VW, Apple, and Budweiser, these are the first three companies that come to mind when I think “unique advertising.” I drive a VW Jetta, I work on a MacBook and own two iPods, and well…I may enjoy a Bud Light or two from time to time. The fact that I have purchased these products based on my love for their advertising is no coincidence.
Budweiser’s TV ads are always the top picks among consumers when the Super Bowl ads air, and the radio spots are no different. In case you have not heard these hysterical ads, they salute “Real Men of Genius.” For example, they salute “Mr. Over Zealous Foul Ball Catcher,” “Mr. Fancy Coffee Shop Pourer,” or my personal favorite “Mr 80 SPF Sunblock Wearer.”
“Today we salute you, Mr. 80 SPF Sun Block Wearer.
(Mr. 80 SPF Sun Block Wearer)
There are 24 hours in a day. You’re wearing 80-hour protection. If the sun fails to go down, you’ll be ready.
(Don’t forget the moonlight)
Your coconut-scented force field blocks out all the sun’s rays … and any stray rays from another sun … in another galaxy.
(You’re a STAR!!)
30 SPF? Please! You might as well be wearing cooking oil.
(Something smells delicious)
So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, Mr. 80 SPF Sun Block Wearer. In fact, feel free to crack one open at high noon … in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
(Mr. 80 SPF Sun Block Wearer)”
This radio campaign is so popular they even recorded a 3 CD box set for those of us who loved the commercials so much. Yes, I bought the 3 CD set for $10.99, and no it doesn’t get old. This campaign has such a huge following, many people (or those who just love Bud Light) have set up web pages dedicated to the “Real Men of Genius.” You can talk about your favorites and download all 65+ ads for endless listening on your computer. When the first CD was released in December 2004, it sold 100,000 copies in it’s first three weeks! That is incredible! When was the last time you heard of an advertising campaign selling 100,000 copies of their latest radio ad or jingle? While there is much debate about informational vs entertaining advertising, I think the entertaining campaign won this round.
Posted by Kristin on September 28th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Branding, Fun | No Comments »
OK, so now that I am into this whole “blogging” thing I have been looking at various other blogs on the “Interweb.” I searched for the Best Blog Awards on the net and it came back with various categories, “best comic strip,” “best humor blog,” “best photo blog,” etc, etc. However, none of the winners really captured my interest. The best humor blog was all about politics, even if they were poking fun at our government, I did not see how that won best humor. The best comic strip category was for a blog, but I was unaware “comic strip blogs” existed. Clearly I need to get out and surf the blog net more.
So my question is…what makes a blog a good blog? Is it the content? Is it the design? Is it the uniqueness? Does anybody really know??
Posted by Kristin on August 27th, 2007
Filed under Miscellaneous | No Comments »
I am not sure if anyone else has noticed the Slowsky ads, or taken notice of the Slowsky following, but I am a big fan. In fact, most of my friends and others my age have taken to loving the Slowsky couple. For those of you who are not familiar with this ad campaign, The Slowsky’s are a turtle couple who hate anything and everything fast. Therefore they love their dial-up connection and would never switch to Comcast High Speed Internet.
Karolyn and Bill Slowsky now have their own blog and website dedicated to everything slow. It is incredible to think a simple ad campaign would spin off an entire following of Slowsky lovers. Not to mention continuing to advertise Comcast High Speed in new and fun ways has grabbed the attention of 20 somethings everywhere.
“Fast, it’s not for everyone.”
Posted by Kristin on August 8th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Branding, Fun, Marketing, Web | No Comments »
This weekend I went boating with my parents. As always, I took note of each boat that passed by and what name they chose. With each passing boat I started to wonder what the story was behind each name. “Lisa” had to be someone’s wife, mother, daughter, or perhaps even Dog. “The Doghouse,” by my guess is a man’s escape from his wife or girlfriend. And then there was one that I still haven’t figured out, “Blondie” written upside down on a small fishing boat. I would imagine this would be some sort of Blonde joke, or an inside joke among friends. The reason I bring this up is because I have seen a few ads that try to be so clever the message doesn’t make any sense. One billboard sticks out in my mind, a BMW billboard that was posted on an Atlanta highway. “Two Heads are Better Than Fourteen” This was about a year ago, and I still don’t understand it. Even Atlanta commuters are confused. What is the point of a clever message if your audience doesn’t understand it? 
Posted by Kristin on July 30th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Fun, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
For the past month I have been reading a book about “standing out in today’s cluttered marketplace.” I had been looking for a book about marketing or advertising ever since I got into this industry one year ago. Now maybe this is because I am a newbie and do not have the industry knowledge and experience most have, but I thought this book was awesome. There were so many insights and thoughts about marketing from some of the top names in the industry.
The authors, Noah Kerner and Gene Pressman with insight from Andrew Essex all bring different ideas and views from their industry and market. Kerner started out as DJ and became the co-founder and CEO of the marketing agency Noise. Pressman was co-CEO, creative director, and head of merchandising and marketing for Barney’s New York for more than 27 years. And Essex is the CEO of Droga5, a New York advertising and communications agency.
Over the course of the 227 pages they discussed such things as being the next iPod of your industry and what chasing cool really means. One thing I found interesting was the concept of a “cool hunter,” or a “trendspotter.” It never occurred to me that companies actually hire someone to look for what is cool or what is the next upcoming trend. “I can’t imagine having to hire a so-called Cool Hunter. If I had to go to someone else to be cool, I’d just pack up my bags and find a new profession.” Tony Hawk makes a good point, if you are an expert in your industry shouldn’t you already know what is cool and what isn’t?
Without making this blog into too much of a book report and rambling on and on, I enjoyed this book. I think it gives great insight into the marketing industry and the various challenges each market faces. It is a good read for those of us “newbies” to the advertising and marketing industry.
To get a sense of the book and what it is about…visit their website. Chasing Cool
Posted by Kristin on June 27th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Branding, Marketing | No Comments »