BlogFonk

180 Amsterdam's winning streak

180 Amsterdam's success in Cannes...

'When the agency was set up in 1998 we gave ourselves one goal: to get the world talking about our clients through our work. In an award ceremony as intensely competitive as Cannes, it is hugely encouraging to receive this recognition.'

Words from Executive Creative Director Peter McHugh after independent agency 180 Amsterdam won 3 Gold Lions and 2 Bronze Lions for its global client Adidas at the 51st International Cannes Advertising Festival and ranks 3rd in the world's most prestigious international Agency Of The Year competition.

Cannes

Photo: Pat Denton

180's winning streak with prizes from numerous international award shows over the past months was firmly underlined last week by 5 Cannes Lions but most of all by a top 3 agency ranking. In total the 180\TBWA alliance won 8 Cannes Lions for their global client Adidas with 1 Media Lion and 2 Gold Outdoor Lions for TBWA\Japan's Vertical Football campaign.

In the Press & Poster Ceremony the Adidas campaign 'Impact, the Art of Rugby' won a Gold Lion in the Print category as well as a Bronze Lion in the Outdoor category. The widely publicized campaign uses self-portraits of the world's best rugby players who were body-painted and then tackled canvas wrapped tackle bags. CD's: Peter McHugh and Andy Fackrell, AD: Stuart Brown, CW: Peter McHugh, Giles Montgomery, Brad Roseberry.

Impact, the Art of Rugby

Photo: Outdoor acrylic self-portraits in London, 180 Amsterdam.

A Gold Film Lion was awarded to the film 'Wake-Up Call', which supports the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Football, of which Adidas was an official sponsor. The film depicts the Chinese national women's soccer team as they perform a precise, martial arts form of tai-chi on the lawn of the hotel where the US women's team is staying. The commercial, was directed by acclaimed commercial director Lance Acord and ran simultaneously in the US and China, with a projected viewer audience of over 3.2 billion. CD: Peter McHugh, AD: Andy Fackrell, CW: Andy Fackrell, Producers: Peter Cline, Sid Daffarn.

A second Gold Film Lion - this time for a campaign - went to 180 Amsterdam (180\TBWA) for the spots 'Long Run' and 'Laila' which are part of Adidas' biggest ever brand campaign 'Impossible Is Nothing'. 'Laila' features three-time female boxing champion Laila Ali as she gets in the ring with her father Muhammad Ali at the height of his own boxing career. Clever post-production mixes new footage with original Muhammad Ali fights. The voice over is Laila Ali explaining: '..So when my father looks impossible in the eye and defeats it, again and again...what do you think I'm gonna do when they say women shouldn't box? Yeah, That's right. Rumble, young girl, rumble.' CD's: Peter McHugh (180) and Lee Clow (TBWA worldwide), CW: Richard Bullock, AD: Dean Maryon, Producers: Peter Cline, Cedric Gairard.

Wake-Up Call

Photo: Women's soccer as martial arts form of tai-chi, 180 Amsterdam.

A Bronze Film Lion went to the Adidas campaign 'Kicking It', which features the world's best kickers, England's Rugby World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson and football star David Beckham. The quiet films depict the two top athletes as they try each other's sports and share their kicking techniques. CD: Peter McHugh, AD: Andy Fackrell, CW: Richard Bullock, Producers: Peter Cline, Sid Daffarn.

Congrats, 180 Amsterdam!

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Het Parool: a new Dutch tabloid

From its establishment in September 1944, the Dutch Parool Foundation continues to practice its mission...

To influence public opinion by publishing writings in the spirit of the ideas proposed by the illegal newsletter Het Parool.

Shortly after liberation editions of Het Parool appeared in The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Apeldoorn, Enschede, Zwolle, Groningen, and this one, Utrecht, May 8, 1945.

According to the International Institute of Social History the tremendous popularity of this daily during the fifties and sixties was probably not related to its political mission or its news coverage. Three special columns made it very attractive to the public: 'Kapitein Rob', 'Amsterdams Dagboek' and 'Kronkels'. In these columns, the favourite Parool themes of freedom, equality, and democracy may be discerned.

The archive of the Foundation shows however the continuous struggle to keep the newspaper alive financially. Even now facing hard times the Amsterdam's newspaper show guts by switching to a new tabloid format on March 31, 2004. Medialog.nl complimented Mario Garcia, the designer of the new tabloid, and wrote that the tabloid format is user friendly in itself. The new lay out of Het Parool can be judged as clear, light, well-structured and calm.

