Connie Butscher

Who thought that keeping your brand in the mind’s eye or brand recall could have the elements of a great read or event? Innovation, engagement, entertainment and buzz in marketing if done correctly puts the image foremost in our memory.

Why did advertisers willingly spend between $2.5 and $3 million dollars for a 30 second spot in the Super Bowl? Nielsen states 51% of the 100 million people tuned in enjoy the commercials more than the game. The spots by leading brands such as Budweiser were about entertainment but beyond that, are maintaining leadership and a share of keeping the brand in the forefront.

One of the companies paying for such a bragging right concerns this image. Look closely at the last picture, what do you see? Four rings suspended from the famous London Bridge. The four giant rings – the ubiquitous symbol for Audi - will contain in the near future 4 Audis. What does Audi want to say? The campaign dreamed up by Access who won gold from Summit International Awards prestigious organization recognizing outstanding creativity on the field shared some of their vision.

“The rings rotate around, light-up at night, and move up and down the bridge. Against the backdrop of spectacular urban architecture, the Audi installation reflects Audi’s continuous challenging of the status quo, its capacity to innovate, and its ability to avoid the bland and the ordinary.”

According to Trend Hunter this is part of a conceptual ad campaign designed to market the German auto maker in literally a ground breaking way. This is innovation and entertainment at its best.

Another winner of gold from Summit – this ad by Skittles. Googling the Skittles website brought this ad with Facebook presence and the consumer’s voting rights – “Hate it? Love it - Rainbow?” with an icon of thumbs up or thumbs down to press re: this ad and other commercials that the viewer can watch and vote on. Additionally there were other videos for voting as well as an element of pure fun such as picture of a sumo wrestler with the question, “The number of Skittles can bench press – make this wrestler even stronger and become a fan.” The site is geared for complete social engagement and appears to be working. The number of Skittles fan on Facebook – 14, 928, 820 (and counting). For fun – check it out. How's that for engagement and entertainment?

Creating an innovative buzz will help refresh the brand in keeping it fresh with the consumer and giving its fifteen minutes of fame and hopefully longer. When Taco Bell was the subject of a class action suit based in Los Angeles in January of this year for making false claims about how much beef was actually in their beef, Taco Bell according to KTLA news responded with full page ads stating, “Thank you for suing us. Here’s the truth about our beef”. The campaign has had its light moments and drawn a lot of media attention – most of it positive as highlighting the frivolous nature of the suit and giving Taco Bell a voice to say exactly what are the ingredients.

Even brands that have been here forever such as Girl Scout Cookies are always thinking of reinvention ion the economic downturn. In an article by Banjo to boost flat cookie sales, Girl Scouts in Nassau County, New York sharpen their sales pitch in a seminar led by a professional consultant. Some sharp cookie sellers have created a presence on Facebook. Never stop trying to update your skills in marketing and creating an exciting brand for yourself.

When the consumer wants to purchase your brand – what comes to the mind’s eye? Is it simply an automatic response to brand loyalty or an active image the consumer remembers?

Graphic Credit:
Animationfactory.com