Op-Ed: Idea Before Experience – The .Com Era Repeats Itself

Virginia Alber-Glanstaetten, group director of planning at Huge, has returned with her monthly column for this here site, this time discussing among other things, the mobile web, couponing, digital performance and how a certain well-known retail chain is playing into it all. Why say any more, let her take it away.

I was recently reminiscing about the early days of .com: an era where big ideas came first and the business model came later, if at all. We can look back now at what were essentially large scale experiments in digital: Kozmo.com, brought down by its free shipping on any order; Pets.com, the founding fathers of cute overload but otherwise useless for pet owners; and WebVan, whose razor thin margins couldn’t support their vision resulting in 2000 people out of work.  We didn’t really know what we were getting into and, at the time, few people were thinking about things like the user journey, the consumer experience, or basic usability for that matter.

Fast forward to 2013 and we’ve made strides in technology but we continue to make the same mistakes. Perhaps not with the same pageantry as with Webvan or Pets.com, but every day agencies produce work where good user experiences and viable business results take a back seat to a big idea, or at least something that will generate a cycle of good press. As digital has become more sophisticated and extended to multiple platforms, so have our audiences and their expectations.  The gap between great idea and another failure is getting smaller and smaller.

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Copywriter Uses LinkedIn, ‘Arrested Development’ Characters to Score Job

A week after Netflix finally released season four of Arrested Development for the country to binge-watch, most Americans feel they’ve done their civic duty by finishing all 15 episodes and sharing their opinions via whatever social media platform they prefer. In other words, the mere mention of anything Arrested Development-related will most likely cause you to double over in fits of projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea, but don’t blame copywriter Justin Racz for that. Instead, blame society like you always do.

Looking for work and in need of something to stand out to creative recruiters, Racz created (at least three) LinkedIn profiles for Arrested Development characters including George Bluth Sr., GOB Bluth, and America’s favorite Analrapist, Tobias Funke. After receiving a connect invitation and a message soliciting work in each characters’ voice, recruiters were then led to LinkedIn profiles that featured Racz’s portfolio. As luck would have it, recruiters and agency heads are the only people in Netflix territory that aren’t experiencing Arrested Development overload, ending in Racz receiving a few freelance offers. He boasts that he spoke to over 50 agency heads in one day at the total campaign cost of $0.

If you’re looking for Racz, odds are he took that gig with MRY, or else he wouldn’t have shown the offer and recruiter’s email address via this little case study. But, hey, he flexed his ability at using current, newsworthy events to his own personal benefit. And, really, more ad campaigns could stand to do just that a little more often.

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Let’s Welcome the Brief, Wondrous Return of DK’s Stanley Piano

We first learned about Stanley last summer, when he was introduced at the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle. Everyone’s favorite interactive piano that can take take requests via Twitter is back, this time to play at the Chobani SoHo yogurt bar for the New York-based non-profit Sing for Hope. Digital Kitchen is taking care of the creative legwork and will be broadcasting Stanley on www.singforhope.com June 1-2.

Stanley has collected nearly 2,200 followers in the past year, which is impressive when you take into account that he is just a musical instrument and doesn’t have thumbs. No word yet on whether Stanley is familiar with Watson, the “Jeopardy” computer, but the two could probably have an interesting electronic bromance if they ever got together in the same room. Anyone who would like to request a song can tweet @StanleyPiano.

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Businessman Spits Hot Fire in Holiday Inn Express Spot

I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so you’ll have to forgive me if I’m lacking a certain prowess, but I’ll try my best to cover the latest commercial from the hotel brand and Fallon. The “Stay Smart” campaign launched in 1998 and is back after an extended hiatus. We briefly covered the revival in April, and now, Holiday Inn is re-releasing the second spot to Youtube after it had a successful run in movie theaters.

In the ad, a mayonnaise whiteboy holding his dry-cleaning walks up to a couple of dudes freestyling on a New York street corner. One of the dudes takes the opportunity to diss the whiteboy with a few lines. Instead of recoiling, the whiteboy hands his clothes to his adversary, then drops an impressive verse, subverting every white/black stereotype in the book. Some of his verbal gems include: “But how you gonna let a marketing rep rip your rep/ And slip a depth rhyme scheme your mind only dreams in.” If that’s how one can gain rapping ability, then Lil Wayne may want to consider staying at a Holiday Inn Express while working on his next album. Think about the marketing possibilities of that celebrity/brand marriage…

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‘A Chair Named Clarity’ Saves Life in Short Film

While your office chair may be a standard rollie, only capable of swiveling around as you head to the bathroom to put off work, some extraordinary chairs, like the star of A Chair Named Clarity go beyond the call of duty. In a commissioned short film for office supply company Allsteel, writer/director Nickolaus Duarte tells the story of a young chair that travels to the big city for “a hero’s journey” to save his ailing mother (who happens to be human).

