02 // be more dog.

When I first saw this ad I thought 'okay, how random'. And then I went to work and people were talking about it. I came home and my boyfriend was talking about it too. It seemed like everyone was talking about that 'random dog ad'.

So job done then, right?

Not really. Talk-ability doesn't necessarily translate in to commercial gain. The questions that seem to get lost are 'what is the desired consumer take-out' and 'what do we want them to do as a result of seeing this ad'? Instead, it seems like the end goal is simply to get people talking (brand awareness and topicality) with the hope that it translates into gains for the brand. Perhaps not, but judging by my personal reaction of 'huh', there's no clear take-out or call to action from what I've experienced.

This new direction that advertising seems to be taking shifts the focus away from simple product, brand or consumer truths and puts it directly on entertainment and viral engagement.

kmart // daring to be brave.

We all wish we could be brave.

But being brave is a pretty daunting task. Being brave requires a belief in your own abilities and point of view, the confidence to believe that your decision is the correct one. It's the outcome of a particular situation and making the decision that the reward is greater than the risk.

Bravery is exactly what kmart have demonstrated in the ad below. It's a bold approach to an otherwise fairly dull category and it's pretty damn clever as well.

Listen closely and enjoy.

Sony Xperia // be moved.

I never get tired of seeing this ad, it's a splendour for the eye.

The pace and storytelling is gorgeous; a range of old devices and usage occasions all woven into what feels like one continuous narrative. It demonstrates that in order to be good, an ad doesn't need to be particularly clever, just logical and really well executed.

Will it win any awards? Probably not. However, it has created a favourable brand impression for me; Sony you've 'moved me' to believe (or rather, reminded me) that you are reputable, resilient and culturally and historically experienced.

A reminder that an inspiring and relevant sound track alongside the visual is extremely powerful in setting the tone of the ad.

Well done, I'm a believer.

Southern Comfort // Whatever's Comfortable.

Every now and then I'll see an ad which is such a simple demonstration of truth and taps into a human aspiration so cleanly that my reaction is found in just one word, "brilliant".

There's something about this ad that you just can't help but love. And what I love about it is the way that it helps marketers understand what us advertising agency folk are always trying to say. Create a brilliant, engaging and insightful idea and let consumers decipher and allocate this within their own lives.

The aspect of this character that we aspire to isn't his big beer belly or his tiny swimmers, it's the strut in his walk that says "yup, here I am". All of a sudden the feeling of confidence and self ease that we desire is within reach, just a grog shop away in fact.

Watch it and enjoy it. A great effort by 

New York

Pinterest // the power of sharing.

In social media it can often be difficult to prove ROI and this challenge continues to affect the uptake of social media campaigns by businesses. In this post, however, I'm more interested in looking at creative ideas around how to use Pinterest to gain attention and word-of-mouth.

  

The key behind creating a campaign that will get traction in any social media is understanding how and why your target market uses a particular social media platform; tapping into this in a way that they choose to include your brand in this experience.

  

Kotex have found a way to do this very well, creating a women's 'inspiration day', at the heart of which is uniqueness, expression and individuality, tied together with the concept of a gift. All capturing ideas that seem to have allowed this brand and campaign to effectively integrate and build widespread impressions.

  

  

Guess also had a similar idea in encouraging their consumers to share their favourite fashion pics and items, with the campaign being drawn on the theme of spring colours. The notion of a contest or competition is also a popular form of engagement in recent social media campaigns.

  

  

Finally, confused.com managed to bring attention to the issue of safety when driving, utilising Pinterest as the means to reach their target market of young women - a primary segment of Pinterest users. The prize itself did not require a big investment and yet the outcome makes this more than worthwhile. The great learning here is that you don't need to put in a great investment to see results - and in this respect your ROI is just about guaranteed!

  

  

Volkswagen // experts at making tiny appealing.

Volkswagen have produced some great ads over the years. Since their iconic 1960s advertising, their strength has always been in their honest, no hard-sell approach to their product. By appealing to their customers in a refreshingly frank and self-effacing language, they were able to change the way customers thought about the automotive category, bringing the small car to the fore. Those attributes that were valued in a car (large, spacious, expensive, impressive) were replaced with new values of small, convenient, affordable and characterful.

  

In their latest advertising campaign introducing Volkswagen's Up! to the U.K. market, Volkswagen have combined with their polished small car, a glossy well-presented book to showcase Britain's thinnest roads - perfectly suited for the Up! While adding value through additional features, giveaways and incentives is not new (advertisers will often do just about anything to get customers over the line), the honest and humble way in which this is achieved for Volkswagen speaks very strongly to the history of this brand.

