Promo Gone Wrong!

So I'm sure you've all been exposed to some brilliant, unique, and creative marketing campaigns sometime in your lives (if not then I hope this blog has introduced y'all to some cool ones!). But what about those that didn't get quite the results that the companies were looking for? What about those that BACKFIRE?

Well...

This past week Brazil experienced a bomb scare in the public square of the well known and upscale Ipanema beach area of the city. Police were called last Wednesday to report that there were two wooden crates abandoned in the aforementioned location. I don't know if you guys know this, but the city was just recovering after days of fighting between violent drug gangs and the heavily armed police with military vehicles that killed at least 23 people. So imagine their reaction to find these crates in the middle of such a public place. After the Rio's bomb squad closed off the area and surrounding streets, they opened the crates only to report that it was completely empty, and no explosives were found.

So what in the world were those two crates for??

LONG STORY SHORT, the crates were actually part of P&G's teaser promotion for its biggest sweepstakes in Brazil, called "P&G Faustão's Airplane" with multiple drawings held every Sunday by Brazil's most popular TV host, Fausto Silva. The website for the promotion shows a plane on a run way with cars, motorcycles, and home electronics and appliances--as well as a wooden crate with stickers of P&G products and labels on it (see above). And thus, the crate kind of became the mascot of the campaign/promotion, and so the idea behind putting said crate(s) in such a public place was to show that Faustão's Airplane was so filled to the brim with prizes that they were even falling from the sky. This..brilliant idea was created by two partnering local promotions companies called NewStyle situated in Sao Paulo with Moda Promoções e Eventos in Rio. There were also plans to put these crates in the parking lots of huge retailers that sold P&G products...but I guess that kind of backfired, eh? Neither promotions company would comment but P&G quickly cancelled their plans on installing other wooden crates in public.

Well I would assume so, after such an event!

T-Mobile Sings Its Way to Second

Remember that awesome T-Mobile advert a while back where they did a dance flash mob at the Liverpool Street Station in London? And then they also did that cool sing-along in Trafalgar Square?

Well, this time they're back with another creative venture--also created by Saatchi & Saatchi, as with all their previous stunts. This version, "Welcome Back" was filmed at Heathrow Airport (Terminal 5, to be exact!), and released just before Hallowe'en. Already, it's garnered over 3.7 million views, last I checked, which is pretty awesome, in my opinion. According to Adage.com, the video has climbed its way to second place on the Viral Video Chart, bested only by Nike's "Lebron Rise" video, which has over 3.9 million views. Oooo it's going to be a close race! (Note: the numbers were taken from their official YouTube channels.)

Welcome Back:

LeBron Rise:

What do y'all think? Does T-Mobile's "Welcome Back" have what it takes to usurp Nike? Or will "LeBron Rise" reign supreme? Have a look-see, and comment accordingly!!

Her Royal Majesty...on Facebook?

Now this is what I call keeping up with the times. So apparently, Queen Elizabeth II and her whole royal household have created a Facebook page that was launched just last week. Social media fans will now be caught up in all the latest news, photos, speeches (etc etc) of the monarchy, and there is even an app for which users can search up Royal events happening near them (sadly, for us North Americans the closest would still be an ocean away). The page has been created as a 3 way collaboration between Buckingham Palace, Clarence House (official home of the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Princes William and Harry), and the Royal Collection.

But this isn’t the only social media site where the royal family is active on. Though the Facebook page is the latest in the series of social media launches by the Household, the British Monarchy also has a Flickr account (launched earlier this year), a Twitter account (joined 2009), and a channel on Youtube (2007). For all you social media fans, feel free to follow, like, subscribe and basically find out what’s happening in the family’s lives.

In my opinion, joining a social network (or in their case, many networks) this is a great way for the family to be more integrated in our society in this day and age. Celebrities do it, politicians do it, even your Average-Joe does it. So why not the British Monarchy? The Queen is also said to frequently email her grandkids! So kudos to the Queen for staying in tune with her inner techie!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Facebook page is a corporate page. So no, you cannot poke her.

How to Go Viral With Your Videos

So I came across this really great article on Mashable the other day (via Twitter…it’s an addiction, I swear!) that discussed the 3 things a video needs in order for it to go viral. Off the top of my head, a perfect example of it a video gone viral would have to be the Old Spice ones that’s been circulating just recently. Or the HALO video that I put up in one of my earlier blog posts.

