Uniqlo Creative Brief

Over the semester in my advertising class, we have been working on creating a Creative Brief for Uniqlo. This was an awesome simulation of working on the planning side to inspire and motivate the creative team. Below is what all of our research and work led to; the Creative Brief.. We will now take on the role of a Creative Team for the second half of the project, and more posts will come as that half of the project progresses. 

Linking Neatness and Creativity

When we started this blog assignment, my professor let the class know that our blogs would likely evolve over the course of the semester. Now that we are almost into December, I realized I wanted to hone the focus a bit more, specifically investigating the relationship between being a neat freak and being creative. Both are qualities that define who I am, and I realized there are many links between the two. Below is a mind map I did and wanted to share some of the main takeaways.

As a self admitted "Neat Freak" and a creative person, I realized being unwilling to settle for the status quo is an important shared quality for both traits. Neither a neat nor creative person is ready to accept what is presented to them; they look to improve the situation in one way or another. A neat person would look at a messy drawer and imagine organization methods to tidy it up while a creative musician might hear a simple chord progression and imagine a way it can be the foundation to a grand symphony. In this way, I think both are perfectionists as well. They are often relentless in their pursuit to improve what they are working on. 

Maybe the most important link between neatness and creativity is the methodical nature of each venture. Whether I am writing a paper or cleaning dishes, both activities involve a ritual-like set up and execution. Dishes begin with rolling up my sleeves, adjusting the water to just the right pressure and temperature, adding soap to the sponge, and then starting with cups and silverware before getting to the bigger plates, pots and pans. With a paper, the methodology is quite similar. Making sure I have proper lighting at my desk, opening up all the programs I will need on my laptop, taking a deep breath before gathering my thoughts and beginning to type; this is the sequence that leads up writing. Both methods are habitual, constant, and helpful in focusing my mind for the task ahead. In this way, being methodical is shared in my being both neat and creative. 

This mind map helped me see the links between being neat and creative, and I will continue to consider these connections as I add to the blog and analyze more of today's advertising.  

The Art of Picking a Brand Name

I recently read an interesting article from Fast Company (the link is here!) and learned about a company called Lexicon. This boutique firm is responsible for some of the most iconic and popular brand names in pop culture. BlackBerry, Dasani, Febreze and OnStar are just a handful of their most successful recommendations, and they will likely continue to produce hit names after learning more about their creative process.

When most companies and creative teams brainstorm a name for a product, the process begins with thinking about the product's main benefits or features. Often this leads to an adjective being matched with the product so that it's easy to identify what the product is as well as its main benefit. Examples would be things like EasyMail, iPhone, and Command Strips. These are all straightforward and easy to understand, but mostly uninspiring. Instead, Lexicon looks to have its creatives focus on a more abstract adjective associated with the product. They also sometimes avoid showing the product or its features to its team, to help keep them open minded.

The results are undeniable, and more ad agencies could take the process that Lexicon has perfected and apply it to their own work. Being able to stay open minded is a key to inspiring creative, and Lexicon has emphasized the importance of mixing up their process and staying out of an uninspired routine. I would hope that more firms will look to Lexicon as a template for success, especially following the courageous approach to take chances on ideas that are as risky as naming a phone a BlackBerry.

Got Milk! Speaker Prep

Here is a recent speaker prep I did for a representative from the Got Milk! campaign. Kelly Fisher stopped by our class and showed us some different pieces of creative that were developed in response to a creative brief that she also shared with us. It was interesting to see how many different directions a team can go while using the same general insights and reasons to believe. Here is my analysis of Got Milk's strategic issue, public perception through groundswell analysis, as well as a question I had for Ms. Fisher:

1. Although the Got Milk campaign was extremely popular when it was released and throughout its life in the 90s and early 2000s, it seems to have less traction recently. Got Milk has to keep the campaign fresh and revitalize it every so often, and it seems due for a refresh.

2. Consumer perceptions of the new Got Milk campaign about chocolate milk being used as a post workout drink seem to be highly positive and well received. Groundswell points to the use of professional athlete sponsors as being very popular.   

3. Are milk producers and distributers willing to take advice about changes in packaging or labeling to match the advertising efforts of the Got Milk campaign, or do low budgets keep them from making these changes? 

Apple - iPad mini - TV Ad - Piano

This week Apple released their new iPad Mini, and with that came a new ad campaign. Based on the commercial posted above, the SMP Apple has arrived at is "Every inch an iPad". I think that this proposition, as well as its execution, is brilliantly executed and will likely guide this product's advertisements for its lifespan.

The ad itself is simple yet powerful. In order to link the products together, nothing is more effective than showing the two side by side. The iPad mini is simply a miniaturized version of the original hit Apple product, and this shot lets consumers see that size is the only real difference. Not only that, but the two are also running the same program and are used in identical ways. Both products are used in harmony (both literally and figuratively) and this is a powerful reason to believe that this product is a sibling to the original iPad.

The SMP and the commercial that Apple used are simple, effective, and clean. They don't make a mess of trying the communicate their message, and this is what makes advertising super effective. For now, since size is the main differentiation between the iPad and the iPad mini, "Every inch an iPad" is a perfect SMP. It's catchy, easy to understand, and communicates the point. Neatly and cleanly. Thanks Apple, this is a commercial I will actually enjoy seeing on television.

Burt's Bees Research

This week I was looking forward to our guest speaker from Burt's Bees, but due to hurricane Sandy the visit from Global Marketing Manager Julie Talbot was cancelled. I did, however, conduct some research about the company's public perception, an issue they face right now, as well as a question I had for Ms. Talbot. Hopefully her presentation is rescheduled for later in the semester!

1. Burt’s Bees has worked hard to adapt and keep up with the growing use of social media on Facebook and Twitter, but many users have reported technical issues with signing up for online contests and other sorts of interactive features. It seems that Burt’s Bees may have overly ambitious goals on social media and has disgruntled some of their fans with its technical issues.   

2. Consumer perception of Burt’s Bees is incredibly favorable. The public sees the company as responsible, forward thinking and lovable, and almost all the groundswell is positive and supportive.

3. How does Burt’s Bees strike a balance between working toward the “Greater Good” of society and being socially responsible vs. making a profit and increasing shareholder value?