Help I'm over-stimulated

If there is one piece of advice I could give advertisers targeting my generation (Generation Y or Generation Z, depending on your definition), it would be this:

Keep it simple.

Honestly. Just cut the crap. Generation Y/Zers have grown up on the internet. We have been bombarded with flashy visuals, tricky marketing tactics and persuasive lingo since before we could even use a toilet. The result? Overstimulization and de-sensitization. There is a limit to “bigger and better”, and I believe my generation has reached a plateau where the hype is no longer impressive.  

This is precisely why one pharmecutial company, help®, is trying out a new marketing approach, calling itself “a drug company that promises you less.”

help® produces over-the-counter medications without the artificial dyes, extra ingredients and confusing names. It employs minimalistic marketing techniques from its website layout to advertisements to product packaging. Product labels include “help I have a headache”, “help I can’t sleep” and “help I have a blister” – simple, straightforward names that tell you exactly what the drug does. 

A new ad for help®’s  “Take Less” campaign really embodies this marketing approach by employing visually simplistic techniques such as stop-motion animation, primary colors, and limited limited dialogue. 

Personally, I think help®’s advertising strategy is refreshing and appealing and believe other companies would be wise to follow suit. 

Sony Gets Romantic (in 3-D!)

Watch the full ad here

Sony just spent almost a year making a commercial to advertise its 3-D televisions. “Two Worlds” features a man and a woman who, after spotting each other across a busy street, walk through exploding plate glass windows to fall into each others arms.

Cute.

The short clip is an attempt by Sony to “showcase 3-D in a way that [doesn’t] involve flying cars or cowboys coming out of the screen,” Nils Leonard, executive director at Grey London, said. Grey London is the UK-based advertising agency Sony hired to take charge of the project. The idea was to create an advertisement with romantic, emotional appeal, unlike most 3-D TV ads.  

Did I mention this spot also features books flying violently off shelves and and desks propelling into the air as the couple walks toward each other? Or that the cars parked on the street levitate upwards as a romantic poem is voiced-over? 

Practically spells romance.

Although production company Spy Films deserves some hat-tipping for the technical quality of this spot, I have to question the thought process behind the clip’s premise. It’s great that Sony and Grey want to target a more tender, dare I say female, audience with this approach, but tell me when in The Notebook it would be appropriate to insert exploding desks and books?

3-D pretty much works for one genre: Action. So unless there is a way for Ryan Gosling’s body to literally come out of the television, bring on the cars and cowboys. 

Tech Wars

The first Star Wars movie came out in 1977.  34 years later, we are amidst a real-life technology-driven war that despite having no clear good vs. evil, has some uncanny resemblances to Lucas’ famous films.  In the battle of smart phones and tablets, it’s Apple vs. everyone else, which brings me to my first comparison: the use of an Android army.
 

Motorola and Samsung are just two of the companies using Android-powered smart phones to compete with Apple’s iPhone.  In the world of tablets, the new Android-powered Kindle Fire has been has been hailed the first true competitor of the iPad.  There seems to be a common theme of Andriod devices: they’re black.  Now what color do you typically associate with Apple?  This black vs. white dichotomy has been a metaphor for good vs. evil in countless stories.  Yes, including Star Wars.

 A final similarity between today’s technology wars and the Star Wars saga happened earlier this Fall: the death of a leader.  The simple clothing, white beard, and thinning hair are characteristics of both Jedi-leader Obi-Wan Kenobi and Apple-leader Steve Jobs.  However, the physical similarities go beyond physical appearance.  And like Obi-Wan, I expect Jobs’ impact to transcend death as his innovations and philosphies continue to guide Apple.

 

When you’re looking to purchase your next (or first) smart phone or tablet, may the force be with you!

Part 16 of PML’s: How does a Voice Talent Prepare for a Session?

We asked some of our top 100 voice talents to find out how they get ready for a voice session. Here is what Ben B. says...