The ad campaign (printed ads, outdoor advertising, an event and tv and radio commercials) developed by Dutch ad agency UbachsWisbrun communicates the new tabloid format and focusses more on Amsterdam - Het Parool's place of birth - than before, with the payoff 'Geef mij maar Het Parool' ('Just give me Het Parool'), which can easily be adopted in everyday language.

Nice campaign for a new tabloid. Het Parool: bravo!

posted by BlogFonk: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

LOTW: soccercommercials.com

This Link Of The Week (LOTW) is all about soccer.

Nice soccer ads archive.

A collection for true soccer fans!

posted by BlogFonk: Monday, June 28, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

SideNews week 27 update

Interesting newslinks...

Wimbledon Champion Sharapova Leaps To Stardom
Get ready for the Maria Sharapova marketing blitz. You will see the new Wimbledon champion on all the talk shows, on sports and glamour magazine covers, in print ads & TV commercials.
The Daily News

30-Second TV Ads Lose Fizz For Coke
Reaching teenagers and young adults, a particularly important group for Coke and one of the most elusive for all marketers, requires the company to create and produce ads that not only reach the group but also engage them long enough to watch the ads.
MSNBC

Real Good Ads For Chicken
Godrej Agrovet has been struggling to gain acceptance for its chicken brand Real Good Chicken. The company has now decided to invest in a TV campaign to help take its brand forward.
The Hindu Business Line

Spider-man 2 Marketing Push To Pass First Film
Sony Pictures is weaving an enormous marketing and merchandising web for 'Spider-Man 2' that is expected to snare moviegoers and consumers with the help of at least six major promotional partners, who will be spending tens of millions of dollars in media buys, and hundreds of licensees and retail partners around the globe.
The Hollywood Reporter

Olympic Ads Focus Less On Games, More On Brands
Several of the biggest global Olympic partners are cutting back on Olympic-themed television commercials for the Athens Games, and using more of their year-round advertising messages or investing in broader promotions and events.
sify.com

Advertising Major Saatchi Coming To India
David Kershaw, a founding director and chief executive-designate of the agency, said the company's roll-out in Asia would be in the near future, with offices planned in China, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and India.
Business News India Channel

Apple's Upcoming Safari RSS Could Help Popularize The Format
The browser will display an icon if a site features an Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, and allows the user to seamlessly subscribe to the feed. Web browsers moving into the RSS aggregation arena raises the possibility of them replacing standalone news readers.
The Mac Observer

Buena Vista Pictures Interactive SmartTrailer
Moviegoers will have a whole new way to experience and interact with movie trailers online on Yahoo! Movies beginning with the debut of the SmarTrailer (TM) of National Treasure Touchstone Pictures Jerry Bruckheimer's exciting adventure.
PR Newswire

After 20 Years, Infomercials Are Big Business
Maybe it was the TAEBO Live! 4-pack Workout DVD where men and women kick and punch their way toward losing unwanted pounds and revealing the buff bod hiding inside all of us. Whatever caught your eye, this year is the 20th anniversary of those ubiquitous 28-minute feature-length TV ads, better known as infomercials.
Centre Daily Times

Overture Launches Geo-Targeting For Ads
Overture plans to announce the introduction of Local Match, its answer to Google's locally targeted paid search. Advertisers will be able to limit their paid search listings appearances to those people within a 20-mile to 100-mile distance to a location of the advertiser's choice.
Marketing Vox News

posted by BlogFonk: Sunday, June 27, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Trend: branding one image

Ad companies have become worldwide networks of agencies...

The whole communication infrastructure has changed. It's easier for businesses to communicate with each other so you truly can have today what people talked about in the past, which was think global, act local.

According to Ken Bernhardt, professor of marketing at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business, marketing is being altered to fit today's worldly consumers, who expect to see a brand stand for the same thing no matter where they are. That means a global marketer today needs one brand image and message that works worldwide.

Bernardt says this trend is clearly shown at the 51st annual Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, referring to the award winners.

You need to standardize to a greater degree, because consumers will notice differences in different markets more than they would have 10 to 15 years ago. The brand needs to be the same.

In fact, ad companies have become worldwide networks of agencies. An idea born in London can be executed with localized sophistication in Tokyo, New York and Amsterdam.

Great, isn't it?

posted by BlogFonk: Friday, June 25, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Premediation communication strategy

In political science the act or process of 'mediation' is described as intervention between conflicting parties to promote reconciliation, settlement or compromise.

