Brand Diversification...Perfect Xmas gifts?

I know what you are thinking....Alex? Why lower the tone of this blog by posting a well lit and perfeectly taken photo of a lady in her underwear. Well it is not just any old underwear from Primark. It is infact quality lingerie from Real Madrid FC. They spent over £200 million pounds on new players this summer and insted of going on money-spinning tours to Asia or creating personalised Xmas cards or introducing a third/fourth kit they instead decide to bring out this range of hilaroius Real Madrid underwear. There is a mens range but I couldn't find that picture by couldn't find I mean I didnt look.

This form of brand diversification is interesting and all jokes aside it's actually not a terrible idea. The world's biggest club having a huge range of merchandise which now includes lingerie, this is not the greatest of ideas but I can see this working. Real Madrid have a 90,000 seater stadium, a huge fanbase across the world and are huge in the lucrative Asian market. The team plays Champions League football every season, buys the best players and is very succesful. The Real Madrid brand is healthy so it just goes to show some brands will work in many different markets while others will not. Check out the West Ham lingerie below as worn by pop sensation Katy Perry. It is also going on sale at a West Ham shop near you for a limited time for a whopping £300. I know the East End of London is not as glamourous as Madrid but who cares its Christmas!

Nearly as good as a flying skate board

I like technology and I was hoping to have a flying car or by the very least a flying skateboard by the time I was grown up, the idea came from the hit film Back To The Future but alas in December 2009 there is no such invention. At least AR (Augmented Reality) is here to entertain me. AR is described by the fountain of knowledge that is Wikipedia as- a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality. Artificial information about the environment and the objects in it can be stored and retrieved as an information layer on top of the real world view.

This form of technology has been on my radar for sometime and although Youtube has plenty of AR videos (some involve huge fast food restaurants and others involve funky ways of finding the nearest tube station) I have the feel that 2010 is the year when AR will get all grown up and mainstream. I can see a plethora of marketing uses for AR and I am sure some smart digital agencies already have cunning plans for AR in 2010!

The Biggest Games Release Ever?

The game that has been hyped up and billed as the most successful game of recent times has an interesting TV spot that draws you in hook, line and sinker!



The advert has been on TV a lot over the last two weeks and everyday since the game has been released all I have heard was record breaking sales figures, positive reviews and die hard gamers announce how amazing the game is on Facebook/Twitter. Sometimes a product does not need any marketing at all, but even this gem had a cool TV spot featuring a rap from Eminem, an interesting digital campaign with a lot of online buzz about its features and millions of pounds worth of PR from the press. COD 4:Modern Warfare 2 makes it look so very easy but it is certainly not.

Your Borough/Town/City on Social Media

I have seen a few of these Twitter pages recently but I now feel compelled to blog this! Various London towns and boroughs have their own twitter profiles. This is really interesting and shows how far social media has come when you have a Stroud Green or Brixton Twitter page. The pages seem to be managed quite well and have around 100 followers each. This is an interesting way to keep people who live or work in those specific areas up to date with all the latest news. Although, it could be annoying if your town is a crime filled hate zone where you can't even go to your nearest Tesco’s without dodging a hail of bullets or getting jumped by a group of 14 year olds in hoodies and armed with kitchen utensils. I don't live in N4 and I have no affiliation to North London but if Haringay council want to buy me a free pad in N4 (in the trendy part of course not amongst the riff raff) I will be happy to accept!

Mickey D's for everyone

Here is a an interesting approach to fast food advertising. I have seen this frequently this week and I think it's really good. It's a light hearted and well thought out advert. The concept of Mc Donald's being for everyone is an interesting concept as very few businesses have mass appeal and Mickey D's is one of them. Whether you pop in for a quick lunch or you want to take advantage of the free WI-Fi or if your just after the happy meal for your child Mc D's is for you, proving it really has mass appeal. Although, some health conscious people may not be fans of Mickey D's but I am pretty sure just by telling a friend the pitfalls of eating at Mc Donald's only leads to that person who is being encouraged not to eat a Big Mac craving a Big Mac even more....well it does for me anyway.

