campaign critique

My group worked on a campaign for Nike’s new toning shoe. Because toning shoes have taken off in the market, Nike has finally decided to release their own toning shoe for women. Aware that Nike has always been heavily athlete centered, we knew that in our campaign we would have to maintain a connection between athletes and our target audience. Our selected target audience is middle class women ages 30 – 50. Because most women in this demographic are moms we decided to relate the demanding tasks of a busy mom to those of a professional athlete in order to show that just because you aren’t in the Olympics doesn’t mean that you don’t face strenuous activities every day. The added advantage to wearing Nike’s toning shoes is that you don’t have to work as hard as the athletes to stay fit because Nike does half the work for you. Our goal is to show that even stay at home moms “Just Do It.”

            The majority of our budget went towards TV ads in the mid to late afternoon time slots. The remaining portion of our budget went towards print and online advertising. We chose not to use a celebrity endorser for this campaign in order to make it more relatable to the everyday mom. With regards to social media, most busy moms don’t have the time to Tweet or check into Foursquare. However, all different age groups use Facebook so we will put ads on this website as well as other mom friendly sites such as Groupon.com and discount shopping sites.

            I think that our overall campaign would be effective in reaching our target audience in the U.S. As far as a global market, I’m not so sure how our campaign would translate into different cultures. Overall, I think our ideas are relevant and support Nike’s brand image. Our group worked well together and we each contributed our own ideas to this campaign. We divided the paper so that each person had a chance to express their ideas and also share in the work load. Credit must also be given to Sandy for creating our print ad.

Otrivin's Nasal Spray

Otrivin’s Classroom Craft and Shoe Laces ads by Saatchi and Saatchi are the perfect balance of humor and reality. By displaying the consequences of leaving congestion untreated viewers see what might happen to them if they don’t use Otrivin’s nasal spray to clear up their congestion. Both ads feature situations we have all seen in real life. Everyone remembers the snotty kid in class who just won’t blow their nose and the random stranger breathing heavily beside you in a crowded area.

      In both ads we see how their illness is mistaken for a mental handicap because their mouths are left hanging open by their inability to breathe through their noses. You know this is the case because the teacher gives the little girl the dull scissors during craft time and a helpful woman aids the man in tying his undone shoe lace. Also the phrase “You look dumber with your mouth open” scrolls across the screen. However, if you use Otrivin’s nasal spray all of your congestion problems will be solved.

      I like these ads because they are simple and relatable, but also keep me entertained with their humor. I know there must have been times when I am sick that I look similar to these poor characters. I think this is a good strategy because we would all like to avoid looking dumb as much as possible, especially when we are sick. I prefer the Classroom Craft commercial because I feel like it is the most relatable. I can actually see that situation happening in real life. However, I think that the Shoe Laces concept is a bit of a stretch. I don’t think anyone would help a random stranger tie their shoe. It loses its humor because it is not as real of a situation as the Classroom Craft ad. 

http://www.canneslions.com/work/film/entry.cfm?entryid=20593&award=2
http://www.canneslions.com/work/film/entry.cfm?entryid=20592&award=2

Volkswagen Passat

I know I am a little late in the game seeing this commercial. However, I didn’t watch the Super Bowl when this add became loved by millions so when seeing it at the film awards grew sad that I had missed out on watching the Super Bowl adds last year. I think everything about this add is so cute. I know that cute may not be the best word to use, but that is really what I think of when I see it.       

      I think that Deutsch Inc. did a great job by using a child outfitted in a Darth Vader. Star Wars is something all Americans should be able to relate to. Even my eight year old cousin loves Star Wars and actually owns a few plastic light sabers. It is something so iconic for us that how could you not help but love it and in response feel a connection to the Volkswagen brand.

