22 April 2008

I’ve always found the bottled water market interesting. I never thought I’d find myself purchasing something you could just as easily get for free but now I do.

Apparently it’s a very competitive market. So competitive in fact, particularly in the flavoured water market, that… well… you can see for yourself…

 

Two complete difference brands, Nutrient Water and Vitamin Water, yet so similar. The one thing I do like is the creative copy, although its not as clever as Another Bloody Water, which I’ve already blogged about.

But what I find most interesting about the bottled water market is the brand Evian. It’s either incredibly creative or just plain stupid, but if you spell Evian backwards you get… Naive. Perhaps I should reconsider my decision to purchase bottled water in future.

And on a side note, Stan, note the use of reflections in the first image.

Posted by Zac Martin

18 April 2008

The Grr campaign has been launched. I have no idea what its about but I like it although it does remind me of Sprite’s Truth Hunter campaign.

On one hand, the promotion is far better. They’ve been using Hamish and Andy by asking contestants to do things that make you go “Grr” for $1,000. One contestant had to get home wearing just his underwear. Another had to listen to the same song for two hours. I’ve also seen some clever print ads.

On the other hand, I’m failing to see the brand tie in. There is a small Optus logo on the website but I’m really not seeing the connection. Perhaps its a shampaign with more to come soon… perhaps not.

I’ll be interested to see where this goes.

And on a side note, the thing that makes me go “Grr” at the moment is Connex.

Posted by Zac Martin

16 April 2008

I am really big fan of Improv Everywhere, who are the creative group responsible for this Frozen Grand Central stunt…

 

 

There’s a load more Missions on the website, some dating back to 2001 that are worth checking out.

The group has generated a lot of interest lately, so much so that people have been organising their own stunts in their own countries. Check out their Ning site here to sign up.

Melbourne’s very own freeze is happening on the 29th of April at Federation Square. Do you think more than five people will turn up? If so, is this something the media will jump on?

Posted by Zac Martin

12 April 2008

This post is aimed at the world of academics and I am sure my views are shared by my fellow undergraduate students.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Harvard Referencing System, the title refers to an intext reference. However you would never see a reference from Wikipedia because it is not an legitimately recognised source. This is of course ignoring the fact that Wikipedia now has over two million articles making it the largest ever encyclopedia. This is also forgetting that this is the most contributed to with over two hundred million edits, creating the most unbiased source of information on the Interweb.

So why can’t this be used as a credible source? To further establish their credibility, Wikipedia has recently implemented a mandatory referencing system, particularly on theory based articles. We’ve also seen Google launch Google Scholar allowing the search for academic based journals and articles.

The way in which we seek information has changed. I am a University student who has never been into the library. So why isn’t it possible to reference the biggest source of information on the Internet? Or a blog? Or a podcast? The Internet is no longer a source people can’t trust.

The academics of today are not living in today’s world where the way in which we communicate has changed.

Posted by Zac Martin

09 April 2008

Channel Nine are bringing a show to Australia called Hole In The Wall. If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, which is likely, here is the original Japanese version…

 

 

I was under the impression that now the Writer’s Strike is over we didn’t need to produce crappy replacement filler?
Posted by Zac Martin

08 April 2008

It seems to blog about marketing means you have to make some occasional prediction, usually about a future trend. I don’t have much to offer today but here is a small insight of mine.

 will be replaced by  while  will be replaced by .

And we can only hope that the use of  is made illegal.

Posted by Zac Martin

04 April 2008

During my Easter break, I discovered a new game to replace the classic Rock Paper Scissors. It’s called Bear Ninja Hunter.

Start back to back and on the count of three jump and turn around posing in one of three stances. The first is Bear with your hands above your head and fingers curled like claws. The second is Hunter with your hands in front like you’re holding a shotgun. The third is Ninja with your hands flat in front of you in a Karate like stance.

Bear eats Ninja. Ninja kills Hunter. Hunter shoots Bear.

Relation to marketing? I’m not too sure but it is fun. Oh wait, here it is in a commerical, a lucky save by FedEx…

 

Posted by Zac Martin

02 April 2008

Age calls it the worst ad ever. Personally, I find Cabury’s latest A Glass And A Half Full Production… interesting. Here it is in case you missed it…

 

Not quite sure what to think of it, although as Peter Wagstaff pointed out to me, like the Gorilla ad, this is all about having fun and enjoying yourself. With that said, I’m not sure it will be as popular as the original and the question becomes can Cadbury pull it off again?

Something that I find really impressive is the website. Not only does it have one of the best designs I’ve seen in a while, but Cadbury has been really impressive with their recognition of user generated content. Two things stand out; Firstly, the official website has links in the Studio section to some of the mash ups from the original. A risky move but an innovative one. Secondly, if you get into the Vault (password is “welcome” for the lazy among us) there are a number of extended clips from the ad. What do you do with these? You make mashups.

At first I thought this would be much harder to mashup than the original, I mean recording music over the top of Queen isn’t really that creative. But already I’ve found a great one and now I can’t wait to see what else is out there.

A brilliant example where the brand a recognising the work of its consumers.

Posted by Zac Martin

29 March 2008

I’ve been driving for nearly half a year now and one of the most fascinating things I’ve found is the unspoken concept of flashing your headlights. Usually this is done to let other drivers know of any dangers ahead, such as animals on the road or a upcoming car accident. However, it also applies to any police cars with their speed cameras out. Particularly over the Easter weekend, I was flashed a number of times and then I myself flashed other oncoming cars.

I’m not sure if this concept exists outside Australian culture but it certainly plays on the strong sense of mateship, even for those you don’t know.

Now just imagine a brand could do something similar. Create an action, embed it into a culture and create a direct link to your brand that will last for years. The closest example I can think of is the “Oh What A Feeling” Toyota Jump.

Posted by Zac Martin