I visited Mc Donald's in London and it was like something off the ad.....England football fans were getting a bit to eat before the big match, tourists were chowing down while keeping an eye on their suitcases and train timetables, business looking people were tucking in and there actually was some guy on a laptop, whether or not he was on the internet is another question but it was pretty diverse nonetheless. The only thing the advert doesn't show is the long but quickly moving queue, the amazingly poor toilets (like in that film Trainspotting) and the mayhem of a very busy fast food chain. Overall it's an interesing concept and they seem to have every type of consumer represented. Well Mc Dizzles has changed and here is an old school Mickey D ad from before I was even born....nice strapline 'its a good time for great taste' someone should re-use that.

Amazing Nike do it again

This is how it should be done but rarely is. It shows a deeper understanding of the consumer. Any keen football player whether they are the star for their 5 a side team or a super sub for their Sunday league team would love this. It is so simple but works so well. Buy the boots, get the code, enter the code and improve your game through the tutorials. The training tips are given by Barcelona, the current Spanish and European champions. Barca are known for their stylish yet high tempo football. The kind of sexy football that only happens on Fifa or Pro Evo. As if that wasn't enough Iniesta (an awesome footballer) and Cesc Febregas (another awesome player) are both thrown into the mix. Its an interesting strategy that will work wonderfully for Nike.

3D TV without those silly specs

As the diagram above shows 3D TV is a reality which could be coming to your home soon. Well, according to an article from the BBC 3D TV is a distinct possibility. Channel 4 have already had a 3D TV trail a few weeks ago and some sport matches have also been trialed in 3D. Sky have also announced that they plan on having 3D TV channel by 2010. This is pretty exciting as the thought of watching 3D TV sounds unreal. I think it could also have various benefits for advertisers too. Products could be advertised in more creative ways. Products would appear sharper and I am sure this advance in technology would change the way TV advertising is conducted. Although, maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself as it could be years before 3D TV is as common as HD TV and technically HD TV is still growing and has not taken off yet. Additionally, the article from the BBC also highlights the difficulty broadcasters face in providing 3D. It is very interesting just to consider the impact 3D TV could have and you wouldn't need to wear thos silly red and blue specs!

Diversity in the industry......

http://community.brandrepublic.com/blogs/rory_sutherlands_blog/archive/2009/08/30/the-ipa-oxbridge-and-lap-dancers.aspx

I came across an interesting article today which made me sit up straight, rub my eyes and clear my throat all at the same time. I was intrigued by the title and decided this article did not deserve a quick skim read. Instead it deserved my undivided attention and an open mind. Unfortunately, the issue was dodged it was a very poor article that the author put together. It was boring and had no real relevance.

The title was ‘Oxbridge and Lap Dancers’ and it was a blog entry from Rory Sutherland, big ad land cheese and top IPA thingamajig. The title intrigued me and his use of the word 'diversity' made me think I would be reading a well written blog entry about the lack of ethnic minorities in the industry and of women in senior positions. Although, I admit I am not 100% sure about the lack of women as during my experience I have come across various female account directors, account managers and managing directors. I was hoping for an interesting article about diversity in the workplace but unfortunately I was left disappointed.

The article coped out in my opinion as I have read articles which detail the lack of ethnic minorities in advertising and the lack of women in senior roles. This could have been a thoroughly engaging and honest look at the issues through the eyes of a well respected and intelligent ad land head honcho. At least we know who won out of the Oxford and Cambridge beef...Oxford have as there appears to be more Oxford guys in the industry than Cambridge...hooray (I think). I like Rory’s blog and he seems like an interesting guy but I think he didn’t want to cause any controversy.

Nice.......

It's a whole new month and I have already noticed my local Sainsbury's getting ready for Christmas which is worrying. Well this ad for Dixons has cheered me up it is one I see on my daily commute. It's a very Simple and effective piece of writing. It has a simple message which is 'Dixons - the last place you want to go'. I know from my own experiences that when shopping for an electrical item I do shop around and compare prices and this campaign works really well.