  

The beautifully illustrated glovebox sized gift presents a nice opportunity to influence the perception of the small car, allowing this to be seen as a positive (perhaps even exciting) attribute and encouraging Volkswagen owners to explore and discover some of the narrowest parts of their country. With such high competitiveness in the automotive industry, it's nice to see something a little different that speaks so strongly to the product, while also being special to the customer. It's the nature of these little things that reminds us why Volkswagen is a brand that we have always loved.  

  

Volkswagen's 1959 'think small' ad

    

Joyville // Cadbury keeps it simple and fun.

Cadbury's advertising has always been effectively simple yet powerful. You just have to look to their previous 'Gorilla' advertisement to see the pure and simple expression of anticipation of joy. In their latest Australian 'Joyville' campaign they've managed to create a whole world behind the brand as well. And it's filled with the simple fun and enjoyment we love so much about the shiny purple bar of happiness (spoken like a true chocolate lover).
    
  

A nod to Cadbury here as well on their social media strategy. The centre of this particular campaign lives at its heart on a microsite (this is where all the main content and brand/campaign messaging lives), but it is also beautifully extended into social media, including Facebook, and Twitter. Cadbury haven't overcomplicated here and have kept to a few mainstream channels.
  
What's nice about Cadbury's presence in these platforms is the way that they have made them fun and social. Since its release, Cadbury has made the most of Google+ 'hangouts' through special guests and live competitions, as well as running a range of other interactive activities across these channels. They've utilised their bought and owned media to encourage their consumers to participate and feedback directly to the brand - generating earned media through word-of-mouth. Cadbury has also used these platforms as an opportunity to co-create with their communities, both on content and new introductory products as well. By enabling their community to speak openly to the brand they've gained a much better understanding of their audience. A brave, intelligent and intuitive strategy.

  

You can visit the campaign website here: http://joyville.cadbury.com.au/
  

 Cadbury's 2007 'Gorilla' advertisement 
  

HTC 'Freefall' // an extreme execution.

First of all, it's a bit mainstream for me. The build-up towards the 'lights, camera, action' moment and slow pace of the frames as they fall. Not to mention the voice-over narration that comes in to explain the difficulty of the feat they are trying to achieve. Yes, yes, okay we get it.

I am used to being shown things that appear 'impossible', is that not part of the magic and purpose of the mediums of TV and film? What cannot be ignored, however, is the absolute perfection and extremity captured in this impressive execution. What we see is a big idea, one that takes us all the way into the sky and the extreme activity of skydiving. One that certainly would have involved significant investment too. The message itself is pretty impressive as well, that is if I can manage to put aside my general predisposition that TV adverts are constructed. If I can truly believe what I am being shown it would be quite amazing to think that a phone could capture such high quality.
 

 
Or can it? I haven't actually seen the results, just a quick frame in the well-designed clip. What would be interesting is if this campaign was carried through into social media and given a transparency that helped me overcome this barrier and believe that it truly is real.
  
I can't quite make up my mind about this one, a wonderful piece of work with great potential. I'm just not sure it fully reached it.

Coca-Cola // getting personal a great success.

I've spoken about this Australian campaign in a previous post and it's nice to see it getting some media coverage in its post-analysis evaluation too. The success of the campaign is impressive, effectively gaining attention and initiating trial of Coke through the personalisation of the Coke packaging. The intrigue of finding your own name or that of your friend's on a Coke bottle or can also carried well into social media. The idea behind the Coke campaign, the personalised bottles and interactive online app, were shared throughout social media as people were caught up in the buzz and excitement. Very well executed and it all started with a bright spark of an idea. A great example.

This is a campaign I really did enjoy and it's great to see the results. I re-trialled Coke for the first time in years, and it appears I wasn't the only one.



You can see all the results in this great case study.

'Museum of Me' // Intel finds a social connection.

A very clever idea from Intel to display their digital expertise through a social media and interactive video campaign.

The app takes all your Facebook data (name, friends, pictures and words on your wall) to create a personalised 'Museum of Me' designed to show "a journey of visualisation that explores who I am." A personalised visualisation of everything that makes up your online social identity on your Facebook profile. Intelligent, creative and engaging; even with minimal branding this app enabled the Intel name to be carried extensively virally in what has been recognised as an innovative and successful campaign.

 An example of a 'Museum of Me' - Steven Crader

'Feed a Friend' // Pizza Hut a brand that shares.

This one's not a new campaign, but a great social media idea that was launched out of the M&C Saatchi Sydney office last year.

This Pizza Hut campaign successfully linked the online world into the offline; capturing the spirit of sharing through a viral campaign centred on Facebook as the main media platform.

Great to see a campaign that understands so well its consumer insights and responds to broader social and media trends with a finger on the pulse of the online community. A great strategy and a brilliant result, well done.

Pizza Hut - Feed a Friend from Mark. on Vimeo.