Clif Bar Creative Brief — updates and final

Focus

The concept behind Clif Bar & Company’s request will be an image piece, particularly highlighting Clif Bar’s organic ingredients and sustainability. Because of Clif Bar & Company’s emphasis on organic ingredients, its earth-friendly business model and corporate social responsibility, the Company has become a leader in this specific energy bar niche.

In order to further expand Clif Bar & Company’s growing efforts with organics and sustainability, an updated image campaign could help the Company share its focus in this areas to a much larger audience. To do so, a 30-second series of commercial videos visualizing Clif Bar & Company’s “five aspirations,” especially the final “aspiration,” will be developed and featured on YouTube and “Clif Bar TV:

1. Sustaining our Planet – “Keep our impact on the environment small, even as we grow.”
2. Sustaining our Community – “Be good neighbors, give back to the community.”
3. Sustaining our People – “Create a workplace where people can live life to the fullest, even from 9-5.”
4. Sustaining our Business – “Grow slower, grow better and stick around longer.”
5. Sustaining our Brands – “Make what people actually need, don’t compromise quality” (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).
Brand

Clif Bar & Company products are not just for competitive athletes and outdoor enthusiasts anymore. The Clif Bar brand, which has been working to branch out beyond its initial product line of energy bars, has cornered the market mainly because of its focus on organic ingredients, earth-friendly business model and corporate social responsibility. Since 1990, Clif Bar & Company has created a portfolio of great-tasting, all-natural and organic products, including LUNA®, The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women®, and more recently CLIF Kid®, a complete line of organic, great-tasting and portable snacks for kids (Our Story, 2011). The following Clif Bar brand innovations highlight the Company’s emphasis on organic ingredients and sustainability:

– First high protein bar for women that provides satiation with natural & organic ingredients – LUNA Protein (2009)
– First organic kids’ snack line to address the need for whole grains & fruit – CLIF Kid line (2007)
– First organic sweet and salty trail mix bar – CLIF Mojo (2006)
– First organic nutrition bar for women – LUNA (2006)
– First energy gel to go organic – CLIF SHOT (2006)
– First electrolyte drink to use organic ingredients – CLIF SHOT (2005)
– First all-natural protein bar – CLIF Builder’s (2004)
– First energy bar brand to go organic – CLIF BAR (2003)
– First energy bar company to employ a staff ecologist and develop a sustainability program (2001)

Clif Bar’s strengths are built on its creation myth – developing an organic-focused energy bar recipe after a long 175-mile bike ride, when the competitor bars are just not cutting it. Clif Bar & Company’s “leader attitude” has set the brand apart from the rest in the field, but can also be a setback, without any strong competition in the market to fight for the best in the organics niche.

Clif Bar’s weaknesses are its lack of current paid advertising, marketing campaigns, especially related to traditional paid media, such as television and print media buys. This concept could help fill a void in Clif Bar & Company’s marketing mix as well as help to introduce its target audiences to its sustainable and organic branding approach.

Audience

Just like Clif Bar & Company’s founder Gary, Clif Bar & Company’s main target audience of consumers crave organic, sustainable energy products to keep them energized through long hikes, bikes and races – athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. Additional secondary target audiences – “green” mothers and students, crave organic options as well as sustainability practices among the brands they buy into. In order for Clif Bar & Company to successfully appeal to these audiences, health and well-being will need to be a theme that carries throughout each individual “aspiration” mentioned above.

Clif Bar & Company’s songbird is its organic tag, without its organic promise; there would be no Clif Bar creation story.

Content Points

What should Clif Bar’s target audiences know about its organic/sustainable image?

– All of Clif Bar & Company’s products are branded as organic, healthy and sustainable.
– Clif Bar & Company product packaging reflects its green and sustainable business goals.
– In 2001, Clif Bar & Company hired an on-staff ecologist to help advise employees on how to reduce waste. The result – the Company changed its packaging requirements and the plastic shrink wrap on all energy bar products was removed, reducing plastic waste by 90,000 pounds, saving Clif Bar & Company $450,000 a year (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).
– The zero waste business – Non-toxic ink and recyclable cardboard are only used in all Clif Bar brand products (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).

Creative Approach

Based on the explanation and the concept discussion mentioned above, the form of this Clif Bar’s creative campaign will be fiction. In order to make the Clif Bar & Company brand stand out to consumers and specific target audiences, short and pithy image commercials featuring Clif Bar & Company brand enthusiasts will effectively merit a fictional form. Because the creative piece will be featured online, specifically on “Clif Bar TV,” this also merits a short, fictional form.

