Adweek : Advertising & Branding

Meet the Three Products That Just Won a Place on Walmart's Shelves

David Kiefaber — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:12:13 +0000

Walmart's "Get on the Shelf" contest, which saw more than 4,000 inventors and small businesses compete for the chance to get their product into Walmart stores, has wrapped up, and the winners have been announced. They are: HumanKind Water, PlateTopper and SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit. Wait, really? Huh. Well, at least two of the three are ethical companies. HumanKind gives 100 percent of its net profits to organizations that provide access to clean drinking water in underdeveloped communities worldwide. And PlateTopper—a plastic gizmo that covers food on plates, replacing plastic wrap—donates to the anti-bullying campaign Jaylen's Challenge. SnapIt offers no such pretensions, but that also means they'll spend less time talking around their decision to work with retailers as unethical as Walmart. See ads for all three products after the jump.

Ogilvy Names Head of Content Strategy

Andrew McMains — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:03:29 +0000

Jonathan Sackett is taking his digital chops to Ogilvy & Mather.

After 14 months as chief digital officer at DDB in Chicago, Sackett is assuming a North American role at Ogilvy: managing director of content strategy. The position is new and designed to help marketers develop new channels for building their brands.

At his new agency, Sackett, 42, will report to North American chief creative officer Steve Simpson and regional chairman John Seifert.

In a statement, Simpson said Sackett believes that “great creative ideas come from everyone. We think this point of view will help elevate our work across all formats and disciplines.” Added Seifert: “We expect him to have real impact on our solutions for clients.”

Ogilvy’s top accounts include IBM, American Express, Unilever and UPS.

Before DDB, Sackett held digital leadership roles at The Martin Agency, Arnold and Draftfcb. Ogilvy, a unit of WPP Group, is his fifth agency in five years.

DDB isn’t going to fill Sackett’s post. Instead, Chicago, under CEO Peter McGuinness, is adding digital specialists to all departments. About 40 of the office’s 375 staffers are primarily known for their digital work, according to McGuinness.

DDB North American president Mark O’Brien recruited Sackett to the Omnicom Group shop. At the time, O’Brien said Sackett would recruit talent, build platforms, develop work and contribute to new business pitches. Beyond CDO, he also held the title of managing director.

Six Questions: Dominic Proctor

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:39:14 +0000

Six Questions: Dominic Proctor

The 20 Most-Viral Ads of 2012 (So Far)

Tim Nudd — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:23:38 +0000

It's only the middle of May, but already we've had some runaway viral hits in advertising this year. Unruly Media, which runs the global Viral Video Chart, has just released a list of the most-shared ads of 2012 (so far). We've posted the top 20 below. It's a varied group of spots—with dancing and singing, cursing and fainting, running and good old-fashioned pitching. President Obama even makes an appearance. Check out the full list after the jump. And don't resist the urge to share.

