Progressive has an incredible campaign. The media buy must be huge as I see ads for their bundling packages everywhere — from TV to radio to emails, they are impressively unified. And entertaining. Kudos to their agency for taking a daunting product and making it fun.
For example, see the email and corresponding survey I got below. Two questions? That’s it. Awesome. Of course I’ll take it. It’s going to cost me less than a minute of time. Now that’s understanding your customer.
Also, Flo, the saleswoman in the ads, is awesome and makes the ads memorable.
TDA Advertising & Design has been launching some very well suited radio and OOH for Chipotle. Loved this one I saw grace the streets of NYC the other day.
Beautiful AT&T commercial by BBDO Worldwide. I can’t even imagine how long it took to make (At least the ad dork in me is hoping they didn’t use after effects). I would have loved to be apart of the coordination and shooting of it. Reminds me of the old but incredible Sony Bravaia “Balls” spot by Fallon.
While the ad is indeed beautiful, it still doesn’t make me rethink any of my current AT&T perceptions. Not even a smidge.
SunChips is aiming to reduce their environmental impact. And to do so, they’ve started to make compostable packaging. This TV spot tells us just that. Very cool.
It’s rare that I pay attention to a display ad. Sometimes I notice them, but to find one “intriguing” enough to want to click through? Let’s just say in terms of frequency, it happens slim to none. Today however, I saw two I enjoyed. Fancy that.
The Washington Magazine had a visually pleasing takeover that overlayed my screen just moments after I landed on the page. Generally I find ads that take over my screen interruptive and annoying. The key to this one? The incentive. The ad offered to treat me to dinner, on the Washington Mag. I really liked that (even though I won’t be given the opportunity to redeem anytime soon).
The Hartford also had an interesting ad running in the Wall Street Journal today. I unintentionally scrolled over this one and it expanded to cover half of the browser window. What was cool about this one was the interactive scroll bar that asked me to “rotate to explore.”
What worked about both ads is that while they got in my way, they were interesting enough to capture my attention without annoying me. Both are previewed below.
Funny how the video creator leaves out all of the good things Google is doing with their data captures. What about all the ways Google makes your life easier? Like Google’s new bike directions? Or how Google helps you identify people you might be interested in following on Twitter? Or how they let you tour the entire world from the comfort of your own computer through Earth View? In my personal opinion, I think Google is so friggin cool.
I see it all the time. People staring at their phones while driving down the highway instead of watching the car in front of them.
AT&T reminds their users not to text and drive via a personal message once logged into their online accounts. Nice.
What caught my attention was the study that those who text while driving are 23 time more likely to be involved in some type of accident. I was actually surprised this number wasn’t higher. I think we all know it’s true. We shouldn’t text and drive. Sadly, not sure the message will stop people.
Hi. I'm Ashley Vaness, a Minneapolis gal with a thing for smart advertising. Here you will find the thoughts, questions, ideas and opinions I have about the industry that muse about my mind. I'll promote brands, campaigns technologies and products I am a fan of. I will also post links, articles and stats I deem noteworthy of sharing. You'll find discussion around topics such as (but not limited to) interactive strategy, web design, social media, user experience, email marketing, SEO, SEM and web analytics. Want to know more? Visit my About page.
Said opinions are my own and not those of the companies or clients I work for. Interested in discussing? You can reach me at ashley.vaness@gmail.com
This industry is so new I am puzzled by how someone can say they are a social media expert. The one that is an expert is the marketer in the company that has found success by trial and error. — Michael J. Goldrich
It’s the orders you disobey that make you famous. — Douglass MacArthur
In a hyper-competitive market, competence is expected and only flawless execution is tolerable. But that's no longer enough. Today, the ultimate competitive advantage is passion. — Max Kalehoff
Wisdom is acquired by experience, not age. — Fortune Cookie
The most interesting effect of new communication technologies is, perhaps, not how we use them, but how they change how we use everything else. — Faris Yakob
We initiate projects on our own, rather than waiting for them to be assigned.
Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies or water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery — celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: "It's not where you take things from — it's where you take them to." — Jim Jarmusch
All that is necessary for evil to triumph and succeed is for good men to do nothing. — Edmund Burke
Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You cannot try to do things. You must simply do them. — Ray Bradbury
It's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. — Carlos Abler
Nothing great has been, and nothing great can be, accomplished without passion. — G.W.F Hegel
Beware — this lifestyle is addicting. Once you start you will not be able to quit. You will lose days of sleep rambling on incoherently about the typeface names, Pantone colors and AS class structures you need to have for your current project. None of your non-designer friends will understand you and as you drift into the subculture, slipping away from reality day by day. But none of that matters, because you will love it. — Grant Eull
