Coke Pavillion at Shanghai World Expo (Courtesy of Coca-Cola China)
Have you wondered how Coca-Cola became the world’s leading brand?
Well, thanks to Coca-Cola, I’m about to find out.
I’ve been selected by Coca-Cola to be one of two bloggers (the other is Alvinology) to fly to Shanghai for the World Expo to cover the launch of its pavillion, explore its new Global Innovation and Technology Center (GITC), and attend events such as its Founder’s Day ceremony and an Expo Celebration Concert.
As I was checking my snail mail a few nights ago, I had to do a quick double take.
An envelope with one of the world’s most famous online brands jumped out at me.
Every now and then, you come across a nice marketing idea that not only catches the eye but changes conventional perception of how advertisements should look like. As I was flipping TODAY newspaper this morning, the following job advertisement caught my eye.
What I like about this ad is that it chooses not to adopt a conventional job advertisement format which lists down the various job requirements in bullet points, and is often written in a more straight forward manner.
The use of the visual provides a nice touch, and the use of colours is balanced in a harmonious manner while highlighting certain text which needs special attention. What’s more, the copy is beautifully written and pitched at the right level for the premium world-class restaurants that the Marina Bay Sands will be opening.
It would be great to see more organisations take the plunge by investing in creative and innovative job recruitment advertisements. People are the most important resource in any company, and it is absolutely critical to ensure that you hire only the best that your money can afford.
Dubai was all about the dream without the reality, and landed itself with a huge debt. (courtesy of Bobesh)
There are two school of thoughts in marketing. The first belongs to the world of imagination while the second is centred on pragmatism. Do these spheres of marketing always have to sit on opposite poles?
Let us look at this in some detail.
As I was walking along Swanston Street this afternoon, a couple of advertisements caught my attention. Both came from the Worksafe Victoria, a government agency tasked to improve workplace health and safety in the state of Victoria. They were both very eye-catching and immediately got the message through.
Here’s the first from a tram stop shelter:
Transe Express Performing Mischievous Bells at Festival Opening
It is currently the season for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, which is the city’s most internationally oriented showcase of its vibrant and diverse art scene. Major roads in Melbourne’s city centre are festooned with its characteristic purple and white banners, flapping on flagpoles in the wind. At many of the busy street corners like Swanston and Flinders Street, one can also find the festival posters pasted on billboards, tram-stop shelters and other public places.
By adhering to a strong thematic design aesthetic that is woven through all elements of the festival’s brand touchpoints, the Melbourne International Arts Festival has embraced the principles of Integrated Marketing Communications or IMC. Through this, it is able to reinforce awareness, recognition and interest across multiple platforms by applying a consistent message through both visual and textual means. This is important for a short-lived (17 days) event, and requires significant investments to gain the greatest amount of visibility in the most cost effective way.
On the world of advertising, three posts in particular hit me recently. All three looked at the various visual and verbal effects of advertisements and their relative impacts on a consumer’s response.
The first is by Vivienne of Versa Creations, who shared about Ikea’s latest advertisement which apparently confuses more than it convinces with poorly taken pictures. Have a look at the advertisement below to see what I mean:
Courtesy of Versa Creations
Courtesy of Hella Bus
Have you wondered why a perceived treat or reward sometimes appear better than they really are? Or experienced the endless wait for a brand new gadget to arrive in the stores, rushing to be the first among your friends to get it? How about the thought of that luscious holiday in Europe, where you can soak in the sights, scents and sounds of culture?
The one thing holding these disparate consumption experiences together is anticipation. An oft-forgotten but oh so powerful emotion which grips everyone of us.
Being one who don’t mind an occasional tipple (or two or three), I have always wondered about why alcohol advertisements – particularly those touting beer – have always set the benchmark in terms of humour and hilarity.
Targeted at largely men, alcohol ads often tackle the lowest denominators of male desire. It is little wonder then that sexy scantily clothed females, outright sillyness and football/soccer/footie (or any combination of the above) are often used as themes. Somehow the idea of having a good time, getting a beer buzz and laughing till you drop seems to flow beautifully together. Oh and of course celebrities like the sensational Jessica Alba and the whimsically whiskered George Lam, amongst others.
An extreme example of sex selling in NYC (courtesy of lickyoats)
The unassailable growth of consumer clutter has led to two things for marketers to consider.
The first is the need to conceive increasingly innovative and creative ways to attract attention. Most of which are so “In Your Face” that your senses have to be incredibly inured to ignore them. Witness how the outdoor advertising environment has blossomed significantly in the past few years, as well as the rise of online ads that not only pop up or pop under, but also animate themselves, generate annoying noises, and just plain irritate the hell out of you.