The BrandForward Blog

DDB Sweden earned one of three Cyber Grand Prix awards at Cannes with the whimsical, yet acutely strategic “The Fun Theory” campaign. But there’s something more at work here than just clever consumer amusement. This is an example of a brand and agency engaging in the future of marketing by crafting a brand experience and bringing it to life.

Beyond the stated goal of creating interest in its BlueMotion technology, Volkswagen illustrates the strong tie between the brand and the brand experience. Helping commuters have fun while getting from one place to another… an ingenious symbolic connection between a spontaneous moment while walking to where you’re going, and the act of driving from one place to another in a vehicle.

The video of the slide shows how the Volkswagen team converted a long flight of stairs into a big red slide.

And here’s another example where stairs were turned into piano keys. Commuters were encouraged to make music as they walked up and down.

It might seem like fun and games, but there’s something a lot deeper at work than child’s play.

It’s obviously not just about helping consumers get from the top of the stairs to the bottom, or making music on steps. And while it’s supposed to be about BlueMotion technology, I don’t see a compelling connection between the Fun Theory “experiment” and educating consumers on BlueMotion. It feels like it’s missing some legs.

But it really doesn’t matter. Because the campaign did something much more profound. It reminded consumers that getting from one place to another should be fun. And showed them that there’s a choice. Take the boring stairs or go down the fun slide.

And that Volkswagen understands this and creates that same sense of fun and enjoyment in its vehicles.

Are creatives in the industry ready to think like event marketers?

Now more than ever, brands must be in touch with their core value and true promise in order to create relevant experiences that capture the essence and drive the brand. But they also need to see far beyond traditional advertising, look past the buzz of online social media, and understand that today’s consumer isn’t going to respond to brand lip service. They’re going to respond to being engaged… being physically, mentally, and emotionally connected through real interaction.

Whether it’s Ford’s Fiesta Movement or Old Spice’s viral video event. Whether it’s a Farmville game or Foursquare. As advertisers, we’re no longer just managing the message, increasingly we’ll be driving brands through creating experiences.

Can you think of any other agencies or brands that already get it? What are they doing that genuinely engages the consumer?

The land of lush green hillsides and quaint Amish farms has now become the land of Superstars, Adventurers, and Crunks. Pennsylvania Tourism has launched a pretty incredible promotion with Foursquare that encourages tourists and locals to experience everything Pennsylvania has to offer, one check-in at a time.

The objective of the promotion is to encourage travelers to get out and take more Pennsylvania road trips. And while you’re there, add these three special badges to your quiver: 4 Score & 7, Shooflyer, and Retail Polka.

Location-based services are a hot topic and getting hotter. Following in Chicago’s footsteps, Pennsylvania has translated what was a city-wide concept into a state-wide phenomenon. Pennsylvania Tourism’s Foursquare travel promotion combines traditional check-ins with QR codes, “found” tips, and special badges, all hinging around unique trip itineraries. The experience is the height of interactivity, requiring travelers to use smart phones for scanning and interacting individually with points of interest.

Pennsylvania plans to advertise the promotion via direct mail, as well as ads on travel and news sites, while staying in contact with current and potential tourists on Twitter.

This is a pretty big deal for location-based services. A promotion like Pennsylvania’s leverages social media in a profound way and connects tourists directly to the state. There’s something very powerful in being able to “keep tabs” on your travelers and guide them to wherever you want them to go. Not only can a state’s tourism team learn about their tourists, but the opportunity to create idyllic adventures and memorable experiences can only increase the state’s tourist appeal, for now and for future generations of travelers.

The chance for tourists to “discover a new state” creates staggering possibilities. Not just for Pennsylvania, but for other marketers who are paying attention. Expect to start seeing a ramp-up of tie-ins between location-based services and commercial products, attractions, services. Brand bonding experiences like these are becoming one of the most valuable chances for brands to connect with consumers.

