Radio Ad Analysis: Metro Train Australia

The Siren Awards are Australian radio commercial awards that are given out annually! Hence why the campaign I am analyzing is Australian. 

The 'dumb ways to die' campaign was done by McCann Melbourne for Metro Trains. The campaign aimed at making the users of public transport more cautiousness in their day to day travels so that there would be fewer unnecessary accidents. The truth that McCann used was based on trains being the most predictable form of transport on earth, and to be brutally honest if you decide to walk across train tracks between the platforms and don’t see a train coming and get hit by it. It is your own damn fault. There is no one else to blame.

It is interesting to note that this radio campaign started off as an online video which grew so popular that there was almost a demand to hear it on the radio. In fact within 24 hours of the online launch, the 'Dumb ways to Die' song had reached a top 10 position on the ITunes music chart.

Rather than making use of a typical annoying public service announcement, McCann decided to make use of a catchy tune, some childish lyrics and an offbeat sense of humour. This resulted in the video which made use of cute animated characters to further beat home the message. This is a good example of where the idea is bigger than the advert. It goes to show how powerful a good idea can be. It can do the work of 10 ads. Well in this case it resulted in the creation of a number of ads.

Here are some of the results of the video:

1. Within a week of its launch McCann's Dumb Ways To Die video had over 15 million views.

2. It was the fastest-growing Australian viral internet hit ever. It outranked both Rihanna and Gangnam Style in global popularity.

3. The video achieved over 30 million views and spawned a number of global parodies and spin-offs which attracted massive global media attention for Metro Trains and its safety message.

The radio campaign consisted of 3 radio spots. Each with its own take of the concept. A large part of the success of the campaign rests on the execution. The song sounds genuinely good and has a likable feel even if the lyrics are completely out of place for the melody.

This campaign is an acurate example of what Julie showed us yesterday. IDEA > AD.

Below is a link to listen to the radio adverts.

http://www.sirenawards.com.au/index.cfm?page_id=1054

Weekly Advertising Analysis: Endangered Wildlife Trust - Print & Poster

Good morning,

It has been awhile since my last post using this blog. I have been managing a Facebook page for Fools until the website is up and ready.

Today, I have chosen a very special advert. It is for the Endangered Wildlife Trust and was conceptualized and created by Lowe CT. Last week at Red and Yellow we were fortunate enough to have a talk by the creative director for Lowe CT; Kirk Gainsford. It was an incredibly enlightened and inspiring hour or so. During his talk he went through some of the work that they had done and this specific ad he was very proud of because It was conceptualized by the interns at Lowe CT. 

The advert aims to to bring attention to the alarming rate at which we are currently depleting our oceans resources.

The body copy reads: "In the last 50 years we have devastated approximately 90% of large fish stocks in the world’s oceans. We have a small window of opportunity to save the last 10% before they are pushed to extinction. Halt the plunder of our seas – visit www.ewt.org.za."

This ad makes use of very powerful imagery. From a first glance the image appears to be of a shoal of fish swimming in the ocean. However after a few seconds pass the eye moves to the detail. You start to see that in fact the it is a distant shot of a whole fleet of ships and fishing vessels. It shocks the mind that the eyes have been fooled and forces the viewer to pay closer attention to the message - That if we carry on the way we are going, that shoal of fish will disappear and be replaced by fleet of ships. The image matches and mimics the message. The headline ("In our lifetime there may be more fishing boats than fish in our oceans") allows all the pieces to fall in place in the viewers mind. It is a strong fact that calls for action. 

The real success of this advert lies with the simplicity of the imagery and the message. It enables clear communication of the message and has a striking almost shocking effect on the viewer. The rusted metal type effect used for the body copy and headline draws the eye and gets the attention. The effect gives a serious tone, rust and decay are what we hate most about ships. It is not appealing nor desirable and is a sign of neglect which again feeds through into the message.

A great advert that showcases South Africa's advertising talent. I'm sure we will see a lot more great work from LoweCT in the near future.

I hope everyone has had a great start to their week. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Credits:

Executive Creative Director: Kirk Gainsford
Art Director: Dane Alexander
Illustrator: Chris Eloff

Interns -
Copywriter (AAA): Lauren Rimmer
Art Director (AAA): Natasha Dobbs
Copywriter (Vega): Phillip Black
Art Director (Vega): Tammy Hart

Weekly: Advertising Analysis - Kielo Travel

I have picked possibly the most appropriate and relevant advert to capture the general feeling in the air at Red & Yellow. The "I need a holiday" vibe. 

Its been a long, very exciting start to the year and now I'm dreaming of a holiday. How do I know this? Simple, because I start to draw randomly shaped objects in my diary and on any piece of paper that requires my full attention. Its my sub-conscious telling me "There might be a break down if you continue"! Everyone has there own ways of expressing their restlessness. The visuals used by the ad are a very clever insight into the average human being behavior. 

A blank page in an open file, drawn into the shape of the corner of a swimming pool which makes use of the files binders to create the handrails and completes to image of a swimming pool. This visual works well because it uses a very intelligent insight into human behavior and so 'the viewer' feels apart of the advert and connected in a way because they are able to relate and engage with the feelings the image creates. 

The headline fits in well with the visuals. "Dreaming of a holiday?". The headline captures the feeling and tone in which the visual would have been 'created'. You can just imagine someone day dreaming away at their desk with nothing other than having a holiday on their mind. 

