Capturing The Creative Moment

CAPTURING THAT CREATIVE MOMENT

Many elements of marketing are paint by numbers (not Microsoft Paint* thank goodness)

We will tweak and explore ideas along the same theme when it comes to targeting for an AdWords campaign, for example.

But the exciting part of our job is being creative (it’s in our name, duh!) We love that feeling when a client sees their new branding, campaign concept or image. Sometimes the creative can be encapsulated in a quick gif even if it took a long time to plan.

Getting that perfect headshot

One of our clients Lisa McGuigan Wines has another perfect example of ‘capturing the moment’ as her hero image on the website we built last year.

We explore creativity, and our Creative Director’s thoughts on the subject can be found in the latest 5 Minutes with Menz installment. Sometimes creativity can be stepping away from a project and allowing that “Eureka!” in the bathtub moment.

Whether it’s a difficult brief or circumventing a problematic circumstance like potential customers not being able to touch the product, it can be tough trying to capture lightning in a bottle. But when it’s done right, well, that’s why we do the job.

If you need help finding the ingredients of the secret sauce, drop us a line.

*To be totally fair, and even though Microsoft aren’t openly supporting MS Paint anymore, some people can use MS Paint with aplomb … like those people that know how to use an etch-a-sketch. Nobody likes these people anyway, stupid showoffs.

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Written By: Rob

Johnnie Walker Gets Into The Spirit Of Things, Drops $15M: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake

Johnnie Walker Gets Into The Spirit Of Things, Drops $15M: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake

After watching this brand new ad for Johnnie Walker, two things are clear: 1. They still make a wildly popular Scotch whiskey (number one in the world to be exact). And 2, they commission damn good ads!

This is Johnnie Walker’s biggest marketing campaign in over a decade, which is poised to run across TV, out-of-home and digital for 18 months, and will be executed at the cost of $15 million.

The Next Step is the latest installment to their iconic Keep Walking campaign, and centres around the concept of journeys. This rousing 45-second commercial features a university student who sits late into the night working at his true passion, art.

The ad was entirely filmed in Sydney, which means we’ll have to suspend all sense of logic and reality, because the suggestion that a whisky-sipping, uni student lives in a sprawling Sydney apartment is frankly, unbelievable.

Such details aside, we then see our protagonist submerged in a sea of laptops. He appears unsettled, and begins to drown to the sound of incessant keyboard tapping.

Spliced into this vignette are shots of his artwork back at home.

He leaves.

Out of the lecture, he dives into a series of glamourous galleries only to be turned away, one after the other.

At this point, we’re told: “No one said it would be easy. Walking your own path seldom is. Because you never truly know where it will take you.”

After several setbacks, elevator doors open to reveal his painting emblazoned across a mannequin … then featured in a fashion show … then at an after party.

“Wherever you are in your journey, always remember, the most important step you take isn’t your last, it’s your next”.

Rewind to the exact moment when our everyman decided to walk his own path. Cut to black, and merge the logo …

“Keep walking. Johnnie Walker”

This truly is an extraordinary piece of creative. And what makes it extraordinary, is that it’s more than just a well shot ad. Leo Burnett, who created this commercial, undertook comprehensive consumer research, and it’s evident.

The magic of this ad is in its relatability. We’re watching a real person, not a celebrity, live out a very real experience.

This ad is designed to appeal to the career-focused, who have most probably faced a degree of adversity on their journey to success. This group are also more likely to have an income that could support such a refined drinking habit.

And if this is the case, it must be asked, why cast a university student? Possibly because, again, being a student at university is a relatable experience for most successful career people. Or, maybe it’s the Happy Meal strategy of ‘get-them-in-young’.  And maybe it’s a bit of both.

What is even more relatable to a wide audience, is the fear of rejection and failure. Name a person who hasn’t had a moment (or ten) when they’ve questioned, did I take the right path?

Johnnie Walker have always celebrated stories of personal achievement and have always encouraged people to walk their own path.

This notion is also quintessentially Australian. This ad plays into Aussies’ affection for the underdog, and their support for a fair go, hard work and persistence.

