June 06, 2008
Advice for everybody in the ad/marketing game.
Bill Hicks offers everyone in our business a little advice. Thanks to Armano.
May 29, 2008
Disney brand standards apply. Even to Jack Sparrow.
A guy learns the hard way that there are rules about playing Disney characters.
Via LA Mag and Joe.
April 16, 2008
OMFG - Lots of CDs wouldn't approve this.
Until you consider the audience. I can say with 100% accuracy that a) My mom isn't frequenting thesuperficial.com where this banner appeared and 2) She doesn't have a clue what OMFG means. LOL!
Please also consider that while I recently approved (and it's being printed) using SNAFU in copy and ould have had no problem using it in a headline either, I stopped for a moment when I saw OMFG.
BTW, if you don't know, SNAFU is a military acronym for "Situation Normal All Fucked Up" so the "F" in question is the same "F."
And when it comes to the "F" in question, as you know from listening to this show, it's ALWAYS the same "F."
March 17, 2008
St. Paddy's Day Roundup
Couple of things that have occurred to me this rainy, rainy St. Patrick's Day.
1. It always rains on St. Patrick's Day. I also think it's wrong to have St. Patrick's Day on a Monday. I think we should observe March 17 and always celebrate on the nearest Saturday. That's what I think anyway.
2. March Madness is undeniably, most definitely and assuredly the best 3-weeks of sports the entire year. Puts the Super Bowl to shame by Monday morning after the selection show.
3. I hear something that made me snort water out of my nose this morning while lisenting to coverage of March Madness on 610 Sports. Chris and Cowboy host the mid morning show and I was driving into work after an early meeting when one of them (Cowboy I think) started talking about the Texas Longhorn cheerleaders and dance squad. He said, and I quote,
"I like to call those girls the 'Future Pharmaceutical Sales force of the Greater Dallas Area'."
Holy shit. There is no way to better describe what these girls will be doing in a couple of years than selling pharma stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with it. I'm just saying.
Go Drake Bulldogs! Go Kansas Jahawks! Go back to work!
February 24, 2008
And the Oscar for Best Ad on the Oscars goes to...
Tonight, is a big, big night for brands. Star brands, studio brands and marketer brands all mix on the red carpet. We can count on the Nicholson brand doing well tonight. It's a tradition to cut to him grinning in the audience. His smile is as iconic as the Clydesdales. But what about the marketers that are making their big bet with this event instead of the hyper-hyped Super Bowl? Follow a live chat with the pundits on Adfreak's new OscarFreak. If you are so moved, leave your opinions on the winners and losers here or as an audio comment. We'll update this post with our own opinion in the morning. In the meantime, we already know what Judd Apatow thinks of the whole thing.
UPDATE: I'll be honest, Sunday night laundry made me miss a lot of the spots. The one I caught that I found really intriguing was MasterCard "searching eye." It's paid off online here.
January 08, 2008
Safe. From odor.
Mixed sports metaphors, high-top striped socks and an intentionally cheesy payoff. There's a lot to like here.
November 15, 2007
Sweet Justice. Leave Santa Alone.
Yet another example of political correctness run amok. Santa can't say "Ho ho ho!" in Australia?
Good f'ing God. You can't take the Christ out of Christmas and Santa's traditional greeting should be preserved.
If, however, you are interested in an actual Ho, click here.
November 11, 2007
Viva Viagra. Really!?!
Oh, I get it. Guys don't like to talk about erectile dysfunction so let's show them singing about it! Yeah, that'll take the stigma away.
Hands up, who thought this was a spoof? A spot like this makes it clear why a guy might be embarrassed to ask his doctor for Viagra. And it has nothing at all to do with erectile dysfunction.
Drugs in this category must be worth big bucks. The first pharma brand that figures out a way to talk to men about them in a way that's not goofy or adolescent stands to truly dominate.
November 06, 2007
Bee Movie posts $39.1 million. Almost breaks even.
In its opening weekend, Seinfeld's and DreamWork's Bee Movie grossed $39.1 million.
By my rough calculations that won't quite pay for the amazing amount of advertising and promotion activity that was placed behind this movie. This would include TV, print, cinema, sponsorships and the very confusing Bee Movie shorts on NBC prime time.
American Gangster (nice name) grossed $46.3 million. And it did that in 1000 fewer theaters.
I can't guess how many impressions Bee Movie was putting out there but, whatever the number, my money says this property was actually overexposed.
Which begs the question: Did Bee Movie actually advertise itself out of part of its audience?
Note: Had the producers had been really smart, they'd have added some cause marketing into their plan and joined the genuinely crucial effort to save our bees.
October 14, 2007
WWLJD?
I place this in the "homage" category. Am I wrong? What would Leeroy Jenkins do? Either way, it's interesting that this is ad does double duty for two brands. Do you suppose the T-Shirts with, "I am the law giver!" are already printed? Come to think of it, this Toyota campaign must be created by nerds after my own heart. So far, they've worked in Nessie, meteors from space, a mechanized monster and now WOW.
