The ulimate marketing couple breaks-up May 17, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising, Conversations.1 comment so far
I’d recently profiled Geert Desager in my series on ‘Age of Conversation’ authors. I had also written on Bring the love back, his dream blog project which chronicles the making a commercial film called ‘The Break-Up’ for Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, Europe that explores the relationship between today’s advertiser and today’s consumer (The Couple).
‘The Break-Up’ is finally out of the can and I’M LOVIN IT. It’s a must-see for anyone in the business of striking up a conversation with consumers. And I’m going to send a link of this video out to everyone in UMS, Muscat (my present POW – that’s place of work), one of the biggest media communication companies in the Sultanate of Oman.
Geert and team, you can pat yourselves on the back for a great job done! I’d recommend this being made into other languages as well, particularly Arabic.
Here’s ‘The Break-Up’ for your viewing pleasure:
Burger King, are you listening? May 14, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising, Conversations.1 comment so far
In an era when the consumer is truly king and has got all the ammo at his disposal to let the world know his opinion, brands better be on the lookout to stay clear of bad publicity as this. Zeichensatz from Berlin, Germany has devoted an entire blog to Burger King. Not on their yummy burgers. But on this interesting ‘CSR issue’ which you should hear in Zeichensatz’s own words.
Burger King opened a new “restaurant” not far from the place where I live. We didn’t have a lot of trash in the streets before there was that Burger King, now we have. When neighbours complained the manager pointed to their two trash bins – “our ass is covered”. What’s next? Whenever I leave the house and remember to take a camera with me I take pictures of all the Burger King items I find in the streets. Back home I publish them in my blog. Once in a while I take one of my thick felt-pen markers, enter the joint and leave the website’s URL at the wall of the bathroom.
Here’s his BK gallery on Flickr. Burger King, are you listening?
Nike+ Ad: Addicted May 7, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising.add a comment
I am addicted,
I’ve collected footsteps before dawn,
Seen places I never knew existed,
Run to the moon and back,
Been a rabbit for the neighbourhood dogs,
Obeyed the voice in my head,
Let music carry me when I couldn’t,
Raced against yesterday,
Let the world be my witness,
Measured myself in metres,
Kilometres,
And finally character,
I’ve plugged into a higher purpose,
Left this world and come back changed.
I am addicted.
Check out this new ad from W+K for Nike+. It’s addictive!
Nike rides on Imus’ back… April 18, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising.add a comment
I saw this Nike ad today and think it is a good example of situational advertising / advertising in context. Nike hopes that this ad will stir conversation about racism in America. It took out a full page ad in New York Times on 15 April 2007 and followed it up with banner ads in websites such as Flip.com, ESPN.com, FoxSports.com and NikeWomen.com. The creative execution by Wieden & Kennedy, Portland indirectly thanks Don Imus for bringing the issues of race relations and sexism to the forefront. The copy on the print ad reads:
“Thank you, ignorance.
Thank you for starting the conversation.
Thank you for making an entire nation listen to the Rutger’s team story. And for making us wonder what other great stories we’ve missed. Thank you for reminding us to think before we speak.
Thank you for showing us how strong and poised 18 and 20-year-old women can be.
Thank you for reminding us that another basketball tournament goes on in March.
Thank you for showing us that sport includes more than the time spent on the court.
Thank you for unintentionally moving women’s sport forward.
And thank you for making all of us realize that we still have a long way to go.
Next season starts 11.16.07.”
Nike incidentally is the apparel sponsor of Rutger’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.
If you still don’t know what’s all this ruckus about ‘Imus’, here’s a quick backgrounder :
On 4 April, ‘shock-jock’ radio personality Don Imus musn’t have thought that he had placed his head on the chopping block when he called the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos” following their loss to Tennessee in a NCAA national championship game. A national uproar ensued with sponsors pulling out of his nationally syndicated CBS radio show and the TV simulcast on MSNBC. And led to Imus getting the boot from both employers.
And yes, Jon Corzine, the Governor of New Jersey, who was on his way to attend a ‘peace meeting’ between Imus and the Rutgers team, met with an accident – his SUV was going over 90mph & the Governor riding in the front seat wasn’t buckled up. Corzine broke his left thigh bone, 11 ribs, collarbone and chest bone. He also fractured a vertebra in his lower back. It seems till the accident, Corzine has been a proponent of seat belt usage. As a U.S. senator in 2001, Corzine proposed having the federal government direct states to pass laws requiring children under age 16 to wear seat belts. Bingo!
Nike India hits a six! March 11, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising.add a comment
Nike’s first commercial ad on Cricket in India is simply awesome! I saw this ad on MTV the other day and felt so high. It does a magnificent job of capturing the passion of cricket in India while giving a definite run for money to the insane and inane TV commercials that clog the idiot box now that cricket-mad India is under the throes of the 2007 ICC World Cup.
