Discover sharks in Discovery

See how many sharks there are in Bondi Beach from here.

Leave your heart in Riga.

The Riga Tourism Development Bureau (RTAB) launched a marketing and communications campaign aimed to promote tourism in Riga for five weeks and invites travelers from Estonia, Russia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Germany and Sweden to visit Riga as an attractive destination.

What I like about that campaign:

I love that they have taken one leading idea and visualized it so well. The idea is that once you have visited Riga, you will leave your heart behind. Those hearts are a pleasure to look at and are Latvian by every meaning. The concept of the website is very organized and simple. As a regular tourist I find it as very easy to use while planning a getaway. So I love the brand design and web.

What I do not like about that campaign:

Live Riga consider their symbols – a heart which remains in Riga and the city as the birthplace of the tradition of Christmas trees – are sufficiently powerful and of use both in the West and the East. About that heart they are right. This heart is cute and won my heart, but as a true Estonian, I know that the tradition of Christmas trees originates form Tallinn (Wikipedia), so I consider this money bad spent in this country. They should have picked another approaching angle to Estonians.

They have also brought out that they will be active in social media. That’s good. The funny thing is that Facebook link leads me to nowhere. When I type in Live Riga it is not a community, it is listed as a person and displays only “Limited information”. Second option in Groups is Riga Escort. So much for the reputation-building attempt. In YouTube you can see five different videos starring a person correctly chosen to match the target countries. Those videos are quite boring narratives telling what the person speaking likes the most about Riga. These actually do not speak to me at all.Last but not least. The budget for the campaign is LVL 898,000 (EUR 1 222 909) !

But I still love that heart and probably will visit Riga in the future many times.

What destroys great ideas ?

Pics made by Scott-C. Thanks to Helene, for sharing.

Augmented Reality

By now everybody knows that print is dead and internet has taken control. It’s hard to let go. So Esquire magazine figured out how to keep those readers buying magazine, creating a buzz plus raising curiosity in those who have not read it before. They use Augmented Reality meaning reality mixed with virtual content. You need Esquire magazine, webcam and a small downloadable widget. Please check out how it works from here:

I do not think that this is going to save the print. I do not think that they are going to use Augmented Reality in every issue from now on and i do not think that print will have anything to do in the future with entertainment or massive information sharing . But nice try though.

City bacteria in action

Kliinik 32 initiated a social campaign, focusing on a fact that more you take care of your teeth, less you have to spend on dental care.

2,5 m installation was placed in front of a popular shopping mall giving the citizens the opportunity to act as bacteria and destroy the teeth. In less than two weeks the bacteria had done their work with upper determination and the result is seen here.

They also opened YouTube channel to raise the awareness of the right dental care and teach how the basic everyday moves of hygienic procedures are really carried out. Please check out. A life changing experience.

My favorite video:

Simple life

As the true minimalist and simple things lover, I got to love those. More minimalist ads from here.

Browse magazines and books online

I came up with this site searching for a contact I needed for one client and I was totally amazed. As I saw in what quality and simplicity it is possible to browse magazines, documents and any other stuff you normally find in print. In my moments of boredom I have been looking around in Google Books, but this has a different target group and is far more better (read: looks better). The best features in my opinion are that it integrates with social networking sites, you can embed it to anywhere you want (like I did embed it to my blog here) and what’s most important you can search throughout the text inside the documents/magazines.

Besides fashion and advertising magazines I’m interested in, I found Estonian Hooaeg in superb quality. Pure joy. I hope all other Estonian magazines - the ones I usually have pay for- soon find their way to the online, as knowingly Hooaeg if for free.

If you’re interested in online browsing please check up also Issuu’s main competitors Docstoc and Scribd as well.

Photo montage made easy

PhotoSketch: Internet Image Montage from tao chen on Vimeo.

Now it's made easy to montage e.g. Obama with Martha Stuart into some dreadful composition. AD-s are about to loose their jobs.

Pension from LHV

I like big, bold and simple things. So I had to love the view from my office window this morning

Because I said so.

What does that mean? Who are you to tell me that? I do not believe you. This time is over when some authority can sell a brand or an idea by just telling “because I said so”. Even if you are the president. Go and explain yourself. For example this idea is good because: it gives you positive ROI, influences consumers in such and such way, creates buzz in this and that sector and according to research will influence this and that kind on people. Tell me about the brand differentiation and consumer engagement. Do not just assume everybody knows who you are and trusts you just because you said so.

Shower the web away

Website that browses through different environments with hectic playfulness, finally landing on Facebook. Time consuming but interesting.

