Honda's new ad analyzed

How do you touch someone in such a way that they don't forget you?
It is tough. Isn't it?
How difficult is it for a brand to make you feel special? It is even more challenging and it is rare that a brand could achieve this is commendable.

Honda touched me with their special ad. Since they have moved out separate ways with Hero and wanted to build a brand on their own and yet connect with their customers and build the bridge. I am glad they did this as I own a Hero Honda bike, my first one, and I have a deep bonding with the bike. I loved the ad and consider this is one of the best ads this year.

The music is amazing, they could bring in all religions, cultures and give minimum space to the star and is really fun to watch. Wonderful it turned out to be. Here it is for you to see.

 

Balanced ad by Volvo

Volvo comes out with an iconic ad to show off their stability and I love it. It is simple, path breaking and easy to understand while stressing on its principles - life is full pf potholes, ditches and problems but you can build up a body to perfection and then win over all the obstacles.

Life is more valuable when you are passing through troubles as you build the most important element  then - character. Van Damme just blends in. Good job Volvo!

Illusions!

Do you believe what you see? Or should you?

Check this wonderful ad from Honda which uses forced perspective and anamorphic optical illusions to screw up your mind. No computer animation is involved—just clever camera work and paintings on the ground.

Watch the complete ad here. I don't think it adds anything to the brand value, but I am sure it adds a lot to brand recall.


Do you think creating a good brand image where you explain/impose your brand and the values it stands for is important or just creating eyeballs?

 

6 types of advertisements

Brilliance can be selfless

MJ shared this link and I couldn't just resist sharing it with you.  Unilever has come with some brilliant ads in the past but this is beautiful and simply made.

Some takeaways from this ad:

1. I am definitely washing my hands more frequently
2. Ads that say I don't need to buy anything attract more shares
3. You needn't be a buyer now, you needn't be a beneficiary now to like this
4. Look at advertisement as an investment

I am moved!

Well, keeping the Live young spirit on, here is one more commercial for you to smile about. Love this team and their ads. Keep it up guys. Yes, I am moved!

The smell of desperation

Don't throw away that hard earned trust by sounding desperate. It won't do any good for you or your brand. Desperation makes you feel down, makes me, the consumer, re-evaluate your brand value, your worth and question your intentions, may be even loathe you! Let me explain.

Watching India's got talent Khoj 2, I almost fell off my couch laughing at Tata Docomo's effort. After Diwakar and Sonia performed their act (they were good enough to win the competition), they were given a chance to make a call which was sponsored by Docomo. The whole effort looked forced and the name of the sponsors was mentioned on the call. I have had a really good opinion about Tata Docomo till now due to their innovative plans ranging from the one paisa per sms to the ISD calls at the same price. I also loved the way their ads were. In fact Docomo ads appeal to me more than Vodafone's Zoo Zoo's do. But this particular effort was pointless. It defies the cardinal logic of marketing in many ways. Let's see what went wrong.

1. It interrupted the whole proceeding: the act and my train of thought.
2. It was unsolicited, disturbing. Your loyal customers don't need you reminding their brand name. Your critics don't just care. So if you are looking at doing the new choose your target when you do it.
3. Sounded out of place. Could have been orchestrated in a better way. Sonia (the caller) was too excited about making it to the final. Sonia's mother, who was on the other end of the call, didn't seem to have a clue about Docomo facilitating the call. The whole message was lost on both the players and the audience.
4. It was completely unnecessary, so I not only chose to ignore but got -ve feeling about the brand.
5. Nothing new or usage point (which would've made more sense). I don't need to be reminded of the brand name. My utility in the game, yes.

Guess what, this act by Docomo put a dent in my idea and perception on what I feel. I smell desperation.When a customer smells desperation, that isn't good for your brand. Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?

Sensory branding

Prof. Ramesh Kumar writes about sensory branding: When a consumer bites into a Bournville dark chocolate, does he think about the Rs 75 spent on the product? Do the expensive and exquisitely-crafted Mont Blanc pen make the buyer think of the premium price?

