environmental Pro-Active Advertising

The Huffington Post just posted an article about how Coca-Cola put up a 60 ft squared billboard in Manila, Philippines. This would not typically equate to a whole lot, but I find it to be extremely interesting.

I affectionately call this a form of environmental Pro-Active Advertising. The billboard is covered with thousands of Fukien tea plants. These plants are only seedlings now, but will eventually consume the board and process 46,800 pounds of carbon dioxide.

This draws my attention because it is an excellent example of the multitude of ways there are to advertise something. Coca-Cola is the most recent example of doing it conscientiously in a medium that actually helps the environment even if it is in a small way.

So reasonably, similarly to how we all can lower costs and increase our quality of life by turning of lights, saving water, and carpooling, so too can companies set an example by doing quality advertisements like this. It should be almost second nature to advertising at all.

Imagine a future world wherein people are part of short term advertising (previous blog post) and the environment is sculpted with advertisements. Imagine forests, rivers, prairies, mountain ranges, islands, coral reefs, wild-life preserves, parks, endangered species, and more all rebuilt or sculpted or managed in the likeness of any company.

What if Google planted a forest in the shape of their Chrome logo?

What if BP developed its own barrier reef in their logo?

What if the Nike Swoosh was a golf course?

What if Nintendo (Wii) sponsored a bike path in the shape of Mario to promote fitness?

What if Prudential insurance was an actual mountain wildlife preserve/resort?

It is one thing to simply clean up the problems we have created and throw money at environmental groups who hope to revitalize once prospering regions of the globe. But if a company were to reshape the earth so that they are a natural part of the earth as growing organism, visible for everyone as a clear indication of where they stand, then I think that speaks louder than any television ad or printed material out there.

I believe the majestic and awe-inspiring feeling when you see something incredible - Yellowstone, Grand Canyons, Waterfalls, etc - can be renamed and marketed as any other company as a form of advertising. A name is just a name to me. I wouldn't mind if Microsoft bought purchased Lake Michigan, cleaned it, and then put the Windows Logo at every picnic area because their work and dedication to making it better for everyone would be worth the annoying little advertisements boasting that they own the lake (or worked for it). Grand Canyon can be Apple's Pit for all I care, it is just as beautiful even if the name doesn't make sense.

Think about it.

I also feel that it would be these incredible works of an organization to do things like this that would prompt the new focus to developing space colonies. Sort of like Wall-E, where Buy-N-Large becomes a world company that sends everyone to space while the Earth is being cleaned - except instead, we use it as a vehicle to put people on the Moon: Permanently. Or Mars (I want to go to Mars).

Just some thoughts. It all came from a simple billboard for a product I don't really buy.

Hardees Robit

I really like Hardees, but find their restaurants not well located. It is difficult to find one when you are in the mood for some Hardees.

In this commercial, a Robit tries to eat a chicken sandwich only to be smacked with reality - Robits don't eat. I have trouble deciding who the target audience is for this commercial. Unless they are trying to hit the single guy/girl alone in the apartment thinking about eating... :/ I do not know. Either way, it is well made with solid cinematography and angle shots. The tone is depressing and you really sort of feel for this Robit.

VIDEO

"If a Machine Can't Make It, Then They Aren't Allowed to Enjoy It."

Keith Stone

Another commercial has been catching my attention lately.

The oh, so "smooth" antics of Keith Stone, spokesperson for the lousiest beer on earth - Keystone. (I will not debate there are not worse, but still not a pleasant beer...)

Basically, this mascot personifies the people who drink it with the best case scenarios for hillbillies. Check out this video saving a "cat" from a tree. Or this one where he skates around with a chick in a cast. Here he cheers up a bride to be.

In every case, it is a "wouldn't it be awesome if ___" (Insert Fantasy here). Keith Stone is the exact kind of person I would typify with drinking Keystone - or broke college students :p. However, they turn the negativity of being broke, uncultured, ignorant, or a college student, into something entertaining, cool, ladies-man, and *sigh* smooth individual worth currying the tastes of all those he happens to brush shoulders with: especially ladies.

Bravo Keystone: You have successfully managed to give yourself a better image than the lousy quality of beer you produce. Seriously, props.

Web Browser Popularity

So the left is exactly what it says it is: a graphic of browser popularity through the past couple decades.

I am sure everyone remembers the days of Netscape (what a lousy pile of junk that was...) and Internet explorer (also garbage).

