…you know what my first thought was???

They’ve gotta be selling ads like crazy on that web site!

After watching more of the report with Larry King on the recent tornados, it ends up that these guys are really in this for the education and support of the National Weather Service. So, that kind of messes with my “selling ads” concept.

BUT…I know I’m not the only one who had this come to mind. Here are two guys, dead center of a tornado, and you have to believe there are at least 5 million people who would be interested in watching this 30 second clip. And, those 5 million viewers are purchasers of toothbrushes, VCRs, fast food, and any number of other products and services out there.

What’s my point? I have two:

1. Even though these guys don’t seem to be doing it, EVERYTHING is for sale. Paula Abdul holds up a Coke cup (with the label facing the camera) on American Idol, and Coke pays millions for that. That’s just one example.
2. The web and video have truly come together in an amazing way here (and in many other applications). SevereStudios.com is using it for education and safety. Plenty of sites use it for bad stuff. But, the bottom line is that video on the web is a great tool to communicate (and sell), no matter what you do.

My name is Matt White, and I approve this message. mwhite@igpr.com