These qualities closely align with Johnnie Walker’s 20-year commitment to personal progress, growth and achievement.

In marrying these shared values, Leo Burnett has created the perfect mix.

So, for these reasons, this week, it’s a Marketing Masterstroke.

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to stay up to date with our weekly installments. Oh, and let us know what you thought of this commercial …

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Written By: Joshua Britt

Apple Accidentally Showed A Bug In Their iPhone X Ad: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

There’s So Many Bugs On iPhone X That One Made It Into The Ad: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Despite waning sales figures for Apple’s highly lauded and highly expensive, iPhone X, they’re pushing ahead with a buffet of slick and swanky ads. However, dwindling sales figures aren’t the least of their worries, with some noticing that their latest spot features a software bug in the ad itself. (UPDATE: Apple has since fixed the bug on the iPhone X ad featured above but the actual bug remains)

 

 

After this explosive rampage, I wouldn’t be surprised if the schoolgirl spends the rest of her life in detention for purposefully destroying every piece of school property in her line of sight!

Frankly, it’s unbelievable that at no point does a bystander attempt to stop her during her parade of destruction.

Furthermore, not once is she reprimanded for exploding lockers, and carrying out an unnecessary invasion of privacy.

Further-furthermore, her superpowers go unquestioned.

But then again, vandalism and breaches of privacy should never get in the way of a great ad … just ask Facebook.

Apple are known for their ads, and overall, this one does not disappoint. The upbeat tempo, colour explosions and elements of fantasy make this ad truly unique.

The production quality is high. And the concept of ‘unlocking the world’ is creative, and clever. It undoubtedly met Apple’s brief to demonstrate one of their key selling points, that being facial recognition.

When Apple releases a new iPhone, they generally hold a few extra features which give them a unique point of difference, and justifies the price increase. Apart from the phone’s exterior, the only feature which distinguishes the iPhone X, from the iPhone 8, is facial recognition.

But does this single feature justify an extra $500 AUD at the cash register? We’re not convinced, and neither are consumers.

The decision to focus heavily on this one feature has clearly not resulted in an increase in sales. While other ads have focused on features like Portrait Mode, not all consumers will see every ad … and Portrait Mode is on iPhone 8 anyway.

So, while Apple’s marketing strategy might not be the most sophisticated, the production of this ad is great … except for one little mistake … the bug.

Unfortunately, what brings this ad down, is that is shows a software bug in action!

 

Oops Apple Ad iphone x

The words from the text message are not supposed to escape the bubble, but as you can clearly see here, they have.

Although it is extraordinary that Apple signed this off, it really is a trivial detail that doesn’t impact the overall brilliance of this ad.

There are certain aspects of this ad that are problematic but Apple must take responsibility, because ultimately is it exceptional!

So, for these reasons, this week, it’s a Marketing Masterstroke.

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to stay up to date with our weekly installments of #MarketingMasterstrokeOrMistake

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Written By: Joshua Britt

Google Chrome Blocking More Ads… Of The Bad Kind

Google Chrome Blocking More Ads… Of The Bad Kind

Little over a week ago Google implemented a change that blocks certain types of ads on their browser Chrome.

Google Chrome had this to say in their announcement: “To determine which ads not to show, we’re relying on the Better Ads Standards from the Coalition for Better Ads, an industry group dedicated to improving the experience of the ads we see on the web.”

They aren’t trying to stop ads entirely, why would they? That is where they make their money … almost $100 billion last year alone from online advertising. A cynic would assume that they are aiming at blocking others ads, but not one resulting from AdWords – the cynic would be wrong. Google openly admits that this update will even affect some ads that are on their network.

Ads that Betterads.org suggest lead to a poor user experience are broken into two categories, desktop and mobile:


betterads.org

Like most of us, I am a voracious consumer of content on the web and this update makes me happy for obvious reasons, but my allegiances are torn as a digital marketer and as an egalitarian.

Firstly, although Google are making the change, it’s at the behest of a consortium that has our best interests and UX at its heart, but should they choose what ads I see on a website that is owned by someone else? Shouldn’t the site’s owner get the call – if they see bounce rates skyrocket because users hate the UX of a site, then they can choose to change.

