The web is … well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? The web is what you make of it. It’s amazingly informative and blazingly deceptive. And increasingly, it’s video. Which is the point of Google’s new spot. Why does Google hope to build its brand — and its YouTube viewership, Chrome browser usage, and search engine business…
Tag Archive: branding
VW Star Wars wins the Spot War with boy toys
…what makes it all “click” is the story. In 30 seconds we meet a little boy who is thinking big… but his “force” just doesn’t work. Nothing responds to his will, not even a sandwich. And then, suddenly, he gets powerful. It surprises and scares him. He is so surprised, he wheels around to see if his parents noticed his amazing power… and we are let in on the secret…
And the winner is… (best car Super Bowl spots)
I missed most of the Super Bowl, and had to watch the spots afterward to get my annual taste-test of advertising trends. There’s Adweek’s great coverage, USA Today’s ad meter, Ad Age’s Bob Garfield rundown, and many other opinions if you want to compare impact and effectiveness. Most agree that Go-Daddy captured the flag in…
Best of the Pre-released Super Bowl spots – 2
This Cars.com spot has a series of stunning precocious victories in the life of Timothy Richmond… and then links it to the fear we all have when trying to find and buy a car. Well produced, nice humor combined with pathos, holds attention until the branding statement … and then leaves a strong connection between…
Best of the Pre-released Super Bowl spots – 1
I love this Hyundai Sonata ad… strong visuals and music that create a question that holds our attention until the payoff punch. And very well written, with a strong branding statement about quality.
VW Volcano taps volcanic resentment among creatives
Here’s a new spot on YouTube… thanks to the Creative Intensive Network on LinkedIn, for sharing it, and Alexander Bickov for posting it on YouTube. I really love the storytelling that director Marcello Serpa of AlmapBBDO Brazil accomplished in only a minute seventeen seconds… but judging from the comments on LinkedIn, I’m in the minority….
Appreciating the Audience
The most important part of successful communication is to appreciate the audience. Hillman Curtis styles it, “Eat the Audience”. It means to know, to have empathy for. It also means to honor, or value their perspective, their biases, and their preferences. And it means to understand and have emotional intelligence regarding how our own perspectives…
Starbucks: fighting a land war in Asia
When a person adapts to the times, they’re seen as progressive… becoming more “highly evolved”. When a company whose brand is as highly evolved as Starbucks adapts to the times, they run the risk of appearing shifty. That’s what Starbucks is facing, as has been widely reported in the press and blogosphere. At issue is…
Trader Joe's DNA
Heather Snow contributes an excellent analysis of the Greenpeace attack on Trader Joe’s sales of red-list fish. I’m glad to see the effort to hold TJ’s accountable to a sustainable standard. I’d like to suggest a few reasons why Trader Joe’s is pursuing this unenlightened policy, and why what seems like a hip, green-friendly brand…
Branding Disorder
Thanks to John Moore at Brand Autopsy, my next summer book will be Obsessive Branding Disorder, by Lucas Conley. I always love to read stuff that validates my personal philosophies! Here are a couple of quotes from the Fast Company essay that spawned the book: A brand is a result, not a tactic. One cannot…