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.
October 03, 2007
R.I.P.
No matter how long I do this or how many concepts me or my cohorts come up with – it never hurts any less when an idea or campaign I love gets killed.
So here's to you Single Food Focus. Long live Single Food Focus!
October 01, 2007
When your own brand takes you to task.
Some in the development community are miffed about the current state of affairs with third party apps on the iPhone (Apple has it locked down). There are several sides to the story. We remain confident that Apple will open up the iPhone platform eventually. In the meantime, you just gotta love the pressure applied by the weight of Apple's own brand.
Noted at Scobleizer
September 25, 2007
Dear Apple Media Planners...
Dear Apple Media Planners:
I am clearly in your target audience for the new iPod Nano. I love Apple products. I own two iPods. I'll pop for an iPhone eventually. I work exclusively on Macs. I am a brand zealot. And, demographically I must still fit because, despite the fact I really haven't watched that much TV as of late, I have been exposed to the new Nano TV commercial 98,412 times. And this is the problem. I quite enjoyed the spot the first 78,767 times. But, as of today, I think if I have to listen to that snippet of the hip, mellow vibe that is 1,2,3,4 by Feist again I will throw a brick through my new Vizio. Jesus, peeps. Is it too much to ask that you actually look at your plan and think, "Hmmm, this is a really big buy, lets make sure to let the creatives know that we should make at least a couple of spots." I believe the weight you've put behind this single execution is, in a word, inhumane. The spot has gone from ingratiating to grating and it's all your fault. All I'm asking for is a little bit of variety. A couple of executions. Maybe even three. Really. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
JJ
August 24, 2007
Life for Allstate agents a living hell.
"Most of us go through life as if nothing bad can happen," says the baritone VO of Dennis Haysbert at the open of an Allstate ad I saw last night.
"But Allstate agents know that all too often bad things DO happen."
As Haysbert velvet tones soothe our ears, we watch a man driving down a street. He glances up at a lovely family home visible through his car window. At this point, the man in a car, who we come to believe is an Allstate agent, sees the house burst into bright, orange flames. You can't quite hear the screams of the trapped family. Later, the poor agent, who, by the way, seems to have stopped caring about the tragedy he sees everywhere, witnesses a nasty car accident. This is followed by other unpleasantries including a wedding that, by virtue of a nice match-cut, turns directly into a funeral officiated by the same pastor.
Yeeeesh.
Maybe the spot will be good for business. But if I wash out of advertising I'm not going to sign up to be an Allstate agent. Apparently, the job is way too Sixth Sense/Ghost Whisperer/Final Destination for me.
August 23, 2007
Up early. Already down.
A haiku, on what it means to work so much that you miss things in your life.
My boys saw a film.
Ratatouille it was called.
I was writing ads.
Remember what's important. Don't kill yourself over this. Strive for balance. And when I, truly the Young Grasshopper in today's fable, can successully snatch the stone out of my Master's hand, I will gladly tell you guys how to do it.
July 08, 2007
Sprint Ahead is pretty Good(by).
The new Sprint Ahead campaign sure is pretty. Cheers to the visual peeps at GS&P.
I also like the anti-technology idea of "magic." There's a lead anthem for the campaign which has appeared in print but doesn't seem to have made it as a spot. Too bad. I think it's stronger than the spot above. Nonetheless, the convention of the campaign seems to have legs for days. The best of this campaign is yet to come.
June 12, 2007
Will the Research Prove Relevance?
In the industry, we talk a lot about reach vs. relevancy and how the average consumer is bombarded with too many ads in a given day. That's why we're seeing a LOT more ads tailored to specific audiences within niche mediums – hit them where it's relevant.
On my usual walking route to work, I pass by an ad that I've always wanted to talk about. Today, I finally took my camera phone out of my pocket and snapped a photo of the ad.
It's an awareness ad for Bipolar Disease. On a pay phone.
A Bipolar Disease awareness ad. On a pay phone.
I, personally, haven't done enough any research to know if the Bipolar audience are regular users of pay phones, but I'm guessing that they're not. I'm also going to guess that the Bipolar audience doesn't hang out much at Town Topic on Baltimore Ave in Kansas City. Again, I could be wrong. I'll need an Account Planner to do some analysis and get back to me. Anyone want to volunteer?
My thought, if one REALLY wanted the ad to be relevant, would be to have Boost Mobile on the side of the pay phone. But what pay phone company is going to allow that?
May 30, 2007
Good Chemistry.
We're more than slightly behind in noticing this new campaign from Chemistry.com, but had to write about it anyway.
Love and rejection have been going steady for a long time. So, playing
on our only slightly repressed teenage angst is pretty smart. If you're
on the market do you really want to experience rejection by your dating
service? Particularly for "It's not us, it's you" reasons. Yeah, it's always a dicey proposition to name names. You are technically promoting the competition, and there's a risk of coming off petty to boot. But this gutsy campaign by Hanft Raboy & Partners works.