Not to confuse with 'premediation', introduced by Richard Grusin, Professor and Chair of the Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA:

First, where remediation entailed the refashioning of prior media forms, I claim that premediation entails the desire to remediate future media forms and technologies. In addition, I argue that premediation entails the desire to remediate the future before it happens, the desire that the future be always already pre-mediated. Finally, I suggest that this desire to premediate the future before it happens is accompanied by the desire to insure that the future is so fully mediated by new media forms and technologies that it is unable to emerge into the present without having already been remediated in the past.

According to Grusin the concept of premediation helps to explain the sense of inevitability that preceded the U.S. invasion of Iraq March 2003. Premediation functions in some important sense as the medial logic of the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive warfare. Grusin stressed that the Bush administration repeatedly played out the war against Iraq in print and televisual news media. The premediation of the war against Iraq allowed the networked media to increase their ratings in the run-up to war, as well as to engage in a kind of audience testing on how best to cover the war when it did occur.

In this context premediation proofs to be a very effective strategy for communication concepts which focus on 'improving awareness' and 'starting a dialogue' with targetgroups.

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

LOTW: iPodYourBMW.com

This Link Of The Week (LOTW) is about the collaboration of Apple and BMW...

Following Volkswagen's successful co-promotion of an iPod/vehicle package last year, BMW of North American and Apple Computer announced a BMW/iPod deal.

Along with a new innovative website, BMW will use cable TV and national newspapers and magazine advertising to promote the offer.

Nice website.

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Andy Awards 2004

What are these awards all about?

The goal of the competition is to honor creativity in advertising throughout the world, recognize the contributions of individuals and companies who create the work and encourage raising the standards of craftsmanship in the industry.

International ad agency 180, based in Amsterdam, won with client Adidas an award: they brought together rugby's biggest names, covered them in acrylic paint, then had them create 'self-portraits' by hitting canvas-wrapped tackle bags.

Very nice combination of advertising, art and sports!

posted by BlogFonk: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Beer, hamburgers and football

The British government has told food pubs they have a responsibility to safeguard the health of the nation, but according to a poll from publican.com, coverage of news and developments in the pub market, customers must take responsibility for their own health. Only 14% think customers must act now to stop the obesity epidemic and that we are all involved.

In this context things become very strange when a party of 16 Labour MPs and one Conservative were handed GBP 399 flights as well as GBP 130-a-night hotel rooms courtesy of McDonald's, only paying the cover price for their tickets to the England v France clash at Euro 2004. Wakefield Today says Mr Hinchliffe, who chairs the House of Commons health select committee, had called on the FA to drop McDonalds as a GPB 30m sponsor saying: 'As a leading sporting organisation it ought to be setting an example.'

Brave moral standpoint, but how can you expect people, or even worse, MPs, who don't show real solidarity with the fight against obesity, to reject beer, hamburgers, and football?

posted by BlogFonk: Monday, June 21, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

SideNews week 26 update

Interesting newslinks...

AOL Gets Behind Online Ads With USD 624m Purchase
AOL will offer clients Advertising.com as part of an expanded package of services. 'Online advertising is back,' AOL chief executive Jonathan Miller said. 'Over the past two years we have seen a rebirth of online advertising.'
The Sydney Morning Herald

Ads From USA Dominate In Online Category At Cannes
Among winners in three categories at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, U.S. advertising dominated the online Gold Lions and won silver and bronze awards in the print and outdoor categories.
USA Today

Ads To Boost Transit Security
The MTA is ratcheting up its efforts to secure subways and commuter trains from terror attacks by expanding an awareness campaign encouraging riders to notify cops if they see a suspicious package or unattended bag.
New York Post Online Edition

Airports Seen A Prime Ad Space
With travelers arriving at airports hours ahead of time to catch their flights, advertisers are seizing an opportunity to catch some eyes.
insidebaltimore.com

Coke Goes High-Tech In Times Square
The Coca-Cola Company is to update its famous ad display in Times Square, New York. The new execution will be one of the largest digital canvases in the world, a new three-dimensional, high tech display to be unveiled on the evening of July 1, 2004.
just-drinks.com

McDonalds Launches 'Healthy Eating' Children's Ads
Fast food chain McDonald's reacted to criticism of advertising aimed at children by announcing a new campaign designed to promote a 'healthy lifestyle'.
Manchester Online

Apple Loses Legal Battle Over Logo
IT giant Apple Computer Inc has lost a court appeal to have its trademark logo extended to cover apparel, headwear and footwear in China. Guangdong Apples' logo represents a whole apple, while Apple's logo features an apple with a bite taken out of it.
just-style.com

Thai Monk Causes Uproar With Corporate Ads In Temple
A Thai Buddhist monk agreed to strip corporate sponsorship logos from his famous Bangkok temple after the brash advertisements caused an uproar in the deeply religious kingdom.
Channel NewsAsia

Old Clinton Foes Unleash Ads Attacking Man, Book
Citizens United -- a conservative lobbying group whose president, David Bossie, Clinton writes, helped to foment the Whitewater scandal -- bought advertising time in several markets during Clinton's interview on '60 minutes' to argue that the former president was responsible for failing to prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
L.A. Daily News

posted by BlogFonk: Sunday, June 20, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Billboards in motion

In The Netherlands some companies smoothly park their trucks at viaducts. Car drivers will notice these free publicity vehicles.

