Beyond Urban Branding

I'm still not sure I want one. But the iPad commercial makes me rethink it. This commercial is has a fast pace, but keeps you in the groove the entire time. Plus, they don't have to say a word, you just watch it- and want it! -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

I was never a comic guy. But this trailer makes me want to start reading 'em. I don't even care if the movie sucks! The Iron Man 2 trailer is well done. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

I hate holding my wifes purse in the mall (I hardly ever do it but, I HATE it). Someone on the Flo TV ad team must hate it to. This ad is hilarious. By defending the idea that a man should be able to watch TV whenever he wants to, they hit a home run. Then to add some more pepper to it, they ran it on Superbowl Sunday!!! Great strategy. For the record, my buddy has one of these and they're pretty cool. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Allhiphop.com had a pretty cool editorial on Hip-Hop logos. I agree with most of the list. Though, I'm not fully sure about EPMD, Onyx and No Limit. The first two, quite honestly, seem kinda of old school. Meaning, they got stuck in 90's. I'm not sure the average teenager knows EPMD or No Limit anymore at all (though they are great looking logos). I also feel like the Hieroglyphics logo is WAY bigger. I feel this mainly because that crew still tours a lot. Especially in Europe. Only Hiero has fans tattooing their logo across their body like the Wu fans do. Check it out: Allhiphop.com's Top Ten Rap Logos -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

I don't know. This ad does not impress at all. I mean, clearly I'm not a lady with long flowing hair. I guess if you want it, this ad might impress you. But I yawn when I see it. A far cry from the really funny old school "Got Milk" ads. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban

Drakes Forever video is still raw. I was just watching it for fun, since I don't have the MP3. Then I saw the Ciroc bottles. I think I counted four times. On youtube alone it got seventeen million hits! We have not event talked about MTV and BET rotation. Its so sublime I can't tell if I'm impressed by it, or appalled by it. Sneaky.... -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the impact of Run DMC's classic rap song My Adidas and its impact on branding. Today we will look at a few other songs that have had a huge impact on shoes in particular. We begin with Air Force Ones, by Nelly. I think this may have been one of the biggest songs about shoes since My Adidas. Every kid on the block still rocks 'em. Here we have a track from a group called The Pack, based out of Oakland, CA. This was a pretty big hit. Not as big as Air Force Ones, but none the less a hit. The funny thing is, Vans have been known mostly for being skater shoes. I wore Vans in the early 80's and one thing was certain...I was just about THE ONLY Black kid rockin' Vans. But it also shows you how over time the line between "Hip-Hop" and "skater culture" became almost one in the same. Interesting thing about this song is that the video was pretty much BANNED from MTV and many other TV outlets. They saw the song as nothing more t...

This Kindle ad is boring. Let me get this straight, you're going against Apple- right? The super-fun-everybody-loves to have one, APPLE?! And this was your best idea. Commercials like this do not inspire people who hate books, to read. They don't make Kindle look like a digital nerdfest. For this garbage ad alone, I'm thinking iPad is gonna kill you. I bet the ads folks are at Steve Jobs house right now laughing so hard. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

I love this ad for so many reasons. It makes iPhones and Nikes look cool, cutting edge and empowering. Plus my kids loved it. If my kids don't get an ads message, if they don't get it, that tells me a lot. Because if a brands message is simple, if it makes sense and if it can connect- its a winner. If it connects with the kids, that says a lot. Real talk. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

This ad was well done (hard to believe after all the drama). The question is, "Why bother"? Nike does not need Tiger right now. Tiger needs Nike. He's undone his own success. I mean you can't even use the "Just do it" mantra for so many obvious reasons. I just don't know why they felt so compelled to do this ad. Its less of a FAIL, more of a shoulder shrug. These ads are kinda old, I know. But they highlight the beauty and simplicity of Nike. This ad is funny, short and most of all clear in its message. Every man has had a moment like the above. If you haven't, Nike is inspiring you to create one. Nothing is more fun, than when a brand knows its on a roll and keeps going. This is another one you gotta love. The writers were on the money.

Old Spice has a new set of ads with Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris/White Girls) for their new Odor Blocker shower gel. These ads are funny, crazy, silly and most of all- memorable. I have no idea what the ad team at Old Spice has been on. But they need to keep taking it. Because these ads are hilarious. I'd embed them, but I could not find the proper way to embed codes. So enjoy the link. http://www.youtube.com/user/oldspice?feature=chclk -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Another wack Mickey D ad Whats wrong with McDonalds? Seriously, what are they thinking. Am I supposed to see this guy freestyling with a mic in the back seat while old folks head-nod to the beat is cool? There is no context...Is he in a taxi? Why does he have a mic? Wheres the DJ? I really thought this ad lacked a lot of creativity. I also think Mickey D's make a lot of dry ads directed at the African-American/Hip-Hop community. They really need to get out of the "Different World" TV show vibe and step up their ad game. This Def Poetry meets car freestylin' with old folks is wick-wick-wack! -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Snickers did a great ad. This is solid because we've all had a day where we're like "Fred is playing like an old lady". When you see the old lady on the field its priceless. Its a fresh take on the "Snickers satisfies" angle, which frankly, I think is a bit tired. But clearly they found another way to keep it alive. -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Nike gets the nod for taking risks in ads. This one paid off big. LeBron James, Rev Burke and RZA really brought it in this ad. Complete with a symphony to back up the manga styled cartoon. The message here is about having a solid work ethic regardless of the odds. Who can argue against that in 2010?! -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Pepsi showed some serious creativity with this ad. Just the idea of Pink, Beyonce and Brit killing it with a classic rock anthem...Who can hate that? -Beyon Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

Before there was Eminem we had M&M's. Have a great Easter!! -Beyond Urban Branding beyondurban@gmail.com

I'll admit it. Intel has better ads than I've been aware of. This one here is pretty funny. Its funny because the message is delivered clean and nobody had to try too hard to make it. They just made plain what all real tech people know: We have our own rock stars. I can't tell you how many times I've been at an event and somebody taps my arm and says "Theres the dude from Adobe who made the so-and-so". Or "Theres the guy who changed coding forever!" And we watch them with awe as they go down the hall. Only real tech dudes and chicks feel it. This is differentiation at its highest. Essentially they are saying " We're REAL tech people. We get you." They are in a good zone here. This should actually be a recurring theme in Intel ads. They could do this one forever. Talk about speaking to the core demographic!!