May 21, 2007
Mark Fenske roots for the White Sox.
I don't check Fenske's blog enough. But when I do, it's often the best part of my day. Here's a piece of his most recent post, from April 2, MLB's Opening day.
"Leaving work to go to a baseball game opens something inside your heart that advertising has been doing its best to lock up.
The quest for award-winning work keeps you at work late.
The struggle to do better than those around you makes you work through dinner, get up early, cancel the vacation you planned.
There are times these sacrifices bear fruit.
Mostly they don't.
Because greatness at writing ads comes only partly from how hard you work at reaching inside yourself.
A greater deal of it has to do with being a person worth reaching into.
Leaving work to go to a baseball game is a sign you have taken charge of your life.
It's a sign you accept death is coming and have chosen what to do about it for today.
It will do you no good to learn to write from your heart if you have nothing in your heart.
I was slow to learn this.
Here's hoping you won't be.
Go give your heart away for the afternoon to a team who can break it.
Eat the hot dogs and damn the sodium because we are for lives that are more full than they are long."
Thanks Fenske, for another piece of you. Go Royals.
May 07, 2007
For the 4,729th time, CG is not an idea.
Not sure what I was watching this rainy weekend, however, I saw way, way too much of this campaign. Smiles and computer-generated effects do not an idea make. Come on.
February 27, 2007
Boy Was My Wife Hot. And I don't mean hot like good lookin', I mean hot like pissed.
Yesterday, we recieved one of the 43 credit card offers most of us get daily from one company or the other. This one made perfectly sound marketing sense as it came from Major League Soccer. As longtime soccer fans, former KC Wizards season ticket holders and over all MLS supporters, it made sense that Sarah or I would get on one of their lists.
Except that this offer wasn't for me or Sarah. It was for our five-year old son, Sean.
My wife went through the roof.
Best we can tell, since Sean is a member of the kid's club, The Zards – he gets special prizes, cheap tickets at the games and gets to play in the Wizards Zone playground thingy – the Wiz or MLS took the list and sold it to MasterCard/Visa.
Well, over the next 30 minutes Sarah got the Wizards on the phone, got MasterCard on the phone and even left a message with the MLS league office. The word "pissed" does not tell you what she was.
And isn't she right? I mean, Jesus, a little bit of list scrubbing, people please. Fortunately, in this era of identity theft, no compromising information was on Sean's application. No signature (he can't sign his name). No SS# (he doesn't know what one is) and no credit card for Lego purchases (that's what my paychecks are for.)
So go Wizards! Go MLS! Go Sean! Just not into credit card debt.
February 26, 2007
After the all the hoopla, edited GM spot is better.
I missed it on air, but Sethy G. pointed out that The edited version of the GM Robot spot ran last night on the Oscars. Found it, watched it and, it's just one guy's opinion, but this is a better cut. The additional jokes and the new, more conceptual ending make the spot more charming than before.
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 04, 2007
Squeeze, rub, groom and dumb.
Woolite is introducing their new carpet cleaning "pod" with the phrase, "Squeeze, rub, groom and done!" Please note the exclamation point. It's not, "Squeeze, rub, groom and done." It's most assuredly, "Squeeze, rub, groom and done!" How much testing do you suppose went into the development of that phrase?
Now, maybe "Squeeze, rub, groom and done!" is functional as a bit of product edumakashun copy but as the central dialogue of a TV spot the phrase elicits sad, head-shaking chuckles. Keep your eyes and ears out for the spot which goes a little something like:
Stepford Lady 1: "...with Woolite pod you just squeeze, rub, groom and done!"
Stepford Lady 2: "Really? Just squeeze, rub, groom and done!?"
Uttering something so stilted and unnatural once is not nearly as good as saying it twice. Crumbelievable. It's 2007. And we're still making commercials like this.
Calgon take me away!
December 14, 2006
Us and them and the work.
Last weekend, I saw some poor bastard dressed up in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup outfit perched on the edge of a bench near the old Chicago Water Tower. The character sat perfectly still, legs were crossed, "Job Finder" rag held directly in front of him. It was a funny bit, and I laughed out loud. My wife put her arm around me and said, "You can't help but love it can you?"
I think that's probably the biggest difference between those of us who create advertising and the rest of the world. I think we can't help but love it. I think we ended up in advertising because we have always loved it. Didn't you like commercials when you were a kid? I think we just don't see things like the whole milk and cookies scandal coming because we can't imagine anyone not thinking, "Hey, that's pretty clever." 
While the rest of the world ignored Mr. Peanut Butter Cup, I stopped long enough to laugh and make sure the actor knew I appreciated the joke. Someone was making an effort. So I acknowledged it. Like you, I read every billboard; I scan all the ads in the paper; I rewind the Tivo. Can't you always tell when someone tried? Even when the execution falls short, for all the ambient reasons we know it can, I appreciate effort when I see it.
