Online ad industry needs to be more efficient. -- DUH!

I think as this article states, the online ad industry definitely needs to get more efficient. I think all of us in the industry see the inefficiencies but the question is really how to fix it.

When I was at a large agency, we tried a few different ways, like templates, which not only helped make development easier, it made it much more flexible and quick to go live. However, the thing that everyone hated was the lack of creativity. Since our shop was known for its creative solutions, who wanted to put up a template?

I think there's way too much talking about the problem and too little offering real solutions that could help. I look and look to these "experts" to give us some real hints of how to solve the problem and I pretty much always get no real solutions. Just "rules" or things not to do. Sigh...

VW Routan

Love the name, right? VW has an interesting campaign to promote their new minivan. They've hired Brooke Shields, now a famous mother, to fight against people having babies just so that they can buy a Routan. Man, I just can't get over that horrible name. Really bad for the internet generation. I misspelled it a couple times before I got it.

Anyway the campaign seems pretty fun, where she's self-importantly fighting this cause, with several spots here, here, here, and here, driving people to routanboom.org.

Brooke does a good job of keeping a straight face as she accuses couples of having a baby for German engineering instead of love. Will this sell minivans? Not sure, but it will drive awareness that they HAVE a minivan, and that's a start. Now if they could just do something about that name...

What do you think? Are you a PC?

So the new campaign for Microsoft is finally revealed (at least one ad of it, available here) and at first viewing, I thought it was pretty good. However, upon further reflection, I'm not sure it's exactly what they need to bring them back from cultural oblivion.

After all, Apple has made the Mac cool. It's a cultural phenomenon now, young, hip, stylish, trendy even. Microsoft, as in this article, has become the butt of Apple's jokes. Part of it is because it doesn't really have an identity beyond nerdiness or business.

I understand from a logical view that this campaign is meant to rebut this stereotype a little, but to me it almost confirms it. It's not an emotional campaign as much as a logical one. One that will probably resonate much better with those who currently use PCs, and maybe that's the point. Older people, business people, nerdy people, will all rally around their PC platform and just like the blackberry vs. iphone debate will rationalize all the functional benefits of using a PC, like it works better with Outlook! and it doesn't crash as much when you use Microsoft Office! And, and... well, I'm sure the head strong can come up w/ a few more.

But anyway, it's a fun war we have going on and I'm glad Crispin's in it. Because even if this isn't the campaign that really makes it a battle, at least Microsoft has a team that can possibly bring them back to the playing field.

Btw, I'm a PC, but I'm also an iPhone. Maybe that's why I liked the ad the first time?

HEADLINE: Online Video Continues for 10 years!

Boring. Just read this Google blog post about the "future of online video." It was supposedly a compilation of the thoughts of 10 of Google's top experts.

You know what they come up with? That online video will continue growing and will become the largest communications channel. That there will be more devices to record, edit and upload. That it will become a bigger part of people's lives. Am I missing something? I mean, "top experts" from one of the most forward-thinking Internet behemoths out there and we get predictions of basically "more of the same, but bigger and better."

How boring. I want to hear about new ideas, like "clicking on Jennifer Aniston's sweater to buy it while watching Friends" kind of ideas that were popular 10 years ago during the boom. I want to get excited and inspired, not hit with the blahs.

Well, you know what's really happening. Every one of those exciting ideas are being worked on by a few geeks from MIT in Google's "labs." We'll see it, but only after they figure out how to get little text advertisements right next to the video feed.

Sigh.

Coke Zero Zero Seven Bottle

For some reason when I initially heard about this, I was thinking it was a brilliant idea. "What a sponsorship! A great idea!" (I don't know what I was thinking). Then I saw the bottles and I thought, "eh."

Do you ever get the impression that this goes on not only with consumers but with all parties involved? The marketers that paid for this sponsorship or whatever this is called, Coke, everyone. Collective "eh" and you move on to the next project. "Well, at least we'll get eyeballs" would probably be the resulting sentiment.

There's just too much marketing that may sound good initially but just ends up looking and feeling wrong. What a shame.

New Microsoft Commercial: Bill Gates & Jerry Seinfeld

I'm sure you've seen the new spot by now. In case you haven't, here it is:



I thought it was VERY interesting and it actually made me watch it again and call my wife over to watch it (where I had to rewind a little to start it over). Sure, it didn't mention Windows. Big deal! I can't believe people are already calling this campaign a failure or stupid (see article talking about this stupidity here).

After all, isn't advertising about first getting someone's attention and breaking through the clutter? This first effort definitely got that. So I'm wondering what the pundits will say when they HAVE to see what's coming next. That's what Crispin has done, created an appetite and a curiosity about the campaign. Like the first season of "Heroes" where we couldn't wait until the next episode, the audience now wants answers to the burning questions in their heads:

- What is the purpose of all this and how does it tie into Microsoft?
- What does Crispin have up their sleeve?
- Will they outshine Apple?
- Will they finally get some cultural currency?
- What will Jerry do next? Will his jokes get better? (we hope)
- Will there be other cameos?
- Will Bill show us his house? Is he really a cheapskate?

Anyway, the point is, this is the stuff that inspires blog rantings and yes, even the stuff that gives long-retired bloggers (such as myself) a reason to pick up a pen... er, keyboard again. Stay tuned. I think it's VERY interesting!