The Blue Sky Board

Innovator Issues.

2012-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Consumers view the market in very simple terms. They want a product that will help them complete the job in hand. If the innovator can understand the job that consumers are trying to complete, design a product which aids in the completion of that job, and positions it so that consumers know that it aids in completing that job, then consumers faced with that particular job will purchase the innovators product in order to complete the job.

A number of innovators don’t approach the innovation process in this way however. One issue stemming from this, as noted in a number of academic articles, is that companies focus on the wrong issues when they are developing new products. This leads innovators to “improve” products by developing new features and functions which they believe will lead to sales and market share, but fail to do so as these “improvements” are irrelevant to consumers needs.

An issue which also stems from innovators approaching the innovation process from the point of view of the product, and not the job, is that any improvements made will only ever be incremental improvements to the product itself. This may make the product easier to use or slightly more aesthetically appealing but it will never lead to a breakthrough that will revolutionize the way that the task in question is completed. If the added cost to consumers of this new product outweighs the value they place on the improvements, then they will not adopt it despite it being an improvement on its predecessor.

Another issue that innovators have to overcome is consumers’ natural resistance to change. Consumers tend to find comfort in familiarity and so overvalue the benefits that current products offer them. Another example of when a consumer resists change is when the new product on offer requires them to change their behaviour. This resistance can lead to consumers failing to adopt products which are superior to the ones they are using, simply because of the learning curve involved. This typically occurs with technological products. For example, if a new tablet was developed, which outperformed the ipad but was significantly more difficult to use, consumers may be unwilling to adapt the new technology.

$3.5 Million for 30 Seconds of Super Bowl Fame

2012-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League in the United States, is known for the high-profile advertisements that air during its television broadcast in the U.S. The high price tag of the commercials and the prevalence of the event in which they air, causes all creative advertising brain across the world to engage in the competition with one another.

Thirty-second sports during Super Bowl XLVI are being sold for as much as $3.5 million. The commercials are often highly anticipated, generating much buz even before the game is played usually because of their innovation or sense of humor. The 'final cut' of the advertisements are not released until the actual game, which means the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are filled with teaser campaigns, many of which can already be found online.

The USA Today, Super Bowl Ad Meter is an annual survey taken by the USA Today newspaper. It is a live poll of television commercials taken during the Super Bowl broadcast used to measure the best advertisement of the competition. The survey which started in 1989, uses a live response on a zero-to-ten scale (zero being the worst, tn the best) of focus groups in a number of locations around the US. USA Today named the Bud Light Dog Sitting Advert and the Doritos Pug Adverts as join winners of best Super Bowl Ad of 2011.The 2012 commercials will feature a number of A-list celebrities including David Beckham, Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima, US X-Factor Winner Melanie Amaro and Elton John.

To view all the 2011 Super Bowl adverts click on the following link:

http://msn.foxsports.com/video/shows/super-bowl-commercials-2011

For free live streaming of 2012’s Super Bowl between New York Giants and the New England Patriots and to keep up to date with all ad rankings follow this link:

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/

Stop Online Piracy Act

2012-01-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia "blacked out" the English version of its website for 24 hours last week in protest of the anti-piracy legislation under consideration in the US Congress. The enactment of this law would be extremely damaging to the internet as we know it as it will eliminate the right for free speech. Some sites thought to be affected include YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia along with hundreds more.

The legislation is designed to crack down pirated US products overseas so if passed it would allow people to launch legal action against websites that allow the unauthorised distribution of material. This means that if people post content online that may not necessarily belong to the them the website can be shut down.

Site founder Jimmy Wales tweeted saying "Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!"

While the main goal is to prevent popular trends involving piracy, critics say it could hurt the technology industry and infringes on free-speech rights. As a result of the protest and the support from many websites, the SOPA act has been stopped.

However, there is now ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) which is an agreement that aims to establish international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement. If this were to get passed it could be detrimental to the Internet and the way it is used today.

While the main goal is to prevent popular trends involving piracy, critics say it could hurt the technology industry and infringes on free-speech rights.

Public Transport in Rural Ireland...

2012-01-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

Waiting up to an hour and a half for a bus in Limerick City in the rain is an experience I do not wish upon anyone, but it is one that thousands of the city's residents have to endure every day. Simply put, Ireland's rural public transport system is disgraceful. It is under funded, neglected, and in need of a serious revamp. In comparison to Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann operate limited routes in Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Galway. Not only are the routes poor, but the efficiency of the service is completely unacceptable.

The introduction of waiting times at all the major bus stops in Dublin, as well as the new integrated Leap Card, further highlights the overshadowing that Dublin Bus has over it's Bus Éireann counterparts. The cities of Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Galway need an effective public transport infrastructure, not only to deal with the student population, but to combat the problems of social exclusion and rural isolation for social groups like pensioners and the disabled, for example.

With projects like the Metro North and DART underground services being shelved for the foreseeable future, perhaps the current government could do something to address the issue of public transport in these areas of the country. The current system is completely flawed and almost laughable in comparison to structures that exist in other EU countries.

Women lobby for bald Barbie to help children with cancer

2012-01-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

Women lobby for bald Barbie to help children with cancer

Barbie may be best known for her long blonde hair, but a new campaign that is gaining popularity is pressurising Mattel to manufacture hairless Barbie's on a commercial basis. A Facebook group called “Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Lets see if we can get it made” was created a few days before Christmas, and already has over 114,000 “likes”.

The online movement was launched by Rebecca Sypin and Jane Bingham. Rebecca’s 12 year old daughter lost her hair after undergoing chemotherapy treatment for leukaemia. Rebecca said that children undergoing this treatment “take the hair loss harder than the treatment”. Jane also lost her hair after being treated for lymphoma.

Both women wrote to Mattel about the idea but the company replied saying that it does not accept ideas from outside sources.

I hope that Mattel will eventually turn around. The doll would make younger generations of cancer patients feel less conscious about their hair loss. It would highlight the importance of beauty through difference because beauty comes in all forms, and the production of these dolls would cement this fact in our minds. It is a great campaign that will ultimately raise awareness for the disease. If it ever does happen, lets hope that 100% of the profits go to the charity.

I also hope this encourages Mattel to make a whole range of dolls with different coloured skin and hair.

If you would like to join the efforts of having a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made, please click on the link below to “like” the Facebook page and join the campaign.

Posted By: Ruth

http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulandBaldBarbie

Robert- Courage

2011-12-04T14:01:00.001-08:00

I was going to write something about Christmas coming up for this blog entry but I happened across a video that changed my mind. This video concerns a young boy of perhaps about 12-13 years of age. There is no dialogue to the story but instead the tale is given to us through a collection of handwritten flashcards. His name is Jonah Mowry and he has been cutting himself since the 2^nd Grade (8 years old).

As the video progresses we learn that Jonah has been bullied since the 1^st Grade (6-7 years old) and that he will be entering in the 8^th grade next month. Jonah is terrified of returning to school because every day he gets picked on and he is hated by everyone. This doesn’t surprise him because he hates himself too and he has frequently thought of suicide as his only way out.

Despite the emotional nature of this video it ends positively with Jonah saying that he is not going anywhere and that he has a million different reasons to stay. Upon seeing this video I found myself thinking about my own schooldays. I was lucky enough to never have had any trouble like Jonah but I knew people who were miserable for five days a week throughout their time in primary school and secondary school and I wish I had done more to help them. Even just stop and talk to them and let them know I was there.

Coming from a background in psychology I am very passionate about the emotional health of my friends and colleagues in both the MDP and beyond. I also know from personal experience that one of the simplest and most effective ways of coping with depression or anguish is to talk about it. Jonah felt that he had to turn to the online community for support but even confiding in a friend or someone you trust can have a very positive effect on someone’s wellbeing.

A link to the video is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg&feature=share

And please remember to share it on either facebook or twitter to spread the story of Jonah Mowry.

For anyone looking for more information on depression or feel the need to talk about themselves or others anonymously, Aware Ireland offers a depression counselling -service.

You can get in touch with them here: http://www.aware.ie/

If you do think someone you know might have depression then the worst thing you can do is ignore it. Far too much grief in this world has been caused by others assuming someone else will solve the problem.

Thank you and good night.

Christy- under the tree at SPAR

2011-12-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

The unexpected has happened; SPAR is set to begin featuring in RTE’s Fair City as a new outlet.

The store will become part of the storyline and will essentially create awareness for the brand. In Ireland to date there has never been such an extreme investment in product placement and brand integration of its kind; costing SPAR €900,000 over the next three years.

Christy Phelan, the loser in love, has always put his business as his priority at the Carrigstown corner shop. His corner shop is currently under a transformation into a state-of-the-art SPAR store. Although it is evident that opportunities are there for through the investment, Fair City can also benefit from the opportunity to create new story lines around the Christy Phelan, one of Fair City’s favourite characters.

SPAR has been in the Irish market for over 50 years which places SPAR as a fitting product placement for the Irish soap. RTE’s Fair City reaches over 500,000 viewers across Ireland four times every week, an average of over half a million viewers per episode in 2011

The opportunity for SPAR goes further than product placement because the SPAR brand will be a feature of the story-line on a regular basis which will maximise marketing activity. An on-screen store launch will be aired in December of this year. Although the viewers will now notice the SPAR tree symbol during each episode, they will also notice a “PP” logo to state that the programme contains product placement.

Advertisers are currently faced with an era where viewer can now skip through TV ad breaks at a high speed which allows the viewers to avoid advertisements with the use of SKY+. I feel that SPAR has innovatively established a marketing method which can overcome the current ad avoidance issues and tie with the Irish communities.

Posted By Christine Cullen

A Mo’Ment for thought

2011-11-10T01:07:00.000-08:00

As I looked up at the entrance to Dundrum Shopping Centre on a cold Saturday Morning in November I notice something strange. A giant black design on the front of the glass pains. Maybe it’s too early or maybe it’s too cold, or maybe, just maybe, there actually is a giant moustache on the front of Dundrum?

Being November I feel it is fitting to write about one of the most active campaigns that is happening across both the online and offline world. That campaign is Movember.

Things you might know about Movember:
· It’s a month long campaign that encourages men to grow moustaches to promote awareness of Prostate Cancer.
· It happens every November (Hence the Movember…yes, you probably knew that one already.)
· Friends and Family are encouraged to donate to the mo’bros (that’s what participants are called) and all proceeds go towards helping to fight Prostate Cancer.
· Fun events are held at the end of each November to celebrate the end of the campaign, congratulate the participants and help remove moustaches in humorous ways for the purpose of further fundraising activities.

