When it comes to engaging consumers online, the bar has never been higher. A recent study revealed that 82% of Americans completely ignore most online advertising. And it makes sense — faced with endless amounts of media online, we’ve all developed an eye-glaze setting reserved for pre-roll, banner and social media ads. Simply put, they don’t work anymore. Luckily, there’s an antidote to this interruptive, beat-you-over-the-head type of advertising — it just requires a very different approach. In order to cut through the noise, brands must create content — stuff that consumers actually care about and want to engage with — instead of inert, product-centric advertisements. It may seem like an easy shift, until you realize that it’s not the way the advertising industry has been oriented for the past 100 years. So where do brands go to release content that is richer, deeper and more tailored to the customer? I’d like to introduce you to a small video site called YouTube. With a billion unique users flocking to the site every month, YouTube has become the place where great content, regardless of its origin, can find a huge audience. It’s also the place where brands can make their mark as creators. When 8 million people tuned in to watch Felix Baumgartner’s insanely epic space jump, they did so because it was can’t-miss entertainment — the fact that it was a Red Bull ad was secondary. The same goes for First Kiss, a spot for clothing line Wren, which has now been viewed over 77 million times. (For a little perspective, the Game of Thrones premiere received 8.2 million viewers on its opening night.) But not all brands are created equal on YouTube. Depressingly enough, the average brand channels are still a cluttered mess of re-purposed TV spots, corporate “infotainment” and half-baked viral video concepts. Shudder. The following five companies are proof that the “content, not ads” mantra works. If a brand invests the time and energy in creating entertainment that’s focused around the customer, it has the opportunity to gain a massive fan base who will happily do the work of bringing its message out into the world. It may feel like a leap today, but it’s a leap every brand will have to make if they want anyone to pay attention. 1. GoPro Any brand who wants a quick primer on how to act like a creator need look no further than GoPro’s pulsing YouTube channel, a true action sports network told through the lens of their device. Granted, it’s easier to market a DIY camera through video content than just about anything else, but GoPro leverages YouTube best practices to cement their place as a product by and for the people. The channel page draws you in with an unmissable welcome video and then leads towards a wide variety of content – from the painfully adorable to the painfully painful, perfectly categorized and organized for your browsing pleasure. 2. Fiat Fiat’s YouTube channel is a lot like […]
Facebook is celebrating hitting the 1 billion monthly user mark with the company’s first ad campaign. The social network hired ad agency Wieden + Kennedy — best known for its Nike work — to create the 90-second film above. The ad compares Facebook to chairs, bridges, basketball and other vehicles that bring people together. “What we’re trying to articulate is that we as humans exist to connect, and we at Facebook to facilitate and enable that process,” Rebecca Van Dyck, Facebook’s head of consumer marketing, told Advertising Age. “We make the tools and services that allow people to feel human, get together, open up. Even if it’s a small gesture, or a grand notion — we wanted to express that huge range of connectivity and how we interact with each other.” In a blog post, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg added, “For the first time in our history, we’ve made a brand video to express what our place is on this earth. We believe that the need to open up and connect is what makes us human. It’s what brings us together. It’s what brings meaning to our lives.” The ad campaign will roll out in 13 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Spain. There is no mention in the film of Facebook having hit the 1 billion mark. What do you think? Does this make you think of Facebook any differently? Let us know in the comments. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/04/facebook-ad-campaign/
