Monday, July 11, 2011

AdMissions Review: Fear Not Martini You're Safe.


It’s summer and that makes it beer season in Canada, and the ads are out to prove it.

This week the "Ad Missions" Team reviewed (and I actually sampled the beer) a TV ad created by CP+B Toronto for Molson Canadian 67 Sublime which pits the low-calorie beer against a martini.  Somehow the comparison has fallen short.

I really want to love this cute little 15-second spot.

It has key elements for communicating a strong message for Molson Canadian 67 Sublime. It has a breezy summer patio setting, perfect for a hint of lime beer. It has a woman reaching in with her pink sleeve and well-manicured hand, which is the targeted audience. It states the 67-calorie message, which hits the audience during bikini season. For entertainment, it even has a cuteness factor of a pair of “googly” eyes with a sense of fear in them. What this spot doesn’t offer is a fair comparison, appeal or message. You gotta dig deep to find all this.

Those cute, fear-filled eyes are in fact a pair of olives in a couple of martini glasses that see competition in not being the favoured summer drink of choice. Comparing martinis to beer, even a calorie-conscious lime beer, is like comparing apples to avocados.

Like martinis, beer is all about taste. In this case it’s lime. It’s summer. It’s refreshing. It’s 67 tiny calories. Will women actually favour a beer over a martini? Fear not, my little martini friend, you’re safe for now.

View the spot:



To view the other National Post AdMission Team reviews click here.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

When A Magazine Cover Is An Ad



When does a magazine cover actually become an ad?

Toronto Creative Director and the inspiring author behind the AdTeachings blog Suzanne Pope made a perfect observation:
A magazine’s cover is rightly conceived as the ad that will entice you to pick up the magazine and buy it. Nowhere has that aim been more bluntly expressed than in this classic 1973 cover for National Lampoon.
She is 100% spot on.

Think about every cover you have even seen or might need to design. The cover invites the reader to potentially stop and buy.

This cover caught my eye way back in 1973 as I made my way to the street car platform at the St Clair subway station in Toronto on my way to Northern Secondary High School. It spoke to me. It spoke to my sense of humor. It simply screamed "buy me or else".

After spending many a weekend listening to the National Lampoon Radio Hour from Buffalo, I was hooked and the magazine soon joined my families subscription list. Imagine what the mailman thought when they delivered National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, MAD Magazine and National Lampoon to our house.

A couple years back a student of mine paid homage to this cover for our Creative Advertising Program at Seneca College when he helped create a series of posters stating "if you don't hire a Seneca Ad grad..." he also created a complete series referring to competing colleges with advertising programs... to bad we could never use them publicly (LOL):

Monday, June 6, 2011

Ad Missions: Oreo "Moving Day" - It Dunks at Heartstrings



I will be spending part of this summer as an “Ad Critic” for the National Post advertising feature titled “Ad Missions”.

Humbled and Honored.

The Ad Missions panel generally consists of academic, marketing and advertising agency executives. We will offer our views and opinions on advertising trends, commercials and all things in between.
This past Friday I made my debut along side advertising industry executives Henry Wong, creative director of Toronto-based Tenzing Communications, and Chris Hall, president of Toronto ad agency Huxley Quayle von Bismark.

Together, we offered up our thoughts on the new Oreo cookies “Moving Day” television ad.
Follow Anthony’s ad reviews as they appear every other week in the Financial Times section of the National Post.

LINK: National Post Ad Missions

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Did Twitter and Tumblr Kill My Blog?


Something just became very apparent and now I realized a few things...
  • I have neglect my blog for my massive love of Twitter
  • I fell in equal love with Tumblr
  • I still love advertising
  • I want to know everything about everything
  • This list could be endless
But what happened?

Over the past few months I have had some amazing things happen. New projects, meet some amazing new people and appeared on some pretty strange stages (the ass grab with Gary Vaynerchuk at the Art of Marketing Toronto may be the highlight), but even with these new projects and events it became harder to blog.

