Caffeinated posts from a copywriter/adgrunt. I write about advertising, design, astronomy, cooking, and pretty much anything else that strikes my fancy, including random bits of reference info for work purposes. You may also know me as 'that other gal' who helps run Adland. | make contact | RSS Feed | ATOM

Saturday, December 30, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Creatives should be curious ]

+

"Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people." - Leo Burnett, quoted in 100 LEO's, Chicago, IL: Leo Burnett Company, p. 26.

This quote really says quite a lot and I whole heartedly agree with it. Especially when you are more of a generalist (like I am) and work on a variety of brands with very different target audiences, the need to understand the mind set of who you are trying to speak to in invaluable. And if you are not a tech guy into Star Wars and the latest gadgets, reading the same materials these guys read, watching the shows they watch and learning about their subculture is critical to being able to create ads that speak directly to them.

One thing I find absurd in quite a lot of advertising, especially B2B advertising, is the lack of one-to-one communication. As this is something every adgrunt learns their first day of class, it's inane how few use this in the creative that is produced today. For B2B it is still one person communicating with one person who is reading the ad, reading the brochure or what have you. If I'm trying to sell you widgets, only you are reading the ad at one time. Businesses do not have conference calls with pieces of communication. There aren't meetings to sit down and read together the latest direct mail piece. So often this most basic precept is forgotten or ignored or, honestly I'm not sure. The idea that you should be curious and interested to find out how to communicate best to the group the ad is speaking to is very important. It's a basic of communication.

It seems to me that so many basics of advertising are left rotting in the notebooks of students or held onto so that those who reiterate them to the masses in their books or lectures become gurus to the industry. It's one thing if you're stating something new. It's another thing if you're just regurgitating what we all learned when we were newbies.

Perhaps if I gathered all my notes from my university days, I too could write a book on the "magic wonders of advertising", without ever stating anything new. ;)

Labels: adgruntie

Friday, December 29, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: What's in store for 2007? ]

+ The NYTimes takes a guess at what is ahead for advertising and marketing in the coming year. The list includes consumers iwth a conscience, a blurring between life online and offline, more people ready to be "logged off", consumer-generated content (duh!), and brands focusing on a clear and simple message both on and offline.

Labels: adgruntie

[ :: adgruntie :: NASA to use YouTube to reach the young? ]

+ NASA looks to YouTube to remove apathy of the young towards manned trips to the Moon and Mars, but will it work?

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin believes ventures to the moon and Mars will excite young people more than the current shuttle trips to low-Earth orbit.

"If we make it clear that the focus of the United States space program for the foreseeable future will be out there, will be beyond what we do now, I think you won't have any problem at all reacquiring the interest of young people," Griffin said in a recent interview.

At an October workshop attended by 80 NASA message spinners, young adults were right up there with Congress as the top two priorities for NASA's strategic communications efforts.

Tactics encouraged by the workshop included new forms of communication, such as podcasts and YouTube; enlisting support from celebrities, like actors David Duchovny ("X-Files") and Patrick Stewart ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"); forming partnerships with youth-oriented media such as MTV or sports events such as the Olympics and NASCAR; and developing brand placement in the movie industry.

Outside groups have offered ideas too, such as making it a priority to shape the right message about the next-generation Orion missions.

And NASA should take a hint from Hollywood, some suggested.

"The American public engages with issues through people, personalities, celebrities, whatever," said George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society, a space advocacy group. "When you don't have that kind of personality, or face, or faces associated with your issue, it's a little bit harder for the public to connect."

Labels: ad news, adgruntie

[ :: adgruntie :: NHS to launch new anti-smoking campaign ]

+ The UK is launching a new anti-smoking campaign January 1st that will run for 5 weeks. The ads show smokers being violently seized by a large fishhook and dragged to their traditional smoking spots, and includes TV, internet and billboards.

Labels: ad news, adgruntie

Thursday, December 28, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Billy Idol Raps! ]

+ Billy Idol raps for Ikea! (from 2001)

Labels: adgruntie, watch

[ :: adgruntie :: One hit wonder set to return for Daz ]

+ Right Said Fred is making a comback! Yes, you read that right. The "I'm to sexy for my shirt" fellas are returning in a new advert for washing powder, Daz.

Richard and Fred Fairbrass have re-recorded their hit song 'I'm Too Sexy' for the soap opera-style advert.

The duo will sing "I'm too sexy for my whites" posing as a band named White Said Fred.

