Deconstructing Microsoft’s Latest Campaign
April 6, 2009
The blogosphere has been abuzz with some criticism of Microsoft’s latest advertising campaign, “Laptop Hunters.” The idea behind the campaign is that Microsoft filmed individuals who thought they were participating in market research and offered them a free, brand new laptop as long as it was under the given $1,000 or $1,500 budget.
It turns out, some fanboys analyzed each frame of the the spot dubbed, “Lauren.” The so-called Lauren featured in the commercial is actually a Screen Actors Guild actress, and not some random consumer. They also picked out certain details including a person who conveniently walks in and out of an Apple store near the same position.
There a few other things that the author, Freddie Laker, writes about, but the moral of the story is that social media is an extremely powerful tool. While marketers continue to capitalize on its power to leverage their brands, they must remember that the power can go both ways.
Read more at Advertising Age
Sony Create’s the World’s Largest Zoetrope
February 25, 2009
According to Wikipedia, “a zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures.” The spot above shows an actual giant zoetrope that Sony created to show how it’s latest Bravia line has an extremely fast frame rate and smooth motion.
[Via Gizmodo and YouTube via Didn't You Hear?]
Another Cheerful Rebranding Effort
February 17, 2009
By now, most have probably noticed Pepsi’s “Breathtaking” rebranding effort with a refreshed logo that is meant to resemble a smile. Another company to include a smile in its new logo is Kraft. The company recently unveiled its new corporate logo to be used on their website and on coporate communications. This means you won’t see this on any of its packaging.
The new design includes a red smile at the end with a “‘colorful flavor burst’ at the end that resembles a flower.”
[Via Ad Age]
Facebook Lexicon Tracks Wall Words
February 11, 2009
So I just came across this today because apparently my friend Randy is a fan of this feature: Facebook Lexicon. Maybe its been a around for a bit, but it’s a new discovery to me. I think this is a great tool for advertisers especially media planners who can track trends in keywords during different time periods. Facebook has a newer version in the works, but only a select list of keywords are available for showing off some of the new features. I think this could serve as a good starting point for media planners.
PlayMUJI Offers a New Product Every Day
February 8, 2009
Japan-based retailer MUJI has something new to offer each day. PlayMUJI is an interactive brand experience where guests can view short clips of a MUJI product. Each day, the company introduces a new product with a demonstration, display of unique features and other neat things. From there, visitors can purchase a product from the retailers site, but this is only available for those in Japan. In case you missed a day or two, the site allows you to look back at previous days beginning in January, and it appears that it will be running until the end of March.
MUJI is a relatively-new company state-side. It’s been around Japan for years and has recently brought its mix a simple, functional and thoughtful products to the US. During my trip to the city last week for AAF’s Most Promising Minority Students program, I had a chance to drop by MUJI’s Times Square store located at the base of the new Times Square Building. The company’s products range from notepads and pens to travel accessories to funiture and even clothing.
[Via Adverblog]
‘Eyebrow Dance’ The Latest of Intriguing Cadbury Spots
February 2, 2009
Anyone remember that slightly confusing yet funny Cadbury spot with the Gorilla drumming to Phil Collins? Well another video has been circulating the web. The latest from A Glass and Half Full Productions is “Eyebrow Dance,” a creepy yet talented duo of kids dancing with their eyebrows to “Don’t Stop the Rock” by Freestyle. It looks like some of it is CGI, but either way, those are some pretty talented kids.
[Via Adverblog]
Upgrade Your iTunes Music A La Carte
January 31, 2009
Earlier this year at the Macworld conference, Apple announced that iTunes would become completely DRM-free. Up until recently, users could upgrade their libraries to the DRM-free tracks for 30 cents per track, but it was all or nothing. This didn’t really matter to me since there’s only a handful of tracks that I could upgrade, but for power downloaders with hundreds or even thousands of songs purchased from iTunes, upgrading would mean dropping a few hundred bucks.
Seemingly health-conscious chain SUBWAY has recently launched a pilot of its SUBWAY NOW program in New York City saving Manhattanites a few extra steps towards a healthy weight. Ironic, eh?
SUBWAY NOW allows customers to send in their customized orders to their nearest SUBWAY location via the internet or a cell phone. This saves them time while it helps free up lines in the restaurants. New Yorkers should find this especially helpful since everyone seems to always be in a rush.