But what is it about videos like these that make it so epically…viral? Well, according to the article, the 3 main things you need for video success are:

1) Psychological share motivation, which was further broken down into three subcategories: emotions (tug the heartstrings), identity and self expression (clear message), and information (self explanatory).

2) Easy shareability (also self explanatory. I always look for “share” buttons when I see a particularly cool video online, Youtube, in my opinion, is fantastic for its easy shareability).

3) Data-driven strategy (obviously, you should know which sites generates the most traffic, at which time, and for which target audience etc etc before you launch your video.

Though these traits may be obvious to y'all, you may be surprised to see how effective these small reminders can be for people who are looking to launch a successful video.

And obviously, one can’t make a blog post about great viral videos without actually posting one. So…here’s one that I particularly liked from the article:

For further information (or just access to the article), click here.

Interactive Screen!

I'll spare y'all from a long and tedious post (since it's midterm season and all), and just put up video that our awesome YMA co-president emailed me a few days ago.

Tell me what you think about it!

Definitely makes ME want to go to NYC and wave at the screen like a fool! Oh, and of course, shop at Forever XXI! ;)

Apple of the Decade

So Ad Age, an online marketing and communications website, recently gave Apple their first Marketer of the Decade award. Cool, eh? Though it’s only won Ad Age’s Marketer of the Year once this past decade, the company has been named runner up many times, and a contender practically every year.

To be frank, I'd have to agree with Ad Age’s decision on this one. Apple ran plenty of great marketing campaigns over the years that were fun, engaging, and told the audience what Apple was all about. Let’s take a peek at some of their major campaigns over the years:

The Apple silhouette dancing campaign for the first few generations/lines of iPods (one of my fave campaigns, BTW):

“Get a Mac” campaign (with John Hodgeman and Justin Long—hilarious!):

Sorry for the blurriness!

“There’s an app for that”:

Impressive, eh? Well, part of the genius goes the advertising agency, TBWA (who has a long term agency-client relationship with Apple), for its success! Fascinated? If you want to learn a bit more about this, go here for more info!

New Logos??

I'm not sure if any of you have heard..but Gap just recently came out with their new logo, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. If you head on over to Gap's home page, you can see that the iconic blue box with the white logo in caps (the 84th most valued brand in the world, according to Interbrand, might I add) has been replaced by a plain old "Gap" in black over white background..with a blue box sitting morosely over the "p".

See the comparison below:

Outrageous! I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm not impressed by the new logo. The old logo has been around for 20-odd years, and I guess Gap thinks it's time for a change! When Gap came out with the new look, netizens were quick to react and quick to criticize (quite harshly from some, I've heard).

Gap soon responded with a note on their Facebook page, acknowledging the reaction and asking the audience for new designs. So says on their status:

"Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project."

Well, at least they were quick about it.

Which brings me to ANOTHER company that recently did a logo change as well: Myspace (thanks to Katherine, our Publications Director for telling me about this! You are awesome!!). Apparently, even more recently, Myspace rolled out their new logo:

Geddit, geddit? I actually think that the idea behind it is a pretty good one, and a great play on words...image...line...thingy. And the cool thing about the logo is that when you hover your mouse over it, the blank space will have user generated artwork in the redesigned site. I'm not sure what the general verdict about it will be since the site hasn't been relaunched yet (otherwise, I'd totally link you lovely people to it!), and since I'm not on Myspace, I'm a bit indifferent to the logo change. But what about you guys? What do you think of the new logo?

Oh, and here's something that was tweeted (that Katherine also sent me...honestly, what would I do without you, girl?) by @gaplogo, supposedly a parody account that was created within 24 hours of the new Gap logo launch. I think I like that one the most!

Simplicity at its Best

You know what I love? A successfully done ad. Doesn't have to be flamboyant, or even technically advanced--just something innovative. But mostly one that plays on the audience's emotions. I don't know, perhaps I'm more of a sap and a cheeseball than the rest of y'all, so it's easier to get to me with the ads, but I'm sure you'll understand why this commercial gave me that sad yet warm and fuzzy feeling inside. It's extremely simple--no flashy lights or loud music here--but I think that's what also adds to it and makes that connection with the rest of the audience.

But I digress. You'll understand after you watch it.

Happy Cats

So earlier this month, a friend of mine posted a video of the newest IKEA campaign: Happy Inside. After dutifully clicking on the link, I was quickly won over by the beautiful artistry and the grace of the 100 felines that were let loose in the store.

