Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: axe, fever, fixers, recovery, shock, snakepeel, unilever
Axe helps young men get women. This has been the underlying theme of the brand since 2003, when it repositioned itself to target young college students. Since its launch in the United States in 2002, Axe has hammered home the idea that using its product will make you smell great, and will give you confidence. Its new campaign, strategically named “The Fixers”, is a testament to the sexual charge that has been part of the Axe brand since its introduction in the United States.
The Fixer is a well-dressed, snazzy young man who hosts a show which explores the many facades of a young man’s life. This includes questionable hookups, waking up, talking to good looking women and the be-all-end-all waking up and not remembering – hand in hand with a line of products that seemingly addresses these issues. These products are Snakepeel, Shock, Fever and Recovery, all packaged with their own episodes corresponding to their situations. The Fixer leads the user through the four different experiences, assisted by gorgeous girls in bathing suits.
Right down the alley in terms of Axe’s message, this campaign is a great confluence of media. The ads have been appearing on TV, in print and maintaining a presence online. The TV spot (which can be seen on the site), features a quick run-through a young man’s weekend and how he coped with it (with Axe of course).
With a target market of 18-24, the website contains plenty of content that caters to the college-aged young man. Axe takes the interactivity to another level, introducing pranks for each of the products, including setting up a fake dating site, sending a disgusting video or superimposing a person’s photo into an awkward situation.
Sex-fueled and witty, the Axe Fixers campaign does an excellent job of reminding its customers why it is the best shower gel on the market.
Check it out – Fixers.com
Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: advertising, airlines, ceo, economy, jetblue, marketing, recession, viral
The fallout from the economic downturn/recession has affected everyone. People are turning to cheaper products, buying less and saving more. Those at the top of the biggest companies are also feeling the pain – smaller bonuses, more work and less pay (relative to the fat checks of the not-so-distant past).
In an effort to add a little humor to the situation, and to possibly scoop up some new customers, JetBlue has launched a new campaign on the aptly named WelcomeBigWigs.com. Comprising of a collection of three videos that poke fun at those bigshot CEOs, the campaign humorously explains the steps of flying with the “regular people”.
In a time where people are trying to clamp down on spending, JetBlue’s tongue in cheek approach to the campaign brings attention back to the fact that it is one of the nation’s best low-cost airlines. The idea and execution of the campaign are both brilliant. JetBlue’s quirky brand is what provides its creatives with such firepower – I can’t imagine American or United attempting to go down the same track (oh yeah, they don’t have free snacks and DirectTV either).
Finally, with this handy video guide the CEOs will know what to do when taking that cross country flight with the “regulars”.
Check out Welcome Big Wigs, and let me know what you think!
Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: advertising, bad, comcast, good, joe's crab shack, marketing, microsoft, ugly
The Good – Microsoft “Kylie”
One of the most recalled commercials so far in 2009 (Crispin had 2 or 3 of them in the top 10) this endearing spot is heartwarming and informative. Crispin is rebranding Microsoft not as the direct competitor to Apple, who have cornered the teen/college market, but as the easy to use family personal computer. Taking a step away from those terrible spots with Gates and Seinfeld, they’ve put together something that is both cute and brilliant at the same time. Bonus points to Crispin – not that they need any more.
The Bad – Comcast “Slowskys”
Definitely not as creative as the last batch of commercials coming from the cable provider, this spot is extremely literal. How do we represent slow? Choose the turtle. What do we have him do? Something fast. Oh yes, and he’s dreaming while waiting for something to load. Simple formula, which is why the spot gets is bad. Too simple. It gets old extremely quickly, and the extremely literal references don’t do the service any justice. Instead of making these cheesy spots I suggest two things. 1. Be a little more creative. 2. Actually work on your customer service.
