The Spread of Zombies

One thing every commuter has in common is the expectation of seeing a few thousand suited zombies in the morning. Let’s face it, between Ate O’clock and 9 O’clock in the morning, the walking dead take over London. Of corpse we all know it’s not the apocalypse, it’s just a bad case of commuter amnesia. As we all board the London underground, groaning, scrambling and staring into space on our usual route to work.

Bored to death we all fall soullessly into routine: checking our phones, flicking through twitter feeds; amusing ourselves watching fellow commuters dive for the train… and sharing that moment when you make eye contact with the complete stranger you've found yourself contorted against (not quite as romantic as match.com makes out).

Yet yesterday morning we found our personal space invaded by Sky’s Walking Dead advert in the Metro. The placement couldn't have been more dead on. With Halloween lurching ever closer, Sky’s timing is exemplary. By taking the first double spread, they've really broken through the usual menagerie of ads that capture and possess the Metro’s early pages. We think Sky’s double page spread truly paid off and are sure many Londoners are going to be feasting on a few Sky Box Sets this Autumn.

#PureAdOfTheWeek

H20-dear!

The Ryder Cup is one of the most prestigious events in world sport. With a wealth of heritage attached to it, the competition offers brands a fantastic opportunity to exhibit themselves to and associate with a captive and passionate international audience,.

The latest biennial instalment tees off tomorrow at Gleneagles in Perthshire and Ladbrokes’ cover wrap of City AM this morning (as well as a neatly placed half page in the Metro) is a perfect example of how relevant advertisers are looking to create a splash and draw attention in a crowded marketplace. Certainly eye-catching!

The alternative route to spot and space is the brand association created through sponsorship or supplier agreements. Among the list of the good and the great who are ‘Official Suppliers’ to this year’s inter-continental contest are Highland Spring, who are proud to point out that they are based only two miles down the road from Gleneagles.

Unfortunately, their branding as ‘Official Bottled Water Supplier’ on the bottles fails to have any standout whatsoever. Even moving the stamp a few millimetres up the label would create contrast between mauve and white, but instead it is washed out…which sadly dilutes the impact significantly.

For something so significant to Highland Spring – both geographically and of course, financially – it is a real shame that their co-branding is watered down to this extent. 

#PurePoint

MADE for the Occasion

Thunder wasn’t the only thing keeping us awake in London last night. 

As the votes were counted, we were kept in suspense; would Scotland break their 307-year-old union with England? At Pure, we were all wondering how this would affect marketing campaigns: so, much to our delight MADE.COM took a comical spin on the referendum first thing this morning.

Ensconced on the 8.03 bus towards Waterloo, I was lulled into the monotony of my conventional commute; you know, sat next to the token guy who forgot to wash, behind the girl doing her make-up. 

Having not yet checked the results of the Scottish referendum, I received the following email from MADE.COM, titled “NEWS: MADE.COM opens in Scotland”.

Sure enough I was compelled to open it – I mean, who needs a call-to-action headline when you've just dropped the S-Bomb?

The email contained a £10 off code 'AUCHAYE', a casual mention of their recent launch in the Netherlands, and some 'patriotic inspiration', in the form of blue, Saltire-themed products.

…”Oops! Please ignore our last email.‏” 

Within seconds I received a second email, filled with Union Jack emblazoned products, pretending to have 'accidentally hit send' on an email they had prepared for the ‘YES’ vote.

With the eyes and ears of Britain eagerly awaiting the results, MADE.COM truly optimized their marketing - both message and timing - and took the opportunity to intrigue, engage and amuse their customers, while celebrating the Union with a £10 off code titled, 'GREATBRITAIN'.

#PurePoint

ROOOOOAAAARRRSOME Bus ads!!

We’ve posted previously about some impressive bus advertising but the latest offering from Sky has to be deemed a roaring success.

Utilising an innovative mega “T-Rex” T-Side, Sky has created a highly impactful ad that achieves fantastic stand-out and cuts through the traffic in a crowded marketplace.

