It's NOT Complicated. *Tiffany's been waiting to cover this campaign!*

McDonald’s losing Millennial audiences; suffering in sales of product to 20-somethings; major menu redo to gain market share. While a thoroughly interesting issue and story, one of which I’ve regarded curiously lately (see my retweet at R_TiffanyAnne) I knew in this issue of Ad Age I had to turn directly to the article on AT&T’s “Not Complicated” campaign, aka my favorite TV spots, perhaps, ever! Forget the major headline stuff this week, I want to know who made those spots, what was the inspiration and are those adorably rambling first-graders scripted or natural?

IT CAME FROM ATLANTA

To quote one of my fav pigtailed stars from these spots, “I want more, I want more, I like it I want more.” In November we had the first chance to catch one of the “Not Complicated” spots where a group of four children and one straight-edged man help us understand the one-ups AT&T has over competitor’s wireless networks. As Ad Age put it, “the secret sauce was in the first-graders imaginations.” BBDO, Atlanta brainstormed a simple concept, with remarkable flexibility that enables producers to hone in on one clear message at a time, illustrated with a hilarious, surprisingly human effect.

GUIDED IMPROV       

While the NBA version is “ok” (however, my husband was most impressed by the star collection of athletes), “dizzy boy” wiggling his head while waving his hand – aka “multitasking message” – in front of an overly impressed moderator makes me laugh out loud every time I watch. So, was this tiny tike told to yabber-on about how much he could shake and wiggle, or was this a natural occurrence? “Guided improve” as I’ve come to understand. Scripts were prepared in case nothing was useable, but otherwise moderator Beck Bennett who is also part of comedy group Good Neighbor, guided foursomes of six-year-olds through whatever their imagination brought them while talking through topics like the importance of fast versus slow.

HARD TO MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY

Each round of spots required shooting four or five different groups of kids a day, with two hours devoted to each group. Overly talkative kids were paired with attentive but not as “big energy” children as Ad Age specified, (we all understand how kids can go off subject). During editing if the spot felt too scripted or unnatural, it was ditched. The result is a series of comedy spots that have become a pop-culture phenomenon, drawing praise not just from the industry but from your buddy at the water cooler too.  

Data's cool, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

Digital marketing mediums have been terrific in helping us gather all that terrific ROI info and stats. And I'm the first one to want to do everything in my power to get our client's tangible results or sales from the marketing communications we produce. After all, it's their very real, very hard-earned money that's being spent.

But there have been more than a few times these last few years when I dared to ask myself if we should be letting that data drive the process as though it's the end-all/be-all.

Does it sometimes feel like stats can be trusted as much as the rental car's GPS who left my husband and me at the end of a dark cul-de-sac in Connecticut a few years ago? I can still hear "her" voice saying that final sign-off after the myriad turning directions that just seemed wrong to my gut (the navigator) - "Please call an operator at 800... for help".

As creative thinkers, our job is to do our best to interpret the numbers with a balance of left and right brain. And you know what? Sometimes the right brain just has to win to really land on a key message or image that truly will resonate with targeted customers for the long haul. It may not make the numbers change overnight or cause a flood of "likes" immediately. But after a while, it makes an impression on the mind of the folks our clients are hoping to influence. It really does help them remember our client's service or product when that customer is actually ready to buy what they offer.

And that's a key in business-to-business marketing - which is a lot of what we do. It's serendipity if the targeted buyer is ready to do a complete overhaul of their plant's conveyor system or move their corporate headquarters on the days they see the campaigns or websites. But more than likely, if it's on their mind when they do see our work, the message will resonate.  And our clients will be remembered when it's time to say "go".

Adam Kleinberg who runs an interactive ad agency (translation - has access to lots of data) recently dared to share this type of message in Advertising Age. Check it out. http://adage.com/article/guest-columnists/data-driven-creative-equals-mediocre-creative/239960/

Can I get an "amen"?
Or do you think I'm off-target?

But be prepared - if you think I'm off, then I expect to see the data to prove it!

