Simple but effective campaign: A giant rubber duck - smiles guaranteed (showcased at Cannes Lion 2011

The Independent agencies were showing some great work at Cannes Lion 2011. One cute project created by Special Group in Auckland is The Rubber Duck, an event/BTL campaign/ad for a radio channel. To attain a lot of attention for little money, and still be truthful to the brand value, the agency decided to create a massive rubber duck and let it float around the harbour for a week. Result: Lots of interest, media coverage and social media flow. And smiles...



Another film from the same radio channel:

Lower stress and increase testosterone if you want your brand to be a winner

Testosterone is a great hormone to have around if you wish to win, be successful at work and focus hard. But if your body is full of the stress hormone cortisol, a high level of testosterone is not that good after all, writes Newsweek (July 18 2011).

To balance your cortisol and testosterone, you could according to professors at Colombia University, eat whole grains and cut out coffee to lower the stress hormones, and take vitamin B to raise testosterone.

A winner is most times calm and dominant, so even if you are passionate, reduce the jumping around and speaking in 300 km per hour. Enter a "power pose" and go for the pitch.

The same principles should work for the relationship between brands and customers as well. The brain relates to things as it relates to people; the same psychological rules can be applied. Which would mean that strong brands that ooze dominance and calm are winners. The once nervously jumping around trying to grap our attention are not... Calm signals confidence.

I haven´t seen any research on it, but if you at least wish to win the pitch, skip the coffee and sugar, eat your multigrain toast for brekkie, exersise, and speak slowly. Other tips from Internet:

"Take anti-stress supplements like B vitamins, minerals like calcium, magnesium, chromium and zinc, and antioxidants like vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, grape seed extract, and Co Q 10. Adaptogen herbs like ginseng, astragalus, eleuthero, schizandra, rhodiola and ashwagandha help the body cope with the side effects of stress and rebalance the metabolism. These supplement and herbs will not only lower cortisol levels but they will also help you decrease the effects of stress on the body by boosting the immune system."

Reviewing your account again? Stop it. What´s needed is client leadership.

From time to time accounts are up for review. In the world of advertising, media, pr and marketing there is constantly a restless movement: brands fiddeling from  agency to agency, from campaign to campaign; people getting jobs, losing jobs, getting jobs, losing jobs.

Clients like to test new waters and want to prove their value by making a difference - especially if the person in charge is new at the job... But does it help?

Not if the client makes the review and then takes a nap, expecting the agencies to see good work...

It worries me that most times it doesn´t matter who the media agency is if the client is not strong enough to lead the process with 5-6 agencies involved and make them blend and do great work as a team. Too many times there is an unhealthy power struggle happening between the agencies, between the strategists, between the account directors and so on. It´s an insane and naive fight about assets, influence and power, and only a strong hand can create some professional vibes in the sand-pit. Any marketing director who believes that the agencies work for their best, must wake up. You can do a mammoth job to review your accounts and during a period listen to agency bosses wooing you, flattering you, but if you sign the papers and then leave the room, the cat-fight will unfortunately start... Swapping to a new media agency will not do miracles. Your leadership will.

When marketing directors are a part of the everyday process and push the agencies - creative, digital, media, pr, strategy, btl etcetera etcetera - to cooperate, they can truly buld a brand. When the client encourages that everyone works together, instead of meeting at a tissue session competing against one another, there is hope.

Today there are no clear boundaries and rules about who is doing what. Media agencies don´t just buy space in tv programs; they want to do strategy, content and creative work as well. BTL want to do ATL. Ad agencies wish to act like media agencies and get a chunk of the money from commissions when placing their work. Everyone wants to wear a social media suit of course, and they all want to "own" the "big idea", be the one who is close to the business and get the client´s ear. It´s like a bunch of un loved children, fighting for their mum´s attention. See me. See me. No MEEEE!

It is natural in times when competition is hard and the Us economy is about to crash, creating yet another wave of insecurity in the world. We all wish to survive and get more work. Lots of attention seeking egos (yeah, I like to influence too, that´s why we are all in this industry...) are eager to do great work and to have resources to do so. As a client you can´t blame the system to work in the way that is natural. But you can steer the ship.

I wish to come in from the side and change things on a general level, but it´s a toxic culture which can not be transformed in seconds. I´ve met one wonderful agency that works from the heart, and will start working with them properly very soon, so there are exceptions... But a single healthy agency can´t make a difference. I do believe clients need to be braver, stronger and more based in reality. Clients: Don´t listen to the smooth talk during the review period - it doesn´t matter how lovely they sound if the mix between agencies is in disharmony. Show us who´s the boss :) Wake up!

NAB jumps on the new candid camera trend with "Incorrect change" campaign

I have spotted a new little trend in advertising/marketing - the candid camera!

The latest is NAB´s "Incorrect change" campaign, where Australians are given 5 dollar too much back after buying a coffee, and almost everyone of them give the money back! Aussies are an honest bunch, is the conclusion.

