Category: Advertising

Defining a Brand: The Subway Experience.

  • Posted by Shane Woodward, on February 17, 2009

My original intention was to include this post as part of my ongoing "WTF" series, but now that I've put a little more thought into it, I've decided to launch a new series of posts which discusses, rants about, and pokes fun of those moments whereby your perception of a brand is completely altered, often for the worse, and usually forever.

"The Sitch":

It's lunchtime in Belle-vegas. Agency life being what it is, sometimes one has to grab lunch on the fly. Unfortunately, lunch on the fly in this end of town means that you only have a few establishments to choose from. Subway, the setting for today's "experience" happens to be one of our usual haunts.

The Cast:

To protect the identities of the parties involved (save for myself) I will not be using their real names. All other information will be presented in a wholly (mostly) accurate fashion.

The Subway Nazi is a classic example of...

  • Tagged in: strategy, culture

An experience I could get used to.

  • Posted by Charlotte Barker, on February 12, 2009

A couple of days ago, I was lucky enough to be involved in a meeting that brought weeks of hard work together creating a great day here at they. Since my first day I had been involved in a very significant campaign for they. I have seen all the steps involved prior to a client pitch starting with research and information gathered. It is amazing to realize the amount of prep that has to be done in order to come up with a campaign idea. We are told in school that you have to research but in all honesty we all just liked to come up with ideas and sometimes skimmed over that part. BIG mistake. I definitely found out the importance of knowing your stuff and being able to back it up with sound information. Before you can come up with an idea you have to know the company, the competition, the economy, and the consumer inside and out. It’s all about problem solving. You identify the problem...

  • Tagged in: they integrated

Veggie Love

  • Posted by Shane Woodward, on January 29, 2009
A couple of days ago, The New York Post reported that NBC has rejected a Super Bowl ad from animal rights organization PETA due to its hypersexualized nature:

NBC pulled the plug on a PETA pro-veggie commercial planned for the Super Bowl because it "depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards," according to NBC Universal's advertising standards executive, Victoria Morgan. The ad, which carries the tag-line, "Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex," shows lingerie-clad stunners getting "intimate" with vegetables.

In truth, I'd be the last person in the world to jump on the PETA bandwagon, but you almost have to admire the complete lack of subtlety that permeates from almost everything they do. (not that Super Bowl Ads are the pinnacle of subtlety)

Here's the spot. I'd say that it's NSFW (not safe for work), but you know the people I work with. Never-the-less, consider...

  • Tagged in: strategy, trends, television, culture

An internship at they

  • Posted by Charlotte Barker, on January 29, 2009

With my first couple weeks here over, I thought I would reflect on what’s been going on during this time.

Many meetings, many e-mails, many numbers, many terms I am unfamiliar with as of yet, and a lot of observations. I spent the better part of my first few weeks watching everyone around here doing what they do best - and wondering how they do it. I have seen everyone juggle a million different things and yet they seem to keep everything in order. It’s pretty amazing! Being able to see what goes on behind the scenes has given me a better understanding of the things that need to be done in order to get all the hard work out the door. There is a lot to all this stuff that I was unaware of, and a lot of things that are confusing to me still. But with everyone here being so helpful, I’m sure it won’t be too long until I get the hang of it.

What have I learned so far?
  1. That I have a...
  • Tagged in: they integrated, techniques, strategy

Don’t “chuck” those Super Bowl 3D glasses.

  • Posted by Shane Woodward, on January 19, 2009

Just when I though TV's best show couldn't get any better...

Chuck returns with a 3D episode on February 2nd at 8/7c

Super Bowl viewers who pick up a pair of free 3D glasses to see the first all-3D commercial break, featuring a 3D ad campaign for the upcoming feature film Monsters vs. Aliens, running during the big game on NBC, will want to hang on to them to watch an all-3D episode of Chuck premiering the next night.

The 3D episode, "Chuck vs. the Third Dimension," debuts Monday February 2nd at 8/7c on NBC and will feature a special guest appearance by NBC Sports analyst and Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis. The episode has been specially produced to take advantage of the same cutting edge 3D technology being used for the Super Bowl promotions.

Of course, we Canadians will have to fend for ourselves, since in Canada, Chuck airs on Citytv, and naturally, the cross-promotion...

  • Tagged in: strategy, chuck, television

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