My Thoughts on the 2010 Superbowl Ads (Cross-Post)
by Brian Reich | 8 Feb 2010, 11:18am
I spent far too much time writing down my thoughts about the 2010 Superbowl advertising on my Fast Company blog. Anyway, here is my post:
I was unimpressed with most/all of the advertising during last night’s Superbowl — and I know I am not alone. There are, of course, several different lines of attack I could level against the brand and advertising community:
- The ads lacked creativity or originality — isn’t that the very thing the brand and advertising community pride themselves on most?
- The ads weren’t funny — and even if they were funny, was that the best (or only) way to attract attention and deliver a message to the audience?
- Most ads were clearly anti-women — is it really necessary to cut down a whole segment of our society, and the viewing audience, to sell your product?
- There was very little TV-to-online/mobile connection made — don’t you understand how people are watching television today, or the ways we get/share information about products and services?
But I don’t want to add to the pile of criticism that the brand and advertising community is certain to be digging out from underneath this morning. I want to try to help. I have made my share of mistakes when putting together campaigns for my clients and I know that constructive, focused feedback always helps me improve for next time.
Read the whole post here: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/brian-reich/im-media-te-impact/my-thoughts-2010-superbowl-ads?1265645619
Sports and Change (Cross-post)
by Brian Reich | 26 Jan 2010, 9:48am
I am leading a discussion about ‘how to handle what’s next’ at the USA Today Sports Philanthropy Forum later today in McLean, VA. To help set up the discussion I put together some thoughts about how the sports world is in a position to help us address causes in new, powerful ways because of the important role that sports play in people’s lives.
Here is an excerpt:
Religion, in its most basic form, is a socially shared set of beliefs and rituals that allows us to transcend the material world and impart meaning to our lives. The same is true for sports.
Sports and religion both have organized hierarchies and places of “ceremony” and devotion where followers gather. For many fans, Sundays revolve around the big game, the way church attendance provides a focal point for a weekend. Fans wear a team’s colors and carry its flags, icons, and mascots as public displays of their faith and commitment. At stadiums, as well as in groups gathered around television sets in bars and living rooms, repetitive chanting, hand-clapping, booing the other team, doing the wave, and other activities create a similar shared experience that many get during a responsive prayer or the singing of a hymn. Sports and religion share a vocabulary: words like devotion, dedication, sacrifice, commitment, spirit, prayer, suffering, and celebration are used as commonly when describing teams and contests as they are when discussing one’s faith.
Sports are not technically religion, of course, but all over the globe people worship sports much the same as they do religion. For many, sports are the main thing in their lives, and without them, they would not feel complete.
Sports unite individuals in a celebration of common interest and shared belief. In religion, that common interest and shared belief has been used to advocate on behalf of causes and social issues. In fact, religion has been among the most powerful agents for changing human attitudes and behavior. Sports too can help to shift the way people think and take action to support important issues and causes. Few groups in our society have such potential to drive meaningful, measurable change – and few would benefit as greatly as the sports world could, in the process.
You can read the whole post over at im-media-te impact, my Fast Company Experts Blog. Here is the link: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/brian-reich/im-media-te-impact/sports-and-change
TAGS
: Causes Fast Company im-media-te impact ThinkingAboutSports USA Today Sports Philanthropy Forum USTSPF
1 comment
What Makes A Brand Powerful?
by Brian Reich | 25 Jun 2009, 2:26pm
Over on my Fast Company Experts blog, I offered some thoughts on the new Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 Study. Here is how my post begins:
Cone Inc released their “Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100” report yesterday - in which it valued (and ranked) the brands of some of America’s leading social, environmental and animal organizations. Not surprisingly, the report is already generating a lot of buzz. People mostly want to talk about which charities were ranked and which ones weren’t, or who scored highest on the list (and why). But I think that is the wrong discussion to have. I want to focus on something else - the very concept of brand, and its importance for nonprofit organizations, in today’s connected society.
Go read the full post, and let me know what you think.
TAGS
: Brand Cone Inc Fast Company impact Intangible Business Make-A-Wish Nonprofit Power Brand 100 Nonprofits
leave a comment
