Psychology of Advertising

What Advertising Can Be

2012-02-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

On Super Sunday 2012 Fiat introduced us to the future of the muscle car.

Now, Detroit has been using sex appeal to sell cars for a very long time.

But, the metaphorical power of this wonderfully conceived and produced commercial reinvents advertising to car enthusiasts, and in so doing paves the way for the kinds of muscle cars the future may allow.

Despite all the hoopla about popularity polls, this is the 2012 Super Bowl any creative person would want on have on their reel. The commercial was done by the Dallas-based Richards Group.

Whale Of A Commercial

2012-01-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

Tow truck drivers are like fishermen, always out to hook "the big one." Therein lies the basis of a great automobile commercial.

However, to realize this promise, the brand needs to be a big one, legendary in some respect.

It is one thing to "claim" legendary. Thirty years ago Audi pioneered permanent all-wheel-drive.

It is another thing to enact legendary with conviction. People recognize the metaphor of "the one that got away," whether it is Ahab's great white whale or a catfish lurking in a summer pond. This commercial is brilliantly conceived and produced.

Attitude Toward the Ad As "Foot-in-the Door"

2011-12-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

No one really wants to talk about buying insurance, but sometimes we need it.

Centraal Beheer is one of the largest insurance companies in the Netherlands. Based in the city of Apeldoorm, the company is known for its lighter touch when it comes to reaching out to the marketplace.

The call to action translates as "Just call Apeldoorm." Their humor is so consistently fresh and to the point that the slogan has become an everyday utterance when people encounter unexpected problems.

Altruistic Behavior

2011-11-23T03:43:00.000-08:00

As I have argued previously, and in my 2006 journal article, altruistic motivations are the strongest basis for sustainable relationships.

The importance of altruistic motives is clearly seen in social relationships, yet altruistic behavior is not commonly recognized when it comes to commercial relationships in the marketplace.

At first, this new John Lewis commercial from the UK seems to be all about the youth and his ardent anticipation of Christmas Day.

We think we understand his motivation, and are surprised to learn he was driven by the motivation to give rather than receive.

This commercial has redefined what holiday advertising can be. In what has become the season of hype, John Lewis has given us all an endearing gift.

The Benefits of Attributes

2011-11-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

Product attributes are valuable insofar as they relate to benefits.

Here, the problem-solution format is employed to position a brand as a counterpoise to designer brands in the same product category.

Simplicity is offered as a solution to frivolous charm.

Voice of Change

2011-10-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Apple is a remarkable company for many reasons. One is quality advertising. The work is consistently highly strategic - true to the organization's core values - and dramatized in human terms.

The voice is that of Steve Jobs. The commercial was made in 1997.

"Participatory Observations" and Mood Modulation on Social Media

2011-08-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

The "Uses and Gratifications Perspective" is a conceptual structure focusing on the kinds of benefits or utilities audience members report they derive from the media they use. This approach originated with early radio audience research done by Herta Herzog in the late 1930s. She studied why people listen to radio programs.

Since then, this perspective has been applied in turn to each new electronic medium. There is a litany of "uses" and "gratifications" including such as "escape," "surveillance or news," and "value reinforcement." Each new electronic medium has the potential to refine or add to our understanding of a vast field of audience benefits.

When it comes to Facebook, a somewhat recent and highly popular new electronic medium, what are the possible new benefits that users may derive?

Here is a typical kind of posting with follow-up comments found every day on Facebook.

Commonplace happenings are posted and can become the basis for a wider commentary. For a few moments, readers may smile and then add their own responses to what may become an evolving spontaneous narrative.

A simple posting becomes a "participatory observation" with its own narrative structure. This does seem to fit in the broad uses and gratifications category of "value reinforcement." Yet, the lightness of humor appears to bring a unique flavor to this benefit that we might call "Mood Modulation."

Emotion and Social Media

2011-07-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Emotional response can play important roles in the motivation to elaborate (think) and the motivation to share.

One of the most admired pieces at this year's Cannes Film Festival was a short social media film called "We Miss You" produced for the World Wildlife Fund.

The film's director, Hanna Maria Heidrich, won the Best Film School Young Director Award. The film was also awarded a Best European Branded Short and Special Jury Award.

Hello There

2011-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Electronic media reach across time and place to bring more people closer together than ever before.

This new commercial from TalkTalk, the British broadband company, takes a wonderfully strategic and creative approach to remind us we still need to "reach out."

Viral Involvement

2011-05-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

MTV Brazil is bursting balloons to celebrate its 21st year.

MTV always strives to be on the right-hand side of the Wundt Curve. This is a conceptual basis for calibrating human response to creativity to identify the realm of pleasing realization.

In this day and age no organization can be what it was yesterday. Now you have to burst a lot of balloons to stay ahead of the game.

Thoughts, Feeling and Action

2011-04-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Good advertising invites people to think. It is even better when the invitation to think evokes corresponding emotions.

This 1986 commercial is an effective demonstration of The Cognitive Theory of Emotions. We observe, we think, we feel, we are surprised, and we think again.

Indeed, this reminds us of Edward Scripture's original condensation of the field of Psychology as "Thinking, Feeling, and Doing." Scripture's title for one of the original Psychology textbooks (1895) might serve as well for the field of Advertising.

This perspective is worth remembering as we move from the age of the "telephone" to a new frontier of communication capabilities.

Advertising and Polydactyl Cats

2011-03-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

Polydactyl cats have a genetic mutation that gives them more than the usual number of toes on their paws.

What if the extra toes became opposable thumbs?

Would these cats turn pages of books and begin to read?

And, would they begin opening milk bottles for themselves?

In the past week, this commercial for Cravendale Milk has garnered over 1 million YouTube viewers.

It directs viewers to become followers and learn more at The Milk Matters website.

Creating Creativity

2011-03-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Easter is just around the corner, four weeks away. This means we will be seeing Cadbury's annual delightful mixed metaphor advertising of rabbits, eggs, and chocolate.

It all started, once upon a time, in the magical creative department of Young & Rubicam, New York.

This early 1980s commercial was the first of the "clucking bunnies."

It demonstrates a fundamental principle of creativity. You can't have a new idea, if you only have one idea. It is the collision of metaphors that gives this work its enduring charm and meaning.

Mood, Memory and Advertising Effects

2011-02-23T03:44:00.000-08:00

Psychological studies have shown that mood states at the time of learning associate themselves with the material being learned. Positive mood states are more likely than negative to promote learning and recall of material congruent with mood.

Studies also show that people in positive mood states tend to do a better job of integrating new information into their beliefs.

This highly symbolic and positive affect producing commercial for the World Wildlife Fund was created in Mexico City, Mexico.

What Advertising Can Be

2011-02-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

This 1952 Chevrolet commercial is instructive about what advertising can be.

On one level it is a statement for the brand, just an entertaining car commercial celebrating the consumer benefit. On another level, this commercial goes far beyond the brand to define what a better life can be for the entire economy and society.

In this way this Chevrolet commercial acted to define the entire outlook of an era and a nation building its future.

The recent two-minute Chrysler commercial “Imported From Detroit” is of a similar genre. However, this commercial speaks of the car and the people who made the car. The connection to the economy and society is less evident.

Looking back to the Chevrolet commercial, we see how advertising can more clearly participate in the economy and society helping define a productive path to the future.

This is more than cheerleading, it is organizing an outlook to build a better future for everyone. So, today, when so many voices are holding us back, someone or something needs to speak clearly for the future and take us there.

Perspective on Valuation of Facebook

2011-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

In April of 2009 I posted commentary on what the valuation of Facebook might mean in terms of the daily audience it accumulates. Let’s look again.

Here is a recent table from Nielsen Online showing the magnitude of the Facebook audience within the United States as of December, 2010.

There were 135.602 million Facebook visitors in the United States alone. This amounts to 68.3 percent reach of active Internet users in the US.

Looking back to April of 2009, Nielsen reported 34.8 percent reach for Facebook with about 54 million visitors. Also at that time visitors averaged about two and a-half hours on the site or about 5 minutes a day.

As shown in the chart, people are now averaging about seven hours per month or about 14 minutes per day. Clearly, some are on the site longer each day, but the average has reached the quarter-hour level.

Now, turning to attention as the most valuable of all commodities, it is within this quarter-hour average daily window that the valuation of the company must make sense.

The latest reports place the valuation of Facebook at about $52 billion. Looking at this from an audience accumulation perspective, in the United States alone, this valuation equates to a little over $380 per each member of the currently active Facebook audience. In April of 2009, this same calculation resulted in $50 per audience member in the US.

On a world-wide basis, the calculation is a little over $190 per visitor, and the average daily time on the site drops substantially.

Clearly, the audience size and daily time on the site have been increasing dramatically. Moreover, we are seeing Facebook engage with the civic space of entire nations in dynamic ways. But, it is within this magic quarter-hour daily “attention structure” that the advertising model will have to pay out for Facebook. This continues to be an intriguing story.

Mindful - Playful

2011-02-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

Honda has just released a commercial for it's five-door coupe known in Europe as the Honda Jazz.

This commercial projects creative energy with a "mindful - playful" brand personality. Mindfulness comes from the strategic premise of flexibility to meet unanticipated needs, while playfulness arises from Dr. Seuss-style writing and imagery.

Minnesota's own Garrison Keillor performed the voice-over, adding his own home-spun charm to complete the storytelling.

Super Banner

2011-02-10T05:05:00.000-08:00

Chrysler's outstanding Super Bowl commercial - Imported From Detroit - was a signal of things to come (scroll below for earlier post).

Here is Chrysler's banner from the top of today's New York Times. Clearly they know where to find me.

This is exceptional banner design employing symbols with wonderful copywriting... "A car you don't have to own to be proud of."