The concept of the creative approach is to show Clif Bar’s target audience(s), interacting and somewhat indirectly promoting Clif Bar’s organic and sustainability model by using humor through relatable, real-life examples, to illustrate Clif Bar’s commitment to the environment and its focus on organic ingredients and branded products.

For example, Clif Bar & Company product packaging reflects its green and sustainable business goals. In 2001, Clif Bar & Company hired an on-staff ecologist to help advise employees on how to reduce waste. Through these efforts, the Company changed its packaging requirements and the plastic shrink wrap on all energy bar products was removed, reducing plastic waste by 90,000 pounds, saving Clif Bar & Company $450,000 a year (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).

The zero waste business model has also been infused to product packaging. Non-toxic ink and recyclable cardboard are only used in all Clif Bar brand products (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).

These are two examples that illustrate Clif Bar & Company’s sustainability model and commitment to the environment, both of which can me integrated into a fictional, creative piece. For the purposes of this creative approach, one example is listed below as an example of a spot that could be used to illustrate Clif Bar & Company’s sustainability efforts, but a series of spots should be developed to further expand the campaign.

Shooting Script

In this Clif Bar 30-second TV spot, a young woman and several friends are gearing up and packing up their packs for a weekend hike and bike ride. These outdoor enthusiasts are shown packing up for their adventures, with both healthy and unhealthy food products and supplies in their packs, while also being weary of recent bear warnings. The leader of the outdoor group comments to her friends that she brought some unhealthy snacks on the trip and another hiker comments about bringing those annoying SunChips bags, since they have sustainable packaging. Worried about the bears, the hikers keep their food supply outside of the tents, but the bear goes straight for the organic Clif Bars instead. One of the hikers comments, “Man, that bear has good taste!”

Clif Bar & Company 30-second spot “Bears Have Good Taste”

Video Audio
1 Close up (CS) of five hikers, three men, two women, packing up their packs and equipment for a day hike in a mountainous forest area. Dana: Let’s get all of our gear packed up so we can get on this amazing hike!
Brad: I hear there are some bear warnings in the area, but our camp sight should be out of the way…
2 Switch to medium shot (MS) of two women and one male hiker packing up their bags with unhealthy, non-organic snacks for the trip. Dana: Great, bears…
I am packing some sugar snacks in the mix here, but we’ll need the calories to keep us going on this massive hike.

3 CS of one woman trying to pack her bag with several sustainable packaged goods, such as the loud SunChips bags… Julie: I brought SunChips. They are healthy and they have this new eco-friendly packaging that rocks!

SFX: ANNOYING BAG CRUNCHING

4 Switch to CS of male hiker, finishing packing his pack for the hike. Patrick: Those bears are going to love those snacks! Sugar and loud noises, those will be sure to keep them away from our campsight…

SFX: ANNOYING BAG CRUNCHING CONTINUES
5 Switch to MS of male and female hiker grabbing several Clif Bar packages out of their cars. Julie: We willl be fine dude. We are packing some Clif Bars. They are made with organic and natural ingredients and their plastic packaging promotes zero waste, minus the annoying loud sounds…
Joe: Those bears are going to just to love those huh?
6 Switch to wide shot (WS) of entire hiking group all packed up, starting their hike SFX: Hiking poles hitting the ground.
7 WS of entire hiking group four hours later at dusk scene at camp sight. Group starting to set up tents and camp sight for the night. 4 HOURS LATER…
Joe: We made it! Let’s get our camp set up. This spot is great, no bears is this area for sure!
8 MS of female hikers getting food supply ready for the overnight. Dana: So what should we do with all of the food here for the night with these bear sightings?
Julie: Should keep all of the sugary stuff outside of our tents, but the Clif Bars should be totally fine… they are organic, no bears are going to want those…
9 CS of female hiker grabbing the Clif Bar boxes and putting them back near the entrance of her tent.
10 CS of Clif Bar packaging, with organic ingredients and sustainable packaging emphasized.
11 Switch to WS of entire hiking group around a fire. Group begins to head to their tents for the night. Joe: I think we should all settle in for the night to get moving tomorrow morning.
Julie: Good call Joe. I need my beauty sleep and I don’t want to make friends with any bears tonight anytime soon…
12 Switch to MS of all tents, lights off, except the fire. A bear appears, heads toward the sugary snacks outside of the tents. SFX: Growling, bear sounds
13 Switch to CS of bear claws grabbing the SunChip Bag and throwing it across the campsite. Bear notices sugary food, but ignores it. SFX: Growling, bag crunching.
14 Back to CS of the bear at the tent, grabbing the door and opening the tent door. Bear grabs Clif Bars and runs across the campsite. SFX: Tent zippers opening. Bear runs.
Julie screams.
Julie: My Clif Bars!

