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It's a strange thing, ads with puns I hate, but companies, well that's a whole different matter. Maybe its the utter commitment that wins me over.
Here's a selection the Torontoist have been compiling. And now the Londonist are hitting back with a plea to build their own list.
Let battle commence.
Nothing can be worse than that.
Oh, I forgot
Apparently some wag or wags from Texas University hacked into the road signs.
This is indeed a new era for America.
Look at the above screen for 20 seconds. Listen to it in silence if you can. Then about 18 seconds in say out loud, 'America runs on Bulova Time'.
Congratulations, you've just recreated the world's first TV commercial.
Did you notice that it played to none of the unique strengths of the medium? (Movement, Sound.)
Did you notice that it borrowed heavily from what was the norm at the time. (It's just a press ad)?
Did you ask yourself, what have we learnt about embracing new technologies since 1941? (Absolutely nothing).
New technologies present new opportunities, but only through new thinking.
My second nomination for New Product Launch of 2008 is of course, Barack Hussein Obama,
His campaign to the White House could almost be said to be the blue print for today’s communication campaigns and not just in politics.
First, they studied the product, analysed what was authentic about it and then distilled it down into one clear word.
A word that was both a product truth and something that would inspire the consumer.
Change.
He stood for change. That was it, above everything else, the one thing you knew you’d get was change.
They didn’t cloud this with too much detail about policy - that would just defuse the clarity of message. While for those who wanted to know more, it was there to be searched out, but that was your choice.
Instead, they just pushed the truth behind the claim in little nuggets of information.
He was a change from the previous government. He was a change from the usual type of person who became a politician. He looked different. He sounded different. He connected different. And he communicated different.
They embraced new media and online social network. They gave up control for advocacy, trusting his supporters to represent him to their peers in the way they wanted to. Entrusting the brand to them. The result was some extraordinary marketing.
And then there were posters, which were created for the campaign not by the campaign
You can see more at this flickr group here.
While to audiences who resisted listened directly to him, they enlisted and empowered those people the resisters would trust, to deliver his message for him.
Nor did they try and clip the wings of his supporters, even when it may not have been exactly what they wanted and instead trusted in the intelligence of the audience.
And they did this because they knew the universal online truth, you must give up control, if you’re to gain greater power.
And so, they fed it. Encouraging people to visit and revisit their homepage for content with regular video update, ringtones and widgets
And the virals flourished.
They facilitated connections through online communities that added a new dimension to what was already out there. Mybarackobama.com, was/is a social network of sorts that allowed people to create blogs around issues, and send in policy recommendations to the man himself.
They assisted in fund-raising activities with ideas and tools. And they encouraged people to fund raise however they wanted to.
They were light of foot. If there was a sudden rise in traffic from certain sites or communities they engaged with them and kept engaging with them with regular updates. By engaging with people wherever they gathered they were able to make maximum impact.
And this is just a fraction of the numerous marketing activities that the campaign spawn.
The result?
He was seen as inclusive leader, embracing everyone into his vision for Change, probably best summed up by slogan, Yes We Can.
And now there is a real belief the world over, that there is a President of the United States of America prepared to listen and lead rather than ignore and dictate.
A welcome change for politics, I’m sure you’ll agree.
And once helluva new product launch.
My first favouirte NPL of '08 goes to the Venezuelan Black company - manufacturers of fine cacao - pure cocoa to you and me, pretty much.
A niche product by anyone's imagination, but one that was successfully launched with a multimillion pound TV campaign that succeeded in getting it listed in both a major supermarket chain across Britain, the shop of choice for WAGS - Selfridges and no doubt, all good independent delis.
Not bad for a company less than two years old and with a handful of employees.
Admittedly it was far from perfect with some surprisingly basic mistakes made, such as absolutely no cohesion, for example - packaging never matched their communication in style, tone of voice or, and perhaps potentially most damaging, name.
Because the VB Co. is probably better recognised as Willie and his Wonky Chocolate Factory, the name of the TV series which was shown over 6 weeks on Channel 4 in the beginning of 2008, repeated in late autumn and ending with a seasonal burst with it's very own Christmas Special, .
A series that followed the charismatic/annoying (delete as appropriate) Willie Harcourt-Coozie (above) as he followed his dream to get Britain using a previously little-to-unknown ingredient.
We saw every aspect of his business, from where it was sourced to how to use the product, to expert endorsement, to finding out about the health and slimming benefits of his product - nothing it seemed was over-looked.
The series was a venerable marketing masterclass for how to launch a product.
I can't believe there wasn't an fmcg marketing director out there wondering, how did pull off launching his company with 30 minute commercials shot at the production company's cost and with airtime (and a lot of airtime at that) donated free by a TV station?
Unfortunately I can't tell you much more, despite digging around on the web, I've failed to even come up with the name of the production company. Anyone any ideas?
