Titan Tagged - New Commercial Review

Tagging you friends on Facebook and Google + has become more of an infectious obsession now. Based on these lines, Titan has introduced a new series, called Tagged. The company has developed a TVC on the theme of ‘tagging’, targeting the youth. It targets the connect youths like to have with each other.

A young woman riding a scooter sees another in a car and literally tags herself with her with the watch. Similar tag'ed moments are shown between a couple. A young man, fearing a tag, hides his watch and begins to run from a group. A young girl at a party tags another near a swimming pool and they jump in, enjoying the little dive. The TVC ends with a voice over saying 'Get tagged by Titan'.

Titan watches in this commercial are seen being used as a hook to bring together like minded individuals to share special moments. However, it appears to be a calculated risk - as many people hate to be tagged by their lesser friends in anonymous pictures. But having said that, Ogilvy & Mather translates the 'tagging' feature to a physical world using watches beautifully. Quite a fresh ad, it remains to be seen how much virality it'll create.

Headlines Today "Right to be Heard"

The "Right to be Heard" campaign by Black Pencil India for Headlines Today of the India Today group. A nice campaign that voices the sentiments of the Indian youth today. The campaign seeks to provide a platform to people to speak about their grievances and make sure they are heard.
Headline Today has also created a website: Right To Be Heard, where people can upload their videos, comments and issues they want to raise. There is also a hotline number they can call and record their messages at. The channel’s team will get in touch with them to highlight and resolve their issues. The channel has launched two new shows in sync with this campaign – ‘Right to be heard show’ and ‘Right to be Heard Town hall show’.
According to the channel, the campaign would encompass OOH, TV, print and digital. 

Vintage Print Ads

Many of us follow advertisements. But do we know that how did some advertisements of yesteryear's look like? They were socially acceptable then, for sure. Have a look at some vintage ads!

Disclaimer: Some image(s) or text(s) may seem to violate today's social acceptance norms. Please understand that these are of a different era where different norms existed. I am deeply sorry if it hurts sentiments of anyone. :)

Is Your Boss Rude?

Rudeness, Indifference, Bullying.
In the recent years where sexual offense has taken the front seat of in-company questionable behavior, these actions have blossomed in it's shadow. 20 percent say their company or boss doesn't care how people treat each other. A whopping 60+ percent in India say so. Complaints aren't taken seriously, and we've often heard that those who speak up pay the price. Some people say, no matter how strict the policies are, or how fancier the steps taken to curb those actions be, these people will continue committing such deeds. So how would one need to do to counteract these behaviors?

For Organizations:-

• Make civility a priority and set guidelines.

People are busy, but how long does it take to smile, say "hi," or refrain from a zinger? A healthcare organization in the US has an interesting policy. The 10/5 Way. It says that if you're within ten feet of someone, you must make eye contact. Within five feet you say hello. Such companies surely report greater patient satisfaction and an increase in patient referrals.

• Provide training.

It just might help. Behavioral training sometimes is the best solution for such cases, say people are constantly quitting an organization because of the rudeness of the boss.

Individuals can:

• Walk away.

Ideally, people will speak up and management will respond, but I know that speaking up isn't always realistic. In those cases, the best response is a measured one. If a boss/manager keeps shouting at you on an issue, you can tell him, "Sir, let's talk in a civil way on this issue." If it's a peer, you can also walk away till he is cooled and ready to talk again. Leaving the conversation until civility is restored is often the only solution.

• Learn from it.

When somebody's being rude it's tempting to give back the same or take it out on somebody else. But it might be a learning opportunity. Rudeness hurts both the giver and the recipient. That's why it's better to act as calm and possible.

Allen Solly, Twitter, & Tweeples!

Calling it the country’s first ‘tweeple-powered’ collection launch, Allen Solly created a ‘live’ hoarding at a Bangalore mall which unveiled itself with more and more tweets. Hosted by an emcee and displaying the tweets real-time on a big screen, the hoarding claimed to have been connected to a computer-powered ‘solenoid’ (coil) which would push a shirt off it with more tweets. Through the event, the shirts began falling off, being rewarded to lucky tweeters. Behind all the shirts emerged a promotional visual of the new collection.

