Nike Wants Us To Be Great... Without The Sponsorship

A new spot by W+K.  Launching Nike's new Find Your Greatness campaign.

In a direct push against the celebration of Olympic superstar athletes in London, Nike is looking to celebrate everyday athletes in 'Londons' around the world.  So what does this mean... A new Nike that isn't about superstar endorsements? Or just a way to ride the Olympic wave, without the official sponsorship bill?

I'm banking on the later.

Apple's Internal Propaganda Machine at its Finest

I recently heard that Steve Jobs had played a bit role in a movie that Apple produced back in the 80's. It turns out that this "movie" was put together and shown to the Apple sales team when they were launching the Mac office software suite in 1985.


If you're interested in Apple, and its internal propaganda, it's definitely worth watching. Seeing Steve Jobs play the role of President Roosevelt isn't too bad either! (Jump to 5:25 for that).



As inspired as the sales team must have been coming out of watching this, I don't think the Lemmings ad that supported this software launch helped much. (Though it does work as a nice reminder of why ads shouldn't directly insult their target consumer.)  

In :30 Seconds, IE9 Goes From Pretty Good, to Beautiful, Alive, Artistic, Revolutionary, Fluid and Amazingly Fast.

I saw this ad running on TV this week.  I stopped to watch it. Not just because of the ad itself, but also because of how much of a divergence it was from some IE9 ads that I saw a month or so back.  WOW. Not only is IE9 pretty good, it's the most beautiful, amazing, revolutionary, dub-stepping-est browser available!



And in a more epic longer format...

When trying to change perceptions of something as functional and abstract as a web browser I think its really important for brands to work hard to integrate the browser itself into the ad idea (particularly in Canada!). As cute as Officer Cupcake was... I don't think the previous IE9 work  really achieved this. These new ads are a great step in the right direction.


However, they are a far cry from the current Chrome spot.  In my mind, Google's current braodcast ads really encapsulate the idea of integrating an abstract product into a emotional narrative...

/cry

A Strategy For Strategy: Part Two

“Great ideas manifest themselves in many ways. Sometimes, even in ads.” - @LeeClowsBeard

In Part One of A Strategy For Strategy I touched on the importance of integrating the consumer at the earliest possible stage of communications development and how moving too quickly from initial insight to creative development can lead to a brand’s position or communication world. Further to this is the risk of these early stage ideas not being fully expressed in a way that carves out an ownable space for it to occupy in a consumer’s mind.

Another issue with moving too quickly from insight to creative development is the potential loss of understanding of a communication idea’s potential to live in truly dynamic multi-media environment.

Often I see clients believing that a great idea should simply be translated into a :30 second spot. While a traditional commercial could be considered one of the expressions of the idea, my belief is that a truly powerful communication insight should be able to live and breathe, and be expressed in many different ways.

For brands to generate powerful positions in the mind of consumers, the focus at this stage should look to understand the potential of a concept, without boxing it into a defined medium.  As so eloquently stated by Dan Wieden in this 2020 Vision interview, “I don’t think we’re in a place where we (should) have to choose between doing broadcast or interactive. I think that’s ridiculous. That like saying do you want a right hand or a left hand? I want to use both my hands… and some other appendages as well! It’s just boring if this is a choice.”

If an idea is grounded in a universal truth, and expressed in a unique and ownable way, there is no reason for marketers to feel they need to make these media defining decisions at this stage of communications development. When working with clients on the development of communication strategies at Ipsos ASI, where I work, this is always something we explore with consumers – to see where they feel the idea could be expressed to them in a meaningful way along their journey in and around the category.

A great communication idea should not only translate well across media though.  It is also something that should stand the test of time. 

A recent and interesting exploration of this concept is Google’s Project Re: Brief. In this experiment, Google took some of America’s greatest and most iconic ads from yesteryear, worked to distill them down to their essence, and expressed them in new and interesting ways – leveraging media that didn’t exist when the ideas were first brought to life.

