Huxley Quayle von Blog

A new vision for advertising. From awareness to inspiration.

Once again, our friends at Future Lab have posted an article that gives advertising people and marketer alike something to think about. Creating ideas that get people involved is what HQvB is all about, so we're in strong agreement.

Let me know what you think.

Is Advertising Worth Saving?

by: Karl Long

Exec Summary: Yes, advertising is still a valuable discipline, but what it needs is a higher purpose. Advertising needs to inspire more than mass consumption, it needs to communicate ideas that inspire action, and participation. The good news is the internet is one of the best mediums ever for the propagation of remarkable ideas, and at their best ad agencies create great ideas that inspire above and beyond the act of passive consumption…

Advertising, as an industry is going to get hit very hard in 2009 as it’s caught in a perfect storm. A combination of the economic downturn combined the massive shift in how people, formerly known as consumers, interact with and experience media, is going to put enormous pressure on an industry already in trouble. Look at the industries that support traditional advertising, retail, auto industry, financial services, you see where I’m going with this. WPP is rumored to be cutting ’several thousand’ jobs and Omnicom is letting 3,500 people go.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Thought of the day - January 9, 2009

AOR is, or should be, dead.

Let's face it, we're in a new time, a new world. So why are agencies clinging to ways of doing business from the early twentieth century? It doesn't make sense.

As a marketer you have to make a good product and keep a good relationship with your customers every day. You have to constantly think of new ways to earn your customers business.

So why should your agency hide behind a three year contract? We don't think we should. We think we should earn your business every day. We should be pro-active in bringing new opportunities and new solutions to our clients.

Now, the standard argument for AORs is that it creates a partnership where the agency has security and get to know the client well. We think that's bunk.

What really happens is that the AOR shop generally waits for the client to pick up the phone and tell them they need to do something. Why? Because they've got the business guaranteed, which takes away the hunger.

When you work on a project basis, you stay hungrier. You look for opportunities. You overperform so that you can get more projects. Just like the marketer has to do to get sales.

Our bet is that by keeping hungry we end up doing better work and give our clients better service. We have to.

Thought of the day - January 8, 2009

Do sponsorships like the Olympics, the NHL and others really work? As a consumer, I have never purchased anything because I saw an Olympic logo on an ad. And I can't really remember changing my mind about a company, or getting the warm fuzzies because of a sponsorship.

People will argue that you have to activate the sponsorship, do something with it, to really reap the rewards.

When you add the cost of the sponsorship, along with the cost of activating it, you usually get a big number. Are you getting the most you could be for your brand and your sales with that money?

Here's some thinking for the new age.

Studio Guides Viewers to Google Instead of Movie Site
Campaign for '2012' Aims to Expose Viewers to End-of-Days Theory Before Film's Trailer

by Claude Brodesser-Akner

Published: January 07, 2009

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Columbia Pictures' marketing credo for its new Roland Emmerich disaster epic, "2012," seems to be "Google it." The Sony-owned studio has abandoned plans for a Super Bowl ad hyping the film in favor of an online campaign, run with the help of Google's search engine.

The apocalyptic film's producer Michael Wimer said a 'sneaky viral plan' is already under way to 'seed the internet with mad prophesizing' during the next three weeks.
The apocalyptic film's producer Michael Wimer said a 'sneaky viral plan' is already under way to 'seed the internet with mad prophesizing' during the next three weeks.

In the film's initial trailer, a panting Tibetan monk huffs frantically up the spine of a lofty mountaintop and sounds a warning bell about an unseen, imminent danger. But it's too late: Suddenly, the better part of the Indian Ocean crests the Himalayas and washes away the monk, his monastery and, presumably, the rest of Asia. But instead of directing viewers to a traditional movie website, the trailer uses the tagline "Google Search: 2012."

Because movie websites preach to the converted, they can't do much to fill seats at the multiplex. But you can bet a lot of people are going to be Googling "2012" in the next few years, and a better profile among those searches won't hurt the film.

Year of the apocalypse?
If the year 2012 doesn't immediately conjure images of the apocalypse for you, you're clearly not associating with the right internet conspiracy theorists -- and that is exactly why the studio teamed with Google.

