Dow: The Multinationals Have Hearts Too

It seems that in this economic and social climate, a French Revolution is always nigh between the lower class and the upper class in America. After years of being simply invincible, political and business bigwigs are finally tasting a heaping serving of shame and blame.

In this climate, it seems impossible for a corporate giant to gain the trust of the average consumer. Names like Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil, and Halliburton are uttered by activists as if they are unholy names of viscious demons.

This presents an enormous challenge to those agencies advertising these clients. How do I not only remove the bad reputation of these companies, but foster a positive relationship with their customers?

The venerable DraftFCB showed a great solution to this in their campaign for Dow. As a chemical company, Dow is in the crosshairs of a thriving eco-awareness movement and its ensuing organic movement. It seems as if consumers shudder at the word “chemical”, thinking of carcinegenic pesticides, dangerous food additives, and polluted rivers.

In the face of all this, these ads show a great sense of self-awareness by Dow.

Instead taking the damn-the-torpedoes we-know-best attitude that many companies have had in the midst of consumer backlash, Dow subtly acknowledges its image and assertively states that chemicals, are elemental and even beautiful. After seeing the following spot, its hard to disagree, at least on an emotional level.

“The missing element is the human element, and when we add it to the equation, the chemistry changes”

That beautiful quotation, which seems more at home in a Frost poem than a chemical ad, seems to sum up Dow’s attitude. Instead of taking a purely scientific, purely economic view of the world, they realize that the human presence must be both examined and accounted for.

The advertisement has been proven to be effective. It won the coveted golden Effie award in 2008 for Corporate Reputation, Image, and Identity. In a conversation I had with Sandy Colkey, Executive VP at DraftFCB and head of the Dow campaign, he said that the ads also had the unintended effect of bringing in a whole slew of green-minded recruits. Is the ad truly representative of Dow’s responsibility? I am not versed enough to know. In any case, the campaign serves as a great example of how geniuine communication can win over critics and consumers.

Iconography: Pepsi campaigns on Change

Last fall, my daily perusal of adage.com led to an unbelievable story. Pepsi was unveiling a new logo. What made it unbelievable was the five months that went into designing the logo and the $1 million price tag (not including the huge costs in replacing logos on trucks, vending machines, etc).

The result?

I was underwhelmed. Sure, it was aesthetically pleasing and reflected millennial design more than there overtly 90′s inspired previous logo, but worth the huge costs? In my mind, hardly.

I, like the rest of the AdAge commenters, immediately wrote off the redesign as unnecessary and overpriced. Furthermore, I believed the logo change seemed to be another example of Pepsi’s inability to create a logo as iconic and long lasting as Coca-Colas. Coca- Cola ‘s logo, which has remained unchanged throughout the many design phases it has lived through, serves as a direct contrast to Pepsi, which has changed to reflect every design phase.

Pepsi - 1898-2008

Coca-Cola - Largely unchanged since 1895

I started to rethink my opinion on the Pepsi redesign on a road trip with one of my graphic design friends. “The new Pepsi logo is genius”, he blithely stated after a quick stop at a convenience store. I was incredulous, “really? I think its pointless. It cost way too much money, and they lose all the visual recognition capital they built with their old logo.”

Both of us realized that marketing is essentially the only point of differentiation in the soft-drink world. However, I believed that Pepsi should refresh their marketing efforts around a constant logo, whereas my friend believed that the logo change was essential for them to stay relevant.

I was still convinced I was right. However, the fact that my friend, who is an astute creative with a love for forward thinking design, noticed and liked the new Pepsi logo had to be worth something.

I more or less forgot about the Pepsi logo until New Years Eve. I went to New York City, and as I strolled down the advertising Mecca of Times Square, I saw it.

I was awed. In the midst of the advertising overload of Times Square, my eye was immediately drawn to the colorful, bold Pepsi display. The use of the Pepsi logo as an “o” is incredibly simple and memorable. Instead of reading “Pepsi” and immediately tuning out to an already heard message, I was reading random words that all have a lot of social meaning and pique my interest. By including the Pepsi logo within these words, I am not only being exposed to the logo over and over again, I am passively connecting the logo to the words I am reading. Pop is Pepsi. Love is Pepsi. 09 is Pepsi. The brand message was there without saying it or even stating the company name: Pepsi emphasizes everything.

The next few weeks, I saw many variations of the execution, Booyah on top of Taxis, OohLaLa on the Chicago El, Hola on a huge billboard. None of these renditions included the Pepsi name. They were simply permanently indenting the new logo into my mind, associating it with the most happy and colorful expressions of words.

I now believe the Pepsi logo change was a great move, but only because of its inventive presentation. In addition to the memorable outdoor advertising campaign, the logo has the benefit of all sorts of controversy. First, we have the conspiracy that the logo and advertising message was designed in concert with Barack Obama’s campaign logo.

Second, we have a 27 page document explaining the development of the logo, which includes such heady topics as Earth’s magnetism and grandiose proclamations like “Emotive forces shape the gestalt of the brand identity”.

Third, we have the sheer cost of rebrand in the midst of mass layoffs by Pepsi.

