R|com Creative Blog

One of our biggest ongoing challenges is coming up with effective methods of helping our clients promote their websites, videos, and products. We are often hired to help take a website and revise it into a revenue stream. Often that not only includes changing the technical functions of the site, but making certain it complies with the latest Web 2.0 capabilities as well.

Now, here's an ad that will get your attention (said in a John Madden voice).

At the same time, it’s easy to get carried away and to throw too many things at the wall, hoping everything will stick. As such, we try to focus on those things that will make a difference – those things that get noticed. And, when we travel, we try to keep our eyes open for advertising and promotional displays that are localized – meaning their appropriate for a local audience. There’s no better test of a product’s success or failure than to see how it works for someone else.

So, it goes without saying that the most simple and direct tactics are often the most effective. Take this Hyundai advertisement. Well, it isn’t really an ad for the car company. It’s an ad – wait, it’s an anti-ad for the retailer from whom the owner of this Hyundai made his or her purchase. I love this ad. It gets the message across without too many words, simple graphics, and an ideal backdrop. Using the car as the mechanism for delivery to the public is also ideal – everyone gets to see the object that is referred to, even those the dealership isn’t there (or in the picture, so to speak).

It’s brilliant – and I hope this person is driving a newer (better kept?) car now. And, by the way, it’s cool that the ad wasn’t anti-Hyundai. They’re a pretty hip automobile manufacturer and we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the coming years.

During the Consumer Electronics Show, we had a chance to check out a variety of new promoted technologies on various automobiles. As a component of our work within the automotive space, we often drive new vehicles, work with clinic groups that are discussing emerging or future technologies, and so on. In many cases, we can’t talk about the work we’re involved in.

At first glance, the nav looks to be trick.

At CES, we can talk about anything, so here’s just one example of the hilarity that is the Detroit auto manufacturer. The new Lincoln MKS is supposed to be a leading edge sedan. The company has sunk huge amounts of dead presidents into not only the development of the car, but the launch and related marketing programs designed to sell it.

Check out the image of the navigation system in this car. It is visually very nice – clear, crisp text and icons make reading this while driving a pleasure. As you motor down the road, you can program the system to have gas stations, restaurants, and other attractions pop up on the screen, so you won’t miss a thing. Magic.

Oops! But wait. In its’ wisdom, Ford decided to not include BLUETOOTH in this Navigation system. You can’t get it. Oh, wait, you can – in late 2008. Hilarious!

If anyone ever wondered why American automobile manufacturers were ready for the scrap heap, this is one of those reasons. Lexus, Mercedes, and even Honda have these guys whipped into a squishy rag of humiliation when it comes to understanding what their customers want. Even worse, as we were next to the car, I heard no fewer than six people say, “what? no V-8? In a Lincoln this big?” Obviously, the Detroit boys will have their work cut out for them. Watch for the MKS to be on sale at 35% off the retail price next Christmas.

Only in Vegas.

At this year’s CES event, BMW decided to wow the CES crowd with a technology exhibit. Set up outside of the convention facility, the passport-protected arena included a cafe, clothing store, displays for tires, Formula BMW race cars, and other “booths.” But the highlight was, by far, the F1 demonstration. The only thing wrong, was, well… it was on a track about 50 yards long.

Graham Rahal puts his foot down, for about one second

BMW set up a guardrail protected straight, with two wide “spin” sections at either end. Grandstand seating was placed at one end of the “strip” with a “garage” in the center of the straightaway. Aspiring racer Graham Rahal, son of Indy champ Bobby Rahal was recruited to do the driving, um, er… demonstrating.

The truth be told: even with only a one second opportunity to put his foot down, Rahal got lots of people revved up. There is nothing quite like the sound of a Formula One car, even one with a leash on it. And, while the overall presentation was actually lame, it sure was nice to see one of these cars in person again. BMW has done a lot with the old Sauber F-1 team, and from the look of this car, they may be on to something in 2008. Of course, this has little to do with our work, but as a former racer, I couldn’t resist the post.

I do miss racing.

The CES is always held in the beginning of January in Las Vegas. It’s one of the shows I’ve been attending for nearly 25 years (ouch!) and it continues to be an interesting assignment. This year, we’re focusing on technology that has applications to the automotive industry. That includes navigation, multimedia, video, and even Internet technologies. In fact, we’re learning that in 2008, many kids will want to migrate away from watching DVDs and will instead want to watch YouTube, all while traveling down the highway.

This Fiat would be a hot seller in the US, including its use of Microsoft navigation software.

As per our standard, we now shoot everything in HD, even if the end product will be standard def – or in this case, web-based. This is one show where shooting with smaller cameras is a big plus, as we move from place to place rapidly. This run and gun style of production is useful when working with so many variables.

For a show like this, we typically look for things that we can cover a bit differently. So, rather than just shoot a reporter talking about the latest SYNC System from Microsoft, we’ll interview key engineers from Europe who worked with Microsoft and Ford to bring SYNC to market. We will also look for things that aren’t here yet; an example being the new navigation software that is part of the “Microsoft Auto” suite being shown in the parking lot outside of the convention center.

As this is a technology show, there is plenty of video to check out, too. Last year, HD transmission of 1080i and 720p images was the talk of the town. This year, things have become progressive, with 1080p (due to HD DVDs) the hot topic. HD DVD is dead and Blu Ray is going to survive, but for how long? I wonder if by 2010, we’re all just downloading our movies from a server somewhere.