Things you might not know about Movember:
· It started in Melbourne, Australia in 2004.
· News and photos of their moustache-growing movement spread throughout the web, rapidly transforming the campaign into an annual effort involving over 1.1 million (source: Google Chrome )
· Prostate Cancer is the number 1 cancer suffered by Irish Men.
· People can also get involved by ‘adopting a mo’ for €1 a day.

So why moustaches you might ask? Well the purpose of Movember and its hair raising antics is to raise awareness to get regular health checks and prevent prostate cancer related deaths, and after all ‘What is manlier than a moustache?’ What is important to note is that this is no ordinary health charity appeal, instead it is one which utilizes all that digital media has to offer brilliantly and showcases how an entire global community can get involved in a good cause. The proof is there that this works and to date Movember has raised €21,296,255 for its cause. That can buy you a lot of moustache combs! From an Irish perspective Movember’s success is as tangible with 12,506 registrations to pledge to grow a moustache having raised €216,865 so far and its support base on its Irish Facebook boasting 10,252 likes. The below video demonstrates how involved the global community has been in the success of the campaign to date.

Youtube Link

Movember has further heightened its engagement with people by creating links with many commercial organisations such as Golden Disks, Marshall Amps, Swatch and Heineken. From a marketers perspective this is very clever collaborating on the commercial organisations behalf as it showcases their social responsibility whilst also appealing primarily to their target market, most of whom are adult males. Personally, I am a big fan of the Movember Goods offered by the Irish Online Clothing Store HairyBaby.ie. Novelty tshirts and mugs are on sale with Hairy Baby promising to donate €10 from the sale of every Movember themed t-shirt and €2.50 from every Movember Mug. These mugs allow even the moustache growing unabled to produly sport a tashe for the month at every given opportunity. Great!

Posted by: Paula

Your Favourite Chocolate Bar in Phone Form

2011-10-24T03:41:00.001-07:00

Cadbury Dairy Milk has announced the launch of a Cadbury Dairy Milk Smartphone App for the Irish Market. This app promises to transfer your smartphone into a Dairy Milk bar and will have dual-functionality with the two main features being the ‘Unwrap and Snap’ interactive feature and the ‘Share a Square’ feature. The purpose of the campaign is to entice people to become more actively involved with the classic Cadbury Dairy Milk eight-square bar and incorporate social media into Cadbury’s ever increasingly marketing presence.

The app will be free to download by accessing it via a Cadbury inspired QR code on promotional packages and various forms of print media. This QR code, which has been created using blocks of Dairy Milk, is incredibly tactful and clever. Not only does it tie the brand brilliantly into the usually ordinary QR code, but it also shows the actual chocolate block rather than the traditional fully wrapped product. This is very effective in heightening awareness of the Dairy Milk Product and not just the Cadbury Brand, not to mention that it looks pretty tasty too! Personally I wish this QR code was for some sort of Pac Man style game where one must eat all the chocolate blocks to succeed and you win the amounts of blocks eaten in real chocolate. Sign me up please!

Cadbury's chocolaty QR code

The Unwrap and Snap element of the app is not only fun to say but fun to play with too. It allows users to unwrap a Dairy Milk bar by sliding their finger across their phone’s ‘wrapper’. The bar can then be snapped into eight pieces (Remember this is only virtually snapping, don’t go breaking your phone into eight pieces.) which can then be sent to friends online using the Share a Square function. This function encourages users to share virtual squares on Facebook to their friends and once they have collected eight squares these can be traded in for a real bar of Dairy Milk in any participating Centra store.

Quite frankly I think this concept is genius! Not only because Diary Milk is arguably the nicest chocolate bar on the market (and I am prepared to argue this) and are finally getting some of the much deserved media attention the Cadbury brand attracts, but also it encompasses terrific elements of social media marketing into their IMC. The popularity of sending cows or trees and what-not through Farmville and similar Facebook virtual worlds is huge and so the opportunity to send something tangible is a recipe for success. Another promising element of this campaign is that in order to claim your free bar you must collect eight pieces. Eight is a small enough number that customers won’t lose interest in the campaign, but large enough that Cadbury are not at damaging risk for give-aways. It has the potential for generating great word-of-mouth interest from Facebook users interacting with one another through the brand as well as showcasing its technological advancement in QR design. What was noted by Aideen Murphy, brand manager for Cadbury Dairy Milk is that ‘The size, shape and weight of a standard Smartphone is similar to a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk providing us with an opportunity to tempt consumers with the ‘Unwrap & Snap' and ‘Share a Square' features’. This is yet another interesting element to this already very remarkable campaign.

Posted by Paula

"The Blackberry Death"

2011-10-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, Research in Motion suffered the most severe blackout in the history of the company. For three days, tens of millions of Blackberry users around the world lost communication services on their devices such as email, Blackberry Messenger and internet browsing.

As someone who has never been a fan of Blackberry smartphones, I'm nearly happy when I hear of them failing in such a big way. It baffles me that they are still such a strong contender in the market. I find them to be so user unfriendly and in no way attractive to look at, yet, they currently hold 11.7% of the smartphone market.

There was outrage expressed over the issue on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter as well as pleas for the company to solve the issues as quick as possible. Many users (iPhone users in particular) found the opportunity for some jokes at Blackberry's expense.

Inevitably, this failure on Blackberrys behalf will put an element of doubt in people's minds about the reliability of Blackberry devices. Many companies worldwide give Blackberrys to their employees and when the blackout occurred it slowed many companies' operations. A student at Michigan State University, after the blackout, said "I've been a pretty big Blackberry advocate, but I'm done playing games with you, BlackBerry". She proceeded to go and buy an iPhone even after the service was restored.

Jim Balsillie, one of the company's CEOs said "We're going to fully commit to win that trust back". Personally, I feel that the reliability of Blackberry devices was one of the few competitive advantages that the company possessed over competitors such as the iPhone and after this fiasco, it could be a long uphill battle to restore that trust. The brand name has been tarnished.

This situation has brought about a very negative image for Blackberry. However, this situation has highlighted an extremely important fact which is our dependence, as a society, on devices such as smartphones. The fact that a simple blackout like this can hinder global companies from functioning effectively is a worrying thought. It is an incredible power that communication companies hold.

Maybe companies need to diversify their means of communication? Or maybe, companies such as Blackberry need to be held more accountable when an issue like this occurs? Regardless, issues such as this will happen again and again, and we need to better prepare ourselves in the future.

"Heres To The Crazy Ones"

2011-10-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

This week one of the most influential men of our time passed away after a long battle with cancer. As an avid Apple user I was very moved to hear of Steve Jobs passing. Over the last few days tributes have poured in from all around the globe in recognition of Steve Jobs achievements.

Being from the generation of people that take devices such as the iPad, MacBook and iPhone for granted, I did not understand why so many older people were moved by his passing, as I had considered Apple as a relatively new and young brand. I really did not associate the machines that were produced in the 70's and 80's with the white shiny brand that is Apple today.

One video that is circulating at the moment is that of Steve Jobs address to Stanford University is a very moving insight into how Steve approached life, and as a young person who is coming into the last few months of his education, tough life decisions will have to be made soon. One thing I took from that video is that as idealistic as it may sound, I really agreed that you should always do something that you love, and if you don't, changes need to be made.

This is a way of thinking that must be adopted by all young people, especially with all the financial pressures that they are currently facing. Holding off for the job you really love is something that takes a lot of self belief. Steve Jobs is testament to this, he was always confident in himself, even when he was fired from his own company he came back even stronger than before.

I hope to emulate his way of thinking, and even if people cannot emulate his level of success and wealth they will still be very happy with their lives and jobs because they are doing something they love. Aside from all the technological innovation Jobs is known for, his way of thinking will have an influence on people around the world that will last longer than any product that will leave the shiny factories of Apple.

The below video is a subtle reminder of Steve Jobs way of thinking.

Posted by : Paul Maher

2011-10-02T06:05:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of year again...

The X-Factor is back on our screens again for the eight years running and this year is set to be its biggest year yet. Year after year the competition is surrounded in controversy and mayhem making it one of the most talked about reality talent shows of all time. Its ratings have doubled over the last eight years, with last year’s final being watched by over 14 million people. This year’s show will not let us down with the show already featuring 3 new judges, a flashing light-up leotard and a contestant being disqualified for serving a jail sentence.

The X-Factor has also dominated in the marketing arena. The show has branded almost every type of merchandise out there, from books and DVDs to clothing jewellery, perfume and even pizzas.

One of the most interesting marketing moves I have seen the show make is the partnership with high street retailer Marks and Spencers. Last month, the retailer announced that it would be the official fashion partner of the X-Factor. This was a bold and strategic move that ties in with the brands new and constant effort to attract a younger market to the New Limited and Autograph Collections.

In September we saw Rosie Huntington Whitely and Ryan Reynolds feature in the new Autograph ads. This was not received well by many, and the connection between the Hollywood A-listers and high street brand was not clear. It was also felt that the new campaign was alienating the core customer segment, middle aged women, who didn’t recognise or like the new brand ambassadors or the new trendy clothes ranges.

Marks and Spencers have seemingly ignored any criticism surrounding this move and have just announced that 16 X-Factor finalists will feature in the company’s Christmas Ad.

It is hard to judge how this move will affect the brand. On one hand I think it is great that they are trying to broaden their market and using the X-Factor and well known celebrities to do this could prove very effective. However, alienating the core customers could prove detrimental if this younger demographic does not buy into the M&S brand.

As an avid X-Factor fan, I will be watching the show and keeping an eye out on fashion of the finalists. Will this make me go and buy M&S clothes? I highly doubt it. With the brand firmly positioned in my mind as a “brand that my Mum and Gran buy” no amount of TV ads will make me buy the same clothes as them... My Mom watches the X-Factor too; maybe this will keep her buying the M&S brand!!

Urban Decay - Making Up Technology

2011-09-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Technology and make-up are not two words that you would often see in the same sentence. However, cosmetic giants, Urban Decay, have decided to change this by releasing a new innovative make-up palette.

Along with 16 eyeshadows, mascara, liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow primer the palette comes with a mirror, a smartphone dock, a speaker and a connecting cable. Also contained in the box is a card with 5 QR codes that you can scan with your smartphone to download step-by-step make-up tutorials. Each respective tutorial shows the customer how to create a certain look using Urban Decay products contained within the palette.

In an attempt to capitalize on the increasingly popular trend of watching 'how-to' videos, Urban Decay have launced this product which now makes it simple and convenient for their customers to learn new make-up techniques. Furthermore, the tutorials promote the use of Urban Decay products compared to online tutorials which usually combine a number of cosmetic brands.

For anyone interested in purchasing the product it is currently available in House of Fraser, Dundrum.

