Pizza Hut is Doing Something A Little Different This Holiday Season

I first saw one of their new holiday ads while I was watching videos on YouTube…and I actually watched the advertisement instead of skipping on to my video, which is unusual for me. But, after reading more about them from an article on Adweek, I know the holiday commercials this year will prove to be surprising and more exciting than those of the past.

This year, with the release of their limited-edition Triple Treat Box, which is a box filled with two pizzas, breadsticks, and a giant cookie, Pizza Hut is doing something special with their deliveries. Pizza Hut delivery drivers are ringing on their customer’s doorbells, waiting a few seconds, taking a few steps back, and as they open the door, the deliverer begins with their own rendition of Silent Night.

While I can imagine that this seasonal gig for the holidays is not likely what these employees thought they were signing up for; the lit-up faces, smiles, and bright eyes must prove to be well-worth the extra effort. It’s exciting because it’s just a touch of holiday cheer to the normal, quick, maybe even awkward interaction between a Mom in her pajamas, answering the door for the dinner she didn’t feel like cooking.

This way, customers get a little more than just their pizza, and honestly, who wouldn’t tip a delivery driver that stood on their steps and sang to them? I mean, come on. It’s a win-win for both parties. There’s no way that this kind of advertising could make anyone unhappy.

The bells and whistles of this campaign don’t simply stop at the delivery driver making their attempt to carry a tune. In these deliveries of the Triple Treat Box, along with the driver comes a caroling crowd of handbell wringers, two full choirs, a horse and carriage, among other musical sounds. As this campaign has only started in Utah, it’s bound to spread to other parts of the country as the month goes on.

Here is a copy of one of these whimsical deliveries:

Kit and Ace Establish Their Brand While Establishing Others

Before reading an article on Adweek, I had never heard of Kit and Ace. After reading on, I learned what kind of company they are and it makes me wish there were more. Kit and Ace is a retail chain that have recently opened about 60 stores nationwide. While I think it’s a little crazy that they sell products that can be anywhere near $348 for a turtleneck, what they are doing for their community is unbeatable.

What the best part about their situation is, is the fact that they are so vastly different than the other companies that are competing in their market. Most retailers generally go for continuity and unity in terms of appearance. Most retail chains aspire to have every single store front be the same, have the same layout and floor plan, as well as consistently provide the same products no matter the location.

Kit and Ace, however, are doing the exact opposite. They want ever single store location to be vastly different than the other. In this way, they have positioned their storefronts as not only a place to make purchases, but a place to admire artwork as well as hold conversations. Every location employs artwork from local artists that are specific to the market in which the storefront resides.

The founders of Kit and Ace, Shannon and JJ Wilson, want to provide a fresh, vibrant atmosphere to display their products as well as the work of locals such as photographers, painters, woodworkers, lighting designers, etc. They wanted to create a space where customers would want to come to enjoy fresh new ideas and designs, and start conversations about the things going on in the community.

This aspect of their business plan is so absolutely crucial to their brand for multiple reasons. Their dedication to involve the work of their creative communities is not only important because it gives those artists an avenue to display their work, but it also puts that recognition and money back into the local economy. It’s also important because their decision to work with individual artists  and small businesses instead of contracting with a large company to furnish all their locations, just simply is not the most cost effective option. If anything, this decision costs them quite a bit in time and money.

Their decision to support local artists and small businesses shows that while they want to succeed ands sell their products, they want to aid others in doing just that as well. There needs to be more brands of this nature out there that are concerned with helping others and making the business atmosphere a kinder, more supportive place. If there were more businesses that weren’t solely concerned with the amount of money they can make, their efforts would go so much further. Putting others first proves to be such a much more bountiful effort.

Here are some examples of work from local market artists that Kit and Ace have put into their stores:

Photo courtesy of Kit and Ace

Photo courtesy of Kit and Ace

Photo courtesy of Kit and Ace

Photo courtesy of Kit and Ace

Photo courtesy of Kit and Ace

 

Fruit of the Loom has Redefined the Definition of ‘Business Casual’

I’ve always hated having to dress up, or ‘business casual’. I’ve always found that clothes that look nice, never feel nice. I don’t know if it has been my body type or my choice of clothing, but, I’ve never enjoyed dresses, or slacks, or blazers, or anything else that doesn’t have an elastic band to hold it up.

I think Fruit of the Loom caught onto that fact as I’m sure that I’m not the only person on the planet that feels the way I do. An article on Adweek explains the new, limited-edition line from Fruit of the Loom. The “Professionals Collection” is actually soft, fleece sweat suits that are printed to look like your average business attire.

In the collection, there are three looks–the Country Clubber, the Trail Blazer, and the Business Time. The collection is only a trial run to see if consumers would be interested in purchasing them. So far, there have only been 50 of each outfit made. I think the concept of making business attire more comfortable and affordable is brilliant. Although, I’m not sold on the fact that fleece was the best choice of material.

