BrandFlair

Branding Spotlight: Team Hot Wheels World Record Jump

A new addition to the Brandflair site is the Branding Video Spotlight highlighting outstanding examples of branding using video and breaking down what makes them effective. All video is fair game so please submit your suggestions to us. We would love to review epic examples of branding and call out the best.

The video for June 2011 is the Team Hot Wheels Yellow Driver World Record Jump (see below). The video has over 5.9 million views on YouTube since May 29th, 2011. Here is what makes this video brilliant branding.

1. Simple Concept

Break a world record doing something insanely dangerous that we all dreamed of doing when we were kids…and probably still dream of doing.

2. Only Two Sponsors

Hot Wheels and Izod. Easy logos to spot throughout the video. Memorable! Facebook gets some tertiary branding love but does not overshadow Hot Wheels and Izod. We call this “Warm Porridge Branding.” Not too few logos and not too many but just right!

3. The Hot Wheels Car

It looks exactly like one that every kid today would have in their collection and one that every big kid played with decades ago.

4. Anonymous Driver

Famous drivers can be big brands themselves and potentially over-shadow the primary brands(s). By blurring his face and referring to him only as “Driver” and “Yellow Driver” the focus stays on Hot Wheels and Izod.

5. Editing

At just over one minute you this would typically be too long of a clip to hold today’s thirty second or less attention spans. Hot Wheels captured the jump from multiple angles that treated viewers to such details as the driver’s point of view going down the ramp, the car suspension on impact and the 360 degree skid out at the bottom of the ramp that created a wave of rocks. Use of slow motion is impactful and appropriate.

6. The Crowd Noise

Real time crowd noise keeps the excitement level up. By they way, who is that one lady screaming at the top of her lungs? She must have had a great seat and a big love for Hot Wheels! No matter…viewers feel like they are one of the lucky ones in the stands

7. Life-sized V-Drop

The initial drop off is insane and the ramps would make Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli nervous. Again, the driver’s point of view going down the drop off makes your head spin and yearn to hop on the nearest roller coaster. Viewers feel the thrill which makes it stick!

8. The Orange Track

An very subtle but epic branding touch. Almost every kid growing up with Hot Wheels had the iconic orange plastic Hot Wheels V-Drop track set to race their cars on. Whoever thought to add this timeless branding touch hit the nail on the head. It is our absolute favorite detail in this video.

9. Cross-over Appeal

Kid’s of all ages and generations love this clip. It brings back fond memories of good and imaginative times playing with a classic toy car from a well loved brand. I showed this once to my kids when I initially posted it on the Brandflair site and they have not let me replace it all month. We still watch it a few times during the day and before bed and it never fails to produce smiles, laughs, “Ooooohs” and “Ahhhhhs!”

Hats off to Hot Wheels, The Hot Wheels Racing Team and The Yellow Driver. Classic video and tremendous branding. Fantastic job!

What’s Cooking? Fish and Chips with Sweet Potato Fries & Grilled Smokey Cheddar Potato Packs

A new column in our LifeFlair section is “What’s Cooking.” In our house my wife and I plan the weekly meals together every Sunday. She goes through fun recipes on the computer while I go through the refrigerator, freezer and cupboards checking off ingredients we have and ones that need to go on the weekly shopping list. Tip: This is an easy way to save money as you are shopping for what you need and not buying items you already have (think condiments and spices). The added bonus is that it is another thing we do as a couple which I love.

Once the list is done we divide the work for the week. She shops solo (never shop before lunch or with kids – both add to the final total by over 20%) and I cook the meals during the week. We do love the rare opportunities to have a shopping date when the grandparents are in town.

Not all recipes are winners. Ones that go in the repeat folder are economical, easy to prep, easy to cook, healthy and as Rachael Ray says “Yum-O. The first two recipes highlighted for this column are ones we cooked this past week and both were big winners.

Fish and Chips with Sweet Potato Fries

We never eat fish and chips because we are not big fans of fried foods. I have also never really enjoyed sweet potatoes even though pound for pound they are the most healthy item in the produce section. This recipe blew me away for how easy it was to prepare (my son actually prepped the fish after everything was ready) and how fantastic both tasted. I did leave the sweet potatoes in for a bit longer and while the “sauce is boss” the tilapia is very tasty on its own. Clean up is very easy and the overall cost is around $2.00 per person. Great choice!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into 1/2-inch by-2-inch-sticks
3 tbsp. flour
1 egg, beaten
12 oz. tilapia, cut into 8 pieces

Directions:

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450°. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the panko with 1 tbsp. EVOO and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Spread evenly and bake, tossing occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a shallow bowl.

On the rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and bake on the upper rack, turning once, until brown and tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the flour and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Pour the egg into another shallow bowl. Working with 2 pieces at a time, coat the tilapia in the flour mixture, dip in the egg, then coat in the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Place on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve the fish with the dipping sauce and sweet potato fries.

Grilled Smokey Cheddar Potato Packs

My was looking for a good side dish and found this recipe for grilled potatoes. We were making steak for dinner that night and we needed something tasty and fast. These grilled potatoes were so easy and tasty and everyone loved them! The original recipe calls for grilling them from start to finish, 60 minutes total. The variation that calls for the potatoes to be par-cooked ahead of time is genius as they only have to cook last 20 minutes on the grill. I used the big brown baking potatoes both times but plan to try other potato varieties as well. I love camping and think this is a great recipe for the outdoors.

4 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
½ tsp salt
1 Tbls butter
1 Tbls Olive Oil
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup sliced green onions

Directions:
In a large microwave safe dish heat the diced potatoes for 10 minutes, stirring after 5. Place the potatoes a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Toss them with the olive oil. Sprinkle over the salt and bacon. Dot with butter.
Wrap the foil securely around potatoes. Place over a hot grill for about 20 minutes, flipping half way. Open up the foil, and top with cheese and onions. Stir around to melt the cheese. Serve straight from the foil pack. Enjoy!