Hasta La Creative!

Another faux pas from the now controversial brand, Burger King. This time, instead of offending an entire country, it went after an entire religion. Burger King’s latest ad release includes the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi sitting in front of the new “Texican Whopper.” The tagline is ‘La merienda es sagrada’ – the snack is sacred.

It seems as though Burger King has taken the “even-negative-press-is-still-press” approach to its advertising strategy because, as Ad Age eloquently explained, “…It’s easy to assume that it was planned: Particularly “edgy” work is sent abroad with the expectation that it will soon reverberate on American soil, accompanied by lots and lots of news coverage.”

Ad Age goes on to discuss ad agency involvement and the debate of who did what and who’s affiliated with which campaign, but quite frankly, I think that all are responsible. Whether or not Crispin was involved overseas or another small agency was contracted by the franchise, the point is that the entire brand suffers. Truly. It’s clear that Burger King has lost control of its brand to a point that it’s now globally hurting consumer loyalty. That, or Burger King has the absolute worst brand positioning plan.

The ads were created in an attempt to increase sales. As CNNMoney reported, an increase in sales does not mean an increase in profit. So, what logic is there in creating campaigns that will discourage buyers faith in the brand by offending them? The fact of the matter is that as a straggling brand attempting to follow in the shadows of the golden arches, you DON’T TOUCH RELIGION. Anyone heard from Mel Gibson lately? You’re not just offending that religion, you’re offending anyone who believes in religious respect.

What should we expect in the next ad, Burger King, swastika fries?

Rena Prizant is a Copywriter, Ad Creative and mammal in the Chicago area. Visit www.RenaPrizant.com or @WriteLeft.

As most know, I’ve been writing about innovation in the face of adversity; our industry’s changing, the economy’s sucking the breath out of  good companies, and, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the bubble won’t break until at least 2013. That’s four years of this. Tired of the bad news, we thought that we would task this highly creative industry to either show us your stuff, or keep your mouth shut. Talking the talk is easy. Prove to us, and the industry, that you’ve got the creative mojo and win some free publicity.

It doesn’t have to be “ads” or “campaigns.” It could be your business model, an engaging strategy, how you changed the way you purchase media, social media tactics, recession-proof tactics, or even a small, “Hmm, I wonder…” question that turn into a creative leap. Something like what Guy Kawasaki, owner of Alltop, just engineered.

Alltop gives its clients, prospects, vendors, and friends both business cards and business stickers. However, Guy admits that while he freely gives out cards, he’s reluctant to hand out stickers to promote the brands because they could be used to deface property; plus, he did not want to “burden” others with his branding efforts. And there is always the chance an Alltop sticker might end up plastered on the toilet of a rank rest stop on I-70. Can you say, “negative brand association?”

Then he had an “A-Ha” moment: could the business cards and business stickers be combined? He emailed one of his friends, who happened to own StickerGiant, to find out. He asked this friend, John Fischer, if a business card could be printed on the back of a sticker, and if anyone had done this before. John answered that, yes, it could be done but, no, it had never been requested. So, Guy requested his friend to check into it.

Writing on Open Forum, Guy describes his thought process:

“Psychologically, a stickercard is a powerful concept. By applying the teachings of Robert Cialdini, I hope that it engenders reciprocation and consistency. That is, since you’ve given someone a cool sticker, the person feels like they should reciprocate by sticking it somewhere visible. (Did you donate money to Hare Krishna because one of its followers gave you a flower?) Then, once the stickercard is stuck, the person is more committed to the company, product, or service. That stickercard on laptop is a declaration to the world that they like the what it stands for. To be consistent, they must stick to their positive opinion of your company, product, or service.

The process, or how the idea comes alive, doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. It’s the idea that matters, and whether or not it works.  At any moment, Guy Kawasaki could have stopped and said, “This is stupid.” Instead, he followed through. His tweet tonight stated that the stickercards was his best idea ever.

His best idea ever… and he’s had a lot of ideas. To take it a step further, the first thing he did with his new “invention” was share to it, which speaks highly of his character. He sent out the tweet and a link. StickerGiant made a video. And the stickercards went from idea to product in a week. Be warned though, StickerGiant charges $500 for 500 cards. At least Guy has character.

If your company has something that makes “the cut,”  send it my way. Until that time, leave a comment… it will raise your social media score.

Jeff Louis: A Strategic Media Planner and Brand Project Manager for both B2B and B2C accounts, he is fascinated by past participles, brands, and innovation. Please contact him on Twtter or LinkedIn.

Today we say goodbye to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Over the next few months, the general public will dissect all things MJ — what will happen to his three children, and what his musical legacy will become. I’m more interested in is his impact on the advertising world.

