9 HOURS OF CHARGE

In the Argentina market, Beats Electronics wanted to highlight the special feature of 9 hours of charge that their headphones deliver. 

They launched a set of print ads which talk about different genres of music, but if you look closely, each word is split into smaller words of three letters. The three letters represent an airport in one country which are then connected to next three letters which is the symbol of a different airport in another country. The flight distance between the two destinations is 9 hours, signifying how you can enjoy your music continuously during the entire flight duration if you wear your #Beats headphones. This is brilliant creativity and fantastic execution. The colours of the layout have also been matched with the different colours of the headphones. 

However, as a marketer I miss the brand name in the entire ad unless it was mentioned somewhere else. I strongly believe that the best creativity is of no use if it doesn't connect people to the brand behind it. 

What are your views on this? Let me know in the comments. 

POWER OF VISUAL

21st Sept, 2019 was World Alzheimer Day. It was a day when people needed to be reminded that there are others who forget easily, and not only do they need to be reminded again and again, but they also need to be cared for. 

Alzheimer Athens came out with a #print ad in Greece that gave out a strong message in a simple way. This is the power of a strong visual. It doesn't need to say much but the audience still understands.

NO NEED TO FLY AROUND THE WORLD

In the world of #Instagram and #Facebook, where travel is a passion and aspiration for all, people are flying to faraway destinations much more in this decade than ever before. 

German Rail was feeling the pressure of this as 72% Germans were flying out rather than taking trains within Germany as they felt German destinations were boring.

Here is what German Rail and #Ogilvy did to fix the problem:

1. They identified great locations from around the world and juxtaposed it with a similar shot of a German location next to it to encourage Germans to holiday in their home country.

                                  

2. They used Facebook data and targeted travel enthusiasts interested in those specific destinations on Instagram and Facebook.

3. Through geo-tagging technology and Google Search, they served video ads to the audience, updated with real-time prices, comparing two gorgeous locations (one in Germany and one abroad), detailing the cost of travel from their closest airport to the foreign country.

Results: An increase of 24% in brand revenue. This is a great example of: 

• Using #insights to convert it into an idea.
• Then leveraging #data to sharply target the right audience.
• That ultimately results in #revenues, which is what matters.

So many lessons in this case study!

THE MORE HATE YOU WEAR, THE LESS YOU CARE!

In today's social media world, #trolling is as common as giving likes. Brands get trolled, celebrities get trolled, common people get trolled. No one is spared. You always have two options - either get bothered by the trolls or ignore them. Clothing brand #Diesel came with a third option - Hate Couture. No, this isn't a spelling mistake of haute couture, but a very well thought out approach by the brand. Diesel took all the bad comments and turned them into limited edition merchandise and clothing for celebrities, for consumers and even for their staff. This was done across the fashion capitals of the world, slapping hate across their clothes and converting an insult into a self-declared identity! No wonder, this idea and campaign of Diesel has won the #Clio Gold Award for 2019. Check out the entire case study video to see what they did.

                                             #creativity #kunalviews #marketing #strategy

NBA IN MY BACKYARD

NBA is gearing up for its first ever game in #India featuring two of its teams - Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers. The objective is to make TV viewership of Basketball games more popular among the youth of India. As a result, DDB Mudra has launched a very exciting video #NBAInMyBackyard with peppy music and Mumbai city as the backdrop of a basketball game that is unique and not what you expect! The video surprises you first and then you start enjoying the scenes and what is happening in each frame. Nicely done.

BARBIE FLIES VIRGIN ATLANTIC!

In its 60th year, #Barbie from Mattel Toys has introduced three new careers in the aviation industry for its dolls - pilot, engineer and cabin crew. 

This initiative is to inspire girls around the world to follow their dreams. A research by the toy maker identified that starting at age five, many girls begin to develop limiting self-beliefs and doubt their full potential – this is called the Dream Gap. Through its dolls, Barbie wants younger girls to continue believing in their dreams. On the other hand, Virgin Atlantic wants to increase women representation across the board and wants to highlight the various career choices available to women. The dolls have been designed just like real #VirginAtlantic uniforms, showing different ethnicity and body diversity. These dolls will be sold on board the Virgin Atlantic flights and also at their key retail partner stores. This joint initiative works for the objectives of both the brands and the idea is backed by a strong #purpose behind it. So kudos to both the brands for this powerful launch!

BURGER KING MELTDOWN

Starting today, Burger King has launched a sustainability initiative 'The Meltdown' by getting rid of plastic toys from all its junior meals in UK. 

This is a step towards reducing #plastic and driving the conversation around sustainable solutions. This move will help in saving 320 tonnes of plastic each year. It doesn't stop there. There is more:

• Customers are invited to donate their plastic toys, whether from #BurgerKing or anywhere else ;) into the amnesty bins put up across their 500 restaurants.
• On dropping a toy and buying a full meal, a kids meal will be given free along with Meltdown stickers and a Meltdown crown.
• Recycled materials will be used to create a giant toy – an oversized jeep with a driving bunny 'Beep Beep' melting. This will be put up on the streets of London for all to witness. 

• They are tagging McDonald's on social media platforms and continuing with their banter, asking them to come and donate their toys too. 

This is yet another marketing coup by their CMO - Fernando Merchado and his team, who have been doing phenomenal work on the brand. Love the video - it is fun, cheeky and drives the message loud and clear!

FRESH OFF THE PRESS

Today, on 18th Sept 2019, the city of Mumbai woke up to a unique print #innovation in the daily issue of Mumbai Mirror newspaper. 

The front page of the tabloid had its masthead reversed and there was a small text below it that read 'Use a mirror to read this page'.