Finnair
Snobby ad people largely despise flash mobs and/or spontaneous dancing as a way of driving video views. But the public continues to eat it up. This insufferable Finnair spot captures footage of some extremely energetic people congratulating India on Republic Day in January—by dancing like maniacs.
DollarShaveClub.com
DollarShaveClub CEO Michael Dubin starred alongside warehouse sidekick Alejandra and a guy in a bear suit in this infectious spot from March that quickly became a sensation. The ad, like the razors, was pretty f***ing great.
Nike Running
There was something mildly nauseating about this Nike Running spot from April featuring the woman who runs across America, singing all the way, for the love of her poor, weak man (who ends up in hospital long before meeting her in the middle). But online, the spot sure had legs.
Tic Tac
Oh look, a flash mob. In this French spot from April, scores of actors pretended to pass out when confronted with people who had "the worst breath in the world." Tic Tacs eventually came to the rescue.
Mercedes-Benz
Using an elaborate LED costume, the automaker built an "invisible" car in March to promote its zero-emission technology. One of the year's better tech stunts.
Tipp-Ex
The Tipp-Ex hunter and bear, stars of a viral smash in 2010, returned with a bang in April. To help the pair escape a flying meteor, viewers were urged to change the year in the interactive YouTube interface to more than 40 hilarious scenarios. A sequel for the ages—quite literally.
Cartier
In March, the French jeweler stormed three major networks in prime time with an audacious media buy—presenting this fantastical three-and-a-half minute spot that reimagined the brand's 165-year history as a diamond jungle cat's adventures through space and time. An absurd and lavish treasure, beautifully crafted—even if, you know, it made no sense.
Honda
The first of three Super Bowl spots on this list (to go along with one Super Bowl teaser), this Honda spot famously featured Matthew Broderick reprising his classic Ferris Bueller character in a pitch for the CR-V. What did viewers think? They bought it.
Volkswagen
Another 2012 Super Bowl spot, this was Volkswagen's highly anticipated follow-up to "The Force," its universe-conquering ad from 2011. "The Dog Strikes Back" was cute, even if it didn't quite match the subtle storytelling and clever payoff that made "The Force" (the most-shared commercial of all time) such a delight.
Coca-Cola
With post-revolution Tunisia competing in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament, Coca-Cola crafted this anthem in January with the help of musical group Sli Lemhaf. The song—about forgetting the fear of oppression—became the Tunisian team's official anthem.

Type Books
Sean Ohlenkamp, an associate creative director at Lowe Roche, and his wife created this lovely little ode to paper books—specifically, to the Type Books bookstore in Toronto. The clip, posted in January, got amazing traction for an amateur effort.
Barack Obama
Oh yes, it's an election year. As Republicans battered each other through the winter and spring, it was President Obama who in March delivered the most-shared political ad of the season—this look back at the past three and a half years.
Nike
Casey Neistat was given a budget to shoot a Nike ad, but instead used the money to travel around the world with his buddy Max. The resulting video, from April, embodied the tagline, "Make it count," more than a typical fabricated ad would have.
Google Maps
One of two Google clips in the top 10, this was also the only April Fools' joke video to make the list. It ludicrously introduced Google Maps in an 8-bit version for Nintendo Entertainment Systems.
M&Ms
Sorry, Doritos, Chevrolet and Bud Light. In terms of broad comedy, nothing could touch this M&M's spot on Super Bowl Sunday.
Volkswagen
One of the big Super Bowl ad stories this year was the sheer volume of teaser and preview clips leading up to the game. Volkswagen's "The Bark Side," with dogs barking the "Imperial March," ruled them all—and indeed, turned out to be more viral than anything that aired on the game itself.
Google
In this concept video from April, Google showed off a pair of augmented reality glasses that would work like a smartphone—but instead of interacting with the device in your hand, you wear it on your face. Impressive and somewhat scary.
Procter & Gamble
Originally launched for the 2010 Winter Olympics, P&G's "Thank you, Mom" campaign was dramatically reborn in April—for London 2012—with this emotional, cinematic anthem from Babel director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Dancesport Studio
This video, promoting a dance studio in Germany, featured insane footage of a 2-year-old dancing the jive. It wasn't so much that people wanted to watch—they just couldn't look away.
TNT
To promote its launch in Belgium, TNT placed a big red button "on an average Flemish square of an average Flemish town," and goaded people to push it. When they did, the square erupted in chaos, as actors appeared out of nowhere and flung themselves into scenes ripped from medical and legal dramas (and melodramas). At the end, a giant banner was unfurled on a building side that read: "Your daily dose of drama. TNT." The clip has been a stunning success, and has become the second-most-shared ad of all time, behind Volkswagen's "The Force."

Skechers Settles Deceptive Ad Case With FTC for $40M

Katy Bachman — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:38:07 +0000

When it comes to cracking down on health and fitness claims in ads, the Federal trade Commission isn't sitting on its butt.

Skechers' health and fitness advertising claims didn't go the distance with the FTC, which forced the fitness apparel manufacturer to fork over $40 million to settle claims that deceptive advertising was used to sell Skechers' toning shoes and apparel.

