Yes, today is my birthday. Nothing remarkable there…everybody’s got one per year. For those who don’t like birthdays, consider the alternative. I’ve had some bad birthdays before, but never one so bad I’d consider death as a way to avoid another.
Since this is a marketing blog (and I’d like to get back to enjoying my “special day” [insert ironic pause here]), I’ll simply remark that I find that the leaders in one-to-one marketing seem to be…online forums?
Yep. That’s right. Online forums. When you sign up for one of these online forums, they routinely ask for your birthdate. The software then obligingly kicks out a “happy birthday” email automagically. Nice. It’s a great way for the board to remind you that they exist, and a nice thing for the recipient, even if you know it’s not the thought, but the programming that counts.
Honorable mention in the birthday email sweepstakes: Jack in the Box. I received a “personal” email from Jack Box today, along with a coupon for a free desert. Way to extend your brand – and your tongue-in-cheek marketing attitude to Jack-lovers around the country. Nice job, Jack!
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know I love Jack in the Box ads. (I admit it…I’m a fanboy.) The latest Jack ad has attracted the attention of the media – specifically Bill O’Reilly. Here’s the ad – sans editorializing on my part. It strikes a little too close to home right now…and I’m too busy laughing.
I love Jack in the Box. Seriously. I love their food (the cheddar potato wedges are to die for). I love their commercials. I love their whole attitude and persona. I’m a huge fan. I think the entire “Jack” character is simply brilliant. Which is why I’m nothing short of stunned regarding the recent remake of the jackinthebox.com corporate website. Don’t get me wrong. It’s attractive. It’s cool. It’s got the content (the commercials) everyone wants to see. But you’d think it was designed by someone mainlining Heinz ketchup. Slow doesn’t begin to describe it. And slow = death on the web.
I love advertising icons. And I collect them. Seriously. My office has an ever-growing collection of advertising icons, from PVC figurines of Mr. Peanut and Toucan Sam (Froot Loops) and Snap, Crackle, & Pop bobble heads, to plush figures of Tony the Tiger and the Taco Bell Chihuahua. If it’s an ad icon, I either have it – or want it.
I got to thinking about that the other day, when a friend saw my office for the first time, and commented on the collection. Why do I love advertising icons so much? After thinking about it for a while, I’ve come up with some reasons why I do – and why I’m not alone in this. Read the rest of this entry »
I love TV. I love GOOD TV. And I love great TV advertising. But to be good, an ad has to be engaging, resonant, and memorable. I can’t think of any advertiser in the past, say, dozen years or so that has been as consistently engaging, resonant and memorable as Jack In the Box. Their ads are funny without being too “out there,” resonant without being too earnest, memorable without the need to be repeated ad nauseum, and strike just the right chord about 99% of the time. Let me show you what I mean… Read the rest of this entry »
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