See it from HERE

Flaunt your testimonials

Sunny Saturday. Road trip to Estonia’s summer capital Pärnu. Right in the heart of it, city centre, I found this pearl. “Margit’s beauty parlour” has realized the power of testimonials and knows that a good recommendation is worth more than a slogan that has been sucked out of the pencil. 

Besides testimonials there is also the visual context I cannot leave out. Although it is unclear weather this is the result you can expect or the lovely hairdresser. 

The power of copywriting

Living up to the professional standards

Standardisation is good. It disciplines. Gives a regime to follow and gives you confidence solving problems. But who knows where to draw a line and take a break? Professional standards make you a working robot. Robots knowingly do not have any feelings of thoughts of their own. Robots do not create innovation or long lasting relationships. Where are humanity, social responsibility and just good will? Standardisation killed them.

This post is powered by an emotion received at the local children’s hospital. 

The influence of centrifugal force

Science of motivation

Now I understand the gap between my 9-5 job and modeling fees. 

Think global, drink local.

I do not drink bottled water, but I do not think that bottled water is the cause of all worlds’ disasters. Some people do. And they have started a movement called tappening. They are acting for a good cause, so please check out www.tappening.com.

The interesting part is the viral concept they have initiated. It sais “Start a lie about bottled water industry. If they can lie, so can you. “ See it from www.startalie.com.

My favourite lie: Chuck Norris doesn't drink bottled water

After telling your lie, you can spread it via e-mail, facebook, twitter or digg.

As badmouthing, in my opinion, is not the best marketing strategy you can come up with, then I hope no one will copy this. Unless you belong to Estonians centrist political party Keskerakond. This is their kind of viral content.  

A new level in fashion marketing

I absolutely adore the concept of this website:  www.uniqlo.com/collection

An average person can only dream of going to a fashion show and walking out from there with their favorite outfit. It’s what rich and famous people seem to do. 

Here you can see the actual shape and the garment movement , instead of 2D catalogue pics.

This is how I would liked to shop.  Monton or Ivo Nikkolo, please take over. 

Social media is like teen sex

How to measure ROI for Social Media. Do not tell me that by the number of followers. All the qualitative benefits like loyalty, trust, passion and brand awareness sound very nice but are not really measurable. Or do nice comments count? I need something quantitative. Like sales increase, new clients etc. But these do not really seem measurable, unless you are specialized on online sales. Only thing that seems reliable is increase in traffic numbers. But are these numbers reliable and generate real cash?

One Indian web analytics guy said: Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. Nobody knows how. When it s finally done, there is surprise it s not better.

Well, I think that finally all the teens grow up. And start to know better.  As the Indian guy said this 5 months ago then now should be all another era for Social Media. 

Internal error

Do not expect brilliant results from creatives, while they feel comfortable. They need internal error to push them into actions. Internal errors like fatigue, hangover, hunger, sexual tension, messed up personal life etc. Faultlessness does not lead to great success. Imperfection does.

Contemporary Beer

Years have showed that beer means different things to different people, so it is hard to make an ad that suits every taste.

Although Zoogami has positioned itself very strongly, it still leaves open air to the brand, by letting everyone to create their own image of the brand (in Zoogami frames – just in case)

Check out the website: www.zoogami.net/beer

Im not so overwhelmed by the design nor the result, but Im engaged with the experimental use of media.

Who does not find that link interesting, could find some pleasure of recognition from the beer ad below:

Personal budgeting via Internet bank

What if I could have a better overview of my incomes and spendings in the Internet bank. What if money movement would be classified and I could follow it in a simple chart. Then I could keep better track and have a clue what to save and how much money do I really have. Mortgage, grocery, entertainment etc. If its too complicated for a bank to make deals while making payment contracts with companies, I could have a possibility to classify those numbers my self (and a program would memorize my moves), what is what and see the result in a simple chart. Far better, it could be pegged to my husbands Internet bank and we could run a family budget together. After all that I would liked to see forecasts and future periods’ planners as well.

Please someone write a program. Not just some excel chart they offer in the Internet, but some kind of a mix-up of what I see, when filling in my tax return papers and Google analytics.

2020 - Traditional is dead

Baby made on board

Dodge is a large car. Yes indeed…

The brief was to sell the first Dodge family wagon, while strengthening the macho image of the brand at the same time.

Positioning it just as a macho car would not have done the trick, so they went all the way to the other end. Baby involvement!!!