The new Palm spots are pretty hot. Simple, relevant, clever. Another great Modernista campaign. I particularly fell for “Flick” (aka “The Movies”) right off the bat. The spots showcase the Palm’s multi-tasking capability using a cool rotoscoping technique.

I won’t be turning in my iPhone for a Palm anytime soon, but you have to hand it to Modernista for a brand home run. And for choosing the perfect music track: Miike Snow “Burial” (DJ Medhi Remix).

Considering the whole reason I watch the Superbowl is for the commercials, when I heard about the Mullen/Radian6 BrandBowl (hashtag #brandbowl on Twitter) I was pretty excited. Finally, something for us AdHeads to participate in. Other than yelling at party guests who carelessly mill around right in front of the TV, or stumble past it on their way to the ice chest. During epic moments in advertising history.

Yes, for those of us who up until shortly after 6:00 p.m. had no real clue which teams were playing, we would have our own game inside the game.

A reason to get excited other than those little party wieners or our game “squares” that used to be the only motivation to plant ourselves on a couch for five hours on a perfectly good Sunday.

So despite the fact that I was looking forward to the BrandBowl, I found myself invited to a Superbowl party where basically no one was paying attention to the commercials (heresy!) other than some quiet guy hiding in a corner behind a Macbook Pro… until he quickly dashed from the party around half-time mumbling something about having to go to work to deal with calls and comments related to two Superbowl spots his company produced. Or something. Whaaaa?? Unfortunately I didn’t get to have any geekversation with him because he left so quick. Geez, for all I know he was BrandBowling that whole time.

Well, that’s what I was doing. My iPhone was fully charged and running pretty much the whole game. And let me tell you, I never had so much fun during a Superbowl.

But here’s the deal. It’s hard to see all the commercials when you’re BrandBowling! The network needs to come up with some scheduling plan next year that alternates great spots with lame spots. Because by nature, BrandBowling only allows you to watch every other commercial.

Watch commercial: 30 seconds.
Tweet about the commercial: 30 seconds.
Watch commercial: 30 seconds.
Tweet about commercial: 30 seconds.

And this doesn’t include commenting to other BrandBowlers or responding to followers. Which can really eat up precious viewing time. And don’t get me started on how racing to tweet seriously limits the depth of your analysis. Those “in-the-moment” tweets aren’t quite as astute as what you might say when you watch the spots in a quiet room by yourself. I actually cringed at a couple of my tweets given a few seconds to reflect after the fact. But regardless, BrandBowl was awesome and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Needless to say, I barely saw the football game.

So given all of the impediments to unfettered participation (including my party host TURNING THE VOLUME DOWN DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS!!) I’m already coming up with ways to improve my BrandBowl performance next year. Probably starting with some finger push-ups, typing classes, mission control computer set-up, and staying home from any Superbowl party so I can take full advantage of the DVR. And VOLUME CONTROL.

Or maybe I’ll watch the commercials in advance. Of course that would eliminate the fun and adrenaline of seeing spots for the first time as they roll across the TV screen. There’s just something magical about that. Not sure I want to give that up. It really added a greater level of excitement to the event.

I think that’s one of the reasons BrandBowl was so wildly popular. In the moment, you feel like the REAL game is the Brandbowl. And the Superbowl is just bathroom break filler until the next commercial rolls.

And then we’re back in the game!

BrandBowling is my new favorite contact sport. (Pun not intended). Thanks, Mullen and Radian6, Superbowls will never be the same.

Read the BrandForward reviews of the Superbowl spots!

Touchdown or Smackdown: Best & Worst Ads of Superbowl 2010

What were the best and worst ads of Superbowl 2010? We’re not talking about the most outrageous or the most buzzed about or the most expensive. That’s easy. The hard stuff is coming up with a creative strategy that gets attention, starts conversation, and continues the work of building a consistent brand.

The best advertising creates a connection between the brand and the consumer, like a neural pathway that opens communication. The best advertising leverages the soul of the brand and doesn’t abandon it for a temporary attention spike.