While these all raise some legitimate questions for Pepsi as a company, they do nothing but boost the publicity of the new logo for free.

Will the new logo pull Pepsi out of its recession slump? So far, no. However, with its mass publicity and exciting executiong, the rebranding of Pepsi could be just what the doctor ordered in the long run. (Soft drink mixed metaphors are the best)

The Best of the Bowl

Despite a barrage of layoffs in this hurting economy and the proclamation of the death of television advertising, Super Bowl XLIII delivered up a slew of 3 million dollar spots, showing us why there is nothing better than a good old fashioned high budget tv ad.

Despite many critics calling the ads mediocre this year, I found many to be captivating. The combination of the advertising and one of the greatest super bowls I’ve ever watched made it impossible to find bathroom breaks. Below are my top ten ads from the Super Bowl.

Honorable Mention. Career Builder – tips

Wieden + Kennedy

The “Hate your job” theme is starting to get a little redundant, with both Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com using it in their advertising for several years. However, this ad was memorable due to its fantastical clips, physical comedy, and repetition (honestly, does anyone not remember at least three of the scenes from this ad?). It felt like a children’s book to me. A children’s book of insanely disgruntled middle middle class employees.

10. GE – Smart Grid

BBDO

Maybe its my adoration of the gee-whiz technology of GE, or maybe its my excitement at new power technology, or maybe its just a soft spot in my heart for The Wizard of Oz. Whatever it is, this ad made me feel strangely emotional. Thats a pretty big success for a company advertising electric power.

9. Audi – Jason Statham

Venables Bell and Partners

I love the over the top action of the Transporter movies starring Jason Statham and his arsenal of Audis. Due to this, I think its astute of Audi to choose him as their “spokesman” in this ad. The ad had several great qualities; humorous yet subtle humor, high paced action, and cheeky jabs at competing luxury brands. The message was clear, Audi is the new standard of performance. It was delivered with excitement, humor, memorability, and originality.

8. Hyundai – Bosses

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

The old luxury standbys are getting attacked from every angle, even from lowly Hyundai. After years of increasing quality in their offerings, Hyundai has finally gotten critical approval for its luxury Genesis. The little guy beating the big guy theme in this ad is pretty likable, and the self-referential jab at the confusing pronunciation of the name Hyundai ends the ad perfectly. This ad seems to be the official announcement of Hyundai as a big time competitor in the car industry.

7. Heroes Football

Wow. I never knew how much I needed to see a scrimmage between football legends and superheroes. I was so pumped up by this ad I hardly knew what to do. By the time John Elway flew in and showed his all-American quarterback jaw, I was ready to give high fives to every one in the room. Its been a few seasons since I’ve watched Heroes, but this definitely reminded me while I love the show. I can only hope for more Elway cameos.

6. Gatorade – What G Means

TBWA/Chiat/Day

Gatorade’s rebranding campaign has been extremely interesting, and I hope to cover it in a future post. This finale of the mysterious “What is G?” campaign hit pretty hard. The combination of big name stars like Tiger and Peyton with more eclectic additions such as autistic basketball player Jason McElwain and dance crew Jabbawockeez shows an attempt to expand Gatorade’s appeal from die-hard sports players to those with a broader scope of passions. Memorable, emotional, and visually stunning.

5. Cars.com – David Abernathy

BBDO

Perhaps the most-hyped creative spot, the tale of David Abernathy delivered in originality, memorability, and humor. The Wes Anderson-esque description of David Abernathy’s confidence might have made the most well-remembered advertisement of the Super Bowl. But for all its creative genius, I realized it may have failed when my friends were discussing the ad, wondering who it was for again.

4. Pepsi – Refresh Anthem

TBWA/Chiat/Day

Nothing like a Bob Dylan song with emotional clips from the past juxtaposed with their modern day alternatives to get your heart pumping. While some of the comparisons were a little questionable (Will.i.am is the new Dylan?), I thought the ad delivered a great message in a consistent, emotional way. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and Pepsi will always be part of being cool.

3. Coke – Avatar

Wieden + Kennedy

Wieden + Kennedy seem to always know exactly what the public needs from Coca Cola. In an atmosphere where one can get crushed by the myriads of social networking and technology-enabled “connections”, the power of a real life connection is even more potent. What better catalyst for these face to face encounters than a shared bottle of Coke?

2. Hulu – Alec Baldwin

Crispin Porter + Bogusky

The edgiest product advertised during the Superbowl by the edgiest agency. Hulu delivered big with a stellar performance by Alec Baldwin in his 30Rock persona and a sarcastic tone that relies big on the viewer’s ability to “get it”. After multitudes of social networking sites and new media ventures making bombastic claims of changing the world and making life better, its nice to see one unabashedly state that it will turn your brain to mush.

1. Coke Zero – Mean Troy

Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Is it any surprise that CP+B were responsible for my top two ads? The agency is on fire. This ad could have easily been a faithful recreation of the original “mean Joe Greene” spot and been incredible. Instead, CP+B inserts their asinine Coca Cola brand managers into the beautiful ad and somehow make it even more memorable.