Hello, Mr. President

To this day, it astounds me how much power a school like the University of Washington has. Next Tuesday, November 2nd, are the primary elections. President Barack Obama made it a point to come to our UW campus to rally votes for the incumbent democrat senator, Patty Murray.

Now I'm not here to talk politics. And to even attend the really, you could be conservative, liberal, green, whatever. The leader of our great nation was at my campus speaking. And speak, he did.

A group of my friends, some who consider themselves democrat, some republican, woke up at 6:00am on October 20th to see our president speak at the Hec Ed Pavillion, where our beloved Huskies play their basketball games. Upon our arrival, there were about 500-800 people in front of us, and we began to worry about getting a seat. If you're familiar with campus, our place in line was right by the entrance to the IMA building. By 9:00am, the line wrapped completely around the IMA fields, coming close to the Washington Aquatic Center, from what I heard. Over 13,000 people lined up. Luckily we got seats instead of having to stand on the general floor for four hours, which was quite a relief after standing in line for three hours.


Regardless of people's left or rightist views, it's hard to deny president Obama's spectacular public speaking skills and charisma. He certainly targeted his speech to a younger audience, but certainly didn't dumb it down. He spoke to everyone. A couple lines, in particular, that stand our were him saying, "I am proud to be a democrat. But more than anything, I am proud to be an American." The crowd went wild. I went wild. Though the speech was politically charged, the patriotism was overwhelming.

I know decades down the road, I am going to be able to boast to younger generations that the first non-white president came to my university to speak to us in hopes of getting the youth vote back for a senator.


If you'd like to view the transcript from his speech, it can be found here.

Mini's huge mobile splash

When I think back on my childhood, some of my most fond memories were playing games, of course. Being an outdoorsy kid, I played a lot on the playground during recess. Tag was my game. Now, as a young adult, I can't remember the last time I got to play. But what If I got to play a elaborated game of tag in an entire city, competing to win a car... in Sweden? Sign me up!

Mini has created a tremendously creative and fun campaign using an iPhone app, harnessing the phone's GPS to track other users in Stockholm. While I wonder how some of the technicalities work, such as what happens if you lose service, I applaude them on this fun, engaging concept. Can we have a Seattle version soon?

55th and Brooklyn

As I've discussed in previous posts, blogging/social media is a great way for aspiring musicians to be heard, discovered, or just share their music with the world. More and more artists are being "found" online by random producers- in fact, MySpace originated as a site for musicians, not for friends to share embarrassing pictures of one another. Since then, more and more sites are popping up allowing users to share what music they like, or want others to see. Apple just released their social music network, Ping, just recently, as a matter of fact, which encompasses the iTunes store, and your iPod/iPhone, as well.

Two good friends of mine just started their first blog, 55th and Brooklyn, to share their music into cyberspace. David Boman and Peter Muller are two talented musicians I have known throughout college. I have been fortunate enough to have seen them perform in a number of settings, both together and with their previous groups. Each time they have blown me away with their talent and energy, so I was naturally excited to hear that they would be releasing some of the stuff they've been working on, online. Be sure to check them out at 55thandbrooklyn.blogspot.com and give them some feedback!

New York, Take Four

I recently returned from a short trip to New York City. This trip had a much different motive than any of my other visits to the Big Apple. Sure, I had some fun on the side, but the main point of this trip was to meet with advertising professionals to learn as much insight on the industry in NYC and gain any advice I could for my final year of college going into my first real year of my “career.”

But of course being in New York on the weekend when the offices aren’t open, I had to have some fun first. Arriving on a game day for the Washington Huskies meant we had to find a good place to watch the football game. We found ourselves at the Rattle ‘N Hum on 33rd street. This bar happens to be designated by the University of Washington’s New York Alumni Association as their official bar to meet up for sports games and functions. I anticipated a good turn out, but I had no idea that the entire bar would be packed full of Huskies. Unfortunately, we lost to BYU, but most of the fans couldn’t be too upset due to the temporary open bar granted to all UW fans.

On Sunday, it just so happened to be the Brazilian festival on 6th Avenue. The entire street was closed for multiple blocks featuring stages with live music, dancing, street vendors and food. It was pretty incredible, but way too crowded for my liking.



We later took the Staten Island Ferry to see one of my good friends from West Seattle, Zach Varce, pitch for the Staten Island Yankees, the New York Yankees’ minor league team. They have a beautiful stadium right on the water with the Manhattan skyline right in the background of the outfield.