Now that is courageous copy.

The banner takes you to a site where you can view the Imported From Detroit commercial and learn more about the Chrysler 200. Just scroll down to February 8th below if you missed seeing this commercial on the Super Bowl.

Super Sunday's Super Brand

2011-02-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

People thirst for more than good football on Super Sunday. So beverage commercials are always plentiful. This year was no exception, although only one beverage brand presented exceptional advertising.

Coca-Cola's corporate core competencies focus on distribution and branding. And, when it comes to advertising, no beverage sends it's brand signal more effectively.

In this commercial - called Border Crossing - we see the "gift-like act" that is an essential element of the Coca-Cola brand concept. "Happiness" may be how people speak of this campaign in contemporary terms, but the enduring metaphor of the brand involves the universal gesture of friendship. This metaphor was also portrayed in the Dragon commercial for Coca-Cola.

It is this underlying concept that differentiates the brand and raises it above all other beverages. Brands desperate for attention resort to stunts, while Coca-Cola sustains its leadership secure in the knowledge it stands for core values shared by people everywhere in the world.

Imported From Detroit

2011-02-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Automobile makers dominated commercial time on the 2011 Super Bowl. Their commercials were all over the lot. As the dust settles, one image remains. Chrysler's "Imported From Detroit."

In two sweeps of the second hand Chrysler moved to seize the high ground in automotive imagery. The ground was there for the taking. The new GM could have seized it, and Ford certainly has a claim to it with it's well positioned products.

Nielsen audience research reported the Chevy Camaro commercial set a television audience record with 119,628,000 viewers, but it was a typical car spot - attractive woman with attractive car - and Chrysler's story will outlast it.

The signal on Sunday was that it is the new owners of Chrysler who really know the value of brands and how to communicate them. And it didn't hurt that the advertising agency and commercial director took a page from the playbook for the opening credits of the Sopranos.

A commercial like this is no accident. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Chrysler.

Best Buy Wins Super Bowl

2011-02-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Let's put the USA Today Super Bowl ad liking ratings aside (see earlier post below). It's really a distracting "trash sport" when it comes to getting down to business.

For my money, I think Best Buy placed the smartest, most successful commercial on this year's Super Bowl.

When it comes to business and advertising strategy, it is hard to beat their offer to help us rid ourselves of yesterday's electronic millstones and replace them with the latest good things to do what we really want. Why not get something for our old technology, let it go properly into a recycling program, and happily move ahead with a better product?

When it comes to advertising creativity, Best Buy smartly employed two popular culture icons (metaphors) to bring its offer to life.

Just think.... it is time to "Ozzy that old phone" and "Bieber-Up" with the future.

Congrats to the people at Best Buy. Smart business.

Super Bowl Advertising Regressing to the Mean

2011-02-07T05:45:00.000-08:00

The vibe on yesterday's Super Bowl advertising reflects a bit of disappointment.

Here's the trend line on the USA Today ratings for the "most liked" Super Bowl commercial in each of the last 23 Super Bowls. The newspaper uses a ten-point liking scale and they put together a small sample audience each year that is said to be generally reflective of the audience for the game.

This year, the Bud Light and Doritos "Dog Trick" spots tied at the top with 8.35 ratings.

The dotted gray line is the 8.6 average for the 23 years of data. You can notice a phenomenon known as "regression to the mean." Ratings climbed when the scores were first reported, but now appear to be settling into an even pattern. This suggests advertisers have developed a "formula" to reduce risk.

Advertising, of course, thrives on intelligent risk-taking. Formulas are bad things when it comes to the most productive advertising creativity. So, it is probably time for some notable advertisers to move beyond slap-stick and pet tricks.

Although, they may be satisfied with "Professionally OK."

There is always next year.

Super Commercial

2011-02-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

This new spot from VW excites us about the shape of things to come.

The commercial employs the "beetle metaphor" to promise performance like never before. It is a car commercial without a car, demonstrating the power of original ideas in advertising.

It is charming, involving, and compelling.

Old School Super Sunday

2011-01-24T04:46:00.000-08:00

Super Sunday is shaping up for 2011. We are now set for a classic “old school” match between storied teams seeking their latest claim to the Lombardi Trophy: Packers versus Steelers.

The teams feature strong quarterbacks: one established, the other ascending. Both teams play with strength and agility.

From the audience perspective, it is the East Coast versus the Midwest, with the West Coast drawn in by the California origins of the Packers QB. Audience projections are as high as 110 million viewers for the big game.

And, the economy is on the rise with a full card of Super Bowl commercials for which some have paid as much as $3 million for 30 seconds.

All this means there will be lots of football talk leading to the big game in two weeks.

Much of the suspense will be about advertising creativity.

Super Bowl advertising is all about “the reward theory of communication” where brands compete to garner favor by being highly entertaining.

Brands such as E-trade and CareerBuilder.com have captured recent attention on Super Sundays employing talking babies and fooling around with monkeys. It is borrowed interest that plays to their product benefits of ease of use and escape from less desirable working conditions.

Budweiser is the “old school” favorite. The King of Beers has long been the king of Super Bowl advertising.

It will be interesting to see if Bud can take the creative crown back this year schooling us with yet another new way to leverage their powerful brand equity.

(As it turned out, Bud settled for slap-stick stunts; and kissed their brand symbols good-bye).

Welcome to the Psychology of Advertising

2011-01-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

I began this blog on the Psychology of Advertising two years ago. The objective remains to provide observations about current advertising and point out helpful sources for thinking about advertising.

The blog is meant for anyone interested in advertising. People everywhere like to study advertising. Over the past two years, many thousands of people in over 70 countries have read one or more of the 100 postings. In fact, this 2011 welcome note is posting number 100.

The spring 2011 semester begins today. I will again be teaching a graduate course called Psychology of Advertising. This course has a long tradition at the University of Minnesota.

In the 1890s , Harlow Gale, a faculty member in the Philosophy Department, taught a seminar he called Psychology of Advertising. Today, Gale is acknowledged as the first person to conduct scientific studies of the effects of advertising.

So this Minnesota tradition continues. And, I am looking forward to posting observations here on this blog. Many postings will correspond with discussions that are taking place in class, but the postings will also be offered with the understanding there are avid readers who are advertising friends around the world.

Welcome to Psychology of Advertising.

Social Media Multiplier Effect and the Super Bowl

2011-01-15T03:19:00.000-08:00

One of the virtues of better advertising is the "multiplier effect" that comes from people sharing information they find in advertising.

People are social. And we like to talk about what's new. We become closer to each other sharing the very latest fun and useful information with friends.

That is why advertising is best defined as "commercial news."

Now, there are at least two dimensions to commercial news: what you have to say (the strategic information about the product), and how you say it (the creative component of the message).

In a few weeks, we will be seeing the annual "advertising theater" on the Super Bowl where companies serve up highly creative commercials in hopes for the greatest multiplier effects.

And of course electronic social media play an increasing role in the process.

Venables Bell & Partners, the San Francisco ad agency, has just reported a survey indicating 15 percent of the people who say they will watch the Super Bowl also say they plan to post game-related coments on Facebook during the game.

The ad agency did some math with the expected audience size and average number of Facebook friends to project there will be 15 million people sending a total of about 2 billion game-related comments during the game.

The ad agency survey also found that about 25 percent of these people say they plan to be commenting on the Super Bowl commercials. That adds up to a projected electronic social media multiplier effect of about a half billion comments on Facebook alone.

With Super Bowl commercial prices holding constant in the 2.8 to 3 million dollar range, the growing multiplier effect from electronic social media is making a substantial contribution to advertising productivity.

Super Bowl 2011 Commercials

2011-01-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Super Bowl is just four weeks away. SB XLV will be played on February 6th at Dallas Cowboy Stadium.

Who will play that day? Well, who knows, but here's what is known about some of the commercials we are likely to see.

The most plentiful category is automotive. The eight sponsors in this grouping include Audi, BMW, Bridgestone, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, and VW. BMW is said to be returning to this event after a 10-year absence.

E-commerce also includes a number of sponsors. Among them will be Careerbuilder, CarMax, Cars.com, E-trade, GoDaddy.com, and HomeAway Inc. GoDaddy will feature Danica Patrick again this year as well as Jillian Michaels from America's Biggest Loser.

Snacks and Beverages comprise the third large grouping of sponsors. This includes Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Mars Brands, Doritos, and Pizza Hut. Doritos is to again feature commercials produced in their managed contest method.

Rounding out the list we know so far are Skechers and Motorola. Motorola held details until the last moment in 2010, but it seems likely they will feature their latest Droid-based phone this year.

This is the largest audience television program of the year. As always, it entertaining to watch the commercials and to consider The Psychology of Advertising.

Image and Influence

2011-01-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

One of the longest standing concepts in advertising is the distinction between hard sell (or argumentative) copy and soft sell (or imagery).

In many ways this is a false distinction when it comes to potential for impact. Imagery, even what may seem to some to be merely charming entertainment absent a literal argument (or elaboration as some call it), may nevertheless rise to the highest levels of influence.

Here’s a recent public service commercial that draws upon the holidays for its advertising idea.

This PSA was placed on YouTube in early November, 2010, and has garnered about a half a million views to date.

Although charming and entertaining in its approach, the spot asks for the order in a powerful way. It is idea driven – home for the holidays – with a strong call to action – no more homeless pets.

Best Friends Animal Society is based in Kanab, Utah. From this seemly remote location this organization has exerted influence on how animals are treated with greater care throughout the United States. This PSA is just one part of the organization’s strategic approach.

Viral Vending

2010-12-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

The latest work for the Mini Cooper in Canada is a manufacturer's dream. It teaches everyone the product line.

What a concept!

