Nike+ Human Race is tomorrow

Nike+ Human Race is tomorrow. One million people, in 25 cities are going to run 10k at the same time. Many doing it for charity. It's a great idea. Dublin is not one of the cities but you can register (if you hurry) and run along at the same time.

Starting time for us is 7pm. Have a look at Nike Plus.

Levi's Unbuttoned.

Levi's Unbuttoned. I like this. Agree with AdArena, no big surprise but nicely done.

Via AdArena

Click on ads to say thanks...

Seth Godin wrote something the other day that caused a bit of a stir. He suggested we should consider clicking on ads on blogs if we like the content. As a thank you gesture.

Interesting angle. Not sure if I completely agree. As an advertiser I think I'd prefer if interested people clicked. But I can see circumstances where this would work out well for everybody. It's a short post. Worth a read.

Bring on the Trumpets

Isn't this great?

There was a bit of blogging discussion about this recently. I discovered the ad here. We like it in our office anyway. I'd love to see the storyboards. Very random.

Very slick online ad

Very slick online ad for EA. Well worth a visit here. Give it a moment or two to load up. You won't be disappointed. Other executions here.

Found via Adverblog

Why are recruitment brands are still commodities?

Little Gordon, via Adland.

I've often wondered why recruitment websites let themselves be seen as commodities.

Are they not all the same? Same jobs to be found. Same processes. And little done to differentiate one from the next. I even suggested a couple of months ago that they could learn from Pdiddy.

Shame, when you consider how interesting they could be. These recruitment brands could credibly talk about so many things that we are interested in - our jobs, careers, management, employee motivation, time pressures, work/life, education, the future. The list goes on. But they don't seem to have a view on any of this stuff.

Which is why the above video was refreshing. A bit of personality. A bit of fun. And relevant. You'll find more Little Gordon videos here. Pity they didn't incorporate this site directly into caterer.com instead of having two sites.

Also refreshing is the stuff RecruitIreland.com are trying. I read recently on mulley.net that they are now using facebook, bebo and twitter. I had a look. Didn't see much activity on bebo or facebook but looks like they are using twitter regularly. If nothing else, these initiatives allow us to get a feel for the people behind Recruitment Ireland and this is a good thing.

Pity they have no blog. Or at least I didn't see one.

My new favourite ad. Created 1971

Simple idea. Flawless execution. Didn't even need a headline.

Bet this got cut through back in 1971. Came across this in Alex White's 'Advertising Design and Typography'. Fine book.

And found the image online at Robert L Peters

If you work in advertising, you will like this.

If you work in advertising, you will like this. I promise.

Original link at Wall Street Fighter. Thanks Emer for sending on.

John Grant's Brand Innovation Manifesto

I haven't written about any books recently. One I've been meaning to mention for a while is John Grant's Brand Innovation Manifesto. This must be one of the most interesting marketing books I've read. This is a book about new marketing. About how image marketing is no longer valid for many brands. About challenging old branding models.

I contacted John soon after finishing this and persuaded him to come and do a few workshop sessions with my colleagues in Dublin. It is bursting with case studies and examples. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like it, read his After Image too.

Nike.com/courage

Nike.com/courage for Olympic Games. Nice. Still prefer Nike's Hurt a little less.

Free report - changing role of direct mail in Ireland

Amarach have published "The Future is a Conversation", a 20-page report on the changing role of direct mail in Ireland.

There are some interesting bits in it. For example, they believe younger people are receptive to direct mail and "receiving something personally addressed to you in the post is something of a novelty for the bebo generation".

I'd admit I was a bit sceptical when I saw the report was sponsored by An Post but they don't pretend that the trends are all good. One stat they share claims that only 14% feel 'positive' or 'very positive' about direct mail.

Thanks Kevin for sending on. You can download here.

Adidas - This is not a jersey

Found via Adland.

Adidas and agency TBWA in New Zealand have found a way to involve fans with the All Blacks. They can now have their names engraved into the actual threads of the All Blacks jerseys. They are also giving away free jerseys to your kids if they were born in New Zealand on the day of an All Blacks 2008 home test match.

If you're a fan, check it out here.

IKEA also make some good ads

IKEA seem to be a very progressive brand. While I've never actually stepped inside one I've read several impressive case studies about them. Marketer John Grant has also written about them in his books. Much of the good marketing stuff that they do is not related to advertising.

But they also made some good ads.