Bestie's Bar

2011-09-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

With so much made in the media presently about the dangers that alcohol poses in today's society, has the announcement of the latest celebrity endorsement of alcohol and its consumption gone a step too far?

I have no problem with the mention of Patron and Hennessy in the songs of musicians around the world. I have no issue with Dublin Football captain Bryan Cullen announcing that he will see everyone in Coppers tonight after a fantastic All-Ireland final victory. I do, however, have concerns with Calum Best announcing that he will be opening a George Best themed pub in Dublin's city centre. For a man who so sadly joined the whole world in watching his fathers career demise and who subsequently died at the age of 59 having publicly and privately battled alcoholism, I ask the question; why endorse this?

I agree that the memory of George Best and his achievements should live on for years, and his son should undoubtedly be proud of his father but why not a cafe, a shop or a museum?

Calum's endorsement has reportedly upset members of Best's family, including his sister Barbara who set up the George Best foundation to help people struggling with alcohol abuse. The areas of alcohol sponsorship and celebrity endorsement of alcohol brands are being discussed more and more in media and marketing. Many query whether both encourage under age drinking and over consumption.

People should consume alcohol responsibly and enjoy the products on offer. But the business men and women who run the industry and develop the marketing strategies to promote their brands and establishments must be more conscious of who is seeing their message and what those messages are. I look forward to the opening of Bestie's bar and Calum's endorsement provided the focus is on responsible drinking. I think with hindsight that is what George would want too. Article references can be found at; http://goo.gl/RzemJ

2011 Rugby World Cup

2011-09-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

With 1 billion people tuning into the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup, sponsorship revenue is a vital part of the sporting event. Therefore, protecting the sponsors Heineken, Emirates, Microsoft and Range Rover from guerrilla marketing is a vital element of major sports event.

In the past two decades, ambush marketing, where a brand establishes an unauthorised association with the event has become one of the most significant problems facing rights, holders and sponsors of major sporting events.

Examples of ambush marketing that occurred at previous world cups include, a Tongan player changing his name by deed poll to Paddy Power in order to promote the national team’s sponsorship by the bookmaker. The IRB did not accept the name change and, following this, the Tongan squad members dyed their hair bright green before the team’s match against England. In the end, the dye was removed prior to kick-off.

Another example was at the soccer World Cup in South Africa, 36 orange-clad Dutch women were removed from Holland’s game with Denmark and arrested under legislation relating to merchandise marks. They were accused of an ambush campaign to promote Dutch brewer Bavaria’s Orange beer. Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser was the official beer for the tournament.

Aside from advertising revenue I was surprised to find out that although organisers are aiming to make 269 million dollars from 1.36million tickets sales, New Zealand will incur a direct loss from hosting the event, Therefore the benefits will have to be indirect such as short and long-term boosts to the tourism industry or a lift in national confidence after the horrific damage that was cased due to the recent earthquake.

New Zealand will record a direct loss from the event, estimated at $40 million dollars which will be shared equally between the Government and the New Zealand Rugby Union. The projected deficit does not include capital costs associated with the rebuilding and refurbishment of stadiums and other non-operational costs.

We've Finally Qualified!!

2011-08-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

Finally, after 40 years of trying, Ireland can proudly say it now has a team representing it at the group stages of one of the most prestigious cup competitions in the world. Shamrock Rovers are the first Irish male team to qualify for the group stages of the very financially rewarding Europa League. They now will mix it with some of the best of European footballing clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Rubin Kazan and PAOK of Greece.

League of Ireland fans, (for the most part) are happy for Shamrock Rovers. It shows the Airtricity League in a positive light, given all the negative publicity it has received in recent times. However, one has to ask the question. Will this result in increased attendances at league and cup domestic games?

Looking back on social media around the time that Shamrock Rovers defeated Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, the noise about the game was huge. People were jumping on the bandwagon so to speak and groups and fan pages were being set up every couple of minutes. The scorer of the wonder goal which leveled the game and sent it to extra-time, Patrick Sullivan, had received over 400 friend requests on Facebook and was also trending on Twitter. Dara o'Brian even mentioned him in one of his tweets. One must ask the question, would he have received the same spotlight had he not scored the equalising goal? Unfortunately the answer is probably not.

Irish footballers are not seen in the same light as footballers from countries such as England, Spain and Italy. Games do not receive the same media coverage in Ireland as they should and as a result, The league has struggled, and to an extent still struggles to move forward and progress. Actions speak louder than words and in this case Shamrock Rovers qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League should be a call to action. Everybody who commented on social media or joined a group saying how fantastic an achievement it was should get up and go support their local club. If they put the effort in revenue will be generated and as a result that money can be fed back into the other clubs in the league and who knows? maybe Irish clubs qualifying for the top European competitions will become a regular occurrence.

Tallafornia

2011-08-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

During the week TV3 announced their autumn TV schedule and among the many shows, is a new reality show set in Tallaght. The show is aptly named ‘Tallafornia’ a take on the popular ‘Jersey Shore’. So is it going to be a success? The gut instinct says no, Ireland has already copied The Hills with Fade Street and that was a complete crash and burn.

So why do they think this will be superior? With their unique selling point being “Four hot West Dublin boys & fabulous West Dublin girls will spend four weeks living, eating, working and partying together”. Can’t see this hanging around for that long, Irish people are very hard to impress and are extremely judgmental, good luck to the eight future reality stars, it’s going to be interesting.

We now have the Irish version of ‘The Hills’ and ‘Jersey Shore’, what’s next ‘The Kardashians’? So which Irish beauty could be the next Kim Kardashian? There is a few that spring to mind but not quite sure any will be able to captivate the world with their assets to the same extent!

The future of Irish TV is full of American story lines; let’s just hope it has more of Irish sense of humor then the American copycat version we have been seeing on ‘Fade Street’.

Another Year, Another Great Dublin Horse Show

2011-08-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Since it was first established in 1864, the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show has become a Dublin institution for horse lovers and the general public alike. Taking place in the first week of August each year, it is Ireland's largest equestrian event, and one of the largest events held on the island. This year the show ran from August 3^rd-7^th.

It is a showcase of the best national and international equestrian talent. This year, Irish riders were joined by competitors from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the US.

The show itself saw over 100,000 spectators attend the RDS show grounds over the five days. It estimated to have cost €3.6 million to hold the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show and it is expected to break even. Last year, the horse show contributed €43 million to the economy and it is expected to be the same again this year.

The 2011 Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show had a prize fund of over €940,000 for the 15 international jumping competitions and the 87 showing classes which saw over 1,500 horses and ponies on the Ballsbridge grounds between August 3rd and August 7th.

Shaun Quinn, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, said for many people overseas Ireland was the land of the horse, and our association with horses was very much bound up with our cultural image abroad. “Our commitment to this event reflects not only the potential of the equestrian sector to attract visitors and holidaymakers to our shores but the importance of iconic events and festivals such as the Dublin Horse Show to generate economic activity,” he said.

The Dublin Horse Show is not just for horse lovers. It is, of course, possible to pass a very enjoyable day at the show without ever coming within sneezing distance of a horse. More than 300 trade stands were on exhibition, and the Fine Art Antiques Hall and the RDS National Crafts Competition exhibition provided further browsing opportunities.

While many sporting events are suffering with lack of sponsorship, this is not the case for the Dublin Horse Show. The show is sponsored by a wide range of well-known brands from Land Rover, which launched the ‘Evoque’ at the show, to Longines and Blossom Hill.

This year was also the first time that the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show had a strong social media campaign. The Facebook page has over 12,000 followers. With regular updates during the show, the page was a platform for horse lovers to discuss the show. It is a great example of how a successful social media campaign must be interactive and updated regularly.

We are a nation renowned for our well-bred, high performance animals. The Dublin Horse Show is a truly great event which really showcases how important the equine industry is in Ireland. The 2012 Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show is taking place next August from the 15^th to the 19^th. It is being held a week later to avoid clashing with the Olympics. So whether you are attending the Olympic Games or not a visit to the Dublin Horse Show is a must.

2011-08-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

All Eyes on New Zealand

With the 2011 Rugby World Cup just over a month away, the marketing machine that surrounds such an event has sprung into life. Most notably is the release of the new official team merchandise that will be worn by each team during the competition. Ireland donned their new kit against Scotland this weekend. Puma have put a huge amount of research into the new products and have claimed that the new Irish jersey is the most technologically advanced jersey that has ever been worn by the team. This may be true, but it it is a statement that is being echoed by many other brands that will be represented at this years World Cup.

As much as the pitch is a showcase for high quality rugby, it is also the prime opportunity for the elite brands of World Rugby to battle and see who has made the most innovative and advanced product. Adidas have supplied the All Blacks with their gear for a number of years, and are still waiting for the ultimate pay off they have been expecting since the Adidas logo graced the left breast of some of the worlds most naturally gifted rugby players the game has ever seen. Richie Mc Caw is the odds on favorite captain to lift the World Cup, but history has shown us that New Zealand's track record is something the proud nation is quick to forget.

For Adidas to still go on such tag lines as "I believe in a black jersey" the All Blacks simply must succeed this year. As fantastic a team as New Zealand are, it will be very hard for their current sponsors to stand by them if they are not successful.

A nations hopes rest on the shoulders of the team, and no one will buy a piece of Adidas clothing that has the silver fern embroidered on it if they lose, as they will want to distance themselves from the pain that losing a World Cup at home will create.

The Irish jersey is promoted as a high performance jersey. I believe this feeds off the Irish feeling of "what if". We all know that we have a very special group of players, but even so we know it will take something remarkable. This jersey lives up to this feeling and is marketed as giving the players something extra on the pitch, a sixteenth man so to speak. This seems to be working well because sales of the new jersey are quite high and people are buying into the ethos that surrounds it.

The All Black on the other hand is plain and simple, and represents something more than performance on the pitch, it represents a nations pride. Unlike most teams kit,it never changes. And this is how it is marketed, a simple yet incredible identity that rugby fans and players around the world have come to love and fear.

Winning the World Cup will justify this form or marketing, a loss however will destroy it, and maybe people will start wondering if maybe space age materials are more important on the pitch than national pride. All that is certain is on the pitch it is as much Puma versus Kooga as it is Ireland versus Australia, and brand executives around the world are hoping that their teams are celebrating tries, and not huddled under their posts.

It is an interesting fact to consider that no matter how much work a brand puts into their team ,months and even years of hard work can be destroyed in only 80 minutes, but that is the nature of sport.

The above video is a fine example of getting it very very wrong!

Posted by Paul Maher

2011-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

The BBC reported last week that Apple has more cash reserves than the American government. America still has its AAA rating, but many fear that this won’t last long. So, if Steve Jobs can run a successfully company, could he run a country? The U.S. would be a large country to start with, but what about a smaller European one?

