Time’s Top Ten Lists

Time magazine just released their top ten lists and they are certainly nothing less than entertaining. It is really fun looking through all the lists and reminiscing about the past year. Especially amusing are the Top Ten Fashion Moments (supermodels, boyfriend jeans and Michelle Obama’s $148 dollar White House Black Market dress) and the Top Ten Breakups (Madonna and Guy Richie, Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers and George Clooney and that girl I hate). 

But, the most interesting, is the Top Ten TV ads. Obviously.

Two of the Top Ten have been featured on my prestigious and very popular blog. (Shout out to the three people who read it!) Time liked and listed Visa’s commercial for the Olympics featuring runner Derek Redmond and Morgan Freeman’s famous narration. Another on both the Time and Alexa in the City list was the Guitar Hero commercials featuring those four athlete studs – Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant and Tony Hawk. Time thinks the highlight is Tony Hawk sliding across the floor on a skateboard, I think it’s the end when Phelps and Rodriguez are kicking and playing the guitar on the couches. 

Time’s number one ad of the year was the T-Mobile ad with Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade when Wade finally makes the cut to be one of Barkley’s “Fave Five.” Charles, Chuck, is really funny in this commercial. He makes annoying look really easy. I agree with the magazine on this one – apparently athletes in commercials doing uncharacteristic things is what I like… 

Time’s number two was the Fed Ex commercial with all the giant carrier pigeons delivering “the big stuff.” Though this ad was creative, I thought it was more frightening than anything. I didn’t start sending packages to my parents using Fed Ex because I thought a huge gray bird was going to deliver it. 

When Crispin, Porter and Bogusky ditched the Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld ads, they switched to the cheaper “I’m a PC” ads to address the Mac commercials. I find this particular ad to be quite amusing and appreciate Time recognizing it. It features regular people (as regular as Bill Gates, Tony Parker and Eva Longoria Parker and Pharrell can be) stating that they’re a PC. Some even add their own little message, like that they are afraid of sharks or that they sell fish. The fish part is actually the best part of the commercial. 

The fifth ad on the list is one that I haven’t seen before, but I do appreciate it. It features Neil Patrick Harris reprising his roll as a doctor for Old Spice. The best part is the end when the monitor flat lines as he puts the stethoscope on the patients nose. 

The number eight choice is an interesting one – Barack Obama’s infomercial. Though I sat on my bed for the entire half hour glued to the TV, I’m not sure that I would have said it was one of the best commercials of the year. Time justifies it by saying that Obama made his point through the riveting and heart breaking stories of other people. I agree. But, was it necessary to make an entire half hour commercial? It certainly did show how much money (i.e. support) Obama received throughout his campaign. And, even if it swayed just one person to vote Obama, I’m glad he made it. I’m sure he is too. 

Missing from the list were some of my favorite commercials. No room on the list for the Macy’s commercials featuring all my favorite department store celebrities? How disappointing!! Seriously, though, missing from the list was the Goodby commercials for the NBA, “There Can Only Be One,” that featured half the faces of two players saying the same monologue. Time even borrowed the concept from the print ads for their issue featuring Barack Obama and and Hilary Clinton. If it was good enough for the cover of a Time issue, wouldn’t it be good enough for the Time Top Ten List?

 

Overall, Time’s Top Ten lists are very accurate and entertaining. You’ll definitely kill a good hour searching through them. 

 

 

Don’t Vote

When I started writing this blog, I made two rules for myself. 

1. Don’t get personal.

2. Don’t get political. 

This is supposed to be an advertising blog to help me communicate my ideas and help me stay current with advertising news and issues. This isn’t supposed to be about me. However, voting is so important to the upcoming election that I have to promote it. Even if it’s just to the handful of people who read this blog, I want to spread the message. 

And, I want to be in the company of all the celebrities who are in the video below. If I could only just hang out with one or two of them… This is a great video because instead of being a bunch of celebrities telling people who to vote for, it’s a bunch of celebrities telling you to make your own decision and then go vote. They’re not just telling you to vote OBAMA. They’re telling you to make your own decision. So, please take the advice of Leonardo DiCaprio, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Timberlake, Ashton Kutcher, Steven Spielberg and many more and go out and VOTE!

Goodby + Quaker Oats = Future Success for both

Of the seven days a week, I probably eat oatmeal for breakfast about five times. I love oatmeal. And, it’s not just oatmeal, it’s Quaker Oatmeal. I’m a fan of the Quaker Instant maple and brown sugar. When I’m home, I like the original Quaker Oatmeal from the stove with a little brown sugar and milk. Mmmmm…

Quaker Oats is a great brand. Oatmeal is not the only thing they provide. The Low Fat Granola and Whole Grain Rice Cakes (currently using agency Juniper Park in Toronto) are all excellent. So is Life cereal. I guess I just love the brand and the nutrients their products provide me on a daily basis. 

This is why I am excited to see what direction Goodby, Silverstein & Partners will take this great brand. I believe that Goodby will provide a fresh perspective for the brand and possibly provide some entertainment value to the upcoming ads. It seems like most recent oatmeal commercials center around a concerned mom providing a hearty bowl of oatmeal to her hungry children. I can’t wait to see if and how Goodby will change the typical oatmeal advertisement. 

