Breaking Bread – Thumbs Up

Panera ran this ad by Mullen in USA Today. It asks different feuding people to reconcile by breaking bread.  There are some expected feuding couples in the list, but also some chuckle-worthy obscure ones. Which one is your favorite? Mine is: those who install toilet paper over vs. those who prefer it under.

GOLOSO Burger King!!!! – Thumbs Up

Over the years, Burger King has had some interesting advertising strategies.  We all remember the “King” series, where Burger King had a man dressed in a Renaissance king outfit and sneakily hand people Whoppers.  Earlier this year Burger King released the “Whopper Virgins” Ads, where they traveled all across the world giving Whoppers and Big Macs to people who have never experienced either to see which they would choose.  Both campaigns were successful, putting Burger King at the top of its advertising game.

Now, Burger King has definitely upped the ante in their newest campaign: sponsoring a soccer team.  Burger King and Getafe, a Spanish La Liga soccer club, have agreed to sponsorship terms so that Burger King can have their logo on all of their jerseys.  Seems simple.  A ton of soccer teams worldwide have sponsors on the front of the jerseys, so no big deal, right?  Well, not exactly.  For the first time, Burger King has also placed something on the inside of the jersey: the Burger King’s face.  Here how it works:  Once a player on Getafe’s team scores, he celebrates his goal, and a very popular way of celebrating is by pulling the jersey over the players face.  When the player celebrates this way, the Burger King’s face will then be covering his face as shown in the picture.  What a genius and innovative way of sponsoring a team!  Although this is only available (so far) on one small soccer team from Spain, it will be interesting to see if other sponsors take note from Burger King’s strategy and place their logos and other gimmicks on the inside of their jerseys.  I would buy this jersey in a heart beat and practice my soccer goal celebrations.  Well done Burger King.

Modernista! Using eBay – Thumbs Up

Modernista! is at it again.  The Boston-based award winning advertising agency implemented another quirky method in order to separate their name from all the others.  Popular and unique for its siteless website, Modernista! recently used the popular bidding website eBay in its next stunt.  Using eBay (offer seen here), Modernista! auctioned off what they called the “12-Pack of Suds Spots”, a package of 12 commercial scripts meant for a beer marketer.  Although Modernista! didn’t receive the offer they were hoping for – final bid was only $45 – you have to give them props for doing something different in order to make some buzz and set them apart from their competition.  Interesting idea on how to get your name out there.  It was never revealed who actually bought the 12 pack of scripts; however, knowing Modernista!’s success in the advertising world, the buyer will probably not be disappointed by their purchase.

Boone Oakley – Thumbs Up

Boone Oakley, an advertising agency, decided to make their homepage a YouTube video.  It kind of has the same feel as a Demetri Martin routine.  In an industry where everyone is trying to stand out and be noticed, Boone Oakley is succeeds with their fun video.  Check it out for yourself:

We Are Autobots – Thumbs Up

I wrote about Augmented Reality (AR) a few days ago in a post about the game ARhrrr.  Here is another cool example of AR that you can try yourself if you have a webcam.  It’s a promotion created by Picture Production Company (PPC), with augmented reality specialists Total Immersion for the upcoming Transformers movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  It uses facial recognition to turn your face into the mug of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots.

 

Check out weareautobots.com to try it yourself.  It takes a few minutes to set-up, but it’s worth the wait!  Definitely a lot of fun.  This is a great way to get people excited about the new Transformers movie and get them to interact with the brand.  I wonder if enough people out there have webcams to give the site the viral success that the marketing teams are probably looking for.

GM Ad Parody – Thumbs Up

During the whole General Motors bankruptcy deal recently, GM decided to release a new ad to try to save their image.  While I was personally a fan of the ad itself as crisis communication (I posted about it on this blog), I can understand that a significant amount of people would be skeptical of the message.  I was wondering if GM was going to be able to live up to the promises it made in the ad.   Here’s another example of a skeptical viewpoint.  Current TV’s “InfoMania” show dubbed the commercial for a funny parody:

Maybe GM has lost too much credibility with the public to affect them with a positive messages about the brand.  I’m hopeful that they will make it out of this and  I’m very interested to see what comes out of this situation.

Prototype Experience – Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up: This is a really creative trailer for Prototype, a new video game by Activision. It requires you to log into Facebook Connect, but don’t worry, your profile will be safe. It’s a really creative piece of media. I don’t want to go into more detail because I don’t want to spoil the experience for you. Check it out here.

Free Solo Cups – Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up: GetFreeCups.com is an advertising and marketing company started by two Yale students that gives away packets of 16 oz. cups, in packages of 50 to 500, to any student on campus who wants them. The cups are free because an advertiser puts an ad on each cup. I think it’s a win-win for both students and the advertisers. The students save money and a trip to the store by getting free cups, and the advertiser builds name recognition on college campuses. Hopefully the business can remain sustainable. I know that my roommates and I would have loved this in college. It looks like we just missed it, as it’s coming to Boston College next semester.
Here is an article about GetFreeCups.com at Yale