Allen Solly, one of India’s long-serving apparel brands has targeted professionals through the 90s and 2000s through sharp visuals of free-spirited casuals. Not to take away anything from this campaign, the brand already enjoys a neat recall among its target audience – the upwardly mobile urban pro, also a reason why the tweeple (Twitter users) here didn’t mind associating themselves with it. The idea isn’t new, really. The west has seen great outdoor campaigns for web-savvy customers using QR codes, Wi-Fi and social networks; but in India, the agency’s best bet was perhaps Bangalore, with its young IT crowd, and it seems to have worked.

The ‘Tweet to win’ route is boring, but turning that into a live event was the scoring point here. A high footfall zone(Garuda Mall) ensured high Twitter traction (not everyone’s on Twitter yes, but people wouldn’t mind signing up to win a crisp shirt!) Also, this event was an offline integration of the campaign’s online initiatives. The others were a website that gave 52 Friday dos and a Facebook page that had a card game going. Not bad syncing at all.

Overall, this was one of a kind for India, and surely a good bet for Allen Solly.

Did You Notice These New Logo(s) in 2012?

Logo is the identity that's fundamental to building a brand and communicating with the target audience. Many well-known corporate brands change their logo to achieve the perfect identification because the identity’s creation is not an occasional activity, but a permanent one.
However, a brand identity has to represent the ongoing trends. That is why a logo has got to change & evolve over a period, keeping with the present context.

Some of the biggest brands in the country ditched their old logos for new ones this year, mostly due to the reasons of evolving, to look younger and more human, and to communicate in a better way about the brand.

As Twitter blogged- “Our new bird grows out of love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry. This bird is crafted purely from three sets of overlapping circles – similar to how your networks, interests and ideas connect and intersect with peers and friends. (…) a bird in flight is the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility.”
And Chris Brandon, a spokesperson of Domino's, tells, "We certainly remain a pizza company first and foremost—but people can now get so much more from Domino’s, (...) As shown by the way we have spoken to consumers in the past couple of years—it’s less about just a pizza and more about a relationship and an experience."
Have a look at these redesigned logos and brands.

                   

Content for You in 2013 & Beyond

Why has the importance of content grown all over these years? With the onset of social media marketing like never before, content has grown in value from a single person working before the curtains to over two hundred of them. I feel it’s critical to set the tone for content marketing, or any marketing for that matter. Marketing professionals from so many small and large businesses get so fixated on channels such as blogs, Facebook or Pinterest that they honestly have no clue of the underlying content strategy. What results is a mess of social marketing strategies that has no co-ordination. So lets set out on a hot trail of content marketing strategies required to strengthen the branding.

First, a content mission statement is a must. It can do wonders for the visitors. the statement should ideally be in the About Us part and it should include the following:-
a. The core audience target
b. the USP of the service
c. the result of the service
Fine Examples can be found here- MISSION STATEMENTS

For a change lets see this video.

This is a fine example of moving from creative excellence to content excellence. Coca-Cola has been a marketing leader for a long time, and here the brand again proves that it is more than qualified to play with the big boys.

Secondly, become the best informational provider for your target audience. Sure, you are creating content in dozens of channels for multiple marketing objectives. But is the mindset focused on being the leading provider of information for your customers? If not, why isn’t that your priority? You can google the strategies of P&G and Dove, and find a lot about how they are providing relevant information on different issues to women, their main target.

Thirdly, the utility to your customers is a key to success. Take a hard look at your content and see if what you are producing is actually useful for your customers. Is it making their lives better or jobs easier in some way?

Next, build relations with your customer. Talk to them, believe as humanly as possible, answer their queries, try to anticipate their expectations even before they ask you. The content opportunities that spring up from customer service and sales alone can support your content marketing strategy. Nike, and Dove are fine examples in this case.

