Creep Out
My favorite site of all, boingboing.net, shows us these “weird creepy ads” from yesteryear. For the complete “creep out,” go to the weirdomatic site.
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July 31, 2007
My favorite site of all, boingboing.net, shows us these “weird creepy ads” from yesteryear. For the complete “creep out,” go to the weirdomatic site.
July 30, 2007
Yeah, But You Have to Assemble Your Cot
The people who brought you Fartful furniture (yes, that was an advertised design!) now want you to extend your stay.In Oslo, the Ikea actually has a dorm for dedicated shoppers. Says a spokesperson, "There will be the regular dormitory with lots of beds stacked up together. We will also have a bridal suite, with a round bed and a hanging chandelier, and the luxury suite, where customers can enjoy breakfast in bed," he said. Family rooms will also be available for parents and children to join into the Ikea fun. None of the guests will be charged for their stay.”
Yeah, just make sure you don’t bunk near the guy who bought a Fartful bed.
WWW's Balancing Act
My weekends are making me tired. More and more, I find myself engaged in endless catch-up, whether it’s laundry, schoolwork or simply ensuring the house doesn’t look as if it was abandoned to tumultuous aliens.I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Women who work (www) find a certain guilt in simply taking it easy. If I tried to put my feet up on the couch and watch endless runs of “No Reservations” or “Top Chef” like my teenager, I’d have an anxiety attack. I mean, Anthony Bourdain is amusing, but there are dishes to be washed. (Ever see AB put a dish in the dishwasher?)
Since there are so many women working in marketing and public relations, the plight of www is worth talking about. I keep telling myself it’s a phase. Sooner or later, I’ll get a more normal schedule and have time to kick back. But now I’m beginning to wonder.
Do wwww’s always sense they’re not doing enough? Perhaps we need to make the best of feeling inadequate on both ends of the scale – work and family. Sigh. Makes me tired to think about it.
July 27, 2007
Register Your Complaints Here
Recently went to Las Vegas and stayed at a certain hotel named after a pink bird. Ahem. Ok, anyone who knows Vegas will know what’s coming – expensive rooms, old décor, annoying crowds. Yes, yes and yes.
But what blew me away was how impervious the staff was to complaints. They'd clearly
heard them all. When I lodged my own set of gripes, the woman at the front desk simply nodded her head and responded, “I can give you $30 off, ma’am.”
Whoa. When your staff treats customer problems with a standard reply, you know things have taken a turn for the worse. I’m wondering if there were levels of complaints for refunds – you know, $30 for a minor room complaint and $50 for something more serious.
Nobody seemed too concerned about fixing things around there – just going through the motions.
But what blew me away was how impervious the staff was to complaints. They'd clearly
heard them all. When I lodged my own set of gripes, the woman at the front desk simply nodded her head and responded, “I can give you $30 off, ma’am.” Whoa. When your staff treats customer problems with a standard reply, you know things have taken a turn for the worse. I’m wondering if there were levels of complaints for refunds – you know, $30 for a minor room complaint and $50 for something more serious.
Nobody seemed too concerned about fixing things around there – just going through the motions.
Italian Soda
Nice bit of guerilla marketing for a soda campaign. These straws are being placed around Italian cities in fountains and other public spots. Makes you thirsty. Makes you want a soda, huh?
July 26, 2007
Secret of Email Marketing
Email marketing is the hardest. That’s what Seth Godin observes and I have to agree. Few communications are a ephemeral as the email pitch. You either respond to it, or it is relegated to that bulging “delete” section of mail.
How to get a reaction? It’s not the subject line. (How many times have you deleted something that said, “Money for Life Without Working?” And personally, I can’t think of a better subject than that!) It’s the sender line.
Unless you have a relationship with your target, your email isn’t going to get opened, no matter how brilliant the prose. Good luck.
July 25, 2007
Los Yikes!
These ads are so strangely misplaced. Funny, but a a marketer's nightmare ... and a problem I've experienced myself! It's never a good thing to wake up and see your ad in the most unfortunate of positions. Here's a whole gallery of such mess-ups.
July 24, 2007
The Upside of P.R.
Interesting story in Business Week on the power of public relations. The piece, “What Price Reputation?” explains that improving public image can significantly affect a company’s outcomes.
Yeah, we p.r. people know this already. But for some, there’s quite a lot of “ah ha” information. Take the story of Southwest Airlines, which found that public relations alone could move their stock up or down by 3.5%, equal to $400 million in market value.