You might not recognize the latest ad in Obama’s presidential campaign as politically charged on first listen. The video features Girls star Lena Dunham comparing her first time voting to losing her virginity. Specifically targeting women, Dunham advises how to make your “first time” special. “You want a guy who cares whether you get health insurance, and specifically whether you get birth control,” says Dunham in the ad, which has stirred controversy for its sexy tone. Dunham has been known to raise eyebrows before, like when she ate cake naked at the 2012 Emmys. The Obama campaign ruffled feathers earlier this election season when it released a video that compared Big Bird to Bernie Madoff. What do you think of the ad? Is this offensive or do critics need to lighten up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/26/obama-lenda-dunham-first-time/
Less than a week after Facebook‘s big announcement about hitting 1 billion users, all anyone can remember are the chairs. Facebook celebrated hitting the milestone with its first ad campaign, an inspired effort that compared the social network to chairs. The Internet’s response has been swift. Mashable has tried its hand at lampooning the ad and the Tumblr Are Like Facebook has had some fun comparing Facebook to bananas and boxes, among other things. This latest parody takes things a bit further into NSFW territory as well as bizarro territory. (“The universe is a big place full of things that have names. And people you can connect with. People that have a hook for a hand…”) Is it funny? We’ll let you decide. Sound off in the comments. What Facebook Is Like Bananas Via Are Like Facebook Boxes Via Are Like Facebook Chair Via Are Like Facebook Dumpsters Via Are Like Facebook Empty Chairs Via Are Like Facebook Free Throws Via Are Like Facebook Muffins Via Are Like Facebook Pelicans Via Are Like Facebook Pillows Via Are Like Facebook Politicians Via Are Like Facebook Rappers Via Are Like Facebook Sad Kittens Via Are Like Facebook Sad-Kittens-fb-600 Via Are Like Facebook Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/08/toilet-paper-heroin-facebook/
Image: The Official Nintendo Magazine In what has got to be one of the strangest franchise crossovers we’ve ever seen, a forthcoming DLC (downloadable content) pack for Mario Kart 8 will allow gamers to hop behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz. Image: The Official Nintendo Magazine Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 is released in Japan Friday—as is the new Mercedes-Benz GLA SUV convertible. To celebrate this fortuitous coincidence the two companies have teamed up to produce the in-game “GLA Kart,” which will be available to download in Japan this summer. This isn’t the first time Nintendo has utilised product placement in their games: Eurogamer.net reports that Pikmen 2 contained multiple discoverable licensed items, including Duracell batteries, whilst “Wave Race 64 featured Kawasaki jet skis.” Image: The Official Nintendo Magazine In a statement on whether the DLC would be available elsewhere, Nintendo UK said that “the announcement this time was made by Mercedes-Benz Japan regarding their collaboration in Japan with NCL.” “As for the information relating to the distribution of the GLA kart for MK8 outside Japan, we will be able to announce in the near future.” Sounds promising, then. Another new tie-in between Mercedes-Benz Japan and Nintendo comes in the form of what at first appears to be a playable version of the Mercedes-driving Mario seen in the advert embedded above. But when you click through to play, it’s actually one big advert that you click on to finish the level. Sneaky. Before you start gnashing your teeth about advertising and exorbitantly-priced add-ons: Remember, the DLC is free! Sen. John McCain thinks anti-war activists are ‘low-life scum’ Lisa Ann’s anti-prostitution rant sparks outcry from sex workers Eddie Murphy will return to ‘SNL’ for the first time in 30 years Amaz’s Team Archon drops player amid cheating accusations This article originally published at The Daily Dot here Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/05/30/mario-kart-8-mercedes-benz-suv/
Jessica Alba is a mom, an investor, actress and yes, a Windows Phone 8 user. Alba joins singer Gwen Stefani in a celeb-laden pitch for Windows Phone 8. The ads present the celebs as busy multitaskers who use the devices to organize their lives. Alba, for instance, uses her phone to get recipes for breakfast and schedule events for her daughters. Stefani uses Office on hers to keep track of new lyrics and to Skype her family from the road. The ads, breaking Wednesday night to support the launch of the Nokia Lumia 920, will be followed by others featuring Andy Samberg and Cam Newton. Microsoft isn’t the only mobile player to tap celebs to promote its devices. Samsung has employed LeBron James and James Franco to pitch the Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy 10.1, respectively, in very similar day-in-the-life ads. Perhaps its working. Samsung’s smarthphones are far outselling Apple’s iPhones these days even though Apple has itself used Martin Scorcese, John Malkovich and Zooey