15 CS of bear ripping up the Clif Bars and eating them in the distance. SFX: Delicious munching of the organic Clif Bars. Quiet package opening.

16 Switch back to WS of hikers rat daybreak running out of their tents, checking for the bear and the rest of the food supply. Joe: Man, that bear has good taste!
17 CS of bear with empty packages of Clif Bars in its claws CLIF BAR AND COMPANY: Even bears crave organic!

Resources
Our Story (2011). Clif Bar & Company. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from
http://www.clifbar.com/soul/who_we_are/

Clif Bar & Company (2011). Retrieved September 23, 2011 from http://www.clifbar.com/

Clif Bar & Company (2011). Our Planet. Retrieved October 5, 2011 from
http://www.clifbar.com/soul/our_planet

Clif Bar & Company (2011). Zero Waste. Retrieved October 11, 2011 from
http://www.clifbar.com/soul/zero_waste/

Clif Bar & Company — Creative Approach

Concept Paper – Clif Bar & Company Creative Approach

Creative Approach

Based on the explanation and the fully fleshed out concept discussion in the concept paper, the form of this piece will be fiction. In order to make the Clif Bar & Company brand stand out to consumers and specific target audiences, short and pithy image commercials featuring Clif Bar & Company brand enthusiasts will effectively merit a fictional form. Because the creative piece will be featured online, specifically on “Clif Bar TV,” this also merits a short, fictional form.

The concept of the creative approach is to show Clif Bar’s target audience(s), interacting and somewhat indirectly promoting Clif Bar’s sustainability model by using humor and “social math” or comparisons through real-life examples, to illustrate Clif Bar’s commitment to the environment and its focus on organic ingredients and branded products.

For example, Clif Bar & Company product packaging reflects its green and sustainable business goals. In 2001, Clif Bar & Company hired an on-staff ecologist to help advise employees on how to reduce waste. Through these efforts, the Company changed its packaging requirements and the plastic shrink wrap on all energy bar products was removed, reducing plastic waste by 90,000 pounds, saving Clif Bar & Company $450,000 a year (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).

The zero waste business model has also been infused to product packaging. Non-toxic ink and recyclable cardboard are only used in all Clif Bar brand products (Clif Bar & Company, 2011).

These are two examples that illustrate Clif Bar & Company’s sustainability model and commitment to the environment, both of which can me integrated into a fictional, creative piece. For the purposes of this creative approach, one example is listed below as an example of a spot that could be used to illustrate Clif Bar & Company’s sustainability efforts, but a series of spots should be developed to further expand the campaign.

Shooting Script

In this Clif Bar TV spot, a young woman and several friends are gearing up and packing up for a day hike and bike ride when several outdoor enthusiasts are shown trying to pack organic and sustainable food products and supplies in their packs, but most of them are annoying, loud and advertised as organic and sustainable, but aren’t (such as the crumbly loud SunChips bags…) Andrea, the leader of the outdoor group comments to her friends. “How are we supposed to ‘leave no trace’ when all you can hear is our loud packaged food supply all the way across the mountain pass…” Another friend comments, “at least we have our Clif Bars to hold us over for the week…” The outdoor group smiles, each showing their bags and packs with several forms of Clif Bar products sticking out. As the group hikes through their trail, they spot a Sasquatch, scaring the hikers. The large beast sees the group and immediately comments, “Can you please keep it down with those “organic, sustainable, whatever, those bags are so loud, geez!” Don’t you know better you outdoorsy people?” The Sasquatch is seen coming around the corner, grabbing a Clif Bar and running in the opposite direction of the hikers.

Clif Bar & Company 30-second spot “He Man Loves Clif Bar”