Audiences choose books and TV shows and movies and stage productions. Consequently, audiences don't generally begin the process of consuming those things with built-in animosity. This is a luxury that, in America at least, advertising does not enjoy. Write a joke into a movie, and you might get laughs. Write the same joke into an ad, and you'll probably get letters. No matter how brilliant the execution, the "selling" part of advertising (in whatever form it takes) will always have our audiences keeping us at arm's length. This is how it is, and, if you think about it, just how it should be. Plus the intricate and delicate dance that must be done to coax a great piece of advertising into the world will always be rife with missteps. So, our professional critics will always have an easy time finding the mistakes we already know are there and gleefully pointing them out to us. I'm sure not saying we're above criticism. We make many of our own beds. But too often something good turns into something less good for reasons we can't control or even foresee. What's that line from "She's Having a Baby?" Something about doing one ad a year that you can be proud of?
So, OK. The rest of the world is never going to view our work or our craft with the same eyes we do. Who can blame them? But, even in the face of hate mail, rotten anonymous comments, snarky posts and articles, an out-of-touch agency principal,
an occasionally unappreciative client or a 60 Minutes camera, don't stop loving advertising. Don't stop believing that good work is best for client and audience. Don't stop taking time to appreciate the effort of the craft. It's advertising's only hope. Always has been.
December 11, 2006
American Girl freaks me out.
The impending birth of a little girl drew my wife to investigate the American Girl superstore just off Chicago's Michigan Ave. I tagged along.
I had heard of American Girl. I knew there were some dolls, some books and, I figured, some other merchandise. A successful little brand, I thought. Yeah, successful? You bet. Little? Not so much. Those blessed with female children probably already know that American Girl is not so much a brand as an empire. For those of us still a little in the dark, let me put it in perspective for you: There were, (by visual estimation) at least three times as many people milling about the three (or was it four) floors of the American Girl store than there were checking out Apple's showplace on the Miracle Mile.
The AG store was a serious scene. I was incredulous upon entry into the place.
There was a doll hair salon, a doll hospital, a cafe, a theater (with live shows), American Girl furniture and clothes. Oh and let's not forget the beauty merchandise (brought to you by the folks at Bath and Bodyworks). Most of the other guys in the store had the same dumbfounded look as I did. This is a world we just never knew existed. The dolls themselves cost about $90. Add the clothes and furniture and movies and books and you can drop several pretty pennies on the concept without trying very hard at all. This is a premium brand.
What it all adds up to is a total brand experience for moms and daughters. Seeing it in action was truly amazing. So many brands would kill for the stuff that was happening in that store.
What interests me most about the American Girl phenomenon is that this is a brand that, as far as I can tell, isn't all over TV. This fact is made more interesting by the fact that the company is owned by Mattel (the makers of Barbie). American Girl is, however, a powerful direct marketer. We didn't sign anything at the store but, I fear, our mere entry into the edifice will earn us an American Girl catalog. AG is old news to many of you, I'm sure. But it was an eye-opener for me. I am always happily surprised to discover powerful brands lurking just off my radar. 
It reminds me once again that we all can get a little too myopic about what's really going on out there in the world (for instance, nobody in the store seemed to care who Wal-Mart's agency is or isn't). In the meantime, I'm opening a new savings account for American Girl purchases. If I start now, it'll ease the pain the day that my daughter discovers this brand.
November 28, 2006
AC Pulse Check #2
'Tis the season for advertisers (and agencies) of all sizes to take familiar songs of the season and rewrite their lyrics for commerical purposes. Tell us, dear community, is this an effective and useful practice or is this an idea that is not just checked out, it's worn out?
November 17, 2006
All hail the anonymous copywriter #2
We at AC have been remiss recently in recognizing great copy when we find it, and we just found some very tasty stuff from GSD&M in a new ad for BMW's cross-over offering the X3. It's a masterful example of how the "negative" really can sell. If anyone can reveal the copywriter of these words, we're happy to give credit where it is due. In the meantime, we extend a hearty and hail greeting to the author: G
reat job, you magnificent bastard (that last line is truly inspired). Click on the image to see the full ad. Or just enjoy this bit of the craft:
This is not an SUV.
SUVs are ofttimes lumbering behemoths.
They are neither fleet of foot nor ridged of brain.
They have the grace of a steamroller.
They are a heavyweight in the 12th round.
They are a promise unfulfilled.
Many perspire easily,
and they stumble like a punch-drunk has-been.
Insects bounce off their windshields, unharmed.
Many have the grip of an infant
and lack opposable thumbs.
They are soft and pudgy and easily winded.
SUVs eat the food off your plate when you're not looking.
This is not an SUV.
Update: As noted in the comments by our fine AC readers credits go to Michael Buss, writer/ACD, Mark Peters, AD and Mark Ray, CD. Cheers.