I believe this is one of the most powerful ads I have come across. This is because of the strength of the insight in the visual. The ad reaches its target market so well, as the people who will understand and relate to the insight are the audience that the advert is trying to reach. 

Unfortunately i don't have much time to any more day dreaming, its a flat out sprint to the finish with my last deadline on Wednesday and then I will be ready for my holiday. I leave on Wednesday to go back home. I miss that place. 

Until later.

Weekly: Advertising Analysis - Wonderbra

Good morning,

I wrote this post yesterday morning but I was unable to put it online because my internet was down. I always feel like a victim of Murphy's law.

On to the post.

This weeks advert comes from Wonderbra. I am very sure most people, especially men know what the engineering geniuses at Wonderbra have created. For those who live under a rock or in a cave here is a copy pasted summary of one of the greatest inventions know to males.

"The Wonderbra is a type of push-up underwire brassiere that gained worldwide prominence in the 1990s. Although the Wonderbra name was first trademarked in the U.S. in 1935,^[1] the brand was developed in Canada." - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderbra

If you have some spare time, go and have a look at the Wikipedia link. Wonderbra has an intriguing and genuinely interesting history. It will surprise you.

I always find the strongest visuals are more often the most simple of images. You could not be more straightforward. Two oranges positioned and pealed in way so that the final image resembles a pair of women's breasts. The headline reads, "Fits Naturally". This works so well with the simplistic visuals and does not explain the visual but rather deepens the understanding of the advert that the consumer has. It allows the viewer to piece together the visual clues and together with the headline have the satisfaction of "working it out". The reward is the humor that the advert communicates.


I am about to start the weekend. Its Thursday and I can not wait for tomorrow, I plan to get so drunk. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Until you read again. Cheers.

RSM

Weekly: Advertising Analysis - Nikon

Good Afternoon,

Unfortunately last week Friday my laptop packed in. The chip set was completely blown which means that I lost everything I did not back up. Murphy's law it was all of my most important stuff that went. I am now in the process of recovering my data and getting everything organised, which to me feels like someone demolished my house and now I have to rebuild it.

This is a catch up on last weeks missed post. I have chosen two adverts out of a campaign for Nikon for this weeks entry. Nikon produce high quality camera's and other optical devices such as binoculars. This campaign aimed at introducing and marketing new software used to identify faces in the photograph taken by the camera. The facial recognition software is a key feature which was used to sell the range.

The ad takes a typical scene in which the camera would be used by the consumer and by using hyperbole shows how effective the facial recognition software is. The ad makes the statement that the facial recognition software is so good that it will detect something not even the naked eye could see. It is very clever because the concept can easily be campaigned as shown by the second advert.

Taking the original concept but manipulating it to create humor is very effective. The shot makes certain implications because of where the focus lies. It is only upon a further look that you notice the many other male faces that have been 'captured' in the background by the recognition software. This illustrates the point of the concept in a clear, humorous and slightly naughty manner. This would be effectively used in a Men's Health type magazine where the readership is predominately male.

The headline uses is "The Nikon S60. Detect up to 12 faces". This is a simple product fact that works well as a headline as it doesn't explain but rather adds to the concept and viewers understanding of the product.

This has been a very rushed post as my workload with UNISA has started to pick up and together with my laptop issues as well as numerous deadlines approaching I seem to have very little time in the day.

RSM

Music: Electro Pack - 1 March 2013

I have decided the best way to do the music side of blogging is to do a weekly post where I will put up a few  bangers to keep you motivated through those big workouts.

See all the download links on the sound-cloud pages.

I don't post shit!

Get you moving!

A classic, progressive house!

A Remix done right. Prog house!

Such a track!
DOWNLOAD (Right Click, Save As)

Electro for days....

Soundtrack to my runs...

Training: Bodyweight Exercise, A functional Approach.

Afternoon All,

I am going to be going to gym this afternoon. As it is too expensive for me to train at a proper cross-fit gym, I have to make do with a Virgin Active. The worst part is probably not having bumbers to do some Oly lifting with but there is no space and you are forever in some persons way.

It also happens to filled to the brim with meat heads who are just out to get a big set of arms and a massive chest. The saddest thing of all is that they are fooling themselves into thinking that they are exercising and living a healthy lifestyle. Its a pity that these are usually the 'big guys' in the gym and are often looked to for advice because their build is mistaken as a sign of fitness and health. They usually advocate body-building type programs with 4 set, 8 rep structure, people need to understand that these styles of programming are pretty much only beneficial for muscle hypertrophy. They offer very little strength and conditioning aspects which in my opinion are far more important as they are functionally beneficial.

Another clear definition needs to be made. Training for whole body performance, health, fitness and strength is very different to training your body to look muscular and strong. Training to be fit, strong and healthy and using body-building based programming is like building your foundations on beach sand.

Bodyweight exercises are the starting point of fitness because what is the point of moving weights if you cant even move your own bodyweight around. It starts off with basics, like push ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and air squats and gets more challenging as you get to gymnastic styled exercises like handstands, planche's,  muscles-ups and dips. These are functional movements and engage the body's entire kinetic chain. They are used everyday in our lives are essential for us to function.

I have attached a video below put together by the army showing 44 great bodyweight exercises. Everyone should aim to be able to do every exercise here, I know it is my goal!

Complete functional fitness!


 


RSM