Video Audio
1 Close up (CS) of five hikers, three men, two women, packing up their packs and equipment for a day hike in a mountainous forest area. Music: Instrumental banjo music.
2 Switch to medium shot (MS) of two women packing up their bags with healthy, organic snacks for the trip.
3 CS of one woman trying to pack her bag with several sustainable packaged goods, such as the loud SunChips bags… Andrea: How are we supposed to “leave no trace” when our food is so loud! You can hear that bag of chips all the way across the mountain pass!
4 Switch to MS of the rest of the hikers each holding examples of sustainable packaged food products before they put them into their packs. Music: Instrumental banjo music.
5 CS of Andrea’s friend Ann, holding a box of Luna Bar Minis Ann: At least we have Clif Bars to hold us over… Clif Bar does not have loud and annoying plastic packaging and it promotes zero waste! Win win right!?
6 CS of Clif Bar packaging, with organic ingredients and sustainable packaging emphasized Music: Instrumental banjo music.
7 Back to MS of Switch Andrea and the rest of the hikers, all holding packages or individual Clif Bar product. Andrea: Great minds think alike…
8 Switch to WS of hikers starting their outdoor day trip hiking adventure. Music: Instrumental banjo music.
9 Back to MS of hikers, stopping at a fork in the hiking trail.
10 CS of Sasquatch figure running along the trail. Rustling of leaves, loud running steps. Gasp from several hikers.
11 Switch to CS of Andrea and team standing toe to toe with the Sasquatch.
12 MS of male hiker goes to grab a bag of loud, eco-friendly chips from his bag to distract the Sasquatch. Crunching of loud eco-friendly chips bag.
13 Back to CS of Sasquatch figure grabbing the eco-friendly bag from the male hiker. Male Hiker: Gasps
Sasquatch: Can you please keep it down with those “organic, sustainable,” whatever, those bags are so loud, geez! Don’t you know better?

14 Switch to MS of all hikers in the group, confused and scared
15 MS of Sasquatch running and hiding behind a tree, hiding from the hikers Sasquatch: Clif Bar knows how to do it!
16 Switch back to MS of hikers, grabbing the loud sustainable organic bags. CLIF BAR AND COMPANY – DON’T DISTURB THE SASQUATCH

Shooting Script

CAPTAIN Y AND CAPTAIN Z (US ARMY) PAPER EDIT

CPT Y: Soldiers are the — are the heartbeat; they’re the pulse and they’re the tempo of [a] unit.

[PAUSE]

CPT Z: But, there’s a stereotype that if you’re in the Army, that you’ve got to be a man, you’ve got to take care of your family and you don’t ask for help. You just drive through that wall and crush it.

CPT Y: Most soldiers like to keep their own problems personal. But when they do need help, having an open door and a sharing ear –That’s our approach. [As a leader] you have to really have an honest ear and an open heart to accept whatever they come with. You’ve got to be willing to know that you want to help.

CPT Z: As Commanders, it’s important that we recognize those soldiers that need help and try to break that barrier and let them know it’s okay to come forward and ask for the help that the Army can provide them.

CPT Y: It’s a domino effect. Once one soldier receives help, he’s willing to help another soldier. That’s the one thing I ask of every soldier. If they’re willing to reach out that hand to help each other, it becomes contagious.

CPT Z: If one soldier is hurting, his friends are going to know about it. His friends are going to suffer from it. It’s going to bring down morale.
So as much as possible, you want to open up all avenues to help every soldier possible.

[PAUSE]

CPT Y: We’re servants to our nation. We’re servants to our soldiers, and we’re servants to our unit.

CPT Y: Every soldier wants to make his mark to either lead the team, be a part of the team. Nobody falls asleep at night to be in the Army to say I just want to get by tomorrow. They want to contribute.

CPT Y: With the balance of a strong unit and a supportive unit, a soldier never has to worry.

[PAUSE]

CPT Z: I may be a Commander, but I’m a man, I’m a husband, I’m a father, and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and had shortcomings. At the same time, somebody was always there to help me.

CPT Z: As Commanders, [we] live for our soldiers as — as we do our own families. If one of my soldiers is hurt, it’s — it’s more than personal. We have to ensure that [our soldiers] have the basic necessities to keep them healthy, and that’s where it starts, with motivation.

[PAUSE]

CPT Y: When a soldier’s child has has cancer, as in the case of Specialist Jones, anybody that has kids, even if you don’t have kids, it sends something through you.

CPT Y: That soldier is fighting with everything he has to to keep his child motivated and not think about the possibilities of what could happen, but living and surviving.

CPT Y: I wouldn’t know what I’d be able to do without the love and support of of my family, especially my kids.

CPT Y: Our eyes and ears and hearts are always open to helping family.

[PAUSE]

CPT Z: It’s a great motivator to know that you’re helping one of your soldiers. We will drop training at the drop of a hat to help soldiers and their families. And that is just absolutely crucial. Our unit is a family. And when one of them is in trouble, we all come to their aid. And that’s how — that’s how we make sure everybody is taken care of.

CPT Y: It’s an underlying trust that you build with your soldiers. If — if my soldier says he needs it or his family needs it, I give him the benefit of the doubt until I see otherwise.

