Social gaming company Zynga has launched its holiday philanthropic campaign, which connects virtual and real world. It kicked off “Oh, What Fun!” initiative, which helps to collect money for buying toys for children from less fortunate families in the USA. The new campaign invites gamers to contribute to the cause while playing their favourite online games—from November 28 to December 31, all the money from in-game purchase price will be donated to Toys for Tots (players’ purchases are not tax-deductible).
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Each year ahead of Christmas, Stella Artois, the beer brand connected with the holiday due to its history, unveils some special gifts to its loyal fans. To help people spread the merry spirit this year, Stella Artois US launched the Holiday Carole application on its Facebook page, which allows everyone to send a unique gift “that melds timeless elegance with modern technological sophistication to create a truly unparalleled experience.” The brand created a video, in which a beautiful lady named Carole sings a holiday song to nobody else but you, the receiver of the video gift. Stella Artois fans also can go to the dedicated page on its website to enjoy the experience.
Old Navy plays on nostalgia in the series of its new holiday ads, created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky to reach US consumers, who have emotional connection to the 1980s and 1990s. The brand is to launch five commercials featuring the Griswolds family characters from the popular comedic “National Lampoon’s Vacation” films, which were a real hit two decades ago. The first of them, “Plug in the Pop,” has already arrived to Old Navy’s YouTube channel, with others to be released soon.
adidas is re-imagining the holiday classics, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, by launching a video titled The Cautionary Tale of Ebenezer Snoop, a story of “love, loss, regret and redemption of Ebenezer Snoop as he rediscovers his lost holiday spirit.” The brand’s Holiday 2012 Campaign new video, which will be available on November 26, features a roster of global celebrities including Snoop Lion (Ebenezer Snoop), Stan Smith (Ghost of Holiday Past), David Beckham (Present) and Derrick Rose & Rita Ora (Future) as well as other adidas celebrity faces, who will make cameo appearances—Jeremy Scott, Joe Tsonga, Dwight Howard and Andy Murray to name but a few. The film, which centers around the legendary holiday story, will help users take a fresh look at their own life and see if they are more Scrooge or Cratchit, bad or good.
With less than a month left before the end of the world according to Mayan predictions, Old Spice launches a new online game which plays around the apocalypse theme. The brand presents the Dikembe Mutombo’s 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World old-fashioned video game, which mirrors the philosophy of the Believe in Your Smellf campaign and Old Spice’s bold attitude, preserved by brand even in the toughest conditions.
Ralph Lauren pays tribute to its own archives as well as to the rich history of the USA by launching a new destination, RL Vintage, where it unveils fashionable pieces drawn from the past. On the website, users can explore unique items to discover more about the story behind them, their origin and date of creation. Each season, Ralph Lauren will select different rare pieces from the House’s archives—the pieces will relate to some particular theme. The current range, The Western Collection, celebrates the history of the USA (some of the items are already sold out).
adidas NEO Label is welcoming Selena Gomez as a new young face and guest designer of the brand just a month after signing Justin Bieber as its ambassador. The 20-old actress, recording artist, and designer will be the brand’s style icon for three years, until the end of 2015, and she will be also engaged in developing seasonal lines for the brand beginning Fall/Winter 2013.
The article is written by Ted Mininni, President of Design Force, Inc., USA
Packaging has to deliver the brand and deliver positive consumer experiences. It can’t do that or sell the product unless it tells the brand story. Brands, licensed or not, have equitable assets that must be leveraged. It’s important to delve deeply into these properties to uncover both overt and hidden values to deliver the essence of the property.
After collaborating with Campari on the brand’s annual calendar, Penelope Cruz decided that she definitely needed some coffee to re-energize, so the Hollywood A-lister agreed to star in a new Nespresso USA TV ad. The brand from the Nestlé portfolio launched the first TV campaign by Interpublic’s Martin Agency in the USA earlier this year, and it hopes that the new phase featuring one of the hottest female celebrities will help it stand out this season. Until recently, the brand has been focused on the markets located outside the USA—in 2006, the brand launched a gorgeous campaign starring George Clooney, a true US man, to promote the capsules in Europe. Now, Nespresso has hired a non-American female to appeal to US consumers.