After the game we went to Lombardi’s Pizzeria, which is supposed to be the oldest pizzeria in the United States. I don’t know how factual that title is, but the taste sure measured up to it. Either that, or it was the fact that we had to wait over an hour to get a table at the Soho restaurant.


After the fun weekend, came time for the business part to my visit. Over the next three days, I would meet with marketers from JWT, Google, BBDO, OMD, Grey, Razorfish, Wunderman and Taylor. I got a wide array of advice, all of which was extremely helpful. I was learned more info on the agencies themselves, what the industry is like in New York versus Seattle, and the process of moving to a place like New York

What I learned there, combined with the advice I had gained from some of my supervisors at Wunderman made one thing clear: New York is where I need to go. Though intimidating, the rate of professional growth, the competitiveness, and the new-city-experience could prove to be one of the biggest challenges of my life, and hopefully the most rewarding.

A Wunderful Summer

My last entry was titled “My apologies…” jokingly in regards to how I anticipated the World Cup taking over the topics of the following blog entries. What I did not anticipate, however, was how busy I would be this summer. If you look at the date of the last update, it’s from three months ago, so for this, I really do apologize.

I just got through spending the summer interning at Wunderman Seattle for the commercial Microsoft account team. There, I supported the account teams aligned to the Windows 7 and the U.S. government’s public sector businesses.

This experience over the summer was quite an eye-opener since my previous internship seemed to be the polar opposite. I don’t mean this in a negative way in the slightest. GoMobile is a small, privately owned, alternative advertising agency, while at Wunderman, I was in a 300 person office, working on primarily digital campaigns with multiple network partners, while being owned by Y&R and WPP, one of the “big four” holding companies. Both types of agencies certainly had their different positives and negatives, but I am certainly glad I have been fortunate enough to experience both.

Though it’s near impossible to try and summarize three months at an agency into a single blog post, I am about to attempt to do so, so please bear with me.

For Windows 7 I got some exposure to campaigns aligned to the consumer and small to midsize business segments. These display banner campaigns ran on-network (MSCOM). Because I started there at the very end of Microsoft’s fiscal year, a lot of work included analysis and reporting on the past years’ campaigns’ performance to optimize for FY11. Additionally, regular upkeep of the campaigns was performed- making sure the redirects and tags were firing appropriately.



For Public Sector, I was fortunate enough to see the complete creation and execution of two campaigns, though I was involved in three others. One of which was Microsoft’s Q5 Federal campaign, which targeted the government’s Department of Defense and Civilian divisions. Because the government’s IT infrastructure has always been subpar to the rest of the business world, this campaign positions itself to show how Microsoft’s solutions can really enhance their productivity. This campaign included web design for the on-network landing pages and also creating on-network and external display banners. I was also heavily involved in the tracking throughout the campaign, working closely with our media partner, MEC, to make sure all redirects, Atlas, and RIO tags are implemented correctly.

I also took the lead on “Education Desktop” for Public Sector during the summer. This campaign targeted the government’s education division by making them aware of how Microsoft’s products can help in the classroom. Free trials and webinars were available on the landing page to show exactly how this can be done. I helped implement the email deployment by working with VML, one of our network creative partners to make necessary changes, and with Exact Target, to deploy emails to our internal lists, and with Merit Direct to deploy to our external contact list.

Besides the day-to-day support I provided for the previously mentioned and other campaigns, the intern team was also in charge of completing a cumulative project. With so many interns, sixteen total, we were divided up into two teams. Each team was to have an account lead, two strategists, two media planners (MEC interns), two data analysts and a creative. I took on the role of the account lead.

Each team was given the same client input brief for a campaign supporting the launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 5.0. It included the same information, parameters, budget, and objectives that the actual FTE Wunderman account team had been given by the client. From this, using the Wunderman Network and Microsoft corpnet resources, including prior campaigns, we were to develop a client-ready strategic agency plan. It was quite challenging, seeing as this was most of the interns’ first time having an internship so digitally focused, but we used the resources available and what we learned in our day-today work with our client-facing teams to execute.

It was a great experience because we were set up and interacted exactly how teams within the agency work. To make it as real as possible, objectives even changed midway through the SAP development, to which we had to adapt. After the strategic agency plan was finished, we turned it into a visual deck to be presented to the Wunderman network’s senior leadership board, including the global client lead, the actual Dynamics CRM team, and the actual Microsoft Dynamics client. This was a challenging but rewarding experience, as we were posed with difficult yet thought-provoking questions in our question and answer sessions.