Yes, 100 cats.

Created by the ad agency Mother London, the video depicts a hundred house cats roaming throughout the IKEA store in Wembley, UK and exploring all the nooks and crannies available in their showrooms. According to Feh Tarty, the creative director at Mother, the idea behind the video was that cats are incredibly independent and tend to live their lives in pursuit of their comfort and happiness. So what better way to express that sentiment than to let them explore and find the furnitures that make them "happy inside"?

IKEA's TV ad is part of a bigger market push to advertise their 2011 catalogue, including press advertising, in-store media and a Facebook page, as well as a "making of" video. Want to see how an ad agency pulls off a stunt like the one you see in the IKEA commercial? Click here and find out.

But for those who just want to see the commercial...enjoy!

Tweeting About the New Twitter

So apparently Twitter rolled out a newer version this past Tuesday, and its been getting a lot of hype and retweets ever since the first mention posted by @Twitter. I've certainly tweeted and RT'd a few times about it, and am personally very excited to get and try out the newer version. According to the site, the new Twitter will show a split screen--with the left side showing mentions, retweets, searches and lists, and the right showing who you follow, who follows you, favourites, and Trending Topics. There are also a few improvements and updates here and there that are all going to add up to give users an "easier, faster, and richer experience."

When I found out about the new Twitter, I obviously clicked on the video ad first...

...and was quickly charmed and won over by the simplicity, sweetness, and creativity of the video. Plus there has already been over a million views on YouTube since its upload 3 days ago.

So which ad agency was the mastermind behind this simple yet professional ad? Twitter.

The best thing about it is that the video's actually based on a real first-date that Twitter's design researcher, Mark Trammell (who worked on the video!), had. Like in the video, Trammell used Twitter to find the wine, book, and location for the date, and the actual tweets are shown towards the end of the commercial too!

And you know the quirky yet catchy music in the background? Yeah, there's a story behind that as well. Trammell said that he was in the south of Austin, Texas attending a technology and media festival, when he saw a tweet from an online music and radio music show about a band playing there, called Freelance Whales. Trammell saw them, loved them, and later on contacted them for the commercial. Consequently, the relatively obscure song in the ad jumped to the iTunes alternative top 100 chart the first day after the video was released.

But the cutest thing of all? Trammell recently received a text from the girl. They're going on a second date.

Google Instant

As if Google can't get any better than it already is. But apparently, it can. Earlier this week, the company released Google Instant, a "new search enhancement that shows results as you type."

Well...isn't it what I've been getting all this time? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to have always seen the drop-down box that comes up whenever I type in anything in the search bar. Or maybe they sped up the thing? Seems to me they just tweaked a few things here and there, bundled it up and presented it as a brand new toy. Or am I thinking of a completely different thing?

Mind you, I checked it out a few times when I found out about GI, and the results do seem to pop up a bit faster, and more correctly as I continue typing, so maybe there is some merit to this new handy dandy...thing. I mean, just check out the image I posted! Pretty nifty, eh?

For more information, I suggest y'all head on over here for a small perusal, and here to try it out for yourself!

A Feast for the Eyes II

Ok, so I realized that I forgot about my month-end image post...sorry! However, to make up for it, this month will have TWO weeks in which the posts will be mostly images for your viewing pleasure.

And besides, it IS the first of September, so I wasn't too late....right? Anyway, I'm sure you guys are itching to scroll down to see, so here they are:

Learn to draw in a flash

Omax Lenses: Wide-Angle lenses

"You can do more than celebrate. 60 years of the universal declaration of human rights"

...so? What do you guys think? Any favourites?

Halo: Reach

I'm sure we've all heard of Halo, the video game that first came out in 2001. I've friends who played the game incessantly during high school, and once brought the game to school on a laptop (in which I tried and later got queasy from the FPS perspective. Pathetic, I know). Needless to say, it's a successful video-game franchise by Microsoft's Xbox.

What you may or may not know is that they've also been doing a pretty rad job of marketing their installment releases. Take their last one for example. For Halo 3, Microsoft's Xbox got 2 Cannes Grand Prix awards, a traveling museum exhibit, and $300 million in first week sales. Impressive, eh? Even a non-gamer such as myself watched a few of the "Believe" videos on Youtube, and was mightily impressed by it. So what does Microsoft have in store for their next installment coming out this September?

