#9: Taking Risks

Interesting ads always have an interesting point of view.


They tell us something that hopefully will raise an eyebrow. Because to make ads that stand out, you actually have to stand out. Ignore what everyone else is doing and also what you really want to say. Then say it in a different way.

Be Brave.

Personally, I ignore every ad that doesn't look interesting. Local ads are the worst offenders. Throwing up price stickers and zooming in and out of photos of various products won't make me want to by a car stereo or whatever. These ads only make for amateur, valueless advertising. Don't fall into a format. Every brand deserves something different.

#8: Super Bowl

Found on Redux.com

The Super Bowl is in less than a week. And for advertising, it's the Super Bowl of commercials. I won't say too much in this post but expect one post-game (no pun intended). I will say this, however. After watching this video, it's clear that there's one sure-fire thing to make a funny Super Bowl ad: squirrels.

#7: Being Interesting

Today in my Writing Design Concepts class, Professor Stadler said "Don't try to make stuff that's viral, make stuff that's interesting." I think he has a really valid point there. And it touches on things I've mentioned in previous posts, specifically about the Old Spice ads. When Old Spice aired their ads and put them on Youtube, they weren't necessarily trying to go viral, as much of the ad world was trying to do. They were just trying to make an interesting ad, something people want to watch and want to show off. And from there, it went viral. I think followers, like Dairy Queen, tried to imitate Old Spice's social presence and relevance. They wanted to go viral. However, they didn't follow the same formula or have the same goal as Old Spice.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post: bring interesting. Ad makers and researchers for the last few years have been frantically and strategically trying to figure out a successful method to go viral. They know that the best way to spread a message is through word of mouth, and going viral means that an ad or campaign is successful. But sometimes what they think will be interesting turns out to be a shameless plug for their product. And what I think they forget is that most audiences start out bored and require the right piece of entertainment to divert their attention. Audiences can see through the mediocre and sniff out the lame. Being interesting can't get too entangled with the product. They need to connect but not be welded together. I still think that success could be measured by the number of views if the goal was to go viral, but I think a better goal is number of shares and retweets because that means that people like it and want other people to see it and like it, too.

Since you read that whole post, here's a video that illustrates my point. It's a viral video from VW, although you don't really find that out til the end.

#6: Genius Through Subtlty?

The latest VW ad to collaborate with Star Wars. I believe this ad is going to run during the Super Bowl. You probably remember this charming VW/Star Wars ad from last year's Super Bowl:



I didn't notice this until after reviewing the "The Force" ad, but I heard a dog's bark in the background that cues mini Darth Vader that his father's VW has returned from work. I'm not sure if that sound cue is supposed to be some kind of subtle foreshadowing for "The Bark Side," but if so the team at Deutsch LA who made the ads deserve a lot of credit for creating subtle connections between different ads within a series. After researching Deutsch LA I found out they do the Playstation ads that I'm also fond of. The ad "Michael," in which video game characters toast their human master, celebrates the bond between gamer and avatar. I'm definitely impressed with this agency's work and I'm looking forward to seeing their next installments of VW and Playstation ads.

#5: My Favorite Ad of All Time (Thus Far)

A Nutrigrain Bar Ad from 2006(?).

This ad doesn't say a lot about the product except that it makes its consumers "feel great." What I like about this ad is that it doesn't focus on much about the product, but it makes the audience laugh and connect with the product. After I saw this, every time I was snack shopping and happened upon a Nutrigrain bar, a little voice in my head said, "I feel great." And that's what great advertising does; it gives you a great brand experience.

#4: A Cultural Observer

If you watch over an hour of television a week, you've probably seen this ad before. And, if you're like me, you probably loathe seeing its bland formula and weak stylization. I'm guessing most people who see this ad don't really pay attention when it comes on, meaning that this ad by most definitions is unsuccessful. How, then, does 5 Hour Energy sell over 9 million bottles each week?

I work at a convenience store. We're similar to a 7-11 store, carrying everything from candy to dog biscuits to knit caps. On the weekends, beer is our most popular item. During the day, our most popular items can range from dairy products, cigarettes, ramen noodles, soda, chips and canned food. But the one item that sells consistently throughout the day is 5 hour energy. My store keeps the 5 Hour Energies right by the cash register, so they're in plain sight and reach while customers are checking out. Also, the other energy drinks like Red Bull and Rockstar are in the back of the store. These reasons might explain why 5 Hour Energy sells more than the other drinks at my store. Another reason might be that customers prefer the small amount of liquid in a 5 Hour Energy over the higher volumes. But whatever the reason, 5 Hour Energy remains one of the highest selling items in my store.