The $40 million settlement fee is the the largest ever for the FTC, which has escalated its oversight of advertisers that use unsubstantiated health and fitness claims to lure unsuspecting consumers. Last September, Reebok agreed to a $25 million settlement with the FTC in very similar case.

The Skechers settlement is also part of a broader agreement resolving an investigation across 42 states and the District of Columbia led by the Tennessee and Ohio attorneys general offices.

In its complaint, the FTC charged that Skechers violated federal law by falsely representing clinical studies backing up claims that Shape-Ups, Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-Ups would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their butts, legs and abdominal muscles.

Ads used lines like: "Shape up while you walk," "get in shape without setting foot in a gym" or "make your bottom half your better half." During a press conference this morning, the FTC pointed to an ad that ran during the Super Bowl that it found particularly egregious, featuring Kim Kardashian dumping her personal trainer for a pair of Shape-Ups.

David Vladeck, the director for the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, pulled no punches in his advice to advertisers that claim their products can reduce fat or make their wearers lose weight.

"Skechers put its foot in its mouth by making unproven claims. People didn't lose weight, they gained weight. Either shape up your substantiation or tone down your claims," Vladeck said during a press conference.

Skechers denied it did anything wrong, but in a statement, the company said it decided to settle in order to avoid protracted legal proceedings. "Skechers could not ignore the exorbitant cost and endless distraction of several years spent defending multiple lawsuits in multiple courts across the country," said David Weinberg, CFO of Skechers. "While we believe we could have prevailed in each of these cases, to do so would have imposed unreasonable burdens on the company regardless of the outcome."

The FTC has made a mission of forcing marketers to shape up health and fitness claims.

"They are sending a very strong message to the big national advertising industry that the free pass is over," said Jeffrey Greenbaum, a managing partner with Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. "If you get caught for false advertising, it's not going to be a slap on the wrist."

Skechers' $40 million settlement was based on its market share, Vladeck said. The company is the market leader in the toning footwear category with shoe sales close to $1 billion in 2010.

As part of the settlement, Skechers must take down advertising and inform retailers to remove or conceal the deceptive claims. It also has agreed to stop misrepresenting any tests, studies, or research results regarding toning shoes.

Consumers that purchased any of Skechers' footwear can file for a refund on the FTC's website.

Siegel+Gale's Alan Siegel Moves On

Noreen O'Leary — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:13:09 +0000

Alan Siegel, the driving force behind the ‘plain English’ movement of communications simplification, is leaving his namesake branding firm after 43 years. The Siegel+Gale chairman, who co-founded the firm at age 28, now plans to devote his time to personal nonprofit marketing efforts, research and writing.

“I’m very interested in working with nonprofits, people in education, medicine, people who are doing things to improve the world and who don’t have the money to come to Siegel+Gale for help,” he told Adweek. “I’m not retiring. I’m moving sideways.”

His new projects include working on a new Cornell University corporate identity for a science graduate school on NYC's Roosevelt Island; communications work for New York University in its efforts to become a global educational entity; the Alzheimer Foundation of America and the Lupus Foundation of America.

In August, Siegel’s latest book Simple is Smart, co-written with long-time colleague Irene Etzkorn, is also slated to be published by Hachette.

Siegel worked closely with David Srere and Howard Belk in recent years to prepare them to take over as co-CEOs.

In the 1970s, Siegel pioneered the development of plain English for complex legal documents for business and government. He became a high-profile proponent of bringing clarity to business communications such as insurance policies, bank loan notes, mutual fund prospectuses and government communications. In 1979, the IRS asked Siegel to simplify tax forms and the current 1040-EZ form, originally the "short form," grew out of that work. Siegal+Gale went on to work with the Interbank Card Association to form a new global identity for Master Charge, which included the name change to MasterCard. Over the years Siegel has worked with clients like Xerox, American Express, the National Basketball Association, Caterpillar, 3M, the U.S. Air Force and Dell. Omnicom acquired the agency in 2003.

