by Miriam Hara | Feb 6, 2012 | Advertising, Branding
Last week there was much talk about the Super Bowl and specifically, of the Super Bowl TV commercials, which is the reason for this post. Over the years, the Super Bowl TV advertisements have been conceptualized beautifully and superbly executed. They have made us laugh, made us talk about them around the “water cooler” and now they have made us “share” them.
The best advertising campaigns are those that show the brand’s features by illustrating the benefits into a memorable 30 second TV commercial, print advertisement, radio advertising, or an online/social media initiative. In short, the ads must be developed to have a one track mind: Brand Recall. Has the creative raised the Brand to be the ultimate star or did the storyline and the execution or special effects become the star? If there are too many creative elements; creative, copy, special effects, design, or information which intrude on the “space”, then you may not necessarily lose your target audience… but you will lose the opportunity of making sure your ad builds brand awareness and recall. This is true of a 30 second TV commercial, billboard campaign, print campaign or online initiative.
Developing campaigns is part of the marketing process, so it’s important that advertising strategies are in line with the marketing plan. It is an extension of the Brand. It must communicate the marketing message though Brand’s persona and its reason to believe. It must without any exception make the brand memorable… not the ad. The objective of any creative commercial advertisement is to Brand Recall. A couple that come to mind are:
Almond Joy and Mounds Ads created an advertising jingle that became their slogan.
“Feel Like a Nut” 1980
Apple
Apple 1984
Bud Light Magic Fridge
“The Magic Fridge” Super Bowl XL Commercial
Chrysler Halftime in America
Chrysler “Halftime In America” Super Bowl XL Commercial
In all of these the creative integration of the features, the promise and the benefits and concept all in one. The Brand is totally integrated.
Next time you are involved in assessing a brand campaign for any media… ask yourself if the proposed concept asks of its audience to do too much to get to the creative message and to your Brand. Here’s a quick checklist:
- Is your Brand Logo and Brand Name prominently featured?
You really don’t want your target audience to say….what was that ad for?
- Does it speak to your Brand’s persona?
Is it too funny? Is it too casual? Is the ad fresh, innovative within the context of your brand?Does it use the right colours?
- Does the creative premise take the product’s features as the main theme?
What is your brand’s competitive edge…its unique selling point and does the advertisement speak to it.
- Does the ad have a single focused message?
You really can’t say it all. Make sure there aren’t too many messages vying for attention. Equally important, is the ad taking off on a creative track that has nothing to do with the intended message. Does the ad show the benefit/experience/promise. Don’t forget, what’s in it for the our intended audience and their psychographics.
- Is the message on brief?
Don’t get caught up in the beauty of the copy or the cleverness of the ad. If it’s not on brief. Then it’s off.
Share with me what you feel is the best advertising campaign (TV, Radio, Social Media, Billboard or Print) you’ve seen that show fabulous creative concept with strong brand recall.
by Christine Marr | Jan 23, 2012 | Business Success, Interactive, Social Media
It’s so easy to get caught up in the number of “likes”a Facebook page has or doesn’t have… Businesses should ask themselves is the number of “likes” they have really all there is? Is it even possible to over value the worth of a “like”? We all know that utilizing Social Media for business and brands is more than just Twitter and Facebook. It’s about having a good social media strategy, listening to the online conversation, engaging in and setting objectives with measurable results… and having a next step.
Last week the marketing world learned of a Facebook marketing strategy that had gone seriously wrong. For simply “liking” their Facebook page, the company had promised a free gift that was worth about $17.95. For some reason the company forgot the basic marketing premise of never disappointing their customer base. Just a simple disclaimer: “while supplies last” or “for the first 100 people” is what it would have taken to make this promotion a success. Three days later this company realized their blunder, achieving their forecast number of “likes”. They compounded their lack of accurate forecast by waiting about 3 weeks before they initiated dialogue to customers that had liked the page but wouldn’t get the freebie; far too long a response time. The damage was done… twice they had not delivered on their marketing promise to their potential customer.
It’s a known tactic that offering consumers free stuff engages response and trial… and in today’s world, the word gets out fast on contest-aggregating websites! A lack of understanding of the media and how the audience engages is sure way of failing. Success of any marketing initiative, social media, print, TV or radio…still remains in the planning, execution and details.
A marketing plan is fundamental and the social media plan needs to be folded into that. Freebies, giveaways, free stuff…. it’s great to see how many people are listening to you, and dive in! Yes! But at what cost? What price? Premiums, giveaways….they’re investments in building a relationship to further promote customer engagement and customer’s experience towards your brand.
What is your USP? Who is your target market? What is your budget? Setting objectives is mandatory for long term vision. Set sharp, clearly defined goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound (trackable)… just as you would in traditional marketing.
by Miriam Hara | Sep 9, 2011 | Business Success
I have reflected on the recent resignation of Steve Jobs and his legacy of what he taught the world. He has lead others by doing; not only in marketing, advertising, product development or the user experience, but in how a company can achieve greatness through people.
There is no need to reiterate the collection of apple products that are leading in each of their respective categories and I believe that has everything to do with the people responsible for the development of those products under driven and focused leadership. Steve Jobs understood that the character of each individual employee resonates on every project or task that they are involved with. Each person is essential to the advancement of the company so getting the right fit to hire is vital to a strong organization.
Company awareness is something that Steve Jobs has been noted for throughout his time at Apple. He believed that every person should understand the overall process of the business and that each employee, regardless of title or department, should educate others on how their part is a piece of the greater picture.
Involvement = Investment = Ownership
These are but a few of the lessons that can be gleaned from an inspiring individual who has earned his place in business history as one of the most influential leaders of our time.What have you learned from Steve Jobs over the years, or, what has impressed or annoyed you about his time at Apple?
by Miriam Hara | Aug 19, 2011 | Advertising, Business Success
When preparing for an advertising pitch, you have to be a perfectionist – if you are not a perfectionist, become one.
Even the smallest mistake can have major consequences. Think of going into a meeting, and finding that the headline to your conceptual ad has a typo. What is the company your presenting to supposed to think about your preparation – about your carelessness to detail that in could some way negatively impact the way their brand comes across. They are wary; you’ve lost the account. (more…)
by Miriam Hara | Jul 14, 2011 | Branding, Business Success
So here it is after much creative soul searching and research, meet the new 3H, purple and titanium… the new platinum reflective of our heritage, expertise in classic and new media. You’ve heard it from me before. Brand is a Living Organism. Our 3H brand is no exception. In 1988 when we launched our 3H logo in purple and mustard… In the midst of burgundy and blue…purple, bold and original, stood apart. Adding a dash of mustard to our purple provided us with flair and easy recall. But colour isn’t a logo (I’ve said that before, too!). Our marketing approach to mandates and to our clients was unique, and that has made 3H a brand.
When one of the team suggested (thanks Gloria!), it was time to make a change, to instill new energy from within to change the perspective from the outside looking in… we asked the question why? The answer was resoundingly clear. It was time to evolve our brand so that the total scope of services we provide clients was at the forefront. I invite you meet us at 3h.ca and if you have the time, would love to here your comments on our Hoopla blog.
