Sister's Ice Cream

Here is a little piece of inspiration that should make you smile and admire the creativity behind it.

Sister's is a homemade ice cream from Iran, made by three sisters. The packaging design has been done in a way to represent the identities of the manufacturers, clearly mentioning that it is homemade ice cream.

It has also been designed to ensure that the packs stand out in comparison to other big and small players in the market.

The spark of colour, representing the flavours on a nice and soothing white background stands out and gives it a fresh, cool and summery look. The smart use of the illustration to show the different hair style brings the fun element.

I am not sure how big the #brand is, how strong its distribution is and whether this concept has been scaled up or not. I do hope that this #packaging is helping the brand win the consumers' hearts and share of wallet!

UNBOX IT

#Unboxing is a phenomenon that gained momentum with the proliferation of gadgets and digital products. So much so, that the unboxing videos on #YouTube gets thousands of views.

Now if you are a smart #brand, you will pick up a trend of one category and apply it nicely to your category. This is what #Adidas does with their ZX 2K BOOST footwear, which are supposed to be quite advanced footwear in terms of design and technology.

So, these shoes also come packed in this specially designed box, which has been called 'Premium Artifact' by the design agency.

This custom engineered box offers a truly unique unveiling and comes adorned in its own retro, space-tech reusable carrying case. All the material is 100% #recyclable.

I find the #packaging quite cool and goes well with the brand personality.

USE IT - STOP THE SPREAD

This is an advertisement created by Zuck & Berg, Armenia for World Health Organization asking people to stop the spread of the virus. 

How? 

Use your brains - Do not panic and do not fall for rumours, fake news or misinformation.

Use soap - Wash your hands frequently.

Such a powerful visual! Well thought through and quite creative. 

SAMSUNG MICROCODES

In the current world of noise and clutter, it's always a challenge for #brands to get the attention of their target audience.

Every marketer keeps thinking of new ways of reaching their consumer through their advertising and #communication. Now what if you start incentivising people to watch your ads across the different platforms? That is exactly the idea behind #Samsung Microcodes.

This is an initiative in Australia where, Samsung Australia has hidden codes in their ads around the country to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S20. These codes are extremely tiny and could be hidden in their TV ads, posters, online ads, mobile ads or any other #advertisement that they roll out. The first one to find a winning code gets a free Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G!

Such a creative way to engage people, get them to pay attention to every ad on every platform and also build excitement for the new launch!

TOAST IT THE WAY YOU LIKE IT!

Although bread is eaten universally, not everyone likes to have their bread toasted at the same level. Some like it lightly toasted while others like it to be dark.

However, most toasters only have two settings - burnt and not burnt. You can do your own trial and error to get the perfect toast but it is never consistent.

The R180 toaster from Revolution in USA doesn’t have that problem. They turned an insight into an opportunity and it lets you toast your toast exactly how you want it.

To let people know about this toaster, they launched a print ad where they showed all the possible shades of toast that you can achieve and they smartly used a colour swatch card to drive the point by converting it into a toast swatch card.

Innovation in product, creativity in communication - a perfect combination.

NAPKINIZED

Why waste paper when you can have dual utility to it? This is the clear insight on which KFC is working in the markets of UAE and Lebanon.

They have converted their receipts, menus and even paper bags into a material that can then be used a napkin!

All of this material comes with the words NAPKINIZED so that consumers know what to do with it beyond its obvious use.

The receipts and menus use a special UV printer machine with bio-degradable and eco-friendly ink, so that after you have read them, you can easily use it to wipe your face or hands.

I hope that this does not stay limited to just these markets. It is a brilliant idea that needs to scaled up across all KFC restaurants worldwide and potentially by other QSR brands too. 

Image credits: bandt.com.au

LEAP DAY

You may see Ryan Reynolds as a sharp actor. However, I see him as an astute marketer who knows how to leverage an opportunity when he sees one.