Until 1984, it was virtually unheard of for a superstar to endorse products on TV, until Pepsi inked a $5 million deal with Jackson, paving the way for future deals with Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Ray Charles, and Britney Spears. In fact, Jackson’s relationship with Pepsi was so successful that brands such as Buick, American Express, Cover Girl, and Jell-O also pursued celebrity deals, elevating those brands to unseen levels of popularity.

The Pepsi-Jackson deal also broke creative ground — at the height of “Thriller,” Jackson rewrote “Billie Jean” to create a version specifically for Pepsi, rather than sing the original jingle, thus taking the concept of branding to a new level. The Wall Street Journal credits Jackson for breaking barriers that gave way to iPod commercials starring Coldplay as well as car commercials featuring indie rock songs that have yet to get radio play, but are sure to be the next big thing.

Not bad for a kid from Gary, Indiana, huh?

Photo Credit: the Associated Press

Sara Barton is a copywriter, social media strategist, and avid blogger who is in search of her next opportunity. Contact her via Twitter, LinkedIn, or her blog.

Much anticipated, the switch to Digital Television, or DTV, finally took place on June 12, 2009. Despite over 1.5 years of warning, many found themselves with no programmings that fateful day. The original switch date of February 17, 2009 was pushed back due to the “lack of preparedness” of over 10% of US households. The whole effort to switch to DTV, according to the Federal Communications Commission,  began on January 23, 2001.

Eight years of planning, $10 billion dollars invested, and you’re now looking at it. Whew! Glad that’s over. Reminds me of Y2K.

Yet, it’s not really funny. Especially for the 1,700 broadcast stations that spent their money to upgrade to the new digital equipment, and then to wait patiently for the change. It arrived in February,and then the digital implementation was delayed. It arrived again in June as the cut was finally made.The money invested by the stations was to be recouped via the use of additional signals. Each broadcast station has been given its core channel, which currently carries the signal, along with 5 additional signals that “piggyback” on the original.The additional signals are actually sub-channels, capable of carrying additional programming. For instance, if a viewer wants to watch an “all business, news and weather” version of his or her local NBC affiliate, the station can theoretically satisfy this niche. Geographic areas with high Hispanic indices can have access to Spanish sub-channels.

BusinessWeek reports that there are areas of the country already utilizing DTV’s capabilities, but the others have run into a major stumbling block: the economy.

ION’s Qubo airs cartoon programming for kids while ION Life focuses on health and fitness. NBC offers its local stations a sports channel and just launched a New York City news channel. MGM aims to partner with local stations to offer a movie channel, and entertainment service LATV offers bilingual programming for young Latinos.

Here’s the problem: The cable, satellite, and phone companies are loath to distribute programming that is largely untested and may compete with their own channels. What’s more, the recent switch to digital TV coincides with a punishing recession. Local TV advertising fell 28% in the first quarter from the same period in 2008.

It is not a question of “if” the stations will use the expanded bandwidth, but a question of “when.” There has been speculation that the added sub-channels will be used to send TV programming straight to computers and cell phones, further integrating TV, Online, and Mobile platforms.

Either way, it looks as if it may be a while before the dollars flow out of DTV at the same rate they were invested.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

How does White Collar crime work? What if the safety harness on the roller coaster broke? What are 10 inventions we use daily that was first used at NASA? How does WiFi operate? Who is Aaron Fotheringham?

Aaron Fotheringham is the seventeen-year-old athlete featured in HowStuffWorks.com’s online and television ad campaign in support of the popular website. The spots have been released on YouTube, and will also be seen on TV starting this week. And, it’s not who Aaron is; it’s what he does:

Aaron, born with spina bifida, and dubbed with the nickname Wheelz, lives in Las Vegas, Nevada (which may play a part in his penchant for taking risks). One day, while his brother and friends were dropping into empty swimming pools on skateboards and BMX bikes, his brother suggested that he “drop in.” Although nervous, Aaron took his first “wheelchair drop” into the pool.

He’s now known as the inventor and pioneer of an extreme sport called “Hardcore Sitting” and competes in BMX racing. Against cyclists.

He’s been competing alongside BMX bikers since 2005 and has more than 10 corporate sponsors. He won the trophy at the BMX Intermediate Vegas AmJam 2005 Finals and spends about 30 to 40 hours per week practicing the sport he invented.

In mid-2006, Aaron became the first person in history to complete a back flip in a wheelchair. On Halloween, 2008, Guinness Book of World Records certified Aaron as the sole inventor and performer of the wheelchair back flip. No one has duplicated his feat. There is a section on HowStuffWorks.com devoted to Aaron Fotheringham and his journey.

