April 12th, 2012
Posted by Jeff Hodgson

Advertising is all about big ideas. Unfortunately, not every big idea is a good idea. I give you Exhibit A:

Well, I didn’t see everyone skipping to work this morning, so I’m guessing this guy’s message didn’t make it too far outside his hometown. But he thought big. He wanted to change the way the world got from point A to point B. He even used science to prove that skipping is better for you than running. Oh, well. Here are a few other ideas that didn’t pan out the way they were intended.

When the Adult Swim show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” was made into a movie, LED displays mysteriously went up in major U.S. cities to promote it. It was supposed to be “guerilla advertising.” Problem is, people in Boston thought the homemade-looking displays were bombs and freaked out. The city pretty much shut down to deal with the possible terrorist threat. Oops.

How do you prove your identity theft prevention company is the best in the business? If you’re LifeLock CEO Todd Davis, you share your real social security number with the world. Sadly, the company’s fraud detection didn’t work as well as he thought. His social security number was used to take out a $500 loan and open an AT&T Wireless account. Worst of all, Davis didn’t find out until collection agencies called about the money he owed.

You may remember this commercial from the 2011 Super Bowl:

Groupon, an almost universally beloved e-commerce company, made a pretty poor judgment call with this ad. Trivializing human rights issues in Tibet gets you just about one thing: backlash from your consumers. The ad was pulled soon after it aired.

It’s impossible to know how people are going to react to ideas, but a little more common sense in each of these attempts to make a big splash could have helped keep them from sinking.

February 8th, 2012

Traditionally, the Super Bowl is the biggest night for TV advertising, but Sunday night’s Super Bowl was a big night for digital, too. Trends from the 2011 Super Bowl were back, with advertisers releasing ads online prior to the Super Bowl in hopes of increasing viral spread and integrating mobile ads with the TV campaigns. In fact, this year over half of advertisers released ads online before the game, looking to draw on Volkswagen’s success last year. And mobile upped the ante from last year’s Anheuser-Busch iAd with a QR code in Go Daddy’s spot, linking to discounts off Go Daddy products. But this year, the digital showing went even further.

Mobile

Shazam announced just before the big night that the entire Super Bowl, the halftime show and many of the ads would be Shazamable. Viewers could Shazam the Toyota spot for the chance to win two Camrys, download an MP3 from Bud Light, watch a music video from Pepsi, vote for their favorite ads, access music content during the halftime show and check out stats about the plays and players during the game. While QR codes connect print to the digital world, Shazam is blazing the trail for connecting TV and audio to digital content. Shazam has not released exact participation stats, but has noted that with “millions” of viewers participating in the Super Bowl integration, 2012 will be “the year of the Shazamable TV ad.”

Chevy invited fans to “experience Super Bowl Sunday in a whole new way” with the Chevy Game Time mobile app, which allowed viewers to play trivia, take polls and enter to win one of 20 Chevrolets or other prizes.

Video Streaming

This year, the Super Bowl was streamable both online and from mobile devices. Verizon cut a deal with the NFL to exclusively stream the Super Bowl on iOS and Android devices with the NFL mobile app, and for the first year the game was streamed on computers. Live streaming is a testament to the changing landscape of TV: the Super Bowl is the biggest moment for TV every year, and yet it’s recognizing the growing trend of streaming TV online. The live stream had 2.1 million unique viewers, making it the most-watched sports game online. While there were limitations (such as a lack of live commercials), online streaming allowed for embedded live streams from Facebook and Twitter, further enhancing the experience with social engagement.

Social Media

And speaking of social, perhaps the biggest story of the night was in social media. Viewers are no longer relying solely on their witty Super Bowl party friends for commentary, but are turning to the second screen for live running commentary about the ads, halftime show and plays. At the end of the game, Twitter saw 12,233 tweets per second, setting a record for the highest tweet frequency during a live sports event.