November 09, 2006
'Tis the season for season treason.
There's a radio station here in town that's already playing holiday music 24/7. They've been at it since the first of November. Last night, as I helped unload some groceries at home, I noted that the polar bears are back on Coke's packaging. Of course, the holiday decorations began sharing shelf space with Halloween's ghouls late last month. Some retailers seem to be holding the line, but others are starting their holiday push right now. Or actually, a week and a half ago. Budgets and plans aside, it's a mistake to go all Santa on us this early. Yankelovich calls it "season treason." And it pisses consumers off. Rightly so. The question is will consumers ever begin to punish those who are guilty of the "treason?" Most of the stuff I see says that while the practice annoys, it also works for retailers. What are you best examples?
October 23, 2006
Happy birthday dear iPod, happy birthday to you.
It was five years ago today that the iPod blew up the way we listen to, share, collect and transport music.
MP3s had been around for awhile, but when the little white guy came bursting out of the minds, hands and hearts of those at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA everything changed. Read a great post about it here at The Unofficial Apple Weblog.
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.
September 21, 2006
Safe gets self-referential.
Overall, I really like the "Safe Happens" campaign. Its strength (and the thing that makes it controversial) is the realism. However, this execution, entitled "Critique," is entirely self-referential. For me, the approach kinda breaks the fourth wall, and makes this execution less effective than its siblings. On the other hand, CPB is all about creating and leveraging pop culture, and this campaign literally bashed its way into the American psyche. People reacted. You can see how they got here. So, what do you think? Is this spot self-indulgent? Or is it a smart way to take advantage of all the water-cooler talk this campaign has generated?
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 12, 2006
Lo-def still rules.
At first glance, the lo-def campaign from McKinney-Silver and Sony seems like it just might be cool art direction for art direction's sake. Of course, by now, you know that the lo-def spots turn the corner and really sell the point. The approach is a clever solution that mitigates the issue that those viewers without a high-def TV can't really appreciate a high-def picture no matter how many white leopards with bejeweled leashes you put in the spot.
September 12, 2006
Nike's Briscoe High scores.
Yeah, yeah. I know. We're way, way too heavy on the football-related theme of late. But Nike's satisfying "Football is Everything" stuff must be noted.
W+K's Briscoe High campaign is everything it should be. It's the dream of every high school football player captured on film in :90, :60 and :30 versions. It's loaded with watch-it-again-and-again cameo roles for football's most famous names and faces. The Easter egg of a title layers on meaning. An immersive Web site is geared to keep you coming back for more each week as Nike puts fictional Briscoe High on the gridiron with real high school football powers such as Tulsa Union, Massillon and Katy. It's utterly insider. And utterly wonderful. I thought it was the best spot of the bunch for the NFL's opening weekend (despite Lee Corso's less than subtle performance). Great to see that the campaign lives well beyond the TV screen, too.* You can see the prequel to the above spot here. Okay, we're done with the football stuff. For the moment.
*To whom it may concern, nice job on the Wikipedia entry.
August 21, 2006
Why the world's parents hate copywriters.
If you're a copywriter, the world's parents hate you. You are slimier than slime. Creepier than Charlie Sheen. Fouler than an episode of Mama's Family. This is because the world's parents believe you warp their childrens' brains with your infectious catchphrases. And, the truth is, you do. You may, if you have not yet settled down, believe this to be an insignificant crime.
But just you wait.
We do a reasonably good job of limiting TV at our house. Despite this, I've noticed, with some alarm, that taglines seem to work their way into our kids' vocabularies. Overhead at our house on Friday night:
John: "No, no, no, we're not getting out the Floam. It's too messy and I just cleaned the kitchen."
Jack: "But Daddy, we have to! It's the fun you can feel™!"
This is not an approximation of Floam's tagline. This is wholly unaided recall of Floam's tagline. Damn commercial is brainwashing the kid. Burn the TVs. Payback really is a bitch.
July 10, 2006
What big brands could learn from a local Indian restaurant.
We frequent a local Indian restaurant here in KC. It's a meal we can always count on the kids devouring. We generally get carry-out, and each time, I am surprised and delighted by the joint. It goes like this:
I walk in and say I have a carry-out order. They promptly hand me a chai tea and a small bowl with two gulab jamun (think donut holes soaked in syrup). If I happen to have one of the kids with me, they also bring some milky-mango drink concoction. All of this for free. How many people have I told about this? I don't know. Zillions? Recently, we decided to see if the boys would sit still for an entire meal at the restaurant. I'm sorry to say that the kids didn't comply. While the service wasn't exactly slow, it wasn't exactly fast. Sensing our distress, they brought us dessert a little early. Even though we hadn't ordered it. When the bill came, there was no charge. This restaurant has earned occasions from us because of their efforts. Incremental traffic is the lifeblood of a restaurant. It's paying off for them.