As test-drive is the main tool for actual selling, then this campaign encourages to test-drive. Instead of picnic baskets or free opera admissions they simply ask test drivers to test the rear seat and make babies. Personally I do not find any other reason why to climb into it.

Idea itself is nothing new, but the image speaks for it self.

Although I’m not really certain that besides many adventurers in the back seat and 72 babies, they managed to create actual increase in sales numbers. Perhaps now after 9 months, when all those babies need a ride… so skip the idea this being a call to test drive and take it as a long term image campaign.

Read the case study here.

Forward thinking

I got a warmhearted letter from sisustus.ee congratulating me on my birthday. Only thing is, that today is not my birthday. Tomorrow is. Seeing the headline I thought, nice, somebody has messed with their database. But, it was not an accident.

It is known that on birthday you receive so many mails, messages and calls that a message like that would be unnoticed. This letter shows that they have put some thought into customer service and it was totally not unnoticed.

Nice way of forward thinking.

In search of the perfect plane ticket

It’s summer. Vacation time. Whatever the reason - plane tickets or vacation vouchers might become a subject.

This is the time where " the economical slowdown" has played a trick on decision-making. Airline companies and travel agents have undermined the ground they are walking on by great discounts and if not in a great need, no one wants to purchase a plane ticket with a full price. Perhaps some emotional buyers, filthy rich people or those who have worked hard all year and do not want to get into the hurdle of price wars, they pay what it takes, but major amount of flyers around the world are waiting for the right price or the right offer. As vacation time is limited, this time might never come... to the destination you are dreaming about.

Millions of plane tickets unsold because of the wrong pricing - or the wrong mindset planted by the discounts. Who can tell the difference?

Just delicious

I think we have done some pretty nice designs for Nipernaadi Vodka. Have a look:

Private Labels taking over

As counting pennies is the new trend this year, then smart consumers are aware of the percentage added to the product, due to branding. They are not willing to pay it anymore. No Logo and Private Labels have their time to flourish. Anyone can manufacture a product they reason. Their only concern is filling the order on time and under the budget. Supermarkets have figured this out and are forcing their Private Labels in a quite powerful way. Not marketing them. No, that would seem wasteful. But through pricing policy. Together in the shelf with “ordinary” products, Private Labels have the competitive edge by the fact that supermarkets itself direct the prices. They are 15%- 35% cheaper than the others.

To me, they seem like commodities without a soul. Its not that I do not like cheap things. I love cheap things. But I do not like things made to be cheap in the robust way. There is no meaning in these raw objects.

But who says that sugar and eggs have to have a deep corporate mythology behind?

Electronic Time Management - the art of sharing

I missed appointment with my hairdresser. It’s not that I did not write it down or was not able to go. It just happened to be one of these hectic weeks. Again. You know what I’m talking about.

It would be very nice to receive sms or e-mail form my hairdresser, day before the appointment, to remind me that this very important day is coming and she is waiting for me.

Or she could ask in my first appointment: do I use old-school calendar or telephone/laptop calendar. In old-school’s case she could give me a post-it with dates written red on it and in electronical calendar’s case send me a reminder from her calendar into mine.

It would be just nice. Not some outrageous marketing trick. But just NICE.

The Worst Hotel In The World

In marketing, sometimes it pays off just being honest. In Hans Brinker Budget Hotel's case in Amsterdam, it brought them 42% increase in occupancy. They’r slogan is: “Similar to hell, but without proper heating.” And it works. Targeted to young backpacers.

It's all about positioning.

Read more.

Apple juice ad gone bad

Translation: Do you feel the apple’s heart (pit)?

Do I want to know that apple juice contains apple pits? No! I want sweet apples grown in pure nature, carefully selected, sliced and then made into juice. I'm a country girl, therefore know very well how apple juice is made, but is it necessary to advertise the content that nobody wants to acknowledge? Now the image and the slogan tell me it’s juice made of apple pits that usually are thrown away. Logically thinking it should be priced then also as a low budget product. Like fish fingers, which contain fish heads and fish bones. Yak. No more Põltsamaa apple juice for me.

Start a movement TODAY

He is ugly as hell, but I like how he talks. Seth Godin on tribes:




I also like my find www.ted.com. Entertainment to last a week at least.

Simple truth

Self-contained and beyond

Besides fun and arrogant people in advertising, there are some pearls who are introverts in a deepest level. Beyond that. You talk to them, they do not watch you in the eye. You ask, did you understand what the brief was about, they remain silent and stare the giant MAC screen, where nothing happens. You ask, do you have any questions regarding to the ongoing project, you get silent “no”. One day before the deadline you ask to see the progress, you get “ I haven’t started it yet ”. Next day morning, opening the mailbox, you get the most outrageously talented and awesome drafts you even were not able to dream about. Time sent: minutes before midnight.