Let's just say that this will be the biggest game campaign from Microsoft in its marketing history. They currently have a website where visitors can manipulate a real life robotic arm to create a laser light sculpture in homage to the protagonists, the Noble Team. The site (which I took a quick peek at) was created by independent digital agency AKQA, who dealt with the interactive component, and AgencyTwoFifteen (creative and strategic agency), who dealt with the strategy and video. Both agencies were involved with Halo 3's fantastic campaign that garnered two top prizes at the Cannes Advertising Festival, so it's no surprise that they're on board again for the latest installment. There will also be spots and online films created by AgencyTwoFifteen, just like they did for the "Believe" effort for Halo 3, showcasing the situation on planet Reach in live action. Which I think is pretty cool, considering how other video games usually provide footages of the actual game in the gaming ads.

Xbox is also partnering with PepsiCo. for the biggest brand integration to date. Come September, 300 million Mountain Dew bottles and 30 million bags of Doritos will be sporting Halo packaging and under-the-cap sweepstakes. There will also be an integrated promotion with the UFC (yes, the Ultimate Fighting Championship).!!So keep your eyes and ears out for the new Halo products coming out as soon as next week!

Check out their world premiere trailer:

Thoughts?

Lonely Planet Lonely No More

I’m sure most of us have heard of the Lonely Planet travel guide (website and the guidebooks) owned by BBC. Well, recently, BBC and Lonely Planet have decided to join together to make a new travel section in the BBC website, led by the former editor of NYTimes.com Travel & Style David G. Allan.

The site launched with partners in global territories such as Hilton in Asia Pacific and Europe, Spice Jet in South Asia and Middle East and Emirates in North America as well as targeting advertisers in the travel, tourism, and luxury products, such as airlines, hotels, and resorts.

The site is the first in a series of factual and lifestyles announced last month along with BBC.com’s new US edition. Already attracting blue chip advertisers and 16 million users, the site hopes to also target the more affluent and discerning consumers, and thus expects advertisers to be from the luxury consumer product sector, such as watches, fashion, cars and the like.

As Miranda Cresswell, Senior Vice President of BBC.com says*, “We know the people who come to BBC.com are curious about the world and look to us to feed that curiosity. BBC Travel will deliver insight, know-how and adventure that connects you to the world. With first person accounts from on the road we will dig into local culture, history and architecture.” True enough, the site includes a column of Top 5 Travel Stories from all over the world. Coming soon would be a series of commissioned stories from BBC and Lonely Planet authors on events such as the Edinburgh Festival, or life above the Arctic Circle.

So for all you travel hungry people out there, go on over to BBC.com/travel to see which places might catch your eye for your next big adventure!

*Quotation found here.

Are You Expendable?

When I first saw the ads for the movie on the walls of the Yonge subway line, I dutifully went home and YouTubed the trailers. What really caught my eye (other than the explosions) was the sheer number of different action figures both from the past as well as the present that was jammed into this film. Not to say that this is a bad thing, of course—more action for the audience! But after that passing moment, I had put this whole thing in the back of my mind and promptly forgot about it. However, a few days ago, I stumbled across this YouTube clip of Stallone (who stars in and directed the flick) doing an interview for the film, which I thought was innocuous enough. But halfway through the clip, I got a somewhat explosive surprise, which, to be frank, absolutely delighted me. Yes, that may have made me come across as somewhat bloodthirsty, but I also thought that it was a pretty cool viral marketing scheme!

After Googling it some more, I found out that not only does the film have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and—of course—YouTube, they also have a Foursquare account as well. Huh. That’s new. Turns out Lionsgate (the movie distributor, and the mastermind behind the all the marketing) has partnered with Foursquare and local businesses to market the film. How does it do that? Well, for a month now, Lionsgate has provided followers with tips and specials in local businesses in 11 different cities—all tied in to the “bad-ass” theme in the film.

For example, one of the specials in Santa Monica, CA, tells residents to check in at The Shack (a bar/restaurant, I presume), and say “Sly sent me” to the bartender, and they would be rewarded with a $2 discount off of a draft beer. Cool, eh?

Sadly enough, I don’t think any of the 11 cities are in Canada. Nevertheless, we still have Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube! The Expendables open on August 13^th. That’s right folks, it’s this Friday! Go and see what the hype’s all about—I know I certainly will!

Mad About Bananas

OK I admit, the title could be a bit better, but hey it sort of gets the idea across, doesn't it? Ish?

