PPB March 2018

62 | MARCH 2018 | THINK Jen Alexander is associate editor of PPB. AD-ITIVES Reel Appeal Brands buck the trend of shrinking ad spots with animated content. While many marketers are hoping to avoid consumer ire by trimming their television spots to as few as six seconds, some big brands are sticking with longer ads—but with a cartoon twist. Animated ads are on the rise, according to brand consultant Howard Belk, because they elevate stories above product pitches. Belk told Ad Week that swapping traditional content for animated vignettes is how major brands hope to connect with audiences and drive engagement. The format is ideal for viewing on digital devices, too, because users are comfortable watching short-form content on phones and tablets. Taco Bell hopped on the animation train with a cartoon spot to celebrate National Taco Day. The 100-second spot, which also honors company founder Glen Bell, has had more than 100 million views on YouTube. Source: YouTube MARKET SHARE Catch Phrase Viral quotes and quips are being mined for marketing gold. In the good old days, brands purposefully created slogans to boost brand recognition and plastered them on merchandise to extend their reach. Wearing a t-shirt, ballcap or button was the original way to make “Where’s The Beef?” and “I’m A Pepper” go viral. Now it’s become society’s self- appointed duty to spot those quotable quotes popping up on Twitter feeds and Tinder tales, and make marketing magic with them. Some catchwords and phrases are self promoted by the individuals who coin them; case in point, the founder of Twitter page “WeRateDogs” frequently sells out of merch emblazoned with phrases from his tweets, such as “They’re good dogs, Brent” and “Puppers Before People.” Others, however, are created out of a total stranger’s online adventures. When Missouri State University student Hayden Moll accidentally rejected a fellow MSU student named Claudia on Tinder, he sent out a message to every woman at the school with the same name who had an account on the dating app. The message went viral, and clothier Five Pound Apparel saw an opportunity to get in on the action. Tweeting an image of a shirt that said, “I’ll be your Claudia,” the company offered to pay for the couple’s first date—if they could connect. The digital fates brought the two together for a brief meeting not long after Moll’s message went out, and if the sales of the t-shirt are any indication (as of press time, two out of four sizes were out of stock), it’s definitely a match made in marketing heaven. Source: weratedogs.com Source: weratedogs.com