PS: During time they open up and start even composing complex sentences and arguing back. I think of them as flowers who bloom at night.

Arrogance

A while ago I was discussing the fact that advertising people seem to be so fun. Today I’m going to the other end and trying to understand why people think that advertising people are arrogant and is it really so?

 

Firsthand it seemed  that they are arrogant, but only with those, whom they do not want to waste their energy on (I’m talking about advertising heavy machinery, not those show-off rookies). Otherwise in their inner circle and with people they like- they are quite ok. 

Now I’m forced to acknowledge that yes, there are some positive pearls, but is it the recession or cold weather, damn some are really arrogant. They make you feel small and stupid. Even with the matters less important. Their opinion is "The Gold" and others can turn to dust. Although I admit, they have the experience and the knowledge to think that and I do not doubt that this really is gold, they're saying, but there are more pleasant ways to make yourself heard and respected.

Actually it’s funny to watch. Clients are afraid of them, as they do not want to say anything stupid and get "The Look" that burns in the heartbeat. Young creatives are presenting few ideas, which are crushed in the scratch. Now they are shivering before presenting new ones. Is this the environment to work in? It might suit to some people. To those who need strong guidance and authority, to get the wheels going. But what about teamwork, free spirit, open ideas, synergy? Positive thinking attracts positive results. 

Gosh do I love, that I work in a company full of young and free spirits, without a trace of arrogance. 

Windvertising

Windvertising means placing advertisements on turbine blades and creating actual electricity alongside with solar panels installed into the aggregate. The idea originates form WePower, who offers PacWind turbines, cylindrical apparatus lined with blades that create wind power as they spin. The blades display outward, so that a series of images can be shown, creating a short animated advertisement.

Some problems I started to think of :

• If there is no wind and sunshine, the images displayed on the turbine are not seen.

• The turbine has only very limited options to display advertisement and if not told, lookers on do not understand that this is actually a turbine creating electricity and therefore saving the environment. So here is the challenge to promote your brand in a way so everybody can understand you are using natural resources to create electricity for your billboard. Otherwise it’s a waste of money.
  

I can imagine it could have been a nice option for Eesti Energia outdoor ads, which advertised lately greener future. So not completely dumb idea. Although the idea they used now, did the trick for estonians also and was cheaper aswell.

Viral marketing does not work

It's fun (in better cases), but it does not make you go and buy stuff. So no ROI. Go tell everyone.

Social business design

There are number of companies who think of marketing as directing all efforts and resources into customer service, hoping to generate positive WOM. This has been so from the start. Upgrade to just being good and hoping somebody to notice, is being visibly and actively close to your customers - strategically choosing your channels. Regarding to previous, it would be interesting to stop on social business design, as a great mean to bring your company really close to your customers. It’s a interesting and growing field I would liked to know more about, so anyone more acquainted, please drop me a line here.

CiniMini Wacky Slider

My kid is a victim of advertising. So I was forced to buy Nestle CiniMinis. As I amuse myself from time to time with clumsy text adaptions, then this package was a real treat for me. This particular package is translated into 5 languages, although in some places 3 of them was chosen, to save some space. How considerate (Estonian was left out).

I can imagine the lengthy process of this package adaption into all these five fabulous languages (Czech, Hungarian, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian). And the enormous effort the designer has put into compressing all this information into this box. It must have been hard work.

I’m not going into details, as blog entries should maintain a snappy content and length.  Let’s just say Google translator is a linguist god compared to this case.

Advertising career evolution.

Sunday morning speculations

Everybody is talking about it; few are brave enough to experiment.

Are you using classical media in a classical way to promote classical product or service? If you’re not Procter & Gamble with endless budget, then it means for you driving a car looking in the rear-view mirror. You need to stand out. Be special in what you do. Extraordinary. Otherwise you may be living, but what a life it is, being gray and boring and bringing nobody to think, laugh or cry. If you earn enough to get your mortgage payments in time and are satisfied with it – fine. Your one of those who has a lack of imagination combined with willpower. This is the combination that leads on. Safe is boring. If you do not happen to be a guy with a golden brain - outsource it. Besides that you need to be passionate about your field of activity and smart enough to recognize a good idea.

Although changing marketing mix isn’t the solution anymore. Not today. Very special and extraordinary advertising alone does not give you the long-term results you are longing for. The innovation has to come from the product or service you are offering. Offering a memorable user experience is the key.