AdsOnTheGo Inc. takes it further: they put fast-changing signs on a special 'ads truck' which drives in California, Florida and Atlanta. According to Winston-Salem Journal the billboards on the vehicle are rotated every six seconds, which means that each of three advertisements is shown for at least 18 seconds every minute.

Opportunities for logistic companies to sell advertisement space on their trucks?

posted by BlogFonk: Saturday, June 19, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Copycats?

'Ads being done twice'. It often happens. Maybe coincidentally.

Or not? It's not unlikely that ideas are developed in a similar way. But sometimes they look alike...

What do you think?

posted by BlogFonk: Friday, June 18, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Those were the days...

Back to the 70s and 80s.

Thierry Schembri and Olivier Boisseau learned that they were both developping sites devoted to old-computers and decided that they would be much more effective if they merged their websites: in 2001 they launched old-computers.com.

The website provides news, history, interviews and a museum about the first generation of computers. Also ads - 'stupid scans' - which show the character of an era.

Example of a nice ad: Atari tries to convince women to buy their computers...

Atari

Very informative and entertaining!

posted by BlogFonk: Thursday, June 17, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Mobile switch virus?

According to Forbes, the French unit of the Russian security software developer Kaspersky Labs said the virus called 'Cabir' that can infect mobile phones appears to have been developed by an international group specialised in creating viruses which try to show that no technology is reliable and safe from their attacks.

Anti-virus experts have been warning for months that mobile phone viruses are set to multiply, given the increasingly diverse uses of mobile phones.

Chances for mobile telecom providers to start a viral marketing campaign? Switching with different phones - or better, different providers - leads to virus infections...

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Political show business

Radio Free Europe writes that the recent elections to the European Parliament in the 25 member states of the European Union have been characterized by two marked trends. One is that voters often rejected ruling parties, voting instead for opposition parties. The other phenomenon was low overall voter participation, with turnout reaching a rock bottom of 17 percent in one EU state.

Different ad approaches were used to atrack voters' attention. However, 'Europe' is still not inspiring for Europeans.

Another trend: the US presidential campaign enlists celebrities to do political ads. Maybe something for the next European elections?

There's no business like show business...

posted by BlogFonk: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Online lobster

According to DMNews Red Lobster Restaurants is intensifying its online marketing as it looks to strengthen its relationship with customers and entice prospects. Michael Friedman, interactive marketing manager at Red Lobster, Orlando, FL:

Our goal is to use the channel to build loyalty among members and increase their level of interaction with our brand both inside and outside the restaurant environment.

Features of this campaign:
- The company has 704,000 members in its Overboard Club online loyalty program: customers receive discounts and special offers exclusively via email.
- Red Lobster's online recipe cards lets consumers share their favorite recipes by e-mail.
- The online invitations feature: a host user can plan an event like a birthday or happy hour at a Red Lobster, track responses to invitations and send updates to friends on the list. The chain will even deliver targeted rewards to event hosts dynamically through e-mail.
- To tackle federal anti-spam laws the company creatively collects data, where consumers provide permission to send mail to them, and confirm it through double opt in.

Great example of online marketing for an offline business!

posted by BlogFonk: Monday, June 14, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Learn how to dance

No, not literally. You must have energy and stamina. There will be many nights you're rundown and burning the midnight oil but you'll still have to keep that smile on your face.

This is one of Apryl Duncan's advices to be a good Public Relations (PR) manager. Knowing the differences between advertising and PR is important:

Think of advertising as your brother. He's a party animal and everyone thinks he's cool. On the other hand, you're more refined. You don't stay out late and hardly ever deviate from the norm. [...] As a PR professional, your job is to get free publicity. You're responsible for getting the company's name out there with no hype, just news.

