Omnicom CEO John Wren on Tuesday — while speaking to shareholders and analysts about the company’s third quarter results — said its merger with Publicis Groupe is on track to close in early 2014.
“It is going well,” Mr. Wren said, noting that the approval process — whereby regulators in different markets are scrutinizing any antitrust issues — is underway in more than 40 countries. So far, South Korea and South Africa are the only markets to rubber-stamp the deal. “As we clear major hurdles, as we go through this, we will inform the public” Mr. Wren said.
“There’s an integration process that [Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Levy] and I and our management team have agreed to,” which is focused on “the most sensible, profitable, thing to do in the priority we should act once the deal is approved.” Mr. Wren added that the two companies are preparing to meet to discuss those integration plans this month (a reference to the news Ad Age broke of a quiet gathering of key leaders from Publicis and Omnicom that will take place at the Four Seasons hotel in Miami).
É muito legal quando determinadas marcas conseguem sair do lugar-comum de seus mercados e se apresentar de uma maneira diferente para o público. Não tem muito tempo que mostramos dois bons exemplos disso por aqui, o da Oral-B e o da Luvs. Agora, a Virgin Active – que se posiciona como um “clube de saúde” e não uma academia de ginástica – aumenta esta lista com Live Happily Ever Active, filme criado pela M&C Saatchi Abel de Cape Town.
A ideia é simples: mostrar como a atividade física é capaz de transformar a vida de alguém, não importa a idade. O que se vende, neste filme, é a ideia da prática de exercícios, e não a anuidade da Virgin Active.
Ao meu ver este é o grande mérito deste comercial: não vemos o ambiente chato da academia (ou do clube de saúde, que seja), não vemos nenhum instrutor gritando, menos ainda marombeiros de plantão. Vemos pessoas se divertindo, dando um rolê de bicicleta, fazendo novas amizades e mostrando que a qualidade de vida é muito mais do que malhar sem parar.
The commercials are hard hitting, beating up Google for everything from invasive ads in Gmail to sharing data with app developers to placing paid results on its search page. Google, the ads claim, is “Scroogling” its users, or exploiting their private data to maximize advertising profits.
And just like ruthless political attack ads, you can go nearly the full length of these without a clue as to whom is behind them. Only at the end does Microsoft identify itself. “For honest search results, try Bing,” the narrator might say, sometimes waiting until the final two seconds to do so.
The Scroogled ads, negative to the core, are a rarity for consumer tech. Even the mean-spirited “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” variety featured a product comparison at least. But while the tactics may be ugly, the ads are working, according to two ad effectiveness firms, and research commissioned by Microsoft, which finds the ads are tarnishing Google’s image in the eyes of viewers and putting Microsoft products — including underdogs such as Bing — into the consideration set.
I’ve been a fan of The Onion for as far back as I care to remember, so I’m always glad to see them expanding their comedic empire. Their in-house creative agency/studio Onion Labs is responsible (along with Barbarian Group, who put together the website) for a new campaign for Jim Beam’s “The Olds” whiskeys (Old Crow, Old Overholt and Old Grand-Dad). Onion Labs emphasizes the old aspect, presenting “The Olds” as a group of rambunctious, terminally youth-like men with a combined age of 422.
In the spot for Old Crow (featured after the jump), Crow is introduced as “the rare ladies man who is also a man’s man,” not the most original of premises. Sounds a little like the Dos Equis spots, to be honest. I guess the whole “women want him, men want to be him” thing is a pretty standard formula for selling alcohol, really. The execution works pretty well here, however. Crow gets chased offstage after singing about a sexy robot. Clearly the spot doesn’t take itself too seriously. The highlight is probably the woman who claims her father sent her away to boarding school, at the age of 37, to keep her away from Old Crow.
The “Meet Old Overholt” spot (featured above) works better. Old Overholt shares his life’s code: “Don’t be a delicate, lazy, pillow-soft, mamby-pamby, non-sweat-breaking, do just enough to get by, ‘Oh, we better call a plumber to come fix it,’ ‘Can I have a salad with the dressing on the side’ fancy-pants wimp.” Overholt, we learn, had this phrase tattooed on his chest, “at the tail end of the Industrial Revolution.” It’s worth a good chuckle as a kind of self-conscious satire of typical liquor ad machismo (more clearly so than “Meet Old Crow”), and should do well by the brand. (To be honest, I’d never heard of Old Overholt before. So I guess the spot succeeded at making me aware of its existence at least.)
The Old Grand-Dad video is forthcoming, which is a little disappointing since that’s the one I remember drinking in college. But I guess I’ll just have to check back to see when it comes out.