The final and another important factor is co-creation of content. Make loyal customers and allow them to get involved in the company strategies and marketing as much as possible. The Internet has given customers ever-increasing powers to research, compare, and review brands, enabling both good and bad customer experiences to be broadcast to the world. Coca-Cola, Tata Group and MTV are good examples. These are the brands that understand the power of co-creating their brand together with consumers and tapping into the creativity of their biggest fans. For most companies, this also means encouraging--and actively participating in--reviews of their products/services and conversations around them, either on their own, or on third party websites. Reviews are one of the best types of UGC (user-generated content) to encourage, as reviews are closest to the buying process, and directly affect conversion rates and sales numbers.

So go out there and create some touching stories. Engaging stories set out to deliberately draw a conflict — a comparison of morality, or of fundamental change, or of good and evil. Start to feel like the customer. Of starting at a place where we don’t know how it’s going to turn out. This really helps the business to engage more customers. Otherwise, just keep on doing the boring promotions part and wasting your rupees.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 "Office Upgrade"

Samsung was on a roll last year when it came to its ads in USA, and from the looks of its newest spot for the Galaxy Note II, it looks like that trend will continue into the new year.

                             
Now that Christmas & New Year is over, it looks like Samsung is adjusting its Galaxy Note II marketing efforts from regular consumers to business men and women. Pretty intelligent positioning has led to this fine spot. The commercial shows two coworkers playing with their new phones, pointing out all the possibilities that the new "do two things at once feature" provides. Samsung features the Galaxy Note II in a comical office scene in which two employees discuss the usefulness of the device’s unique features, like Multi Window mode. One employee focuses on productivity while the other prefers to procrastinate. The spot then plays out in favor of the hard-working employee before closing with a new tag line – “The Next Big Thing for Business is Here.”

We see that Samsung is really pushing hard into the western market and is keen to win over more market shares. The heavy funding in advertisements and some great spots are surely helping it in the way. Lets see how far this goes in trying to disrupt the iconic Apple.

Finally a Windows Decline..

For years, people have been predicting the death of Microsoft's Windows dominance. And in the last two years, it's finally happened. The rise of iOS and Android have made Microsoft's operating system significantly less important.

Luckily for Microsoft, this hasn't meant the death of its business overall. Thanks to the strength of its Office franchise and its Servers and Tools business, Microsoft is still very healthy.

But, there's no escaping that Windows is what drives the whole company. CEO Steve Ballmer calls Windows, "the heart and soul of Microsoft from Windows PCs to Windows Servers to Windows Phones and Windows Azure." And that heart is beating a little bit more weakly today than it was in say, 2005.

This chart from Asymco earlier this year illustrates the decline of Microsoft's Windows monopoly as Apple has risen.

                    

Going into 2013, this will be one of the major stories to watch. Microsoft released Windows 8 in an attempt to reverse the decline of Windows' importance. It has touch elements which are meant to mitigate the rise of the iPad, and Android. But so far, it's off to a slow start. Can Microsoft reverse it in 2013? Or is this time different? Are we really, finally, seeing the end of Windows?

Sit Down, says Cafe Coffee Day

Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) has made its first TV Commercial, in its 16 years of being the most popular brand since its inception in India.

                              


Research suggests that 50 per cent of our target consumers in the top six metros - in the 17 to 35-year age group - haven't been to a cafe. This initiation of doing a TV advertisement, has come as the next step to its campaign in print medium in selected top nine cities across India.

The brand which initiated the cafe culture, is now foraying in to newer and unconventional markets and aims to get in to new segments through its TV Commercial.

Recently the coffee shop brand partnered with the movie Neethane En Ponvasantham (also in Telugu as Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu) as one of its official partner and the coffee shop’s brand name is already visible in many of the film’s promotions.

This new TV campaign has represented the youth who come to their shop to have a conversation over a cup of coffee with their friends, colleagues, lovers, business partners, etc.

