Mark Littler’s Post

Sunday was St Patrick’s day. A global day of celebration of Irish culture which feels like it’s getting bigger each and every year in its scale. So what better day to jump in, join the fun and see if you can get people to reappraise what they drink … and whether there might be more than Guinness to enjoy. That’s what Kahlua did. And people loved it.  🎉 The atmosphere/ambience, infectious enthusiasm, jolly 🎻 The music (contributing to the above) 🤣 Funny - the story, the facial expressions, the Tucan, the twist 😯 Surprise/curve ball - the moment of him turning round with a cocktail, the play on Guinness 🍸 The twist on tradition and acceptance - celebrating non conformity, affectionate It also gives them a powerful positive association or space to be part of the big event. Being a part of St Patrick’s day.  This all meant that the ad was seen as incredibly well loved, resonant, highly distinctive and really did make people who wouldn’t have considered Kahlua pre seeing the ad actually want to try it. Only 3% considered the brand before being exposed to the ad in the middle of programming surrounded by other ads …. And after, 22% would consider it. Now to the elephant in the room.  Not everyone realised or remembered it was a Kahlua ad. We show the ad as part of an ‘ad break’ with other ads in the middle of programming then ask what brands people remember being advertised.  The number mentioning Kahlua is less than we’d often see.  BUT - there is an additional 10% who talked about espresso martini (which benefits Kahlua). Inevitably …. There are also 7% who remember Guinness.  Now we could see that as a really bad thing … or we could weigh up a few things: - It’s a smaller brand.  They have a lot to gain by being part of St Patrick’s day, being another drink to consider, being humorous, being an accepted drink.  - The way it positions Kahlua cleverly as an alternative.  An attractive one.  A fun one. An accepted one is very clever. - Is Guinness really a competitor? Or given the number who do get the brand, is attaching the love so many feel for Guinness powerful? - Could Kahlua habit stack on Guinness as James Clear would say?  When you’ve had enough Guinness you move seamlessly to Kahlua or an espresso martini I say well done to Kahlua, Pernod Ricard and Wieden + Kennedy Sign up to the newsletter for insights into an interesting ad each week. https://lnkd.in/e-VVDCSC https://lnkd.in/ema3AbMW #consumerinsights #kahlua #advertising #marketing #effectiveadvertising #stpatricksday

Blogged on WARC: “All you ever do is awards shows.” The ubiquitous comment from friends who are not working in the industry. Always I correct them. Yet always I love what’s hidden in that incorrect statement. It works as a good reminder of the special traits of the ad land, the creative complex. Having just been on two juries and a panel about awards shows, I wanted to share some thoughts with regard to this unique part of the work in our industry. 👉 These thoughts and our little Diamondgram: https://lnkd.in/dgUzngqh

This is allyship in action.

Britain, Bombs and Beerhalls – A July 4th Story 🎆  Happy July 4th! While you’re getting ready to barbecue and watch some fireworks...think about this. Our beloved anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner”, as many people know, was written by Frances Scott Key during the War of 1812. What you may not know... Key was held captive on a British warship and forced to watch as the British unceremoniously attacked Fort McHenry. And it didn’t look good for us upstart Americans. 🇺🇸 When the Stars and Stripes emerged, rather than the Union Jack (i.e. British flag), he was so inspired he had to put his emotions down in the form of a poem which would be the words of our National Anthem. But that’s not the whole story. The Star-Spangled Banner would have been a long-forgotten poem if it wasn’t for the music.   Key wanted his poem to stand the test of time. So what did he do? 🎶 He took a popular tune heard in British beer halls and adapted it to his poem. His choice turned out to be a great way to wave the flag and also thumb his nose at the British at the same time! It also reminds us that our best ideas are often inspired from unexpected sources. Just as Key's anthem has stood the test of time, so too do the ideas that are nurtured and developed from unconventional origins.  💁♂️ To learn more about our approaches to think differently, check out our innovative thinking tools, techniques and stories here:  https://lnkd.in/d7GM8Exd    💡 About Deliberate Innovation: We help forward thinking leaders to solve their most unsolvable challenges by systematically applying winning ideas from outside your industry. #IndependenceDay #FourthOfJuly #Creativity #Inspiration #Innovation #StarSpangledBanner 

