JAMES BOND - I AM WORKING

If you have been a James Bond fan and a regular watcher of the Bond franchise movies, you will remember the classic dialogue 'Shaken, not stirred' when James Bond is asked how he prefers his Martini. 

All of that started changing when #Heineken started associating with the Bond movies since 1997. However, James Bond himself was shown drinking Heineken only from the 2012 film Skyfall. 

Now, as the new #Bond movie 'Time To Die', which is set to release in April'20 starts its promotions, Heineken has gone a step further by showing James Bond drinking their alcohol free version of beer - Heineken 0.0, while working. 

They have released a new video, and in that you see Daniel Craig, dressed in a tuxedo, refusing the vodka martini that the bartender serves to him, and rather calls for a Heineken 0.0

"I'm working," he then says to the barman.

The ad ends with the tagline: "Now you can while working". 

You can see the full video here:

James Bond Heineken 0.0 Ad

GLOCALISATION MATTERS

On a recent trip to Vadodara, India I came across a Starbucks hoarding announcing the launch of their new cafe in Vadodara. 

Instead of the usual names that they put on their cups, the hoarding mentioned endearing terms that are used all over Gujarat for known and unknown people - Kaka (Uncle), Bhai (Brother), Bapu (Elder Man), Ben (Sister), etc.

This piece of outdoor advertising brought a smile to my face. In marketing, we are always told and taught that global brands need to localize (glocalisation) to connect in a stronger way with their audience.

Here is a great example by #Starbucks, where they are going a step further in bringing the cultural nuances of a state in its advertising and communication to make people feel closer to the brand and see the #brand as their own rather than an alien brand. 

I then went to check the #Instagram handle of Starbucks India and they had very smartly used the same creative on their Instagram feed as well, bringing consistency in their messaging and reaching the audience across touch points. 

Here is a very simple yet effective lesson for all marketers out there.

PS: The hoarding picture was clicked, while sitting in a moving car, so I could not get the best shot.

THE LAST MILE

#Volkswagen Beetle is an icon in the world of automobiles. Also known as The Bug, it has been winning the love of fans across the world for decades. Every time a Beetle hits the road, it turns heads and people want to check out the person behind the wheel.

Not only is it famous for its car model, but also popular for its campaigns like Think Small and Lemon.

Now, after 70 years, the #Beetle is finally retiring and the car is signing off with a nostalgic ad film 'The Last Mile' built on the soundtrack of The Beatles - Let It Be, an acknowledgement of the fact that the Beetle appeared on the album cover of Abbey Road.

The ad also shows artist Andy Warhol to thank him for the painting that he created of the car.

All of these incidents and events played a great role in making the Beetle brand as iconic and as loved as it is today and an integral part of the culture in many countries.

A huge investment like this for a brand that will not be sold anymore is yet another example of how special this car and this brand was to all the people behind it.

Enjoy this beautiful tribute. 

GAME CHANGERS

When we think of #sustainability, we often think of plastic, emissions and such elements, but it never strikes us that a simple thing as a tennis ball could be playing havoc with the planet. Every year, 300 million tennis balls are produced and hardly any of that gets recycled. 

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. being the sponsor of The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament wanted to do something about it as they believe in the circular economy.

They recycled tennis balls and came up with completely new products, including a playground. This took the tennis world by surprise and got them great earned media. You can read all about it in the link below, and also see the case study video that made them the winner at The Drum Experience Awards 2019. 

                                          ABN Amro turns tennis balls into playground

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STAR WARS

On 20th Dec, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker will have its premiere, and to build up the excitement for that, the team behind it is coming up with various marketing ideas across different countries.

In Philippines, the team has launched a beautiful ad film, which shows two young kids going to crazy lengths, working on a mysterious project to create something magical.

The film has been made by Wunderman Thompson Philippines and the beauty of the film is in it finer points:

1. You do not need to know the language to understand the ad. The message can be understood by everyone.

2. The entire film keeps you intrigued, really showing the power of storytelling. 

3. The end is surprising and makes you smile.

Enjoy this gem of an ad.

EDIBLE COFFEE CUPS

Every year, millions of plastic cups are used across airlines and then dumped into the growing pile of plastic that lies in the world.

New Zealand airline Air NZ knew that they had to do something about it, as they serve 8 million cups of coffee on their planes annually. 

So, they have just introduced edible coffee cups in their lounges and all their flights as a test. Made in partnership with the NZ company Twiice, these plant-based edible cups are vanilla flavoured and can withstand the heat from the coffee without melting. 

Some time back, they had already started serving #coffee in biodegradable cups, but this is definitely a step further. Having edible cups on board will also reduce the weight that they carry and further help in reducing the greenhouse gas that planes release. It is a great step forward towards a #sustainable planet.

