Personal power brands

Last friday as i was walking back from the shop a car beeped as it went by and a disembodied voice called out of the window "you know coca cola's bad for you". Well as it turned out it was one of my lecturers referring to the drink i had in my hand...but with one mistake. I was actually carrying a bottle of pepsi. I don't deny that driving and the short amount of time he had to look made observation difficult but it did get me thinking.

Do we all have our own power-brands in our heads? Dependant on what brands we have grown up with, the brands whose values we admire, or simply the most powerful brands as we perceive them. As the books say the value of the brand is in the minds of the consumers who value it so it would be interesting to see the results of an experiment. Similar to a word association test using pictures or descriptions of objects to see what peoples own power-brands are, and the value they hold for them. For example, music computer and phone technology, would they hold apple at the top of its class?

Dolmio brand- engaging copycats

Opening the Youtube webpage this morning, i was greeted by a larger than usual ad.

Dolmio is inviting consumers to film and star in their own version of the brands classic family advert that has been crossing our screens for years.

The competition is inviting consumers to produce a copycat ad based on their own impressions and impersonations of the dolmio puppets, using the tagline 'Do it like a Dolmio'; to be in with a chance of winning a part in the brands next tv ad. Consumers can upload their videos either on their website www.doitlikedolmio or through Dolmio's youtube channel.

The public is encouraged to vote for their favourite impressions, and the top three will be aired on national tv 20th November, with the entrant who receives the most votes also winning a holiday for four people.

This seems to be a part of a growing trend for more consumer interaction with brands and their advertising.

Considering copycat ads and the 'spoofs' of ads are appearing more and more especially on sites such as Youtube, i feel its clever and quite brave of the brand to openly embrace this and use it to their advantage.

Recycling old ads

I remember an ad from my childhood, the milky way car race ad,

with the catchy song that i would drive my parents to madness singing constantly.

This is the 80's ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydLs2miJP-c

A few months back i heard a familiar song coming out of my tv speakers, and it seems they had recycled and Milky Way has brought back its iconic Red Car v Blue Car ad after almost a 20 year absence from our screens. The ad features an animated race between a Red Car and a Blue Car and the memorable jingle is remembered fondly by the late eighties / early nineties generation but with a few changes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0XoiZCqD_s

i noticed however, that certain phrases changed in the years it was off-air. For example, 'it won't ruin his appetite' has been

altered to 'it tastes just right'. The cheery little blue car no longer leaves us with the words 'the snack you can eat between meals',

now it just tells us to 'lighten up'.

Advertising trading standards change? Or have society just become that worried about eating disorders and the rising panic of

obesity that these original lyrics cannot be allowed morally on screen?

Although it is interesting that they have recycled an old well loved favourite rather than try to build a new love-able character.

The question does arise whether fears of discrimination or offending people, or 'bad messaging' is changing advertising and at what cost?

Is this a sensible careful approach to teach good eating habits though a long standing brand?

Or an over-cautious copy change?

Tippex new ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ba1BqJ4S2M

saw this a couple of weeks ago, really great way they've engaged with the audience on a new media that still growing.

great audience participation

is this their literal 'think outside the box'?

Media influence on childhood

In Tesco's today saw a new stand selling packs of

X-Factor trading cards.

These reminded me of all the card and collecting

trends that came and went, football stickers

(the gold and holographic were the most prized);

pogs; top trumps etc.

With all the technology ad media children are being exposed to younger and younger;

and reality tv shows becoming more family time than they used to be intended; it's good to see children playing children's games again

even if the topic involved has updated.

The increasing trends that are capturing children younger and younger have attracted concerns that todays children are being exposed to

too much and are growing up too fast, losing childhood, e.g. mobile phones, adult fashion trends in children, internet and social sites etc.

A yahoo news article pulled out a construction toy as the big hit this year for Christmas, and the release of Toy Story 3 has called

a return to the old classic toys of the first two films.

Are the trends changing and children's games becoming a hit with children again?