The Most Delicious Billboard Is Made Entirely of Cake

There are so many things to love about innovation in the marketing industry, but we wonder if any of that innovation is as delicious as Mr. Kipling’s recent billboard stunt. The stunt is one which, like several other’s we’ve seen looking to create a new perspective on billboard advertising, really succeeds in making a statement, and getting the audience drooling about the product.

And just how do they do that?

By making it out of cake.

The Campaign

With the help of professional food artist Michelle Wibowo, Mr. Kipling and their agency JWT London created a billboard in London made of 13,360 Mr. Kipling cakes. The billboard took months of planning, and hours to assemble, before it was summarily consumed by the many interested pedestrians passing by. Yet this gargantuan act of crafty cake construction had a surprisingly simple message: Life Is Better With Cake.

Deliciously Smart Campaigning

There are so many confectionary and snack food companies in today’s age that the real mission is not simply proving that you exist, but capturing the attention and interest of your audience. Mr. Kipling have worked to do this in the past by running a slightly similar campaign where randomly dispersed machines gave out up to 500 Mr. Kipling cakes a day. Now, that generosity was rewarded with lines of people, lots of media impressions and a big impact, so it should surprise nobody that the company was keen to repeat it.

However, the sheer size of the billboard has stepped up Mr. Kipling’s campaign from interesting use of their products, to food artwork, and although the campaign is still in its sharing infancy, it looks like the spread could be viral.

Why It Works

There are a couple of reasons this campaign really works, both for the people that were there to see it on the ground, and for those who drooled over it online. . The first reason is because of its unusualness, and the novelty of it. Sure, there are all kinds of different billboards, but the fact that every single part of the Mr. Kipling board, from the background to the writing, it totally edible, is a pretty cool feat.

Another reason this campaign works really well, and probably one of the smarter aspects of it, is that it’s a billboard that gives something back to the customer. In the current age, the public is bombarded with advertisement everywhere they go; it’s all around them, in all forms of media. Almost all of this advertising pushes a singular message, but the Mr. Kipling advertisement gives something back too. In this way, it breaks through the barrier that people build around them to advertisement, making the message much stronger, and much more effective.

Changing The Face of Billboards?

Billboards are still a useful medium for advertisement, although the growing world of online media means that consumers want to see more interesting marketing ideas executed by brands than simply putting up a billboard. The Mr. Kipling cake billboard is a good example of how a brand is bringing the social participation of the modern society, with the slightly older form of advertising found on billboards.

Although we don’t expect to be taste-testing many more billboards in the near future, we also won’t be forgetting this one any time soon.

How To Adapt Your Brand Image Across Languages and Cultures

In some respects the business world has never been smaller. Globalization, mass communication and the internet have all put new markets within reach for businesses of all sizes. But linguistic and cultural barriers still remain, and marketers need to take care when venturing across these divides.

Lost in translation

There are numerous instances of companies whose message has been lost in translation. When Pepsi took their slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” to Taiwan it was mistranslated as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead” - a claim that even the staunchest of Pepsi fans might have difficulty backing up. Not to be outdone, Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous “Finger lickin' good” was translated into Chinese as “Eat your fingers off.”

Companies are advised to check that their actual brand and product names give the right impression abroad. Ikea, for example, brought out a mobile work desk for kids. The name 'Fartfull' suggested speed and mobility in Swedish, but caused more of a stink elsewhere.

Good quality translation is clearly essential when taking your brand abroad. This ideally means working with native speaking translators. They will not only avoid linguistic errors, but can also identify any cultural issues and nuances that might otherwise be missed.

Attention to detail is obviously important in a major international marketing campaign, but the same rule should also be applied even if you are just localizing your website. Automatic translation tools such as Google Translate can be useful for getting the gist of foreign texts. But they’re prone to misunderstandings, contextual errors, and do not deal well with colloquialisms, slang, linguistic variations or commonly used acronyms and abbreviations.

English might remain the single most widely used language online, but it still represents only around a quarter of total usage. Studies have shown that customers place far more trust in websites in their own language. Localization can help you break into new markets, but a badly translated site can do as much harm as good.

Cultural issues

There can also be issues arising from a lack of cultural understanding or foresight. As well as translating the language, consider the use of images carefully. Sexually charged images and innuendo can end up being more risky than risqué, and even images that may be considered relatively innocuous in your home market can cause grave offence in another.

Even the use of color can have different connotations within different cultures. In most of the western world, for example, white is associated with weddings and purity, while in India, Japan and China it is more likely to be associated with death and mourning. In Ireland, orange can have political and religious connotations. Using an inappropriate color scheme is unlikely to cause rioting in the streets but it can set the wrong tone and trigger a negative subconscious response in viewers.

A knowledge of slang, colloquialisms and naughty words in particular can also come in handy. Like many other companies, Swedish medical suppliers Locum sent Christmas cards to their customers. It's a little touch that can mean a lot - but their seasonally loved up logo took on a different meaning in North America and the UK.

