Why haven't I seen this commercial before?

In my search for funny tv commercials, I found one on YouTube that has me weak!

The commercial is for a tuna company located in Thailand.  I have never heard of the brand or seen the commercial but I thought it was funny.  They used a great sense of humor to send across their message.  Most of the commercials that I remember tend to be humorous ads that keep me laughing.  I think humor is the best way to advertise on television.  Nobody wants their show to be interrupted by dry commercials that just list facts or reasons why you should use a product or service.  People want to be entertained!

So, as I continue my search for the funniest commercials, I will surely keep this Thai tuna brand in mind.

A Look Back at Chevy's 2012 Super Bowl Ad

So as the year is coming to an end, we all look back on past Super Bowl commercials in anticipation for the next greatest one to come in a few months for the 2013 Super Bowl.  So here's a flashback of Chevy's 2012 Super Bowl commercial for the Silverado...

I thought this commercial was great.  They clearly executed their idea that the Chevy Silverado was the truck that is going to last and make it through anything.  It was clever how the company played off of the supposed "2012 Mayan Apocalypse" since the year the commercial would be featured was the year said to be the world's last.  The ad was humorous and used a comparison against Ford to show that Chevy is indeed the best truck.  I also thought it was funny and ironic that the man at the end is holding Twinkies.  His sweet treat managed to survive the apocalypse, but in reality, Hostess went under just a month short of the predicted apocalypse.

Chevy scored well with their audience with this commercial.  Let's see how well they can perform for 2013... if we make it.

Belvedere ad... not so smooth

Most liquor ads are simple and portray the alcohol as something classy and sophisticated.. even though, ironically we all know sometimes it's this very liquor that brings out the worst in some people.  However, Belvedere decided to take a different approach to their new campaign... a not so good approach.

Yikes!  Why did anyone think this was a good idea!  The ad was reportedly released on twitter for a very short window and received such negative reactions that the company was forced to pull the ad immediately.  This ad sends the completely wrong message and does not portray Belvedere as a liquor for the sophisticated.  I'm not sure if the ad was meant to be humorous but most found it extremely offensive.

So now the company is attempting an advertising comeback to overshadow their uh-oh mistake.  They should go back to their old style that gave Belvedere a sophisticated, smooth image and stay away from humor for now.

Pepsi teams up with.... Beyonce? OMG

It's recently been reported that singer pop star, Beyonce, will be teaming up with Pepsi in a new campaign in 2013.

http://www.mymagic105.com/files/2012/12/beyonce-and-pepsi.jpg

She will be the new face of Pepsi and it's been said that she will have a significant amount of creative, directive control over the project.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/pepsi-and-beyonc-s-50m-duet-updated-145855

I think this is a brilliant idea!  Maybe I'm bias because I'm obsessed with Beyonce, but I think she's amazing and has so much talent!  She exemplifies fabulous and confidence.  With her own work, she has a lot of control over the music and performances which are always outstanding.  She would be a great face for any brand not only because she has a great following but with her direction, she may have the ability to pump some needed creativity into the campaign so Pepsi can stand taller than Coca-Cola in the cola industry.

By having Beyonce onboard, Pepsi is also stepping into the entertainment advertising industry.  Beyonce has such a huge name that this will automatically bring a lot of attention to the Pepsi brand and create a lot of buzz.  This is exactly what Pepsi needs.  They need people talking about their brand. Everyone knows about Pepsi and its benefits.  Now they need a campaign that brings attention to the brand and makes it stand out against competitors.

Apple's Genius Advertising

Apple is the leader in mobile technology innovations.  They have revolutionized the laptop and have made the iPod and iPhone an essential item for generation X.  If you ask anyone between the ages of 16 and 30 which phone they would choose next, most would say the iPhone.  If you asked the same sample group which device they use to listen to music, they would probably say an iPod or iPhone.

So why does everyone want anything Apple?  Is it the advertising? Is it the quality of the product?  Is it the product design?  Or is it a combination of each?

Apple has received a lot of attention because of their advertising.  They are simply genius.  And that is what it is, simplicity.  For their iPod ads, they used a contemporary art approach and took advantage of negative space.  The advertisements are so simple, yet brilliant!