In addition to the video content, Onion Studios worked on the social media campaign which encompasses both Facebook and three Twitter accounts (@MeetOldGrandDad, @MeetOldCrow and @MeetOldOverholt). Check out “Meet Old Crow” after the jump. continued…
Coca-Cola va proposer l’installation d’ici 2015 plus de 2 000 Containers, afin de vendre et d’aider les populations privées d’eau potable. Proposant un système de purification d’eau, un accès à l’électricité, et des produits de leur marque, le groupe souhaite à terme distribuer 500 millions de litres d’eau chaque année.
In a quick shout-out to the motherland, a few sources have been telling us this week that Publicis Groupe is on the verge of announcing the acquisition of majority stakes in Beehive Communications and Law & Kenneth, which are both headquartered in Mumbai but have offices throughout India. Both Beehive and L&W have been operating for a decade give or take and are full-service agencies. From what we’ve been told by tipsters, this is part of Publicis Groupe’s “aggressive investment plan” in India. Perhaps they’re on to something.
Late last year, the holding company acquired digital agency iStrat and brand marketing consultancy MarketGate. Then this past April, Publicis bought up acquired ecommerce technology services provider Neev and launched Razorfish in India, creating a new entity called Neev Razorfish in the process. Are Beehive and L&W next? Well, we’ve been told an announcement could come at any time this week. We’ve put in inquiries to all parties (there is that time difference thing, you know) and are awaiting word. We’ll keep you posted.
Fãs de arte irão apreciar o aplicativo Touch Van Gogh para tablets – criado pelo Van Gogh Museum em Amsterdã, em parceria com IJsfontein – que deixa o usuário descobrir o que está por trás das pinturas de Van Gogh.
Como um detetive, usuários podem desvendar mistérios por trás das pinturas de Van Gogh, e aprender mais sobre seu trabalho e suas técnicas.
Com o toque dos dedos, é possível remover digitalmente as camadas das pinturas, e descobrir cada detalhe, cores, elementos de composição, até chegar na cena original.
Assim, o aplicativo permite que o usuário desconstrua a cena que inspirou o artista, veja rascunhos e cores originais antes da restauração e até encontre detalhes escondidos na parte de trás da tela.
Por enquanto, são 3 pinturas disponíveis: The Bedroom,Daubigny’s Garden e View From Theo’s Apartament. Porém a proposta é lançar mais 12 nos próximos 24 meses.
Facebook is launching a new retargeting tool that will allow retailers to show ads to people who’ve visited their websites or mobile apps.
The targeting feature, “website and mobile app custom audiences,” is distinct from Facebook’s FBX ad exchange and won’t include demand-side platforms like Turn, AdRoll and Triggit that have made retargeting to Facebook users via FBX a pillar of their business.
Patrice Wilson, the guy who gave us Rebecca Black's "Friday" video, is back to his trolling ways with another ludicrously awful production starring a teen singer—Alison Gold's video for "Chinese Food." In it, Gold sings about—well, about how much she just loves Chinese food. "I love Chinese food/You know that it's true/I love fried rice, I love noodles/I love chow mein, chow m-m-m-mein," she sings idiotically. (Wilson, who appeared in the "Friday" video, shows up here as a rapping panda bear.) The aggressive stupidity of the lyrics matches that of "Friday," and the video is on the same general trajectory—almost a million YouTube views in 24 hours, and almost a 4-to-1 ratio of dislikes to likes. Chinese-food chain Panda Express gets a mention, but hasn't officially responded to the video yet. Judging by their own weird ads (see below), they'll probably like it.
Passionnés par les paysages désertiques de l’Arizona, le photographe Ben Sandler et le studio Zeitguised ont imaginé la série « Badlands », proposant des images surréalistes, mêlant photographie et modélisation 3D avec talent. Des créations à découvrir sur leurs portfolios et dans la suite de l’article.
Google turned off a number of people last Friday when the search giant announced plans to allow user names and profile photos appear within ads. But not advertisers.
“I don’t know that [brands will] be dying to be first to market [with the new ads], but we haven’t seen people be very hesitant about privacy concerns overall,” said Jason Tabeling, partner at Publicis-owned Rosetta. “Customers are getting aware of the fact that their data is being use to follow them around in some capacity.”
Similar to ads on Facebook, these so-called “shared endorsement” ads will attach people’s names and photos to ads promoting an action tied to their Google+ account, like reviewing a restaurant on Google+ Local or +1ing a product on a retailer’s site. In many cases these actions can only be seen by someone connected to a user on Google+. However some actions like comments on YouTube and reviews on Google+ Local are made public by default, though sometimes people can toggle them to private.
Illustrating a campaign called “Escape the Ordinary” with a magician and soccer players from Arsenal makes sense thematically: Magicians do magic, and who could be less ordinary in Europe than soccer players from the English Premier League? Other than the British royal family, it’s hard to think of anyone else.