The TV ad has also added its humour quotient, by giving a new solution to many problems – by sitting down! The TV Commercial has come up with the new Anthem – Sit Down Anthem! This 2 minute and 20 seconds ad also uses this generation's biggest tool - Social Media Platform such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter as they share & spread this new Anthem of Sit Down! Cafe Coffee Day has around 1400 outlets across the country now and this was a good time to introduce this idea to consumers. The best part is the way the tv advertisement builds a platform for brand activity on social media - is #sitdown a trend already or will it be in a few days to come?

K Ramakrishnan, President marketing Cafe Coffee Day, says, “The TV Commercial reflects the way of life of the millions of youth following the brand. At a time when ‘standing up’ for issues seem to be the order of the day, the ad reminds you of the positive results of sitting down and discussing various subjects over your favorite brew.”

Samsung- The Gigantic Leap in 2012

There is no doubt in saying that Samsung has leap-frogged in terms of sales of mobile & tablet handsets in the year 2012. So what has been the backbone behind this surge?

The above graph shows the answer- Marketing.
Samsung spent a ridiculous amount on marketing this year, but you can’t deny that they’ve gotten some truly high-quality ads in return. Not to mention the buzz and viral videos and the print ads that mocked Apple's iPhone.
Case in point: The Korean manufacturer has come up with a way to make near field communication (NFC) a major differentiator between its phones and Apple’s iPhone. I admit that I was skeptic of Samsung’s ability to pull off such a fete but that’s mostly because no one had really come up with a smart way to market NFC until Samsung. Typically, NFC has been billed as a technology that will let you replace your credit card with your smartphone through the use of mobile payment platforms.
Samsung did something completely different with NFC by showing off the technology’s potential as a social tool. So for instance, instead of demonstrating how your phone can help you buy a candy bar (who cares?), Samsung has shown people how their phone can help them quickly zap pictures, playlists and videos over to their friends simply by tapping their two phones together. In other words, the smartphone isn’t something designed to help you perform solitary activities, but something to help you better enjoy your time spent with others.

The manufacturer has rolled out an ad with a bit of a suggestive theme. This time, it's Mrs. Claus getting herself on naughty list.

                                    

Samsung understands that individuals in the urban market are amongst the first adopters to use smart phones and gadgets. Apple for quite some time has had a choke hold on this demograph due to their popularity amongst creatives and pop culture mass appeal.  In an attempt to debase Apple, Samsung has tried to make strides with their ads featuring LeBron James, The Apple Waiting Line Parody and now in their latest Best Face Family Photo commercial.
The “Best Face Family Photo”commercial features the Samsung Galaxy Note II and shows a black family using the device to take a typical family portrait.  However, the ad gives perspective on how to use their latest Galaxy “Best Shot” feature to capture the candid family moment.However, the print and outdoor ads of Samsung created quite a stir, and here are some for your viewing.

There was simply no way that Samsung could resist pouncing on Apple’s latest Maps disaster that left several Australians stranded in the middle of a national park with no access to food or water.

Do these ads have helped Samsung gain in sales? A BIG yes.
In just 37 days of launch Samsung Galaxy Note II topped 3 million units in sales. Also, the Apple Parody Ad(Click here- LINK ) has topped the Most Viral Tech Ads of 2012 List(See this link.) The best thing is, the purchasing intention has grown over 11%, which is far ahead than Apple(See graph below.)

                

Thus, Samsung's fast-mover efforts aided by huge funding in Marketing departments have made sure that the year 2012 was quite special for Samsung. More to watch out, during 2013.

Don't "Like" Me No More!

It's official now. No more vouching for Facebook 'Likes'. These 'Fans' mostly don't convert to real customers at all. In an era when every company is busy in marketing itself in social media, here comes a big block- "Likes" doesn't give that same amount in sales. So what does?

So lets get back to old school now. It's the Reach factor that contributes to a company. A study by PageLever shows that only 6 % Reach is accomplished by brands who have more than a million fans. So why this odd factor? Many respondents say that the fan-base mainly leap-frogged because one fan told his friend to become a fan and this system went nuclear. Let me put of the chart from Mashable.

