May 30, 2008
Bushnell: A million bucks for a Bigfoot.
Bushnell makes all kinds of yummy optics and cool electronic gadgets. From binocs, to laser range finders to GPS units to scopes to trail cameras. You know what a trail camera is don't you? You attach it to a tree somewhere deep in the forest and it waits patiently until it senses movement. Then it clicks off a few frames. The idea is to photograph nature without all that human intervention stuff. Sometimes the results are pretty interesting. Like the photo of the raccoon who decided to take a ride on the back of the boar.
Now comes the report that Bushnell seems to be preparing to offer a cool million to the first person who can capture indisputable proof of the Sasquatch with one of their trail cameras. As noted, the Sasquatch is an advertising favorite and probably deserves a spot here.
In any case, a tip of the hat to our friends at Bushnell. The promotion is coming soon. The buzz is starting now.
March 11, 2008
The Mañata?
It's amazing what kind of team TBWA and MJZ make. Or, maybe what's more amazing is the campaign they're putting together for Skittles. More tasty goodness from them:
March 05, 2008
Free music still makes money.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame is offering his new record - free of charge - simply by going to his web site and downloading it. You can get the first 9 tracks for free, you can pay $5 for the entire 36-track cycle, $10 for the double-disc set, $70 for Deluxe Edition Package which includes the CDs, a DVD with everything broken out into multi tracks (for importing into ProTools I guess) and a Blu-Ray disc with everything in hi-def. Sheesh.
But that ain't all. For all you NIN fanatics, you can get a $300 ultimate, super duper, sweet ass version. THIS JUST IN: Apparently there are a lot of fanatics out there since the 2500 run of the SDSAV is all sold out after just two days of release. By my admittedly rudimentary mathematical calculations, that put $750,000 into Rezor's poket since Tues. Wowzers. And since there is no record label involved, that's real cash for him. Nobody to take their piece. Again I say - Wowzers.
In other news, Big Head Todd & The Monsters are also offering their new record free on their site. I heard them on a radio interview talking about how they're really a live band and just want to play their music for people. Again, label free, they are distributing their album for noting via the web. I went over there yesterday, signed up (they captured my information, good for them) and they sent me a link to download the album. Also saw that they're coming to KC soon. Guess what? I plan to be there cause I like this record.
I now proclaim the traditional record company-band/artist model fully and most certainly dead. Trent Reznor fucked it like an animal this week. And Big Head Todd, well, let's just say they aren't feeling bitterswet about any of it.
January 16, 2008
Darth Vader in H-P Ad?
No, it's Hayden Christensen promoting his new movie Jumper by jumping right out of his spot into a spot for H-P. Pretty freaking cool idea if you ask me. Here's the story.
December 27, 2007
1200 CCs? Nah, 38 Double-Ds
If Santa didn't stuff a boob job in your stocking, don't despair, Biker Claus is still delivering packages.
Ladies, on Jan 12 and 13, you can come on over to the KC Bike Show and register to win a free breast augmentation courtesy of Wide Open Motorcycle Magazine. That's right, their promotional giveaway is a FREE BOOB JOB (msrp $6000). Hells yeah!
Ralph Roades, publisher (I think) of Wide Open Motorcycle Magazine put up the billboards, hoping to increase his turnout. He figured a lot of women attending probably want to look like the girls in his biker magazine. Gail Worth, who owns a Harley shop in KC loves the concept. She thinks it's "funny and clever" and says, simply, "Yoo hoo, go women."
I think it's pretty good, too. It certainly isn't for everyone and will no doubt be held up by many as a terribly sexist move, but as we've said here at AC many times before, know your target, and speak directly to them. I'm pretty sure the biker chicks who are looking to fill our their leathers will be all for it.
Plus, just consider the balls, er, boobs it took to roll with it. Or jiggle with it. Whichever.
December 12, 2007
Whopper Freakout really sells.
So, in one fell swoop, we're selling the living hell out of product and freshening up the testimonial. Nice work Crispinites. Nice work.
December 05, 2007
Going WAY Beyond Batman Begins
A while back I started to notice quite a bit of cool viral marketing going on for the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight. We're talking microsites galore and massive user participation. On one microsite, users were asked to answer location-specific questions from across america to reveal a phrase. Then, after that, there was a chance to send in a photo of yourself dressed up as the Joker.
Today, over on FirstShowing.net, all of the previous viral marketing attempts have been chumped, big time. It appears that now the people behind this marketing campaign has taken their execution to a new level -- physical items.
On December 3rd a new page appeared at whysoserious.com/steprightup with a hammer game and some teddy bear toys. Each toy had an address on it located in a number of cities around the US. The note on the game told people to go to that address and say their name was "Robin Banks" (get it, "Robbing Banks") and they'd get something there. It was first come, first serve, and each location was a bakery. What they were given was a cake with a phone number written on it. Now here's the best part: inside the cake was an evidence bag (complete with Gotham City Police printing) that contained a cell phone, a charger, a Joker playing card and a note with instructions.
If you're not following along, the lucky few to receive the cakes now have a cell phone that someone will call at a later time. In essence, Warner Bros. is creating their own Joker army.
Damn geniuses.
October 05, 2007
Arnold exposes the focus group.
