What is the Future of Publicis and Omnicom as One Giant?

The thought of two power houses merging together is still surreal to me. How can Publicis and Omnicom become one? For non-marketing people to understand this merger, Forbes said it best "It's like the Yankees and Red Sox merging." The largest advertising agencies are WPP, Interpublic, Omnicom and Publicis. Here are some of the best agencies that Omnicom and Publicis each hold:

Publicis and Omnicom merger via iMediaConnection

    Publicis:
    Digitas
    Razorfish
    Starcom
    Leo Burnett
    Saatchi&Saatchi
    BBH
    Omnicom:
    BBDO
    DDB
    TBWA
    Cone
    Fleishman-Hillard


Perhaps this tells us more about what's going on in the advertising agency that we may currently know. Maybe the two power houses must not be making enough money to sustain themselves. However, this screams capitalism to me. I can't image the internal PR tactic going on to get everybody on board with this merger. What about employees, do they have to be less competitive with their ex-rivals and embrace more collaboration? No longer can they gear up and create innovative competitive pitches because they are fewer competitors. Or perhaps they will focus more on internal competition rather than creating great campaigns for their clients. Since Coca-cola, Pepsi, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile will be all under one roof as stated in Bloomberg. Will these clients eventually turn to smaller advertising agencies because their needs are not being met? What about the leadership style of each parent agency, how will it be aligned throughout. I have too many questions and concern that this is a great topic for debate. It's too early to predict the outcome, but it is going to be a bumpy road. For now, I'll just have to monitor their performance and those of their main competitors. What are your thoughts?

**According to AdAge, Interpublic share rose (4.5% increase today) while Publicis was at 59.40 and Ominicom fell 0.6%

Tweet

Piatinni

Restaurant: Piattini Wine Café

Location: 226 Newbury St Boston, MA 02116

Highlight: Spinach Gnocchi

My first encounter with Gnocchi was during my visit to a small Italian shop in the North End, couple years back. The pack had instructions on how to make Gnocchi. As a curious person by nature, I decided to give it a try. First experience was ok. I overcooked the Gnocchi (it was too soft). Nonetheless, it reminded me of small pieces of fufu (an african dish made from cassava leaves). 

When one of my friends picked Piattini for dinner, I was pretty excited. One, I like the small plate concept since I don't eat a lot. Two, the restaurant is located in Newbury st, my favorite street in Boston. I settled on the Spinach Gnocchi. I am a bit obsessed with spinach. It's one of those things you can put in any dish and it would taste just fine. This dish was far better than mine. It was well done, but not too soft. They also added pesto cream sauce. Let me say that again. PESTO+CREAM SAUCE, I couldn't say no to that! It was delicious. A lot of Italian restaurants use too much oil and sauce in their dishes. But this Gnocchi Spinach dish passed the taste. Don't hesitate to try it out!

Spinach Gnocchi at Piattini Wine Café

Tweet

It is All Good For Fruttare?

Unilever decided to introduce Fruttare Frozen Fruit Bars to the U.S market. Fruttare, originated in Brazil, is made of real fruits and creamy milk.

To differentiate themselves from the saturated market of frozen snacks, Fruttare was positioned as such:

1. A dessert snack
2. The first of its category: Frozen Fruit+Milk
       

Fruttare launch in the U.S

Here's the full product line:

Strawberry & Milk                                                
Peach & Milk                            
Banana & Milk                          
Coconut & Milk                        
Mango

Orange

Strawberry

Lime



In order to create awareness about the new "Fruttare Frozen Fruit Bar," the brand had to create an effective campaign to break through the cluster. They decided to pair Ne-Yo (singer/songwriter) and Cher Lloyd (British singer/songwriter) to create a new song called "It's All Good." The most crucial part of this campaign, is the fact that they asked fans on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to create phases using #itsallgood in order to help write the song. After couple months of entry, Ne-Yo and Cher Lloyd turned several of the fans' lines into lyrics for the newly released single "It's All Good"(seen below with lyrics).

Is this campaign effective? I'd say yes it is and here's why:

1. They incorporated three of the most powerful social media sites (great for impressions, WOM)

2. They involved fans to write lyrics. ENGAGEMENT (great for conversion)

3. The catchy phrase "it's all good"is a message that can be relatable to anybody (great for brand loyalty, ex: "Just do it" from Nike) 

4. The song will be played on the radio (eventually creating unaided awareness) 

Tweet

NGO's Advertising Tactic

I have always been interested in cause marketing. Today's focus is on a nonprofit organization called "The Friends of the Public Garden." According to their website, the organization works to preserve and enhance the Boston Common, the Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

The Friends of Public Garden is in partnership with Boston Parks & Recreation Department to renew the historic Boston Common. I'll focus on the Brewer Fountain Plaza located next to Park Street Station.

The organization is providing the following (as seen on the picture):
1. Reading room for free. They have books, newspapers and magazines to choose from
2. Piano on the Plaza: You have several piano performers from 12pm-2pm
3. Chess and Backgammon are provided for people to play together
4. Sitting area to enjoy the outdoors, eat food, read, and chat with friends

The Friends of Public Garden Project

  

Brewer Plaza Activities

I like NGO's because they usually have a low budget for advertising but yet they come up with creative solutions. The Friends of The Garden is encouraging people to read and enjoy nature, while educating them on the preservation of gardens and supporting local talents. These are great attributes that enhance people's lives hence, a big attraction for donors and sponsors.