I am a huge fan of Chrome. It should be noted that compared to the other web browsers out there, Chrome has the fastest growth rate of popularity of all the other browsers (of course, save Internet explorer, when there was only one other option to choose from. Because Netscape was so weak, it wasn't hard to gain that market share).

There are some instances when compatibility does not work, namely because things like D2L just refuse to upgrade, but otherwise, Chrome is par none, the most effective browser I have used. In close second is Firefox. If you use anything other than these browsers, then you are getting shorted because it only takes a few uses for you to realize what you are missing out on. Its custom abilities are unlike any other. It doesn't load all the toolbar crap but has that option if you want it. It self updates instantly.

Oh, and safari is terrible.

The strength of a browser can be defined by how easily it can get hacked. Compared to all the others on this graphic, Chrome was at the top.

I know Google has released their own operating system before, but I think it fell through. I await the day when they take another stab, but cause they are basically creating their own fully functional web computer with all the positives of Microsoft products, minus the hassles of paying out the nose for updates and downloading patches.

Why do you think Google is so popular? cause they are realistic about their business strategy and don't try and hoodwink people. Though, there are several studies done about browsing history and search results, but I still like them and that isn't a topic for now anyways.

:P

Diary Queen

Dairy Queen.

Suddenly, I have become enthralled with the New Dairy Queen Marketing Strategy.

I used to find the old commercials incredibly boring and almost annoying. They would have those lips talk about their specials and boast their ice cream products... Not that their ice cream is bad, but I don't typically think of going to DQ when I want some...

I am not sure how long they have been doing this, but now they are taking it to a whole new level. Their new campaigns with the mustached man describing how they don't stop at "good enough" is brilliant. It is ludicrous and absurd (their claims) but that is what makes them funny and memorable. I appreciate that sort of nonsensical style.

Some of them include - We blow bubbles with kittens in them. We water water ski while boxing. We have rabbits that give old fashioned shaves. We play guitars that make dolphin noises. We have rock n roll falcons. We have ninja towel boys.

I had some pretty bad feelings about Dairy Queen before these commercials. Back home, I know the family who owns a DQ. They aren't exactly the nicest people and the quality of employees they hire isn't something I am a fan of. You could say I haven't had the best experiences there. With these new commercials, I am reminded that DQ is a brand outside of Kohler with a marketing team and corporate strategy.

These commercials are just well done. A little quirky, rediculous, and comical, but on message.

(I like being able to refer to my blog to find links I have found - or put collections of related links for saving. It is just convenient when I tell my friends to watch something, and they become easier to find on my blog. :)

Every 60 Seconds

A Star Wars Post

There are a growing number of Star Wars advertisement posters. The franchise has been booming since the movies came out, and have subsequently become the most recognizable science fiction franchise on Earth.

The movies are classics (I could argue all day about how episodes 1-3 are garbage... but that is not the point) and as a result, have generated an incredible amount of products, parks, events, viral videos (One, Two, Three, Four, Five...), memes, and conventions.

It has led to multiple spin-offs and continuations and video games and useless novels and everything else.

What I enjoy the most are these mock advertisements in Star Wars theme.
Granted, some are scandal, and some are just dubiously creative, but they are rather well done (regardless of taste).

The sources I got these from have several more. They are listed below:
Choosing Sides: Star Wars Branding Star Wars Propaganda Posters Star Wars PSAS
Star Wars Pin-Ups (Yeah, I'm Confused Too) Star Wars Arts


This whole genre brings an interesting idea of using these cultural wonders thought of as classics to advertise most anything... to draw on demographics that they market to already.

Non-Traditional Advertising

The following are a handful of creative ads that I found right away. Clicking the Image takes you to the subsequent blog or other source of the said advertisement.






I love this variety of advertisement. Quite simply, for a society where TV, internet, and print ads dominate the marketplace, anything else extra ordinary seems to be that much more powerful.

I would like to point out that it is a step further to experience these ads in person versus reading about them or seeing pictures of them. Being in the ad is what makes it so powerful.

Surprisingly, as soon as I read this assignment for our blog posts, this article for the smallest advertisement in the world came up on my feed. It is printed on a human hair.

The article goes on to say that it is still up for consideration by the Guiness Book of World Records.

The full article with a demonstration video can be found at Dvice.
It isn't hard to find creative ads on the internet. Not even remotely.