If Apple ran Ireland, would we see the 35 percent predicted uptake of the iPhone5 jump to a 100 percent? Would all schools have iPads instead of school books? Would the Irish people become impatient, developing a culture of having everything available at our fingertips when and how we wanted it, our music on the go, communication anytime and always on? The 9-5 job would no longer exist as we would always be able to access our work and each other at all times through smart technologies.

If Apple ruled, how they would regulate competition? If we look at the contactless electronic payment systems as an example, it can’t be used to buy airline tickets because no airline is going to give 30 percent of revenue to Apple. However, this could all change quite quickly. WorldNet, for example, has developed a number of apps that would mean that the retailers in question would only have to pay the same 2 to 3 percent cut that they currently pay through their e-commerce payment systems, rather than 30 percent. (These WorldNet apps are currently with Apple for approval.) This would effectively mean that retailers could sell any product currently available on their websites through mobile apps.

Apple is considered one of the most innovative companies in the world. This, along with financial capabilities, should by logical reasoning mean that have the best CSR portfolios right? If they hire the best as they have said they do, they should have the capabilities to help the world through one of its toughest times. So the question is, are they doing enough and, if they were to do more, how would it reflect on their overall product offering?

Festivals Floating Galway's Economy

2011-07-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Summer in Galway means one thing really - festivals. Between the Galway Film Fleadh, Galway Arts Festival and of course the Galway Races, July is essentially one long party. However it's not all about the craic, festivals have and continue to prove essential to Galway's economy. Michael Coyle CEO of the Galway Chamber of Commerce commented recently that "Galway tourism is built on festival foundation, one shudders to think, especially in the current climate, about having a tourist season in Galway without the festival programmes."

His comments come as no surprise really when we discover that the Film Fleadh this year attracted over 20,000 admissions and that the economic benefit is estimated to be somewhere in the region of €5.5 million. The quality of admissions is also on the up, one of this years feature films was John Michael McDonagh's The Guard featuring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle which is second only to Harry Potter in Ireland's box offices!

However those are small numbers compared to what the Galway Arts Festival, which is wrapping up tonight,

is expected to draw in. The 34th annual festival was set to attract an estimated 160,000 visitors to the city and provide a boost of €20 million to the local economy. The festival has also attracted some big brand sponsorship in the form of Absolut Vodka which has teamed up with the festival to create the 'Absolut Visual Arts Programme', the sponsorship will be worth almost €1 million three years. The sponsorship is part of the 'Absolut Art' initiative which dates back to 1985 and has been named by Advertising Age as one of the 10 best campaigns of the 20th century.

Finally the creme de la creme of Galway festivals - the Fianna Fáil tent, the helicopters and limousines and the free flowing champagne may be a thing of the past but the Galway Races is still the highlight of the season. Many feared that the festival, which represented so much of the excess that we had come to enjoy in Ireland, would suffer the same fate as our economy and come crashing to its knees, thankfully that was not the case. In fact last year 166,000 made the journey to Ballybrit, 16,000 more than Horse Racing Ireland had dared to hope for. This years numbers are predicted anywhere between 180,000 and 200,000 which will amount to somewhere between €60 - €70 million for the local economy. It also seems that the popularity of the festival has not gone unnoticed in the business community either, with all 52

races on this years cards securing sponsorship. Ladbrokes, the British sports betting giant is among one of the sponsors of the festival this year and Managing Director Joe Lewins has commented that Ladbrokes are delighted to be part of the event and "have a number of plans underway that we feel will contribute to making the week even more spectacular." Other sponsors include Guinness, Tote Ireland, and local department store Anthony Ryan's which sponsors one of the most coveted prizes of the week. The Best Dressed Lady competition on Thursday will see one lucky lady walk away with a price pack worth over €10,000.

So although it's not all about the craic, you can be sure that plenty can be had. 2012 will also see the Volvo Ocean Race return to the city of the tribes and preparations are already underway, so be sure to book early!

The Business of Sport

2011-06-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

While everyone is enjoying the highs and lows of Wimbledon, it is worth remembering the business behind the sport…

It is a well-known fact that the sports industry is dominated by males. However, there are several powerful female figures operating at the top. One of these is Stacey Allaster; CEO of WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), recently named by Forbes magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Sports”. She certainly didn’t disappoint those present at this mornings’ business breakfast, hosted by the Women’s Executive Network at Dublin’s Convention Centre.

It may surprise some people that WTA operate with a marketing budget of $1.5m. Through leveraging close relationships with their partners they strive to make maximum impact with minimal cost. Social media is used as an inexpensive promotional tool for women’s tennis. In essence, it’s all about creating inexpensive content. For example, Sony Ericsson, the WTA’s primary sponsor, has created “Xperia Hot Shots”; a web-based reality show documenting the progress of six up-and-coming female tennis players through the WTA tour, on and off court. The video series is highly interactive, and the new “Xperia” smart phone features heavily.Individual players also employ social media techniques. For example, Maria Sharapova has 4.8 million Facebook friends, and constantly engages with her audience, whilst promoting her loyalty to her sponsors.

You can look at Sharapova's Facebook here!

Below is the WTA’S most recent effort “Strong is Beautiful” campaign; an emotive and captivating series of videos featuring well known-household names…

Aislinn

Jobless Paddy No Longer!

2011-06-20T02:50:00.001-07:00

The papers have been full of reports about "Jobless Paddy", the unemployed 26 year old from Galway who reportedly spent €2,000; the last of his savings, to fund a billboard proclaiming his desire to find a job. His efforts have paid off; as he has since been offered employment by Paddy Power. Féilim Mac An Iomaire is set to join the company's Marketing and Communications Department at their Dublin headquarters.

This morning in the MDP's weekly management meeting it was reported by several advisors that the whole case was orchestrated by Paddy Power.

What do you think? Is this one step too far for Paddy Power? In a country with such a high unemployment rate (approx. 14.7%) should they have toyed with the public regarding this ensitive matter?

In a question of ethics...how far is too far?

Aislinn

St Patricks Day

2011-02-22T01:12:00.000-08:00

Can Saint Patricks Day Reinvigorate The Irish Tourism Industry?

As we had previously dicussed the approach of Visit Irelands St Patricks Day parade, there was a few different factors that were talked about within the MDP and what we felt about their approach to it as a tool to reinvigorate the Irish Tourism Market. The fact that we have a day that is celebrated worldwide is fantastic, and is a great springboard to launch a very productive marketing campaign, to attract new visitors to our country. I feel though, that the traditional leprechaun and pot of gold approach would not be the best way to market us. The Irish recession is no secret, and I think if we use the traditional selling points we will not be successful. We need to market ourselves as a country steeped in history and culture. This approach can already be seen on the St Patricks Day official website www.stpatricksfestival.ie . The drink culture that surrounds the day is being pushed into the background. This is a crucial point,because if all people want from their Saint Patricks day is a parade being watched by drunks, then they can do this in their own city.

Ireland needs to differentiate itself from other countries, simply using the day as an excuse to drink. Ireland needs to go back to the roots of the day, and the actual reason for why Saint Patrick is such an iconic part of Ireland. The website is making a great attempt at this and I was very impressed by the photo gallery. I first clicked on it expecting generic photographs of people with two drinks in their hands and a bit of green paint smeared across their face. I was delighted to see something completely different.

I think these are great photos and they jump off the page. I think it is this sort of photography that will separate Ireland’s parade from all others, and will help to make our Saint Patricks day a day that will spark people’s interest and imagination in Ireland again, without touching on all the preceived notions people have of the day.

We are so lucky that we have Saint Patrick’s Day and it is certainly the tool we need to drive tourists back into Ireland. No other country has a marketing tool such as Saint Patricks day and I hope that it will be used to its full potential.

Have a look at this video and see what you think. It is a commercial for Irish Spring body wash. I think it is an absolute disaster as it epitomises how badly we have been perceived by other countries. It is this sort of marketing that has people in America asking if Leprechauns actually are real,and it really annoys me!

We really have a chance as a nation to re market ourselves as a country with a wealth of history to explore throughout the country and in my opinion there are very few other countries that can offer this. Visit Ireland have started this campaign very well and if they continue on the same path I really think that it will reinvigorate our tourism market and hopefully the economy as a whole. Hope this post will spark a bit of talk and we can get some other peoples views!

Posted by Paul Maher

Harley Davidson Viral Ad

2011-02-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

“The definition of viral marketing or viral advertising is promoting information or products that other customers are compelled to give to other friends, colleagues and family. By definition viral marketing is a way to promote a service or product exponentially. When effectively done one person will give it to several people who in turn will promote it to several other people.”

I find the prospect of virals really intriguing- it seems risky it that you cannot be guaranteed your audience will see your ad, such as with traditional mediums like TV advertising. However, I think they force marketers to push the boundaries of creativity, producing engaging and interesting stories rather than encouraging lazy marketing.

The Harley Davidson viral shows different people in cages going about their daily routines, it then shows a motor cyclist enjoying the freedom of the experience and finally turns to a man caged in a car looking longingly at the bike.

I think this was a really good example of a viral- it’s intriguing from the beginning, getting you hooked on the unusual concept of people in cages. It continues this mystery until the end, finally revealing the brand behind the video. It doesn’t seem like it would cost too much to make which I think is all the more positive for the arguments for virals.

Having just read an overview of how Harley established itself as one of the great market leaders I was intrigued by this viral. Harley Davidson are, in my opinion, the leaders in experiential marketing- from their first initiatives like the Hog Club to their merchandise line they encouraged their customers to embrace the brand values of the company.

The end of the viral cements this commitment to engaging with its customer by putting the customer at the heart of all its operations. Allowing the customer to personalise the bike adds another dimension to the product offering and encourages the customer to integrate Harley Davidson as part of their identity in that you can ‘Build Your Bike’, and in doing so ‘Build Your Freedom’.

Maria

The cost of a £6 t-shirt

2011-02-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

Tesco were feeling the heat over the weekend as they were met with negativity surrounding one of their latest product offerings; a £6 t-shirt with the 'controversial' slogan of 'Bird Watching', accompanied by images of females in suggestive poses. Is this one step too far for feminism?

According to Anna van Heeswijk, campaigns manager for women’s lobby group Object, the t-shirts are 'objectionable' stating; 'it promotes voyeurism, dehumanises females into sex objects and uses sexist language to refer to women as 'birds'.

Personally, I am aware that there are t-shirts out there that are far worse, and far more offensive. Perhaps the issue is that the t-shirt is part of an own brand line by the retail giant, and that Tesco is held in such high national regard by the public. It is a company that enjoys a high level of brand loyalty.
I admire the stance taken by Object but I feel that in this case it is just too much.

