Bacon and Blue Burger

I invented 3comonics.

Much of the advertising we see and hear today is different than what we saw and heard a year ago. The messages have changed to reflect the economic times we live in. And for good reason. Can you imagine not revisiting your client’s brand message and, rather, putting more media dollars behind ideas that are out of touch with how people are thinking and feeling today? It would be marketing suicide.

Of all the work I’ve seen, two recent campaigns have stood out for their boldness: Hyundai’s Assurance Program and Wendy’s 3Conomics. First, there’s Wendy’s lessons in 3Conomics, “3 waaaaay better sandwiches for just 99 cents each.” At a time when most fast feeders are pushing value eating, Wendy’s has done a nice job in positioning its menu of inexpensive sandwiches under the “3Conomics” banner. And — even more refreshing — it has not resorted to a desperate, hard-hitting tone in the work. Instead, it’s continued with the effective use of humor, while clearly expressing the 3Conomics value idea. Who says you can’t sell with a smile in hard financial times? People still need to laugh, and that still enables consumers to remember your message, and motivates them to consider you.

Directed by Chris Smith

Wendy’s Radio

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

I produced and co-wrote online video segments during a month-long journey across the country in search of keys. Check out more on Mark’s site.

Won Pun of the Year in my SVA class.

I came across this ad for Tweezerman tweezers in The Nation. Tweezerman decided the best way to reach its eyebrow-plucking target would be to appeal to their peace-loving nature by quoting Gandhi. Duh.

After researching further, I found several other campaigns using Gandhi’s prophetic words to sell shit.