Ad Man Scott

Great advertising is all around us. What makes it work? What makes it fall flat? I'm an ad professional based in NYC--basically living the dream. var sc_project=6955985; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_security="9699cf39";

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Mr. Sketch Markers: Yep, we admit, they smell like a**

Take a quick gander at the below video:

Now think about this: Adults created this video. As in, full-grown adult men and women collaborated on both the client and agency sides to create a video that, in essence, says our markers smell like farts. 

Okay, maybe I'm being harsh, since the end-user is most likely a 4th or 5th grader...

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Ford to Cadillac - "It's Not About Stuff"

Well that didn't take long. It looks like Ford is the first to strike with a response to Cadillac's "Poolside" ad previously written about here. 

Ford has produced a hard-hitting ad that's basic message is something like: "No. Stuff is not why we work hard. We work hard to create a better world."

The star of the ad isn't a professional actor either. It's Detroit's own Pashon Murray, founder of Detroit Dirt--a company that is taking Detroit wasteland and turning it into farmable land to feed the community--a far cry from the capitalistic spot from Cadillac. Take a look: 

There are two interesting points to the delivery of this ad:

1. Ford used a new YouTube channel called "upside," which could mean there are more positive message ads coming along, in addition to they may have wanted it separated from the rest of Ford content for some reason. 

2. The product is barely mentioned. The "C-Max" car is an hybrid electric car, similar to the car being shown in the Cadillac video, but the star of the show here is sustainability and community, not the car. 

As an extra note, It's not as interesting, considering Ford has employed the same strategy in all of their uploads, but they disabled comments on this video. 

So, this video has garnered nearly 700,000 views and it was released on Friday. That's more than any other Ford video available...but let's talk about the strategy:

As I mentioned before, Cadillac's target audience is a wealthier and probably more capitalistic person, which "poolside" spoke well to. Why should Cadillac care about the opinion of people who aren't buying their product? Does it really matter? 

Ford has always gone after the more "middle-class" (which gets re-defined every week it seems) customer, and this video does a great job at engaging them.

Let's see if it sells more cars--after all, that's the real test, right?

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Samsung: "It's not just Apple anymore"

For as long as I can remember, Samsung has always had a thing against Apple--the rivalry goes deep and includes tales of lawsuits, mudslinging and, of course, ads that are pointed directly at the behemoth tech company that Steve Jobs built. 

These ads built around "the next big thing," have always poked fun at the presentation style of Apple's new product announcements. Like this first one: 

It appears that Samsung has decided to widen that competitive attack. In their newest ad, they not only attack the iPad, but also the Kindle and the Microsoft Surface tablet. Samsung has always had a knack for using Apple's self-proclaimed advantages and it looks like they are doing it again to Microsoft and Amazon--although with Microsoft having only a little over 3% of the market share currently, it's definitely a curious decision. 

As you can see, they point out the ability to multi-task, the fact that the surface tablet is bulky and more like a laptop than a tablet and of course, the display vs. that "retina thingy" that Apple touts. 

So, the real question is, does this come off as snobby and contrite? Or does it make you want to buy a Samsung? 

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What Do Hump Day, Chocolate and a Quarter of an Hour Have in Common?

Well this was unexpected. 

Usually during brand-team exercises, one brand has an obviously greater benefit (usually the one footing most of the bill), but as luck would have it for Geico, BBDO NY managed to squeeze in just as much brand benefit for them as they did for their delicious client, M&M:

Brilliant spot reminds consumers of the irresistibly delicious M&Ms, while also highlighting Geico's infamous 15-minutes claim and even throwing a little bit of pop-culture (hump day) into the mix. 

This is nicely done. 

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Cadillac - Garages and Capitalism (Did They Nail it?)

GM has been doing a sort of rebrand lately for Cadillac. They seem to be siphoning the brand tone from their Chevy rebrand. The last two spots they released send a couple fairly different, but still connected messages.

So I'm a little late to the party on this one, but every time I see this commercial released last November, it just doesn't sit right with me. Last night was no exception during the Oscars.

The spot is beautifully produced. The voiceover choice is a perfect blend of trustworthy and bold. 

Here's the problem I have: Is this a differentiating factor? Doesn't every "American-made" (I use quotes, because everything is "American-made" now it seems. Import has become a bad word) car come out of an American garage? It just feels like the concept falls short. Not only that, but does anyone remember the car brand? 

