Industry insiders believe agencies, brands and publishers need to take steps to create and adopt drag-and-drop display ad units online -- or they risk losing dollars to offline and falling CPM prices. The do-it-yourself ad units encourage publishers to "de-clutter" Web pages. Peter Minnium, head of brand initiative at the Interactive Advertising Bureau, told MediaPost the approach works well on tablets and mobile phones. "We see it in interstitial full-page ads that sit between content on tablets and mobile phones," he said. "We hope this will encourage desktop publishers to de-clutter the page." The ad units, based on the IAB's Rising Stars program, were created to revamp antiquated industry standards. Now Minnium wants tech companies to build "do-it-yourself ad-maker kits," so those who build brands can concentrate on the design. A few companies have begun to develop platforms, he said. "The majority of ad units still follow old IAB standard, and only 7% are custom," Minnium said, calling the new ad units a piece of real estate with specific behavior. "I'm certain if more companies adopt this new practice, the ad units would solve ad blindness." Plug-and-play ad units are akin to easy-to-scale, repeatable ad formats. The strategy follows what Microsoft did for Web Services, allowing companies like Oracle to build one function in a module that it could plug into numerous applications, thereby creating the same results for different applications. The project aims to draw the consumer to the one ad on the page integrating search, audio, video or other social elements, but also support the ad industry's "scarcity" initiative to help raise CPMs and conversion rates.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is debuting a new TV commercial during the 2012 London Olympics. The spot, which focuses more on patriotism and less on the sports aspect, will run on NBC over the duration of the event, including the Closing Ceremonies. The commercial will air on NBC, NBC Sports and MSNBC and also online on nbcolympics.com. The effort is tied to Enterprise’s 50 Million Tree Pledge and will have a Facebook component to support the TV commercial. The integrated campaign will show Enterprise’s appreciation for its customers by giving back to the community and our country through its 50 Million Tree Pledge. The campaign goal is to make an emotional connection by inspiring current and potential customers to choose Enterprise based on a set of shared values and way of doing business, says Jim Stoeppler, Enterprise’s brand director. The new “Thanks To America” spot is the latest iteration of the “Enterprise Way” campaign that launched last year. It tells the story about the company’s commitment to plant 50 million trees in North America. Visuals include actual Enterprise employees as well as scenes from National Forests in which Enterprise has already planted trees. The Olympics provides the perfect context to say “thanks to America” for choosing Enterprise and help the company grow, Stoeppler says. Enterprise has launched a dedicated tab on its Facebook page that will allow fans to express their thanks to someone and have a tree dedicated in their honor as part of Enterprise’s 50 Million Tree Pledge. According to a recent survey from Enterprise, 92% of Americans say that experiencing a random act of kindness has a positive impact on their day and 71% of respondents feel that Americans don’t say “thank you” enough.
A new video from Ultimat vodka has generated more than 1.1 million views in the four days since it was posted on YouTube on July 26. The video, part of the brand’s “Find Balance, Find Ultimat” campaign, shows a window washer dressed as a businessman flashing signs at office workers from his perch outside their skyscraper windows. The signs include messages such as: “You people are hard to reach,” “Let’s drink to you getting out of here before 6,” “Cheers to less work and more play” and “When was the last time you got some fresh air? It’s awesome,” and of course: “Find balance, find Ultimat.” The brand shot similar footage on a skyscraper in Chicago. Both shoots were done on a summer Friday afternoon, to dramatize the campaign’s theme and results of a Harris Interactive poll conducted for Ultimat that found 70% of respondents saying that Summer Friday benefits would improve their work/life balance (just 12% reported having such benefits). Ultimat hosted late-day cocktail parties for the workers in the skyscrapers where the ads were shot. The creative is from the Amalgamated agency, and was directed by Xander of the East Pleasant production company. Thirty-second and long-form versions were launched through social and paid media, including Hulu and Tremor, as well as YouTube. In addition, the brand is running targeted ads on WSJ.com and other finance Web sites on weekend nights after 5 p.m., to “catch” professionals with deficient life/work balances. The ads have messages targeted/personalized to the user based on the content of the articles they are reading. They urge the reader to find balance, and provide a map to the nearest venue where they can order an Ultimat vodka. The brand is also running direct-to-consumer initiatives. These include Ultimat-hosted parties at corporate offices (such as Gilt Groupe’s) featuring a “build-your-own-cocktail” bar, with fresh ingredients provided. In addition, on Fridays in August, Ultimat will sponsor complimentary manicures and other spa services, as well as cocktails, for men patronizing New York City’s Truman’s Gentleman’s Groomers (described as a cross between a dream man-cave and modern-day barber shop).