I know for me personally, while having more comfortable clothes would certainly be a selling point, fleece would not cut it. Yes, fleece is soft and comfy, but it is also warm. I’m a fairly warm-natured person, and I get hot easily if I get busy or frustrated. Those two things happen quite easily when I am working, which I would imagine is where most people would wear these suits.

Fruit of the Loom are going to take advantage of social media to gauge responses from consumers on their latest idea. I think that for the most part, FofL took a light-hearted position on this idea, knowing that most people would laugh or find the idea silly. But silly may break the mold…who knows?

Here are 3 short videos displaying the styles:

Ford Is Using Social Media for the Best Reason

Image is owned by Ford Motor Company, 2015.

Recently, Ford has started a new social media campaign that is really catching the eye of Instagram users. As the technology industry has expanded and certainly become more popular, more and more people are staying glued to their phones and using them when they drive.

I know from personal experience, my mom has a terrible habit of trying to text or look up a coupon or search through her emails when she’s driving. I always throw a fit and tell her to quit and she shrugs it off like it’s not a big deal that she’s weaving in and out of her side of the road, or getting to close to a ditch. I suppose that’s her way of telling me she’s the parent.

However, more and more PSA campaigns are popping up, warning people of the dangers of texting and driving, some being more direct and abrasive than others. Ford’s campaign isn’t a series of videos with clips of car crashes or the process of overturning vehicles due to a driver being on their phone, but instead simply consists of Instagram photos taken from the driver’s perspective, that have the common heart icon in the middle of the picture that represents that the photo has been ‘liked’.

The heart is hiding people who are in the street. In the photos, all you can see of the pedestrians are their feet. The concept is so simple and clear. It puts into perspective how quickly things can go wrong with just a split second of a driver not paying attention, without all the gory after photos or the sounds of breaking class and crushing metal in the background.

I think campaigns like this are so important because Ford took the time to thoughtfully create these messages…but they aren’t selling anything. This is simply a company telling their customers how much they care about their lives. To me, this is an example of a way that a brand can show their loyalty to their customer. This isn’t about Ford selling a ton of vehicles and making a bunch of money. This is Ford trying to make the world a better place.

MassMutual’s Newest Ad Doesn’t Sell Anything But Respect

My whole life, I’ve been associated with people that I knew were different. It wasn’t until I got older and the controversy over homosexuality progressively became a popular topic, did I decide that I was going to have a stance on something that I had never personally seen a problem with. I have always had the point of view that every single person that I have come into contact with is their own person. That being granted, everyone is entitled to be different. Our differences are what make us human. I always thought that I had a duty to treat people fairly regardless of how different from me they were, because that is how I felt I deserved to be treated. I always thought it was only fair to return that respect, right? Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that way.

The piece that MassMutual has created to give newlywed LGBT couples financial products and services doesn’t do any selling…it simply shows perspective. Here is the video:

The raw, honest, delicate tone of the video helps you feel their feelings through their words. I can’t imagine what life has been like for the past for decades for the members of the LGBT community, to constantly feel like you need to hide or that being yourself is wrong. This why I have so much pride in equality. I can’t imagine being granted the right to marry the person I love after years of being told that I can’t, or even thinking that marriage would never be in the cards for me just because someone else didn’t like the person I fell in love with.

To me, it’s pieces like this that grab my attention and gain my respect for brands as a whole. The issue of marriage equality is something that I think is so important, that when a company publicly supports the LGBT community, they gain my support. Many people feel this way about brands. It matters to consumers that our favorite brands align their support with ours.

Aldi Takes a Different Approach On Christmas

This time of year, every single company that spends money on advertising is spending it on a seasonal spot for the upcoming holidays, especially those in the retail industry. According to an article on Adweek, Aldi has the most brutally honest commercial of the season, and they might be right. However, the brutal honesty of the position isn’t its only advantage.

While the situations and scenarios portrayed in the short film might be slightly exaggerated, they connect to the fact that those dramatic life episodes are often exactly how it feels during this time of year.  Whether it’s trying to make a menu for the holiday affair that caters to everyone’s needs, or trying to make it to every store while the coupon you have is still valid, or trying to come up with a small something to gift to your cousin Becky’s youngest son you’ve only met once and it’s been five years, but you’ve been informed they’re attending the festivities this year; the holidays are full of cheer, but a whole lot more stress.

The fact that most everyone can relate to the chaos and sometimes catastrophe of the holidays is what makes this ad so perfect. Not to mention the fact that Aldi’s brand itself represents the same type of person. Often the busy mom that is on a budget, that needs to be able to make all of her purchases in the shortest number of stops and amount of time so she can get home to cook dinner, just to return to her career as SuperWoman.