Just type "2012" into Google's search engine, and hundreds of thousands of entries erupt, but the biggest beneficiaries are Wikipedia and IMDB, whose synopsis of the film was No. 2, as well as paid ads for self-published, fundamentalist-Christian end-of-days books.

What does not immediately appear in a Google search for "2012" (not yet, anyway) is the usual movie-studio-produced promotional site for the film -- at least until you scroll about halfway down the first page of Google's search results.

"Instead of sending them [directly] to our website, why not let them do some research on their own? People seem to like to work a little bit," said Valerie Van Galder, co-president of Sony Pictures' worldwide marketing and distribution, adding: "We're hoping people will become curious about it, and we'll start to release more materials that will be less esoteric."

'Sneaky viral plan'
Michael Wimer, the film's producer, said a "sneaky viral plan" is already under way to "seed the internet with mad prophesizing" during the next three weeks. Part of that will be audio blogs voiced by characters in the film, including one from Woody Harrelson, who plays a seemingly mad doomsayer with his own cable-access show.

"We're going to pluck the same chords that either scientists or prophesiers would," Mr. Wimer said. "The fringe audience is out there, but it's bigger than you think."

For instance, Sony's head of digital marketing, Dwight Caines, disclosed that some Google search results for "2012," while not optimized, were nonetheless part of the studio's viral-marketing campaign. (One such bogus Sony site, instituteforhumancontinuity.org, has been offering "lottery tickets" for those interested in being saved from certain destruction in 2012. Just plug in your e-mail address, and you'll begin to get messages from its "communications director.")

While the film is far from No. 1 on Google, it is No. 1 somewhere else: YouTube. As of press time, the trailer was No. 1 on the Google-owned video site (synergy!), where it has had nearly 1.3 million views and 5,521 comments in the past month.

No Super Bowl spot
"2012" is scheduled to open on July 10, but unlike many summer blockbusters, it won't be a debutante in the costly, ad-festooned NFL championship in Tampa Bay, Fla., this February.

"We're not going to do a Super Bowl spot," Mr. Wimer said. "There's so many pictures that buy those spots, you get lost in the crowd, and frankly, we could use that money a lot more effectively in this clever [online] way."

A single spot in this year's Super Bowl costs an estimated $2.7 million.

Thought of the day - January 7, 2009

Advertising isn't dead. And at it's core it's not changing. Advertising has always, and will always be about involving people in a brand story that is compelling and meaningful. It's just that now we have more tools at our disposal. In this transmedia world where people consume media in new ways, the trick is to not be afraid or intimidated by the new tools.

The real value is still in the story.

As a creative person, I don't have to have to know how to code an online experience. What I have to know is how to do is create a story that can come alive in any media, whether it be digital, broadcast, out of home or in-store.

A lesson for advertising.

Jen Stark makes incredible sculptures that are becoming known the world over, out of the cheapest of art supplies - construction paper. It shows how you can do more with less if you just let yourself be creative and focus on the idea.

Rethinking creative and media strategies in today's world.

Ad Nauseam: Repetition of TV Spots Risks Driving Consumers Away
Fragmenting Media, Smaller Budgets Make for More of the Same Ads

By Brian Steinberg

Published: December 01, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Think how many times in the past few weeks you've been subjected to Christie Brinkley in a scene from "National Lampoon's Vacation," speaking in dubbed lines about DirecTV; or seen Sprint CEO Dan Hesse sitting in a diner talking about his company; or heard a reworked version of The Fixx's 1983 hit "Saved by Zero" used to alert you to Toyota's no-interest payment options.

The ubiquity of these and other ads have consumers fed up.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Do some good, win some customers.

From Marketing Magazine

[ Canadians like brands doing good deeds ]

November 19, 2008 | By Kristin Laird

Despite the economic downturn, many people are still committed to helping others and remain loyal to brands and companies that share that same commitment, according to a new study by Edelman Canada.

Seven in 10 respondents said they would remain loyal to a brand during a recession if it supports a good cause, while an equal number said they have either maintained the same level of support or given more support to good causes despite the economic downturn.