When I receive copy, the first thing I do is read it to myself in silence.  Then I read it at a whisper, followed by reading it in a soft voice using my interpretation.  Once I've completed these steps, I know I'm ready to attack the copy/script at full force.  Most of the work I do for Propulsion Media Labs is Retail Automotive, and most of that is "hard sell".  So, I give my best at full strength.  I also need to check for words (ie..town names, dealership names, etc.) that I'm not sure how to pronounce.  If need be, I contact Pro Media and ask the writer for assistance on those words.  This prevents the producer from having to send the Voice Over back to me for revisions.  

Also, don't forget that your routines are just as important...Like my cup of coffee or room temperature water for my voice...occasionally some sweet tea (since I am from the South).

More responses from other talents are coming soon!

McVision

 Would you like some carefully targeted, exclusive television programming with your fries? 

     This month, the McDonalds fast food chain announced the launch of specialty TV programming that will be available to its dine-in customers and will be customized to target specific locations. The McDonalds channel will feature news reports, television shows and entertainment features, and is projected to reach 18 to 20 million people per month. McDonalds plans to launch the project in several California locations this Spring and eventually implement it across the country.

McDonalds television is a smart corporate move because it will draw customers to the fast-food locations as well as increase the viewing audience for local programming and ads. And now, we Americans can finally chow down on 1,000 calorie Big Mac meals without having to expend the energy it would take to talk during our meal. If there’s one thing I like while over-dosing on artificial meat and cheese products, it’s getting sucked into entertainment programs specifically designed to allow me to boost their Nielsen ratings.

by Emilie Eastman, Intern 2011, Propulsion Media Labs

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/17/us-mcdonalds-idUSTRE79G6AZ20111017

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/17/entertainment/la-et-mcdonalds channel-20111017

What is PML Dressing Up As For Halloween?

With the characters we have here at Propulsion Media Labs, you are sure to find some out of the ordinary costumes for Halloween. However, there is one classic trick-or-treater like Office Manager Susan who will be a witch. Senior Account Coordinator Mike, in order to keep his beard, will be NOT Waldo. 

Going down to the audio studios; Scott is putting on a few pounds to play the part of Santa Claus. Then Tom wants to be a REALLY good Ghostbuster, or V from “V for Vendetta.”

The most creative costumes for this Halloween season, not surprisingly, came from our Video Producers. Matt would like to dress up as a zombie storm trooper, while Andrew is going to be a character from the shows “Storage Wars” or the hit series “Toddlers and Tiaras’.” 

Now that's scary

Written By:
Justin Kaufmann
Fall 2011 Intern
Temple University

Things You Won’t Need or Own by the Year 2020

DVD Player: The DVD player has the same fate as the VHS.  Blue-ray technology may extend the life of physical DVDs, but why carry around and store discs when you can have electronic copies of your favorite movies and shows or you can stream them?

E-Reader: Why carry around a Nook or Kindle that essentially has one function when tablets of the same size can do infinitely more cool things?  Unless e-readers become very cheap, they will enter the black hole of obsolete technology as tablets become more refined.

Text Books: The days of carrying around twenty-pound book bags will soon be over.  The future college and high school students will access their calculus, economics, and Spanish readings on their tablets.

GPS: Your Garmin or TomTom is on its way out the door, and faster than you may think.  As more and more people own smart phones with equally good or better GPS functioning, there is no need for a portable GPS.  Also, expect GPS to become standard in cars within the next ten years.

Digital Cameras: The new iPhone 4s has an 8 megapixel camera that captures 1080p HD video.  Don’t know what that means?  Crystal clear high-definition quality better than today’s lower-end digital cameras.  From here, the smart phone camera will only improve.  So unless you’re into more advanced photography and high-end cameras, you’ll be using the pencil-thin smart phone that allows you to share instantaneously.

Video game systems: The future of gaming will be part of your television or cable/digital library/streaming/video game box.

mp3 Player: Like the GPS and digital camera, there is really no need for mp3 players when smart phones have the same capabilities and much more.  New technologies such as the cloud eliminate any issues with storing data.  If you haven’t already gotten rid of your iPod, it will be dying in the back of one of your drawers pretty soon.

Cars and airplanes: Experts predict the invention of teleportation by 2020.  Just kidding.

Alex Campbell

Intern

University of Delaware