Archive for March, 2010

“Getting Away with Manliness”

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

T-Mobile “Life’s for Sharing” Best 1 in UK; leading US and UK awards for SaatchiX; JCPenney “Best Costume Design” at the Oscars; Miller High Life “one of the few brands that can get away with “manliness”; work for Visa, Lexus, Sony Ericsson; learning from Lovemarks;

Awards

T-Mobile Wins Top Prize at the BTAAs Saatchi & Saatchi scooped the top gong at last night’s British Television Advertising Awards, where its ‘Dance’ ad for T-Mobile was named Best Television Commercial of the Year. The spot also won two golds in the Telecommuni¬cations Services and Best Over 90-Second Commercial categories. CampaignLive, 11 March

Saatchi & Saatchi X USA Tops Local ADDY Awards Again Springdale, Arkansas – Saatchi & Saatchi X, for the second consecutive year, won the most awards and the top prize at the recent 30th annual Northwest Arkansas Advertising Federation ADDY Awards. Saatchi.com, 08 March

MCCA Best Awards Name Saatchi & Saatchi X UK ‘Agency of the Year’ Saatchi & Saatchi X London won the prestigious Agency of the Year Award at last week’s annual MCCA Best Awards. The leading shopper marketing agency also celebrated one of the biggest hauls of the evening, winning a total of four Merits and five Best Awards. Saatchi.com 09 March

Creative Work

For Marketers, a Different Set of Oscar Winners Best Costume Design: New commercials from JCPenney showed off to good advantage a closet’s worth of colorful, kicky women’s clothes bearing labels like Olsenboye and Bisou Bisou. Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. NY Times, 08 March

The High Life The attempted brand rejuvenation of Miller High Life over the last couple years has resulted in some incredible work. Saatchi & Saatchi New York won the Gold Press Lion at Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2009 for their ‘High Life Innovations’ campaign. Theyshootactors.com, 10 March

FIFA World Cup: Story Flows Better with Visa Saatchi & Saatchi’s Executive Creative Director Kate Stanners conceived the idea of a ‘couch potato’ football fan, getting up off his couch and running across continents to reach the World Cup stadium in South Africa. It’s interesting that this campaign did not use any CGI and the actors did their own stunts, including running with wild animals in Africa! Ibhat.com, 09 March

Lexus Spells Out Hybrids’ History Lexus has introduced a new campaign that showcases its hybrid vehicle line and reminds customers of the company’s five-year history of putting hybrids on the road. The campaign, from Team One in El Segundo, Calif., includes print, online and out-of-home advertising. AdWeek, 09 March

Diageo and Coca-Cola Enterprises Join for £4m Mixer and Spirit Push Coca-Cola Enterprises and Diageo Great Britain have teamed up to launch their biggest joint marketing campaign to date, in a bid to drive spirit and mixer sales in pubs and supermarkets. The ad campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi X, will include radio, print, outdoor and in-outlet POS, carrying the strapline ‘Together for a Better Summer’. Marketing Magazine, 10 March

Kareena Kapoor Signed on as Brand Ambassador of Sony Ericsson Actress Kareena Kapoor seems to be on an endorsement spree these days. After winning the Sony Vaio endorsement, Kapoor has now been signed on as the brand ambassador of Sony Ericsson mobile phones. Saatchi & Saatchi is the creative agency for the Sony Ericsson account. Businessofconema.com, 11 March

Jealous Girlfriends Solution (In Spanish) This wonderful advertising campaign is a product of the company Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi for Andes beer, a riot of creativity and originality impressive outside conventional methods. Marcianos.com,10 March

Weekly Pitchlist Saatchi & Saatchi Canada creates a Claes Oldenburg-esque ad for Covergirl’s LashBlast mascara, co-opting subway turnstiles. Inthepitch.com, 08 March

Thought Leadership

Carl Wohlt: Learning from Starbucks “Kevin Roberts, in his book Lovemarks: the Future Beyond Brands, underscores the value of making emotional connections. To Roberts, the sensory connection is how “Lovemarks” – brands that “inspire loyalty beyond reason” – are created. The Lovemarks concept helps to explain why Starbucks remains one of the world’s top brands even though they’ve faced some serious marketplace challenges over the past several years.” Urbanophile.com, 09 March

