July 12, 2006
FORD ROLLS OUT ‘BOLD MOVES’ URBAN MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Ford has rolled out its “Bold Moves” marketing communications platform to urban customers with its newest Ford Fusion and F-150 commercials and advertisements. The campaign recently kicked off with the premiere of a Fusion spot entitled “Dance”.
Fusion “Dance”: Bold Makes It Happen – The 30-second television spot provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of an urban Ford Fusion owner.
Bold Moves initiatives cover both the brand and individual Ford vehicle nameplates and provide a new common creative platform for Internet, broadcast and print advertising at the national, regional and local levels.
Ford Fusion
“Bold Moves focuses on the choices people make every day about how to live their lives,” said Marc Perry, multicultural marketing manager for the Ford brand. “In order to target the urban marketplace and immerse our brand into the lifestyle of these key customers, Ford developed some very distinctive advertising. These advertisements showcase Ford’s new way of thinking in delivering its marketing.”
Ford F-150
Ford’s African-American marketing agency, the Uniworld Group, developed the creative that will position the Bold Moves campaign with urban customers. The urban campaign highlights both the Fusion and F-150 in authentic situations from a local barber shop to a metropolitan nightclub. The ads bring Ford new vehicles to life by connecting with consumers on an emotional level. Love, pride and compassion are among the themes highlighted.
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo.
Bold Moves - Urban
The Bold Moves marketing platform is a key part of Ford’s Way Forward, plan which is Ford’s roadmap for transforming its business in North America and restoring it to profitability. The campaign began on May 2, with the debut of a 60-second commercial on Fox-TV’s American Idol featuring a new song by two-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson.
The research that underpins Bold Moves began in the winter of 2005 and was described by Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company executive vice president and president, The Americas, in his remarks at the 2006 Los Angeles International Auto Show:
“When we started out on our Way Forward plan, our first step was a reassessment of what people think of us today. What are our weaknesses? What are our strengths? Our research confirmed for us what we knew in our hearts. Ford’s strength and identity are defined by three words: bold … American … and innovative.”
Fusion “Dance”: Bold Makes It Happen – The 30-second television spot provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of an urban Ford Fusion owner. The spot depicts a confident man driving a Ford Fusion who encounters an attractive woman entering a nightclub in her Ford Mustang. He stages a creative romantic “bold move” to get the women to notice him with the help of a cameo appearance from hip hop deejay and Ford spokesperson Funkmaster Flex. The spot ends with the tagline, “Bold Makes It Happen.” The commercial will air on major television networks such as UPN and BET throughout the summer.
F-150 “Steps Up”: Bold Steps Up – The 30-second television spot provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of a compassionate construction contractor visiting his local barber shop. Known as the respected “go-to guy” of the neighborhood, he decides to make a “bold move” with his “go-to truck,” the Ford F-150, and three of his friends. He quickly creates a plan to renovate the aging barber shop. Throughout the ad, we see the man and his friends collecting and towing the materials they will need to get the job done. The spot ends with a smiling contractor and barber standing in front of the renovated shop and the powerful F-150. The tagline for the spot is “Bold Steps Up.” The commercial will air on major television networks later this summer.
Bold Moves marketing plans are in development for all-new Ford products launching this year, including the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500, the 2007 Ford Fusion with all-wheel drive, the 2007 Ford Expedition and Expedition EL, and the 2007 Ford Edge.
All advertisements will include a fully integrated major market print, radio and Internet campaign.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:11 AM | Link to this Post
June 29, 2006
BRIGGS & STRATTON DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
PHOTO: Katelyn Haglof, 8, of Sagamore Beach, Mass. is coached by Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk (left) and Lou Brock (right) at Hoxie Field in Sagamore Beach. Haglof won the Briggs & Stratton Diamonds in the Rough grand prize, earning a $20,000 field makeover for Hoxie Field and a clinic for her team. Haglof was one of hundreds of children around the USA who submitted an essay and photo nominating their local field as a Diamond in the Rough. (Photo: Briggs & Stratton, Julia Cumes)
Briggs & Stratton Diamonds in the Rough Program helps children and communities refurbish ballparks.