However, for CMW and Citroen, making a three-minute promo clip with cars and magic with extraordinary actors still resulted in a very ordinary spot. As you’ll see, the build-up drags, and the trick – which is more fake mind-reading than magic – isn’t very exciting. Pick a color, a card, and a year (and for whatever reason, the creatives decided to have the magician guess the incorrect year, maybe so viewers will believe it’s real?) To his credit, magician Drummond Money-Coutts brings enough energy and effort to make the clip watchable. The Arsenal players, Ramsey, pretty-boy Giroux, etc., are just show ponies who aren’t there to do much. Magic is supposed to wow, especially online clips that can be manipulated with editing, yet from the pledge, there was little chance that this wobbly trick would shock, awe, or bring out any sort of emotional response. But, with all the high-priced talent, the best trick may have been making an advertising budget disappear so quickly.
Apple has poached Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to become senior VP-retail and online stores, a newly created position reporting directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Ms. Ahrendts’s task at Apple when she officially starts next spring will be to oversee the strategic direction, expansion and operation of both retail and online stores, Mr. Cook said in a statement. Like former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, hired by Apple this summer to work on special projects and report to Mr. Cook, Ms. Ahrendts also brings fashion expertise to a company reportedly working on a “smartwatch.”
Although her post is a new one, she effectively fills the vacancy created when John Browett, a Brit who used to run U.K. electronics chain Dixons and joined as Apple’s head of retail last year, was ousted after only seven months in the job. In August Apple hired Enrique Atienza, senior VP at Levi’s, to lead Apple’s U.S. retail efforts.
A Sony escolheu o intervalo do Monday Night Football, ontem à noite, para apresentar Perfect Day, o primeiro filme da campanha do PlayStation 4, que será lançado no próximo mês. A ideia é mostrar a definição de um dia perfeito, segundo os jogadores do PS4: jogar sem parar, de preferência com seu melhor amigo – ainda que isso signifique matá-lo algumas vezes, na ficção, é claro.
O filme mistura animação 3D e live action, e começa com dois guerreiros lutando, ao mesmo tempo em que cantam Perfect Day, de Lou Reed. A história segue com os mesmos dois personagens disputando uma corrida de carros e, depois, em uma batalha futurística.
Parte da campanha Greatness Awaits, o comercial é divertido e ainda dá uma palhinha de DriveClub e Killzone Shadow Fall, games exclusivos do PS4.
Rockstar Games’s “Grand Theft Auto V” (GTA 5) is poised to be the most successful video game ever based on initial sales, and that’s largely due its intricately drawn setting. The game takes place in Los Santos, a faux Los Angeles so detailed that video game website IGN called it “an extraordinarily well-realized world” unto itself.
That realism is only heightened by the game’s abundance of fake, yet recognizable, brand names.
But GTA 5’s brands don’t provide flattering representations of their real-life counterparts. Instead, the game’s parody brands provide a cutting satire of American consumerism and how it pervades our culture.
Although Sprite has changed agencies and approaches several times in recent years, this ad hits on well-trodden ground for the brand: LeBron James, basketball, and mentioning the word “thirst.” This time around there’s a lot of screaming, though. We open with LeBron James superhumanly blocking a dunk attempt and screaming in celebration. Then we see a marching band drummer “marching to his own beat,” a dude posting a video of some biking tricks, a guy with a lion tattoo, and a woman getting a truly bizarre haircut. All of them scream. Somewhere a silently screaming mime gets thrown in. “If you’re gonna put in the work to show the world who you are, you’re going to get thirsty. Then: drink a Sprite.” proclaims the voiceover, before adding in the tagline “For The Thirsty.” Reasonable enough logic here: lots of screaming will make you thirsty.
Here’s the thing though: soft drinks are actually terrible at quenching thirst. Why would you make that a selling point for your brand? Isn’t that playing to your weakness? Yes, it is a beverage, but it’s a sugary one made to be enjoyed for its taste, not to quench thirst. I get that they’ve gone with athlete endorsements aplenty to sell their product, and I get that this strategy harkens way back to their “Obey Your Thirst” days. But who is really reaching for a Sprite after a workout? Especially with the vast array of flavored bottled water drinks now available. Is marketing towards a function your product doesn’t actually serve really going to help sell your brand? I’ve never understood this. Who knows though, since Sprite is constantly changing their approach, maybe this tactic will die out soon as well.
German airline Lufthansa is running a contest in Sweden, dreamed up by the pranksters at DDB Stockholm, that features an impressive grand prize—a free trip, a free apartment in Berlin, a bike and "everything else you need to start a whole new life." All you have to do? Change your name, legally, to Klaus-Heidi.
Clearly that name would suit either man or woman, so that's the first hurdle out of the way. DDB tells us: "The first person to change their surname and upload a new legitimate passport or ID at the campaign site wins the whole shebang. So who wants to become a real Berliner? Who will he or she be? Who is Klaus-Heidi?"
For those not willing or able to take such drastic action, you can also change your name only on Facebook and get a discount on plane tickets to Germany.
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