Mustafa before the crash
If you know us at all, you know we’re obsessed with bikes. From single-speeds to motorcycles, if it has two wheels, we’re into it. In fact, just yesterday, Mustafa crashed a Honda 70cc into our neighbors’ garage and Mike wrecked his knee falling off his mountain bike.
Our client list further reflects our passion for bikes – we do work for Troy Lee Designs and Kali Protectives. That’s why we’re super excited about our newest client: Dainese/AGV.
If you’re not as into bikes as we are, you may not have heard these names before. They are Italian companies – both big in the European MotoGP, street bike and motocross scene. Their helmets and protective gear have been worn by Valentino Rossi, David Philippaerts, Travis Pastrana and many other pros.
The main difference between the two companies is what they sell. Dainese sells clothing and gear for motorcycles and other action sports, and AGV specializes in bike helmets for pros and amateurs. The two merged in 2007, but chose to keep their separate identities.
Since the merger, they’ve been working to expand their U.S. presence. That’s where we come in. As their U.S. agency, we’ll be helping spread the word about Dainese and AGV products. We don’t think it’ll take long for Americans to realize how innovative and frankly, bad ass these products are.
Though we’ve only been working with them for a few weeks, we’ve already created ads that will soon appear in magazines including Decline, Motorcyclist, Cycle World, Racer X and Dirt Rider.
We’re so glad to be partnering with Dainese/AGV, and look forward to creating more amazing work for them. Plus, with the addition of Dainese/AGV, we’re now working with three companies who make some of the best protective gear in the business. And, Lord knows, we need it.
If you’re hesitant to spend money on advertising because there’s no way to measure return on investment, online advertising provides a solution.
Online advertising is different from more traditional forms of advertising such as print and broadcast because it’s easier to measure an ad’s effectiveness online. Though traditional media vehicles have ways to target potential customers, it’s nowhere near as accurate as the Internet where you can target people based on their location, interests and behavior.
Another big plus for online advertising is the ability to make quick adjustments to your strategy. If your SEO isn’t increasing your web traffic, change it. Need to update an online ad? No problem, that can be done much quicker and cheaper than with traditional media.
Most importantly, though, online advertising gets results. For example, one of our SEO clients invested $3,000 per month last year and got $800,000 worth of new business as a direct result of that SEO campaign.
Online advertising becomes even more effective when part of a multi-media campaign. Your website, online videos, banner ads and more serve to further enhance your print, broadcast, collateral and other media efforts. For instance, Nielsen, the research company that provides ratings for TV and other media, found that online video ads “help to reinforce and strengthen the impact of a traditional TV campaign.”
In the same way, traditional media channels can help promote your website or social media pages. Another client saw a steady increase in web traffic due to a good SEO campaign along with traditional media vehicles that encouraged people to check out the website. In fact, the client got the most unique visits right after they ran newspaper ads, put up posters and sent out direct mail.
So, don’t throw out traditional media completely. Your goal should be to develop a campaign that promotes one message across all media channels, both on and offline. That’s the kind of campaign that will reach the most people and achieve the best results.
If you missed Friday’s blog post, I talked about how money can’t save an ad if it doesn’t have a sound strategy. Last night’s Super Bowl ads are further proof that money doesn’t make a good ad. Here’s the best and worst Super Bowl ads as well as a few that fall somewhere in between.
The Good
M&M “Sexy and I Know It” – Laughed out loud at this ad. Kudos to Vanessa L. Williams as the sassy brown m&m.
Volkswagen “The Dog Strikes Back” – Though not as good as last year’s “The Force” spot by VW, this ad is by far one of the best ads this year.
Toyota “Connections” – I love getting to see all the different Camry owners and their stories. Not necessarily a new idea, but a good one nonetheless.
CareerBuilder – I know the apes have been around a long time but they’re still funny. Plus, the apes make me think of CareerBuilder, just like cavemen make me think Geico.
Chrysler “Halftime” – With this ad, Chrysler reminds us that it’s as American as we are, and like all good Americans, it will survive.
Chevy “Happy Grad” – This ad was hilarious. Plus, it puts focus on the car without screaming ‘I’m a car commercial.’ Just a great ad all the way around.
The Mediocre
Bud Light “No Pants” – While the situation is funny, it was more of an ad for LMFAO’s halftime show than for Bud Light.
Hulu Plus – I loved Will Arnett since he was on Arrested Development but this ad just isn’t as good as the earlier ones with Alec Baldwin.
Kia Optima – This ad is way more of a nightmare than a dream. The only reason it’s not in the ugly section is due to the tiny sandman.
