The Most Colorful Shade of Grey

Grey advertising may be old but they've still got it. For the year 2012 they have been labeled as the number one agency. The agency has been famously effective since 1917 holding itself as an account management company. But, recently, Tor Myhren was hired as creative director and with him he brought a new angle. The agency is now kickin' butt with it's award-winning advertisements. Some of you may recall the E-trade Baby or the DirecTV commercials, the best one is with Charlie Sheen.






























Consultants' from businesses said they chose agencies based on clients' brief, the clients' needs, and what the agency is being asked to do. The agencies underneath Grey include:
2. Wieden+Kennedy
3. Butler, Shine, Stern
4. Ogilvy
5. BBDO
6. CP+B
7. Deutsch
8. Martin
9. Droga5
10. Mullen

Ad's Baby Pictures

Just recently print and radio advertising has been surpassed by online. Ad is all grown up. Courtesy of Mashable, look at the important events in Ad's life.

Taking on the Future

The hottest thing right now is 3-D printing. But currently only corporate companies use it. The agency Droga5 just took on a new client, MakerBot a 3-D printing firm, and they want to make themselves available to the everyday person. The marketing strategy is to show it is becoming more affordable for the consumer.

I'm curious to see what they come up with. A campaign with 3-D printing could be a ton of fun.

Like a Boss

Apple has taken over the number one spot for world's top brands. In the past three years Apple has been rising to the top at a rapid rate. Really? I didn't notice. Google is right behind but has been increasing the past nine years at a steady pace. Unfortunately, Coca-Cola has been kicked out of it's 13 year reign. But it's not going anywhere just like rest of them. IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald's, Samsung, Intel, and Toyota are all staying at a pretty steady rate some are increasing slightly but nothing too big. 

Seems the top brands are technology based. Consumers. Looking at the numbers blows my mind. Apple's brand value is at $98.3 billion. What happened? Well advertising is what happened. In the 80's to 90's Apple's advertising budget went from $15 million to $100 million. And still to this day tons of money is spent on ads. That's proof enough for me.

We Live in a Wild World

The word guerrilla suggests being aggressive, radical, or unconventional, as said by Merriam-Webster. Guerrilla advertising is exactly that. Since the 80's advertising agencies have been taking a new approach to advertising. The most common techniques are graffiti, flash mobs, and sticker bombing. It's entertaining for the viewer and it stops them in their tracks. People view it as more friendly compared to conventional advertisements such as billboards, magazine ads, and commercials that are more in your face. This approach is used to create buzz, to get people talking about the brand. Here are some clever examples. 

Recently the artist Banksy released a new piece in front of McDonald's. He uses a guerrilla approach to his works. Only he likes to point out negative problems in the world. It's raising awareness and creating a ton of buzz.

Image from adweek.com

Explosions Make Everything Better

The commercial "Daisy Girl" is considered one of the most famous political campaign commercials. It was created in 1964 by the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency and Tony Schwartz. The ad attack was meant to make Goldwater look like an unreasonable, extremist man. In the end it allowed for Lyndon Johnson to be voted in for presidency, winning by a landslide. It was such a controversial commercial spot because of it's explosive approach. Who would forget such a cute little girl?

Political campaigns nowadays are so boring. Maybe ad agencies need to reflect on the past next time around.

Shirley Polykoff A Natural Blonde?

"Does she or doesn't she? Only her hair dresser knows for sure." This famous line was written by Shirley Polykoff for Clairol in 1956. When the release of a new product by Clairol called Miss Clairol, the first hair dye that can be applied in the convenience of your own home, the idea of dying your hair was not accepted in society. But Polykoff knew that woman secretly wanted to. Using that inspiration she wrote the line telling woman it's OK, nobody needs to know the truth. The moment the advertisements were released the hair color category jumped from $25 million to $200 million annually, with Clairol holding 50% market share. Success! It was perfect timing for the release because woman's rights were recently enforced and woman were just starting to break their place in society. Shirley Polykoff was exactly what Clairol needed. She knew the needs of a real woman. Throughout her whole life she broke the norms of society. Growing up in a poor Jewish family she learned to be strong and work hard. Shirley Polykoff always pushed the limits but in a classy way.

Watch her advertising in action with this Clairol commercial.