I actually thought it was Lincoln while I was searching for it. Whoops.

Now, the second spot does show more of a differentiating benefit.

The tone is more egotistical and capitalistic, but let's be honest: Isn't that their target? They aren't targeting someone with an average HHI, not when their median price range is the median annual salary. It's been welcomed with a decent amount criticism, saying this spot promotes "working yourself into the ground, never taking time off and owning a lot of sh*t"

I actually like it. It's risky. It's edgy. I want to hate the lead role, but at the same time, kind of want to be him, but then again, I'm kind of a capitalist myself. 

So where does Cadillac go from here?

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Buy Some Sashimi, I'll Throw In Some Rice Paper...Gratis!

Well, here it is: The first weed commercial aired on a major network--And it's not in Colorado...It's in New Jersey!

They use the concept of "You wouldn't buy your sushi from this guy, so why would you buy your marijuana from him." See below:

This "you wouldn't _____, so why _____" concept is overused in the ad world. Almost as much as the buzz word "innovative." 

However, my real issue with this ad is the waste of 30 seconds. You made a 60 second ad, and half the ad is just voiceover--you know what, maybe that's on purpose. It might take a stoner about 30 seconds to notice the number--perhaps that was well played, after all. 

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This Ad Blows... Well, see for yourself...

Apolosophy, a hair-care product line in Sweden worked with agency Akestam Holst and production company Stopp to create an ad that not only grabs your attention, but really supports a message. See below:

Apotek Hjärtat - Blowing in The Wind from Ourwork on Vimeo.

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IKEA - A New Story for Space Saving

Why tell people that you'll help them save space with innovative home decoration, when you can actually show them?

This is a brilliant way to tell a boring message:

Way to go IKEA. 

Source: Mindfields

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Mila Kunis--The New Face of Jim Beam

Okay, so I'm personally biased on this one. Mila Kunis has been a crush of mine since that 70's show, but putting that aside, does the obvious reach out to millenials alienate any other loyal consumers? 

Their prior spokesperson was Kid Rock--quite a large difference. Personally, I say no. I think true loyalists drink Jim Beam because of the taste and now they should be able to open a whole new channel of revenue with this new face. 

Also these spots are very well done. The bring out specific benefits (aged for double the time required by law and consistent for 200 years--see below):

They also produced a great 3-minute spot starring master distiller and great-grandson of Jim Beam showing Mila the ropes. It definitely comes off as genuine, with some heartstring tugs towards the end. 

I say good move, Jim Beam. Good move. 

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Esurance - That's not how it works!

Geico has built a brand around the concept of 15 minutes could save you 15% or more--it's been their mantra for years. Instead of being another voice in the sea of sameness, Esurance is attacking it head-on. 

In this campaign, they cut the legs out from under the Geico claims (they literally claim they can save you more in half the time). 

Esurance uses common everyday tasks (like posting photos on your wall) done completely wrong and compares them to the idea of saving only 15% in 15 minutes. 

Or here's Larry. Larry wants you to save time by not rewinding the DVD after you rent it...

Due to the humor and the obvious call-out of Geico, surely top-of-mind awareness has to be impacted by this, but time will tell if acquisitions increase. 

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This is brilliant! “Lite Beer Great Taste” = change GLBT to LBGT for gay pride. BRILLIANT! (Taken with Instagram)

Both relevant and topical, while still maintaining brand (apologies for the blurry photo).

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Apple and Facebook Playing Nice...For Now

Apple’s WWDC 2012 had a few interesting introductions on Monday.  Retina display MacBook Pro and turn-by-turn directions using an Apple 3D maps program that was “built from the ground up at Apple” are all neat things I look forward to using, but one thing stood out to me and it only reiterates what investors have been saying all along. iPhone has previously fully-integrated Twitter into iOS5 and according to Apple, iPhone has taken a huge share of tweets as a result.

(Yes, that’s almost half of all photos uploaded to Twitter)

The announcement came on Monday that Facebook is going to be fully integrated into iOS6. Not only will users be able to upload photos directly from photo albums and post content from websites and apps, but now can also update a status via Siri.

Now that Apple is going to integrate Facebook into iOS6, we can only assume the same stats as Twitter will be true – that is, a large portion of status updates and photo uploads will be from the iPhone.