Mobile phone cases have come a long way since the old belt-clips once popular with the IT crowd. These days the case one uses says as much about a person as the phone or tablet they have decided to carry. This September, Case-Mate, which makes covers for all sorts of electronic devices, will launch an advertising campaign highlighting how matching the right cover for the right occasion is essential in these digital times. The campaign, which employs the tagline, “Right Case, Right Occasion,” has already enlisted celebrity endorsers such as actress and pop star Selena Gomez and rapper Common. (Those endorsers are the first two in what Vince Young, the company’s vice president of marketing calls, a “series of announcements [representing] a variety of different partnerships.”) “For our customers, we understand the smartphone is the most important trusted companion that a person interacts with throughout the day,” Young tells Marketing Daily. “It’s very much viewed as an extension of you.” The campaign, which will include broadcast, digital and social-media programming, will target 18-30 year-olds and showcase the celebrities using different cases to express different styles. “Our customers are telling us, ‘I’m really not interested in owning one case. And the reason I’m not interested in owning one case is I have different situations I’m involved in on an everyday basis,’” Young says. “You may want a different style when you are at work. After work, you become an active person, whether you’re running errands, going to the gym, the function changes, and your definition of style changes. We want to drive the idea of owning multiple cases and matching them with the right occasion.” For its roster of celebrity endorsers, Case-Mate is selecting stars who have a distinctive sense of style, appeal to the target demographic, and (not insignificantly) a heavy social media presence. A former teen star looking to build a more adult resume, Gomez, for instance, has a “keen sense of style” and appeals to many of the different “lifestages” represented in the 18-30 demographic, Young says. “She does carry with her a large following on the younger end of that age range,” he says. “But when you look at her global appeal, she can appeal to a much broader group than the teen audience that her historical following to build upon.”
Industry insiders believe agencies, brands and publishers need to take steps to create and adopt drag-and-drop display ad units online -- or they risk losing dollars to offline and falling CPM prices. The do-it-yourself ad units encourage publishers to "de-clutter" Web pages. Peter Minnium, head of brand initiative at the Interactive Advertising Bureau, told MediaPost the approach works well on tablets and mobile phones. "We see it in interstitial full-page ads that sit between content on tablets and mobile phones," he said. "We hope this will encourage desktop publishers to de-clutter the page." The ad units, based on the IAB's Rising Stars program, were created to revamp antiquated industry standards. Now Minnium wants tech companies to build "do-it-yourself ad-maker kits," so those who build brands can concentrate on the design. A few companies have begun to develop platforms, he said. "The majority of ad units still follow old IAB standard, and only 7% are custom," Minnium said, calling the new ad units a piece of real estate with specific behavior. "I'm certain if more companies adopt this new practice, the ad units would solve ad blindness." Plug-and-play ad units are akin to easy-to-scale, repeatable ad formats. The strategy follows what Microsoft did for Web Services, allowing companies like Oracle to build one function in a module that it could plug into numerous applications, thereby creating the same results for different applications. The project aims to draw the consumer to the one ad on the page integrating search, audio, video or other social elements, but also support the ad industry's "scarcity" initiative to help raise CPMs and conversion rates.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is debuting a new TV commercial during the 2012 London Olympics. The spot, which focuses more on patriotism and less on the sports aspect, will run on NBC over the duration of the event, including the Closing Ceremonies. The commercial will air on NBC, NBC Sports and MSNBC and also online on nbcolympics.com. The effort is tied to Enterprise’s 50 Million Tree Pledge and will have a Facebook component to support the TV commercial. The integrated campaign will show Enterprise’s appreciation for its customers by giving back to the community and our country through its 50 Million Tree Pledge. The campaign goal is to make an emotional connection by inspiring current and potential customers to choose Enterprise based on a set of shared values and way of doing business, says Jim Stoeppler, Enterprise’s brand director. The new “Thanks To America” spot is the latest iteration of the “Enterprise Way” campaign that launched last year. It tells the story about the company’s commitment to plant 50 million trees in North America. Visuals include actual Enterprise employees as well as scenes from National Forests in which Enterprise has already planted trees. The Olympics provides the perfect context to say “thanks to America” for choosing Enterprise and help the company grow, Stoeppler says. Enterprise has launched a dedicated tab on its Facebook page that will allow fans to express their thanks to someone and have a tree dedicated in their honor as part of Enterprise’s 50 Million Tree Pledge. According to a recent survey from Enterprise, 92% of Americans say that experiencing a random act of kindness has a positive impact on their day and 71% of respondents feel that Americans don’t say “thank you” enough.