Along with the sponsorships, the accolades, and the TV appearances, he’s launched a website, AaronFotheringham.com, and was awarded $20,000 by the FOX reality TV show “Secret Millionaire.” The money will help form a company that teaches other children in wheelchairs the sport of Hardcore Sitting.

This is the second ad campaign HowStuffWorks.com has launched and builds upon the highly successful “Scuba Cat” campaign launched this time last year. The new campaign also features a skydiving car, with both video spots centered around the theme of “Keep Asking.” The spots ask all types of questions, along with a voice-over, “For expert answers to the world’s great questions, go to HowStuffWorks.com.” The tagline “Keep Asking” demonstrates the ability to utilize a single execution to capture a full range of emotions and tackle a wide array of topics.

Preston Kelly, headquartered in Minneapolis, provided the creative juice that powers the campaign.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.

Advertising and marketing have taken new directions with the recent integration of social media and consumer advocacy. Agencies have been forced to rethink their ideas and strategies to reach their consumers. One such agency, 22squared, has done just that with the help of its SVP Director of Brand Marketing, Brandon Murphy.

I had the opportunity to catch Mr. Murphy on the phone this past Friday and ask him about the company’s model, The Friendship Model: How to Build Brand Advocacy in a Consumer-Driven World.

“I think that basically it’s an approach for brands to build advocacy. When we first introduced this thing, it was mostly an internal thing, and actually still is. In essence it was an internal way to focus the agency on what marketing was about today, what a person does to make and maintain a friendship, earn enough respect, and I guess enough attractiveness for a consumer to advocate for them like a friend would advocate for a friend,” Murphy said.

Murphy says one of the hardest questions companies face when creating campaigns is the question, “How do we build advocacy?”

“A lot of times it comes down to not what you say but what you do,” he said. “How can we get the customer to interact with us. Your next customer could turn into your next 10 customers. It’s a pretty simple idea.”

Griffin Farley, senior brand planner from 22squared, has a great saying for this: “Don’t plan for the ones you reach, plan for the ones they reach.”

How can this model help an entire agency? I listed those questions and responses below:

Megan Green: For people now looking for work in progressive ad agencies, why is it important for them to know about advocacy, social media and word of mouth?

Brandon Murphy: The simple reason is because that is how brands are growing now. Brands aren’t growing by increased awareness, they are growing with people talking about them…that’s how people are choosing products and what brand to use.

MG: Media Planners are specialists at reach and frequency. Are those still important skills to know when advocacy is the end goal?

BM: I think there is always going to be a critical mass of people you have to reach to keep your brand afloat. You look at our agency, it’s not like we don’t do media plans, it’s just that we’ve changed how we do our media plans and how we engage the customer. For media planners, the one thing is that it is no longer about buying space and just calculating reach or frequency, it’s about getting opportunities for the customer to talk.  Media planning has gotten to get more strategic and inventive to get messages to customers.

MG: When you brief Creative Teams, does the Friendship Model help them get to a better creative deliverable?

BM: The Friendship Model does a few things. First, it gives a sense of direction in work and strategy. We always still do the right things in understanding a customer and how a brand can fit into a customer’s life. The key thing is to think entirely around a problem and all different ways to solve it. Sometimes it’s something really cool or something simple. We’ve looked back and told a client, “it’s not a TV campaign you need, but it’s an associate campaign,” like we told Buffalo Wild Wings and Lincoln Financial. Second, [the model is] something else that makes them work better, it forces you to figure out what the brand’s purpose is. If a brand has a purpose beyond just selling something, as a customer you’re more likely to invest in it.

MG: Has the Friendship Model helped your New Business Team win accounts or peak interest among search consultants? What feedback do you hear from them?

BM: Well the good thing about the Friendship Model is that it really does help filter out clients that are right for you and clients that aren’t right for you. The client typically hates it [the model] or loves it. It’s a nice screener for us and prospective clients. It really puts ourselves out there and we’re really passionate about building advocacy.  Also, search consultants really like it. Search consultants are tasked with bringing agencies that bring in business. With this model we can focus on the things that bring in sales. We can tell them how much they can expect to increase sales given an increase in advocacy or reach of other people. That’s really been super attractive to some consultants.

MG: Does the Friendship Model help Account Service strengthen the relationship with the clients? Do clients value the philosophy?

