Blogbook
Happy Monday! IKEA has been on a roll lately with its ad blitz. Check out its latest ad, a play on cooking and kitchen decor, as the character slices and dices furniture together to make the perfect kitchen. The tiny little workable tap at the end is a nice bonus – just enough to be cute and not tacky.
Another ad enlists prominent German literary critic Hellmuth Karasek to critique what is effectively the world’s most circulated book – IKEA’s catalogue, which currently stands at twice the number of Bibles printed per year. We’re not sure if it works as well as the kitchen ad, but watch it for yourself:
“It is a furnished novel,” he says. “The characters are forced to crowd themselves between the furniture, they seldom get their say, they barely speak coherently — and yet this work has become such a success.”
Via TIME:
Hellmuth Karasek is probably Germany’s most famous living literary critic, and so perhaps it is his intellectual duty to examine the book that calls itself the world’s most circulated. That book is Ikea’s annual catalogue, with twice as many copies as the Bible printed each year.
In a new promotional video for the Swedish furniture firm, Karasek turns his faculties to the catalogue, treating it as if it’s an attempted piece of literature.
Happy Friday! As the Martian prepares to roll into theatres, 20th Century Fox has launched a viral marketing campaign for the film, which involves Matt Damon getting stranded on Mars, and, quoting the movie, needing to “science the shit out of this” to survive. Famous astrophysicist and host of Cosmos, Neil deGrasse Tyson, has recently mentioned that he loved that line from the trailer, and as such it’s not entirely surprising that the second instalment of the campaign involves Dr Tyson:
More about The Martian from ComingSoon.net:
In the film, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind by his crew while on a manned mission to Mars. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.
Read more at http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/trailers/476609-neil-degrasse-tyson-hosts-the-martian-viral-video#R5AL1pY1qFsKPmgl.99
Based on a best-selling novel, The Martian movie features a star-studded cast that also includes Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty), Kristen Wiig (Welcome to Me, The Skeleton Twins), Kate Mara (“House of Cards,” Fantastic Four), Michael Pena (Fury, End of Watch), Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom,” Dumb and Dumber To), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Children of Men) and Donald Glover (“Community,” Mystery Team).
Google has made the biggest change to its logo in 16 years, as part of its new identity family, showing how Google works across different media and how it interacts with people over different platforms. It’s certainly a cleaner, modern look! Check out the Doodle celebrating the rebrand as well, if you haven’t seen it:
Since its inception, the Google.com homepage has been strikingly simple: The quirky, multicolored logo sits above a single, approachable input field on a clean white canvas. But as technology moves forward, the canvas itself is changing, and the inputs and needs are becoming more diverse. New classes of devices and ways to interact and communicate have emerged with wearables, voice technology, and smart devices in the world around us. Users now engage with Google using a constellation of devices, and our brand should express the same simplicity and delight they expect from our homepage, while fully embracing the opportunities offered by each new device and surface.
[…]
Design was only one part of the effort. The realization of the new identity required the collective work and diligence of hundreds of Googlers, in different roles, spanning the entire organization. They deserve huge credit for building and implementing the system down to the very last pixel.As we move forward creating new products and experiences, we hope this work will continue to deliver the simplicity and delight you expect from Google—wherever new technology may take us.
Kids try dark chocolate for the first time in this hilarious ad for Splendid Chocolates by BBR Saatchi & Saatchi. That look of betrayal on some of their little faces. Brilliant! Via Adweek:
“Most Israeli moms actually keep a full drawer stocked with goodies, which by the end of the week is bound to need serous refurbishing,” says agency rep Eva Hasson. “But curiously, often enough, the only pack left half eaten in the drawer is the dark chocolate. This got us thinking, and we realized Splendid chocolate—being as dark and bitter a chocolate as you can get—probably lacked the sweetness kids were after.”
“We filmed quite a few kids,” Hasson says, “but, to be honest, none of the kids really liked it. Most of them begged us to stop and one even cried.”