The front-page ad then showed a beautiful black and white image of one of the iconic buildings of Mumbai, standing peacefully in the middle of the Arabian Sea.

The sign off line at the bottom of the page (reverse image) says 'Mirroring the City of Dreams', which is perfectly apt for #MumbaiMirror.

What is brilliant is that the entire city was divided into zones basis the seven islands of Mumbai, and each zone then received a different edition of the paper with a different iconic building (Gateway of India, Siddhi Vinayak, CST, etc.) on the front page. The buildings would resonate with anyone who lives in Mumbai.

The entire concept has been done by Wunderman Thompson (formerly #JWT), and the campaign is a part of the video series that showcase the journey from Bombay to Mumbai from the eyes of its citizens who have seen the transformation.

The art of the #print ads is beautiful and the innovation catches you by a pleasant surprise!

Here are all of them together once again:

 

 

LEGO FRIENDS TV SET

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic TV series #Friends featuring characters Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross. 

To celebrate this milestone, #Lego has launched a special Friends set that features not only all the characters but also other recongizable items from the show - Phoebe's guitar, the Central Perk sofa, coffee machine, Gunter and his cash register.

It is a 1,070 piece set that allows fans to go back into nostalgia and relive those scenes and those characters. 

Lego invites ideas and suggestions for its sets from its fans and the idea for this special set also came from a consumer.
Lego is a brand that is not only relevant to kids but it also has a very strong following and engagement from adult consumers as well and therefore this launch is perfect to get them hooked yet again.

I'M IN. I'M OUT. OKAY NEXT.

Let your expressions, emotions and feelings come out. That is what Diet Coke is saying to consumers in UK.

They have launched 8 Limited Edition cans with short and snappy expressions so that consumers can pick the can that reflects their mood at that moment of time. All of these expressions have been chosen from modern lingo to connect with the youth and the packaging has been done to stand out on the retail shelves. These cans are a part of Coke's new 'You Do You' campaign by that is being launched across media touch points.

I am sure that consumers would love to pick these up, have conversations using these expressions and probably also collect all the expressions.

This is another step forward by Coke to stay relevant and cool among its target audience. 

DONATE YOUR WORDS

hashtag#Cadbury has launched limited edition Dairy Milk packs in UK with no words on the front of the pack. They have partnered with Age UK to support loneliness in the older generation. Research found 4.5 million older people felt lonely in later life because people don't talk to them. The campaign 'Donate Your Words' will donate 30p to the charity for every limited edition bar sold. The initiative is to encourage people to recognize and speak to older people in their communities. The #launch is also supported with a film that tells stories of older people who feel alone. It is quite obvious that only #brands that have strong icons and colours can pull something like this without the fear of whether #consumers would recognize the brand or not.

THE CONTENT MARKETING PYRAMID

Whether you are an individual, a brand or a company, #content matters a lot in today's noisy world. There is no set formula for content, there is a lot of trial and error, learning and observation, rinse and repeat, high effort and low effort and many other tactics and strategies involved. 

If you or your #brand is new and are trying to figure out the best approach, then this Content Marketing Pyramid might help.

                          Infographic Source: www.curata.com

NON-STOP MUSIC FOR NON-STOP AIRLINE

Singapore Airlines has just launched a non-stop flight from Singapore to Seattle. To celebrate this milestone and build on the idea of 'Non-Stop', the airline asked Seattle DJ and musician Chong the Nomad to build a special track for them.

What is special? The entire track is made from various sounds from inside and outside of one of its Airbus A350 planes! The entire track captures 45 different sounds to create one 'Non-stop' piece!

Check out the video of how the sounds were collected. 

Very unique and creative. Lot of fun!

MCDONALD'S = MOMENT MARKETING

This week (2nd Sept to 8th Sept 2019) #India had three big trending days: 

1. Ganesh Chaturthi - 2nd Sept

2. Teacher's Day - 5th Sept

3. India's big news of the possible landing of a rover on the moon for the first time - 6th Sept

McDonald's India social media handles leveraged all three days to do very effective Moment Marketing. The beauty of each of the posts is that they integrate each post with their product/logo into the message quite smartly and the message is simple enough for everyone to understand.

HEINZ KETCHUP - POUR PERFECTLY

hashtag#Heinz is known for its thick ketchup that pours out of the bottle slowly, giving consumers the perception that it is made of the purest tomatoes in its most authentic form with no dilution. While the slow pour has been Heinz's unique selling proposition, consumer insights have also shown that it has been a frustrating experience for consumers when the ketchup has taken far too long to come out. So Heinz Canada made it easier for consumers by introducing the Pour-Perfect bottle, where the position of the label on the bottle has been titled to a 45 degree angle - the perfect pouring angle for the ketchup. Now consumers know the right angle to tilt the bottle. This takes care of the frustration of the consumers while retaining its competitive edge. The tilted labels are also breaking clutter on the store shelves making consumers stop to check out these new bottles. It will be interesting to see if this gets scaled up by Heinz to their other markets or not.

Video Credit: Heinz Canada

FOR EVERY SIZE OF IMAGINATION

Three things that you would associate with large size - a dragon, a space ship and the Empire State Building of New York. So when you think of building any of these three using #Lego, you would imagine lots of Lego pieces. However, if you break the convention, then even a few pieces could represent any of these. In a print #campaign in Thailand, Lego shows a big structure next to a miniature structure for each of the three things and each advert ends with the line 'For Every Size of Imagination'. This clearly shows that there is no criteria or norm of how #imagination should be. It can be as you want it to be or as you imagine it to be!

Nicely done Lego!