2020 ROGER FEDERER COIN

If you are a tennis fan, enthusiast or aficionado, then chances are that you love Roger Federer or admire his achievements. 

He is often hailed as G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time) because of his consistency, longevity, passion, humility and hunger for more. With 103 tour-level titles, including 20 Grand Slams to his name, it is hard to debate that at all. 

The Swiss Government tends to agree too. In honor of his achievements, they have done something unusual. 

It is for the first time in history that a living person will be immortalized on a Swiss coin: Roger Federer! 

Swissmint, the official mint of the Swiss government, will be producing a special silver coin bearing Roger Federer's name and face. The heads side of the coin shows #Federer playing a one-handed backhand.

The denomination of this coin will be 20 CHF =~20 USD. It is a limited edition and a total of 55,000 such coins will be released. 

The coin went on sale from Dec 2nd. As soon as Federer posted the link himself, the website got 2.5 million hits and crashed a few times. 

In May 2020, the Swiss mint will be releasing a Roger Federer gold coin with a 50-franc denomination as well. 

Now if that does not define #success and #legacy in capital letters, then what does?

CHANGE

When organisations want to bring in #change, it is extremely important that they plan properly and consider all five elements that matter and bring them all together. 

These five elements are: Vision, Skills, Incentives, Resources, and Action Plan.

Even if one of the element goes missing, it will not ensure a smooth transition and create more hurdles in reaching the final outcome.

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.

GREEN TEA IN A GUMMY

If you are in a rush and have no time to wait for that warm cup of green tea, but still want to enjoy the benefits, then the answer is here. 

Three New York entrepreneurs have come together and launched gluten-free gummies that come infused with #Matcha, giving you the fix of a green tea in a quick and convenient way. This is a good combination of functionality and fun. 

Currently available in a few select retail channels in USA (online and offline), the product will be scaled up, depending on the response. 

Matcha in a solid format is not something new. Chocolate brand KITKAT has been selling KITKAT Matcha for a few years now in the markets of Japan and Malaysia, and earlier this year, they had also done a Green Tea Matcha launch in Europe. There are other chocolate players also that have been selling a green tea flavour in their portfolio. 

With the acceptance of #greentea and matcha becoming more mainstream worldwide, we will continue to see it evolve into multiple products across different markets. The launch of these gummies is one more indication of that trend. 

What is your preference? A green tea in its pure form or green tea in a product format like this?

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Pic courtesy: Matcha Bears

DIGITAL ADDICTION: YOU DON'T KNOW IT

Have you ever been in a restaurant or a tourist spot or a public transport and seen most heads down, looking into their #mobiles or other #digital devices, even when people have company?

As long as you are conscious about it and it does not affect your conversations and relationships, it is fine. However, when mobile phone engagement overpowers the real and true engagement and you start neglecting your relationships, there is a problem there.

Delete Institute, an NGO in Brazil, dedicated to guiding and informing society about the conscious use of technologies through training, consulting and support has launched a fantastic print campaign that uses extremely powerful visuals and shows people in different situations, busy in their phones. 

The beauty of the campaign is that each of this black and white picture shows a typical scenario, but the digital device has been removed from the picture. 

Each picture ends with a powerful line Digital addiction. Only you can’t see it. Delete conscious use of technology.

 

QUALITIES OF A GREAT MARKETER?

In my opinion, great marketers have two qualities: 1. They are #storytellers. This ability of storytelling allows them to build the brand, its positioning and its functional and emotional benefits in the hearts and minds of customers in a language that connects with the customers, while being true to their brand's purpose. 2. They are #analysts. The ability to analyze trends and data allows them to form strong insights, and then turn those insights into opportunities through innovation or communication. 

Great marketers know very well that good storytelling only helps, when not only does it improve the brand health, but also delivers on the financial metrics that matter. So a great marketer looks at his/her P&L to analyze and drive top line, bottom line and market share as much as looking at the advertising spends, video views and digital KPIs. 

Quite often, marketers get enchanted by the creative side only, which can give them a few minutes of fame but cannot sustain them if the numbers do not come. 

So I strongly believe that a combination of storytelling with analysis is the right mix to become a great marketer.

RAZR HAS ARRIVED!

Once upon a time, there were flip phones in the world. Until, some companies decided to change the game and flip phones became a part of folklore. 

But then, how can you keep the forefather of flip phone, #Motorola away from it? They were the pioneers in the flip phone era, launching their first flip phone model StarTAC way back in 1996. 

Now, more than two decades later, Motorola launches its new model of Motorola Razr that is sleek, modern and stylish. It comes with all the features that you expect in a smart phone and yet retains some of the heritage from the earlier versions of the Razr. 

A launch like this deserves an edgy commercial as well. Motorola does complete justice with their new ad film, which has great visuals accompanied with a strong music track. 

Enjoy this one and swoon over the new Razr.