Why, you ask? (Humor me and ask). Because Clarity’s human mother gets sick after sitting in an uncomfortable wooden chair. At this point, it would’ve been wise for Clarity’s mother to change chairs, since her child is somehow an office chair. But then, you realize that this three-and-a-half-minute short film is a small piece of branded content that is just trying to eek out a few laughs from viewers and maybe sell some office furniture, so making sense of it might not make too much sense.

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Tourisme Montreal Involves Audience with #MTLMoments Campaign

A city’s own tourist site is rarely the most relevant resource for newcomers and tourists. More often, individual bloggers and independent publications have the up-to-date, insider information, presented in a format that doesn’t appear as if it were constructed in 1998. But, with the help of agencies Sid Lee and Touché PHD, the city of Montreal is working to be their own best digital brand-builder, hopefully setting the tone for a string of cities.

Tourisme Montreal’s campaign asks visitors and residents to be “destination ambassadors” by using the hashtag #MTLMOMENTS when they Instagram their time in the city. Montreal moments will then be showcased on Tourisme Montreal’s bilingual blog, Vivez MTL/MTL Buzz. It’s also mobile and tablet compatible. All in all, the blog is a stylish relief from Tourisme Montreal’s previous staid, basic slideshow site. Hopefully they eventually convert altogether, because more than any tourist board’s recommendations, it’s the people that define a place.

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Perfect Fools Encourages You to Get Into Staring Contest with Samsung G4

When the word “free” is involved, people will do anything. They’ll even stare at a new phone with eye-tracking software for an hour to win that phone for free. We can file this under the Must Be a European Thing Club, not because people will complete strange tasks to win free products, but because they did so as crowds of people cheered on the contestants. And it’s not as if they were just staring at a phone, they were staring at a phone secure in a tall box as chefs pretended to be on fire and motorcyclists drove by for distraction. If a contestant stayed focused on the phone for more than one minute, he/she received a 100 SFr (Swiss Franc) discount. If he/she looked away for a millisecond, their turn ended. One dude, looking very European in his sleek jacket with infinite pockets, won the grand prize, a Samsung S4, in the above video (go here for more). People cheered. He now has to pay for a monthly plan.

The campaign comes from Switzerland, where creative studio Perfect Fools and Swisscom agency Heimat incorporated the smartphone’s new eye-tracking abilities to generate some buzz. The original video was filmed in Zurich, and crews will also travel to Lucerne, Bern, and Lausanne for similar showcases. If you are a guy who owns a jacket with too many pockets, you may also be able to have an opportunity to stare at a smartphone for an hour. On your mark, get set, F-R-E-E.

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Offshore Tax Shelters A Problem For Apple, But Not The Only One

Congress has been getting up in Apple’s face about its offshore tax havens, but is it a problem for the brand?

I think it is, because a brand is the sum of a company’s parts. A brand is what a company believes and what a company does; therefore, Apple’s brand is tarnished via its tax avoidance problem, whether the moves are technically legal or not.

tim-cook-congress-testify-apple

According to CNET, “Congressional investigators released a report last week documenting how Apple had reduced its tax bill by tens of billions of dollars through the use of a legal, albeit complicated, network of offshore subsidiaries. The report said that between 2009 and 2012, Apple had at least $74 billion in offshore cash that went untaxed.”

Tim Cook replied, “We don’t depend on tax gimmicks. We don’t move intellectual property offshore and use it to sell our products back to the United States to avoid taxes… We don’t stash money on some Caribbean island.”

True. Ireland is nowhere near Cuba or Jamaica.

Richard Harvey, a Villanova University law professor, told the hearing that his analysis showed Apple shifted 64 per cent of its 2011 income into Ireland into a “shell corporation” which had “no employees, no real activity, basically an entity on paper.”

As far as I am concerned, Apple has more than tax issues on its hands. “Designed in California” isn’t all that Apple can be. “Designed and manufactured in California” is more like it, especially given that Apple has already established a premium price point.

Apple was created to change the world, and their products have a role in this. But Apple can actually change the world by rejecting offshore assembly of its products. As Samsung and others come on strong, I don’t think Apple’s prices, nor their market share, will hold for much longer. Manufacturing in American changes that for good.

The post Offshore Tax Shelters A Problem For Apple, But Not The Only One appeared first on AdPulp.