CPT Z: And that’s one of the great things about being in the Army. It doesn’t matter what other organization you’re in; if you’re working at WalMart, if you’re at Microsoft or Pepsi, no — they’re not going to support you like the Army does.

CPT Z: There’s no other employer in the world that will support its employees like the Army does.

[CONCLUSION]

30-second spots — shooting scripts for Doritos and Career Builder

30-second spot #1 Doritos “Nice Crunch”

Video Audio
Close up (CS) of three guys on a couch watching TV. Guy to the right leans over to Dave in the middle of the couch and whispers in his ear. Greg: Hey, what a great idea inviting our wives to watch the super bowl.
Switch to medium shot (MS) of three wives sitting at the kitchen table. Brunette Wife to the right: What I don’t understand is why guys are so in love with their…
Back to close up (CS) of guy to the right grabbing a Dorito from the bag Dave: CRUNCH sound of the Dorito being grabbed from the bag and eaten.
CS of guy in the middle of the couch, eyes widen
CS of Brunette Wife Brunette Wife: Every Saturday Dave washes…
CS of Dave grabbing Doritos from the bag and putting them in his mouth Dave: CRUNCH sounds — blocks out wife talking
Back to CS of Brunette Wife Brunette Wife: …and waxes
Back to CS of Dave grabbing another handful of Doritos from the bag Dave: CRUNCH sound blocking out wife talking
CS of Blond Wife at kitchen table Blonde Wife:…but Dave has a really nice…
Back to CS of Husband #1 grabbing handful of Doritos and putting in mouth Greg: CRUNCH sound blocking out Blond Wife talking
Back to CS of Blond Wife at kitchen table Blonde Wide: If Greg had a….
Back to CS of Greg grabbing handful of Doritos and putting in mouth Greg: CRUNCH sound blocking out Blond Wife talking
Back to CS of Blonde Wife Blonde Wife: …like that I would not mind so much…
Back to CS of Greg laughing with full mouth of Doritos Laughter
Medium shot (MS) of all three husbands on the couch laughing with full mouths of Doritos All three husbands laugh
Back to MS of all three wives looking over at husbands from kitchen table
CS of Brunette Wife, looks pensive Brunette Wife: What’s so funny?
Back to CS of Dave with full mouth of Doritos, crumbs all over shirt
Back to CS of Brunette wife, angry face
Back to CS of Dave with full mouth of Doritos, crumbs all over shirt Dave: Nothing… (full mouth of Doritos, mumbles)
Back screen with Doritos logo pans across screen. Bell rings

30-second spot #2 CareerBuilder “Parking Lot”

Video Audio
Medium shot (MS)of Ron in his black VW pulling into a parking lot. Instrumental music and car noise.
Wide shot (WS) of older Chrysler pulling into the parking spot next to Ron. Instrumental music.
Close up (CS) of Ron taking off his seat belt and opening his car door. Car is parked too close to open the door. Door opens and slams against Chrysler.
MS of Chrysler driver door opening, monkeys in suits run out of car. Ron yelling at passengers. Ron: Guys, um, can you just give me a little bit of space here? Driver Monkey: Make loud noice. Ron: You parked a little close.
Pan back to MS of Ron stuck in his car. Ron: Guys!
Pan back to CS of Monkey grabbing briefcase from car. Ron: Come on guys!
Pan back to MS of Ron stuck in car, with monkeys running from Chrysler. Ron: I got a meeting!
Pan back to CS of Ron in his car. Closes door. Ron: Nevermind… these guys…
MS of Ron in his car, another Chrysler pulled up next to Ron on the left and crashes into Ron’s car. Car crash sounds.
CS of Chrysler bumping into Ron’s car all the way down the side. Skidding.
MS of Ron trying to open the passenger side door to his car. STUCK BETWEEN A BAD JOB AND A HARD PLACE?
CS of Ron stuck in his car. Ron: Come on did you notice that you clipped me right there?
Back to MS of Ron stuck in his car, monkey driver and passenger with briefcases get out of the car.
Back to MS of monkey driver jumping over Ron’s car. CAREERBUILDER.COM: START BUILDING

Under Armour and Clif Bar & Company

Under Armour

Founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank – the originator of performance apparel – Under Armour’s key strength is its gear engineered to keep athletes cool, dry and light throughout the course of a game, practice or workout. Under Armour (UA) started with a simple plan to make a superior T-shirt and has since branched out to add shoes and other lines to its repertoire. Under Amour’s consumers desire extreme athletic performance and look for the best apparel to sustain intense workouts. UA’s songbird is apparel that outlasts, out sweats the competition.