The Ugly – Joe’s Crab Shack “Take your top off”
Oh yes, the crème de la crème of cheese. Seeing this spot a few weeks ago was quite disturbing. Not in a disgusting sense, but disturbing in the fact that Joe’s Crab Shack, a family chain, is alluding to “taking the top off”. Not only is the middle school humor inappropriate for the target audience (some parents may be turned off by this), but for the audience it is targeting (upper teens – lower 20’s) it is just lame, cheesy and actually not funny at all. Another example of a creative team that tried too hard to be “cool” and missed the goal altogether.
What do you think?
Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: audio, brandsense, GE, hefty, martin lindstrom, sensory branding, sound, subway, swiffer
In a world where people are constantly bombarded by flashing images of advertisements and logos, thousands a day, it’s easy to forget the importance and effectiveness of some of the other senses. Marketing Guru Martin Lindstrom touched upon sensory branding in his book BrandSense – a great read that discovers the true power behind the other four senses that complement our sight. He discussed the importance of extending brands onto a 5 dimensional matrix encompassing all five senses.
Sound is one of the most important ways of complementing any kind of advertisement, as it is capable of evoking a wide range of emotions. Sounds and music take a special place in people’s minds, and the right choice can create a truly memorable experience that reminds the consumer of the product/service.
This GE spot does a fantastic job in using the sights and sounds of a film classic. Keeping the song sounding like the original does wonders for GE, creating an association with the classic that touched so many hearts.
This Swiffer WetJet ad is a classic, and has been so recalled that the song has been used in spots for the entire Swiffer line, some even including a broom tempting an unsuspecting housewife with a trail of dirt that leads to the hot tub. The music complements the concept very well.
That being said, sound effects and jingles have also been integral in stimulating brand recall. I can guarantee that most people don’t know what a microprocessor looks like, but through the use of sound, Pentium has managed to develop a brand that has dominated the microprocessor market. These four notes have done wonders:
Most recently, Hefty has also managed to create a brand that has also utilized the power of sound to drive its message across. On top of having a series of spots with Jackie Chan using the Hefty bags to lay the smackdown on the bad guys, most recently the company has focused on the USP of the product – its strength. What better way to get this across than to emphasize its Heftiness?
Not the best spot in the world, but the complementing sound and images are sure to provide product recall for the words Hefty and Wimpy.
Finally, there’s the spots that have utilized sound to quite literally take over one’s mind. Think Filet-of-Fish and that incredibly successful set of $5 footlong ads that have been running for over a year. The creative hasn’t really been the best. What do Godzilla. baseball players and weathermen have to do with each other? Apparently they all eat at Subway.
Either way, this commercial has been truly memorable in that there are people literally walking around, singing the song and making those pretty obvious gestures. In the economy that we’re in, what better way to do lunch than with a $5 footlong?
And here’s that ridiculous spot – Jackie Chan throwing down with Hefty bags:
Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: axe, comcast, durex, the bad, the good, the ugly
The Good: Durex – Viral
Funny? Yes. Dirty? Oh Yes. But what do you expect in a commercial for condoms? Brilliant viral video from Durex. Just watch. Over and over again.
And the outtakes:
The Bad: Comcast – Dream Big
Coming from Comcast, this is actually quite a great spot compared to some of the other garbage they’ve been putting out over the years. The visuals are great, and the message comes across pretty clearly through the song. Taking a lesson from Subway and McDonalds, Comcast really went out of their way to make this song annoying too. Annoying, but sticky, the commercial resonates and blows a little fresh air into otherwise consistently stale campaigns. Good spot, terrible music.
The Ugly: Axe – Chocolate Man
Axe is a brand fuelled by sex that can get away with almost anything. With the release of a new bodywash, a new spot hit the airwaves. The Chocolate Man spot promoting the Dark Temptations shower gel keeps the sexual fire burning. For some odd reason though, this spot fails to exploit the brand’s capabilities to the fullest extent. There’s something quite disturbing about that frozen smile, the beady eyes and some of the things the Chocolate Man does. I can’t imagine having someone’s nose crumbled into my ice cream, or rubbing a strawberry on my chocolate belly button. Girls? Check. Sex? Check. Taste? None. Disappointing attempt from a brand that’s cornered the 18-24 male market.
