Another brillant commercial by Apple.

It’s that time of year! You know, the time of year for every blog to post Year in Review and Top 10 Lists.

If one thing Google does well is videos that pull on the heart strings. Enjoy!

I love this video by Bacardi. Luck is simply a state of mind. Luck happens when you always say, “yes.” Luck happens when you dance in the rain instead of hiding from it.

If you’re in the retail game, Q4 is a game changing quarter. It’s also when the competition to garner eyeballs is the toughest. This campaign by JCPenny is my far the most brilliant one yet! Check it out.

Now this video is the future of social and mobile. It’s not Facebook, twitter or any other platform, it’s integration in life.

While in San Diego, I walked by a very strange looking billboard during the day. An advertisement for Newcastle, the billboard had a tagline and then a ton of what looked like randomly placed bottle caps. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what shape or pattern these bottle caps made. After a few moments, we shrugged our shoulders and kept walking.

Luckily, we passed the billboard again at night. This time, the experience was different. This time, the bottle caps helped to create the shadow of a man reaching for the pint of Newcastle. Very cool. This time, we also noticed a small plaque below the billboard. On the plaque were directions to view the billboard at night. In addition, it contained a QR code to learn more about the making of the billboard, etc.

While the campaign was cool, there were two issues. First, both myself and friend never noticed this plaque during the day. It’s also too small to notice unless you were walking directly by the billboard vs. the other side of the street or driving. But, the worst offender? The QR code. While in theory, great. However, it wasn’t scannable!?!?! I’m not sure if it was because it was too far away (the plaque was offset from the sidewalk behind a fence), if my scanner just wasn’t working or if it really didn’t scan. Luckily, the plaque also contained a URL to (what I assume) was the same content behind the QR code.

The other piece? Besides me, in the fifteen minutes we hung out and watched people stop to check out the billboard, not a single person pulled out their phone to scan the QR code. Maybe they didn’t notice it. Maybe it was a hassle. Or maybe they just didn’t care. Either way, the piece was a great execution in Out-of-Home advertising, but fell a tad short in the digital arena.

Thanks to a Facebook ad. Yes, targeted advertising does work! I discovered Speedo’s Unforgettable Swims campaign.

If you know me, then you know I love swimming, even though I don’t jump in the water as often as I should these days :/ Needless to say, I love the video and campaign, even if it is a little hokey.

There’s nothing that I don’t love about this initiative from Tesco. This is an example of what I wish all marketing could be like this. By understanding the local market, Tesco was able to fundamentally change how consumers not only interacted with the brand but also how they viewed it. Without adding any stores, Tesco became #2 in the market and grew their online sales by 130%.

I normally don’t post song videos, but here I am posting two in one week. While this version of Home isn’t the original, it’s an awesome cover by a little girl and her dad. It’s also one I can’t stop listening to. The beat is stuck-in-your-head catchy and the words conveys one of the things I believe in the most – Home is not a place. Home is wherever the people who mean the most to you are.

This post, is the story behind the below cover song. It’s definitely a powerful, heartfelt piece that’s worth reading.

Original song lyrics by by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes:

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa
Not the way that I do love you

Holy roly, me, oh my, you’re the apple of my eye
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Man, oh man, you’re my best friend, I scream it to the nothingness
There ain’t nothin’ that I need

Well, hot & heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
There ain’t nothin’ please me more than you

Chorus:
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you
(2x)
La la la la, take me Home
Baby, I’m coming Home

I’ll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Moats & boats & waterfalls, alley ways & pay phone calls
I’ve been everywhere with you

That’s true

We laugh until we think we’ll die, barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

And in the sticks we’re running free like it’s only you and me
Geez, you’re something to see.

Chorus

“Jade?”
“Alexander?”
“Do you remember that day you fell out of my window?”
“I sure do, you came jumping out after me.”
“Well, you fell on the concrete and nearly broke your ass and you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed you off to the hospital. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, there’s something I never told you about that night.”
“What didn’t you tell me?”
“While you were sitting in the backseat smoking a cigarette you thought was going to be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you and I never told you ‘til just now.”
“Now I know.”

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is whenever I’m with you
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is when I’m alone with you

Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you

Ahh, Home
Yes, I am Home
Home is when I’m alone with you.

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa
Moats & boats & waterfalls & pay phone calls

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is when I’m alone with you