Giant Balloons Company

Summary: Athletes and celebrities can certainly give sponsors and advertisers headaches. As brand ambassadors, these athletes and celebrities agree that they will uphold the image that the sponsor or brand wants to project.

When it comes to overcoming and beating the odds, who wouldn’t want the Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius?

But even the carbon fiber Phenom is giving his sponsors heartache. Not to mention the whole country of South Africa.

Pistorius, the man who beat all the odds and became the first paralympic runner to compete in the Olympic Games, is facing charges from a horrible crime. He is a suspect in the murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Summary: In advertising, we are charged to deliver messages that call consumers to action, whether that action is to purchase a good or service, to be aware of a certain idea or issue, or to be moved to join in a cause. Throughout history, we have seen that our efforts can be repeatedly trumped by the oldest trick in the book.

The voice of a group.

Yes, social proofing, the feeling of togetherness, the need to feel wanted and being a part of a group are the most powerful forces in our society. Time and time again, advertising campaigns fail and succeed based on the power of groups. That’s why the advertising community vouches for “viral marketing;” once a core group of people catch it, it is only a matter of time…

Summary: To be successful in advertising, we believe that you must have the generalist mentality: know a little about a lot. A successful person in advertising is smart; they know their skill and ability, and rarely waver.

Rarely.

We’ve said several times in the recent past that our industry suffers from “shiny object” syndrome; when something new or interesting is put in front of us…