Shopping Aisles at Cutting Edge of Consumer Research and Tech Andy Murray, worldwide CEO, Saatchi X, said that now is the time for retailers and manufacturers to be testing and learning. They won’t be done, he said, until they can mirror experiences like those on Amazon, which suggests complimentary purchases for every item put in the shopping cart. Mr. Murray maintains that 85% of purchase decisions have an emotional basis. For that reason, Saatchi now has a psychologist and an anthropologist on staff to analyze shopper data. AdAge, 15 March

The Winthrop Roundtable with Bob Seelert Bob Seelert has been the CEO of five companies in three different industries. Mr Seelert spent 23 years with General Foods Corporation and closely observed one of the biggest mega-mergers in US corporate history: the acquisition of General Foods by Philip Morris in 1985. Known for building brands and enacting numerous turnarounds, Mr Seelert has been World Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi since 1997. College of Charleston, 08 March

Category: Media Scan

Lovemarks for the Week

Friday, March 19th, 2010


Tokidoki This Japanese fashion brand is fast becoming a social phenomenon amongst youth…driving preference for it in fashion stores despite it being on the pricey side. The designs are edgy, relate to the world of youth, and new designs quickly hop onto the bloggosphere of fans. Junktuner, Canada Read more.

Tarina Tarantino Tarina Tarantino is delight. This brand helps you in expressing your joyful and perky side. The first time I ran into this kind of jewels for women, which was about 2 years ago, I felt amazed. I was studying a marketing case for an examination and I got so interested that I surfed the whole website in order to know more about it. It was like taking a leap back into my childhood: bright colours, rounded shapes, playful themes, shining rhinestones. It took me a second to understand that I was totally falling in love with this brand. And, believe me, it has never let me down so far. IlariaS Read more.

Swisscom This is, for me, the only one, the best, and nearest to my feelings, human want, my heart. It’s the only one that can let me feel real good on the phone, watching TV, and at the laptop on the Internet. Whatever I need, Swisscom is present…day and night! Sybille Read more.

IKEA IKEA gives us exactly what we ask for in the 21st century. I don’t want life long furniture because I’ll change my house, country and taste probably every 2 years in my life. I love IKEA cause it gives me the possibility to grow up without feeling bad for my wallet! Ludovica, Italy Read more.

Liverpool F.C. This team is my life. When they won, I would be very happy. When they lost, I would feel sick. When they play, I would feel very excited. It is true, this team is a very solid team, has a very strong spirit and has the best supporters in the world. Always supported whatever happens. One sentence that we often say “you’ll never walk alone”. Aditya Read more.

Category: Lovemarks

We Love New York #3 – Five Novels Set in New York State

Thursday, March 18th, 2010


http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniemole/ / CC BY 2.0

The merits of the New York landscape have manifested themselves in some of the greatest novels of our time, dating all the way back to colonial America. New York State has long been the inspiration for poets and novelists alike, with Prize-winning novels set in and around Upstate New York, using the culture and countryside as fodder. Here are novels that are set in New York, bringing the state to life.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

One of the great stories of the 20th century, The Great Gatsby has only solidified its place in American Literature as time has passed. Received to lukewarm reviews in the 20s, today Fitzgerald’s book stands as one fo the ten Great American Novels. Set in Long Island in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg, The Great Gatsby charts the rise and fall of the prosperous as they deal with the excessive materialism, moral vacuity and soullessness that Fitzgerald felt the 20s typified. Gatsby, Nick, Tom, Daisy and Myrtle are all wrapped in a web of moral turpitude, the product of an era of prosperity and abject consumption that putrefied the American dream. Gatsby the new rich sociality, in love with Daisy, the wife of Tom, who is having an affair with Myrtle – Fitzgerald’s love story is steeped in a larger social dialogue, as he investigates the tenuous relationship between the highs of unbridled American ambition and the low residual stench of the greed and moral corruption that corresponds.