Which advertisers had the touchdowns? Which ones earned a smackdown? Here’s the BrandForward list of Superbowl 2010’s best and worst ads.

Touchdown! Best Ads of Superbowl 2010

#1: Google: Parisian Love

In-house

I have to admit when I saw this spot during the game I was not impressed. Despite the occasional ribbing I give the company, I’m a fan of Google and was hoping it would school Yahoo! and Bing in what it means to be a search engine.

So you can imagine my dismay when I looked up from my Superbowl beer to see search terms and nondescript music. Yawwwwwn. Okay so I was at a Superbowl party. Not exactly the most ideal place for concentrating on ads. I didn’t even see the first two or three seconds of the ad, and by then they’d lost me. It didn’t help that the room got loud and people started heading to the snacks and beer (and walking in front of the TV) whenever subtle spots like Google came on. Of course the room got still and quiet and everyone was at full attention whenever spots from GoDaddy or Doritos were rolling.

Well, I’m glad I took the time to go through the spots again. Because the Google ad was incredible. Simple, honest, unpretentious. Brand-building at its best.

#2: Chrysler: Dodge Charger (Man’s Last Stand)

Wieden & Kennedy – Portland, OR

This spot connects so deeply with its target consumer. Not only is it saying “Yeah, we feel your pain,” but it’s also subtly telling men that they better have a mean-looking muscle car or the world will think they’re completely whipped, probably doing a lot more than just carrying lip balm. We’re talking buying tampons. I love the subversive urgency this spot creates. I bet there were a lot of men waking up the next morning not so happy to be driving that minivan to work.

#3: Hyundai: Paint

Innocean Worldwide Americas – Irvine, CA

Wow. Works of art are meant to last. The message is clear. I understand who Hyundai is and what the brand embodies. And cool, it has a soul. By now, the company’s 10-year warranty is pretty much common knowledge, and this gorgeous spot evolves that practical message into something more powerful and meaningful. Hyundai tells us it values its vehicles, takes pride in its craftsmanship, and does not build throwaway junk.

#4: Snickers: You’re Not You When You’re Hungry

BBDO – New York

In some circles, this spot isn’t getting much love. But it felt right to me. Granted, I haven’t seen another Snickers spot in quite awhile so maybe this is a departure from whatever else it is they’re doing. Well, I think this is what they should be doing. Maybe it’s because I’m not me when I’m hungry, or maybe it’s that I actually enjoy Betty White (Anyone see her in Lake Placid?). But I think this was a spot that capitalized on pretty much the only honestly good reason to grab a Snickers: When you’re hungry, you’re not yourself.

This spot connected the brand to human truth, found a way to make us laugh about it, and presented Snickers as a solution to a universal problem. You better believe the next time I get hungry and cranky I’m going to hear Betty White in my ear telling me to grab a Snickers.

#5: Homeaway: Hotel Hell Vacation

Publicis in the West – Seattle

I’m a big fan of the Vacation movies. What can I say? I was a child of the 80s. I saw Vacation no fewer than 5 or 10 times. Christmas Vacation at least double that. So when I saw an aged Clark Griswold pop up on the screen, I knew exactly what they were selling: A vacation where everything doesn’t go wrong. What better way to demonstrate the perils of ill-prepared vacations than with the most iconic vacationer known to man? If the short version didn’t sell you, there’s a 13-minute mini-movie, aptly titled: “Hotel Hell Vacation.” Truckster on.

#6: Denny’s: Chicken Warning

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners – San Francisco

While Carmax went dramatically wrong with animal gags, Denny’s screaming chickens stole the show as they braced for Denny’s Free GrandSlam promotion. As the announcer says, “Great day to be an American. Bad day to be a chicken.”

#7: Cars.com

DDB – Chicago

Maybe it’s just that I’m a Wes Anderson fan and the “Timothy Richman” spot made me think of Rushmore, but I like the concept of connecting a story of confidence to the brand, and the clever backstory of Timothy, even though it did have a disappointing pay-off. All said and done, this is a concept that stays true to the brand’s core value. And has legs. Lots of them. Pretty close to brilliant. Just wish it had spent more time in the oven.

