• How to Spend $275 Million in 48 Minutes: Three Super Bowl Ad Trends for 2013

    February 2nd, 2013 / Comments (0)

    Want to watch $275 Million get spent in 48 minutes? Just tune into CBS at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday to see one of America's greatest primetime displays of violence, debauchery and poor impulse control. And I'm not talking about the Super Bowl…

    I'm talking about the Super Bowl ads.

    In all seriousness, these days it's no surprise that independent research year after year continues to show that over half of U.S adult viewers plan to watch the Super Bowl as much, or more, for the ads than for the game itself. In fact, social listening measurement findings suggested that in 2012 64% of respondents said that half or more of their conversations online with respect to the Super Bowl were about the commercials themselves.

    With the average investment of $4 Million on the line for a 30-second spot, it's no wonder why the CMOs of many of these advertisers are looking to squeeze their investment for every penny.

    There are three standout trends that have continued to proliferate the Super Bowl ad space for the last several years (and by all accounts will continue even more in 2013).

    01. Online Ad Preview and Teasers

    Online Ad Previews and Teasers are becoming more of the norm. VW made the most famous splash last year with its Star Wars parodies that received over 56 Million hits after allwas said and done, largely in part to the pre-release of the spotson YouTube.

    This year's early winner goes to the Kate Upton Mercedes spot, which in one week gained over 5 Million views (and counting).

    Humbling news as, by this author's account, this is one of the more ridiculously off-brand spots I've ever seen. Given the fact that the CLA won't even be available for the next 7 months, the brand needs lasting impression and awareness. Regardless of the substance, it's clear that Mercedes knows the value of online traction and will do whatever it takes, no matter how low-brow, to get an early lead among its rivals.

    Regarding the idea of Super Bowl teasers, the concept is simple,but the debate still rages on about whether or not the big reveal should be saved for the big game. While we don't promote a "one size fits all" approach to advertising, and I'm sure there are errors to the rule, it's hard to argue with the facts. Mashable reports, "According to YouTube's research, ads that ran online before the Super Bowl last year got 9 Million views, on average. Those that waited? 1.3 Million." With, on average, three times as many views online over broadcast, many could argue that the real winner in all of this is actually YouTube.

    02. Ads for Social Democracy

    Ads by social democracy are becoming more common in 2013. While Doritos pioneered the concept with their user-generated ads in the past few years, this year we are seeing a greater variety of the concept. For instance, one of the biggest brands in the world, Budweiser, has finally launched a Twitter account in its name. The brand, which had a little more than 600 followers Monday morning, is using the account to promote its upcoming Super Bowl ad, which will feature a Clydesdale foal via their Twitter hashtag campaign. Pepsi is also using their site and Twitterto recruit some of their fans to strike a pose with their can before their half-time show.

    But, the big pre-game winners in 2013 seem to be the "choose your own adventure" style ads from Audi and Coke. In what Audi says is a Super Bowl first, they recorded separate endings for their "Prom Night"commercial, and are compiling social votes where the audience chooses the ending. Coke created cokechase.comto tease their spots by highlighting three different sets of teams who are all racing to win a giant coke in the desert. The team with the most votes online will get their spot aired right after the game.

    Coke_SuperBowl

    03. Second Screen

    This year, more viewers than ever will be watching on a second screen. Now in real-time, technology allows brands to engage with the viewing public on their mobile phone or tablet during the event. For instance, Yahoo's Into_Now pioneered app technology that augments the second screen experience by using the unique audio digital signature in a television show topickup, and serve up, content directly related to that show. CBS estimates ad revenue alone from their second screen engagement to be between $10-$12 Million. Being able to interact with stats,player bios, team formations, highlights and social aspects is an essential part of any second screen approach for the sports enthusiast.

    Regardless of all of the hype, a few certainties remain. The Super Bowl represents one of the highest risk: reward ratios in advertising. Because of this, marketers are getting smarter by using not only the right tools, but also the right content to get the consumer's attention. Disintermediation is taking effect and the consumer is finally starting to see large-scale control of and connection with their favorite brands. As our society gets more social and mobile, so does the advertising.

    Needless to say, as an advertiser, I am thankful for the Super Bowl. If not for any other time during the year - the Super Bowl gives us an annual magnified window into the progress of advertising. With so much attention to the commercials, it almost makes me feel sorry for the guys on the field.

    Almost.

    Originally posted on the Rodgers Townsend blog.