What do you think? From a PR perspective, do you think Tesco were right to pull the product?

Aislinn

Huggies Demin Diapers

2011-02-18T00:31:00.000-08:00

I came across this ad for Huggies the other day 'The HUGGIES limited edition Denim'. It featured in their Summer 2010 campaign in the USA and Canada. I love it !!! I think it's crude, witty and fun all rolled up in one. It's so different to the regular Huggies campaigns that I think it's a nice change, but it was met with controversy and confusion

The Huggies Jeans Denim is a cute and 'campy' fashion themed commercial, which features a sexy European man’s voice-over as a baby struts his stuff. Fashionistas take notice and stare as our cool baby makes his way to his car making comments like: "My diaper is full... full of chic", "When it’s a number 2, I look like number 1" and "I do a poo in blue".

What does everyone think? Do you think it's worth straying away from the traditional in order to make a difference?

Julie O'Mahony

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T04:19:00.000-08:00

On the way into the office this morning I experienced a great idea at the Stilorgan exit onto the N11 dual carriageway. Two men were dressed in full tux attire offering a red rose and chocolate into the driver of every car waiting at the traffic lights. The lovely choclate was Milk Tray; it was a great idea and very fitting for today!

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

Edel Kane

Irish Mail on Sunday, Sunday prank or classless?

2011-02-07T02:31:00.000-08:00

Readers of the Irish Mail on Sunday might have noticed a slight difference in last Sunday's edition; certainly readers of the Sunday Tribune would have noticed. The Irish Mail on Sunday decided to take a swipe at its almost down and out rival and try and move in on its reader base before the ink on the receivership documents has even dried. It follows on from the Sunday Tribune's announcement that it will be unable to publish for the next for weeks until new owners are found.

I think that while it may seem a good media stunt for a serious newspaper to resort to, this type of classless media stunt highlights the lack of belief in their brand as any serious newspaper relies on the conviction and legitimacy of their writer and the articles produce to genereate new readership. I just think this smacks of tabloid sensationalism and would certainly turn me off this particular broadsheet. If they want to be a tabloid and act like a tabloid then fine, but dont try and present yourself as a serious newspaper and resort to these kind of back ally tactics to promote your brand by putting down another. I'm sure I am not the only one who feels like this how does everyone else feel would you still buy the Irish Mail on Sunday?

Sean W.

Kiely Collaboration

2011-02-07T02:15:00.000-08:00

Orla Kiely has teamed up with French car manufacturers Citroën to launch an exclusive line of DS3 models ‘The DS3 by ORLA Kiely collection’.

Citroën cited Kiely’s innovative streak as one of the key reasons behind the collaboration. The car will retail for £16,000, approximately €19,000. This is not an extortionate price for a car considering the standard edition costs roughly the same amount. This made me question the positioning of the product; usually limited edition products (there will only be 500 cars produced) enable the company to charge over the odds for the exclusivity of the product. Is Citroën positioning the product too low? The obvious direct competitor would be the Mini Cooper which also targets fashionistas. Interestingly, BMW commissioned top designers Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg and Kenneth Cole to design once-off models of the Mini Cooper in 2010 for charity.

The car will naturally appeal to a female audience. A car is not just a functional product; it is highly emotive. For some it may be a symbol of success, for others of personality. In this case it is a fashion accessory. Furthermore, the eco-friendliness of the car will appeal to the more feminine nature.

Aside from pricing issues, my other concern for the Kiely brand would be over saturation. It is a luxury brand, albeit miles from others such as Gucci, Prada etc. but it still positions itself quite high. The brand has already diversified from clothing into Apple laptop cases, Brita water bottles, Butler’s chocolate cases and even pencils! Everyone can have a piece of the Orla Kiely world. Perhaps this is a quality needed in recent times; the number of people who can afford to buy in to a luxury brand may have dwindled. Either way, I am eager to track the progress of Kiely’s latest effort at diversification.

Aislinn

Small scale distilling

2011-02-02T03:08:00.000-08:00

Seeing as we are currently conducting research on the spirits industry I thought that this story I found on brandchannel.com was very interesting.

Kieran Folliard is an Irish man who owns four Irish pubs in Minneapolis. He has long claimed that his bar sells more Jameson than anywhere else in the world. He is now having his own whiskey made at Cooley, Ireland's last independent distillery, known for its Kilbeggan label.

Cooley will produce and ship the private label product to America, under the name of 2 Gingers; the product may eventually be opened to wider distribution. Folliard will have the clear advantage of not having to deal with brand markups, but it is likely that his sales of Jameson, a very established brand, will suffer. If we consider our knowledge of small scale distilling, what does everyone think?

Aislinn

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Numwt_-F2FI

It's the little things

2011-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

It may be because I am an avid dog lover, but I really admire Andrex’s most recent TV advertisement. The Labrador puppy has always been the brand ambassador for Andrex; and through this ad he is brought to life in his own world.

The Andrex puppy incorporates the brands core values, which include a sense of reliability and a caring nature. This is shown through the dog’s preparation for his girlfriend’s arrival home and the various measures he takes to ensure that she will be happy. The product is a luxury product in its category, and this is shown throughout the ad. Aesthetically he is cuddly and soft, which is what the product prides itself on. The viewer is drawn into the Andrex experience. The product is not featured until the end of the ad, with the familiar sight of the puppy unwinding the toilet roll. The ad is reminiscent of Nintendogs. A personal favourite!

Aislinn

Volvo shifts it up a gear with their “How to Make a Sexy Car Ad”

2011-01-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

Volvo has been in a bit of an uncomfortable position in recent months, with dwindling car sales. But despite this the company seems to have rekindled excitement for the brand with the launch of the all-new Volvo V60. With increased power and better handling of corners the Volvo V60 promises to deliver more exciting driving dynamics than your average wagon. Volvo believed they had pushed the envelope to limits they had never previously reached with the development of the chassis in the new V60 but it seems they have also done this with their television advertising.

The new, 30 second, V60 advert details “How to Make a Sexy Car Ad” through:
1. Show a sexy car
2. Include a visual metaphor
3. Make it all wet and steamy
4. Finish with an obscure product demonstration

This advertisement not only offers a very light hearted take on this but also gives Volvo the opportunity to get away from their usual reputation as a reliable, middle – aged car. They have realised that the public are not idiots falling for the same car advertising ingredients and offer an amusing alternative with the use of a flicker at a race car drivers gloves, a black panther, rain and a closing boot!

Edel Kane

2011-01-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

The Blue Sky Board is back with a bang after a short break! Expect great new informative posts...watch this space!

Nike Boom!

2010-12-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

Nike has released a new series of ads from Wieden + Kennedy with the simple theme of "Boom!" The ads draw attention to high-impact moments in sports and the role Nike plays in making these moments happen.I first came across the ads on NFL.com. Nike have recently won back the rights to produce NFL apparel from Reebook who paid $300 million dollars for them in 2001. The deal will see Nike become the official NFL uniform provider for five years from April 2012.

"Nike is proud to become the official sponsor of the NFL," said Nike Brand president Charlie Denson. "With this relationship, Nike's position in our largest market in the world will be stronger than ever. We believe our agreement with the NFL enhances the Nike brand, and provides a significant opportunity to drive growth across the business both in our performance products and sportswear."

I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of these types of ads from Nike in the future as well as the new NFL team uniforms.

Gavin McCarthy

New Budweiser 'Pool' ad

2010-10-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dont know if anyones seen it yet but Diageo launched a new Budweiser ad in Ireland on the 25th October. It's a pretty cool ad and theres actually little mention of the beer or the name throughout, except at the very end, which is pretty unusual for beer ads. The ad shows a city at night and uses music to build up to a giant lifesize game of "human pool" taking place on the rooftop of a skyscraper. Its a real cool ad and the tag line "King of Good Times King of Beers" is pretty good. What you all think of the ad?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaBgseOU4OU

Sean

Lebron Addresses Critics in new Nike Ad

2010-10-29T01:25:00.000-07:00

Should he have stayed with the Cleveland Cavaliers? Gotten his "Chosen One" tattoo removed? Admitted he's a failure because he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? Given up on hoops altogether and focused on something else? Ignored the advice his friends gave to him about his free agency, his brand and his life this summer?

In the 90-second clip released during the week LeBron takes aim at each and every columnist, blogger, NBA analyst and talking head that took shots at him after he made his decision to join the Heat in July. He addresses them, not through answers, but by questioning what they would have done if they were in his shoes (a nice touch, considering the spot was paid for by Nike). And he finishes by posing one simple question: "Should I be what you want me to be?" It's nothing if not effective.

I loved this ad because it shows that LeBron is not what we want him to be. He's flawed. He's imperfect. He's dare I say it human. But, you know what? There's really nothing wrong with that. And even though we think everything he's doing is wrong for his life, wrong for his career and wrong for his legacy, he's ultimately the one that's going to have to live with it. So, it doesn't really matter what we think, now does it?

Take a look

Role reversal

2010-10-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just came across this ad today and I think its really well done you should check it out!

http://jackjones.com/girl-toy

I really like the way the ad plays on the whole reversing of the traditional roles per se. Apparently us lads have feelings now days! It's really well made and very contemporary. I think it is the type of ad which works really well with its target market, as the guy in the ad can be easily related to by the brands young male target market. The whole concept of men becoming a womans toy is really clever and innovative. The ad is very simple but delivers its message extremely effectively. It plays on some of the same principles as the Lynx ads "irresistable to women" did except in a less obvious more sleek way. It basically tells us to wear J & J to become a womans toy which is many a mans dream and the way it is portrayed in the ad as a negative emotional burden is brilliant. The imagery also kind of reminds of the Puma "weekend athelete" ad campaign. I just think this type of ad fits the brand perfectly!

What does everyone else think?? I for one really liked it.

Sean

Where Are All The Women?

2010-10-19T03:18:00.000-07:00

As I was doing research for our assignment on branding Ireland I came across some information on Mary Robinson (former president) that I had no idea about!!! I am blaming my young age and possibly my parents for my ignorance, for those of you who arent aware of what she has done, see below for a summary:

The first Bill Mary Robinson wrote as a new senator (this was in the late 60's) sought to overturn the ban on importing, distribution and sale of contraception in Ireland (thank goodness)
She married a protestant man, despite protests from her parents who would not even go to the wedding because they did not believe in mixed religion marraiges.
She transformed the position of President of Ireland.
She has dedicated her life to lobbying for human rights for people who cannot stand up for themselves, not just in Ireland but around the world.

" I was elected by the women of Ireland who, instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system" -Mary Robinson

But the thing that struck me when I was reading about this was that are there any Irish women of this generation that are a patch on the likes of Mary Robinson? If yes - who? If no - why?????