Watch this and remember why you get paid to do what you get paid to do. The opening to the 2007 Hatch Show from Arnold.
Spotted at Ernie's blog.
September 06, 2007
Go mind-to-mind with Manning.
Another NFL season kicks off tonight and that can only mean one thing: a heavy dose of Manning marketing. Here's some from Goodby and Sprint. This sports trivia advergame let's you take on Peyton (though he seems to go pretty easy on you). Last year, we crowned Peyton as the best of the NFL pitchmen. We can expect to see lots of him in the next few months. Think Brand Manning can get overexposed or spread too thin?
August 15, 2007
Cuddle a cloud.
Your personalized air molecule (and message) joins others in your own patch of sky.
Look, I know we're seeing a lot of these collaborative user-generated projects. But I'm currently still a sucker for them. From Human Ideas and Space 150 in the Minnie.
July 10, 2007
Low tech. High impact?
Seems to me that outdoor is a medium that can quickly separate the great creatives from the good ones. So the question is: Great billboard? Or, as one commenter on YouTube notes, great film?
July 02, 2007
Amazing Integration
We've all heard about the bold move that 7-Eleven and Fox agreed on a while back to promote the new Simpsons movie and thought it was cool. But if you haven't seen the level of detail they've gone through to bring the Kwik E Mart to life, then you haven't lived (today). Here's a nice set of Flickr photos covering the entire store.
Mega big-time props go out to Fox, 7-Eleven and FreshWorks (and anyone else that had a hand in this) for pulling off what should be considered the best example of bringing a brand to life.
Can you imagine the brainstorming sessions that went into this? Lovely.
June 21, 2007
Run Forrest, er Dean! Run!
Holy cow, I am a lot less fit than this guy.
Pretty cool stunt though.
June 20, 2007
The Art of Competition
Question: When you're one of two, maybe three, new pizza shops opening across the street from each other, what do you do?
Answer: Easy, you put up a sign that tells everyone what the name of the place is and who your creators are -- Pizza Bella, Coming Soon, from the owners of 1924 Main and Souperman.
Question: When you're the OTHER pizza shop, you're nearing completion, and you've already been beaten to the punch about what's coming soon... what do you do?
Answer:
I won't even begin to nitpick.
June 18, 2007
Mash it up with Adobe.
Adobe Systems is looking for an ad. And you can make it. The “Take Creative License” contest gives entrants the opportunity to mash-up images available on the Adobe Stock Photos library and create an ad for the Adobe Stock Photos Service. The winning entry will be published in the September issue of Graphic Design USA Magazine along with an editorial highlight about the designer and their design process.
Go get 'em kids.
May 18, 2007
It's down under. But it'll be up soon enough.
Who woulda thunk it? The Aussies, that's who.
My favorite part: The girls are rubbing themselves down, er, washing the cars with recycled water to avoid breaching water use restrictions.
May 15, 2007
Behind-the-scenes with Bruce Campbell.
Here's a "behind-the-scenes" look at Bruce's latest endeavor for Old Spice. I think the original effort was better than the spot that goes with the above. The approach in the new spot itself isn't as refreshingly unexpected. Still, here we are talking about Old Spice again. And this behind-the-scenes thing is certainly a nice way to stretch the campaign. So, I remain a fan. And, truth be told, it's pretty much impossible not to enjoy watching Bruce Campbell sing a Duran Duran song isn't it?
April 06, 2007
Mom Your Ride.
I think it's interesting to see a viral aimed at someone other than young males. I also like that this isn't a warmed over commercial. Clearly created just for YouTube. Unfortunately, this hits way too close to home for some of us. Best line? "Don't even think about it, I got kids."
March 13, 2007
Oh, you mean you were serious about that copyright thing?
But we thought the law was just so analog.
March 12, 2007
Did an "integrated agency" just launch without a Web site?
I read with interest and enthusiasm the numerous accounts of Chuck McBride's new SF venture, Cutwater. The Wall Street Journal reported that the shop was created to:
"...pioneer new ways and new forms of bringing big brand ideas to life. CUTWATER is a full-service agency, offering a creative department built around the philosophy that all disciplines -- design, interactive, and advertising -- must collaborate in order to develop a deeper, single-brand story. This triple-play, one-entity approach is the most natural way to ensure that team stakeholders share ownership of one idea. The result: produce complete, cohesive, iconic brand stories that expand across what the agency refers to as the "asymmetrical" media environment."
(Side note: It continues to irk me that this seems like a new idea to giant ad conglomos and the coastal press when many independent, mid-sized shops have operated this way for years now, but I digress.)
First, I'm really cheering for McBride. I've admired his work for a long time. "Aaron Burr" remains one of my favorite spots of all time. And, new idea or not, I believe that genuine collaboration between all disciplines is the only way to go. So, I'm glad to see such a huge creative star embrace the approach.
That said, at the time of this writing, I can't find this new integrated agency's Web site anywhere. And it makes me want to tear my voluminous hair out. Yes, this is a frequent and old complaint of mine. But I just believe that if you're going to talk to the talk, you gotta walk the walk. Starting with your own agency brand. Even if the site exists (and I hope to be proven wrong), the only site referenced in the release is Mama Omnicom's corporate nightmare. If you're going to hang your hat on integration, shouldn't you hold the release until the site (even a made in 15 minutes placeholder) is ready? And if the site is up and running, wouldn't you want that integrated into your big release?
