Values' Marketing - The case of IKEA in Spain

"This ad is going to go sooo viral" is the first thing I though while watching it

Is a very tender video, with a very true message released on the perfect moment. What else do you need?

We all know that kids prefer company to toys. We knew it from a while ago already. And now that the crisis left us with less money, is the perfect time to finally do something about it.

Values' marketing, the one that focuses on "campaigning" for a good cause instead of "selling" is the perfect choice for a mature brand like IKEA. We all know what IKEA is and what they sell, their best shot is to make us feel better when we buy from them.

Furthermore, they relate the ad to their 2014 campaign that highlights the importance of family (and therefore the house) on kids' education.

Congratulations to IKEA and to the agency: McCann Spain.

Marketing and synergies using the know-how: Virgin America

A great creative idea doesn't always come from looking at what you need or where you want to get. Many times it's much easier to find inspiration by looking at what you have to work on, or the actual position you're starting from.

Virgin is a conglomerate of many different kinds of businesses. And Sir Richard Branson's brand airline "Virgin America" is well known for not being shy when it comes to marketing communication in order to support it's great slogan "A breath of fresh Airline".

Their spirit complies with this slogan.The clearest evidence for this is the depth to which they're already involved in the online world and it's trends, as can be most clearly seen on their YouTube Channel; containing dozens of videos of all kinds, trying to get the users to spread their word.

Their latest release (just yesterday) is a music video that tells the safety instructions on a plane in a much nicer way. Their are not the first ones on doing something like that (Delta and New Zealand Airlines did it already in a really). But on Virgin they have taken advantage of their know-how in the video-clip industry, and the result is a hundred times better, thanks mainly to an incredibly good production.

Since it's safety instructions, the content it's still boring sometimes, but they have done the best that can be done with such a base. Enjoy:

INSPIRATION. (Volume 1: TED)

My brother taught me once that learning by listening was way better than by bungling when talking. Then I started realizing how easy and useful it is to listen actively to people: Most of the time they know more than me about the subject and, anyway, they always bring a different perspective that enriches my own idea about it.

Since then I love to get informed about topics I am interested in by any means of verbal communication (the radio, talks, speeches, classes, conferences, debates…). I’m very fond of nice conversations in cafés.

And then, just last year, I discovered a marvelous invention called TED.

TED (Acronym for “Technology, Entertainment, Design”) is an NGO dedicated to spread great discussions and conferences on a variety of different subjects.  The talks are lead by all kinds of different people that are always full of innovative ideas that can change world.

It was created in the 80’s, but went fully on-line in 2006. And it’s on the net, and under a Creative Commons License, that their mission got real strength, because the Speeches started to be available for free all around the world.

On TED I found brilliant discussions about Marketing, such as a very comical speech by Rory Sutherland about how advertising can change the consumers’ perception of the value of a product and further how real and important this value becomes:

TED consolidated my ideas about the huge power and responsibility that consumers have on discussions such as the one given by John Gerzema. Just one of the many stirring speeches about Consumer Behavior and Market Research that can be found flicking through the Tags’ listing on TED’s App for Android and iPhone:

But also thanks to TED, I’ve discovered how a social stigma (like mental illnesses) can be fought and altered with humor. The comedian Ruby Wax shows how in this very intelligent speech (Or should it be called stand-up comedy?):

TED even provided me with an easy way to answer when friends ask me “but what’s this thing about meditation?”, because I could never explain it better than Andy Puddicombe in his own words:

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Business educator Eddie Obeng taught me in his electrifying speech that Problem Solving should be, nowadays, Problem Forecasting. He says that getting something wrong is not always failing because in our world “after midnight” there’s certainly not enough to make safe decisions:

And last but not least, TED has reminded me how crucial positive thinking on life and work is. For instance, in this hilarious speech by Shawn Achor I learned that the Competitive Advantage is not as important as the “Happiness Advantage”:

So, when I decided to create a series of Posts about the things that inspire me, I knew that TED was going to be the first one. Because all my favorite speeches on TED give me hints how to evaluate the present and also how I want things to be in the future. And that is, as I see it, pure inspiration.

Comming back with comedy - Dads in briefs

After some months in the "dry dock" of the bloggering due to proffesional reasons (I was finishing my bachelor), I'm back, ready to post again from time to time.

On the last months I didn't write any post, but read many, and here I bring you a proof of how deep I've became and how much I've learnt: A video about dudes in underwear...



Two reasons pushed me to post this great idea by Saatchi & Saatchi to communicate the Reason Why of an air conditioner. The first is the importance of entries that, in a very simple and brief way, present you the novelties in the sector. A good example (in spanish) would be
http://www.lacriaturacreativa.com/.

The other reason is the importance of laughing every day, just like that. Could seem too obvious, but it's an idea that need to be remainded every so often...

Applause

I want to ask for a big hand to Thomas Ilum and Vogelius Zoe, two german students who had a great idea.

Just adding a really creative vinyl to the FedEx vans they "prove" the idea of the claim using one of theis main competitors: DHL

Besides, FedEx has already made some campaigns using the images of the competitors. In the USA, comparative advertising is more normal and well acepted than in many European countries. This is why FedEx is so explicit when doing this, using clearly the images of their competitors.
Here another example:

Being students, Thomas and Vogelius deserve a really big applause.