Besides enjoying the work I was doing and who I was working with, I had a great time overall. I made some great friends within the agency and the other interns. I learned an immense amount that I am sure to bring with me wherever the next step in my career may be.

My apologies...

But this is going to have to turn into a World Cup blog for the next month or so whether you like it or not. But come on- I'm sure you've already seen the trend leading up to the Cup. Now please don't get too upset. It will still be focused on marketing and advertising, but pretty much everything is going to have to deal with the World Cup.

First up: Where are you going to be watching it? My friends and I are hoping to hit up the George and Dragon for the first few matches. (It just so happens that I will have finished with finals just before the tournament starts). Sure, it may be an English pub and we'll be cheering the Yanks on, but it's also one of the best places to go watch live soccer, from what I've heard. Admittedly, I have never been, but I'm sure this will be a grand time. Fado and Kells are also great options.

However, my house just purchased a monster 66" HDTV which has 3D capability with NVIDIA 3D Vision. This comes at an opportune time, seeing as ESPN will be broadcasting 25 of the matches in 3D (channel 106 on DirecTV here). Has anyone used the NVIDIA 3D system before? Would it be worth the price of the expensive glasses, or will watching it in 1080p suffice?

Lastly, for now, what to wear while watching/celebrating? I have to give a couple of Dutch creatives credit for an awesome concept. Soccer is notorious for players taking off their shirts in celebration, whether its to display a message on an undershirt or... whatever. But how about to be the player? I wish these had been made for the U.S. or French team!

More to come once I'm done with my terrible final tests and papers!

45 days and counting down- CELEBRATE

So I know I've been giving Coca Cola a lot of marketing props lately, but I really can't help it. Especially with their partnership with the Olympics this year, and now the World Cup. In fact, it's less than two months until the most watched tournament in the world starts up.

In essence of the world's game, Coke is celebrating people's celebrations. They are giving a chance to those who submit their would-be goal scoring celebrations through YouTune to win tickets to attend the World Cup. Take a look at their YouTube page- you can't help but love the vibe, and maybe even laugh to yourself at some of the submissions.

The widget below is just a sample- check it out! (I suggest un-muting it for the full effect)

I Pledge My Allegiance...

More and more often, we are being defined by our consumerism. The other day, on my walk home from class, I began to think of the brands that I am most loyal to- the brands that define me, and why. Some large "cliché" brands first came to mind, but some smaller ones came to mind too. The brands may be common, but I feel like their resonance is unique to me (for the most part).

The first brand that came to mind was Nike. Sure, MOST people own at least one Nike product, but to me, Nike really does stand for "just do[ing] it." They have done an excellent job of establishing themselves as a competitor's brand, whether it's in a stadium, in the classroom, or against yourself. There are few things I enjoy more than competition. Also, Nike has done a good job of having a presence throughout my childhood on the soccer field, sponsoring tournaments, teams, and of course our equipment.

Nextly, I'm a Mac. My dad raised me on Apple Computers from an early age, and as I grew up, never strayed. I really value their simplistic, minimalistic design and synergy among other Apple products. One thing that has increased Apple's brand equity is Windows. Any opposing force strengthens one's loyalty to your preference, unless, of course, you are persuaded. Every time I get on a friend's PC and it freezes, or I hear about someone getting a virus, I thank goodness I own a Mac.

I'm also terribly loyal to Coca-Cola. There's nothing worse than craving one, going to order/buy one, and all they have is Pepsi. When it's sunny out, Coke reminds me of carefree summers, and when it's cold, I think of the cute polar bears and Santa. Talk about positive brand associations. I'm also impressed with their strides to be seen as a green-friendly company. In my most recent issue of Wired I was sent (April 2010), Coke had bought a full page print ad for Dasani, showing that not just the cola is using the new "Plant Bottle." The Plant Bottle is supposed to "made from up to 30% plant-based material that replaces some of the nonrenewable petroleum or fossil-based resources used in conventional PET plastic." What was most unique, was that one of the leaves of the plant under the bottle was able to be peeled off. Why? Because if you put it under soil and watered it regularly, it would turn into grass. What an amazing way of convey their concept of renewability and sustainability.

