Personal Branding TV » Commercial Breaks

Commercial Break – Gap: Khaki Soul

robin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:33:56 +0000

From Issue 34 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter:

Gap: Khaki Soul

I love this commercial because:
I am a fan of Bill Withers and his music. I am an eternal optimist (see my 360Reach brand assessment results), and I love how positive this commercial is. It features the product (Khakis and other Gap clothing) while being entertaining and uplifting.

This ad and YOUR personal brand:
What music (or sounds) convey the essence of your brand?

Commercial Break – Target: Hello – Goodbuy

robin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:00:59 +0000

From Issue 33 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter:

I love this commercial because: I love every Target ad. They are always on-brand – demonstrating their creativity and touting their value. They are consistent. I love the play on words with the Beatles’ song and the simplicity of the message.

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Be consistent. Communicate your message clearly and frequently. When it is crystal clear, those around you will be able to communicate it on your behalf.

Commercial Break – Audi: Grip

robin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:54:00 +0000

From Issue 32 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter:

Audi: Grip

I love this commercial because: They take one product feature which could be complicated to understand and make it accessible to everyone. It is fun to watch and you clearly get the message through a narrator and series of well-crafted images.

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Is your message complicated? Is it difficult to explain what you do? How can you describe what you do in terms of something everyone can understand?

Commercial Break – Wendy’s: Where’s The Beef?

robin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:43:11 +0000

From Issue 31 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter:

Wendy’s: Where’s The Beef?

I love this commercial because: Wendy’s created a catchphrase that became viral – long before viral marketing was prevalent and important. I would look forward to these ads, waiting for Clara Peller to say “Where’s the beef?”

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Do you have a phrase you use over and over – like Martha Stewart’s “It’s a good thing” or Tracy Jordan’s “What’s happ’n Chief?” or Tim Gund’s “Make it work.”? I’m not suggesting you create one, but if you have a catchphrase, flaunt it!

Commercial Break – American Express: Ellen: Dance to Your Own Tune

robin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:48:38 +0000

From Issue 30 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter:

American Express: Ellen: Dance to Your Own Tune

I love this commercial because: It’s all about individuality and that’s what personal branding is about too. Ellen has become a huge success because she is willing to be who she is. Her brand attributes of quirky and fun and her passion for dancing (she dances among the studio audience before every one of her shows) make her one-of-a-kind. (click here to find out if ‘quirky’ is one of your brand attributes). The conclusion is that American Express treats you like an individual.

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Are you willing to be yourself – to put who you are into what you do and how you do it? Personal branding is based in authenticity, not in creating an image for the outside world. Be yourself – your best self!

Commercial Break – Sony Bravia: Colour

robin — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:09:04 +0000

Another in the series of Commercial Break personal branding videos.

Sony Bravia: Colour

I love this commercial because: No words. No actors. No product spokespeople. Sony set out to do one thing: convince you of the superior color of their Bravia HDTVs and they did so creatively.

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Do you know what color best represents your personal brand? You can find out here: http://bit.ly/JtZlT.

Commercial Break – Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia)

robin — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:01:25 +0000

Another in the series of Commercial Break personal branding videos.

I love this commercial because: I love physical humor. I think this ad is really, really, really funny! I laugh every time I see it – and I have seen it dozens of times!

This ad and YOUR personal brand: If you are quick-witted or funny, flaunt it. Adults like to laugh even though we laugh one tenth as much as children. Humor is truly a powerful tool. If ‘humorous’ is one of your brand attributes, use it! You can learn what your brand attributes are with 360Reach (15-day passwords are free!)

Commercial Break – Lotus: I am Superman

robin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:52:02 +0000

Another in the series of commercial break personal branding videos.

I love this commercial because: I worked for Lotus (the best company I ever worked for – thanks to Kevin Powers – the head of Advertising for hiring me) when we created this ad. We learned from focus groups that one of the most valuable aspects of our software was that it made end-users feel powerful and successful – yet we rarely talked about it. We developed an ad to highlight this and simultaneously tout how globally pervasive our software was. It was aimed at the end-user – not the IT executive who normally makes the purchasing decision. The ad was developed as a part of a multi-element campaign. All of us (Lotus employees with offices facing the Charles River) had ‘I Am’ posters in our windows. Before the term social media existed, we involved the customer community in the advertisement. We invited customers to take photos of themselves holding ‘I Am’ posters and we posted them on our web site. It was truly a marketing program and not just an advertisement.

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Two important things: 1. Know your influencers. Who needs to know about you so they can convince purchasers that they should buy from you/hire you? 2. Don’t just market or advertise your brand, build entire programs that get your brand community involved. For every communications activity you build, think of five other ways to engage your brand community.

Commercial Break – American Airlines – We Know Why You Fly

robin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:11:02 +0000

A new commercial break personal branding video.

I love this commercial because: It acknowledges that the flight is just a bridge between where you are and where you want to be (Disclosure: I am Executive Platinum on American Airlines and fly them almost exclusively). I think US airlines get a lot of bad press (and I am the first in line to rip them to shreds when they screw up), but I must say, I have had a lot of great experiences with American Airlines and I think the positive stories are rarely shared.

This ad and YOUR personal brand: Branding is all about creating emotional connection between you and your constituencies. How do you relate to your brand community and create these kinds of connections?