H&M “David Beckham” – David Beckham’s hot, so what else is new? Next time show some creativity, H&M.
Acura NSX – In my previous post, I said this ad was mediocre. That feeling hasn’t changed.
The Ugly
Go Daddy – Congratulations, Go Daddy, this ad is terrible. You’ve officially hit an all-time low in advertising.
Doritos “Sling Baby” – Out of the thousands of entries into Doritos ‘Crash the Super Bowl” contest, the fact that this one was chosen to air during the game is frightening to me.
Samsung – I applaud your effort to challenge the iPhone. Unfortunately, you failed. Now you’ve proven Apple has a better product and better advertising.
Honda CR-V “Matthew’s Day Off” – Ferris Bueller, funny in 1986, not so funny in a 2012 Honda commercial.
Have an opinion about the Super Bowl ads? Vote for your favorites on USA Today’s Super Bowl admeter.
Every year, I look forward to Super Bowl Sunday. Not because of the game, but because of the ads. If you’ve ever watched a Super Bowl ad, you know why. They’re supposed to be the best advertising of the year – pure entertainment, very little sell, and plenty of money poured into production. It’s no secret that companies spend a ton of money creating a Super Bowl ad and that’s before they pay the media cost – up to $3.5 million for a 30 second spot this year.
But, does lots of money really make for a better commercial? Ideally, it should – more money should get you better writing, acting, editing and so on.
For instance, money definitely came in handy with Volkswagen’s “The Force” commercial which featured a tiny Darth Vader and Star Wars music. In addition to the estimated 111 million Super Bowl viewers, the ad received millions of extra views online before the game. And, people kept watching after the game too – the YouTube count is now at almost 50 million views. The ad’s success is undoubtably the reason Volkswagen chose to mention it again in this year’s Super Bowl ad.
However, more money doesn’t always guarantee a great ad. An example of this is the new Acura NXS spot that’s airing Sunday. The commercial features Jerry Seinfeld, one of the funniest men on the planet, and yet the ad falls flat. Sure, there are a few parts that make you laugh but that’s due to Jerry, not the script. The spot uses a cliché scenario – the old ‘I’ll trade you awesome things if you’ll just let me have the sponsor’s product,” and goes on too long. After 20 seconds, I found myself asking, “why isn’t this over yet?”
In the end, Acura spent a ton trying to create something really brilliant and all they got was a mediocre commercial.
The truth is, when it comes to advertising, strategy matters more than budget. A good strategy can shine on a shoestring budget just as a poor strategy can cripple a multi-million dollar campaign. A good ad agency should be able to think creatively whether they’re given $50,000 or $50 million.
Enjoy the game and the ads. If you’re like me and can’t wait until Sunday, you can watch the ads now.
Tuesday was the 75th anniversary of Theodor Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss) first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. The book tells the tale of a little boy walking home from school and trying to think of something he can tell his father. But, he’s facing a bit of a dilemma: all he’s seen on the walk is a cart and horse, far from impressive. As the walk goes on, the boy begins to imagine crazier and crazier stories to tell his dad. In the end, the truth wins out and he tells his dad he’s seen a cart and horse.
It’s sad for a children’s story and has a lot more depth than you’d think. Is it a story about growing up and facing reality? Is it about the boy’s struggle to please his father even if it means killing his creativity? Is it simply a story about telling the truth?
“All of Dr. Seuss’ stories are brilliant in their simplicity. None of his stories tell you what to think, they let you draw your own conclusions. That’s why they’re so popular – everyone can relate to them,” says Dea Goldsmith, Echo-Factory Creative Director.
Most creatives feel like Dea. For us, that story represents everything that art should be – simple, original, memorable and open to interpretation. It’s the kind of work we stay up nights trying to create.
“In advertising, we’re constantly looking for those simple connections. For every project we work on, I force myself to take a step back and think what’s the simplest way to solve this problem? More often than not, it’s the simple solutions that are the most poignant,” says Dea.
Seuss also had the courage to trust his audience, something we ask clients and ourselves to do more of every day. As Dea puts it, the best art (and ads) are the ones that allow audience members to find their own insight instead of beating them over the head with a theme or message.
But, perhaps the biggest reason we love Dr. Seuss is because he gives us hope. According to a story on NPR, Dr. Seuss almost never was. After Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times, Geisel had given up on the book. Then, he ran into a friend who also happened to be a children’s book editor at a publishing house. He published the book in 1937, giving Geisel the jumpstart he needed to become Dr. Seuss.
So, from all of us at Echo-Factory, we say thank you to Dr. Seuss for all his inspiration, past, present and future.