Here in Washington State in November, we'll be voting on Initiative 502, which is designed to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. Obviously, it's a controversial issue, although it has a lot of support. One of the pro-502 spots airing heavily on TV is this one. Note the jarring first line of the spot: "I don't like it personally, but..." Right from the start, we're supposed to feel sympathy with this …
SOREL Challenges Women To Get Their Boots Dirty
SOREL, a brand owned by Columbia Sportswear, is featuring "fiercely independent, creative and inspiring women who are living out their passions" in its new Get Your Boots Dirty ad campaign from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners. Kimberly Barta, SOREL’s senior global brand director, said, “Women tell us they feel a sense of fearlessness and strength when they put on boots." “SORELs don't just look great, they …
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Nature Valley Explores Shared Points of Interest At Three National Parks
Creating compelling content for marketing purposes, whatever the platform, comes down to utility or entertainment. That's the opportunity for brands, and delivering on that opportunity requires a switch from the messaging approach that we've all grown so accustom to. Nature Valley Trail View is a new entry into the field that offers both utility and entertainment, without bothering to sell anyone a packaged …
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Childhood Obesity Ads Serve Up Truth With A Side Of Guilt
As health care costs increase along with portion sizes, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has decided to tackle the problem full-on in a series of ads that expose the problem of childhood obesity. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more: Using tools such as television commercials and billboards late this year, the campaign has offered stark black-and-white images of overweight children sharing bold and …
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Happiness Interventions c/o Coca-Cola
Public service advertising no longer belongs to the world of pro-bono work and free late-night media placements. With the opportunity presented by content marketing, brands are beginning to wear their values on their YouTube sleeve. Take Coca-Cola, the soft drink empire found another way to spread happiness, and tie it to the emotion of Christmas. They achieved this by selecting three Overseas Filipino Workers, …
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So, Do You Hate Or Unhate The New Benetton Campaign?
I gotta admit, I don't think about Benetton too much. It was kind of a big deal in my local mall in the mid 80's. But that's about it. So there's nothing like an ad campaign featuring world leaders kissing to get a little buzz. And promote the brand's Unhate Foundation, for whatever that's worth. USA Today has more: "The campaign shows that we need to have courage to not hate others," says Alessandro …
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With GLBT Advertising, The Target Isn’t Always The Intended Target
This week, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) honored Google Chrome for the "It Gets Better" campaign. And deservedly so. But writing in Xtra!, a Canadian GLBT news site, Bruce Chambers takes a closer look at other efforts that may, or may not appeal to the GLBT audience, despite their intentions and use of gay and lesbian characters. He uses this example, an ad for Hyundai that ran in …
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Can Rip The Drip Get You To Stop Wasting Water?
We've seen a number of efforts to call attention to countries where drinking water is scarce. But what about excessive water consumption here at home? Shelton Group in Knoxville is calling attention to the problem with a character called Rip The Drip, who shows up exactly at the moment water begins to be wasted. You can see more of the effort at WastingWaterIsWeird.com, which Shelton Group created in …
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