I've said it before and I'll say it again: IKEA is clever. They know their market, they know their voice, and they know their products. In the furniture company's new Christmas campaigns, the company's voice is clearly unified (whether intended or unintended). Two different agencies in Sweden and Canada made ads with extremely similar plot lines for IKEA's Christmas campaign focusing on magic. Both commercials feature children--and, of course, IKEA furniture-- having a magical moment around the holidays. In Sweden, the ad illustrates a little girl showcasing her magic tricks, ending in a tablecloth pull that make IKEA dish wear and silverware go flying. I felt that this ad was resonant with the brand because not only does it focus on the multiple products through the commercial, but it has a familial, light-hearted tone that is familiar to the brand. The Canadian advertisement is also relevant to the brand message and voice, but instead focuses on using an old piece of furniture that is restored to help a little boy fulfill his magic show. This commercial shows less IKEA pieces, but subtly illustrates the durability of their furniture. The plot also has a light-hearted tone and focuses on a family, which resonates with the brand's audience. The fact that these two advertisements could combine to make a seamless campaign shows that the agencies of IKEA know the brand voice well. It also supports the idea that what IKEA is doing works on an international level and appeals to a mass audience. I believe both of these ads will be impactful in creating positive brand awareness for IKEA this holiday season, and will further promote the idea that IKEA produces family friendly, long lasting, magical furniture..
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Skyy Vodka's new campaign promotes their vodka as "Proudly American" and features everyone's favorite WWE Star, John Cena. The campaign contains two advertisements with significantly different executions. One ad resembles a classic alcohol advertisement: it shows Cena doing "American" activities while simultaneously featuring people drinking cocktails using Skyy Vodka. It has an inspirational voice and mainly focuses on representing Skyy as American made vodka. However, the second ad in the campaign has a very different style. The second advertisement features three differently dressed John Cenas in a music video style segment for a song called "Skyy Blue." This ad also aims to represent Skyy Vodka as American made, but does it with a significantly different approach. I think these ads are a brilliant combination that play on the idea that they are advertising vodka, a product that can make situations a little "funnier" which we see in the second ad. Both do a great job at getting the point across that the brand is proudly American and gives a sense of patriotism. Both ads also target slightly different audiences while illustrating the same message. The first advertisement will surely appeal to the greater masses considering it is a general alcohol ad. This ad still sets itself apart, however, by using John Cena as a symbol for patriotism. The second commercial plays on the "meme culture" of Skyy's younger audience, and using John Cena here is marvelous considering he has already been incorporated into memes in the past. Ultimately, I think Skyy did a great job at strategically connecting with their audience and effectively selling their proud American message.
Many brands are using artifical intelligence to produce advertisements that are more targeted and successful with their audience. Using technology like this to produce a successful advertisement would be quite revolutionary, and because of this brands are racing to produce quality ads with AI. The fast food dynasty, Burger King, has poked fun at this idea, like they do most things. They have released advertisements "produced from artifical intelligence" that feature a robotic voiceover and copy that almost says the right thing, but not quite. These ads are obviously not a genuine attempt at using AI to produce advertisements, but they are a hilarious jab at the idea of it. The voice alone is quite disruptive and catches the viewers attention, and the copy used to describe the Burger King menu items featured is comical. It seems like a simple task to describe a burger or a chicken sandwich, but Burger King illustrates how a robot would be unable to accurately deliver these descriptions in the way that a human would.
