deutsch/la bringing the magic

I watched an entire pre-roll ad on YouTube for the first time the other night. It was the "Cubs Win" spot by Deutsch/LA. It features the euphoric scene in the city of Chicago upon the Chicago Cubs finally pulling off a World Series win. And, by the end of the narrative, you're shown that it is actually just a simulation on MLB 12.

I haven't been blown away by an ad like this in a long time. It was...remarkable.

I think it's rare that a commercial can truly encapsulate the emotion of a sacred event, especially one that's as light-hearted (notice the absence of abused puppies, or starving kids) as this. Yet, you're immediately pulled into the narrative. It may be a little inside-baseball (oh look, a pun) for people who may not be aware of Chicago's complete inability to survive in the post season, but that's not really the audience MLB 12 is targeting anyways.

So, bravo, Deutsch. Amazing work.

generational branding

Thanks to a retweet by @TalentZoo, I ran across a great article from Beneath the Brand (@BeneaththeBrand on Twitter, and you should definitely give them a follow) on the emotion of generational branding.

The article featured a book by Marc Gobe called Emotional Branding.

Gobe explores emotional branding specific to generational demographics. Gobe asserts that each generation responds differently to emotion, and the key to emotional branding is finding that specific emotional appeal.

The same emotional pitch you use for Gen Y-ers is not going to work for Baby Boomers.

Obvious, sure. But, how often do you consider this when developing creative?

On Baby Boomers, Beneath the Brand says:

With a “hard work pays off” mentality, this [Baby Boomer] segment is far less emotional than generations that follow. Campaigns that play on emotional comfort, status, heroism and “I’ve earned it” luxury will reach—and touch deeply—this audience.

As for Gen X-ers, Beneath the Brand says that "campaigns targeting X’s usually win when they employ nontraditional approaches, fierce sarcasm, style, imagination, and money-driven themes."

Beneath the Brand says that Gen Y-ers are the most sensitive to the brand experience. "must be highly experiential in order to be engaging. "Generation Y has defined the necessary behavior for brands, which must be highly experiential in order to be engaging," writes Beneath the Brand.