DR4WARD

The Future of Marketing - Cannes Lions

Day 4

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, today's blog will be rather short due to misplaced notes. Sorry!

Getty Images (Seminar)

The first seminar I attended today was hosted by Moderator Lewis Blackwell of Getty Images. This presentation/forum discussion was titled "Advertising Activism! New Secrets for Going Beyond Propaganda." As mention in many of my previous blogs, the Advertising world is evoling rapidly with the emergence of new technologies. The way consumers are engaged with new media content, whether it be strictly visual or an interactive experience, has given Marketers and Advertisers newer and modern opportunities to engage. A key message taken from the seminar had been, "Advertisers must embrace and align all channels of communications (Both Online and Offline) with an audience whenever, whereever and however the ever-on individual desires." We must be able to work on various levels to create a unison approach to create not only a simple Ad campaign, but also a entertaining one as well.

Cows In Jackets (Workshop)

The first workshop I attended today was hosted by Daniela Kraustsack of Cows In Jackets. The workshop was titled "From Art to Urban Trends: Future Directions of Ambient Advertising." To understand the workshop completely, you must first understand what Ambient Advertising is. Like Guerilla advertising, Ambient advertising utilizes the world as a platform to create an interactive brand experience fused with entertainment. Major cities may very well represent the future of advertising through the interactivity being used to engage consumers. One example mentioned was a Installation with Phillips and the use of light. Phillips Energy utilized a national landmark to get their message of an efficient product. Ambient Advertising mixes these live experiences to reach target audiences in “hard to reach places” and keep the message fresh and clear in their minds on a day-to-day basis. The future of Advertising will rely, as Krautsack states, "...by new mixes of light, architecture, and [mass] media." These relevations will drive the way brands communicate and interact with their consumers daily. The following link showcases many of the different ways brands utlizing natural space to create an out of home experience. Ambient Advertising Media

Until next time,

Cheers!

Irving Escobar

Digitology: The Evolution of Marketing - Cannes Lions

Day 2:

Accenture (Workshop)

My day began with the workshop hosted by Mark Inskip of Accenture titled Creating the Ultimate Web Presence with Your Brand. The world of marketing is changing dynamically. The change is driven by the creation of emerging technologies. The Accenture workshop dealt with how the Web communications of many popular brands influence their Brand equities in the 21st Century. Major brands must be able to creativitely communicate with consumers to get their message across. Inskip went on to say, "Creativity is essential, but not at the expense of usefulness." In essence, the workshop stressed that companies must take into consideration the "total user experience" by not sacrificing a consumers need of information with just a visually appealing experience.

Profero (Seminar)

The second event I attended was a seminar hosted by speakers Daryl Arnold, Wayne Arnold and Lord David Puttnam of Profero. The seminar was titled Digitology: The Revelations. The presentation started off with several questions aimed toward the audience and their use of social media content. The questions ranged from "Do you use facebook?" to "How many of you have ever heard of Twitter?." The purpose of the questions was intended to create the understanding of how the Internet has gone "mainstream." Although the term "mainstream" has carried a negative association in the last decade, Puttnam disagrees with the negative association to the Internet. As advertisers in the digital era, both Wayne and Daryl Arnold stressed the importance of connecting and understanding the audience [consumers]. We must understand that "Digital is no longer a new media, it is mass media." Profero/Lord David Puttnam

IGA (Workshop)

The second workshop I attended today was hosted by speakers Ed Bartlett and Guiseppe Bellanca of IGA. IGA, or In-Game Advertising represents a much more digitally focused approach to advertising in the 21st Century for brands. With a projected forecast market value of $950 million in 2011, IGA is the hottest media opportunity for many popular brands. The purpose of IGA is quite simple as Bartlett states, "IGA enables advertisers to target millions of engaged customers across a wide range of platforms. In-Game Advertising understands the need to create an artificial real-world experience with gamers.  3rd Party Research has found that 70% of gamers find that real brands/products make video games more realistic. Furthermore, 57% of players feel In-Game Advertising is a more relevant approach to advertising than other types of advertising. IGA is allowing advertisers to target specific demographics directly. IGA represents a fresh, new and exciting solution for advertisers seeking diverse opportunities. IGA and Battlefield 2142

Until next time,

Cheers!

Irving Escobar

MARKETING SKEPTICS RESISTANT TO BRAND MESSAGES

The degree of marketing skepticism and resistance to brand messages was highlighted this week when a student asked me in class if the brand examples used in the text book and discussed in class were paid product placements. I think this student has a future in marketing because the thought never occurred to me to sell my lectures in class to a captive student audience. Instead, the brand examples and case studies that I use are to demonstrate a concept or make a point about a company that does a particularly good or bad job at marketing. Where does this level of skepticism and resistance to brand messages come from?

