★ Peter's Marketing Blog ★

This past Friday, through the band Louder Than Love, I was given the opportunity to attend an incredible mentor session panel discussion. The panel featured several music legends discussing the evolving states of the music industry and was sponsored by 99.3 the Fox and the Nimbus School of Recording Arts. The panel was moderated by Danger from 99.3 the fox.

The panel members were…

Bob Ezrin: producer, engineer, arranger and songwriter. Bob is best known for his work with Pink Floyd, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Taylor Swift and many more chart topping artists.

Alice Cooper: shock rock pioneer

Chad Smith: drummer for Chickenfoot and a relatively obscure band called the Red Hot Chili Peppers

GGGarth Richardson: engineer for bands including Nickelback, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Motley Crue and more…

If you are interested in checking out the full discussion, you can watch it below!

Below is my summary of a few key take aways

• When Chad Smith stole music in his youth, he had to hide LP records under his jacket. Now, people just click a few buttons on a computer.
• Someone needs to be held accountable for this “theft” of musical art. Bob Ezrin suggested taxing high speed internet services (utilized to more quickly download media files) to help adequately compensate artists.
•  Alice Cooper doesn’t own a cell phone or do anything on social media. He didn’t see the value on focusing on non-artistic musical objectives. However, Bob Ezrin pointed out that Cooper has a team that manages his social media accounts and maintains an online presence.
• Alice Cooper hired management that looked out for his long-term interests declining a substantial upfront payment in order to keep musical publishing rights.
•  Taylor Swift is successful today as people desire her physically branded products. Everyone wants a piece of Taylor Swift. Her physical album sales and branded merchandise sales are through the roof. Artists desire this type of connection with fans.
• There was a general consensus that artists like One Direction and Justin Bieber have a short shelf life. It was mentioned that they are handsome, but don’t have the talent or songs to back up their image.
• In today’s music industry record labels are trying to re-create other recent hits, they should be aspiring to find the next NEW sound.
• Artists such as U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers would not have been signed by record labels today.
• Labels have a “P&G” mentality wanting to sell a well-packaged product as soon as possible.
• This mentality leads to a lack of development in potentially successful future talent. It took both U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers several albums before they became commercially successful.
• Record labels are no longer in the business of developing talent. This is due to a separation of ownership and management.
• In the past, owners used to operate record labels. Currently, the operators are not owners and are evaluated based on short term sales statistics.
• No matter what field or profession you chose, follow your passion. No matter how simple your job is, be the best at whatever you do!
• The role of producer in music is like getting someone to proofread a university paper. Artists often fear losing artistic integrity, however if one can effectively collaborate with a producer, a higher quality product will result. Chad Smith mentioned how some of their most successful songs were created through trusting the vision of producer Rick Ruban.
• Quality songs are the core of a musical product. Having a shtick like putting socks on your dicks can only last so long…
• Current Rock music doesn’t have enough aggression. Could this be due to the improved socioeconomic backgrounds of today’s musicians?
• Hip-Hop and Rap have lost their authenticity. Hip Hop is no longer from the streets and the heart. It has become commercialized.

Chad Smith Showing his skills to a few musicians before the Red Hot Chili Peppers Show

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Show at Rogers Arena

Barack Obama’s campaign thrived on a little support from a significant number of supporters. Furthermore, the Obama campaign made it really convenient and straightforward for supporters to volunteer. The Obama campaign implemented many successful online eMarketing strategies. In my opinion, one of the best was the Online Call Tool.

In this day and age, people are tired of picking up the telephone to receive a prerecorded message. It is important to have another human on the phone to stimulate conversation. At the same time, the flexibility of the call tool helps volunteers overcome many of the barriers to volunteering. With this system, a volunteer is able to make calls at their convenience based on their scheduling needs. Moreover, being located in a rural area does not restrict active participation. All that the Online Call Tool volunteers require is a telephone and a computer. Finally, it is such a simple tool to use. Even volunteers like Walter, the 91 year old World War II veteran can use it with ease! This sends the message, if Walter is making calls using the computer, why can’t you?

