…trying to stay positive when everything (wonderfully written, well thought article) you typed for this post gets lost in the digital cloud (there’s a short story of how that happened, but it’s too painful to explain). …so here’s a really great … Continue reading
In todays world of rapid business and technological advancement, sometimes there really isn’t much to talk about in your products. Sure, we spend millions on the R&D for this feature that does this extra thing, better than Brand X, and 2 times better than Brand Y. Don’t get me wrong, innovation is a wonderful thing. And when everyone innovates, as a society, we get somewhere, we move up, we live better lives. eg – Cellphones, 3G and Smartphones have made sharing and connecting with others a lot easier. These are great stuff to have and show off.
But that said, which local telco doesn’t have 3G? Which big cellphone brand doesnt have smartphones? You get the drift. Because I don’t have to tell you I’m the better 3G coverage, or I’m the more reliable network. Are you really going to believe me, especially when I tell you that I’m better, and bigger, and more powerful, with more users, and the No.1 Brand?
No. You’re going to ask your friends about me, and ask your friends friends. You’re more likely to believe them and their personal experience, than you are to believe me.
I’d have to put in a a lot of effort to try and convince you that I’m the best provider for your needs. More so if what I offer is not that much different from Brand X and Brand Y.
It’s better for me if you came up to that conclusion, yourself.
So, if that’s the case, then how can I make a big impact in your life, before you’ve bought into me?
Here’s a really nice example of selling something that has no innovation, no unique feature, no nothing. But if you get the humour, I promise you’ll be picking them up in your next visit to the supermarket.
Posted in Uncategorized
Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, BLINDSIGHT and COUNTDOWN TO ZERO) and co-directors João Jardim and Karen Harley have great access to the entire process and, in the end, offer stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit.
Posted in Art, Documentary, Life, Love, Photography
Bernice Alexandra ‘Ray’ Eames (1912-1988) was an American designer, filmmaker and wife to Charles Eames who designed some of the best-known iconic pieces of contemporary American furniture. Ray often documented her passions in short films on various subjects. In 1968, she made Powers of Ten, a quietly stunning journey from the depths of space to within a nucleus of an atom.
This small film has always helped me to remember the big picture and still never fails as a reminder to always put things in context and perspective.
The film may be over 40 years old today but the little lesson it imparted on me still has a large effect on how I view things moving towards the future.
Thank You, Ray and Charles Eames.
Watch the EamesOffice Powers of Ten video here:
A concept site based on the short film:
More on the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames:
Posted in Art, Behind the scenes, ideas, Life, Photography, Uncategorized
Tagged creative, ideas, impact, inspiration, Life
Dave Trott is one of my advertising idols.
For me, it’s not necessarily for his work, but for the wealth of knowledge and experience he has in the advertising industry that he shares so liberally.
His blog posts are insightful, anecdotal and highly entertaining. I decided a while ago that one day I’m going to travel to the UK and try and work for him. So naturally, I chose to show him in my Push Press Play presentation.
Dave gave a talk at an Account Planning Group seminar on a plethora of topics including effective planning, brief writing, strategy insights and the basics of communication. Just 10 minutes into it, I was hooked and had already filled a page with scribbles.
From time to time, we all need a frame of reference just like this to help us remember what we already know and give us the kick we need to bring our A game to the field.
Watch the discussion here and be motivated to do good, smart work: http://www.apg.org.uk/?p=83
For a more concise Dave Trott, visit here:
http://www.cstthegate.com/davetrott/
Cheers.
- The Witty Raconteur
Posted in Advertising, ideas, Opportunity
Tagged account service, branding, communication, creativity, Dave Trott, impact, persuasion, planning
It’s my turn this time! I was freaking out what to do and present during the Monday’s WIP meeting. Then…just 2 days before the presentation, on the weekend, I got attracted to their TVC which was aired in one of their outlets in Ikano, Damansara. I think it’s cool that they did it with a super long-shot! Check it out!
Then it struck me, do Americans really run on Dunkin?? I went back and started the case studies. The agency who did this campaign was Hill Holiday in Boston. The task given to them was to transform Dunkin into a national powerhouse brand and to go against its competitor such as Starbucks and McDonalds! So, the agency did a research and they found the Americans are constantly on the go, looking to complete the next task on their to-do lists, succeed in their endeavors, and just to get through the day. This observation of consumer behavior is exactly what Boston agency Hill Holliday considered when they created the “America Runs On Dunkin’” campaign.
Rather than position the daily cup of coffee as a relaxing escape to a busy day, Hill Holliday promoted Dunkin Donuts coffee as human fuel, used to help the everyday American succeed in their hectic life. In fact, this campaign possesses all of the qualities of a simple, sticky idea that Chip and Dan Heath promote in their book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. According to the Heath brothers model, a simple idea must fit a simple formula: Simple = Core + Compact.
Hill Holliday chose the core value of the product (Dunkin Donuts gets you through your busy day) and used it to create this very successful campaign.
Results? They are eclipsed Starbucks as the #1 in customer loyalty for 2 years running (Brand keys) and Voted 2007 ‘Marketer of the Year’ by Restaurant News. As of today, this campaign is still running and they are exploring the Social Media side of things with a Fan Page of Facebook and also this micro website which i’m not to sure if the mechanic worked on the consumers.
You can check out their TVC(s) and other creative collaterals here! 
Tho the campaign is very sucessful in US, it might not work as strong if it were in Malaysia. Hence they only share the TVC and not it’s campaign here. 
Wonder if Dunkin Donuts Malaysia should do something… they used to be the ONLY donut francise in Malaysia but….other francise like Big Apple Donuts, J.Co Donuts and Krispy Kreme is here now! Yummmz….
Posted in Advertising, Fun, ideas
