Take a read, see what you think. Which list do you agree with more? Any left off this list that should be on?

Forbes

Ad Age

Let me first make an important statement. This is how I feel about soccer in general: “If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn’t have given us arms”- Mike Ditka. It’s absolutely my least favorite sport and I can’t stand watching it except once every 4 years when the World Cup comes around. Then, I tolerate and even follow it.

Here is the commercial for the 2010 World Cup. This is by far some of the most powerful copy that I’ve seen in a while. I wish I had written it:

This is my favorite part:

It’s not about elections, sanctions, proliferations, he said, she said ,my land, your land, no man’s land.

It’s not about the stock market, black market,orange alerts, green homes, hope, change, fear or loathing.

It’s not about communism, socialism or capitalism, war or peace, love or hate.

This is about the one month every 4 years when we all agree on one thing.

Tying these powerful messages, phrases and images together is so fantastic that I’ve already watched this commercial about 4 times. It’s like that game you play where you have to start a word with the ending word. “Black street, street sign, sign off, off-put….” only a million times BETTER!  I’m just in awe of the way these words are put together and the resulting message. I read recently that “the copywriter is dead” but I’m sorry, this copy proves that it’s just as important as ever. Mastering the written word is an art. Not many people have the ability to strategically place each word into a sentence in a way that transforms something average to something extraordinary. With people’s shortened attention spans these days, grabbing them instantly with words is  a feat of advertising and is something to be admired.

I hope to one day write an ad as strategic and captivating as this one. I also hope it’s not about soccer.

UPDATE: Also LOVE this soccer ad. (Mostly because of the animals, but it’s fantastic and super cool!) Thanks Liz Daney!

25 most epic ads that aren’t 1984

Loyalty. Loyalty is a rare quality to find in someone. To find something to which you will be loyal is equally as challenging. In these days of troubled economic times, emerging new products and generic overload, I’ve found that I am one of the few, the proud, the loyal. (and the overdramatic?….maybe.) There are certain products from which I will never stray. These companies have either displayed excellent customer service, a superior product, or I just like them for dominating their market.

My brands:

Thank you to Katherine Webster for reminding me of my loyalty to Tide. She said “You love your Tide To-Go pen, do you also use it to wash clothes?” YES I DO! And yes, I do LOVE my Tide To-Go pen because I am incredibly messy and very un-ladylike.

I am constantly fighting an internal battle over my love for Apple and my unwillingness to switch from Verizon. (This has been previously discussed in my post, “So over you, Luke Wilson.”) I cannot wait for the iPhone to come to Verizon and I can put this everlasting struggle to rest. With all my Verizon Apple iPhone apps, I’ll be able to Gchat on Google, buy Tostitos, Tide and Coca-Cola at Target.com, pay my Chase credit card bill, online bank with Wachovia and use that cool app where I can locate my Nissan in the parking lot.

See what I just did there?

Female

My favorite campaign of the moment is one that is wildly popular, talked about and criticized. The U by Kotex ads. I think they’re hilarious. While I’m not crazy about their too hip, 5 gum type packaging, I think the commercials are clever and “breaking the cycle” of the typical tampon ad, where women are ALWAYS wearing white, twirling, jumping and generally being ridiculous.

See what I mean?

I appreciate the realness of this commercial and when in the feminine care aisle the other day, I definitely looked for this product and  although I’ve already mentioned my dislike for the packaging, I will say that it  stood out among all the pastel greens, pinks and yellows. Advertising success.

Male:

Old Spice rules. First, with the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” (TMYMCSML for short) and now the Odor Blocker, Old Spice’s commercials for their new body wash are memorable, hilarious and effective. Naturally, I’m going to put the video to the TMYMCSL because it’s AMAZING, but it is not my main male focused campaign of the week because technically it is directed to women (even though men will buy this product because they want to smell like this guy and want their ladies to want them to smell like this guy…). The newer Odor Blocker commercials depict a very built man whose odor is blocked by Old Spice. His muscles talk, he’s powerful, and men want to be like him. Oh, he’s also the guy from White Chicks.

Both of these campaigns are properly positioned to the target audience. Miller Lite, this is where you have failed with your new campaign. I realize that ML has been trying to target the “macho” light beer drinker, and I think they’ve done a good job lately (see the commercials where the guy would rather save his Miller Lite than his girlfriend and the one where the guy can’t say I love you to anything but his Miller Lite), but the new “Lose the Skirt and get a Miller Lite” ad leaves me with the desire for the taste of Bud Light in my mouth. Newsflash MillerCoors, women drink beer. light beer. I don’t understand why beer commercials have to be catered toward men only, but I think that’s a rant for another day. I appreciate hilarious beer commercials as a woman (Bud Light) but I would also appreciate a funny commercial targeted more towards the women beer drinkers of the world.

This commercial is stupid. ML, your beer tastes like water anyway and I rarely see a man with a Miller Lite. Lose the skirt? You just lost my businesses. It should be “Put on a skirt and get a Miller Lite.” Then maybe your sales would go up. (A special thanks to Kirby Duncan for showing me this ad)

read more here: Miller Lite Debuts More ‘Macho’ Beer Ads.

