Category Archives: Advertising

Old Spice reveal: Fabio challenges Isaiah

It seems like I and a lot of other interweb folk have been truly had – see my last post. In a very clever way W+K and Old Spice are pulling our leg: Fabio, the usurper of the scented throne has been copying the famous Responses with mixed results. But now is throwing down the gauntlet, challenging Mustafah to step up.

Respect to the creatives for reinventing the game and playing with social media in a new way. Because naturally Mustafah accepted the challenge and there will be a showdown.

As you can see from the Mexican wrestling-style announcement, it will be hand to hand combat in the bath (mano a mano in el bano). I am expecting a duel of wits, long flowing hair versus presidential abdomen, taking place in the Internet Arena.  It is about to go down in a good 7 hours (high noon EST in the US). Now ask yourself, who do you want to win ?

Addition:
The rules of this video combat are easy. Go here and by watching, sharing, commenting and tweeting the support-video of either camp you contribute to the outcome. My choice is the incumbent, no surprise there.

Another Greenpeace attack: Nike vs Adidas detox

It seems Greenpeace is really stepping up their game since they started to release videos that attack brands with their own visual language. This protest-ad flows in typical Adi-Nike style. I cannot judge the validity of their protest against the companies’ water pollution, but the tools Greenpeace uses have definitely evolved in recent months. On their website you can enter your own name in the adidas “(name) is all in” style and involve your friends. Vote for which one of the brands will move first and out-trump the other in correcting their environmental creds.

Even if both brands have a case of trademark infringement I doubt they will move against this – I’d say it never looks good to sue Greenpeace. Even when they attack Barbie.

Dot Spots fit the web much more

Dairy Farmers Canada are trying to talk to the kids, you know, the ones that can’t, like, uh, concentrate. So they’ve been running these ultra short 5-seconds ‘Dot Spots” since 2007. Which is a bit of a funny strategy: broadcast the message in tiny blips, but for a very long time. Each spot reiterates product benefits such as “milk makes you strong, happy, quick” etc. Click here to watch the playlist in one go for the best experience.

Just think of how way too many pre-roll videos and catch up service ads are essentially straight TV-commercials, cut down to “fit the web”. I must admit I’d prefer a “Dot Spot” anytime.

Agency is Due North (beware, daggy employee videos)

Ashley Ringrose looks back into the future

What a treasure: Ash from Soap explains social media…in 2006. Everything is still true, so I am not giggling about what he says. It’s more the cyber-tacky intro animation, the interviewer’s vocabulary (“Life caching is taking off in the US!”), and most of all the fact that we have been talking about the same things for 5 years.