It seemed Southwest was getting little return by stressing its budget fares. Instead, there was more upside potential for shares if Southwest stressed its extensive routes and schedules.
So Southwest has begun emphasizing long-haul flights and frequent service between many cities, points that seldom had gotten press. It also plans a new ad campaign. The effect so far: While airline stocks have fallen more than 15% overall in 2007, Southwest's shares are down only 5%, to about 14.80.
Ah ha. Good public relations works.
Yeah, we p.r. people know this already. But for some, there’s quite a lot of “ah ha” information. Take the story of Southwest Airlines, which found that public relations alone could move their stock up or down by 3.5%, equal to $400 million in market value.
It seemed Southwest was getting little return by stressing its budget fares. Instead, there was more upside potential for shares if Southwest stressed its extensive routes and schedules.
So Southwest has begun emphasizing long-haul flights and frequent service between many cities, points that seldom had gotten press. It also plans a new ad campaign. The effect so far: While airline stocks have fallen more than 15% overall in 2007, Southwest's shares are down only 5%, to about 14.80.
Ah ha. Good public relations works.
July 23, 2007
Sameness Stinks
A newbie marketer I know complained that her collateral materials didn’t look the same. “They’re not the same color, don’t have the same graphics and the photos are all different,” she said. “That’s not good branding.”Is it? Maybe I’ve been around the marketing block too many times to contest those who think that sameness is important for building a brand. Having been involved in countless branding campaigns, I would say that brands need some breathing room to grow and evolve.
A few thoughts:
Sameness stinks – Keeping everything the same is boring. No one wants to look at a wall full of only red-with-stripes brochures. If everything were the same, your message would never get noticed. You’ve simply got to mix things up.
Brands change – Kids are cute as toddlers, but they also have stinky diapers and can’t engage in discussions about the Middle East – you want them to evolve. Brands, too, evolve and grow if cultivated well. Again, it’s what keeps them interesting for your target markets.
Branding cops shouldn’t use excessive force – Having a “branding officer” isn’t a bad thing, but that’s only to maintain the spirit of the brand. A “branding officer” who rejects everything because it doesn’t stick to the letter of the so-called branding law isn’t doing your organization a favor.
July 20, 2007
Take it Outside
Hey, your mailbox is smoking! Actually, it’s a clever way to remind people to smoke outside and avoid the dangers of harming others through second hand smoke.
The flyers were distributed in Belgium and are a great example of guerilla marketing. Says the copy, “The lungs of your loved ones deserve better."
Source: Advertising is Good for You
July 19, 2007
Speaking of Speaking...
I guess I’m in the wrong profession. Most of the marketing people I know love to hear themselves speak. However, if public speaking is something you dread, take a look at Guy Kawaski’s tips. My favorite: Know when it’s time to go. Too many speakers think they have to fill up the entire time allotted. Guess what? Short and profound wins every timeToo Real
Wow. This is an amazing campaign by Amnesty Switzerland that is running in European Countries. The running line is: “It doesn’t happen here, but it happens now.” Note how pictures blend into the environment. Brilliant. This photo taken from the blog Houtlust.
July 18, 2007
Creepy Condiments
Hey, I ain’t no prude, but this ad gives me the creeps. It’s hot dogs and burgers getting all steamed up over condiments on the beach. For extra creepiness, check out the Web site and you’ll be privy to a hot dog and mustard making out (ok, snuggling) on a picnic blanket. Ick.
Of course, the ultimate gross out is The Onion’s spoof on antibacterial mustard.
All of this is enough to keep me away from picnics for a very long time. Thanks.
July 17, 2007
Happy Mavenish Birthday
Today is the maven's birthday and, according to the custom of Katroo (Dr. Seuss' "Happy Birthday to You"), she is taking the day off.
Although the process of aging another year stinks (where are the reverse birthday options???), the maven wants you to know that her readers keep her young. Thanks to all.
July 16, 2007
Sort it Out
More good advice from PresentationZen...I hadn't thought of this before, but it makes a lot of sense to pay attention to the Slide Sorter function in PowerPoint. Take a look at the entire presentation, laid out. This way, you can better determine the flow of your talk. People can only absorb so much information, so be honest about what needs to stay in and what is merely extraneous. Ever give a presentation and wonder, "Why did I put that graph or slide in there?" You want to avoid such questions while you're up on the podium. Trust me.
