Christmas Barrel

Welcome to the Christmas Barrel

Christmas is just around the corner.

So i will be stepping up the posts and making sure this blog ends the year looking healthy and sounding sober.

Note my sterling attempts @ Christmas'ing up the blog.

The Great Ad Melting Pot

Strength in numbers.

Weetabix, Drench & now Vittel.

The Highest Point in the World

from this nice blog by Blake

Hello. I'm here to be Polarized.

It seems that brands want to be loved. Thats a fair assumption. 

But wanting to be loved isn't very good, when they have no intention of making it happen.

You watch TV and see Ad after Ad that could be for anything, no real style or feel.

It's all wallpaper, until you get a nice little animation which splits it up. You take notice.

Brands have to polarize. they have to be the 1 out of 6 ad's that you actually see in a tv break. 

The circle not the square.

But it seems like they just expect to be loved.

How about actually doing something non conventional? Doing something for people. Make them laugh. Help them with a problem. Do these things and you can still make money. Infact you can make more money. 

Essentially, what i'm talking about is Marmite.

Marmite. You either love it or you hate it.

Around 40 consumers have been invited to join the ‘Marmarati' secret society. To create a new variant product using Marmite. People actually want to do that. Why? Who knows. Who cares? They want to be involved, so let them.

Say people hate your brand and talk about it on facebook and twitter. The thing to remember is they still talk about it. You're in the discussion. You're there and now you're in there you can change peoples minds. Be news worthy, be interesting.

There is nothing worse than being ignored. 

The Machine Trundles on

Yeah, yeah everyone is talking about X Factor and ofcourse about Jedward. 

They're still there, they're still getting the votes.

But with all their popularity it's suprising a brand hasn't latched onto the huge internet potential they have.

Ofcourse maybe they have and i haven't seen it yet?

Anyway. why don't Brylcreem get onto it. There's all this sort of stuff floating around.

 

Jedward Country

It's ready made for this Social Media thingy

That Social Media Thingy

I went to a talk by Steve Davies in Newcastle recently about Social Media and how brands can use it successfully. I've heard plenty stories from Ford to Dell of how to use it and how not to use it. But it's an interesting subject and something worth refreshing on as it gains momentum in marketing budgets.

Social Media Marketing

View more presentations from Stephen Davies.

What happens in a Lift?

People, in real life. Normal people. 

Short film. Interesting.

Some real posts will be coming shortly. 

With words and thoughts. But this is good enough for now.

Would you believe it? Humour still exists!

So, what do we think?

I think YES. Mother are back

Different, funny and a bit mad. 

This will stand out. 

Oh and...

How could i forget.

Work out there doing the business.

My favourite picks of the last week or two unless i've forgotten something!? 

Feel free to correct in the comments. 

Art Direction is coming in for some kudos.

and then this by RKCR/Y&R.

The simple idea wins.

Mobilogo

You Stole

You're in a band. You have no money, no record label, no manager, no tour bus. 

You have a bunch of songs you've written. You have a myspace with 1000 plays but what can you do to really get noticed?

Be clever.

This is a way that a lot of people are choosing to promote themselves.

Taking an upcoming release from a major band and releasing leaks of their songs. or rather titling your songs as a leak from their album.

It gets hits, it gets press. People say they love it. But then it comes out it's not them.

What's to gain from this? You get people to listen to your music first of all.

Will they actually visit your myspace? Buy your CD's? Become a fan? Who knows.

Here is an example. 

What are the long term benefits of this?

Well looking at a similar example from a couple of years ago, 

Coldplay released Viva La Vida with a lot of controversy. 

A band called Creaky Boards said they'd ripped them off. 

(okay it's not exactly the same but go with it)

There was a lot of press about it.

So where are they now?

Well they have just 3000 friends on myspace. 

If that's anything to go by then the jury is still out on this one.

Targeting your Market

Many would deem this the best Lynx commercial produced by BBH London. 

A lovely film that stands apart from the dross of most commercials and even some programmes.

It shows great thinking, great direction, a lovely soundtrack and a subtle idea that is slowly released, which in the end shows the product to be the king.

But it didn't work.

It was apparently the worst performing Lynx ad done to date.

Sales didn't shoot up. Men didn't rush out to buy a can.

And that is the very real truth of the state of most advertising.

Done to win awards, done to look great, done to sound great. 

But talking to the right people, no. Selling product, no.

The people who buy Lynx paid no attention, it wasn't right for them. It was too intelligent, it was too complex, too slow, too subtle.

and that is a real lesson to someone like me. Trying to get a job in this industry. In this climate.

A couple of days in London give good perspective.

Free Quidies

TALKTALK

Gloom, doom and the recession kaboom has lead TalkTalk to give away free moneys.

Personally I'm sure i speak for everyone, when saying i hate broadband providers.

I've been trying to change mine for the past week and god do they make it difficult. But i digress.

This is the news that TalkTalk have employed 20 'put-pocket' to drop money into peoples pockets, coats and bags over the coming weeks. Giving you something back in these difficult morbid times, to make people feel better.

Although i sound sarcastic, this actually sounds like a great idea, with them planning to back it by giving out £100,000 (from £5 up to £20) and launching it UK wide.

Just tell me when and where and i'll be sure to bring an empty suitcase.

Brain Surgery

I've just seen a programme on Dave called "should I worry about my spending?"

Basically showing how small changes can change our spending habits.

He did an experiment in a supermarket moving the Heinz baked beans down a shelf from the prime spot and moving other items around.

Sales of the products in the prime locations, like the end of the isles or at eye level on the shelves increased from 100% up to 500%

Makes you think about all these expensive advertising campaigns that never get seen or fail to sell products.

Why not pay to get it in more stores or in better positions in those stores?

Its all the fault of the emotional side of your brain.