Yo bro, stay cool...

posted by BlogFonk: Sunday, June 13, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

SideNews week 25 update

Did You Hear The One About The Racist TV Ads?
South Africa's flagship cultural institution, the Apartheid Museum, has sparked a row over taste and prejudice by commissioning a television advertising campaign based on racist jokes. Two networks have refused to broadcast the adverts, claiming they are too offensive, but the museum stood its ground, saying the country needed to confront the reality of enduring racism.
Guardian Unlimited

BMW Wins Silver Cause Marketing Halo Award For Best Event
BMW of North America has been selected as the 2004 Recipient of the Silver Cause Marketing Halo Award for Best Event by the Cause Marketing Forum, Inc. for its Ultimate Drive program.
PR Newswire

2004 NBA Champions Pistons' Title Status Opens New World Of Endorsements
Detroit Pistons, you just won the NBA title. What are you doing next? Cashing in on endorsements, say Pistons officials and marketing experts.
The Detroit News

Pattison Company Rejects AIDS Ads
Jimmy Pattison's billboard company has refused to run Canada's first national AIDS ad campaign targeting gay men. The Health Canada posters, depicting gay men in suggestive poses, are aimed at reducing the high rate of unprotected sex in the gay community.
British Colombia Online News

Do Fatherhood Initiative Ads Insult Black Men?
A national advertising offensive sponsored by a group known as the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) is drawing fire from those who think it insults black fathers, especially those prevented by court order from playing a role in their children's lives.
NPR

Sony: We'll Stop The Fly Post Ads
Sony agreed to stop illegal fly posting after bosses were threatened with jail under anti-yob laws. The firm and rival BMG ignored repeated pleas to stop sticking up free ads.
Mirror.co.uk

Windows GUI: Too Ugly For Intel Ads
Intel's latest Centrino commercial, featuring a couple wirelessly videoconferencing with friends while inside some Sicilan ruins, shows a Windows laptop apparently running Mac OS X!
O'Grady's PowerPage

'Made in USA' Label No Longer Inspiring Brand Loyalty
A 1994 Gallup poll found that 84 percent of consumers sought out American-made goods. A new study reports that a product's country of origin has little or no effect on the purchasing decisions of more than half of today's Americans.
Insight On The News

Get Ahead With Your Advertising
Most of the expensive brand-building by legal firms in Scotland is not working.
The Herald

posted by BlogFonk: Sunday, June 13, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

SmartDog

According to International Herald Tribune a 9-year-old border collie named Rico was able to learn the name of a new object in one try, by a process of elimination.

Rico was displaying a kind of learning by inference that is called 'fast mapping'. It was thought to be a language-learning ability specific to humans, but Rico's ability suggests that it is more widespread.

Rico might be a special case among dogs, but when do we see the first ad for animals?

Rico

posted by BlogFonk: Saturday, June 12, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Marines.com

Marines.com, the United States Marine Corps' recruiting Web site, was recognized June 8, 2004, by the American Marketing Association with a Silver EFFIE Award. This is the 10th EFFIE Award in 10 years for the Marine Corps and its creative advertising partner, J. Walter Thompson.

Since its launch in November 2002, the site is extremely effective. During the first year of operation, the site had more than 2.1 million unique visitors, a growth of more than 175% over the previous year. According to Marine Corps News Marines.com is a reliable and cost-effective way to reach the audience, provide information to interested young men and women and generate quality leads for Marine recruiters.

Even with an increase in investment for the new Web site, Marines.com boasts the lowest cost per lead and cost per contract of any lead source used by Marine Corps recruiting.
The average visitor spends close to 20 minutes on the new site, an increase of more than 570% from the old site.

Isn't that great news, Uncle Sam?

posted by BlogFonk: Friday, June 11, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Commercial breaks

According to Reuters television audience figures for Euro 2004 across the continent are expected to be higher than those for August's Athens Olympics. Advertisers have been scrambling to get precious airtime. Euro 2004 'spots', 30 seconds of airtime in a commercial break, were being sold for around USD 450,000. Spots during the July 4 final would cost considerably more.

Although some people say the World Series are symbol of American history, the Super Bowl is by far the most populair event. The greatest ever TV audience for an American football match was 138.5 million viewers, watching the NBC transmission of Super Bowl XXX on January 28, 1996. A 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl 2004 was estimated to cost USD 2.25 million.

Sport atracts many viewers. The Super Bowl 2004 had 23 million viewers. The Champions League 20 million viewers. Airtime during these events has its value, but will it directly raise sales?

At least coverage will be enormous, which can be useful for new campaigns or releases. Like Janet's new album...