Aaaaah, such a terrific campaign; NAB has done it again! After several wins in Cannes 2011 with their breaking up campaign they are now further claiming the brand space of being on OUR side (without a smiling bank woman in sight). They make Aussies proud of themselves, it creates a community spirit and a feeling of being on the winning team. By boosting our egos the agency touch a soft spot in our heart. Well done Clemenger BBDO Melbourne! More about it on Campaign Brief´s site. Look at this:




A similar study on honesty and re-paying: http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/apologies.htm?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=neuromarketing

Another example of hidden camera tricks is the campaign from Huawei, where they surprise people with phones on the street. Check it out, it´s hilarious:



So why are hidden cameras so fun? Well, in a totally directed world where everyone are photoshopped on Facebook, perectly rehersed on YouTube and just UNREAL, we wish to see honesty. Honest reactions, responses, faces and emotions. It´s unpredictable and very close to our heart. We will see more of this.

Beautiful ad from Bahrain one example from TED´s new Ads Worth Spreading

The TED community has collected the best ads. It´s a wonderful way to showcase ads that are worthy watching, as art, entertainment and emotion spurrers. http://www.ted.com/aws

One of the ads is "Infinity", made by FP7/BAH (an advertising agency based in Bahrain). Created for Batelco Group provides telecoms services to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Sit back an enjoy the beauty. It´s longer than 30 seconds but I promise you an experience, not an ad...



Does this kind of ad sell telecom? It doesn´t show a lot of phones, connections, people talking, smarthphoning or anything. Still... it gives you a feeling that the brand is creative, intelligent and fresh. You know that you will get the new, exciting and trendy if you join the ride.

Dog owners last longer in bed than cat owners? An app for condom usage

The health care organisation in Stockholm is trying a social media game to encourage the Swedes to use condoms. Around the city, Stockholms Läns Landsting (responsible for the local government´s hospitals etc), gives out free condoms wrapped in a box telling people to use their app "Liggprofilen" which means something like "Sex style profile". People are supposed to bring the smartphone to bed (or wherever they fancy sleeping with someone) and then record rythm, sound and time, and post the result for everyone to see. On the website you can follow how people "do it" and compare dog owners with cat owners, guys who wear sneakers with girls who live in Southern suburbs.

Which takes us back to the headline of this blog post: Those who have a dog have sex on average 4 minutes and 11 seconds, while those who own a cat only do it for 1 minute and 25 seconds. But... if you own a goldfish you won´t even last for a minute.

Allright, the statistics might not be reliable... but it´s at least a little interesting and different, and aren´t we living in a culture constantly looking for novelty? People can´t simply live, they seem to also need to record, measure and analyse every step on the way. Brands can attract them by sending a little game or a contest or a magic trick their way. Entertain, surprise, shock, make them giggle, and you have won their hearts. Help them escape from the real world for a while and they will love you for it.

It is not for everyone though. Some people are restless, constantly seeking attention and change - they get a physical kick out of getting an sms! Some people are happy with silence and feel more stress than relief from getting email in their smartphones. Some don´t mind sharing their darkest secrets with everyone, others get offended by a simple question. It´s all in our DNA and a marketer should have a plan for both types of consumers.

When it comes to usage of condoms I believe "Liggprofilen" is a great idea built on a brilliant strategy. The type of people who tend to "forget" to use condoms, and who are more likely to have one night stands or cheat, are those who can´t sit still and get easily bored - especially of doctors or nurses or any authorities telling them what to do. They will protest if you lecture, yawn if you inform and do the opposite if you push. But if you play with them, on their terms, by giving them a puzzle, or as in the case of the Swedish sex profile app, you can get closer.

Agency Ester Stockholm http://www.esterstockholm.se/ who has won several prizes for the campaigns for Kondom08.

All this made me remember an old post of mine, about a man who married his dog. Ehum. http://howwemove.blogspot.com/2010/12/man-marries-dog-and-woman-marries.html

The customer shops at first sight - but who is "the customer"?

A new report from MediaMind shows that people are approximately 30 percent more likely to act after seeing an ad the first time than they are when they’ve been exposed to it more frequently (research on financial ads). Users will make up their mind within the first few seconds of seeing it - and it will take more than just blasting repeats of the ad to change their mind.

Read article in Marketing Magazine: http://www.marketingmag.com.au/articles/opinion/5485/where-should-your-brand-focus-first-/



Is this true? Yeah, most likely. It´s after all research, isn´t it? :) Well, I do believe in the power of the first glance, but it is still important to repeat a message, and even if we are quick to judge, the follow up encounters with the brand are still valuable. In a cluttered world of too much information, where the poor brain find it hard to keep up with it all, we are eager to sort and organise and find ways to handle the overload. One way is to make a quick decision and stick to it. Another way is to constantly worry, and end up with nothing.

I don´t think us marketers will ever understand this process without understanding psychological profiling. There is no Answer based on statistical curves. Men usually shop directly, while ladies shop in circles. Dopamine high people shop everything, quickly, while those driven by estrogen are careful and considerate in their movements. Those who grew up poor might look for bargains and trust no one, while those who had a comfortable childhood are happy to spend.

There is no Answer. Just like the economic scientists have had to accept that we are not "rational" and the liberal politicians have had to accept that people don´t make perfect choices if they have freedom to choose, marketers have to look beyond the type of data presented by MediaMind. You need a strategy that welcomes all, and not just an average robot human. That person does not exist.