Credits:
Advertising Agency: BBR Saatchi & Saatchi, Israel
CEO: Yossi Lubaton
Executive Creative Director: Nadav Pressman
VP Creative Director: Idan Regev
Creative Director: Sharon Refael
Art Director: Yuval Zuckerman
Copywriter: Orit Bar Niv
Digital Creative Director: Maayan Dar
VP Production: Dorit Gvili
Production Manager: Gali Starkman
Producer: Alon Shmoelof
VP Client Services: Maya Salomon
Supervisor: Yogev Atoon
Account Executive: Omri Sela
VP Strategic Planning: Shai Nissenboim
Strategic Planner: Lora Goichman
Traffic: Ronit Doanis
Director: Roy Raz
Blast from the past! Here is the 1980s DC Comics Style Guide, featuring the art of José Luis García-López. This included not just guidelines for artists but also for marketing and licensing teams, bringing all character designs roughly in line. Check the rest of it out on José Luis García-López’s facebook page.
The late Dick Giordano inked all of the figures in the original guide, while Todd Klein inked all of the logos and many of the backgrounds. OpenCulture goes into the details:
Being 33 years old, this particular style guide doesn’t perfectly reflect the way all of DC’s superheroes look today, what with the aesthetic changes made to keep them hip year on year. But you’ll notice that, while fashions tend to have their way with the more minor characters (longtime DC fans especially lament the headband and big hair this style guide inflicted upon Supergirl), the major ones still look, on the whole, pretty much the same. Sure, Superman has the strength and the flight, Batman has the wealth and the vast armory of high-tech crime-fighting tools, and Wonder Woman can do pretty much anything, but all those abilities pale in comparison to the sheer power of their design.
Good morning Monday. Here’s an appropriately sinister, creepy trailer for Banksy’s Dismaland. Wish we could go! Juxtapoz interviewed Banksy:
This is certainly not a “street art” show—an art form Banksy describes as “just as reassuringly white, middle class and lacking in women as any other art movement.” The roster of artists ranges from Jenny Holzer, winner of the gold medal at the Venice Biennale, to Ed Hall, a pensioner who has spent forty years producing every major trade union banner from his garden shed.
Visitors are taken on an unflinching journey of art “made in the shadow of gathering clouds,” literally in the main gallery, as Dietrich Wegner’s Playhouse towers above the centre of the room. Truly global in scope and scale, you will find art from Israel and Palestine hanging side by side.
Does it represent any distinct art movement? Banksy has come up with the term “post modem-ism” and is valiantly trying to make it fit. This is art with high “click potential,” something achieved by containing more than one strand of thought or technique. “It’s flower embroidery, but done with a power drill into car bonnets,” or, “It’s a greenhouse, but all the seedlings are sprouting from ready meals.” This is art that thrives and is shared in the online environment—art that has an “and” or a “but.” The digital world demands more than the humble portrait or landscape, and these artists serve it wholeheartedly.
No, I don’t mean the business in baby boomers is booming, cause God knows you all know that’s the case, so why write an article about it? I mean they bloody well boom. They talk loud, they push you around. They are a bit deaf, cause they’re older than most of us, and they have this God-given belief in their own importance, cause they were the kids on the block in the 50’s, they were the hippies in the 60’s, at the discos in the 70’s, were the yuppies in the 80’s, now they are the boomingly loud pains in the arses in the 2000’s that will have everyone else in society paying for their over-due retirement.
Like big sisters and brothers, they dominate your world and they own it too. They own more shares, more bits of real estate and more companies than the rest of us put together. And just like big brothers and sisters, they don’t care if you’re not happy about it. You can get stuffed. And they are the high court judges, and the politicians, so you can keep getting stuffed until they are dead. Which is probably 30 years away. If medical advances keep advancing, it could well be 40 years. We Gen X and Gen Y’s will probably have suicided well before then…
They Club-up together. They recognize each other – bit of a paunch. A few wrinkles. Plenty of grey. They say ‘Hey, we want it this way’ and the government changes tack or companies change their strategies to accommodate them.