Coca Cola Zero "The Ex"

Coca Cola Zero "The Ex". The winner this Quarter in Campaign magazine. By Grey Copenhagen I believe.

Paul Newman - I can't think of a better brand

I first met Paul Newman in 1993 at his Hole in the Wall Camp in Connecticut.

I was sent there as a volunteer, by Barretstown Camp, so I could help them set up their own camp in Kildare the following summer. Our conversation was brief but I did persuade him to play a game of pool with one of the kids I was looking after.

His food company 'Newman's Own' is a great example of a brand that has a greater purpose than just making money. All their profits go to his Hole in the Wall camps. Because of this, I try to buy his sauces where possible. They taste just as good. I think this model of brand should and will play a stronger role. Companies will consider not just the benefits to the direct consumers, but society in general - the likes of Patagonia and Innocent Smooties.

I've met him once or twice more over the years and have always been impressed. A friend of mine still works for him and says he is as honest, laid back and authentic as he appears in interviews.

I had heard a few months back that he was very sick but read yesterday that Mr Newman has finished chemo and is going home to die, with only weeks to live.

I have seen first hand how his camps (funded by his food company) have improved the lives of thousands of children. His brand's greater purpose was to make the lives of very sick children a little easier. A little happier.

What more could you ask from a brand?

2007 v 2008

Changing our advertising message to match our customers' priorities.

Found via Only Dead Fish

Aer Lingus thinks it's ok to sell insurance through sneaky practices?

I like Aer Lingus. Well, sort of.

If the price difference between them and Ryanair is within 50 quid, I'll go with them. You can reserve seats. The seats themselves are more comfortable. And airports are more central. The small stuff. And while they are still 'low fares', these small things allow for a small price premium. In my case, up to €50.

Of course, this is their positioning. A direct attack at Ryanair, as shown in their "Enjoy your flight" TV ad. No subtlety in their ad script "Some may think the little things that make a journey enjoyable aren't important. Not Aer Lingus. Enjoy your flight".

This is a brand building ad, not one of their direct response ads. They are investing a fair bit of cash to re-enforce our view of them as different to Ryanair. Better than Ryanair because they care. They want us to like them and trust them, as all good brands should.

But then they go and mess it up with their "opt out" insurance selling on their website.

Every time customers buy flights, they have to opt out of the insurance charge. They have to actually tick a box to remove it. Otherwise they are charged. I'm sure it makes them lots of cash, and in fairness to them, it is relatively clear - but it sends out the wrong message. The message we take from this is "we are trying to pull a fast one on you". Subconsciously we're thinking "Sneaky bastards. All airlines are the same".

Am I missing something here? I can't think of any reason for opt out except that the company believes people are less likely to buy insurance if it were 'opt in'. But is this not the point? We don't want it, so they make it less obvious and hope some of us don't figure it out. If they honestly are not trying to con us, why not make it "opt in" and then persuasively try and sell it to us?

Why spend a load of cash producing a TV campaign to make us like them if their communication on their website sends a conflicting message?

How easy would it to make a point of difference on the website and actually write "Some airlines think it is ok to try to sell you insurance through sneaky practices. Aer Lingus doesn't". Think about the impact that would have on the brand, given the huge traffic they get and the timing of delivering a brand message when it is most relevant - the point of purchase.

If Aer Lingus want us to differentiate by showing how they are different to Ryanair, they'll need more than a TV ad.

It would be no harm to look at Southwest Airlines dedication to customer service.

Rebooting America - download for free

Rebooting America is a collection of essays by the very talented Danah Boyd, Howard Rheingold (author of Smart Mobs) and many more - Yochai Benkler, Susan Crawford, Esther Dyson, Newt Gingrich, Craig Newmark (of Craigslist), Doug Rushkoff, Clay Shirky and David Weinberge.

You can buy it here or download it for free from Danah's blog.

Yogurt Update - targeting women

Definitely worth a watch. Found via UnaRocks.

Guinness Storehouse photo competition

Image courtesy of NIKONDAVE

The lads in digital agency Cybercom and Pix.ie have created a photo competition for the Guinness Storehouse. They are looking for the best Storehouse pics. If they like yours, it will feature in their impressive Guinness Storehouse 3D Gallery. There are monthly prizes and an overall cash prize of €1000 for the best pic.

More about Pix.ie here on mulley.net

Click here for more info on how to enter the competition.