With all the problems in our political systems and in our economy where are the women with the balls and the brains to get us out of this mess???? They are certainly not in the Dail anyways......

2010-10-07T03:32:00.000-07:00

Electronics company Sony have pulled their support for the carbon-reduction initiative 10:10 after the climate change campaign group’s latest promotional campaign was met with public outrage. The aim of the campaign is to cut global carbon emissions by 10% each year from 2010, with their centerpiece day of action coming up on the 10.10.10. The content of its latest promotional video ‘No Pressure’ is certainly set to shock. It contains footage of schoolchildren being blown to pieces, along with actress Gillian Anderson and French footballer David Ginola. Leading UK comedy writer Richard Curtis (Director, Notting Hill) agreed to write the 4 minute film for the campaign. It appeared on the company website last week but was pulled down hours after.

In an official release on its corporate website, Sony said that it strongly ‘condemned the release by 10:10, the climate change campaign group, of a video entitled ’No Pressure’ that Sony considers to be ill-conceived and tasteless’.

In a statement, 10:10 said that it sincerely apologised to anyone who was offended by the promotion. According to the 10:10 UK director, Eugenie Harvey; ‘10:10 is a young and creative team but we will learn lessons from this. We are going to investigate what happened, review our processes and procedures, and share the results with our partners’.

What do you think? Do you believe Sony were right in pulling their support from the campaign; just a few days before 10.10.10? Did Gillian Anderson and David Ginola do the right thing by lending their support to the campaign? Were 10.10 correct in using shock tactics in order to highlight the issue of climate change? In a world where traditional marketing is losing its place, should they be admired for concentrating their efforts on a unique ‘humorous’ digital campaign?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgG1SMo1oTw&feature=related

Warning: do not watch this video if you are in anyway queasy!

Aislinn Mahon

World Smile Day

2010-10-01T03:05:00.000-07:00

SMILE )))))))

Good Day fellow bloggers & Happy World Smile Day.

World Smile Day is held on the first Friday of October each year and is a day dedicated to "good cheer and good works". The catch phrase for the day is "Do an act of kindness-help one person smile".

Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts created the smiley face in 1963. That image went on to become the most recognizable symbol of good will and good cheer on the planet.

As the years passed Harvey Ball became concerned about the over-commercialization of his symbol, and how its original meaning and intent had become lost in the constant repetition of the marketplace.

Out of that concern came his idea for World Smile Day.

Smiling is infectious so let it spread today.

Donal 'Smiles' Mc Sharry

Green Marketing in the Automobile Industry

2010-09-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

Following on from the ‘Nissan Leaf’ example, here is an advertisement for Toyota’s 2010 Prius. The commercial entitled ‘Harmony’ was produced by Saatchi and Saatchi LA for Toyota USA and was aired in 2009. It topped the Nielsen’s Top 10 Most Liked New Ads List in May 2009. The effectiveness of any green marketing campaign is determined by the strength of the emotional connection that is established with the audience. Creating ads that engage consumer emotions isn’t easy. Both ads manage to do so in different ways. Which do you think is the more effective?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4nrmnqY9o

Aislinn Mahon

Polar Bear Hug Anyone? The Nissan LEAF ad

2010-09-30T03:11:00.000-07:00

Does owning the new Nissan LEAF all electric vehicles [EV] feel like getting a warm, furry hug from a polar bear threatened by global warming? That’s the clear reference of a new television ad for the Leaf. This ad follows a lone polar bear on a trek from a melting Arctic, through forests, along motorways and into the city, where he finally reaches a driveway in the suburbs. There, as a man prepares to open the door to his Nissan LEAF and the massive bear rears up on its back legs and gives him a big loveable bear hug.

During an interview with The New York Times, Jon Brancheau, the vice president for Nissan marketing at Nissan North America, said the polar bear ad presented “a little twist, perhaps a wink” at more serious efforts to promote ecofriendly products by other companies.

What are your thoughts ?

McDonalds brings nostalgia back

2010-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi7Z3HhPCVk

The above link is a clip of the New Mcdonalds ad that has just been launched in Australia. In March of this year McDonalds built a 32ft playland weighing 15tonnes for adults in Sydneys CBD. When professionals stepped off the train on the way to work they were faced with this giant playland and at first they did not know how to respond. Within a few minutes the businessmen and women began pulling off their shoes and socks and ran into the playland where they enjoyed such features as the Hamburgular slide and the Grimace swing. In the centre of the giant playland was Ronald McDonald himself and in the ad we can see the adults hugging him as if they were children again. The ad is a 60sec clip of the response to the playland and conceptualises how successful this use of ambient and Nostalgic marketing was for McDOnalds.

Ambient Marketing at it's finest in Sydney

2010-09-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

In the "Age of Digital" I am getting a little bored of the repetitive viral campaigns being recycled and reused by marketers. In my opinion creativity is the beauty and backbone of successful marketing. Selina's feature about McDonald's creating an "adult sized" playground in the central business district of Sydney inspired me to take a look at some other ambient marketing campaigns.

Turns out Sydney is quite the creative spot!Ikea turned a popular footpath into a walk in kitchen,inviting members of the public to pose for photographs. 3D Chalk artists Jenny McCracken and Anton Pulvirenti developed a scene on a circular quay that provided an illusion of an enormous kitchen sink complete with dish rack. The stunt was a part of Ikea's preparation for the 60th anniversary of the Ikea catologue 2011. Clink on this link to see Ikea's ambient stunts....

It is this type of innovation and creativity that keeps well established brands like Ikea at the forefront of the consumers mind.

However how do marketers ensure that this form of marketing doesn't become outdated and overdone? What are the key elements needed for a successful ambient marketing campaign?

Kate Flanagan

Debenhams New Campaign

2010-09-21T04:18:00.001-07:00

Following on from my progress yesterday, Debenhams have launched a new campaign which they are rolling out in all their stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland. This groundbreaking campaign features a disabled model and it is the first of its kind on the highstreet. See poster above.

I understand that Debenhams decided to launch this after positive feedback they got when they trialled it in three of its stores however I think that Debenhams are really clutching at straws trying to give themselves an image and they are going out of their way to make it obvious in this poster that the model is disabled. Personally it wouldnt make me shop more in Debenhams and I doubt it will increase their sales. I do agree that for children it is important to have positive images in stores rather than stick insect perfect models I believe that models should look healthy and reflect real people. So fair play to Debenhams for hopping on the band wagon.

What are your views on this new slant for Debenhams??????

Lady Gaga - A friend or a foe????

2010-09-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

Celebrity endorsement and product placement have never been more popular than they are today. Many brands are fighting to jump on Lady Gaga's success and align their products with her and her billions of worldwide fans. Lady Gaga has embraced this and has incorporated brand culture into her image and has made brands part of her art. For example in her music video 'Telephone' she featured brands such as Diet Coke, Virgin and Polaroid and in her video for 'Bad Romance' she featured Nemiroff Vodka.

However, taking into account Lady Gaga's recent meaty showcase at the MTV awards (see picture above) which managed to offend vegetarians, animal rights activists and many other people all over the world, do you think that product placement with Lady Gaga is more of a risk than a benefit? Who knows what Lady Gaga will do next and can brands take that gamble? What brands, if any do you think are suitable for Lady Gaga to endorse and what brands should keep their distance?

Google Instant webinar with Krishna De

2010-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
No doubt you are all aware of the changes that have happened in Google over the past two weeks. If not I suggest you take a look at a webinar that Krishna De carried out last week about Google Instant and the impact it can have on online marketing.

Krishna De is an expert in online and digital marketing and we have been fortunate enough to confirm her as a guestspeaker for our alumni event "Developments in Digital Marketing: A leadership mindset for a turbulent times". The event will be held on the 21st of October so stay tuned for further updates. I suggest you all take a look at her blog aswell as taking a look at the video below.

Kate Flanagan

Lessons on Leadership

2010-09-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

All,

Recent trawling of the blogosphere has lead me to discover another blog, other than The Blue Sky Board, to take notice of. Simon Oates a UK based blogger has set-up a blog called Leadership Expert, it is a blog for aspiring leaders featuring articles, tips and the sharing of ideas.

In particular I like this video on lessons on leadership featuring Richard Stengel, author and managing editor of Time Magazine and David Remnick, author and editor of The New Yorker. They discuss the interesting topic of whether you are born a natural leader or can develope the talent through time and experience.....

Born leader, either you have it or you don't. What are your thoughts?

Kate Flanagan

The Man Your Man Could Be: Old Spice Online Success

2010-08-19T07:58:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've all aware of the Old Spice campaign at this stage, if not click here to see it.A huge number of ads that we look at are really interesting and provocative but at the end of the day the end goal of most ads is to get the consumer to purchase the good. I'm sure most people would probably agree that Old Spice was quiet a dated brand and this new campaign has really reinvigorated their brand by looking at who they were targeting and who is actually doing the buying when it comes to body wash. Much like Brylcreem did in the late 90s they've sought to move away from their traditional older loyal users and attract younger men to the brand(as well as their girlfriends).

Recently Old Spice have come out with a video to show how successful their campaign has been. Here are some of the stats shown in the video below:

Old Spice accounted for 75 percent of conversations in the category in the first three months of 2010.
• Half the conversations came from women.
• The YouTube/Twitter social media response campaign was "the fastest-growing and most popular interactive campaign in history."
• Total video views reached 40 million in a week.
• Campaign impressions: 1.4 billion.
• Since the campaign launched, Old Spice Bodywash sales are up 27 percent; in the last three months up. 55 percent; and in the last month up 107 percent.

A lot of the stats shown in the linked video are a little fuzzy and while they may show a heightened awareness of the brand the stats that I think really matter are those at the end of the list. Old Spice have managed to find a way to transfer online interest in the brand into sales and I think that that is the real success of this campaign.

The Age of Event Sponsorship is over

2010-06-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

One of the main points I sought to get across in my progress this morning was that the age of huge corporate sponsorship of sporting events like the World Cup is well and truly over. Associations like FIFA can no longer guarantee exclusivity to its partners. This World Cup has in my opinion proven that a well-timed ad or the ambush of a major event is far more effective than sponsorship of the actual competition.

Dutch brewer Bavaria hijacked to great effect the Holland v Denmark game last week. However the consternation which FIFA have kicked up has played into the hands of Bavaria, giving them a massive amount of prime time media coverage. Paddy Power are even happy to hijack an event which they themselves sponsor, such as the Cheltenham Festival.

Official sponsors of the World Cup have been fairing very poorly when it comes to association with the competition. A study by Nielsen found that Nike has created a significantly bigger "online buzz", based on an analysis of blogs, message boards and social networking websites, and association to the World Cup than any other brand.