Because baby boomers are who they are, they dominate things. Brashly, purposefully, selfishly and with little diplomacy. There’s some three million of them. Controlling, by simple age and experience, most of the nation. They probably employ you, Miss reader. And many of you marketers out there are ignoring them, do so at your peril.
The Rising Cake
Assuming global warming doesn’t wash them off the beaches or freeze them as they are tramping through the high country, their numbers will go from about 12% of Australians to some 27% over the next 40 years. They’ll not only take up more space in the statistics, it is expected that they’ll work for longer – part-time or full time. Chances are the government will have to move the retirement age up to more like 70 or even 75 as they demand to be allowed to continue to work (the alternative is to stay home with the spouse – after a month or two, almost everybody would prefer to work).
They will also live much longer than previous generations. It will not be uncommon for granny to reach 100. King Charles (assuming Liz dies one day) will get a very tired hand writing to his peers when there are thousands of centurians dotting the country.
And yes, they’ll seek out the “sea change” life, or a ‘tree-change’. But also inner city apartments will continue to be in demand, regardless of the current over-supply, because in retirement people seek what they didn’t have during their working lives; If they lived in suburbia, they seek sophistication and travel. If they traveled a lot, they seek a stable village-like atmosphere.
Note that – retirement villages will be full of Baby Boomers seeking a village environment – way more than the ‘silent’ generation before them, who were simply seeking company and to avoid the maintenance costs of keeping a big home.
Which means the Baby Boomers will want more activities, fun things to do, will want to be able to run a little business from their apartment, which could simply be growing weed on their balcony…
They have more money to spend
The pattern with Western life is that you go to school, get your first few jobs, have plenty of money, spend it on clothes, booze and getting lucky, then, assuming you’re straight and have the usual hang-ups about wanting to continue the family name etc., you get married. You buy a house, have kids, and pay off the bank for 20 years or so. About mid 40’s, if you’ve got most of your mortgage paid and if you’ve managed to get your kids to leave home, you then have disposable money again. Boomers have now had disposable money for 20 years, and have spent it any damn way they liked.
What works on Boomers?
See things from their point of view.
That is a much bigger issue than the previous sentence could possibly convey. Try to think like them. They may be old, tired, often in pain, but they are still fit enough to do 18 holes of golf and then go to a drinks party for 3 hours; it may be their last. Most importantly, their brains aren’t old. They don’t feel old. All our research says they feel like they are 30 years younger.
Treat them as individuals.
The older a person gets, the less they are ‘normal’. Many older people I’ve spoken to believe that if people think you are ‘normal’ after 40, you’ve failed to develop as a human being.
Don’t talk down to them
It almost doesn’t bear mentioning, but many younger marketers patronize older people to such an extent they automatically put their customers off. Talk to them like you talk to a rich Uncle, not your Mum. Your Mum puts up with your attitude because she loves you and hopes one day you’ll grow out of it. No-one else will.
Family and friends matter
They have put their lives into making their families lives the best they could. They therefore cherish their families, and those friends they’ve grown to love. Show happy, real families and you’ll hit a chord.
Loneliness is an issue
As families move on and friends inevitably die off, older people suffer from a loneliness and a sadness that’s hard to explain to a younger person. Which is perhaps why so many go to funerals. Sign of respect, but also a way of keeping in touch with society.
Security
As your body deteriorates, issues like security start to become more important, no matter how much you might deny they exist. If you’re not capable of running flat out for 10 k’s at the drop of a hat, you are less likely to feel confident walking past a group of young thugs.
Ditto for sleeping in a neighborhood surrounded by them. Which is one reason why many Boomers like to spend time at the gym or the swimming pool, making them physically stronger to take on younger people they feel (at least sub-consciously) threatened by.