Goodby is inheriting quite a large challenge. Quaker Oats spent $45 million on media last year. They followed that with $20 million in media spending in the first half of this year. This means that the communication strategists at Goodby are going to have their work cut out for them shortly!

 

Old Navy makes a move – to Crispin

 

 

For me personally, the fact that Old Navy will now be working with Crispin Porter & Bogusky is very exciting. I can’t wait until March to see what the final result will be. 

Old Navy is one of my favorite brands. I would shop there for back-to-school clothes when I was in elementary school and I plan to make a trip there today for some decently priced and modern work clothes. I also worked there for seven weeks – good discount, but not as fun as shopping there. I just really like being able to find clothes I need there and, as an added bonus, they’re usually trendy. 

As I have mentioned before, I remember talking with my manager about the brand shift they were trying to execute. I have read that it didn’t go over very well, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. I remember him telling me that they were trying to compete with American Eagle instead of Wal-Mart, which is the brand they used to compete with. 

Crispin should offer some pretty exciting changes to Old Navy, it will certainly offer a young and refreshing take on the brand. Crispin seems to understand how to effectively advertise to specific target markets – their target market for The King commercials (Burger King, if you have been living in a cave) was 18-34 year old stoners. Old Navy will be a challenge for Crispin because I’m not sure how humor will work with Old Navy, but nonetheless I can’t wait to see what this marriage will bring to the table for consumers.

Virgin Atlantic introduces “Airphoria”

 

 

If there is one thing that is true about me, it’s that I completely hate flying. It’s not the inconvenience of a late flight or a missing bag (all of which are seriously annoying), it’s the fact that I’m actually scared of flying in the sky. I need to be in control to feel safe and I am most definitely not in control when I’m in the hands of a pilot. 

In May, I was in Atlanta for the NSAC/AAF National Competition. When we were scheduled to take off, there was a line of 30+ other planes that were ahead of us in line. Literally, 30 planes. By the time it was our turn, we had to go back to the airport to refuel before we were safe to fly. We ended up being many hours late to out next destination, Minneapolis, and ended up having to spend the night in the airport. The next morning our group had to separate so that we could make it home. Did I mention that our college graduation was mere days later? We had to get back. It was awful, I have never had a flying situation like that before. It seems that these days, flying has just become a huge hassle. My mom keeps saying over and over again that “flying isn’t glamorous anymore.”

Virgin Atlantic has noticed this also. And, they have a response to everyone. Virgin Atlantic is “glad you hate flying.” What? Should an airline trying to make profit really say that? They want people to hate flying so they can look forward to flying on Virgin Atlantic. It’s all part of their “Airphoria” campaign. Virgin Atlantic wants passengers to feel excitement and anticipation when flying their airline. They offer completely flat beds for sleeping as well as an open-all-the-time bar. These are two things (especially the second perk) that would make me look forward to flying on Virgin. 

This unique airline made the terrible attitude about flying into the perfect opportunity. They saw an opening in the market and ran with it. In looking at their website, though, I don’t think they fly within the U.S. Too bad, because Virgin would have been a great airline for me to fly to see my friend Emily in New York. And, despite my fear of flying, next time I need to fly internationally from San Francisco (my new home), I will certainly start with looking at Virgin. The complete bar is reason enough.

“Sex and the City” Day Part II

This may be the fastest theater to DVD release ever! “Sex and the City” the movie is going to be released on September 23, 2008. Not even four months after it was released! Amazon.com has three versions available (Special Edition, Full Screen and Wide Screen) for pre-order. Consider my copy pre-ordered!

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

When I first heard Chris Brown’s song, “Forever,” I knew that it wouldn’t take long for Wrigley’s Double Mint Gum to use him to their advantage. His use of the old gum tag line – “Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun” in his song meant money signs to them. He is the perfect celebrity who provided the perfect song that would allow them to successfully reposition their brand.

Chris Brown is an effective celeb choice because he hasn’t saturated television with his endorsements like Beyonce or Rihanna. He has pretty much stayed away from doing commercials. So, he provided Double Mint Gum with a fresh face for ads. He is also very hip and trendy right now among pre-teens, teenagers and young adults. This is important to Double Mint Gum if it wants to reach these age groups while it repositions. And, why wouldn’t you want to reach this demographic while it is so profitable?

Overall, I think that without knowing it, Chris Brown basically handed Wrigley this amazing opportunity to use television commercials again. I remember the old commercials that featured all the twins, but I only paid attention because it is my grandpa’s favorite gum to chew. But now with Chris Brown as the face of Double Mint, people who chew this minty gum won’t think of twins or their grandfathers.  

“90210 2.0″ Premiers 9.02

I know that the new “Beverly Hills 90210″ debuting on September 2 (9.02) is kind of dorky, but I LOVE it. I love(d) “90210″ and I am stoked about the new version finally coming out. I am going to miss Dylan and Donna, but I will give this new version a try.

