The economy isn’t the only thing to take a downward turn these days. While many companies try to find ways to meet goals and deal with low employee morale, many have overlooked the fastest way to get a laugh and maybe even some much-needed free press: revising their logo. Below are our top picks:
It’s no secret that everyone at Talk is a huge animal lover, so whenever one of us spots an advertisement relating to dog humor, we are all for it. TBWA Paris’ new campaign for Pedigree, a refreshing break from those tear-jerking, effective “I-don’t-know-how-I-got-in-this-pound” advertisements, showcases what every dog owner has experienced at least once. The ads highlight common canine terrors like bad breath, diarrhea and obesity, all of which can be cured with Pedigree’s product line. As “mother” to my yellow lab, Gunner, I can relate to the humor; after digesting a pair of hip-to-toe panty hose, multiple tube socks and the squeaky mechanism in three of his toys, I am no stranger to explosive doggie diarrhea. TBWA Paris shows dog owners everywhere that they can count on Pedigree for their “combustible” pets.
Ad agency Arnold launched a goofy ad campaign for ESPN360.com, starring Billy Mays, the chipper infomercial guy excitedly pushing OxyClean products late at night. The clips are surprisingly stupid, yet amazingly effective, as Mays shouts at viewers to watch their favorite sports teams “anywhere, anytime” and confides that the “secret” is the internet connection.
Twentieth Century Fox and agency Moxie Interactive have created a revolutionary campaign, connecting movie fans around the globe with Fox’s film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, by leveraging the most popular social networks around the world with one question -if the earth was under attack and you and your possessions could be protected in an alien sphere, what would you save?
Mimicking the movie’s premise that the earth is threatened by a coming global crisis, the “Earth’s Vital List” uses an application to link users on seven of the world’s largest social networks so they can compile one list of things to be saved from the earth’s destruction. Users named up to a dozen items they would save if the planet were to be destroyed tomorrow. They can also upload photos of their picks, see what others around the world have chosen to save and vote for the best entries.
The program has connected millions with the movie by employing a creative application that naturally encourages conversation-all in time for the movie’s release date. Now that’s savvy marketing!
In an effort to juice up sales this Christmas, retailers are checking their lists twice and sending customers emails jam-packed with exclusive offers to get them in their stores and onto their website.
When trying to reach millions of shoppers, emails are cheaper and quicker than print inserts or direct mail; the average cost of an email message is $7 per consumer response versus $48 for traditional direct mail. Many retailers are jumping on the email bandwagon because they can create and send a promotion in half the time it takes to print and distribute traditional messages.
Saks Fifth Avenue installed a new point-of-sale system with Internet capabilities in every store to gather customer email addresses and send customized emails. Home Depot promoted an opt-in email alert for coupons and special discounts on Black Friday, the company’s biggest shopping day. Gap is getting personal and emailing customers coupons with customized holiday songs from artists Flo Rida and Trey Songz. Bloomingdale’s is targeting younger consumers by increasing its emails significantly. The upscale department store believes sending them a ton of shopping incentives will make them look better and feel important.
In today’s rocky retail climate, it’s vital to find a cost-effective way to increase traffic in stores and online. And with millions of Americans looking for any way to stretch their hard-earned dollars this Christmas, exclusive discounts and free shipping via email will be impossible to pass up.
There is an abundance of food blogs all over the web whose sole purpose is to feast upon discounts in the dining industry. Much to their readers delight, a growing number of consumers in major cities are scouting out dining deals in their area and alerting their bargain-hungry audience through their blogs.
Sites like New York-based midtownlunch.com and Boston-based thefoodmonkey.com were launched in an effort to motivate mid-town Manhattan professionals to walk more than a block away from the office for lunch. They track price changes at street vendor’s carts as well as additions to cocktail-hour bar menus. Midtownlunch.com creator Zach Brooks sets a $10 ceiling for a meal on his blog and hunts cheap, fast, interesting and good food from street carts or free samples listed on an upscale menu.
Thefoodmonkey.com was created as a result of Boston’s liquor laws, which prohibit restaurants from discounting prices on alcoholic beverages during happy hour. Creator Mike Prerau began posting inexpensive, creative bar foods at local watering holes and built a strong following among college students in the area.
If you are a cheap-eats connoisseur, you will find plenty of suggestions at these nationwide websites:
Ueatcheap.com
Yelp.com
Urbanspoon.com
Chowhound.com
Eater.com
Heidi Klum is the latest celebrity to don her skivvies and shake her money-maker in Guitar Hero’s World Tour ad, proving that there is a guitar hero in all of us. I wonder who else is a guitar hero? Pope Benedict? Oprah Winfrey? Who knows, maybe even Barack Obama.
As the cost of everything continues to increase and Americans disposable income decreases, cash-strapped consumers are cutting their spending, forcing gyms to focus on new ways to keep their clients’ memberships. Beyond offering membership discounts, some are touting their services as stress reducers, not indulgences, and highlighting the economic benefits of “wellness”.
Gold’s Gym’s “Fat-O-Nomics” program focuses on money consumers would save by shedding excess weight. According to the folks at Gold’s, being 50 pounds overweight burns nine extra gallons of gasoline per year.
Equinox Gym has adopted a “mind-body” balance in stressful times. They have run full-page newspaper ads and updated its website to promote “mind over madnesss.” Recent ads from rival gym chain Town Sports International state “Protect your most important asset. Your health” and cut membership fees in half.
Whether a gym membership is an extravagance you are willing or able to afford right now, one thing is for certain: less people at the gym mean less time to wait for cardio machines!
What is the best way to sell minivans to soccer moms? Apparently, according to Volkswagen, it’s by making fun of them.
The German car company has paired up with ad agency Crispen Porter & Bogusky to launch their new Routan minivan with a series of online videos. Entitled, “Road to the MLS Cup”, the series chronicles an eight-day, 2,300-mile trek across the country, starring Mad TV’s Mo Collins as a harried, clipboard-wielding soccer mom, who drives off without her kids in the first video.
It is certainly not surprising that Volkswagen is using a soccer platform to sell its minivan, but is its mocking portrayal of soccer moms? Volkswagen believes that consumers will find the videos more endearing than derisive and will make a deep connection with Collins, a woman who takes such intense pride in being a mother, even as she occasionally crosses the line.
If the presidential election came down to the most-viewed election-rated video on YouTube, “Dear Mr. Obama” would be the winner, hands down. Over 11 million viewers have tuned in to watch a brief clip of an Iraq war veteran, telling “Mr. Obama” that Iraqis are “just like us” in their search for freedom and that “freedom is always worth the price.” The veteran then walks away, revealing a prosthetic leg. The clip is garnering more attention than the multi-million dollar ads created by both political parties this election.
YouTube has been highly successful in providing a platform for millions of ordinary Americans to communicate their political views. According to Julie Germany at the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at George Washington University, “The power to control the message is now shared by the public at large, not the political parties or the mainstream media.” Thanks to YouTube, anyone can distribute their message faster than traditional media.
When McCain decided to place more ads on YouTube than on TV, little did he know that an unknown, ordinary American’s endorsement would get more attention for the candidate than his own ads.
Talk helps businesses in the Carolinas attract new customers, mitigate issues and increase profits.
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