Siegel’s latest transition is a natural outgrowth of a lifelong involvement in a range of outside endeavors, including service on many boards. In addition to his upcoming book, Siegel has been a prolific writer in the media and has authored a series of financial guides for The Wall Street Journal as well as One Man’s Eye: Photographs from the Alan Siegel Collection and Step Right This Way: The Photography of Edward J. Kelty.

On June 1, Siegel leaves his agency's Chelsea digs—but he's not going far. He'll be moving into an office around the corner from The New York Public Library's main branch in Manhattan.

Man Proposes to Woman via Audio Ad on Pandora

Tim Nudd — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:04:26 +0000

Nerdy couples are awesome. They do nerdy things for each other that cause both of them to squeal in delight. Recently this phenomenon has extended all the way up to nerdy marriage proposals. We've seen the infographic proposal, the crowdsourced Photoshop meme proposal and the Web banner-ad proposal. Now, a man with an apparent appreciation for radio commercials has proposed via Pandora ad—with the audio professionally recorded by a voice actress. The guy offers a play by play over on his Tumblr. He writes: "She heard her name, and then heard it again, and she started picking up things in the car because she thought I was playing a joke on her … then she realized that this was actually happening and she just looked at me in awe with a smile on her face. When the ad ended with a pause I said, 'I know this isn't the most traditional proposal, but Maggie, will you marry me?' " Awww. Hear the audio after the jump. Via @VanHoven.

The Pandora Proposal

Ad of the Day: Budweiser

Tim Nudd — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:24:48 +0000

You know vinyl is making a comeback when advertisers jump on the bandwagon. Still, Budweiser has released a vinyl single that's quite a bit cooler than your average 7-inch.

To promote its partnership in Brazil with Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am, the Anheuser-Busch InBev brand pressed his new song "Great Times" into a vinyl magazine advertisement playable on any turntable. Client and agency (Agência Africa São Paulo) claim this is a first, although that's wishful thinking—they're banking on people not actually remembering the '70s, when playable page-size vinyl was packaged inside music magazines quite often. Still, kudos to Bud for being the first brand to bring it back. (And grudging kudos to Will.i.am, who seems to have never met a brand he didn't want to endorse.)

Now, who's up for releasing some new TV spots on VHS?

CREDITS
Client: Budweiser
Agency: Agência Africa, São Paulo, Brazil
Executive Creative Director: Sergio Gordilho
Creative Directors: Rodrigo Saavedra, Vico Benevides
Art Director: Vico Benevides, Rafa Oliveira
Copywriters: Marcio Juniot, Henrique Martins

Google Shows You Where an Email Goes After You Hit Send

David Kiefaber — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:48:24 +0000

Google takes us backstage with The Story of Send, which explains what happens when you send an email. It's kind of like they're asking themselves why they're so awesome, and then answering that question, but it's still a clever way of both congratulating their renewable-energy efforts and explaining the inner workings of something people do every day without necessarily understanding the mechanics of it. I also think they're getting sick of all the remaining jokes about tubes, so they're trying to nip that mess in the bud once and for all. Either way, it's evidence of good citizenship from the Google compound.

Guinness Turns a Submarine Into a Branded Underwater Bar

David Gianatasio — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:23:53 +0000

What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Sign him up for a tour of duty on the Guinness submarine! The vessel comes complete with a "deep-sea bar" and Austin Powers pop-art interior design with lots of rubber discs simulating bubbles. This is no dive bar! The groovy environs were built by architects at London's Jump Studios, working from concepts by Evelyne Gridelet, who won a "Sea Experience" competition celebrating the brand's 250th anniversary. Guinness's promotional line, "Alive inside," was the contest's theme, and it thankfully held true for Gridelet and guests when they rode in the craft to the bottom of the seas around Sweden's Stockholm Archipelago to celebrate her victory. The design strives to convey the feeling of immersion in "a dynamic, flowing experience." I'm thinking that after a few pints, that was one mellow submarine. More images after the jump.