While major brands can't give away the farm and stay in business, there's clearly an opportunity available in the surprise and delight department. Even if it adds some nominal operational cost. Little, inexpensive things carry large, profitable implications. It's sad to say that things that were once taken for granted, now seem like big extra perks.
We all know about Nordstrom's. What other brands do you think are doing a good job here?
June 29, 2006
Turn in your brackets by 5pm!
So the World Cup is down to the final eight. And, as you could have probably guessed, it's a pretty standard final eight. Germany, Argentina, Italy, England, Brazil and France. Now, I'll admit that Portugal and the Ukraine are surprises this year but hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile. I'll be in front of the TV set for all the games, I urge you to check them out too. All the games from here on out are going to be killer, that I can tell you.
Then I had a thought, and did a little digging. I quickly realized that of 17 previous World Cups (this is the 18th) six of the eight 2006 finalists have won 15 championships! That's an astonishing 88%! Hell, Portugal has only played in four Cups and hasn't been this far since '66. Ukraine? First appearance on this stage.
So what the hell does this mean to you, the ad professional? I'll tell you. It means that the same teams always win the World Cup just like the same agencies win all the awards. In the bracket above, I have taken the six most awarded agency groups for 2005 and put them up against each other. I added my own Portugal (Fallon) and my own Ukraine (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) to round out the numbers. NOTE: Goodby and Chiat/Day, sadly, couldn't get out of their qualifying groups this year. Better luck next time.
So, who do you think would win? And, does it even matter? Does not working for one of these shops change your attitude toward doing great work, awards or not? I don't think so. 'Cause just like the Ivory Coast an Ghana -- two no-name agencies who put together some award-winning football over the last fortnight -- you aren't really in it for the awards. You're in it of the love of the game.
And to that I say: Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!
May 29, 2006
11 things I learned about advertising while driving to the lake.
Despite my best efforts, I was unable to totally escape advertising this weekend. Turns out Midwestern highways are much better than finishing schools to learn about the real ins-and-outs of the business.
1. On billboards, small town car dealers generally wear tuxedos and point at you or in the direction of their dealership. They really are very pointy people.
2. The less popular the restaurant chain, the more specific driving directions they tend put on their billboards. See, if the food isn't great, the directions need to be. Or so it seems.
3. Both churches and Adult-oriented merchants believe strongly in the power of outdoor advertising. Outdoor companies are laughing all the way to the bank.
4. Most professional copywriters still use too many words in outdoor (myself included). One exception (from Keystone Light) that made me smile: "Without beer, camping is just sleeping outside." Cheers to you, anonymous copywriter.
5. Some guy named Jesse Yokam will drill wells for you. Hey, if I need a well drilled, he's the only brand I know.
6. There really are lots and lots of McDonald's in the world.
7. It would take a good art director weeks to unsuccessfully duplicate the homemade appeal of the signs selling vegetables at roadside stands.
8. Ratty signage and a full parking lot is a good indication that you've found a decent local restaurant.
9. If one believes a man has cheated you in a business dealing, advertising can be a good weapon for revenge. This was evidenced by a huge homemade sign erected by the side of the road. It named the so-called cheat. Following good advertising practice, the sign had a telephone number to call for more information. I was a single digit from making that call when my wife insisted I hang up the phone.
10. Either the executives at DQ are nice people or they're just tired of suing every small-town soft-serve joint that infringes on them out of existence. Observed on the trip: Dairy King, Dairy Creme, Dairy Crest, Dairy Royale (and not with cheese).
11. My wife cannot pass an outlet of the Kum & Go chain of convenience stores without a small giggle. As far as I'm concerned, that's great marketing.
May 26, 2006
Advertising Free Holiday
We found this AdPulp post by friend of AC David Burn pretty inspiring. It's great marketing for Snapple. However, we think it's a good message for all of us living here at the intersection of art and commerce.
In the United States it's Memorial Day weekend. A time to remember. And the unofficial three day kick-off of Summer.
If at all possible, and we know that for some of you it just won't be, go out and try to enjoy an advertising-free Memorial Day holiday. Don't think about the business. Tune out. Try to fill up your creative well with experiences that don't have anything to do with your day-to-day. You and your work will be better off for it. If you have to work this weekend, put in for a three or four day weekend soon. As for me, I'll be on a pontoon boat floating over a rock-bottom lake. While I am going to attempt to take my own advice, I will, at least, raise a sweaty bottle of Corona to all of you ad warriors.
May 02, 2006
Civil discourse. Works for me.
While it can certainly be effective, I've always felt brand-to-brand comparative advertising was a little unseemly. The stuff is usually smart-ass. Occasionally, you'll even see a real cheapshot taken. Don't get me wrong, I'm not up on too high a horse. I've created comparative advertising myself. So, it's not like I think it's wrong per se. The danger, for me, is that it can seem like you're focusing too much on your competitor and not enough on your audience (or as our friends at Beyond Madison Avenue would say your "community"). So, when I heard the new Apple campaign was, once again, going to be a direct comparison to PC, I had a twinge. I really didn't like the "what's an intel chip going to do inside a mac" spot. And not just because of the so-called video plagiarism issue. I felt it was just too snarky and there really weren't any hard benefits described. I'll admit I was expecting the same with this new set of ads. It's not what I got.
