I’ve been in the media business long enough to know very quickly what works, and what doesn’t.  Consumers, these days, are nearly as savvy.  There is a quote that I’ve used in presentation recently, that states:

“Consumers are much more interested in their own lives than they are in brands……And they are much more interested in BRANDS, than they are in ADVERTISING”

This is spot on… and when a brand gets advertising right, and it’s done in a way that appeals to their target audience (along with the outliers beyond that target), I’m impressed.  Icon Motor Sports has done just that with the long form video that is climbing the AdAge viral chart. I don’t own a motorcycle, nor have I been on one all that much, and I’m certainly not in the market for ‘leathers’… but they had me for the full 8:30 on this one.  Why?  Because I was entertained – simple as that.  Brands need to do more of this, and I believe advertisers and agencies are recognizing that.

Shameless plug for my keynote this past Tuesday (10.25.11) @ the OMMA Mobile Conference in San Francisco.

Video streaming by Ustream

It’s not often that a brand gets me for nearly 7 straight minutes.  Today, Coke did… and I enjoyed every second of it.  Best part – their branding was integrated throughout, and did not detract one bit from the fun.  Hat tip Coca Cola – well done.

Yep.  Google tells us more on their mobile ads blog.

Well played Budweiser.  Respectful, Non-exploitative, and touching. Tastefully done.

This past week the Discovery Channel premiered their new show, Curiosity, that we are helping sponsor. As part of that sponsorship we debuted some of our new creative for our on-air spots. The segment below features our resident Anthropologist, Genevieve Bell, and focuses in on what makes her curious – a tall order for someone that spends her days envisioning the future of technology.  Genevieve was included in Fast Company’s list of 2010′s 100 most creative people in business, 2010.

Leave it to Old Spice to give Fabio a career boost. In the words of L.L. Cool J – Don’t Call It A Comeback.

In a brilliant marriage between Out of Home advertising (Video Boards) and your Smart Phone, McDonald’s has managed to come up with an engaging new twist on an arcade classic – Pong – Golden Arches style.  Well played Ronald…

John Krasinski and Alec Baldwin go toe to toe for their respective teams in a new commercial by New Era… classic. If you read my blog and follow my Twitter stream, you’ll know I’m on John’s side.

The best advertisers for your product are satisfied customers.  American Express captured that concept brilliantly in 30 seconds, using ‘Tweet Stories’. Membership has it’s privileges.