Brands were prepared for viewers’ connection with Twitter, and hashtags got their fair share of airtime in the TV spots. Audi’s #SoLongVampires, Bud Light’s #MakeItPlatinum and Jack in the Box’s #MarryBacon hashtags all looked to increase engagement on Twitter. Coca-Cola’s polar bears even used the hashtag #GameDayPolarBears to comment on the game from Twitter and point users to more polar bear content on YouTube. In most cases, including hashtags in the spots seemed to work, as #MakeItPlatinum and #SoLongVampires became trending topics in mere minutes.

Coca-Cola saw success on social media even before kickoff with its Facebook event app, which asked fans to RSVP to watch the Polar Bowl – a live stream of the Coca-Cola polar bears’ reactions to the game. Before kickoff, 32,000 people had RSVPed, and the live stream received so many views that the Coke team had to add six servers to accommodate the traffic. Its Twitter feed received a whopping 12.5% increase in followers before the game even started.

The Super Bowl’s social media integration went beyond Twitter and Facebook into the location-based arena with Pizza Hut and Amex’s Foursquare offer. By checking into “Super Swarm Sunday,” Amex members got $5 off any food ordered from Pizza Hut.

The Takeaway

The 2012 Super Bowl is leading the way for digital to further enhance the TV entertainment experience and enhance engagement with advertisers. TV spots are no longer simply 30–60 seconds of impression time; they can be the beginning of an engaging experience with a brand that lasts far beyond those few, short seconds. Instead of looking at TV advertising in a silo, it can be used in conjunction with digital to begin an engaging customer journey.

December 9th, 2011
Posted by Alex Kenney

Traditionally the Monday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday has been stretched to Cyber Week, as online sales remained strong not just on that one day, but the entire five-day period ending December 2. Market research firm comScore reported that U.S. consumers spent nearly $6 billion online during this period, a 15% increase over 2010. Three days of the week (November 28-30) topped the billion-dollar sales mark: Monday ($1.25 billion), Tuesday ($1.12 billion) and Wednesday ($1.03 billion).

Why the Increase?

Well, for one, more people are shopping online now than they were even just a year ago. Eleven percent more people made a purchase online during Cyber Week this year compared with last. But the average purchase amount was also up by 9%, so people spent more overall online, too. The increased amount of promotional activity is most likely a driver – is it just me, or was the email bombardment consistent and constant all week? Every day, I woke up to a dozen emails from my favorite retailers, and while typically I might have unsubscribed to cut down on inbox clutter, I didn’t this year. I didn’t want to miss out on an even better offer! You’re giving me 30% off today, Banana Republic? I’m pretty sure you’ll send me one for 40% off, plus free shipping tomorrow.

Free Shipping

Speaking of free shipping, that’s a huge part of this equation, too. According to comScore, 63% of all online transactions during Cyber Week included free shipping, an 11% increase compared with 2010. In their annual holiday shopping survey, more than one-third of respondents said that free shipping is “very important,” and they wouldn’t make a purchase without it, and nearly half said they would abandon their transaction if free shipping weren’t offered. With so many retailers offering it, free shipping has become practically an expected part of the online shopping experience.

Mobile

Watching mobile’s meteoric rise this year has been fascinating, and the holiday season so far is no exception. Thanksgiving and Black Friday were big days for mobile, when people were spending time at the dinner table and with family instead of on their computers at work. According to IBM Benchmark, 14.3% of e-commerce sites’ traffic came from mobile devices on Black Friday, compared with 10.8% on Cyber Monday. And in terms of actual sales, 9.8% of Black Friday’s sales were from mobile, compared with 6.6% on Friday. This is a huge spike from 2010, when just 2.3% of sales came from mobile devices on Cyber Monday.

As marketers, we need to think of mobile, in-store and website shopping as complementary to one another, not cannibalizing, and it’s crucial to optimize the experience on each platform so that it’s intuitive enough to make that purchase easily. As shoppers – don’t be surprised if that credit card bill is higher than past years. With the ability to make a purchase anytime and from anywhere, self-control may be harder than usual this holiday season. But we don’t need to think about that until January. Happy shopping!