Nike, which is not an official sponsor of the World Cup, had more than twice as many references in relation to the World Cup than official sponsor Adidas.Adidas had the second highest level of mentions, and therefore share of World Cup buzz, with official sponsors Coca-Cola, Sony and Visa filling out the top five slots.

Carlsberg, which recently launched its own star-studded "best team talk in the world" TV campaign, ranked sixth. The brewer is not an official World Cup sponsor. Official beer sponsor Budweiser did not appear in the top 10 in the report.
Adidas recently struck back with a TV ad featuring celebrities in a remix of the famous cantina scene from the 1977 Star Wars film. The ad launched on 5 June and given Nielsen's research only covers the period 7 May to 6 June the German sportswear giant will be hoping its digital buzz factor has significantly increased since the report.

These examples show that compelling, savvy marketing can establish this sort of connection in the eyes of consumers without having to write that expensive sponsorship check

Gavin McCarthy

Ad of the Week

McDonalds "Come as you are" Campaign

2010-06-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Following on from this mornings discussion in progress about McDonald's latest ad campaign "Come as you are" I would like your opnions on other ads featured in the campaign. The first ad below features two "silver-surfers" adopting new identities online and interacting with one another. The second ad features a mother and daughter and illustrates the similarities between the two as they both manage to lose their bags in the same day. The campaign sees its brand move away from its usual focus of the traditional family set-up to recognizing a wider clientele. Is this a good move in the right direction or should McDonalds revert back to the likes of it's happy easygoing "I'm Loving it" campaign??

Cadbury's Chocolate Charmer

2010-04-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday 9th April at 7.45pm, Cadbury Ireland launched its latest Dairy Milk advertisement for their Chocolate Charmer campaign. It follows previously successful Cadbury ads – Gorilla, Eyebrows and Airport Trucks - and cost them €500,000 to make. The campaign will include TV, experiential marketing, online and PR. It shows the chocolate charmer at work, using his magic to whip the milk and chocolate together. A Cadbury spokesperson announced that the aim of this ad is to show people the joy of creating chocolate.

Tiger Woods Ad

2010-04-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the new Tiger Woods advertisement for Nike with a recording used from his late father Earl. One quote underneath the video on Youtube stated, "Totally exploitive. Tiger woods just sold himself and his father out at wholesale. Its obviously a money thing for him. The guy has no integrity." On the other hand, it's being hailed as a great idea that has sparked a lot of interest for both Nike and Tiger Woods. The question is have they gone too far or is it marketing at it's best?

Pepsi New Strategy

2010-03-07T03:44:00.000-08:00

A £700 million revamp of the Pepsi brand has begun. The first phase involves relaunching the UK website with the new logo being used for the first time. The second phase involves a social media campaign in which they want people to show their wild sides. This is based on the popular series of advertisements they ran recently. Also, Pepsi wants people to tell them how they should spend £13 million on charitable causes. The third phase involves ambush marketing the FIFA World Cup (which is kindly sponsored by Coca-Cola) by launching viral and traditional media advertisements using the controversial Thierry Henry and other soccer stars. It will be interesting to see if a reference is made to the Irish qualifier game. So, it seems they have a comprehensive strategy there but it will be interesting to see if the investment level is warranted.

The MDP's Favourite AD

2010-03-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

Ok guys,

Following on from progress this morning, I am starting a poll to find out what the MDP's favorite AD is? My favorite AD is the "Coco Madamosille" AD featuring Keira Knightly. I love this AD because it communicates the attributes of the product very well. All the elements of the AD (music, product placement ect.) combine together to create a very effective AD for Chanel.

Do you like this AD? Why? What is your favorite AD?

The Super Bowl is over for one more year......

2010-02-09T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl is over for another year and with it came another set of fantastic advertisements. These are usually the most talked about ads of the year and costing $2.4 to $3 million they would want to be. The ads have moved from being an interruption to being part of the main event. According to a survey undertaken by the US’s Retail Advertising and Marketing association 26.9% of people rated the Super Bowl ad’s as the most important part of the day.

That perhaps is some justification for the amount of money spent. Viewers’ sit down and wait to see your ads, the complete opposite of what is audiences are doing for other programs. The trend is that viewers are actively avoiding the ads by flicking channels, doing something else or fast forwarding through them with ad skipping technologies such as TiVo. Viewers’ critique them immediately afterwards, both with friends at Super Bowl parties and online. It is a process that separates the good from the bad, meaning they have to be the best. It is clear why air time costs so much, and why many big brands invest heavily in them. This year saw ads from Dr. Pepper and this year’s top rated ad from snickers (See Below) amongst others.

However in what might seem like a strange move Pepsi have decided not to run a Super Bowl ad for the first time in 23 years, instead they have decided to focus their attention on Facebook and an online strategy. This is a brave move by Pepsi who have historically invested heavily in celebrity endorsement (Britney Spears and David Beckham, to name just two) and less than average in online marketing. They cited getting close to the customer as a main reason for this decision. Ralph Santana, vice-president of marketing for PepsiCo North America said customers:

"...are looking for more of a two-way dialogue, story-telling and word of mouth. Mediums like the digital space are much more conducive towards that."

So is this the beginning of the end for traditional advertising, if big brands are moving away from it? Doritos (the only PepsiCo owned brand advertising at this year’s Super Bowl) provide a good example of what I believe we will see more of in the future. They have merged both traditional and online campaigns, one form supports the other and Doritos reap the benefits of both. Doritos launched a competition to for their customers to design their ad for the Super Bowl, entries are loaded onto the website and the winner is eventually voted for online (available at http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/winners ). By doing this Doritos manage to hack into the creativity of their customers and discover how they really feel about the brand. The winning ad is then broadcast during the Super Bowl, reaching a wide audience eager to see it. I think this is quite a clever approach to take and that we will be seeing more and more brands adopting this tactic in the future.

DR. Pepper and Kiss

Snickers, 2010 best ranked ad

1 of Doritos 5 finalists

The Superbowl is coming up...

2010-02-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

ETrade is a financial corporation based in the US and is divided into trading & investing, retirement & planning and banking & credit cards. As the name ETrade implies they concentrate on online services, e.g. buying stock online. Last week we discussed the use of humour in ads for “serious” products such as financial services.

ETrade paid $ 3 million to place their snarky baby ad during last year’s Superbowl. Although most of us did not really like this ad, it was a huge success because after the broadcast 19 million people surged on the website.

Barclaycard's Rollercoaster

2010-01-26T08:12:00.000-08:00

Barclaycard’s Rollercoaster, launched Sunday 24 January 2010, is the follow up to its popular Waterslide advert released 2 years previous. The campaign, which was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty uses the same CGI special effects technology employed in the Spider Man blockbusters. Paul Troy, head of advertising and content at Barclaycard says that the ad is the most technically advanced the card company has ever produced, saying, ‘I think it was quite brave when the financial meltdown happened to keep with the style of creative we have...It feels anti-recessionary even if it wasn’t designed to be’. As budgets for advertising and marketing are often cut during recession, the more savvy companies use it as an opportunity to gain market share. Barclaycard has opted to advertise for maximum memorability, thereby getting more bang for their buck. Rollercoaster also taps into the escapist fantasy genre that becomes so popular during recessionary times. The film, romance and sci-fi literature, and gaming industries have seen their profits rise over the past two years. In line with this, Barclaycard will be launching a ‘Rollercoaster’ iPhone app this coming May as a sequel to its popular ‘Waterslide’ app which has been downloaded 8.5m times to date.

2009-10-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

Agency: DDB Stockholm

Client: Volkswagen

DDBH Stockholm have come up with an innovative viral campaign for Volkswagen to coincide with the promotion of their "BlueMotion Technologies" range of eco friendly cars. Based on the concept that “Fun is the best way to change peoples behaviour for the better”, the aim of the “Fun Theory” campaign is to convince people that doing the right thing for the environment can also be enjoyable.

Launched at the end of September, the first fun theory project involved turning the stairway of a Stockholm metro rail station into a giant piano keyboard. As a result, 66% more people chose to take the healthier option of the stairs rather than the escalator situated alongside. In the two weeks since the corresponding clip was launched on youtube, it has received over been over 1 million hits.

Two follow up projects have also been launched. The “World’s Deepest Bin” encouraged people to dump their rubbish in the bin by placing a sensor in a bin which plays a comical sound when someone places an item into it. The most recent project is the “Bottle Bank Arcade” which involved a regular bottle bank being transformed into a game by which customers competed to achieve a high score by recycling their bottles.

The clips all contain a call to action in the form of a link to the fun theory website where the public are encouraged to generate and film their own fun theory projects with the person who puts forward the best idea winning over €2500. DDB Stockholm’s Deputy Manager, Lars Axelsson, has said “By making driving and the world more fun, we turn the VW brand into a hero...Our experiments and our Fun Theory films make the world a better and more fun place to live.”

The inherent eco message in the campaign seems to hint at a shift by Volkswagen to promote itself as a “brand with a conscience”. Following in the footsteps of mega brands such as Dove and Toyota, Volkswagen appear to be positioning themselves as a brand that cares about bigger global issues such as the threat to the environment. The fact that such a strategy comes at a time when the company are seeking to infiltrate the increasingly competitive eco friendly car market is certainly no coincidence however.

Regardless of Volkswagens intentions, the novel innovative concept and the subtle inclusion of the logo at the end of the clips of seems to guarantee the fun theory’s success as a viral campaign over the next few months .

Johnnie Walker "The Man that Walked Around the World"

2009-08-12T03:42:00.000-07:00

Agency: BBH London

Client: Johnnie Walker

Bag pipes, misty Scottish hills, Robert Carlyle and a 5 minute narration of the history of Johnnie Walker...in an age where 140 characters constitutes ‘engagement’ keeping the viewer listening intently for 5 minutes is surely an achievement worth recognizing!

In this beautifully shot new advertising campaign for Johnnie Walker, Robert Carlyle strolls through the Scottish highlands near Perthshire detailing the story of the iconic brand whilst interacting with a number of props relevant to the whiskey’s 190 year history. The story of the brand is both compelling and gripping but it is Carlyle, who achieved fame in “Trainspotting” and “The Full Monty” that really brings the copy to life.

The director James Rafn was also clearly impressed with his efforts and describes his experience of working with him on www.shots.net as follows:
“As soon as we started rehearsing however I quickly realized that Robert is an utter genius. Not only was he (as you'd expect) absolutely professional and determined to get it just right, but he also had this abundant natural charisma. He just filled the screen and possessed it. Robert is a natural story teller, and between takes had me utterly rapt with tales from his extraordinary career. I knew as soon as we started shooting, that we were in very safe hands.”