It's made me smile on the moving sauna that is the tube and I think it's a well crafted and well presented ad which will reach millions of commuters everyday. The call to action is good too, with the dixons website clearly displayed. Maybe some commuter will check Dixon's website on his smartphone as he walks to work. Top marks all around I say!

Yahoo! well maybe just woohoo!

Yahoo have launched a huge big budget marketing campaign. Its an interesting concept playing on the suggestion that Yahoo makes the internet much more personalised. I actually like the pictures used becuase the images used are kind of quirky and a little bit geeky looking. I feel that too many campaigns have what I would term as 'cool people' in them. I especially liked the picture of the guy with his face all zipped up in his jacket. It didn't seem to get a great response from brand republic's readers but I liked it all the same. Unfortunately, I can't see it working...you could get that fancy and well dressed ad ageny from hit Emmy award winning show Mad Men and it still wouldn't save Yahoo! You could get the greatest creative minds in ad land plus Einsten, Hawkins, Shakespeare, Tim Burton, Alan Sugar and all of the dragons on dragons den but they still couldn't save Yahoo! Google is too powerful, Twitter is too popular and Facebook is too useful. Yahoo may have to settle for a lesser role unless they can come up with innovative applications, cooler products, better software or a brand new ingenous search engine.

Please never show this again!

I know its easy for me criticise but there are some poor ads out there more than poor....verging on abysmal. The line 'I want to do a poo at Paul's house' should never be uttered....ever! It lacks any sort of creativity or relevance. Its been on TV for a while and I have noticed it many times but I saw it again and it just tipped me over the edge.

Be The Diiference...Emotional advertising

Its a new football season and the billion dollar football industry makes sports giants Nike come up with some interesting new ads. The concept/message is be the difference! Which singles out Nikes audience to copy their heroes, who are very rich, talented and exceptional footballers to be the difference. The ad above uses Arsenal and England star Theo Walcott. I feel it has a more emotional appeal as it shows that Theo is human he mentions how his speed (his biggest asset) is not enough...he needs to be the difference. Its very well researched as anyone who has played football would love to be the special player on their team the one who is the difference between success and failure. Its shot an interesting way and I think Nike has their football marketing spot on. I haven't seen a crap ad/concept yet. The ad below is of French footballer Franck Ribery who is awesome at football but not as awesome at acting.

Catchy Dance Music Coke

Coca-Cola are a huge company who some loathe and some adore. I personally don't mind coke/diet coke its sugary teeth spoiling liquid makes me happy in a hyper way. Coke have a recent summer advert with a catchy jingle. I was watching TV with my sister and she began humming a catchy tune. I was thinking what song is that maybe its Britney's new song or possibly its some trendy indie-pop bands new myspace hit. Well I was wrong after asking my sister she claimed she could not remember. Conveniently, a few days later on an early Sunday morning TV programme Calvin Harris was interviewed and he had admitted the jingle was his. Calvin Harris being a chart topping dance producer/artisit with a big selling first album and numerous number one hits.

Coke had approached him with the concept of the advert and he supplied them with a really good dance-pop song. So awesome in fact the song, the creatures in the ad and the ad itself all have huge online followings and fan clubs.

I feel this was a great tactic by coke as the concept and music used was great. The ad could strengthen the brand image of coke in the mind of its target audience and to an alternative dance music loving audience. Plus the adverts message is simple yet effective.

Football Marketing

Football is big business and sports marketing comes in different forms. I am a huge football fan and rivalry is part of the game. Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in England, they have a ridiculous amount of silverware, a huge international fan base and they recently lost two of their key players. Ronaldo went to Real Madrid who are like Manchester United's richer older more successful brother. While Carlos Tevez joined local rivals Manchester City who are aiming to emulate United and become a successful club. The billboard above is part of Manchester City's local marketing campaign and I have to admit its pretty good. Unfortunately, Tevez is not the most marketable footballer and Ronaldo is as the Nike / Bugatti ad below demonstrate. I still think the billboard is a creative and funny idea from Manchester City. I wish there was more football marketing like this.