Martin|Williams Picks Up P.F. Chang’s/Pei Wei

We’ve been hearing about this since late March, actually. But yes, though it took a while to clarify/confirm as we’ve been told that the ink took longer than usual to dry, Omnicom-owned, Minneapolis-based agency Martin|Williams has finally, officially been named agency of record for Scottsdale, AZ-based P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and its spinoff Pei Wei Asian Diner chain.

Regarding her company’s decision, P.F. Chang’s chief brand officer, Julie Elkinton, says,  “We interviewed a range of agencies across the United States and found that the team at Martin|Williams was the perfect combination of strategic thought and creative that we needed to capitalize on exciting opportunities for our two culinary brands. Their passion for our uniquely positioned restaurants was evident through the work they presented and we cannot wait to see it come to life over the next few months.”

We’re checking to see who else participated in the pitch, but in the meantime, we’ll tell you that Martin|Williams succeeds fellow Twin Cities operation, Olson, on the P.F./Pei Wei biz. Olson previously handled both advertising and PR for both brands, but as a result of the client’s decision, the duties have been split, with M|W taking on advertising and Karwoski & Courage taking over PR duties.

Update: Sources tell us that M|W beat out three other agencies in the P.F./Pei Wei pitch including Acquity Group and TM Advertising. The third agency has yet to be determined.

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Dick’s Sporting Goods, Anomaly Appeal to Our Softer Side with ‘Run For’ Series

If you know a runner or are one yourself, you know that plodding on a path day after day requires a reason. Some take the pain to lose weight, while others are addicted to the runner’s high. Running can be the foundation of a community or the motivation for recovery. In Dick’s Sporting Goods’ latest campaign created by Greenpoint Pictures and Anomaly NY, 13 runners share their personal stories. Starting on March 7th, one video has been released every week. Beneath each story, viewers can click to buy gear or share their own story via the #RunFor Facebook campaign.

For an organization that seems like your bludgeoning American sports store next door, Dick’s appeals to a wider audience with this series of sensitive portraits. We’re all athletes to some degree, and running is an activity we have in common, whether we hobbled along in middle school gym or undertook a couple marathons. In Week 12’s video, cancer survivor Meggan Janota says what should be the sub-tagline of this campaign: “You run by yourself, but you’re not alone.” By capturing this community, Dick’s Sporting Goods inspires and drives.

Credits after the jump

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McCann Milan, Coke Make New Can Smile

Changing one of the most iconic products in the world could backfire. We’ve seen Coca-Cola add new flavors and alter their signature bottle contour before: New Coke fizzled out quietly after a decade, and Coca-Cola Blak didn’t even last two years. Now, McCann Milan is making the slightest of changes to Coke cans in Italy, redesigning the mouth, so when someone opens a new Coke, it looks as if the can is smiling back at them. McCann is calling this product the “Happy Can.”

The adjustment is so subtle, folks may not even realize anything has changed at all. The campaign is meant to cheer up Italians after a year of controversial press focusing on Silvio Berlusconi, a new Pope, and a troubled economy. Will the Happy Can make any difference? Probably not, since the can has yet to go into production. At the moment, it is only being hyped for promotional purposes, popping up on billboards in major Italian cities while the Coca-Cola brand goes over the legality of a widespread tweak to their traditional design. If McCann’s can modification could actually remedy Italy’s 36% youth unemployment rate, then people may be more inclined to buy a smiling pop-top. But for now, it’s just a very minor gesture in a country with some very major problems. Credits after the jump.

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GoDaddy Finally Moves Away from Douchebag Ads with ‘TMI’

About a year ago, GoDaddy hired Deutsch New York as their creative agency, and the world wondered whether we’d see the end of the “GoDaddy Girls” gimmick, or even the beginning of a more nuanced campaign. Instead, during this year’s Super Bowl, GoDaddy offered us Bar Rafaeli (“sexy”) making out with a red-faced man named Walter (“smart”). Danica Patrick narrated and did her best not to look embarrassed. Our op-ed contributor at the time, WWD&S co-head Harry Woods, may have captured the most accurate reaction: “The whole ugly thing once again sent us reaching for a wing bone, nacho or beer bottle cap to dig our eyes out.”

Thankfully no eyeball gouging is necessary with GoDaddy’s latest spot. In it, a Ron Weasley-esque man is introduced to the GoDaddy team. His name and its closest iterations are already taken by his colleagues, so the team tosses around other possibilities. Anyone who’s thought about buying a domain name is familiar with this brainstorming process, and Deutsch did well personifying it. The whole thing is off-kilter and amusing, and finally we see Danica Patrick in racing gear, not heels. She’s still hot.

Here’s hoping GoDaddy continues the curve away from their signature blunt, sensationalist spots.

