Peugeot 'Nonstop'

Although this ad for Peugeot's 208 model starring dancer Marquese, also known as Nonstop, was released in April of this year I still feel it appropriate to blog about mainly because I sat for the whole 4 minutes watching in genuine awe at it. This ad made number 2 on the recently released list of YouTube's most watched ad of 2012. It was created by Initials Marketing and features the Rudimental soundtrack which in itself could have contributed to the video's popularity as the song was recently in the charts. Less is definitely more when it comes to this video because the advertising is subtle with the car just being strategically placed in the background and almost taking a back seat to the dancer Marquese. In creating an ad that doesn't shout out about the car's qualities they have effectively managed to create a successful ad that could go viral very quickly purely because of the dancing. Or is it that Peugeot, who are part of the same company as Citroen, are stepping back into their advertising comfort zone by using a dance routine with a popular song in the background. I knew Peugeot's ad reminded me of something...

 



YouTube's most popular ads of 2012

So 2012 is almost over and YouTube have released their results of the most popular ads of 2012. They have advised brands to include humour and interactivity into their campaigns in order to maximise viewing figures and gain more interest. Number 1 was won by Honda Civic's 'Spark' ad. Having watched the ad I can understand why it received so many views, the idea behind the ad is simple. The advert deviates from the typical car adverts we're used to that usually a car showing how fast it can drive or overly emphasising the technical features of the car. I like how the ad is following the story of a spark which represents the beginning of production for a car and makes reference to the features within the car such as the power and speed but does this subtly which works well.

 



Sacla expands their products

Sacla, the pesto and pasta brand, are launching their new fresh product aimed to fill the premium gap within the pasta market. Currently there are not many products out there categorised under fresh sauces or pasta so I think Sacla could be successful in closing this gap and sales could be easy since there are no competitors. Just from the luxurious and upmarket packaging I can imagine the price point of this product will be too high for the majority of students and is most likely to be found in supermarkets such as Waitrose or Sainsbury's. Despite this I can still see the appeal because it provides convenience with fresh quality which could appeal to many working professionals who want to have a healthy meal but don't have the time to cook. The product launch will be supported by point-of-sale, in-store, press and digital activity.

In sync with the launch of their new product Sacla are also looking to appoint a creative agency to work on the brand's advertising account. Their previous advertisments include the "Sac-la" which saw a man chopping to a beat saying Sac-La in time to his chopping.

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/



Very.co.uk

 

Very.co.uk have created a clever way of driving traffic to their website by having a digital display of the trends and encouraged shoppers on the high street to interact with it by taking pictures to then shop on the website. This particular image has been placed in Liverpool and the trends shown on the images have been tailored to the shopping habits of people from Liverpool. Very has commented that if that move turns out successful then they will consider other locations within the UK to have more digital displays.

I think this works because since Very is an online only shopping website they rely on advertising to attract customers who won't have heard of the website before because it is highly unlikely somebody will just stumble upon the website in a way they might stumble across a shop in a high street whilst browsing. Very currently have TV advertisements featuring Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton which has made the brand popular due to the celebrity endorsement. It's clever how Very are trying to convert people already shopping on the high street to go and shop online. http://www.retail-week.com/

Spotify to turn social

 

Spotify will be changing their interface as of next year to become more current with social media. Users will be able to follow artists and see their updates as they might do on Twitter or Facebook. However the social aspect will be more music focused to fit into the Spotify product so users will be able to share playlists between friends and see what everyone is listening to. There is a business move within this for Spotify because it has created push notifications for brands which will allow brands associated with music, such as Dre Beats headphones, to send out messages to their users when there is an important update, such as a new product coming out. This could encourage more brands to go to Spotify to advertise their product if it means their audience will be widened. I'm not sure if this move is necessary for Spotify though because even though they will become more current and up to date they should just remain unique because it seems that the majority of websites are wanting to become more social media connected. http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/spotify

McDonald's Happy Meals play zones

 

Considering I enjoyed a Happy Meal today I thought it relevant to blog about this. McDonald's have launched play areas within 150 of their stores, in particular the stores with a high volume of family traffic. The areas are gesture-controlled, supplied by Paradigm AV and allow children to interact with cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny in the style of Wii games where they can move around and remain active. This is a good strategic move by McDonald's to be recognised as a healthier brand as they are often scrutinized for their fat and salt levels within the food. I imagine not many parents are happy to regularly feed their children fast-food so the new play areas act as an incentive for parents who may have their reserves. It counteracts the unhealthy aspect of fast-food as the children are being encouraged to get active and remain entertained which adds to the whole eating experience. In doing this it shows McDonald's are still aiming to reach out to the family market with their products and I think this clever idea will work for them. The article for this can be found on http://www.brandchannel.com

Starbucks pays tax to build trust

 

Starbucks have now launched a campaign to ensure customers they will now pay tax above what is required. Following the controversy they created when it was revealed they didn't pay tax they have now agreed to pay over £20million in UK corporation tax. Although they weren't breaking the law in what they were doing it was simply immoral and has affected their corporate social responsibility and most likely affected the number of customers they have been getting over the past few weeks. Especially since their competitor, Costa Coffee, do already pay UK corporation tax. So I think Starbucks are right to make it known to their customers that they are now paying tax because customers' trust has been damaged and they will need to ensure they maintain a good reputation. The article for this can be found on http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/starbucks