But how have these brands reached me personally? Repetition is certainly one of the keys. Sure, I may now seek out their advertising for my own knowledge, but before interest in the ad industry, these brands were seamlessly integrated throughout my life, starting at a young age. And now that they've reached me, a brand evangelist, the cycle perpetuates itself. Brilliant!

Below is Coca-Cola's song/music video they produced for their "Open Happiness" campaign. For some more info, check out my earlier post about their event marketing at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The Break Up

This was showed in one of my classes last quarter and thought it was hilarious, and quite relevant. Enjoy.

The Persuaders

Though my class schedule is absolute mayhem right now, I am thoroughly enjoying one of my classes: Media and societal identification. We basically discuss advertising's effects on our society, and how we affect advertising. Since I am so "pro-advertising," it's interesting to hear the opposite opinions of the industry, where those negative impressions are coming from, and how we can adapt to where it becomes more accepted.

Today in class we watched a series which first premiered on PBS' Frontline, called The Persuaders. The entire series can be viewed here, but below is the first segment, embedded (I think there are six total, about an hour and a half long). I found it to be very interesting and stimulating. Try at least watching one segment. I hope you enjoy.

Ogilvy and Me

When I landed my first internship with GoMobile, my creative director, Ryan Moss, suggested I read a couple books, one of which being Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! I really enjoyed reading Hey Whipple, and learned a lot from it. In fact, I have loaned it on to another friend who has started to take a liking to the advertising industry. Ryan, if you’re reading this, I swear I’ll get it back to you some day.

I haven’t really been able to sit down and read the books I’ve wanted to during the school year due to my workload from the classes I have been taking. However, this spring break, I was determined to do it. When it came time to pick a book, it was a little overwhelming. Due to the fast pace in which the industry is changing, everyone has something to say about how web 2.0 is going to take us into the next decade, how this medium is passé, and how this one has the most potential, etc.

Instead of picking a “new age” book, I chose Ogilvy On Advertising. This book by David Ogilvy of Ogilvy & Mather wasn’t written in this decade, or even the last. It was first published in 1983. Now why chose a book that would seem to be obsolete in today’s age? My latest advertising professor, Dr. Marcus Cunha, Jr., made a simple, yet brilliant point, which I will never forget. When talking about new media and its impact on the industry, he made sure to show us how the media and vehicles are different, but the concepts behind them, between the consumer and brand, between the client and the agency, stay the same.

So I picked up Ogilvy On Advertising and read on.

Being a young gun in the industry, still in college, I found the “jobs in advertising” chapter to be informative and enlightening, especially since I am in the process of possibly diversifying my internship experience perhaps outside of Seattle next summer. Upon Ogilvy making the point that most people in advertising seem to be happy with their careers, which is important, I thought back to a short trip I took with a couple GoMobile coworkers in September.

We drove down to Portland, Oregon, to see the showing of Art & Copy and the introduction to the film by David Kennedy of Wieden + Kennedy who cleverly donned a shirt that simply read “K+W.” After the film, which was the most professionally motivational movie I have watched yet, Mr. Kennedy conducted a question and answer session, in which I asked him what advice he had for a young individual taking his first steps into the industry. He replied by telling me, “If you really want to go into this industry… I’ll take you behind the bar and break both of your thumbs.” Laughter. Then on a serious note, he told me how demanding of an industry it is, with an unmistakably somewhat negative undertone. I could tell he wasn’t trying to rain on anyone’s parade, but if the art director behind the world’s most memorable catch phrase, “Just Do It,” was telling me how rough it had been, I had better roll my sleeves up. I digress.

David Ogilvy later goes into great depth in what he constitutes as a great print ad or TV spot, constantly referring to specific research for the different components of the advertisement. For example, he says how the average readership of print ads’ body copy is about 5 percent. This was in the early ‘80s. I can only imagine that in today’s age where consumers’ attention spans are decreasing by the decade, that number has at least been cut in half.

One of the parts I found to be the most interesting was the last chapter, his predictions for the coming changes in the industry. Ogilvy lists off thirteen total, a few of which are particularly interesting to me. He forecasts “billboards will be abolished.” While billboards are certainly not extinct, the out of home industry has certainly changed. The use of billboards has certainly expanded to such places as commuter stops, mobile billboards, within sports stadiums and even behind small planes, just to name a few.