The above example might have been no more than a faux pas that raised a chuckle and provided a few red faces, but some mistakes are far more serious. They can also occur not just when dealing with foreign markets but also within a single multicultural market.

In 2002 the British sportswear company Umbro (which would later be bought out by Nike) was forced to withdraw its Zyklon range of running shoes and issue a hasty apology. 'Zyklon' means 'cyclone' in German, which may have been an appropriate name for a running shoe if not for some unfortunate and horrible connotations. Zyklon B was the trade name of the poison used by Nazis to murder Jews and other concentration camp victims during World War II.

Dr Stephen Smith, co-founder of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre in Nottinghamshire, said: "Commercial appropriation of words carrying connotations of mass murder is utterly unacceptable.”

It’s important to give careful thought to potential cultural oversights and misunderstandings. Native-speaking translators can again help avoid mistakes and faux pas and, at the very least, material should be tested with a sample group from the target market. Without a little attention to detail it can be relatively easy for a company to either make itself a laughing stock or, even worse, to cause serious offence and alienate a huge swathe of potential customers.

About the author

Christian Arno is the founder of Lingo24, a top translation service in the USA. Launched in 2001, Lingo24 now has over 150 employees spanning three continents and clients in over sixty countries. In the past twelve months, they have translated over forty million words for businesses in every industry sector, including the likes of MTV, World Bank and American Express. Follow Lingo24 on Twitter: @Lingo24.

Guinness Takes You Inside Its Storied Dublin Brewery in Almost Mystical New Ad

By celebrating its Irish roots, Guinness subtly sails into the mystic with "In Pursuit of More," a campaign that bows with this 90-second spot from Philadelphia agency Quaker City Mercantile.
St. James's Gate, the brand's 255-year-old Dublin brewery, is the inspiration for a meditation on its heritage. We learn something of its history, meet current employees and get a feel for the brewing process. "We're only 255 years into a 9,000-year lease," Irish actor Cillian Murphy says in a lilting, raspy voiceover. "We have a lot more beer to make."
In fact, the lease is no longer valid, as Guinness purchased its Dublin site long ago. Even so, that historical detail fits the overall thrust of this broadcast and online initiative. Developed mainly for the U.K. and Ireland, with more short films to follow, the work creates a timeless, almost mythical aura around the brand.

"We felt it was time to open the gates and let the world see the people who make our beer special," says Guinness marketing director Stephen O'Kelly. Fair enough. But Philip Montgomery's smooth direction, with visuals that are muted, gauzy, and at times slightly over-bright, give the piece an ethereal, quasi-spiritual vibe.
This vibe resonates even during some of the clip's most commonplace scenes. For example, the spot opens with a guy cycling to work at the brewery. As a moody piano piece by Alain Francois Bernard plays in the background, he turns down a narrow cobblestone street—it resembles a tunnel—and rides up to St. James's Gate. The huge doors are dark and imposing, like freshly pulled pints of Guinness stout. As he slips inside, it's no stretch to imagine he's entered a holy place where past, present and future blend into a heady brew.
What could be more on brand for a company emphasizing its ties to Ireland, the land of legends and strong beliefs, and particularly for Guinness, which has a devout cult following worldwide?

You Will Never See iPhone Lines The Same After Watching This Unsettling Video On New York City's iPhone Lines

Casey Neistat

On Friday, we, like many others published photos of thousands of people standing in line to buy the new iPhone, the iPhone 6. 

Most people think of these lines as being filled with crazed fanboys who just can't wait to get their hands on the latest product from Apple. However, filmmaker Casey Neistat (via Re/code) created a 6-minute video that shows there is a dark, disturbing side to these lines.

The lines are not just filled with crazed fanboys. Neistat shows that the lines are filled with Chinese people waiting for days to buy an iPhone 6, only to flip it as soon as they leave the store. On YouTube, he says, "this entire experience was disheartening." 

We have the full video below, here's a quick run down of what you'll see:

This was the first person in line for the iPhone 6 at the SoHo store:

Casey Neistat

She's not what you think of when you think of the kind of person that waits for an iPhone. But, maybe she should be:

Casey Neistat

The guy in the front said he was waiting for two days.

Casey Neistat

In the evening, the lines get even more depressing. There are people sleeping in garbage bags:

Casey Neistat

The cops patrol the streets, telling people they can't sleep. This cop was harassing people, saying, "You people ever heard of soap? You f---ing stink."

Casey Neistat

And then, for reasons unknown, there was screaming, and police were cuffing this woman.

Casey Neistat

When the long wait was over, people got into the Apple store and bought two iPhones, with cash:

Casey Neistat

And as soon as they leave the store, they find someone willing to buy their phones:

Casey Neistat

In all, it's not a pretty picture for Apple. These lines look like great marketing, but up close they're depressing. People are waiting in line for days just to make a quick buck flipping new phones. 

(It's also interesting to think about what this means for Apple in terms of opening weekend sales. Is this really a great way to gauge demand? As Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes put it: "We caution investors that first weekend sales for iPhones is a meaningless figure since it really only represents Apple's supply.")

Here's the whole video, which you really should watch: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef_BznBwktw