I was hardly bored because I was challenging myself; I was determined to understand the power of Twitter and Tumblr and all things under the Social Media sun, all making writting new blog posts that were worth reading harder. It all became very simple putting down in 140 characters or a simple "post to Tumblr" link.

And now I looked at my old friend the "A View From An AdGuy" blog and relize that I have posted so little new content or details of these new opportunities.

So did Twitter and Tumblr kill my blog? Hardly, on my blog there is still a great resource of wonderful content archived there. Information for young AdLanders to get inside the thinking needed to be a better/smarter creative, to become portfolio ready and access to information that will remain of value.
What did I learn about Twitter and Tumblr?
  • Twitter gave me "instant" access to a new frontier of smart people and information.
  • Tumblr gave me a new way to post "Thing of Interest" instantly... with or without comment.
  • New opportunities to "curate" content and indights about advertising, marketing and communication.
  • In 8 short months I went from a handful of followers to over 4,300.
  • I had the privileged of being named 2011 winner of The Shorty Award for Advertising Education.
  • Joined in on a group of highly active and intelligent folks in a pair of Twitter "tribes" called #usguys and #MMchat.
  • Attended the Wharton School of Business "Future of Advertising" Think Tank in New York by invitation only and because of being of my Twitter presence.
So is my blog dead. Far from it.

Will it grow?

I hope so.

I back.

Cleaning up some dead links. Re-post and update older content.

Maybe even give you a few updates about the great things that have happened over the past few months.

Thanks for your support, interest and mostly time for having interest in what I am thinking.

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Art of Marketing Toronto 2011 - A Day of "Big Brain" Learning

Mark your calendars once again for Monday March 7th, 2011 for The Art of Marketing Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. After attending last years event I can assure you this is MUST NOT MISS! It is one of the events that will be both informative and inspiring.

This exciting one day conference will feature five internationally renowned bestselling authors, educators and industry leaders who will share an exciting blend of cutting edge thinking and real world experience on today's most critical marketing issues. 

No question the biggest topic on every marketing communication practitioners mind is how to get a clearer understanding of how the marketing world is changing, what role communication now plays in the buying decision and the impact on the business bottom line and ultimately how the consumer views, interacts and positions a brand in a very crowded and over saturated marketplace. 

Cutting through the clutter today is even more critical, but now consumers have a bigger say in the success and more often the failure of a strategy.

The Art of Marketing event has a stellar group of speakers on tap. Best selling authors and industry influencers include Guy Kawasaki on Creativity and Innovation, Dr. Sheena Iyengar on Consumer Behavior and the Psychology of Choice , Avinash Kaushik on Brand Measurement Metrics and Analytics, Jeffrey Hayzlett on Branding Strategy and Growth and the brilliant Gary Vaynerchuk the “Social Media Sommelier” who address the new world of "Word of Mouth" Marketing and Social Media Influence.

Hosting "The Art of Marketing" once again will be the highly entertaining and very talented Ron Tite. Trained at the legendary Second City, Ron Tite has been an actor, comedian, playwright, and award winning advertising writer and Creative Director. Recently, he was Vice President, Executive Creative Director at one of Canada’s most respected advertising agencies, Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG. Recently named as one of the Top 10 Creative Canadians by Marketing Magazine.

THE SPEAKERS

Gary Vaynerchuk

The day will kick-off with the brilliant and inspiring Gary Vaynerchuk (VAY NER CHUK) an online marketing trailblazer with his "Crush It" attitude and mantra of "Cash In On Your Passions". A much sought after speaker, Vaynerchuk gained notoriety for more than his business acumen but also for his foresight that combined with his pioneering, multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business. He knocked down barriers in the wine industry by creating a new generation of branding, focusing attention to leveraging social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter. He shows audiences how to find their passion, then step by step how to turn it into a flourishing, monetized business.  