People on the street below can text to the outdoor projection to select the Mini model they want to see.

In a return message, this interactive display invites them to a Mini site where they can become FaceBook fans.

This is a wonderful demonstration of creativity in advertising. The idea leverages the intrinsic charm of the brand into an engaging activity that informs prospective customers about the product line and invites them into the brand community to take the first step to ownership.

Award Winning Tradition

2010-11-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Last week, Hovis Bread - a leading British brand - won the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Grand Prix for a commercial said to have increased sales by 14 percent, earning payback of $5 for every $1 spent and generating $145 million in additional profit.

The commercial was introduced in 2008 to celebrate the 122nd anniversary of the company. Named "Go on Boy," the spot is 122 seconds long. Shot in Liverpool with 750 extras, the commercial depicts British history while evoking the heritage of the brand.

This grand prix for effectiveness was not the first recognition for the commercial. In December of 2009, it was voted "Ad of the Decade" by a newspaper sponsored competition.

Now, it seems Hovis has a tradition for advertising quality. The following commercial, dating from 1973, was voted Britain's favorite commercial of all time.

Called "Boy on Bike," this commercial was directed by Ridley Scott. It was filmed on Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

It is an exceptional combination of cinematography and writing that delivers on a clear strategic premise (unique selling proposition).

Rosser Reeves, famous writer of Wonder Bread advertising and articulator of the Unique Selling Proposition concept, likely would have admired Scott's commercial.

Brand Insistence

2010-10-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

The Arab Dairy Products Company is based in the Heliopolis district of Cairo, Egypt.

Their corporate website speaks of the natural taste of cheese from master cheese makers who combine the “handed-down, age-old cheese-making tradition with the best of modern technology, preserving the original taste while complying with stringent hygiene controls.”

Panda is their brand name for a line of mozzarella cheese products. It comes in grated form, cheese blocks, and Insalata Caprese – combining mozzarella, tomato, basil and olive oil.

The taste is said to be “delightfully fresh.”

So is their advertising. Here’s a series of spots in their current campaign.

This campaign is both strategically smart and creatively brilliant. Many thanks go to Marv Waldman for letting me know about this advertising.

Get in the Game

2010-10-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

This intersection of smartphone apps, advergames and promotional give-aways takes audience involvement to a new level.

This Mini Stockholm smartphone app places "advergames" in hands of the audience and invites them into a real world brand experience.

The advertising agency behind this viral, Jung von Matt Stockholm, promises to deliver "ideas with momentum."

Sesame Street Turns to Online Spice

2010-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Sesame Street went viral on Friday.

Parodies of popular video ideas can be productive ways to hitchhike on the success of others. In this parody of the the highly successful Old Spice commercial that also went viral, Sesame Street shows strategic and creative smarts.

Of course the audience is parents, not children. The video reminds them of the joyful experience that is Sesame Street and points vividly to its qualities as a teacher of children. It also teaches us that Sesame Street is online.

This viral commercial is "Spot ON."

That's Some Strong Creativity

2010-09-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

One's "book" or portfolio is everything for a creative person. For beginners, it is particularly important to demonstrate your promise.

One approach is to break free from existing brands and create your own product in an environment free from expectations or convention.

This "commercial" is a demonstration of directing talent by the model maker, sculptor and animatronic designer John Nolan. Hence the brand name for the cheese.

Were this a commercial for a real brand of cheese, one might leave out the middle song. Yet, as a demonstration piece, we really see John Nolan's gift for vivid creative expression and his animatronic talent.

Despite the middle scene, the work leaves you wanting the brand. That's some strong cheddar!

Good work on the package design, too.

You can learn more about Nolan and his work at John Nolan Films.

Many thanks go to Marv Waldman - creative genius - for showing me this work.

Brand Personality

2010-09-13T11:53:00.001-07:00

The successful BMW Mini Cooper shows people will forgo larger cars and pay well for smaller cars that possess desirable capabilities communicated with appropriate imagery.

Here's the latest Mini Cooper commercial, showing the car is both in tune with the times and a pleasurable experience.

The work was done by BSUR in Amsterdam.

Audience Augmentation of Brand Value

2010-09-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Strategically, advertising should be premised on a clear idea of the competitive frame and exactly what information is needed to advise consumers on how the choice is to be made.

When you are confident of the strategic considerations, then you are ready to tell the story emphatically and surprisingly quickly.

Admirable work, but this is really not a "commercial." It was not created, produced and placed by the featured brand. Rather, it is user generated media content created by Bill Day and posted on YouTube.

The work demonstrates how, in today's media environment, unanticipated voices in the marketplace can augment brand value and demonstrate the principles of effective strategic communication.

Those familiar with the original 1984 Macintosh commercial will see irony in the twist. For those not familiar with that commercial, it is nevertheless the human metaphor of the lone voice standing up to suppression that gives communicative power to the piece. In his re-use of the old commercial, the maker demonstrates some key principles.

Maxwell Goes "Wheeee" to the Market

2010-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

Could switching to Geico really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?

Who knows?

To answer the question, a recent Geico commercial turns to the classic “this little piggy” nursery game parents use to entertain the youngest children.

Just as this little piggy entertains children, this commercial captivates its adult audience.

The commercial also employs a genre from everyday adult conversation. Questions about the outcomes of actions or events are often given improbable answers as a means of humorously saying “you can count on it.”

We may accept the implied answer or we may have curious disbelief, so like charmed children we happily call Geico to find out for sure.

Maxwell the pig makes it home, his commercial owns the market.

Verizon Commercial Makes Ultimate Promise

2010-08-20T01:12:00.000-07:00

The ultimate promise is personal empowerment. You can do anything and succeed.

This Verizon commercial speaks to youthful users of its wireless services with a commercial that both challenges and promises.

The challenge is to turn from everyday conversation to high purposes. The youthful voices acknowledge that their ideas will influence others to the extent they are wise, worthy and flawless.

The promise is to ensure that the most powerful transmitter is you. Verizon's commercial states, "Air has no prejudice, it does not carry the opinions of a man faster than those of a woman, it does not filter out an idea because I am 16 and not 30. Air is unaware if I am black or white, and wouldn't care if it knew."

This admirable commercial is more than a promise to youthful wireless customers. Ultimately, this is a commitment to the importance of always open access in connection with wireless communication.

Strategic Power of the Theory of Trying

2010-08-17T03:56:00.000-07:00

The “Theory of Trying” is a useful psychological approach for thinking about advertising. Many of our daily actions are about repetitive attempts to improve our lives. Dieting, exercise, athletic skill, mental acuity… these are but a few areas where it seems we try and try again.

The Theory of Trying includes such factors as our attitudes toward success, attitudes toward failure, attitudes toward the very act of trying itself, knowledge about the specific actions needed for success, and abilities to measure success.

The more carefully we “break down” the process of trying, the greater is our ability to think strategically about campaigns that can help improve our odds of success.

Now, one reason we don’t conserve enough electricity day-to-day is that we don’t have immediate feedback about our success. Sure we get a monthly power bill. But how much better can we be if we can see the immediate energy consumption consequences of what we do?

The latest work from npower, one of Europe’s leading energy companies, employs the storytelling charm of Wallace and Gromit, but the power in the commercial comes from the Theory of Trying.

In this commercial, Wallace and Gromit introduce us to the “smart power meter,” that can help us avoid “The Revenge of the Killer Watts.”

Attitude Toward the Ad is certainly at work here, but the power of this commercial comes from clever naming of the consequences of failure, “Killer Watts,” and showing us how to measure our success.

Verizon "Rules" with New Commercial

2010-08-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

The high ground for the telephone (telecommunications) business has from the earliest days been the concept of “universal service.” This means connecting everyone wherever they are, regardless of congestion or remoteness.

Since the breakup of the AT&T monopoly in 1984, one of the independent companies created at that time has remained truest to the core value of “universal service.”

Verizon's recent commercial, called “Stage,” transforms the corporate strategic concept “universal service” into a statement of the customers’ personal empowerment.

The commercial is remarkable because it demonstrates effective use of the concept of USP (unique selling proposition). USP claims move the marketplace only to the extent they relate to real consumer concerns.

In this commercial, Verizon tells a story recognizing that your connection is your lifeline. It must be "universal" in the fullest sense, everywhere and every time, without a doubt.

Verizon has put the “you” in USP. The commercial is a powerful example of the effective alignment of corporate strategy, communication strategy, and creative execution.

The line “rule the air,” the check mark use of the Verizon logo, the building music and imagery, and the immediacy of the voice… there is not a false moment in this commercial.

This work is brilliant.

Understanding "Sustainable Social Action"™

2010-08-12T04:34:00.000-07:00

In yesterday’s post I wrote about the fundamentals for understanding the changing relationship between everyday communication and commercial speech.

The concept of “social currency” is at the center when it comes to understanding how people act. What we choose to do is basically “all about me” and then it really isn’t.

The overarching driver in human action is how we act to support the welfare of others. On one level this could be said to be altruistic behavior, and on another it can be seen as self-interested action taken to maintain our social standing. This is the basis of dynamic and sustainable social action.

For a more complete understanding of my typology of human goals, placed in a data-driven analysis of the views of the youth population in the United States read “Why do youth enlist? Identification of Underlying Themes” in Armed Forces & Society, 2006. This article explains the reasoning leading to my "Theory of Sustainable Social Action."™

Much of the content of today’s commercial speech assumes people choose products on the basis of an “all about me” outlook. That’s the fundamental mistake that has led many businesses down the path to price-based competitive ruin.

