Monday, September 15, 2008

Have you seen our video on YouTube?

Last week the mice at RMI produced a great video illustrating how well they work while I'm away. A well oiled wheel, serious noses to the grind stone. A real tribute to upper management.

I feel like Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame -"What, me worry?"

Check it out.

Labels: employees, video

posted by martin stein at 4:00 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

And while we're on the ad subject....

Who out there hasn't at least looked at the Sobe Life Water in their local deli since the Super Bowl ad with the dancing lizards was aired? The "Thrillicious" video features a troop of multicolored iguanas complete with all the moves of Michael Jackson's back up dancers and one even bedazzled with "grills" on its teeth. The human female dancer is superfluous.

I wonder if the Thriller CD has seen a boost in sales since the ad aired?

Labels: advertising, video

posted by martin stein at 8:23 AM   0 comments

Monday, March 17, 2008

We all have something to learn from Apple

Recently I've realized that I've become numb to most ads on TV. The constant barrage of car ads, skin care, cereal and household cleaners has me oblivious to the differences. Then there are the all too hip ads which feature perfectly chiseled men and women with some abstract message so weird that I can't even remember what they were advertising. Maybe a fragrance or clothing or a dating website... I really don't know.

But over the weekend I noted a really good ad. Apple's new MacBook "Air" commercial is very catchy. The ad is clean, smart and to the point. No glitz. It's just a very pleasant ad.

The simplistic commercial is complimented perfectly with a song called New Soul by Yael Naïm. Now normally, I’d be the last person to ask about contemporary music… which leads me to my point. Not only does Apple always remain ahead of the curve with its media, but is masterful in intertwining its channels together. I watched the commercial, logged onto the website, found the MacBook Air, and was offered to download the New Soul song from the ad - and iTunes if I didn’t already have it.

The takeaway? It’s important to disperse your advertising dollars among multiple platforms with a clear message. But what’s even more important is the connectivity and fluidity between them.

Labels: multichannel marketing, video

posted by martin stein at 9:26 AM   0 comments

Friday, February 29, 2008

Tassimo takes it to the office

Labels: video

posted by martin stein at 11:32 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

I dream of Sales Genie

After the parade for the victorious underdog NY Giants, there will only be a few who remember vividly the entire game. Sure in sports bars all over NY and Boston, the die hard fans will re-play each exciting moment of the last 2 minutes. But for me, what I will remember are the commercials.

To me the Super Bowl is like the new fall season of TV; a harbinger of commercials to come. So I was a little disappointed by the line up this year. In particular, the Sales Genie campaign. Who's their target audience? Serious business people or Saturday morning cartoon watchers? Maybe I'm too close to it but I found them to be degrading. Also, the ads play into the hands of those who feel like there is no oversight in our industry. That thousands of names are just available for the taking, to anyone who wants them, without taking proper security measures and background checks.

I imagine that only time will tell how successful (or unsuccessful) the campaign is, but the potential damage to the DMA's efforts to protect privacy is already out there.

Labels: privacy, video

posted by martin stein at 8:28 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The key to viral marketing: become your audience

Decio, our network administrator, pointed out this really great quote from a DM News interview with Adam Deringer. The VP and chief digital officer of the Brownstein Group talks about a successful 26 video viral campaign launched for SuperPretzel.

"To play in this viral world of social marketing, you can't take yourself too seriously. This is something that is really difficult for a lot of tradition­al companies to accept. You need to become your audience as opposed to being a brand speaking to your audience. This, in turn, generates interest in the brand. Being genuine is most effective in viral market­ing."

Well said.

Labels: video, viral marketing

posted by becky terhaar at 11:58 AM   0 comments

Thursday, October 4, 2007

YouTube for non-profits

Labels: fundraising, nonprofit, video, viral marketing

posted by martin stein at 7:04 AM   0 comments