                    

After this intriguing data, what should one company do so that the Reach increases? But before it, let me tell you who the flag-bearers, or brands that have managed to attain top-notch Reach.Total brand Likes are shown at the top of the image, new Likes for the specific posts are at the bottom of the image.

So after seeing these iconic brands and their posts, did you mark something? Sometimes, the tried, trusted and familiar can sometimes work well on Facebook. Well, lets see 5 ways in which one can increase the Facebook Reach.

First, let’s review the EdgeRank trifecta. EdgeRank is the algorithm used by Facebook to determine the most screen-worthy content. Three factors, multiplied together, determine your content’s value: affinity, weight and time. The affinity score is based on how often a fan has engaged with your brand content in the past, including page visits. Weight, or popularity, is determined by the type and quantity of engagement your post receives (e.g. Likes, comments). Lastly, time and the decay of your post matters; as your content ages and engagement wanes, it becomes less relevant and therefore less likely to appear in a user’s news feed.

Studies show that lengthy Facebook content goes unread and discourages action on the part of the user. Brief, easily digestible posts make it easier for users to consume and interact.

Timely posts increase fan excitement, generate spikes in engagement and allow for further reach. Keep an eye out for relevant current events and don’t forget to post about holidays if they’re consistent with your brand voice. Fans want to engage — sometimes they just need an invitation.

It’s still true that no matter what you try, quality content is the most important factor to expand Facebook reach. Provide your fans with valuable content to properly enable your posts to go further. When it comes to format, photos are the most engaging form of content that brands can post. Eye-catching and easy-to-consume photos are also weighed more heavily by Facebook when determining EdgeRank.

Asking questions of your fans is a great way to encourage comments and keep your post visible. Research by Buddy Media shows that employing the words “where,” “when,” “would” and “should” increases engagement. Posts that include “would” consistently yield the greatest interaction because they allow fans to agree through a simple “like” rather than writing a comment.

Fans love to know their favorite brands are listening, and many social media managers often overlook this. Answer questions asked in the comments section or simply say, “Thanks!” Be sure to tag the fan in your response so he’s notified of the special attention.

Facebook Insights provides administrators with the “Friends of Fans” metric, telling admins just how many people they can potentially reach organically. Friends of fans are extremely important — they are more likely to visit a brand’s Facebook Page or website, purchase a brand’s products and become fans themselves. Organically, these Facebook fans can easily be reached through the Facebook Ticker, which tracks all user activity. Keep your fans interacting with your brand, and their friends will see all “liking” activity, comments and posts in the top right of their news feed.

Now, for a not-so-organic tactic: Facebook Ads. With Facebook Ads, you can specifically target just your fans’ friends and leverage their relationship. Facebook Ads are not just a way to reach your fans’ friends, but also your competitor’s fans and your own fans.

More: BI Brand Posts 2012

Nike: Parallel Journeys

I don’t know whether any of you have seen Nike’s Parallel Journeys campaign? It’s probably one of the best campaigns I’ve seen from Nike. Ok, so I may be slightly biased and may have a bit of a soft spot for cricket and India.

The campaign captures young cricket athletes relentless quest for perfection, it doesn’t matter where they are, what they play, whether pro or amateur, you are given an insight into their journey, their training, hard work, dedication and desire to achieve success in the sport. The film’s culminates perfectly with Nike’s “Just do it” slogan.

The ad has been beautifully shot in various locations around India; Delhi, Ladakh, Pondicherry, Indore, Jodhpur, Varanasi, Mumbai to name a few places. I feel as though it truly captures the essence of India, the diversity of the cultural different parts of India, the varying age groups, religions, the variation in players economic backgrounds, however everyone is bought together by the sport.

All of this of course doesn't come cheap and the commercial is rumoured to be one of the most expensive made in India. While none of those associated with it are willing to comment, ad business moles suggest a price tag of Rs 4 crore. It appears to be money well spent going by the feedback at least within the industry.

