Let's hand it to the Cardinals. Not a soul would have picked them to even make it into the NFC championship, much less the Super Bowl. And, even though they lost to the Steelers last night, they put their hearts and souls into that game and emerged winners of a different kind. Enough about the game. What about the commercials?
I have to admit that I didn't see all the commercials. Of the few I caught, I really liked the Careerbuilder spot with the creepy coworker. Why? Because it was funny while still identifying with a number of reasons a person might want to be seeking a new job. They made a clever emotional connection. Even better, today I remember who that ad for for. And when I signed in to Facebook today, there was creepy coworker up in the corner just begging me to click on him. I like the integration going on here.
We had a gathering of Cardinals supporters in the living room. And while I stayed close to the kitchen to keep the thousands of calories freshened up for the fans, one conversation I overheard made me perk up my ears. My father-in-law, a retired mechanical engineer, talked about Coca-Cola in terms of its brand. He noted that it is probably the most well-known brand on the planet. There was talk about why in the world such a prominent brand would even spend money "in this economy" (this will be one of 2009's most popular phrases). My father-in-law astutely remarked that even strong brands need to keep brand-building.
Kristen (account lead here at Element Three) heard another brand conversation at the party she attended. The group discussed Gatorade going to "G" as their brand identity. People said things like, "Gatorade is such an established brand, they shouldn't depart from it." Kristen thinks that it is a positioning strategy. The name Gatorade still appears on the packaging. But the design has been freshened up to communicate "we're hip and cool, not old and outdated" as an answer to the flood of energy drinks and vitamin water in the market.
So, as I sit here looking at a magazine cover headline, "The Big Question for 2009: Is Branding Dead?" I'd have to say no. Consumers are talking about brand and using the term. And they don't just mean logo anymore. They - we - are getting smarter and smarter about brand and marketing. What are you doing to keep up?
I have to admit that I didn't see all the commercials. Of the few I caught, I really liked the Careerbuilder spot with the creepy coworker. Why? Because it was funny while still identifying with a number of reasons a person might want to be seeking a new job. They made a clever emotional connection. Even better, today I remember who that ad for for. And when I signed in to Facebook today, there was creepy coworker up in the corner just begging me to click on him. I like the integration going on here.
We had a gathering of Cardinals supporters in the living room. And while I stayed close to the kitchen to keep the thousands of calories freshened up for the fans, one conversation I overheard made me perk up my ears. My father-in-law, a retired mechanical engineer, talked about Coca-Cola in terms of its brand. He noted that it is probably the most well-known brand on the planet. There was talk about why in the world such a prominent brand would even spend money "in this economy" (this will be one of 2009's most popular phrases). My father-in-law astutely remarked that even strong brands need to keep brand-building.
Kristen (account lead here at Element Three) heard another brand conversation at the party she attended. The group discussed Gatorade going to "G" as their brand identity. People said things like, "Gatorade is such an established brand, they shouldn't depart from it." Kristen thinks that it is a positioning strategy. The name Gatorade still appears on the packaging. But the design has been freshened up to communicate "we're hip and cool, not old and outdated" as an answer to the flood of energy drinks and vitamin water in the market.
So, as I sit here looking at a magazine cover headline, "The Big Question for 2009: Is Branding Dead?" I'd have to say no. Consumers are talking about brand and using the term. And they don't just mean logo anymore. They - we - are getting smarter and smarter about brand and marketing. What are you doing to keep up?
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