It's NOT Complicated. *Tiffany's been waiting to cover this campaign!*
April 3, 2013
McDonald’s losing Millennial audiences; suffering in sales of product to 20-somethings; major menu redo to gain market share. While a thoroughly interesting issue and story, one of which I’ve regarded curiously lately (see my retweet at R_TiffanyAnne) I knew in this issue of Ad Age I had to turn directly to the article on AT&T’s “Not Complicated” campaign, aka my favorite TV spots, perhaps, ever! Forget the major headline stuff this week, I want to know who made those spots, what was the inspiration and are those adorably rambling first-graders scripted or natural?
IT CAME FROM ATLANTA
To quote one of my fav pigtailed stars from these spots, “I want more, I want more, I like it I want more.” In November we had the first chance to catch one of the “Not Complicated” spots where a group of four children and one straight-edged man help us understand the one-ups AT&T has over competitor’s wireless networks. As Ad Age put it, “the secret sauce was in the first-graders imaginations.” BBDO, Atlanta brainstormed a simple concept, with remarkable flexibility that enables producers to hone in on one clear message at a time, illustrated with a hilarious, surprisingly human effect.
GUIDED IMPROV
While the NBA version is “ok” (however, my husband was most impressed by the star collection of athletes), “dizzy boy” wiggling his head while waving his hand – aka “multitasking message” – in front of an overly impressed moderator makes me laugh out loud every time I watch. So, was this tiny tike told to yabber-on about how much he could shake and wiggle, or was this a natural occurrence? “Guided improve” as I’ve come to understand. Scripts were prepared in case nothing was useable, but otherwise moderator Beck Bennett who is also part of comedy group Good Neighbor, guided foursomes of six-year-olds through whatever their imagination brought them while talking through topics like the importance of fast versus slow.
HARD TO MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY
Each round of spots required shooting four or five different groups of kids a day, with two hours devoted to each group. Overly talkative kids were paired with attentive but not as “big energy” children as Ad Age specified, (we all understand how kids can go off subject). During editing if the spot felt too scripted or unnatural, it was ditched. The result is a series of comedy spots that have become a pop-culture phenomenon, drawing praise not just from the industry but from your buddy at the water cooler too.
Comments
April 12, 2013
Those AT&T spots hit a positive nerve for me too, Tiffany. I always find myself looking at the little girl's reaction after Bennett "shushed" her when she was going to comment before the wiggling work was complete. Every time I see it, I find myself a bit concerned at him not letting her talk, but then I see her reaction that seems to say "No problem, I appreciate the wiggling and how you need to be able to concentrate to take all that in. I'll get my turn in a minute." I just know that what she shares will be just as creative as the wiggle!
That may not sell me on AT&T, but I am on the lookout for the next spot...after the werewolf gets shaved of course.
Data's cool, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut.
March 6, 2013
Digital marketing mediums have been terrific in helping us gather all that terrific ROI info and stats. And I'm the first one to want to do everything in my power to get our client's tangible results or sales from the marketing communications we produce. After all, it's their very real, very hard-earned money that's being spent. But there have been more than a few times these last few years when I dared to ask myself if we should be letting that data drive the process as though it's the end-all/be-all.
Does it sometimes feel like stats can be trusted as much as the rental car's GPS who left my husband and me at the end of a dark cul-de-sac in Connecticut a few years ago? I can still hear "her" voice saying that final sign-off after the myriad turning directions that just seemed wrong to my gut (the navigator) - "Please call an operator at 800... for help".
As creative thinkers, our job is to do our best to interpret the numbers with a balance of left and right brain. And you know what? Sometimes the right brain just has to win to really land on a key message or image that truly will resonate with targeted customers for the long haul. It may not make the numbers change overnight or cause a flood of "likes" immediately. But after a while, it makes an impression on the mind of the folks our clients are hoping to influence. It really does help them remember our client's service or product when that customer is actually ready to buy what they offer.
And that's a key in business-to-business marketing - which is a lot of what we do. It's serendipity if the targeted buyer is ready to do a complete overhaul of their plant's conveyor system or move their corporate headquarters on the days they see the campaigns or websites. But more than likely, if it's on their mind when they do see our work, the message will resonate. And our clients will be remembered when it's time to say "go".
Adam Kleinberg who runs an interactive ad agency (translation - has access to lots of data) recently dared to share this type of message in Advertising Age. Check it out. http://adage.com/article/guest-columnists/data-driven-creative-equals-mediocre-creative/239960/
Can I get an "amen"?
Or do you think I'm off-target?
But be prepared - if you think I'm off, then I expect to see the data to prove it!