There are no actors in the film, - just authentic players of the game from various corners of the country. To capture them, the crew travelled to homes, buses, trains, boats, gyms, chawls, gullies, colonies, schools, clubs and playgrounds that are the grooming grounds for cricket crazy Indian youth, across geographies.

So, after all the hype and discussion, did the ad work? I think, yes. It makes people go emotional for cricket again. It also sends the message clearly that one should follow his/her passion no matter what the hurdles be. This ad is a hit as far as I am concerned.

Coke and Meals!

"The family that eats together stays together."

Continuing on from the wonderful family-bonding-over-meal-TVC called "Saath khao, khushiyaan badhao" Coca-Cola has started various campaigns to position itself as a drink with meal, such as roping in master chef Sanjeev Kapoor and doing a cooking program in three undisclosed cities in India. A website is being spread over social-networking sites which asks people to send any special recipe of their own. The lucky winner would be seen with Sanjeev Kapoor. It also plans to bring some Mothers to college campuses and have them cook for the students there, as part of the campaign.

                  

                  

The campaign:-
TVC Link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XP6sPhwmDag
Website Link- Coke and Meals

The preceding post:- Coca Cola's New Commercial - Oct '12

Coca Cola's New Commercial - Oct '12

Going with the "Open Happiness" tag-line, Coca Cola is all set to be a trend setter again with this new commercial.

TVC Link - "Saath khao, khushiyaan badhao"

The campaign builds on the “celebrating happiness” plank of the brand. The family that eats together stays together. This ancient proverb is depicted well in this commercial, done with an eye on increasing the per capita consumption of cola.

The TVC features a large family at the dining table. As they bond over food and Coke. It’s a very simple treatment, there are no dialogues, and typical family interactions are captured through expressions. A strict dad who won’t relent to his son’s demands. A granny with an emotional tale to tell. A disinterested kid who later begins to enjoy the family time. And so on. All the things that usually happen at a family table.

Actually the consumer research behind it is the key. Trends show that youths are returning to spending more times with their family. So what time is better than this festive season to start such an endearing commercial!

There are no celebrities in the ad, only regular people. The music track is very cool, it adds to the liveliness of a happy family gathering. And in spite of no storyline, the TVC entertains. Particularly the last touch is good, where a smartphone buzzes away in a corner and no one bothers to answer it.

Top Print Ads - 3

And I bring to you fresh beautiful and among the best print ads I have come across.

 

Volkswagen is up with intelligent print ads of the Touareg showing the feature of cornering lights.

 

Ford shows that you can do anything with your Transit with this beautiful print.

One of my favorites, this cramped up car flier was given to the drivers by Detran. Reckless driving kills, fellas!

 

Renault has been up with a couple of prints featuring the long mileage of Megane.

 

Another beautiful print ad, communicating a good message.

 

Huggies has been in recent talks because of this ad but for getting attention this is an intelligent print ad. Kudos, Huggies.

CenturyPly and a Gorilla

CENTURYPLY is undoubtedly one of the major furniture brands in India. Century Plyboard stayed away from TV advertising from the last four years, before it came back on TV with its new TVC on the World Anger Day – 28th Aug, 2012.

Why did suddenly CneturyPly thought of attacking the end consumer? The company had sanctioned a survey two years ago to re-discover its consumers as it prepared to take on a crowded and cut price market.This survey identified a large group of consumers called atmosphere creators — 25-45 year olds looking to build a welcoming pad to chill out with friends and family — which CenturyPly decided to target.

For CenturyPly, getting noticed in the humdrum world of plywood and laminates required it to do something out of the ordinary. Its buyers were typically tradesmen like contractors and carpenters fixated on water and pest resistance. The solution was to swivel away from its typical intermediary focus to target the end consumer, attempting to build an emotional, rather than technical connect.