Still, it's not all been one way sunshine basking. Maybe now would be a good time to take another look at that business plan when it comes to employee salaries
Here are a few more religious t-shirts that have been sent to me over the last few days, keep 'em coming if you know of anymore.
A little more diverse in religions this time, too.
And following on from my earlier observation, it's good to see the Christians are still relying heavily on brand logos.
Which on closer inspection reads
and of course there's the classic from 2, or was it 3 years ago
Thanks to Gary, Claire, Pervy Jon, Neil, Sarah and Mr Wilkins.
Can't remember who told me about Hellovon, (sorry for my rudeness) but he's brilliant. And following on from the t-shirt obsession that seems to have taken over the blog lately, it's worth checking out the t-shirts he's selling.
Quality.
I absolutely love this site. It's called Pretty Loaded and while celebrating the loading bar, it manages to show that if you be bothered to care and love your craft, every element of your website, even the most mundane ones, can be an opportunity to engage and delight.
Visit and enjoy.
Is it interesting that so many of these t-shirts are just re-interpretations of brand logos, or should we just accept it's inevitable when consumerism is the single, all-embracing religion these days?
And orange seems a popular choice, too.
And probably my favourite
Anyone seen any others?
A really lovely idea especially for right now, what with jobs becoming more scarce and people no doubt questioning the wisdom of running in the rat race etc.
Lacking a little in execution, if I'm honest (although the video applications posted online is a nice touch). And it does remind me of Diesel's Junior Lucky Bastard job vacancy campaign, which in turn reminds me of something similar for Johnny Walker we did, also called The Best Job in the World where a treasure hunt across the web led to the chance to live the life of a Formula 1 racing driver. You can see some of the virals here (Beware F1 drivers can't act), here and here.
It'll be interesting to see how this develops over the coming months and whether or not they're able to build additional layers of interest, humour and intrigue to sustain this level of interest.
Already getting some good coverage in the press, including the BBC, Daily Mail, Sky and The Daily Telegraph, too.
If you want to apply, you can do so here. And don't forget to send a postcard
You can hear the conversation now.
"It's cutting edge. It's street, so street it's virtually homeless. If we're gonna roll wid da kids we've gotta be down with the Q to the R."
"You been on Facebook again, Derek?"
"I think we should be incorporating QR codes into our next promotion, Alan, it's the latest thing"
"You said that about, HD DVD."
"Well, that really could have gone either way. who'd have thought it, Sony, pushers of the Betamax an all."
"Okay, go on then, QRs?"
"Quick response codes. It's a matrix like thing,.... hang on, let me call up Wikipedia, they'll explain it much better."
Furious taping of keyboard.
"Mobile phone.......camera....... download software......rabbit raves....convenience-oriented applications....correct reader software.....yadda, yadda. yadda."
"Yeap, all that's true, Alan. Hmm, apart from the bit about the codes attracting illegal Rabbit parties."
"Fuck that. Derek, you're complicating matters. Unnecessary expense is what I see. All we have to do is..."
Furious scribbling of ink pen on paper.
"Here, go on. Get it printed and out. QR codes, my arse."
Just before Christmas I was asked to speak at The NetInfo Conference in Bulgaria.
Well today they sent me this, from the Business Pages of the Klassa Daily, no doubt a publication to rival the FT or The Wall Street Journal in the business commnity of Sofia. Although the fact I can't find their website might suggest otherwise.
And what wonderful people they are funny, generous and warm. Although it's possible we didn't share a similar sense of humour, that or my jokes are just shit.
What struck me the most, and something I’ve found to be typical of all the countries coming out of the influences of Communist Russia, well the ones I’ve visited at least, was their utter optimism in their future and a desire to embrace the new. Obviously there’s not much of past to hold onto when it comes to communications. Could they become the Paraguayans, Brazilians or Peruvians of Europe when it comes to creativity?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
And yes, that fella playing the invisible accordion is me.
Found out about this via the excellent Digital Example blog. You can read what he said here, or you can read a brief summary in the next few sentences.
Word Magazine asked their readers to nominate their favourite songs of 08 - so far, so what.
The inspired bit was that they also allowed you to sample and then buy those very same tracks.
A great example of an online magazine taking advantage of the digital environment. Here's the article
Vintage matchbox covers, a joy to behold
There's a great article over at the Creative Review Blog about that most annoying of 08 trends, the folksy, quirky music track.
Personally I don't think the blame lies with Sony, it seems to me it's those telephone networks who really fueled the trend. While it's origins can be found in those quirky award-winning indie movies so beloved by creatives everywhere, you know the sort; Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, The Life Aquatic, Napoleon Dynamite, The Squid and The Whale, Eagle Vs Shark. I could go on, but I’m getting depressed.
Much better you read the article.
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