I don't think their ads require any explanation.  They are simple and showcase the iPod.  The print/digital ad has many different versions featuring different people dancing with their iPod.  The concept demonstrates that each individual has their own iPod that has their own music that fits their personal style.

Another example of some of Apple's advertising is their tv commercials showing a comparison between a Mac and PC where the Mac is the clear winner.

This commercial shows the simplicity Apple uses to advertise their products.  Simple, yet genius.

So back to the original question... why does everyone want anything Apple?  It's everything!  The simplicity that Apple uses for every aspect of their products makes them desirable.  The simplicity of their design, the ease of use and the simple ways in which they advertise.  Genius!

GUESS... fashion advertisements

GUESS is an American clothing line that markets men and women clothing as well as various accessories including watches, bags, and jewelry.

So how do you advertise fashion?  And by fashion, I don't mean H&M or Forever 21.  I love those stores, but they are more about affordable, everyday pieces.  GUESS, in my opinion is more about special occasion, nice pieces.

It seems as though the trend for advertising pricey fashion is sex appeal.  Any fashion ad I have ever seen exudes sex.  It's all about models who have a sensual confidence.  A lot of times I have seen fashion advertisements where there is little to no clothes! It's all about the model and the brand.

In some of GUESS's recent 2012 ads they feature models in black and white photos wearing fashion forward items.

Compared to other fashion ad campaigns, I really think GUESS did a great job.  They made the photos grayscale which brought attention to the brand name which stands out in red.  They also featured models wearing some of the pieces you can find through the website or in the store.  The models are also a great representation of the brand.  Any girl who shops at GUESS wants to look like these models, meaning they want to look stylish, trendy, confident, and of course, have awesome hair.

Reebok.. What were you thinking!

Have you ever seen an ethically questionable ad that was.. not so questionable, but actually offensive?  Well here's one....

http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/reebok-cheating-ad.jpg

This is an advertisement Reebok placed in gyms in Germany as a way to promote the brand and encourage motivation in the gym; however, it created a huge backlash.  People were immediately offended, especially women.  The company later pulled the ad after much criticism and negative reactions.

First of all.. why did ANYONE think this was a good idea.  I can see if maybe some people, particularly men, might think it to be funny but there are a lot people who would take offense to something like this.  Cheating is such a touchy issue.  I would never run an ad like this, not only because I take offense to it, but also because I know many others may also have negative feelings towards it.  I would never think this ad would spark positive brand associations and promote Reebok.  This ad makes light of being unfaithful and to a certain extent, encourages it. 

It's obvious a man made and approved this advertisement.

I think this advertisement was a huge mistake by Reebok.  I'm sure they're aware of this now after the harsh feedback, but I hope in the future they are more sensitive to the opinions of women and not just men.  Women also purchase Reebok gear... well maybe not as much anymore after this ad.

Pandora Ads.. Clever or Annoying?

Pandora is the free internet radio service that has become the next big thing in the way we listen to music.  People are less inclined to buy music online or in stores because there are so many other venues to listen to music hassle-free.  Pandora is really changing the way we listen to and purchase music.  It has decreased music purchases because people can listen to any genre of music for free; however, at the same time, it has also increased music purchases because you can now listen to new artists and songs that you may have not found before which could prompt a purchase.

The service sounds too good to be true.  For free?  Well it does have it's flaws.

To listen to free internet radio, you are subject to listening to paid advertisements between songs.  The site also features banner ads as well.  Another pitfall is that you cannot choose specifically what songs you listen to.  You can only choose a genre, artist, or song and the service will create a "station" for you that features similar songs based on your search.  Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives, but are the paid ads useful?  Do they successfully send the right message?  Do people really listen to the ads?  Or are the advertisements more of a nuisance?

I think most people would agree that the Pandora ads are somewhat annoying.  People generally just want to listen to their music instead of some droning advertisement.  However, the listener can't help but pay attention to the ads.  I know when I am listening to Pandora, since I'm paying attention and listening closely to my music, when an ad plays, I inevitably listen closely to it as well.  I end up learning something about a product that I hadn't before.  I think the video ads are pointless because people listen to Pandora in the background of their computer. They don't really see the video, but instead hear the audio.

For Pandora ads, I would recommend sticking to more of a radio ad approach.  Avoid video visuals, and stay strictly informative reviewing the benefits of the product or service being advertised.