Credit where it is due: The McBride illustration was done for Creativity by I Love Dust.
February 12, 2007
Pontiac MySpacing the Right Way?
It's not enough to just have a MySpace profile anymore. In fact, I believe it's almost expected that you do, if you're a company. But it's not enough, in my opinion, to JUST have a profile. It needs something more than coupons and "insider information," (which isn't really insider information). There needs to be a bigger hook.
I think someone has finally figured out a good spin to a MySpace profile. Yesterday, while on AdPulp, I ran across this post about Pontiac's new MySpace profile. The profile/program is called "Friends with Benefits." Aside from the obvious joke in the title (as pointed out in the comments section on the AdPulp post), I think that this program shows promise.
The premise is this, when/if you buy a new Pontiac G5, go to the MySpace page and register the car. When you do that, you'll get a "Friends with Benefits" debit card. The more people that buy a car and register, the more money is put onto the card (up to $1,000, which would be 1,000 people).
The G5 is already being marketed to the younger crowd, so a MySpace presence is a must. In addition, they're speaking to a crowd that likes the incentive of extra money. I know, doesn't anyone like extra money? Sure. But I think this crowd likes the extra money, especially when all they have to do is tell their friends about it. And in the end, if they really do get 1,000 buyers registered, that's a $1,000,000 promotion right there (plus the costs of any extra marketing they do).
Is that a number that's just outrageous? No. Is it in line with marketing budgets of other car manufacturers? Yes, maybe less-than. Is the idea more appealing than $1,000 off the purchase of a new car? To me, it is. Nice work, Mark-Hans Richer (Pontiac's Director of Marketing) and whoever your agency is, kudos.
February 01, 2007
When it all blows up in your face.
I am of two minds this morning on the whole Boston/Cartoon Network fiasco which you've already read about here, here and here or maybe you saw it as the lead story on the Today Show and nearly every other major news outlet this morning.
My first mind says that this tactic should never have seen the light of day. Part of our job is to be culturally aware. We're the ones who are supposed to know what everyday people are thinking and feeling. The country, as a whole, is jumpy as hell about terrorism. 24 has built its new season around nukes going off in L.A. Entertainment reflects culture. The country is living with some fear. Read any consumer study and it'll confirm it. So, right now, placing plastic stuff with batteries and wires under bridges and in public places is just a dumb thing to do. Even if it just looks like a big Lite Brite. Every political leader, every canned airport voice and even other ad campaigns tell us to be aware and report anything suspicious. And the cops have no choice but to respond to a possible bomb on a major commuter route. Responsible people within the approval chain should have had some light bulbs go off in their heads. Packages of any sort left under bridges, on Subways or buses, are just begging to misinterpreted no matter how well art directed they are.
That said, my second mind feels awful for all the creative people involved. Dumb idea or not, I know all they wanted to do was provide a little theatre for bored rat-racers. And, as many commenter's on other blogs have noted, the target audience sure didn't run screaming from it. In fact, the target seems to be rallying for the advertiser. Some say there's no such thing as bad press. I don't believe that. One guy is in jail. The agency yanked its Web site down. No one is sitting around with big smiles are their faces. Least of all Ted Turner. We've all had lapses in judgment. Most times though, those don't end up the talk of the country. It has got to be a real nightmare for those involved.
Still, there are consequences to our actions, and the consequences here have a ripple effect on you and me. Everyone in the industry get whacked with the same bat when something like this goes down. "Look at them! How far will they go to push their brain-washing techniques on us!" If governors or mayors are talking about a campaign that doesn't have something to do with tourism you know someone has really stepped in it. That's where we stand today.
Update: Looks like I'm wrong about the nightmare part for those involved. These guys don't seem to be concerned at all.
January 08, 2007
Now You'll Listen to the Kids
A while back MSNBC posted a story about new cell phone ring tones for kids that adults couldn't hear. I didn't believe it. Then I saw several news stations reporting on the same thing, with real life examples. I still didn't believe it.
I was chatting with a friend last week and he mentioned that he was trying to figure out some way to work it into a marketing message for one of his clients. Sadly, he was too late to the punch. Sony is releasing a new movie in February called The Messengers and has a mobile strategy that goes along with it. The synopsis: there are some things only kids can see...and hear. On the web site, you can test to see if you can hear the kiddy noises, or not (I could hear some of the first one, but none of the second one).
Great, just what we need is more kids running around telling us they're better than we are. Only at hearing! Brats.
December 12, 2006
Forrester says iTunes sales suck.
iPods are selling like water. iTunes library gets bigger and better each day. But this report from The Register says iTunes sales are "collapsing." Interesting reading to say the least.
December 08, 2006
Milk and cookies demonized.
How much do people hate advertising? Well, some find milk and cookies offensive and insulting. Sigh. I'm going on vacation now.
Thanks to our friends at Ad Age.
December 04, 2006
Sweet Fancy Moses.
I would comment on this, but I'm sure you will all do much better than I ever could.
A colossal mistake. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qAuqq1LFnU
I'm still vomiting. (And I'm pretty sure it's not the flu I'm fighting.)