For those who are yet scratching their heads in bemusement, I'm talking about the latest collaboration between Banana Republic and "Mad Men" (AMC TV show). Going on their second year of partnership, the campaign hopes to build off from the success garnered the year before by promoting in every BR retail location across North America (more specifically, Canada and US). From July 21st to August 11th, over 400 BR stores will promote the TV show through their Style Guide featuring "Mad Men" characters, as well as giving customers a chance to win a walk-in role for an episode, PLUS a $1000 BR gift card.

Well. That certainly caught my eye.

After a bit of online searching, I found out that the TV network has been doing quite a stellar job in marketing this swanky show situated in the '60s. Let me give you a brief rundown of its marketing history so far:

Season 1:

AMC promoted via commercials and "behind-the-scenes" documentary. Not really interesting, I know, but for its DVD release, the box set was designed in the shape of a flip-open Zippo lighter (I'm guessing due to the heavy smoking seen in each episode). As you probably guessed, Zippo designed two lighters with the "Mad Men" logo on it soon after to be sold online and through headquarters.

Season 2:

AMC launched its largest marketing campaign by decorating the Grand Central Station subway shuttle to Time Square with life size posters of the main character and quotes from the first season. Inside Grand Central were groups of people dressed in '60s clothing, handing out business cards that said "Sterling Cooper" (the advertising company that the main character works in). As well, window displays were shown in 14 Bloomingdale stores, and wallscapes were placed in downtown Hollywood. And lets not forget the various TV commercials, print ads, and a 30 second trailer in Landmark Theatres throughout July.

Season 3:

"Mad Men Yourself" web app was created to let fans create avatars of themselves based on the fashion seen on the show. Banana Republic paired up with "Mad Men" in presenting window displays in all Banana Republic stores in USA. BR also made a style guide with the purpose of helping customers dress like their favourite characters, after which (upon entering a code located in the guide), the public can vote on their favourite "Made Men style". But wait! BR was not the only clothing line promoting the show. The American clothing chain Brooks Brothers offered a "Mad-Men Edition" suit designed by the costume designer from the show as well.

Season 4:

Seeing as how the pairing between BR and MM paid off so well, it's no surprise that the two are working together again to promote the fourth season. As for anything else...well, this blogger has yet to find out!

Oh, and for all you Barbie fans out there, in the spring of this year a limited collection of Barbie and Ken dolls were released based on some of the characters on the show. Talk about having it made.

Now, I've never seen any "Mad Men" episode, but after finding out about its campaigns and promotions, I've half a mind to go find the first season and watch an episode or two myself!

I mean, check out the clothing seen in this picture!

A Feast for the Eyes

Seeing as this is the last week of the month, I've decided to bring in a bit of fun into this otherwise wordy (but interesting, I hope!) blog. Because I often think that blogs are a fairly one sided kind of affair, don't you think? I don't know about you guys, but I get distracted quite easily, and oftentimes when a lengthy paragraph comes to my line of site, I skip it and go do something else. (As you can imagine, studying for exams is a rather horrid torture for this poor soul.)

But one thing that I rarely get bored of, and can stand a longer time with, is looking at pictures. As that old adage goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." It can provoke dynamic feelings and shock your mind, making you think about something that you otherwise might not have considered at all. That, my fellow readers, is something that artists (and I guess advertisers as well) strive to do in their works.

So that is why I've decided that every month end, I'll post up..lets say...three images that I've come across online, and ask which one YOU thought was the best one, or if not that, then the one that you liked the most, or the most thought provoking. If you want to explain why, please go ahead, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions of this!!

So without further ado, here are some images for your perusal:

(For clarification this is an ad for a vacuum.)

Tell me what you guys think!

Mmmm Starbucks

Now, before start rambling, can I just first say that I absolutely adore getting a Starbucks whenever I go downtown? There's nothing like a good cup o' Starbucks in one's hand when strolling down Yonge/Bloor that makes the experience just that much more exquisite.

So imagine my delight when I ran across an article that revealed said company to be the first brand on Facebook to reach a fan base of over 10 million! Yes ladies and gents, that's over 10 000 000! This is partially due to its popularity as well as its international presence all over the world. However, Starbucks also has an extremely active presence on Facebook, and has slowly amassed its fan base through their marketing and promotions such as giveaways and advertising. Some of their more recent promotional activities included a free ice cream giveaway, as well their Happy Hour Frappuccino event, in which yours truly (happily) partook in. In fact, they were the most popular coffee chain in the site as early as June 2009, if you would believe it or not.

