Decent Marketing

The Blame Game: It's the Bloggers' Fault

I can't help but weigh in on the Neil French debacle -- if you haven't heard, French, the worldwide creative director of WPP Worldwide (parent to such firms as Grey, Ogilvy & Mather, Red Cell, Y&R, Wunderman, JWT, Hill & Knowlton, etc.) had to resign last Thursday after telling an audience in Toronto that women don't work hard enough and don't deserve the top creative jobs in advertising.  Apparently we're not committed enough because we also care about our children or something.  No ... I'm not kidding.

Anyway, what really killed me was what he said about resigning in The New York Times on Friday.  In an article by Julie Bosman, "Mr. French said he did not regret his remarks, but thought the reaction to them was 'lunacy'.  'I'm extremely sad about it,' said Mr. French, who has been widely pilloried on the Internet.  'Death by blog is not really the way to go.'"

Death by blog?!  More like death by being an idiot.  What do blogs have to do with what he said and why he resigned?  Thank God for blogs, so that we can all be informed of what people really think, especially when those people are in power.  There has been no dispute, as far as I can tell, that he said what he said.  So if bloggers are incensed and saying so, Amen.  Democracy in action.  Thanks for nothing, Mr. French, on behalf of myself and creative women everywhere.

Here's more on this from AdPulp and Adrants.

Quizno's Baby Pervert

Could somebody please explain to me what the fascination is with talking babies?  I would be so grateful if Quizno's could send Baby Bob off to wherever it is that talking babies go when they retire (baby college?) and let us all move on.   Quizno's actually sells Baby Bob t-shirts on their website now.  There's one with Bob holding a sub featuring the quote "When my molars grow in I'm all over this bad boy".   (Bit of advice for those few poor souls who bought that shirt -- don't wear it while on the prowl for hot dates.)

Don't get me wrong -- babies are cute.  But a baby that sounds a lot like a creepy pervert talking about subway sandwiches just doesn't work for me.  Yes, I said pervert.  In one ad he rides around Italy with a supermodel and in another he's hanging out by the pool with a hot chick in a bikini.  I think I'm going to start a "Save Baby Bob" campaign.  We can't let poor Bob grow up to be an adult creepy pervert.  Stop the madness!  Save Bob!!!!!

Tag: marketing

Burger King and C**ks

Okay, Crispin, Porter & Bogusky.  You got me.  I can't help but mention Burger King's promotion of their new Chicken Fries by tying in with the clearly fictitious band Coq Roq (pronounced cock rock, in case you weren't sure).  Did you really think putting www.coqroq.com at the bottom of your national television advertising was in good taste?  Did you really have no idea the site would read "Groupies love the Coq"?  Of course you didn't.  That's why you did it.  Because you know it will create controversy and buzz.  Aren't you clever.  Thank God my four-year-old son can't read yet. 

The more I think about it, I think Burger King really sucks.  So maybe the whole idea is appropriate after all.

Tag: marketing

they're losin' it! (Sung to the McDonald's Theme Song)

I know I'm a little behind in commenting on the story about McDonald's offering money to rappers as an incentive to name check the Big Mac in their songs. Blame it on the fact that, as I recover from back surgery, most of what I've done for the last few weeks has involved sleeping, with a little sleeping thrown in for good measure.

Yet I can't resist sharing my sadness and deep regret with you regarding the depths to which McDonald's has fallen. This story reminds me of some poor soul having to pay a lady of the evening for sex. McDonald's is taking the "if you can't get it on your own merits, just go buy it" approach. Hello! If they're not rapping about your two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun already, perhaps it's because Big Macs are not worth rapping about. Besides, if you're going to do it, don't be like Hugh Grant and Eddie Murphy and get CAUGHT, for goodness sake!

I just love that hip hop impresario Jermaine Dupri called the whole idea cheesy! Seems McDonald's sure has gotten themselves into a pickle. :)

Kick-Ass Outdoor Advertising

Now this is a great outdoor ad, created for 3M Scotchshield by Rethink Communications in Vancouver. They placed fake Canadian money inside two pieces of glass covered by Scotchshield, and passersby were welcomed to take a crack at it.  (The money on the very top layer was real, so people were very compelled to attempt to break the glass.)  I rarely consider advertisements to be experiential, but this is an exception in my book.

Check out the people trying to break down the glass here.

Thanks to Brand Noise for pointing this out.

Tag: marketing

Please Leave The Stage

Are there certain commercials that make you willing to risk life and limb to leap across the coffee table to turn down the volume on your television?  (Yes, I know the remote control has a mute button, but that only works if you can actually find the remote control.)  There are certain product spokespeople that would really be doing me an enormous favor if they'd agree to leave the stage.  Immediately.

* Dr. Greg Cynaumon, CortiSlim -- Dr. Cynaumon is the pitchman for a diet supplement that was created by Dr. Shawn Talbott.  Well, where is Dr. Talbott, and why can't he sell his own stuff?  I can't help but wonder if he's trapped under a piece of heavy furniture somewhere.  Dr. Cynaumon, by the way, is a psychologist.  Here he explains that his credibility in the field of nutrition comes from his experience as a lifelong dieter.

* Sabine Ehrenfeld, Overstock.com -- What's with the oversexed presentation of this online discount retailer?  This woman is indeed beautiful, but the whole foreplay act is over the top.  If it wasn't so wierd, I think I'd laugh out loud every time these commercials come on.  Instead, I find myself nervous that she might have the big "o" right in the middle of the ad.

