Marketing Front Blog » Commotion Friday

Commotion Friday: Nike SB

Brendan Miller — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:24:20 +0000

Nike is pushing more and more into the extreme/lifestyle sports scene with their SB (skateboard) line. They are also sponsoring the production of a BMX video and various riders in the BMX scene. They are up against stiff competition from brands like Vans, DC, and 5.10, and when they don’t have Tony Hawk on board they’ve really got to pull out all the stops to attract young males that really haven’t been interested in Nike’s squeaky clean brand image. Can Nike really be alternative hip? Based on their past success when breaking into new categories I believe they will.

Here’s the latest from Nike SB.

Commotion Friday: Smuin Ballet

Brendan Miller — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:10:23 +0000

How do you reach out to a new audience that traditionally would not be interested in ballet?

One of the biggest problems with ballet is it’s traditionally classified as a “high culture,” which gives the dance some cachet, but also shuts potentially new audiences out.

Agency Evolution Bureau shows ballet in a new light by double exposing another cultural figure with the ballerina. Each ad has a different tagline, but begins with “Ballet, but…”

It challenges the viewer to think about ballet in a new way by mashing it together with other forms of entertainment and sub-culture. Good communication should always challenges the reader or viewer to reconsider prior notions. They make the point without a lot of copy, which is even better. Simplicity rules.

Commotion Friday: Nomis Vanguard

Brendan Miller — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:52:17 +0000

Nomis is a soccer (football) shoe sold in Europe. Their brand is an excellent example of a challenger brand attacking the market it in a unique way. They needed to do something different to get their shoe into the hands of soccer, rugby, and field hockey players. They bypassed many of the traditional retailers where they would get blown away by the likes of Nike, Umbro, Addidas, and Puma and went directly to their customer in a creative way using vans. It’s by far not a new concept; Schwann’s has been selling food door-to-door for years. It is a new twist for the athletic and sports industry though.

What I like most about Nomis is how their communication is purpose-driven. After seeing it you want to be a part of it. Challenger brands should consider what their purpose would be if they were leading a movement rather than just a business. Movements are about meaning, making a difference, not commercialism. They motivate people to action. To get noticed challenger brands need to move beyond just a boring mission and have a higher purpose. They are not only creating base of consumers, but a base of loyal believers. Nomis does a great job of communicating their purpose.

Latest recruitment video for dealers:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is a spot from 2008:

Click here to view the embedded video.

http://morethanadvertising.com/

Commotion Friday: Sponge Bob and Texican Burger King Spots

Brendan Miller — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:35:02 +0000

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the latest Burger King spots. One spot uses sexually suggestive music video spoof to sell kids meals, and another has a stir by using a stereotype to offended Mexicans. Burger King is advertising to its base in both spots. I suspect those who are offended probably are not loyal Burger King visitors. I can see how both spots could be offensive, but I suspect it won’t stop anyone from eating there.

The Sponge Bob spot is a spoof of the early 90’s Sir-Mix-A lot sensation that is a popular requested song at almost every wedding reception I’ve attended the last 10 years. The target are the 30-something minivan driving parents with happy meal eating children who fondly remember that song from their more wild youth. The spot was running during late Primetime. The unique strategy here is that BK is targeting parents to sell more kids meals, and not kids which has been the conventional strategy up until this point.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The second spot involves a small Mexican wrestler and a weak American Cowboy who become roommates to promote BK’s new Tex-Mex style Burger. It’s been reported that some Mexicans are offended by the portrayal. I haven’t seen any Americans or Texans upset about their portrayal as a weak cowboy. I think if anyone should be offended it could be little people. Burger King took this spot off the air, but I think that just helps for it to become more of an Internet sensation.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Commotion Friday: Microsoft Giampaolo

Brendan Miller — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:10:14 +0000

I’ve been really struggling with the latest ads from Microsoft. Microsoft has officially become the pitchman for the PC platform in a new way. This strategy has inherent risks.

The ads follow a consumer shopping for a new laptop. The consumer is looking for certain hardware features, battery life, disk space, etc. I’ve been asking myself what does this have to do with my Internet Explorer locking up or Microsoft Office giving me unintelligible error messages? Shouldn’t Dell, HP, and Sony be hammering price and hardware feature message, while Microsoft stays focused on a performance, productivity, and useability message? Last time I checked Microsoft only sold the software.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Commotion Friday: Schick – Time to Mow The Lawn

Brendan Miller — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:39:52 +0000

(Commotion Friday is a new series. Every Friday we’ll discuss new creative, ideas, executions, or something a little more light.)

Schick has recently introduced a new women’s razor (I’m sure there will be a male version out soon) just in time for bikini season. There are two different creative executions for it below. One for the U.S. market and one for the UK market (in the UK Schick is known as Wilkinson Sword).

The U.S. version definitely shows off the product, but the UK creative I have to say cuts through the clutter much more effectively. In addition, Wilkinson Sword developed a compelling micro-site for consumers to get more information. The U.S. Schick site was hard to find and not as well put together in my opinion. The UK creative was done by JWT New York.

Who do you think will grab more market share? Is the UK version just too racy for us prude Americans?

Click here to view the embedded video.