Oh no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.
November 29, 2006
Fake but real product placement.
On this week's episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, NBC cross-promoted Deal or No Deal by having the real Howie Mandel host the fictional show (within the show) and then turning his fictional monologue on the fictional show into a fictional skit that was, in reality, a real promotion for Mandel's real show. Fake but real cross-promotion seamlessly integrated into the flow of the real episode (and, I thought, it was entertaining enough not to be glaring).
Last week, the staff (of the fake show) discussed a new set that would be made up of the kinds of billboards that one spys on the real Sunset Strip. They (the characters) decided they'd sell those fake billboards (on the fictional show's fictional set) to fictional sponsors to save the fictional show's (and the fictional network's) budget. So, now I'm wondering if we'll see that new set on a future episode of the real show featuring fictional sponsors for the fictional show that are, in actuality, real sponsors for the real show. In other words, real product placement within the fake show for the benefit real show and real network which has, of late, talked about its own real budget-cutting measures.
Sheesh, it's getting hard to keep track.
Updated for additional content.
November 27, 2006
It's direct response. It's viral. It's the Viral Learning Center.
Just brilliant. It manages to lampoon both direct response and viral at the same time. I hope this eases you back into Adworld after a nice, long weekend. Props to Jeff for turning us on to this.
November 19, 2006
White pants hunting.
AC'er Eric Rosenthal sent us this. It targets women, which, as he notes, isn't entirely common practice in the viral world. Virals do seem to be dominated by stuff that tends to appeal to a male sense of humor. Is it the practitioners or the medium driving that?
In any case, this is truly a long-form commercial. Length aside, this concept would never have seen the light of day in the :30 spot world. If the new Web has given us nothing else, it has at least enticed old brands to try to learn new tricks. I'd put that in the category of things that don't suck.
November 14, 2006
Please file in the "Duh" department.
I'm pretty sure one of us should have thought of this.
If you can't tell from my bad pic, those are Cheerios ads on gallons of milk.
November 14, 2006
Something smells.
Literally. Well, I'd sure rather get a nice whiff of strawberry cheesecake than be overpowered by the stench of Manchild 2 or whatever the newest stink water is out there. Engaging an extra sense is a very good idea, particularly in Kraft's case. Now, Kraft, turn the creatives loose on the rest of the ad, too, would ya'?
Thanks to the Wall Street Journal.
November 09, 2006
Spec iPod phone spot makes us drool.
Despite the fact that everything here is purely speculative, color us officially hot for this product. When people talk about the dream of consumer-generated content this is it (although some pros were behind this). Simply delicious. Unless the real thing isn't nearly this cool. In which case, cgc could bite Stevie boy right in the butt. Cheers to those behind this beauty.
UPDATE: A reader emails to say, "This video is quite old." Well, we musta missed it first time around. Old or not, it's still hot.
November 06, 2006
Attention Ski Resort Marketing Honchos.
You could do worse than considering a cool Line Rider vid as part of your marketing efforts this winter. This makes winter sports look quite tempting. If you haven't tried your hand at Line Rider, it's best NOT to start. Unless you are prepared to lose many hours to it.
October 22, 2006
Tetris UGC?
I'm not sure exactly who Mega 64 is. Is this gen-u-wine user-generated content? Visit the Web site, and you'll find more a great podcast focused on games, TV and pop culture and lots more vids for games. In any case, the whole thing feels like a great example of how things really ought to work in this social media world of ours.
October 16, 2006
Evolution of Beauty
I hadn't seen this before, however, judging by the views on YouTube, I'm likely in the minority. If you haven't seen it, it's truly worth a look. The Campaign for Real Beauty continues to find its way. I think this film is one of the strongest executions to date.
Thanks to Bret for the tip.
October 09, 2006
Grey Goo melting online world Second Life
Boing Boing tell us that Grey Goo melting online world Second Life. So, somewhere today is an agency person who, after months of effort, finally had his or her conservative client ready to experiment with SL.
Just great for the old credibility quotient.
September 20, 2006
Now we know. CW stands for content wraps.
Content wraps for advertisiers. T-shirts. A Yahoo ad roadblock. Consumer-generated promotions. Social networking. It's all part of the big launch of the new CW network. Those Gilmore Girls are sooooooooo 2.0.
September 14, 2006
Chevy's contest could learn you a thing or two.
Days ago, the blogosphere noted that Chevy is sponsoring a contest wherein college students will compete to create a Super Bowl spot. Don't confuse this with raw consumer-generated content, however. This is a contest that will put CGC through the same wringer as OFAGC (old-fashioned agency-generated content).
A glance at the press release reveals the conditions:
1. Ideas will be submitted in writing first. Students, this is known as the RFP process. You will need to be willing to invest blood, sweat and tears with absolutely no guarantee of reward. Your ideas will be judged by subjective criteria. You may have a great idea that is rejected for reasons that you won't ever be able to figure. Many will enter. A select few will move on. The good news is that you can participate if you choose. In the real world, you won't always get a chance to play. Even if you are well-qualified for the project.