  • 12 Must-Have iPhone Apps For Creatives

    January 25th, 2013 / Comments (0)

    Apps, apps, apps. Everywhere you look, they're there. Almost de riguer on digital briefs these days, like banners and MPUs were in the 'old' days.

    It's estimated that over 400,000 new apps will be released this year - as there clearly aren't enough already...

    So which of the current crop are actually useful to an iPhone-toting creative looking to boost their productivity or just find inspiration?

    We only have iPhones at Ego Towers. The good news is that many of those listed below are available on other platforms too. Here goes...


    1. Dropbox

    You'll know this already, no doubt. Google has Google Drive, Microsoft has SkyDrive. They all do essentially the same thing with a few minor differences - online storage 'in the cloud'.

    Store your files where you can access them any time you have internet access.

    Dropbox lets you define which folders are public and you can share specific files with specific people.

    Saves bloating everyone's email with vast attachments and makes everything easier to file and find.

    Dropbox has great integration with other apps making it easy to create files in other apps and save them straight into your Dropbox.

    Download Dropbox >


    2. Evernote

    This is the power behind The London Egotist. With day jobs to attend to and families waiting at home, the commute is where a lot of the legwork is done - and it's done in Evernote.

    It's a relatively simple text editor that syncs with every browser you can think of (even Opera). Write your note and as if by magic, it'll be waiting for you on your desktop machine.

    Formatting tools are simple and comprehensive and the autocorrect is mercifully accurate.

    You can add voice and photos to your notes too if you're that way inclined.

    You can add tags to make files easier to find and it automatically geo-tag your notes so if all you can remember is where you wrote your note, Evernote will help you find it.

    Download Evernote >


    3. Tiny Scan

    Expenses. The eternal tension between admin and getting your own money back from Accounts.

    We've never found it easy, doing it in batches months apart so we forget the whole process in the meantime.

    What this app does us convert a photo if your receipt into a PDF that you can email yourself or save into your Dropbox.

    Then you just attach the PDF to your online claim and your money's on its way (slowly).

    Download TinyScan for iPhone (paid)


    4. Clipboard

    We resisted Pinterest but Clipboard does a similar thing with less of the 'look everyone, I'm curating!' vibe.

    It's good for scrap-booking if you're researching a brief, pulling together reference or you can showcase all the different places your lovely integrated campaign appeared in.

    Download Clipboard for iPhone >


    5. Great-Ads

    This is really just a web-app/shortcut on your phone pointing to great-ads.blogspot.com

    They pull together the latest and greatest ads from all over the world, so it's a handy window onto how the rest of the planet is selling toilet bleach.

    Download the Great Ads web app > (go here via your mobile)


    6. TED

    "TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology. Entertainment. Design."

    If you don't have this already, you need it - unless you're that Steve Jobs - and we're pretty sure no one is these days.

    This is inspiration for creativity and technology with valuable lessons for humanity and sometimes marketing. Each video is downloadable, so you can benefit from the wisdom of Stephen Hawking and Sir Ken Robinson wherever you are.

    You will feel surprisingly worldly and uplifted after every single one.

    Download TED for iPhone >


    7. Fathm

    Timesheets have always vexed us, so anything that helps is more than welcome on our smartphone.

    This is the prettiest apps of the bunch - though setting it up's a tiny bit fiddly.

    Once you've got past that, it's just a question of remembering to let Fathm know what you're up to so it can keep track of the hours for you.

    Download Fathm for iPhone >


    8. Snapseed

    Exercise your inner re-toucher - and you know, Instagram filters are for amateurs. Snapseed is one if the best, most feature-packed of the many mobile photo editing apps out there.

    For example, Selective Adjust lets to make subtle changes to a selected area of your photo, while Tune Image gives you control over the white balance and other ambient colour effects.

    Download Snapseed for iPhone >


    9. Pocket

    Pocket lets you save web pages to your iPhone so you can browse them offline when you're underground or somewhere you can't guarantee a good connection to the web. It can preserve the web page layout or you can choose a reader-friendly 'Article View' if you prefer.

    It's as simple as bookmarking a page, syncing while you still have a data signal then you're set. Plus you can bookmark pages on your desktop to save them to your phone. Smart.

    Download Pocket for iPhone >


    10. Image To Text

    A simple yet clever character recognition app. Take a photo of some text on a page and it'll send the editable text to your email.

    A bit geeky but very handy if you don't fancy typing out paragraphs needlessly.

    Overlooked and underrated.

