Car Advertising gets a Makeover

With our current economic state it is no surprise that car sales are down. In efforts to appeal to young drivers, the new Nissan Cube has partnered with TBWA\Chiat\Day ad agency to position the Cube as the latest "Mobile Device."

TBWA\Chiat\Day is responsible for creative work behind the iPhone as well. Read this New York Times article to learn about the new campaign targeted at young drivers.

What do you think of this approach to advertising cars? Is it strong enough to battle the economy?

Super Bowl Ads Super Stunk

If I had a million dollars, well, I’d buy you a short commercial during the Super Bowl. In fact, you would need three million dollars to secure a 30-second spot during the big game this year. Some companies shouldn’t have wasted their money, or our time with some of the ads that came out.

They weren’t all bad. Each spot was posted on youtube and voted on by the public as part of the “Ad Blitz 2009” contest. Doritos came out on top with its “Free Doritos” ad. Basically, an office worker pretends he has a crystal ball (snow globe), predicts there will be free Doritos at the office, and hurls it through the glass of the vending machine. Other companies rated in the top five were E-Trade with the singing baby and CareerBuilder.com with, my personal favorite, a talking koala bear being punched in the face.

Some of the ads, though, did not convey a message. A good example would be Coke Zero’s attempt at recreating and putting a spin on the famous Mean Joe Brown Coke commercial (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, make sure to look it up). Some didn’t know what company it was for, confusing it for a Pepsi ad.

Some of the ads were interesting and unexpected. Cash4Gold typically advertises during daytime and late night television, promising cash for unused gold. They had a 60-second spot featuring Ed McMahon and MC Hammer, two notable, in-debt celebrities of the past. Also, Miller stuck its head in there with a one second spot of some guy who simply yells “High life!” – that’s all. The animated Coke commercial was also interesting and creative.

Overall, the Super Bowl ads this year were disappointing. Some were good, some were plain ugly, and some were repeats or old ideas, like the E-Trade babies or those horrid Sobe geckos. Many of the commercials were for movies or TV shows anyway. Let’s hope next year there is something to look forward to. I mean, the Super Bowl isn’t actually about football, right?

My Unexpected College Career

by Zack Kinslow

As an advertising major working in public relations, I have found the best way to learn is by doing. Just like when I unexpectedly became a bartender on one frantic Thanksgiving Eve—the busiest bar night of the year—I jumped right into this one and hit the ground running. I can’t say I didn’t spill a few drinks, make people’s Long Island Iced Teas too strong, or even ring up the wrong prices on more than one occasion that night. But my mistakes helped me grow.

Let’s go back to the present. I currently make up half of the PR department at Philly’s largest advertising agency, Digitas Health. And I love it. I work directly with the head of Corporate Communications for both the Philadelphia and New York offices, which includes about 400 employees (and growing). Working on such a large scale in a top interactive agency, I’ve certainly gotten my feet wet.

From compiling media lists and writing pitch letters, to planning special events hosted at our office, Digitas Health allows me to get first-hand experience in media relations and external PR. I also handle internal relations, such as clipping articles about the company and sending them to all employees. One of my ongoing projects is to decide on the best promotional items to print our logo on for employee/client giveaways. When you are dealing with this many employees, even the seemingly mundane tasks become significant.

Public relations may not be the exact career I want to pursue after college, but coming from an advertising standpoint, I find my internship experience invaluable. As the industry evolves and the digital age takes over, the lines that used to divide PR and advertising are blurring. The result: marketing communication, which encompasses all that we learn in this field.

Zack Kinslow is president of the award-winning Rowan Ad Club at Rowan University.

Zack's internship has helped him see how public relations and advertising professionals work together, and sometimes even do the same tasks. How has your internship effected your outlook on work after college?