Message from paradise...

design it and they will come

Loved the feature on Brian Collins in this week's Adweek (nice shout out, by the way, to Tar Heel alum, Lee Maschmeyer). When are marketers going to realize that a product without smart design is a crap product?

I know it's easy to pick on car manufacturers these days, but they could be the absolute worst at understanding what consumers want in a vehicle.

Exhibit A: seen the interior of a police cruiser lately? Oh yeah, that's really well laid out, eh?

 

Exhibit B: try installing Siruis or using a radar detector in a Volvo XC90....appendages left and right.

Exhibit C: our country is quickly moving toward being more bicycle friendly (see: Google Maps for bicycling) ....heck, we may even be a bicycle-centric country in another five years. Think the average American family is going to continue to tolerate the machinations they have to go through to schlep around their bikes?

 

Can you tell I tried to get Sirius installed this weekend (without success) and got irritated installing our bike rack on the car? No run-ins with Johnny Law, though. Just walked past a cruiser packed at Dunkin' (seriously) and couldn't help but noticing what a hodgepodge the interior was.

want a raise? just "smell fresh."

I honestly can't say I have many buddies saying, "Man, I'm going to ask for a serious raise this year."

Yet, there must be growing optimism out there judging from some recent CPG campaigns.

I get this one from Colgate. Bad breath = short convo = no negotiating that raise.

But, I'm scratching my head about this advertorial from Summer's Eve. 

Really??!

It certainly explains why they just did an agency review...  

Enter Sandman

With college football season upon us, it's time to get ready for the fantastic pre-game rituals.

Yes, Chief Osceola's entrance into FSU's stadium is memorable.

The Auburn War Eagle's release is pretty damn patriotic.

Apparently Clemson fans think rubbing Howard's Rock and running down the hill is pretty exciting.

But dollar for dollar, absolutely nothing beats a night game in Blacksburg, VA when VA Tech storms onto the field with "Enter Sandman" cranking on the PA system.

 

I bring this up because NASA is currently sponsoring an online contest to select the wake-up calls for the astronauts on the final two Space Shuttle flights....and I am shocked that "Enter Sandman" is no higher on the list.

 

how GM could've saved Saab

What in the world is GM doing marketing this car?

Given the core driver demo of Saab, wouldn't this have been more successful?

 

And couldn't you see the line extension possibilities?

And of course, the SUV.....

Oh, the marketing possibilities for the "SaabSquash" SUV....   

Busey's back!

For the uninitiated, a little background.....

A couple of years ago, EA Sports and the NCAA were sued by Sam Keller, a former college QB, for using his likeness in their NCAA Football game (which is pretty amazing, by the way). When you look at the actual vs. game images, I guess the dude's got a point.

 

Well, EA Sports just got sued again this month - this time, by 6,000 or so retired NFL players with the same gripe.

So why do I care? Because all the attention over these lawsuits led to Vitamin Water recently launching an absolutely brilliant parody campaign with one of America's greatest personalities, Gary Busey.

This appearance is almost as much fun as the cameo he made on Entourage a few seasons back...

the Snuggie for terrorists and kidnappers

Just in time for the holiday season, here's a new and innovative product called the Snazzy Napper. It looks kinda like a Snuggie that wraps over your head to block out sunlight.

*Editor's note:

If you wear this on an airplane, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind an air marshall's going to cuff and stuff you.

  

Hey, guess what? I'm not at home. Rob me.

 

I'll be honest. Certain aspects of the FourSquare frenzy baffle me. An article in today's NY Times discusses the "I'm the mayor of an otherwise useless location" craze. Yeah, I get the competitive nature of striving to be #1, but don't we have enough competition in our lives already?!

Parents want their kids to be the best at everything, office politics run rampant as people are fighting to keep their jobs in this recession and in wacky neighborhoods, people are forking over $3,000+ for pimped out riding mowers to retain Yard o' the Month status.

Yet my real issue with all these location notification services is personal security. And it's only getting worse with the launch of Facebook's location "service."  As with TripIt, people are basically broadcasting to the world, "Hey, I'm not at home. Rob me. Or stalk me. Whichever you prefer."

Dov Charney should've been on Sprockets

  

Remember the SNL bit with Mike Myers' narcissistic question, "Would you like to touch my monkey?"

Uh, yeah......hello, Dov Charney.

 I feature this 2006 quote because of the subtle - yet freakin' hilarious - reference made by WSJ journalist Elizabeth Holmes in today's paper.

    

Well played, Ms. Holmes. Well played. 

A new idea is something they don't know yet

My favorite quote from this week's Mad Men: "A new idea is something they don't know yet."

The episode featured a timeless debate between a planner and a creative director.

Which does bring up the question - where in the world did VisitBritain come up with their "insights" about foreigners in preparation for the London Olympics?!

I think they got this insight from Otto in "A Fish Called Wanda."

 

Comparatively, Beloit College has been prepping their professors pre-arrival of new freshmen classes for the last decade and they actually do a great job of painting a picture of today's 18 year old. Read their Mindset List here.

While there are myriad smart insights in their list, one that caught my attention was this one:

15. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.

That's really fascinating when you think about it. Makes me wonder what cause kids think PBR is supporting.

 

 

whatever happened to the great American icon?

if you're over the age of 30, you remember these great marketing icons courtesy of Madison Avenue:

my favorite, to this day, is this one for Memorex. I had this poster in my room as a kid, and would love a wall-sized version for my office today.....timeless. 

Which brings me to my question of the ad - is there an advertising image from the last 10 years that you'd still deem cool enough to have hanging in your office? My friend, Emily, thinks not because, while icons still exist, today's society values far more "what's hot now" more than an enduring brand personality. 

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