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:

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:

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:

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:

Do We Have To Be As Busy As We Think We Need To Be?

In an article, I watched a video created by JetBlue that really put things, all life things, into perspective. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, how old you are, or what your job title is. In our world today, everyone is busy. We endure school, jobs, kids, relationships, exercise, errands, emails, and everything else that our daily lives demands our attention. Society has created a stigma that we have to be 100% responsive at all times, on demand, at anyone’s beck and call…and it stresses us out. Other people expect it from us and we expect it from them in return.

The video that JetBlue produced presented their new campaign “HumanKinda” and features Sam Richardson, a known actor and comedian. The short film is 16 minutes long, and follows a man and woman, Ryan and Jennifer, to represent the typical lifestyle of an American man and woman in 2015 and all the things in their lives that make them busy on a daily basis.

Here is the video for your own perspective:

JetBlue created this video to show people that we fill our lives with so much every day that we forget the simple things in life and forget to take a second to breathe and appreciate life for what it is. This simple, unique advertisement packs such a punch. I don’t think people realize how much they really do in a day, and how much society has socialized them to react and respond to daily interactions and activities that build up such high levels of stress. We all want to be Superman or Wonderwoman and wake up every morning, eat healthy meals, exercise, answer our emails, tend to our families and relationships, excel at work, be productive, do the laundry, run those errands…but after all, there are only 24 hours in a day. We have to teach ourselves to be able to let go and relax.

Such an interesting video to watch that without a doubt send homes the message that JetBlue was aiming for. It’s okay to relax. It’s okay to ignore that text message or email. It’s okay to binge-watch Netfix and lay in bed. It’s okay to take a vacation from life.

Cracker Barrel Makes a Few Changes

Photo Credit: JeepersMedia via Compfight cc

40 years is a long time do anything…and according to an article on AdWeek, that’s the amount of time that Cracker Barrel Country Store has focused on using billboards to lead their advertising efforts. Billboards are most commonly seen in areas that surround high-traffic roads and buildings that have a large number of passerby. Cracker Barrel has used that to their advantage for the last four decades. Personally, I can remember seeing a billboard ad for Cracker Barrel 5-10 miles from every exit off Interstate 65 that adorns a Cracker Barrel location.

As interstate travel picked up, Cracker Barrel got it’s start because it provided traveling families with what they needed, a welcoming and comfortable place to sit down and eat a home-cooked style meal. This is why billboards became so powerful in pulling in their customers.

However, times have changed. Although traveling families still enjoy the food and atmosphere that Cracker Barrel provides, with the development of phones, tablets, and other mobile devices, people aren’t paying attention to the sides of the road to find a place to eat. There are too many websites, apps, and other avenues of messaging that are keeping consumers connected to their devices instead of their surroundings.

As technology has changed things, Cracker Barrel has changed their approach away from solely depending on billboards for the largest part of their advertising. They have put effort into two new 30-second spots created by Havas Worldwide, paid, search, and social media, online video, and radio spots to better compete with their competition to connect with their customers during times when they are trying to explore their options on places to eat, or during the process of deciding on which place to visit.

I believe this is an important change for Cracker Barrel because consumers are on average, are exposed to an upwards of 5,000 advertising messages a day, new restaurants are going up, the push to eat healthy and cook at home to save money is being fueled more and more, among many other factors that are going to make marketing for restaurants that much more difficult in the years to come that Cracker Barrel as well as other restaurants are going to have to overcome in their advertising efforts, to succeed.

Lifelike Crash Dummies Give a New Perspective

Acura has created an advertisement very unlike any other in the automobile industry. The one-minute video, “The Test,” produced by Mullen Lowe, demonstrates Acura’s commitment to consumer safety. Their approach in this video drives home their desire to protect their customers and their families and it shows.

In the video, the technician carries what looks like lifelike dummies from a cart and places them into the vehicle. It is not until after all of the dummies are placed and positioned, do we learn that what we were under the impression are dummies, are in fact, humans…who have managed to stay extremely still.