2. Finalists will present to a committee. Students, this is what's known as a pitch. You will obsess and stress as you pour countless hours of your young life into the process. You will walk into a conference room where a lot of people with varying agendas will sit and stare at you. What you say and how you act can trump the quality of your ideas for good or ill. It can be very stressful. Just ask the remaining agencies in the Wal-mart pitch. One team will win. The others will walk away empty-handed. This is how it goes. The good news is that, unlike the real world, the client is paying for your trip to see them. No mention of material expenses, however. Or if you lose the right to your intellectual property even if you are not selected as the winner.
3. The winner will get to "participate in the production process." Students, this means that winning is likely going to come with some compromises. Here is what Chevy sez: The winning team will participate in the production process as their concept is developed and made into a 30-second television commercial. Notice that word "developed." This means that your idea is likely going to be subjected to tweaking. Maybe even out-and-out overhauling. Your little brainchild will be wrenched from your hands and raised by those who believe they know better (and they might). Later, it will presented to the world as yours. This could be great. Or not. Along the way, you may find that you become upset as portions of your idea are modified. This is natural. It is also something you will deal with for the whole of your professional ad life. If you can't deal with it, it's best to find out now.
Students, I am not discouraging you from entering this contest. Far from it. In fact, I hope that you will enter and pursue victory with gusto. There's no better teacher than experience. And, at the very least, you'll have a campaign for your portfolio. I also believe the client has good intentions. Just go in with your eyes open. The contest is geared to teach you about a few of the realities of a life in advertising. In that sense, it really is, a Chevy puts it, a great opportunity.
September 05, 2006
Secret TiVo video.
A tip from the mysterious Davis Freeberg leads us to this viral from TiVo. Most interesting is the back story within the back story considering this video.
According to Freeberg, this piece was discovered by a zealous TiVo fan on TiVo's Web site. The site where the this "fan" posted about the video is now treating it like something out of Lost. The video itself provides a back story for TiVo's creation called Project Blue Moon (note TiVo first shipped on a blue moon and TiVo maintains a corporate holiday around this theme).
Now, the video kinda belabors things a bit, and I know the "training film" motif has been done to death, but those of you who crave conspiracy theories won't be able to resist it. After all, who is Davis Freeberg? Is the mysterious TiVo fan really a TiVo fan or a plant? Who faked that TiVo page? Will we ever get tired on that '70's transfer look?
August 30, 2006
Gwen Stefani, right after this message...
Watch an ad. Download a free tune. That's the Spiralfrog model. Different from Napster in the sense that there's no subscription and that you can actually download the song or video. Different from iTunes in that it's free and, at this time, isn't compatible with macs or ye olde ipods.
Universal has announced it will make its entire catalog available through the service.
According to the AP, Spiral Frog users will need to return to the site at least once a month to keep registration current.
August 22, 2006
AC #44 Now Available
The Late to the Partay Edition:
In this episode, John and Tug talk about all the stuff the rest of the world already talked to death last month. In fact, some of what we say is so dated, it's not even true anymore (see note below).
We begin with a brief discussion on ill-fated attempts at positioning (1:30). We make a poor transition to a brief, yet slightly confusing, discussion of hyperbolized copy getting in the way of a good benefit (5:41). After the break, the lads take on Tea Partay (8:50) and, proving that they are so four weeks ago, finally weigh in with a take on "the video" (14:36). Tug splits after a toast to some friends, leaving John to offer his $.02 about Snakes on a Plane's less than stellar opening (19:01).
Note: teapartay.com is now up and running. Our take still stands. The site is an afterthought. A lot of opportunity was missed, and continues to be. At this writing there really isn't much additional content outside of the video. We've seen that. Give us more reasons to spend time with the brand.
August 17, 2006
Snakes on AC
Is this another make your own Tahoe commercial debacle? Hmmmm. They're not screening the custom trailers before, and you can host them wherever you want. My thought is no, any press is good press for this movie. So you're either on the bandwagon, or not. If so, make your own Snakes on a Plane trailer now!
August 09, 2006
Firefox 276, IE 0
The browser wars are about to start up again (once Microsoft finally releases Vista), but Firefox continues to make Microsoft's browser look dumb. Internet Explorer, commonly referred to as IE, will have a new version (7) when Vista comes out. Naturally, users in the know call this new version IE7 (even the folks at IEBlog call it that). So someone bought the url ie7.com and posted some information about it... unfortunately, I don't think it's the kind of information that Microsoft wants to promote. Check out IE7.com!
Words of advice for Microsoft: Protect your brand(s) at all costs (this one would've cost you approximately $10 at GoDaddy.com).
August 08, 2006
Half of your advertising isn't wasted after all.
We've not read it yet, however, this new book looks interesting. Entitled "What Sticks," the book is the result of five years of research into one billion's worth of campaigns from big, national marketers.
The book concludes that only 37% of advertising is wasted. Not, as John Wannamaker's famous quote suggests, 50%.
Anyone feel better? No?
It's reported that the book cites fear of failure on the part of marketers as the biggest obstacle to real change. If marketers can't allow, admit and analyze failure, there is little chance to learn what new avenues could be successful. Yep. No one ever got fired for putting TV on the plan.
It's time for CEOs and stockholders to give CMOs some room to maneuver and some permission to fail. We didn't get to the moon without some rockets blowing up. More ideas faster is how you stop making incremental changes and start making dramatic leaps. 37% lost in full experimentation is money spent infinitely better than 37% pissed away on old solutions which are losing potency.
