ADIDAS: STOP MOTION VIRAL VIDEO

I love this stop motion viral video by Adidas. I think that the stop motion, jumpy feel, is really effective and the different shapes they make such as the waves and clouds are really interesting.

HERE'S TO THE AFTER HOURS ATHLETE: PUMA

In terms of attracting a younger consumer, to their lifestyle trainers, I think that Puma have hit it on the mark here with their 'Here's to the After Hours Athlete' campaign.

Watch the TV advert to see for yourself how right Puma have got this campaign...

'Backspin on a work table under bad light. A kiss of the 8 ball a bank of the 6. Double ball on a single throw, three pints in. Picking up a spare on the final frame. Singing on key, off key and losing keys. Steady hands. Blurry eyes. Bars. Billiards. Basements. Bacon sandwiches with extra hot sauce. Surviving buzzkills, third wheels cockblocks and cabs in the ring. Flashlights drawn by dawn. 

These are the problems of the after hours athlete. 

When last call calls, don't answer. 

The night too is for sport, and they are the champions.'

I first saw any aspect of this campaign while in Berlin at the Bread & Butter Trade Show where they had print advertising everywhere and their stand was created into an ice bar offering an underground social club experience. This featured the after hours 'activities' featured in the advert, including darts, pool, table football and ping pong, that you can enjoy while having a beer.

The campaign has opened up a new side to sports brands and really communicated the lifestyle side of the company well, while still keeping the sporting side at the same time. It makes consumers feel that they can get involved and wear the brand even if they themselves are not sporty...because it is not all about what we stereotype to be sport. Puma offer an alternative product lifestyle which celebrates social activities that their consumers will relate to.

In terms of the text for the advertising (shown above) it is spoken in a language that will appeal to younger consumers by involving words and phrases that they can relate to. Also, the inclusion of disjointed sentences, with a lot of stopping and starting, starts to reflect the way that consumers will start to speak once they have had a few drinks during the 'after hours'

All in all I think this is an amazing concept....just wish that maybe we'd come up with it?

Oh well...well done Puma

NIKE MOVIE

As part of a recent campaign New Balance competitors Nike have released a viral movie called 'The Black Mamba'  featuring famous American basketball player Kobe Bryant.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez this viral uses a host of famous faces to keep consumer interest and builds a story behind this particular campaign; which will help consumers feel more involved and ultimately make them want to buy the products a lot more.

Although this kind of large scale video will not work for a understated brand like New Balance, it is good to know what other competitors are doing in terms of viral as it is a platform that will reach many of the right consumer groups.

Some kind of lower budget video would be much better for New Balance and it is obvious from what Nike and other competitors have created that a story is key when it comes to a good and successful campaign.

NIKE: FREE YOURSELF

This short video shows a variety of ordinary people in their Nike trainers doing impressive sporting tricks. This portrays the message that Nike is for the best of the best and can help you achieve your goals. The advert also involves consumers within the campaign which is a smart idea to help build consumer relationships and build a trust in the brand.

"Run. Jump. Skip. Pass. Train. Toss. Ride. Flip. Nobody Does it like you do. Whatever you're after or wherever you're going. Nike will take you there Free your stride. Free your style. Free yourself."

 -Nike

NIKE: TRUE CITY

Once again Nike have come up with a successful route to their consumers through the use of iPhones and mobile technology. By creating a city guide application they are appealing directly to the lifestyle market. It engages the right market on a platform that had proven to be successful.

The iPhone app is aimed at creating a tiered travel or city guide for six different European cities. This app involves users directly by getting them to influence the city guide by using what they feel people should know about their city. 

This is an app for the people, by the people.

Here is the short report by WGSN on this new and exciting move from Nike...

'NIKE OFFERS CITY GUIDES WITH NEW IPHONE APP'
RACHEL ARTHUR, WGSN 19 JANUARY 2010

'Nike has launched an interactive iPhone app that provides users with an inside guide to six European cities while also allowing them to add their own content in real time.

"True City", created by digital agency AKQA, sees Nike Insiders posting regular updates in London, Berlin, Barcelona, Milan, Amsterdam and Paris, while users can then tag places they like, reports New Media Age.

The aim is to "Make the Hidden Visible", facilitated by mobile technology like geo-tagging and an embedded QR reader allowing access to locked content like local event listings.

There is also information on the latest product releases and users are encouraged to link in to Facebook Connect, adding a social media functionality.'

CONVERSE

A collection of Advertising Campaigns that Converse have recently released to help analyse how the competition are using their advertising to its best ability. I felt it was relevant to show what converse are currently doing as they are a very popular brand within the UK market and, although their shoes are very different from New Balance, they are seen as a main competitor because of this popularity.

Here, for their 2011 Campaign, Converse shoes are shown on some kind of adventure told throughout the images of their campaigns. The use of different photo effects such as the use of black and white and giving the images almost a grainy feel go well with the story of the campaign.