The video below was a motivational video created by the Barcelona manager and a journalist to motivate them to win the champions league. Its pretty good and just shows what a lot of passion and creativity can get you. Barca won the champions league final in May 2008 and this video is big hit all over the web.

Nandos Gets Bruno'ed...kinda

Nandos has a unique strategy of communicating to their market. They use virals in the UK and I am a big fan of virals and Nandos always seem to have very interesting ones. Its surprising to think that a very popular and delicious fast-food/restaurant chain has never advertised on British TV. I remember hearing of Nandos from a friend of a friend when I was 16 and that was ages ago. Word of mouth communication is what I believe has made Nandos such a hit today but the strategy of using virals in the UK has probably made it even more popular with younger more Internet savvy consumers. Although, abroad Nandos advertises on TV and thanks to the web many of these ads are available on YouTube they are all quite funny and I think Nandos doesn't have to resort to TV ads just yet but I look forward to seeing any UK Nandos ads when they do come out.


Funny Nandos South Africa ad....


Funny UK viral...look out for Andy Peters throwing shapes!

absolut marketing

Recently, I went to the cinema to watch a film. The film in question was Terminator Salvation.....Im not a film critic but the film wasnt for me. Anyway before the film began there was the usual set of adverts. One of these ads caused everyone in the cinema to immediately comment on the ad they had just seen. After the ad was shown the room became full of little murmurs. The ad in question was one for Absolut Vodka which if I remember correctly is an expensive but good qulaity Vodka. I have sampled this Vodka and I believe it may have got me drunk but I do remember I liked it alot! I cant really remember previous Absolut Vodka ads but after researching them onYouTube I have compiled a top three. I feel each ad is delivered really well in engaging and compelling ways.

Just Awesome....Absolut everything!

The Absolut Vodka
Uploaded by YforYerom. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.

Funny Viral with Kanye West, there are a few follow ups of this spoof too



Finally the awesome that got a better reaction than Terminator 4

remember the 80s?

I don't remember the 80s as I was born during them but I remember the 90s though. The era when one whole pound used to buy a 25p can of coke 10p a packet of crisps two 5p ice lollies then you could spend 15p on penny sweets then top it all off with a 20p panda pop made with all sorts of chemicals and toxins and still have change!

Anyway here is a funny advert I found on YouTube its from 1991 featuring MC Hammer and a clever Coke vs Pepsi concept which I found hilarious and the best part is the tagline from Pepsi which states 'its got what it takes'.

ugly people dont like to be called ugly

I found this in Campaign a few weeks back and I forgot to post it. Its kind of funny. The guys who came up with it have a sense of humour and maybe they have a point but overall they are just bitter....very bitter. I do think its funny in a way but its just a bit childish too. There could be a lot more creativity in the world not just in advertising maybe children should be encouraged to think more creatively. instead of stabbing an enemy plan an elaborate video recorded prank that will give you kudos amongst your peers and it will probably be a hit on Youtube too. Instead of stealing from a shop creatively think of a way of earning money to buy food....these are just thoughts....no idea is a bad idea I heard someone say once.

This I Like....

I spotted this viral on another blog so I decided to steal....whoops I mean borrow it and put it on my blog.Its really cool and its got a cool song, awesome visuals and a simple message also it fits in with the Lacoste brand really well. I feel the length of it is execellent as its not too long to bore you and its short enough to leave you asking for more (but not too much more). The songs by someone called Yuksek...im not familar with this guy but I think he could be set for big things as I have seen a poster of his in Shoreditch (aka trend city) which is like the cool trendy capital of London. I think music plays a big part in advertising and its probably a two way process as advertising allows music to be heard by a different audience at times. Yusek fans may now like or purchase Lacoste and Lacoste shoppers may purchase/download Yusek's album its like a cool partnership. If any Lacoste guys want to send me free stuff for the free promotion just message me!

Speaking of Flash mobs....

