Blog 7: CreAtiVe BriEf HuSh PuPpiEs ShoeS!!

Creative Brief for Hush Puppies Shoes

The Creative Brief that Hush Puppies´executives must have done for achieving the “Hush Puppies: Beauty & the Beach” commercial and ads should had consisted in the following:

DATE: October 07, 2008

PROJECT: “New campaign to increase Hush Puppies brand awareness.”

The project consists in developing an advertising marketing campaign of the Hush Puppies shoes that communicates the classical features of the brand. The ad should evoke to its actual and potential clients the idea that Hush Puppies shoes rely on comfort, and therefore they stand for providing relaxed moments.

PREPARED BY: Michael Phillips (Creative Marketing Assistant in charge of the Hush Puppies brand).

APPROVED BY: Sara Bilkins (Marketing CEO in charge of the Hush Puppies brand).

CLIENT INFORMATION: Hush Puppies brand is part of a successful Mexican company called Emyco, which can be found in the US market since 1958. The brand stands for simple, stylish and comfortable shoes that women, men, and kids can wear in their everyday lives.

Hush Puppies’ history is rooted in innovation from inventing the first truly casual shoes to developing dozens of patented technologies that make the shoes more comfortable, lightweight and worry free. The brand strives to constantly evolve Hush Puppies’ world renowned comfort, bringing clients the most advanced technologies available in footwear today. Whether it is water, stain and scuff resistant Worry Free Suede®, or the newest exclusive technology, WaveReflex® featuring extreme flexibility, Hush Puppies strives to provide its clients with important product benefits that enable them to find one more reason to relax.

BACKGROUND/ OVERVIEW: The advertising agency is required to perform this job because the company wants to increase the brand awareness in the United States. Although the brand is well recognized among its target market, the sales have been dropping because the market is really competitive. The company wants to inform its potential and old clients that the company continues to provide comfort and relaxing moments just by marketing its casual shoes which provide unforgettable moments.

OBJECTIVE/ PURPOSE OF THE AD: The company wants the target audience to notice that the brand really provides the features it promises on the commercial despite anything else (for example the price). The company expects that the clients really feel that the Hush Puppies shoes provide comfort and relaxation just by wearing them, because those characteristics are invaluable. Therefore, the company expects clients to go to any of the world’s best retailers in the United States to buy their shoes and feel well of wearing them. The strategy to achieve this objective could be the fact of showing a man wearing its shoes in a relaxed environment, in which clients feel themselves as if they fit in the same situation. The success of the program would be measured by the number of sales the company expects to increase in the country between the following two months after the commercial is launched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aTHCL7Cz4

TARGET AUDIENCE: The target market should be men and women between 28 and 40 years old who live in the United States. Specifically, the audience should be men and women belonging to classes between C+ and A+. Men wearing these shoes should need to be natural, relaxed, authentic, with a young spirit, free, simple and healthy. Women should be natural, mature, free, relaxed and simple. More exclusively, the target market should be people whose rate of life requires: comfort, functionality and style. People worried about their surroundings and people that like to feel comfortable with themselves and with the environment. People who project a successful social and familiar life, and that in addition enjoy the feeling of being comfortable in their daily lives.

SINGLE MORE IMPORTANT THING TO SAY: “Hush Puppies: We invented Casual”!

SUPPORTING RATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL REASONS TO ACT OR BELIEVE: Hush Puppies shoes meet needs and wants of its clients, and create a strong identity that resonates with values and aspirations of those who wear the shoes. Hush Puppies brands should transmit the powerful idea that touches the lives and imaginations of people everywhere.

MANDATORY ELEMENTS, HELPFUL INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS: The advertisements should always need to include the brand logo, a real product Image, little or no text, and relaxing music if possible to enhance the brand characteristics. Moreover, the ad should avoid talking about prices and manufacturing processes to arrive at the final product.

MEDIUM: The best way to reach the audience would be throughout a commercial and by in-store and outdoor advertising. The commercial and ads should demonstrate the benefits (comfort and relaxation) of wearing the Hush Puppies shoes. Both types of advertisements should communicate without words (less possible text). To communicate the idea it is important to always show a real shoe that demonstrates visibly the benefits.

SCHEDULE: WHAT WE NEED FOR THE CREATIVE TEAM AND WHEN DO WE NEED IT? We need from the creative team a driven and catching commercial no longer than 35 seconds that show the attributes of the Hush Puppies shoes. The commercial should need to leave clear that wearing the brand´s shoes will be the same as being barefoot because of the shoes ´characteristics. We also need some informative ads that demonstrate the shoes features and outcomes of wearing them. We need the 1) initial creative review of rough sketch ideas for October 31, 2008. The 2) review revised creative for November 11,2008. The 3) final internal creative presentation for November 22, 2008. The 4) client´s presentation for November 30, 2008 and the 5) material ready to be delivered to publication two weeks before Christmas so we can launch the commercial and see results (increase of sales) since the first days of January.

BLoG 5:The BraNd NaMe TraP - My FaVoritE BillboaRDS!!

The newest Ipod campaign that I really liked demonstrates the effectiveness of its creative billboards. A few months ago Ipod removed its “Guitar” Apple Music ads from Billboards all around the globe, and has replaced them with new silhouetted ads of different people on bright backgrounds using their Ipod. This one, I consider is extremely successful and eye catching because the whole message that the company wants to spread is just transmitted by the logo and the product. These billboards don´t have anything written, however the message is clever, and they can show us how little or no information is more effective than overcrowding the entire billboard with letters. These billboards seem to be neat and clear enough, so no additional information is needed to reinforce the brand. Moreover, the message is not just transmitted by words, but also with pictures. For example, in this campaign Ipod wanted to transmit different silhouettes in movement which enhance the Ipod features such as fun and music. The main objective of the Ipod campaign aside of reaching all segments of the population, is to entertain and intrigue consumers; this increases the attachment and attraction to the product. Also, their designs bursting with brilliant colors are used to evoke emotional responses to inspire lasting impressions.

IPod TarGeted For KIDS!

IPod TarGeted For relaxed Men!

IPod TarGeted For Fresh woMen!

Ipod On Roads...

Another amazing billboard I like from Apple is one that is located in New York. This billboard has a black background and it was done to advertise the Ipod Nano and the ITunes. This billboard reflects the product characteristics by showing with just images that thousands of songs can be lodged in such a small product. Also, the fact that it is 3D makes the billboard more real and attractive, breaking out of the one dimensional format of advertising. So, I think I like these billboards because Apple has been consistent, distinctive, striking, and strong, reinforcing its products.

Meanwhile in Mexico, one of my favorite billboards is one that promotes the beer called “SOL”. Even if this campaign was mainly targeted for men, it was so clever because before the company decided to launch the beer, they made the consumers participate in the product design. To do the marketing research, sexy women were standing in some cities main points and they asked people to select between 2 main bottles designs and 3 different beer flavors. During one month people from around the country voted to decide the final design of the new beer. When the beer was launched, billboards and all type of outdoor advertising were posted in city’s main points. Until now everyone talks about the fascinating campaign, the new beer and of the billboards that are spread all over the cities. These ones are so attractive, because they have a yellow background that immediately get the attention of everyone, especially from men who are just impressed by the “curves” of the beer bottle and of the models in the billboards.

Beer "SOL" BillBoard

Beer "SOL" CaMpaigN