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Comment on this postThank you for the Internship Experience
January 14, 2013
To Everyone at Howell Creative Group,
This October, I proudly became part of Howell Creative Group as a part-time intern. The reason that I chose Howell was that I was taking Advertising & Marketing Communications class for my Marketing major, and that I was hoping to get more hands-on experience in marketing/advertising. Now that I am approaching the end of my internship, I would say that this experience with Howell is incredibly valuable to me.
First of all, I love the workplace. Howell is not a huge agency, but it feels like a family. At the beginning of my internship, my director Tiffany explained to me in details about the work style here, and introduced me to the current and past projects. With her instruction, I quickly got an overall idea of whom we work with, what kind of job we do, and how we treat our work and our clients in a caring and professional manner. Also, Howell has a cute way of giving back to the community, which is to send toys on the clients’ behalf to charity organizations. When I saw the collection of toys on the top shelf that were sent out in the past decade, I knew that I came to the right place.
The people you work with are always a crucial aspect of a job. During the past two months, I had the opportunity to interact with everyone at work; Tiffany even designed a Scavenger Hunt in order to prepare me to get familiar with the agency and the people. As a green hand in the agency, I had questions about almost everything, yet people are very nice and patient to clarify and provide extra help, especially Kelsey :)
The most important thing is that I gained great experience in my areas of interest by working on real tasks for the clients. For the first time, I learned about how to design and place an ad on social media platforms, and had a chance to do it on my own. I went on a short business trip with Kathy and sat in face-to-face and virtual client meetings. I provided copywriting for marketing materials, participated in preparing for client pitches, and executed initiatives for the benefit of the client’s business. With Tiffany’s advice and the exposure to professional work samples, I also got inspiration to create high quality work for my advertising projects. However, I could not have made so much progress if not for the generous help and trust that I receive at Howell.
The two months with you has flown by fast. In the end, I would like to thank everyone for your assistance and friendliness. It has been a wonderful time with you, and added so much to my professional experience and capability. I wish you all a happy holiday, and hope to see you again soon!
Sincerely,
Pocket
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Comment on this postChrysler Group – The Magical Turnaround
December 11, 2012
Chrysler's our industry's witness to the power of great branding. Or in this case, re-branding.
Recently, Ad Age named Chrysler Group “Marketer of the Year.” Olivier Francois re-branded the bankrupt Chrysler with two major advertising campaigns that have helped to turn around American opinion and increase sales by a whopping 37%. I'm sure you'll agree - that result is almost unbelievable.
According to Automotive News figures, Chrysler’s market share went up from 8.9% to 11.5%; unit-sales growth jumped to 37% from -4% in 2009. Additionally, the brand loyalty rate doubled (which measures the second purchase of a Chrysler) moving from 15% in Q3 2009 to 30% in Q2 2012 (as reported by automotive researcher Polk).
The incredible success began with Super Bowl commercials in 2011 (“Born on Fire” featuring Eminem) and 2012 (“Halftime in America”). Both ads conveyed a powerful theme of American pride and the rebirth of a new Chrysler. They were built on stories, rather than the product itself. “Born on Fire” uses a tough male narrator to tell the story of the Metro City where Chrysler is born and made. Copy like “it’s the hottest fire that makes the hardest steel” really resonates. While many of the images in the commercial are almost cold and heavy, later we see flashes of Detroit’s fields of excellence. It's a condensed history of Detroit showing undeniable strength rising through the pain.
Recently, Ad Age named Chrysler Group “Marketer of the Year.” Olivier Francois re-branded the bankrupt Chrysler with two major advertising campaigns that have helped to turn around American opinion and increase sales by a whopping 37%. I'm sure you'll agree - that result is almost unbelievable.
According to Automotive News figures, Chrysler’s market share went up from 8.9% to 11.5%; unit-sales growth jumped to 37% from -4% in 2009. Additionally, the brand loyalty rate doubled (which measures the second purchase of a Chrysler) moving from 15% in Q3 2009 to 30% in Q2 2012 (as reported by automotive researcher Polk).
The incredible success began with Super Bowl commercials in 2011 (“Born on Fire” featuring Eminem) and 2012 (“Halftime in America”). Both ads conveyed a powerful theme of American pride and the rebirth of a new Chrysler. They were built on stories, rather than the product itself. “Born on Fire” uses a tough male narrator to tell the story of the Metro City where Chrysler is born and made. Copy like “it’s the hottest fire that makes the hardest steel” really resonates. While many of the images in the commercial are almost cold and heavy, later we see flashes of Detroit’s fields of excellence. It's a condensed history of Detroit showing undeniable strength rising through the pain.
The story clearly spoke to American audiences and as a result, the dealership’s situation dramatically changed from struggling to “keep their head above water” to tripling sales of several models. According to Mr. Francois, Chrysler already “started a conversation. And conversation is paramount”.
This is one Super Bowl spot I'm looking forward to seeing.
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