In addition, they are set to re-release the original single later in 2007.

Labels: ad news, adgruntie

Sunday, December 24, 2006
[ :: COJ :: Cup of Joy ]


+ Happy Holidays to you all. Cup of Java posts may be spotty over the next week or so, due to merrymaking, champagne toasts, and holiday gorging.

Labels: Cup of Java

[ :: adgruntie :: Adland's Advertising Roundup 2006 ]

+ Best ads of 2006? Check out the complete 2006 Adland Roundup - Top ad news of 2006, Adland's bestest and mostest list, Top ads of 2006 part 1 and Top ads of 2006 part 2 and Viral, Bad ads, Media, Ad Fun and more.

Businessweek does their own wrap up of the year too.

Labels: ad news, adgruntie

Thursday, December 21, 2006
[ :: sidetracks :: Holiday tunage ]

+ To go along with the fireplace post below, here's some holiday music for you to listen to (streaming).

Labels: fun

[ :: sidetracks :: Parking Infractions ]

+ You Park Like An Asshole is helping folks decree asshole-ness in parkers who take up two spots with one car (Hummers), park too close, over the lines and more. Just print out the notices and tick off the appropriate box. Niiice.

Labels: fun

[ :: sidetracks :: Fireplace fun ]

+ Need some holiday cheer while finishing up tedious work this week and next? Put a fireplace in your cube:

Labels: web

[ :: adgruntie :: New TV spot tech and Digitas to Publicis ]

+ Publicis buys Digitas. Wonder what that means for the positions they currently have open. Maybe nothing.

Also of note: Wendy's uses emerging TV technology allowing for varied messaging at the last minute.

The Wendy's ads will reflect events in the football games, creating what ad executives call a reverse product placement of sorts. Instead of putting Frostys or Wendy’s fries into a TV program, the company will incorporate a show’s content in its commercials.
[snip]
TV advertisers are also now able to vary their spots based on audience demographics, changes in weather, sales goals or the campaigns of competitors. Borrowing a trick or two from the Internet, where ads are finely aimed at Web surfers, technology companies are working with consumer brand companies to move away from the one-message-fits-all approach.

"This is where the future's going," said Chris Boothe, president of Starcom USA, a media-buying agency that is part of the Publicis Groupe. "We think that everything's going toward more customization. It's making sure that the message to the consumer is happening at exactly the time it is relevant."

Labels: adgruntie

[ :: webby :: No Click ]

+ Don't Click It is a site that explores navigation without buttons or the need to click the mouse. Very interesting. I have to say clicking is so ingrained in my online behavior, it's sort of difficult to not instinctively try to click.

Labels: web

Wednesday, December 20, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: 2006 Adland Roundup ]

+ Yes I'm about to toot my own work. Adland has started posting the 2006 Adland Roundup. The first post takes a look back at the year that was. More to come over the next couple days too so keep an eye out.

Labels: adgruntie

Monday, December 18, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Thermacare viral update ]

+ So I finally got a moment to check out Thermacare's viral menwithcramps.com campaign. It wasn't bad, although I don't think it was hilarious or OMG I've got to pass this on. In fact, I think many people would be pissed off if I sent this along as it's not really that funny. True there are a few "ha" moments, but also a few "let's move this thing along" momemnts as well. I'm not sure which age group is supposed to be the target for this campaign, but it really does not do a thing for me, personally. Granted that doesn't mean it's bad, except if I'm supposed to be part of the target audience they are attempting to reach. ;)

Labels: adgruntie, web

[ :: adgruntie :: Cheesy Spots ]

+ Stop cooking with cheese is the theme of the dairy farmers' association in Canada. See the campaign by Cossette Communication Group here.

Labels: adgruntie, web

Saturday, December 16, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: SB 07 nearly sold out ]

+ Adweek is reporting that about 80% of all Super Bowl slots are sold for 2007, with the majority of remaining spots being in the 4th quarter.

Labels: adgruntie, Super Bowl 07

[ :: adgruntie :: Two line hed goes here ]

+ The impotence of proofing shows incriminating evidence of the Nebraskan Omaha World Herald's non-proofing policy. Place holder copy is one thing but when it's incorrectly spelled, that's another, especially if it gets printed! I suppose that's why good ol' LI gets used so frequently. ;)
Thursday, December 14, 2006
[ :: agruntie :: Lob those gifts ]

+ Yule Lob game created for Millets by DNX. Revolution Mag has some info on the campaign:

The aim of the viral campaign is to grow Millets opt-in database; already more than one third of players have entered the draw.