So, Pandora ads... clever or annoying?  I guess they are both!  They are a necessary part of having such an awesome free service!  No one wants to listen to the ads but when your music is interrupted, you always end up listening.

Skittles! Taste the Rainbow

Everybody loves Skittles.  They are one of the most popular and well-branded candies.  They obviously have a good grasp on advertising their brand.  "Taste the Rainbow" will always be remembered as Skittles.

Skittles has grasped the digital atmosphere.  They have a series of funny YouTube videos, a website that acts  as a humorous blog and a Twitter and Facebook page.  The website combines the Twitter page and YouTube videos.  The website is written like a blog and it features the Skittles tweets and videos from their YouTube account.

Their Facebook page is great.  They post funny statuses and videos from YouTube.  I thought it was very smart the way they engage their consumers.  Skittles has a Facebook contest called "the Greatest Fan in the World" where fans can post their best picture of them showing their fanatics for Skittles.  Some of the photos are very clever.  The contest is a great way to bring people to the Facebook page to see their posts and further send them their YouTube account as well as the website and Twitter page.

I think I may start following the Skittles brand.  Their posts can give me a good laugh for the day...

Cuties! Positioning

What are Cuties?

They are the sweet, seedless, E-Z peel clementines!

I always found it strange that you would advertise a commodity, such as fruit.  I would think it would be difficult to nail down a target since everyone eats fruit.  How do you position a fruit?  What audience do you target?

Currently, Cuties are catered towards children.  Their website is cutieskids.com and they explicitly advertise to children.  The website, as well as the Facebook and Twitter page, feature kids and the benefits Cuties provide to young children.  Cuties are positioned as the perfect snack for children because they are sweet, seedless and easy to peel.  The Cuties website, tv commercials, Facebook and Twitter pages are all synonymous and send the same message.  

However, I think this would be tricky to advertise strictly to children because they have no purchasing power.  You would also have to appeal to mothers who would be making the purchase.  As it is, with the social media sites and website, children will most likely not see those.  The website does not offer any reason for a child to want to explore the site.  I think the digital elements of Cuties campaign is aimed toward the mothers.

I think if Cuties wants to remain positioned towards the children market, they should have some type of game on their webpage or something that brings kids to their website and will further reinforce their brand and the reasons why mothers should buy them.

If I was tasked with positioning and marketing Cuties, I would not choose a specific target.  I would try to create some type of game on the website to bring children to the website and put the Cuties name in their mouths so they tell their moms to buy them.  I would also create an in-store display that would catch shoppers attention immediately when they are in the produce section.  Since fruit is such a low-involvement purchase, it would be smart to target people right at the point of purchase.  The display could be stickers on the floor that bring people to the Cuties stand or a standing a-frame that lists benefits of the clementines.

I guess there is no right or wrong way to target or position fruit, but I think the best bet is target any purchaser of fruit because I know I buy Cuties.  They really are the perfect fruit snack!

HP Envy Commercial... effective? or ineffective?

In October, Windows released their highly anticipated Windows 8.  The newest version of Windows was made primarily for use on touch screen computers and notepads.

So now there is a huge wave of advertisements for new computers featuring Windows 8.  One that stuck out among the others, in my opinion, was HP's Envy Commercial with the Emulator DJ.  It features a DJ who is deaf but enjoys deejaying because he can feel the bass.  With his new Windows 8 computer, he can not only feel the music, but he can touch it.

I really like this commercial.  I thought music was a great way to grab the viewers attention and connect with people because everyone loves music.  The commercial centers around music and being able to engage with music through their computer, giving the user the ability to touch and feel the music.

I thought the makers of this ad used a couple of different concepts to execute their idea.  They showed the product, showed the benefit, and used a testimonial.  They clearly displayed the laptop and advertised that it is a touch screen computer that allows you to "touch the music".  They used the DJ as their testimonial of someone who uses the product and receives the benefit.

So was this HP commercial successful?  I believe it is.  It clearly showed the benefits and grabbed the interest of the viewers.  The idea resonated and I remember specifically that this commercial is associated with the HP laptop.  I think they clearly differentiated themselves from other brands within the industry because of this unique commercial ad.