Make it easier to engage, more engagement will occur. That’s pretty straight-forward thinking, right?

So, who cares?

An easier interface to interact via mobile means less interaction via traditional browser. As of right now, that’s where the advertising is for Facebook. Facebook ads are not mobile. Try as they may, they couldn’t even convince investors that they could make mobile advertising profitable, which is one of the main reasons cited for their poor IPO performance last month (never mind Facebook’s grossly high valuation).  Twitter claims they have managed to solve this problem by using promoted tweets that “appear” in a user’s feed.  Last week CEO Dick Costolo said that the company's mobile-ad revenue had exceeded ad revenue from desktop users for the first time in a single day.

I can’t help but assume that Facebook desktop interaction will drop as a result of this new iPhone integration, which could bode poorly for advertisers.

But the other side of me keeps saying that Facebook has no true competition. Other social networks satisfy a niche, however I (and others) have spent years building my online “home.” I’ve got thousands of photos, keep in touch with friends from all over the world and I don’t see myself “migrating” to a new social site unless it’s a one-click transfer kind of thing, which would never happen.

What do you think? Does Facebook need to crack the mobile code to continue to be the giant in the social space? Can they learn anything from Twitter? Will this new iOS6 integration prove to be more of a curse than a blessing?

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Here we go! National ADDYs! (Taken with instagram)

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Olympics now banning social media.

Perhaps you've read this article from Adage about the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and their new "crackdowns" for the olympics.  Because of the multi-billions of dollars that brands are spending (i.e. McDonalds and Coca-Cola), these brands are demanding an extreme level of exclusivity.

So this one makes sense:

"a 35-day, one-kilometer Brand Exclusion Zone will be enforced around all Olympic venues, inside which no brands that compete with official sponsor brands can advertise."

I get that. Fair enough. You pay a billion dollars, you get that right. But here's where it gets ridiculous:

"Spectators wearing competitor-branded clothing, or consuming unofficial food or drink choices, or even trying to pay with the wrong credit card, will not be welcome."

This reminds me of the 2006 World Cup with Bavaria (an unofficial beer company). They included orange Lederhosen with its beer and encouraged fans to wear them for support. They had the beer's logo on them, which infuriated InBev executives and FIFA officials, who made the fans remove their pants before entering the stadium. And again in 2010, when the same brewery used female models to sport the brand. You can read more on these events here.

When those stories broke, I had to ask myself: Was it more detrimental to the brand for FIFA and Budweiser to raise hell on this or in the long run was this a good PR move - setting a precedent of enforcement? At the time, I was on the fence about it.

Now, the precedent has taken an extreme turn:

"Even social media -- which most brands have long since given up trying to police -- is not free from Olympic control. Twitter shut down the account of satirical activist group Space Hijackers after LOCOG complained about the use of its logo (while also claiming it did not mind the content)."

Or this one:

"Athletes are also under strict social-media observation. They cannot upload pictures or footage, and/ or post reports about their own--or anyone else's--performance."

Or how about this one:

"Technically, nobody is allowed to even post a picture or video on social media if it has been taken at an Olympic event. But whether Twitter and Facebook users around the world know or care about these restrictions remains to be seen."

I feel as if the precedent is being taken to an extreme now. How do you police the internet and social media?

You know those pre-roll videos before movies? The ones that tell you to turn off your cell phone - I can't imagine what the pre-roll for the Olympics opening ceremony is going to be like. Can you say mood-ruiner?

So, back to that question, is this helpful or detrimental to a brand, such as Olympics or McDonalds? I expect this social media one to not be enforced, but time will tell.

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This is my office view @GSDM :) (Taken with instagram)

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Hi, everyone. Last week, I gave a lecture to some first-year design students at George Brown College in Toronto. My talk was intended to introduce the students to the differences between a career in design and a career in advertising. The lecture might be useful to some of you, so I’m posting it...

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Suzanne Pope breaks down a challenging question a lot of ad students ask when they start out or as they continue and broaden their scope of interest.

This is some great stuff!

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British Airways manages to do an airline ad that doesn't put me to sleep.

While most airline ads are all about "here's the changes we're making." and "congress passed this, which really hurts us and blah blah blah," British Airways develops a great, targeted, dare I say entertaining ad that makes me feel like my bags go through quite a safe and protected (high tech) journey before I retrieve it. 

Bravo.