Today is 29th February. A leap day. In school, we always felt sad for a person who celebrated his/her birthday on 29th February as they would get to celebrate it only once every four years. What that also meant was that those people moved from one age to another every four years only.

Ryan Reynolds used this insight, found a person born on Feb 29th, 1936 and then made her try her first legal drink (of course, his own brand - Aviation Gin) when she turned 21 in the year 2020!

Loved the casting, the acting, the creativity and the storytelling in this adorable video.

This is yet another smart move that Ryan has pulled off after the coup that he did a few months back by doing three different brand ads in a single ad.

CHEERS TO ALL

It is the role of advertising and communication to build brand equity and drive sales. However, it is also the responsibility of advertising and brands to understand culture and play a role in breaking stereotypes.

The HEINEKEN Company has launched a lovely ad film that uses only the power of visuals and lyrics to break a strong stereotype associated with drinking beer.

Don't miss the last line, where they do not mention beer at all. Very smart!

FLAGS

This is such a fantastic print campaign by Vittoria School for Language Mediators in Italy!

Using books, notebooks and notepads as props, each ad then represents the flag of a country.

The message that Vittoria School is giving is that not only does it teach a language theoretically but it also teaches about the culture of a country and how the people of that country speak in normal conversations. 

For me, the campaign is extremely creative without losing the simplicity. I just love the way the educational props have been used. The agency behind this campaign is La Fabbrica Creativa, Italy.

CUTE WATER BOTTLES

Yesterday, I came across a little collection of #Evian bottles in the supermarket 🛒

While it brought a smile to my face, it also got me thinking on the strategy and logic behind these specially designed and packaged bottles 🍶

Some of my hypotheses of the rationale behind their launch are:

1. Shelf stand out: It goes without saying that these bottles stood out from all the other bottle brands on the shelf 🔍

2. Price value equation: Evian water is priced higher than the other bottles in the market. Other than the quality of the water, this kind of unique #packaging also helps in justifying the high price 💶

3. Increased consumption: A bottle design like this induces you to drink more water which is not only healthy for you but also healthier for Evian's business 💰💰

4. Getting children excited for water: If parents are looking ways to get their children to drink more water instead of other drinks, then a fun packaging like this can play a key role 🔐

THE ECONOMIST

Advertising of The Economist magazine is known for its intellect, wit and use of less words.

They want to reflect in their #advertising the same level of intelligence that they expect from their readers. 

Here is yet another example of their style of communication.

FEEL IT

They say, you cannot unsee something after you have seen it. 

The Coca-Cola Company is pushing the pedal in its new outdoor and print campaign in Europe, where they are relying on the strength of consumer memory.

The company is putting the Coca Cola logo on different platforms in the same font and angle as how it appears on their bottles.

The line above every ad reads 'Feel It' and that line triggers the mind to visualize the bottle without the bottle being there! 

This is an idea by #Publicis where they have gone ahead and leveraged the visual icons of the #Coke brand - the red colour, the font and the iconic bottle.

It is a great example of how consistency of certain elements around your #brand play a big role in brand building. Go ahead and see all three pictures and I am sure that you will also feel the bottle.

BUY WITH YOUR TIME

'Time is money' is an aphorism that was coined by Benjamin Franklin two centuries ago. It seems that IKEA Group is keen to prove it to its consumers .

In UAE, #Ikea gave consumers the opportunity to pay for their goods using time as a currency! Yes, that is right. 

Most Ikea stores are located far from the city centres and it takes lot of time for #consumers to reach the store. This is a pain point for consumers. Ikea understood this consumer insight and converted it into a delight for them. 

How?

Ikea put a certain time value to every item in their store. Consumers had the option of paying for those goods, using the time that they had spent in reaching the store. 

Check out this video to see more.

PLASTIC WITH EXPIRY DATES

In order to bring change, sometimes it is important to shock people so that it affects their behaviour. This seems to be the approach that a few supermarkets are taking in UK. 

Since the last few days, lot of food and drink items in the supermarkets have started appearing with expiry dates of the plastic! Yes, that is right. 