For this reason sales tactics based on fear actually work less well than more positive ones, as Boomers don’t want to be made to feel even more vulnerable.
Sex still sells
The number one product in dollar terms at most retirement homes ‘shops’ is not milk, it’s lube. I’m not kidding.
Use bigger type
The older you get, the poorer your eyesight. Don’t laugh. It will happen to you. Use 12 point type or bigger. For the same reasons, avoid glossy shiny paper as it reflects.
Use older copywriters
If you want empathy with older markets, use people who have something in common with them. Brief them to use simpler words – boomers don’t appreciate wanky business terms (like ‘bloom’ or ‘platform’ or ‘verticals’) or SMS type derivations. You can however use words that seem old-fashioned like the ‘hip’ words from the sixties/seventies, like ‘groovy’ or ‘fab’.
Language itself is important – most boomers appreciate correct grammar more than those who are younger. And they grew up in an era which used English rather than American. So they prefer spelling that doesn’t use z much. Where color is spelled with a u. But they have spent years reading the Women’s Weekly and No Idea, so keep in mind that weird magazine English is also quite acceptable, at least with the women.
Nobody thinks they look old
Always use people who look about ten years younger than your actual target market.
Don’t bullshit
Boomers are far more media savvy than any other group – kids aren’t media savvy, they haven’t been around long enough. Boomers have been watching TV or listening to the radio for 50 bloody years. They have heard all of the ads before – they are so much more critical of creative than young people, it’s scary. Because they saw the ad you’re trying to push when it was a new idea, 20 years ago.
Give them fresh ideas
Give them radical ads – they appreciate them much more than you think. But don’t make them look ‘radical’ because they can’t read bad typesetting – and they can’t be bothered to have to try just because it looks fashionable – make the actual content original.
Educate the market
Boomers with more time are more inclined to attend seminars or lectures. You can tie these in with brand promotions. Amex are currently running a series on fraudulent telemarketing for older people.
Use a sense of humor
Anybody older than 50 has to have one. If they didn’t they’re dead inside.
Don’t clutter Messages on TV
Loud background music makes it hard to remember phone numbers when you’re half deaf. Keep those details up longer, helps if your memory is not what it should be, or you can’t get to the pen and paper quickly.
Reduce Risk
Money back offers work well with older people who are unsure of newer marketers.
Research
Boomers have more time, they are cheaper and easier to research with. They are also more open to giving you their opinion, even if it’s not requested (helping marketers?) as long as they agree with your values. You can afford to research them more than other markets.
Do your sums
Many strategies for luring Boomers will backfire as their numbers reach full bloom. I can see Senior’s discounts being phased out in the near future as offering discounts to the 1 older person in every 4 people is unlikely to be a profitable way to go. But how to explain taking away her discount, to your Mum?
It’s about values
The Baby Boomers like values. They respond to people doing the right thing. Note I said doing, not just saying. (NB. Highlight that bit and send to board.)
The older a market segment gets, the more predictable are its values. As you study or work with older Australians, you can measure their different values like counting the rings in a tree trunk to see how old it is. Values are not formed the moment a person drops onto this little blue planet. People develop them over time as they experience life. Something happens to you, you clock that into your memory. It becomes a ‘value’. And yes, their values are ‘old-fashioned’; they were developed in old times. Which is why they do feel for the Viet vets – many of their friends were veterans.
It helps in any market to know the values of the customer. People simply won’t play with a group (purchase from, invest with) who push values they don’t agree with. This is accentuated with older people, who often make decisions on philosophy, a brand’s personality and what it stands for, rather than just technology or fashion. And in the Baby Boomers case, they have so much power, you can’t ignore them, which means you must know the details. Like understanding what is ‘doing the right thing’ in their eyes.
