Advertising
Apple’s ‘Misunderstood’ commercial pulls on heart strings this holiday
With the holidays just around the corner, many companies are releasing new ads and campaigns focused on family time and winter festivities. (Check out our post on West Jet’s holiday surprise now if you haven’t)
One of the most emotionally impactful ads I’ve seen thus far this season was released two days ago by, none other than, the tech giant Apple. Their new “Misunderstood” holiday campaign aims to shed light on our society’s obsession with technology and why that can be okay – as long as we remember the ones we love.
Apple’s clever use of emotional appeal in this ad is highly effective (I swear I didn’t tear up) and it really strikes a chord with many people this time of year.
What do you think? Is Apple’s depiction of technology use a reality? Let’s hear your thoughts.
Check out the “Misunderstood” ad here:
A Commercial For Strong Winter Tires Surprises Viewers With A Very Different Chilling Approach In Japan! (a must read!!)
With Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Vines, etc. it takes just a matter of seconds to get your videos or pictures posted on to social media. The challenge now is to have your video viewed and talked about more than any other video on the web and Japan knows just how to do it!
In our world today, it is believed that if videos are not super disgusting or super frightening, they will get overlooked and will not catch the eye of the public. Japan decided to use the fearful tactic for their new 2013 winter tire commercial.
Check out the video. Before doing so, be warned. It scared a whole class of 51 students in a public relations program at a college, when they watched it all together… in the daylight.
How did it do? Successful??
This chilling tire commercial by Japanese maker AutowayTire went viral with over 1.3 million views in the first 24 hours. It has been titled the SCARIEST ADVERTISEMENT of 2013. It used both the fear and shock tactics for it’s audience.
What’s the point of this commercial?
We think to let viewers know how important it is to have tires with great traction when driving in winter conditions. This commercial not only grabbed the attention of everyone across the world, but it also made an excellent video to want to share and talk about with your friends, family, etc.
If you have not seen the video and were too scared to watch it with the link provided in this blog, this 40 second video comes with a serious health warning before watching. The commercial involves a car driving in a blizzard at night time and you view the commercial feeling like you are the one sitting in the vehicle. Before you know it, a scary ghost girl appears very far away. Then, out of no where, she appears in front of the windshield and hits it—- insert heart attack for viewers!!
AutowayTire wanted to emphasize how important it is to have strong tires on your vehicle in the winter time. It also needed to prove why it’s tires are better than everyone else’s on the market right now. Before the video was put on to social media, it aired with a major warning to the public before watching it.
It may not be a favourite video to watch, especially with the holidays coming up, however, it was definitely a great success and captured the eyes of people all over the world. AutowayTire in Japan tried something extremely risky but ended up getting way more attention than they could have hoped for.
Don’t have winter tires on yet? Who are you buying from for this winter season?
Blog Post By Laura Jeffs
WestJet surprises travelers with a Christmas miracle
After their flashmob viral video campaign last year, WestJet knew they had to make ‘giving’ look its best this Christmas.
Christmas miracles really do happen. A team of Westjetters and the power of technology brought this heartwarming campaign to life.
“T’was a night before Christmas, and all across the land… the good folks at WestJet had a miracle plan.”
As families were waiting at the departure area prior to their WestJet flight at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and John C. Munro International Airport in Hamilton, a big blue box decorated as a present caught their eye. On one side of the box was a screen with an interactive Santa all dressed in blue. Upon scanning their boarding passes (loaded with personal I.D. info) a Santa addressed the passengers by name, asking them what they wanted for Christmas. Toddlers stared, old ladies giggled and mothers’ jaws dropped as jolly old Saint Nick asked them personally what they would like this Christmas.
While Santa asked and passengers answered, a team of WestJet employees tuned in and took notes of each request. WestJetters then quickly shopped and shopped at stores like 17th Avenue S.W., Best Buy, and CrossIron Mills to find everything on the list for those lucky Calgary-bound flights.
“But was everything ready? We all had to wait… For the moment of truth, at Carousel 8.”
The real magic happened when passengers were surprised with a snowy Christmas landscape at the baggage claim area upon their arrival. This time, WestJet Santa was there in the flesh along with a gingerbread man mascot. When the baggage claim light came on, a succession of presents rolled in. Tagged by name, the well-branded blue and white gifts made their way into the arms of the smiling travelers. As requested, the young family got the ‘big TV’ they wanted and the dad got his ‘socks and underwear’. Some lucky families even got a Christmas flight home.
Studio M, a digital production company based out of Toronto started brainstorming with WestJet’s sponsorship lead Greg Plata in August to make this miracle come to life. The video was posted to WestJet’s YouTube page on Sunday, December 8th and quickly sparked an online buzz that is sure to carry through until Christmas.
The stunt was impeccably branded and seamless, it is no wonder blogs are saying “WestJet’s Christmas surprise will make you believe in Santa.”
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good flight!”
Gap’s “Make Love” Holiday Campaign Makes Waves
The American multinational clothing retailer Gap has released the holiday extension of its “Back to Blue” campaign launched earlier this fall. The holiday campaign called “Make Love” showcases the things that matter most in life — genuine love, respect, and compassion.
The U.S. campaign starring cultural icons from around the world includes print ads, mail, social media and television ads. New digital content is also unveiled regularly on the brand’s YouTube account.
“Make Love is about giving love through action, whether it’s a service to others or a gift that’s a representation of love,” -Seth Farbman, Gap’s Global Chief Marketing Officer.
Gap has collaborated with celebrities who have been sharing true love with their field of work and their social lives. The famous personalities modeled Gap’s 2013 holiday collection in the ads, adding a personalized touch to the garments. All stills starring celebrities such as Tony Bennett, Cyndi Lauper, Waris Ahluwalia, Malin Akerman, along with other personalities and famous models can be found on the official Pinterest page of the brand.
On November 24th, a tweet by Arsalan Iftikhar (@TheMuslimGuy) was sent along with a shot of a vandalized “Make Love” print ad. Gap’s still of Sikh model Waris Ahluwalia and model and film-maker Quentin Jones located in New York City had been marked with very racist comments. The campaign’s tagline had the word “Love” crossed out and replaced with “Bombs,” and “Please stop driving taxis,” scribbled a little lower.
(via Twitter, @TheMuslimGuy)
The ad had been received so well, encouraging and promoting interracial love and diversity in America. Several tweets and articles rooted for Gap’s campaign and what it stood for.
Due to this appreciation for the campaign, the vandalism was quickly reported on Twitter. This gave Gap an opportunity to excel in public relations reaction skills and problem solving.
The very next day, Gap proudly changed their Twitter account’s header to the Ahluwalia-Jones still, and professionally responded to the tweet asking for more information from the sender, Iftikhar, so that the ad could be taken down and replaced.
“@TheMuslimGuy Hi there. Thanks for informing us. Can you please follow & DM us? We’d like to know the location of this.” – @Gap
Upon its re-installment on November 28th (four days after the original vandalized poster was tweeted) the new ad was trending all over the Internet.
The “Make Love” campaign’s poster of musician Malcolm Ford and actor Max Snow has also been vandalized with hate speech in Chicago. The poster was defaced with homophobic comments and was also quickly made public on Twitter by JK Trudell (@jktrudell), and Gap replied shortly thereafter.
Considering the fact that the hate speech on these ads dealt with touchy issues like race and homosexuality, the brand reacted quickly and effectively. Gap’s public efforts to fix these vandalized ads are impressive and well worth the buzz they have generated.
What do you think of Gap’s “Make Love” campaign and of their efforts in restoring the campaign’s image and message?