Comparisons are made and potential benefits pointed out, however, the direction never tipped toward the arrogant or mean-spirited. Some rebel against the "Apple is cooler" thing, but I say go with it. God knows the other MP3 players out there wished they'd thought more about that before the iPod hit the scene. It's important for another reason, too. Apple is remaking itself as an entertainment/lifestyle company and, while they are selling their computers now, you can clearly see that dimension coming to life in these spots. Oh, the approachability thing works, too. Believe it or not, dear readers, there are still people intimidated by technology.
To be fair, however, the copy went a little further than I'd like. I'm a simple guy. I ask simple things of my macs and they do them. My macs don't crash. I don't restart all the time, however, I do have to restart now and again. I have applications that get stuck. And I'm really not sure how friendly my mac would be with lifestyle programs other than iLife. While the claims aren't patently untrue, life with a mac is not always milk and cookies.
Overall, however, I'm really digging the campaign. How about you?
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?
February 15, 2006
You thought you had it bad?
Based on our informal survey on Valentine's Day, we noted that men seemed to be a bit cynical towards the "manufactured Hallmark holiday." But do you know how the holiday works in Japan?
On Valentine's Day, women are obligated to buy chocolates or gifts not only for their significant other, but their boss and male colleagues as well. According to a survey, 60% of Japanese women were stressed and unhappy because of the cost and time it takes to shop for just the right gift that expresses just the right emotion to the recipient. Sounds like guys there have it easy, huh?
Easy, that is, until White Day in March. This is the day where the men are supposed to return the favor and supposedly spend three times as much as what was spent on him. Yikes!
So how were these holidays "manufactured" in Japan? One source says it was a Japanese confectionery company that promoted Valentine's Day and a marshmallow company that introduced White Day.
Can inventing a holiday really work anymore to boost sales? Or are we too cynical to buy in?
February 14, 2006
Take our quick survey
C'mon, it'll be fun. And it will only be open today. So hurry! Click here.
I'll post some of the results tomorrow, so stay tuned.
January 16, 2006
Are the best planners specialists?
Every planner can learn about any given audience when he or she needs to. That's the job. But I got to wondering: Are you a better planner if you specialize?
I read constantly, surf voraciously and am intensely curious, yet I know nothing about teens. Zero, zip, nada. And that's ok, because I don't work on any clients that market to teens. This weekend I heard my first Afroman song and had a 13-year-old explain to me what a grill is. I also learned that an authentic 80's rocker outfit for the Bon Jovi concert didn't need to come from the attic at my parent's house; a trip to my local Wet Seal was all I needed. Seems 80's fashion is back (if you are under 20, that is.) I obviously have not been focused on this group. I also realize that if I were to focus on teens, things would change each and every day. And that seems like a full-time job in and of itself.
Should planners pick one (or a group of similar ones) and focus? Or does that spoil objectivity?
December 11, 2005
I had better things to do today, but...
In this on-demand world, why would a relatively sane (and extremely busy) person waste an entire afternoon watching Dirty Dancing and Goonies on regular television or sit in the car after parking just to hear the end of "Do they know it's Christmas?"
I own all three. I have Dirty Dancing on DVD, Goonies (yes, I'm a dork) on VHS somewhere, and "Do they know it's Christmas" on CD. But, I cannot remember a time when I thought to myself, "Gee, I want to watch Dirty Dancing, let me go find that DVD." I've seen it at least 800 times, and with the exception of seeing it in the movie theater, the other 799 were on regular television - the kind with commercials.
I guess to me it feels a little serendipitous when I run across my favorites on TV or the radio. And I watch or listen and think that somewhere out there, someone else is enjoying it at the same time.
I have a whole list of movies and songs that just stop me in my tracks. What are yours?
October 24, 2005
In '85 were you registering domain names or rocking out to "Never Surrender" by Corey "I Wear My Sunglasses At Night" Hart?
Seriously, I am clearly not an innovator. I came across the following list of the 100 oldest dot com domains -- thanks Craig Kobler -- and was simply blown away for a couple of reasons. Go here to see the list.
REASON 1. Check out the dates these people were registering their domain names. Earliest is in 1985.
**Just to let you know, back in 1985, I was listening to Depeche Mode, just getting through my Freshman year at Hillcrest Junior High in Overland Park, Kansas and dating a very cute girl. Ahhh, puppy love. During this pivotal time in my life I was also desperately trying to lose my virginity to said cute girl. She eventually succumbed to and I did. So, at the same time I'm saying, "Man, my girlfriend smells good. I have got to put my thing in her thing," Symbolics, BBN and Think were saying, "You know, the miitary just opened up the Internet for people like us. We should register a domain name."
