AdAge’s Bob Garfield doesn’t think so. But Bob seems to take pleasure in being the curmudgeon of advertising. If you haven’t seen this campaign on the air, then take a look. I’ll have to admit, this brutal honesty and self-awareness caught me off guard. Sure, I was curious to see if they really made their product better. But more importantly, I empathized with the brand. Not just the brand, but the people behind the brand. Call me naive, but I think they actually humanized the brand.

Focus group poop

We all know how it feels to have our work pooped on, whether the criticism is deserved or not. Those of us who have had our work scrutinized, misinterpreted, and rewritten by a focus group have a unique appreciation for the reaction of the Domino’s chefs as they listen to the feedback about the cardboard crust and the sauce that tastes like ketchup. Of course we can assume that these reaction shots of dejected chefs were staged for this spot, but the emotion has got to be real.

Transparency chic

Transparency is the new black. So many brands are attempting to at least look honest and accessible by letting everyone peek behind the curtain. Even our government is getting in on that action. When you go to the Pizza Turnaround website, you’ll see real time tweets about the new pizza and the campaign. It seems to be unfiltered. I saw plenty of negative comments, but the majority seem to be supportive and appreciative.

Insight that can’t be ignored

When a brand is as plagued by negativity and bad luck as Domino’s, you can’t pretend everything is fine. A “new and improved” message would have been a yawn. I think this was the only move left for this brand. And because I now feel something for them, I hope it works.

Trone recently collected five first place awards and three merit awards from the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association’s (TOCA) awards, in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Trone received the recognition for its creative work with Syngenta Professional Products.

TOCA is comprised of editors, writers, publishers, photopgraphers, advertising/public relations practitioners and industry association leaders involved in golf course maintenance and other green industry communications.

So little of advertising is still advertising. But fortunately ideas are still ideas. I’ve collected a few examples here that show off some creative ways that ambient and social media have been used. These are brands that have gone beyond the standard Facebook product page or the CEO Twitter account to bring some creativity back to marketing.

Coffee Company PowerPoint Slide

This coffee company in the Netherlands offered a free cup of coffee to students who slipped a Coffee Company slide into their PowerPoint presentations. Pretty cool to have a word from your sponsor in the middle of your slideshow.

Terminator Salvation Twitter game

This nicely executed movie promotion enticed Twitter users to watch for tweets from @resistance2018 which contained fill-in-the-blank puzzles, word jumbles, and trivia. Players could rack up points by “decoding these transmissions” in a reply tweet.

Papa John’s Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality is one of the most notable new media tricks around. It’s a way of getting a users webcam to trigger a 3-D animation on screen. It really gives you the illusion of a hologram. (Is that redundant?) Papa John’s, GE, and Mini are some of the brands who are already making use of it.

Green Works Reverse Graffiti

This eco-friendly mural was created for the launch of Green Works, a 99% plant-based cleaner. San Francisco’s Broadway Tunnel was the filthy backdrop for the artwork of indigenous plant life, which was cleaned with the product. Pretty amazing product demo.

Milky Way Movie Theater Line Barrier

Although it’s questionable whether or not this was produced, it’s still a really fun idea—a great example of why it pays to think about where your target spends time.

Flea Spray Mall Floor Graphic

This giant floor decal lets the foot traffic on the ground floor of an Indonesian mall become the fleas on the dog. I do wish they had rotated the dog image 180 degrees so he wouldn’t look like a pork chop. And the line could be better. But still-great idea.

Iams Frisbee

While we’re on the topic of dogs, take a look at this cool giveaway from Iams dog food. To promote the healthy and strong dogs message, they created these plastic frisbees to look like 10kg weights to be distributed at dog parks.

STA Travel Facebook Page

Few brands with Facebook pages support their fanbase the way this student-focused travel agency does. They give their page a human voice with lots of interaction, contests, giveaways, etc. Plus, they constantly create incentives for users to become fans, which, when they do, ripples through the networks of Facebook friends.

