Hasta La Creative!

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, things are occasionally done a bit differently. Politics is obviously not exempt from the sometimes bizarre. As the political campaign for State Senator is ramping up, one candidate in particular is standing out in the crowd, so to speak, enough so to be gaining a fair bit of national attention.

And another Steve Novick political spot that’s been playing pretty much ’round the clock:

An interesting turn in Novick’s advertising and marketing is the recent release of Left Hook Lager, “A Battling Brew”.

That’s right, a politically endorsed beer. Nothing speaks to Oregonians quite like craft beer, so labeling bottles from small Eugene, OR craft brewer Ninkasi only makes sense (in a bizarre sort of way). If you’re so inclined, more info on purchasing the beer is available here.

And unlike many of these slightly bizarre campaigns, Novick’s campaign is quickly gaining ground and winning supporters. Last week, he received the endorsement from former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, and this week won the support of the Oregon Education Association. I hope this means we’ll be seeing some more entertaining political spots before this campaign is over. *And just a note – I’m definitely not proclaiming my political support for Novick – merely pointing out my appreciation for the advertising and marketing strategies that we’re seeing*

SXSW Interactive. And that’s where you should be too.

If not physically, then at least checking out the website, talking to people who were there, etc.SXSW (South by SouthWest) is perhaps the most important showcase for new media and new technologies out there. (There’s also film and music parts of the festival which are pretty important in and of themselves, but we’ll focus on the interactive part.)

A good place to start is this list of finalists for the Web awards. You’ll find inspiration from a variety of sites– everything from individual portfolio sites to corporate sites to media sites to random cool websites. Since the awards don’t just focus on things ad agencies have done, you get a more complete vision of what’s noteworthy on the web right now.

Two other place sto get a great overview of SWSX are (a) Deep Focus’ Ian Schafer’s blog. Schafer’s been assiduously documenting the conference and his insights are (as the line goes) the next best thing to being there.  (b) Adpulp’s David Burn’s coverage on his agency’s blog, where you get a different, but equally in-depth account.

These days, simplicity is far from the norm, both in advertising and in life. A new product or campaign launch often contains an advergame or two, viral easter eggs, shot codes, fake viralesque videos, blogs, and on and on and on. We live in a world where multitasking is the norm and our brains are expected to do the filtering. That’s why it’s such a surprise when an ad is simple and makes a quick point without any hidden messages/games/web interaction/etc.
The print ad above, from RKCR Y&R in London for the Land Rover Defender is so simplistically perfect, it hurts. It’s not the greatest art direction ever and the copy isn’t earth-shattering, but it communicates a message well and quickly, without tumultuous effort. It can be done. And is worth remembering every now and then.

I love buying a round of virtual drinks for my friends. What better way to show them I care without having to deal with all the drunken aftermath (I did what?! I made out with who?!). But as I pass out the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters and Tiki Revenges to my new BFFs, I often find myself asking “How are these people/companies making money off this?” Well, when it comes to more conventional ad forms, it turns out they’re not. With click-through rates around .04%, advertisers have been less than excited about the returns. As it turns out, people really are there to interact with each other. Who knew?! Applications, though, are another story. At first blush the numbers are impressive: 874,742,856 installs across 17,263 applications on Facebook with these applications being used 34,175,797 times in the last 24 hours generating numbers like $300 per active user. But then you come across articles like this where the value of a Facebook application user is valuated at somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.40. Hmmmm That’s a big discrepancy. Digging a little deeper we discover that the bulk of application usage is spread out over a handful of applications — only around 87 according to this article. Doh! Looks like Facebook isn’t a quick path to riches and that advertisers will actually have to put effort into developing messaging, applications, etc. that have true value for their audience. Bartender? Can you make that next Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster a double?

Technorati Tags: review, advertising, online, beyond madison avenue

Matt Dickman, author of the most excellent Techno//Marketer blog referred me to one of the coolest links I’ve found in a while. It’s called “Google Hot Trends” and it’s an hourly update of the most Googled terms. Fascinating because you can find out all sorts of things, from who’s being traded before the NBA trade deadline, who’s having Jason Kidd’s baby, and which congressman is being indicted. It’s one of the ways that search, and the analysis thereof, is changing the way we approach advertising and marketing. Because rather than rely on the specious output of Nielson families or million dollar focus groups, we get uncensored, unbiased accounts of what people are doing when they are not conscious of being monitored or watched. The possibilities are endless for this sort of research, but in the meantime, it’s a fun way to keep abreast of the news and to see how many of terms you recognize before you click on them.Well at least for a nerd like me, it is. 