I especially appreciate the CW trying to win back old viewers by bringing back Kelly (Jennie Garth) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty!!!). That fact alone was the final deal maker for me to watch the new show. Brenda was an amazing character – the only one with interesting story lines in high school. I will be watching for two hours on September 2 simply to see Brenda and Kelly.

Now, what I find really interesting, is the fact that the CW is not going to allow the media or advertisers to view the show ahead of time. As a future media planner/communication strategist, this frightens me a little. Are they trying to hide something? Is the show actually terrible? How would I know if I wanted to spend the money to advertise during the premier on 9.02? To me, this is not a good sign for the show. It’s almost an admittance right away that the show won’t live up to the high expectations Aaron Spelling left behind. The CW recognizes the publicity and anticipation surrounding the new show and has decided that is all the media and advertisers need to know.

On the other hand, as a viewer, I could see this as an opportunity to watch the premier without the tainted opinions of critics. The critics will be watching the show at the very same time that I get to watch it. I hate when I hear about something before it comes out, or hearing a friend talk about a movie before I’ve seen it. But, that won’t have a slight chance of happening when the new “90210″ premiers.

In the end, though, my career self wins. It is going to be hard for media buyers to decide whether they want to use their budget to advertise during the premier when they know nothing about the show. The hype and anticipation that comes with the new “90210″ is not enough evidence to make a buying decision.

Below, for old times sake, is a picture of my favorite cast. I actually have a bookmark with this picture on it. And I still use it.

Team US-Ad

The Olympics bring out a sense of patriotism in Americans. Who isn’t completely enthralled whenever Michael Phelps is swimming? Team USA gold medals make us proud to be American and our athletes have represented us well in Beijing. And, the ads that are shown during the commercial breaks continue to make me proud to be an American. Coca-Cola, Visa, General Electric, AT&T and Oreo have all created commercials for the Olympic games that perpetuate the patriotism and congratulate the athletes. Coke currently has the most popular commercial during the breaks. This ad shows birds making a nest of straws that replicates the Birds Nest in Beijing. Though I appreciate all the Olympic ads (especially the ones with Phelps), my favorite ad is the Visa commercial with Derrick Redmond from the 1992 Olympics. This ad is both heartbreaking and inspirational. It reminds us that, win or lose, we are all American and we are all in this together. Athlete or not. And, it doesn’t hurt that it is narrated by Morgan Freeman.

 

My Favorite Brands (Part 1)

I was in San Francisco last week visiting my brother and an agency or two. I was asked multiple times what my favorite brands were. Though I have never really thought about this before, it didn’t take long to compile a list. So, here it is so far:

1. Volkswagen. This is a car brand that can get away with funny advertising. It’s refreshing to see a car company completely understand their stance in the market and use it to their advantage. I can’t even think of another car company that would be able to pull off a humorous ad. Their most recent ads feature Max, the little black bug with a big German accent. Lexus, a high end luxury car company also does a superb job with ads. They are classy and sophisticated, which suits their brand and the target market. I especially love the narrators voice, it just oozes class.

2. Coach. This is kind of a no-brainer for me, because I love the Coach brand no matter what kind of advertising is involved. However, I do anxiously anticipate the seasonal catalogue. Their ads are simple, classy and represent the brand in a fun way. I tend to enjoy brands that do little to no advertising except for catalogues. Coach, Nordstrom, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, etc. I would also like to include American Apparel, but when was the last time you logged onto Facebook or PerezHilton and didn’t see an A.A. banner? I also tend to appreciate ads when they are simple and include a lot of white space. I think that when white space is done in a creative way, it comes off elegant and helps the audience focus on the product. For example, any Clinique ad made in the last couple years.

3. Old Navy. Now, I used to work at Old Navy (for a whole month!) and I would never work retail again, but I do recognize and appreciate the brand make over that has been implemented. I remember talking with my manager at the time about the new, semi-risque ads for their new jeans. He said that Old Navy used to want to be in the same category/compete with Wal-Mart. That wasn’t working too well and ON saw an opportunity to be an inexpensive fashion brand. So, they changed their direction and decided to go after the American Eagle consumers. It seems to have worked for them. Their broadcast advertisements are fun, fresh, and constantly new (like every week it seems). Good for Old Navy.

4. Haagen-Dazs. Ice cream, in general, seems to be pretty important to me. But, Haagen-Dazs? That is like the ultimate ultimate. You know that when you buy Haagen-Dazs ice cream, you’re getting a good thing. And the ads for Haagen-Dazs are perfect for the high quality ice cream - When was the last time you saw an ad for Haagen-Dazs and didn’t immediately want to eat ice cream? Yeah, never. Not only do the ads effectively represent the brand, but they also coincide with current events. The Haagen-Dazs Honey Bees was an opportunity for H-D to educate the world about the decrease in honey bees, while effectively selling ice cream. I believe I learned that without honey bees, there would be 40% fewer Haagen-Dazs flavors. That is terrible! And, it’s something that I wouldn’t have known without the ads. (Thanks, Goodby!)

 

Those are just four brands that I wanted to highlight at this point. Each is unique, special and understands its place in the market. There are many more brands in my little brain, but I’ll get to those at a later time. What are some of your favorite brands…?