Hasta La Creative!

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Think how many times in the past few weeks you've been subjected to Christie Brinkley in a scene from "National Lampoon's Vacation," speaking in dubbed lines about DirecTV; or seen Sprint CEO Dan Hesse sitting in a diner talking about his company; or heard a reworked version of The Fixx's 1983 hit "Saved by Zero" used to alert you to Toyota's no-interest payment options. The ubiquity of these and other ads have consumers fed up.

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — Somewhere over the rainbow lies $5 billion in savings for the package-goods industry. Using a color-harmonization program called Project Rainbow, Unilever is reducing the more than 100 hues it uses on its spreads and dressings packaging in Europe to six. Unilever's hope is to save tens or eventually even hundreds of millions of dollars a year. By some estimates, the entire industry could save $5 billion annually if it follows suit.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — It looks as if Pontiac, Saab and Saturn could be on the General Motors endangered-brand list — and with them some $300 million in measured-media spending.

Geez – TV is so bitchy these days.

There was this article in the Australian today about how Ford are scrambling over rights for art direction on a yet to be released here (but live in other markets – UK, SA etc) TVC for it’s next model launch over a new Freeview TVC promoting a wider range of free to air channels.

There’s foul play afoot, both are claiming to own an approach:

Ford – This is Now
Freview – Coming in 2009

I especially like the comment: “It’s not the TV screens, it’s more the way they’re animated”… and “We may have to reconsider our media position as it relates to free-to-air TV,”

GREAT!! Mr Lillie, pour those millions you’d save into a competent digital campaign. Young girls drive fiesta’s right? Young girls are the most active digital group there is – there’s some rich fields to plow there sir, and even richer pickings.

The beautiful thing about digital is that there’s such a rich and changing landscape to position ideas and executions that unless you are a complete marketing nuff-nuff it’s difficult to replicate anything thats been done already – with exceptions of course. The NAB/AFL’s longest kick for Auskick based on the Original Joga Bonito chain campaign for example (global by the way, launched well over a year – maybe 2 – earlier). “But they’re both video’s and TV is regional” you may say – the TV wasn’t the core of the campaign, more a lead in and/or outcome; kids were encouraged to submit their “passes” as recorded footage to a site which then placed them into an ever increasing continuous film.

So that example (and others) aside, the sheer number constantly evolving formats, media, methods of interaction, social engagement areas, outlets, combinations, tricks & technology that are available for brands to promote themselves gives us digital creatives a wonderfully exciting palette with which to paint now and forever.

So you never really need worry about someone else beating you to it or wasting valuable time crying about it.

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