Hasta La Creative!

Globalization is one thing that most international companies invest in today and it is an aggressive practice in the local shores of India. Large names that include Coca Cola and McDonalds have adopted the new termed practice called Glocalisation, a saleable mix of the global and the local, which represents the human capacity to bridge scales from the local to global and vice versa.

Product association is evident in our local regions and for international companies known throughout the world, the need to rev up the consumer awareness has become a critical need. India has so far acknowledged this need and companies who have intended to join in this Glocalisation practice are jumping in one by one.

“Advertising agencies in our country are increasingly going in for international tie-ups. As a result, foreign brands are suddenly seeking local attention. The art of making an advertisement look local and endearing to Indians is the global spin-off in advertising,” Vipin Dhayani, creative head of the Everest Brand Solutions, said.

(Source) Zeenews

Technorati Tags: advertising, coca cola, globalization, glocalisation, Hrithik Roshan, india, mcdonalds

Familiar to most people who invest a lot in advertising is the fact of sponsoring events that are held on certain periods of time. This includes concerts or even sports events that draw a crowd to which provides a good medium for exposure particularly for brands that are still on the rise.

Aggressive giant companies like Coca Cola, Nike and Nokia do this. We can see their endorsement at various points in time. Notable among them include being seen over the NBA, the World Cup and concerts from known artists such as Christina Aguilera and Michael Jackson.

These events are held at various points of the world and the advertising support is something that makes them happen. With that in mind you can imagine the sum needed to finance these events and the returns expected from them on the chosen target market.

You can read something related to this here at the Business Week

Technorati Tags: advertising, nokia, nike, coca cola, world cup, NBA, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson

The people at Greenpeace are none too pleased with Unilever, the makers of Dove beauty products. According to Greenpeace, Unilever is purchasing palm oil from suppliers who are destroying the rainforests in Indonesia. This deforestation is causing all sorts of problems such as climate change as well as the extinction of certain species. So, what is Greenpeace doing about it? Well, on April 21, 2008, they released a bunch of apes (or possibly Orangutans) into London and Merseyside to guilt Unilever into stopping this madness! They also came out with the following video to hopefully raise awareness. I guess the price you sometimes pay to be beautiful may not be worth it after all.

Providing advertising support to marketing campaigns is not as easy as we all deem it to be. There are questions to be answered and expectations that are set. Set goals need to be achieved since investing heavily in advertising will surely have to come up with something.

Normally, advertising is aimed at producing sales and bringing in profit. But to be able to do so, tasked individuals have to take the necessary steps for these statistics to be a reality. It is not purely a hit and go itinerary. Set up your advertising campaign goals and be sure that they are achievable. Money invested on them should not be wasted. The result for the greater good of a venture is surely the one that most company honchos are looking for and will be expected to be achieved.

Technorati Tags: advertising, marketing, campaigns, sales, money

The Wall Street Journal had a pretty fascinating story today that I’d only heard bits and pieces of before. The story basically details how former AdAge reporter James Arndorfer is writing for the Miller Brewing Company-owned blog, “Brew Blog,” where one of the primary topics of interest is Anheuser-Busch news. He’s continuously breaking stories on A-B, which is getting under the St. Louis brewing company’s skin.

While A-B and Miller have been battling for years, the internet and the blogosphere have opened up new and creative doors through which the battle can rage on. Miller sponsoring a blog that paints A-B in a lesser light is certainly a non-traditional tactic, but interesting that such importance is being placed on internet sites. Something worth considering as the internet continues to grow.

And despite working on several A-B accounts in the past, I have to say that I’m fairly intrigued by the whole Miller-backed-blog and the way it’s playing out. I’m also eagerly anticipating more corporate tactical use of blogs in the future. Seems ripe with possibilities. Anyway, check out the WSJ article for more details and analysis.

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics practically a year away, it would be wise for companies who are planning to get advertising slots towards this world-renowned event early. With practically the whole world watching, you can just imagine the number of companies worldwide jockeying for position for good slots in the expected expensive yet lucrative exposure that one can just imagine.