Clif Bar & Company

Gary Erikson came up with the idea to develop his own energy bars after a long 175-mile bike ride – he believed he could make an even better bar that would sustain his passion for outdoor sports. Clif Bar & Company’s business model is built around a focus on sustainability, which is integrated into all aspects of its business. Just like Gary, Clif Bar consumers crave organic, sustainable energy products to keep them energized through long hikes, bikes and races. Clif Bars & Company’s songbird is its organic tag, without its organic promise; there would be no Clif Bar story.

Mac vs. PC

Starting in 2006, Apple focused its Get a Mac Campaign on two main characters: PC (John Hodgman) and Mac (Justin Long). According to Ad Age, these ads, created out of TBWA/Media Arts Lab, used human interaction to display the differences between the PC and the Mac (Ad Age, 2011). The human interaction itself displayed in these advertising spots, do illustrate specific needs and desires of the audiences, as well as specific advancements that the Mac itself has over the PC. For example:

The “Accident” spot highlights how PC power cords are very rigid, causing an accident when tripped over, whereas the Mac has a magnetic power cord that can be easily removed. In this case, consumers want a power cord that does not cause accidents. Similar wants and desires as also displayed in the “Viruses” spot, where PC is plagued with a virus, showing that Mac does not have to deal with such things, as well as the “Restarting” spot, where PC continues to be interrupted by restarting, whereas the Mac just keeps talking away.

All of the spots from the Get a Mac Campaign illustrate several examples of consumer needs and desires, such as bundled software packages (iLife) to being able to use the device right out of the box (Out of the Box). Not only do the stories highlight the desires of consumers, their wants and needs, but it also broadcasts the differences between the two characters, from their styles to their actual offerings. Mac is fun, creative, hip and cool, whereas PC is great for work, timesheets, pie charts and is more strict and reserved with its offerings. Several spots even compare the two characters together, such as with the “Touche” spot, where Mac testifies that it is also a PC, it can run the same operating systems as a PC, basically showing that not only is the Mac cooler and more creative, but can also run the same programs.

Without Mac’s songbird, its ability to always have a comeback, always have a program or gadget above the PC, there would not be a storyline, a full story. Without Mac’s ability to counteract all of PC’s character flaws, there would be no back and forth, no “I am better than you,” storyline. Mac is always one-uping the PC, always having some way to show just how fun and better it is than the PC. Without that, there really is not challenge, no storyline. PC’s songbird, its ability to remain in the market, remain consistently one step behind the Mac, allows the storyline to continue. If the PC was able to fix all of the issues and problems that Mac has been able to overcome, they would be equals, as opposed to friendly competitors, which would end the back and forth, the journey from winner to loser.

Resource

Ad Age (2011, August 24). The 10 Best Ads to Come out of Steve Jobs’ Reign at Apple. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://adage.com/article/news/apple-ads-steve-jobs-10-apple-advertisements/229465/

P.I. Reed School of Journalism (2011). Find the Songbird. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from eCampus.

Mac vs. PC – Touche. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EpFI9d8p-c

Mac vs. PC – trustMac. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-qS2xTTPuM&feature=relmfu

Mac vs. PC – Viruses. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63zlotuom4w&feature=related

Mac vs. PC – Accident. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzEtRrZVFIQ

Mac vs. PC – Restarting. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT3_tiQZwwA

Mac vs. PC – iLife. Retrieved September 12, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SH9swBnvLU

Brands Within Brands

Rocky (1976, John G. Avildsen)

Rocky Balboa embodies the quintessential “underdog,” brand. Audiences buy into the fact that Rocky is the struggling boxer, living several lives at once, except for Rocky himself, who believes he can “make it big.” The mental package associated with Rocky includes sheer competitive nature, raw talent and drive, which at times, affects and alters Rocky’s relationships, Stella for one. Without the elements of talent, competition and just raw self-determination, Rocky would not embody the “underdog” brand that transforms him, leads his struggle through his personal goals and the high stakes set for him from the industry.

Titanic (1997, James Cameron)

The Titanic itself could be considered the largest (no pun intended) and most influential brand in James Cameron’s film. Grandiose, immense, zenith, gaudy even, these ideals was doomed from the start. Audiences and passengers alike embraced the brand, embraced the size and grandeur, but unfortunately these cues were immediately switched when the Titanic was unable to stand behind its brand. The Titanic changed – it was no longer was zenith, instead proven to be a failure for all that wished it off.