In addition to illustrating the ease with which the online calling system functions, Walter’s honorable social standing as a World War II Veteran surely helped attract votes from older, more conservative voters. In the United States, there is a misconception that Obama’s campaign was driven by young people with “socialist” ideals. People like Walter assisted the Obama campaign in gaining the respect of voters that may not even have listened to a younger person articulating the same information about Obama’s political policies. I believe that even the most devout Republicans would have taken the time to listen to the messages Walter articulated.

Indochino was founded by UVIC students Kyle Vucko and Heikal Gani in 2007. Gani realized a business opportunity after being unable to find a reasonably priced, good quality suit that would fit without the need for extensive (and expensive) alterations. Today, Indochino is the market leader in online custom menswear.

So, I’m sure you are wondering how Indochino is able to offer their high-quality, custom merchandise at reasonable prices.

Their business operations advantage is based on the concept of disintermediation. Essentially, Indochino directly deals with their essential manufacturing partners. They do not need to deal with an extensive variety of wholesalers, distributors and retailers. A typical retail product passes through a variety of  these aforementioned intermediaries who all mark up merchandise. The end result is an inflated rack retail price.

An Illustrative Graphic From Indochino

Furthermore, Indochino doesn’t need to manage excessive amounts of inventory as each clothing item is made to order. The only downside with custom-made merchandise is it takes time. If you would like an Indochino suit, it will take just under a month from the time of your order until it is delivered to your door.

Last eMarketing class, Chris and a colleague (I can’t recall his name) from Indochino’s marketing department took the time to speak to our class about Indochino and some of the strategies they have implemented to overcome the inherent challenges of the online clothing business. They were really engaging speakers and offered some unique insights.

Challenges/Solutions

Accurate Measurements

• Offer free tape measure and online measuring guide
• Offer customers $75 local alteration credit and remake suit if necessary
• Traveling Tailor Events where professionals record your measurements

Demonstrating product quality to customer without physically seeing the item

• Offer sample kit
• Traveling Tailor Event has complete suits
• Clear photos and descriptions

An inherent challenge Indochino faces is the time required for a suit to be custom made. It is not feasible for orders to be rushed as staff do not simply grab an item from a warehouse and expedite shipping. Most guys leave things until the last minute. I advise trying to plan in advance to ensure Inochino is still a feasible option when searching for a suit.

Also, I noticed that after researching Indochino, I receive a lot of targeted Google ads directing me to Indochino’s website…

I’m not a guy that is REALLY into fashion, but I am into getting a deal. After the presentation, I won one of Indochino’s Suit Utility Kits.

I must say that I was really impressed with the quality of all the items, especially the handmade 100% silk tie! The fabric felt so soft and it looked incredibly sharp (just as shown online!) If you are in the market for purchasing a tie, tie clip, pocket square or cufflinks, I would highly recommend this set!

Next time I need a suit, I’ll definitely check Indochino. Being tall and slim I have a difficult time finding clothing that fits well from a store rack. If you are on the fence about trying Indochino, go for it. For my next suit purchase, I certainly will.

One of Indochino’s biggest challenges moving forward will be overcoming the misconception that all Chinese products are poor quality. Today, most designer-branded products are manufactured overseas. Until Indochino develops a strong brand recognition like Tommy Hilfiger or Jones New York, they will rely heavily on word of mouth to expand their rapidly growing business.

According to the Rolling Stone, Neil Young’s company Pono plans to introduce a line of portable music players, a music downloading service and technology that converts digital signals to analog sounds. This digital to analog conversion technology would provide an unparalleled accurate representation of original recording sessions. As somewhat of an audiophile, I am excited by this news. Although I love my iPod and my iPhone, MP3’s fail to provide the richness and warmth of a live recording.

However, Apple is clearly dominating the MP3 download and player sales markets. Is there room in the market for Pono?

Neil Young believes Pono can help preserve the artistic integrity of music, but artists have little control over the way consumers listen to their music.

I think Pono will need to target the niche market of audiophiles to succeed. Here is why…

• Electronic music is becoming more popular (do dubstep listeners really care about music sound quality?)
• Fewer and fewer recording artists are using tape, instead they are using digital recording systems such as pro-tools
• I do not think improved audio quality will add value to typical music consumers even though Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea mentions “It’s not like some vague thing that you need dogs’ ears to hear. It’s a drastic difference.”
• Switching costs are high as consumers likely have extensive MP3 libraries and would need to re-purchase higher quality songs
• Consumers are content with the status quo of MP3’s and devices like the iPhone that conveniently integrate music into their daily routines

Some artists such as Jimmy Page believe that their music is best experienced in an analog format.