BM: In two ways. One, it’s kind of a gut check for us. The way we act and the people in our agency – it creates a pretty high road for us to walk in terms of being passionate and doing the right thing. You know, it’s interesting if you think about the relationship between friends, it’s not all nicey-nicey and how can I serve you. It’s real. It gives us a nice path to travel on how we build relationships with clients. Two, it most importantly gives our clients something to circle into. Clients always have business goals, but doing it through a filter of building relationships and advocacy gives the client a way to lead that they hadn’t had before. Most of the Friendship Model is based on what we currently do for our clients. It feeds the development on how to win over customers and act differently than other brands, like Publix Super Markets, Inc.

MG: Finally, as Director of Brand Planning, what skills do you look for when you hire Account Planners that want to work for 22squared?

BM: Planners have to be insatiably curious and really, really good at writing and getting ideas across to people. Those two things are core building blocks for planners. Something else we look at is planners who are always able to take a different look at things than most people. Whenever I hire a planner, I make sure they are not only smart, but smart strategically and creatively. Our planners are much more active in participating in the creative. We look for planners that understand how to engage a customer and not just about bringing a message but about where we engage, how we engage, and the content and value of the brand. Planners are provocateurs by nature. At least we want them to be. We want them to cause people to look at things differently. They need to be the glue that holds people together.

Want more information on The Friendship Model and what it means? Check out this video that 22squared put together, “I Love Blank”, or Brandon’s white papers.

Megan Green is an advertising and marketing professional published on PR News Wire, as well as many other outlets. She specializes in social media and is currently looking for a full-time advertising position. Contact her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or at megankategreen@gmail.com.

In a world where clutter is king, advertisers everywhere are doing their best to break through the noise. A word of advice (or three) — keep it simple.

That’s exactly what Australian agency Cummins Nitro did in their campaign for Tourism Queensland.

Challenged to “create international awareness of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef” and drive tourism there, the local agency executed a campaign that placed classified ads in newspapers across the globe. Unusual? Not if you’re looking to fill a position for “The Best Job in the World.”

The job profile called for an island caretaker whose responsibilities would involve menial jobs like cleaning the pool and feeding the fish. The chosen employee would also be expected to blog weekly about their adventures on the island. Throw in a rent-free three-bedroom villa, a roughly $8,800/month salary and… BAM! One fan-freakin-tastic job.

Now, in an economic recession when thousands are looking for gainful employment… who wouldn’t love a 6-month paying gig feeding fishies on a tropical island, right?

This simple idea sparked an international movement. News and media sources picked up on the incredible job offer, millions of people flocked to the campaign’s website — islandreefjob.com — and by the end of it, over 34,000 people from 200 countries had submitted 60-second videos about why they should have the best job in the world.

Cummins Nitro put the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef back on the map. And if that wasn’t enough — they have racked up in Cannes this week, picking up three Grand Prix awards in the PR, Direct and Cyber categories thus far.

And the lucky bloke who got the job…?

A Brit by the name of Ben Southall, who reports for duty next Wednesday, July 1st. You can read more about Ben’s adventures at bestjobben.com.

Deanna Lazzaroni is a self-professed sponge of creative advertising, armed with enthusiastic vigor to tackle the challenges of the mighty marketer’s world. She’s ripe for the picking at deannalazzaroni.com.

The first time I went to Cannes, my agency booked me into a villa. A villa in the South of France! You can imagine how excited I was. Alas, though my trip had many high-points, said villa was not one of them. The accommodation was a warren of un-air-conditioned cubbyholes dug into the side of a hill, many kilometers away from town. The property did have an outdoor Jacuzzi.

Unfortunately, it was almost constantly inhabited by a group of drunk,
sunburned Germans. Vile in every way, I never went near them or it. I did, however, befriend a mouse-cat that had found its way into my room every night. In the end, if you’re in your hotel room, you’re either ill, making love, sleeping or dead. I wasn’t any of those.

On that maiden voyage I also had to sing for my passage. Leo Burnett had asked a planner and me if we could make a presentation based on one of the agency’s proprietary tools: the Brand Belief System. Of course, I said yes. They were offering a villa, for Christ’s sake! Our big presentation was slotted for midweek at 10 a.m. This being my first visit to Cannes, I had no idea how late people stayed up (all night) and how late people slept in (until noon). Every advertising professional from Europe or America was still in bed.

Unbelievably, the main auditorium at the Palais des Festivals was not
empty. Instead, the seats were filled with the only people who hadn’t drunk themselves comatose the night before: Asian advertising students. That was the good news. As well as the bad news. Few of the hundreds in attendance spoke English as a primary language. Of course they understood the fundamentals pretty well; the only problem was my partner and I had created a presentation rich in colloquial ideas and speech.