My typology and theory are essential to understanding effective strategic communication. They are foundational for thinking strategically about core values and communication strategy for brands, organizations, social causes and political campaigns.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Transformative Impact of Social Network Services

2010-08-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

For the public, the motivation to use social network services such as FaceBook fundamentally comes down to “seeking and sharing.” It is all about social currency and our participation in real or aspirational social groupings so as to maintain and advance our standing. This is a fundamental human need, a driver that makes social life possible.

For advertisers, FaceBook and other social network services present the opportunity to move beyond the long-standing practice of viewing “the media” as the primary "attention structures" in which to purchase time and space. Now, sellers of products and services can place their information directly in the midst of the everyday cultural conversation where social life takes place.

This transformation in the social location of commercial speech also involves time acceleration. In the Internet Age, the traditional concept of rumor (or news) spreads at the speed of light, and we call the fastest of them “virals.”

The concept of location is changing, too. Once, traditional banners could be thought of as billboards placed in strategic locations on the information super highway. Now what matters is the real-time, real-life location of individual members of the public. Anything connected to us electronically can respond to us based on where we are at the moment.

So, commercial speech not only takes place more naturalistically in the midst of everyday conversation, it can now know where we are and therefore speak with even greater relevance to our momentary interests.

The medium is no longer just the message. Importantly, in this world, "messages create the media."

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Advertising that Sticks

2010-07-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

3M Post-it Notes have been around for 30 years. The success of this product is a testament to smart product development and highly efficient promotional programs.

The latest Post-It advertising places the second-most attention getting factor in advertising (a charming dog) in the midst of an arresting depiction of the product's advantages.

This 15-second commercial is attention-getting, likable, and makes a point that will stick with us.

By the way, what is the first-most attention-getting factor in advertising? A charming child, of course.

The first commercial in this most recent Post-it Super Sticky Notes campaign featured a child reaching for the note. Clearly, they are working their way down the advertising attention ladder.

Smart, very smart.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Nike Scores with Soccer Commercial

2010-05-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

The latest Nike commercial about soccer is more than meets the eye.

Of course it has wonderful visualization, music and editing. Of course it features the biggest stars in the sport. Of course it shows the performance value of Nike.

Its depth comes from a complex celebration of sports and human spirit. Each athlete's actions explode across the universe to ignite responses from passionate fans. What is new is that adulation is viewed with amusement by the athletes.

In this commercial, sweat, stamina and super human effort stand aside for the exaggerated self-depreciating visions of the athletes.

From an advertising theory perspective, this commercial demonstrates the concept of "attitude toward the ad."

We like the athletic action, and the athletes' humorous visions give a human perspective to our adulation.

As a result, we appreciate the advertising and we like Nike.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Cadbury is "In Da Mix!"

2010-04-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

The ante is up in advertising. Ideas have to become part of the cultural conversation. Advertising has to go viral.

But often the quest for "viralness" can kiss the product goodbye.

The product should always be the hero -- the center of attention.

So the reach of a viral should be discounted by the extent to which it suboptimizes the product story to borrow attention by other means.

Cadbury's latest work shows how to keep the product story up front. It uses the metaphor of the "Turntable Mixologist" (a club DJ) with his "wheels of steel" to remind us of the unique mix of chocolate and milk.

This commercial may not reach the audience levels of some of the more stunt-like virals, yet its product message is clear.

It is a lesson in persuasive mixology, contemporary culture blended with the product story.

The work was done by Fallon in London.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Why People Like Advertising

2010-02-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

People all over the world enjoy advertising. In the past year, people from 70 countries have been reading my comments on the psychology of advertising.

My previous post focused on the concept “attitude toward the ad” in connection with Super Sunday. Under this theory, the likeability of a commercial can produce a positive effect on attitudes toward the brand or sponsor.

But, there is a broader point about advertising’s personal connection with people. Audience members give their attention to advertising. Their continuing interest is encouraged, indeed rewarded, by advertising that delivers an enjoyable experience.

This is why so many people like advertising as an institution in and of itself, quite beyond the attitudinal benefits for individual advertisers.

A recent commercial from India demonstrates this effect of enjoyable advertising as a reward to the audience.

The commercial is a mini-movie, billed in a teaser print campaign as “India’s official entry to Cannes.” In less than a minute and a half, it tells the life story of a Gujarati girl whose life is changed by the strength of the adhesive used to apply a fake moustache.

This commercial shows why people like advertising. It is an extraordinary production, telling a charming story while reminding viewers of the sponsor’s significance.

This work was done in Mumbai by Ogilvy & Mather, India. The client, Pidilite Industries, presented the commercial as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of their Fevicol brand of adhesives.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Super Sunday Advertising Theory

2010-02-08T00:49:00.000-08:00

There is a conventional “learning theory of advertising.” In this view, the message content informs audience beliefs which then resolve in positive attitudes toward the advertised brand.

But, Super Sundays involve an alternative theory, known as “attitude toward the ad.” In this view, the message content is designed to be enjoyable at high levels. These feelings of enjoyment can resolve themselves in positive attitudes toward the brand. There may even be a “halo effect” on beliefs about the benefits of the brand itself.

The Snickers “Betty White” commercial won out over all the rest in the USA Today Ad Meter ratings of Super Sunday commercials.

The spot is highly entertaining, thereby enacting “attitude toward the ad.” This commercial also conveys a strong message about the benefits of the product, thereby showing the “learning” model of advertising. It is an admirable piece of advertising.

Interestingly, the psychologist Harlow Gale first suggested these alternative theories in 1900 with a concept he called “attractive ad.” You can read more about Gale's work in the article by John Eighmey and Sela Sar, "Harlow Gale and the Origins of the Psychology of Advertising," Journal of Advertising, (December), 2007.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Super Sunday Advertising Prep

2010-02-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

It's Super Sunday. About 40 advertisers will soon vie for your attention in between the football plays.

After the game (maybe even during), I'll post highlights comments on the Psychology of Advertising.

And, here's the link to the Ad Meter where USA Today will post the results of its viewer panel and provide copies of the commercials so you can see them again.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Super Sunday Advertising Humor

2010-02-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Super Sunday is just ahead. The teams come and go, but advertising is always there to keep us entertained.

We like to be entertained, and fortunately fun is a good formula for persuasive communication. Humor is the most popular approach in television advertising, nowhere more evident than on Super Sunday.

To help you sort it all out this Sunday, here is Eighmey’s Typology of Humor in Advertising. The approach I call “Slap Shtick” is typically the most often used, but watch for the four others, too.

1. Slap Shtick: Stupid People Tricks

Last year, Doritos topped the USA Today popularity poll for Super Sunday commercials with a spot showing what happens when people take the power of a crystal ball into their own hands.

2. Ripping Off the Arts: Parody Can Pay

GE employed the Scarecrow from Oz to playfully envision the need for a smart power grid

3. Altered States: Rules of Everyday Life Need Not Apply

Coca-Cola told the story of a youth who finds friendship in a world of strange personas.

4. Exaggerated Claims: Hyper Hyperbole

Pedigree encouraged adoption of dogs by showing pet owners who had made highly inappropriate choices.

5. Strained Expectations: Take a Genre and Bend It

Hulu hired a movie star to turn a conventional celebrity testimonial into a monster movie.

So there you are. Have fun watching commercials this Sunday, and keep my typology on hand to score them.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to the Psychology of Advertising

2010-01-11T06:26:00.001-08:00

I began this blog on the Psychology of Advertising a year ago. The objective remains to provide observations about current events and point out helpful sources for thinking about advertising.

The blog is meant for anyone interested in advertising. People everywhere like to study advertising. In the past year, thousands of people in almost 70 countries have read one or more of the 75 postings.

The spring semester begins next Tuesday. I will again be teaching a graduate course called Psychology of Advertising. This course has a long tradition at the University of Minnesota. I will also be teaching 60 wonderful undergraduate students in a course that introduces them to account planning.

In the 1890s , Harlow Gale, a faculty member in the Philosophy Department, taught a seminar he called Psychology of Advertising. Today, Gale is acknowledged as the first person to conduct scientific studies of the effects of advertising.

So this Minnesota tradition continues next week. And, I am looking forward to posting observations here on this blog. Many postings will correspond with discussions that are taking place in class, but the postings will also be offered with the understanding there are many readers around the world.

Welcome to Psychology of Advertising.

Distracted Driving and Advertising

2010-01-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

Outdoor advertising is often placed to get the attention of drivers, but in a helpful manner. It is there pointing the way to a motel at the end of a long day on the highway, or it tells us the furniture store we seek is just around the corner, or the fastest way to the fast food.

The best outdoor advertising is designed to be read and understood almost instantly, while your eyes are still looking out the windshield.

Now, distracting our attention from outdoor advertising and our driving responsibilities, comes the latest designed-in distractions inside the car. Earlier posts on Psychology of Advertising have addressed the issues of cell phone use while driving and the designed-in distractions of the latest information and entertainment systems built into many automobiles. Advertising by cell phone providers and automobile manufacturers has routinely promoted these products and features, seemingly without recognition of the risks while driving.

Here's the latest on the evolving public discussion. It's a link to the January 1, 2010 New York Times article Bills to Curb Distracted Driving Gain Momentum.

Copyright © 2010 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Unsafe at any speed?

2009-12-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

In 1965, activist Ralph Nader wrote a book titled Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile.

This issue is taking on new life today, emerging in the form of arms reach electronic gadgetry in cars. Here's a key frame from a current commercial for one brand, but this marketing emphasis is seen throughout the automobile industry.

The parallel structure of the commercial demonstrates what is called a navigation and entertainment system. To use it, the driver must look down and away from the road ahead. There are many things to read and buttons to find and push.

The commercial concludes with the pushing of the car's starter button, but the demonstration of the features clearly takes place while the car is driven on a busy city street.