In class, Deb talked about the importance of being a "cultural observer" as part of the creative process. I know she meant that it's important to read, watch and listen to the world around us, but I began to think about the role of "cultural observer" in a more anthropological way. I think of my job at the convenience store as half sales and half people watching. I interact with probably 300 different people during each shift. These people are typically college students, but I also meet a lot of local business people and transients. I think my role at the convenience store gives me a unique glance into the purchasing decisions of a specific market. I personally see what types of people buy what types of things and at what times of the day. I'm literally a cultural observer.

#3: Getting Active

On the first day of Deb's class, there was writing on the whiteboard that read: "This is the first day of the rest of your life." It sounds cheesy, because it is, but who's to say that cheesy expressions can't be true?

I took that advice to heart but interpreted it as, "This is the first day of your professional life." Before Deb's class, I was very intimidated by the thought of entering the advertising job market. And to be honest I'm still terrified, but in these first two weeks Deb has already started to nurture my yearning to create good advertising.

In the second day of class, Deb quoted Dan Wieden saying, "Brands are verbs. Nike exhorts. IMB solves. Sony dreams." This quote spoke to me profoundly, not just because it's from Dan Wieden, but because it changed my perspective of good advertising. I'd also like to expand Wieden's quote with my own addition: "Brand makers must also be verbs." What I took away from today's class with talking to Kelly Meyers is that to be successful in this field you have to get active. Kelly spent her final months at U of O getting acquainted with the professional world and setting herself up for success after school. I feel that I'm in the same boat now that Kelly was in when she first began getting connected. My goal this term is to follow Kelly's example and put my work and my name out on a fishing line and wait for a bite.

#2: Funny Spoofs: When Ads Become More

Old Spice Man Spoof - Watch More Funny Videos

Found on Break.com


After watching this ad, it's clear to see what it's parodying. The bizarre Old Spice campaign had such a tremendous impact on its audience that it created its own tab in pop culture. Every ad and campaign wants to get across to its audience. And the way that this goal is measured is usually through sales. But the Old Spice ad "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" has sparked a different type of success. Sure, Old Spice sold a lot of deodorant after airing these ads, but what really set it apart was its viral presence. After the ad first aired at the Super Bowl in 2011, people could not stop talking about this absurd commercial. And people who hadn't seen it quickly searched for it so that they could take part in its popularity.

Ads like the recent Old Spice ads do not come about often or easily. After the original Old Spice commercial, several brands began to use a similar formula to try to create a viral presence. Brands like Dairy Queen started running similar ads where the spokesman would say and do odd things that didn't really have anything to do with the product. So then why would Old Spice have found success where other brands could not? The answer is in 2 parts. First, they did it first. As the pioneer in popular, weird commercials, Old Spice surprised the audience and gave them a laugh. Which brings me to the second part: they did it right. Humor can be tricky in commercials because you can't be sure the audience will laugh. If it fails to make the audience laugh, it probably won't sell many of the product. If it connects, you still can't be sure the product will sell. But Old Spice basically showed us a magic trick. They made the stage as big as possible (The Super Bowl) and they made the magic trick one of the best ones the audience had ever seen. Old Spice made their commercial the main event. Now the reason that other ads similar to the Old Spice ones did not go as well as they'd hoped is because the other brands tried to do the same magic trick without the same parts. I'll pick on Dairy Queen again, because Dairy Queen tried to do the same trick, but the audience had just seen it so they knew what to expect. Dairy Queen also tried to do it right after Old Spice did it, which failed because it's like following The Rolling Stones in concert with a karaoke amateur cover song. It's just not as good.

#1: Welcome!

Hello readers,
This is the first post of 25 for Deb Morrison's course, The Creative Strategist. I will use this blog as a tool to share my thoughts and ideas, print and video ads I like, and other content related to the field of advertising.

I titled this blog "The Curious Informer" because I wanted it to convey how I see much of today's advertising audience. I already notice a lot of sharing of videos, articles, posters, etc, between people, some of whom are involved in advertising and some of whom are not. There's a great deal of variation in the extent to which the content is shared; and there's especially a great deal of variation in how good the shared content is. For instance, at the bottom of the ladder, is email chains. Usually the links that get forwarded via email are pretty lame and share some story about how Jesus makes an appearance where you least expect Him. And usually these chain emails get dumped immediately to the spam folder. On the top of the ladder is rare content that gets viewed by the right person and then Tweeted or shared with other right people until the video goes viral. "The Curious Informer" therefore is meant to say that I'm always looking for good content to share, because word of mouth is the most powerful advertising tool.

A little about me. My name is Matt. I am born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I played football in middle school and a little in high school. I quit football and did some theater. I watch a lot of basketball. I'm a huge Trail Blazers fan. I'm really interested in sports advertising.

In the majority of these posts, I will share videos and print ads that I like. Since I'm a huge NBA fan, a large portion will be basketball and other sports related. However, if I find something else that I really enjoy, I won't hesitate to put it on the blog.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the posts!