Coincidentally, the driver of the vehicle and the safety technician appear to be the same person. The writer of an article on Adweek,  seemed to be confused by that detail, but I believe that was Acura’s way of saying that their employees take their job seriously, and not only because they have to, but because they position themselves in the shoes of their customers. In other words, that technician and the driver being the same person is their way of saying that they trust Acura’s safety standards with their own families. Creating a subtle way to increase morale among customers trough an advertisement.

I think this was a brilliant take on an issue that is a concern for all customers who are in the search for new vehicle, especially those who have families or are planning to start theirs. This is a visual representation of what people want their car companies to do in the process of producing a vehicle as well as showcases the way of thinking that customers appreciate when they can feel that they were put first.

The video quoted, “When you don’t think of them as dummies, something amazing happens.” That was an important statement to make. It shows the impact of how important safety testing is because the safety of the vehicle directly affects the lives of the people that get into it.

This is the type of advertisement that doesn’t try to sell the customer anything but peace of mind…and there is more value in that than any product could ever have.

“The Test” :

Coca Cola Has Created Their Own New Bit of Media

We all know that Coca Cola has been around for over a century and absolutely knows what they are doing when it comes to advertising in the soda industry…although they rarely ever need it. Coca Cola’s newest idea is a brilliant one that is sure to leave an impact on millions of people in the country whether they are Latino or not.

Coca Cola has launched a new line of soda cans targeted to Hispanic and Latino Americans that include a temporary tattoo attached to the can! The line was produced to support National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15^th to October 15^th.

Researchers at Coca Cola really did their homework to create this rock star line of cans to cater to an audience that doesn’t feel that love very often. The names on the cans feature popular last names of the members of the Hispanic and Latino American communities. The trick to them is the fact that they are in reverse!

The thought here was that historically, members of the Hispanic and Latino American communities have been known for the pride in their names and all the wonderful legends and glory that come along with them. The stickers on the cans can be peeled off and placed onto the skin of the person, and the condensation (sweat) from the (hopefully) cold can will allow the tattoo to affix onto the skin, to resemble the many tattoos within the Hispanic and Latino American communities that represent their heritages.

This is important because the tattoos themselves are a new type of media themselves. They may not contain an advertising message, but they do carry a personal message. That message is one of pride, glory, and sentiment. These tattoos will be conversation starters…they will give people something to talk about in terms of how inventive Coke was in this idea. The wearers will be able to tell all their family and friends how cool it is that their community has received such special recognition in such an indigenous way. This will create such a buzz on social media. Posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. will be posted everywhere to spread the word and the love.

This small bit of advertising creates such warmth to the heart. The hashtag accompanying the campaign is #OrgullosoDeSur, Spanish for “proud to be” resonates not only a pride in family and heritage for their Hispanic and Latino American communities but a pride in being a part of Coca Cola and their family.

A video from Cola Cola shows the new line:

Instagram Has Extended Ad Length to 30 Seconds

Photo Credit: Jason A. Howie via Compfight cc

This information really caught my attention because I’m an Instagram user myself. Recently, as I was scrolling through my feed, a number of “sponsored” posts were in the mix. One caught my eye because it was a post that Instagram itself had sponsored to let users know that there would be more ads coming to their feed.

As I read through the miscellaneous comments, from what I could tell, most people weren’t too pleased with or keen on the idea of being bombarded with advertisements in a place that they were used to seeing posts that are exclusive to the list of people that they made the decision to follow. Many people noted that one of the main reasons why they enjoy using Instagram’s service is because it has been devoid of advertisements.

While I understand that with an app like Instagram that has become so popular and widespread, the goal from a business standpoint is to make money in any way possible when after all, users don’t pay a fee to use the services. However, Instagram may not be doing themselves a favor by allowing ad space in the feeds of their users. By allowing a larger amount of ads to enter user’s feeds, Instagram is taking away the user’s ability to be in control of the content that they see. For some users, that freedom of choice and control is major selling point for users, and Instagram may be taking that away.

Not only is Instagram allowing ad space, but at a length of 30­ seconds versus the 15 second spots they have allowed in the past. The video posts that users can upload are restricted to 15 seconds. It says a lot about the company if they are going to allow advertisers the availability of twice the post length for advertisements than that users get for their content. To me it seems that Instagram may be focusing more on advertisers than they are their users. I don’t think you have to be in the industry to realize that trend. They have made it pretty clear where their loyalty stands.