grokmedia | mediablog » Dori Kelly

Glade/Dori Kelly Update.

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:03:06 +0000

Well, campers, I’ve spoken with the folks at Johnson and Johnson (a family company) about the Glade spots. Briefly. So far…nothing to report. I did get a reply to one of my blog posts, agreeing that the spokesmodel is definitely in the enigmatic camp, and offering that nobody really seems to know if her name is even really Dori Kelly. Hard to say.

At this point, I think I’m pursuing this as much because of the challenge, as I’m interested in talking with the Glade brand manager about the ad strategy. I’ve never know a company to be as tight with info as this (not criticizing…just making and observation). But I have to admit, this thing seems to be feeding upon itself.

I was never much of a science student, but I seem to recall that there’s some sort of scientific law that has to do with the concept that you can’t really observe anything without affecting and influencing the thing you’re observing. For instance, if you want to study something that lives only in the dark, you’d have to turn on some kind of light to see it. Turn on the light, and the thing leaves. The connection here is that my blog stats show that every time I mention “Dori Kelly,” I get a big traffic boost. BIG traffic boost. There’s obviously some interest on the web about the spokes-lass and her background. But I’m wondering how much MORE interest there is out there BECAUSE people like me are writing about her. No way to tell for sure, really, because observing and studying that phenomenon would influence the result. Ah, the joys of a through-composed paradox.

So…I’ll report back when I have something more to report. For now, all you Glade Spokeslady fans, keep up the traffic.

Dori Kelly alert.

admin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:46:31 +0000

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.

The web (still) represents a Brave New World for marketing, where many of the traditional rules go out the window, while a host of new opportunities present themselves. For instance, in the pre-Web days, companies would never know they had a hit on their hands, excepting some kind of spike in sales. Today, all you have to do is to Google “glade lady” and you’ll see what looks like a disproportionately large number of articles, speculating on Dori’s background, the wisdom of ads that feature a spokesmodel who seems to be an inveterate liar and somewhat ashamed of their product, and why Glade isn’t using her image on their website, et cetera.

On that last point, I’m really curious as to why 1) SCJ hasn’t picked up on this trend – after all, they are renowned as a marketer’s marketing company, 2) why they aren’t using their P.R. chops to generate some grassroots interest in Kelly (who, presumably, would then push their products in the stories generated by her interviews), and 3) why Glade isn’t using her on the web, and perhaps trying to come up with ways to parlay interest in Kelly into interest in Glade products.

I’m not suggesting they do what the GEICO folks did with their Caveman property – that spin-off TV show was major lame – but certainly they could do something online that would boost their traffic and sales. Maybe webisodes, or longer-form spots, where they could give her character a backstory, and show how her foibles have gotten her friends to buy Glade.

As a marketer, I’m always concerned when I see somebody missing an opportunity, and this is no exception. So…I guess I’m going to have to call SCJ and do a little phone sleuthing to find out why they are ignoring what could be a marketing gold mine in regards to Ms. Kelly. Stay tuned…

Dori Kelly, Where Are You?

admin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:28:07 +0000

I like to review my blog stats from time to time, to see where my readers come from, and what interests them. Recently, I’ve learned that there are a disproportionately number of hits being generated by the search term “Dori Kelly.” For those of you who might be unaware of the lithsome Ms. Kelly, she is currently the spokesmodel for Glade products. You know, the spots where she puts on airs (no pun intended) and with 30 seconds, is exposed for exaggerating/lying/deceiving her family and friends. Frankly, I’m not quite sure why Glade thinks this is a good idea, since the spots leave you with one of two conclusions – people that buy Glade are ashamed of their products, or only liars buy Glade.

That notwithstanding, the babealicous Ms. Kelly has attracted what at this point would be accurately referred to as an “underground cult following” on the ‘net. Something of a Woman of Mystery, it’s bloody difficult to turn up any info on her at all. Compare this to Mercury spokesmodel Jill Wagner, who has embraced the Internet with a vengeance.

In my casual research, I’ve turned up scant information on Kelly. Here’s what I have learned:

On the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) she shows up as “Dori May Kelly” with but one screen credit to her name, a SciFi schlockfest known as “Winterbeast,” where she essayed the role of Barbera. Apparently, the 1991 Winterbeast is a cheesy to the point where it gives Plan 9 From Outer Space a real run for it’s money in the “just how bad can one movie be” category. (Ironic that the one credit listed for Kelly is also one of the worst flicks ever made.)