Bus advertising offers excellent opportunities for street level advertising targeting urban shoppers and commuters across towns and cities where other outdoor formats are few and far between.

The eye-catching effect of these Roarsome ads makes some of the competitors look distinctly pre-historic, while ensuring that the message is remembered with fun and catchy creative.

#PurePoint

Creatively compromised ?!?

Whilst we are all for media creativity and generating IMPACT and STAND OUT in conventional, traditional newsprint environments - we can't help but feel that the Metro has somewhat overdone it today and 'sold out' on the less conventional creative formats they offer.

On pages 26/27, Halifax has made the most of running CHECKERBOARD placements across the spread to deliver multiple messages and amplify their EXTRA proposition.

Turn the page and we see that Ryanair has adopted the break-out creative ZIG-ZAG format. Rather than being impactful, this actually appears overly busy and - confusingly - almost an extension of the Halifax EXTRA ads due to colour similarities and as a result of running these formats consecutively...

As if that wasn't enough, turn the page again and another ZIG-ZAG format is running across the spread on pages 30/31.

Usually, we would deem this to be a highly effective use of space, demonstrating media and creative teams working in synergy to deliver the Relish ad within newsprint. Instead, with today's spreads the concurrent 'unconventional' media formats have far less impact - and frankly look conventional!

This has resulted in a sequence of busy spreads, with a mish-mash of editorial squeezed in throughout. 

It seems as though Metro has lived up to its front page headline and forced the advertisers into a constricted space; no Extra value and hardly something to Relish!  

#PurePoint

Satnam Mudhar; My Summer Internship at Pure Media

Words cannot describe how appreciative I am of each person in the Pure team who spent their own time to teach me their knowledge and understanding in planning and buying.  In a tough employment market I could not believe I was given such a great opportunity to learn.

Whilst being a full-time student at university my perception of the media industry was very theoretical and perhaps also quite narrow. I was certain that my degree would lead me into a career in communications, PR or journalism. I hadn’t even considered a career as a planner and buyer of media – probably because I didn’t even know it existed!

When I first started my internship in June I was under the impression that I would be handed a junior role – one that would involve me conducting the stereotypical work experience responsibilities… i.e. photocopying and making coffee.

Instead I was thrown straight into the deep end! As I started to carry out a wide range of tasks, I began to see the level of commitment and responsibility needed when engaging in a multi-dimensional and volatile media industry.

I began to learn about the different aspects of advertising in media including the fundamental differences between press, TV, radio and online media; understanding how each affects a target audience.

I was trained to use specific tools and software essential to media planning and buying and had exposure to various theories of marketing. Nielsen, Mediatel and Google Analytics are just a fraction of the tools I used when conducting my work experience. Although I was aware of the basics I became increasingly competent at using Microsoft tools such as Excel.

Working with a talented, hard working media team in the agency enabled me to build on my team working skills. I was lucky enough to have been given the responsibility of talking to external contacts and furthermore learnt to practice a range of communication skills needed when researching and making media plans for our clients.

I was also given the privilege of participating in some of Pure’s social media activities such as the #PureQuoteOfTheDay on the Twitter and LinkedIn as well as other social media scheduling.

My time with Pure has been a extremely enjoyable one and I am highly grateful to the team for this opportunity. As I embark on going back into my into my final year of university I aim to take these skills I have learnt and develop myself into a fully fledged media professional.

And who knows, the association between Pure and I could be one to be continued…..

The Gruffalo Continues to Crumble

You might have seen our post back in April, remarking the 81 day old ad as ‘past its sell by date’. Well 232 days later, it’s still there, hanging on by its turned out toes, like a wart stuck on the rear of the London bus.

The Gruffalo is promoted as being ‘Live in the West End’ at the Lyric Theatre until 12th Jan.

It’s about time little mouse piped up and inhaled this crumbling OOH ad.