Wow - this ad that will get noticed

I love this.

It is simple.

It is engaging.

It is topical.

It will work.

Brands organisations must resist pressures from the demands of short-sighted share-holders

This is a great article by Customer Think about Tony Heish’s (CEO Zappos) decision to sell to Amazon.

It cuts to the heart of what this blog is all about.

Heish faced a dilemma that all CEOs face:

Either; bow to short-term share holder financial pressure...
Or; maintain Zappo’s commitment (and investment) to delivering brand experiences that delight consumers.

Zappo’s has a great reputation. [See my previous posting about their commitment to a culture and values that focused on WOWing consumers’ through service.]

To protect Zappo’s hard earned reputation Heish sold to Amazon [Another great brand experience organisation.]

It was really smart move.

The article quotes Heish’s rationale:

“...Some board members had always viewed our company culture as a pet project — “Tony’s social experiments,” they called it. I disagreed. I believe that getting the culture right is the most important thing a company can do. But the board took the conventional view — namely, that a business should focus on profitability first and then use the profits to do nice things for its employees.

... (I thought) better service would translate into lots of repeat customers, which would mean low marketing expenses, long-term profits, and fast growth.”

I totally agree.

It is simple. Delight your consumer and they will reward you with long-term loyalty, advocacy and more sells.

Zappo’s net sales were up almost 50 percent in first quarter of 2010...evidence that Heish got it right.

If you work at a brand organisation it would be really good idea to look at how you are delivering brand experiences across the path to advocacy and see how you can replicate Zappo’s success.

BMW stunt in Singapore

I came across this film about a BMW media stunt in Singapore thanks to Truly Deeply.

It is a good example of how a media innovation and some creative messaging will get noticed and can even get talked about (in this case on-line).

I am not generally a fan of stunts but I think this one works.

It delivers a brand experience that will make people smile, it is probably 'on strategy' but I don't think it will make people choose to buy BMW.

Enjoy.

Top 10 viral videos (UK)

There is a great article by Goviral in Media Week (UK).

It is clear that great content and a smart seeding strategy can make viral ads really effective way to get noticed.

If you are interested in viral ads and/or enjoy watching them go-read-it.

Here is the list of the UK current top ten.

Make a cup of tea, turn-off the phone/emails and enjoy (leave the gentle Stella 12 minute documentary until you have more time...particularly if you are into poster advertising. In my view it delivers a very rich and powerful brand experience)

1. Nike – Write the Future (Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam)
2. TomTom - Behind the scenes of Darth Vader's voice recording (Pool Worldwide Amsterdam)
3. Olympus -OPEN Giant (DSG)
4. Hi-Tec - Walk on water (Liquid Mountaineering) (CCCP Amsterdam)
5. Arriva/Movia - Mukhtars Fødselsdag - Bedre Bustur (Mukhtar's birthday - better bus ride) (bybird/cadaver)
6. Toyota Sienna "Swagger Wagon" (Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles)
7. Sony - 3D TV (Anomaly London)
8. Nissan Qashqai - Urban Bowling (TBWA\G1)
9. Stella Artois - Up There (Mother New York)
10. Google Chrome - Speed Tests (BBH New York)

I have logged below how many viewings these films have achieved to date and will check the numbers again then report back later this year.

Anyone want to predict which will have the highest increases?

CEOs take note

This is a scary stat.

CEOs should pay more attention to the brand experience that is being delivered by their organisation.

They should ask themselves whether it has the right people, culture and processes that are focused on delighting consumers.

If they don't they need to fix this situation soon or they are in grave danger of being beaten by competitors that do.