Nike TV ad - I like.

Thanks Rory, for sending on .

And some people think it's just an advertising campaign

I remember this Nike ad 'tag'. And remember liking it. But it wasn't until I read Grant McCracken's lastest book 'Chief Culture Officer' did I really understand perhaps why I liked it.

Wieden + Kennedy made this ad in 2001. At its most basic level, the ad is playful and enjoyable. Who wouldn't want to make their daily city commute less dull or mundane?

Grant points out more subtle culture trends - "Americans were giving up the northern European idea that public behaviour ought to be guarded and expressionless". Street theatre was becoming more popular. Cities were becoming the place for spontaneous expressive events. Grant points towards the influence of Mork & Mindy on TV, with Robin Williams bringing the idea of improv to american living rooms.

Another trend at the time that 'tag' picks up on is the value of simplicity. Physicists were interested in the idea that "complex order could issue from simple rules". Because 'tag' is a very simple game with easy-to-understand rules which bring pattern to the disorder of city life. To quote Grant directly - "At this time, culture that was 'emergent' was more interesting than culture that was organised."

Another trend at work here is what Grant called the 'generous stranger' - the concept of doing random acts of kindness for complete strangers. This was picked up in Hollywood with films like 'Pay it forward' and 'Serendipity'. This was acted out in real life with examples of 'phototagging' - disposable cameras left in a public place where the finder is asked to take one photo and pass the camera on. Grant points out that Howard Rheingold was also on trend at exactly the same time with his 'Smart Mobs' book about groups freezing together in public city places.

This is why 'tag' is genius. Dan Wieden understood these trends and tapped into them early. As a consumer, I loved the ad without really understanding or articulating why. I do now.

To quote Grant again - "And some people think it's just an advertising campaign".

Pick up his book here. Let me know your thoughts if you do.

More brilliant outdoor: Nike

I've been searching around for examples of good outdoor ads to show they follow the principles I wrote about recently.

Nike's World Cup ad for England follow these principles: Single visual. Visual is a person. Singular simple message. Comprehension is immediate. Strong contrast between image and background. The creative itself is the headline so no additional copy needed - very smart. It is also well branded and has loads of space (yes, white), allowing it to breath.

This image is visually arresting. It has the additional recall-benefit of having a celebrity in the ad. Celebs in ads can sometimes be a bad thing. We remember the ad but sometimes forget the product or message. But not here. Rooney is the product. He represents the England team. And of course he visually becomes both the England flag and the passion of English football fans.

This is pure genius. I'm very jealous.

Nike Wake Up Call

Found this on W+K. The ad's not bad. But I liked the reason for it. W+K say the following on their blog:

"Complacency has set in in Latin American football. Arrogance in their ability overtook the neccessity to train. It is time to remind the future stars of tomorrow, that skill alone is not enough. It is time to remind them of the grit and dedication that’s needed to make it to the top. This is their final wake up"

But can great advertising be a substitute for a great product?

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: eco advertising)

I wondered recently if it is possible to build a brand using advertising alone. I'm not sure. One reader suggested that it is possible, but it takes time and is expensive.

But can great advertising be a substitute for a great product? Can average products be successful if their communications are world class? In the long term? I don't actually know. What about this powerful ad for Nike? Not suggesting they are average at all but are Nike runners better than Asics or New Balance? If they are all the same, (and if design is the same) does it come down to better communications or distribution to drive brand affinity?

What about bottled water?

David Taylor blogs at length accusing marketers of focusing too much on the 'sizzle' and not the 'sausage'. He wrote a book last year titled "Never mind the sizzle. Where's the sausage? Branding based on substance. Not spin."

Hamel and Prahalad cite Porsche's dramatic US sales decline in the early 1990s as an example of this. Porsche were living off their famous brand name but were not investing in their cars. Their sales bombed from over 30,000 cars in 1986 to under 4,000 in 1993.

John Grant predicted the demise of image advertising in his 2003 book - 'After Image'. He pointed to examples of brands whose premium advertising no longer worked. For example, Inbev positioned their Stella Artois as 'Reassuringly Expensive', using very visual european cinematic advertising. The reality was it was brewed in northern England and was known widely as 'wife beater'. See 'Where did it all go wrong with the beer they call wife beater?'

In his book, Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin makes the point that 'big ideas' worked when advertising was in charge. But he believes advertising is no longer in charge.

I found this presentation (via Helge Tenno) on an interesting blog called fckie.com. This is really good and worth flicking through more than once. Some nice examples here of where the product is the marketing.

Tom makes an interesting point that remarkable products use advertising as a window display, while unremarkable products use advertising as a smokescreen. Take Apple for example. Their iphone ads are demonstrations - done very stylishly.

Back to Nike for a moment. Clearly their Nikeplus is a perfect example of where the marketing is the product - and is in the product. I've used it and it really is good stuff.

And true to Tom's point, their 'I'm addicted' tv ad for Nike Plus, while truly stunning, is quite transparent and simple.

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.

Nike.com/courage

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

Roger Federer + Nike

Posting this one especially for you Elaine K. I like it.

Via Toddand

Nike + Crispin split after just 13 months

"Need Movitation?" - only tv ad to come from Crispin's time with Nike.

Just read on Advertising Age that Nike and the very talented agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky are ending their relationship after just 13 months. Nike are re-igniting their relationship with their long-term agency Wieden & Kennedy.

I'm a big fan of CP+B, although not overly impressed with this ad.

Nike+ ad

This is the Nike+ ad I mentioned in last post.

End of the 'big idea' in advertising?

In his latest book, Seth Godin talks about 'new marketing' and the end of the 'big idea' in advertising. He explains that advertising ideas worked great when advertising was in charge - but this is no longer the case. Big ideas still exist but they are part of the product or experience, not just the advertising.

Surely Nike+ is a big idea in every definition of 'new marketing'? It brings together two great brands, incorporates digital and the off-line world seamlessly, and produces something really new, exciting and useful for people who love to run. Combined, these add up to a pretty good reason to choose Nike runners over Asics, Adidas or any of the other brands.

And the tv advertising around Nike+ is actually great. How could it not be with brands like Apple and Nike working together? And this is the point - when people talk about the brand (Nike+) I suspect it is not the ads they talk about, it's the product. I'm sure there is still a place for advertising ideas but can brands be built on them alone anymore?

Seth's book is really great. (Just over 200 pages long)

Nike - A little less Hurt

I love the way Nike can move back and forth between glossy, high-spend, big production ads to something gritty like this - and as Richard Huntington explains here, can still make it emotional and beautiful.