A quick google search or query on your news sites will pull up varieties of advertisements that will peak your interest and probably keep you occupied for hours. As soon as you get into circular loops reading websites of lists like Oddee.com (at least for me anyway) I can plan on not doing anything for the rest of the afternoon.

Some of the biggest advertising news to me lately is that a indestructible cellphone survived the most industrial commercial blender. Blendtech was a pioneer in the Youtube.com advertising scene, and have blended practically anything that would never have a practical use being blended. Rakes, neodymium magnets, cubic zirconium, iPods; nothing has escaped the wrath of this blender. Then behold one particular cellphone survives the test.

Another would be this edible advertisement by Volkswagon. It is a printed page for a magazine that can be eaten because it is composed of rice flour.

The slogan : "Eat the Road."

~~~***##***~~~

The non-traditional advertisement I would like to talk the most about is this one from Superette - a clothing chain in New Zealand.


I think this advertisement is ingenious. Superette itself is more or less a boutique, that positions itself in a fashion dominated market. They sell designer clothes to both men and women - though from browsing their website, I would say they have more products for women than for men.

The best thing about this ad is that it isn't the ad itself, but how it is delivered. There is no real ad to speak of until someone sits on this particular park bench - where a metal plate etched with the advertisement presses against someone's leg. As a result, if it is bare skin, an image appears. Though whomever sat on the bench wouldn't be able to read the ad off of themselves, other people would definitely notice.

It is tough to pick a target audience with this advertisement for a couple reasons. Firstly, the ad itself reads "Short Shorts On Sale : Superette." Now, men would most likely read this ad because any girl who has this ad on them would have to be wearing short shorts to begin with and Men like that. However, it is directed to women who would be interested in buying the shorts. I am not sure how women check/size each other up when it comes to things like physique or fashion, but it is possible they would notice the ad as well. I doubt men are walking around in pants short enough to be printed on. It is just a hunch.

I believe that simply having something this creative - using the public as a vehicle for the advertisement - would simply entice people to go to Superette. I believe that it is not the ad itself that is doing the work, but the process, that would create awareness of the brand for men and women alike - though the physical context would suggest otherwise.

Apart from how upset it would make most people to realize they are the new billboard for a brand, it is extending a new boundary for what traditional advertising will be in the future. There are limits to what I want when being advertised to. For example, whenever something gets in my way of doing what I am trying to accomplish - pop ups, banner ads, mobile messaged ads, GPS ads, print ads in magazines - whether it be reading or browsing or transporting myself, really grinds my gears.

This new form of advertising is harmless and only temporary. It doesn't stop me from sitting on the bench or take time from my day to turn off. It just is part of the bench and is subtle enough to where I do not mind. Not that I want people to be walking billboards all the time - where you can tell where someone was because of the ad put on their thigh, or the space they sold on their forehead - but something can be said for trying it out.

Commercials

Perusing the Inter-Wobz, I found this today. I caught it only two hours after it was posted.

It is a rarity when advertisers hit the nail on the head with something over the top. Typically, especially with beer commercials, I feel that the audience is more directed towards 30 Years or older. I know this is typically the age that beer producers advertise to, but simply putting half naked women or stupid man jokes doesn't really attract college kids either. It is like a half way point between two demographics that they are afraid to infringe on because of the drinking age in the USA.

Other classic advertisements like the Budweiser Frogs / Clydesdales or Red Stripe / XX; Bundaberg Rum / Captain Morgan and countless countless others... Though all very creative, have difficulty bridging the gap between generations without it being too obvious that they are advertising to a younger crowd.

I appreciate it when advertisers make a concerted effort to do something creative, off color, and captivating. The problem is once one of them does it, they all jump on board to try and make up ground. Like, among my favorite commercials of all time are the Old Spice Commercials (Et all) and this one for Axe. I know the worlds to each of these.

It is when companies are able to make a definite image that it really sticks with me. I know, it is not easy to do at all either. It takes creative thinking, an able team, a capable director, and money.

The commercial above that was posted today for Hahn beer takes the cake with this one. It has a little bit of everything people want - and is relatively modern for it style of filming. It has themes of music, winning (Mr. Sheen), Rhinestones, smooth 70's, strength, and robots. It is a nostalgia hot box of past and present in a simple blue and white sleeve. If I lived in Australia, I would likely buy it.

I suppose I will have to ask my bud across the pond how it tastes...

Not to mention, as a tie in with my last post - Bender, the lovable robot, also brews his own beer. I wouldn't mind giving that a try as well...