David Kohn, director of business development at Blacks, which owns the Millets brand, said, "Digital is making a big difference to our marketing effort and our online sales last week were well above our expectations. There is no question that our viral activity is positively impacting both our marketing success and our sales results."

Drew Nicholson, joint managing director of full-service agency DNX, which created the game, said: "We were asked by Blacks to be nimble and find new ways to get digital to make a bigger difference. We turned the game around in two weeks. It's fun to play and it has made a real difference at the most important time of the trading year."

Labels: adgruntie, web

[ :: adgruntie :: ThermaCare and Men With Cramps ]

+ P&G is getting a lot coverage this morning for their viral efforts, especially for the campaign for ThermaCare which used MenWithCramps.com and MacInnes And Porritt as microsites to promote the product to women to treat menstrual cramps. Apparently the idea was based on women who wished men knew what it was like to go through the pain of montly cramps.

Executives at Procter and its agency, Publicis Worldwide in New York, part of the Publicis Groupe, acknowledged the challenges, but said the risks were worth it.

"You can imagine what it was like to take this to management," said Tom O’Brien, associate marketing director for personal health care at Procter in Cincinnati.

But "we simply didn't have enough women who knew about our menstrual product, and had to find a new way to connect with them," Mr. O’Brien said. "And given how tough a subject it is, we had to find the right way to show women we empathize with them."

In research conducted before the campaign was created, women said again and again "there was one group of consumers they would like to see understand more deeply what it meant to have menstrual pain — men," Mr. O'Brien said.

From that grew the idea that a humorous approach putting the shoe on the other foot, so to speak, would resonate with the female target audience, get them talking about ThermaCare and encourage them to forward elements of the campaign to friends and relatives.

Those steps, known on Madison Avenue as buzz marketing or word-of-mouth marketing, are prized because data indicate that personal recommendations can be more effective than traditional advertising.

"Putting yourself out there is always scary," said David Corr, an executive creative director at Publicis, who worked on the campaign, "but we had an idea people would like it.

"We felt that 'man bites dog' aspect would engage the consumer," Mr. Corr said, referring to the notion that men could suffer from menstrual cramps, "because we do a lot of focus groups, and women always talk about men's inability to deal with pain."

The campaign began in late September and new elements were introduced in phases, weeks apart, to "build a little mystery in Internet-land, and get people talking about whether men could have cramps," said Meredith Yacso, ThermaCare brand manager at Procter.

Until today I had not heard about this campaign at all. Guess I'm not their demo. And did it really get people talking about whether men could have cramps or if men could handle them if they had to deal with them? Big difference.

I really cannot judge this campaign yet, as the stupid computer I am on today has no sound, I'd rather not say good or not until I can watch the videos and hear what is being said. It's hard not to have a first impression of this as somewhat negative and I could get all feminist saying things like if men actually had to deal with cramps, there would be more medications out there for dealing with them, but that may not be true and without being able to view the spots in their entirety, I will not and cannot pass judgement. I will say I'd be curious to find out of the creatives on this project were men or women. I hate to be gender whatever but creating an institute for men with cramps feels very male to me, and perhaps that is what turns me off from it just from reading about it. There is also a fine line between being funny about this topic and talking down to those who have to deal with it every 28 to 31 days.

Then again, I could be totally wrong and it could just be my massive hangover from the holiday party I attended last night.

Labels: adgruntie, web

Wednesday, December 13, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Now with Effectol! ]

+ An old ad for Massengill Douches, now with effectol!

Labels: adgruntie, classic ad

[ :: adgruntie :: iFilm's top 10 ads of 2006 ]

+ Top 10 ads of 2006 according to iFilm.

Labels: adgruntie, web

[ :: adgruntie :: Britain the test tube of adland ]

+ The Economist writes up on Britain as a test tube for the online adworld.

Labels: adgruntie

[ :: adgruntie :: 7 rules for web 2.0 ]

+ 7 rules for web 2.0. Yes yes yes. Logical but good advice.

Labels: web

[ :: adgruntie :: 14 Web Design Mistakes ]

+ Biggest mistakes in web design 1995-2010 is a bit of a moldy oldy, but if you haven't seen it, you will want to check it out. Resist the temptation to send to clients.