November 28th, 2011
Posted by Jeff Hodgson

If there’s one toy that truly captures imaginations and encourages creativity, it’s LEGO®. Sure, the simple building blocks have become more complex over the years, adding lots of new pieces, characters and even electric motors, but the fundamentals remain the same. Give two people the same bricks and tell them to make something, and you’ll most likely end up with two vastly different creations. You’ll probably also have two very entertained people.

Today, LEGOs have found a new way to amuse. Go ahead and search “LEGO” on YouTube. Then sift through the almost 500,000 videos. A few of the videos are commercials and video game trailers, but the majority of them are made by people who just love LEGOs or see them as a powerful storytelling tool. I’ve compiled a few of my favorites.

First, let’s watch the first level of Super Mario Bros. created with LEGOs. Full disclosure, LEGOs and Super Mario Bros. are two of my favorite things. Ever. So combining them automatically gets them the first spot.

Next up, we’ve got a video of a felt-tip printer created with LEGOs. This might be one of the nerdiest LEGO videos I’ve seen, which is saying a lot. But it’s also one of the coolest.

There are so many more awesome LEGO videos I’d like to share, but time and space won’t allow it. Other favorites you can look up on your own include The White Stripes music video for “Fell in Love With a Girl” and a kid telling the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy in a little over two minutes.

Finally, I’d like to share the video that inspired this post in the first place.

This new LEGO product, called the Life of George, brilliantly brings LEGO further into the Internet age. It’s the first interactive game combining building things with real LEGO bricks and an app for iPhone or iPad. As far as I know, no other “old” toy has melded the physical and digital so well. In my opinion, the genius of it is that LEGO didn’t mess with the original in an attempt to make a cool app. They stood by the fact that building things in real life is way more fun than faking it on a screen, yet added the best of digital to make it social and engaging in a totally different way. Other brands would be smart to take note of LEGO’s success and build apps that integrate their real-world product in a new and interesting way.

As a side note, I still have two VERY large tubs of LEGOs at home. I have no intention of ever getting rid of them, because at this rate, LEGOs will never become obsolete.

November 23rd, 2011
Posted by Sarah Voges

Digital Fun for the Holidays

Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah!

Wait, don’t groan. I know it’s still a little early, but if any of you are like me and pull out your Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving, then it’s time to get in the holiday spirit! I love the holidays, so I’ve put together a quick collection of digital coolness to help add to your merriment this season.

Fun Stuff for You

Are you planning some special meals? Allrecipes is a standard favorite, but they’ve added some fun features to their website, like a personal recipe box, menu planners and shopping lists. They have an app, too, so you can figure out what to do with the leftover turkey without leaving the couch (we know, it’s the tryptophan). And for those of us in warmer climates who can still break out the grill, Weber’s On the Grill app is also full of yumminess.

Speaking of the couch, don’t forget to download ESPN’s ScoreCenter so you can keep up with all the great rivalry games and championships this time of year. Tell them who your favorite teams are, and they’ll make sure you always know the latest play. (It’s also good for keeping husbands happy when you take them to the work Christmas party on a Saturday during football season.)

For those of you planning on entertaining lots of guests, you can find great ideas on everything from holiday decoration ideas to inventive recipes to tips for great parties on Pinterest. Since I’ve talked about this bit of coolness before, let’s move on to finding the perfect gifts.

If you’ve been put in charge of the office or family Secret Santa tradition, check out Elfster. You can create gift exchanges, invite participants, manage drawings and send wish lists. It includes social integrations, so if my Facebook friends are using it, I can see what they want for Christmas or check out gifts that other people have liked to get ideas.

If you still want help finding just the right thing, check out Mashable’s list of gift recommendation tools that use social to personalize the suggestions.

Fun Stuff from Brands

This wouldn’t be an agency blog if I didn’t touch on a few of my favorite things that brands are up to this season.