On December 6, 2009, the New York Times carried a story concerning the distractions of cell phone use when driving. The story focused cell phone advertising and marketing as related to promotion of phone use while driving.

So the questions of distracted driving go far beyond what you bring into the car. The question arises now as to whether the devices being built into cars are making them unsafe at any speed. And in the marketing of these devices, there are clearly legal issues relating to failure to warn.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Shareable Advertising

2009-12-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hamsters are small and stout. They have little furry ears and short legs with wide feet. They have stubby tails that are bare.

They also are nearsighted, so hamsters benefit greatly from their good sense of smell and acute listening skills.

All this makes hamsters very attractive as creatures of the media.

It's a charming commercial, providing a surprising demonstration of the product benefit. This charm is also evident in the Zu Zu Pet craze.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Avatar and Cultural Conversation

2009-11-25T05:04:00.000-08:00

Buzz is building on AVATAR, James Cameron's 3-D epic spectacular opening on December 18.

To accelerate this buzz, Cameron has reinvented the very concept of the movie trailer. It is a desktop application you download to your computer. The trailer is dynamic, with multiple "hot links" bridging moments and characters in the trailer to expanded features.

AVATAR appears poised to become a popular culture phenomenon. Here's a quick look at a small portion of the trailer.

Here's where you download the AVATAR desktop application. It is an easy download and works brilliantly on my iMac.

This desktop application approach gives you much more than a seductive introduction to the movie. You can easily, as I did, buy tickets to the movie. But, the wide range of connectivity to news and social network services can establish an enduring relationship to the cultural conversation about this film.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Social Media Map

2009-11-18T12:23:00.001-08:00

I spoke to the Edina Chamber of Commerce today about the growth of social media services and how businesses can successfully participate.

Here's one of my 20 slides. It shows my condensed typology for thinking about the dynamics of communication in the public sphere.

Conversations among consumers, stakeholders, and members of the general public have always been the forum where people make decisions about the products they buy, the policies they will support, and the life choices they make.

Now, the new social media have accelerated the dynamics. It is an exciting time to be in the communication business and many business opportunities present themselves.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Advertising Future

2009-10-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

For quite some time I have been telling my students, "In the Information Age, you will make your living by adding value to information."

This underscores the importance of advertising. It is the discipline, that when effectively carried out, can make things happen faster in the economy and society.

Advertising is about showing people how opportunities connect to their values, interests and needs.

Today's New York Times column by economist Thomas L. Friedman points to the importance of creativity in business. He also speaks to the value of having an education that teaches you how to develop new ideas or recombine existing technologies.

This is what the best advertising professionals have always done. They "resist the usual" to envision a future, conveying to others how their lives can be different and better.

Advertising programs in journalism schools play a critical role preparing young people to succeed in business. Premised on the critical thinking skills of the liberal arts, the advertising curriculum focuses on concepts and methods to promote original thinking leading to productive solutions for business problems and opportunities.

This foundational perspective in the liberal arts is a vital distinction from a "business as usual" education. Success, even survival, is premised on always going forward.

Educated advertising professionals take us there.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Injustice and Public Opinion

2009-09-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

The police in Gwent, UK have recently released a video on texting while driving. Their hope was that "the film will become part of the core schools programme across Wales and ultimately the UK."

Gwent Chief Inspector John Pavett said, “Making and receiving calls and texting whilst driving is still happening on roads not just in Gwent but all over the country. Seeing a scenario, like the one Cassie goes through, played out right before your eyes makes you realise how extremely dangerous it can be and what devastating consequences it can have."

The four-minute Gwent Police PSA has been widely viewed on YouTube. Here's a key frame.

The PSA as generated controversy and commentary about the role of fear appeals in advertising, particularly in communication programs directed to youth audiences.

However, the UK commercial not only speaks to individual risk but to responsibilities drivers have to others. The child who dies in the PSA was not texting.

The Gwent PSA not only portrays individual risk, but also the injustice of the horrific consequences that can befall innocent others.

So there is another perspective on this PSA worth considering. It is the role that perceptions of injustice play in social change.

In the United States, there is currently a national debate about the safety of drivers using devices that distract from their paramount responsibilities. Without a sufficient public sense of injustice in this matter, the debate will fall short when it comes to legislative action.

The Gwent PSA makes any driver think, on a number of levels.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Surprising Demonstration

2009-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

When it comes to getting attention and making a selling point few approaches are as charming and effective as a surprising twist to a product demonstration.

There is a bit of "hyperbolic" in this commercial, for sure. But, the durability point is made with charm and of course any buyer of a $400 camera will read the specifications.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 is waterproof to 10 feet and can be dropped from five. Oyeh!

The work was done by the Campaign Palace in Sydney, Australia.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

The Propensity to Share

2009-07-28T05:36:00.001-07:00

The human social propensity to "seek and share" is fundamental. This propensity is amplified by electronic communication, and can produce dramatic effects in the viral context of the Web.

Jill and Kevin Heinz, of St. Paul, recently posted a video of their reinvention of the wedding march. Their video was posted on YouTube on July 19, 2009. Within a week it was viewed over 10 million times and garnered over 51,000 comments.

Since Tuesday, July 28, viewership continues to grow at a rate of about 1 million views a day on YouTube alone. Comments continue at the rate of about 5,000 each day. As of July 31, viewership reached almost 13 million with over 65,000 comments.

Why have so many sought and shared this video? What conceptual lessons can be learned about public response to viral communication?

Clearly there is a classic reversal of expectations. Most of the people in the church were not aware of what they were about to experience.

The door is closed. The first notes of “Forever” bring expressions of joy to faces throughout the church. The ushers extend the surprise by dancing their way down the aisle. Two bridesmaids then set the stage.

The narrative of the song becomes apparent as members of the bridal party take turns interpreting. The groom makes his entrance with a promise to his angel. The bridal party mystically prepares the altar and then turns to the bride for her entrance.

This video demonstrates the basis for sharing. People want others to have that same feeling of unexpected joy.

A combination of psychological responses underlies the desire to share. The figure below identifies six factors commonly associated with how we respond to what we see in media. It is my Index of Viral Sharing.

We share Jill and Kevin’s video because of the originality and clarity of the storytelling. But it is not just any story… there is activity, enjoyment, empathy and realization in their video. We see the wedding march in a new and enjoyable way. That’s the substance people really want to share.

For further reading, see my article "Profiling User Responses to Commercial Websites" published in the May-June, 1997 issue of the Journal of Advertising Research. It has been cited by 230 articles and books about Internet advertising and provides the conceptual basis for thinking about information distributed on the Internet, whether by websites or viral sharing.

Many thanks to Scott Shellstrom – art director extraordinaire – for letting me know about this video.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Toyota Creates New Font with the iQ Minicar

2009-07-22T11:48:00.001-07:00

Toyota is using the intersection of creativity, communication and cars to introduce its new iQ minicar to the European market.

An overhead camera was employed to film tracking lights placed ontop of the iQ minicar while it was driven in the patterns of the letters and symbols needed to create the new iQ type face.

It's an inventive way to create interest among the urban innovators who will lead the way to this car. You see the car and how easily it maneuvers. Then, if you are a creative person, you also want to download and use the font.

It was easy to download it. I'm sure the iQ font will make an appearance in at least one PowerPoint presentation next semester.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Source Credibility

2009-07-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

The two most credible people in advertising died this week. Billy Mays at age 50, and Karl Malden at 97.

How were they such powerful spokesmen? They simply believed in what they were selling, and their belief came through.

Here's Malden in the classic American Express commercial from 1985. The construction of this commercial rises to the level of Aesop's Fables. It is a simple tale with a moral, delivered with conviction.

Both Billy Mays and Karl Malden spoke with belief and authority.

Decades of persuasion research have pointed to source credibility as perhaps the key source of variance in message effectiveness.

There is a value in always telling the truth.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Credo for Corporate Advertising

2009-06-08T13:57:00.001-07:00

An earlier post about effective advertising has sparked interest.

On May 11th, I reflected on the advice George Olmstead once wrote in a house ad for Young & Rubicam. George was the master of print advertising, yet his advice applies to all advertising.

Here's a look at the tear sheet for the ad. Boleslaw (Bob) Czernysz was the art director.

George wrote:

"Corporate advertising can pay off for your company in lots of ways.

If it's good corporate advertising. Unfat, unfuzzy, unstuffy, and uncomplicated.

Is there a key to corporate advertising that's sharp and effective? We think so.

Do it like product advertising. With all the same unforgiving disciplines you'd follow in selling toothpaste or dog food or seats on airplanes.

Disciplines? Start with a clear definition of exactly what the advertising is to accomplish. And exactly how you plan to measure it's success or failure.

And exactly who it's talking to.

Then remind yourself that no one really wants to read advertising. You have to make your ads so compelling that people can't help themselves.

Which means telling your story - any story - in terms of the reader's self interest. They want to know, 'What's in it for me?'

Talk like a person, one-to-one. Not preaching, but conversing with a friend.

Keep things simple, too - the way good product advertising does. (Just because it's corporate advertising doesn't mean there is room for the kitchen sink.)

Of course Y&R believes in corporate advertising. When it's hard edged, focused, and disciplined.

Like the best product advertising."

George Olmstead wrote this advice in the late 1970s. Given the state of business today, his words are even more important.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Caution on Click Through Testing

2009-05-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Direct response methods have tremendous potential. The promise really is to introduce the scientific method to choices advertisers have to make. The trick is to have a complete model of consumer response, and to get the measurement right.

On the Web, this is not as simple as just tossing up a variety of ad executions and counting the clicks for the differing promotional offers.

Indeed, studies have shown that extrinsic rewards, such as promotional offers, can erode the intrinsic motivation underlying consumer intent. Here's the top-line on one recent study.