Of the series, my personal favourite is their re-imagining of Coca-Cola’s Hilltop spot from 1971.  Working with the original art director, they were able to show how a powerful communication insight, based on the universal truths of sharing and connectivity, still work to capture the hearts of consumers over 40 years later.

As marketers work towards the creation of  their brand’s world, a media agnostic perceptive is critical – particularly in today’s communication environment.  Not only will this help focus these efforts on building a strong foundation for the brand, but it will also allow this foundation to become a platform for the brand to launch all of its touchpoints from.

The Mad Men of Design

In sync with the new season of Mad Men, this week Landor looked back at their company's history and dug up a profile from the "Good Packaging Year Book" - from 1958!

Not only is it a great nostalgic read (the layout and copy are both fantastic!), but it also provides an interested perspective on the inner-workings of their design business - showing how Landor focused on consumer-centric design, built an inspiring home for its people and pioneered many of the practices that are still used today.


The full PDF can be downloaded here

Enjoy!

Microsoft's New Claim - IE9 Is Actually Pretty Good!

So it looks like Microsoft is staging a browser comeback with IE9, and all the “hip” memes of today are coming out to help!

“Hipster” infographics, a raging dude in a plaid shirt and a cat! I think their new tagline sums it all up: "better browser + cute cat = time to reconsider." Let the catvertising continue!

Lets just hope they have another way of driving some sort of position within the browser market... As cute as Officer Cupcake is, I think there will be some hesitation to switch without an idea of how IE9 is (functionally) different from what is out there.



And here are some of those "hip" print ads to go with!

China's Emerging Industry, And How Agencies Are Recruiting For It!

Sunshine. A great short documentary following the life of an American producer travelling to China to produce a spot for McDonalds. It looks like its getting some serious accolades - making the official selection for a whole pile of festivals.

A very interesting protrayal of the emerging industry - showing how advertising is working to reflect culture overseas, and motivate consumers.


A bit counter to the idea of "literal" characterizations working to motivate and inspire the Chinese market, below is W+K Shanghai's new recruiting video! I recommend watching it a couple times to get a full appreciation of the OctoShark, dude in rocket boots, sexy copier girl and the crying 'hipster.'


Wieden & Kennedy Shanghai from Shotopop on Vimeo.

The Future of TED (or How a Great Brand Gets Diluted)

So, here is a new video put out in support of Ridley Scott's upcoming Alien prequel - Prometheus.

As cool as it is that 20th Century Fox was able to convince TED to let them use their name and equity as the foundation for it, part of me thinks that its a bit of a shame to see TED diluting their brand with this type of content - They even went as far as setting up a page on their site specifically for it!

blog.ted.com/ted2023

Are they thinking that this type of partnership will help them reach a new audiance? Who knows, but I think Hollywood got the better side of this deal.

A Strategy For Strategy: Part One

“The problem for too many brands is not in the getting there, but in figuring out where “there” even is.” - @LeeClowsBeard

In my experience there are few things as critical as consumer feedback and opinion in the journey for making winning creatives. Whether it’s to help ensure that great ideas don’t get killed because someone simply doesn’t “like” them or to help optimize the mood and tonality of a spot before going to finished film, bringing consumers into the mix prior to going to market is an important step to take.

However, when we look at the communications development process for most campaigns from initial insight to final execution, are we bringing the consumer in too late in the game?

Ipsos ASI, where I work, has a huge practice in testing communications and we test more ads that anyone else in Canada. Across categories and media and for some of the biggest brands in the world we have extensive experience in understanding how communications can be optimized to drive stronger returns in market and deliver against brand objectives. Too often we see ads that are engaging, connected to the brand and working to deliver the intended message, but struggle in delivering on one critical area of success – motivation, short term or long term for the advertised brand. It is these experiences that has made us ask the question – does marketing need a better strategy for the development of communication strategy?