Labels: web

[ :: adgruntie :: Helvetica Interviewed ]

+ Attention typegeeks...check this out! Typeradio presents the very first interview with the typeface Helvetica. This is the first episode from the a new series of interviews where Typeradio travels around the world to meet typefaces and to talk to them.

Enjoy!

Labels: design

[ :: adgruntie :: Change in measurement ]

+ New 'unique' data will help websites reel in the adverts - ABCE moves from page impressions to recording Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

Labels: adgruntie, web

[ :: adgruntie :: Babyboomers feel ignored ]

+ Boomers Cite TV Ads as Number One Information Source ... Advertisers Missing The Boat

Although nearly three-fifths (58%) of America's 78 million Baby Boomers -- the first generation to grow up with television -- feel that TV is their primary source for information on products and services, almost half (45%) say they feel overlooked by marketers who advertise on TV. The study, conducted by GfK Brand & Communications, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, for the cable network TV Land also suggests that marketers looking to tap into Boomers' $2.3 trillion in annual household expenditures would be wise to communicate more directly with the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964.

Labels: adgruntie

[ :: adgruntie :: TomTom commercial outtakes ]

+ The folks for TomTom have posted outtakes from one of their commercials on youtube. Interesting.

Labels: adgruntie, web

[ :: adgruntie :: G4TV - Star Trek Cribs ]

+Hah!

Labels: adgruntie, web

[ :: adgruntie :: More on FTC/WOM ]

+ More on the WOM/FTC from the Washington Post and C|Net.

Labels: adgruntie

Tuesday, December 12, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: FTC leaves WOM alone ]

+ The FTC rejects Consumer Alert's call for a full-scale probe of word-of-mouth marketing, the controversial practice that tries to turn ordinary consumers' affection for products and brands into free advertising.

Commercial Alert Executive Director Gary Ruskin blasted the FTC's decision, saying in a release the FTC gave word-of-mouth marketing a "giant Christmas present."

"Instead of acting like a watchdog, the commission is more like a docile lapdog nestled in the lap of its corporate masters," he said, adding that he was hopeful the FTC's willingness to act on individual cases would send a strong warning.

The ruling comes during the Word of Mouth Marketing Association's annual summit in Washington. WOMMA officials praised the FTC for turning down the request and said they agreed with pursuing case-by-case prosecution, noting that stealth marketing violates the group's guidelines. Ms. Engle is expected to speak at the conference tomorrow.

Labels: adgruntie

[ :: adgruntie :: Ads blamed for kid's stress ]

+ Ads blamed for childhood stress according to a study by the left-leaning thinktank Compass.

Children are being groomed for a lifetime of consumerism by marketing that targets them directly and puts pressure on them to keep up with images of how they should look and what they should own, resulting in stress, depression and low self-esteem, a report by the left-leaning thinktank Compass warns.
[...snip...]
The study says children are being forced to grow up too soon, with lacy underwear targeted at pre-teens, and toys such as the "Bratz secret date collection" marketing champagne glasses and "date night accessories" to six-year old girls.

Labels: adgruntie

[ :: adgruntie :: More 80s ads from Youtube ]

+ 50 more commercials from the 80s, part 2 of this previously mentioned set.

Labels: adgruntie, web

Monday, December 11, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: White Holiday Ads ]

+ White holiday ads might have more meaning, or so says the title of this article.

"There is so much white around," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Seattle-based Pantone Color Institute and a color psychologist. "From a psychological standpoint, it's a great purifier. White is a cleansing color. When you use white, you're wiping the slate clean."

[ :: adgruntie :: Old Lysol Ad ]

+ Ouch, ouch ouch! Old Lysol Ad for feminine hygiene. "...make no mistake - only poison can kill germs". OMG...and you thought us gals bought Lysol to keep the bathrooms clean and sparkling! ;) (via mefi)

[ :: adgruntie :: IPA holiday card ]

+ Happy Holidays from the IPA.

[ :: sidetracks :: Lists of 2006 ]

+ Fimculous has already started their annual collecting of lists reviewing 2006.

[ :: adgruntie :: Eurobest and Epica 2006 winners live ]

+ December award shows...Eurobest 2006 winners are up. Bravia Balls took home the Grand Prize for TV, an Audi print campaign by DDB Espana, Madrid took home Grand Prize for print, Grand Prize for outdoor went to Scholz & Friends, Germany for their booth ads for Jobsintown.de Recruitment Website. See the site for more winners.

