Inspiriert

Thoughts about Advertising on March 18, 2008

For those of you who’ve pulled dusty Merriam and Webster out of the closet, the title’s German for “inspired”; and no, you’re not going to receive a Zertifikat Deutsch for guessing that anytime soon. I simply reckoned that if Audi could be brave enough to push “vorsprung durch technik” around the world, they must have had a pretty damn good reason.

The question is, were they arrogant or simply inspired?

For someone who’s been in advertising, I can tell you that the inspiration behind a brand seldom makes the fifteen feet from the marketer’s sketchpad to the developer’s keyboard. Yet, it is that very inspiration, which makes the product break free of the clutter of price and promotion.

And what better way to be inspired than in the details; which is precisely what Audi have managed to do with their 2008 A4 (well, at least for the first 15 seconds). From the error messages to the manner in which the experience begins, the theme of setting a new standard is reinforced time and again. It’s just a shame that the rest of the site doesn’t quite follow suit.

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Mark, Mörker and Minifångst

Thoughts about Advertising on January 8, 2008

They say there’s nothing like a bit of free publicity, and what better way than to invite a comedian (slash) filmmaker of CNN repute to live in your apartment while his house is being fumigated? Well, that’s exactly what an IKEA store in New Jersey did. In return, your guest gets to play laser tag with the security guards and write about it all week long!

Mark lives in IKEA is an interesting little campaign which is sure to raise a few eyebrows, if not drive people to check out the IKEA in Paramus. It’s a long way from anything award-winning and the missus certainly didn’t share Mark’s enthusiasm, but only the coming weeks will tell if IKEA’s holiday cheer was put to good use.

In case you’re still trying to swallow Mörker and Minifångst, join the millions of other IKEA customers who can’t introduce their own table lamp and organizer.

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Simple

Thoughts about Advertising on September 22, 2007

Chiquita planted their flag online in Belgium last year, in an effort to save their image after eight executives were framed for dealings with the Colombian paramilitary. While I’ll give them credit for exploring the medium, the question you need to ask yourself is does a brand with an otherwise simple proposition really need to be that complicated online?

I came across their “Brain Fuel” sticker down at the local grocery this morning (yes, it’s probably been around for ages, and no, I didn’t notice it). It’s simple, conveys the product’s proposition and doesn’t even have to bat an eyelid for your attention. In fact, if you spend the extra five minutes to dig up why they’re considered brain fuel, you’ll find that every word of it’s true.

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Is 8C really the best seat

Thoughts about Advertising on August 23, 2007

Unlike the watch-making fraternity which sets all their time pieces to 10:10:30 for a good reason, it appears that there’s no real reason why Air France chose seat 8C for their advertisements.

In fact, you’ll find that there’re actually better seats all around it. SeatGuru is a great little service which can pinpoint the best seats on any aircraft operated by as many as 40 international airlines when I last checked.

The next time you fly to Bangkok, look out for Thai’s Airbus A340-500 (345), which has up to 16% more room in coach than any other airline.

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Class A carcinogen chivalry

Thoughts about Advertising on February 5, 2007

I’ll never forget the day I fumbled a speech in front of a thousand odd heritage villagers on what I’d do if I were stuck in a room with a friend. Yes, there were the obvious nudges to “why don’t you start with hum do ek kamre mein bandh ho”, but suffice it to say that those of you who know me will realize why I chose not to say a word in Hindi.

Looking back though, there’s a one in two chance that John Doe would be chimneying a pack of cigarettes right about now. He’d probably never get away with it in Marlboro country, but with some of the world’s worst social legislation, it’s all but commonplace in the Middle East. In fact, if you step into our offices at 18:01 on any given day, we’re only a couple of roadsigns and a cocktail table away from an evening at Scarletts.

The EPA apparently classifies cigarette smoke as a Class A carcinogen, which puts it in the same bracket as arsenic and popping your head into a coke oven. The bigwigs obviously wouldn’t want to be sued for not telling you that, so they’ll happily print the lung and cancer spiel on every packet, carton and crate. And let’s not discount the smoking PSA which makes gold at the New York Festivals each year, just because some agency had too much time on their hands (read Khaleej Times, and you’ll know what I mean). Question is, will any of that stop Doe from lighting up?

Odds are, it’s a no. Surprisingly, though, you’ll find that there’s nothing like walking up to John and telling him to put it out. You wouldn’t think twice about standing up for yourself if John were a steam vent at a nuclear power station; yet for some reason, we’re all bewildered by the thought of being ostracized when it comes to saying no to smoke, let alone smoking.

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