The strategy here is simple. It is all on a first-come, first served basis. You can expect giants such as Nokia and Sony to be at the forefront of it all in what is expected to be a circus of sorts since this meet will really hit the global target audience. Just look at Canwest which just closed the deal of their advertising pact for the 2010 Olympics.

Canwest Publishing Inc., the largest owner of Canadian newspapers, has signed an Olympic-sized deal to supply advertising to the 2010 Vancouver Organizing Committee.

The deal, which will be announced this morning, includes all 10 of Canwest’s regional newspapers, including The Vancouver Sun and The Province, but not the flagship National Post.

Vanoc is calling Canwest an “official supplier”, a category that generally is worth between $3 millon and $10 million. In a memo sent to staff Wednesday morning Dennis Skulsky, the president of Canwest Publishing, and Kevin Bent, the publisher of the Pacific Newspaper Group called it an “Official Regional Newspaper agreement”.

(Source) The Vancouver Sun

Technorati Tags: olympics, advertising, canwest, nokia, sony, global

The creative part of people today depends on how well they can put together their company name and expound on that. We find unique names that can include out of nowhere names like perhaps Fizz or even Friendster. But with the proper implementation of marketing practices, you will be surprised at the impact that they can have when you talk about making them a household name.

We have seen a lot of them from past years. Names such as Carrier, Sony and Nokia were virtual unknowns back in the days. But thanks to the proper advertising and promotional campaigns, they are big names in the business today.

With that in mind, you can just imagine at how one crazy name can make a difference. Support that and build on it and you may find yourself counting your money before you even blink.

Technorati Tags: fizz, friendster, nokia, promotional, campaigns, business, money, advertising, marketing

A few months back, GoldRush wrote an interesting post on the Saturn “Anthem” spot and the potential that the “Rethink” mantra has on revitalizing a somewhat-lost brand. I’ve been watching the Saturn campaign with hope and anticipation over the past few months, and this morning, was media-blasted with the newest Saturn spot for the Vue, “Rethinking Everything” on broadcast TV.

This is definitely the most prominent presentation of the “Rethinking Everything” approach. It’s certainly an interesting stance, and this particular spot is a bit warmer and less in-your-face than the “Anthem” spot. While it’s nothing incredibly noteworthy in terms of creative, the visuals and the sound track do work well to communicate the feeling of hope and change. But at the moment, it still only seems like a corporate mantra. As Gavin insightfully commented on the Anthem spot,

I hope they also do something about the dealer network and the brand promise that it fails to deliver. Rebranding is not just for the aspirational part of your business — it should filter through all of your touchpoints.

Judging from much of the forum banter on SaturnFans.com, Saturn still has a long way to go before the Rethink mantra is fully implemented – and accepted with open arms. But there’s something about this re-brand that has me pulling for ‘em. We’ll see.

Technology has been used on billboards for years, displaying everything from the temperature to the current powerball jackpot, but generally, the level of interaction between the viewer and the message is minimal. Therefore, the few billboards that use technology to actually inspire and force that mental interaction really impress me, as does this new billboard campaign for AEG-electrolux laundry machines.

Their somewhat clever “noise awareness” campaign certainly speaks volumes to their product, but it’s the execution of the idea via billboards that really makes it work. Decibel meters monitor the current sound volume. Simple. Nothing too elaborate, and not too much explanation needed. Just enough to make sense, and to push it just a hair past the normal billboard. And of course, the current data is viewable, then compiled and graphed on the well designed Noise Awareness Website, where you can even click on cities to get the exact billboard locations via google maps. Cool stuff.

If you’re lusting for more photos in other cities, check out Notcot.

Sure, big chain stores get plenty of advertising. When was the last time your Sunday paper didn’t have the latest flyer for Best Buy? And how often do you catch their commercials on TV? Unfortunately, powerhouse companies like those are causing several small record stores throughout the country to close. In efforts to increase awareness of these independently owned shops, tomorrow is Record Store Day. A “holiday” designed to celebrate boutiques filled with all those music geeks that know more about your favorite album than you ever cared to. So just for tomorrow, go grab that CD you’ve been jonesing for at your closest local store. Click the logo below to find a mom & pop near you.