A new video from Ultimat vodka has generated more than 1.1 million views in the four days since it was posted on YouTube on July 26. The video, part of the brand’s “Find Balance, Find Ultimat” campaign, shows a window washer dressed as a businessman flashing signs at office workers from his perch outside their skyscraper windows. The signs include messages such as: “You people are hard to reach,” “Let’s drink to you getting out of here before 6,” “Cheers to less work and more play” and “When was the last time you got some fresh air? It’s awesome,” and of course: “Find balance, find Ultimat.” The brand shot similar footage on a skyscraper in Chicago. Both shoots were done on a summer Friday afternoon, to dramatize the campaign’s theme and results of a Harris Interactive poll conducted for Ultimat that found 70% of respondents saying that Summer Friday benefits would improve their work/life balance (just 12% reported having such benefits). Ultimat hosted late-day cocktail parties for the workers in the skyscrapers where the ads were shot. The creative is from the Amalgamated agency, and was directed by Xander of the East Pleasant production company. Thirty-second and long-form versions were launched through social and paid media, including Hulu and Tremor, as well as YouTube. In addition, the brand is running targeted ads on WSJ.com and other finance Web sites on weekend nights after 5 p.m., to “catch” professionals with deficient life/work balances. The ads have messages targeted/personalized to the user based on the content of the articles they are reading. They urge the reader to find balance, and provide a map to the nearest venue where they can order an Ultimat vodka. The brand is also running direct-to-consumer initiatives. These include Ultimat-hosted parties at corporate offices (such as Gilt Groupe’s) featuring a “build-your-own-cocktail” bar, with fresh ingredients provided. In addition, on Fridays in August, Ultimat will sponsor complimentary manicures and other spa services, as well as cocktails, for men patronizing New York City’s Truman’s Gentleman’s Groomers (described as a cross between a dream man-cave and modern-day barber shop).
Mobile phone cases have come a long way since the old belt-clips once popular with the IT crowd. These days the case one uses says as much about a person as the phone or tablet they have decided to carry. This September, Case-Mate, which makes covers for all sorts of electronic devices, will launch an advertising campaign highlighting how matching the right cover for the right occasion is essential in these digital times. The campaign, which employs the tagline, “Right Case, Right Occasion,” has already enlisted celebrity endorsers such as actress and pop star Selena Gomez and rapper Common. (Those endorsers are the first two in what Vince Young, the company’s vice president of marketing calls, a “series of announcements [representing] a variety of different partnerships.”) “For our customers, we understand the smartphone is the most important trusted companion that a person interacts with throughout the day,” Young tells Marketing Daily. “It’s very much viewed as an extension of you.” The campaign, which will include broadcast, digital and social-media programming, will target 18-30 year-olds and showcase the celebrities using different cases to express different styles. “Our customers are telling us, ‘I’m really not interested in owning one case. And the reason I’m not interested in owning one case is I have different situations I’m involved in on an everyday basis,’” Young says. “You may want a different style when you are at work. After work, you become an active person, whether you’re running errands, going to the gym, the function changes, and your definition of style changes. We want to drive the idea of owning multiple cases and matching them with the right occasion.” For its roster of celebrity endorsers, Case-Mate is selecting stars who have a distinctive sense of style, appeal to the target demographic, and (not insignificantly) a heavy social media presence. A former teen star looking to build a more adult resume, Gomez, for instance, has a “keen sense of style” and appeals to many of the different “lifestages” represented in the 18-30 demographic, Young says. “She does carry with her a large following on the younger end of that age range,” he says. “But when you look at her global appeal, she can appeal to a much broader group than the teen audience that her historical following to build upon.”