Credits after the jump. [Ed: Welcome back, Ella]

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You Wanted It (OK, Maybe Not Really), But You Got It: Your Season 2 ‘The Pitch’ Info

Nine months after reaffirming its “commitment to awfulness” as our own Bob Marshall so eloquently stated, AMC has finally revealed details of the upcoming second season of its ad agency reality slugfest (well, if only), The Pitch. The brands participating in season two — which will consist of eight, hour-long installments and kicks off Thursday, August 15, at 10pm — include 1-800-Flowers, Bliss, College Hunks Hauling Junk, Fuller Brush Company, Gibson Guitar Corporation, Little Caesars, Square Trade and Tommy Bahama.

Perhaps you’re familiar with several of the names mentioned above, as are we, but we’re not sure if any of the actual agencies vying for their work in The Pitch part deux ring a bell. But maybe that’s just us. Here’s your list: Daniel Burton Dean (Nashville, TN), Fletcher Rowley (Nashville, TN), Powell Creative (Nashville, TN), breensmith Advertising (Atlanta, GA), Innerspin (Los Angeles, CA), MC2 (Los Angeles, CA), COR (Santa Monica, CA), Neuron Syndicate (Santa Monica, CA), Central Coast (Chicago, IL), Commonground (Chicago, IL), The Monogram Group (Chicago, IL), Bee-line Communications (Chicago, IL), Mischievous Studios (Hollywood, CA), Heavenspot (Glendale, CA), OneX (Culver City, CA) and Pasadena Advertising (Pasadena, CA).

Maybe season two is a little less high-profile than its predecessor, but at least we’ll have more of Bob’s epic day-after recaps to look forward to once again.

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Puma Flash Mobs Borussia Dortmund After Champions League Final

Celebrating athletic accomplishments is one thing, but serenading the soccer team that just lost a heartbreaking UEFA Champions League Final to Bayern Munich may not be the greatest idea, especially when that team is waiting in Stansted Airport and the players look like deflated tires in designer suits. Surely, there was hard work put in by all involved – dancers, singers, creatives – and that should be acknowledged. But, the three-minute clip almost looks like a spoof video; the players seem dazed and confused as the dancers spin around to “Movin’ On Up” by veteran Scottish act, Primal Scream.

Maybe it’s a European thing, or maybe I’m not a fan of flash mobs (which apparently will never die), but I’m not sure I comprehend the randomness of this particular gesture in relation to Borussia Dortmund. In the age of organic viral content, this latest work from Puma just feels clunky and off-beat.

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Apple, TBWA\MAL Remind Us What the iPhone is Good For: Being an iPod

From Apple and TBWA/Media Arts Lab comes the spiritual sequel to last month’s “Photos Every Day” spot for the iPhone.

“Music Every Day” uses the exact same formula as its predecessor, with similarly excellent execution. We’ve come a long way from Apple’s original iPod commercials. No longer do we have silhouetted dancers projected against green screens with a loud, indie-rock soundtrack. Instead, just like “Photos Every Day,” we have a simple concept that, more than anything, humanizes iPhone users. What are these people listening to? It doesn’t matter; the important thing is that they’re enjoying it. We see them smile, nodding their heads along to a beat, something that we see occur is real life every single day.

Again, it ends with a single-sentence VO: More people listen to music on the iPhone than any other phone. The entire concept seems obvious, but sometimes it’s the obvious that needs to be said. Credits after the jump.

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Mike’s Hard Lemonade Brings Back Hard-to-Remember Celebrities

Grey New York wants to tell you that “It’s Never Not a Good Time for a Refreshing Mike’s.” Excuse the double negative (what about “It’s Always a Good Time…?), but to draw your attention away from the grammatical errors, they included some very, very random celebrity cameos from actor Martin Landau and rapper Coolio. The 30-second spots include some random rhyming that leads to a series of non-sequitors, hence the random celebrities. Random is the only way to describe this campaign.

Before watching these spots, I hadn’t thought of Landau and Coolio in years. Both are stored away firmly in the Club for G-List Celebrities Who Will Never Be Famous Again. In Landau’s defense, he’s 84 and had a memorable run of “Entourage” a few years back (not to mention his Oscar-winning turn as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood). Coolio is Coolio. They both picked up paychecks in return for a loss of dignity. That’s advertising for you. Check out the Coolio spot and credits after the jump.

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Microsoft Puts on Boxing Gloves, Goes After Apple Again

Now that the dust has settled around the overplayed Windows smartphone wedding commercial directed by Roman Coppola, there’s a void in Windows-bashing-Apple negative campaign ad territory. Well, with some help from CP+B, the brand is back to tackle a new comparative subject: tablets.