This time of year, ads change, and we begin to see all kinds of representations of holiday magic. Sometimes those ads give us great ideas for ways we might start or add to our own traditions. In the new ads from The Home Depot, they feature some cool new ways to deck the halls with ornaments, and the best part is they tell you how to do it. If you go to the site at the end of the ad, you find a video about the project that will link you to printable instructions and all the products you need.

I’m sure we all remember Target’s Christmas Champ, the lovably certifiable lady who is WAY into holiday sales. This year, she’s back with her own Twitter handle spouting tips for your shopping adventures and a YouTube page where she walks you through the finer parts of her sales-hunting strategy.

If holidays for you mean peppermint mochas and red cups, then Starbucks has a fun way for you to pass the time between shots of espresso. Their new augmented reality app lets you scan their signature holiday cups and watch the characters animate. There are also special offers and e-gifting tools available, so you can send a cup to a few of the people left on your list.

This year, when you a buy gift from JCPenney, you can get a Santa Tag with a customizable QR code. You scan the code, record a greeting or message to the recipient and put it on your gift. Then when the recipient scans the code, they hear whatever warm wishes you recorded.

Coca-Cola has a new QR code campaign that takes you to an iPhone or iPad game where you can throw snowballs at your friends. While this might be a good way to pass time at the airport during the holiday travels, it’s part of a much larger “Arctic Home” campaign from Coca-Cola to support the work of the World Wildlife Fund to protect polar bears.

Happy Holidays!

November 18th, 2011
Posted by Click Here

David Ogilvy once said, “I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.” We wonder, if he were alive today, would he feel the same way?

Let Me Entertain You

As advertisers are looking for ways to expand their web presence, more of them are creating custom content to distribute online, either through paid media or through their social media channels. This sponsored content is taking the form of articles and blogs, how-to videos and branded entertainment videos.

Branded entertainment is an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by, and complementary to, a brand’s marketing strategy. Product placement, brand integration and branded content are all types of branded entertainment. The goal of this tactic is to entertain an audience while communicating positive brand attributes and messaging.

A large draw to branded entertainment is that it allows advertisers to align their brands with content that’s relevant to their target. In doing so, those brands can create stronger emotional connections with their consumers, and hopefully these emotional connections ultimately will lead to brand affinity.

If an advertiser decides to delve into the branded entertainment space, there are a few best practices:

  1. Create content that’s relevant to the target. Depending on the audience, this might be an entertaining clip or a how-to video.
  2. Don’t act like an advertiser. The message should be seamlessly integrated into the content, but the content should come first and the message should follow.
  3. Have a plan for distributing the content that includes free and paid channels.

Branded entertainment is working its way into our clients’ media plans and communication strategies. Last fall, we launched a series of original how-to web videos for Russell Athletic that featured workout tips. The videos had a “Brought to you by” introduction and the athletes featured in the videos wore Russell Athletic clothing, but that was the extent of the branding. The videos were viewed more than 4.7 million times during the three months they were live, and brand attributes were communicated effectively without being overt.

Leading up to their brand relaunch campaign, we posted a branded entertainment video for Summer’s Eve starring Carlton the cat, the brand’s unofficial spokesperson. The video was sharable via YouTube and Facebook and has been viewed almost 400,000 times since June. Additionally, Summer’s Eve brand mentions on the Web went from almost nonexistent to wow! (defined as an increase of more than 12,000%) after the video launched.

Best practice number four: For a branded entertainment campaign to succeed, campaign objectives and metrics have to be agreed upon up front. The metrics can range from video views to social web mentions to conversions. We are proud of the success these efforts have had for our clients, and we know they were successful because we established our success metrics early in the process.

Lastly, marketers want their branded entertainment to go viral; this is marketing gold. The final best practice to keep in mind is that branded entertainment content should encourage sharing. Make sharing easy by incorporating tools that allow the viewer to post to Facebook or YouTube, share via sites like Digg and Delicious, and email to friends. In the new socially minded world order, we need to give consumers the content they want and enable them to pass it on.