Deschanel, among others, to promote the iPhone. Bonus Gallery: Lumia 920 Low-Light Photos Nokia Lumia 920 Low-Light Photos Great in Low Light All of the photos in this gallery were taken using the automatic settings in the Lumia 920 at night. Palm Tree Details in this palm tree look great, with virtually no blur, even though the photo was taken at night. Street Sign Subway Station Often dark in photographs, the subway station in San Francisco looks clear and well lit in this photo. Pineapples This fruit was located at an outside market at night with minimal lighting. Avocado Tomatoes Limes Lemons Streetscape The Lumia 920 seemed to have trouble with this shot, losing the details in the trees while brightening the photo at bit overall. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/14/jessica-alba-gwen-stefani-windows-phone-8-ads/
These days, it’s not just print and television that secure dedicated campaigns — Instagram and Vine are getting them, too. Earlier this week, Polo Ralph Lauren began rolling out a series of nine 15-second videos on Instagram as part of its “Polo Ralph Lauren Survival Guide.” As of Sunday, seven of the videos have rolled out, demonstrating, for example, how to pitch a tent (see below), how to start a fire and how to chill and uncork a bottle of champagne. The videos aren’t practical guides, of course. Rather, they provide a backdrop to Polo Ralph Lauren’s cable-knit sweaters, down jackets and leather boots. A company spokesperson said they’re designed “to capture the essence of the new Polo collections — the Explorer’s Club and Country Gentleman,” collections that are both “rugged yet wearable.” The entire campaign was shot and edited on an iPhone, according to the company. And judging by the image, below, it had an impressive iPhone rig to work with. Although Ralph Lauren denied any connection, the videos remind us of Lowe’s wildly popular Fix in Six Vine campaign, which offers a series of home-improvement tips in six-second videos. (The campaign recently won Mashable‘s Best in Show award at The Mashies.) Image: Polo Ralph Lauren Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/10/13/polo-ralph-lauren-instagram/
Microsoft’s new anime ad is the latest creative response to one of the biggest marketing challenges in tech: rebranding Internet Explorer. The browser, often the butt of jokes among would-be technorati despite its overwhelming global popularity, is presented as a bulwark against all kinds of Internet bad guys. You don’t need a degree in English Lit to grasp the symbolism here as the young heroine grabs a shield with a monogrammed “I” and is transformed into a warrior. The protagonist is, in fact, Inori Aizawa, the “official mascot of the Internet Explorer,” according to her Facebook Page. Aizawa is the latest attempt to reintroduce IE to the masses, following “Child of the 90s,” one of the top viral ads of this year so far. That ad appears to have helped IE hold on to 57.8% of worldwide market share, according to The Next Web. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has presented itself as a consumer advocate. Once sued by the Department of Justice over monopolistic behavior, the company has in recent years presented itself as a less evil alternative to Google via its “Scroogled” campaign. Image: Microsoft, YouTube Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/11/06/anime-internet-explorer-ad/
Despite nearly 8% unemployment, a tepid economy and millions of dollars in negative advertising, President Obama managed to pull off a sizable Electoral College win on Tuesday. While Obama’s 2008 campaign is now seen as a real-world demonstration of the power of social media, his operation four years later was much more complex. The ’08 campaign is the stuff of textbooks, but the lessons of ’12 are brand new. Marketers of all types studied Obama’s ’08 campaign and they would do well to take a look at his subsequent mobilization effort. Here are some of the obvious lesson of Obama’s triumph this time around: 1. It’s the Big Data, Stupid Big Data may have its flaws, but this election shows that it’s indispensable. New York Times columnist Nate Silver showed how crunching numbers can render most pundits’ gut instincts irrelevant. The Obama campaign proved the same for the marketer’s gut. As Time chronicled, the O campaign relied on a team of dozens of number crunchers who made predictive calls on exactly the right type of pitch to right the right type of voter. After consolidating its database into one megafile, the team relentlessly tested pitches based on the targeting and learned from its testing. As the article states: A large portion of the cash raised online came through an intricate, metric-driven e-mail campaign in which dozens of fundraising appeals went out each day. Here again, data collection and analysis were paramount. Many of the e-mails sent to supporters were just tests, with different subject lines, senders and messages. Inside the campaign, there were office pools on which combination would raise the most money, and often the pools got it wrong. 