      Not only does this commercial take viewers back to their childhood with use of Darth Vader, but it I think it also strikes a chord with parents. Every parent has seen their child through a stage in which they are obsessed with one movie, one TV show, or maybe even just one character. They have to buy all the toys, play all the games, and listen to their child blab on and on about how their obsession is the coolest thing of all time. This commercial demonstrates how children truly become invested in their favorite things.

      I doesn’t even matter that the car itself in only featured for a few seconds because the viewer is already hooked on what Volkswagen is selling based on how relatable this ad is.  However, the car is highlighted as making all of the little boy’s dreams come true when he thinks that he can power it with his mind.

      As far as production techniques are concerned I don’t see how any special effect would have been used. The filming of this ad would have been done on set and outdoors. There was no animation used, but instead real actors.  

http://www.canneslions.com/work/film/entry.cfm?entryid=6396&award=2

Cannes Lions Day 7

The day at Cannes Lions turned out to be quite a hectic one for me and Paige. We took the 10:30 train with plans of attending the 11:30 seminar. However, upon arriving in Cannes Paige realized that she had left her badge back in JLP. Seeing as how the badge is vital for admittance, we turned right back around and caught the next train home. I thought it would be no big deal. We would just run back to our room, get the badge, and hop on the next train. It turned out that we waited for that next train to Cannes for an hour. So when we finally made it back to Cannes at 12:30 I was a little worn out from all of our back and forth.

      However, we did rush into the 12:30 seminar. We kept saying to ourselves that we hope we could still get good seats. Little did we know that about only 30 people would be attending any seminars this late in the week. Strolling in right as it started we had our choice of hundreds of open seats.  I must say, it was a little disappointing. I knew the numbers would drop off dramatically being the last day, but I had no idea that only 30 people would show up. I felt bad for Grupo Consultores knowing that no one had come to hear them speak. I must admit though that I wasn’t too impressed with their presentation. It really bothers me when professionals throw up a power point and read straight off the screen. I understand that it is easy to do it and that everyone falls victim to that type of presentation every once and a while, but you would think that at an event as important as Cannes Lions they would put a little more effort into it. I didn’t enjoy them reciting facts about Brazil for an hour. However, if they want the market it Brazil to expand even further I guess it is important for companies to know what they are getting into. I however, am not in the market to start an ad agency in Brazil anytime soon.

      After witnessing the dismal turnout for Grupo Consultores seminar we decided to call it a day. It was sad only attending one seminar on our final day, but I truly felt like the next two would have been as uninteresting to me as the first one.  

History Channel Commerical

The first commercial I viewed at Cannes Lions was one for the History Channel. This commercial was followed by others in this campaign. Each commercial features a single person recounting a historic event as if they were there when it occurred. They drew me in instantly.

            The first was of a woman recounting Kennedy’s assassination. You know that something is wrong about her telling it because she was German and way too young to have witnessed this event. However, the emotion with which she tells her story is so gripping and involving. It made me feel as if I was there with her. After she is done speaking something similar to “As if you’d experienced it yourself” scrolls across the screen. This message directly fits into the History Channel’s mission to make you feel as if you are experiencing history yourself instead of just viewing it from afar.

            The only problem I had against this commercial was aesthetic. Each commercial was set against a plain beige wall. I am assuming this is to force you attention to the speaker because if there is nothing interesting in the background there is nothing to distract you. Or maybe it was set this way to model the stark and somewhat depressing mood of each commercial. Regardless, I didn’t find it pleasing to look at and found myself wishing it looked better.

            There doesn’t seem to be any fancy production techniques in this campaign. As I stated above, the setting was dismal and each commercial featured only a close up of an individual telling their story. There were no special effects and I don’t think there would be a need for any intense editing since the commercials are fairly straightforward.

            Despite my complaints about this campaign’s aesthetic components I really do enjoy each commercial. They fit in perfectly with the History Channel. They educate, intrigue, and draw you in just as the History Channel hopes to do. These commercials make history a little more interesting.  

I sadly can't find the link for this one :(