    Download Image To Text for iPhone >


    11. Pocket Lists

    There are lots and lots of To-Do apps and this is one of them. What sets this apart is the ability to set reminders by time and or location.

    Need to remember to call that production company back as soon as you get into the office? Easy. Just enter the reminder and your office postcode and you won't forget.

    It syncs with all your existing work and Google calendars so those reminders will find you wherever you are.

    Download Pocket Lists for iPhone >


    12. Snapguide

    This is actually an app designed to help people share their step-by-step how-to guides using a sequence of annotated photos.

    However, there's no reason why you couldn't use it to map out a TV storyboard on the move or an online user journey on the train home.

    Download Snapguide for iPhone >


    So that's our top 12. What have we missed? Tell us in the Comments below or email us london@theegotist.com

  • Another quiet day for Improv Nowhere.

    January 15th, 2013 / Comments (0)

    Inspired by zeitgeist-surfing success of Improv Everywhere and the subsequent copying and rehashing by less talented and unimaginative groups and brands, Improv Nowhere regularly organises stunts where no one turns up, passers-by remain undisturbed and toes remain uncurled.

    Over the last year or so, Improv Nowhere has left public spaces like railway concourses and shopping centres free of flash-mobs, fake arguments and synchronised embarrassment.

    Often, members of Improv nowhere will turn up in individually, blending in with the unsuspecting public. Then they'll spontaneously continue to go about their business just as though they had a genuine reason for being there instead of being driven by a desperate desire for attention in life.

    Only last month in the run-up to Christmas, Improv Nowhere organised a no-show at Bluewater, the UK's busiest shopping mall.

    Improv Nowhere's audacious Bluewater no-show

    One shopper remarked, "I was just trying to find a shirt for my dad when all of a sudden a group of hitherto hidden drama students and semi-employed decided not to burst into a tired song and dance routine, while not being filmed on a handful of Canon 5D's, some not capturing the tired incredulity of onlookers. It was really refreshing actually. I was half-expecting random strangers to start walking around with no trousers on - it would have been hilarious. 3 or 4 years ago."

    Improv Nowhere spokesperson Jenny Wilson said, "As soon as I saw the flashmob sequence on the BBC's "Young Apprentice", I knew it was something I'd always wanted to avoid. It's definitely an idea whose time had come. And then gone quite swiftly afterwards."

    Improv Nowhere (not pictured)

    “Logistically it's a challenge trying to prevent over-eager students and people old enough to know better from emerging into a half-arsed dance number that's been done to death already."

    "Spontaneity is key. We practice practice practice until we have our spontaneity down pat. Then it's simply a case of seeing what every other ambient campaign has done and organising everyone to not turn up or do anything.”

    More non-events are planned. Jenny adds, "Not doing the whole of Gangnam Style dressed as the clergy is a real favourite. We're thinking of not flash-mobbing the Tube as 80's videogame characters and not making people cringe in public spaces all over the UK."

  • The school of life.

    November 22nd, 2012 / Comments (0)

    Yesterday a reader asked us "how do you get into advertising?", our knee jerk reaction was to ship them off to the nearest ad school for a year or so.

    Then they told us more about their experiences to date and what a fascinating life they had lived. And as all of us forget from time to time, education is just a base foundation, life is what moulds you into an interesting creative person, ultimately making you more employable than the next guy or gal.

    This trending video from Mondo Endruo below seemed an appropriate fit for this editorial.

  • How to Survive in Advertising

    October 30th, 2012 / Comments (0)

    A lot of extremely credible, and no doubt, scientifically-tested rules that apply to horror movie survival can be used to ensure our own advertising industry longevity.

    I'll get back to that in a minute. First, we must be aware of another potentially scary situation…

    Years ago, a software program became capable of doing our job. Well, kind of. It produced mass quantities of ad ideas – all in blandly-adequate fashion. Acceptable creativity in ten seconds. About two coffee or martini sips worth of creative team time.

    Is creativity merely an algorithm? Can a machine do that thing that not even strategists can realistically explain with a set formulaic definition? I've actually seen it defined with whimsical hand movements placed mid-sentence.

    BETC Euro RSCG Worldwide, creators of the Creative Artificial Intelligence (CAI) technology, determined the software is only so clever. It's built with existing creative connections. Thankfully, enlightened humans are still superior. CAI was an experiment to demonstrate just that.

    ...But don't let your guard down quite yet. That's rule number one in advertising survival.

    1. The moment you get comfortable and complacent is the moment you become obsolete. Think about it. If your "character" is not contributing to the main plot, you are potential prey. (Especially if you go off on your own, mock someone on the team, or live in Maine.)