2. Facebook Advertising Works There are lots of reasons to doubt Facebook’s assertion that ad units like Sponsored Stories are effective. For instance, the recommendation you see may be from a Facebook “friend” you actually barely know. You may find it creepy to see advertising intrude upon friendships as well. But in Obama’s ’12 campaign, Facebook worked. As Time detailed, the O campaign used Facebook to “replicate the door-knocking efforts of field organizers” on a mass scale. During the final weeks of the campaign, Obama’s supporters received pictures of their friends in swing states. They were then urged to click a button asking the swing state voters to register to vote, vote early or get to the polls. The campaign found that the tactic worked 20% of the time “in large part because the message came from someone they knew.” 3. All the Money in the World Can’t Overcome Bad Advertising Super PACs supporting Mitt Romney poured millions into swing states to convince voters that voting for Obama and other Democrats would be against their self interest. However, as Slate points out, many of these ads were crude and insulted the intelligence of targeted voters. For instance, a Super PAC attack ad against Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown “portrayed Brown as a demented cartoon, sitting at a desk with an […]
10 Best Cell Phone Commercials Ever Made Who’s Agitatin’ My Dots? (Nextel, 2006) From the grey-washed, slightly dystopian warehouse world of the meddlesome dot-agitators, to the casual intimidation of the cake-eater, this commercial features a wide variety of WTF, mixed with some concisely presented information on how former US wireless carrier Nextel could help your business with its GPS tracking solutions. This mix of humor with product education, a staple of advertising for decades, was something of a Nextel specialty during the short period of optimism following its merger with Sprint. And the cake-eating guy was on Night Court, so that’s awesome. Crime Deterrent (Sprint, 2006) Speaking of Sprint. This commercial debuted as a halftime spot during the 2006 Super Bowl, and its sudden violence would have seemed brutal if it weren’t so hilarious. The commercial does little to educate consumers about the benefits of Sprint products — not because they aren’t mentioned, but because everything that happens in the latter half of the spot instantly obliterates any memory of the first portion. Even so, this is a spot that stayed in people’s minds for years after its original air date. You (HTC, 2010) This commercial was part of a series of ads, HTC’s first real effort to establish itself in the minds of American consumers following years of manufacturing products for other brands. The “You” campaign employed a catchy remix of Nina Simone’ “Sinnerman” along with a congenial voiceover describing the various ways we’re all different, and how each of us needs a smartphone that suits our own unique needs. In the able hands of advertising firm Deutsch LA Inc., a concept that might have come off mawkish or saccharine instead became poignant, almost touching. It holds up even today, after two years of smartphone inundation, reminding us just how personal these devices can be despite their near-ubiquity. In all seriousness, this is probably my favorite technology ad of all time. Antennalope (Nextel, 2003) To shake off that sentimentality, let’s trek back to Nextel for the requisite early-21st-century absurdity. The company was rolling out its nationwide push-to-talk service at the time, and this was perhaps the most absurd of three similar ads “explaining” how Nextel, America’s only national iDEN provider, had achieved such a herculean task. Watching You, All The Time (T-Mobile USA, 2007) T-Mobile USA has for years been the struggling last-place contender in the American wireless market, but that unenviable position has resulted in some of the most aggressive marketing in the landscape. Often, that means T-Mobile ends up trying too hard. Some of its commercials come off either painfully un-funny or dull and expository. Here, though, the mix of blank-faced creepiness from the father, abject terror in the teenager and the memorable message that “being in someone’s [top] 5 [calling circle]” is quite a significant thing combine to make an ad that’s memorable for the right reasons. Butt Dialing (T-Mobile USA/RIM, 2009) This is one of those ads that’s recently enjoyed a slight internet renaissance due to […]