Thank you for the Internship Experience

To Everyone at Howell Creative Group,

This October, I proudly became part of Howell Creative Group as a part-time intern. The reason that I chose Howell was that I was taking Advertising & Marketing Communications class for my Marketing major, and that I was hoping to get more hands-on experience in marketing/advertising. Now that I am approaching the end of my internship, I would say that this experience with Howell is incredibly valuable to me.

First of all, I love the workplace. Howell is not a huge agency, but it feels like a family. At the beginning of my internship, my director Tiffany explained to me in details about the work style here, and introduced me to the current and past projects. With her instruction, I quickly got an overall idea of whom we work with, what kind of job we do, and how we treat our work and our clients in a caring and professional manner. Also, Howell has a cute way of giving back to the community, which is to send toys on the clients’ behalf to charity organizations. When I saw the collection of toys on the top shelf that were sent out in the past decade, I knew that I came to the right place.

The people you work with are always a crucial aspect of a job. During the past two months, I had the opportunity to interact with everyone at work; Tiffany even designed a Scavenger Hunt in order to prepare me to get familiar with the agency and the people. As a green hand in the agency, I had questions about almost everything, yet people are very nice and patient to clarify and provide extra help, especially Kelsey :)

The most important thing is that I gained great experience in my areas of interest by working on real tasks for the clients. For the first time, I learned about how to design and place an ad on social media platforms, and had a chance to do it on my own. I went on a short business trip with Kathy and sat in face-to-face and virtual client meetings. I provided copywriting for marketing materials, participated in preparing for client pitches, and executed initiatives for the benefit of the client’s business. With Tiffany’s advice and the exposure to professional work samples, I also got inspiration to create high quality work for my advertising projects. However, I could not have made so much progress if not for the generous help and trust that I receive at Howell.

The two months with you has flown by fast. In the end, I would like to thank everyone for your assistance and friendliness. It has been a wonderful time with you, and added so much to my professional experience and capability. I wish you all a happy holiday, and hope to see you again soon!

Sincerely,

Pocket

Chrysler Group – The Magical Turnaround

Chrysler's our industry's witness to the power of great branding. Or in this case, re-branding. 

Recently, Ad Age named Chrysler Group “Marketer of the Year.” Olivier Francois re-branded the bankrupt Chrysler with two major advertising campaigns that have helped to turn around American opinion and increase sales by a whopping 37%. I'm sure you'll agree - that result is almost unbelievable. 

According to Automotive News figures, Chrysler’s market share went up from 8.9% to 11.5%; unit-sales growth jumped to 37% from -4% in 2009. Additionally, the brand loyalty rate doubled (which measures the second purchase of a Chrysler) moving from 15% in Q3 2009 to 30% in Q2 2012 (as reported by automotive researcher Polk).    

The incredible success began with Super Bowl commercials in 2011 (“Born on Fire” featuring Eminem) and 2012 (“Halftime in America”). Both ads conveyed a powerful theme of American pride and the rebirth of a new Chrysler. They were built on stories, rather than the product itself. “Born on Fire” uses a tough male narrator to tell the story of the Metro City where Chrysler is born and made. Copy like “it’s the hottest fire that makes the hardest steel” really resonates. While many of the images in the commercial are almost cold and heavy, later we see flashes of Detroit’s fields of excellence. It's a condensed history of Detroit showing undeniable strength rising through the pain. 

The story clearly spoke to American audiences and as a result, the dealership’s situation dramatically changed from struggling to “keep their head above water” to tripling sales of several models. According to Mr. Francois, Chrysler already “started a conversation. And conversation is paramount”. 

This is one Super Bowl spot I'm looking forward to seeing.

When a Commercial Goes Viral

 

The brand new Chanel No.5 commercial starring Brad Pitt recently went viral online, receiving over 5.6 million views on a single YouTube video. This is the first time that Chanel hired a spokesman for its signature fragrance. In the past, their spokeswomen have included famous, beautiful women such as Nicole Kidman, Estella Warren, Carole Bouquet, and Audrey Tautou, who all represented the feminine and sophisticated charm of the perfume. However, Brad Pitt, named twice “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine, has brought more discussion, controversy and awareness to the timeless fragrance more than anyone above.