Canadian consumers also voiced a strong desire for marketers to connect their brands to social action. If two products are of the same quality and price, commitment to a social purpose trumps factors like design, innovation and brand loyalty when choosing one brand for 41% of respondents, and 48% are more likely to buy a product if there is a good cause behind it, even if it isn’t the cheapest brand available. The report also shows that 60% say brands spend too much money on advertising or marketing and should put more into a good cause.

“Meaning is one of the important consumer values today,” said Lisa Kimmel, senior vice-president and national practice leader, consumer, Edelman Canada. “Consumers actually want to interact with brands that are authentic, responsible, real, and that also allow consumers to interact with each other while affecting positive social change.”

Fully 90% of consumers feel it’s their duty to contribute to a better society and improve the environment; 84% feel they can personally make a difference, and 87% are willing to change their own consumption habits to help make the world a better place.

Before committing to a good cause, Kimmel said a company must first determine which effort makes the most sense strategically and will resonate the most with its core consumer.

Kimmel cited Brita and Nalgene’s North American “Filter for Good” campaign as an example. Primarily a PR driven effort, the campaign asked consumers to log on to a website where they would take a pledge to reduce their plastic bottle waste.

Brita experienced a double digit increase in sales during the four-week campaign, said Kimmel.

Despite consumer interest, the study shows that brands need to better communicate their social purpose, as only 34% of Canadian consumers said they are aware of a company that actively supports a good cause.

The research also found that Canadian consumers believe supporting good causes begins at home, with 50% giving more support towards local causes, while 81% said they are more likely to buy products if it benefits those around them. The study, conducted by Strategy One, queried 6,000 consumers in 10 countries, including Canada between August and October 2008.

Barack Obama. A brand wins the Whitehouse.

His opponent was a decorated war hero who selflessly sacrificed his own chance for freedom to be with his compatriots. A man who had decades of experience at the highest levels.

He was a junior senator who counted community organization as his experience. A man who has served less time in the senate than his opponent did in a Vietnamese prison camp.

On paper, if you solely look at the product, John McCain should have wiped the floor with Barack Obama. And yet, Mr. Obama is the new President.

Why? Because he and his organization understood better the power of creating a brand movement, complete with cool online creative from the best agencies in the country, a cool logo, celebrity endorsements and an emotional tag line "yes we can". (Hey it works for Bob the Builder.)

They understood how to create a brand movement based on a wholly emotional appeal for change. They talked to a younger, educated audience using new media. In doing so, they built momentum for a "cause" not just a man. Kind of like Dove has done with it's Campaign for Real Beauty. When you buy Dove, you're buying the cause, and yeah, you get some soap. When Americans voted for Barack Obama, they bought the cause, and yeah, they got a President.

Mr. Obama is a great product, we hope, but this election was won by a cause. It was won by a brand. A twenty-first century brand, complete with cool logo and celebrity endorsements.

The Snowball Effect

Here at HQvB our mission is to create ideas that get people involved with brands. Some people have asked us to explain what we mean, so we thought we'd do it here.

When sit down with our clients to create an idea, it could be a movement based around a cultural or social idea. It could also be a brand dialogue. It could be a service that the brand offers to it's users to make the brand experience more meaningful, or it could be an entertainment idea that is also a compelling brand experience.

At the core of our thinking is that whatever we do, the goal is to create an idea that gets people to not only feel something, but to act. And we always build in mechanisms so that people can share the experience in their social circle, be it online, or in the real world.

In this way we create what we call "The Snowball Effect", in which a group of people who are moved to be involved in an idea get others to be involved. They in turn get even more and, as the old shampoo commercial goes, so on and so on.

Which is just like like sending a small snowball down a hill. Once you make a small snowball and give it a push, it gets bigger and bigger as it rolls along downhill under it's own momentum. Soon you have a giant snowball.

The bonus for advertisers is that in today's world of smaller and smaller budgets, using this new thinking, a little goes a long way. You pay for a small snowball to be launched downhill and in no time at all, you have a giant.