This article only solidifies the plan to obtain a masters in Integrated Marketing Communications. While I am very young and my career is just starting, if I do say so myself, I am well on my way to becoming an IMC force. I’ve had a lot of experience in different aspects of marketing and advertising through internships, school, jobs and simply from reading and thinking. I’m going to be completely arrogant for a minute and quote myself. Recently, I wrote in a letter to someone:

” I am good at almost everything I do and I do almost everything.”

That may be the title of my future autobiography.

Our decision to buy  a product is based several factors including but not limited to advertisements, consumer reviews, samples and more. Now, for the most part, I’m a sensible, budget-conscious, (sometimes) thrifty shopper who does not takes buying decisions lightly. But then again, we all know I’m a sucker for and admirer of advertising. I must admit that commercials work the best on me. I’m often found up at 3 am watching infomercials with the former members of Air Supply, their lemonade pitcher on the front porch, and TIME LIFE’s Classic Soft Rock Collection. It takes a lot of willpower not to pick up the phone every time I get sucked into this bad boy. Yes, that means I’ve seen this more than once and watched multiple installments of it. See the infomercial below if you dare, but I’m warning you, don’t watch it all or you may be the next proud owner of thousands of soft rock hits.

My point is, I’m very influenced by commercials. One of my now favorite cereals, Raisin Bran Crunch, I bought  because the commercial cracked me up. Even today (I just watched my favorite commercial again), Raisin Bran Crunch continues to entertain me, both on TV and in my cereal bowl. I almost wish I was joking, but advertising is that powerful for me. It’s cheesy and silly but I thought “I want to buy that cereal cause those guys are hilarious.” I mean, I know enough to know that he who makes the product does not necessarily make the ad, but it’s funny! And I want to support companies who make hilarious commercials.

Watching these commercials makes me want to go buy a box.

For a more sophisticated and scientific look into why we buy what we buy, I would check out Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping (buy it on Amazon). Think of it as Freakonomics but for marketing people. I loved it.

I’m not sure what to think about this ad. I appreciate that Nike hasn’t dropped Tiger as their sponsor, but this ad is definitely eery. The voice of his late father plus Tiger’s solemn face. I wonder how Tiger feels about this ad. At least it’s got people talking about Nike, which is the point.

Today’s masters should be interesting and will undoubtedly draw an enormous crowd, as people are eager to see Tiger return to golf.

My favorite time of year is here!

BASEBALL SEASON

A few important things to know about me: I’m a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves , Minnesota Vikings and Georgia Bulldogs.

This year was the first in a few years that I missed the home opener at Turner Field and it broke my heart. Luckily my great obnoxious friends and familiy thought I would actually enjoy them texting me telling me how “awesome” the game was and “what an amazing game” it was and “Oh my gosh I’ve never seen this place so loud as when Jason Heyward hit his homerun.” I get it people, it was fantastic. Thanks for rubbing it in. (Luckily for my own sanity, I am going to the game tonight.)

Anyway, sports advertisements fall into that category of ads that warm my heart and sometimes almost make me cry. I don’t care if it’s a commercial for little league baseball (love those little guys) or this ad for opening day. This is officially the ad of the week for me.

Baseball is America’s past time.

“Baseball is beautiful….the supreme performing art. It combines in perfect harmony the magnificent features of ballet, drama, art, and ingenuity. “
- Commissioner Bowie Kuhn

Play ball.

In this sense, products and people are one in the same. Advertisers and marketers aim to position their product effectively in the marketplace so the product sells. People position themselves a certain way in the marketplace either to gain acceptance or to meet a goal. I love that marketing is literally in every aspect of our lives and, often, people don’t even realize it. It makes me giddy sometimes.

Example: You’re a recent graduate looking for a job in the….non-profit industry. How do you position yourself so that employers want to hire you? How do you make yourself appealing to your target market? You need to highlight your industry-related work, you need to show how you’re different and that you belong in this marketplace.

This seems like common sense, but a lot of job seekers don’t realize that one standard resume and one standard cover letter isn’t going to get you noticed if you’re applying across different markets. Applying for a marketing job and applying for a public relations job may sound like they’re similar, but the resumes and cover letters should be tailored for each position. (I use these examples because these are the only types of jobs I’ve ever applied for.) My public relations cover letter and resume will describe the press releases I’ve worked on, the communications skills I’ve developed and my experience corresponding with media. My marketing information will contain the marketing and communications plans I’ve developed, how I positioned the company in a newsletter article and how I developed strategies to increase brand awareness.

Positioning. It’s all about making yourself attractive to your target market. This doesn’t only apply to job seekers. What about appearance, fashion and what you choose to wear and when you choose to wear it? This may not seem like marketing, but surprise! It is.  You do this every day and don’t even think about it. You dress for your target market, whatever that may be. For example, the way I dress for a Kenny Chesney concert (cowboy boots and a dress) is completely different from the way I would dress for, say, a Deathcab concert (skinny jeans and a tee). I want to make myself appealing to the target market. I want to create an image for myself and I want to position myself just right in the marketplace.

We all buy into it. We can’t help it. We all want to position ourselves to create an identity in whatever target market applies to the situation.