#8: Teleflora: Talking Flowers/Mr. Warmth

In-house

Someone will probably hit me for this, but I actually liked the Teleflora spot where it was assumed that getting cheap, boxed flowers means you’re probably dating a guy serving time in prison. I don’t honestly know how effective TV advertising is for the floral industry. Do guys buy flowers anymore? Do guys watch commercials about flower delivery services? Or maybe women order their own flowers and have them sent to the office? Regardless, it’s clear if you’re going to get someone flowers you better not buy on the cheap.

#9: Flo.tv: Moments

Magner Sanborn – Spokane, WA & Agency 3.0 – Los Angeles

Can’t say I’m a big fan of the “montage-as-ad,” but this one works. It takes us down memory lane and reminds us that TV allows us to experience great moments in history. And that we should keep watching because there will be more. And we should have a TV wherever we go so we don’t miss anything. Pretty effective.

#10: NFL: Best Fans on the Planet

Grey – New York

Another montage ad. But the slow-mos, along with the emotive “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire, put you into the moment and almost make you forget the NFL is an evil empire. And has a lot of fans that don’t seem to mind.

Smackdown! Worst Ads of Superbowl 2010

#1: Boost Mobile: Shuffle

180 – Los Angeles

New lows in advertising. And it’s not even GoDaddy. I swear the talk in the creative lounge had to be “Okay, so we don’t have a decent concept yet and the client wants a presentation, like yesterday. So hurry, let’s just pick the one that makes the least sense and has as little to do with the product as possible.” Or maybe they just drew from a hat. I don’t know. But I’ll tell you what’s wrong. This spot.

#2: Carmax: Dramatically Smart

Boone Oakley – Charlotte, NC

There were a handful of these spots but I’m going to group them all together. If you saw one ad you saw them all. And you’ll probably wish you hadn’t. An animal sees a Carmax commercial and responds with a look of amazement. At first, I was confused and thought I’d missed something. Apparently not, because I watched the rest of the campaign. And they’re all the same gag. No pun intended.

#3: Bud Light

Cannonball – St. Louis

Here’s another brandbackward campaign. What is Anheuser-Busch trying to communicate about Bud Light? The whole thing was a real train wreck. What does “Here We Go” mean? And why does “Drinkability” matter? And where did “Sure Sign of a Good Time” come from? It felt like there were three different creative teams working from three different continents with three different taglines suffering from three different mental disorders. It was like a creative free-for-all with no brand manager to keep everything on-message and on-brand.

Buckets of wacky, man-esque humor, including voice boxes, a house made of beer cans, and witty send-ups to Lost couldn’t save Bud Light from a lack of cohesiveness and no clear sense of brand. Focus, people, FOCUS.

#4: GoDaddy

In-house

This is what happens when 15 year-old boys are taught Final Cut Pro. And given a few million dollars.

#5: Budweiser

DDB – Chicago

Not impressed with this year’s showing for Budweiser. The “Clydesdale/Fence” spot had an extremely weak pay-off, and after a lengthy build-up I was expecting genius. Denied. I did have some respect for “Bridge” but only because I personally recognize the human tragedy that would befall a town deprived of its daily beer shipment. I hope they’re starting today coming up with concepts for the next Superbowl. Because this year was pretty much a fumble whale.

#6: Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret: Awesomer

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners – San Francisco

This 2-for-1 spot featured a Seaworld-style setting with an annoying show announcer training humans to act like Dolphins. To catch snacks. Yeah, I’d leave this one off the reel. But that tagline: Awesome + Awesome = Awesomer was pretty clever, and an effective way to combine two products in one ad. This is one of those ads that could have been “awesomer” if it just had an awesome concept to add to the awesome tagline.

#7: Doritos (campaign)

Crowdsourced

The Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” contest resulted in a handful of spots that did pretty much nothing for Doritos from a branding standpoint, but propelled the world forward in connecting consumers to their favorite brands. Which despite the questionable ads, is a good thing. If more companies encouraged customers to take these kind of creative liberties and get more involved, we could see some really interesting developments.

