A True Gem

There are adverts that are funny, intriguing, connecting, engaging, powerful or dynamic. They simply work in what they are trying to put across, whether that be through humour, visuals, emotion or engagement. But sometimes, there comes an advert which combines all of these facets, all of these qualities, all of these dimensions, and it just simply works, so perfectly.

Maybe I'm being bias, or maybe I can relate to the advert more than others, or maybe I'm being perplexed by what's there, or maybe it just is a sublime piece of 'marketing art'. The new Vodafone advert from Argentina, in my view is truly and deeply epic; perfect in every way I can possibly imagine. It makes me smile, and it makes my day, a true gem. Enjoy.

Size Matters

A brand exists entirely in peoples minds. Therefore a brand is whatever they say or think it is. Words can only go so far in emphasizing meaning or substance. However visual aide and simple imagery can help decifer the most complex, or ubiquitous of data.

So here's a few brands to see how well you know your brands...and yes, the most obvious of words have been excluded, but I'm sure it won't be too difficult...

From looking at some of the 'tags', surely certain brands need to look a whole lot closer at their brand image and consumer perception.

Power of Simplicity

Internet Speeds and Costs Around the World

I couldn't help but look at this information and feel a little irritated, peeved, annoyed and rather jealous.  So I thought I should only rightly share it with you.

Kanye West - "See You in My Nightmares"

The week wouldn't be complete without a mention of this short film slash music video directed by Spike Jonze starring Kanye West, "See You in My Nightmares".

Kanye, again pushing the boundaries, walks the fine line between self-aggrandizement and self-mockery that runs through all of Kanye’s endeavors. But the filmmaking is on point, with cinematography and sound design that authentically portrays that feeling of being really disoriented in a nightclub. One doesn’t need to love Kanye to love the film, but the Jonze short takes what people love and hate about Kanye’s persona and then pushes it into a new, trippy realm.

Kanye West: A true entertainment superstar or a rather bizarre and random child..? Judge for yourself...

Via Adland

Hadouken!

I couldn't resist...

Hadouken!

In Complete Harmony

1000 mobile phones, 53 different ringtone alerts, and a whole load of synchronization to reconstruct this amazing classical music piece.

A Digital spin on Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture.


Watch the making of it here

'Spoilt blonde bimbo wannabe pop/porn star'

Last night saw a rare insight into the life of a truly global brand.  A brand with so many different dimensions and characteristics, so many different personalities and 'faces', a brand so exposed and so public. Or is it actually a brand so aware and so ingenues; a brand in control.

Some call her a blonde bimbo, a wannabe pop-star with no talent, an amateur porn-star, and in some cases even stupid. With a net worth reaching the 100's of millions, you may even have heard her being called a spoilt rich kid, with no value for money and no desire or need to have her own income. However, this 'spoilt blonde bimbo wannabe pop/porn star' has more going for her than what first meets the eye.

Take a few moments to digest the following. Paris Hilton is a astute, intelligent, decisive, confident and very aware young lady. With her own personal net worth of approximately $100 million she's shown her ability as a successful and powerful business women. She's used her perception and public image in ways most wouldn't even dream of. Her imagination and ability to grasp the moment and use it to her advantage is like that of a shrewd business head. She has clothing lines, perfumes, movies, albums, toys, make-up, jewellery and more. Her vision to differentiate, counter and expand her brand is not that of a 'spoilt blonde bimbo', but that of a wise and powerful intellect.

She knows her brand very well, but she knows her audience even better. She knows what they want to consume, and has the ability to play upon it. She has the ability to utilise her nature, and character in growing and pushing her brand forward, while constantly remaining in complete control.

So is it so ludicrous to suggest, she's not misunderstood, she's just very clever.

Brand Barbour Branch Out

The latest must-have fashion item is the Barbour jacket. They used to be the preserve of outdoor loving aristocrats and rugged farmers but now Barbour jackets have started to pop up in the most unlikely of places; and on the most unlikely of people.

Alex Taylor, lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys and described by the NME as “the coolest man on the planet", wore a Barbour Jacket when the band played at Old Trafford. Kate Moss and Sienna Miller donned the waterproof at the Glastonbury festival and Amy Winehouse, Alexa Chung, The Feeling, Editors and Kasabian, to name but a few have all been seen wearing them.

So why is the Queen’s favourite wax coat suddenly so rock ‘n’ roll?

Part of the appeal for fashion folk is the fact that it’s so functional, comfortable and durable. Made of premium quality materials and fabrics, and stitched to perfection. Barbour Customer Repair Service is always available to their consumers and using this service will ensure their jacket’s life be long and rewarding. And now, there's an added spice to that most traditional of noble brands.

Barbour have now woken up to the potential of their brand, not merely as an aristocrat throw on, but as a fashion essential rooted in values of quality and preserve.  A product valued for it's effective functionality, combined with a stringent customer service policy, and now on the shoulders of everything 'cool' and 'trendy'.  With a new more fitted, fashion conscious range, Barbour is now finally, slowly and gently, allowing it's wings to spread.

The only thing I sit and wonder is, can Barbour really serve both distinct set of markets successfully, without one behavioral change effecting another...

Online Social Networking Explained