Next, Ogilvy claims, “the clutter of commercials on television and radio will be brought under control. The word, “clutter” is quite subjective, but I believe his prediction to have come true, in my opinion. Those who actually watch television live through the networks, still experience the commercials during the breaks. Not only have people become somewhat desensitized to these, few are even watching television live. So many are watching their shows on their own time, either through Hulu or DVR, so the new emphasis is put on integrating your client’s brand into the show itself or these new digital platforms such as Hulu or social media, where brands are becoming more and more intertwined with consumers’ lives. So I would agree that there is less clutter since the advertising is becoming integrated more smoothly and less obtrusively. For a brand to be successful, they’re becoming more than just a commercial. They’re becoming lovemarks.

Throughout reading this book, I couldn’t help but constantly make references and imagining Donald Draper of AMC’s Mad Men in the place of David Ogilvy. Granted the show is still a show, some of the similarities portrayed by Mad Men, given the time frame were entertaining and enjoyable. Ogilvy On Advertising provided me with a great deal of timeless information on the industry, and some ideas to compare and contrast as I mature and learn more about this constantly evolving business.

The Dawgs Go To The Dance!

Today starts March Madness for the Huskies down in San Jose, California, where they are to face off against Marquette. ESPN predicts a 1.5 point line in favor of the Marquette, which certainly isn’t much confidence. Hopefully Pondexter, Overton and I.T. will bring their A-game.

Nike has started a new campaign celebrating the Big Dance and the school pride that comes forth during the tournament. To show off the Husky colored gear, Nike chose alumnus Brandon Roy to be featured. Let’s hope they can pull it together!

The XXI Olympic Winter Games

How often in one's lifetime can you say that the Olympics are being held three hours away from where you live? Most would say, "never," which is exactly why me and two other guys from GoMobile decided to take it upon ourselves to drive up to Vancouver, B.C. for the last weekend of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Once in the central Vancouver area, a few things immediately struck me: I didn't expect the ratio of Canadians to non-Canadians to be so high, and there was advertising EVERYWHERE. Another overarching theme of the Olympics was that all its sponsors and other companies present wanted to show that they were "going green," and are an environmentally friendly organization.

Going to to the games, we really had no plans but to experience the city from marketing point of view. We had no tickets, no time constraints, but we would consider buying tickets if a good opportunity presented itself. And we did in fact have the opportunity to, but I wouldn't call them a good one. Tickets were sold out long before our arrival to the Canada/Finland game on Friday, but on the street they were going for about $500 each. We could have seen a single race of speed skating for $150, but the idea of just a few minutes of action at that price couldn't be justified.











So with no scheduled events, we walked. And we walked. And walked some more. But we never stopped encountering cool stuff! We came across a "mini-curling" event put on by Vitamin Water, where I won a tee shirt for sliding a bottle across a table onto a target. The walls of the buildings were all either wrapped or projected on with promotions or Canadian patriotism. One block long wall of Sears had an enormous Nike projection on it that read phrases that Canadians had submitted through Nike's Facebook page.

We then needed to find a place to watch the semifinal Canada/Finland game where there would be overzealous Canadians. We found that place at Ceili's. And sure enough, Canada won, but it was a close game in the final few minutes, and afterwards, they went WILD. I understand that Seattle isn't much of a Hockey city, so maybe I'm just used to this kind of passion, but it was more than that. Canada had won the chance to gain redemption on the U.S. for their earlier defeat. I don't know who chose the music there, but soon afterwards, Springstein's "Born in the USA," came on, much to our approval. Then later Miley Cyrus' "Part in the USA," was played, more to our embarrassment.

After meeting some fun Americans from Minnesota, and teaming up with them to talk some friendly trash, we left to roam around some more around 1:00am. Once we stepped out of the pub, we were immediately overwhelmed by the sight of Granville Street. It was flooded with Canadians. They were going crazy: chanting, screaming, singing, dancing. It was absolute insanity and we were loving it.

The next day, we walked more, of course. This time I was on the hunt for souvenirs. Not as easy as expected considering their pricing, and that most U.S.A. stuff had been sold out for days, and in some cases, weeks. At one point we even waited in line for 30 minutes to get into the "Official Olympics store," in the Hudson's Bay Co. which I learned was like the Canadian version of Macy's/Norstrom, but had actually been around longer.

