02/9/09
Annual Super Bowl Ad reviews
Every year in the week following the Super Bowl, we advertising types get asked constantly what Super Bowl ads were the best ones. Every year my answer is the same. It doesn’t matter what I think. It only matters what the people think and how they act differently on Monday than they did on Sunday morning. If you are in this business to create ads for other industry professionals to take notice instead of creating maximum results for your clients, you are creating ads for the wrong reasons: ego, short-term professional advancement, pride. If, however, you are following through and seeing results and seizing upon exposure in a positive way, then you are in it for the right reasons. In other words, which Super Bowl ad was the best? We won’t know until we see which ones motivated change enough to affect the bottom line. That will take time. As an advertising professional, however, my personal favorite was the Careerbuilder ad. I thought it was brilliant, funny, and absolutely on message. Kudos.
02/9/09
Repositioning for difficult times.
It’s a difficult proposition: show confidence in times of fear. But don’t go overboard and disregard the pain people and companies are feeling. We are of the opinion that slow and steady wins the race, and building a brand that understands its customers is imperative. So how can you shift your message in hard times?
1. Be a truth teller. It’s not like there’s a big secret out there: times are tough. By being oblivious to the atmosphere is to be completely un-empathetic to your customer’s realities. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth and lay out your situation and acknowledge theirs. Honesty will preserve the brand-customer relationship.
2. Don’t overreact. Being Chicken Little won’t help you. Being honest is one thing. Yelling “fire” in the movie theater is something completely different.
3. Show a solution path. You can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. By reaching out your hand and taking your customers down a clear path through marketing, you will create a vivid choice in the marketplace.
4. Create value. This doesn’t mean drop your prices and hope for the best. It means that you need to prove the fact that what you provide creates value (saves long-term costs, saves headaches, etc.
5. Be optimistic. Think of how people consume information in times like this. We are constantly inundated with bad news followed by worse news. People flock to optimism and hope like moths to the flame. Time to create the flame.
Phire Blog