Perhaps even more intriguing than the story of brand’s birth growth and development is the fact that all five minutes and twenty two seconds of Carlyle’s narrative were captured in one shot. The ad that was finally released was the 40th (and last!) effort shot at 8pm on the last day of filming and goes down in history as one of the longest continuous takes. Mick Mahoney, BBH London Creative Director of the project had this to say on the challenges that this campaign presented:

"Every director we spoke to told us that it wasn’t possible to do what we wanted. That we would need concealed cuts and so on. Which would still have made a good film, but it’s the undertaking, the commitment,of doing it all in one take that makes it. Jamie Rafn was the only director who felt the same. Getting Robert Carlyle to do it then just took it up a gear. He has exactly the screen persona that we wanted. Tough, uncompromising, enigmatic.”

The concept of the mini movie also fits seamlessly into Johnnie Walker’s brand campaign of “Keep Walking”. From the basis of the story which is interlinked with the Johnnie Walker concept of “Inspiring Personal Progress”, to the reference to the “Keep Walking” slogan and even the mental image of Carlyle walking relentlessly towards the camera, the brand message is maintained throughout in a subtle and nuanced manner.

This campaign is a prime example of the fact that a good well told story still has the potential to capture the imagination of the media savvy audiences of today. The simplicity of the use of the props, an atmospheric soundtrack and the endearing bag piper abuse in the first minute of the clip means that the story is intriguing and the audience’s attention is maintained throughout. The brand’s unique and organic history is enough to capture and engage audiences without the need for dramatic special effects and complicated brand messages.

http://www.johnniewalker.com/

NIKE PLUS

2009-06-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Marketing Innovation Nike Plus

Although this is expected from a Mega brand like Nike, I am still so impressed with the “Nike Plus” campaign. We are always speaking to people about thinking outside the box and understanding their users first before jumping on the latest and greatest technologies to win new consumers, or to build brands. The “Nike Plus” campaign focuses around runners. (talk about segmentation – just athletes who are competitive and recreational runners).Athletes can go to the running section on the nike.com website. Runners purchase a Nike Plus running band which tracks a runners distance, time, calories etc, or they can get an iPod enabled device (called the iPod sports kit) that will do the same thing. (that other mega brand Apple “ran” right at this opportunity!)The Nike Plus device talks to the Nike Shoe – they call it the “Nike plus ready shoe” which is built to have a tracking device that syncs with the iPod or band. Each time the athlete runs using the band, they can load the information from the Nike Plus Sport Band into the Nike runners website. The device measures time, distance, pace, calories etc.The website http://www.nike.com/ then tracks each run, illustrating pace and distance for you and comparing it to your other runs, and other runners! It tracks changes in pace and helps the athlete to train by trending their performance over time.

Nike has created a true community of runners - all centred around the Nike brand. They also offer a community forum to connect with other runners around the world, and compete against runners. There is a race blog, uploaded photos of racers – and even a 10 K race planned for all users called “The Human Race 10 K” where runners will be ranked and countries will compete – all virtually using the data entered into the Nike Plus runners website.Without the Nike Plus ready shoes, runners need to be creative with attaching the chip to the shoe. The Nike brand is associated with all points along the way from the purchase of the band, to the shoes and the clothing, to the website facilitating the conversation and tracking personal performance. Brilliant integrated marketing as it allows Nike to market directly and indirectly to consumers through the community website portal, the Race itself, and all of the products required to participate in the Nike Plus running community.At the end of the day, we all don’t have the resources that Nike does to market their products – but we can take away the following best practices that Nike applied to this initiative.

Segmentation – it is not all about traditional demographics, dig deeper into your users or customers

Use Social Media to your advantage – allow your customers to have a “conversation” with you and with each other about your brand

O2 Be The Difference

2009-03-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

Agency: Mc Connells
Client: O2 Ireland

Brief: To Engage the Irish Rugby supporter with the Rugby Team

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Background: The O2 Be The Difference Campaign promises to be one of the campaigns of the year. The idea behind this is to bring the supporter closer to the Irish rugby team by allowing them to have their names on the back of the player's jerseys.The numbers on the back of the jersey's are comprised of hundreds of names of O2 customers who had signed up for the Be The Difference campaign in O2 stores and online. These names first appeared on the players jersey's at the Ireland vs. England game at Croke Park on 28 February, and subsequently for the Grand Slam decider at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff between Wales and Ireland on 21 March.

Also, the thousands of names collected will also be used to create a unique poster campaign for the Six Nations. The campaign will feature iconic images of Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell made up of these signatures, and will give people from throughout Ireland the chance to show their support for the Irish team. Marketing Director for O2 Damian Devaney, said: "We wanted to create a strong bond between the players on the field and the supporters, both in stands, and around the country. Now we're bringing Irish supporters even closer to the team on match day in the knowledge that each and every one of them can be the difference for Declan, Brian and the team".

Creative Execution:

- A website http://www.bethedifference.ie/

- A Blog http://www.bethedifference.ie/blog/?p=104

- Outdoor Advertising

Check this out:

- Search for Eileen Murphy on Jersey No.22 by clicking here

Nike - Leave Nothing

2009-03-04T03:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is without doubt the best sports ad I've seen in a very long time. I think any sports fan will agree. And the Last of The Mohicans soundtrack just makes it. Pure Nike. It was directed by Michael Mann who also did The Kingdom, Heat and Collateral

Pepsi Worldplay Inauguration Campaign

2009-02-18T05:53:00.000-08:00

Agency: TBWA
Client: Pepsi
Brief: Celebrate inauguration of Obama as US president
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Background:
Pepsi, the world number two in the global soft drinks industry decided upon a campaign whereby they would use the new Pepsi logo as a comparison to the Obama campaign logo.The campaign was known as "Worldplay inauguration" and focused on the use of mnemonics to outline a message of hope, similar to that of the Obama campaign.

Creative Execution:
The campagin ran only in the United States and involved a poster campaign in Washington DC, LA, ans New York. This was supported by TV advertising which continued the theme of posters and an interactive blog whereby people could log on and upload videos to relating to the campaign. Check out the TV campaign ad below;

Cadbury Dairy Milk 'eyebrow dance'

2009-01-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

Agency: Fallon

Client: Cadburys

Brief: Create a piece of content that gives people the same joyful feeling they have when they eat Cadbury Dairy Milk

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I first saw this and was totally confused, but yet not surprised that it was for Cadbury's after the infamous truck advertisements. Basically, it is two children moving their eyebrows to the song "Dont Stop The Rock" by Freestyle. And it ends with the girl bursting a balloon. This is totally random and it is impossible to see how such an advertisement relates to Cadbury's chocolate. Personally, it doesnt make me want to go out and buy Cadbury's, although here I am writing about it on the blog. What do you think this advertisement achieves? Take a look.

Powerade "Never Give Up" Campaign

2009-01-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

Agency: Cybercom Ireland

Client: Coca-Cola

Brief: Drive sales through re-positioning

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Background

The problem here was that Powerade was only positioned third in the lucrative sports drink market in Ireland. Coca-Cola decided on a technique which involved a viral campagin, which was to act as a 'channel for following'. The idea of this campaign was to follow 22 year old Will Cullen through his first triatholon.

Creative Execution

The creative execution behind the campaign was

A series of viral videos

A blog http://www.bebo.com/nevergiveup

Social media communities

Online PR http://www.nevergiveup.ie/

Banner advertisments

This was backed up by a series of television advertisements which were comprised of mini documentaries, following the progress of Will Cullen.

Results

Year 1:

43,000 separate consumers visited NeverGiveUp.ie
21,116 viewed The Powerade TV ads on YouTube, Bebo or My Space
The client measured a 625% return on investment from digital

Year 2:

Powerade recorded a 24% increase in sales in 2008
Powerade has increased its market share by 6% to 27.5% market share
Online Advertising drove a total of 7,685 visitors through to the website

Is the Future of TV Online?

2009-01-13T01:37:00.000-08:00

This is something I found myself thinking the other day. Here's a few reasons why on-demand is certainly in more demand.BBC iPlayer was launched in December 2007. The target audience for this is 16 - 34 year olds. In it's first 12 months since launch, the BBC got a total of 271 million requests to view programmes through iPlayer. They got 41 million alone last December. And there's no reason to think the iPlayer won't grow even more. The BBC just introduced downloading for Mac and Linux users, as well as a special version for CBBC. And iPlayer was the number one fastest rising search term in the UK according to Google.Next is Sky Player. Sky Player lets users watch all Sky tv programmes on their laptop or PC. Sky recently signed a deal with the BBC and Channel 4 so that it can shows some of their programmes. And it doesn't matter if you're a current Sky customer or not. Because you can take out a subscription package just for Sky Player. So you can get all the benefits of Sky tv on your laptop or PC. And if you are a current customer and sign up to Sky Player, you can get the very same package you have on your tv.

Social networks are also getting in on the act and MySpace has been the first to get involved. Later this year MySpace will be available through tv sets on the new tv application framework called the Widget Channel. This channel is co-developed by Intel and Yahoo. The Widget Channel will be available on internet-enabled tvs. Samsung is launching it's own range of these tvs in spring. This is part of the partnership they launched with Yahoo earlier this month.MySpace users will be able to receive friend updates, read and reply to messages, receive friend requests, publish status and mood updates, see updates from friends and browse profiles and photosall all through their tv.I think this is true convergence. A one stop shop that merges tv and online worlds. I wonder how far behind fully functional web browsing on tv is? Will broadcasters look at the possibility of launching tv shows online at the same time they're being released on tv? I heard rumours FOX was looking at launching tv shows on their YouTube channel.Overall, , I can't these developments ever replacing traditional tv. But it certainly opens up a whole new world of choice and possibilities. And it's certainly exciting.

What do you think?

Welcome to the Bluesky Board Blog

2009-01-12T02:38:00.000-08:00

The idea of the Bluesky Board is to increase creativity and creative thinking within the course on an internal level by encouraging more “blue sky thinking” via a “blue sky board”.

The Key Learning’s of the Bluesky Board blog are:
1. To expose advisors to creative and innovative global campaigns
2. To compare the strategy and objectives with the actual creative execution
3. To create an in-office discussion of advertising/marketing campaigns
4. Facilitates a hot topic for discussion of ‘how would I have done this campaign better’ thus encouraging debate and appraisal of current campaigns

The board will consist of interesting marketing campaigns that shows innovative or fresh thinking. The creative execution via imagery. The actual strategy underlying the campaign will be mounted on the board in the form of short text outlining key strategic objectives
The results from the campaign detailing the impact of the campaign, any industry awards or marketing community feedback.

All comments are encouraged and welcome.. Happy blogging

The Bluesky Board Team