More Positive Messages Like This Please

Hello Flo's latest viral video

Weird as you'd expect it to be.

Pinterest's first ad is amazing

We love this great ad from Pinterest. This is their first ad and it really captures what they're about.

Think Again

I love this video.  This is exactly why we've created Branded Filmworks.  Anyone can grab stock footage and produce something that looks beautiful, but in the end, no matter how beautiful it is, it doesn't connect to the human spirit. It is our goal to bring new ideas to the table and wake people up.

Honest & Hilarious Advertising

Well, at least honest enough.  This is great.  Laphroaig Scotch gets unedited, honest opinions from tasters.  Makes you want to try it for yourself.

Read more about it at Adweek.

A Safety Video You Wish Would Never End

Virgin put this out last Fall, but it's a great example of taking boring content and making it fun and informational.  I don't think I've ever watched a safety video all the way through. This one is awesome.

Coca Cola with $0 budget

Coca Cola proving you don't have to spend lots of moola on set design.  It's all about the angles.

Newcastle cancels Anna Kendrick

Newcastle made a series of videos called, ifwemadeit.com.  They were made for the Superbowl.  Well, kind of.  They were made to be watched online for the Superbowl, but without paying for Superbowl placement.  In fact, they're not allowed to use the word "Superbowl" in their ads, so they call it the "Mega Huge Football Game".

Anna Kendrick is such a sweetheart to watch and this spoof is her bashing Newcastle for cancelling on her Suerbowl commercial days before they were supposed to film because they didn't have enough money, is funny and charming.  She says she was hoping to stretch her acting chops, since she doesn't consider herself "beer-commercial hot", but "she likes a challenge".

Ian Padgham's 6-second Olympics

For those of you unfamiliar with the superstars of Vine, let me introduce you to Ian Padgham.  Padgham, was a video producer for Twitter and an early adapter to Vine.  Eventually he was getting approached by so many huge name companies to make Vine's that he left Twitter in 2013 to work for himself.
Recently he was flown to the Olympics to keep us entertained and up-to-date on all that is the Olympics.  Here are a few recent Vines.

Happy Valentine's Day

No news, just a short video from one of my favorite ad campaigns.  "Dumb Ways to Die" presents, "Dumb Ways to Valentine".  Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.

Facebook Fraud?

I just came across this article on AdAge, highlighting a recent youtube video from Veritasium.  It's a nine minute video, but totally worth your time. As we delve deeper into the social media game, we are discovering what's really working and what is just "paid" likes with no engagement.  You may be thinking twice before paying Facebook for fans.

There are many different facts cited, one I found interesting is, "The US Department of State spent $630,000 to acquire 2 million page likes and then realized only 2% were engaged. http://wapo.st/1glcyZo"

Budweiser tugs at the heart strings

I'm sure by now you've seen this adorable Budweiser ad that premiered at the Super Bowl.  A sweet sixty-second love story where a puppy brings people together and finds himself an owner.  (I only wish this was a shelter dog, then Bud could have helped promote those animals too.)

This three-day shoot, starred five Clydesdales and a litter of puppies to get all the shots.  It was directed by Jake Scott, son of the famed director Ridley Scott.

Apparently during the shoot, there was a "don't pet the puppies" clause because they were so young and the trainers couldn't take the puppies getting overly-excited and lose focus.  Looks like all the hard work paid off.

Duracell celebrates the power of the mind

This ad came online January 10th and made it to #2 of the AdAge Viral Chart list last week.  It's not at over 12 million views.  Duracell's, "Trust Your Power" campaign features Seahawk's fullback Derrick Coleman.  Coleman has been deaf since he was three.  The one minute video tells as much of the story as it can of all Coleman had to overcome to be where he is today.  He's the perfect role model for their campaign slogan.
The spot was originally intended for the web only, but hopefully they bring this to the air soon.

Cars topping Branded Video Chart

There are two car commercials that made it to the top of AdAge's viral video chart last week.

The first is for the Nissan Rogue, it takes you on a wild car chase, showing all the Nissan can do and protect you from.  The video turns interactive and takes you to their facebook page where you can enter a sweepstakes.  It's a fun 2+ minute ride.

The second is a PSA from New Zealand.  Beautifully done and so sad.  The point is made well, I wonder if it's a little too harsh, but maybe it's the message people need.

Nissan - The Briefcase



NZ Transport Agency

Top 10 Insurance Companies Making Branded Video

There is quite a mix of different branded video campaigns going on in the Insurance category.  We've picked our top ten.

These companies are proving that they know their customers and are working towards an integrated marketing campaign.  There are people on GEICO's Facebook page searching for the camel t-shirts from their "Hump Day" commercial and Progressive is even selling "Flo" halloween costumes.. talk about viral.

This list is based on YouTube and Facebook subscribers, interaction with subscribers, and the variety and creativity of the videos that offer a sense of the company life and mission.

1. Farmers Insurance
"We are Farmers! Bum, ba, bum, ba bum, bum bum!"  Farmers Insurance YouTube page is chock-full of helpful and funny videos.  They have a playlist called "15 seconds of Smart" (perfect for Instagram) that has funny, cute, and helpful safety tips.  Overall, they have a great variety of videos on their YouTube channel that shows off their company voice.



2. GEICO
GEICO's YouTube site is fun to search through.  You can just keep letting the commercials play. I'm sure this team has a great time coming up with these.

The only thing I wish the site had were some videos with helpful tips and videos that introduced us to more people who work for GEICO than just the Gecko and Maxwell the pig.  Maybe they could be interviewed by one of the mascots.  Also, I think some good customer testimonials wouldn't hurt either.  As far as the funny goes though, definitely the best of the bunch.



