Friday, 17 June 2011

The Birds

Angry Birds are everywhere (and yes the irony of that statement is not lost on me). What was a humble game for a phone has almost reached saturation point.

At Toy World the other weekend (I was there with the family, not just hanging out), there was a whole aisle devoted to the plush toys. Watching 30-Rock, Tina Fey refers off-hand to a level she just can’t beat. While in Barcelona (or Bathelona if you prefer) T-Mobile have created a real life version of the game, complete with accompanying Mariachi Band.

I don’t really want to get into if it’s a great game (it is) or why it is (it just is). Just that it was the 52nd game Rovio had made.

Your first idea might not be the greatest. Nor even the second.

But let’s get started. Who knows where it might lead.

Monday, 2 May 2011

From puffin muffins to destroying brands…

iSelect has changed its advertising with a campaign reaching both offline and online.

So whether you love her or hate her, as its seems so many people do,  it’s ‘goodbye’ quirky, bubbly little blonde with the penchant for ‘puffin muffins’ …

… and ‘hello’ portly bald guy in a suit who gets the name of the large lady in his call centre wrong and doesn’t care.

As a brand specialist this ad sent a shiver down my spine. You’d have to be ‘burying heads’ to believe I’m going to be thinking nice things about iSelect after this misguided attempt at humour.

I agree that iSelect needed to do something new, but for me this misfires badly. I get the message that iSelect is not a health fund, I got that from the previous ads. Now I also get the message that iSelect has a culture that rides rough-shod over the feelings of individuals. Their names and feelings don’t matter.

For many people there are few bigger faux pas than getting someones name wrong.

Well actually there is a bigger one. Getting a name wrong, not giving a stuff  and then insisting on using the wrong name over the protests of the victim of your poor manners.

At the DM group we work with many major brands to construct the framework of  their brand strategy and bring their brand personality to life through considered and insightful creative executions on and offline. If you’d like to discuss how we might help you do just that for your brand why not give us a call.

Malcolm Harvey

Client Services Director

Thursday, 21 April 2011

Goodbye Bensons – HELLO ‘Ciggies’

The recent Federal Government announcements on plain cigarette packaging  could mark the end of  40 year war against the tobacco industry. That industry  is up in arms and threatening multi-million dollar law suits. Perhaps evidence of how deeply this latest assault will impact the ‘brands’?

Over the years the tobacco industry has been quite remarkable in maintaining strong brands in the face of restrictions that would have sounded the death knell for other categories.   

In the 1970s tobacco companies were banned from using overtly glamorous or ‘cool’ imagery, so they resorted to an increasingly surreal approach to selling their wares. The result was arguably some of the best press ads and posters of a generation with oblique images of gold pyramids and ripped silk. For a while it seemed that the tighter you squeezed the industry, the more creative it became.

But that’s all about to change, no more ads, no more seductive packaging, no more brands, no more cigarettes.

Result = true happiness? Well perhaps its not that simple.

The fact is that you can take away the brand identity but the need that created the category will remain?

All you are left with is a single, mass market of ‘ciggies’ with similar look, price and taste (just a different name to pay lip service to their origin). It might stop me posing with an expensive brand I think says something about me, but does it stop me smoking? I doubt it. For the vast majority of smokers this is about addiction first and fashion a far distant second.

At the DM group we work with clients to create brands that positively differentiate them from the competition, our successes with  blue chip clients are testiment to our creativity. If you’d like to know more, why not give us a call.

Malcolm Harvey – Client Services Director

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Porsche – an everyday brand?

Porsche has announced it will be carrying out an integrated marketing campaign in the US utilising direct mail, mobile, online and TV. It’s in response to research that suggests consumers view the Porsche 911 as impractical for everyday use.

The campaign elements direct customers to a dedicated website featuring company and consumer generated content.  Porsche hope to influence sales amongst the wealthy targets of the campaign – luxury auto consumers and some enthusiasts.

In an attempt to convince these high rollers of the everyday credentials of a Porsche, the site includes videos, photos and testimonials from customers about the everyday use of their cars. There is even the opportunity to share content through social networks.

I have a suspicion that whether , or not, you see your Porsche as a good car for around town will depend upon just how wealthy you are. If it’s the dream car you’ve saved for over years I’m not sure you’ll be picking up the takeaway in it. On the other hand if its parked next to the Bentley….

That aside, what really interested me was the evidence that a major brand is prepared to take a truly integrated approach to a campaign. Take note of:

• The use of both offline and online channels leading to an online fulfilment site;
• The integration of social media;
• The customer –centric nature of the content – encouraging interaction
• The fact that the campaign is seeking to change brand perception – wow how DM has grown up.

For a full service agency like the DM Group, with advertising, brand, direct marketing and digital services on offer, it’s really encouraging that major brands are leveraging channel opportunities and customer engagement in this way. So come on you Aussie brands,  let’s show the US we can do the same.

Call me today

Malcolm Harvey,  Client Services Director