A good start for Nike who has become the official apparel sponsor for Team India and is targeting sales of $1 billion in India for the next five years.
Red Clay Interactive, an Atlanta based web design and Internet marketing agency has created an interesting white paper called ‘The Art of Online Conversion: Four Steps from Interest to Acquisition Online’ – a must read for anybody with an interest in online marketing. The article talks about the four stages B2B and B2C buyers go through in an online buying process and suggest strategies at each stage that converts prospects from first click to conversion. Click here to read ‘The Art of Online Conversion’.
Wanna know more about Telematics, HSDPA, WiBro, BcN, USN and the latest cutting-edge mobile technologies without getting bogged down by the technical mumbo-jumbo? South Korea Telecom’s award-winning microsite ‘MoMu’ is a virtual mobile communications museum that demystifies mobile technologies while showcasing what SK Telecom is all about. This Flash-built microsite is packed with 3-d images & online videos – you definitely need a broadband connection to experience MoMu at its best.
It’s all about the work, the work, the work February 19, 2007
Posted by Arun Rajagopal in Advertising.1 comment so far
Gifted copywriter with a decade of industry experience and a clutch of gleaming Cannes Lions in the den. No, not me. I’m a promising young writer with two years of sweatin’ it out in Oman’s neo-kitschy advertising and online mediascape. The official job title is ‘Content Strategist’. I work on leading telecom, industry, FMCG and auto brands in Oman. Will fit in as a valuable sidekick in any team willing to not only raise the bar, but also throw it away, should the need arise. And yes, I come with a few awards as baggage.
Here’s the better sheep from my flock. And the best are yet to come. On with my work.
INTERACTIVE / NEW MEDIA:
www.nawras.om
Brand: Nawras, a leading mobile communications service provider in Oman
Clientspeak: Hey partner, lets create a website that reflects Nawras as ‘The Sultanate’s customer-friendly communications provider’.
Lowdown: From creating a presentation that clinched the pitch from some ‘big’ names to developing an effective web strategy; donning the hat of a project manager and canoodling the team to work against looming deadlines; writing over 500 pages of gobbledygook; visiting net cafes to carry out usability studies; and overseeing daily web updates and content management – Nawras is my baby on the Web. Winner of 2 Gold awards at Oman Web Awards 2006: ‘Best of Best’ Website in Oman. Best ICT website in Oman.
www.imtac.om
Brand: IMTAC, a leading business technology solutions provider in the Middle East
Clientspeak: We need our corporate website up and running in time for the Arab Health Expo 2007. But hey, that’s only 1 week from today!
Lowdown: My claim to fame here is project management – ensuring that this leviathan website was designed and developed in just a week’s time. Met the deadline for both Arab Health Expo and Oman Web Awards. And walked away with a Silver award at Oman Web Awards 2006: Second Best ICT website in Oman.
www.yarisoman.om
Brand: Toyota Yaris
Clientspeak: I’m launching this new car for youth and I need to create a splash on the Web. What next?
Lowdown: Created an exhaustive strategy presentation (my first ever) that helped produce and sell the work to the client. And there’s been no looking back since. Been making online strategy presentations for clients across various domains in the Middle East which have helped us win new business. Guess, that’s why they promoted me to a Content Strategist.
Oh yes, yarisoman.com was the Gold winner at Oman Web Awards 2006 as Best Automotive website in Oman.
ADVERTISING:
KNOCK OUT THE COMPETITION – 2006
Brand: OMAN ECONOMIC REVIEW (OER), a leading business magazine in Oman
The Work: A direct mailer for OER CORPORATE CHALLENGE 2007, a ‘Corporate-Olympics’ event with the ultimate aim of identifying Oman’s No.1 corporate team.
Lowdown: Whether in boxing or any corporate duel, victory is when you knock out competition. A branded boxing glove & booklet were sent to over 500 top movers & shakers in Corporate Oman who were challenged to don the glove and participate in the event. With a response rate of 16.9%, the DM created a buzz and resulted in 22 teams signing up.
“GOT MORE?” – 2006
Brand: OMAN ECONOMIC REVIEW (OER), a leading business magazine in Oman
The Work: A press campaign to create hype about OER CORPORATE CHALLENGE 2007, a corporate-Olympics’ event with the ultimate aim of identifying Oman’s No.1 corporate team.
Lowdown: It takes a lot of grit, wits, guts and more to create true champions. The campaign announced to the corporate world that only corporate teams with the above attributes and the will to prove them were welcome at the Challenge.
Click here if you want to check out the other plump sheep in my flock such as…
Micro site for OER Corporate Challenge 2007
Micro site for Oman Mobile – Khareef Festival 2005
Micro site for Oman Mobile Business Communications Solutions
Corporate website for Khimji Ramdas, a leading business house in Oman
Corporate website for Al Safwah Dairy, Oman
Click here if you want to see more of my advertising work.
Arun Rajagopal 