Thanks to Ad Age.
July 21, 2006
Wish I'd thought of this.
And wish I had the clients to have thunk it up for.
What is it? The NBC-Netflix promo of course.
And a large "HUZZAH!" to all who concepted and sold it.
July 06, 2006
Millions of Pixels
Think way back to last year and try to remember a web site that sold pixels as ad space. When I think about that, I remember thinking what a silly idea it was. Boy, was I wrong. It was a HUGE success and now there are quite a few spin-offs as a result.
Trying to cash in off of the popular Million Dollar Homepage, comes this tongue-in-cheek, easter egg filled, parody, The Super Billion Dollar Home Page.
It's a fun site and begs the question, is it worth a small chunk of change to be one of the first few advertisers on the site? It could seriously blow up. Or not. We'll see.
June 27, 2006
Coming Not-So-Soon to a DVD Near You
The movie battle of the century has begun.
No, I'm not talking about Brandon Routh vs. Kevin Spacey. We already know how that's going to turn out. I'm talking about HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray. Both high-definition DVD formats are on the street now, and we have no clue who's going to win that battle. And the truth is, most of us don't care. We just want one of the formats to hurry up and become obsolete already, so we can buy the other one and start watching DVD movies in high-def in our own houses.
But I'll make you a bet. No matter how high-tech DVD movies become, they will have one thing in common with the first movie your grandparents ever saw. Before you can watch the movie you paid to see, somebody will try to make you watch a bunch of previews.
For some reason, the coming attractions at the movie theatre don't annoy most of us. Maybe it's because previews in a theatre take away a little of the time pressure. The published movie start times give us another deadline to meet, but this one's a soft deadline. The movie's supposed to start at 7:10, but we know it won't really start until about 7:30. So as we're standing in line for popcorn, we can resist the urge to kill the fat guy who waited until he got to the head of the line to think about whether he really wants Hot Tamales or Jujyfruits. We're a captive audience at the movie theatre, and we've become accustomed to enduring certain delays.
But at home, it's different. We've chosen the time we want to watch this DVD, and it's right now, dammit. Not five or ten minutes from now. And unless it's my imagination, there are even more previews before a DVD movie than there are before a theatre movie. A lot of DVDs want me to sit through three or four "now playing in theatres" previews, followed by three or four "now available on DVD" previews. They want me to, but I don't. I hit "Menu", and skip right past the whole batch.
So if I can push one button and get what I want, what am I bitching about? Just this. Marketers are missing a big opportunity by using the same old 1930s coming attractions strategy with 2006 movie audiences. We love movies. That's why we bought or rented this DVD. We'd probably like some of the movies you're hyping in your previews, too. But when you try to hold us hostage before letting us enjoy our main attraction, you make us mad. And maybe I'm wrong, but making a potential customer mad seems like a slightly flawed marketing strategy.
So what's the alternative? Paperback books are using a different technique right now. Here's how it works. I'm reading a book I've really enjoyed. I come to the last pages, wishing it wouldn't end. In about sixty seconds, I'll finish this book, I'll be ready for a new one, and I'm in the perfect frame of mind to consider reading something else by this same author. If a marketer could reach me now, I'd be a prime target. So I turn the page, and there's the first chapter from the next book by this same author. It's a coming attraction. But it's offered to me after the main attraction, not before. And it's offered like a little gift. It's "a complimentary first chapter." That doesn't make me mad. It makes me feel good about the publisher, whether I read the complimentary first chapter or not.
Would that same strategy work for movies on DVD? Letting us choose to watch a few previews at the end, when we're still on an adrenaline high from the main attraction?
June 21, 2006
The Polar Opposite of "World's Favorite Brand"
I just spent 30 bucks on a product I didn't need, wasn't looking for, and never heard of. A piece of paper no bigger than a matchbook made me do it.
Here's the back story. I occasionally enjoy a martini. So I occasionally visit the liquor store to replenish my stock of gin. And last night, I made a discovery. There on the shelf was my favorite brand, in its tall, sleek bottle. Sitting next to it was another brand, in a short, squat, unassuming little crock. A small tag was hanging from its neck. The tag read: "Loved by a tiny handful of people all over the world. Hendrick's. It's not for everyone."
The little hang tag goes on to explain why everybody might not go for Hendrick's Gin. It's made in Scotland with "hints of coriander, juniper, citrus peel, rose petals - and a curious but marvelous infusion of cucumber." Yep. Cucumber. Standard on salad bars. In gin, not so much. And that's why, the tag says, "the sophisticated yet odd Hendrick's Martini is preferred by 1 out of 1,000 gin drinkers."
The brand is warning me that I probably won't like it. In fact, it's telling me the odds are 999 to 1 that I won't. Faster than you can say "reverse psychology", I'm heading to the register with a bottle of Hendrick's in one hand and my AmEx in the other. Half an hour later, I'm enjoying the "curious but marvelous infusion of cucumber." It's good. In fact, it's very good. So as I sip, I'm also savoring the possibility that, at that very moment, 999 other guys are someplace else in the world, spitting out their first taste of Hendrick's in absolute disgust. The schmucks. They obviously aren't "individuals who are truly excited about what is strange and different."
