This week for the Creative Mastermind, I'm doing something a little different- out of the spectrum sort of speak. For this week's Mastermind I'm choosing a group of people who display creativity that goes into a different playing field than what I usually look for. This week I'm looking at Marketing and Advertising geniuses who come up with clever ideas to make you remember a product. Sounds lame? I promise I have my reasons.
Whether you realize it or not, anytime we engage ourselves in TV, Internet, or Radio businesses are always looking to promote their brand through a variety of techniques. Some use "the scare tactic", other plays off the human sympathies (example: commercials showing abused animals while playing a sad song), and then there are the funny ones that stand out. Right now, a lot of people are raving about the GEICO "Hump Day" commercial, don't get me started on that one. No, I'm going to talk about a commercial I saw the other night while watching Once Upon a Time on ABC (which is also a really cool and creative show! WATCH IT!). Anyway this commercial was for Volkswagen cars and caught my attention because unlike most commercials where they start out with live people or sometimes cartoons, this was strictly sketches. No movement, just flashes of drawing sketches. Then it hit me that I was watching a scene from the music video "Take On Me" by A-ha. Confused for a moment, I continued to watch to discover that VW was using this song and music video to promote their automobiles. At the end it's revealed that the idea came from a businessman sketching his car onto his notebook while singing in front of co-workers. GREAT! FUNNY! It's better if you've seen the 80s music video, but for those who aren't familiar with the song, joke, video, etc. it's still pretty funny. I mean how many times have you found yourself singing or whistling in front of peers? Check out the videos here:
Original Music Video "Take on Me" by A-ha (1985)
Volkswagen Commercial (2013)
Sometimes commercials end up being really stupid, but this one the Marketing and Advertising team got it right! If you're part of the younger generation, then you might recognize this song as sampled in Christina Aguilera and Pitbull's hit song "Feel This Moment". But like I said, "Take On Me" is a cool song and one of my favorite music videos.
The animation and video production of "Take On Me" in the 80s was a really creative and new technique at the time- combining live action footage with drawing sketches (similar to the Mary Poppins effects in the 60s), but overall just outstanding visual effects. What I like about this commercial is that it is taking a lot of the original elements from the music video and updating the concepts to a modern look. Clearly the drawings have been re-done, but it's the same effect that catches the eye. Plus the bit at the end with the guy singing adds a nice ring to the advertisement. The character clearly fits the description of someone who grew up in the 80s and anyone in the 30s-50s age range can certainly relate to his embarrassing, yet hilarious, outburst at work.
So kudos to you Volkswagen for a neat, creative, and catchy commercial! If you know someone who would make a great Creative Mastermind, make sure to leave your idea in the comments box here or let me know on Facebook or Twitter!
*"Take On Me" is the property of the group A-Ha and their respective songwriters. I do not own or have any claim use in regards to Volkswagen, A-Ha, or other references in this post. "Feel This Moment" is the property of Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, and respective songwriters. Videos used for this post were pulled from YouTube from authorized channels. Mentions of Mary Poppins and Once Upon a Time were used only in reference. No Copyright Infringement Intended.
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