If said website owner has the best content, then why not have a prestitial ad with countdown. I’m on Forbes.com often and it doesn’t bother me one bit if I am going to take ten minutes to read an article and have to wait the first five seconds watching an ad. On the other hand, if I am wanting to watch a 30 second YouTube clip (owned by Google) why would I want to watch a five second pre-roll before I can skip?

And the other part of me thinks, rather than focusing on better ad experiences, why not focus on better ads. Geico’s pre-roll ad from a couple of years back was a gem.

 

The creativity is brilliant and made users wait until the end, even though the ad was practically finished in 5 seconds.

So the consumer and marketer in me is happy for less annoying ad experiences, but craves more creativity. It takes time to craft and create ads that appeal to the shortest of attention spans … see below.

If you need help grabbing attention – Hit us up

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Written By: Rob

Burger King Goes The Extra Mile: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Burger King Goes The Extra Mile: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Ever heard of Good Samaritan Day?

Neither have we. Apparently it was a few days ago, and in celebration of this little-known holiday, Burger King released an ad:

The concept behind this commercial was to reward those good Samaritans who stopped to assist the driver of an overheating car. Once they veer to the side of the road, the altruists realise that the billowing smoke is actually pouring out of a grill, which has been set into the car’s bonnet.

Burger King has claimed that this ad was a real life social experiment, however we’re doubtful. Everything seems just a little bit too perfect. Namely, the King emerging from behind a cloud of smoke and the multiple travelers that attend to the scene with fire extinguishers in hand (where did they come from??).

Also, the fact that these civilians don’t seem to notice the team of camera operators surrounding the car, is a dead giveaway.

And if we’re getting super technical, unless the onlookers were strapped with microphones, the camera shooting from across the road wouldn’t have been able to record their dialogue.

All of this aside, the concept is phenomenal! This quirky video joins a series of other activations that Burger King has been rolling out over the past few months. Another was when. Burger King decided to gift their biggest social media fan an entire restaurant and year’s supply of burgers.

If Burger King can sustain this degree of quality advertising (and KFC fail to source more chicken) they will be on the path to taking the ‘real crown’.

This ad has it all, packed into a neat 60 second package. There’s the drama of the overcooked engine, the humour of the prank and the warmth of the kind gesture. And, who doesn’t love a company mascot with an oversized head?

So, for these reasons, this week, it’s a Marketing Masterstroke.

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to stay up to date with our weekly installments of #MarketingMasterstrokeOrMistake

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Written By: Joshua Britt

Spotting Digital Rips – Always Be Testing The Waters

Sink or Swim – Spotting Digital Rips

It’s slowly getting colder and there aren’t many beach days left for me before winter is in full swing. I was dreading this on Sunday when I was unseasonably baking on the sand at the beach. I was snapped out of my contemplation as I saw a surf life saver tearing out on his surfski to help someone, hand in the air, who had gotten themselves in a rip.

It’s scary being caught in a rip. A lot of us in Australia have grown up less than an hour from the beach – so we should know what to do. But if you haven’t spotted it until you’re in it, the fear can cloud your judgement and as Marcellus Wallace will tell you, pride can get in the way of raising your arm and asking for the help of the boys and girls in red and yellow.

On my way into work today, I was taking stock of my weekend and getting into work mode. I started seeing a direct correlation between the swimmer and a client that had recently engaged us.

The swimmer hadn’t spotted the rip before he went in, but he had the presence of mind to stick up his hand and ask for help. By the time he got into shore, you could tell he was still buggered so perhaps he fought the rip a bit longer than he needed to, before raising the alarm.

Similarly, the aforementioned client had jumped into a marketing campaign without proper caution and quickly found themselves in trouble. They realised that the outcome they had promised their stakeholders was not looking probable and asked around for help, not before getting a little deeper in trouble by trying to do the same thing, but with more money. The client was recommended to us by someone who had previously worked with us and we have put them on our surfski, and the early signs look good.

I don’t think the sunk cost fallacy directly relates to sinking swimmers (and digital campaigns) but it might as well. We need to constantly appraise our situation – to see if we are wasting time and energy in waters that don’t suit us, and if so, look for the calm blue ocean.