Tropic of Capricorn, Henry Miller

Tropic of Capricorn, set in New York City, is written in Miller’s unique style, combining heavy autobiography with light fictional flourishes, glued together in a literal stream of words. The narrator, who’s name is also Henry Miller, works for Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company. The story tells of Miller’s relationships and how they are dealt with, how relationships can strangle one’s lust for life, limit one’s choices. Tropic of Capricorn uses its locations in New York to compare the city to a growing cancer, one that takes lives and ruins them. The book is a tirade, bursting at the seams with energy and confluence, harnessed only by Miller’s ample literary muscle. Miller, famous for his unapologetic style, possessed an ability to confront, dissect and dismember even the most entrenched social taboos. Tropic of Capricorn, along with the corresponding Tropic of Cancer, was banned in America for a great deal of time before its vulgarities came into the realm of acceptable artistic expression in the 60s.

Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper, a classic American novelist, was born in 1789 in Burlington, New Jersey. He attended a boarding school in Albany and went on to Yale College, was expelled and then eventually commissioned in the US Navy. He began writing on a whim and it stuck. Cooper is known for his Leatherstocking novels, the series dedicated to his character Natty Bumppo and set throughout upstate New York and the Hudson Valley region. His most famous is The Last of the Mohicans, set in the British province of New York in 1757 and dealing with the French and Indian War. Cooper uses the landscape in upstate New York deftly. The land is central to the novel, blending the story of adventure and danger with the beauty and nature of New York.

Ironweed, William Kennedy

William Joseph Kennedy, born in 1928, is an American writer who was raised in Albany, New York. He has used the influences of his life in and around Albany in his novels, including his Pulitzer Prize winning Ironweed. Set during the Great Depression, Ironweed is the story of a man, Francis Phelan, once a major league baseball player, who has a drinking problem. He left Albany and his family after accidentally killing his infant son in a drunken stupor, and has returned home 23 years later, to deal with his ghosts. Albany becomes, in this novel, a place between good and evil, a place of the past and the present, a place to find redemption. Kennedy’s use of Albany in his novels can be compared to James Joyce’s use of Dublin. He chooses Albany for his familiarity with it, and his intimate relationship with the city brings that same intimacy out in his characters.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving

Washington Irving was one of the first American authors to achieve worldwide fame, and is credited with helping to establish the footing of the American folk tradition on a national scale. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in the Dutch settlement of Tarrytown, NY, and tells of a tall, thin, schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, who is vying for, the daughter of a wealthy farmer against the shady Abraham Van Brunt. One night Ichabod is pursued by the Headless Horseman, a supposed ghost who lost his head during the Revolutionary War, and haunts the night in search of his missing head – after which Ichabod goes missing and Van Brunt marries Katrina. Irving was first exposed to the story of Sleepy Hollow while living in Tarrytown. He decided to adapt the folk tale and reveal the lore of the land to the world. The location sets the mood – Tarrytown is located on the banks of the Hudson River in rolling hills, foggy and foreboding at night. Sleepy Hollow is truly a tale of Irving harnessing the qualities of his landscape and unveiling them to the world.

Category: New York

James Orsini Calls for Workplace Disability Solutions

Monday, March 15th, 2010

As Director of Finance & Operations at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, I have a special interest in diversity in our workplace. I was asked to make some opening remarks to a forum presented by the New York Times, Monster.com and Disability Solutions’ on “The Changing World of Diversity & Inclusion Recruitment.”

In preparing my remarks, stories about two people came immediately to mind: the late actor Christopher Reeve – we have shared language in “Nothing Is Impossible”; and Saatchi & Saatchi senior copywriter Ken Opalsky, whose office is about three doors away from me (we’re the ultimate left-right brain combination). Read the full text of the remarks below to see how this all came together.

Also speaking was Commissioner Matthew Sapolin from the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, followed by a panel incorporating Stephen Pemberton – Chief Diversity Officer, VP Diversity and Inclusion, Monster.com; Candi Castleberry-Singleton – Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, UPMC, Eugene Kelly, Worldwide Director, Global Workplace Initiatives, Colgate Palmolive; and Joseph Bendas, Executive Office, Wawa.

