I was having trouble on the topic of this blog. Research and evaluation in advertising doesn't strike me as an interesting or fun topic to write about. So naturally, I started to Google the subject. While looking into the purposes of research in advertising, I came across "creative concept research." AQR says this term refers to a form of qualitative advertising research. Creative ideas are studied to advance the development of the most effective ideas.
I found a dozen or so websites that explained the process in great detail. I could show them to you, but I won't. I will however, show you my favorite of the bunch:
The above website is for a company (Creative Concepts) which takes brands and makes them brilliant. It caught my eye right away with it's unique homepage. The company, founded ten years ago, is based in the Middle East. Dubai, to be more specific. I think their "About Us" page is phenomenal. It provides a very brief background of the company and it tells the viewer what they are all about.
"Creative Concepts exude originality and are responsible for many award winning brand, marketing and creative campaigns in the Middle East. Our unique approach combined with the development of our original concepts ensures that our clients continue to shine – year after year.
We love what we do and we LISTEN to our clients. We interpret your vision, creating sparkling brand identities and crisp marketing copy. We offer our clients cost effective, creative and original solutions to advance their business and we become what is essentially – a part of their team.
Our strength lies in our ability to translate a client’s vision into a reality."
In just a few short paragraphs they had me wanting to work with them. And if that wasn't enough, the "Services" page will surely do the trick. People like honesty and this company seems to be very imaginative and honest.
"The essence of our service:
Well done is better than well said. Give people more than they expect. If we don't take care of you, someone else will. We may not have the answer, but we'll find it, we may not have the time but we'll make it."
When a client signs on, they want to feel like they are your top priority, and I think the statement above, does just that. They are straightforward saying that they may not always have the answers, but they will not stop until they do.
On the Creative Concepts "Portfolio" page, you can find several pieces the company has created for it's clients. And I should mention, big name clients, such as, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco Systems, Norton, Rotana, EMC, Juniper Networks, etc. Obviously this company is doing very well, and I can see why, if their services are anything like what their website describes. Take a look at some of their work:
We have reached a time where it seems that everything is "going viral." It is as simple is uploading YouTube videos. Record, post, and watch it take off. I do not know how many times I heard someone laughing about a video, email, or commercial they saw and immediately went to my computer to check it out and see what all the hype was about. My first example? This kid:
By just posting himself lip syncing to popular songs he is a perfect example of going viral. To date, his most popular video on YouTube has over 46 million hits! He is now famous and has appeared in commercials and has performed on Americas Got Talent.
So how can a person's [blank] go viral? It may be anything from a lip syncing video on YouTube to a commercial for Coca Cola. They might be completely unrelated, but they both require the same steps.
Ideally, with viral marketing your audience spreads the message for you. Why pour thousands of dollars into a campaign when your audience can spread the word for in some cases, no money at all?
A slideshow on SlideShare.net shared the key ingredients for the success stories in viral marketing:
Huge fun factor, new factor, intriguing factor, sexy factor
Creative copy writing and visuals
You should look cool when forwarding to friend
Easy to forward
Praise should go to you as forwarder for finding it!
Cool and easy to summarize story
Energy and drive of posters is crucial
Selected and motivated underground posters working day and night
Credible look and feel (professional amateurism)
Rumour should be believable; people are credible, corporations not
The slideshow also says that in order to spread "like a virus," the ad (or other medium) must appeal to any or all of the following human motivators:
Entertainment
Fun, humour, games, quizzes, videos, songs...anything to pass the time not working.
Greed
Sweeps entries and other free offers.
"Limited free stock" vs. rest of catalogue for sale.
Charity (and/or fear)
You can help save the world. Ask all your friends to sign this online petition/buy this item/visit this Web page daily...etc.
I think that in a way, viral marketing is or can be classified as guerrilla marketing. The point of both is to stand out from all the clutter. The video posted below really caught my attention. The ad is promoting Evian. I watched it twice in a row. I thought it was a very creative and humorously disturbing.
I mean, who doesn't love a posse of rollerskating infants? This commercial, also on YouTube, has 47 million hits since posted in 2009.
My last example of an ad going viral, is the Smartwater Campaign, launched in March of this year. Jennifer Aniston, spokesperson for the company, made sales skyrocket through print ads and commercials. In one print ad, Aniston posed topless with a bottle of Smartwater. What is interesting, though, is that from the start of the campaign the audience was made aware of the techniques used to make these ads go viral. The company does a great job of showing this in the commercial below.
Did you see a familiar face? Yep, that's right, lip syncing kid has not only appeared on America's Got Talent, but is now in commercials!
So Jennifer Aniston starts by saying, "Hi, I'm Jen Aniston and I'm here to talk to you about Smartwater. But in this day and age apparently I can't just do that, can I? ...I have to make a video apparently, that turns into a virus...right, sorry, viral."
As you just saw, the video parodies several videos that have gone viral in the past, such as the dancing babies and the very popular Double Rainbow. It also uses other techniques that catch peoples attention: animals, mild violence and sex appeal. This advertisement is unique because it is honest about what it's goal is from start to finish, and to really make a point, when Aniston asks what to call the video at the end, the "internet boys" say, "Jen Aniston Sex Tape?" And Aniston replies, "I love it."
Guess what? "Jen Aniston Sex Tape" went viral overnight. Goal achieved.
So, now that my blog has inadvertently become a advocate for Creative Concepts, I want to finish off with an interesting article I found on Smashingapps.com, titled 31 Masterpieces Of Creative And Clever Advertising Concepts. Here are a few of the ads: 