Feel free to leave YOUR thoughts and comments!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Here’s a recent contribution to Respinning The Web:
A few years ago Snickers launched a campaign that has apparently stayed in the minds of the consumers – who’ll forget the extremely large billboards with “Peanutopolis” strewn across in the Snickers font? Mars Inc. is back again with more strange words and deep pockets. In a campaign that has apparently strewn New York City and parts of Chicago (I see the ads in multiple spots on the way home), Snickers is apparently teaching the consumer a new language – Snacklish.
For more, click here.
Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: burger king, heineken, mc donald's, the bad, the good, the ugly
The Good – Heineken’s Last Drop
Following a string of recent successful spots, Heineken does it again. Most of the men in the world have had that “oh sh*t” moment of knocking over a beer at a party – the biggest party foul known to mankind. As the bottle barrels toward the ground, its flashbacks take the viewer through the beer’s life as barley, a bottle and being opened. Brilliant personification of something that many men hold dear to their heart, and something that is worth saving.
The Bad – BK’s Burger Shots
Although not terrible, I don’t think this spot lives up to some of the other extremely creative work that comes out of the offices of CPB. This especially considers all of the opportunities available with idea of mini-burgers/sliders. That being said, by adding beautiful women to the spot it definitely appeals to the male target market that BK has addressed for so long. A decent, but not great reminder of all of the different options available from The King’s lair.
The Ugly – McDonald’s Filet of Fish
Taking a lesson from Subway, McDonald’s gets serious about sensory branding in this recent spot promoting the Filet-o-Fish. Coincidentally beginning with lent (during which many people eat fish on Fridays), the spot features two men working in a garage and a “Billy The Bass” type character singing off the wall. The song is pointless and the tune annoying, but somehow it manages to stick. Maybe annoying customers into buying their Fish burgers might work?
What do you think?
Filed under: advertising, marketing | Tags: advertising, arnell, marketing, pepsi, refresh everything, tropicana
Quite often consumers today feel that companies are pushing their products onto them incessantly. The internet was essentially a refuge from the millions of advertising images seen each day, something that is no longer the case. One thing that the consumer really under-estimates is their true power in the equation of the brand.
Pepsi’s recent rebranding campaign brought mixed reviews from its customers – some agreeing with the changes, while others not agreeing with them at all. Having “refreshed” the packaging for its entire line of sodas, juices and Gatorade, Pepsi had seemingly stepped on hallowed ground with its brand.
Last week, Peter Arnell, CEO of Arnell Group – the company in charge of the rebranding, announced that the Tropicana juice packaging would return to its former design after much scrutiny and complaints from the consumer.
The new design, a glass of juice, focuses on the contents of the box. It is crisp and clean (I actually like it), and the cap is made to look like an orange. Arnell mentioned that the “squeezing” of the cap is to induce images of squeezing the orange. It seems that this overanalyzes people’s fascination with orange juice – there aren’t too many people in the world who are capable of squeezing oranges with just two fingers. This tactile branding attempt might have also been a little better accepted had people actually squeezed fresh orange juice for themselves in the past. Though vehemently defended by Arnell and his group (they were paid big bucks for this), the change was still made.
Customers, yearned for the old design. The image of the orange with the straw, a refreshing package design that may not be as chic and trendy, poses a message that hits home – Tropicana Juice is so natural it is like placing a straw in an orange. And in the consumer’s eyes, this knocked the static image of the glass with juice out of the water. The fresh orange beat the refreshed orange juice.
Plenty of situations like this have happened in the past, and failed rebranding, particulary with old, historical brands, will continue to occur in the future. New Coke of the 90’s, anyone?