This campaign could just be a comical stunt by the fast food company, but I believe it also serves the purpose of being commentary on the robot-dominated world we are entering. Subtly, the advertisement could be interpreted to say that robots aren't always as accurate as humans may be, especially when it comes to a creative, insightful craft such as copywriting. No matter what the company was trying to portray, they produced a campaign of hilarious ads that will surely catch the attention of their audience. They are relevant to the light-hearted Burger King brand and voice, and are still able to make an emotional connection with the audience even through their robotic voice over. Who knows what the future will hold for AI produced advertisements, but as for now Burger King has taken the lead. Build Ford Tough: a slogan that may call to mind rugged trucks dominating hills and racing through dirt. This is the space Ford previously occupied in the car industry, until recently. Ford is not neglecting their "toughness" attribute, but adding in the element of proudness in their new "Built Ford Proud" campaign. The commercials feature Emmy award winning actor Bryan Cranston and a big dose of inspiration. If you know Cranston's film work (think Breaking Bad), you know he is exceptional at delivering monologues with power and grace, so it is no coincidence that Ford chose him to relay these inspirational messages. The anthem ad illustrates Cranston in various situations such as a keynote speaker, president and even a robot. He explains that it wasn't the speeches from these scenarios that made progress towards the future, but instead it was the manpower behind these initiatives that built the tools and ultimately built the future. The ad concludes by tying in Ford as the manpower of progress for the past 115 years, and assures the audience that they will continue to make the future proud with their advances. Other ads focus on specific parts of the Ford cars while Cranston's voiceover about the specifics of the vehicle plays. These spots showcase the tough durability of Ford vehicles, while reflecting on the significance of "Ford" and the sense of proudness that comes with this name. These ads are not only inspirational, but they deliver on their promise. By 2020, Ford claims that 75% of their vehicles will be new models, which truly means they are currently "building the future" of Ford cars. I believe this campaign resonates with the brand's voice considering Ford is thought of as a reliable, family American car company. This works with the insight that drivers are proud to drive a Ford car not just for the durability but for the symbolism that the company (and family) stands for.
In this age of media, the truth is becoming harder and harder to find. As journalists become increasingly distrusted, it can be daunting for a reader to sift through news sources and determine what is credible. Although some have called it "failing," The New York Times has managed to maintain a credible reputation. Their gripping new campaign only further increases their transparency and shows the truth behind journalism. The advertisements display short sentences along with visuals describing the beginning development of a story. As the advertisement continues, the words shift and change through developments until the final shot is reached and the headline is revealed. These advertisements take the viewer through the process of journalism (which is much more extensive than many believe) to provide viewers with more context and understanding of the profession. Showing the extensive amount of work that goes into producing these articles also gives consumers a better understanding of why New York Times is a paid subscription. With the easy access given to us by the internet, it can be hard to make an argument for why someone should pay for news that they could simply Google. But, as this ad depicts, when this much work goes into the story you can be assured that it is credible and truthful, which is less likely with internet articles. I think this advertisement is powerful from a marketing perspective, but also important in today's society. Having a news source that people can trust has become increasingly rare, so to produce such a raw advertisement encourages transparency across all media sources as well as provides the audience with a viable news option. Because of the story this campaign tells, I believe these will be successful for New York Times, especially with today's political climate.
Christmas may be known as the most wonderful time of the year, but for candy brands, Halloween is where it's at. Reese's got a head start in the race to the leading candy for Halloween by releasing their new campaign #NotSorry in June, and it's paying off. The ad features a series of potentially apologetic moments ending in a close up of a Reese's and #NotSorry. The campaign has shifted to embrace the upcoming Halloween holiday with ads that focus on trick or treating. One ad has a voice over that suggests to buy a bag of Reese's, turn off the lights when trick or treaters come, and eat them yourself #NotSorry.
As noted by MediaPost, this campaign plays off of Mars' "Sorry, I was eating a Milky Way," campaign from 2012. However, I find this campaign more clever and resonant to the Reese's brand. IKEA provides ready to assemble, Swedish furniture for an affordable cost. Many consider it a low-budget option, but that is not to say that the furniture doesn't hold up well and is stylish. In IKEA's new campaign from McCann, this is what the brand is accentuating. The campaign hides IKEA furniture in seemingly luxury commercials. The commercials include a jewelry and fragrance set up that end in a reveal of the extravagant settings being furnished by IKEA. This is a creative and clever way to state that even though the brand is affordable, it is certainly not cheap and still has significant style. The target for this campaign is to reiterate this point and change the perspective of those that think IKEA furniture cannot be a nice choice because of its price.
