Current has been running viewer-created ad messages (VCAMs) for a while now. 99% of the ads prove the being consistently clever and creative while delivering a compelling, coherent brand message isn’t as easy as it looks.
Here’s how it works: Current lines up a sponsor; the first was Sony, followed by Toyota and L’Oreal. The sponsor provides assets (primarily photos and logos) and a creative brief; a little background on the brand, the feeling they want the ads to evoke, etc.
Next, Current viewers download the assets, ignore the brief, and set to work on their commercials. The results generally look like local commercials for global brands, with a few notable exceptions:
This example was created by an animation and visual effects studio
However, even the quality submissions don’t do a great job of representing these big-name brands. It will be interesting to see if consumer-generated advertising is a passing fad or if consumers and companies can mature the process and create truly compelling work.
I always thought this was just an old Beastie Boys song. Now I know it’s a slightly creepy, possibly delicious ice cream snack from the 80’s.
#1 of the 10 creepiest advertising icons in history.
…sooner or later; Coke and Mentos, down the hatch:
I’m really impressed that he mananged to chug an entire litre of coke.
When you think of things corporations do well, blogging isn’t usually top of mind. (with notable exceptions.) GM has been blogging for about a year and a half now, and — surprisingly — they’re getting it right.
They serve up interesting content on a fairly regular basis (although they seem to cotton to press release-like posts). They don’t seem to place many (if any) restrictions on the dialogue with their customers, as evidenced by the critical comments sprinkled throughout. I would be surprised if this effort wasn’t driven by an ad or marketing agency, but overall, they deserve kudos for doing something and doing it well.
In a recent post by Bob Lutz(GM VC), he cites blog comments as a factor in the reintroduction of the Camaro.
The power consumers hold over brands these days is amazing — from Dell recalling 4M+ batteries to AOL’s recent woes — companies who aren’t proactively managing their brands are being forced to react to increasingly damaging media coverage, much of it driven by bloggers. Companies who don’t understand or choose to ignore this new reality are going to fade away.
I don’t know if GM can change its image or turn the company around with a blog, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Much to my consternation, WordPress and YouTube do not play nice togther. A quick Blingo search reveals this is a common frustration.
There are several plugins available which presumably solve this issue, but I’ve had a lot of coffee tonight and I’m can’t sit still long enough to install a plugin. So with a with a few tips from the WP community and a little trial-and-error, I think I’ve figured out a no-plugin solution.
First and foremost, shut down the visual rich editor. If you are the sole author and admin, go to Users > and uncheck “Use the visual rich editor when writing”. If you have additional users, you will need to uncheck the same checkbox under Options > Writing. “WordPress should correct invalidly nested XHTML automatically” should also be unchecked.
Finally, there should be no line breaks in the YouTube URL, something WordPress has a tendency to add automagically.
That’s the trick. If you’re a fellow ‘Presser, give it a shot and let me know if it works for you.
PS: If you’re a star on You Tube, tell it to the world with our exclusive “As Seen On You Tube” t-shirts.
A great interview with James Victore; part of Hillman Curtis’ Artist Series (which includes my favorite interview with Milton Glaser).
The connection that I find most interesting in this series (the ones I’ve watched, anyway), is that most the designers & artists shy away from using computers for any part of their process — something that would terrify many contemporary designers.