Yeah, yeah. I know it's all the fine work of some copywriter in Glasgow. But don't bring me down with any of your rational facts. I'm still enjoying the delicious fantasy that I'm one of the "tiny handful of people all over the world."
PLEASE NOTE: The above post was written by Joe Norris, an SHS managing partner and occasional contributor to AC.
June 13, 2006
Snickers Satisfies Daily.
Snickers Satisfies is updated daily. I've only been back a few times, so I'm not sure if there's a loop of content or not, but the idea is delicious: Daily satisfaction. Would I mind a little more direct product tie-in with some of the content? No. But I have to admit this site has never bored me. And I'm always left with the logo and tag. Sweet. Seems to me this candy bar is kicking Webby ass on numerous fronts.
June 12, 2006
Guilt and telephones
This post over at Jaffe Juice made me feel guilty. Here I have been enjoying my stint as a Sprint Ambassador and I realized I have not posted as promised. Introducing a new service in this way is, as Ford might put it, a bold move (more on Ford some other time). Bold but smart. And, as Jaffe notes, it has enjoyed some success. I'm interested in Sprint's perspective on how the campaign has gone and I invite them to contact us here at AC so we can talk more about it. A case study is something we'd all value.
As for the phone and the service? When the Vision service is available it really does rock (it functioned perfectly in a fairly rural area this weekend). Battery life on the phone leaves something to be desired. To be honest, however, my usage has been limited. Anyone who knows me knows that I am full-fledged addict to my Treo. I read and write e-mails all the time. My marriage is a wreck because of it. My mother-in-law has taken to hiding the phone from me anytime we stop by for dinner. Tug yells at me. Friends won't go to lunch with me if I am bringing the phone. So, it's been difficult to really want to use the phone when my life is synced with the other one. I wonder if this is an issue that has plagued other "ambassadors." I also wonder if it hampered the effectiveness of the campaign?
May 31, 2006
Mashing it up with Joseph Jaffe
Tug and I are proud to announce that American Copywriter and "the new marketing podcast" Across the Sound will be doing a mash-up episode. This means we'll be riding the long-tail and making memes with the one and only Joseph Jaffe, the author of one of our very favorite Adweek books, Life After the 30-Second Spot. Jaffe is one of the leading proponents of full consumer connectivity. The conversation is bound to be interesting. Stay tuned.
May 09, 2006
Variation on a theme
Guys, if you were feeling left out when we posted about Naughty Nads, here's something just for you. Philips Consumer Products has rolled out a nifty gadget called the Philips Norelco Bodygroom to help guys with their body hair removal.
The best part? Their viral site. It's a riot, a must watch. And be sure to wander through all of the menu items - don't skip the music video, or the "optical inch" section.
So here's my question. It's a funny site, but is it effective? If you're a guy, would you buy one? Or are you content in your hairiness?
April 18, 2006
Knight Rider Could Only Wish
David Hasselhoff and Kit paved the way, many years ago, for the latest in product placement. As read in today's Wall Street Journal, DC Comics is now featuring a Pontiac Solstice in a new comic called "The Rush." According to David McKillips, vice president of advertising and custom publishing for DC Comics, "the car will be as essential to the character as the Aston Martin was to James
Bond."
Interesting concept. Though, I'm not as enamored with this move as I was with BMW Films, or with video game ads, for the simple fact that they're writing a car (per this example) into the storyline.
Batman had the Batmobile.
Wonder Woman had the Invisible Jet.
Scooby and the Gang had the Mystery Machine.
This dude, The Rush, has a Pontiac Solstice...
Can you imagine what the story arc would be were the car be recalled? That could be a real cool three-parter.
I think it's one thing to place Nike Swooshes on t-shirts or car ads on billboards in your comics, but writing a specific car into the storyline is a bit much. But I'll tell you one thing, kudos to DC and Pontiac for trying something new and different.
April 03, 2006
Will You Buy More?
So we had this pretty serious discussion the other day about Coke and their advertising. If you weren't aware, last year Coke Classic sales dropped 2%. For a company that has $4.8 billion in revenue due to its soda, well, that 2% is pretty substantial. What's a monster company to do when sales dip like that? Usually they relate it to whatever marketing was there to begin with and hire some fresh blood.
That's exactly what Coke did last year when they hired Wieden & Kennedy. Good move, if you ask me. If you haven't seen any of the spots yet, you can see some of them on the Coke web site. And the new Coke Float spot... mmm-mmm-good.
Good ads aside, here's what I started to wonder. Is a new ad campaign really going to make people buy Coke again (if they're currently not doing so)?
I understand that a company the size of Coke has to do brand maintenance and keep things fresh on consumer's minds, but will this campaign really increase sales? Will it convince people to stop buying bottled water and energy drinks? Will it just simply remind people that it's still available? Most importantly, how will you be able to determine whether it's the new ads that spurred more sales or if it's just a natural buying pattern?
All good questions and ones that haunt us advertising folk in our dreams.
USAToday.com reports that the new Coke campaign is tracking favorably with consumers. It's good to know that it's beginning to resonate. But what the article fails to mention, and maybe because Coke doesn't know yet, is how sales are doing because of the campaign. Time will tell, hopefully.