It was an inspiring forum. Learnings included: 70% of disabled people are ready and willing to work – “wear us out, exhaust us!”; “compliance drives diversity – culture drives inclusion”; “what’s the business case?” is not the question!; and “we’re not in the “hope business” – this is about smart business decisions.”

Full Speech (600 words)

Distinguished guests. Our Sponsors Hire Disability Solutions, Monster, The New York Times. Good morning to you all.

I have three words to offer you today. They are not my words; I am simply passing them on to you. I know that when you hear them, you will all get their meaning, instantly and viscerally.

These words are the foundation of our company worldwide, and they have inspired thousands of our people to go beyond their comfort zones, to push beyond the safe and secure, and to take a risk on life.

At Saatchi & Saatchi we want our people not just to have ideas but to have world-changing ideas. Because we want our people to create brands that people love, not merely like. We’re told by neuroscientists that reason leads to conclusions; but that emotion leads to action. Therefore, being emotional about something is more likely to lead you achieving the impossible, than not.

Our three words are “Nothing Is Impossible.”

Some years ago we were very fortunate at Saatchi & Saatchi to have an association with the late Christopher Reeve. He participated at some events at our agency and contributed to a special occasion we were celebrating. He too believed that “Nothing Is Impossible.” So much so that he called his book about his new life “Nothing Is Impossible.”

I quote from the back cover – “Christopher Reeve challenges us not to accept limitations. He shows that we are all capable of overcoming seemingly insurmountable hardships.

“He teaches us that for able-bodied people, paralysis is a choice: to live with self-doubt and a fear of taking risks, or to live fully with zeal, curiosity, and gratitude.”

This is my way of introducing to you my colleague Ken Opalsky, a senior copywriter at Saatchi & Saatchi on our Procter & Gamble and General Mills creative teams. He writes wonderful scripts, screenplays and social media ideas for our great clients such as Cheerios, Tide, and Iams. Ken has been recognized by clients for the outstanding commercial outcomes his ideas and scripts have achieved.

When Ken was at college his life changed in an instant. He had an accident while at the beach one day, diving into a part of the ocean that turned out to be just too shallow. And so his life in a chair began. He finished college as an advertising major and came to Saatchi & Saatchi for an interview.

The great thing for both of us is that 20 years ago our building had ramps – he could actually get into the building. This was not the case with every agency he visited at the time.

Life in a chair was new for both Ken and Saatchi. There was a lot we didn’t know, but we both had the attitude “we’ll work it out.” And we did. One of the great things about being a writer in advertising is that you travel to film shoots – and Ken has been all over America, to London, to Barcelona. He’s been up mountains, and he’s been down dry river beds. And he goes to Austin Texas for music festivals, and to the Caribbean to scuba dive.

Ken says that in the early days he was sometimes left at airports after planes took off without him, or worse, left on the planes when they landed. And in the spirit of doing what is right and reasonable, Ken joined a number of class action suits to bring airlines and hotels and car rental companies into the real world of diversity. He deserves our acclaim for this alone. Ken is with us today. Give us a shout out Ken.

To Ken, “Nothing Is Impossible” is about the desire to do it; to figure out a way to do anything; to show people the possibilities. To Saatchi & Saatchi employees and clients, it is a spirit that resides in our hallways each and everyday. It is what makes brands Lovemarks.

To echo the words of Christopher Reeve, “live fully with zeal, curiosity, and gratitude.”

Nothing Is Impossible.

Thank you.

Category: Our People, Thought Leadership

Mary Baglivo: 2010 About “Spectacular results”

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Our agency meeting yesterday was a Hudson/Charlotte St “All Stars” team featuring CEO Worldwide Kevin Roberts, Robert Senior, the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi London and Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Group, and Gerry Graf, our New York Chief Creative Officer. Kevin outlined the priorities for all Saatchi & Saatchi people in 2010, and Robert and Gerry took us through our new creative agenda for this everything-goes Participation Economy, “Expressway to Love.”

My framing remarks were a pragmatic focus on what matters most to clients: more sales, better share, greater margin (in other words, “spectacular results”). These outcomes create sustainable value and sustainable jobs.