On the other hand, I’d be cautious about letting the crowd hold the reigns of the brand. After watching the Doritos spots it’s clear that the creative that comes out of crowdsourcing can be a lot less sophisticated and strategic than what a brand steward would probably want to see on national television or another venue that gives consumers the impression that the brand is speaking in first person. Yes, the consumer owns the brand. And America is also a free country. But frankly, I don’t want to see my neighbors driving 150 mph down I-84. And I don’t necessarily want to see someone eating Doritos in a coffin.

#8:Taco Bell: It Rocks

DraftFCB – Irvine, CA

Um, no it doesn’t.

#9: Dockers: Men Without Pants

DraftFCB – San Francisco

A bunch of men in tighty whities. A spot rife with manulite and crotch shots. My eyes are still hurting. And to add insult to injury, the network saw fit to run two ads with partially unclothed men next to each other. I still can’t remember what the other spot was for. (Oh yeah. Careerbuilder.com, a spot I actually kind of liked.)

#10: Bridgestone: Whale of a Tale

Richards Group – Dallas

Brand-building spots these are not. If they would just replace the tires with beer, they’d be in business.

So where is that witty Audi “Green Police” spot, the Kia Sorrento ad with the partying stuffed animals, and the Volkswagen PunchDub spot? These were highly creative spots that either failed at building their brand or compromised the brand in some way. Or grasped defeat from the hands of victory. They weren’t the best or the worst (although I loved the “Green Police” spot, and the Kia Sorrento spot uses some of the sneakiest symbolism seen in a long time). But because of the level of creativity they deserve at least some mention.

If you’d like to tweet this post, here’s a trimmed link you can copy and paste: http://tr.im/touchdown

I was looking forward to seeing what Yahoo! had devised as a way to give itself an infusion of zombie magic. This was an incredible opportunity to up the ante, to prove Yahoo! is not destined for the .comortuary.

Turns out, the new Yahoo! Anthem spot is driving me crazy. Literally. I haven’t decided if it’s triggered my latent ADD or a random grand mal seizure.

After watching this visual frankenfeast, it sort of feels like Yahoo! is making a desperate last-ditch effort to wriggle its decaying hand up through the dirt from beyond the grave. Presenting us with a handful of wilted daisies.

“I’m not dead yet!”

Let me be fair. It is a beautiful spot to behold. Sweeping cinematography, vibrant colors, lush scenes, dynamic integration of cultures and people. It’s obvious someone in the mix knew what they were doing. Unfortunately, that person was not in front of the client. Or in the strategy meetings. Or in concept refinement. Or even playing Guitar Hero in the agency break room.

The spot wants to be all about “you,” but in a desperate grab for anything in sight it misses the mark. It’s not about YOU at all. It’s about Yahoo! and what you represent to the company:

A whole mess of people doing a lot of different, pretty things.

Where is the personal connection with the viewer? Where is the emotional engagement with the product? Where’s the promise that makes me want to add Yahoo! back to my Safari bookmarks bar?

Instead of feeling any connection, it felt like I was listening to the hurried recitation of an overzealous product brochure. The sad thing is, any of the gazillion scenes in this spot could have had impact if they were presented individually, if the viewer was allowed to connect with a single, passionate experience. This was one time when the final product was not greater than the sum of its parts. Quite the opposite.

And yeah. They couldn’t even get the grammar right. (Who’s checking this stuff?) When I want to go farther, I’ll fill up my car with gas. When I want to go further, I’ll double-check the script on my next million dollar ad spot.

What’s your take on the Yahoo! Anthem spot? Love it or hate it? Awful or amazing? What worked for you, what didn’t? Was this the best approach for energizing the Yahoo! brand?

Okay, “energizing” may not be the right term. I’m still a bit dizzy.