    2. The junior creatives are always right behind you. Always. They're hungry and they don't sleep. (Encourage them and let them inspire you. Seriously, you really don't want them turning on you.)

    3. Anything you think you know about advertising you probably don't. The rules are always changing. Go with it. Arm yourself with current knowledge and collaborate with other creatives. (Whatever you do, do not take that shortcut you heard about from one of the locals. It never ends well.)

    4. If an idea is dead, don't assume it's going to stay dead. An ambitious idea always has one last shot at reality. Theoretically, it could resurface at any time – with more power. Ideas love to avenge their own deaths. And, idea sequels are always in the works. (If the idea has access to a hockey mask get the hell out of there.)

    5. Do not try to unmask creativity. It shows up where it wants, when it wants. It's everywhere and nowhere. It laughs maniacally and probably hangs out in a sweet lair during it's downtime. Whatever it is, it's certainly not a single software program. (Sooner or later, in a shocking orchestra-crescendoed plot twist, you'll realize it was actually you all along.)

    Advertising enthusiast, idea-driven creative, relentless pursuer of insight Jennifer Hohn is a Senior Art Director at Vladimir Jones in Denver. This piece is cross-posted from Jennifer's blog.

  • D&AD /50. Celebrating the best of the best of the best. A mere mortal's point of view.

    September 19th, 2012 / Comments (0)

    50 years of D&AD. Awards night. A chance to mingle with industry legends. People who’ve inspired you. People who’ve fired you. People you rate. People you hate. Genius. Fools. Intimidating. Humbling. It’s like the last 20 years of Campaign brought to life. Augmented Reality without the app.

    It’s nights like these that put things in perspective. Of course it bypasses all the day-to-day struggles that every piece of work endures. But fair play, the people collecting their pencils are only performing the final act of a process that no doubt involved shielding that precious idea from all the slings and arrows of outrageous meddling.

    Awarding 50 years of excellence, it’s fascinating to see that stalwarts such as Tony Brignull, Neil Godgrey and Frank Budgen took the top honours but breathing down their necks were relative newcomers/upstarts such as Eric Kallman, the chap behind the recent Old Spice work (he doesn’t look like the third most awarded copywriter in D&AD history, BUT HE IS).

    It’s also interesting to see how the icons of the industry have turned out in their post-advertising dotage. We had Alan Parker, Lord Puttnam, Frank Lowe, Tony Brignull and Neil Godfrey all on one stellar table (not ours). Insight: all dressed down (Frank in jeans, for example) and all sporting that specific length of grey facial hair that spells ‘dishevelled / loaded / don’t care / nothing to prove.’

    Maybe if we can master that look first, the rest will follow?

    A quick word on D&AD itself. We should be immensely proud of it. To borrow from Voltaire, if it didn’t exist we’d have to invent it. We as creatives need a framework, a benchmark a reward beyond the paycheck and successfully getting work out the door. It makes us believe in the greater good, the higher calling, the appreciation and development of craft. It drives us to create work that enriches in a much broader sense than sales.

    D&AD, a global beacon of pre-eminence. Envied, emulated, but never bettered – you only have to see the Retweets bouncing around the world this morning to see its place in the global creative community. In this year when British creativity was put in the shop window to astonishing effect (we’re talking ‘Olympics Opening Ceremony’ here) is it a stretch to say that D&AD and its halo effect have played an integral role in creating a culture where this level of creativity can flourish?

    If we strip away the awe, the envy and the back-slapping, what can we take from this night?

    Well, this was celebrating the best of the best of the best, glorying in the craft, vision and creativity of our industry. No venn diagrams in sight, no briefs bloated with buzzwords and puff. Just the work. The best it can be. Buffed, honed and hard-won. Honouring the ideas that survived intact. And that’s the battle. That Eureka moment is just the B if the bang.

    It's a hard slog but if we could somehow bottle this moment of collective excellence or freeze that frisson of inspiration and hold it in our hearts, even in our darkest hour, perhaps we can use its gravity to pull us towards that distant podium.

    Happy Birthday D&AD.

  • It's called ‘Brief’ for a reason - by Rob Campbell

    August 21st, 2012 / Comments (0)

    Creative briefs.

    The bane of my fucking life.

    I hate them. HATE THEM!

    But – and it’s a very important but – you have to do them because they not only provide the framework and inspiration for creative teams to start creating their magic, but they become a piece of historical reference on the brand that ensures people won’t post rationalise the execution and miss out all the little bits that made all the difference.

