by mark November 30th, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
The saga of Buick advertising over the last several years is not an encouraging one. However, it’s pretty emblematic of domestic car advertising in general and perhaps sheds some light on the dismal state of the U.S. auto industry period.
Some of you will remember that a few years ago Buick decided that the best way to make its products appealing to people under the age of 70 was to resurrect a guy who’s been dead for nearly 30 years–Harley Earl–thus giving new meaning to the notion of the “spirit” of a brand. This was done in concert with Buick’s continuing relationship with Tiger Woods, no less, leading one to think, “well, in that case, why not pair up Tiger with the ghost of Bobby Jones, or Mr. Earl with Ralph Lauren?” The permutations boggle the mind.
Be that as it may, the effort failed, so Buick tried something else.
Continue reading ‘Beyond Belief’
by mark November 14th, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
Have a few too many and it’s amazing what can look like a good idea. For example, I read in The Wall Street Journal recently that the major U.S. breweries are concerned that people are shifting away from beer to wine and spirits consumption (one can only hope not at the same time) and their proposed solution is going to be a beer version of the “Got Milk?” campaign.
Nothing has appeared yet, but one of the proposed TV approaches sounds monumentally ordinary: Some tripe about people all around the world toasting each other with a beer. (I’d like to teach the world to chug?) A print approach featuring celebrities revealing what historical personage he or she would like to have a beer with sounds a little more promising.
Still, what is the real problem here?
Continue reading ‘Beer Goggles’
by mark November 13th, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
Philips Electronics made an interesting media buy a few weeks ago. For what turned out to be about 2 million bucks, they bought the entire inventory of “60 Minutes” and then proudly proclaimed that there would be fewer commercials during the broadcast. I thought it was a cool idea, so I made a point of watching the program. Which reminded me of several things: how good a show it still is and how one of the few drawbacks to living in the Central time zone when you grew up in the Eastern one is that all the shows are on too damn early.
But what about the Philips spots that ran on it? Well, if I equate “sense” with the media buy, they did swell. The paucity of commercial interruptions was pure bliss. But if assign “simplicity” to the quality of commercials (never a bad idea), they’ve got a ways to go.
Continue reading ‘Sense 10, Simplicity 1′
by mark November 8th, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
A while ago I posted something that suggested the vaunted agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky wasn’t likely to be the next Doyle, Dane. I promptly heard back from a friend and fellow ad geek that this simply was not done. That speaking critically of this Miami sensation was right up there with tugging on Superman’s cape in the no-no department.
So what do I see in Monday’s New York Times but an article suggesting the very same thing. So I guess it’s now officially open season on poor, old clay-footed CP+B. But before we get too carried away with the toppling of idols routine, wouldn’t it be fair to say this agency has done some extraordinary work? Yes, it has, but for brands whose degree of difficulty approaches that of doing a “cannonball.”
Continue reading ‘CP+BS’
by mark November 5th, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
So when SBC completes its takeover of AT&T it will jettison the SBC name and become AT&T. Is that a smart branding move? On the surface, maybe. As an article in The Wall Street Journal pointed out, consumer awareness of the AT&T name is 98% while a number of people still think SBC stands for the Southern Baptist Convention.
On the other hand, you have to wonder what the value of this name awareness really is. I suspect even today Oldsmobile’s name awareness exceeds that of Kia, but which brand is still on the market? If you’re around my age, you may vaguely remember some of the extraordinary advertising AT&T did in support of the “Reach Out And Touch Someone” campaign. But that was over 20 years ago. If you’re in your 30s, you’re more likely to recall AT&T as the company that went so off the rails that according to Omnicom’s branding consultant, Interbrand, it lost almost $10B in brand value between 2000 and 2002.
Continue reading ‘Overhang Or Hangover?’
by mark November 4th, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
Along with a good portion of the advertising world, I’ve spent the last couple of months pondering the Dove “Campaign For Real Beauty.” Wondering if it would do anything good for the brand. Wondering if it would last. And mostly wondering if women really like looking at normal looking women with normal bodies standing around in their underwear.
I’ve assiduously avoided raising the subject with any male friends figuring their responses would only confirm one of two things: That we are all a bunch of despicable dogs or we are all a bunch of despicable dogs that lie through our teeth.
One thing I did find interesting was that in an interview in The Wall Street Journal, Silvia Lagnado, the global brand director, was quoted as saying that in a global study Dove conducted “We found that only 2% of women around the world are comfortable with describing themselves as beautiful.” As if that should come as some big surprise.
Continue reading ‘Campaign For Real Trouble’
by mark November 1st, 2005
in Daily Thoughts.
There’s always a peril in turning oneself into a “focus group of one”; my 7th grade English teacher’s invocation of the word “solipsism” springs to mind. But there are occasions when it’s unavoidable. For example, recently I’ve been thinking about changing banks. And I realized I have no advertising-induced, or otherwise, dispositioned preference.
None, zip, de minimus–to Harris, LaSalle, Northern Trust–all of which, I assume, have been spending significant amounts to reach me. Not to mention Fifth Third, which in the book I jokingly suggest could only have been named by someone on his or her third fifth. But this isn’t a joke. It borders on the criminal.
Continue reading ‘Bank Heist’