Well Beyonce is having a gig sponsored by trident....trident gum not the trident the police anti gun crime campaign. This flash mob was a good idea as her video has been imitated all over the web and it is a pretty cool video. I'm not just saying that because I am Beyonce fan either! The mob contains various attractive some would say sexy dancers who look easy on the eye dancing around in a Lycra outfits....Im not complaining I just wished I was invited! I think it was a good idea I just hope I don't see a plethora of flash mobs/guerrilla marketing videos throughout the summer.

Heres a parody of it below from Saturday Night Live in America featuring Justin Timberlake....

High Expectations....

T-Mobile have their new ad out and its a massive sing song at a top London landmark. I like the idea but after the dance one at Liverpool street maybe the bar was set too high? I think it is not as great as the previous one but its still a very well planned and organised campaign. It first went out during Britains Got Talent which is a big ratings puller I believe....I don't really care for the show much but its a good idea as I am sure millions of viewers in the UK love the show and love the ad.

There is even a quick shot of Pink for some reason. I am not her biggest fan but I admit she seems to have wide appeal with her rock/pop/urban style of music. I had friends recieve text messages from t-mobile before the ads first viewing informing them that the ad was going to be on. So its a good use of different mediums and the ad encourages people to look at the t-mobile youtube page so its very integrated too. I give this a thumbs up because its pretty cool and this whole flash mob thing is very 'in' at the moment.

New Phillips Ad - Phillips 21:9 Carousel

This is just a really cool and engaging advert. I have no criticism of it whatsoever its just excellent....the eerriee music, the concept, the scary clown masks, the twist at the end. This maybe the best ad for a TV since the Sony Bouncing Balls and exploding paint ones!

Moet's Poster Girl

Moet use a hot holloywood actress in their new campaign and I have nothing bad to say
at all. The picture is graet its kind of sexy and once you stop gwaking at Scarlett you notice the champaign. Scarlett looks great and shes clearly advertising champiagn, her celebrity persona fits in with the Moet brand. Moet is positioned as premium champaign that is luxurious and expensive. While Scarlett is a stunning actress that boasts both talent and good looks. I think this celebrity endorsement was well planned and well delivered. I can see some poor saps (men, definetly men...single men) spending money they dont have on champiagn in some swanky (pretentious) nightclub trying to attain the glamourous and expensive image of the Moet brand ha! And they say people are more advertising saavy!

Im Back

Well it's been a hot minute and I am back blogging. I have been really busy, really really busy infact. I was undertakeing some work experience with a great comms agency. All the people were awesome and very friendly. It was great to work alongside acount handlers, planners and even the agency partners. It was a good insight into the industry and it was two whole weeks in the real agency world. I was involved in loads of projects from super extensive research to product gathering. I was also involved in some brainstorming sessions which went really well. I think the experience has only made me more determined to get that elusive job and I feel that I am ready for the challenge.

Ads for women......Diet Coke Duffy Bike

Yeah I know the Duffy Diet Coke ad has been around for a while but I have resisted commenting on it until it was absolutely necessary. Now is the time dear friends. Some of these ads that are aimed at women often involve a man of sorts not a real man like myself but one who obviously goes to the gym too much and has a personal trainer and he probably hasn't heard of junk food.

Well Diet Coke had the 1130 campaign which was huge and involved a man who women could swoon over. Now Diet Coke have Duffy on her bike belting out a song. Duffy is a 'popular' artist who has Grammys and Brit awards so her appeal may be wide and I am sure she has a varied fan base with the majority of her fans being women (Diet Coke is aimed at women of course).

Unfortunately, I do not like the ad that much maybe if it was funnier or maybe a bit simpler it would have been great but it seems very cliche and very forced. It seems to try too hard to wink at the women watching the ad and say just be yourselves girls. Maybe it can interpreted as empowering to women but then again maybe it cant. Although, I don't like it that much I appreciate there must have been some form of research which relates to this new angle by diet coke and it will be interesting to what diet coke do next with their ad campaigns.

Gradutae POV

Well I haven't been blogging as much as I should really consider I have a bit more free time on my hands than the average blogger (I assume) but I have been thinking. Yes, dangerously thinking of cunning schemes to get me employment or work experience. I feel the best thing about graduating when I did is that a) I am thinking more strategicaly about my life and b) at least I am at the start of my career. I could be a thirtysomething family man with a mortgage who has just been made redundant! So I suppose things could be alot worse.

