Browsing Tag

commercials

A&W Wants You To Skip The Ad

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_n4QlBMbQY’]

When all you want to do is watch a music video, pesky ads can spoil the fun. Fast food chain A&W recognizes your pain and created an ad that communicates the key message in the first 5 seconds. After that, there’s not much to see—viewers simply watch an A&W spokesman eat a burger outside in the middle of the street.

I have never purchased anything at A&W and I can’t say this ad tempted me, but as as a marketer, I found the ad clever. They know you have a short attention span so they cut to the chase while trying to appear cool and modern. This won’t be the last smart spot I discover via pre-roll, but it is the first that encouraged me to skip it and I commend A&W for their creativity.

If you’re craving a burger now, find an A&W near you.

Indeed Launches Ads In Canada

Indeed
Photo Source: Strategy

There are many channels through which job seekers can find their next opportunity and Indeed’s search engine for job postings ranks at the top. It’s an easy to use and efficient resource that has helped me discover many openings.

Indeed is currently focusing on global expansion and therefore decided to produce more ads like last year’s ‘How The World Works’ video, which aired in Australia, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.  The ads were made by Mullen Lowe, and Mediacom is handling the media buy.

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Travel With The Blue Jays

Hot On The Street - Toronto Blue Jays

Expedia partnered with the Blue Jays to build an online hub that lets fans easily see when the Jays are playing elsewhere and book a trip to see the away games with just a few clicks. Expedia always encourages customers to book airfare and accommodations together for better deals and baseball games provide a smart opportunity for them to engage travellers.

Their latest ads, which were produced by Grip, feature the team’s cute mascot Ace. ‘Wake Up Call’ has a funny front desk attendant who shouts bird noises into the phone to wake up Ace and in ‘Passport,’ we see Ace going through security with a suitcase that only looks big enough to fit his shoes.

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Brands Prank Consumers

You never know what to expect from leading brands on April Fool’s Day. When I sourced content for this roundup, the images and videos I saw ranged from silly to strategic. BMW’s giveaway was probably the most expensive to execute, although Honda’s SUV customizations weren’t cheap either. Kenneth Cole is a sophisticated brand, but they took a risk and went the immature route to target young animal lovers. The videos are ranked in order of personal preference, which is the same as their order based on # of YouTube views. Enjoy!

Kenneth Cole

[2025 Update: Unfortunately, the YouTube videos for the BMW and Honda ads have been removed.]

Talk Is Cheap 7

Hot On The Street - Sarah Prince and Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman

Introduction

Talk Is Cheap is an annual conference presented by the corporate communications and public relations students at Centennial College. Last year, I went with my friend Rachel who has a CPG client-side marketing role. It was helpful to compare notes because she found the digital insights interesting and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about traditional media relations. This year, I was excited to go again. I had a chance to hear different speakers, see familiar faces and extract practical tips.

Location

Centennial College – Story Arts Centre @ Pape Ave & Mortimer Ave

Outfit

Ann Taylor LOFT black jacket, Roots X Douglas Coupland ‘I Miss My Pre-Internet Brain’ ironic graphic t-shirt, Mavi skinny jeans, Sam Edelman black suede boots

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