Happy Easter!

Brand logo evolution

It has been said that on a day-to-day basis we are exposed to up to 3500 brands a day. From the minute we wake up to the minute we go to sleep, the average person lives in a world bombarded by branding. This is why one of the most important criteria of branding strategy is the development of a powerful logo. As the symbol which encapsulates brand recognition, a brand's logo is crucial as a communication tool. It embodies what the brand stands for, what the brand values, who the brand is targeting and much more. Here we take a look at the evolution of some of the most influential brands of our time. Notice the importance of brand logo consistency here. Despite incremental changes, brands have been careful to keep a constant stream of recognition running through their logos. 

1. Apple

2. Shell

3. Xerox

4. BMW

5. Nike

6. IBM

7. Canon 

8. Google

9. Kodak

10. Microsoft 

11. Volkswagen

12. MasterCard

13. Mozilla Firefox

14. Pepsi

15. LG

Source: http://www.instantshift.com/2009/01/29/20-corporate-brand-logo-evolution/  

Life lessons from ad man Rory Sutherland

From unlikely beginnings as a classics teacher to his current job as Vice chairman of the Ogilvy Group in the UK, Rory Sutherland, is one of marketing's most original thinkers and influential speakers.  He joined Ogilvy and Mather's planning department in 1988 and became a junior copywriter working on Microsoft's account in its pre-Windows days. As an early fan of the internet, he was among the first in the traditional ad world to see the potential in these relatively unknown technologies.

Today, Rory has been dubbed a "leading light" in the advertising industry, and it has been said that he stands at the center of an advertising revolution in brand identities by designing cutting-edge, interactive campaigns that blur the line between ad and entertainment. In the Ted Talk posted below Rory attempts to explain how advertising adds values to product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself. 

"Just because it works, doesn't mean it's fixed"

These three Volkswagen ads are some of Ogilvy Cape Town’s finest. They are part of a series called “Genuine Parts”, which won the Creative Circle’s Ad of the Month award in July 2012. What I love about them is that we can relate to something being “working” but not necessarily being “fixed”. Home projects, patch-up jobs, and DIY’ing gone wrong.

Silly stuff. It matters.

Meet Socks, the English Shetland Pony from the Benston Stud farm on Shetland, who has taken the world by storm in the new sixty second ad for UK broadband provider Three. With almost five and a half million views on YouTube, the stallion really did knock the socks off viewers with his moonwalk routine which he performs to the famous 1980's Fleetwood Mac hit 'Everywhere' on the cliffs of Eshaness on the islands. Whilst you may not believe it, Socks was trained how to do the moonwalk in under two weeks by trainer Elaine Tait who said he learnt quickly with the incentive of carrots. He was treated on set, with his own hair stylist who fitted him with hair extensions and attached forty clips to his mane. His owner, Mari Williamson, claimed he "loved the attention". 

The ad was filmed by award-winning filmmaker, Dougal Wilson, famed for his festive ads for the UK-based department store John Lewis. 

Sourced from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/moonwalking-pony-three-ad-owner-1744776 

Twitter tips!

As one of the world's most powerful social media tools in 2013, knowing how to use, communicate and establish yourself through Twitter is becoming increasingly important. It may seem difficult to create a Twitter presence initially, but NJI Media have set out a few key practices which may be useful for you to follow in order to make yourself heard as a business, an organisation or as a person.

Sourced from: http://njimedia.com/project/5-12-best-twitter-practices-infographic/ 

Double the action!

This ad, which plays on the idea of getting pleasure out of being able to "touch both sides" of the new Playstation controller, was created by TBWA in Paris. I enjoyed this ad, not only because I think it is flawlessly put together, but I think it conveys its message to its target audience perfectly. One of the most important lessons in advertising is about knowing your target audience and speaking to them in a language they understand. I think Playstation illustrates this brilliantly. 

Selinah's Story

This ad, which won a Gold Lion at the Cannes International Film Festival, is another of my personal favorites. It was created by Ogilvy in Johannesburg for the TOPSY foundation; a foundation set up to support people living with and suffering from AIDS and HIV in South Africa. The ad shows the dramatic recovery of AIDS patient, Selinah, under the care of Topsy through the administration of anti-retrovirals (ARV's) over a period of ninety days. It encourages viewers to donate money to the foundation in order to help TOPSY save more lives through their care and medical support. Living in a country with the highest AIDS rate in the world, we are exposed to HIV/AIDS support initiatives almost everyday, but Selinah's story is the one that has really resonated since its release.