Janet

posted by BlogFonk: Thursday, June 10, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Respect consumers

In advertising and marketing the basic rule is three spots, ads or messages is effective and good; four is usually better; five may be ok, but six and beyond is deemed risky, ineffective and potentially damaging. During baseball games and other sporting events, the fans have come to enjoy the game and not for the purpose of having to endure being forced to listen to litanies of commercial messages. They really have no interest beyond the basic recognition of who is sponsoring and supporting the program and ultimately responsible for making the events happen.

Bill Bowman wrote this in Up & Coming Magazine and advices to reverse the process.

Develop the product in partnership with the community and their support and involvement will follow. And so will the businesses and sponsors. Season tickets will be sold, signs and banners purchased and the rest will come along nicely. The process has to be more than just making money for the owners. Fans don't care about that and they detest even more being viewed as a meal ticket.

'Fighting' against commercials to respect the game, its fans and consumers...

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

No drunk driving

If you drink then drive, you're a bloody idiot.

This clear message on a 6m-long billboard will warn Rutherglen Winery Walkabout, Australia, goers of the dangers of drink driving this weekend.

According to The Border Mail the aim of the Winemakers of Rutherglen is to ensure the wine-lovers weekend is not soured by drink driving. A designated driver program will offer free tea and coffee, discounted soft drinks and giveaways. Up to 20,000 visitors are expected to flock to the three-day wine-tasting extravaganza but there will be no excuse for drunk driving.

The billboard and designated driver program are to encourage drinkers to remember their social responsibilities and legal obligations.

'No drunk driving' campaigns are very successful in The Netherlands: 'Bob jij of Bob ik' is the slogan referring to someone ('Bob') who will not drink when driving ('Who will be Bob? You or me?').

Maybe it works in Australia too...

posted by BlogFonk: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

To vote or not to vote

According to EurActive.com in most EU Member States, voters are expected to use their vote in the European elections on 10-13 June 2004 to give their verdict on the performance of national governments rather than having a say on European issues. The electoral campaign did not seem to provide a debate about the challenges and opportunities provided by EU membership.

The Netherlands will hold the presidency of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2004. A special website will be launched for the Dutch presidency on 1 July 2004. The logo for the Dutch EU Presidency in 2004 is designed by Studio Dumbar. The Dutch campaign for the elections is developed and designed by a collective. It's a satirical campaign advising not to vote.

BBC News show more weird and wonderful Euro vote tactics to convince Europeans to vote in the European elections. The Eurobarometer shows interests of European voters.

So, what are you going to do this week?

posted by BlogFonk: Monday, June 07, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

SideNews week 24 update

IBM Computer Engineer Volunteers In Classrooms
A 45-year-old IBM computer engineer has been performing in classrooms around Vermont and in other states for nearly 12 years to get kids excited about science.
USA Today

Paid 'Ads' For Song Plays Revive Payola Memories
'The Don't Tell Me' campaign is part of the latest craze in record promotion, a high-pressure part of the music business in which the labels try to influence which songs reach the air.
Houston Chronicle

Apple's world's fastest Claim Criticised By Ad Watchdog
Adverts for the Apple Power Mac G5 fell foul of a UK watchdog for the second time, after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled this week that magazine ads describing the G5 as the world's fastest computer were misleading.
Out-Law.com

Google Stirs Controversy With Froogle
Google Inc. is experimenting by promoting its own shopping site ahead of other online search results and ads. That has prompted criticism from some industry experts who say that the giant search engine company appears to be compromising its high standards.
BizReport

Rap For Underwear Ad
An advert for women's underwear has angered Muslims after it was put up on billboards close to two mosques. The poster, for Wiltshire-based company Sloggi, shows four women wearing only G-strings and high heels.
Sky News

Women's Groups Hit Violence Ads
The (Australian, red.) Federal Government's multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to combat violence against women has sparked concern it could inflame already violent relationships or fail the women it seeks to help.
The Courier-Mail

Reagan Events Put Race On Brief Hold, Possible Election Impact Debated
The death of former president Ronald Reagan has put Sen. John F. Kerry on the political sidelines, elevated President Bush to center stage and touched off a debate tinged by partisanship about the possible impact of Reagan's legacy on the November election.
Washingtonpost.com

Yahoo Advertising On Google
Although the two companies are acknowledged competitors, Yahoo has begun advertising on Google using Google's AdWords program.
WebProNews

Now playing: Fake Web Sites
Welcome to the latest trend in movie advertising: ads for products that don't exist.
Kansas.com

Political Ads Have Been Popping Up On Web Sites
Presidential campaigns and the political parties are venturing into virtual advertising this year like never before, leading some Internet industry analysts to anticipate a banner year for political advertising online.
San Mateo County Times Online

posted by BlogFonk: Sunday, June 06, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Remember D-Day 1944-2004

Ike

General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Historic Moments of Invasion Recalled .... 'Ike Tells His D-Day Story' Boston Globe Newsbox advertising sign. Approx 16" x 10". Likely to date between the end of the war and his election as president in 1952.