Pono has the ability to encourage a very narrow market of vinyl listeners to transition into the digital age. The bottom line is this is an awesome concept and I would probably buy a Pono. However, I do not see Pono rivaling the success of Apple’s iPod. In the event that Pono becomes overwhelmingly successful, I believe Apple will buy Pono’s technology, release higher quality iPods and expand the iTunes store to sell higher quality audio files!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_DLJK4o2YM

This video is on its way to becoming a viral video. So, where are you going to purchase your next iPad or other electronic device?

Assuming you will pay the same price, are you more inclined to go to Walmart or The Apple Store?

I would assume The Apple Store…

Having employees film videos that reflect negatively on their parent company employer is nothing new. Remember the guy who took a bath in the Burger King sink?

In class, we have often talked about fostering the development of positive user generated content. What can corporations do to restrict negative employee generated content?

I’m sure most large corporations have policies on taking unauthorized photos and videos, especially during working hours. But It seems that all employers can do in a situation like this is after the fact damage control by disciplining employees and attempting  to reassure customers.

Perhaps if the employees were tossing around a football instead of an iPad, viewers may have been left with the impression of Walmart providing an enjoyable work environment!

It Gets Better was a project started in 2010 by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller. (Yes, Dan Savage is the guy who writes the syndicated sex-advice column you may have read in the Georgia Straight.)

The intention of the project is to foster the development of user created videos to help LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered) youth survive extraordinarily difficult teenage years with a sense of hope. Although teenage years may be difficult, after high school things get a lot better for gay youth. Hearing the hardships of bulling and discrimination endured by successful people can help encourage young people to flourish and pursue their dreams. The project has featured over 50,000 videos and received over 50 Million YouTube Views. Celebrities such as President Obama, Ellen DeGeneres and Matthew Morrison (Glee) have all created videos.

By creating the above video, the RCMP has positioned itself as an employer who embraces diversity. This helps contradict the misconception that all police officers are just  “jocks” that probably bullied students in high school. In addition to showcasing a diverse workforce, the video serves as a recruiting tool. This video has viral qualities and is likely to be shared on social networking sites like Facebook. Facebook provides a great platform to reach younger generations who tend to be more socially conscious and are inclined to work for an employer that embraces diversity. Also, the timing of this campaign couldn’t be better. The RCMP have endured months of negative publicity surrounding the sexual harassment claims brought forward by hundreds of current and former female mounties. Finally, this video directly targets members of the LGBT community who may be looking for a career and are now considering utilizing their talents serving communities as RCMP members.

I love McDonald’s. Their burgers and fries taste great and their restaurant food is consistent from city to city. They implement great marketing campaigns and their prices are affordable. Whenever I’m hungry and see the golden arches, I usually give in to temptation. A couple of years ago, I even bought the below vintage looking t-shirt to advertise my love for their food to my friends.

Even though my father doesn’t frequent McDonald’s as often as I do, he will occasionally grab a burger on the go. On October 22^nd around 12:15 pm my father stopped at the Park Royal McDonald’s in West Vancouver and ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Burger.

Much to his surprise, the burger he was given had an obvious bite taken out of it. (please note the below picture is not of THE actual burger, it is just for illustrative purposes)

Needless to say, he was shocked and disgusted. He immediately alerted the staff and was given a quick apology, a new burger and a complimentary apple pie. To his knowledge, the manager was not even notified of this incident.

After all of this, he overheard a female staff member asking a male staff member where he put a burger that was returned by a previous customer. She informed him that he should have put it somewhere else. My father assumes he was given the rejected, second hand burger.

Had I been in the same situation, I probably would have instantly taken a picture with my iPhone and shared it on Facebook and twitter. McDonald’s Canada is in tune with their image in online communities and likely would reach out hoping to retain me as a customer and prevent the same experience being endured by another customer.

Heck, McDonald’s Canada CMO Joel Yashinsky even took the time to comment on my classmate Ariel’s blog.