* "Lost another loan to DiTech!" Guy, DiTech.com -- I know I'm not the first person to point out how annoying these ads are, but I feel I must add my voice in the hopes that we might reach critical mass and be able to rid the airwaves of them.

* Wendi Friesen, the Zen of Thin -- If you've heard her radio commercials, then you must now be aware that her hypnotherapy tapes can cure your weight problems, anxiety disorders, sex problems, alcoholism, energy problems and even help you to spot a liar.  Having never experienced hypnotherapy, I can't comment on whether it works.  But I'm bothered by what seems to be an oversimplified approach to what are some very serious issues, like alcoholism and anxiety disorders.  I must admit, though, that I'm intrigued by the idea that I might be better able to spot liars.

Is there anybody you'd like to add to this list?

Tag: marketing

Ebayfabulous

It is rare -- actually it's pretty much never -- that I swoon over an ad campaign.  But last night I saw two ads (while watching my favorite television show of the season, "Lost" on ABC) for Ebay that knocked me out!  Both feature Ebay's new tagline "The power of all of us."  You can see some of the ads at www.thepowerofallofus.com.  Unfortunately the one called "Toy Boat" is not yet loaded up onto the site, because that's the one that literally caused me to say the word "wow" out loud.  It tells the story of a young boy who loses his boat when it drifts out into the ocean, yet through a series of events he finds it again years later on Ebay.  The idea is that, through Ebay, it is possible that nothing will ever be lost or forgotten.   We all have the power to bring happiness to others, even if they are people across the world that we don't know.

So much advertising really stinks these days, and really treats the viewer as the lowest common denominator, so to see Ebay bringing its belief in the consumer to its branding the way it has already done with its actual product is great.  Does any company or brand understand co-creation better?

Tag: marketing

What's With the Gnomes?

My husband asked a very interesting question the other night while we were catching a bit of TV: What's with all the garden gnomes showing up these days in advertising?! He had just seen an Ace Hardware commercial where a gnome rides in the passenger seat of a convertible. And then there's the "roaming gnome" in the current Travelocity ad campaign. And he swears they've been used in Chevy ads, though I don't recall that. I decided to check into this issue of gnomes, to try and find out why they seem to be considered such an effective marketing device.

Turns out they were invented in Germany, and are considered good luck. They're thought to tell melancholy tales (to whom I don't know, but I'm not sure how that would help sell a car). Also turns out there are quite a few people who don't think garden gnomes should be in the garden at all. A website called Free the Gnomes advocates "liberating these gentle woodland creatures". And there's even, believe it or not, a group called the Garden Gnome Liberation Front, (Garden Blog: Garden Gnome Liberation Front), whose mission is to relocate gnomes to the forest. They operate mainly in France, from what I understand, and are said to have already freed more than 6,000 gnomes. Travelocity better keep close watch over its current spokesperson -- the GGLF just might be lurking in the bushes.

Tag: marketing

Ad Creep or Ad Creeps?

Lucian James at Agenda - Breaking News has a link today to a story in Ad Age called "Battle For the Streets: Marketers vs. Ad-Weary Consumers" by Lisa Sanders. My favorite points in the article:

* Thirty years ago the average American was targeted by 560 daily advertising messages, according to research from the Media Kitchen. Today, the number is over 3,500.
* This leads to an increasing lack of attention paid by consumers to commercial messages, which Sanders says will only likely lead to ever more desperate efforts to gain attention.
* Despite the popularity of guerilla-type efforts, Sanders points out that their effectiveness vs. other types of media is debatable.

And then finally, the quote in the article that nearly has me bowled over laughing: A gentleman from Scion states, in reference to guerilla marketing tactics, that "People recognize that we are willing to work very hard to get their attention, which leads to an emotional relationship with the brand." Excuse me? The idea that forehead tattoos, sidewalk ads and street stunts lead to emotional relationships with brands is, in my opinion, a completely silly assertion. Period.

Tag: marketing

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Diane Brady has written a very interesting BusinessWeek article (March 29 issue) about Ann Fudge. Ann recently became the CEO of Young & Rubicam, after spending a couple of years in retirement journaling, cycling, traveling, serving on boards and spending time with her family. What stood out in the article was this: a lot of grumbling and whining from the folks at Y&R that Ann may not be the right person for the job because she retired. She took a few years off, so she must not be relentless enough to run their company. Brady writes that in our culture "... leaving is a sign of weakness, a sometimes unforgivable lack of ambition." She adds that, "A surprising number doubt -- quietly for now, anyway -- that a woman who openly hugs fellow execs and values her life beyond the workplace can raise Y&R to new creative and financial heights. As one senior executive puts it: 'I just don't know if someone who can spend months on a bicycle has the 24/7 drive we need.'"

It seems many marketers still cling to the mindset that the only way to be a great marketer is to show up every morning at 7am, leave no earlier than 7pm, never take vacation and grind oneself into dust. I'm not sure how that would lead to creativity or good ideas, but what do I know? It seems to me that it takes a very old-school masculine view to think that hugs and time off make someone unable to lead a company.

I think being a decent marketer means being a well-rounded person who takes the time to be out of the office in the world with regular people. I've seen people put the work ethic into overdrive and end up coming up with pretty lackluster ideas because they don't do anything that's not work-related anymore. Creativity comes from being open to a wide range of inputs, not from sitting in an office. Ihankfully more and more men and women are no longer buying into these old, narrow-minded ideas. I just hope the people at Y&R will give Ann a chance.

Tag: marketing