We spoke of cults. Challenged belief systems. Made reference to western deities. The entire thing flew over their heads like a 747. When it ended, we received obligatory applause from the polite Asians but no one asked questions. Like bad sex, it was over quick and the awkwardness malingered.

And so, Gentle Reader, I now begin my fifth visit to the International
Advertising Festival in Cannes. I work for a different agency. And I am
staying at a nice hotel. Instead of making speeches, I will be blogging.
Won’t you join me?

Steffan Postaer is Chairman and CCO of Euro RSCG Worldwide Chicago. He just completed a novel about God and Advertising and posts regularly on his blog, Gods of Advertising.

If you’re looking for another reason to cry yourself to sleep tonight over this whole “recession” thing, here’s a whole nine minutes chock-full of reason.

Warning: The following video may lead you to question your allegiance to the media world as we know it. (Or cling to it for dear, dear life.)

_

Okay, so if you’re anyone in the advertising or media industry, you might have gotten a chuckle or two out of that rather painfully long parody of a Don McLean classic. (And I think the creator, Terence Kawaja, had intended for such a response.) The video, which was recently shown at Federated Media’s Conversational Marketing Summit in NYC is too long, in my opinion. And yet, despite its length, lack of editing, and downright dismal outlook on the future of media — I find it rather inspiring.

I will tell you that I am the last one you will find riding through town shouting, “The media is dying! The media is dying!” (Hell, there’s plenty of cynics and even a twitter account out there for that.) No, it is much more my style to stand up as a proponent for the future of media, and of advertising for that matter, than flood the — uh, media — with dying media talk.

The reality is that times are a-changing. And whether you perceive it as dying or evolving, traditional media is undoubtedly ADAPTING to the changing world we live in today. Advertisers are finding new and innovative ways to craft clever media plans that not only suit their strategy, but also fit nicely into their client’s pinched budgets.

It’s easy to blame “the digital revolution” for the demise of “traditional media.” But honestly, is it so treacherous to want the best of both worlds?

… Where digital and traditional combine to produce true creative harmony. Where the consumer is always top-of-mind. Where agencies are held more accountable to their clients. And where the Wanamakers of the world actually get the results they desire.

Oh yeah, and where people start talking about the new ways advertising and media professionals are rewriting the rules of the game, instead of listening to the same old song on repeat.

So tell me — how are YOU changing the game?

Deanna Lazzaroni is a self-professed sponge of creative advertising, armed with enthusiastic vigor to tackle the challenges of the mighty marketer’s world. She’s ripe for the picking at deannalazzaroni.com.

They don’t have a cool name, like Razor Burn, Cloud Nyne, or inVisible. In fact, they sound like an accounting firm. Thankfully, they’re not into accounting. What they are into is corporate survival, and other things that will make your accountant giddy.

Atlanta-based Nolen & Associates is proof-positive that contempt prior to investigation is foolish. Judged solely by name, they’d never be classified as an agency that is boldly progressive, unafraid of saying “no.” Yet, that’s exactly what they are, and they have a simple message: Market through the tough times and emerge stronger.

And that, in a nutshell, is Cricket Theory. They call it a brochure, but it’s so much more…

Available on the Nolen & Associates site, The Cricket Theory is tightly written, steeped in fact, and delivers a powerful message:

“Make as much noise as Possible in Dark times.  You will be remembered when it is Light Again”

The Cricket Theory becomes less theory and more fact as various case histories and studies are highlighted.  Yet, the marketing budget is the first to get cut during economic uncertainty.

The Cricket Theory is a short, insightful tool that disproves this practice in a convincing, yet subtle, manner.

Over their 23 years in operation, Nolen & Associates observed as companies eliminated entire marketing plans out of fear. Yet, it was a fear rooted in uncontrollable, intangible factors.

So, the agency searched for information to determine which strategy performed better; shouting in the face of recession, or silent waiting.

The result: companies that “Chirp Loud” and “Chirp Often” come out ahead of those that remain quiet…both during, and following, a recession. There are a couple reasons for this;

“When your message is one of the few reaching the audience, your odds are much better for a greater return on your marketing and advertising dollar. When the upturn does come around– and it will – and your prospects and customers are looking to increase spending, your company (or your brand) will likely be the first one that comes to mind…”

Perhaps the most interesting fact listed in The Cricket Theory is that, contrary to popular belief, spending actually increases during a recession.

The Cricket Theory has become part of Nolen & Associates’ DNA, and is a testament to their progressive nature; while other’s founder, one agency has a plan to enable success during the best, and worst, of times. And no, it’s not your agency.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. If you would like to get in touch with Jeff, please leave a reply or follow the links: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.