Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Do you struggle to get design sign off?



Touted as "making Design sign-off a breeze", GetSignOff.com is a site that helps website designers get approval from clients. GetSignoff.com provides a mechanism for presenting your site designs, managing feedback and organising multiple versions of a design. It works very much like BaseCamp in terms of creating projects, assigning people to the project, etc --- but its ability to make notes and comments on the actual design mock-up where I think this site has potential. I've only poked around on the site a little bit and my only comment is that in might be a little too complicated for some clients -- (the non web savy ones). Regardless I think this site is worth a closer look and try.

It says it is built for websites approval, but I think it could be used for any design project that requires input and comments. Here's the site.

Create an online magazine



OpenZine (pronounced "openzeen") is a website that allows users to easily create and share online magazines. Essentially, it's a blog site that looks like a magazine - complete with cover and the ability to publish and share. If you're not happy with existing blog templates and resources, this might be worth checking out. Seems very user friendly. Let me know what you think. Here's the site.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

NBC's Brian Williams Lampoons Digital Media Hype




I know I have been guilty getting caught up in all the latest digital media hype. What apps my iphone can do.... or new websites, gadget, etc. Here's a humourous clip of NBC's Brian Williams giving us all abit of a reality check.

View the clip here from "3 Minute Adage".

Friday, December 12, 2008

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!



Future Trends in Advertising

A trends Predictions Report, by Ben Hourahine, Futures Editor at Leo Burnett (London).

Monday, December 8, 2008

How fast is your internet connection?



Speedtest.net is a nifty site that calculates your connection speed and then compares it to places locally or around the World. I'm on Rogers here at home and you know how their ads claim they're the fastest ... well, here in Moncton, they are. Unless you are connected to the Department of Education service. For the rest of the province, Eastlink is actually a lot faster then Rogers. So much for truth in advertising.





Check out your own connection speed at Speedtest.net.

Friday, December 5, 2008

The Brand Gap

How to bridge the distance between business strategy and design.

The Brand Gap
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: design brand)



More great presentations can be found on slideshare.net

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Red Wings use social media for TV commercial feedback

Hockeytownblog.com (Detriot Red Wings Blog) is looking for feedback on their new Red Wings television spot - from the people who matter most - their fans. The question posed during the promo asks, “Where do you find the fuel to press on when the tank is empty?”

Asking for creative feedback like this is a great idea and a wonderful want to involve the fans even more in their team. BUT when you ask for an opinion you have to be willing to listen to what people have to say - good and bad. If most of the feedback is negative and you do nothing -- you'll create a "why did you bother to ask if you're not going to listen" situation. So I'll be curious to see if any changes are made to the spot based on feedback. So far the comments are mostly good --but some think the premise missed the mark. Decide for yourself.

You can leave your comments on the commercial here.



SMZ advertising produced the spot.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Is suicide ever a good theme for ads?



Remember the GM ad from the Superbowl where the robot considered killing itself? GM edited that part out of the spot because of complaints.

Now comes a series of print ads from Pepsi Max by BBDO Dusseldorf - the one calorie drink - that show a cute but sad little personification of a calorie committing suicide in a number of ultraviolent ways, including shooting himself in the face, a hanging, blowing himself up and even his slitting his wrist with a razor.
Done in a very Saturday-morning cartoon violence type of way -- the ads are getting lots of attention. Some are saying they are insensitive to the issue of suicide, others claim it's no big deal (kids see these stuff all the time on TV) and for everyone to just lighten up.

What do you think?

Dave Thomas and the Wendy's Brand


Great article from the Advertising Fuelospophy "Fresh fuel for thought" blog about Dave Thomas and his contribution to the Wendy's brand and how he never became the brand. Here's the writeup:

Drive by any Wendy’s restaurant and you’ll see a freckled, pig-tailed illustrated red head beaming down from a towering fluorescent sign, inspired by Thomas’s daughter Melinda. This is the face of Wendy’s Old-fashioned Hamburgers.

Then in 1989, Thomas starred in his first Wendy’s TV commercial. His relaxed manner and down-to-earth pitch was an instant hit with audiences. People could relate to this man. He was passionate about good burgers. Insisted on good service. He seemed a bit shy and awkward. Dave was the burger-flipping guy next door. And you could trust him, a big plus when it comes to branding.

Dave’s story was marketing gold. From humble beginnings to restaurant mogul, Dave achieved it all through a commitment to hard work and high quality. He learned from experience, working as a busboy, franchisee and finally CEO. He was innovative. When other served frozen beef patties, Dave served fresh, square-shaped patties. His restaurant interior was homey and carpeted. He had the right vision, the right values and the right personality. He was just the right person to push, promote and represent his own brand.