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There’s still so much discussion around marketing through social media and making the most of limited media budgets. We will have to not only master these media options, but continually find new touchpoints as well.

Let’s remember to send a postcard to our old friends Print and Television—let them know we’ll still visit from time to time.

A small bank based in Fort Worth Texas went after the big guys. And so far, it’s working. One billboard at a time, they are riding the wave of consumer opinion that the banks must have done something wrong if they needed TARP money. By letting people know that Worthington Bank didn’t take any of that money, they are creating a halo effect. People are feeling more comfortable putting their money into Worthington. But comfort isn’t the only motivating factor. It’s pride. Most people have worked very hard for what savings they have and take pride in knowing that they’ve been able to survive on their own without much help from others. They relate to a bank that does the same. It’s not that they wanted the economy to go into a tailspin or that they don’t think people should get help when they need it. But banks are not exactly an easy institution to sympathize with. And consumers understand that no matter how small their account is, what they do with their money is in fact a vote for what they stand for. Understanding this consumer insight has proved to be priceless.

Billboards saying things such as “Just say no to Bailout Banks. Bank responsibly,” “Did your bank take a bailout? We didn’t,” and my personal favorite that was placed next to the local zoo “Don’t feed the animals” with the word animals crossed out and “big banks” scribbled in.

And while big banks are crying foul saying that TARP money was important and helped a lot of people out, this little bank is growing rapidly. To the tune of $5 million in new deposits since the launch of the campaign. In their own little way, consumers are saying enough is enough with the poor me mentality of big banks.

After all, if we’ve learned anything from the automobile manufacturer Ford lately, it’s that stability is still part of the American dream.

Here is a video about the work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SNCuQ04ang.

Some of the back and forth about the campaign:
http://www2.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-9218440-12642
http://www.bizpress.net/display.php?id=9849

Once upon a time, not so very long ago before messages were unmassed, people relied on a few sources for news and information. And for the most part the volume and intensity were manageable. No longer, and more’s the pity.

“Too much information” has become cliche. And it’s not just the amount, it’s the intensity. It’s infomania. To be heard you have to communicate in less-than-sound-bites or rely on hyperbole or scarewords. Or worse: just interrupt. That has to be one of the most ill-mannered habits of all times, but the times seem to demand it. One of my co-workers got some novelty gum a few years back. At the time I thought it was merely funny, but lately I’ve wished I could offer a few people a “nice, refreshing stick of Shut The $!@* Up.“

It’s a complicated world, made more complex because we’re compelled to absorb, process and understand the flood of information in which we’re awash. There’s just too much content and too little context.  Quantity passes for quality. Repetition masquerades as relevance. Pat answers are delivered as insight or worse, as gospel. Just like the church revivals of my youth but on steroids–the preachin’ never ends and we all feel unworthy, if not damned.

We need an “amen.” We need quiet time, from time to time. We need more face-to-face interaction and less Facebook friending, Twitter tweeting or my new personal e-communication favorite: conversating. Huh?

Isn’t it possible that an occasional escape from infomania might just make us more productive, more creative and better people?

And thanks for not interrupting!

Just ask yourself three simple questions: 1)Is it interesting? 2)Is it meaningful? 3)Is it true? If it’s interesting, then the creative is doing what it should. If it’s meaningful, then the strategy is working for you too.  But finding a universal truth is just as important when creating good work.

Finding the truth.

Contrary to public opinion, truth and advertising go together perfectly well. You could even say that an ad works only if it rings true for the consumer. If your message is unbelievable, then your ad certainly fails.  But the details of the execution matter too. When something like casting, location, or dialog is a little off, people notice. They might not get your message at all because they’re too distracted by the part that doesn’t feel right and they’ll be quick to call it out.

Getting it wrong.

I hate to pick on any spot because I know how many forces can be working against you, but this Sea World spot fails on a fundamental level. They put these lofty beliefs in the mouths of kids and it makes me think they have no idea what children are really like. Have you ever heard a kid say, “I believe that fun is a renewable resource?” It fails the truth test.

