Hasta La Creative!

Searching for the often controversial, but always relevant subjects to use for BMA.com, sometimes you find a gem. As you may have seen (depending on your market), Jet Blue has been taking very directed shots at CEOs using several snappy commercials are truthful AND funny. This is what is commonly known as “Sarcasm.” I have been accused of being sarcastic before…by family, friends, coworkers, teachers, etc. So, I thought I’d better know what the word meant.

Anyway, I decided to see if the aviation industry, especially CEOs that chartered or took company/ private jets for their air travel found the ads humorous. That would be a “NO: They were not amused.” In fact, they were almost hostile. I stole this reply off of an aviation pubs blog responses:

Andrew,

I watched the vidoes of the new ‘CEO’ JetBlue commercials.
I am a CEO…and I don’t think they are ‘funny’ nor ‘clever’. As for being well timed…I viewed them just prior to my scheduled departure…on my plane. David will regret paying for this nonsense.
Please find something else to write about…maybe something related to ‘news’ in our industry. 
                                                                                        -Name Withheld (by BMA.COM)

OWCH!  Sounds like someone didn’t get their yearly stipend! Granted, most Warren Buffets of the world are not flying coach, so these spots are meant to be facetious. However, a CEO that’s under pressure may (obviously) react differently. The Jet Blue site has quite a few funny CEO jabs on it. Go to: www.welcomebigwigs.com.

 
Jeff Louis; Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you Twitter, or look him up on LinkedIn.

Are you tired of dating games? Does developing a healthy partnership seem impossible? Are all the best ones already taken, or playing for the “wrong” team?
Do you find yourself awake in the middle of the night, alone with a cat you don’t remember buying and your favorite late night TV, with one question burning in your mind?

“If I’m so successful, good-looking and smart, why am I still and lonely?”

Your friends tell you that it’s just a “matter of time” before the “right one” comes along, but secretly you wonder if you’re flawed. Your “friends” are all hooking up while you look for that special guy everywhere, everyday. It’s starting to take a toll on your sanity, your work…

Well, I am not a Relationship Coach, but I play one on BMA, and if there’s one thing missing in your dating life that you use daily in your professional life, it’s a plan…a chart to tell you where you’re going, and how to get there. If you’ve had thoughts of inadequacy, and “what’s wrong with me, I’m hot?” I’ve got fantastic news for you: There’s a new dating site that is going to change your life forever. It’s an interactive platform called YourDatingPlan.com, and although there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this economy, you can join for FREE for a time as part of this limited offer.

Announced today via PR Newswire, YourDatingPlan.com has heralded the launch of their site that will change the way that single people will end your dating drama for good. Might as well delete the loser names out of your iPhone…you won’t be going back there anymore!

Sound too good to be true? It’s not; this is the real thing. What’s their magic method? An individual blueprint written out, to lead you to the Nirvana relationship you’ve been missing. Go to your computer right now and login to www.YourDatingPlan.com and sign up now. Once on the site, you’ll answer a series of questions from which the site will create your customized, step-by-step dating program. The questions have been rigorously tested and, when answered honestly, will be optimized and “scientifically processed.” Once the numbers have been crunched, the result will be a detailed action plan that you’ll be able to follow. The plan is catered specifically for you, taking your needs, situation, and personality into consideration.

YourDatingPlan.com is perfect no matter what stage of your life you are in – beginners in the dating world, people taking another stab at love by re-entering the dating scene or if you are just not happy in your current dating life. No more depending on friends for the answers…

We all know that there’s no such thing as a “free lunch” anymore, but the great thing about love is that it’s always been free! Now love is free with a step-by-step methodical way to reel that love home to you.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

LiLo, the charming Disney redhead that never gained a foothold in reality: Another child-star on the brink of losing everything? Not according to her best PR move to date. Beleaguered Lindsay Lohan released a mock E-Harmony video yesterday on FunnyOrDie (1.7MM views) that takes sharp jabs at herself: She’s single (lonely), reportedly broke, and probably alcoholic. But, she has her good qualitities as well, promising Mr. Right: “…at the end of the date, I promise you that I never lose my Google hits, just my underwear.” Gotta love a woman that has clear priorities!

Speaking of Google, if you haven’t seen YouTube lately, it’s crystal clear that Google is serious about monetizing the popular video site. Check out YouTube Edu (Education), YouTube House Hub (Government), and YTSO (YouTube Symphony Orchestra). The YTSO alone is worth the visit. And don’t forget to visit Pepsi-sponsored PopTub, a channel featuring the freshest videos on YouTube.

Jeff Louis is an experienced Senior Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: www.linkedin/in/jefflouis or on twitter @jlo0312.

The US Census announced this week that it is launching a $250 Million ad campaign aimed at reaching low-income, urban minorities, urging them to fill out 2010 US Census forms. More than half of the dollars will be spent on traditional and social media, and a quarter of the dollars will be devoted to Asian, black, and Hispanic media outlets.

Minorities have been hard to reach, according to Civilrights.org, due to “distrust or suspicion of government, leading to a fear that census responses may be used by immigration or law enforcement officials to deport or incarcerate or may disqualify (them) from social welfare programs.”

Well, that kinda makes sense, doesn’t it? If you’re breaking the law, you probably wouldn’t want too much attention drawn to your activities.

It’s estimated that the 2000 Census missed counting 3 million people, so basically we’re spending $83 bucks a missed head to improve accuracy (based on the 2000 estimate).

In a brilliant statement defining what the US Census is all about, Tom Mesenbourg, acting director of the bureau stated; “The primary goal of the census is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place.” (FoxBusiness.com)

But that doesn’t address how the campaign will reach poorly educated, low-income, and disenfranchised people via Social and Traditional media channels. I guess we’d have to start by determining cable and Internet penetration…

General Motors has pulled out and this makes the promotional opportunities to capture a larger target market better for car companies that have stuck it out as far as the NFL advertising tactics are concerned. Hyundai for one has been serious about it all and will be officially unveiling its Hyundai Genesis Coupe at the upcoming Super Bowl.

The title of both commercials is “The Epic Lap.” Shot at Road Atlanta, the racetrack didn’t do much damage to the car. The company says the Genesis only needed a new set of tires after three days of filming.

So while GM is trying to recover from its tracks, other companies like Hyundai are on the offensive. Will their investment pay dividends?

(Source) Kicking Tires

After a long hiatus from the movie theaters for no good reason, I’ve returned, seeing several pre-summer blockbusters in the past few weeks. One thing, in particular, that’s stuck out in my mind has been a definitely noticable increase in ads, with a surprising number of auto makers pushing for my attention (albeit my attention is pretty much on the screen regardless).

As several articles I’ve been browsing through today point out, my perception of an increase in theater ads isn’t just my imagination. A pretty interesting AdAge article by Jean Halliday points out that movie theater ad sales are quickly rising across the board, capturing the attention of auto makers:

Screenvision’s revenue in the segment for the first half of 2008 is almost double what it was in the first half of 2007, said exec VP-sales and marketing Mike Chico, who said he expects to sell out 2008 inventory in the third quarter, which is unusual.

Which basically translates into more high profile ads showing up in theaters, and more interesting creative being done in longer formats, like the full :60 version of the Dodge Journey waterslide spot that’s been all over broadcast TV (in :30 form) of late.
So while part of me is tossin’ back the popcorn waiting impatiently for the movie to start, the other part of me is glad that big-budget advertisers (and the subsequent big-budget ads) are going to be showing up more and more in the theaters. Because while I’m a captive audience starting blankly at a mind-numbing screen, there might as well be something enjoyable for me to stare at.