 
3. State Farm
One of the few insurance companies on this list that makes sure their videos don't just live on YouTube, but also on Facebook.  There are lots of videos on getting the most out of State Farm's website and helpful tips to protect yourself and those around you.  There playlist topics range from Teen Drivers Safety to Turkey Fryer & Cooking Safety to Testimonials.  Lots of good content and help to be found in these videos.




4. Progressive
The Progressive culture is strong.  By now, everyone probably knows about Flo, the Progressive mascot.  She has her own Facebook page and I can tell you after reading both the regular Progressive page and Flo's page, it's good to be Flo.  Even the complaining customers can't stay angry at Flo.  Their YouTube page has a lot of Flo videos, but they're mainly commercials.  I think it would be fun to have more videos with helpful information for Progressive customers and some meaningful short docs of how Progressive has helped specific customers.  Maybe even some funny shorts with Flo out on the street interviewing people, ala Jay Leno's "Jaywalking."




5. Allstate Insurance
Allstate does a great job of introducing us to their employees through short interviews.  A company that shows how much they value their employees, gives the feeling that they also care for their customers.  They also have some older playlists with helpful tips from boat safety to how to check the oil in your car.

 


6. American Family
American Family has loads of helpful videos.  Many of them are animated, more like a slideshow, giving helpful tips.  Their latest campaign is about "sharing your dreams" and that American Family will protect them.  What person can't connect with that idea?



 
7. Esurance
Esurance is another company that is doing a great job of getting their videos play beyond YouTube. Their Facebook page shares a lot of video.  They even have a link called "Meet Esurance," where we get to meet one of their sales and customer service trainers.

Their YouTube page is loaded with goodies, including more videos introducing us to their employees and cute animated "how to" videos (how to parallel park, how to change a flat tire...).




8. Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual has a Winter Olympics campaign going on right now.  They're making sweet and inspiring short documentaries of some of the latest Olympians.

They also have a good variety of videos, including short safety videos, videos on careers at Liberty Mutual and videos on how they've helped rebuild businesses after catastrophes like the destructive tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma this past summer.





9.  MetLife
Of course MetLife has the adorable Peanuts ads, which the kid in me can watch over and over.  But they've got more than just cute cartoons.  They have videos with explanations of benefits as well as my favorite, short documentaries focusing on some of their customers.  Their site feels like they're just entering the social media video world, but they're off to a great start.





10. AAA
AAA has a variety of helpful videos, from travel tips, all the way to the correct way to hold a steering wheel. They have a whole playlist just on winter driving tips and, in these frigid temps, I'm sure they come in handy.  AAA has the best variety of video content of all the companies featured here.  I personally love the videos on buying a car, because I never know the right questions to ask.

Old Spice makes a man of your son.

Old Spice is advertising their Old Spice Re-fresh Body Spray.  They're targeting a younger demographic, trying to get in with the "young, cool kids" and competing with Axe Body Spray.  It will be interesting to see how it does.  I certainly enjoyed the video.  I'm curious who buys this product, if it's the mom buying it for their son or if the guys are purchasing it themselves.  Either way, it's funny and clever.

AdAge has more information on this campaign, you can check out the article here.

Edward Norton and his trusy Droid Maxx

Verizon's Droid Maxx has teamed up with Norton to create this funny, action-packed 90 second short.  I think the "48-hour battery life" message comes across well.

P&G celebrates Mom and it pays off

P&G debuted their next "Thank You, Mom" ad for the Sochi Olympics.  Once again, the ad does not disappoint.  I fought back the tears.

P&G was one of eleven worldwide corporate sponsors that signed on for a ten year contract with the Olympics, contributing around $25 million per year in rights fees.

You may be familiar with their "Thank You, Mom" campaign that has been going on for a couple years, they first launched it for the London Games.  We'll see if this Olympics is the bookend for the campaign.

For the previous Olympics, P&G saw a $500 million sales lift from this campaign.  This years sales lift predictions are smaller for the winter Olympics as there are fewer participating countries.

What do you think about the campaign, is it still as strong as when it first debuted?

Mimi Foundation lets you forget, "If only for a second".

I came across this video on AdAge, it made it to the number four spot on one of their December charts.  The Mimi Foundation runs solely on private funding.  They currently help around 15,000 patients battling cancer.  This ad is beautiful.

Posted on December 4, 2013, it has over 14 million views.  They interviewed 20 of their patients and one of the main things they talked about was once they found out they had cancer, it's pretty much the only thing they could ever think of.  They missed being "carefree".  The foundation wanted to give them a few seconds to forget.  This short has a great combination of sadness and laughter and hope.  Watch it all the way through, don't stop when you start seeing clips of the makeup or you will be disappointed.

Doritos Announces the Five Finalists for Super Bowl Ad

For the first time in the eight years of Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Ad competition, they've opened it up to international entries.  All but one finalist is from the US, the final, finger-licking good one hails from Australia.

The winner gets $1m and both the first place and second place winners get their ad played during the Super Bowl.  I already have my two favs. (The first two I listed are my choices, I'm a sucker for animals and kids)  Which are yours?

"Breakroom Ostrich" by Eric Haviv, Atlanta, Ga.


"Time Machine" by Ryan Anderson, Scottsdale, Ariz.


"Finger Cleaner" by Thomas Noakes, Sydney, Australia


"The Cowboy Kid" by Amber Gill, Ladera Ranch, Calif.


"Office Thief" by Chris Capel, Valencia, Calif.