Advertising

When Cats Fantasize

By Delphine Hirasuna | April 4, 2013September 4, 2014

The new advertising campaign for Whiskas from Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in the UK is built around the premise that big cats (i.e., leopards, lions, jaguars, etc.) and little cats share the same natural instincts. Understanding this behaviorial link, Whiskas says it gives domestic kitties all they naturally need in one pet food product. I love the ads, but question the connection. My cat sleeps all day and won’t take on anything more dangerous than a fake mouse and a ball on a string. But I can imagine that when my cat daydreams, she sees herself stalking a herd of zebra, cozying up to lions, taunting an elephant, and running as fast as an antelope. In her dreams, she’s untamed and courageous and keeping company with wild beasts. She’d love these ads.

Humor

Old Spice’s Wolfdog Marketing Ploy

By Delphine Hirasuna | March 15, 2013September 4, 2014

Old Spice men’s fragrances has a new executive marketing director, and he’s a real wolf. This commercial made by Wieden + Kennedy proves that the global ad agency is having far too much fun to call it working. It’s interesting that unlike most men’s scent ads, there is no real plug for how sexy and desirable the product will make you. No, women in cleavage-revealing gowns running their red fingernails teasingly over the man’s firm unshaven jaw. No hint of pheromones wafting through the air, leading women like Barbie doll zombies in search of the source. No, these ads are snarky and tongue-in-cheek funny. And like an increasing number of marketing campaigns, they don’t stop with one ad. Wolfdog has his own website/blog, Twitter account, homework “service,” and Call of Duty game. Will it make men rush out to buy the product? Don’t know, but it will raise awareness of Old Spice and get people talking.

Advertising

O Christmas Tree Ads, O Christmas Tree Ads

By Delphine Hirasuna | December 25, 2012September 4, 2014

If all the holiday ads featuring Christmas trees were planted side by side, they would fill an entire forest. So it is refreshing to see some companies give their own creative spin to this overworked visual cliche. The message is concise, amusing and not cloyingly sentimental – and the ads are free of reindeer, rosy-cheeked Santa, and overly cute children in bathrobes and fuzzy slippers running to their presents under the Christmas. A nice change of pace. Merry Christmas!

Posters

CBS Outdoor Advertises Advertising

By Delphine Hirasuna | August 1, 2012September 4, 2014

In the UK, CBS Outdoor has been trying to convince advertisers to think outdoors in the city by running an in-house branding campaign on buses, trains and the London Underground. Called “Outdoor by Name, Urban by Nature,” the strategic ad series features animals and birds made up of silhouettes of familiar regional landmarks in the UK. The ad running in London, for example, depicts Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Wembley Stadium and other urban icons. Citing data from ONS and TGI surveys, CBS Outdoor says that “87% of urban respondents have seen Outdoor advertising in the last week.” This is nearly double the number of city dwellers who are exposed to ads via newspapers and radio.

Humor

New Era Caps Pits Chicago Against Chicago

By Delphine Hirasuna | June 23, 2012September 4, 2014

These viral videos are actually ads for New Era Cap Company, which is the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of caps for all U.S. major league baseball teams, minor affiliates and more than 200 U.S. colleges and universities. The videos don’t mention headwear until the close, but viewers recognize the rivalry, antics, jabs and banter of sport fanatics just by seeing the logo on the caps. The Chicago Cubs and White Sox caps make clear each wearer’s team loyalties and “tribal ” identifications.

Starring popular character actors Craig Robinson and Nick Offerman, the series of video ads are hilarious – and probably very close to reality. The ads follow on the heels of another Brooklyn Brothers ad series for New Era, starring actors Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski and the rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox.