How does a “law abiding” public keep drug cartels and terrorists in the business of stealing and killing? By thinking it’s doing no harm when buying counterfeit brands off the street. So, when Prada, Versace, Swatch, Tiffany, Dior, Benetton, Guess, Louis Vuitton, Hilfiger, Rolex, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Coach, Chanel, Ray-Ban, et al, gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, they saw the problem, and marketing solution, in an urgent, new way: Fake brands kill real people.
The first “I Love New York” commercial that broke with the format and strategy of promoting the city exclusively, so that the entire state of New York might promote itself to budget-strapped travelers in the northeast market.
Timberline stands out from the oversexed holiday commercials for men’s colognes by expressing romance, and possibly love, as a playful, innocent, yet undeniable force of nature that cuts to the chase and causes one to happily fall.
Maureen Dowd wrote a column about this time of year as it relates to Charles Dickens, ghosts and, ultimately, to me, the reader. I wrote in reply that it is in these uncommonly quiet days of uninterrupted moments, this oddly singular time to myself with its disarming quality of unbusied mornings and home-brewed, not office- or deli-brewed, mugs of coffee by the fire…with family and all its digital and vibrating pinging soundlessly asleep… with even Manhattan itself simmered down to a calm and coiled up under grateful blankets…that I am allowed the echoing solitude of the Dickensian gift of ‘shutting out nothing,’ The rare reflection is not because of a greater or more mystical belief in anything greater than self. Because it is me, in all my good and bad, with whom I must come to mortal, end of story grips. And it is my greater self, my children, who give me rest from the ghosts and hope for the stories that I can write, edit, and tell in the wisps of time inside my head
You’ve got your stack of books and magazines to go through for the holiday break. Well, they can wait. These are the stories that will flip that switch inside you. And the incomparable storyteller, Ira Glass, to get you started. \”American Lives\”
Like great marketing can be: Astonishingly simple. But, like we have learned, it’s the “astonishing” part that doesn’t come easy. It comes when an idea is patiently, lovingly, “extravagantly” thought out and executed.
Marketing is, on the face of it, image. Words and pictures. But, of course, it is ultimately Experience. We seek great experiences like water for a parched creative soul. We dive head first into the cool of the different. Sprung from creative business strategic thinking, the right words and design can quench the thirst of a total stranger who might become a loyal customer.
ILFORD PHOTO: Black-and-white photographers didn’t need to see more photos in ads; they were thirsty for a brand that understood their art.
Inventive. Irrepressible. Illuminating. Ilford. Nobody sees more into black & white than we do.
Interactive. Introspective. Inseparable. Nobody knows the philosophy of black & white like we do.
Intriguing. Involving. Indelible. Nobody’s wilder about black & white than we are.
BMW wanted to acquire the secret torch its riders carried for Harley.
How LIFETIME STUDIOS in Queens won business away from Manhattan.
WYNN, Las Vegas, is about another kind of winning…service.
TIME HOTEL created a niche for the creative arts business traveler.
With tourism sales down, ILNY had to be about loving the whole state.
OFFICE MAX showed how well it knew its customers
IRONBOUND BANK had to relate to its bread and butter prospects.
Dedicated to community, UMDNJ relies on national recognition.
TIMBERLINE COLOGNE is the hot pursuit of a playful kind of romance.
CONSUMER REPORTS needed to show the teeth of its new web watchdog.
CORCORAN needed to tease and buzz its new”240″ residence with fireplace lounge, rooftop pool, great views and location.
MEADOWLANDS RACETRACK required dialog with a younger crowd.
HACKENSACK, first the healthcare choice of women, then their families.
On Forehead: The most uncomfortable part of a breast exam is felt here.
Over breast: Not here.
UNIVERSITY OF PENN HEALTH needed to connect its name with the emotional needs of its community.
London’s famous UNDERGROUND logo was to be a new clothing brand, connecting on a raw, authentic level with the the deeper intellectual and emotional conflicts under the surface of today’s teenager.
Each teenager’s story would be connected graphically to an Underground train station in London. The last stop on the red page is called “Deep.”
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING COALITION: When Prada, Versace, Swatch, Tiffany, Dior, Benetton, Guess, Louis Vuitton, Hilfiger, Rolex, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Coach, Chanel, Ray-Ban, et al, gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, they saw the problem, and marketing solution, in an urgent, new way: Fake brands kill real people.
Is it possible for an entire brand to talk to you like your best friend?
Google just did a remarkable thing with its campaign, “The Web is What You Make Of It.” Most companies find this very difficult to pull off, let alone the biggest, richest company on the planet. Know what the difference is? You don’t get the feeling they’re “pulling off” or putting over anything on you. You get the feeling the people at the top and straight on through, are people you’d like to do business with. I would do one more thing if I were Google and its agency who did this great work. I’d not enter it in any awards shows. I’d just say, Hey, we’re trying to get across to people what we do and believe in, so they can make up their minds about doing business with us; we appreciate the kudos and interest, and our agency is hot and nailed it, we love ‘em, but going to the Riviera and up on stages to accept awards for this campaign is not what this is about for us. Now, that would be remarkable.
How will you change my world? The suspense is killing me…
A pizza, a knife, and a little opera. A seemingly routine pizza delivery escalates into a tense game of cat-and-mouse. A quintessential New York tale. And the art of remarkable storytelling. Sometimes it’s not the idea that’s the killer app. It’s the execution. A short film by Gary Nadeau.