Category: Our People, Thought Leadership

Tapping Into The Mind Of A Shopper – Marketing Media Scan

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Photograph by Lars Ploughman

Tapping Into the Mind of a Shopper “People focus very narrowly and they don’t go beyond what’s in front of them,” says Shane Frederick, an associate professor at Yale School of Management, who decided to study this phenomenon after his own, agonizing hour in the electronics store ended when he bought the cheaper car stereo system – only after the salesman pointed out the savings could buy a pile of CDs. “I went from being completely indifferent to seeing clearly which stereo was better. I was fascinated and embarrassed by it.” Miami Herald, 07 March

Emotions Will Unlock Your Wallet, Study Finds A research study into buying habits of “happy” consumers says you will probably go for the watch because its showiness complements your feeling of pride. The study, to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research from Chicago found that contentment makes consumers seek familiar places to “savor and integrate” their pleasant emotions. By Trish Crawford, The Star, 22 February

Shoppers Choose to Touch and Feel The ‘Amazon effect’, whereby consumers were meant to abandon shops in favor of delivery to the door, turns out to have been sector-specific. True, some retailers, such as French firm Fnac, have suffered from 10% of retail migrating online. But outside of books and music downloads, consumers seem unable to renounce look-and-feel. IPE, 09 March

Reaching Affluents on Social Nets Based on a study from Unity Marketing, the outlook is mixed. Most affluents use social networking sites to hear about their friends and family and reconnect with old friends – not to connect with brands. Just 7% logged on to look for offers or research purchases, while 6% went social to share or buy products or look for coupons. EMarketer.com, 08 March

Category: Media Scan, Retail & Shopping

Fun & Flirty for JCPenney at the Oscars

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Creative Work

Penney to Kick Off New Campaign During Oscars JCPenney says it will unleash its spring campaign, emphasizing its commitment to a higher level of fashion, during the Academy Awards presentation on Sunday. A company spokesperson says it makes sense to launch the Saatchi & Saatchi-created ads during the Academy Awards, since “we consider the Oscars the Super Bowl for women.” MediaPost.com, 01 March

JCPenney Pushing Style During Oscar Broadcast This is the ninth year that Penney has been the exclusive retail sponsor of the Academy Awards. It purchased six 30-second spots. The campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, also uses social media venues such as jcp.com, Penney’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. DallasNews.com, 01 March

Memo Pad: Penney’s New Look for Spring JCPenney’s upcoming spring ad campaign focuses on the fun and flirty. The campaign, kicking off during the Academy Awards on Sunday with six 30-second spots created with Saatchi & Saatchi, introduces a new banner – “New look. New day. Who knew.” Wwd.com, 01 March

The Super-Branding Of Geneva As of March 1, 2010 Geneva, Switzerland, has its first protected logo created by Saatchi & Saatchi in tandem with a public/private sector pilot group that joined together cantonal, city, and local community representatives along with members of the hospitality and commercial sectors and Geneva’s tourism board. SwitzerlandTravel.com, 01 March

Case Study: Sightsavers At the end of 2008, the organization decided to create a new brand identity that would reflect their mission and increase awareness of the charity during its 60th birthday celebrations. Sightsavers chose Saatchi & Saatchi Design UK to develop the brand. The creative process was informed by internal research with staff from 20 country offices examining the identity of the organization and its future direction. SightSavers, 01 March

Extremely Long Lashes. LashBlast Extremely long brush. Extremely long lashes. LashBlast Length mascara. Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Canada. Beauty-ADV, 26 February

Andes Beer: Teletransporter Oh if only the creatives of beer commercials could be inventors instead. Funny spot by Saatchi & Saatchi. WolfStories, 01 March

Labour Attacks George Osborne in New Print Campaign Shadow Chancellor George Osborne is the target of the latest Saatchi & Saatchi campaign for the Labour Party. The new press ad, which is running in Brighton to coincide with the Conservative Party spring conference, asks the public to consider whether Osborne has the level of competence needed to become the next Chancellor of the Exchequer. CampaignLive.com, 02 March

