'editorial' Archive

Campaign for the Books

hammer2.jpgReaching a demographic that is unsure about the benefits of a post-secondary education can be harder than a calculus exam, but SAIT Polytechnic’s recent campaign does exactly that. The set of print ads are clever commentaries on learning through real, hands-on, gettin’ sweaty experience. Something that only a tech college can offer. Check out the full campaign here, here and here.

Life is a Reflection of Art

blogpicture2.jpgHow do you get tickets into hands? Audiences into seats? Combine performance art, guerilla advertising and the latest in viral video trends. Spreading across the web is Lastminute.com’s video of actors performing song and dance for a captive airport audience waiting for its flight. They’re using this video and the tagline “When was the last time you went to the theatre?” to promote their rates on theatre tickets. After watching the video, you’ll be crossing your fingers that the next time you’re waiting out your layover in St. Louis the security guard will break out into a dance and start singing, “The terminals are alive with the sound of music!”

Head On Advertising

HeadOnHeadOn is making a whole bunch of money. HeadOn is making a whole bunch of money. HeadOn is making a whole bunch of money. If you’ve seen the ad, you hate it as much as everyone else does. But, we have to admit does stay in your, um, head. More importantly, it’s achieved Pop Culture immortality through spoofs done by Jay Leno, SNL and The Daily Show…plus, it’s all over YouTube. Not since “Where’s the beef?” has an ad slipped into so many conversations. Now the company is happy to report a 234% (that’s right, 234%) growth rate from 2005 to 2006. As annoyed as we are, we have to admit it lends credence to the age-old ad adage: repetition, repetition, repetition.

Weight Watchers Belgium Reaches Out to Waffling Dieters

Weight Watchers Belgium Reaches Out to Waffling DietersWeight Watchers Belgium’s newest cause: yo-yo dieting. A pitfall known to anyone familiar with the attempt to maintain a steady weight, Weight Watchers hopes to combat this phenomenon and change its brand’s perception (from a tool for weight loss to a tool for weight maintenance) a bit through its recently-launched viral campaign. To get the word out, office building elevator buttons have been relabeled with stickers marked “kg” (for kilogram), implying that it’s weight that’s fluctuating, not the elevator’s location. The campaign also includes coupon-dispensing posters featuring a woman whose waistline shrinks along with number of coupons, and boomerangs and broken yo-yos handed out to unsuspecting passersby who look like potential customers. Here’s hoping no one gets offended.

Cross Promotion Gets Inked

Prison Break & YarisPrison Break watchers who’ve been mesmerized by the intricate tattoos on character Michael Scofield will like this one: Toyota has partnered with the popular FOX drama to promote its newest model, the Yaris. Working with the artist who created the TV tatts, Toyota has had an image of the Yaris incorporated into the (presumably temporary) tattoo appearing in a special section of this week’s TV Guide magazine. An eye-catcher, for sure, but it seems to muddle the brand a bit, we think. The ad’s accompanying microsite, which is much darker than the car’s main site features Prison Break mobisodes…and a cute yet inexplicable cartoon owl, leaving us wondering: tough getaway car or cute, eco-friendly vehicle?