D-Day: June 6, 1944.

posted by BlogFonk: Sunday, June 06, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Blogging for money

While webblogs have been around for about five years, writers are starting to make money with advertising for the last year or two. According to The Washington Times some bloggers make thousands in ad revenues per month, while others just make about enough to offset the cost of running their online journals, USD 20 to 50 a month. Weblogs about specific topics are more apt to rake in advertising revenues.

There are many ways to advertise: micropayments, banner, popup or popunder ads. But Google Advertising Programs like Google AdWords and Google AdSense are very popular, because it's 'easy money'.

Bloggers are advised to:
- pick a narrow topic, in order to have any remote chance of success gaining an interested audience and getting good on-topic ads showing up;
- consider a topic as it relates to the web: when aiming for ad revenue it helps if a topic is something to buy products related to it.
- be passionate: write how-to article after how-to article and offer content no one could find anywhere else, which will lead to high ranking at Google.

Companies are now catching up. Popular marketing weblogs like What's Your Brand Mantra say that companies express interest in blogging for their business. Learning about examples of business weblogs might help companies to get started: Business Blog Consulting is a site devoted to demonstrating how effective weblogs can be for communicating with customers and marketing to new customer prospects.

Practice makes perfect...

posted by BlogFonk: Saturday, June 05, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

'Soccer related'

This month UEFA's Euro 2004 will kick off in Portugal. Ad campaigns are reminding us to buy 'soccer related' products as beer, fridges, snacks, beverages, cars, home cinema's and mobile phones.

In Brazil they are only thinking about World Cup 2006. In Sao Paulo fans were dancing in the streets when their team won the World Cup qualifier match agains all-time rival Argentina, June 3, 2004. According to Aljazeera the Brazilian government knows the worth of having most of the 178 million population glued to the Globo TV station, using the half-time interval to advertise a campaign against illiteracy with the education minister launching the programme 'Reading is a Passion Too'.

Advertising is big business in Brazil. Zero Hora is one of the country's most prestigious newspapers and has one of the highest advertising entry rates in the world: frequently take as many as 15,000 new ads on a Friday. To boost tourism a wide ad campaign with a budget between USD 6.36 million and 9.5 million is started to promote the natural and cultural beauties of the country which is suffering social and economic problems.

To attract major attention, soccer is an important keyword in Brazilian's ad agencies briefings. Who else than soccer legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known globally as 'Pele', could head a worldwide ad campaign for men with erectile problems?

No one is doubting Pele's 'soccer related' passion.
But is reading not more important?

posted by BlogFonk: Friday, June 04, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Advertainment based in men's loo

e-consultancy's press release says viral marketing agency Digital Media Communications (DMC) is planning, seeding and tracking its seventh strategic Virgin Mobile online viral and buzz marketing campaign, featuring a quirky 'toilet humour' theme to celebrate the mobile communications provider's past year of awards for outstanding customer service.

This advertainment shows content via DMC's online influencer network, as well as being featured on music, sport and lifestyle websites. The clip shows a nightclub's toilet attendant taking service levels to an extreme by literally providing hands-on service to the club's privileged members. The viral clip moves on to a microwebsite, where you find out more about Virgin Mobile's award-winning services, and link to other entertaining viral clips in the ongoing Virgin Mobile series.

What does the advertainment tell about the service?
Not much.
What does the advertainment tell about the customers?
Almost everything!

As long as the 'tainment' exceeds the 'ad', these customers probably will be satisfied...

posted by BlogFonk: Friday, June 04, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

I love my dog!

The Journal News reports:

Mitch Saul's last dog, Tyler, was an ice-lover. On hot days Saul would give Tyler ice cubes, which the dog heartily crunched. About a dozen years ago, Saul had a light-bulb moment as he fed ice to Tyler. Saul recalls asking himself: 'Wouldn't it be cute if this ice were shaped as a dog bone?'

'Ice Bones' were born.

Saul, owner of a home-based production company and advertising agency, first tested his idea with a 1995 advertisement in Dog World Magazine for Ice Bones. Although he did not have any ready to sell, he included a design picture and description in the ad. He received hundreds of inquiries, which encouraged him to pursue the invention.

Great way of marketing an innovative product!

And there is more dog news: from a dental perspective chewing on ice not only helps them stimulate the gums, but might also help them remove some of the calculus and plaque that is accumulated on the teeth.

