As we move forward into 2012, it is worth a few minutes to reflect on some of the infomercials, emails, videos and products we found to be most engaging over the past year.
Our Top Viral Videos This Year
Not all these videos are from this year, but they are the ones we shared or got linked to the most this year.
Rolling In the Deep – Sidewinder Cover – This US Air Force band cover of Adele’s haunting hit single is touching and amazingly well performed.
Marketing music is tough. According to a recent LA Times article, the record industry saw its first increase in 6 years, album sales were up 1% in 2011 and overall music sales were up7%. This video points to the marketing value of viral videos. It likely added to widespread interest in the song. “Rolling in the Deep” sold 5.81 million copies last year.
Sneezing Panda – Well, what would a post about viral videos be without a viral video staple like the sneezing panda.
Friday – Rebecca Black – This wasn’t only a viral hit, but has a short stint as a pop-culture phenomenon.
We were also moved by several other videos:
Wounded Warriors Project – This project has been around for a number of years but continues to receive well-deserved support from those in the entertainment industry.
Trace Adkins and the West Point Glee Club sings “Can’t Come Home Til The Last Shot’s Fired”
Motorcyclist Saved as onlookers lift burning car – This video is the definite winner for the most uplifting video of the year. A crowd of onlookers all chip in to lift a burning car to rescue a trapped motorcyclist. Watch on YouTube
Marketsmith’s Top Emails of the Year
Brooks Brothers: Look Who’s Wearing Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers cross promotion with the hit movie The Muppets was a stroke of genius. The creative grabs the recipient and the message is clear and on point.
Uncommon Goods: Our Favorite Things
A clever rewrite of the song to showcase “a few of our uncommon goods,” which were truly out of the ordinary.
Some Favorite Short Forms Spots
ProForm TDF Training Bike – The Tour de France inspires us to “demand more” and ProForm gives us the opportunity to ride the Tour de France as we work out at home.
BMW 5 Series – We’d love to get a caffeine refill doing 80 in a great performance car. Don’t try this at home.
Volkswagen – Here is one you can try at home.
Etrade – Not sure if the message is it’s so easy a baby can do it, or that certain behaviors start awfully young…
Top Catalog picks
Restoration Hardware’s Gary Friedman Leads the “Lunatic Fringe” with Magnificence and I am in Love
Anthropologie Spring – Bold and Worth the View
Marketsmith’s Top Products This Year
As chosen by various members on the team with absolutely no criteria or restrictions – Technology and beauty products seemed to dominate, with a nod to food and ecology.
Sampar Prodigal Pen Blemish Corrector – For those of us who need to look fabulous the Sampar Prodigal Pen Blemish Corrector is an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory anti-blemish pen that immediately reduces the size and appearance of blemishes. It is also great for insect bites and razor burn!
Guinot Anti-Fatigue Yeux (Eye Gel) – This eye gel does everything. It relaxes and soothes heavy and swollen eyelids, reduces the appearance of fatigue marks (dark shadows and puffiness) and moisturizes and protects the skin.
Cargo Jet Lag Concealer – Jet Lag is a dark circle-erasing concealer that provides optimum coverage with light-diffusing pigments to brighten the eye area with fortifying, nourishing and repairing ingredients to reduce dark circles and puffiness. Jet Lag is free of parabens, fragrance and synthetic dyes.
iPhone – It would be hard to think of a smartphone more ubiquitous than the iPhone. Year after year and iteration after iteration, this phone sells like hotcakes. Android and Windows will keep trying to knock Apple off its throne, but with its excellent design, and trendy advertisements it will be a hard task. It should be noted that Android outsells iPhones but iPhones are used more often to make online purchases.
iPad – The first tablet to market is a very popular device. Feeding off of the iPhone consumer base and marketplace it quickly rose to top dog in the tablet game. Competitors have been rising up, but none have yet reached the level of the iPad.
Perfect Meatloaf – Who would have thought that a product to make the perfect meatloaf would resonate with people so much. The design is simple and ingenious and the DRTV campaign was wonderful. I guess it must be said: a great idea is a great idea.
Blackberry Torch – To some, it may seem like the smartphone of the past, but there are still those out there that swear by their BlackBerry. The Torch was Blackberry’s flagship device for the newest BlackBerry OS version and the answer to many brand loyalists prayers for a device OS that is comparable to the new wave of mobile devices.
Manduka eKO Lite Mat – The eKO lite mat is a must have for the ecology-conscious yoga crowd. The mat itself is made of eco friendly tree rubber and is light and perfect for traveling around.
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