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Responsible or not? CIT’s college recruiting video

By on February 20, 2012 in advertising, creativity, responsible or not?, videos, viral marketing

College advertising is usually so, well, meh. Not so with this ad entitled “It’s a Snap” from filmmakers Henry & Aaron, done with full creative license for their alma mater, Western Australia’s Central Institute of Technology. The video has gone viral, leaving some to say it has changed the face of college recruitment advertising. So, [...]

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matthew broderick ferris bueller

It worked with Darth Vader. Why not Ferris Bueller?

By on January 30, 2012 in advertainment, advertising, viral marketing

Volkswagen’s “The Force” Volkswagen commercial was a huge hit with nearly 50 million views since its Super Bowl release last year. Here it is, in the unlikely event you haven’t seen it: Now, a 10 second trailer featuring Matthew Broderick has the internets abuzz wondering if a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off sequel in the works. With over [...]

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Tums Corn Dog Carnie ad

Tums commercials gone wrong

By on September 14, 2011 in creativity, execution responsible, sex sells, viral marketing

In commercials, funny is money. So is sex. So when combined, sexually suggestive, funny commercials are usually bank. And the more sophomoric the humor, the more I usually like them. But these new spots for Tums antacid are just wrong — specifically these three: Inappropriately suggestive is funny when it makes sense, and is relevant [...]

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Recycling: A Love Story

By on September 16, 2009 in announcement, environmentally responsible, fun, movies, outsource marketing news, videos, viral marketing

He’s a muscle-bound, rough and tough lover of all things manly. She’s a petite girly girl that loves a nice glass of Chianti and long walks on the beach under the moonlight. Learn how they meet, and what happens if you don’t recycle. View on YouTube in HD We dare you to litter in our [...]

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Are we giving PSA’s a pass?

By on August 31, 2009 in message responsible, socially responsible, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

By now, you’ve probably seen or heard about the following PSA warning of the dangers of texting while driving produced by the Gwent Police Department in the UK. View video on YouTube The nearly unbearable gritty realism of a head-on collision features heads snapping back and forth on impact, gushing blood, a child crying for [...]

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Evian’s hip-hop roller babies: Responsible or not?

By on July 9, 2009 in advertising, creativity, environmentally responsible, responsible or not?, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

By now, you’ve probably heard about Evian‘s new “live young” campaign featuring the roller babies. You haven’t? Well, now you are in the know: There’s a lot to like here: It’s fun, unique, the CGI was done well and who doesn’t love Rapper’s Delight? It’s the type of video you can hardly resist hitting the [...]

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Chocolate covered grasshoppers get people talking

By on May 14, 2009 in execution responsible, launch, message responsible, social media, social networking, strategically responsible, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

Yesterday, I received a lumpy mailer from a company I’d never heard of. Normally I give unsolicited mail about the same amount of consideration you probably do—a few seconds. But since it was, well, lumpy, and delivered via FedEx I opened it. Here’s what I found: On one side, it says “Yes, these are real [...]

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Finally, a real iPhone killer…or is it?

By on April 1, 2009 in creativity, viral marketing, word of mouth

Forget the Google G1 phone—the amazing Pomegranate phone is the first phone that, on the surface, looks like a real iPhone killer. If you think the features are over the top, you’ll be shocked when you click on the “release date” button in the upper right hand corner. So, what do you think? Subscribe to [...]

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A Lost Generation of creatives? I think not.

By on March 26, 2009 in creativity, simplicity, socially responsible, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

My colleague Martin always says, “when you have a great concept, the design doesn’t have to work so hard.” Keep that in mind when you view The Lost Generation, a video that has now been viewed nearly 5 million times on YouTube. The design is minimal—the concept and clever copy carry the day. The first [...]

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Behold, the Facebook Friend Spamming tool

By on January 22, 2009 in privacy, responsible or not?, social media, social networking, usability, viral marketing

It was bound to happen. With a little help from the programmers and usability gurus at Facebook, I spammed my friends, colleagues, business associates, people who’ve considered hiring Outsource Marketing, and everyone else in my Gmail address book that didn’t have a Facebook account yet. I’m not talking about Facebook application developers making it next [...]