There’s something radical going on in the C-suite lately. Business leaders are acting in bold ways—showing increased impatience with the status quo and taking action against pressing societal issues. This is driving an increased focus on corporate cause and social impact programs, as companies commit more resources to drive positive change. A great example of a CEO leading this charge is Howard Schultz of Starbucks. For July 4, Schultz penned a letter titled, “How Can America Win This Election?” Calling on Americans to push beyond partisanship, Schultz wrote, “Please don’t be a bystander. Understand that we have a shared responsibility in solving our nation’s problems. We can’t wait for Washington.” Under Schultz, Starbucks is deepening its societal investments. To support its Create Jobs for USA program, the company is selling cause products (coffee, mugs, bracelets, etc.), donating millions of dollars, building factories, sourcing products here in the U.S. and partnering with companies like Google and Citibank. And Schultz is not stopping there. He reportedly tracks down fellow CEOs personally to goad them into action. Last year, to protest partisan gridlock, Schultz led a campaign to stop corporate contributions to incumbents in either party. One hundred and fifty CEOs have since signed on. Schultz is evolving quickly into what I call an “activist CEO”—a business leader personally committed to change and unafraid of using his or her company as a bully pulpit. Schultz is not alone. At my firm, we are increasingly coming across C-suite players on a similar journey. For some, this means undergoing a personal/corporate vision quest to find the right issue. As the CMO of a $10 billion global retailer recently said, “We want to help save the world. We just don’t know how.” Others are already laser focused. I recently attended an under-the-radar gathering of major CEOs that had the righteous, electric feel of a church gathering. United around a common mission of workforce resilience, these CEOs are working to ensure America will have the diverse, educated employees needed to compete in the global marketplace. The idea of business leaders tackling societal issues is certainly not news. There have been visionary, status-quo-disrupting CEOs out there for a long time—think Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Anita Roddick, Yvon Chinouard or Jeff Swartz. What is new, though, is the widespread scope of this next generation of C-suite engagement—from family-run businesses, to private equity-led global companies, to CPG giants. What do these companies have in common? The way they are being impacted by pressures from a broad array of stakeholders, coupled with the accelerating influence and the real-time transparency of social media. As one CEO put it, “The spears are now pointing from every direction.” Shareholders, business partners, procurement people, employees, financial backers, the media—even spouses and kids—are pushing for change. And consumers? Completely on board. Research by my firm shows an overwhelming 94% say companies must change their business practices to deliver positive impact. To ensure success, there are a couple of caveats that CEOs must keep in mind. First, approach social investments with an ROI mindset. Making social commitments “because it’s the right thing to do” can feel good and inspire followers but become an unsustainable drain if not linked to driving business objectives. Take a lesson from P&G. In its purpose statement the company loftily talks about “improving the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.” It is making deep investments in driving positive social impact through award-winning initiatives like Pampers One Pack = One Vaccine, Tide Loads of Hope, Dawn Saves Wildlife, Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Duracell Power Relief. Yet P&G is driven by an absolute focus on ROI that Damon Jones, P&G global external relations director, summed up at the recent 2012 Corporate Community Involvement Conference as, “This is business, not philanthropy.” Second, companies need to focus on impact. With countless issues to take on and nonprofits needing support, CEOs—especially the activist kind—must be careful their aspirations don’t overreach their means. Smart companies are picky about which particular piece of the larger societal puzzle they will solve. Consider the example of a major financial services company that realized—after decades of spreading millions across multiple issues—that they had spent a lot but hadn’t delivered many tangible results. The company is now working to consolidate philanthropic giving within a clearly defined area. When it comes to cause and social impact, less really is more. There is a growing recognition that companies control enormous amounts of society’s resources, creating an opportunity, and some would say an obligation, to lead societal transformation. Looking ahead, expect to see more change-agent behavior in the C-suite as CSR continues to mainstream into the heart of business strategy. Business leaders at all levels will need to be ready to answer one key question, “How activist are you?”