I was at my local FastSigns this afternoon, and I saw some of their recent work on cars. I’m sure you’ve seen cars that are wrapped from stem to stern with graphics, turning them into one big ad. Interesting idea, but I’m not sure that I would want my corporate identity in the hands of somebody who cuts off potential customers in traffic. Nevertheless, it made me think about naming rights.
Naming rights are nothing new, at least in Theory. Way back in the days of the Crystal Palace and the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan created an Operetta, The Gondoliers, in which the Duke of Plaza Toro decided to “go public,” selling shares in his Dukedom, for those members of the Great Unwashed, allowing them to bask in the glow of his royal blood. The only thing the duke did NOT sell was naming rights on his cloak. (I’m sure if there’d been such a thing back then, G&S would have satirized it.) Corporate HQs have always been named after their lead tenant, but many of these buildings have leased space out to other tenants, thus allowing the tenants to glom off some of the lead company’s fame. From there it was only a hop, skip and a jump to places like sports stadiums to sell their very names to the highest bidder. (Ever wonder why USC doesn’t sell naming rights to it’s home field? I’m sure a certain maker of condoms would like the answer to that one.) Read the rest of this entry »
Wanna know a secret? I know how to tell which products are lucrative, without the need for a crystal ball, a time machine, or a magic wand. For those of you around during Watergate, you’ve heard this aphorism before: “Follow the money.”
Tell you what. Watch TV for a week, and tally up how many commercials you see for specific products. My unofficial survey shows that there are several product categories that take up a disproportionately large number of commercial time on TV: Read the rest of this entry »
The Super Bowl has come and gone again this year, proving that every now and then, there can be something more entertaining than TV spots. Good for football…bad for advertisers. This year’s crop of Super Bowl ads were ran the gamut from not bad to Gawd-awful, with a few stops in-between. One of the notable losers this year was GoDaddy, who, once again, trotted out “controversial” as their ad strategy.
Sex sells, they figure, and being controversial gets you noticed, so why not put together an ad campaign that gets free publicity from the controversy (like creating ads the network won’t run, then trumpeting the fact all over the news). Besides, football is a guy thing (primarily) and guys love locker-room humor (everywhere), large breasts (on women), innuendo (and double-entendre…even if they don’t know what they mean), and…sex. After all, the strategy worked last year…and the year before…and the year before that… Read the rest of this entry »
The game has defied my expectations, to say the least. Not so the spots – with only a couple of standouts (from the usual suspects) the Super ads have been anything but. Here’s my spin on the second part of the festivities…
Halftime/Second Half
The GOOD:
NBC: LMAO. Normally, network spots promoting their lineup of shows are pretty lame, or just embarrassing (like the NBC “I’m feelin’ allright” spot earlier). This one was funny, and somewhat reminiscent of the eTrade “Money Coming Out of His Wazoo” spot from the 2000 Super Bowl. Wouldn’t make me watch their shows – but a nice effort, nonetheless. Read the rest of this entry »
As a service to those that TiVO pas the spots to watch the game (both of you), here’s my crack analysis of the Super Bowl spots – at least the ones that stood out for me, for whatever reason.
First Half
The GOOD:
Doritos: Crystal Ball. I laughed out loud at this one. You could see it coming, and it was still funny. I like funny. Memorable. People will be talking about this one tomorrow.
Doritos: Crunch. Another laugh-out-loud, funny spot. Gotta get me some of those chips. So far, Doritos looks like the clear winner in the Super Bowl spot contest.
Castrol: EdgeMonkeys.com. Funny spot. Not sure if it sells oil, but it’s got enough connection to the product to make me remember the brand. Which is a good thing.
Pepsi Max: I’m Good. Very funny spot, as long as you like slapstick, physical comedy. (I do.) It’s definitely a spot that will appeal to guys…and 10 year old girls. Wives…not so much. The concept of a “cola for men” is a bit iffy to me, but I’m willing to listen.
eTrade: Golf. Loved it. The idea of this baby playing golf, with his excess of ‘tude? Classic. Read the rest of this entry »
Noticed a couple of new Glade spots in rotation, featuring the enigmatic Dori Kelly. I mention this for a couple of reasons – first, the product they are pushing – an air freshener with a motion detector that prevents wasting a lot of scent when nobody is there to appreciate it – is pretty cool. Second, I’ve been keeping an eye on my blog stats, and they are waaaaaay up, in no small part due to people hitting my site looking for information on the afore-mentioned Ms. Kelly. I’m not too proud to pander, in order to boost readership. Third (and more germane to this blog) I’m curious as to why SC Johnson (owners of the Glade brand) are not attempting to parlay interest in Dori Kelly into more publicity for their product. Read the rest of this entry »
Running an ad agency, I’m painfully aware at how crazy this business can be. I take some comfort in the words of W.S. “Babs” Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) who opined, “There is humor in all things.” The agency biz is one part comedy, one part drama, a smattering of action, and an occasional dash of tragedy. To outsiders, peeking behind the curtain of an agency is akin to standing backstage and watching a magician work.
Hollywood has recently discovered that agency life has a great deal of potential for storylines, characters, and settings. Of course, since Hollywood believes that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (or plagiarism), we now have not one, but two shows that are built around ad agency life. Read the rest of this entry »
If you are part of the under-20 set, the guy who played the Spy Kids grandpa just died. If you’re under 40, Khan’s wrath is a thing of the past. But if you’re 50 or older, Mr. Roarke has welcomed his last guest to Fantasy Island. Or if you’re like me, the phrase “fine Corinthian leather” is one for the history books.
Emmy Award-winning Actor/Corporate Spokesman/SciFi Icon/Groundbreaking Latino actor Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino (a.k.a. “Ricardo Montalbán) died on January 14 (ironically, the same day that another SciFi icon, Patrick McGoohan passed away). If you’re into marketing and advertising, take a moment to ponder the significance of how Montalbán contributed to the history of marketing. Read the rest of this entry »
Sorry I’ve been a bit distant of late…I’ve been working (feverishly) on wrapping up the crafting of a business plan for the Amarillo EnterPrize Challenge. It’s a yearly contest to find – and fund – a number of worthy entrepreneurs’ ideas. I have one (www.guitarfurniture.com) that’s in the running. The winners will be announced in late March.
This is a big honkin’ deal, people…the winners will receive a check for $75,000. (!) If my idea is selected, it means that I could, in one fell swoop (or one swell foop) get enough funding to launch our products, and not have to go out and get a loan or shill for angel funding. That’s HUGE. So I hope you’ll forgive me if I’ve been a little lax in posting to the ol’ blogs.
The contest deadline is Monday at 5PM, so bear with me, please.
Unless you’re in retail, the period between December 25th and the Monday after January 1st is, effectively, the Doldrums. From a business point of view, it’s the equivalent of being on a schooner or square-rigger, in the middle of the ocean, with nary a breeze in sight. Nothing happens.
If you’re in outbound sales, you might as well reorganize your desk, update your files, weed out old contacts, et cetera.
If you’re in marketing and advertising, it’s time to catch up on all the sleep you lost in the big run-up to the Christmas selling season, as nobody’s going to do anything until next year.
As for me, I’m catching up on business plans, marketing plans, and strategic plans.
Which brings up another question…what are your plans for next year, and how do you plan to adapt to the Brave New World of economic reality?
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