All the labels show an expiry date of 2499 and state "please recycle me". This should be enough for people to rethink their purchase and consumption pattern as well as how they dispose their #plastic. 

This idea is the brainchild of Grassroots campaigners, Gagandeep Jhuti and Joe Foale-Groves, who have been labeling products since the start of the new year to get people to think before they buy. 

So far, they have been doing this without the supermarkets permission but I think it won't be long before supermarkets welcome them for this initiative. 

Would we also see similar activities in other parts of the world soon? Let us wait and watch.

COFFEE TO WAKE UP!

What better way to start a Monday morning than a hot cup of coffee, that really wakes you up and kickstarts your week. 

That's the message that McDonald's is giving through this extremely witty and creative ad for McCafe.

I just love the simplicity and the way the logo and coffee beans have been used, without trying too hard.

Well played McDonald's

13 MONTH CALENDAR

As we reach the end of the first month of 2020, which is also a leap year, it is time to revisit the proposed standard calendar that has 13 months of 28 days each, and every date falls on the same day irrespective of the month or the year. Each month has exactly four weeks and every year continues to have 52 weeks divided in 13 months.

This International Fixed Calendar is a solar calendar proposal, designed by Moses B. Cotsworth. It was presented way back in 1902. Though it was never officially adopted in any country, entrepreneur George Eastman adopted it for use in his Eastman Kodak Company, where it was used from 1928 to 1989.

Such a calendar comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but who knows, it might just be something that gets adopted in the future.

WILL THIS BE THE MOST INSTAGRAMMED PRODUCT?

#Ikea has launched a unique product that you may have never seen before: the Müpolash.

What is it and how did it come into existence? 

Their consumer data analytics showed them two things:

1. Out of all their products that consumers put up on #Instagram, these four products are Instagrammed the most: a mug, pot, lamp and shelf. 

2. White is the most Instagrammed colour. 

Combining all of this analysis, they created the Müpolash (a combination of the four products mentioned above) made of 100% biodegradable materials, and crafted through 3D printing. 

The idea behind this new object is that if IKEA’s mugs, pots, lamps and shelves are getting a lot of traction, then the MÜPOLASH should be the “most Instagrammable thing ever made.

Müpolash is currently on display at the Design Museum of Gent, Belgium. There are only four other Müpolashes in the world. To win one, you need to use the #Müpolash AR Instagram filter and capture a nice shot of the product in your home.

It will be interesting to see the digital traction that an idea like this gets, which comes at a very marginal cost.

DANDRUFF MAKES YOU LOOK STUPID

When you scratch your head because it itches and not because you are thinking, it makes you look stupid. 

This is the premise on which Saatchi & Saatchi launched this print campaign for Head and Shoulders shampoo in the UAE market. 

They took strong, recognizable, real and fictional characters - Albert Einstein, Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones and James Bond and created special illustrations, showing them scratching their heads. Each ad ends with the tag line 'Dandruff makes you look stupid'. 

Not only is the #advertising smart, but the font and style of the tag line in each picture has been designed to look like the part of the rest of the surrounding, and the hand that holds the Head and Shoulders bottle in each ad is also a part of the overall set-up, making it all look seamless.

So, the #creativity and the quality of art in these layouts is very good, paying great attention to every detail.

OPEN 24 HOURS

Simple, effective and creative. The print campaign by McDonald's in Uruguay is brilliant. 

With the upside down text, the reader will turn the page around and as soon as she does that, she will notice that the time reads right on both sides, even though the time itself is different. The message is extremely clear. 

Conceptualized by TBWA\Worldwide, this is yet another example of a lesson in #communication - Do not try too hard. Keep it simple.

MESSAGE IN A LOGO

The ad below is such a powerful creative, done so simply and yet so effectively. Love the creativity and the twist on the existing logo of Audi AG to give out the message about the entry of #Audi in electric cars segment.
This brilliant piece of print #advertising was done by the agency #TBWA in the market of Sweden.