Comments on: ZhuJiang; Taxi Cab Beer Advertising.

By: stormin

stormin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:23:06 +0000

pearls? they probably taste the same as the color pink, which lives on the square root of october

category mistakes don’t make for catchy ads, in my mind

sorry, just had to say it

By: 3q2u

3q2u — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:39:49 +0000

Since we’re supposed to be a community on this site, why don’t we make it better and send over version to back to the brand? My suggestion is to incorporate foamy pearls into the head of the beer image with a line like “Ever wonder what a cold pearl could taste like?”I would wonder what pearls tasted like…

By: PRSta

PRSta — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:04:26 +0000

my first reaction is i think it’s obnoxious and annoying to have things stuck on a taxi window, leave that to the buses.

but if you’re totally stuck on sticking things on taxis, why not make use of the small window – which doesn’t roll down – to add more branding? maybe just the brand name and tagline so as not to interfere with the taxi rate sticker or totally obstruct the passenger’s view.

By: Davide

Davide — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:05:12 +0000

Also, sure the ‘bring the window’ thing would find disagreement with the cab drivers. The point being for such a mind triggering line is to attract further the attention of the viewer rather than having he/she to screen out the ad.

By: Davide

Davide — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:01:38 +0000

Bringing the window to the bar is more of a euphenism for driving to a bar/shop, like the many that you have on the street in China (at least in beijing), and showing that you drove there with that cab specifically for getting your free (or 50% off) bottle of ZhuJiang beer. Something like that will sure get me talking even if never get to buy that beer right after the ride. I believe a strategy of this kind would sure leave an impression of the specific brand, and maybe, some more tangible results on future sales. Lets not forget that advertising does not only serves the purpose of branding + cool, but most importantly, it should translate into sales at some point. I’m not saying all ads shall include a call to action, but if they do I’m sure the ad agency client is more likely to return in the future if they can clearly see that the ad resulted in $$$ for the company.

Or more simply, the ZhuJiang name could have shown on the right bottom corner of the window (right above the bottle) when the window is lowered.

Just a little contribution. I believe Art Directors should keep this point in mind when brainstorming and designing communication strategies and ads.

By: Rand

Rand — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:23:36 +0000

Also, how would you bring the window to a bar? I’m sure the taxi driver would disagree with that approach

By: Rand

Rand — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:15:23 +0000

@Davide – I do think the impression is made – but whether that impression is “drink beer” vs. “drink ZhuJiang beer” is up for debate. I derived this from my own experience, I have had this ad in my files for about a week now, and I never remembered the name of the beer – I only remembered that it was a beer promotion. This is the main concern – cause when someone leaves the cab, will they remember that the ad was for ZhuJiang?

This reminds me of an article I read on the Energizer bunny, and how people confused that with the Duracell bunny (or something like that). While the “keeps going and going” bunny campaign creative won the awards and was immediately indentifiable – it was actually the competitor that benefited since people didn’t remember the exact battery brand attached to the bunny.

This was cleared up later with way more obvious packaging and promotion. In my eyes, the same problem applies to this ad; while yes, you don’t need the logo to show on the top – the idea is that you maintain some awareness that this ad is about ZhuJiang brand. The Wow factor is after the window is lowered – if the brand isn’t represented after the wow, will it have that memorable impression of the brand, or will it simply be an ad for beer in general?

By: Davide

Davide — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:06:11 +0000

While I agree with LRB tha Ogilvy missed on the effectiveness of the ad, the idea is terrific. Since the ad is probably temporary (i.e. at the end of the ad contract with the cab company the ad will be removed), I would have included a line of the sort “Bring this window to the next bar/shop and get a free ZhuJiang beer!”. A little investment for a great WOM and branding. At this point, it wouldn’t matter whether the brand is visible or not when the window is lowered. The impression is done, wouldn’t you agree?