We then walked down to the Olympic Cauldron to see the flame, and then went to the Live City Plaza in Yorktown. Inside was a huge stage, food from around the world, an Acer, Panasonic, Samsung and (the best of all) Coca-Cola mini-venues. Each company was displaying their new products and what was new for them. For example, Panasonic gave a viewing of a recap of the Winter Olympics so far, in 3D and had displays showing how it worked. The longest line, by far, was for Coca-Cola. I thought to myself- what "new product" could Coke be promoting? So we waited two hours, and the wait was well worth it.

After waiting in line outside, we then proceded to wait in a smaller line inside. However this time we were surrounded by Coke paraphernalia, history and "Open Happiness" phrases. They displayed the different limited edition Coke cans from the different Olympics and the different Olympic torches. Once through the doors, we watched a video on Coca-Cola's influence on the Olympics and Paralympics, and their drive to "Open Happiness," and be a green, sustainable company. It left us feeling... well, happy! The screen then slid up to surprise us by unveiling the rest of the event.

Inside we were given a limited edition 2010 Winter Olympics bottle of Coke to drink and carry with us to the different activities. The first activity we did was to have our picture taken holding a faux Olympic torch. Instinctively, I took the American Flag off of my shoulders and waved it proudly next to the torch, to quickly be booed. Next we took a picture with the Coca-Cola polar bear. Before taking the picture, the brand ambassador asked us, "Did you know that by purchasing Coke, you are actively fighting to preserve the endangered polar bears of North America?" Well, no I didn't. Just when I thought I couldn't be any happier, knowing that I was preserving those cute carnivores elated me even more. But this was more than your average actor in a bear suit. The bears eyes, nose, ears and mouth moved, and he had an incredible sense of humor. When we went up to take our picture, he stole our America flag by biting it and pulling it out of our reach, making us jump for it. After we left, I saw him sneak up behind a lady, bite her head, then collapsed and rolled around with laughter at her screaming response.


We did a few more of the activities and then showed our Coke bottles with the stickers from each activity we did to receive out VERY limited edition glowing Coke bottle. Only 50,000 of these foam bottles were made, which had information about the new Plant Bottle made from organic materials on it, was hand numbered. Inside is a small LED light that changes colors. With the on/off switch is a place to even replace the battery! How clever. I later learned these were being sold for upwards of $100 dollars on eBay, but I won't be selling mine.

One of the most impressive things about this entire Coke experience is that they were able to have people line up for about a total of two to three hours, in the rain, and I did not see a single grumpy, frustrated face on the inside. They truly were "Open[ing] Happiness." The brand equity those who attended earned from that presentation will be unforgettable and more valuable than any clever print ad. I must admit that I cannot think of a better event for Coke to sponsor. The Olympics was an experience unlike anything else. People were patriotic and competitive yet everyone was nice to one another and constantly... happy.

Less than 100 days until the World Cup... and who knows- maybe I'll make it to London for 2012?

Happiness - [hap-ee-nis] n. 1. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy 2. Coca-Cola

If you want to see more of the pictures I took, please check out my Picasa album.

XXI Olympic Winter Games

Love = Football

I have been very impressed with Puma's latest marketing push, targeting footballers gearing up for the World Cup. Naturally, I've admired a lot of W+K's work for Nike in the past, but Droga5's latest Puma viral video, "Puma Hard Chorus," did an excellent job of using its timing and appeal to the soccer community to make a big impact.

As soon as I opened my email yesterday from Creativity Online, my eyes zoomed to the Puma blurb with a picture that resembles a scene out of one of my favorite movies, Green Street Hooligans (If you love soccer as much as I do and you haven't seen it yet, please do so). After clicking on it, I always try to watch the video before reading the review. The hoard of English blokes singing the cheesy Savage Garden song completely tone deaf was hilarious in itself, but when put in the setting of an English pub, you can't get the horrid song, and the images, out of your head for quite a while.

After the serenade, it reminds you that Valentines day, this Sunday, just happens to fall on a game day. There is also an Italian version. Check them both out on the Puma Football site, where you can see the rest of their Love = Football campaign.

The World Cup is just around the corner.

Brand Bowl 2010!

Another Super Bowl has come and gone, which of course beings the onslaught of discussions, reviews and analyses of the game and the commercials. I decided to give my two cents via blog. As usual, Budweiser's millions of dollars were successful by producing humorous, memorable ads, but I was most impressed with Google's, which was incredibly clever at what seems like a brilliantly low production cost.

