It’s been a while since I last sent a Friday mail (got sidetracked by the SuperBowl and by the Winter Olympics) but the eternal search continues… So this week we have been looking at different ways agencies have used to approach the age-old issue of selling your pitch in an engaging way. So below are examples of how to sell a product, how to settle an argument, how to encourage charity and how to get more from PowerPoint.
Personalised persuasion, from the Muppets.
Given all that’s been going on in the world, it is unsurprising that you can’t look anywhere without some form of CSR initiative taking place. So I recently came across this one from Disney and I love it. The chaos of the Muppets combined with subtle personalization and a base degree of interactivity. Classic.
For all the men you’ve loved before…
Interactive video is becoming de rigueur and this is a lovely example from Wrangler; showcasing new clothing ranges for men by allowing the user to interact with the model. Push him, pull him, rip his clothes off. It’s pseudo-pornographic, which is why I wasn’t surprised when the Creative Director of the Ad Agency that looks after Lynx told me that they were looking to do something similar for the next campaign. Not quite sure how we could use it in RecAd, but then that’s not the point.
The dangers of PowerPoint (and some useful features)
We came across this engaging comedy piece about using PowerPoint, which has now been seized upon by the Twitterati. Whilst it may be amusing, there is a serious point – PowerPoint is a tool to support the presentation of material, not a tool for writing presentations. Something nicely illustrated by Armanda Iannucci, who shows us what happens when a comedy routine is delivered by the medium of PowerPoint
Having said that… the bloke next to me did point out that there are some little known useful PPT shortcuts which you can use during a presentation. I have checked them and they are great!
To switch to a blank screen during a presentation (useful if you’re having a conversation or there is a natural lull)
• B (shifts to a black screen)
• W (shifts to a white screen)
• Press RETURN to go return to the presentation.
CTRL S – allows you to jump to the table of slides, which is useful if you need to jump to a particular slide in a presentation
CTRL P – this allow you to draw on the screen during a presentation – useful if you want to highlight a particular issue or feature. Simply press E to erase your scribbling.
Mac vs. PC
Given the dominance of Apple related products in the marketplace, it is surprising that people are still so addicted to PCs. Talk to a developer, however, and you will discover a world of vehement hatred for machines, they say, that are predominantly style over substance. It’s a passionate topic and one that has spawned arguments, jokes and even Advertising Campaigns. Whilst I’ve used both, I’m not going to get involved in the argument. But I do like this Visual Effects piece which takes the argument to the next level…
…oh, and for those of you who may be interested to know, a piece of work I featured in an earlier Friday Mail has been seized upon by the boffs at Hollywood, who have now commissioned the producer to make a multi-million dollar movie.
Finally, as promised, the final piece on all the SuperBowl ads, from AdAge (which is a great source of information and analysis, if you are interested)