Advertising has always been one of the most important aspects of business. If people aren’t aware of your product,than most likely, they won’t buy it. Common customers will go into a store to buy something they have heard of before, it’s a feeling of safety in your purchase, rather than buying the unknown. In that feeling, we have the ads of 2013, the tech ads of 2013, and there were a lot of different types of ads released. Lets take a look back at tech advertising in 2013.
We have Google, yes our favorite company had plenty of ads out this year, focused on everything from Chromebooks to Google Glass. As we look at the ads provided by Google, we see a less hostile ad than from others we are going to look at, and some good music as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOyIA8EK2R0
Though Google had a theme of music and quick snippets of nostalgia in their television commercials, there still was the ad campaign for Google Glass. Glass has been receiving more than its fair share of criticism. Lets be honest, Glass is a device that intensifies what we do already, share. For years now people have been sharing thanks to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, all social media has made us become a world of sharers. Some over share, while others fear sharing, but no matter how you look at it, Glass was bound to happen, and in a way, we asked for it, so lets take a look at how Google is trying to make Glass feel more like the norm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1uyQZNg2vE
Inspired? Or creeped out? doesn’t matter really, because Glass and other similar products are headed your way this coming year. Tell us what you thought of this ad campaign, and if the price is affordable, is Glass something you are going to buy? These two ad’s above, pretty much sum up the year for Google in advertising. Unless of course you look towards the fighting ring, where Microsoft is boxing against an absent Google, and still not winning.
We could go on for days and days about how Microsoft vs. Google has been an uphill battle for Microsoft, but that didn’t stop them from trying to prevent you from getting “Scroogled”. Though the attack ads make more sense when you look at the man behind the campaign. Mark Penn, have you heard that name before? Well currently he is the vice president of advertising at Microsoft. Before that title, he was a strategist for the Clinton administration, and focused on, you guessed it, campaigning.
This is what happens when you mix politics with business, in all aspects, it gets dirty, and for the most part, consumers are unaware of the mess. However, Penn brought that mud-slinging right to our faces, and all over the web and our televisions. Bringing television’s “Pawn Stars”, who in my own opinion are always ripping people off, to the fight the battle for Microsoft.
[quicktime]http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/want-laptop-value-know-what-to-look-for/1vqpxn19t?from=sharepermalink&src=v5%253ashare%253asharepermalink%253a[/quicktime]
That ad has to be laughed at, more so than laughed with, since it feels like a desperate attempt from Microsoft, to grasp at whatever business they can. If you are done being entertained by attack ads, but want to see more team ups, there is HTC.
HTC has a lot to do this coming year, and even though the HTC One has been one of the best devices of 2013, advertising is key. HTC has had a lot of changes going on inside the board room, but we were all over this Robert Downey Jr. team up that brought us the “Here’s To Change” campaign. This campaign brought us a lot of mystery in the beginning, with just snippets being shown on the web. After a leak from inside the company, HTC was forced to launch the campaign early, and give us the full advertisement. Helicopters, trolls, cheerleaders, cats, Robert Downey Jr. and some short guy with a briefcase bring this ad to life, and it got mixed reviews. Some people thought it made absolutely no sense, and others questioned why the ad even existed. No matter where on the spectrum you fall, the most important thing, is that you were talking about HTC. Goal accomplished, but immediately forgotten. After the release of the ad, we have seen little come from HTC, hopefully 2014 will bring more from the company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVE1OcfB1E4
Now that you are most likely dazed and confused, lets add another emotion with this next ad, anger. Samsung, yes Samsung, has brought plenty of ads out this year, from Santa, to Star Trek. One thing is perfectly clear throughout all of them, and that is Samsung really wants you to buy Galaxy Gear. Which brings us to the anger, with this latest ad brought by Samsung and released online. Take a second and a smidge to watch this one first and then we can go over what we just saw after the break.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cn5pTeR0Ws
Wow! That was a wonderful display of “not going to happen” and “creepy guy” all mixed together ending with a smirk that was too creepy for words. Where to begin…the campaign started with a creepy guy, that seemed to be trying to sneak a peek of the girl next to him on a ski lift. Meanwhile, his friend looks over and seemed to be thinking ” Mr.Steal yo girl” was a life style more so than a popular vine clip. That pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the campaign, and we feel there is no need to go further into detail about what happens in the ad. Instead, we will ask you, what is it about Galaxy Gear by Samsung, that makes you stay clear from purchasing? Everyone has their own reasons, but it seems that Samsung is really trying to change that and get Gear on every wrist in the world.
Though these are just a few of the ad campaigns from the year 2013, we see that over all, 2013 was the year of the ad. Companies seemed more focused on getting their names out there, rather than giving us new ideas. So maybe 2014 will be the year of inventions and new ideas coming to light, and less attack ads and creepy ads. So what ad campaigns stuck out for you this year? was there a particular ad that you watched on YouTube a few times out of pure love for the ad? Or are you sick of ads and just want to get to the goods?