But I read the papers (online ofcourse) and I realise that there are haeps of job cuts. Vodafone and ITV are recent annoucements but there are a host of former bankers or finance dudes out there who are unemployed. So I have compiled a list to help others survive:

1) Stay busy and organie your day so your not sat staring at a wall wishing you graduated a year or two earlier/later.
2) Research the industry or industries your trying to find work in (knowledge is power)
3) Stay positive negativity leads to nothing
4) Keep on the job hunt or try looking for work experience
5) If you apply for a job and get rejected get over it! Its part of life and use it to inspire you to achieve your goals.
6) Why not think of business ideas/opportunities
7) Keep it real......Im not sure how but you will know what this means

Basically, its slimpickings out there for us grads and competition is fierce (around 300,000 people graduate ever year) no matter if you want to work in advertising or finance just keep trying and keep an open mind always.

Buy Red Noses

Here is a comic relif ad which I just spotted on the Campiagn website. I like it because of its really funny and you can practically taste the attention to detail. The only thing missing is the velvet loo roll 'soft soft soft' baby or mr muscle but honestly mr muscle doesnt keep it real like he used to. It was made by Fallon and i will give it a big alex thumbs up which is like a pat on the back.

Iphone vs Blackberry just show what they do ad guys

I was at a friends house recently, I know what your thinking which friend as I am Mr popular (just playing) and we were all debating the iPhone versus the blackberry. The iPhone 3G is pretty awesome and whenever I have used one I have been left with that tingling feeling inside that special feeling you get when you eat krispy kremes or when your football team wins a game they should have lost. I am really impressed by the app store and by the Internet capabilities of the device. As soon as I get 'that' job offer from a cool agency seeking a handsome, hardworking and enthusiastic account exec I will maybe just maybe seriously consider upgrading to an iPhone 3G.

On the other hand I am not really that impressed by the blackberry although, admittedly I have spent less time researching blackberry's I like the look of the curve and I hear its Internet capabilities are pretty good too. the blackberry advert in the UK has the premise that blackberry phones leave the whole world in your hands which is a little bit predictable but honestly I don't think I cam come up with something better currently as I have the sniffles and a chesty cough. While the iPhone 3G advert is just a demo of what the phone can do (albeit with sequences shortened). Maybe the best way to advertise technology is to just show what it can do rather than promising you the whole world? I believe that this is the case. Its far more compelling to watch the iPhone hand actor guy search for restaurants by shaking his iPhone using an app from the app store rather than hearing a VO (voice over) telling me the phones great. But I do know many people with blackberrys and they love them so much they call them crackberrys (crack = the drug) which just points out how addictive blackberrys are . Now or soon blackberrys will be coming out on payg aimed at a younger market so they must be doing something right...right?

Anyone from Apple wishing to send me a free iPhone 3G please ensure its the 16gb one and feel free to chuck in a mac book and a maybe an iTouch for my sister! Heres an iPhone spoof ad which is kind of funny.


iPhone Ad: This is Susan from Sascha on Vimeo.

Nike...Recession Proof.....Probably!

Here is the new Nike ad with Wayne Rooney and Rio and a host of other stars. Its a nice ad aimed at football fans that love to show off their skills. It reminds me of the old Nike 3 on 3 'Scorpion' ad and competition. I remember playing in one of the Nike 3 on 3 competitions with some mates we got to the quarter finals I think I'm not too sure though. Here is the viral of Rooney getting nutmegged by another player its pretty awesome...well awesome because of Rio's reactions.





This left me thinking that Nike is recession proof I'm sure everyone in Niketown (oxford Street) and in Nike UK HQ is not worrying over their jobs! They have a tournament which asks football fans/players to show their skills in tournaments and a radio ad which was aimed at starting a (friendly) rivalry. The radio ad had northern sounding people slagging off London saying London has no skill (at football) good stuff really. Also the ad coincides with new Nike football trainers or AstroTurfs as we used to call them. Its good stuff heres the actual ad.



