Just because and image does not have a face or caption with it, does not mean it doesn’t tell an elaborate story. The great thing about pictures is that everyone who views them can imagine their own story, no matter what really happened. Following are a couple of my favorite photos from my life, each marking an eventful day or moment.
Take a look and imagine what was happening right before they were taken.
Angles matter.
When copy trumps imagery:
KFC has launched a campaign aiming to focus on freshness of their chicken. To show this they decided to “re-freshen” streets in five cities by filling potholes, and marketing themselves with KFC stamp.
“Re-Freshened by KFC.”
The public gets better streets, the city saves a ton of maintenance costs, and KFC gets the credit for responsible marketing, The message was spread about their “do good-ness” by social media
[twitter streams, blogs and a Facebook group]
People appreciate this kind of effort by a company and resonate well with the brand in the future.
Clever clever.
If you can tap into how someone
views
uses
handles
talks
about a product, you will have insight that goes beyond statistics and numbers. Focus groups are one way of doing it but sometimes you just have to hit the streets. When working to advertise a product or business, going there or using it will help define what it means to you. The value really comes in what the differences are between yourself and other people. Tiny details are what makes ads unique and makes the customers feel as if they understand. These are what good brands use to form a relationship between themselves and their customers.
When I introduce myself as an advertising major and buff, the response I usually get is something along the lines of:
“So you are the ones that make us buy stuff”
Although a little more complicated and meaningful than that, it takes particular skills to remove opinions, bias, and thoughts from ourselves and vacation in the minds of others.
Fascinating.
Knowing what people care about and is the first genuine step towards capturing their attention and making them apart of your cause.
Stunning visually, Fire Protection Association Australia used this print ad to raise awareness to the fires destroying natural habitats.
‘Like”
The Oregon Ducks have done it. Undefeated 12-0 games and heading the National Championship January 10th, 2010 in Arizona, The Oregon football athletic program is being recognized nationally as a football team and brand. The connection the university has with Nike is an old tale everyone knows, but the ability and success this team has shown in representing the school with swag and confidence is remarkable.
My cousin and uncle called me the night after the last season game, raving about the jerseys they were wearing and how it was proud to wear the dusty old ‘O’ shirt I bought him 4 Christmas’s ago. They were impressed and intrigued to look up more about the team, picking out their favorite players and ordering jerseys online.
Of course the team’s success in a season helps greatly with how people view a team, but the way they carry themselves, and how they represent the school connects emotionally with people, guaranteeing a long-lasting relationship of support, keeping the momentum of success alive for the future.
I’ll explain more…
How can you resist watching the no. 2 team in the country, heading to the Championship. The players have done their job to win games and make a name for themselves in polls and standings. These results come from stats but they also come from people. Coaches polls as well as a national opinion polls say straight forward about how people feel about a particular brand. Oregon has remained that the top of these polls for a reason. They are a strong brand that people want to connect with.
Trust is something that every Oregon student football fan can say they have in this football team. There was no room to lose so it didn’t happen. The confidence the team gave to their fans meant everything in the world to them, and we will forever support them in memory.
Chip Kelly played a huge role in staying true to what he and the team believed. He wasn’t ever fake and always said what was right and what was wrong. It didn’t matter when the wins started to pile up and national attention zooming in on the team and coaches grew, he never changed the way he spoke, or what he spoke of. His dedication was to his players was what is most important.
Um have you seen our uniforms? Enough said.
Go Ducks!
Memorable personalities and characters help a brand resonate with its audience when it comes to the media (television, print, outdoor etc.) Some familiar ones we all know and ‘love’ are:
Dennis Haysbert- Allstate Guy
Isaiah Mustafa- Old Spice
Just to name a few
This year, Wieden and Kennedy has taken this same trend with their 2010 holiday Target commercials. They made and produced 14 different variations of commercials with the quirky character of Maria Bamford, promoting the 2 day sale at the end of December.
All of the commercials include this character in different situations surrounding shopping, Black Friday, and holiday craziness that most everyone feels as the year comes to an end.
Here are several of the videos and you can visit Target’s YouTube Channel for more:
Music videos and media are sometimes viewed as a portrayal of society or at least an interpretation of one. In some cases however, women can be negatively effected by this in the representation in the music industry. Here is a movie I watched on the cultural attitudes of sexuality and how this is represented in the media and music videos. The stigma these videos put on women and their sexuality is compelling and scary.
Please watch.
Here is the intro:
Jessica Jean Things 