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Facebook disables BK’s Whopper Sacrifice app

By on January 15, 2009 in creativity, love it or hate it?, privacy, viral marketing, word of mouth

Facebook “helps you connect and share with the people in your life.” But as anyone that has used the service knows, sometimes those connections can become, well, tenuous. Enter Burger King, who last week saw this as not a problem, but an opportunity to help Facebook users cull the unworthy using an un-friend app at [...]

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If you can’t beat ‘em, sponsor ‘em

By on January 13, 2009 in advertainment, authenticity, creativity, social media, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

With nearly 109,650,000 views-to-date, Judson Laipply‘s Evolution of Dance is the most popular video in YouTube history. He’s back with the official sequel, Evolution of Dance 2—this time presented by Saveology.com and powered by PeopleJam.com. I’d never heard of PeopleJam or Saveology before today. My bet is you never have, either. Considering most viral videos [...]

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10 of my favorite lists from 2008

By on January 1, 2009 in advertising, corporate responsibility, sex sells, social media, social networking, videos, viral marketing

Happy New Year! I know. I’ve ranted about lists before, but to start off 2009, one of my resolutions is to lighten up (a little) about lists. Here’s a list of 10 of my favorite lists from last year, in no particular order: The 10 most admired companies of 2008 Fortune Magazine 50 ideas on [...]

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Burger King Flame: Body spray of seduction

By on December 19, 2008 in branding, creativity, viral marketing, word of mouth

Burger King—fresh from a beating in the blogosphere for their Whopper Virgins campaign—has snapped back. They’re back on brand with the King and Burger King Flame, the “body spray of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.” Yes, it’s real, but it’s sold out. Of course, it’s not about the body spray, it’s about creating [...]

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‘Talk to Frank’ talks frank to drug addicts

By on December 12, 2008 in socially responsible, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

Talk to Frank is a drug addiction helpline and information site in the U.K. helping addicts, their families and friends. No, Frank is not a person. It’s “a way for you to get straight up advice and info about drugs. It’s the facts without the attitude” and the name certainly fits. The following three videos [...]

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The JCPenney Doghouse: Love it or hate it?

By on December 11, 2008 in creativity, love it or hate it?, message responsible, socially responsible, videos, viral marketing

When I was a boy, a trip to JCPenney for school clothes was like a trip to hell. Their clothing was so—Penneys, and though I was able to persuade my parents to let me shop where the cool kids shopped when I got older, I still avoid the store today. I can’t tell you what [...]

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Motrin feels the pain of a social media mommy mob

By on November 18, 2008 in authenticity, boycott, message responsible, social media, social networking, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

You might have heard about the recent uproar over a new Motrin ad targeting mothers. If you have already formed an opinion on the topic, skip the video below. Otherwise, take a look, and try to be as objective as possible. View this video on YouTube The response Paul Banas estimated that in 48 hours [...]

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Marketing lessons from Barack Obama

By on November 5, 2008 in branding, casting responsible, competition, innovation, multicultural marketing, positioning, social media, social networking, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

Whether you are red or blue, you can’t deny Barack Obama’s marketing prowess. Here are a few lessons every organization should consider when they are seeking ‘votes’ from prospects: Develop strategies based on consumer insights. The Obama campaign clearly understood where America was hurting most, and developed strategies in response. Build an organization that can [...]

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Marketers get attention with Election Day freebies

By on November 3, 2008 in cause marketing, corporate responsibility, socially responsible, viral marketing, word of mouth

Regardless of how you plan to vote, chances are you are talking about the election. With estimates of turnout exceeding 130 million people, Election Day promotions make sense. Starbucks is giving away free coffee: View this video on YouTube Krispy Kreme is giving away free donuts: And Ben and Jerry’s is giving away free ice [...]

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Responsible or not? Shockvertising

By on October 30, 2008 in creativity, morality, responsible or not?, sex sells, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth

Trendhunter did my homework for me today and compiled a four minute collection of shocking ads that will leave you asking the question, “How far is too far?” You won’t want to view this in front of small children or your boss. It features fake lesbians, phony murder scenes, employees getting punched in the face [...]

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