On the other hand, my Dad isn’t keen to return to McDonald’s anytime soon. Had I been a McDonald’s employee, I would have AT LEAST given him a free meal and probably have given him a small gift card to ensure he returned in the future.  To make matters worse, my father went online looking for an e-mail to contact McDonald’s Canada customer service. He couldn’t find one.

Social media provides such an excellent platform for my demographic to address otherwise unreported consumer issues. However, I’m surprised that McDonald’s doesn’t have an e-mail address or website form to better communicate with customers like my father. I would be really interested to hear how Mr. Yashinsky would have resolved the situation and hope that bringing this unpleasant experience to the attention of McDonald’s Canada can prevent future customer dissatisfaction.

I am a fourth year marketing student at the Sauder School of Business and the son of a dentist. After watching the Marketplace episode “Money Where Your Mouth Is,” I was disgusted by the inaccurate framing of dental issues and the many biases expressed throughout the CBC’s “research” process. In this blog post, I hope to clarify some outstanding issues surrounding the ethics of dentists and provide some “crisis management” suggestions that can be utilized by dentists and organizations such as the British Columbia Dental Association, Ontario Dental Association and Canadian Dental Association.

Image and Perception

After reading online comments on the online article, “Dentists vary widely on diagnosis and cost, CBC Marketplace finds,” it was clear that the vast majority of reader comments were negative towards the dental profession. A handful of readers claiming to be dentists responded to some of the negative comments in an attempt to defend the reputation of their profession. However, it quite simply is not the responsibility of individual dentists to handle these significant public relations issues. Dentists are trained to do dentistry, not address misinformed comments. These issues are best handled by professional organizations such as the British Columbia Dental Association and the Ontario Dental Association. So how exactly did these organizations respond???

They issued generic statements

“...The ODA wants to assure CBC and patients that the dentists in Ontario are committed to serving the patients of this province to the highest ethical and professional standards. Dentists will continue to work with their patients to ensure they receive the care they need when they need it.”

Courtney Sorger
Manager, Public Affairs & Communications
Ontario Dental Association

“…We wish to reassure dental patients that BC dentists place great importance on ethical procedures in the interest of promoting the highest level of dental care.”

Susan Boyd
Manager, Communications
British Columbia Dental Association

By solely issuing these statements, dentists and their respective dental associations have missed a golden opportunity to connect with patients through social media. This CBC story could have provided an opportunity for community engagement and been leveraged into positive public relations campaigns. I understand that the aforementioned organizations may not have the required staff or training to internally implement large scale online campaigns. However, they have essentially accepted defeat through failing to establish a response that is convincing and regains the trust of skeptical patients.

These associations should have cooperated and hired external consultants to try and respond to as many comments as possible.

A reader, Cbcreadercanada commented

“…Come on, Canadian Dental Association. You are doing a good job of recommending the best tooth pastes to Canadians. Why not recommend ethics to your dental association members?”

Someone should have responded informing the reader that codes of ethics are issued at a provincial level and provided a link to the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia so the reader could review the code.

Moreover, many comments suggest dental tourism to destinations such as Mexico in order to receive discounted dental work. Patients need to be informed of the risks associated with dentists who are not trained and regulated like their Canadian counterparts. Check out this story about patients who visited a Mexican dentist and ended up worse off than they were before!

The vast majority of dentists in Canada are ethical and perform the highest quality of work. With any profession or job, there are a few people who do not exhibit ethical values and perform sub-standard work. Canadians need to be informed that they can contact these professional organizations to seek further information if they have any questions or concerns about their dentist or particular treatment plans. If you have a complaint, the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia will investigate it and ensure the situation is resolved. Dental associations and regulatory bodies need to encourage a dialogue with patients and patients need to know these associations are approachable and will listen to them! Furthermore, these organizations needed to issue a statement that examined the issues and biases expressed in the CBC’s research.

CBC’s Research Errors

Patient Inconsistency

The CBC has based their claims on what appears to be a “test” for the dentist. The dentist is given a set of x-rays and allowed the opportunity to look inside a patient’s mouth. However, we the viewers are not told how the patient approaches each dentist. Does the patient ask for each dentist to estimate only essential work? Does the patient inform the dentist that they want the perfect smile? Does the patient ask each dentist the same questions? In the field environment of varying offices, the researcher (patient) must make every effort to give each dentist the same information and ensure each dentist is aware of the same objectives. Every effort must be made to ensure each dentist has the same understanding of the patient’s dental goals.