    That said, the debate of what should and shouldn’t go in a brief still rages and I find that sad because at the end of the day:

    + You should never be a slave to the briefing format, the briefing format should always be a slave to you.

    + Different people like different levels of information so a ‘one size fits all’ mentality, is totally and utterly ridiculous.

    + A short brief shouldn’t be an excuse for ignoring the real issues that need to be addressed & conveyed.

    + A long brief shouldn’t be an excuse for not being clear, concise and interesting.

    + Regardless of what you are being asked to do, a brief should always be interesting, informative & inspiring.

    Because of this, we have a few different briefing ‘formats’ here.

    Some are designed for more junior guys to ensure they’ve done all the critical thinking necessary … some are designed for clients to ensure they give us what they need, rather than what they want … but all cover 6 critical questions.

    1. WHAT IS THE GOAL

    What is the end objective? I don’t mean the execution but the business result.

    In short, if they say, “We want some TVC’s”, ask why and don’t stop till you get some real reasons with some real quantifiable goals.

    2. WHAT IS THE BARRIER

    What are the key issue/s that are stopping this from happening right now.

    It might be people’s attitude and behaviour … it might be a competitors product or distribution.

    Maybe it’s an issue with our brand or communication or even a product quality or lack of innovation story.

    Whatever it is, find the fundamental issue and write it down.

    3. WHO DO WE NEED TO TALK TO, TO CHANGE THIS?

    Who do we need to engage in conversation? Who do we need to inspire, inform, push?

    Don’t just write a bunch of stats or bland statements, explain how they think, live, worry, behave.

    Let people feel the person not just read a bunch of cold, clinical bullet points.

    4. WHY WILL THEY CARE

    This is where blunt honesty is needed.

    You can’t write this from the perspective of what the brand wants them to think, it has to come from the audiences mindset. If you’ve done your homework for the previous question, you’ll know the answer to this … and if you’ve done your homework well, you’ll know the answer is not going to be some marketing hype/bollocks, but something that satisfies a real need in their life – be it emotional, physical or mental.

    5. SO WHAT’S OUR STRATEGY?

    Detail the macro approach you are taking to achieve this brief. It should be short, precise and full of creative mischief.

    ie: Deposition the key competitors as ‘old success’ by making XXX the badge for ‘new, entrepreneurial achievers’ … or something.

    6. WHAT’S THE KEY POINT OF VIEW

    Based on the goal, the barrier, the audience and the strategy – what is the brands point of view on the issue they need to address.

    It should be something that is obviously based on truth but also full of tension and pragmatism.

    ie: “You can’t change tomorrow if you don’t act today” … or some other z-grade sounding Yoda impression.

    Don’t rush it. Take your time to really craft it because apart from needing to be relevant to the task in hand, it also serves as the creative ‘jump off point’ and if you’re going to help your colleagues do something that is powerful and interesting with it, you’ve got to ensure they really feel the tension and energy of what they can play with or play off.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________

    You might ask why things like ‘tone of voice’ are not mentioned.

    Well sometimes they are … sometimes they’re not … it depends on a number of factors, however at W+K, we place great importance on ‘brand voice’ so a few abstract words like ‘fun, upbeat & lively’ are not really going to cut it.

    I should point out that how you brief your colleagues is another incredibly important part of the creative process.

    If you give them a piece of paper and tell them to “read this”, you’re almost doomed before it’s even had a chance to begin.

    While the brief should be inspiring on it’s own merits, it’s always good to think of ways to let your colleagues really understand what you are trying to get across.

    That might mean you present it in a different location or environment to the office … that might mean you put them in situations where they can really feel what you’re trying to convey … that might mean you get interesting – yet relevant – people in to chat to them before you go through your hard work, but whatever you do, it’s always worth putting in that extra little bit of effort because it will genuinely pay dividends to the work that comes out the other side and that is ultimately what you’re going to be judged on.

    At the end of the day it’s worth remembering there is no such thing as a perfect creative brief because ultimately, it’s about what you put on it – or how you present it – rather than what it looks like … however what I can say is that from my experience, as long as you have a culturally provocative point of view running all the way through it [obviously based on truth rather than 'marketing truth'] then you stand a much greater chance of creating something that affects culture rather than just adds to the blunt, advertising noise.

    ----------
    By Robert Campbell, W+K's Asia Regional Head of Planning. Reposted with permission. Read his blog "The Musings of an Opinionated Sod"

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