More than Marketing

Marketing is a powerful thing.

Why? Because it is really just communication; and we all know the pen is mightier than the sword. But marketing can also be manipulative, and is often pinned as such. It’s a shame really, to misuse such a powerful medium; misuse that leads to diminishing faith in brands, and a growing tendency to avoid advertisements as much as is possible.

Yet marketing still has the potential for good. It can create awareness of social injustice, fund your favorite TV show, or simply make you laugh a bit. Most powerful when it exists on the human level, marketing communications shine when they help map the human experience.

With the advent and continued growth of social platforms, brands and marketers now have an ability to communicate on a mass scale in a previously unparalleled fashion. And not only can they reach more people, but they can interact, build relationships, and solve problems.

Marketing can be so much more.

When it comes to creating meaning in our work, we can all learn something from this gentleman’s inspiring campaign. Jonny Benjamin was struggling to come to terms with his mental illness, when he went to Waterloo Bridge to end his life. But he was stopped by a stranger who performed the simple act of caring. Years after the event, Mr. Benjamin began his search for the man, dubbed Mike, to thank him for saving his life.

The power of communication is incredible. Not only did Mr. Benjamin find the man he was looking for, he simultaneously became a face for mental illness, and provided hundreds of others with solace. He didn’t just achieve his objective, he made a difference.

While much broader than our day to day marketing endeavors, Mr. Benjamin has provided the proof of concept for our ability to do more than just what our task is; we can create change, provide support, or even make a tangible impact in others lives.

How do you think marketing can be more?

To watch the full documentary check out the below: 

M. Jordan's back

Now that the world cup is over, sports fan from around the world have some free time to dedicate to other favorites. It might be a coincidence, but this week was a big one for Michael Jordan in the North American advertising landscape.

Starting with his own company, Air Jordan, we've seen the legend of basketball participate in a great celebration of the Yankees' veteran Derek Jeter.



This great tribute and demonstration of RE2PECT to a legend of baseball rally us all behind the great story of a loyal athlete, an example on and off the field for a generation of players to come. And why not help a bit with the Jordan brand?

On the other hand, we've seen MJ goof around in Hanes newest summer commercial. Celebrating his 25th anniversary as the brand's spokesperson, it's the first time since 2010 that we see the retired player in one of their TV spots. It surely contrasts with the Jeter ad, but it's quite effective in its humourous appeal.



Seeing Michael Jordan in the spotlight sure brings us back in time, but it's hard to contest his efficiency in either of these spots. Even though advertising and marketing is all about innovativeness and freshness, why change a winning formula ?

Tell us what you think when you see "old" celebrities brought back to life to support brand and campaigns

Lucky You Brazil, Lucky You

We know this blog is becoming inundated with World Cup related content, and we also know that this campaign is a bit of a blast from the past, but with the German’s taking it all home yesterday, lets go back to where these games started, marketing-wise.

Embratur, Brazil’s tourism department, worked with the Sao Paolo based Neogama/BBH to bring to life the “Lucky You” campaign just over a year ago. This campaign, which was aired during the schedule announcement for each of the World Cup games, aimed to bring Brazil to the world in a facet beyond just soccer, and in the timeliest fashion.  

Armed with pre-prepared content, marketers took over a Neogama boardroom the for the duration of the announcements. Every time a match was announced, this pre-ready content would be mix and matched together to create a relevant ad in real-time, that was released within the day.

For example, when England was announced to play in Manaus, Neogama/BBH was quickly able to put together this ad, which features a British gentleman living in Brazil who describes the wonder of the area from his perspective. 

Aimed at reaching the consumer as they worked to book trips to see the Cup, these ads helped to broaden the tourism appeal of the country beyond just the soccer matches. The real time release, and in-depth preparation of the campaign are impressive features that separate this effort from the usual.

In an industry striving toward real time interaction, Neogama/BBH hit a home run. This year's World Cup achieved attendance records, something that was undoubtedly spurred by this campaign.

Game On

Adidas has long been an official sponsor of the Fifa World Cup, a partnership which provides the company with access to a massive market. To give you context, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa reached 3.2 billion people.

They have also had the honor and responsibility of engineering the official match ball for the Cup since 1970. After their design for the 2010 World Cup came under negative scrutiny, Adidas knew they had to deliver this year.

And did they ever. This year’s ball, titled Brazuca, has lead to a near 40% increase in goals scored during the group stage. It was even tested by NASA, and was seen to have the potential to fly faster at certain speeds compared to the previous model.

But its in-game performance isn't what got our attention, we instead were left grinning by its marketing personification. This year Brazuca came to life through twitter, where it now has its own account with 2.7 million followers! This brilliant tactic not only generates a ton of reach for the ball, but also creates an avenue for Adidas to partake in real-time marketing, which they have done, and done well.

Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Adidas took content marketing to a new level with Brazuca, and set a new standard for social interaction.

Are you following? https://twitter.com/brazuca