It’s what Trent Reznor’s been trying to do. It’s what Radiohead is getting close to doing. It’s what a 26 year-old guy making synthpop tracks out of his bedroom at his parents’ home in rural Georgia has done.

Prove that the world is flat. The music world, that is.

Ernest Greene, the sole musician of Washed Out, was just another Southern boy reflecting on the state of the economy after graduating from college, moving back into the parents’ house to save money. Oh, and turning out one of the most magical albums in years.

It doesn’t hurt that its artistic purity hasn’t been spoiled by six-figure producers, million-dollar equipment, and a soul pact with the recording industry.

One of my favorite tracks on the Life of Leisure EP is “Feel it all around.” It’s got this haunting, 80’s energy that makes you want to spend the weekend curled up watching Sixteen Candles, with the occasional intermission to go running slow motion through wispy blades of grass.

Check it out on iTunes. Close your eyes. Feel something.

Since Greene just finished his album and released it about a week ago, he hasn’t had a lot of spare time to produce YouTube videos for his sparkling gems. But in a move that seems almost prescient, fans of Washed Out are stitching the music to animatics, static photos, and screen savers and posting them to YouTube. Hard to tell where “customers own the brand” stops and crowdsourcing begins.

This video for the song “New Theory” is a little rudimentary, but give a few weeks and I bet we’ll start to see these fan videos increasing in production value and complexity.

Like this one from filmmaker Chase Heavener found on Vimeo:

Oh cool. I like this. I can finally write a blog post that’s somewhere on the southside of 1500 characters. Who knew?!

Man, it’s like magic. About ten minutes ago I tweeted about my new red shoes giving me some new red blisters and the next thing you know I’ve got invitations to join the #redshoeproject. So I took a look at their Facebook group, snapped a quick shot of my offending shoes, and now I’m ready to join a really innovative public relations and fundraising project. This is one of the beautiful things about social media. The power it has to connect people quickly to causes and organizations that thrive on volunteer participation.

My New Red Shoes is an organization out of San Francisco that was founded in 2006 by Heather Hopkins. The whole premise is to give children from underprivileged families the empowerment of self-esteem through new clothes. The idea is that when parents have a hard time coming up with money for new school clothes, their children start the first day of school feeling inferior to their more shiny classmates. My New Red Shoes helps to provide new clothes for children at a critical time in the development of their self worth. Isn’t this concept amazing? Talk about making a real impact with such a simple action.

So here’s where The Red Shoe Project comes in. Michael Long (aka The Red Recruiter) has put his passion for social media to work by creating a program that identifies worthy causes and allocates one year to raising money and awareness for that cause. This year (through April 2010) he’s focused on My New Red Shoes. Here’s how it works: Snap a photo of yourself in red shoes and post it to the Facebook Group. The goal is simply to create awareness. Group members have taken the concept and given it wings through special Red Shoe Nights and themed events. At the end of the year Michael plans to create a highlight YouTube video. Pretty amazing use of social media. Michael’s innovation gives non-profits and social media strategists a lot to think about.

So yeah, I’m already thinking of what kind of cool red shoe photo to put on the Facebook Group.

In the meantime, maybe I need to sneak away and do some shoe shopping. A girl can always use a new pair of shiny red shoes. But this time I’ll remember to bring the Band-aids for those shiny new blisters I’ll also no doubt be acquiring.

I thought I was the only one wishing there was a better way to #followfriday.

And then the fabulous Kat Jaibur (@katjaib) came up with the ingenius Katnip Awards. Instead of flooding your Friday Twitter stream with a multitude of tweeters to follow, she assembles her hot list of greats on her blog, “Kat and Tonic.”

Wow. Total “I-coulda-had-a-V8″ moment. Love the idea… and even better she’s got some awesome recommendations, and goes into detail about why you should follow. Kat’s figured out how to maximize the social media experience with amazing authenticity. If I didn’t like her so much already I’d be gushing even more.

Take a look at her #followfriday lists. Beats the requisite Twitter clutterstream and reveals some pretty great tweeters.