Thumbs-up for this project!

posted by BlogFonk: Thursday, June 03, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Campaign costs per head: USD 1

According to Hollister Free Lance the U.S. Supreme Court agreed last week to look into the national beef campaign 'Beef, It's What's for Dinner' and will rule if cattlemen should have to contribute funds for the campaign at all. Currently, cattle owners are required to pay USD 1 per cow to promote beef sales. Fifty percent of the money goes to the California State Beef Council for in-state advertising, and 50 percent goes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) marketing program. The Supreme Court Justices will weigh whether the USDA's ad campaign violates the cattle rancher's free speech rights, since they're forced to pay into the marketing campaign.

The ad campaign is not to brand the meat, it is to raise awareness: one of the reasons beef consumption has gone up. The print ads and radio commercials have also promoted the nutritional value of beef.

Just think about the 'Return On Investments' (ROI) of this campaign. The current price for beef is 45 cents per pound, and the average cow can weigh anywhere between 1,000 to 1,400 pounds.

Rollin', rollin', rollin', Rawhide!

posted by BlogFonk: Thursday, June 03, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Mini-billboard

What?
Introducing KartDox. Patented, revolutionary shopping cart docking stations.

Why?
Because of safety, organization and customer convenience.

Where?
A shopping cart docked right next to where you park your car.

Target group?
Every KartDox 'unit' is designed to offer a unique and brand-new style of outdoor advertising, as well as offer revenue to the landowner or retail operator in an area never realized before.

Strategy?
Whether the advertising is sold through KartDox's team of sales professionals or via a retailer's sales/marketing team, the potential for a lucrative revenue stream and increased product sales is inevitable.

Is this innovative?
Yes! Great 'out-store experience' opportunities!

posted by BlogFonk: Thursday, June 03, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

X marks the spot

Marketers are increasingly interested in what is called the 'in-store experience', how their products are displayed and appear to shoppers. According to The New York Times (registration needed) Saatchi & Saatchi in New York, part of the Publicis Groupe, is forming a division in Springdale, Ark., called Saatchi & Saatchi X, to help these marketers.

Accenture already saw opportunities in this context:

- Household assistant. Grocers can ease consumers' everyday burdens and integrate themselves into the household management with some advice and assistance.

- High involvement. Courses and demonstrations around items in the fresh-food section could be provided, for example.

- Community member. A sense of fulfilment in a social context can be provided to customers when the stores undertake activities that make them an integral part of public life.

- Local market. Creating a market will demonstrate the grocer's commitment to providing fresh, healthy goods and assure buyers of quality. It also provides another form of social interaction, creates more loyalty to the store and makes the experience more enjoyable for customers.

- Operational effectiveness. Before grocers can assume the roles in the areas described above, they first need to get the basics right and gain consumers' confidence and trust. Without it, none of the value-added benefits would matter.

If you are more into gadgets to get up-to-the-minute information on customers and their buying preferences delivered right to your fingertips, you may try a fancy mobile device.

Or just ask for your customers' satisfation.

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

Gardens of Remembrance

The Gardens of Remembrance pay tribute to:
- those who perished on September 11th, 2001
- the survivors of that day
- all who will visit in the years to come seeking renewed optimism and hope.

Renowned Dutch garden designer, Piet Oudolf, has designed these gardens, planted on May 8th, 2003, with native grasses and flowering perennials. They embrace the waterfront, are in rhythm with the sea breeze, and delight the eye, while greeting millions of visitors to The Battery each year.

Located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, The Battery is one of New York City's oldest public open spaces. It is where Dutch settlers landed in 1623, and where the first 'battery' of cannons was erected to defend New Amsterdam.

Dutch peaceful garden design as cannons of remembrance...

posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 [#] Erms Suripatty

I know your name...

John Kerry knows that the monument in Washington to the Second World War also honors soldiers with names like Garcia, Chavez and Ortiz.

This is Kerry's appeal to Latino voters by using their names in his new ad campaign.

According to The LA Times (registration needed) Kerry's launch into Virginia, a state no Democrat has won since President Lyndon B. Johnson did it in 1964, is part of a nearly USD 18 million purchase for the month of June in targeted states and on national cable. Some of the cable ads will target black voters for the first time in the general election campaign. The Democrat is spending USD 750,000 on TV time in a state that votes Republican. Strategists wonder about the strategy.

Approaching voters by name is actually innovative. The 'hostile' environment is furthermore 'perfect' to test the effectiveness of this instrument. Interesting stuff for advertising strategists...