Site Visits (Agencies)

During our three weeks in Berlin we had to opportunity to visit various sites some of these included: McCann Erickson, Wall Agency, Meta Design, Mercedes Flagship store, amongst others. The first three agencies listed above seemed to be the most constructive to me. McCann Erikson gave the impression of a traditional advertising agency. The office was divided into working sections according to job title/description. Creatives were working on one side and executives on the other. To me this agency provided us with the most realistic setting of what we can expect to see and perhaps what it would be like to work with this type of company. They presented on one of their biggest accounts- Lufthansa. The most relevant point I took away from the presentation was the challenges that are present when marketing to different cultures. They discussed how they actually have to travel to India and China to find models to incorporate into the campaign. When dealing with aesthetic factors of campaigns they must take into consideration cultural values, which include roles of family members or the significance that various colors represent to different cultures. For example, for their campaign that was placed in India they actually ran two different commercials. One commercial depicted a grandfather and granddaughter reuniting after the granddaughter had been studying abroad. This commercial is representative of the importance of family in Indian culture. As an American this was interesting that they had to travel to the location to shoot the commercial, in the United States the population is so diverse that it would not be nearly as difficult to find models.

Another agency we visited was Meta Design and for me this presentation was amazing! They specialize in sound branding and spoke about how sound can actually create an experience for the consumer you are advertising to. After listening to various sounds it became apparent how sounds provide us with familiarity (burning fire/ city street sounds) and familiarity is important when establishing relevance in the mind of who are speaking with. This agency discussed how IBM’s signature sound has held a strong presence and how it has been able to keep the same signature sound but evolve over time. Towards the end of the presentation showed us their Lufthansa account as well. The music throughout the presentation demonstrated how sound sets the stage for various emotions that can be felt for example: joy, love, anticipation and then be associated with the brand.

The last agency we visited in Berlin was the Wall Agency. This presentation was also an incredible experience because of its interactivity. We took a virtual tool and saw the various mediums they work with to advertise. This agency specializes in street furniture that can be used by advertisers and really demonstrated their technological capabilities. We were shown models for dog waste bag receptacles, public toilets, newspaper stands, bicycles, and pay phones. During the virtual tour we were able to see real-life models and replicas of their street furniture concepts that you can see from the images below. At the end of the presentation we were shown an S-Bahn station — Friedrichstraße. The presentation demonstrated how a company can buy advertising time for a very reasonable cost that would incorporate the entire station. Using light and screen displays they can use the ground and walls of the station to grab the attention of people travelling through out the station.

The last two agencies discussed above really demonstrated the technological capabilities that are present in Berlin. It was a very good learning experience to see how international agencies are reaching out to consumers. From an IMC perspective any of the concepts were useful and something can be taken back to the United States and incorporated into advertising. Although in South Florida public transportation is not very common the street furniture concepts could be used. Also, the metro station advertising concepts could be very applicable in locations like Washington D.C., and New York City.