Even the most innovative, out-of-the-box (man I hate that phrase) ads aren't pushing sales anymore. Let me back up....


I'm sure that by now you've seen those different Volkswagen ads where the people are just driving along talking about random things and suddenly get in an accident? The first time I saw one I was blown away. And when one comes on now, I'm still captivated. Great stuff by arguably one of the most creative agencies around: Crispin Porter & Bogusky.
Check it out from a recent AdAge sidebar:
Despite all the buzz surrounding envelope-pushing work from Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami, over the past year, VW is still falling far short of its stated goal of moving 500,000 vehicles per year. The automaker has parted ways with Director-Brand Innovation Kerri Martin, and Adrian Hallmark, exec VP of the VW brand, said that while the ads under her watch drove foot traffic, there was no "red line through the middle of all our products with a unifying theory about VW."
These are the guys who were also behind perhaps the very definition and the original viral video .... the Subservient Chicken for Burger King, which also drove huge awareness, but not sales for Burger King's chicken sandwiches.
My point? Even the greatest ads aren't effective anymore. It must have something to do with the 5,000-plus advertising messages we're bombarded with every single day.
Remember that as this whole "Superbowl Ads" hoopla begins to crank up again.

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Further Proof Traditional Advertising Is Losing its Grip

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Spike Jones

Firestarter
Brains on Fire

Spike Jones hails from the Lone Star state, where they brainwash you at an early age to take pride in who you are and where you're from (and they sure got a hold of him). After graduating from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, he bounced around the country and finally landed in the Southeast over at the naming and identity company of Brains on Fire (www.brainsonfire.com).

He began his career there as a copywriter, crafting compelling stories for national and international clients. And while Spike still enjoys wordsmithing, he is now involved on the creative strategy side of the business from insight to the creation of word of mouth movements to building regional and national identities for companies across many industries. Brands he’s helped strengthen include BMW, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Dagger Kayaks, Don Pablo’s Mexican Restaurants, Fiskars Brands, Yakima, Perception Kayaks and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement).

Spike has been a speaker at national and local events and is the main contributor to the Brains on Fire group blog (www.brainsonfire.com/blog), which discusses current naming, identity and word of mouth issues and trends. It is also among the top read and resourced blogs in the marketing industry

When he’s not around his favorite people in the world (his fellow Brains on Fire-mates) or traveling around the country, you can find Spike out for a run flanked by his 100 lb. Chocolate lab, Mud.

Contact info:
Brains on Fire
148 River Street, Suite 100
Greenville, SC 29601
864.676.9663

web: brainsonfire.com
blog: brainsonfire.com/blog
that fancy electronic mail: spike@brainsonfire.com

We're baaackk! Join us in-person this October at B2B Forum: Boston!