We can all get stuck in a digital rip and a thorough strategy can help, but it’s always wise to be able to spot the warning signs as early as possible. Whether it’s a low click through rate on an EDM, no conversions on your landing page, or limited brand awareness among your targets, make sure you examine what the next steps are. It might be to call for reinforcements, or pivot a little to more peaceful waters.

So, if you’re in trouble, ask for help!
If you are going to the beach – read this first.
If you are struggling with your current digital comms, or need help trying to spot a digital rip before you jump into the water, or you are just digging this thinly veiled metaphor, drop us a line – info@remembercreative.com.

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Written By: Rob

Red Cross’ Bloody Good Effort: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Red Cross’ Bloody Good Effort: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Here’s a challenge for you: watch this ad and try not to tear up or even have an “aww” moment. Our bet is, you can’t!

In the beginning, this ad transports us back to our childhood, conjuring memories of bedtime stories with our parents. The father, reading from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, lulls his son to sleep with the words: “the answer to .. life, the universe and everything is 42.”

BOOM!

We enter a realm of fire and flags, blimps and bands, TVs and talking mice.

Dressed in his PJs, the young boy wades through a world of 42s before approaching a podium surrounded by a sea of onlookers. Acting as another reference to the Hitchhiker’s Guide, a talking mouse informs the infant that: “This is the answer”.

With a sweet stroke of symbolism, the boy breaks the fortune cookie to reveal the number 42. At which point he says: 42 what? …”

… 42 days is how long donated blood lasts.

We then return to the boy in a hospital bed and all the 42 business starts to make sense.

Chief Strategy Officer at Cummins&Partners, Tom Ward, said: “We’re not sure whether Douglas Adams was a blood donor or not, but the fact that 42 also happens to be the exact shelf life of a blood donation is either a coincidence of galactic proportions, or the answer we’ve all been searching for.”

Marketing Director at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Samantha Bartlett, added: “Most Australians are aware that giving blood is a good thing to do, but what they might not know is that their donation has a finite shelf-life. From the moment they donate, it has just 42 days to get to someone in need.”

This ad is the perfect blend of fantasy and reality, celebration and sorrow, childhood invincibility and real world mortality. It adapts a literary classic to tell the searing story of blood donation and truly hits home with its core message of blood expiration. The concept of the ad is supremely creative and aesthetically, it is a marvelous spectacle.

Using a child as the lead character in this story is highly powerful and emotional. No viewer could deny a child a chance at life, and this tale is all the prompting we need to: “Donate Today. Donate Regularly.”

So, for these reasons, this week, it’s a Marketing Masterstroke.

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to stay up to date with our weekly installments of #MarketingMasterstrokeOrMistake

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Written By: Joshua Britt

Mad Men of Marketing | Episode 4

Welcome to the Mad Men of Marketing podcast

Episode Four:

On episode 4 of the Mad Men of Marketing podcast, we discuss budgets, some of the key things you should consider when budgeting for your marketing and what things can derail a budget.

Hit play and enjoy…

 

 

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Written By: Rob

5 Minutes with Menzies – Episode 4

Robert: Today’s Theme is creativity.
You are a creative. You have studied design in university and are constantly learning and researching all things design and innovation – So – Are you born with it or is it something you have to work on?

Michael: I definitely believe that there is an aspect of creativity that you are born with. Imagining the unimaginable is something that not everyone can do and to be able to think of a new idea every day is not something in my experience every one can do.

But you definitely have to work on it. You have to be aware of as many things past and present so you can evolve that thinking.

RD: Do you believe anyone can be creative?

MM: Yes I believe anyone can be creative – after all creativity takes a great many forms. So, even though there are aspects of creativity that may be innate there is still room for everyone.

RD: What’s your process for being creative when you are designing?
Is it different depending on the job – UX, Design, Branding, Campaign and ideation?

MM: I am quite driven by solving problems and thinking what a proposed audience may expect to happen – remembering that their expectation may be to be amazed.