Smithers, Blog This
A certain monstrous mogul has taken over Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman's blog. Here's the latest:
Dear David Neeleman,
You’ve got it all backwards, Blue Boy. Smithers says you provide DIRECTV and Fox films on all your flights. Moving pictures and talkies on a flying machine… What’s next, a live performance by famed vaudevillian Baby Rose Marie?
As a young businessman in the Great Depression I learned customers are there for our entertainment. Not the other way around. I recommend poking your passengers with a sharpened twig or ridding the beverage carts of ice. It will be quite the hootenanny watching those sad saps drink their soda pop at room temperature.
If you’re using DIRECTV to distract the passengers while committing thievery, I respect your racket. But knowing you, Neeleman, you probably hand out shillings with every bemusement.
I must go now as Smithers has prepared my colon cleansing.
Sincerely,
C. Montgomery Burns
Eggs-sell-ent. Of course it's all another way to promote the Simpson's movie. Kudos to these guys for finding non-traditional promotional ideas (along with a bizillion traditional ads, of course). Excuse me, I must now go poke some readers with a sharpened twig...
Don't Be Boring
If you're making a presentation, be ANIMATED! You'll get a much stronger reponse. Looking at the CEOs above, which ones would you rather hear speak? For more tips on public speaking, as well as creative design, check out Presentation Zen. You'll never speak without it...
July 14, 2007
AllAfrica.com
AllAfrica.com is the type of site that is so needed right now. It is a content service provider and world-wide distributor of African news. There are three sections: Sustainable Africa, Peace Africa and Biztech. There is information here that is simply not very accessible in the traditional Western media. Read it and you will learn more of the true story of Africa. Unfortunately, allafrica does not delve much into blogs, which I also believe are important for telling the continent's story. But it's an important site, nonetheless, and needs to be read.
July 13, 2007
Muggle Marketing
With all the hoopla about the Simpsons movie machine turning 7-Elevens into Kwik-E-Marts, I'm reminded of this bit of Potter marketing at London's Charring Cross Station. The first time I saw it I was running to catch a train when I encountered a crowd of tourists trying to photograph their kids at the famous platform. Fortunately, I was able to make my way through and boarded my train. On my second visit, I could appreciate the humor of this piece of guerilla marketing and even snapped a photo of my daughter wih cart-in-wall.
July 12, 2007
Get Out Your Pencils, Get Out Your Books
I start teaching my marketing strategy class at University of California, Irvine, tonight. I’ve taught it once before, and it’s not easy. It’s case studies and financial data and trying to keep the attention of a classroom full of sleepy latenight students.I have to remind myself that teaching marketing is a good thing. Hopefully, I’m getting others interested in the profession. Hopefully, I’ll have a classroom full of marketers who are far better at this game than I am when the session is done. That’s always the goal.
Bar Jokes for Breakfast
Trader Joe's private label brands are interesting because they feel compelled to write cute copy all over the box. Normally, this wouldn't bother me. After all, I'm the type of person who needs something to read during breakfast (heaven forbid I'd have to talk to someone over my fruit bar or cereal).
I've always wondered, though, why they put bar jokes on fruit bar boxes. My 10-year-old simply says, "I don't get this joke" whenever she reaches into the cupboard for her favorite snack. I'm happy that she and her "brat pack" aren't telling bar jokes, but perplexed why TJ thinks this is particularly clever.
July 11, 2007
The Way She Sees It
Want to read something other than the West’s negative stories about Africa? Read fashion designer Ladyrbrille’s blog. An excerpt:“We keep on waiting, waiting and waiting for Western media to change when it comes to telling the stories about Africa and Africans in a positive and sophisticated light. Meanwhile while we wait, most of us have nodded our heads so vigorously till we have migraines, as we discuss, analyze, further analyze and engage in over intellectualizing/sub-sub analysis on the African image[s] in Western media. However, there comes a time where Africans themselves must heed the calling of Ex-United States President John F. Kennedy [JFK]. JFK in his inaugural speech of 1961 said, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
Frankly, while Western media has an obligation to be as objective as possible in reporting news about Africa and Africans, it does not owe Africans or any other minority group for that matter the obligation to tell their positive stories. Africans themselves must tell their own positive stories. Yes Western media, for the most part, shows only negative images of Africans that stigmatizes us but can we move beyond that and get to work?!”