So through Wendy’s PR and all-things advertising, Thomas quickly became a household name. A 1990s survey found 90% of Americans could identify Dave Thomas. He would go on to star in over 800 Wendy’s commercials plus print and in-store POP. It wasn’t long before the brand leader/spokesperson was also the face of the brand. And the red head with pigtails was relegated to the logo. That is, until Thomas passed away in 2002.

No one knew what to do. This would take more than a transition. This would take a complete brand transformation. Because no matter how compelling or how trustworthy a brand leader may be, when you make that person the face of the brand, you give that brand a lifeline.

The Wendy’s team went to work. They rolled out campaign after campaign to resuscitate the brand. In 2004, they tried using a character called “Mr. Wendy” who claimed to be the unofficial spokesperson for the chain. This attempt was far from successful. The wig campaign came later, which had Wendy’s fans wearing red pigtail wigs. This attempt was well received and caught on. But believe it or not, today Wendy’s marketing materials feature Wendy. Turn on your TV and you’re likely to see an animated red head saying, “It’s waaaaaaaaaaaay better than fast food.”

That’s the thing about cartoons. They never get old. They never die. That’s why they animated Dave’s mentor Colonel Sanders when it was no longer humanly possible for him to promote his chicken. And Orville Redenbacher can pop his gourmet popping corn posthumously in CG. The face of these brands can continue ala graphic artists. But Wendy is different. Because Wendy is not Dave.

In fact, Wendy was there all along. Only Dave unintentionally usurped her place as the face of the brand, and his marketing team let it happen. But he was so likable. Which means for thirty years Wendy acquired marginal equity as the brand’s official representative. She’s been a logo. We’ll have to see if she can make it as something more.

There can be a fine line between brand leader, brand spokesperson, brand icon and a brand’s “face.” A line that can be difficult to see and easily blurred. But defining those boundaries are a big part of building a brand’s long-term success. That’s brand strategy. Something you need to consider or else one day you could end up turning your brand leader into a cartoon.

Read more from the "Fresh fuel for thought" blog.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Surprise! Word of mouth most effective means of reaching college kids



A recent study featured on eMarketer shared the results of the most useful types of advertising according to US college students who use the internet. It's no big surprise that word of mouth tops the list. Samples—always a bonus for students on a budget—ranked second.

Mike Bloxham, research director at Ball State who conducted the study, noted in a statement that just because 18-to-34-year-olds like to spend time on social networks does not mean advertisers should try to reach them there.

“It is too easy to assume that the media consumers choose for their own news, information and entertainment are, by default, the best media to use for marketing messages,” Mr. Bloxham said.

It's also interesting to note the digital channel preferred by age group. Text wins the day for 15-17 year olds... and grandma still loves her email. See chart.



For more of the research results, go to eMarketer.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Tweetsgiving a success



It was the American Thanksgiving this past weekend and in the spirit of the season, I report on a great site called Tweetsgiving. It's is a project of Epic Change (a nonprofit organization that uses the power of stories to create social change) that seeked to demonstrate the power of Twitter and the social web by spreading gratitude and raising $10,000 in 48 hours to build a classroom at the school in Tanzania.

Well, they reached their goal $10,896 to be exact. Social media and marketing at its best. What's truly wonderful is how simple the concept is, take a great cause and make it easy to donate, share and become a hero. Love it. This is a great model for other charities and organizations out there.

Visit the site here.

Even Tiger couldn't save Buick


As reported on the Advertising Age blog, the long term relationship between Buick and Tiger Woods is ending. If there was any doubt the financial crisis in the US has rippling effects throughout the entire economy, this helps put that to rest. Tiger's out about $8 million a year -- but I'm sure this top golfer will have no problem replacing that income.

"The troubled automaker said last week it is ending its nine-year deal with Mr. Woods a year early. GM's $8 million-a-year deal will conclude Dec. 31 instead of in 2009, as it tries to save every penny it can while lobbying the federal government for $25 billion to bail out the Big Three Detroit car companies."

The post goes on to say: "But David Carter, principal of the Los Angeles-based Sports Business Group and a sports marketing professor at the University of Southern California, said current market conditions for the car companies certainly played a role in the decision. "This is probably some combination of prior planning and the need now to not just appear as though you're belt-tightening, but to send a concrete message on how and where you're cutting back," Mr. Carter said."

Read the entire post here.