Selection Bias

Dentists were not randomly chosen for this experiment. An acceptable marketing research sampling method was not employed. The show admits Marketplace visited a dentist who had the highest estimate many years ago when they ran a similar experiment. In order for the results to be valid, a significant number of dentists must be randomly selected. They can not be hand picked or sampled on the basis of convenience.

Only a minority of dentists appeared on television

Although 20 dentists were surveyed, only a handful of these dentists were featured in the television program. Furthermore, only a snapshot of their conversations were featured. We do not know how the patient approached the dentist and what values she expressed.

Story does not explain different types of dentistry

Almost all of the treatment plans presented were 100% acceptable. However different people value different types of dentistry. Personally, I am conservative and do not want to undergo dental procedures unless they are absolutely necessary. Although I could choose to spend mega $$ on whitening and orthodontics, I chose not to. However, I have friends who are spending thousands of dollars on optional orthodontics to get a perfect smile. I also have female friends who are planning on breast implants to improve their appearance. The choice of elective dental treatments depends on the values of the patient. It is up to the patient and the dentist to differentiate between cosmetic and essential procedures.

The CBC “expert” Dr. Dorothy McComb stated:

“Unfortunately in dentistry more than in medicine, things are not absolutely black and white so [there are] a lot of shades of grey and it depends very much on the dentist’s personal experience.”

Of the handful of dentists I have discussed this article with, I have yet to find a single person who agrees with Dr. McComb’s “expert” opinion on treatment being based on a dentist’s personal experience. Different dentists tend to specialize in different areas, however personal experience should not play a significant role in determining treatment options. All Canadian dentists are certified by the Canadian Dental Association and should recommend comparable solutions to fix similar problems. In this report, it seems the wide variety of estimates was due to dentists differing approaches to elective cosmetic issues.

Understanding a Patient’s Insurance Coverage

Marketplace implied that a dentist wanting to know a patient’s insurance coverage is a warning sign for a shady dentist. It is almost always in the patient’s best interest to have their dentist take the effort to understand their insurance coverage. Often dental issues can be dealt with through implementing a wide variety of treatment plans.

Let’s say a patient has a badly broken molar tooth. Below are several acceptable treatment plans ranging from low to high in cost and preference. The below numbers are ballpark estimates and for illustrative purposes only.

1. An amalgam filling (most people avoid this option as it will tarnish and contains mercury) $160
2. A composite filling (tooth coloured) $280
3. A gold crown and/or porcelain (tooth coloured) restoration $1,000

In this example, if cost is no object, the optimal treatment plan would be the gold crown/ porcelain restoration. If a patient is paying out of pocket, they have to make a decision. Dental plans vary widely in the procedures they cover, annual dollar limits and percentage of the cost of the procedures that they will cover. Some dental plans will cover 100% of fillings, while others may cover 50% and some may only cover silver fillings. Patients want to know THEIR cost for each treatment option. After understanding a patient’s insurance situation, a dentist can present the patient with estimates for the various treatment options. Insurance plans are often confusing and extensive dental work can be preauthorized through insurance companies. This way, the patient knows the exact price their insurance will cover and the remaining amount they will need to pay. Explaining your budget and allowing your dental office to investigate your insurance coverage helps you make the best decision for the treatment that you can afford.

Marketplace implied that a dental office inquiring about insurance coverage could be a sign of fraud. It is actually a courtesy provided by some dental offices to assist the patient in choosing the best treatment plan for their budget. Fraud is a serious criminal offense. Dentists who are caught fraudulently billing insurance plans are prosecuted. Again, it is very rare for a dentist to fraudulently bill an insurance company. The majority of dentists are ethical and trustworthy.

Poor Choice of Control Group (“Dental Expert”)

The chosen dental expert’s charisma was virtually non existent. As an audience member, I wasn’t engaged by her interview. Although I’m sure Dr. McComb is a technically competent dentist, she is an academic who practices part-time. She has areas in which she is an expert. However, her excellent research is focused on a few specific areas of dentistry. The best way to ensure an accurate expert opinion would be through the utilization of a diverse panel of dentists. Such a panel should include a combination of dentists who practice full time with various specializations and dentists who focus on academic research. These dentists could then evaluate the various proposed treatment plans and arrive at a consensus. There are many practicing dentists who work full time, yet travel the world lecturing who would likely volunteer to be part of such a panel.