All right. Let's get it started. I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season, and a great start to 2024. If you're like me, you look forward to the new year as a new beginning. An opportunity to do something new. A chance to make it a better year than the one just ended. Let's start with the first nominations of 2024 for the Nice Guy/Gal Awards. Every Friday, I’ll share nominations for people who have been identified as nice guys (and gals). If you want to nominate someone, just shoot me a private message by 5:00 EDT on Thursday. There are only 3 requirements: 1) you have to be connected to the person you nominate 2) you can only nominate one person per week 3) you can’t nominate yourself 😀   If you want to provide a brief reason for your selection, that’s great, but it’s not a requirement. Let’s recognize people who make a difference simply by being nice. Have a great day, everyone. And a great year! https://lnkd.in/eANrt5jE   #network #sportsbiz #people #niceguy #networking #sportsmarketing

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 When it released in 1994, The Shawshank Redemption was a box office disappointment. Today it features in most best ever movies list. American Beauty won the Oscar for the best movie in 2000. It was critically acclaimed and won a slew of Oscars. Years later, it is viewed as one of the most overrated movies of all time. In the 2024 Grammy's Jay Z criticized the Recording Academy for the way the go about judging. Speaking of his wife Beyonce he said "𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘚𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘺𝘴. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.” In the online world, juries are fickle. You can get trolled and praised for the same thing. Or get trolled for putting out something you believe in. If you're waiting for approval from some imagined jury in your head, it's a waste of time. If you get swayed and disillusioned by people who don't have your best interests in mind, it can stop you from creating. One approach is to ignore all the juries and keep creating. Eventually, you'll find a jury that cares enough to make you better. #decision #jury #opinion

Honoring Black History Month 🖤Inspired by JAY Z's powerful Grammy acceptance speech, I'm reminded of the resilience within our community. From unequal opportunities to systemic biases, underrepresented individuals face challenges across industries—getting overlooked for promotions and roles, not receiving accolades, even with stolen ideas that they then pass as their own. Jay's words echo the importance of showing up and staying encouraged, even when their actions and words try to tell you that you're not worthy. Keep showing up until they get it right! We love you. We just want you to get it right. It wasn't until witnessing his speech that I found the words I wanted to share this Black History Month. To my fellow trailblazers, keep pushing, keep striving – whether it's navigating unequal access, combatting stereotypes, or overcoming the hurdles of being overlooked. Your voice matters, your dreams are valid. Let Jay's success be a testament to the strength that lies within us. In every endeavor, from music to business, we navigate uncharted territories. So, to my community, stay up, stay resilient, and keep breaking barriers. Your journey is part of the rich tapestry of Black history, of American history, of world history, and your success is a beacon of hope for the generations to come. 🌟 (the opinions expressed within the content are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of any organization that I may be associated with) #BlackHistoryMonth #StayEncouraged #RepresentationMatters #Inspiration #InSolidarity https://lnkd.in/eQRE7eMD

To all innovators who believe their product's excellence exempts it from pre-launch testing ;-)

Save the date

Professor Chang asserts "I develop my thesis that our Constitution has never been colorblind by examining, in Part II, the development of the racial ordering that preceded the 1789 Constitution, followed in Part III by how this constitution carried forward this prior racial ordering. In Part IV, I examine the attempt to create a new racial order following the Civil War and the Reconstruction Amendments, including how this attempt was thwarted. In Part V, I broaden the frame from the Black/White racial paradigm to show how non-Black racial minorities fit into the racial compact. Then, in Part VI, I jump to the Second Reconstruction as embodied in the 1960s Civil Rights Acts and how the Court thwarted this attempt to restructure the racial order. I close in Part VII by examining the current moment and the contestation over our nation's history before concluding that a more accurate understanding of our nation's history and the Court's persistent failure to acknowledge it demonstrate that our Constitution has never been colorblind."