Support African blogs. Read them. Comment on them. Link them. Make sure they get in front of Western journalists. Africa is more than Brangelina’s vacation spot.
Details, Details
Perhaps too much has been written about the 7-Elevens that have turned into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the Simpsons movie. However, this image from Think Small shows that the fun of the promotion is in the details. Bart's grafitti on the side of the building is a brilliant touch.
July 10, 2007
Annoying but Good
This spot is annoying, but ultimately has a good message. Just would have preferred if they didn't do stuff like lift up the woman's skirt. Know what I mean?
July 09, 2007
Support African Bloggers (cont.)
Continuing on my observations from yesterday regarding blogging in Africa. Here is more fuel to the argument that blogs are the most expedient method for relaying “the real news” from the continent.
It seems traditional forms of public relations just aren’t working. According to a MediaSource poll of 139 journalists working in Africa, less than 10% of the press releases received from public relations professionals are actually used. Additionally, only 80% of English-language journalists admit to either 'often' or 'sometimes' deleting emails from public relations agencies without actually reading them.
If public relations professionals aren’t being very effective (not an indictment, but it does say something when journalists are ignoring what they write), it’s up to citizen journalists to tell the real story. Blog on.
It seems traditional forms of public relations just aren’t working. According to a MediaSource poll of 139 journalists working in Africa, less than 10% of the press releases received from public relations professionals are actually used. Additionally, only 80% of English-language journalists admit to either 'often' or 'sometimes' deleting emails from public relations agencies without actually reading them.
If public relations professionals aren’t being very effective (not an indictment, but it does say something when journalists are ignoring what they write), it’s up to citizen journalists to tell the real story. Blog on.
July 08, 2007
Blog Africa Blog
How many of us frequently read blogs about Africa? Probably not that many, huh? Yet, blogs may be exactly what Africa needs to have its voice heard.
Tanzanian blogger Ndesanjo Macha says it all right here in this entry on globalvoicesonline…
"Africans should really care about blogging. Other than localized newspapers, one can’t access news generated by Africans featuring issues specific to them. We need that. Blogging provides access to alternative sources of news and stories that are important to Africans.
The need for African news generated by Africans goes back to creating our own identity and stories. When a western media house reports, on Africa, it is all blood, gore, famine, crime and other negative images. For them, a positive image is tourism. Africans have a lot more than just these issues. We need to hear about a farmer who has created a better way of tilling the land that has enabled the village to have a surplus of maize, or the lady who built a company employing 20 people from good fiscal management and hard work. These are the stories that make Africa wonderful.
The hope that all Africans have in abundance is lost in the media and this leads to a negative connotation and identity for Africans. We have to take back our stories for future generations will love to hear what we had to say and actually see it as our own perspective and none other. The examples I have mentioned above transcend borders. I think any pan-African vehicle has to offer solutions that work across borders otherwise they will be irrelevant in most markets."
Communications professionals – help grow African blogs. Offer comments, promote them, direct the media to them. It’s worth the effort.
Tanzanian blogger Ndesanjo Macha says it all right here in this entry on globalvoicesonline…
"Africans should really care about blogging. Other than localized newspapers, one can’t access news generated by Africans featuring issues specific to them. We need that. Blogging provides access to alternative sources of news and stories that are important to Africans.
The need for African news generated by Africans goes back to creating our own identity and stories. When a western media house reports, on Africa, it is all blood, gore, famine, crime and other negative images. For them, a positive image is tourism. Africans have a lot more than just these issues. We need to hear about a farmer who has created a better way of tilling the land that has enabled the village to have a surplus of maize, or the lady who built a company employing 20 people from good fiscal management and hard work. These are the stories that make Africa wonderful.
The hope that all Africans have in abundance is lost in the media and this leads to a negative connotation and identity for Africans. We have to take back our stories for future generations will love to hear what we had to say and actually see it as our own perspective and none other. The examples I have mentioned above transcend borders. I think any pan-African vehicle has to offer solutions that work across borders otherwise they will be irrelevant in most markets."
Communications professionals – help grow African blogs. Offer comments, promote them, direct the media to them. It’s worth the effort.
July 06, 2007
Thank You, Come Again
Doh! Fans of the The Simpsons aren't hallucinating. There really are "Kwik-E-Marts" popping up.