Getting it right.

This Chef Boyardee spot an example of  an execution that is built on truth. Part of what makes this spot work is good acting, but the mom-dad-kid dynamic is totally believable. It all seems true to me.

Finding something true to build on doesn’t mean it has to be a traditional slice-of-life ad. In this Denny’s spot, themed “Breakfast has been taken over by the machines,” they start with the truth that machines—by virtue of not being human—are insensitive.

Try out these criteria next time you’re judging creative work. I’ll bet you find that if it’s interesting and meaningful, and it’s based on a simple truth, you’ve got a good ad.

Martin Buchanan, executive creative director and managing partner at Trone, recently served on the exclusive judging panel for the finals of the 2008 John Caples International Awards. Now in its 31st year, this international advertising contest awards the best in direct and interactive marketing. With international chairs in 53 countries, the annual awards go to individuals comprising teams that have created the most brilliant advertising solutions to real-time marketing problems.  On average over 1,000 creative entries are received from more than 30 countries for the annual Caples Awards.

HIGH POINT, N.C., March 30, 2009— Trone^® had a strong showing at the recent ADDY^® award competition conducted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Triad chapter. The full-service marketing and communications agency was recognized with 11 awards; five gold, four silver and two Judges’ Choice awards.

Trone received gold for the ORAL ATP web banner designed for The Greenies Company. The South Carolina Pathways team was honored with gold for the “Where Do You See Yourself?” poster campaign and two silvers for the “Update Your Dreams” campaign. For its work with Syngenta, gold was awarded to the “Concert Toilet Paper” direct mailer and the Primo MAXX internet commercial, while two silvers were garnered for the “Taking Conditions Personally” print campaign. In addition, Trone was honored with a gold distinction in the self-promotion category for its mom segmentation purse. Trone took two of the top Judges’ Choice awards as well with gold awarded for both the ORAL ATP web banner and the “Where Do You See Yourself?” poster.

“This is another example of our team striving to connect the target, brand and environment,” said Martin Buchanan, executive creative director and managing partner at Trone. “These awards show our depth and creativity across a wide variety of industries and our overall ability to reach our clients’ business objectives.”

Trone’s creative work will now be judged in the AAF district ADDY competition which includes other winners from the Carolinas and Virginia.

DM News asked Martin Buchanan to review three creative campaigns. To read Martin’s insights, click here.

You can google ‘advertising copywriting’ and get endless lists of rules and best practices.  There’s no shortage of self-proclaimed experts who can tell you how to ‘write for results.’ There’s also no shortage of ads that sound like ads. These lists invariably include something about avoiding anything negative.

I’ve worked with so many clients who insist on avoiding any and all negative statements. Sounds like a  reasonable approach. And most of the time it is. But the problem is that many clients reject anything that’s not pure Pollyanna positivity. I wish they would take a step back and realize that what’s important is that the takeaway is positive. If you’re setting up the problem that your client’s brand can solve, maybe some negative language is exactly what’s needed to set up the conflict.

Much of what we do in this business is storytelling. Without conflict, there’s not much of a story. It’s just Batman living in a crimeless Gotham City. (Yawn.) It’s Harry Potter without He Who Must Not Be Named. (“Your parents seem nice, Harry.”) It’s Geico in a world that actually embraces the complexities of auto insurance. (Or for the older generation: It’s Wisk without Ring Around the Collar.)

The real point here is to engage your audience the way one human being engages another in conversation. If you can get your target nodding along by using only positive statements, then by all means do it. But sometimes the more interesting way to start the conversation is to poke at the problem a little.

It’s okay to get snarky. Isn’t it more fun to talk to someone who shares your frustrations and sees the world the way you do?

A brand’s communication can be so much more interesting when it starts with an insight about the target.

What do they think? What makes them feel? What motivates them to act? I would argue that it’s not always sunshine and roses.

But, hey—I’m no expert.