No doubt that the thrown car and the angry gorilla at the beginning of TVC attracts your attention, and is clutter-breaking among any group of advertisements. 100 out of 100 for the Bates team for such a clearly clutter-breaking start for the TVC.

As the consumer watches attentively, the next scene that attracts attention is that the gorilla is not able to break the door and it enters the house breaking through the roof. As the gorilla lands on a dining-table, the dining table doesn’t break and the gorilla chases the person in the scene to the cupboard. Until this point, the consumer is still attentively wondering “what is the gorilla upto?”.

Now, as it turns out that the gorilla is the husband’s imagination of his wife’s anger, it brings out an element of empathy and fun making the whole commercial very enjoyable. The message in the background also re-emphasizes on the visual communication.

It is a great story with an element of suspense, and clearly communicating the durability of the furniture. 100/100 in the communication of the functional aspect “durability”.

Thus, forgetting your wedding anniversary is never a good thing and for you men out there!

Why Story-telling is not only for kids anymore.

Remember those childhood days when your teacher or your grammy used to tell you a lot of stories? How we wish those golden days never ended! Who's gonna tell us stories now?

But hey! don't forget that the stories never ended actually! Surprised? When you see a lady clad in white saaree say that X detergent helped remove the stains and make this dress glittering white, isn't that a story you are listening to? But yeah, you are pissed off at the content. While other stories tend to indulge your vivid imaginations.

Take the example of Tata Docomo's "Hate Incomplete Stories?" campaign. Isn't it innovative? Or the Volkswagen's Silent Ad. There are many good stories out there.
So why has story telling become so important for businesses after all? What is the meaning of a 'good story' then?

In my view, a good story has the following foundations :-
1. Its Authentic.
2. Its Creative.
3. It makes an Emotional & Personal connection with the target audience.
4. It inspires action/generates a lot of positive word-of-mouth communication.
5. It possibly Engages the audience in a journey with the brand.

Meanwhile lets put up another example to interest you. Remember the "Jaago Re" campaign by Tata Tea?
So why is telling good stories so important after all?

Because, Good Stories COMPEL people to CHANGE, change the Way thet FEEL, change the Way they THINK, change the Way they ACT, and change the Way they BEHAVE. Good stories put their audience at ease and engage them with the "Human Side" of the brand.

So for those who still think that direct ads and/or discounts only can bring in profits for your company, please stop clinging to cliches and start making up a story around your product/brand that's indulging enough.
- Clarify your message.
- Let the audience know the need of change.
- Let them know how and when there could be change.
- Confirm why their action is important.
- Explain how you want your audience to take action.

And, remember an important thing- "Anything that's copied and NOT FOUND is NOT a THEFT!"

So find your inner storyteller. No matter what the industry, product or service; there are stories in every company to help get the message out and acted upon any simple and cost-effective way.

Top Print Ads - 3

Hi there. A small gap and another colorful post. Of print ads. I tell you these days the Indians are matching toe to toe with other leaders in this category. These consist of some beautiful print ads from all over the world including India. Have a look.

Weird is the new COOL!

To promote the new “weird is cool” attitude proffered by the ParaNorman film (a tale of a young boy who can see ghosts and is shunned by his friends and classmates), Nike has released a special edition of film-inspired Nike Air Foamposite One sneakers.

The Foamposite One shoes, released in a small batch of 800, were up for grabs via a Twitter campaign challenging fans to tweet the @ParaNorman account with pictures of themselves being weird as a kid with the hashtag #weirdwins. Fans who tweeted the weirdest photos won a pair of the limited edition sneaks. The Nike ParaNorman campaign not only represents a great cross-brand promotional strategy (for the film, the shows, and their master companies) but also plays into a bigger cultural movement toward embracing oddities. It’s also important to note the irony of the campaign: a coveted symbol of hyped fashion trends (Nike shoes) are a reward for celebrating those very uncool, awkward, and socially embarrassing moments of childhood.

Take a look at some photos of the campaign.

                    

What do you think of Nike’s spin on weird as the new cool?