Michael, I came across a different aspect of advertisement. Very lame but worked well. Context: You are a global car maker marketing your new electric car model. Imagine this: you give the ad agency a mandate to break clutter What if a creative agency comes to you with this campaign? "How about, let's make a 4-hour ad with low-fi music on loop that shows a girl driving the car, no dialogs, and no action at all, apart from subtle background changes occasionally flashing your brand?"

Sounds lame, doesn't it? What would you do? In a world where people say you have barely 10 seconds to capture a viewer's attention? Would you show that creative agency the door? Or would you take the risk and make an unheard-of ad that runs for 4 hours? Nissan Motor Corporation took that risk. And the result is one of the most viral ads for this year:

Why is the ad so successful? The music, for one. Nissan smartly cashed in on the low-fi craze on YouTube. (The 'inspiration' for it is the YouTube channel, Loft Girl, which has more than 1.5B Views?

The visuals are another: The ad constantly changes backgrounds but retains elements of Japan. And the billboards the girl passes in the video are all ads for Nissan: subtle brand recall it is! The clincher: The ad is 4 hours, deliberately, to drive home this message: Nissan Ariva, an electric car, will last for 4 hours on one charge.

 This ad reminds me of the power of creativity in marketing. Whether it's a brand like Nissan or a new startup brand - creativity is the only barrier to breaking clutter. Creativity is not about spending more money or using more technology. It's about finding new ways to connect with your audience and tell your story.