Millennials is the label given to those born between 1982 and 2000.  They have grown up with instant and continuous multi-media communications, entertainment and social networks and are more dependent on technology, their peers and parents than previous generations. Millennials are continuously plugged into their iPods, mobile phones, video games, PC's, televisions, and social networks and multitasking. They consume so much media and entertainment through so many different channels that they receive over 3,000 distinct advertising messages daily.  This bombardment of sales messages and fragmentation of media use make Millennials difficult to reach and highly skeptical of marketers messages.
Image from www.matrixbusinesscoaching.com

This level of skepticism about information and communication is not unique to Millennials as consumers in general have become more suspicious and resistant to marketers messages.  This is a challenge and opportunity to marketers as the traditional brand marketing approach is no longer working.  Instead marketers are turning to new interactive models that give the control to consumers to create and share the marketing message with their peers through word-of-mouth. Brands are using consumer-created content and social networks to create and transmit something that is entertaining or helps to facilitate communication with others and make their lives better or easier. The best marketers understand that consumers do not need brands interrupting their lives and instead must be invited in.  Do you have examples of brands that you have invited in to your lives and shared with others?

I look 4WARD to your feedback.

Keep Digging For Worms!

2008 SUPER BOWL AD RECAP BY THE BRAND

Super Bowl 2008 Ad Recap by the Brand -
Overall I kept having the feeling that I was watching the terrible Dot.com ads from the 2000 Super Bowl. Too many brands behaving badly, trying too desperately to get our attention with sophomoric gross out humor and stunts while forgetting to tell us anything about the brand.  (Toyota, Sales Genie, Planters, Tide, Career Builder, Go Daddy, Cars.com, E-trade, Doritos mouse trap, Amp, etc.)   We can watch stuff like that on YouTube every day.  As a matter of fact, you can see all 55 of the Super Bowl ads on YouTube Ad Blitz in the gallery section and also see how people voted for the ads

I think most of the brands forgot this year that almost half the viewers of the Super Bowl are women.  We desperately needed a Dove ad. I think the biggest losers this year was consumer created content and viewer generated contests that are running out of steam.  Doritos "Crashed the Superbowl" last year and showed great ads created from consumers as part of a contest. This year the winning song and music video from the Doritos song contest was Bum, Bum, Boring. I also found it remarkable how poorly the celebrities were used in the ads.  No real connection with the ad concepts or brands.

Bud started out well in the first half and fizzled in the second half. The automotive ads were all pretty bad but Hyundia had better ads than Toyota and GM. Movie Trailers?  Is it just me or are most of the new film trailers looking exactly like the same Matrix movie remake? 

With the best ads featuring animals and balloon characters, I am surprised that we didn't get to see an ad featuring a talking baby monkey that flies with x-ray vision super powers that allow him to see through the clothes of sexy women.  Let me know if you agree with my ad recap.   Do you think I missed any of the biggest winners or losers?

Best ads - 
Coke - Dueling Balloons - Loved it.  Finally a big idea rises to the occasion and delivers.
Bridgestone - Screaming animals.  Screaming fun.  Screaming Richard Simmons.  Traumatic. Also, a winner - Bud - The Rocky theme with the Dalmatian training Hank the Clydesdale was also fun.

Worst ads - Doritos, Sales Genie, GoDaddy, Toyota, Career Builder, T-Mobile, Victoria Secret

1st Half Recap - Few ads stood out.  Use of celebrities in ads make fans the biggest losers.
The animals in the ads have been the best thing about the first half.
Bud Light Continues to fan the cheesy flames of the American funny bone.

By the Brand - 1st Half

1st Quarter Recap
Bud Light - Flame on funny.
Audi - Grotesque is not a good way to sell a beautiful brand.
Diet Pepsi Max - This Saturday Night Live rip off is ten years too late to be funny.
Sales Genie - If Sales Genie wished  to put me to sleep their wish was granted.
Under Armor - Apple 1984 Big Brother wannabe was not Super Bowl ready.
Bridgestone - Screaming animals equals screaming good fun.
Doritos - Bum, Bum, Boring.  Thank goodness Doritos got some mileage from all of their pre-game hype.
G2 - Special effects never make up for the lack of an idea.
Go Daddy - Multi-tasking is so common that this concept is Go-Dull.
Dell - Desperate plea to save Dell.
Fed Ex - Big Idea and special effects drops little payoff.

2nd Quarter Recap - Tide - Talking stain annoys rather than engages.
Bud - Rocky theme continues to inspire.
Toyota - Threat of badger attack erodes brand equity.  Was this an ad for a late 90's Dot.com?
Garmin - This cliche of the French is short on building the brand.
Career Builder - Heart escape is creepy and bizarre.  Maybe the heart is a symbol for the U.S. economy.  "I quit."
Life Water - I thought I was watching an ad for Geico.  Beyonce (Naomi / Tyra) is the worst use of a celebrity in awhile.
GM - Why this ad?  Never again please.
Bud Light - Demeaning immigrants is Bud's first half misstep
Planters - Unibrow is instinctively mean spirited.
T-Mobile - Fave 5 gets my vote for the bottom five of the Super Bowl ads.
Pepsi - Justin Timberlake brings nothing back to Pepsi.
Doritos - Recycles last years mouse trap.  Consumer created content is running out of steam.

2008 Super Bowl Ad Recap by the Brand continued