The Graduate (1967, Mike Nichols)

The affair between Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin Braddock itself could be considered the brand that embodies the visual and verbal cues associated most with the Graduate. Lies, secrets, hatred, love, utter emotion, all clusters of ideas that come to mind with this affair – the image of Mrs. Robinson’s leg falling into frame. The affair transforms each character directly affected by the affair, which also transforms the brand itself, the sheer chaos and destruction it caused.

Kashi
http://www.kashi.com/

Kashi’s “seven whole grains on a mission” could best be described as healthy, all natural, heart and soul, active lifestyle seeking and a promise to “real food.” Without the seven grains, Kashi would not effectively be able to stand behind its central ideal and brand mission. With a focus on community, Kashi’s brand embodies a whole lifestyle, integrating healthy food choices and eating habits with a community-oriented focus.

Clif Bar & Company
http://www.clifbar.com/

Food, play and soul really sum up Clif Bar & Company’s brand elements. In 1990, Gary Erickson, owner of Clif Bar, lived in his parent’s garage and had an “epiphany” to develop the Clif Bar after a 175-mile bike ride with a friend. In hopes to make a better bar, Gary decided to develop his own bars in his mother’s kitchen, and after many attempts the Clif Bar was born (Our Story, 2011). Organic, quality, health-centered, outdoorsy, athletic, active lifestyles – all ideas that are embedded in the Clif Bar brand. Clif Bar’s Five Aspirations: community, people, planet, brand and business, also summarize the ideas behind this active lifestyle brand.

New Balance
http://www.newbalance.com/

Athletic, active, running, domestic and U.S.-made – all clusters of ideas that embody the New Balance brand. New Balances core set of company values that include integrity, teamwork and total customer satisfaction, which also help embody the brand itself (About New Balance). With a commitment to the values of community and local business, New Balance’s brand embodies the mission it stands for and represents in the mind of its active consumers.

Resources

Clif Bar and Company (2011). Our Story. Retrieved September 5, 2011 from http://www.clifbar.com/soul/who_we_are/

About New Balance (2011). About New Balance. Retrieved September 5, 2011 from http://www.newbalance.com/company/

Storytelling — The Best of the Best in Film

I was very intrigued by this list of movies, mostly because my cousins are film students, so I have seen all of the Hitchcock’s and several others in the list, all of which are amazing films. I recently saw the musical Sunset Boulevard, so I was interested in the movie as well. I have watched all of the three of these movies that I am discussing this week, some more recent than others, and I was very excited to explore and discuss each individual story in-depth, with a focus on the story elements – what actually makes these films part of the greatest list of all time films.

Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)

Sunset Boulevard documents Norma Desmond’s transformation and journey from 1950’s Hollywood silent-screen goddess to demented recluse. Norma’s personal journey throughout the film gives nod back to her hay day, silent-screen sensation, but highlights what her life has become, the façade of her dated mansion, her butler that is keeping her sane, and her sought after dreams of making it “big” again. Norma’s reputation, fame, and celebrity is at stake, which viewers slowly see slip away as her journey progresses. Joe Gillis, small-time writer, who uses Norma as a way to “make it big,” brings in optimism and promise to both Norma and Joe’s career, but Norma’s demented sense of reality overshadows her dreams. Norma’s image as a strong celebrity starlet and her passion for film transcends through the story, which ends up taking over and ending her life. Unfortunately, in Norma Desmond’s tragic journey, she does not see an incentive to stop pursing her next come back in the business, which in the end, takes her life as well as those around her. Norma Desmond’s personal journey is very tragic, but her journey does illustrate the rise and fall of a starlet and her personal strife with the industry that built her.

Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954)

Rear Window, one of Hitchcock’s famous thrillers, documents Jimmy Stewart’s character’s transformation from an even-keeled photographer laid up in a wheelchair from an auto race, to a paranoid peeper, who begins to suspect that one of his neighbors may have murdered his wife. In the case of Jimmy Stewart’s character, what is at stake is the truth behind the murder, seen through Jimmy’s character, the seemingly sole witness. As the story continues to unfold, not only is Jimmy’s safety at stake, but also his high-society friend’s, Grace Kelly’s character, who he enlists to become part of his plan to find out about this presumed murder. Jimmy’s dynamic paranoid antics are transferred onto his friend, which can be seen and heard (since Hitchcock is the master of suspense). The safety of himself and his friend, should be reason enough not to act on his paranoid assumptions, but that does not stop Jimmy Stewart’s character from putting himself and his friend in the middle of conflict. As told through his binoculars, Jimmy Stewart’s character let’s his paranoia get in the way of reasonable decisions and actions, putting himself and his friend at risk. If only he could have listened to his friend, and take his health issue as a time to relax, which was the opposite of his personal journey.

Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)

In the case of the very funny “Some Like it Hot,” comedy drives the energy between Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon’s characters, both trying to find a way to stay hidden from the mob, by dressing up as women and becoming an all girls band. On the façade, both characters are “transformed” from mobsters to female singers, but below the surface, Tony Curtis’s character is faced with the feelings he has for Marilyn Monroe’s character, which he must treat as a peer as opposed to a love interest. Unlike the first two stories I just discussed, there is a very strong reason for Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon to not act on their feelings – becoming found out by the mob. Tony Curtis is faced with having to hide his feelings from Marilyn Monroe’s character and Jack Lemmon is faced with ignoring his rich suitor, in order to both keep their cover and remain safe from their character’s fate. The comedy energy throughout the film seems to mask the seriousness of the men’s fate, but the comedy drives each man’s transformation.

All characters in the three stories discussed above have something at stake, whether it is fame, safety or security, and they all have to face some trial or tribulation that they must overcome in order to make it to the next phase of their journey, or they let the journey itself get the best of them. Suspense, drama and comedy can all act as the driver, leading these characters from one location in their journey to the next, maybe causing roadblocks, but eventually leading to resolve, no matter how smooth or abrupt it may seem.

Resources

IMDB (n.d.). Sunset Boulevard. Retrieved August 29, 2011 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/

IMDB (n.d). Rear Window. Retrieved August 29, 2011 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047396/)

IMDB (n.d). Some Like it Hot. Retrieved August 29, 2011 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/).

Social Product Development

I went home this weekend for my best friend from high school’s wedding and actually read my hometown Sunday paper with my dad. I picked up the Parade Magazine to take with me on the flight home, just for a quick read. There was a feature article in this week’s edition about a 24-year-old who is taking a new direction on helping amateur inventors bring their gadgets to market, while using some interesting integrated online tools.

Ben Kaufman, founder of Quirky.com, is pretty much reinventing the business of invention through “social product development. Each week, amateur inventors submit new gadget ideas to the Quirky.com website and the online community of members, also known as “Quirks,” vote on their favorite weekly submissions. The site charges $10 for each idea submitted and the online community debates and votes each week on which ideas were the best. According to Kaufman, less than a third of products actually get made. Even if products get “Quirk” community approval, products must also get enough pre-orders from web-surfers to cover production costs before a new product will actually go on the site and go to market. New product idea can come from any aspiring inventor, but they have to go through the online “Quirks” community to get approval and buy-in.

I think integrating the ideas and likes/dislikes of an online community is a great way to determine new product development. It is also an interesting idea to integrate an online community into inventions, because there is already a developed network of IT, early adopters that would want to be a part of new gadget development and consultations. By giving others the opportunity to help with a process like this, it has a better chance of getting consumer buy-in and increase purchasing power, because some of this audience was actually part of the process.

I actually found a really cool camera tool for my inspiring film director cousin that I am going to get as a Christmas gift on the Quirky.com site. I think it really does help to consult future buyers before developing a product, to assess interest and that is one part of the Quirky.com business model. I am interested to explore “social product development” more as well as this pretty cool gadget site!

Intellectual Property Online

Online legal concerns seem to be popping up more regularly when it comes to social media and social media marketing. According to Ann Marie Van Den Hurk, guest columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader, the same rules for traditional advertising and intellectual property apply online, such as presenting false and misleading claims and of course not being allowed to lift someone else’s content and claiming it as your own (plagarism 101, basically), and endorsers, including bloggers, must disclose business relationships.

According to Lisa Greenwald-Swine, principal at Fish & Richardson, infringement, brand protection and rules related to contest and giveaways should be main priorities for businesses with an online presence in relation to intellectual property. Business and even individuals, must protect their online property with social media policies. There are even some free services to help develop these agreements and policies, such as Policy Tool and Social Policy Generator. The best thing about these, is they are FREE!

After reading and learning more about online intellectual property and some of the protocol, it seems that pretty much anything that applies to current policies and traditional advertising and marketing protocol, also applies to online platforms. If you are worried about your online presence, your social marketing programs or any other IP matters, it is best to consult with experts and/or lawyers that deal with intellectual property on a daily basis, such as the Fish & Richardson firm. When in doubt, consult the experts or search for tools online that may be able to assist with the preliminary policy paperwork. Better to have proof of “property” rights than claiming ownership without any official documentation.