According to Inside Facebook, which is published by Inside Network, the Starbucks fan page is consistently one of the top 20 fastest growing pages.

All the more reason to go out and buy yourself a Grande Latte!!

Cannes Lions 2010

As some of you may or may not know, the 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival just passed at the end of June at the Palais des Festivals. The Cannes Lions Festival is one of the most prestigious advertising awards held in Cannes, France annually, with over 20 000 pieces of creative advertising entered from all over the world, and judged by a jury of 250 split into judging different categories.

Below are just some of the Grand Prix winners in the many different categories. I won't put a description since I think it might ruin the effect, but I'm sure that (like me) you'll be mightily impressed!

Film Lions:

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like; Old Spice

Cyber Lions:

This was shared by Volkswagen's Fun Theory and Nike Livestrong Foundation's Chalkbot. Go here and here for links to the sites!

Grand Prix for Good:

Choose a Different Ending; the Metropolitan Police

(I actually tried this one out a few days ago, and it totally reminded me of a virtual version of those child books that I used to read when I was a child, when I could pick my different endings and flip to the different pages at the back of the book. My, I think I just dated myself there...)

For the full list (and the shortlist) of the winners of the 2010 Cannes Lions, go here. Enjoy!

For the Inner Fanboys

So lately I’ve gotten into this sudden craze of listening to classic Disney songs (Hakuna Matata, Colours of the Wind, Be Our Guest etc) and I was just lamenting on the decreasing quality of Disney movies and songs these days in comparison to those when I was a kid.

However, one of the better ones (in my humble opinion) to have been produced recently was the Princess and the Frog, which I loved and (I thought) was a great tribute to the good ol’ days. Imagine my surprise to run across an article later that talks of Disney’s newer animation, Tangled, formerly known as Rapunzel, and how Princess and the Frog helped the studio decide on the name change.

Now how does a 2D old school movie have anything to do with the 3D counterpart? Well, turns out that though PatF was a great movie, it didn’t gross in as much as the executives thought it would in the box office. And they think they know why: not as many boys saw it due to the word “princess” in the title.

Hence this time, the great Disney has learned its lesson. The studio has renamed the upcoming movie from girly “Rapunzel” to a bit more ambiguous “Tangled”. Not the mention that there will be more of a bad-boy image thrown in for our prince (who actually is a bandit), and a bit of a backbone for our golden princess. Oh, and the film will revolve more around the male character as well. All this so as to draw in more of the younger boys to watch, who also make up roughly half of Disney’s potential audience for their family films.

According to the president of the Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, Ed Catmull, “some people might assume it’s a fairy tale for girls when it’s not. We make movies to be appreciated and loved by everybody.” As well, the studio hopes that the bad-boy character can help them reach the broadest possible audience for the film.

And of course, with changes such as this one, there are bound to be some related to it. Floyd Norman, a retired Disney and Pixar animator who worked on films such as “Mulan” and “Monsters Inc.” considers the name change to be "beyond stupid" and created a cartoon in response to the name change.

So, what do YOU think about this? Yay or nay to the change?

World Cup Fever

This might be a bit late seeing as the 2010 FIFA World Cup has already started oh, I don’t know, two weeks ago. But I figured hey, better late than never! As an old teacher of mine once said, if not on time, then at least in time.

Anyway, as we all know, the World Cup draws in millions of viewers from all over the world. And with that comes an onslaught of marketing campaigns from a lot of big named companies.

Take Nike, for example. Their “Write the Future” campaign apparently linked Nike to the tournament twice as much as their biggest competitor and official World Cup partner, Adidas. Which, might I add, “had the highest levels of tournament mentions of all of the official brands.” (Of course, this only applies to the English language World Cup related messages in the different social medias on the net.) In other words, seems like Nike has kicked Adidas' butts in terms of marketing of the World Cup.

Funny thing is, Nike’s not even an official partner of the World Cup.

Here’s their campaign video that, last I checked, garnered over 17 million viewers on YouTube. (And with good reason, have you seen the cast?!?)

PS. Here's the article that can explain a bit more about the campaign ambush--and a few other brands (official sponsors, or not) that are also worth mentioning in terms of World Cup marketing.

PPS. Who are you rootin' for?