As you can see, this is a creative project that doesn't cost a lot in advertisement dollars but still reaches a large number of people. If you want to learn more feel free to visit The Friends of Public Garden website or call them at 617-723-8144.

**I was not paid in any way to write this post. I believe in the power of reading and the preservation of nature.

Tweet

Heals Over Hillstone Restaurant

Restaurant: Hillstone Restaurant

Location: 60 State St Boston, MA 02109 by Quincy Market

Highlight: The Apple Cobbler Dessert

My favorite part of a meal is always dessert, and I was NOT disappointed at Hillstone. This Apple Cobbler is to die for and I don't mean to exaggerate when I say so. Why? One, it had enough sweetness. Two, it was not soggy as most cobblers are. Three, it had an abundant amount of pecans. If you don't like nuts or you are allergic to nuts, this dessert is NOT for you. For everybody else, I highly recommend it. If you do try it at some point please feel free to leave a comment and tell us about your own experience.

Tweet

Healthy Hair Indeed

Healthy Hair Indeed

It's been six months since I chopped my hair and went completely natural. This means that I don't have to perm my hair to make it straight and thinner than my natural texture. For non-black people usually the process of perming means that they are getting curls rather than straight hair. As many people who are new to this process of embracing their true texture know, the search for the ideal product can be a daunting task. Trust me, I had to watch endless Youtube videos that were more overwhelming than helpful. I first tried the Kera Care Butter Cream but it was making my hair dry. Since I already knew about and tried Carols Daughter's product line, through my sister, I decided to try their Healthy Hair Butter cream. Let's just say that I never looked back. This cream keeps my hair soft and shiny all day.
All I do everyday before I apply the cream is wet my hair a little bit (since I have coarse hair) then I proceed as stated on the container. If you have softer hair, you can opt to wet the hair and just wash your hair once a week. Voila! I don't need much for my hair to be healthy thanks to my Healthy Hair Butter.

Tweet

My Influencers

My Influencers

You can't start something without tapping into history and acknowledging those who have pushed the envelop in the world of marketing. As I salute my influencers, I am ready to embark on this journey filled with ideas, insights, and risks. After all, the torch has been passed on to me.



Name: Leo Burnett

Born: October 21, 1891

Occupation: Advertising Executive, Leo Burnett Worldwide

Why he has influenced me?
He created several icons such as 'Tony the Tiger' and 'Phillsbury Doughboy' that have become part of history. These icons have created unaided brand awareness in consumers' minds. Thus, creating strong brand image and preference to those brands. A big deal in advertising!

Name: David Ogilvy

Born: June 23, 1911

Occupation: Advertising Executive, Ogilvy & Matter

Why he has influenced me?
The respect he had for research. Without well implemented and well analyzed research, it is hard to truly know what customers want. A lot of times, it's the reason why many ads fail to achieve their goals. One of the best ad campaigns he created was "At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock."

Name: Bill Bernbach

Born: August 3, 1911

Occupation: Advertising Creative Director, DDB

Why he has influenced me?
He was just a genius at knowing how to create unique positioning for any brand. In other words he knew how to make any product stand out from the pack. The most famous ad campaign and one of my all-time favorite is the Volkswagen "Think Small."

Name: Mary Wells Lawrence

Born: May 25, 1928

Occupation: Advertising Executive, Wells Rich Greene

Why she has influenced me?
She helped create the "End of the Plain Plane" commercial for Braniff Airways. She was able to present the airline as a product that provides an experience rather than the simple fact of flying. Who wouldn't want to be in a plane that makes you feel as if you are not flying? Beyond that, she created iconic slogans such as "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" and "I love NY."

Tweet

Not So Outside Of The Box Ads

I am disappointed in the fact that companies sponsoring Outside The Box Festival, being held in Boston, did not create creative ideas to connect with customers.

Here's why:

1. The festival is FREE. Which means that you have a lot of people attending the festival. Why not take advantage of that?

2. The name of the festival is called "Outside The Box." This is ideal for companies to be creative. 

3. This is the first one. There are not a lot of sponsors this year.  Next year it will be more competitive, so this was a great opportunity for these companies to stand out while facing less competition. 

I am not saying that these companies should have been in consumers faces trying to shove information, products etc. down their throats. I am talking more about coming up with creative ways to interact with consumers without interfering with their plan. Here's my take on some of the campaigns at the festival:

Tweet

Twinkies Comeback is Only Hours Away

Some of you might remember when Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, was ordered to liquidate on November, 2012 after it failed to stay in business. There was a lot of outcry from people who grew up eating Twinkies. To them it was not only about the cream-filled small cake itself but it was more about the emotions and memories they attached to the brand. 

This is why working on building a strong brand image is important in advertising. How many products have you seen go off the shelves for years and they have never been revived? This happens more than we actually think. The reason why most products don't make it back on the shelves is because their perceived value is low, from a buyer's standpoint. 

However, thanks to Twinkie's image well integrated in the culture for decades, it was an easier decision for Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos Co. to buy the Hostess company. CNBC states that the company spent 410million for the deal.

Twinkies will be available in stores starting July 15th (TOMORROW). Looks like some of you might be getting a piece of your childhood back.

My projections: 

1. The new company has to make sure Twinkies taste the same as the original

2. They shouldn't change the packaging, logo, colors or anything related to the look of the old Twinkies

3. A heavy ad campaign should follow.You  can't only rely on loyal customers or the hype itself

4. They have to be innovative with new products to keep up with the changing taste and health concern of Americans.

Tweet