by Next Wave Team | Jul 16, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Great Ad Agencies, VW advertising
In the 2006 Initial Quality Study from J. D. Power and Associates, only Isuzu (191) and Land Rover (204) ranked lower than Volkswagen that was tied with Hummer at 171 in problems per 100 vehicles.
For comparison, Porsche, also made in Germany, and fully “pimped” straight from the factory, had 91 and Lexus 93.
Hyundai, which not too long ago, was at the bottom of quality surveys, implemented an amazing 10 year warranty a few years back, and now only has 102 problems per 100. Toyota, long known for quality came in with 106.
There is an adage that great advertising will kill a bad product faster than bad advertising will kill a great product, and with VW hiring the brand magicians at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, is VW committing suicide?
Crispin did wonders with the Mini (which had 150 problems per 100) but abandoned the brand (spending about $35 million a year) for VW (spending $330 million a year) when the Mini brand manager moved to VW.
So far, interest and sales of VW are on the upswing, as is a quality move within VW, but could the answer be partially in VW’s hands - offer a bulletproof warranty and have VW take responsibility for what they build?
One of the beautiful things about Crispin is that they are willing to go outside the traditional confines of what an ad agency is “supposed to do” and offer sound business advice. Some in the auto business laughed at Crispin rebranding the VW Golf back to it’s original “VW Rabbit” badge. Considering that neither econobox sold as well as the Bug- which was known for its quality, dependability and value- qualities that have escaped VW since the Bug’s departure from the line up.
Note: if you click on the frame- you will get a pop up window to the spot.
The song is “The Birds and the Bees” By Patrick and Eugene.
You can visit the iTunes store for this album by clicking this link: Postcard from Summerisle and the catchy lyrics are:
The sky is perfect blue
No clouds could spoil the view
It’s a sign from above
That shows that we’re in love
All the birds and the bees
Are flying in the trees
The sun is in the sky
Just for you and I
the VW site promises to tell you this stuff- but they don’t have the spot loaded yet.
Consumers already have a bullshit detector when it comes to advertising- and with VW’s reputation for quality in tatters, the current crop of entertaining ads are a solid attempt to bring back some of the love for early VW advertising- with it’s self-deprecating cheekiness.
The big question will be answered next year, when JD Power rankings come out, and VW will learn if the cost of selling more cars is an even worse ranking- or a huge move up in perceived quality thanks to actual better quality- and a halo effect from good advertising.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Jul 14, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Creativity, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Great Ad Agencies, Guerrilla Campaigns
The Craziest Ad Guys In America
Business Week gives CP+B the title “The craziest ad guys in America”- when in fact, it’s the other agencies that are crazy. Corporate conglomerates have zero to do with creative solutions to business problems- they cause business problems.
When The Next Wave came into this world, we avoided the words “advertising” and “agency” for a reason- the solution isn’t always advertising (in fact, most of the time- it’s not advertising at all) and we’re not a temp agency to come in and solve your problems so that we can go on our way when the client thinks they have everything under control. We chose the words “marketing • innovation” because according to Peter Drucker- that’s all there is to business. Even our tagline sounds different than most agencies- “Create lust • Evoke trust”- that’s what it’s all about- but, maybe we should also add- “make buzz” - because as Alex Bogusky says “I like that they are talking about the work. If they aren’t talking, then your brand is dead.”
In the media multiverse, it’s impossible to stand out if you do work that doesn’t create an emotional response. CB+P is willing to risk alienating some customers in order to stimulate the core buyers. This is the absolute opposite of what the big corporate agencies are willing to do. They prefer to buy buzz- because they can mark it up- the problem is buzz can’t be bought anymore.
If there is one thing to be learned from Crispin’s work, it’s that every opportunity to open a discussion with the market is exploited- from bags and window decals, to rewriting employee manuals. Read the article from Business Week- and come back and share your observations about how they approach their clients’ challenges.
Thank you.
by Next Wave Team | Dec 17, 2005 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, How To Select An Ad Agency, Practical Marketing 101, Procter & Gamble Advertising
Next time you look at a campaign being presented by your agency, step back and pretend you are your biggest competitor. If you are selling HD video cameras and your name is Sony, pretend to be Canon, or Panasonic. If you are Dell, pretend to be HP, if you are Honda, think like Toyota- or if you are Miami Valley Hospital, pretend to be Kettering Medical Center.
On first glance- does the ad look like everything else they’ve done? If yes, then do I need to worry about any groundbreaking challenges to my position? If yes, what would I need to do to counter this ad? And all of a sudden you are looking at your own advertising and evaluating it in a whole new way. Proud of yourself, huh?
Problem is- your competitor isn’t your problem.
I’m not suggesting you work in a vacuum, but this is how you produce safe, boring ads that keep you in the status quo section of the market- and that is where you are most vulnerable to losing market share- even if you are the leader in your field.
Here is a secret- there is no such thing as “Market share.” While Procter & Gamble is comfortable with the idea of market share, and Coke and Pepsi slug it out over fractions of a percent shifts, consumers are not part of group, they are individuals making decisions as single entities. The moment you start lumping them into percentages or demographics, you loose sight of the part of marketing that is magical- what should be the goal of every creative toiling away on your account- and what makes a product into a brand- and that is making a connection one-on-one with that customer- where they identify themselves with you, not as your target.
Think of archery- we can shoot arrows at the target from far away, but if you really want to hit the bullseye- the heart- the easiest way is to be a part of that target and impale the arrow in yourself. Sounds gruesome- but that’s when your ads hit pay dirt.
So, instead of talking about yourself- try to give the consumer the tools to talk about their life with your product- in a way they don’t feel that they are owned by you- but that they own your brand. Nike accomplished this with “Just do it” – probably better than anyone, the question is- when you are looking at that next ad you are going to run- “Is is about us” or “Is it about our customer plus us.”
Makes all the difference in the world.
Just try it.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Jun 13, 2005 | Advertising, BMW Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising
I ride a BMW motorcycle. I think they may make one of the finest touring motorcycles in the world. Smooth, quiet, responsive, reliable and a joy to ride, that’s my bike. (mine is an 1996 R1100RS)
They’ve been making BMW motorcycles since 1923. Not quite as long as Harley Davidson, but long enough. So, invariably, I’m out riding, meet someone, and they say “I didn’t know BMW made motorcycles.”
Which says to me, someone in advertising dropped the ball.
That’s the sentiments of the people I know who work at BMW motorcycle dealerships- the ads suck. I’ve seen a few, and frankly, I agree. But, what’s even more amazing is that a few years ago, someone caught on to the “universal truth” about BMW motorcycles, and crafted a line for a t-shirt that worked: “I didn’t know BMW made cars until I passed one” BMW motorcycles.
Yeah, every BMW rider who didn’t own a BMW car (and there are quite a few) wanted one. Unfortunately, someone at BMW marketing in the car division thought that this campaign concept was blasphemous. No more t-shirts.
Way to kill a great idea. So, even if I ride the ultimate riding machine, I can’t proudly proclaim my love of my bike in an entertaining way, that solves one of their major marketing problems, because some brand manager just doesn’t get what makes this advertising stuff work.
If anyone at BMW motorrad in Woodcliff Lake NJ is interested in talking to an agency that might be able to explain how to make BMW motorcycle advertising work, give us a call.
What do you think?