November 15th, 2011
Posted by Amanda Plewes

It’s a well-known maxim in the advertising world that “clients get the advertising they deserve.” Since the Super Bowl in 1984, Apple has stood out as having phenomenal advertising, and rightly so. As I’ve been reading the biography of Steve Jobs, a question came to me – did Apple get the advertising they deserved?

I would unequivocally say yes, for three reasons.

1. The top management of Apple was heavily involved in advertising development.
Modern organizational hierarchies have imbued many people with the ability to say no, but very few with the ability to say yes. The travels through layers of hierarchy with people empowered only to say no have killed many a groundbreaking ad campaign.

On the other side of hierarchical approvals is Apple, where Steve Jobs himself was intimately familiar with everything going on in marketing and advertising. The CEO of Apple, who had every reason to be “too busy,” reserved every Wednesday afternoon for working with the marketing and advertising team.

If you’re a CMO or CEO, how would your advertising be different if you devoted a full 10% of your time to developing great ads?

2. Apple allowed its ad agency far behind the curtain.
Recently we’ve seen the trend of procurement-driven advertising pitches and an increasing treatment of advertising agencies as vendors. What if ad agencies were treated as an integral part of your marketing team instead of vendors? You might have more Apple-like ads.

As part of the Wednesday meeting, Steve Jobs would take his ad team to see the important developments – from new products in the design studio to the warehouse with the full-size store mockup. Apparently, it was even the advertising team that came up with the name “iMac” and helped choose the exact shade of gray for the restroom signs in the Apple Stores.

3. The agency wasn’t always right. Neither was the client.
Advertising for Apple in the Steve Jobs era was occasionally contentious and always iterative. Every week the designs were advanced and the spots refined. Design negotiations could end in shouting, or maybe the agency exercising a pocket veto on client desires.

One example of this was when the iconic “1984” ad was originally aired – after seeing the finished ad, the Apple board balked at the clear departure from traditional advertising. They instructed the agency to sell the three Super Bowl spots Apple had purchased. The agency sold two, but apparently made no effort to sell the third – they knew that if the spot remained, the ad would run. And so it did – making history for both parties in the process.

So to the clients who want Apple-like, groundbreaking work, I ask – are you making an Apple-like investment in your agency partner?

November 7th, 2011
Posted by Scott Luther

A major trend is emerging, and because its implications have an impact on a wide variety of industries it is generating a lot of buzz. Since the subtleties can get a little hazy in the excitement, let’s explore the emergence of gamification in the world of marketing. First, to be clear, gamification does not imply a contest, sweepstakes, chance to win or other offers to get fans interacting with your brand. Nor is this practice about the rise of social gaming or branded games. Gamification is about developing consumer experiences that play on innate human drivers to spark a deeper connection to a cause or brand.

At first glance, marketers sometimes hear the term and think about a common element of games – winning – without considering that the most memorable experiences come from games that are about playing rather than winning. So let’s take a deeper look into how adding an element of play into your thinking can turn a person’s momentary interest into a greater opportunity for your brand.

Level One: The Basics

Wikipedia gives a definition to help us focus on the true nature of gamification: “the use of game mechanics or game dynamics in a website, campaign, service or application in order to solve problems and engage audiences.”

Instead of creating a consumer experience based on a slim chance of winning, gamification focuses on basic social motivations to get people to interact with your brand. How is this so effective? The magic lies in the human desire to compete, to learn and overcome, and to be recognized for demonstrating our skill.

By crafting a rich experience – one that offers both depth and breadth – you are able to make the experience the driver for your campaign, and the value that fans will get will not be determined by the tangible reward at the end of the road.

Level Two: Prepare for Battle

There are many forms of gamification, some of which do not have levels and rely only on the creativity that others recognize in you. For example, Internet memes, which take on a life of their own, are partially driven by the desire to “one-up” the previous iterations.