The 33-year-old entrepreneur whose dual identity as both business guru and "wine guy" has made him known as the “Social Media Sommelier.” A self-trained wine expert, he revolutionized the wine industry with his video blog, "Wine Library TV" grew his family wine business from $4 million to $60 million in five years.  Vaynerchuk has made television appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, NBC’s Today Show, CNBC’s Mad Money with Jim Cramer, and The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.

This was the first video that introduced me Gary and his dynamic style.

Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki is the co-founder of Alltop.com, an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web, and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. He is also the author of nine books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. His newest book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, is due for release in March 2011.

 Previously, he was the Chief Evangelist of Apple where Gary says, “When I saw what a Macintosh could do, the clouds parted and the angels started singing. For four years I evangelized Macintosh to software and hardware developers and led the charge against worldwide domination by IBM".

Mr. Kawasaki's in-depth knowledge of the high-tech industry combined with his years of management experience enable him to address a wide range of audiences. His particular strength is the ability to quickly understand diverse industries and incorporate his pre-existing knowledge into a highly relevant and customized speech. He routinely gets rave reviews from clients including trade associations, packaged goods companies, service providers, insurance companies, educational institutions, and technology companies.

You can follow Guy Kawasaki on Twitter and his writing at his website.

Jeff Hayzlett

Jeff Hayzlett is described as a big, boisterous guy who has the guts to get in your face and tell you exactly why your business isn't doing well.  

I found it interesting when I read "Jeffrey Hayzlett has been called a lot of things, most of them good". Odd to include in a bio but He has been described as a “CMO on steroids". From entrepreneur to being Kodak’s CMO, piloting one of the world’s iconic brands.

Hayzlett helped to lead one of the biggest turnarounds in business history where he was responsible for the Kodak's worldwide marketing operations including the design and implementation of all marketing strategies, corporate communications, public relations and public affairs. All this during a time when Kodak was facing rapid changes in an area that was massive competition.

His expertise was developed when he led a private business development and public relations firm specializing in the technology and visual communications industries.

Hayzlett is the author of the bestselling book "The Mirror Test", a book that asks you to give your business the mirror test - is your company really breathing? In other words, "Here's how you and your company must adapt...or die".

A visit to Hayzlett's website also proves to hold some amazing insights for marketing stratigies that can be used in branding and personal branding. Reading "The 118" is amazing. An update on the classic " elevator pitch". The 118 is the 21st century version the out-of-date name for the worthy idea that you need to sell what your company offers (and you) in the span of an elevator ride. Technology has not only made things (including elevators) move faster but also has increased the need for speed and immediate relevance in pitching. In addition to the website, you can follow Jeff on Twitter.

Dr. Sheena S. Iyengar

Dr. Sheena S. Iyengar is a Professor of Business Management at the Columbia Business School. She has taught on a wide variety of topics at Columbia for MBA and Executive MBA students, including leadership, decision making, creativity, and globalization.  Dr. Iyengar was also recently selected by Columbia University's President's Office to teach at the Global Leadership Fellows Program at the World Economics Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.

One of the world's experts on "choice", Dr. Iyengar received a dual degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, consisting of a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and a B.A. in psychology with a minor in English from the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1997 she completed her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University. During her studies at Stanford, Dr. Iyengar became interested in how people make choices, particularly the importance and universality of choice in people's lives. Her dissertation, entitled "Choice and its Discontents," received the prestigious Best Dissertation Award for 1998 from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology.

Dr. Iyengar's innovative research on "choice" has become her passion and led Dr. Iyengar down the extraordinary path of writing "The Art of Choosing". Whether mundane or life-altering, choices define us and shape our lives. In her book, Dr. Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences.

To learn about Dr. Iyengar and her work on "The Art of Choosing" visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

Avinash Kaushik

 

Avinash Kaushik is the co-Founder of Market Motive Inc and is the Analytics Evangelist for Google. He will bring his energetic, inspiring, and practical insights to The Art of Marketing. He is noted speaker and lectures at major universities such as Stanford University, University of Virginia and University of Utah.