In the video that has been madly talked about, Mr. Pitt presents himself with a deep, masculine feeling and makes a mini-pitch about his perspective on life, journey and fate. The new commercial does not look remotely similar to previous ones, which had fancy, extravagant settings and a romantic storyline. The ending line also transforms from “her kiss, her smile, her perfume”, to “my look, my fate, my fortune”, in order to keep the marketing language aligned. Unfortunately, the many viewers did not buy the idea of him telling his life story (in a minimalist version), and they complained about his distracted, awkward look. Now it is confirmed that even negative comments can successfully draw so much attention.

Naturally, viewers do not simply stop here. A great thing about the Internet era is that people are free to express their sarcasm or praise through user-generated content. YouTubers around the world have enjoyed making parodies of this commercial. Here are a few notable and amusing examples, some of which might serve as inspiration.

Presential Campaign Marketing Via Narrowcasting

Since political parties are purchasing most of the television inventories as we approach the 2012 election, online-video inventory has become an alternative place for candidates’ 30-second ads. Mixpo, an online-video-advertising technology company, has determined that the spending in 2012 could be seven times what it was in the 2008 presidential election. As a result, there may not be enough online ad inventories in November to satisfy demand in some states.

Starting from the introduction of web-based advertisements in the 2004 election, political parties have issued tailored ads to target specific audiences, a process known as narrowcasting. Although the predicted $35 million spent on streaming online video in the election cycle is still a fraction of the $5.6 billion on television broadcasts, the online-video consumption is growing rapidly and making an impact on people’s decisions.

Other than online videos, politicians are leveraging the power of social media like never before to connect and build intimacy with the public. For both presidential candidates, social networking platforms have become a crucial battlefield that they cannot afford to lose. With the in-depth data analysis of the online audience, the candidates are able to adjust their messages to cater for many different tastes.

This shift from broadcasting to narrowcasting illustrates how presidential campaigns are beginning to target based on demographics or behavioral characteristics. Media outlets have been allowed to deliver messages that are designed for specific target audience. What happens if we are only exposed to information that has been preselected for us? When news and commercials are busy producing their own facts and reality to appeal to the believers, can we still see the truth? Decision-making never seems easy, but making your own decision has become more difficult than ever.

Skip the Commercials? Who’s Footing the Bill?

As networks are trying to fit more commercials into their airtimes, it appears that some satellite broadcasters are coming up with new ways for viewers to skip them altogether. A new feature called AutoHop, included in Dish digital recorders, allows viewers to skip commercials on recorded shows from the big four broadcast networks – ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. This innovation turns the screen dark when the commercials arrive, and returns to the show a few seconds later.

As a result, several broadcasting networks have planned to take Dish network to court, saying that the ad-skipping feature violates copyright laws and threatens the financial system of the television industry. Companies could decide to stop airing their commercials on networks, because they’re afraid that viewers will just skip their ads using AutoHop. Since commercial broadcasters make their revenue by airing television advertisements, networks stand to lose substantial profits without companies to fund their shows.

Original television began with commercial sponsorship and later transformed to paid commercial time. In fact, the earliest soap operas, as name suggests, started out by having laundry detergent companies act as sponsors and producers of the shows, which were designed to reach daytime viewers and the homemaker target market. Now that technology is making it easier for viewers to skip ads, how much can networks rely on advertising as a source of income in the future? Networks already incorporate spin-off games and toys, product placements and Internet advertising as sources of income.

TV commercials won’t disappear anytime soon, but AutoHop is a clear example of the industry’s changes and challenges. Even I don’t love seeing lots of commercials or hearing blatant plugs for soft drinks and Ford F-150’s. But the truth is that someone has to pay for our entertainment. In the end, that’s you and me. How we’ll pay for it is the unanswered question.