Here's the viral/verbal attack on 'London' which I can see inspiring loads of people into defending London's honour without using knife/gun but through the medium of football.

Its not annoying.....in a good way

This Barclaycard ad has been around for a few months now and I still like it. I really do. For some reason when I first saw it i thought to myself that the song was brilliant and the ad was good but it will probably start annoying me in a few weeks. Well that hasn't happened I actually like it and I love that song even more.....I really want to go on a flume/water slide like that it would be great! I just saw it on TV and I lapped it up all over again. I guess if an ad still captures your attention while your just chillaxing its a well planned and well delivered piece of work.

Brilliant.....just brilliant

If I had to give out awards I would give this ten gold stars or at least a blue peter badge its just really good. Funny, very funny in fact with a good message! A good way to highlight that cravendale is really pure milk that is filtered. I just want to mention I don't work for cravendale or w+k.........yet! I think the length is good too 30 seconds very nice!

Hmmm not really pushing my buttons

This BT ad is part of a series of ads it was good to begin with but now I am bored of them.....bored like I am of Eastenders or Hollyoaks. I think it was a great idea and was well executed with a nice level of realism and humour but now I am bored of these ads, they're not even funny anymore at least humour which is boredom's lifelong foe could have saved me from not liking this ad anymore. Three ways to improve this ad:

1) Use some new characters or a whole new family scenario
2) Make it funnier and punchier if you know what I mean
3) Maybe even an animated family that could have their own digital campaigns too....like websites, blogs, twitter accounts. With characters being families who live in the same street/neighbourhood could be more compelling and more interesting

I am available for freelance work I charge a very low fee....very low indeed! Unfortunately, I cant find the new one but you have probably seen it.

This is a good old BT ad I remember this vividly!



good stuff one of the previous (recent) BT ads

Adidas looking cool....so cool its ice cold

Great ads from Adidas....it has David Beckham, Estelle, Missy Elliot, Katy Perry, The Ting Tings and loads more.....I like it as it looks cool, great music and a lot of celeb cameos. What can I say i am easily pleased at times.



heres the invite.....its a pretty simple idea but works really well.

Racism in advertising...so they say

Oh Yea! I came across this article from the Guardian who claim breaking into the advertising industry is impossible for someone like me as I am not middle class or white! I was disappointed but realised I may not be middle class technically but my family does live in a middle class (not that ghetto) part of London and my name sounds very posh and cool so I think I still might make it in the advertising industry. Hurrah!

The Guardian claims "And yet it's an industry perceived as being riddled with institutional snobbery and elitism" and "There's a self-reinforcing cycle of largely white, middle class, university-educated students who are friends and family of similar people already employed throughout the top levels of the industry," and finally "Sure enough, a recent IPA survey found that only 6% of advertising people come from ethnic backgrounds - not so bad compared with the national average of 8%, but pretty shocking when compared with the London figure of 40%"

Well on a serious note I hope this is not the case. Despite my limited ad agency experience I can say that when I was on a recent work placement (in Jan 2009) for a top ad agency I was probably one of four other black people in the whole agency. I really do hope that if you show a genuine interest, a lot of ambition and are willing to work hard then anyone white/black/green can make it in their desired industry. Everyone at the agency I worked at was lovely and never seemed to interact with me less because I was black in fact they were all very, very helpful and friendly.

Guardian Article click here

Superbowl was last week.......

Im talking about it now because I am fashionably late......

The Doritos Ad was voted the best or most watched....I like it I really do. Its just a simple ad which uses humour in a funny way. It reminds me of the Simpson episode when Homer hysterically laughs at a man getting hit with a football in the groin. The guys who created it have won a million dollars and I think that it should be an idea applied to a company in Britain. Maybe Swiftcover could have thought of this! Here is the ad, it kind of makes my goal of working in advertising look a little bit more achievable.

pretty cool ads...selling cars

Heres the new Vauxhall ad for their Insignia car which replaces the Vectra. I like it as its like a film trailer and I can see this ad doing really well for Vauxhall. This ad is pretty simple and highlights all the attributes and benefits of the car while making it look a little mysterious.