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT) recently released their Media Predictions: Technology, Media & Telecommunications trends 2008, downloadable via PDF here.

While there’s nothing hit-you-over-the-head shocking, it provides a very interesting (and fairly comprehensive) overview of the changes effecting technology and media today. There are certainly some advertising and communication-specific trends. Definitely worth a read if you’ve got the time – if nothing else than to just get the mind thinking about everything in a broader sense.

And for those with less time to read the full study, Rainer Präsoll gives us a nice summary of the 10 emerging trends outlined in the study.

[via Raw Stylus]

The New York Times Michelle Slatalla wrote about her family’s experiences with Twitter last week, further fueling the argument about whether microblogging services have any real value to consumers. (Slatalla’s very wired teenage daughter had zero interest in the service, which they saw as basically replicated the group email or text message.)

But the most damning part of Slatalla’s article was this quote from Walter J. Carl, an assistant professor of communications studies at Northeastern University

The people who I see using it are an older demographic, people in marketing or P.R. or advertising, who use it for work, to present themselves as particular types of people. They’ll twitter, ‘I’m traveling,’ or ‘I’m going to interesting restaurants.’ They’re using it to do identity work.

Now there is one use of Twitter I’ve seen that I find interesting, but it’s not exactly what Biz Stone (could that really be his actual name?) and the other founders intended: during high-interest, minute-by-minute events (the Democratic primaries, the NBA All-Star weekend Slam-Dunk Challenge) certain reporters were Twittering their updates every few minutes of so. For die-hard fans, it seemed like a win-win situation.

Anyone out there using Twitter religiously? Is Professor Carl on target or is it a valuable communications tool waiting to be discovered?

I’m intrigued by what seems to be a recent trend in high-production automotive advertising. The number of commercials containing either an orchestra or a large group of people similarly dressed in a stereotypical factory worker or scientist get-up is fascinating. The newest spot continuing this trend is the Audi A4: Strings 1:30 spot by DDB Barcelona.

I could dig deep and analyze conceptual execution, soundrack choices, and overall production value, but what piques my interest is all of the people wearing lab coats. Who are they? Why are they this experienced at playing with string? And if they are Audi designers, is there any reason they’re all wearing matching lab coats? The only good answers I can come up in my head involve either the visual simplicity it creates or the pseudo-scientist-authority figures it yields. Either way, I still want to know how they got that skilled with string games.

I probably wouldn’t take much notice, but the Audi spot certainly isn’t the only recent advertisement to use the lab coat. The recent Problem Playground spot by W+K London for Honda has a plethora of scientists, construction workers, office execs, and other similarly dressed official-looking people taking part. Do they bring any authority to the message Honda is pushing? Or is it just some visual variety and I’m attempting to read too much into it? And then what of the Ford Focus Orchestra? Does having a musician play an emissions system of a Ford really make me any more likely to purchase a Ford? I’m by no means complaining. I think all the new spots are stellar in their own ways. I just find it interesting the direction that automotive advertising is going. We’ve definitely changed a bit since Joe Isuzu.

And for your viewing pleasure, I’ve embedded the “Problem Playground” and “Orchestra” spots after the jump.

When I saw the Kia Soap on a Rope commercial, I have to say I was slightly confused. It was funny, but I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Apparently Byung Mo Ahn had similar feelings. The previous president and recently named chairman and group CEO of Kia Motors America is reported to be less than amused with the direction of humor that Kia is moving in. According to an article on AdAge today, the soap on a rope spot (and actual soap on a rope handouts) is the cause of departure of both Kia’s president and their VP of marketing. While I can understand Ahn’s desire to change direction of the company’s advertising, I always associate humor with Kia’s advertising, and the soap on a rope spot, while a bit out there, definitely carries on the tradition of the giant map pin, musical cars, and steerology. Regardless of whether or not the spot and the execs departure were directly linked, I think it’s safe to say that it’s never easy to please everyone, not even with soap on a rope.

Storytelling is an art that is slowly fading away. There are even groups dedicated to the preservation of stories and of storytellers. With with new technologies and advancing digital techniques, the story is often lost. There are still those occasional stories that get told with passion and care, and they are truly beautiful. Adidas, founded 60 years ago, is one of the most iconic brands today with a logo that speaks for itself. Yet 180 Amsterdam has crafted a beautiful animated short about the history of Adi Dassler and the beginnings of Adidas. Simple, beautiful animation, but most important, an incredible and uplifting story from a true storyteller that speaks louder than any logo could. It’s nice to see a real story every now and then.

And you can check out the :60 version on YouTube here.

Technorati Tags: Adidas, shoes, film, animation, story, beyond madison avenue