In a promotion that has "life imitating Bart," 7-Eleven has transformed a dozen North American stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience store to be featured in the Simpsons movie opening soon.
And yes, the stores are selling Buzz Cola and Squishees.
Good for 7-Eleven for doing this. It shows that some companies can take a joke --- and maybe get more fans into the store.
July 05, 2007
Travel Tip for SF
If you are in San Francisco, you must go to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Great displays and cool exhibits, like this one. Photo found on boingboing and taken by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid.
Monkey Business
If you think there’s a lot of monkey business going on in corporate life, read this tale. Seems that most primates are predisposed to beating down the chimp who reaches for the
prize.
I like the way the author relates the story back to the challenges of introducing new branding ideas. As he states, some organizations just need to have their cages rattled when it comes to developing new brands, letting those with the best ideas climb ahead. Otherwise, you’ve just got a room full… or even a barrel … of silly monkeys, which really isn’t much fun.
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This article was found on Corante, a good source for marketing information. Years ago, I profiled the editor, Hylton Jolliffe in a story. Good to know his enterprise is doing well.
prize.I like the way the author relates the story back to the challenges of introducing new branding ideas. As he states, some organizations just need to have their cages rattled when it comes to developing new brands, letting those with the best ideas climb ahead. Otherwise, you’ve just got a room full… or even a barrel … of silly monkeys, which really isn’t much fun.
.
This article was found on Corante, a good source for marketing information. Years ago, I profiled the editor, Hylton Jolliffe in a story. Good to know his enterprise is doing well.
July 04, 2007
Coming Soon: Independence Day
Can't wait until July 4, 2008!
Help out at hillaryclinton.com.
Not Celebrating in Darfur
Happy Fourth of July.
Freedom doesn't come easy. Take a look at Google Eath's compeling visual evidence of the destruction in Darfur. This display was developed in collaboration with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
You can see more than 1,600 villages that have been damaged or completely destroyed. Zoom to more than 133,000 homes, schools, mosques and other buildings burned to the ground.
- See it now by downloading Google Earth here.
- Click here to load photos, testimonies and maps once you have downloaded Google Earth. Download additional professional resources here.
July 03, 2007
Down the Rabbit Hole
Oy. As if travel isn't harsh enough, consider the Yotel concept. It's a British concept, so my fellow U.S. claustrophobics can relax a bit.
Yotels are basically cabins that are booked by the hour at the airport. It's about 100 square feet -- and that's small, yet rooms have flat screen TVs, broadband and showers.
Just pray for high ceilings. Yow. I'm hyperventilating already.
July 02, 2007
Scalpel, Please
Saw Michael Moore’s Sicko this weekend. Good stuff. If you’ve never been through some Kafkaesque experience with a health insurer, you’re one of the fortunate few. This movie is a wake-up call about the country’s completely messed up health system. And I say this as a former insider in the health care field (it IS messed up).The truth is, there are a lot of very dedicated men and women working hard to save lives. It’s just that no one wants to pay for the work that they’re doing.
I suspect that the next administration will take on this issue. It’s just too important to overlook. And now with Moore’s latest film, health care has become Americans’ elephant in the room for our country’s political debates.
Good for Moore. And. hopefully, good for us. It IS possible that a communication vehicle like great movie can blaze the trail for change.
July 01, 2007
It's Hard Out There for a Mom
For any mom who’s ever sat on the playground with the other moms …or sat in the waiting room during dance classes for that matter … this video is pretty good. Brooke Shields is funny.
Does Anyone Have a Story About GOOD Airline Service?
I ask this question every time I fly one of our sorry U.S. airline companies. You know which ones I mean -- United, American, US Airways, Delta, etc. Every time I fly I am barraged with awful customer service and, of course, I am one of thousands of people who have horror stories each day. Sitting at a gate in Dallas, hearing the story of a couple whose flight was cancelled and tried to get on SIX different flights to go home, I realized that bad service is an every day, every hour occurrence.
Surely, there's got to be another way. Yes, Jet Blue tried a little harder (but they too came up short). And sure, there are a few good ones out there like Virgin. However, the norm seems to be horrible service and customer service agents who have heard from so many frustrated people, they are numb to the experience.
Suggestion to airline companies -- invest in a concierge service that really works. Stop being deaf to customer complaints. Everyone has a limit to the amount of abuse they can take. I think we have all reached ours.