Briggs & Stratton Corporation is the largest manufacturer of small, air-cooled engines for lawn and garden and other outdoor power equipment. The company is also the largest producer of generators and pressure washers in the United States. The company tagline, "The Power Within" is symbolic of its commitment to provide power for all applications. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in over 100 countries on all seven continents.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:04 PM | Link to this Post
April 12, 2006
The Best Global Brands - The most valuable brands of 2005.
eBay, HSBC, Samsung, Apple and UBS enjoyed the largest increases in brand value, while Sony, Morgan Stanley, Volkswagen, Levi’s and Hewlett-Packard saw the highest losses.
BusinessWeek publishes Interbrand’s annual ranking of brands.
New York, Zurich – BusinessWeek has been publishing the ranking of the 100 most valuable global brands (measured in US dollars) together with Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consulting firm.
The current top ten brands are Coca-Cola (ranked 1st), Microsoft (ranked 2nd), IBM (ranked 3rd), GE (ranked 4th), Intel (ranked 5th), Nokia (ranked 6th), Disney (ranked 7th), McDonald’s (ranked 8th), Toyota (ranked 9th) and Marlboro (ranked 10th).
The winners of last year’s ranking are brands that have demonstrated complete consistency in all of their products and services in each market and type of customer contact.
According to BusinessWeek, one of the greatest challenges facing brands in the future is how to target consumers who are better able to manage their own media needs. For example, people can consciously choose to either display or hide online advertising. More than ever, it is essential that brands use a variety of different media and specific campaigns simultaneously to effectively reach potential customers.
BusinessWeek is the world’s largest business magazine, with a circulation of 1.2 million issues and 5.6 million readers. BusinessWeek was founded 76 years ago and is managed by The McGraw-Hill Companies in New York. Three editions are published for North America, Europe and Asia, and the magazine is sold in 140 countries.
View BusinessWeek Interbrand Annual Ranking of the Top Global Brands for 2005
Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux, with offices in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Cologne, Moscow, Munich and Zurich, is specialized in the creation, management and valuation of brands.
Samsung, a South Korean brand (ranked 20th), recorded a 19% higher value this year alone. With a total increase of 186% over the last five years, it is the most successful of all brands ever represented in the ranking.
American brands continue to dominate the ranking, with eight of the ten top
positions. With a total of 53 brands, six fewer than last year, they only make up around half of the ranking.
Mercedes is still the most valuable German brand, ranked 11th, despite a 6% decline in brand value. In contrast, BMW is catching up, increasing its brand value by 8% to land at 16th place. Volkswagen experienced one of the greatest losses this year, now ranked 56 due to a 12% drop in brand value. With SAP (ranked 36), Siemens (ranked 45th), adidas (ranked 71st), Porsche (ranked 76th), Audi (ranked 79th) and Nivea (ranked 98th), there are a total of nine German brands in this year’s ranking – the second strongest group once again.
Novartis is a newcomer to the ranking, entering at 43 place. Novartis is the only pharmaceutical brand today that has made a strong investment in generics. With a 16% increase in brand value, UBS is one of the 5 “top movers” in this year’s ranking thanks to their consistent pursuit of a single brand strategy and their strong position in private wealth management. The renowned Swiss brands NescafeÌ (ranked 24th), NestleÌ (ranked 66th) and Rolex (ranked 72nd) also saw their brand values rise.
Philips moved up 12 spots to 53rd place, thanks in part to the successful “sense and simplicity” campaign and new available data. The other Dutch brands ING (ranked 87th), Shell (ranked 90th) and Heineken (ranked 100th) were able to maintain their positions.
Brand valuation by Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux
“The Best Global Brands” are the 100 most valuable global brands with a brand
value over $2.3 billion. They were selected according to two criteria: First, the brand needed to have a global presence and generate significant revenues on the most important world markets. Second, it was necessary for these companies to have sufficient publicly available marketing and financial data.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 4:46 AM | Link to this Post
April 11, 2006
WELCOME TO 'THE COKE SIDE OF LIFE'
New Global Campaign Invites the World to Choose Coca-Cola and Live on the Positive Side of Life.
Atlanta, April 2006 - "Drinking a Coke makes people happy. It tastes good. And it's an invitation to live on the positive side of life". That's the message behind 'The Coke Side of Life,' a new global marketing platform for brand Coca-Cola, which launches in the U.S. this month and in other markets over the next several months.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1.3 billion servings each day.
The first round of television spots in what will be a fully integrated, global campaign -- including digital components, promotions, properties, and new graphic treatments -- begins airing in the U.S. this weekend during broadcasts of the NCAA Final Four on CBS and American Idol on Fox. Simultaneously, outdoor and print executions will appear across the country and an extensive online campaign that features exclusive viral videos and other unique content will help dimensionalize The Coke Side of Life in the digital world.
"We live in a world where we make choices every day and The Coke Side of Life encourages people to make those choices positive ones," said Marc Mathieu, senior vice president for carbonated soft drink core brands, Marketing, Strategy and Innovation, The Coca-Cola Company. "This new campaign invites people to create their own positive reality, to be spontaneous, listen to their hearts and live in full color."
Coca-Cola has always been at its best when it reflects the simple, optimistic moments in life. The Coke Side of Life recognizes that the most universal experiences are those where Coca-Cola is refreshingly honest and uplifting.
"Since the beginning of the year, we've aired a series of ads in the U.S. that remind people of the simple reasons why they love Coca-Cola, the product," said Katie Bayne, senior vice president, Coca-Cola brands, Coca-Cola North America. "With The Coke Side of Life, we are reminding people why they love Coca-Cola, the brand. Overall, the message is that only a Coke will do because in the most basic terms, Coca-Cola is happiness in a bottle."
Through The Coke Side of Life creative strategy, the Company is using its global resources to drive a multi-media, multi-cultural platform in markets across the world. In addition to the initial group of ads and elements debuting in the U.S., more commercials and communications tools will be available for global use by summer.
"Because Coca-Cola is a global brand with local connections and meanings, The Coke Side of Life offers each country an opportunity to interpret their own moments of happiness and the brand's role in those," said Esther Lee, chief creative officer, Marketing, Strategy and Innovation, The Coca-Cola Company. "Working with markets around the world, we have collaboratively co-authored an integrated creative platform that can be adapted to fit different market needs. And we are inviting countries to add to the effort through joint global initiatives."
The new global campaign's launch is spearheaded by the US, where it will come to life via a series of events beginning March/April 2006, when the campaign will be introduced to an exclusive audience at one of New York's leading venues, Capitale. At the event, which is headlined by a special live performance by platinum-selling recording artist Ne*Yo, guests will experience first-hand the sights, sounds, and attitude of The Coke Side of Life.
In April, a broader audience will begin to experience The Coke Side of Life in Indianapolis during the NCAA Final Four when MyCokeFest marks the official launch of the platform. Featuring a line-up of top musical talent and other entertainment, the event will transform the landmark Monument Circle into a celebration of The Coke Side of Life. On the day-off from NCAA Final Four play, fans will be able to enjoy performances by Chris Brown, Collective Soul, The Wreckers featuring Michelle Branch, and Carrie Underwood. John Mellencamp will also take the stage for a special homecoming performance presented by Coca-Cola and the NCAA.
The Coke Side of Life campaign idea was created by Wieden+Kennedy, the global agency of record for brand Coca-Cola. Initial executions were developed by the agency's offices in Amsterdam and Portland and will be supplemented by additional creative from agencies in markets around the world.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 8:21 AM | Link to this Post
April 1, 2006
This is Citigroup.
Since 2002, Citigroup has been running a new brand campaign with a new tagline, “This is Citigroup.”
The world’s largest financial company unveiled its new image through a global campaign that showcases the unparalleled capabilities of this vast and unique business. TV and print ads appeared in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Japan.
Citigroup Inc. is today’s pre-eminent financial services company, with some 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries.
Other major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citi Cards, CitiFinancial, CitiMortgage, CitiInsurance, Primerica, Diners Club, The Citigroup Private Bank, and CitiCapital.
Shot in 17 cities, in eight countries on five continents, the campaign features a series of five moving and beautiful television spots along with four complementary print executions from Citigroup’s advertising agency Merkley Newman Harty|Partners (MNH|P), New York. The advertising challenge was to communicate the multiple parts of the Citigroup story (a diverse product portfolio, global reach, deep roots and stability) in a singular, powerful message.
Each ad emphasizes one or more core strengths that, bound together with the new tagline, tell the complete Citigroup story. Each commercial concludes with a compelling fact, followed by the simple yet definitive, “This is Citigroup.” This clear and consistent theme not only appeared in every ad but also in other corporate vehicles such as the cover of Citigroup’s 2001 and 2002 Annual Reports and on the company Web site, www.citigroup.com.
Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:45 PM | Link to this Post
