Just seen today:

Google’s Cannes award winning Chrome commercials:

One of my all time favorites:

Some more BMW:

Some more cars:

A couple of patterns occur, that may help inspire a structured approach:

- comparisons (BMW M5 – with a nice creative twist in this case)

- comparisons with cool references (Nike vs. Bugatti)

- challenges (hotels.com)

- over-complication – in case the benefit is quite simple (Google Chrome’s speed or the BMW’s acceleration)

Another thing that seems to be common to almost all engaging demo based ads is the fact that the demo is the story. All the while, the dull demos are merely interrupting a story.

As they say, it’s rather a piece of art than a piece of communication, as almost nobody pays attention to this. But that might not be the point. I put this into the category of communication initiatives that are not made to be seen by consumers, but by the media.

So this makes good communication initiatives in banking even more special. On of the best I’ve seen so far is a not so new (I think launched this year) campaign by BMO that caters to parents.

Great insight into the need parents have to educate their children on financial matters, clear unmet need on the market (there might be books, but I doubt there are serious free online resources), great execution – a lot of content (video, games, teaching methods, blog etc.), well structured (by age groups), well sustained with some ATL (I remember seeing around the city), a couple of celebrity specialists/authors brought on board (financial journalist, psychotherapist etc.).

Hope this will still be around when I’ll have kids.

Website here.

Note: it seems the SmartSteps is a larger brand/umbrella, with pillars like SmartSteps for Students and SmartSteps for Business.

Seen yesterday in Toronto and, according to the employees, also opening in some other big Canadian cities, but not in US. Nice and cozy inside, one can play games and even buy, but they claim it’s not the main scope.

The store is going to be a trial, up to December 2011. If successful it might extend into March next year.

So is Microsoft to mimic the success of Apple Stores? Or it’s a purely temporary exercise, to get more people to try the new Kinect technology? First reaction was to judge this as an Apple inspired initiative, but at a closer look there are a lot of differences. First, sales does not seem to be an objective. Then, the store won’t get the traffic that Apple has – there aren’t simply enough devices to interact with. And any of those that exist inside needs somebody to assist you. The store is also not in the most trafficked place (Queen West) – although it’s a super-premium location and a hip area – so one might argue they are going after some kind of influencers.

Anyway, it’s an area that might develop. A couple of weeks ago I’ve encountered a Nintendo boot allowing people to test their brand new 3DS. With breakthrough technologies appearing, it makes sense to get closer to consumers.

Now we have the first bit of actual data – some unofficial leaks from Sony. What’s new? Wi-fi, maybe multi-touch, lighter weight, some internet navigation (Google and Wikipedia search). All improvements, no revolution. Price wise, Sony’s still out of touch, with $200+ levels. One thing that is not clear is weather the response time of the e-ink screen will be improved. That might not sound huge, but it’s one point that can make a big difference in usability.

Sony was always at the forefront of e-reader innovation (I’m only talking device), so what can we expect from Kindle? With Nook & Kobo now featuring touch screens, this one is at least clear. Otherwise – probably not much. Color screens are probably out of discussion for now (not enough contrast).

It seems all e-reader producers are finally converging towards the same features – which is not a bad thing. Last years were quite annoying, having to choose between a present day technology (Sony with touchscreen) and a present day service proposal (Amazon with their decent book selection and wifi/3G proposals). Get the technology out of the way, maybe they can start focusing on services (books’ & periodicals’ selection, prices,  reading on multiple devices, cloud services etc.) – where Amazon has a clear lead.

Via Wired – via bol.com.

UPDATE: Today Sony has officially released the new reader. The only correction to above (and an important one) is the US price tag – 149$. The new specifications also seem to confirm the assumption above – no new screen, no improved response times. So the only significant changes seem to be WiFi, lighter weight and lower price. All details here.

via Marketing.

And Bud Light publishing the winners’ faces in OOH:

- introducing a challenger:

- the battle (click “Continue” button on bottom right corner till the battle ends) :

Quite an epic by W+K!

Al Ries & Jack Trout have a significant chapter names in their “Positioning. The Battle for Your Mind”. They actually talk about personal names and finish the chapter (if I remember correctly, don’t have a copy on hand) with the advice to change your name if it does not sound good.

While I empathize with not changing one’s name, the least one can do is not use it in advertising & branding. I mean, who wants to talk real estate with a lamb?

1. Tesco – Homeplus Subway Virtual Store: because they seemed to have invented a feasible mobile shopping solution (that has actually the chance to change the way we shop):

2. Dortmund Concert Hall – Concert Milk: because they use a different category to promote their main business and in the process have actually launched a potentially successful brand of milk:

3. 4th Amendment Wear: because I actually empathize, as a frequent traveler, with the issue they’re tackling, but also because of the innovative solution they found:

4. USG People – The Crying Invoice: because money is hard to collect and calling to ask for money is embarrassing – so the idea of an invoice that “speaks” for itself is brilliant:

5. Gatorade Replay: because they’ve found a nice way to emotionally engage consumers – and because they had the courage to build an event that is far bigger than the usual sponsorship:

1. Bolthouse Farms Baby Carrots – Eat ‘Em Like Junk Food: because they changed the category they’re playing in:

You watch the other mock commercials here and here. And they also have their own youtube channel here.

2. Westpac – Impulse Saver: because they’ve found a smart and insightful way to increase the frequency of the interactions between their customers and their products. This, in a category where idiosyncrasy is high and differentiation and innovation quite low:

3. Pacific Brands – Dated Pillows: because it’s more than a communication solution (adding an expiry date on each pillow) that has a potentially huge impact on the business.

4. Papercut Shop – Speed Sale: because they took further (to the limit?) the classical insight that a limited time offer works wonders in the digital realm. Groupon is another digital player who in my opinion is mainly taking advantage of this, rather than the “group purchase” side of the explanation.

5. Innovative Thunder – Pay with a Tweet: because they’ve invented a new internet tool (and business model)

I’ll soon post my next five picks.