http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfZRnqQr-k&feature=related

I thought this ad was quite interesting because it got quite a bit of buzz on the internet as being racist.  Apparently KFC was the sponsor of the cricket match between the West Indies and Australia.  When I first saw this ad I almost died because I wasn’t thinking about cricket, or about this ad in the right context at all.  Yet, after I realized it was a cricket match and an Australian cricket player was on the opposing teams stands it made a lot more sense to me.  I thought this ad was a good example of how it is so easy for advertising to get misconstrued and how imperative it is for agencies to realize that how your ad is interpreted depends on the eye of the beholder.  To an Australian, or someone who is familiar with cricket, this ad makes complete sense, but with the associations that people in the United States make about KFC fried chicken it’s a bit more confusing.  I think this ad is also a good example of how people really do look for the bad, or assume the worst, especially with all the hype concerning racial slurs etc. and how it is so important for agencies to really take this into account.

Mars, a huge chocolate manufactuer (M&Ms, Snickers, Twix and Dove to name a few) has assured that it will team up with the Rainforest Alliance in order to make their chocolate more sustainable, and they want to only use sustainable cocoa by 2020.  This is huge, because human trafficking and child labor are  a huge problem in African cocoa farms so much of the worlds chocolate is linked to abuse.  With Mars being such a huge chocolate producer, if they really are to be completely sustainable by 2020, this could mean huge benefits to farmers and wildlife.  I would certainly feel better about myself if I could rest assured that a slave had nothing to do with my Snickers bar.  I think this will have a very positive impact on the Mars company and others should follow.  I think Cadbury has taken a step towards more sustainable cocoa production as well!

http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=143598

I found this article on Advertising Age and thought it was pretty neat.  Actimel, a pro-biotic yogurt sold in Argentina was faced with a dilemma: a viral email claimed that Actimel was “addictive, destroyed the stomachs natural flora and couldharm children’s health.”  We all know how negative word of mouth can be extremely detrimental to a company and its reputation.  What Actimel did to fight back was pretty innovative.  As opposed to just denying the e-mail through PR objectives, Actimel fought back.  As a matter of fact, initially they responded to bloggers and even ran a TV spot claiming you could “trust” Actimel (anyone reminded of the CEO of Domino’s YouTube apology?) but they decided to take a more innovative approach.  They created a website called Creador de Rumores where visitors can create their own rumors (about themselves) claiming they have won a trip to the World Cup in South Africa etc. and submit a picture of themselves along with the fake rumor.  It sort of reminds me of a play on “sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me.”  By creating a website that ridicules the impact of rumors and pokes fun at them while engaging consumers in a form of entertainment, Actimel positioned itself as a confident, trustworthy company.  Good job Actimel!

It’s all interesting to see the causes that the Ad Council chooses to create spots for. This ad focuses on the issue of cyberbullying. Although cyberbullying is a relatively new form of harassment, it is a major issue that is not addressed near enough. Cyberbullying has even been related to an increase in suicides among 10-19 year olds.

I think this ad does a great job of showing us that internet bashing is just as painful as being insulted in person. I also really like how the little girl’s speech catches the viewer off guard. I’m not sure what I was expecting to hear come out of her mouth, but I was certainly not prepared to hear so many rude insults! The commercial cuts back and forth between the girl’s speech, and close ups of “Patty’s” face as she listens to what her peers think of her. Patty’s emotional transition from being flattered that she was the topic of interest, to embarrassed by what is actually said is pretty powerful, especially since she is so young.

I would imagine this was an effective campaign not only because of the well written script, but also because of the ad’s call to action… or anti-action at the end of the commercial when it tells people how to stop cyberbullying: don’t write it, don’t forward it, etc.

“Find your Burt”. My local CVS was out of my favorite chap stick and I wouldn’t settle for anything else. I went home, a little distraught that my lips were chapped and typed Burt’s Bees in Bing. “Find your Burt” came up and I clicked out of curiosity. What I found was pleasantly surprising. Their mission was their commitment to The Greater Good. (Wow, I only wanted to order my favorite chapstick). The beeswax they use is part of the making of nature, and they realize that they need to protect their resources. They stress that their contributions are a daily commitment. They even have a goal of achieving zero carbon footprint by 2020. This would be a great achievement, but even more engaging then the facts spit out is the simple link to burtsbees.com to find out more.

In celebration of Earth Day, the site offers to “Burtify” you. You can either use your webcam or upload a picture and the site recognizes your face and morph it you the classic Burt seen on their logo. They also utilized world of mouth. For example, when you’re done you can send it to your friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter or “tell-a-friend”. The site is very interactive with more galleries, videos, and product information that relates to their concern for preserving nature and our environment.

Embed are a couple of the promotion videos. They did a campaign in LA and New York and also create a viral video to show you how to “Burtify”. Kudos to Burts Bees for engaging AND informing existing customers!

I love this Pedigree Campaign! I’ve worked in shelters before and know how hard it can be to get people to adopt their animals. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing an animal stay in the shelter for extended periods of time. I think Pedigree did a great job of choosing a cause that relates to their product. By linking themselves with shelters, their efforts seem legitimate. I honestly believe that the people at Pedigree want to help shelter dogs; that they’re not just using this campaign as a way to boost their sales. Do these ads change the way you guys see shelter animals?

The video I really wanted to put on here isn’t on youtube so I’ve posted the link below. I think the best part of the ad is the tag line “Don’t pity a shelter dog, adopt one”. It speaks to the people watching the TV who might otherwise be moved by the commercial, but ultimately don’t act on their emotions.

I am not a fan of this commercial and I don’t think it’s virtuous. The commercial starts out with a gas chamber which immediately made me feel uncomfortable. While nothing bad happens in the commercial and no real “gas” is used, the tagline is that “Bad breath kills”. The whole set-up of placing the man in the chair and locking him in the gas chamber is not effective to me, and personally, I think it is scary. I wonder if they are allowed to show this ad on TV. I think it would be extremely offensive to a variety of people. I think they pushed it a little too far with this commercial because they are really just trying to sell mouthwash.