I think the content is perfect for this year simply because of the fact that just because it is 2015 and technology has never been more advanced than it is now, does not take away from the struggles of the holidays. There are just some things that have to be done the ‘old-fashioned way’ like much of holiday tradition often is that technology can’t replace. Thus giving busy people all over hope that they aren’t alone in the anxiety-ridden holiday season.

Here is a preview of the ad:

Paypal Has Ruined Christmas

According to an article on Adweek, this year, Paypal has released a new advertisement for the incoming holiday season. The video portrays two young boys who are of the age that most kids believe that their Christmas gifts are delivered the night before Chistmas by Santa Claus and his reindeer. In the video, the oldest brother explains to his younger sibling that they aren’t likely to be receiving gifts this year because the parents haven’t been out to do any shopping and they haven’t been sent to be looked after by anyone else for their parents have gone out to buy any gifts.

The ad created such an outrage because not only does the ad itself imply that Santa Claus may not exist, or that children’s presents that appear under the tree have come from their parents, it has also been played before 9 p.m. when children are still awake, while similar ads that are not aimed for children’s viewing typically play after common bedtimes.

My personal issue with the ad is the fact that the video wasn’t branded until the very end of the spot. There wasn’t a logo or design that allowed viewers to immediately know what company had created the ad. It is likely that people would watch this advertisement and maybe pay more attention because of the fact that it tells a short story. The ad doesn’t persuade consumers to use paypal or even try to sell anything until the Paypal logo appears at the very end.

While I assume Paypal’s thought process was that families today are complex and busy, a large number of parents do their holiday shopping online because of the access and convenience, make Paypal a desirable option. I believe, however, making the point that online shopping and using Paypal to make purchases would be a good alternative to do holiday shopping, they could have went about it in a different way that would not have crossed the line of dabbling in children’s beliefs in figures like Santa Claus.

Paypal didn’t think of the possibility that their spot could cause thousands of parents to either lie to their children and tell them that in fact Santa Claus does exist, or break their hearts when they have to explain that in fact Santa Claus doesn’t bring their Christmas presents.

Here is the video:

Ikea Let Kids Design New Products This Year

Photo Credit: ihearttoystudio.com via Compfight cc

Every year, global retailer Ikea holds a fundraiser to raise funds for children’s education projects as part of their philanthropy. This year, they left the decisions up to creative kids with crayons.

According to an article on Adweek, Ikea held a contest that allowed kids to draw their ideal stuffed animal. They were given absolute 100% freedom of creativity to come up with a drawing or their favorite monster or animal that they would like to have as a toy.

After many drawing entries, the 10 winning designs were recreated in 3-dimensional form by Ikea’s toy designers and brought to life. The creations are now on sale to help raise funds for the company’s annual fundraiser, Soft Toys for Education. They can been viewed here. For each toy that is purchased, Ikea will donate one euro to a children’s education project via Unicef and Save the Children.

After the initial launch of Soft Toys for Education in 2003, the Ikea Foundation has donated over $90 million to global children’s projects.

This project is important not only because it shows that Ikea cares about kids, adds to Ikea’s philanthropy, and helps children all over the world receive the education that they deserve, but also because it allows other kids to be involved in something that they likely wouldn’t get to participate in without it. In this way, it allows kids help others kids that may not be as fortunate as they have been.

Similac Makes an Effort to End the Mommy Wars

Earlier this year, Similac produced a short film with a humorous tone that portrayed different groups of moms that represent the different choices that moms make. The groups varied by things like moms that breastfeed, moms that use formula, moms that use disposable diapers, moms that use reusable diapers, moms that stay home, or moms that have chosen to go back to work, etc and their beef with each other. This short film put into perspective the kind of scrutiny that mothers are under every single day for all of the choices that they make as parents and the level of judgement that people have for mothers and each other as parents.

The uproar that this video created made it more clear than ever that people need to be more understanding, compassionate, and not-so-quick to jump to conclusions or judge people and situations that they don’t have all of the details about. According to an article on Adweek, Similac has taken note of the type of ‘mommy war’ that goes on today and is making an effort to put an end to it.

The new video follows a handful of moms with young babies as they explain their every day lives and the struggles that they have faced as parents. At the end of the video, the moms are brought together, with their babies, into a room for them to spend time with each other. They were asked to talk to each other or share their stories. Stories were told about pregnancy loss, or lumpectomies that removed breastfeeding from an option for one mom and how others had judged her for using formula instead of breastfeeding before they had known the details of the situation. After talking, one of the mothers tearfully disclosed a few snap judgments she had for one of the other mothers that could not breastfeed.

It shows that being judgmental doesn’t help anyone, and that people in general are so quick to pass a judgment or jump to a conclusion when they encounter a person or situation where things are done differently that they don’t even take the time to consider the journey that person has been on or the struggles that they face each day. Similac has simply made the point that everyone just needs to be nicer  to one another.

Here is the video: