DRIVING WOMEN FORWARD

i was hesitant at the beginning of this video but by the end i was ready to give audi a round of applause for this branded campaign. take a look:

good, right? a couple of things i like about this piece:

- it has a "this is bigger than us" feel which allows for the impact of this to go far beyond audi customers.

- the campaign is connected to the core of the brand. i love when brands do thoughtful, cause-related work but sometimes it truly has no connection to their brand or product. the result is that it feels nice but doesn't really resonate. here, they've taken an issue, found a way in which their product is affected by it and blown it way up. the result? cause-related work with brand-related impact.

- the goal is clear: take ownership of the hashtag.

- BUT. it doesn't have enough of an action. they want you to retweet their tweets, but they're not giving you a real next step. there is no microsite or facebook page or campaign around this. so, while the video is a great first step, without a true action at the end driving viewers to share it, connect with audi, read more or sign up, it's a great video and a missed opportunity. 

more here.

via adweek

VW DOES IT AGAIN: LITTLE OLD LADY EDITION

you know i have a thing for VW ads. whether it's their visual simplicity or their conceptual simplicity, they are masters of minimalism and beautiful execution. so, when i saw these new ads I had to share. first, because they are hilarious. but also because the concept is so simple, the message is so clear, it is so on brand and it employs one of the best brand strategies of all time, feisty grandmas being hilarious.

these ladies are known as the golden sisters and are youtube famous for their commentary on kim kardashian, amongst other things.

let's also take a minute to recognize the work of tuna, the dog. he is both weird and endearing and also decidedly not a golden retriever puppy which (whether you realize it or not!) is very different from most dogs in ads. and this makes tuna - and these ads - stand out. also the use of the hashtag is hilarious and brilliant.

well done, VW.

agency credits here.