Ethical issues

Although my parent was not featured in this story, I find it unethical to film a dentist without their permission. If I were to be filmed at work without my consent, I would feel violated even though I likely would have nothing to hide. I think many dentists would voluntarily agree to be filmed and interviewed. This would allow them to explain the rationale behind varying treatment plans. Furthermore, dentists could utilize cameras to educate the public on the work involved to successfully implement these treatment plans.

In summation, the vast majority of Canadian dentists are scrupulously honest. I hope my blog post has provided a broader picture into how dental organizations could have better handled this situation and provided patients with an understanding of why the presented treatment plans varied in price and treatments. Please feel free to comment on my posting if you have any questions about my opinions, would like to share your own or would like to seek clarification about the business and patient relations aspects of dentistry. I’m not a dentist so I can’t speak to any technical dental issues. For any technical issues, it is always a good idea to ask your dentist for an explanation of a dental problem and the range of acceptable treatments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grt98wtZc_0

To this day, many musicians and record executives consider file sharing theft. The industry is looking for ways to prosecute offenders and further protect their content. File sharing websites have essentially killed the traditional dominance of major labels in a previously tight knit industry. As soon as one file sharing site is shut down, another one is created. Major labels must accept this reality and find creative ways to embrace social music sharing to sustain a position in a rapidly changing industry.

Previously, major record labels monopolized traditional retail distribution channels, while independent artists struggled to get their music heard. Now, thanks to various forms of social media and file sharing sites, previously unknown artists can develop successful careers through leveraging social media and file sharing.

Independent rappers Mac Miller and Macklemore have mastered this concept.

In 2011, a Forbes article declared Mac Miller to be Indie music’s savior. Miller’s rapid commercial success was a result of a series of quirky and effective social media campaigns combined with a tremendous work ethic. Currently Mac Miller has just under 3 million twitter followers and just over 380,000,000 YouTube channel views.Miller is the first indie act in over a decade to have a #1 album. Maintaining and interacting with this cult-like online following has enabled Miller to become the artist he is today getting over $150,000 for a performance.

Miller helped develop a career through giving away his music and interacting with fans. As mentioned in the Forbes article, to develop a twitter following, Miller gave away songs for free after every additional 100,000 twitter followers. Combined with his genuine personality, his authentic music appeals to suburban youth. Miller isn’t wrapping about drugs, hoes and clubs. He wraps about smoking pot and everyday life experiences. His low budget music videos have become hits and enabled him to develop his own creative concepts without the influence that would be present in most major record labels. Miller understands that record sales provide a small amount of revenue for most artists these days. Miller makes the bulk of his money through live performances and merchandising. Since Miller is still an indie artist, these revenue streams flow directly to him. By initially giving away music, Miller developed the extensive fan base necessary for a sustainable career.

Tonight, Seattle native Macklemore is performing his first of 2 sold out shows at the Vogue theatre in Vancouver. Aside from the fact that Macklemore and Mac Miller are both white wrappers, they have similarly leveraged social media to reach a targeted fan base of comparable consumers. Macklemore is heading up the iTunes charts. Look for him to become an Arena filling, chart topping artist in the next few years!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBItbPi-ZU8

Canadian Thanksgiving is a holiday where we can reflect upon the things in our lives that make us grateful for the desirable social and economic circumstances in which we live. Today is a bright, beautiful, sunny fall day. But due to a plethora of exams next week, I am stuck inside studying… At first I was feeling sorry for myself, but then I realized how I am essentially complaining about a #firstworldproblem. Many people in Canada and around the world would be thrilled to be given the educational opportunities I have been given. It seems like a moral obligation to try and make the most of my education. Last night, one of my friends shared this ad on Facebook (yes, I took a short study break).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQrUHFLGkEA

This ad was created by DDB and is the subject of a great Business Insider article. The creative concept behind this advertisement is brilliant. All of our so called #firstworldproblems are insignificant when compared to the actual life and death struggles endured by people living in developing nations. Clean water is a basic building block for any healthy life or society. A lack of clean water is a #realproblem. Look for this video to become the next viral advertisement.