So the risk is that by "buying consumer interest" as demonstrated by a click-through response to a sales promotion offer, marketers may actually demean the value of the brand in the eyes of consumers. It is vital that the entirety of consumer brand response be modeled and measured, and not just the click-through rates.

Advertising should always have a well-conceived communication strategy that is based on a leverageable consumer insight. It also helps to have a Big Idea based on the strategy.

Of course direct response methods are critical to success, but scattered testing of discount offers to promote click-through rates can erode the brand's vital value proposition.

Data mining should always take place in the context of smart strategic thinking. Said another way, you don't have a science unless you are testing a theory. Here's a link to more on the study shown in the chart.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Valuation of FaceBook

2009-05-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of discussion about the valuation of social networking companies such as FaceBook and Twitter.

Sky Technologies, the Russian IT investment organization, just purchased almost two percent of FaceBook. This translates to a $10 billion valuation for FaceBook.

The preferred stock acquired by Sky Technologies confers special rights and so maybe $10 billion is an over-estimate. But various sources have speculated on the valuation and contrasted this most recent purchase to the earlier investment in FaceBook made by Microsoft.

It is important to recognize that the most valuable commodity on Earth is attention. So an alternative valuation approach might start with that foundational perspective.

Today Facebook reports that it has “over 200 million” active users on a world-wide basis. The Nielsen Online chart gives the latest on the size of the FaceBook audience within the United States.

In April, there were 53.8 million active FaceBook users in the United States. This amounts to 34.8 percent reach of active Internet users in the US and 17.5 reach of the total US population.

The United States audience for FaceBook averaged about 2 and a-half hours on the site in April. This amounts to about 5 minutes per day.

Coming back to attention as the most valuable of commodities, it is within this 5-minute average daily window that the valuation of the company must make sense.

And, looking at it a slightly different way, the $10 billion evaluation equates to $50 per each member of the currently active audience for FaceBook. So it is within those 200 million five-minute daily “attention structures” that the advertising model will have to pay out for FaceBook. It is an intriguing challenge for sure.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Global Internet Use Down in April

2009-05-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Nielsen Online provides helpful information each month on how the online world is growing and changing. One of their most interesting charts shows global use of the Internet.

Today they up-dated the chart to show growth through April.

Interestingly, you can see that growth eased somewhat in April. The number of online sessions, domains visited, web pages per person per month, all declined somewhat. The active digital universe was also down about a percentage point for April.

This may reflect global economic conditions. People may be spending less on Internet access time, or they might be deciding to use their time differently for various reasons. Up-dated survey research could help uncover changing perceptions of time use and motivations.

Here's the link to Nielsen Online. You can follow their monthly chart on global Internet use, as well as charts showing some country-specific information on the most popular parent domain names, such as Google, Yahoo!, and FaceBook.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Nearly half the US population uses social media every week

2009-05-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Knowledge Networks released results of an online panel survey of the marketing impact of social networks.

The company reported that while 47 percent of the "full U.S. population" uses social media on a weekly basis, less than 5 percent say they turn to social media sites for guidance on purchase decisions.

Of course people turn to social media for social purposes. The question is, "What happens when they get there?"

Over 100 years of survey research have well documented that people turn to their friends first for the most credible information about what they should buy. This underscores the importance of interpersonal communication, including social media.

So, the important finding of the study is the 47 percent figure for weekly use of social media. The company also reported that 34 percent said they used these media more often then they did a year ago, while 18 percent said they used them less.

The bottom line really is not changed by this study. Organizations that do not productively embrace social media will fall behind competitors that do.

My earlier post today shows one way McDonald's is doing it.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Co-Op the Photo-Op

2009-05-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

Summer vacations are underway, and that means plenty of photo and video sharing on social media.

Here, a mother takes her daughter's photo in front of the McDonald's animated outdoor display in Piccadilly Circus, London. The Charlie Chaplin hat is being shown at the moment, but the display will quickly change to many others.

The daughter sees herself appearing to wear the hat and smiles.

Doubtless that photo, and those of thousands of other tourists will be shared via Flickr, FaceBook, Myspace, YouTube, or even Twitter.

Here's the McDonald's viral video promoting photo and video sharing.

This demonstrates the inextricable link between mass communication and interpersonal communication. Clearly all of these people are "Lovin' It" and "sharing it" with McDonald's.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Difference in Detail

2009-05-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

"From the assembly line to the road" is a familiar story line for automotive advertising.

Yet this new commercial from Ford shows how details can convey a strategic message in a fresh and confidence inspiring manner.

The precision of the Mission Impossible inspired assembly, the breath of life to install the air bag, and the brand reveal as the car emerges from its protective bath, all these details work to evoke an emotional response of confidence in the car.

The kiss to the brand mark seems a fitting transition to the road scenes.

The commercial was done by JWT Shanghai.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Sense of Purpose

2009-05-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Brand loyalty is ultimately based on core values shared between the brand and its followers. In this commercial for Calvo tuna every step along with way is infused with a sense of purpose.

Indeed, the music has a percussive flamenco insistence. This commercial asks for the order in every frame.

The commercial was done by Publicis España, the Madrid agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Future Looking Advertising

2009-05-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Iberdrola, S.A. is the world's largest operator of renewable energy generating systems. The company is based in the Basque region of northern Spain.

Here is the company's latest television commercial.

The commercial is creatively and strategically brilliant in its support of the business plans of the company. If you are in public relations or advertising or business leadership (or even politics) the larger significance of this commercial is well worth reflection.

The music, of course, is Carly Simon's Academy Award winning song. "We're coming to the edge, running on the water, coming through the fog your sons and daughters. Let the river run, let all the dreamers wake the nation. Come, the new Jerusalem."

In the commercial, the swimmers depart from Palos de la Frontera, Spain. This is the point where Columbus set sail for America.

The artist Evaristo Dominguez depicted the departure of Columbus. The Rabida Monastery, where Columbus met with Franciscans to plan his expedition, can be seen in both the commercial and the painting.

The commercial was done by Publicis España, a Madrid agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Sustaining Brands

2009-05-15T04:35:00.000-07:00

This 1959 Volkswagen commercial looks back on the 1950s to position the brand against the excesses of competing brands. The commercial speaks to brand sustainability based on improvement of utility.

It is a humble commercial demonstrating a profound business truth. That truth is to always plan for long run social sustainability.

Most economic models marginalize the things that matter in the long calling them "externalties." The thought was not lost on Keynes.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Creative Ambiguity

2009-05-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Advertising creativity calls for a frame of reference. It must be to a purpose or the work can be questioned.

This week's 50th annual Clio Awards show has sparked some discussion along these lines. Here's the work that won the Grand Clio for print for CLM BBDO, a Paris agency. It is a charming page.

Here's how art director Bill Taubin presented Alka-Seltzer during the creative heyday of that brand. Bill's name is in the Art Directors Hall of Fame (1981).

This spot was on Bill's last reel.

Of course the commercial is of another era. Yet its content reminds us of David Ogilvy's bottom line advice, "No sell, no eat."

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

YouTube Portfolio

2009-05-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here's how to use the latest technology to propel your career forward as a creative person.

In this video, freelance artist Evelien Lohbeck demonstrates her original thinking and artistic talent. You'll see four vignettes in which she plays with our expectations.

This work is more than technique, Lohbeck can surprise us, charm us, and make us think. She lives in the Netherlands making videos and commercials. She released this video on YouTube about a week ago.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Godzilla Saves Copywriters

2009-05-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

In times of crisis Godzilla always shows up to save the world. He also regularly saves advertising copywriters.

In 1984 Godzilla showed up to save Dr Pepper.

In 2009 Godzilla returns in a new form to assist another beverage.

Archetypal action heroes can be good for advertising.

The 1984 Dr Pepper commercial was done by Young & Rubicam, then the world's largest advertising agency. Lou DiJoseph's group did historic work for Dr Pepper in those days. The 2009 Oasis commercial was by Mother, the agency in London.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Original Advertising: Never Dull

2009-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

There's a story in the news today about a major brand's search for its advertising roots.

It reminded me of the advice George Olmstead once wrote in a house ad for Young & Rubicam. George was the master of print advertising, yet his advice applies to all advertising.

George wrote:

"Disciplines? Start with a clear definition of exactly what the advertising is to accomplish. And exactly how you plan to measure it's success or failure.

And exactly who it's talking to.

Then remind yourself that no one really wants to read advertising. You have to make your ads so compelling that people can't help themselves.

Which means telling your story - any story - in terms of the reader's self interest. They want to know, 'What's in it for me?'

Talk like a person, one-to-one. Not preaching, but conversing with a friend."

George was a perfect writer. BTW, the visual is not from the original house ad, its just my spin on a good old brand.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Performance Advertising

2009-05-10T03:26:00.000-07:00

You can't have a new idea if you only have one idea. That is the basis for creativity. Collide ideas to create new ones in surprising ways.

Some idea "collisions" are pleasantly surprising, others can be strident, yet sometimes surprisingly productive.

Spreading steadily on the Web is a pleasing combination of Love Story (Taylor Swift) with Viva La Vida (Coldplay). The latest from Viral Video Chart shows 615,014 views of the video and 610 blog postings over the past 30 days.

In the 8 minute video, music arranger John Schmidt performs his "mish/mash" arrangement with cellist Steven Sharp. If you have a Bose sound system connected to your computer this 3-minute excerpt will definitely "activate your subwoofer."

This is a good example of what I call "performance advertising."

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Circulation Advertising and the Web

2009-05-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

Advertising in conventional mass media can play a role in driving traffic to websites. Yahoo! demonstrated this approach early on.

But "circulation advertising" centered on current editorial content is a long-standing method used by magazines and newspapers. Now we see it driving traffic to the Web, and from the Web to conventional media.

