Microsoft Ad: Win or Lose?

The new Microsoft ad featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld has been receiving a lot of flak since it debuted. I hadn’t even seen it before I heard a number of people who thought it was pointless. So, instead of waiting to see it on TV, I visited YouTube. 

My first impression was that I couldn’t believe it was a minute and 30 seconds. Thats a long commercial! And, after watching it, I was a little confused about why it was for Microsoft. Shouldn’t it be for that Circus shoe place or a local mall? No, it’s Microsoft. I actually enjoyed its randomness and light attitude. Seinfeld obviously has to carry the commercial on his shoulders because Gates has little entertainment value.

Despite what people may think about the ad, they are still talking about it. It has created a buzz that is more effective than an epic commercial. And, according to Microsoft, this is just the beginning of a new campaign to establish a new brand identity. Any commercial that kicks off a new brand identity is bound to cause a stir. This commercial was made by Crispin Porter + Bogusky and I can’t wait to see the next installment of the new campaign. 

 

 

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.  

Audi A4 = Luxurious AND Fuel Efficient

When thinking of luxury brand cars, consumers immediately think of the two biggies – BMW and Mercede. But, Venables Bell & Partners also wants you to consider Audi in the luxury car brand category. I agree with them, Audi should automatically be considered a luxury car when consumers are looking for a classy and fuel efficient car.

That is the position that VB & P want to take in the market. According to their ads, the Audi A4 is more fuel efficient than the Mercedes C300 and the BMW 328, which are the A4’s two main competitors. This is a huge advantage that the A4 has over BMW and Mercedes-Benz while gas prices continue to be so inflated. VB & P are using their Audi ads to directly position themselves with BMW and Mercedes. The ad below is called “Living Room” and shows what happens when an outdated living room is transformed into a modern living space and closes with the car in the driveway (a Mercedes) is transformed into an A4. This sends a very clear message that a market once dominated by Mercedes and BMW is slowly being crept up on by Audi.

Another classy and efficient step for Audi is the fact that there won’t be any print ads. Simply broadcast ads during high profile events. Think Olympics, Oscars, Superbowl.  These expensive media buys will be reinforced with ads during popular T.V. spots including Sunday Night Football, Grey’s Anatomy and The Office. Keeping things simple is the best way to be considered classy.

With Audi as a luxury brand, progress is beautiful.

DSRL Debut Today

The DSRL? The DSRL is the Double Stuf Racing League, as in Double Stuf Oreos. Today is the day for the debut of the new Oreo commercials featuring Venus and Serena Williams and Peyton and Eli Manning. It seems like any commercial right now with the Manning brothers is a hit. And adding Venus and Serena makes the DSRL into a competition among athletic siblings.

Though this ad is rather corny (Racing League…?) it has the star power to be a hit. The DSRL is a competition that involves different ways to eat an Oreo. This has a bit of deja vu with the “How do you eat a Reese’s?” campaign. Last year, the ad was simply the Manning men competing with each other about eating an Oreo. Now, with the Williams’ sisters, the sibling pairs can battle each other. I expect more ads that show the different ways the pairs can eat an Oreo. I will be waiting on the edge of my seat…

The commercial that is debuting today contains the Williams’ sisters at a press conference announcing their introduction into the DSRL. It is an entertaining commercial and Peyton Manning shows some attitude toward the sisters. Check it out below. Every commercial with the Manning’s is sure to be entertaining.

“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…?

Sorry Kobe

I am not the biggest basketball fan, but I did sit through most of the playoff game last night with the Lakers and the Celtics. Kobe Bryant is amazing, but there is just something about him that I don’t like. That’s a whole different story, though.

I watched the game so I could watch the commercials during the commercial break. And to see what celebrities decided to make the trip to Boston… The NBA has the absolute best commercials right now! The split screen of two players giving the same speech was an absolute genius move by Goodby Silverstein & Partners. It is such a simple idea that was executed so well. It also allowed them to match up different players faces depending on who was playing.

Or, just match up players who have an interesting history. For example, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. When Kobe joined the Los Angeles Lakers right out of high school, Shaq acted as his mentor. Now, with each player on a different team, a rivalry has formed. It makes this Joker-esque commercial almost comical.

But, there can only be one. And it was Kevn Garnett.

Happy ‘Sex and the City’ Day!

Unless you live in  a cave, you know that the “Sex and the City” movie comes out today. I will be seeing it in an hour!!! But, I couldn’t help noticing the marketing that takes place during television shows that are targeted at younger audiences. Today, the Wall Street Journal featured an article specifically about this. Lauren A.E. Schuker states that now the show has been been airing a toned down version on TBS and these cleaner episodes have become a favorite of teenage girls who were too young to watch the show when it first aired on HBO. So, the producers of the movie have to decide if they want to market to this new group of fans who are not actually old enough to go see the movie in theaters without a parent (‘Sex and the City’ with your dad? AWKWARD!)

Where have these ads appeared? During shows watched by this new underage demo including “Gossip Girl,” “My Super Sweet Sixteen,” and “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.” Hmmm. I don’t know how I feel about this. When I was 16, my friends and I were also into the show. We just rented the DVD’s at Blockbuster. Then we could watch them over and over. Were we too young to watch the show? Probably, we couldn’t relate to it. But, were we old enough to understand the content? Of course. Did we enjoy the show? Obviously. It opened our eyes to the world of make believe adulthood. And, I can confidently say that if the movie came out when I was 16 I would have successfully snuck in to the theater. With that, though the movie shouldn’t be aimed at teenagers, it is going to attract them anyway. They are going to see it no matter what. Might as well break records with the amount of money this movie is going to make.

“Do Vegas Right Now”

How is the world of tourism reacting to rising gas and airline ticket prices? By instilling a sense of urgency into travel plans. This is exactly what R&R Partners is trying to do with Las Vegas. R&R, the agency for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, has done away with the slogan “What happens here stays here.” It was cute and fun while it lasted. It has been replaced with “Do Vegas Right Now.”

The new ads will feature a fast speaking spokesman to further create the feeling of urgency. No more funny stories about tourists who had a great time in Vegas and could get in trouble because of it. Who hasn’t gone to Vegas for a good time? Here’s me having a good time at the Playboy Club (probably shouldn’t put this on the internet. oh well.)

That was my first time in Vegas and I did have a great time. However, I don’t think that I will hurry back when an ad orders me to go there. I do recognize the slight sexual connotation behind the new slogan, “Do Vegas Right Now,” but I still think that it is bossy. I hope that the content of the new ads will be as entertaining as the ones that accompanied the old slogan.

Does Vegas even need to advertise? Don’t people already know that they can go to Vegas for a good time?