Also up are the Epica Winners. Grand 2006 film Epica d'Or was won by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam for the Coca-Cola "Dream Factory" commercial. The 2006 print Epica d'Or was won by Scholz & Friends Berlin for the jobsintown.de "Wrong Working Environment" campaign (which also won Grand Prize for outdoor at Eurobest, see above).
Friday, December 08, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Holiday Disco ]

+ Disco Holiday from Digital Kitchen.

Fun.

(via motionographer)

[ :: adgruntie :: French Ads ]

+ Animated French ads from the 50s.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Things that make you go hmmm ]

+ Two weeks ago Draft FCB was on top, today Wal-Mart walks and I bet they're not feeling so hot. Related? Who knows. Possibly.
UPDATE: Damn hadn't heard about this.


[ :: adgruntie :: Ad copy and landing page optimization ]

+ Tips from an open discussion session where users submitted their sites to get the Google ad copy critiqued and the landing page looked over for quality and usability.Tips included:

Keep important information towards the top of the landing page.
Be detailed and don’t just assume your visitors know your services.
Simpler the better.
Put simple URLs in ads.
Try sentence caps vs small caps.
Image quality on landing page matters. Make it look good.
Whitespace is good.
Bullet points give a great way for users to scan information. Long blocks are bad.
Should be easy and quick to digest the copy.
Always be sure you know, and your visitors now, the target of the ad. What’s the call to action?
Testimonials are good to put on landing pages.
Consider your ad output. How it looks on 2 lines vs 4 line ads.
Keep forms short. Get the lead info then call for more details.
Label required fields.
No pop-ups or pop-unders on landing pages.
Scrolling is ok, but make sure users know that there is more information below the fold.

[ :: adgruntie :: Be both designer and writer ]

+ Copy advice to designers. Examples are rather trite or extremely punny. Tsk. That's like telling a copywriter to design an ad. Yes, it's true some folks are talented at both. And, again, there's also a reason why we have designers/art directors and copywriters.

[ :: designy :: Condom package design contest ]

+ Condom Design Contest from YouthNoise is asking folks to create a sexy design for a condom matchbook cover. Grand prize is a $500 gift certificate to the Apple store and 100 condoms of your design.

[ :: adgruntie :: Sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious ]

+ Yes! People Don't Hate Advertising; They Hate Bad, Intrusive And Annoying Advertising.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Got Milk? leaves without dessert ]

+ Yesterday I posted on Got Milk? cookie-scented bus shelters. Well, Adage is reporting that Got Milk? has to pull the plug on the campaign.

Special-interest groups representing the homeless, the obese, diabetics and citizens who just don't like scents have succeeded in scuttling an outdoor campaign from California Milk Processor Board involving some new scent technology. The Metropolitan Transit Commission yesterday ordered the scent strips removed.
[...snip...]
Sara Linnie Slocum said the campaign was "insulting" and that it was ludicrous to think a passenger who inhaled a chocolate-cookie scent would get on a bus, go home and drink a glass of milk.

[ :: adgruntie :: Argh. Radio rantalicious. ]

+ Rolling Rock radio spots really spin my anger wheel. Perhaps I'm one of the few people who actually listens to the radio still, and I'm probably one of a small group of creative folks who has yet to get an iPod or mp3 player. Honestly, I don't mind listening to radio spots, as long as they aren't painful to listen to. When the Rolling Rock spot comes on, I change the station. There's also another ad that's been running on the station that does traffic and weather every 10 minutes that grinds my gears. The spot features two folks and starts off with one saying that they've changed the script because it was too boring. Then the guy who's company it is goes on to say stuff like how can "selling point" be boring, blah blah blah. Firstly, the ad about making an ad is pretty much cliche now (see a long list of them here). Secondly, I don't know if it could be acted worse, except perhaps by a dead skunk...and even then...

[ :: adgruntie :: Ads like-a to spoof ]

+ Article from the NYTimes on the trend in ads to spoof other ad genres.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: ads of the 80s ]

+ "50 'best' commercials of the 80s"...or as Dabitch said, "all the 80's ads we found on youtube". Snort. Wish there was time for viewin'. Must go back and check this out again.

[ :: adgruntie :: Viagra ad ]

+ Talk about stiff! Check out this rather NSFW Viagra print ad at kottke.org.
Monday, December 04, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Potato hunter ]

+ Check out two spots OLW Potato Chips produced by Spader Knekt and DDB Stockholm. Shame they are so jarring at the end.