It'd be interesting to know if Pepsi's sales are down, too, because I haven't seen a full-fledged Pepsi (not Diet) ad in a long time. If they're down at the same rate as Coke's, and Pepsi is spending less, what does that mean?
March 27, 2006
CLEANINGHUNK.COM
Who knew having the skills of a porn actor could come in so darn handy? You've likely seen this by now, but if not, it's worth your time to link on over: CLEANINGHUNK.COM. This is a general market campaign for the U.S. However, the marketer is actually the P&G of Mexico.
March 08, 2006
Talking billboards tout Honda SUV
What's good about this? Old media giving consumers a new way to interact and participate with it. Once again, it's a great time to be in this business:
Talking billboards tout Honda SUV - 03/07/06 - The Detroit News.
March 06, 2006
M. Night: The Brand.
Two things.
Thing one: I loved the My Life My Card execution with M. Night. It's a two minute spectacular. If you missed it, catch it here. This campaign is beginning to impress me. Yeah, I know it's borrowed interest. But it makes me feel better about paying my AMEX dues.
Thing two: Talk about a brand. M. Night is one of the biggest brands in Hollywood, and a great example of positioning. Do one thing, and be great at it (hey, I liked The Villiage). Seriously, though. The guy has found a niche and he's milking it for all it's worth. He's not trying to be everything to everybody. Go M. go!
March 01, 2006
The Fenske Strikes Back!
At the beginning of each week I go and see what Mark Fenske (hereafter referred to as "The Doctor") has to say about advertising and life. He never disappoints. Enjoy this blurb, then go to his blog - markfenske.com - and read the rest. Then bookmark it and go back often.
Courtesy of Mark Fenske.com -
Answering the client's problem is only part of the job a good ad does, and not at all the most important part.
Good advertising forms a connection between speaker and audience, between advertiser and people, that human beings enter into willingly, even hopefully at times.
Merely broadcasting the aim of your client into the eardrums and eye sockets of your brothers and sisters is neither the aim of good advertising nor an effective way to positively influence sales of the client's product. Half a connection isn't a connection.
Here's where you need to summon Mister Wacko.
What catches your eye when you walk around?
To what are you drawn on television/in grocery stores/art galleries/music?
Me, I want something I don't already know.
My eyes want to feast on a sight they've never seen before.
Ears too. And smell and touch and taste.
They all want in on the new.
You're the same, and so are all the people on earth.
February 27, 2006
Sprint Ambassador phone arrives.
My Sprint Ambassador package arrived today. Here you see my sheepdog (no, he's got nothing to do with my agency's positioning) modeling with the goodie package.
As a reminder, I was sent a fancy new multimedia phone plus six months of free service in return for feedback. Thanks Sprint!
Now, I am no power user. So, I think it bodes well that even though I didn't bother to read the instructions, I still managed to send myself this photo which I snapped on the phone about three minutes out of the box.
The Samsung A-920 is light. Especially compared to the Treo I use now. Now, I still find typing on a phone keypad far more cumbersome than a more complete keyboard (i.e. the Treo or a Blackberry) but...we'll see. The phone has a lot of features: photos, video (!), music, email and, of course web access. That's nice. But it's really a question of ease and at least a modicum of open sourceness ain't it? So, I'll read all the instructions and let you know how the features flow. There's a lot of stuff to play with and not much time to do so this week. I can say that, as of now, Sprint's Power Vision Network seems speedy.
Oh, and, smartly, the letter that arrived with the phone once again ONLY mentioned feedback. Sprint has never requested that I blog about it. They are playing it cool. I do plan to share the phone with some of the other American Copywriter team members so, we'll see what they think, too.
Only con out of the box? The cheesy guy they put on the cover of one of the instructional inserts. Seriously, people.
February 22, 2006
And So It Begins...
For the past six weeks now, I've been a gigantic fan of the The Ricky Gervais Show podcast (note: link opens iTunes). The show is wonderfully hilarious and features a guy named Karl Pilkington, who could be one of the funniest guys I've heard in a long time.
But that's not what this post is about... entirely. The first run of their show was a 12-episdoe arc, which they just finished up on February 19. During the last few episodes, they kept mentioning/counting down to the end of the first season (if you will) and barely talked about coming back. It sounded like they really wanted to come back, but with busy schedules and what-not, I'm sure it wasn't an easy thing to do every week. When you claim to be the world's number one podcast, I hoped that SOMETHING will get them back in the studio.
That "something" has happened. Starting Tuesday, February 28, The Ricky Gervais Show will be back. Hip hip, hooray! Exciting news, right? I think so... but there's a catch. Now, to enjoy mad ramblings of Karl Pilkington (and his extremely round head), you're going to have to pay for it. Now it won't have ads in it, it'll just be the guys and whatever it is that they talk about, but it's not free anymore.
Yup. Podcasts, and the costs of producing/providing them, have become a legitamite business and the world's number one podcast is setting out to prove it can create a business model around them. This only makes sense as podcasters are providing some type of content or entertainment to their listeners... but I wonder how well this will work out, we don't have to pay for AM/FM radio (nor do we listen to it that much anymore).
How would you feel if American Copywriter went to a pay model?*
* This is just me, SethyG, rambling here. No one has ever mentioned making AC non-free, so don't freak out. Se