When looking at communication development today we see that the breakdown happens when one moves too quickly from an initial insight to a creative brief without understanding how to express this insight or strategy in an optimal way – in essence the brand’s “position” has not been fully developed, or expressed in a way that connects with consumers and carves out a space for it to occupy in their minds.

Having these issues arise at the end of the communication creation process can waste huge amounts of time and money – forcing folks to go back to the drawing board or make quick course corrections. But what this often this means is that they are simply avoiding fundamental issues that need to be addressed.

When thinking about how this process can be improved, and to help ensure that all communication ideas for a brand have the best chance of success when they hit the market, obtaining consumer feedback at the earliest possible stage is critical.

The trouble is how.

Because the focus has been long placed on understanding creative executions, there are few processes or means to understand the potential of communication strategies – in a way that will help guide the process and accelerate chance of ad success in market. The answer is simple. Just like how in our business its critical to involve clients earlier in discussions, marketers need to involve their clients, the consumer, earlier in developing a winning strategy that can be executed at a campaign level. To help marketers with this, ASI has developed a method of breaking down these ideas and obtaining the necessary feedback to help inspire the space for a brand to occupy – prior to the briefing process and the creative expression of the insight.

In our experience this process has helped increase the market potential of ads and content across media – facilitating the creation of a world for the brand to occupy and a space for them to own in consumers’ minds. In the words of Jonathan Mildenhall in his Content 2020 address, these types of processes can help to inspire “The liquid and linked creative brief.”



Going forward I hope to continue to discuss this ‘strategy for strategy,’ and sharing experiences that highlight what matters at this stage of the creative process – helping marketers and agencies define the ideal space for their brand to occupy and laying the soil for their brand world.

Cartier Creates Their Brand World. Invites Us In.

A few weeks ago Cartier launched this beautiful video - One that truly captures the essence and story of their brand world.

In just over 3 minutes, Cartier manages to take the viewer on a ride across the globe showing how it is truly embracing the world’s global economies. A fantastic example of business and creative strategy coming together.

As visually stunning as it is, I think the even greater feat is how they managed to seamlessly integrate many of their iconic designs – the three band trinity ring floats overhead, love bracelets role down the hill, and of course the symbolic panther – in ways that add to the story and build emotional tonality.

I can’t wait to see how they continue to roll this out. A world this big should not be left to TV alone… even if the TVCs are over 3 minutes long!

Miranda Kirr + Lipton Ice Tea = ?

I think I have to add learning Japanese to my list of to-dos. If only to be able to fully enjoy their ads.

Here is a new spot for Lipton's Limone Tea. No idea what is being said... but I guess that doesn't really matter - it still got me to watch it a dozen times. I could say that it was only to admire how her attire seamlessly echoes the product and integrates it into the story, but unfortunately, that would be a lie.



Odd, yes but as far as Japanese spots featuring celebrities go it has NOTHING on Softbank's ad from a few years back.

NASA - Officially Siding With the Autobots

With its new video "We are the Explorers," it looks like Nasa is really trying to remind us of what they have done, and build a foundation for the future. A nice piece of film that documents the rise of exploration and reinforces what is still out there for us… The voice over isn’t half bad either!

But, is even Optimus Prime powerful enough to save NASA funding? Well at least one thing is for sure - if they do manage another manned space flight they better not run into any decepticons!

Open Journalism - No Longer Just a Fairy Tale

To support their new "open journalism" concept, The Guardian has put out this new video spot - bringing to life their brand and showing us how a classic tale may have been covered in today's converged media world.

An interesting take on a story that we all thought we knew. Bur more important perhaps is how well it works to demonstrate the impact of media and social feedback on the world around us, and our opinions.

The Art of 1984

A nice wrap up to the Superbowl ad season. A video from Creativity on the art behind Apple's famous 1984 spot.



"A lot of things all just happening just right... with some serendipity thrown in." Indeed. I guess we shouldn't bring up Lemmings.

Interesting story behind the "airing only once" media buy. Also love Mr. Clow's comments on what has become of Superbowl advertising.