[ :: buy :: Red Sox Swag ]

+ If you're looking for a holiday gift for a Red Sox fan, check out The Red Seat. I like the "B is for baseball" tee.

[ :: adgruntie :: Smelly bus shelters for Milk campaign ]


+ Starting today, Got Milk campaign uses the smell of chocolate chip cookies at bus shelters. Here's a blurb from the press release:

Beginning December 4th, GOT MILK?-branded chocolate chip cookie scented bus shelters will spring up in California to treat commuters to an unexpected multi-sensory experience. Instead of tantalizing taste buds with mouths stuffed of gooey brownies or fudge, GOT MILK? will tickle olfactory nerves with the smell of chocolate chips to reinforce that milk is essential for holiday treats.

The smell of chocolate chip cookies will emanate throughout the
shelters with the help of New York-based Arcade Marketing's olfactory scent sampling technology -- MagniScent(r) -- which disseminates smell via scent-infused adhesives affixed to the inside of the bus shelters and undersides of the benches.

[ :: adgruntie :: Monday mornin' amusement ]

+ This tickled my funny bone this morning. extremeadvertisingmakeover.

[ :: adgruntie :: Alka Seltzer jingle by you ]


+ Alka Seltzer is scouring the nation looking for someone to recreate it's famous "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" jingle The contest began last month and is open to musicians of any musical genre. Using "Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz Oh What a Relief It Is" in at least one of the verses, competitors are challenged to remake the song using their own original music. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 and the chance to appear in a national TV ad that will air during the pre-game of the big game (the Super Bowl) on February 4th.

From the press release:

This competition is part of a year-long celebration of Alka-Seltzer's 75th Anniversary. "Plop, Plop" is the third commercial remake of their iconic advertising this year, but the only one that will tap into the creative juices of any and all Americans. So, whether it's a crooning love song to your favorite antacid, singing the blues about indigestion, or rapping and rocking about relief, now is your chance to be heard. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 and the chance to appear in a national TV ad that will air during the pre-game of the big game on February 4th.
Cyndi Lauper, one of the most legendary performers of all time, known for songs such as "Time After Time," and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," will be put in the judges' chair as she helps decide who is crowned national winner of this contest. "I'm really excited to be a part of the effort to bring back this famous jingle in a new and modern form," said Lauper. "I've recently recorded acoustic versions of some of my hit songs, so I'm excited to hear the interpretations others bring to this jingle to express how Alka-Seltzer means relief through song." Lauper will also serve as creative consultant for the new campaign commercial, as well as develop the musical tracks for the ad.

[ :: adgruntie :: AMA and consumer-generated ads ]

+ American Marketing Association (AMA) unveiled research that shows consumers believe companies who use customer-created advertising are more creative, customer-friendly and innovative than companies that use only professionally created advertising.

AMA's survey revealed that compared to a company that uses only professional advertising, most adults feel that a company that uses customer-created advertising is more customer-friendly (68 percent), creative (56 percent), and innovative (55 percent). However, young adults are generally more skeptical than their older counterparts. Respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely than those between the ages of 25 and 64 to say a company that uses customer-created advertising is less trustworthy (21 percent versus 10 percent, respectively), less socially-responsible (20 percent versus 10 percent, respectively) and less customer-friendly (13 percent versus 5 percent, respectively).
"Allowing consumers to contribute to brand message demands two things," said Costopulos. "First, you must know your audience base and what influences and motivates them. Second, you must be clear about what success for your organization looks like -- companies need to have measurement that shows how this impacts the brand."
Costopulos added, "There is still a hesitancy for organizations to give up this control as companies have spent millions to build brand relevancy. However, giving consumers more interaction with the brand has a direct effect on a company's overall perception in the marketplace. Young adults' skepticism may be rooted in their desire to distance themselves from company-sponsored messages. Organizations need to find a way to give this audience even more control and autonomy in the process."
The research also revealed that:
-- Respondents 25 years of age and older are more likely than those between the ages of 18 and 24 to say a company that uses customer-created advertising is more creative than a company that uses only professional advertising (58 percent versus 44 percent, respectively).
-- Half of the respondents say they feel a company that uses customer-created advertising is just as trustworthy (50 percent) as one that uses only professional advertising.

Saturday, December 02, 2006
[ :: adgruntie :: Advertising and Design Search ]

+ I've created an advertising and design search through google co-op. Kinda neat. I'm hoping to get some more blogs and sites added in there. I'm looking to have it focus on, yes, you guessed it, advertising and design.