Zuji, a Travelocity company operating in Asian markets, introduced an affordable line of packaged goods so people would have money left over to take a vacation. This idea checks a lot of boxes: smart; memorable; utilitarian; etc.
[via Cherry Flava]
With top ten lists for everything imaginable, everyone has been trained to basically ignore anything that isn’t in the top ten.
LONDON – Adecco, the world’s biggest recruitment consultancy, has poached Rentokil Initial marketer, Susan Yallop, to fill the role of UK and Ireland marketing director.
Boston’s lost socks found in LA laundromats.
“Diplomacy is not weakness,” said Kate Walsh, the star of “Private Practice” on ABC and a member of a dissident faction with Screen Actors Guild.
The New York Times has more on struggles at SAG, but I’d like to linger on Walsh’s thinking. The great struggle of my ad career has been diplomacy, because frankly, I feel like I’m holding myself back from slugging it out on a regular basis.
What I’ve learned is my ability (and yours) to slug it out with style and compassion is what makes the difference. Maybe the people on the other end, internally or at the client, truly don’t get it. What are you going to do? Beat some sense into them? I don’t think so. You’re going to dance.
LONDON – British Car Registrations has appointed digital marketing agency Bigmouthmedia to conduct its SEO strategy.
Under the tagline “Never let their toys die,” Energizer UK depicts kids in various states of, uh, toyless engagement.
BA is attempting to reassure travellers that Terminal 5 is running smoothly with a new print campaign using images from inside the terminal turned into posters the next day.
Do batteries really count as tech products? We guess they do, and so does Gearlog, which includes Energizer on its list of iconic tech ad campaigns. But it somehow seems out of place. Just about all the other ads are for computers. Which makes sense, given that the inspiration for the list was Microsoft’s upcoming $300 million campaign—money that they’re basically setting on fire, given how effectively they’ve marketed Vista up to now. Oh, there are a couple of stragglers on the list, like RCA’s “Nipper” and Maxell’s “Blown Away Guy.” But I doubt anyone even remembers Nipper. He’s occupying space that could house something truly immortal, like “Don’t Copy That Floppy.”
—Posted by David Kiefaber
Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Thursday. ESPN agency Ground Zero quickly sprang into action, and by lunchtime Friday, “nearly every Laundromat in Los Angeles county had at least one ‘Lost Red Sock.’ ” Even the Encino Quickie Wash? The agency’s interns must have loved tooling around all day, dropping off socks, pocketing fabric softener. More important: I haven’t heard back from the Sox about me being their new Wally mascot. Maybe I’ll leave furry green leggings in laundromats around Boston with the note: “Hey, Sox, make me Wally!” It wouldn’t be much dumber than most of the stuff Manny said and did during his stay in Boston. And if I were to own furry green leggings, it’s my business. You wash them on delicate. I would guess. Go Yanks!
—Posted by David Gianatasio
An iPhone—the red kind they’re bringing out for the holidays. A Sony Vaio, top of the line. Bose speakers—don’t they make Soundocks and headsets? A Segway scooter sounds like fun. Make it two, in case I make a friend next year. Pontine leather shoes—classy! I’d like a pair for each day of the week. And some high-end Nikes for hanging around after work. Or Reeboks. Whatever. Oh, hi there! Just reading this piece in MarketingVOX: “1 in 5 Senior Marketers Buy Ads for Illicit Online News Love.” My first thought was: ads? Come on, senior marketers, aren’t ads a bit impersonal? What am I, an upstanding online editor, going to do with an ad? Surely a resourceful corporation like yours would do better to take a more direct approach to buying favorable coverage? Then, in a coincidental and unrelated way, it hit me: This would be a great time to work on my birthday wish list! Where was I? Ah, yes: You can never go wrong giving cash. Can you?
—Posted by David Gianatasio
In honor of John Landis’s birthday yesterday, here’s the “zinc oxide” portion of Kentucky Fried Movie. We’d forgotten how many uses zinc oxide had. Not only is it in soap and women’s undergarments, but it’s apparently the one thing keeping humanity from tumbling ass-over-teakettle into chaos. Or, in the case of this poor, one-legged housewife, from awkwardly toppling over.
—Posted by David Kiefaber
LONDON – Forrester Research has acquired JupiterResearch and its parent company JUPR Holdings from investment company MCG Capital Corporation for $23m (£11.6m) in cash, plus assumed liabilities.
LONDON – TNS has promoted Andrew Czarnowski to managing director of its UK and Ireland custom business, replacing Trevor Richards who takes on the role of chairman of the division.
LONDON – Ofcom is looking into the making of Home Office-funded ITV documentary ‘Beat: Life on the Street’ following concerns it broke rules on sponsored programming.
LONDON – Pork scratchings brand Mr Porky has for the first time launched a standalone website with a virtual pub featuring a talking barmaid, beer pumps, darts board and quiz machine.
LONDON – Sports brand Oakley has launched a microsite featuring web diaries of the six British extreme sport stars who star in its Square O marketing campaign.
Another version of that “24-hour tracking” stunt from Ogilvy & Mather, Beijing – previously they did a truck which was cute but only seen by fellow drivers. Now they did a DHL-dude with an online arrow on his back.
Creatives:
Nils Andersson – Executive Creative Director
LONDON – DVD rental website lovefilm.com has partnered with Polydor Records to offer customers the chance to buy the soundtrack to current Abba-themed film smash, ‘Mamma Mia!’.
LONDON – Ikea is to launch a ready-made mobile phone service to customers of its 1.4m strong loyalty scheme in a challenge to rival offerings from Asda, Tesco and Carphone Warehouse.
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