Morning Update: Apple users angry at better iPhone ad; Google turns phones into lightsabers; Best student ad ever?
TechCrunch: Thanks To Google, Your Phone Now Doubles As A Lightsaber
Every single time I see something else pushing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” I roll my eyes. And then I try something else where I think “OK, that was pretty smart.” Disney has teamed up with every brand known to man to promote the film, which premiered last night in Los Angeles. One of the partners Disney has gone deep down into the bag of tricks with is Google.
Today, a new experience from the Disney, Google, LucasFilm and Industrial Light & Magic called “Lightsaber Escape” hits Chrome browsers everywhere. The promise is to “immerse” you into the film by bringing it to life through the web. If you have tickets to the opening on the 18th, I’d stick with those, as that experience will be the ultimate one, of course.
The Verge: Apple users complain of pop-up ads telling them to buy a better iPhone
iPhone users are complaining that Apple is showing them pop-up ads telling them to upgrade their iPhone. Over the last week, there have been multiple reports on Twitter and Reddit of full-screen ads appearing when users open the App Store. The ad shows pictures of the iPhone 6S with the tagline “ridiculously powerful,” offering options to skip, “learn more,” or “upgrade now.” Most users say they saw the ad after upgrading to iOS 9.2 while using an iPhone 5S or older, although at least one person on Twitter claims he was shown the iPhone 6S ad while using an iPhone 6S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI2YwwTDr5w
AdWeek: The Year in Creative: 24 Trends That Drove Some of the Best Advertising in 2015
As 2015 comes to a close, we’ve picked our Ads of the Year, including Geico’s “Unskippable” at No. 1. And now it’s time to look at the trends that informed some of the year’s most creative work. In no particular order:
• Powerful Women
If 2014’s female empowerment ads were all about what it means to be beautiful, 2015’s were about what it means to be strong. Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey were among the year’s most buzzed-about athletes (Rousey even turned Carl’s Jr.’s sexism on its head). RAM’s female-focused ad about courage was one of the year’s most stirring. And Always’ “Like a Girl” campaign found a new rallying cry with a single word: “Unstoppable.”
The Guardian: Star Wars: The Clickbait Awakens
Don’t know if anyone’s noticed, but there’s a new Star Wars film out this week. They’ve tried to downplay it, but news still leaked out there subtly via all possible media platforms and product tie-ins. Of course, this being such a major cultural event means there’s a lot of associated traffic revenue to be generated. Tying an article, however remotely, to a popular subject matter is just one of many tactics to increase online traffic, so of course there have been countless articles tenuously linked to Star Wars churned out. This has caused a great disturbance in the web, as if millions of search algorithms cried out in terror, and were suddenly… silenced.
And yes, this article is yet another one. A general email was sent around the Guardian Science Blog network recently asking if anyone have any Star Wars articles planned, which is diplomatic code for “We need frivolous but topical: Dean, earn your keep!” The problem with this is, such is the furore around Star Wars right now that pretty much every idea for a cash-in article has been done already. Even the science of Star Wars has been thoroughly covered.
Mumbrella Asia: Singapore Tourism Board appoints TBWA as global ad agency after four-month review
Singapore Tourism Board has concluded one of the biggest advertising pitches of the year in the citystate.
The government body has appointed TBWA, which handles the Singapore Airlines and Airbnb accounts, as global agency of record for creative, digital and production services after a four-month review.
TBWA\Singapore takes on the account from J. Walter Thompson, which has handled the business since 2013.
AdAge: This Powerful Johnnie Walker Spec Ad Ranks With the Brand’s Best
It’s the most powerful, soulful spot to have come out of Johnnie Walker for ages, and it’s getting plenty of love on social media. However, this ad wasn’t made by the brand; it’s the work of two German film students, Daniel Titz and Dorian Lebherz. The pair, from Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, made the ad on spec, but some are saying it bests the brand’s official advertising (which has recently included stylish big budget spots starring Jude Law.)