Sony and Canteen Launch Campaign to Raise $15m For Youth Cancer Centres Sony Foundation, the charity arm of the Sony group of companies, has launched an initiative in Australia in partnership with CanTeen to raise $15m over three years to fund youth cancer treatment centres. It is being promoted through TV, cinema, radio and press ads created by Saatchi & Saatchi, with media being handled by Starcom. Mumbrella.com, 02 March

Boy Next Door Becomes Star in Reality TV Campaign Some months ago, Saatchi & Saatchi Netherlands set out to shoot T-Mobile’s new TV campaign on the streets of Netherlands with real people. And the one question they had when they hit the streets was this – what would you do with all your extra minutes and texts? Saatchi.com, 03 March

Wellington Zoo: Meerkat There’s a new hospital drama in town. Our state-of-the-art animal hospital is now open. New episodes daily.” Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington, New Zealand.AdsOfTheWorld.com, 01 March

Awards

Saatchi & Saatchi is the Most Successful German Agency at One Show At this year’s One Show Entertainment Awards Saatchi & Saatchi Germany has been awarded two Pencils. The creative bunch in Frankfurt has received Gold and Bronze Pencils for their work for Piss Screen and Sony Ericsson. kulow-kommunikation.de, 27 February
Creative Work

10 Historic Marketing Breakthroughs and Their Legacy In January 2009, Saatchi & Saatchi launched T-Mobile’s ‘Life’s for Sharing’ campaign, which included flash mobs. In this case, it was a smartly choreographed dance routine in the middle of a London Tube station. The video became a YouTube phenomenon. Also including campaigns for Avis, the Marlboro Man and Barack Obama. MarketingNetwork.com, 26 February

Thought Leadership

For a “Crash Course” Sustainable MBA, Here’s Your Homework The results are in! The 3P reader poll we conducted 2 weeks ago received a lot of attention and traffic, and generated an interesting list of green business books that our readers consider important. The top vote getter was Strategy For Sustainability: A Business Manifesto, a strategy book, written by Adam Werbach, former President of the Sierra Club and Global CEO of sustainability consulting firm Saatchi & Saatchi S. Triplepundit.com, 01 March

In Conversation: Saatchi & Saatchi’s Bob Seelert In this edition of the Thought Leadership Project, I talk to Bob Seelert, who for the last 12 years has been the Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world’s leading creative ideas companies. His journey from small-town Connecticut to being CEO of five companies in three different industries, and a member of the board of directors of nine companies in the United States, England and France, reads like a script for “The Great American Success Story”. OperationsBuzz.com, 04 March

JCPenney Taps Most Promising Minority Students As part of the Company’s ongoing commitment to increasing the value of inclusion and diversity, JCPenney was the principal sponsor of the 14th Annual American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Most Promising Minority Students Program. Participants learned first-hand the advertising and promotional execution surrounding the 2009 grand opening from those directly involved within the JCPenney marketing team as well as Saatchi & Saatchi, the company’s national advertising agency. MarketWatch.com, 03 March

New Business

Saatchi & Saatchi Wins Global Lurpak Account Saatchi & Saatchi has won the global advertising account for Lurpak after a shoot-out against the UK incumbent, Wieden & Kennedy London. The agency will now handle Lurpak’s advertising and develop a global brand strategy for all of its markets outside the UK, where W&K will continue to handle the business. DesignTaxi.com, 26 February

Category: Clients, Media Scan

Eight Hour Reading of Sean Landers’ “Sic”

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Wildman painter and artist Sean Landers is read by himself and 21 friends, colleagues and likely lovers at an all-Saturday-nighter in the S Space, Hudson & King. Presented by Art Production Fund and White Columns. Pizza and Vodka for balm. Covered by Vanity Fair (“choleric, toxic, and confessional”), School of Visual Arts (“He wrote this insane book all about himself and gets all his friends together to read it. That’s crazy!” But good crazy, right?”) and the totally intriguing effort EveryPersonInNewYork. Pictured: West Village art impresario Gavin Brown. http://www.gavinbrown.biz/

Category: Events