Some common game elements that can be built into campaigns include:

  • Progressions – Activities earn a user points or similar currency to track growth.
  • Countdowns – Fans must complete tasks within a certain time frame or by a predetermined time.
  • Challenges – Users are given tasks to complete, usually progressing to become increasingly difficult.
  • Exploration – Appeal to fan’s desire to experience new things.
  • Group Play – Building tasks that require multiple users to be successfully completed.

The second major component of successfully adding a gaming element to your next campaign is to focus on the actions that are most valuable to connecting your brand with your fans, and devise a recognition system that rewards these behaviors accordingly. Some common tactics include:

  • Progress bars
  • Public leaderboards
  • “Insider” access or control
  • Badges
  • Online currency or goods

Level Three: Game Dynamics in Action

Many charitable organizations have added elements of game mechanics to their philanthropic efforts. One great example of this in action is The Salvation Army Online Kettle Drive. Donors can register their own kettle and compete with others, with the top earners being recognized via a public leaderboard.

Another, as pointed out in Nate Arnold’s post on tackling big ideas, is FreeRice.com’s effort to solve world hunger. FreeRice challenges users to answer increasingly difficult questions, with each correct answer earning free rice for the United Nation’s World Food Programme.

Games have long been a method for making learning moments more engaging, and many current services are leveraging this digitally. One that has caught my eye is Code Academy, an online service teaching non-programmers the basic building blocks of JavaScript.

But learning and exploration are not the only ways in which brands can utilize gamification. The focus of gamification should be twofold: provide a fun and easy way for new converts to discover the many facets of your brand, but also give raving fans an outlet to delve more deeply into the brand.

Gamification could change the nature of being an ambassador for a brand, from being a huge fan to the hugest fan. Fans of the NHL’s L.A. Kings now have a way to measure their digital fandom. Could this someday serve as a level of validation, a proof point to throw out in a sports bar debate? Or does the debate itself shift to the Web, with positions validated by an online leaderboard?

Level Four: Final Showdown

Despite its status as a marketing buzzword du jour, gamification’s basis in consumer behavior gives smart brands an opportunity to capture the attention of their fans in a fun and exciting new way. By focusing on the journey, this tactic can be employed in a wide variety of situations, driving success for objectives from engagement and awareness all the way to purchase.

October 28th, 2011
Posted by Robert Kurtz

From the very start, Click Here has always been involved in “social media”; however, in this case that means participating in local education and networking organizations within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Local organizations, such as DFWIMA, offer a vast amount of resources and educational opportunities of which Click Here takes full advantage to continually better itself as a premier digital agency. Just as Click Here pushes the envelope when it comes to digital projects, its employees push themselves to always be on top of the latest trends, digital education and strategies. Networking forums also offer exciting opportunities for Click Here to stay on top of both the online and offline advertising world as they continue to meld as we advance through “the twenty-tens.”

Click Here employees participate in a variety of networking and digital organizations throughout North Texas, and a few of the main organizations are outlined below via excerpts from their websites. While each of these organizations has a specific target and message, Click Here feels that constant presence and participation within these organizations is key to continue as a premier agency.

DFW Interactive Marketing Association

The DFW Interactive Marketing Association is a forum for interactive professionals, businesses and educators in the Metroplex dedicated to sharing ideas, information and best practices that will help define and develop the growing interactive marketing industry and its disciplines.

Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the American Marketing Association

The mission of the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the American Marketing Association is to educate, support and enhance the performance of its members and marketing professionals in the DFW Metroplex. Members come first; we strive to support them. We exist to serve their needs by delivering an interactive environment built on top-notch educational content, professional development and networking opportunities.

DFWAMA is committed to leading the long-term development and growth of the Dallas/Fort Worth marketing community through improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the chapter, resulting in a positive impact on the bottom line. We do our utmost to improve the member experience and continually increase awareness of the DFW AMA.