Here, BBC Two uses viral circulation advertising to drive traffic to a current television program.

The spot captures our interest and transfers it to their television show. We want to see the surfer's emergence from that monster barrel wave.

Medium to medium "excitation transfer?" Possibly.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Hot Hot

2009-05-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Creative people sometimes encounter writer's block. Some of us called this "glass elbows" when I managed the creative department at Y&R in New York. My break out advice was always, "Think of the most arresting demonstration you can muster, we can always dial it back."

Creating an arresting demonstration of the benefits of the product attributes is a productive pathway to transformational advertising.

This work was done for the McIlhenny Company by Duval Guillaume, a Brussels advertising agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

The Viral Distribution Process

2009-05-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

Susan Boyle's video from Britain's Got Talent appeared on April 11. The latest report from the Viral Video Chart shows the video spread rapidly and now has moved into the "Long Tail" phase on the Web.

This video has set the standard for rapid and extensive viewing. As of today, the Viral Video Chart reports 135,153,354 viewings of the video, as well as 12,575 blog posts and 460,658 comments.

Here's a look at their chart in the fashion of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations. This is the actual distribution, however, not a Normal Distribution as used in the Rogers typology.

At Phase Change 1, you can see the suggestion of an early inflection point and rapid acceleration. Phase Change 2 involves the transition to a continuing lower level of blog posting interest. This pattern is often described as the Long Tail phase of the diffusion process.

It took about three days for Sara Boyle's video to undergo a phase change to highly accelerated diffusion. The peak occurred in about seven days. The phase change marking the beginning of the transition to the Long Tail took place in about 10 to 12 days. The video has been a phenomenon and its diffusion pattern provides a basis of comparison and reflection when thinking about the role of blogs in the diffusion of viral videos.

The points of comparison involve the timing and slope changes seen in the two phases identified in my chart. The timing and extent of the peak point is also a key consideration. Of course, there are many other factors, such as the audience involved and the video content.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Advertising as Aspiration

2009-05-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

Advertising is aspiration, and never is it more so when given responsibility for a majestic brand.

You can experience this in the newly released video for Chanel N° 5. Viewership is spreading rapidly now on the Web. The video stars Audrey Tautou in a wonderfully crafted story of romance and the Orient Express. You'll find one-minute and four-minute versions.

But, in the video below the director of the commercial speaks of his work. Jean-Pierre Juenet captures the majesty of the moments a perfume can bring. He also captures what advertising can be, and why we seek to do it at such a level.

Jeunet speaks of the joy involved in a meticulous creative process.
Among his remarks, Juenet says, "I put the bottle in the story, since it was a sleeper train. We could get reflections from the bottle. My wife puts her perfume on a small cabinet and the bottles refract light creating lovely reflections. At the end there is a mosaic of the two Cs in the Chanel logo."

Jeunet also speaks of the discovery process and complications of filming in Istanbul and on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait. He reflects as the video ends, "It brought me four months of happiness... There were so many magical moments."

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Social Propensity to Share Joy

2009-05-04T12:05:00.001-07:00

T-Mobile's advertising idea "Life's for Sharing" perfectly reflects the human social propensity to "seek and share." This propensity is of course amplified by electronic communication, and can produce dramatic effects in the viral context of the Web.

On March 4th I wrote about T-Mobile's success with its mob dance viral videos. When people experience unanticipated joy they act to share it with their friends.

Last Friday T-Mobile released a new video. The latest results from the Viral Video Chart show it to be spreading rapidly.

About 13,500 Londoners were drawn to Trafalgar Square under the guise of participating in another mob dance. Instead, they found themselves to be participants in a spontaneous rock concert.

Two thousand wireless microphones were handed out, song lyrics were displayed on a giant video screen, and the crowd sang various rock anthems as 22 video cameras captured the event.

There were surprises too, including Pink singing "Piece of My Heart."

Here's the viral of the crowd in Trafalgar Square singing "Hey Jude" as released by T-Mobile.

T-Mobile is showing how brands can use the Web in an idea-driven way that is strategically, creatively, and socially smart. It will be interesting to see how viewership builds for this newly released video.

Saatchi & Saatchi, London is the advertising agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Simply Natural

2009-05-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a simple story...this cordial orange drink is all natural.

A wren-like bird instantly establishes itself as a personalty. We get a charming bird's eye view on the choices we make and they lead us naturally to the brand.

The commercial is at once simple and complex. There are layers of discovery that come to us from repeated viewing. It is a good example of "rich media."

This commercial was done by BBH, a London advertising agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

The Fractal Pattern of the Web

2009-04-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Much has been written about the "Long Tail" concept in connection with audience interest in materials placed on the Web. The long tail is sometimes modeled with the Poisson or Pareto distributions.

Here's a look at about 10 months of viewership data for a short video that I posted on YouTube and then left for observation.

Notice the long tail pattern for the entire time period. After a period of initial interest the pattern settles down to a lower level. Notice also the Pareto distributions in the fashion of fractals (self-similar patterns).

The onset of each fractal was occasioned by different blogs that briefly featured the video. In many ways bloggers can be viewed as gate-keepers taking us back to Katz and Lazarsfeld's "two-step model of mass communication."

The "Theory of Least Effort" provides one psychological explanation for the fractal pattern. "Marketing influentals" are willing to expend more effort and are more motivated to share what they have found. In the early phase, they make finding a source easier for those who are unwilling to expend the same levels of effort in seeking and sharing.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

High Definition and High Elaboration

2009-04-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

A Samsung viral is challenging YouTube viewers to figure out how they made the viral with no edits using the latest Samsung High Definition camera phone.

To meet the challenge, of course you have to closely examine the high definition picture.

As of today, over 630,000 have viewed this viral, with 1,500 making comments on how it was done.

Great advertising should make you think. That's an important lesson shared by the Elaboration Likelihood Model of attitude change and advertising professionals.

This work was done by the:viral:factory, the agency based in London and Santa Monica.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Eighmey's Viral Sharing Index

2009-04-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent has become a viral video phenomenon. It is by far the most viewed video this year.

As of today, the Viral Video Chart reports over 88 million views and 8,500 blog postings of this video.

Why have so many sought and shared this video? What conceptual lessons can be learned about public response to viral communication?

Clearly there is a reversal of expectations. An unknown person stands alone and vulnerable on the great stage. The audience takes her measure, and then she takes them away.

Therein lies the basis for sharing. People want others to have that same feeling of unexpected joy.

A combination of psychological responses underlies the desire to share. The figure below identifies six factors commonly associated with how we respond to what we see in media.

Susan Boyle's viral video exemplifies high performance on all six factors in my Viral Sharing Index.

For further reading, see my article "Profiling User Responses to Commercial Websites" published in the May-June, 1997 issue of the Journal of Advertising Research. It has been cited by 230 articles and books about Internet advertising and provides the conceptual basis for thinking about information distributed on the Internet, whether by websites or viral sharing.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

It's off to work we go!

2009-04-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney saw how new communication technologies could be used to share simple human truths more widely and more deeply.

One of those basic truths is enthusiasm for work. Nothing expresses this better than the classic work song of the Seven Dwarfs in the animated movie Snow White. "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go!"

This joy is brought to life in the latest commercial for Hershey's Kisses. They've named the commercial "Off to work we go!"

One would hope that people might see more than a joyful commercial about an enjoyable product. It is a charming commercial, but it is also the needed outlook of our times.

When I worked in New York City, there was a New Jersey Transit conductor who whistled this tune as he walked up the aisle taking tickets. I am sure his sense of humor was noticed by more than a few, and the lesson was not lost as they went off to work in the Big Apple.

And, let's be sure we remember the lesson of Walt Disney. The media business is always about human truths, successfully communicated with the latest technology.

That is exactly what Walt Disney did. And there is a future in it.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

The Energy to Remember

2009-04-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

Idyllic romance is always a charming setting for advertising. It can help reinforce a brand's core value relationship with its followers.

But, what might bring energy and memorability to such advertising?
I wonder.

Boursin comes to us from Normandy. The work was done by the London agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe / Y&R.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Crisis Communication and the Domino's Incident

2009-04-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

For consumers, brands serve as risk reducers. They help simplify decisions in a world of complex choices and increasingly busy lives. Consumers depend on brands to deliver on their promises.

For companies, the brand itself can become the most valuable asset. The number of “brand followers” and the strength of their loyalty is where wealth resides.

Today’s Domino’s incident is a powerful demonstration of the importance of these principles and the risks to both consumers and companies. Two Domino’s employees made and posted on YouTube a video of themselves nastily contaminating what appear to be two sandwiches being prepared for a customer.

What will happen to public perceptions of the Domino’s brand? Indeed, what will happen to public perceptions of all organizations that provide prepared food to the public?

Domino’s has moved swiftly to bring charges against the two people involved. But, this incident is now about crisis communication with proactive action to restore consumer confidence. The restoration of trust involves material actions that consumers will see as an effective response to their risks so vividly demonstrated in the employee video.

Twenty-five years ago, the OTC drug industry took a substantial proactive step in response to a series of product tampering incidents. The packaging was improved to remove the tampering risk and restore public confidence.

Accordingly, going forward, the Domino’s incident points to the vulnerability of both food service practices and the public communication environment. Food preparation can be trusted to the extent that it is transparent. Therein lies the long-term solution, for consumer trust in brands and protection of brand value.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Inspired Work

2009-04-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Jotun is a world-wide manufacturer of paints and coatings based in Sandefjord, Norway. The company's latest advertising for washable interior paint will "take you away."

It's so easy even her significant other could do it. But it took the family dog to call attention to the goings on.

