Be Memorable

“Oh…huh”

I don’t remember exactly, but that was probably my first reaction to the Boston Pizza wing guy TV spots.

Anyways, it doesn’t matter what my reaction was. The commercials are quotable, hated, loved, and maybe all of the above. The spots are so memorable that I can’t bring up wings in a conversation with some of my friends without hearing a reference to the spots.

“Oh, you’re eating wings? How’s the Gil Morgans?”
“Dude, you gotta see the nibs on these things.”

Maybe my friends and I have too much time on our hands or maybe we watch too much TV. Either way, my point is that you don’t even have to like something for it to be memorable. If you create something that sticks, annoying or not, rock on.

Apple Attacks

Today I bring you two ads that take aim at the same company and its products.

Samsung is very in-your-face with their recent spot poking fun at a crowd of would-be iPhone purchasers while pumping their Galaxy S II. Motorola took a more subtle jab at the Apple faithful by presenting them as lifeless clones wearing white hoods and headphones.

So, who did it better? Personally, I feel that the fact that these two companies have to take shots at Apple in their advertising says plenty.

A Year of Tweets

It took me awhile to get on Twitter. Like a lot of the people I hear from, I originally pegged the service as a waste of time. “Who needs to know what I ate for lunch!? Nobody cares!”

Before jumping right in, I had used a Twitter profile to simply follow a few people and listen to what they had to say. I now know I had really only scratched the surface of Twitter at that point. As part of an online marketing course, my professor (the amazing @versoe) had us create blogs as well as Twitter accounts and explore both as part of the course. The experience has been fantastic and I wish that I had started both services earlier in my university career.

I can definitely say that Twitter has provided me with much more than I ever expected to get out of the service. Sounds like a good time for a list:

• People. Fellow students, industry professionals, incredible companies, and social media gurus are just a few of the types of people you can find on my following list.
• Conversations. Want to voice your opinion on….anything? You’re in the right place. There’s always a good chance someone else will be willing to join the conversation.
• Great information. At almost any time of the day, I can log on and instantly find something good to read, whether it be inspirational, educational or just a good laugh.

The Impossible is Very Possible

Is it just me, or is making the impossible possible overplayed?

Most recently, Alex Ovechkin and Mr. Big teamed up for Mr. Big Deal:

Dairy Queen guy goes waterskiing, among other things:

And, of course, the Old Spice original:

Telus tried a similar approach with their Pat Prefontaine character last year, but all of the videos have been pulled from YouTube and the site (http://patprefontaine.com) appears to be down.

The Good, the Bad and the Ignorant

I read a quote in the newspaper last month and it completely blew my mind. Contained within a story on the closing of a Rogers Video store here in Nanaimo, the paper had some words from an independent video store owner:

John Erickson, the owner of Dover Road’s More than Movies, said while he is experiencing “challenges” due to online movie services like Netflix, he feels they are a “flash in the pan” and won’t impact his business in the long-term.

Challenges!?!? That’s putting things extremely lightly. Netflix and dozens of other content services are growing exponentially, Blockbuster went bankrupt, and physical media is going to be extinct in the near future. That this owner can admit he is facing challenges, but maintain that his business won’t be impacted in the long-term is unbelievable.

I’ve got nothing against John or movie rental stores, but I do have a problem with ignorance. In my final year of university we read a case study on Blockbuster and the challenges they faced as Netflix and other services started to present a significant threat to their business. They knew they had a serious problem and tried to face it head-on in 2004 when they launched their Blockbuster Online service. It was the right move, but it was too late. You know the rest of the story (bankruptcy, 2010).

My point is that if a giant like Blockbuster can recognize that the market is changing, make the correct changes to its business, and still fail, I don’t have high hopes for a small shop who sees the same challenge and chooses to ignore it.

Striking it Rich

I saw this first spot on AdFreak today and it instantly reminded me of the second one I’ve posted below. Both of the spots use the idea of “get rich quick” schemes to make their point.

This one, from First Bank, is fairly serious and can be related right back to their product offering – saving.

BC Salmon Facts takes a comedic approach to the “get rich quick” idea.

Side note: I liked the BC Salmon Facts spot so much that I tweeted about it when I first saw it. Turns out the organization had a Twitter account and was listening. They ended up replying to my tweet and I ended up following them and visiting their website. Impressive. DDB Canada was behind the campaign and you can read more about it here.

What Is The ‘Plus’?

I’ve been a Google+ user for about a week or so now and I am still yet to discover what the ‘plus’ really is.

I’ll admit that the platform has a ton of potential, but for now I’m not quite sure what to do with it. Just as it took me months to figure out the true potential of Twitter, I am sure Google+ will take some time. When I first started on Twitter I had no clue what I was doing. Eventually I was able to decide how I wanted to use it and what I wanted out of the platform. Once I knew that, I was set.

I am still waiting for that moment with Google+. All I can do for now is wait and see.

Timing is Everything

On May 17th, in the middle of the Vancouver Canucks’ series with San Jose, the Shark Club announced it would be changing the name of its Vancouver locations to ‘Vancouver Club’. Remember that? No?

Fast forward to May 27th. The Vancouver Canucks had eliminated the San Jose Sharks three days prior and fans were eagerly awaiting the team’s next opponent – Boston or Tampa Bay. 15 minutes after Boston won game 7 and advanced to play Vancouver, Boston Pizza announced that they would be changing the names of all of their restaurants in British Columbia to ‘Vancouver Pizza’.

The timing could not have been any better – Canucks fans were waiting for any news on their team after the three day layoff and the thought of a chain restaurant being named after the opposing team would produce some buzz. Needless to say, the name change provided fans everywhere something to talk about.

‘Vancouver Pizza’ is still trending on Twitter three days after the announcement from Boston Pizza head office.

Why the NHL’s ‘History Will Be Made’ Campaign is Awesome

Simplicity

No actors. No additional filming. All the NHL needs for an epic ‘History’ commercial is a highlight package and a story to tell.

Timing

Because they are so easily produced, a new ‘History’ spot can be released in less than a day. The latest in the series, highlighting the Vancouver Canucks’ Western Conference Final overtime win was on YouTube less than 24 hours after the game – quick enough to give Canucks fans something to share and talk about right away, while it was recent.

Adaptability

The commercials can work in a lot of different ways. They can promote the league by showcasing individual player efforts, team efforts, classic moments in NHL history, or a mix of these. History can come in many different forms. The spot below featuring Lanny McDonald and his incredible moustache references his career and Cup win in the 80s to promote the league today in 2011.

The DIY Effect

Because the commercials are so simple to make, fan parodies and tributes pop up on YouTube daily. The everyday fans are able to share their idea of ‘History’ whether it be serious or humorous.

QR Code Showdown, Round 2

Same drill as last time: me, a pile of newspapers, a couple QR codes, and 3 criteria.

#1: Geek Squad

Call to action: Nonexistant, which bothers me more than usual. Geek Squad typically sets up electronics for those who aren’t very tech-savvy and they have placed a relatively new technology in their ad without any explanation or instruction.

Mobile compatibility: Good. The code linked to a YouTube video.

Overall effectiveness: I can’t say the code did what it promised (no promise was made), but the video was a good explanation of the service offered.

#2: Appliance Store

Call to action: Nonexistant, again.

Mobile compatibility: Negatory. Plain old website. Not mobile-friendly.

Overall effectiveness: Not effective. Seems like it was a last minute decision to throw the QR code in the ad.