Which is also why price is not quite as important as ‘Value’. Older people buy things like wool sox, because they last much longer, even if you pay three times the price. Over time they have learned what value is. So don’t try to be too clever or to rip off. It just won’t work on Baby Boomers.
Boomers summary
If you want to win them over, demonstrate respect. Do the right thing by them and especially be ethical when dealing with complaints or disputes. Don’t happily churn them like younger customers, who have grown up to expect corporate insensitivity. Treat them like you’d like your Mum to be treated and they’ll do what she does for you; feed you, clothe you, give you a warm cuddle, a bit of sound advice and a helping hand. Want to know more? Call us up, have a chat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gqPM_GT8Qw
Happy Friday! A star is born in this great ad for John Lewis insurance by adam&eveDDB, a great combination of comedic timing, choreography, setting, music choice and fantastic casting. We particularly love the fourth-wall-breaking little brother. Via Adweek:
“The advert is heartwarming and features an iconic song, but most importantly it reminds viewers that John Lewis Home Insurance can offer peace of mind, allowing them to enjoy family life,” says Margaret Burke, head of marketing for financial services at John Lewis. “Knowing that they have protection in place, they can simply let life happen. Our campaign encapsulates this perfectly.”
And behind the scenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5v-vkrfXzI
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Credits:
Client: John Lewis Home Insurance
Client: Margaret Burke, Head of Marketing, Financial Services at John Lewis
Project: “Tiny Dancer”
Agency: adam&eveDDB, London
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Priest
Executive Creative Director: Richard Brim
Copywriter: Jo Cresswell
Art Director: Sian Coole
Planner: Tom Sussman
Media Agency: Manning Gottlieb OMD
Media Planner: James Parnum
Production Company: Blink
Director: Dougal Wilson
Editor: Joe Guest @ Final Cut
Postproduction: MPC
VFX Supervisor: Tom Harding
Executive Producer: Julie Evans
Postproducer: Hannah Ruddleston
Colorist: Jean Clement-Soret
Soundtrack Name and Composer: “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
Audio Postproduction: Anthony Moore @ Factory
The website that wouldn’t die, 19 years on:
The site lay more-or-less dormant for the next 14 years. But that changed for good in late 2010, when the Internet, exponentially bigger than it was in 1996, rediscovered the site – almost entirely unchanged from its initial launch. It was reborn as a viral sensation, the web’s equivalent of a recently discovered cave painting. We laughed at the site because we couldn’t believe anything was ever designed this way, but also because it still existed. It remains one of the most faithful living documents of early web design that anyone can access online.
In flight safety videos. For many of us, we struggle to pay attention after the 100th time that we’ve seen them. Air New Zealand, however, has had a killer run of great in flight videos. Check out their latest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji65WI5QLZI
Created in partnership with Sony Pictures, the Men in Black video was created with the All Blacks rugby team. Previous videos include two Tolkien tie-ins which went very viral, particularly ‘The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made’:
The Tolkien videos, in particular, are cleverly timed to coincide with the publicity run of much-loved film franchises. We’re excited to see what they’ll come up with next.
Credits (for Men in Black):
Advertising Agency: True, New Zealand
Senior Creative: Ian Sweeney
Executive Creative Director: Craig Pethybridge
Copywriter: Scott Moyes
Art Director: Mel Chardet
Creative Director: Dom Antelme
Production Company: The Sweet Shop
Director: Campbell Hooper
Producer: Andy Mauger
Executive Producer: Fiona King
Visual Effects: Beryl
Sound Design: Brendon Morrow
Group Account Director: Helen Prangley
DoP: Andrew Stroud
Agency Producer: Jozsef Fityus
Editors: Joey De Guzman, Damien Shatford
Photography: Fraser Clements
Retoucher: Karl Hugill / One White Chair
Post Production Producer: Hannah Walker
Production Designer: Rick Kofoed
Music + Sound Production: Liquid Studio
Senior Account Manager: Jess Standidge