Heres the Ford KA ad it was done by Ogilvy London its really very cool and very creative I can only spot around 10 KAs in the advert...how many can you spot?
I really like this ad and I think the song fits the ad really well its good stuff!

Fragrances pt 2 - Gucci

Gucci also has a new fragrance out and it involves that age old fragrance trick of using a celebrity. Gucci is using actor James Franco (Spiderman 1-3, Pineapple Express and Milk).....He may not be the biggest Hollywood star but I remember reading American GQ magazine (when i was in America of course) which claimed he was going to be the next James Dean. So this could work for Gucci, the ad is a little ambiguous and is shot in black and white as usual.

The tag line is 'when the world is changing I will be the same' could this be in reference to the worlds economic problems?...maybe....probably....maybe not who cares!

I am King - Fragrance

This is Sean Combs aka P.Diddy (aka puff Daddys) new fragrance it is called I am king and its mini movie/promo video is posted below. It is quiet epic and its theme is James Bond meets millionaire playboy styleee. This is Sean John (P.diddys fashion label) second fragrance and his first, Unforgivable was a huge success worldwide. Sean has a clever marketing tactic with this campaign he is giving people the chance to win a luxurious competition if they can explain why they are a king. Sean is doing this to empower men.....so he says but I think its a good marketing ploy as which young man wouldn't want to go shopping and clubbing with a with a millionaire playboy party animal music mogul?...I know I would! Here's the mini movie....




Here's sean explaining the competition

cadburys spoof....

Here is a spoof of the recent cadburys ad......if something is spoofed it usually means its doing a good job. The ad is starting to grow on me a wee bit but that could be due to shear repetition. Take a look-see

I was not too impressed by these two ads

The Nintendo Wii has changed the games industry and although the Redknapps are nice people.....why were they selected to do this ad? The one with girls aloud makes sense as they are currently really successful and because of Cheryl Cole they are very popular...but the Redknapps? nice try though 3/10.



The next is categorically terrible.....I don't like this at all. I find it lacks any creativity and the 'celeb' does not strengthen or give a good endorsement to the swiftcover brand....tut tut tut....1 out of 10

I would have gone for anything rather than a half naked old rockstar dude! Even a 30 second voice over detailing that swiftcover offers customers their insurance details online would have been much more effective.

Virals that make me giggle like 12 year old school girl

I think Durex has the viral scene pretty well on lock (as the kids say these days) I have seen quite a few virals from Durex and they are always pretty funny and a little bit risque!



This next one is really funny especially at the end....I guess theres the opportunity to be more creative and risky with virals but too risky could be bad pr....if you believe in that kind of thing...i give it a 9 out of 10!



The next one is simply hilarious and clever....i give it a 10 out of 10! I believe humour is sometimes the best thing to use when advertising sensitive brands/products.

Cool Ad its definetly in my top 10.....

cool, creative, compelling and funny. I give virgin a 10 out of 10 for this one as it sticks its tongue out at BA.

Doing it not so properly (i give it 5 out of 10 )

this was a nice idea but i just wasn't feeling the eyebrows thing at all! Although, I am sure this ad has been talked about, critiqued and blogged about alot which is still not a bad achievement....or is it?



Cadbury Eyebrows from Nils-Petter Lovgren on Vimeo.

Doing it properly (9 out of 10)

This is probably my favourite ad of all time and the reason behind my unhealthy interest in marketing! This was back in the day in 1996 (great year i was 11 at the time, back before a credit crunch or an economic downturn)



Here is nike doing it again and I thought it was executed really well ...Guy Ritchie directed it which was nice of him.


Nike:Take It To The Next Level - Directors Cut (HD) from malcolm md on Vimeo.

The Start of Something......(insert superlative)

Welcome!

I have actually done it......I decided my opinions matter soo much to soo many people and now you, the reader can gain an insight into some really cool thoughts in regards to advertising/marketing/comms. I should really call this blog reallyfunnycoolstufftodowithadvertisingandmarketing but that is not a sanppy title.