Find Your Sound

As I watch the 2011-2012 NCAA College Bowl Season I am inspired by Nelly's "The Champ", the soundtrack to this year's season.  This anthem will forever mark these events for these young athletes and forever be a reminder of their joys and triumphs.  I'm sure many of us upon hearing a song or a sound are reminded of events long past.  For instance, for me "Eternal Flame" is a reminder of my 6th grade Spring Dance in my school's gymnasium and Extreme's "More than Words" also reminds me of my Middle School Days.



Music and sound sparks a strong response from most people. It's why football teams travel with their marching bands and so much is put into the sound effects and scores for movies and television shows.  As marketers we have an opportunity to include a music bed behind most electronic media.  Put care into making these decisions.  Make sure the sound matches your message, evokes the desired emotion and compliments the products/services.  A great example of one brand doing this is Corona in the "Find Your Beach" series. The beach sounds transport the viewer to...the beach.


So think about your sound choices and don't wast a great opportunity to identify with your consumer and make an impact.

Ahhhh, the holidays

Holiday ads have started airing and its only November 8th.  It is hard to predict if consumer spending will increase or decrease this season.  What about holiday event ticket sales for The Nutcracker, Christmas Jubilees and other special presentations? Anyone out there have any thoughts?

9-11 Commemorative Commercials: Classy or Tacky?

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, State Farm, Budweiser and Verizon, among others, aired 9/11 tribute commercials.  I found these ads to be very genuine and moving homages to that historic day.  Some people will argue that creating and airing such commercials is taking advantage and seeking financial gain off a tragedy.  I couldn't disagree more.  I was sitting watching NFL and fiddling on my laptop when I heard the children begin to sing "New York State of Mind."   It made me pause, look up and take a moment of reflection on what was lost ten years ago.  And I believe that was the sole intent of State Farm.  At that moment I posted the following tweet:

Today I received the following response:

This has made me curious as to the opinions of the masses. Do you support the creation and airing of these 9/11 tribute commercials or do you believe they are in bad taste?

Oddly enough, I believe the point my responder was trying to make was negated by the fact that he was doing exactly what he is accusing others of doing.  Looking at his twitter feed, he seeked out posts to which he could respond to with links back to this one site, no doubt as advertising to build page views for his own agenda.

The State Farm, Budweiser and Verizon ads may be viewed at http://www.tvguide.com/News/911-Tribute-Commercials-1037241.aspx.

2011 Ace Get Your Weekend Back

Clever...

California Riverside Ballet Site Re-Design

In the spring of this year, the California Riverside Ballet entrusted its website re-design project to students at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire in San Bernardino, CA.  The students had just 11 weeks to create new branding for the ballet.  Their work included a new logo, stationery, website and twitter background.  The image to your left was the existing site.  The image below is the newly re-designed site.

During the course of the project the students were able to meet with Artistic Director, Mario Nugara, and Executive Director, Janet Rose, to receive direction on the project.

The result is a much more dynamic site that shows off the beauty and artistry that the ballet offers.  The re-design also allowed for a more prominent placement of calls to action, including ticket purchasing and donations.

Remember to pay attention to these attributes in the design of your own sites.

Recycled Creative Ideas

I have spent the majority of my career in advertising.  And during that time I have seen a few agencies recycle creative from one client to the next and within the same designated market area (DMA), to the same type of client while using the same mediums to deliver the message.

There are so many things wrong with this practice that I don't know where to begin.  Clients are paying these agencies for creative.  Fresh, new, effective creative.  If it's been done before (especially in the same DMA), it will lose its effectiveness.  It may be confused with the prior, original ad.  Lending more effectiveness to the first client, thus making it a waste of dollars for the others.

Plus, the first client to have paid for it should be upset as well.  If they have paid for the creative service, don't they now own it?  I would consider it an infringement for others to use the same concept.  It is understandable that common themes will be shared throughout every small business' creative concepts. But what I have seen are exact matches sold to everyone who will buy.

I would like to urge small, local business to demand fresh, new creative from your advertising agencies.  If your agency is trying to advise you to sign on to a recycled idea, drop them.  They are only there to make a quick buck, not to support your business.  In fact, these are typically the agencies that use one business as a pawn in a game to get better rates for another, larger client.  I've seen that happen as well.  Personal politics do not have a place when marketing decisions need to be made on behalf of small businesses. But that should be another blog post.

What are your thoughts on recycled creative ideas?

Riverside Arts Walk Logo Re-Design Contest

Direct all question and comments to the Riverside Cultural Consortium.  Please note there is an official entry form.

SNL Skit: Paid Product Placement?

Ever since I saw this skit on SNL I've been wondering if this was paid product placement on behalf of the new Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie. If so, it was brilliant. This piece has all the components of a great viral post. Its funny, its contagious, its an innovative approach to product placement and this is something I want to share. My husband has it saved on our DVR and watches it every few days. If Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer (the Lonely Island) weren't paid by Disney, they should be.

Not Wanting to Meet Customers Face to Face = Bad Business

Note actually left on a business door as seen and photgraphed by a friend of mine.  They won't be in business for long with this attitude.  If your clients want to see you face to face, make time and show up.

$49 iPhone from At&T

Great price point ad, and it's not just because it is for an iPhone. Sorry about the poor quality video, best one I could find.

Volkswagen The Force

Volkswagen's The Force ad debuted during the 2011 Super Bowl and was definetly a crowd pleaser. The Star Wars theme resonated with it's core audience and will certainly be remembered. But will we remember the brand or the product? The fact that the ad was for Volkwagen will probably be recalled, but recalling the model featured was a Passat, well I'm doubtful. Overall, the concept was good but I feel this ad falls a little short on both branding and product recall. If the ad had not premiered during the Super Bowl, would the message have been lost?

Luvs Blow Out

This is perhaps one of the most memorable diaper commercials I have seen in a long time. The "blow out" has happened to all mothers and can be as horrifying as it is hilarious if it happens in public. This ad instills confidence that Luvs can stand up to the test of the most powerfull blow outs even though it is done via animation. We've seen many ads of happy babies crawling around to show how well they move with your baby and control leaks and they can be very boring. This Luvs ad is entertaining, sends a clear message and is one that will stick with you.