There are actually two new spots, first covered over at Mashable, both taking not-so-subtle digs at iPad products. The spot above even goes as far as to use Siri against Apple – in short, iPads can’t do as much as Windows 8 tablets. But you can play chopsticks on an iPad for whatever that’s worth. And if you watch the commercial, it’s apparently not worth much. You have to respect the brash stance Windows is taking here. They are clearly playing catch-up in the publicity game, and going after Apple in such a direct fashion could be the right way to make up the distance. And the best part is, since both companies are so rich, suing each other over copyright infringement and/or libel won’t even make a difference. Ding, ding. Time for the next round to begin. You can watch the more informational attack ad after the jump.

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DFCB, Kmart Continue to Make Puns, Offer ‘Big Gas Savings’

When DraftFCB and Kmart released their spot “Ship My Pants” last month, it was lauded far and wide as shot of adrenaline for both the retail brand and the Chicago office of the agency. Sure, it was silly, considering the spot’s entire charm rested on the fact that “ship” can sound like “shit,” but it was still a funny and delightfully unexpected execution for brand not known for taking risks.

After “Ship My Pants” racked up a whopping 17 million+  YouTube views, it would be foolish to switch up a formula that’s proven itself on such a grand scale. So, we now have “Big Gas Savings,” a new spot which tries to recreate the lightning-in-a-bottle success of its predecessor. Now first off,  it lacks the unexpectedness of “Ship My Pants,” not to mention that “gas” and “ass” is a bit further of a reach than “ship” and “shit.” And, of course, “shit” is a far funnier word than “ass.” Also, advertising discounts on gas might not be the best way to get people into your store. In other words, no, this doesn’t live up to “Ship My Pants,” but really could it?

Kmart was left with two options here when it became clear that they had to stick to an execution they knew would bring in viewers. The first, which they went with, was to use a different swear word. The second, which may have worked better, was to continue going with “shit” and come up with new jokes. This isn’t to say that “Big Gas Savings,” isn’t better than 90 percent of ads out there. In fact, it’s still a very enjoyable watch. It’s impossible to hit it out of the park with every swing, and a single sure isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Credits after the jump.

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C-K New York Dabbles in Patron

We’re sure some sort of bubbly is flowing in the offices of Cramer-Krasselt’s various offices as the agency follows up retaining the Porsche creative biz by nabbing ad duties for tequila brand, Patron. The spirits brand previously worked with Dallas-based The Richards Group on its ad work, but it’s now turned its focus to C-K’s New York office.

In a statement,  Patron VP of marketing Jennifer Pisciotta says, “As we look to build on the brand’s premium positioning within the tequila and ultra-premium white spirits categories, we must ignite the unique passion people have for Patrón. Our product is different than the rest of our category, right down to each individual bottle, and Cramer-Krasselt has demonstrated they are the ideal partner to help us show off this truly special product.” From what the parties involved say, Patron was inspired by C-K NY’s holiday work for the brand. We’re awaiting links on this one.

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Op-Ed: Is It Racist?

So, we’ll let the conversation roll in a regular series we dub, “Is it Racist,” which is essentially the brainchild of Gitamba Saila-Ngita, a multidisciplinary designer and innovation strategist, living, working, and playing between CT / NYC / SF. He is the founder and chief innovation strategist of DEFT COLLECTIVE, a creative innovation agency based in Hartford, Connecticut.

My name is Gitamba Saila-Ngita and I once helped an agency sell sugar water to children. I’ve also helped them sell new technologies, ideas, and other people’s culture. But what I’ve always found funniest is when I’ve been hired to make things more, “urban” and by “urban” they meant “black”. Race is a topic that in the United States at times feels like we’re trying to seriously look at it with a fine lens and other times completely turning a blind eye to avoid it because it might make for a lack of a better word a few folks, butt hurt.

Recently in the last few months I’ve found that for advertising folks and almost always on this blog we’re hashing over if something is, “racist or not”. Mainly under the pretense that a group of people were offended by the subject matter in the ad and have used the internet to voice their opinion. I reached out to Kiran because I wanted to hopefully start a casual dialogue about the matter from the perspective of ad folks who clearly make these communications for their respective clients.

First let’s define some things so we can look at this objectively.

Racism is defined by most dictionaries as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities     and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular  race” and a racist as “a person who believes in racism, the doctrine that a certain human race is     superior to any or all others. For fun, let’s throw in offensive as “causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying”

With those thoughts in mind, I wanted  to find an ad each time I or anyone else writes for this series and put it through those quantifying factors with understanding that the third one is purely subjective to an individual or group.

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