Uh, the Internet? What in the name of la dee dah is the Internet?
REASON 2. There was actually someone who you could call (or snail mail) to register a domain name.
**Huh? I still don't know what gives godaddy.com the right to tell me that I have can purchase the rights to www.zabaduzeep.com if I pay them $6.95, but sure enough, something does. And, way back in 1985, there was someone to do it as well. Ah, commerce. Seriously, I was plodding my way through Algebra I and utterly enjoying Miami Vice on TV and Duran Duran's "Seven & The Ragged Tiger" LP on my turntable. "The Reflex! Flex-flex-flex-flex-flex!"
REASON 3. Here in 2005, we have just scratched the surface of what the Internet/World Wide Web can do and can do for us; what kinds of things we can put up there, download from there and look at on there; as well as how content can be delivered to everyone that wants it or to no one at all.
**What's amazing here is that 20 F'ing years ago there were people at Xerox, IBM and a few months later, at companies like Apple and ATT, who did understand that this thing called the Internet, this odd group of military servers, would one day change the world.
Seriously, think of it. It's insane man. It really is.
October 05, 2005
Tug: Increasingly Curmudgeonly
I don't know if I'm getting old or what, but this kind of stuff is starting to make me shake my head. I don't find it offensive -- as I've discussed, things like enthnic cleansing, Nazism and incestuous rape are offensive, these are just dumb ads -- but I'm wondering about the cheap creatives, cheap CDs and even cheaper clients that created and approved them. Ernie Schenck has pointed to both of these ads the last couple of days, and now I throw my 2¢ in.
If I'm to understand this correctly, these creative folks couldn't come up with anything better than to appropriate Leo Da Vinci's "Last Supper" for a gambling service and J.C.'s Crown of Thorns to hype Playstation? Hey man, what the hell is going on? Look, I'm all for pushing the creative envelope and am certainly not frightened of any religious groups or zealots of any kind, and I'm by no means an overly religious guy, but I still wonder if something couldn't have been done for these brands that was more clever, less mean-spirited, less desirous of cheap press, and frankly, more creative. I agree with Ernie on this one, kiddos, this just smells bad to me. Really bad.
In the words of the very famous short film that made its way around the Internet a few years ago, "Truth In Advertising" --
"It's going to be fun creating this blight on our culture."
Was it?
September 19, 2005
Keep it in perspective.
As many of you know, last week was a tough one for me. My 14-year old dog Murphy passed on to the great beyond and I took the opportunity to examine what in life is really important. The simple answer:
Everything.
Everything is important. Friends, family, dogs, cats, hamsters. Music, movies, TV shows, famous people, not-famous people. Cars, trees, ants and anteaters. All these things are important. Your mom, your dad, your brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, enemies and allies, all these things are important. Climbing on mountains and walking on sidewalks, equally important.
And while advertising is certainly imporant, too, and I love contributing to and participating in the ever growing AC community, I just want all of us to take a moment today and think about something joyful. Something not related to advertising. And then, smile, would you?
Then, it's back to the salt mines you sons of bitches.
Peace - tug
September 13, 2005
I love SWA
Mention Southwest Airlines and you generally will get the same reaction, "Gee, I just hate standing in line to get on the plane, can't they just assign seats." OK, yes, standing in that "cattle coral" can be annoying. But really, I blame the people in line two hours before the flight leaves (yes, American Copywriter host, you know who you are) more than I blame SWA. I'll be honest though, I love the Southwest brand. In fact, if I can't fly SWA, I really don't want to travel. Cheap flights, same consistent (if not unspectacular) service, stupid jokes by the flight attendants, online check-in, never had a major crash, all of these things make me love SWA. But they also do things to make me feel a part of the brand. Sending me birthday cards, little footies to keep my socks clean while going through security, a frequent flyer reward program that actually gets me free flights. And then, just when I think I can't love them anymore, they send me an email yesterday telling me I can donate a Rapid Rewards Award Voucher to help fly survivor's of Hurricane Katrina out of the Gulf coast region. Granted, the consumer is actually doing most of the work by donating their free ticket to the cause but Southwest is helping get these freebies into the right hands. Just a simple gesture really but as a consumer it makes me feel good that I do business with that brand. They really just do the small things the right way and that's all I need to be loyal to Southwest. <DING>
August 23, 2005
Sail On
We’ve been eager to share with you all the good news we’ve had since we started this blog. So, we figured it was only right to share with you some news that, as Tug would say, isn’t as good as it could be.
We had one of those meetings you really don’t want to have last week with our client Captain D’s. They told us they had decided to put the business up for review. They invited us to defend. We respectfully declined. Meeting over.
We weren't exactly surprised.
In August of 2004, we learned that Captain D’s was up for sale. A new company bought them around the first of the year. As you would expect, many changes followed, including the appointmen