My students know this genre of advertising as what I have named "When in doubt, rock it out." Popular music provides a vast realm of what I call "emotive narratives," many quite germane to positioning the core values and selling propositions of brands all over the world.

In this case the band was a-ha (from Norway of course) and the song was "Take on Me." Here's an "a-ha moment" for those who recall the highly popular 1984 video for this song.

The Jotun advertising was done by Try Reklamebyrå, an Oslo agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

FTC and Blogger Remarks about Brands and Products

2009-04-13T05:20:00.001-07:00

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently moved to up-date its Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255).

Advertising regulation is always a challenge for the FTC. There is a lot of advertising, and the technology of advertising always moves forward.

Not surprisingly, one part of the proposed up-date addresses the growing range of product and brand commentary on blogs, bulletin boards, and non-electronic communication such as "street teams."

It is important to recognize that the FTC regulates only actions that are "in commerce." This means a blogger or ordinary citizen with no material commercial connection to a brand or product does not fall under the law enforcement umbrella of the FTC.

Here is the link to download the pdf of the FTC proposal published in the Federal Register on Friday, November 28, 2008.

The proposal process is important. Congress established the FTC as an agency of experts on commercial practices responsible for maintaining a fair and efficient marketplace and for protecting consumers. The proposal, public comments, and subsequent hearings by the FTC are all part of a review and discovery process leading to regulatory policies that keep pace with the times.

In advertising and consumer research, we have long known that consumers give first priority to interpersonal information, especially from friends or others perceived to be as friends. This points to the importance of regulation concerning the presence and possible effects of material commercial relationships in what otherwise might be perceived to be unbiased interpersonal communication.

It is all about maintaining an effective marketplace for discerning consumers and scrupulous businesses. We even look to the needs of the foolish consumer as well.

Deceptive or untrue information has no value in the marketplace. It hurts consumers, businesses and undermines advertising credibility.

And... a disclosure of my own... I once served as Deputy Assistant Director for National Advertising at the FTC.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Viral Distribution Patterns

2009-04-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Viral Video Chart provides a picture of the attention being given to the top 20 virals. This organization scans "several million blogs a day." They count the number of times each video is linked and the number of times each is embedded.

Here's their current chart on Samsung's "Extreme Sheep" viral video.

The chart shows the classic "long tail" Pareto distribution pattern. There is a rapid rise, momentary peak, and then a somewhat rapid decline leading to continuing interest at a lower level. See video @ my March 30 post "Motivation to Share."

This is the current chart for vtm's "Search for Maria" viral video.

You can see interest develop a bit more slowly for this viral. Perhaps this is due to a different strategy in seeding the viral. And of course the content of the two videos is different leading to differences in the "seek and share" process. The decline appears to be rapid, and it will be interesting to follow the pattern over the next few weeks. See video @ my April 6 post "The Search for Oneness."

Many lessons can be garnered from the information provided by the Viral Video Chart.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Early Light Breaks Through

2009-04-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Something caught my ear this morning while sipping coffee, reading the NY Times, and sort of listening to the CBS Early News on television.

This commercial is about 10 years old, yet it is timeless in the way it joyfully captures the centering benefit of it's product category. It was good to see it again.

It reminded me of another classic Folgers commercial. The sense of category joy is extended with "Everyday I wake up, pour myself a cup, of that rich Folgers aroma, the best part of waking up."

This commercial, also close to 10 years old, has struck such a resonant cord that people now make personal video homages and release them as virals. These virals extend the brand community in a spontaneous, self-generating way.

Here is one released in 2006 by four students in Seattle.

The four students - Brittany, Calley, Holly and Jessica - express and extend the brand personality in their joyful performance. As of today, this video has only 19,840 views on YouTube, yet it powerfully demonstrates the resonance of the Folgers advertising.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Brand DNA

2009-04-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

A brand's DNA is rooted in the core values of the frequent users of the brand. It is a cultivation process, and the brand grows to the extent it reflects the values of the leadership group among its consumers.

The latest work for Timberland romanticizes nature as a benevolent force toward those who follow the path of the "Earthkeeper." As such, the commercial reflects the values of many who use the brand's more environmentally friendly products.

An earlier commercial in this series employed a humorous approach demonstrating that the forces of nature can sometimes be less than helpful as well.

It all depends on core values.

The work was done by Leagas Delany, the London agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

The Search for Oneness

2009-04-06T09:48:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday, a television network in Belgium released a viral mirroring the T-Mobile flash mob dance videos that gained world-wide attention earlier this year.

The television network, vtm, used the evident viral attractiveness of flash mob dancing to promote their fall television program "The Search for Maria." On Wednesday, they began a television program about the search for the actress who will play the role of Maria in the fall.

The vtm flash mob dance was staged in an Antwerp train station with 200 dancers and 10 camera people. The station sound system was filled with the cheery perfection of Julie Andrews singing "Do Re Me."

The dancers and bystanders clearly enjoyed the event, and the video is rapidly gaining an audience now on the Web.

Why is it these flash mob dances garner such attention? I think it is because the videos are such a clear demonstration of the sheer joy of community. The pace of life can act so as to keep people apart. Hence, there is joy in spontaneous cooperation. The virals extend this joy to those who watch them. And, we share the joy by telling others.

Dramatist Gene Roddenberry once spoke about the significance of music and the human spirit. He noted the importance of moments when people "combine into symphonic oneness."

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation of Viral Messaging

2009-04-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Much attention is being paid to which viral is getting the most attention and for how long each viral continues to play out on the Web.

But, ultimately virals must be evaluated in terms of their individual strategic purposes. What is the target market? What is the competitive frame? What is the strategic message argument?

This point is well demonstrated by a new viral for Samsung computer drives. The viral shows how to make "the world's most powerful consumer computer."

The Web is of course rich with the members of the target market for the featured Samsung computer drive. And, the narrative of this viral exudes the core values and outlook of the target group.

Storytelling, actors, setting, and music, all are presented in a manner that draws us in and holds our continuing interest. We concentrate our attention and "elaborate" the message argument in the classic terms of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of attitude formation.

Viewers are also placed in a good mood, activating "attitude toward the ad" as well as our receptiveness to new information.

Students in the auditorium for my Psychology of Advertising class let out a bit of a gasp when they saw the computer load all the MS Office programs in a half a second. "Wows"were heard when the computer quickly loaded over 50 programs. There were whoops when the computer transferred a huge DVD file faster than the DVD could be tossed out the window.

I think there is a way to evaluate virals: Ask who the viral is intended for, and did the viral engage that audience in "active processing" concerning a strategic message argument? That's the way to do it.

Aggregate reach is interesting, but in the end it comes down to "engaging the relevant audience in active processing of a strategic message argument."

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Front Row Seat

2009-03-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

"Car drives down the road" is the stereotypical car commercial. But, the road to great advertising is to take a stereotype and break it.

Here's a front row seat on how that is done.

This commercial places you in the front seat not only by view, but also by the overheard conversation. You cannot help but be involved.

And, what you see takes your involvement to a visceral level. You really see the new Mini and you think about the car. Consideration begins.

This work was done by 19:13, an agency in Munich, Germany.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Motivation to Share

2009-03-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

The "Elaboration Likelihood Model" has become a popular psychological perspective on the processes of persuasion. The model focuses on "motivation to process" the information in persuasive messages. "Strong verbal arguments" are said to be the source of the strongest persuasive effects.

This recent viral commercial for Samsung suggests "motivation to share" may be a more promising concept these days. Persuasion is not so much about making "strong arguments" as it is about making a human connection.

This work was done by the:viral:factory, the agency based in London and Santa Monica.

That was a nice touch dotting the "i" in "fin" at the very end.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

"Burning-In" the Brand

2009-03-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

It used to be that media accumulated audiences and brands hitched a ride (meaning they purchased space or time in the media). Now, some brands accumulate their own audiences.

Geico's Gecko has his own channel on YouTube.

People continually seek the new. The psychologist Wilhelm Wundt demonstrated this well over a century ago. No one wants to be what they used to be. So we seek the new and share it with our friends.

Today, brands hitch a ride on the "Wundt Curve" by paying attention to how their icons and ideas connect to the current cultural conversation.

For example, here the Gecko and his wingman "Kash" hitch a ride with Gary Broisma's now famous video homage to Mysto and Pizzi's version of the 1984 hit single by Kennedy Gordy (aka Rockwell).

This video is already finding a large audience. It demonstrates the meaning of the concept "brands as channels" and how brands can become media in themselves.

It also reveals the evolving meaning of the concept of persuasion. I've always thought the notion "low involvement learning" was a misnomer. What some researchers call "weak arguments" are really highly involving ways to burn-in those brand associations.

This work is by the Martin Agency, the Richmond advertising agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Future Hopping

2009-03-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Comcast's new advertising campaign presents an idea-driven jingle. It tells the ways community members can benefit from the brand.

Many product features are shown. The idea of the jingle is to invite you to be "always dreaming, never stopping" and to leap into the future.

Leaping into the future is visualized in a highly creative manner by "future-hopping." Space-suited people happily hop to their futures bouncing down the information road using exercise balls with handles.

In the literature about memes and the cultural conversation, this visualization is called a "self-replicating" concept. It will be interesting to see what comes of future-hopping.

The campaign was done by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the San Francisco advertising agency.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.

Advertising @ Art

2009-03-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

A new video from Nokia rises to the level of performance art.

In its art, the performance depicts a communication model and invites us to reflect about the meaning of everyday human communication.

It is becoming something more rich and creative.

The video ends with "Beautiful Connections" and a URL. The website shows how to add artistic capabilities to cell phone conversations.

This work was done by Wieden + Kennedy in London.

Copyright © 2009 by John Eighmey. All Rights Reserved.