While it didn't boast humor or being risqué, I found it to be the most creative. I was truly impressed with the concept of telling a short story simply just through Google searches. Even some of the Typer's emotion was expressed through the mouse's motions and pace of typing. Not only was a short story told in a clever way that grabbed attention, some of Google's functional attributes were expressed through these searches such as the misspelling corrections, translations, and maps, without overtly saying, "Hey, look at what our product can do."

While I feel that a lot of people can identify with "Googling," it appealed to me especially with my familial ties to France (my Dad was raised in Paris and I have gone back to visit multiple times) and my own use of the search engine. In my quest to study abroad next year, among many other things, I constantly use Google to look up surrounding attractions around locations, and frequent the "street view" to really see what the places may look like. I also use the translation function to translate entire webpages after trying to figure it out for myself. And yes, I ditched Firefox/Safari for Chrome and never looked back.


Besides this spot for Google, I also enjoyed the Flo TV ad. I'm a big fan of compilations of historic, monumental moments that evoke a lot of emotion from viewers, hence one of my previous posts about the Nike "Courage" spot.

Lace Up To Fight AIDS

When I was in NYC over my Winter break, I popped into the Niketown there. It resembled more of a dance club, complete with a DJ, lights and attractive employees, than a sports store. But of course, Nike is much more than a sports apparel manufacturer, right? One thing I found in the soccer section, which was about four times as big as the section here in Seattle's Niketown, were small boxes of red laces, which supported AIDS relief in Africa. Then I picked my head up, and sure enough, Didier Drogba was staring at me from the wall with a pair in his hand, twisted around like a cat's cradle (I think that's the game that kids played back in elementary school, right?). So I ended up buying a pair.

Later, I notice a few players wearing them while I was watching a few English Premier League matches on TV. Then I saw a great YouTube video promoting Nike's push for the "Lace Up To Fight AIDS" campaign. I wonder if it aired in Europe, since I certainly haven't seen it on any of the U.S. networks. It of course features Nikes most renowned sponsored athletes- even Kobe Bryant.

I have to give Nike credit on this great community outreach program. They sure have came a long way since before the WTO conference here in Seattle when every one was up in arms about their sweatshops in third world countries. Granted they're no where near perfect when it comes to this, but I applaud their effort to gain more brand loyalty through a this "lace up" campaign. Apple does the same with their (Red) iPods, but making something so inexpensive that most can afford benefit a global problem, and show personal support for it through a concept as simple as a set of branded shoe strings is brilliant.

Copa Mundial!

It's hard to believe that the 2010 World Cup is around the corner. It seems like just yesterday I was skipping out of French class in high school to watch France play at the downtown Irish pub, Fado, since I didn't have cable at my own house. I thought it was justified- soccer is apart of the culture I would have been in class studying, right?

This tournament, the most watched sports event in the world, really does mean the world to me, and so many other soccer fans alike. But this doesn't just pertain to the avid soccer fans. I couldn't call most of my friends from childhood and college even fair-weather soccer fans, but when it comes to the World Cup, they know that it's going to be entertaining, action packed and full of upsets. Who is going to be this world cup's 2002 Turkey, who made it to the semis only to lose to Brazil 0-1?

With this monumental event approaching, I am reminded of how much of an impact soccer has had on my entire life, and how it has impacted the world. A great book I would suggest, by the way, is "How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization," by Franklin Foer. A truly fascinating book, (check out the CBC segment on the book), as well.

I also am reminded of all the creative advertising campaigns that have targeted the World Cup. As a young player, I remember wishing I was one of the little boys picking current talent like Zidane while bringing back legends like Platini in adidas' 2002 commercial. Also, we tried to recreate Nike's 3v3 cage matches starring Luis Figo, Van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry. Nike, of course, knew of players like us all over the world, so they naturally recreated the cage tournament in Southern California, where players came from all over the country to compete.




Already there are some great campaigns emerging. Puma did an excellent job with an alternative out of home campaign for Italy's qualifier match where they created real life foosball on the streets while handing out cautions to passersby to warn them that they aren't having enough fun. Brilliant!

Duvel Green Recap Video

FINALLY! What you've all been waiting for: The Duvel Green recap video. I wrote earlier about my trip to New York right before Christmas, one of the three markets where this campaign was taking place. I put together this video from footage of our market, along with San Francisco and Chicago to showcase the power of brand ambassadors, building illuminations and interactive collateral. Take a look- I hope you enjoy it!