In today’s situation consumers are looking for security and many companies are offering secure products and services to survive. No one has the resources, willpower or courage to experiment. It s a perfect ground for creating something outstanding, as the market situation is making it possible. By being outstanding I do not mean outrageous or scandalous. This is already despair. Scandalous redeems itself only if this is the core essence of your brand. But in the longer run intelligent kind of outstanding creates more brand value. The trick is to think small before thinking big. It’s the details that count today.

Second life for killed ideas

How many times my team has created fabulous, crème de la crème ideas that are a knock out. Some at least… How many times my team has been rejected those brilliant ideas. Countless times. Why?
• It’s very interesting, but we are afraid... (does not matter what follows, client is afraid - that’s it).
• It’s out of our budget range.
• Our CEO does not like it. No comments. Just his face was not happy seeing it.
• They take the idea and send it to the big round inside their company and come back with a totally different idea.
• It’s just too crazy.
• Nobody understands it (except the creative team).
• Sometimes you present many fabulous ideas for one brand and only one is to be chosen, others left out.

Well at least now all those killed ideas have a second chance. Killedideas.com is a place to submit all those ideas that have been rejected for one reason or another. They publish them in a book or/and display on a blog. Although there is a deeper financial meaning for this initiative, as it seems to be a campaign for Blurb - bookmaking software and publishing, its a good idea. Targeting those who won’t get recognition naturally, offering them the tools for being a published author.

Submission ends on 31. March 2009, so few days to go, for running through archives.

If you re not having fun, you re not doing it right.

My first days in the advertising business brought me to the cold knowledge: I was told that the fun guys in the industry are the ones that can’t be taken seriously. The most successful and respected are the ones that come and leave unnoticed and do their work perfectly and leave a mark in the longer run.

I thought „yeah right“. I was driven by the passion for advertising and had no idea how to suppress it down and work like a machine, showing no passion at all.

Almost 2 years have passed and now I understand. Those people DO have passion for advertising and are no machines. Instead of living their passion out, they live it in and convert it into their work. This is what gives excellent and impressing results. „Fun guys“ waste all energy for being „so fun“ and leave no reserves for actual nut cracking.

I m not going to classify myself, as obviously I m not the serious type- writing this blog, and no fun either- so says my husband. Which leaves me empty handed.

Right now the moto to live by is: if you’re not having fun, you re not doing it right. By not having fun - you start looking fun from elsewhere. Synergy coming from passion directed right can be mind-blowing. Advertising is fun. Not just outside.

Seriously – inside.

You've got mail

I have a friend who runs a niche business and instead of many suggestions to stop, sends me over totally boring monthly newsletter. I have nothing against receiving this carefully composed newsletter. But I‘m afraid that this newsletter does not serve the purpose he hopes for. I believe his goal is to develop a long-term impact on the readers. It should provide the readers value, which means more than just sales messages. It should contain information, which informs, entertains or otherwise benefits the readers. He invests his time and money on it and value of ROI, I believe, is zero.

So here, dear friend and everybody else, trying to really reach somebody via e-mail, are some soft reminders:

• Do not send your newsletter, so everybody can see the entire cc list. It’s just plain rude.

• Make a decision. Are you sending a direct mail or a newsletter? Direct mail fits into e-mail without having to open it. Newsletter is usually composed into PDF file, so parties interested can browse through it or print it out and it usually contains more than one page. You can’t be both at the same time.

• Avoid plain long text. No one wants to read it. Add a link to your website for further information, if somebody is really interested.

• Bring out reader benefit - BIG AND RED - at the beginning, so highly occupied people would have interest to read further.

• Be focused and understand what's important for your clients.

• It’s very nice that somebody has composed a thorough PDF of your companis summer vacation; two more pitches won and a new improvement on your business. So what? Ditch the information, that is not crucial and put all the emotions into the new product introduction, new skills owned by your staff or innovations in your field of activity.

• If you do not have anything important to say, do not send it, just because you think you should… people do not want to read it. Value the time of your customers.

• Innovation in your field of activity still exists. Please find it and spread the message. If you are in the dead end and think there is no innovation - be a man, and invent it.

• Act like a market leader, not like someone who is trying his best to become one.(Its recommendation just for him , as he is the market leader. Other folks who are not - accept your position and compose your strategies accordingly.)

• I understand it is hard to come up with some illustrations or something else that catches the eye. If you already came to a point sending this newsletter, please be so kind to hire somebody who makes it look more edible.