I think for me the approach to a problem is often led by a desire to lead someone to a place where there expectation is met; for a logo, that may be the feeling of connection to the brand or the services the business provides. For Campaigns, its about conveying an insight that engages a consumer and inspires them to act etc. 

RD: Like most creatives (except for those really annoying ones that lie) I am sure you get stretches without inspiration – how do you deal with “writers block” – any tricks you can share?

MM: The block you describe often comes from being over-focussed on the solution for too long. My best advice and this is why design is so much more complex than the average joe gives it credit for – and hence, why not being at your desk or just doodling or surfing the net is often the catalyst for the lightbulb moment.

RD: I know we often talk budgets about marketing but in your mind how big of a % of a campaign budget should be given to just the ideation and creativity phase? Do you think this is valued enough by clients?

MM: Well I think that is a tough one to answer because in some ways it may vary depending on the scale of the project.

For instance when you have a very small budget, there is in some ways even more strategic thinking required to find solutions that maximise the inherent limitation of the budget itself.

And for big projects – well you have a huge budget, now the balance is finding how to deliver a truely impactful idea and having enough money to amplify it.

But I would say between 25 – 50%

Do clients value it? I think some do and when they do the outcomes are often preferential.

But in many cases no. And I think that’s because often what we do is so intangible or easy.

If I make a product and it sits on a shelf and it costs a thousand dollars – that is an easily understood concept.

If I am designing a logo, or a piece of graphic art and it costs a thousand dollars – what if I don’t like it or in the case of a campaign it doesn’t work? For clients its these intangible variables that often impact on the perceived value of our “product”.

Often there is personal preferences or bigger broader influences that have an impact on the viability of a solution and that can sometimes make what we do difficult to quantify?

RD: The proof is in the eating sometimes and not just looking at the cake you have to see how it does in the real world I guess.

And that’s another 5 minutes with Menzies done and dusted – if you want to discuss anything we talked about feel free to drop us a line or give us a bell.

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Written By: Rob

Bonds Cheeky Campaign: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Bonds Cheeky Campaign: Marketing Masterstroke or Mistake?

Bonds has just released the creative for their new Originals campaign, reviving their tagline from the 80’s, “Gotta Be Bonds”.

 

 

The creative was shot in Coober Pedy and pays homage to those hot summer days when it’s just too damn hot to wear clothing.

There are several spots featuring sweaty models mowing ‘lawns’, sweeping dust and lugging around bags of ice, which will all run across TV, outdoor, social media and online.

But it was this ad which caught our collective eye.

The ad begins with a clammy brunette blasting into the fictional town of “Cold Springs”, complete with her leather driving gloves and black Bonds Originals two-piece.

The sticky supermodel pulls up to a petrol station and exits the car, at which point the camera flashes across her toned stomach, and focuses in on her pert posterior.

She plugs in the petrol nozzle, glances over her shoulder and spots a local woman, who appears to be sporting Kmart Originals.

The Bonds clad babe relishes in her choice of underwear and smugly looks towards the horizon, at which point we’re reminded, it’s “Gotta Be Bonds”.

Comparing one product with another is commonplace in the world of advertising, because it helps explain to consumers why one product is superior to its inferior competitor.

Although here, it’s not just the comparison between two products, rather the comparison between two women.

This tactic would be familiar to any viewer of daytime TV infomercials. The before shot will depict a vitamin D deficit, disheveled woman who is void of any makeup, on the left. And on the right, after using a life changing serum, cream or machine, she has transformed into a thinner, tanned and far more made up version of her former self.

In Bonds’ case, a similar approach has been adopted, except for the fact that losing weight, getting a tan and reversing the ageing process is a highly unlikely side effect of sliding on a pair of Bonds Originals. Some consumers are easily led, but no one is falling for that one.

Lastly, the average Bonds customer looks more like the undesirable in this ad, rather than the strutting glamazon – so it must be asked, what’s there to gain from alienating your core base of customers and portraying them as vagrants?

So for these reasons, this week, it’s a Marketing Mistake.

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram to stay up to date with our weekly installments of #MarketingMasterstrokeOrMistake

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Written By: Joshua Britt