Dallas Ad League

Founded in 1908, the Dallas Ad League, rebranded AAF Dallas, is more than 900 members strong and is affiliated with the Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation, part of AAF’s national network of more than 200 ad clubs and 40,000 professionals.

AAF Dallas strives to elevate the success of the advertising community through innovation, creative excellence, collaboration, professional development, education and philanthropic endeavors.

Digital Dallas

Digital Dallas was created to bring together the digital minds of Dallas and the greater DFW area to network, showcase local talent, educate and facilitate idea exchange. Brought to you by the creators of Digital DUMBO, the professional digital hub of New York City.

The DFW Metroplex has the second-largest concentration of brand headquarters in the nation behind New York. We have a gold mine of digital talent here that those brands and the nation need to know about.

Refresh Dallas

Refresh Dallas is a community of designers and developers working to refresh the creative, technical and professional aspects of new media endeavors in the Dallas area. Do you feel like the Web needs a new look? Interested in the latest web technologies? Care about design, but feel it must be usable? Then you’ve come to the right place.

Summary

While the above list contains some of the premier organizations in the DFW area, it is not a complete list in terms of what the employees of Click Here involve themselves with on a weekly basis. Click Here knows the education process never stops in order to produce best-in-class work day in and day out.

October 17th, 2011
Posted by Andria Kushan

Steve Jobs wasn’t just the creator of our most valuable devices, he was responsible for the creation of some of our most admired ads. Sure, TBWA’s Media Arts Lab shares the credit, but Steve Jobs was intimately involved in every ad created – down to approving copy for TV spots. I’m sure this led to some intense client/agency meetings. But he was über-involved because he believed that advertising was an integral part of his product. And he protected it at all costs. Control freak? Maybe. But when you know your products change the way people live, communicate, work, create, shop and (fill in the blank), when you can see the effect of your products decades before they’re even manufactured, you deserve to be a little controlling.

With that, let’s take a look at some of his more memorable contributions to the world of advertising. On our MacBooks, iPads or iPhones.

Greatest Hits 1984-2011

“1984”

This was a breakthrough ad for its time for so many reasons. It brought to life a story everyone had read and knew. But the production quality was amazing (remember, this was in 1984). It was shot by a big-time Hollywood director. And where was the product?! What was this rainbow apple thing stuck on the end of the spot? It wasn’t long before people found out.

“Think Different”

Let’s imagine the internal pitch:

Creative: “We’re gonna do a montage of people set to music. It’ll be cool, trust me.”

Creative Director: “That’ll suck. And where did you learn grammar?”

This ad simply used celebrity endorsement in new way, was set to a beautiful music track that dared you not to cry (which was the start of an Apple trend), used “unconventional” grammar to prove a point and featured no product. As promised, it got people to think differently.

“Silhouettes”

No one got to travel to South Africa, eat at fancy restaurants or spot celebrities to shoot this ad. Apple simply used a cool film technique to introduce a new product (which actually wasn’t the first in the market, just the coolest). Speaking of, where is the product? Oh, it’s that thin white thing around the person dancing. What does it look like? How does it work? Why do I want to get up and dance right now? I guess everyone had to search their Macs to find out what this thing was all about.

“Mac vs. PC”

This is what happens when you take one of the oldest tricks in the book – personification – and add really great dialogue, a guy you saw in a movie once (you think), another really funny guy and a white background. This campaign made Apple cool AND smart.

“Smile”

The story’s so heartfelt and relevant in this one that you forget you’re watching a product demonstration. Classic Apple. Great story + great production + great product = great ad. And if you missed it, this one tops the charts as one of the most viral videos ever. You can find it on the Interweb.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Apple?ob=5#p/search/0/niOCmIuts90

WWSJD?

There’s a lot that we can learn from Steve Jobs. Here are just a few lessons:

  1. Think of new ways of doing old things.
  2. Make complicated things simple (pretty much sums up what Steve Jobs was all about).
  3. Make stories relevant.
  4. When you’ve got a pretty product, show it off.

Listen to clients. They know their brand better than anyone.