Remember the ‘Just passing by’ TV spot with its montage-style visuals and great copy? There was a similar one during the 2010 World Cup too. McDonalds UK brings out yet another TV advert where the idea and voice over style have become something of a signature. This time, a rhyming voiceover describes McDonald’s as a place where people can either celebrate or escape from the holiday season, ending with the line, “There’s a McDonald’s for…
Great art direction, distinct branding, striking: what more can a print ad deliver? A new campaign for McDonalds Happy Meal in the UK does just that. The ads cleverly highlight what’s inside a Happy Meal (DK Book, Crayola etc.) and do so in an unmistakably McDonalds way. Loved the art direction. Agency: Leo Burnett, UK Via.
One of the creative directors I had worked with many moons ago, insisted on watching all of the major competitive work in a category before creating advertising for a brand. Routine, you say? The intention was not just to see what competition is doing but to avoid doing them for your brand. Very often, major categories in advertising have unwritten rules or codes. Marketers insist on their ads following such codes in order to help…
It is amazing how a creative mind ‘connects the dots’ between food, the vessels and a dishwashing liquid. The category is a favourite for creative teams seeking awards and some great work has happened in the past: Mao Bao, for example. So it is heartening to see a fresh new angle in the category and a great execution of the idea. “Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look…
Business Insider’s CEO Henry Blodget delivered the ‘Future of Digital: 2013’ presentation recently. The presentation covered a lot of topics from the smartphones to tablets to mobile operating platforms and the data therein could be debated, especially given Mr. Blodget’s penchant for painting a bleak picture of Apple & iOS. A handful of slides relevant to marketing & advertising brought alive the state of things in digital & mobile and could be food for thought…
As ideas go, this one ranks high up in terms of ingenuity, simplicity and more importantly – the potential to be a catalyst for global change. The Weightless Project, aims to monetize every attempt at losing weight and thus bridge the gap between obesity and undernourishment. Aside from the do-good objective, what makes it praiseworthy is its simplicity. It fits in naturally with the mindset and routine of those seeking to lose weight and allows them to…
I shared an image of the Average Selling price of major smartphone brands (as reported in a Mashable article) on Twitter. I disagree with the comparison of a single phone model, iPhone (even if you include the 4S, 5C and 5S it is still a single brand) with an entire category of phones with literally thousands of brands under it, i.e. Android. Be that as it may, the data presented is not a startling new…
For thousands of people this Christmas, their must-have gift is far more vital than the latest gadget or toy. Agency: DLKW Lowe Beautifully done, Lowe and NHS. The lead up looks natural, candid-camera stuff – gets you all smiling and in the holiday mood. And then, boom.
A cola is a cola is a cola – we’ve heard that in marketing circles. And then there are global powerhouse brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi which have mastered the art of creating and sustaining brand pull in an undifferentiated category. A similar challenge exists even in commodity brands. There is ‘water’ and Evian, Bisleri and Perrier. There is ‘salt’ and Tata Salt; ‘wheat’ and Aashirvaad. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines commodity as: a good or…
This is a guest post by Anand Narasimha. Anand is Dean & Professor of Marketing at IFIM Business School, Bangalore. With over 25 years of experience in Brand Marketing, Advertising and Consulting, he describes himself as a ‘Brand Mentor’. For a change, we are not going to talk about Sachin Tendulkar’s cricketing achievements, anecdotes and accolades. What we’re going to look at instead, is the evolution of one of modern India’s most loved and iconic…