Through his blog, Occam's Razor, Kaushik has authored two books from in-the-trenches perspective, "Web Analytics: An Hour a Day" is a step-by-step guide that shows you how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy in his thought-provoking style, debunks leading myths and leads you on a path to gaining actionable insights from your analytics efforts. Discover how to move beyond clickstream analysis, why qualitative data should be your focus, and more insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer-centric mindset without sacrificing your company’s bottom line.

His recent book "Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity" adeptly address today’s business challenges and presents a new framework that will permanently change how you think about analytics. It provides specific recommendations for creating an actionable strategy, applying analytical techniques correctly, solving challenges such as measuring social media and multichannel campaigns, achieving optimal success by leveraging experimentation, and employing tactics for truly listening to your customers. The book will help your organization become more data driven while you become a super analysis ninja!

Avinash puts a common sense framework around the often frenetic and often misunderstood world of web analytics and combines that with the philosophy that investing in talented analysts is the key to long-term success. He passionately advocates customer "centricity" and leveraging bleeding edge competitive intelligence techniques.

To learn more visit Avinash on his website and follow him Twitter.

REGISTRATION and TICKETS

The good people at The Art Of Marketing wanted to make a special offer to those of you who are connected here in this community, so here's the deal: if you sign up to attend The Art Of Marketing  using this link you will get the special rate of $349 (plus HST) per person a saving of $50.00. Simply use the promo code: RK28 at check out.

Tickets will likely go quickly, there are two types of tickets available general admission seating which includes the full day conference and speakers fro $399.00 (plus HST). There is also VIP package that will include seating in the first 5 rows, lunch and copies of books from select speakers, this package is $599.00 (plus HST). The promo code RK28 will discount both packages. To Register simply click on the on the event logo below.

I have no idea how the producers of this event can pull off a show like this with such a high-calibre list of speakers for only $349 a ticket plus HST (Canadian, no less), but that's your gain as you can easily see this truly a stellar group of speakers coming to Toronto.

The Art of Marketing - Toronto

Monday March 7th, 2011 from 9:00am to 5:00pm

Metro Toronto Convention Centre

255 Front Street West Toronto, Ontario

Posted via email from anthony kalamut's posterous

Monday, February 14, 2011

Lowe Roche Toronto Hosting Student Portfolio Night


The highlight of every spring for me has always been the excitement of the graduating classes prepping their portfolios. What's in...what's out...who the hell knows.

I have added a few links to previous BlogPosts that should also help with putting your book together.

So the very first "Portfolio Night" has been announced for the spring term to be hosted by Lowe Roche Toronto. Uber smart and creative shop who recently hired on a intern "wrangler" to help promote, encourage and nurture the best candidates available to consider Lowe Roche for that all important "internship/mentorship". The "wrangler" has a live twitter feed, Facebook and web presence to help secure the best talent.

Well, this is one of those "RUN DON"T WALK" MOMENTS!!!

The Lowe Roche Portfolio Night will be held February 25th... that's right NEXT FRIDAY!!!

Are you ready? Can you be ready? Here's current Lowe Roche intern Vinay Parmar's opinion:

"Whoever is up for it should apply ASAP.  The poster just went up on the LR Blog today and a lot of students from other schools have been inquiring.

Hey, simple pull 3 awesome campaigns together in the next 10 days (that will feel like being in the biz in its own way) and it would be great for them to get feedback from Creative Directors Stephanie Mackie and Mark Biernacki.  They've helped me a great deal even though I came in with just 2 campaigns and a one-off."

DO IT or LOSE IT!!!!

All it takes is quick email ASAP to cherry@loweroche.com

ADDITIONAL LINKS OF INTEREST:

How Not To Use Portfolio Night

Portfolio 101 - What Every Student Should Know w/ Tiffany Kosel-Rolfe  and Alex Bogusky

Portfolio 201 - Part Two What Every Student Should Know w/ CP+B CDs Dave Schultz, Bill Wright and Alex Bogusky

What Every Student of Advertising vs. Advertising Student Should Read
 
 
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