This ad is extremely clever and conveys its point in a funny, light hearted way. This is fitting to the brand of IKEA, and is definitely a positive campaign for the company. However, as I was analyzing these commercials, I had some deja vu from this year's Super Bowl commercials. The "Surprise! It's IKEA furniture" did had some serious similarities to the "It's a Tide Ad" campaign. Although the punchline is different, the same deception is used to get consumers to think they are seeing one thing when in reality they are seeing another. Despite this, I still think it was an effective way to get the message across and supports the brand's goals. Plastic has become an extremely problematic topic in today's environmentally friendly society. A heated argument can come from the simple question, "Do you use plastic straws?" and many companies are working to make their products more eco-friendly. Although the danish brewer Carlsberg hasn't solved the straw problem, it has contributed to the plastic rings that 6-pack beverages usually come in. Their new 6-pack design has removed the need for the plastic rings all together by gluing the cans to one another, saving plastic and sea turtles! Beverage companies have previously altered the 6-pack ring design by making it edible or using less plastic, but the removal of it as a whole is a new, groundbreaking concept to the eco-friendly packaging of drinks. And this is not the only contribution that the Carlsberg Brewing Company has made to the environment; they have been moving toward more sustainable and reusable initiatives in their products for the past three years. From more recyclable inks and labels to more durable bottles for reuse, the brand is truly making a positive impact on the environment by creating less waste. The objective of this new packaging was to decrease waste, move toward a more environmentally conscious branding, and build upon their sustainable initiatives.
I believe that the environment is often overlooked when companies are creating new sustainable initiatives, so to see a brand really working toward this goal inspired me to choose this work. Every small contribution can have a larger impact, and this packaging change is one method that will create a shift in plastic waste and hopefully inspire other companies shift in the same direction. When you have a problem that needs to be solved, you Google it. The internet has become an integral part of how we survive the obstacles of everyday life. Google knows this to be true more than anyone, and they hone in on this insight in their latest Google Chrome campaign. Google Chrome differentiates itself from other browsers by illustrating how it will help you live your life, rather than just browse it. This claim is relevant to the web browser, considering the fact that it is powered by the world's most powerful search engine, Google. This commercial celebrates the 10 year anniversary of the browser, and the objective is to show how integrated Google (and ultimately Google Chrome) have become in the consumer's daily journey. The web browser connects seamlessly with other Google Chrome extensions and provides an experience for the user that is personalized and convenient to what they need. The commercial focuses on these key differentiating points as a way to target non-Chrome users. The piece is
Let's face it, cable television is dying. With streaming services that provide consumers with a seemingly infinite amount of content anytime they want, there is not as much of a demand for scheduled programming and cable networks. Hulu knows this more than anyone.
In their new, slightly risky campaign, Hulu explains that their streaming service will ruin television for you forever. Although they are not wrong, they aired this commercial for the first time at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards--an award ceremony with the archaic term suggesting there was once an optimal time to watch shows (anytime is the best time, we know that now). The commercial features a diverse range of celebrities telling the viewer to never indulge in certain luxuries, such as flying first class, because they will never be able to live without it. The celebrities ultimately all claim to, "Most importantly, never get Hulu... It'll ruin TV for you forever." Traditionally, one might think that running an "anti-TV" commercial at a television award event, and telling the consumer to never buy your product would be an unsuccessful ad campaign. By now you should know that Hulu isn't the traditional method, but they are extremely successful. The campaign's objective is to illustrate the luxury of Hulu's streaming service by comparing it to other indulgent activities and products and emphasize its unique features. The target audience is all television lovers--especially those that enjoy convenience and customization in their TV watching experience. Considering the content of the Emmy's, this event was the perfect medium to release the ad and target those consumers. Overall, this campaign was witty, featured numerous high-profile celebrities, and concisely expresses its point: Hulu is quite the luxury, and it will definitely ruin TV for you. |
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December 2018
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