Apparently, Winterbeast, a touching tale of a haunted totem pole, is so bad, it actually has a following. Go to winterbeast.com, and you can learn more about the flick, and actually order a copy for your very own.

Here’s the trailer, which is right down there at the bottom of the barrel as trailers go. Look for Dori’s briefer-than-brief appearance (I think) at about 57 seconds into the reel:

This is all well and good, but my question is, if Dori Kelly is generating this kind of interest on the web, where in the HELL is her publicist, and why isn’t her agent trying to capitalize on this? I’m not addicted to media coverage, but if the highpoint of my career was a series of Glade commercials and a flick in the running for the “worst movie ever made,” I think I’d try and leverage every bit of positive publicity and media buzz I could get my hands on.

I have no answers here – only questions. But far be it from me to ignore the interest in Dori Kelly, especially since I fully expect it to boost my blog stats.

Thanks, Dori. And here’s some free advice – fire your agent and publicist, or at least introduce them to the World Wide Web. Your bank acount will thank you.

Little Women.

admin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:23:42 +0000

As frequent readers of this blog (and it’s sister publication, Captain Digital Speaks! – www.captaindigital.net) I’m a big fan of commercials. Good commercials, that is. I don’t know if I’ve related this here, but my parents tell me that, as a toddler, I would run into the room for commercials, and leave the room when the shows came back on. That may sound weird, but not if you think about it for a second. Most national TV spots have the same production values, budgets, and talent as a 30 minute sitcom or in the cases of national brands, a one-hour drama.

Recently, I’ve seen a couple of spots that have been able to penetrate the general noise level and get my attention. They’ve done so, largely for a couple of reasons:

They are well produced, directed, and acted.
They feature some spokesmodels/actresses with talent well beyond their looks.
They are part of a long-running series of commercials, so they have longer to make an impression.

The three series are:

The Mercury spots, featuring actress/model Jill Wagner
The Glade spots, featuring Dori Kelly
The Progressive spots, featuring Stephanie Courtney as “Flo”

Of the three series, the ones that have grabbed my attention for the personality of the spokesmodel are the Progressive spots. Turns out Stephanie Courtney is a member of the L.A.-based comedy troupe, the Groundlings. You can catch at least one of her stand-up bits on YouTube. Makes sense – she’s got less than 30 seconds at a time to develop a character, and yet I’ll bet most of you could say that you “know somebody just like Flo – bright, quirky, with an off-beat sense of humor and a retro fashion sense.” Having seen some of her stand-up, there’s a lot more to Ms. Courtney than the “Flo” character, but I’ve yet to meet an actor or actress that doesn’t put a lot of themselves in their part. As a result, Progressive has managed to cut through the clutter with a campaign I don’t mind seeing continue to run.

I’ll admit it. The Glade spots got my attention because Dori Kelly is a major babe. As I descend into the maelstrom that is my fifth decade, I find the SWTs (Sweet Young Things) less and less appealing, and find women a lot more interesting than girls. I suspect Glade’s target market knows that – and understands that the women that care enough about their homes to buy candles and other air freshening products are more likely to relate to a woman, and not a teen or twenty-something. (Hard to get excited about a product when you’re busy hating the spokesmodel for being young.) Interestingly, there’s very little on the web about Ms. Kelly. I suspect, however, from the amount of chatter on the ‘net, that she won’t be only visible in her Glade persona for very long.

The Mercury spots are the longest-running of the three series, and feature an actress/model who’s had the most high-visibility success outside her spokesmodeling work. Jill Wagner is a young lady who was able to parlay her success for Mercury into (so far) three TV series – Punk’d, Blade the Series, and a new game show on ABC. I suspect that she’ll continue to expand her exposure, as she comes across as a genuinely nice person – sort of an über-girl-next-door.

The real reason these spots work, however, is that the advertisers figured out what worked in the first spot, and were wise enough to take that early success and run with it, by turning a single spot into a series. Not being privy to the ad agencies strategies, I’m not sure who planned this, and who lucked into it, but however they did it, they were smart. What they lose in “freshness” by doing something different each time out, they gain with a series, much like chapters in a novel are easier to follow than a book of short stories.

The big flash of insight here, is to think about your advertising as a campaign, and not a bunch of individual spots. You want to tell a story over time, keeping in mind that no one ever gets tired of your spots as quickly as you do. Unless they’re bad, in which case you’re wasting your money to begin with. Creating long-running campaigns is an art – but it’s also very good for (your) business.