Youngsters at Coffee Day are busy with fun and frolic completely immersed in the experiential plane of their relationships. Millions of songs are downloaded at itunes to gratify music lovers. Marketers in the recent times have become aware of the need to market to the sensory organs that gets translated into sensual pleasure. Given the price of a brand within the plausible price range associated with the target segment, sensual quotient could work in a manner that even makes the consumer raise over the price sensitivity threshold very much associated with the Indian consumer.

Sensory branding

Primarily sensory branding starts with the appreciation of sensual pleasure orientation. Krackjack the biscuit with the dual taste of sweet and salt in one is probably one of the earliest examples of sensory branding in the Indian context (which was followed by 50:50 from Britannia). While significant stimuli a consumer faces (stimuli means sensory information directed to any aspect of the senses) is visual in nature, marketers can tap other senses towards creative branding .

Certain brands of TVs have introduced high output devises . Liril ‘s advertising campaign during the recent times highlights the sensual aspect of touch. Tropicana ‘s pure fruit juice proposition at a premium though generally associated with the health platform also moves the consumer towards the sensory appreciation of taste.

The visual aspect of sensory perception has been translated into a stereotype (projecting an image or a picture that is widely held by the consumer in general) by a number of brands in the cosmetic and personal care fields. Fair&Lovely and Parachute are examples.

Shubh Aarambh

In an otherwise stale environment lacking fresh ideas, Cadbury manages to hit the chord by bringing the theme: Shubh Aarambh.

One of the ads shows a guy pick up a girl with 'Maa kehti hai' line and in another the same line is used to chide a jeans clad lady to step out of the house. Simple message conveyed brilliantly to the audience across all ages. I have to agree that the brand manages to stand out in its communication. Not that it needs to. Dairy Milk wins the race by a mile when it comes to the key factors like brand recognition and beckoning. The platter is wide enough for different people to choose for different occasions and still the way these ads have come online, it is amazing. Well, would I remember the brand when I pick up a chocolate next? I am sure I would. How about you?

Toyota's integrity move

Sorry. We goofed up. But we are ready to stop what we are doing and set things right for you because we care.

What else would you expect a company to do more than this? Toyota teaches us an important lesson. Integrity and transparency will rule our world. Relationships based on TRUST have future. And trust pays!

Pepsi's refreshing ad strategy 2010

In a bold strategic move, Pepsi has dropped its entire Super Bowl advertising budget to focus on the new Pepsi Refresh Project. Under the Refresh Everything campaign, Pepsi will award grants for community-based projects proposed and selected by consumers. Pepsi has earmarked $20 million of its ad dollars for the grant initiative next year.

The move is an about-face for Pepsi, which was the biggest advertiser on last year's broadcast of the big game and has long made the National Football League championship the centerpiece of its marketing strategy. Pepsi has used the event, TV's priciest showcase for ads, to launch splashy spots starring celebrities such as Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford and Ozzy Osbourne.

The brand was the biggest advertiser during the Super Bowl last year. In the past, Pepsi’s advertising strategy used the major televised football event as a way to roll out some of its most memorable spots with celebrities like Britney Spears and Cindy Crawford. The shift aims to focus less on a singular event and more on cause-related marketing. Pepsi has also increased their online advertising budget by 60% for 2010.

Pic: WSJ

Advertising in social networking

35 per cent of Asian youth aged between eight and 24 used the Internet more than a year earlier and 25 per cent of them said 'they just couldn't live without the Internet'. A study, by OgilvyOne, found social networking and forums accounted for 10.2 per cent of all Internet visits by Singapore users.

Stanley Tay, GM of online marketing firm PurpleClick Media, says that there is an increase in enquiries by local firms about advertising via online media platforms, especially Facebook.

Typically, these companies were trying to reach out to younger consumers, who were likely to spend a significant amount of time on social media sites. Estimating that only one to 2 per cent of advertising spending is on digital platforms, Ken Mandel, vice-president and managing director of Yahoo! South-east Asia, "we do need to get those spends up to at least 10 per cent, which I'd say is the industry average."

The people who are currently using these social media will be our future leaders and future business decision makers, and it might be worthwhile to start investing in this audience base as early as possible.'