Hasta La Creative!

American Express tells four heartfelt stories of celebrity struggle, and ultimate success, in these spots from Oglivy & Mather. The ads—featuring queen of soul Aretha Franklin, sitcom star Mindy Kaling, GoPro founder Nick Woodman and restauranteur Natalie Young—aired in edited form during Sunday’s Academy Awards on ABC.

The stars, all AmEx customers, recall how they battled adversity. Franklin vanquished youthful shyness and insecurity to become a dynamic stage performer. Kaling overcame typecasting, refusing to play second-banana roles—”best friends” and such—as she climbed the ladder in Hollywood. Woodman reinvented himself from scratch, even moving in with his parents, after his first business failed and he lost $4 million of investors’ money.

Young’s tale of addiction is the most intense. “Everything that was good, was gone,” she says in a sobering voiceover. “I lost my family. I lost friends, lovers, jobs. … I took any job I could get. I trimmed trees. I washed cars. I just felt like a number. I didn’t feel like I was important, and that I was irreplaceable. And they made sure I knew that, that I felt like that. I know, today, that I don’t want anybody that works with me to feel that way.”

At the end of each spot, AmEx tries to forge a connection between endorsers, viewers and the company’s offerings. For example, during Young’s story, text flashes on screen: “To the next generation of late bloomers, welcome.” Kaling’s ad mentions “the next generation of unlikely leading ladies.” Ultimately, AmEx reminds us that “The journey never stops,” positioning its products and services as helpful tools to have along the way.

“People think we’re just a brand of when you quote, unquote ‘arrive,’ ” Marie Devlin, AmEx’s svp of global advertising, tells The Wall Street Journal. “We very much want to be with people along their journey through life. It’s not about a final destination.”

That strategy is fairly well implemented here. The spots look great, and the storytelling is first rate. It’s compelling, inspirational stuff, perhaps even refreshing and unexpected for the brand and the category.

Still, there’s a disconnect. There’s no evidence, nor even a suggestion, that AmEx helped them achieve stardom—or anything, actually, so the value proposition remains elusive. OK, they carry AmEx cards in their wallets. With all due respect: So what? (At least the campaign’s main social component—asking users to tweet in return for AmEx’s financial support of a documentary about ballerina Misty Copeland—displays some cause and effect.)

The whole initiative would be stronger if it focused on famous folks who scored major life victories precisely because, at pivotal points in their development, they used AmEx, and the company’s services pulled them through. That would give the campaign an extra layer of integrity, and perhaps deter those who would point out that charge cards—often misused in times of desperation—can bring people’s journeys to a crashing halt.

Ogilvy takes a look back at American Express’ past in a new spot entitled “Retrospective,” which promotes the brand’s introduction of Apple Pay. The 30-second spot ran last night during AMC’s premiere of The Walking Dead and will also run during the NBA All Star Game on TNT next week.

“Retrospective” takes the form of a clip show, featuring past American Express ads, before finally looking ahead to Apple Pay integration at the conclusion of the ad. Among the memorable moments from the brand’s advertising history are appearances from Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Henson, Jesse Owens and Tina Fey. When the spot finally makes the transition to a man using Apple Pay at a store, it is accompanied by the message, “American Express’ timeless safety and security are now available on Apple Pay.”

With competitors like Chase, MasterCard and Capitol One all touting Apple Pay integration for months, it was only a matter of time before American Express joined the party. Allison Silver, vice president, marketing marketing at American Express explained to AdAge that the delay was due to the brand focusing efforts late last year on Small Business Saturday. “We thought it made more sense to stagger those messages,” she said, adding, “Apple Pay is certainly a priority message for us this year.”

Depois de lançar sua plataforma Sync no Foursquare no SXSW 2011, como foi já contado por aqui, a American Express lança mais uma forma dos seus clientes americanos ganharem créditos e juntarem dinheiro: o Sync, Tweet and Save, este lançado no SXSW 2012 e usando o Twitter como a ferramenta protagonista.

A ideia tem praticamente o mesmo mecanismo: quando os clientes sincronizam seus cartões com a rede social, eles podem usufruir de exclusivas ofertas diretamente nos seus próprios cartões, a partir do uso de hashtags especiais.

E já que essa novidade foi lançada no SXSW 2012, uma ação especial rola por lá: todos que efetuarem a sincronização, tuitarem a hashtag especial #AmexAustin10 e usarem seus cartões sincronizados, ganham $10 na hora.

Para quem não tem uma simpatia muito grande por utilizar as famosas hashtags no twitter, agora acho que começa a usar.

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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Today we say goodbye to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Over the next few months, the general public will dissect all things MJ — what will happen to his three children, and what his musical legacy will become. I’m more interested in is his impact on the advertising world.

Until 1984, it was virtually unheard of for a superstar to endorse products on TV, until Pepsi inked a $5 million deal with Jackson, paving the way for future deals with Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Ray Charles, and Britney Spears. In fact, Jackson’s relationship with Pepsi was so successful that brands such as Buick, American Express, Cover Girl, and Jell-O also pursued celebrity deals, elevating those brands to unseen levels of popularity.

The Pepsi-Jackson deal also broke creative ground — at the height of “Thriller,” Jackson rewrote “Billie Jean” to create a version specifically for Pepsi, rather than sing the original jingle, thus taking the concept of branding to a new level. The Wall Street Journal credits Jackson for breaking barriers that gave way to iPod commercials starring Coldplay as well as car commercials featuring indie rock songs that have yet to get radio play, but are sure to be the next big thing.

Not bad for a kid from Gary, Indiana, huh?

Photo Credit: the Associated Press

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via Twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.