As I mentioned in the State of the Word this is the year we’re ramping up marketing. There is lots to learn and much to follow, but we have our first TV ads up in six markets to test. Each shares a story of a business in Detroit, and I actually got the chance to visit one of the businesses earlier today.
Yay!
You should make them more heart-touching and not just hovering text on videos, make them feel-able.
The ads are flat-out awesome! Wonderful, touching stories with fantastic editing and pristine A/V quality.
In my humble opinion, I would have liked to HEAR “WordPress” in the ad…probably at the end…as the music fades out. There is just something about the name WordPress that really does it for me! It denotes power and resilience. “Press on!” Also, if one is distracted or not in the room actually looking at the ad, they might miss the fact that it is WordPress. Love the “W” bug on the lower left at all times, though!
On a related tangent, I’m having one of the best educational experiences of my life (online sax lessons w/ Bob Reynolds) thanks to WordPress. In addition to publishing, WordPress is also democratizing EDUCATION. I am a much better player thanks to WordPress!
Congratulations on the ads! I hope your horns are treating you well. 🙂
I agree with Johnny about adding the verbal “WordPress.” I love the ads and their feel and I love WordPress. It has given me the opportunity to build a publishing business online that failed in print at a time when I was rebuilding my life. Press On.
This is great to see and I hope it goes well. That last one with the 27% statistic grabbed me.
Ooh! Congratulations Matt and team! Very interested to see how they go!
I do agree with other commenters that the mention of “WordPress” or even something along the lines of “building my online presence” could help these ads hit home. But coming from a media/advertising background I understand the fine balance of pushing too much too soon in terms of “selling” a brand.
I’d love to see WordPress.com try a couple of creative ad streams to see how they perform with regard to engagement and conversion – functional vs. emotional. Functional, showing local businesses and celebrating their successes after using WordPress for their online business (similar to new ads), and emotional, sharing stories of various individuals both in the US and around the world, explaining how WordPress has literally changed their life (a la HeroPress.com). This could inspire non-WordPress users from anywhere, at any life stage, to make a significant life change by starting an online business with WordPress, and the opportunities that may arise from it – kind of a “Life starts at WordPress” message (these would also be great for online video ad placements). Just a few cents there, haha. 🙂
Wishing you all the best for the initial campaign!
Isn’t WordPress already reaching market saturation in USA??
How about finally supporting multi-language sites in the core, and taking the marketing to other countries.
Crazy to see a site I made for the hackathon on one of our ads. So glad to be a part of it.
Here’s a story about how they came to be:
https://design.blog/2017/05/18/how-a-detroit-hackathon-turned-into-wordpress-coms-first-ever-tv-spots/
A truly remarkable story, Mr. Motivator! Automattic radiates goodness at every turn! It really is true. There’s so much untapped love for WP… Thanks again for democratizing education. How are your horns?!?!?!
Some sunshine connected to small based community businesses, during a period of regular bad news being reported by the main traditional media of newspapers and TV.
Sorry, I just wasn’t moved by these spots. You need to emphasize that (1) WordPress is pervasive and has a huge infrastructure ready to help, (2) is relatively easy to use for non-techies, and (3) many businesses, including some very large ones, rely on WordPress to run their entire business. Too much a try for emotion and not enough branding.WordPress is in some tough competition but needs to show who the leader is, and why they’ll continue to lead.
As Detroit is my old hometown, these spots grabbed me personally—as I when I visit family there I see both that much of the city is wrecked, and I also see grassroots efforts to rebuild communities through homesteading and small business launches.
As a contributor on the Make WordPress Marketing team, I can tell you these commercial spots complement efforts by the Marketing to the Community subteam with Video Testimonials being created at WordCamps and Meetups that follow a “Humans of WordPress” theme. The idea is to not promote a brand or products, but to show what WordPress has always been about: Help people make the web work for them.
The fact that these arose out of a Hackathon isn’t surprising. There’s a genuine feel that speaks louder than the marketing subtext, while adding powerful gravity to that subtext. The balancing of story, production quality, and messaging can be tricky; and these juggle it all nicely.
I have to say when I saw the WordPress 4.7 “Vaughan” promo video, I got the idea, but it didn’t play well, seeming almost camp in the attempt to tie a small biz persona to the technology. I couldn’t help but think of an SNL fake commercial, waiting for a final ironic punchline.
You can’t beat real!
Detroit Is
RUN DET
@wordmaid Sharing stories a la HeroPress is happening with the Make WordPress.org Marketing to Community subteam, along with other initiatives. Check it out, join in if interested: https://make.wordpress.org/marketing/2017/04/05/promotional-strategy-for-wordpress-meetup-testimonial-videos/