Message from paradise...

olfaction

Olfaction (also known as olfactics or more commonly as smell) is the sense of smell. 

I always lament that "advertising" can't really appeal to olfaction....but I guess certain brands capitalize on their distinct smells.

Every time, I walk into these establishments, I'm struck by their distinct aromas:

and then there's Abercrombie & Fitch. as I was wondering down the street today and passed by one of their stores, I couldn't believe how much the place reeked of cheap cologne. I guess that appeals to their target audience.....

 

advertising.....sigh

I want the Vancouver Olympics to be a commercial success as much as the next guy. they do well and my industry, advertising, does well.

what's bugging me about NBC's Olympic coverage, ironically, is all the freakin' ads. The Wall St. Journal reported today that commercials dominate what we're actually seeing on NBC. More disturbing to me, though, is the time we see Bob Costas next to his fireplace (which some conspiracy theorists say is actually in St. Louis and not in Vancouver at all).....

 

hey, he's a talented journalist      and I do want to see his interviews with the athletes - AFTER the Olympics. for now, I just want to see the action....and the wipeouts. THAT'S what the Olympics are all about, right??

the power of the subject line

I love Timbuk2 messenger bags. they're durable as hell and you can customize colors and design. as a loyal customer, of course I subscribe to their eNewsletters.

one of the golden rules of successful e-mail campaigns (i.e. kickin' open rates) is to have a subject line that makes people want to read it.

I'm not sure if Timbuk2's subject line this week will really encourage people to ultimately purchase something, but it certainly catches the eye, doesn't it? guaranteed open rate above 60%....

 

Vinko Bogataj

I'm pretty sure we all remember Vinko Bogataj, right?

Come on.....Vinko. The dude who took the gnarly spill that ABC used in their Wild World of Sports intro in the 70's.

Well, Marion Rolland, a French women's downhill skier provided the world with a 21st. Century version of the agony of defeat yesterday in Vancouver. Thanks to YouTube, she will forever be immortalized as the person who couldn't even get out of the starting gate....

 

I know I said I'd give up cheap shots for Lent this year, but I couldn't resist this one. I must've rewound it 4 times last night. Couldn't stop laughing....and remembering how I've done the same thing countless times on the slopes over the years!

el Guapo

every now and then, a professional athlete captivates fans in a magical way. kinda like Rich Garces did with the Red Sox a few year back.

 

this physical specimen was infamous for coming in to pitch around the 5th or 6th inning and throwing maybe(!) 8 pitches.

that was it. and he collected a seven-figure salary for his hard work.

Boston fans loved him for his attention to well being and superior athleticism. they called him, aptly enough, El Guapo.

I proudly wore his jersey to Game Four of the 2004 World Series when the Sox broke the curse.

So you can now appreciate why I almost rear-ended someone last week when I saw this license plate....

 

que bueno!

November 19, 2010

yes, the unthinkable actually happened on Friday evening....it snowed. like, 8 inches.

I know, I know. unfathomable, right? it's not supposedly to snow here!

the funny thing, as you'd expect, is that there was a run on the grocery stores. what caught my eye and made me literally laugh out loud was the empty shelf for this item, though:

 

8 inches of snow AND Valentine's Day all in one weekend?! fuggetaboutit.

expect around November 19 later this year a baby boom of epic proportions here in Charleston.....

why Betty White rocks

every 15 years or so, someone in the entertainment biz will bring back a pure, wholesome personna and put them in a situation that breaks every stereotype and belief we hold - and it's funny as hell.

example 1: June Cleaver in "Airpiane!"

example 2: Bob Barker in "Happy Gilmore"

example 3: Betty White in the Snickers' Super Bowl ad

that said, my absolutely favorite spot from the Super Bowl? the one that ranked a lowly #43 out of 63 spots as ranked by USA Today's Ad Meter this year.

Google's spot hit on so many dimensions for me:

- simple, easy to understand product demo featuring the suite of Google tools available (to fend off all the recent activity from Bing)

- undeniably clear branding (Google appeared on the screen for the entire 30 seconds)

- engaging storytelling (that spanned +/- 10 years in just 30 seconds)

- broke through the clutter (subtle music, no yelling, no annoying background noise)

- exhibited genuine end-user benefit (as opposed to the incessant price and value messaging we're inundated with these days)

it was just plain smart, clever messaging. cheers, Google.

silver lining

sometime back in the late 70's, my dad cut a full-page ad out of the Wall Street Journal and gave it to me because the copy was so incredibly motivational:

You've failed many times, although you may not remember.
You fell down the first time you tried to walk.
You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you?
Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat?
Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.
R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.
English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.
Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.
Don't worry about failure.
Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.

I share this old bit of inspiration because 30 years later, something has struck me just as profoundly. one of my best friends recently shared this short film, Lemonade, with me. it's about people who've been laid off from the advertising industry and turned shitty situations into amazingly inspirational stories of success. if you haven't seen it, get a glass of wine and sit down for it. it will be the best 30 minutes you spend today. I promise.