Hasta La Creative!

When I saw the Kia Soap on a Rope commercial, I have to say I was slightly confused. It was funny, but I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Apparently Byung Mo Ahn had similar feelings. The previous president and recently named chairman and group CEO of Kia Motors America is reported to be less than amused with the direction of humor that Kia is moving in. According to an article on AdAge today, the soap on a rope spot (and actual soap on a rope handouts) is the cause of departure of both Kia’s president and their VP of marketing. While I can understand Ahn’s desire to change direction of the company’s advertising, I always associate humor with Kia’s advertising, and the soap on a rope spot, while a bit out there, definitely carries on the tradition of the giant map pin, musical cars, and steerology. Regardless of whether or not the spot and the execs departure were directly linked, I think it’s safe to say that it’s never easy to please everyone, not even with soap on a rope.

Over the course of doing some research for an upcoming project, I’ve come across some interesting reading that’s been changing how I look at things. With the direction internet and the home are moving, the social space is all but gone. We have very few public markets left where people congregate, very few gathering places and points for socialization. While we rapidly adapt to changing environments and personal space, there is still that desire for socialization that runs through us, and when we get a chance partake in sanctioned socialization, we jump at it.

The modern Starbucks (or any local coffee shop, at that) and the Apple store are perfect examples – public spaces that are not so much a retail environment as a social environment. The way in which we embrace public spaces is fascinating. Brand Experience Lab has an interesting read on The Socialization of Real Estate here.

One of the most interesting, and possibly most telling ad-related things in regards to social spaces this past year was the introduction of in-cinema AudienceGames. The ways in which we act and react in a group setting is interesting, and seems promising on several different levels.

NewsBreaker Live, an AudienceGame promoting MSNBC, had some interesting results:

• 78% played the game
• 93% want more games in cinemas
• 86% prefer a game to an ad
• 71% unaided MSNBC brand recall
• 75% more likely to use MSNBC

Some poignant results that certainly speak to the “group” audience instead of the single viewer, which could give us more interesting applications and a changed target down the road. And any time a movie theater experience is enhanced, even via the group atmosphere, it’s welcome.

Technorati Tags: audience, socialization, movies, theater, beyond madison avenue

So what’s the relevance of wiener poopie?

Well, a bit of post-Super-Bowl-extravaganza humor never hurts. But more importantly, it speaks (albeit in a bizarre way) to the rapidly changing television environment. Every time I turn on the TV and flip through the cable news channels, I’m surprised. While I’d like to think CNN running a story about a Jesus statue being held hostage is just an anomaly, I’m quickly realizing that is no longer the case. Television is rapidly beginning to emulate much of the internet, and news channels are prime examples. Turning into more of an extravaganza-style, shows like Countdown with Keith Olberman and much of the general CNN and MSNBC’s newscasts showcase rapidfire bits and trinkets, with significantly less in-depth analysis. The local news in Portland has even begun pulling and featuring clips off of YouTube in their newscast and soliciting viewer photos and videos – taking user-generated beyond content and into the realm of factual news.

So the big question: what direction is television viewership moving? Programs are becoming more rapid-fire bits and pieces, emulating on-line news aggregators and video sites. Are the viewers themselves shifting as well? or are broadcast and cable tv just trying to figure out how to maintain their media share in the presence of the ever-growing internet community? Does that shift change the way viewers interact with the advertising alongside these newscasts? Either way, it’s interesting to watch as a viewer, and certainly could have some impact down the road in terms of advertising and branding on tv.

Technorati Tags: CNN, MSNBC, news, user-generated content, youtube, beyond madison avenue

Brands becoming more than just a brand is nothing new. Lifestyle brands have been changing the way consumers interact with product for years. Technology brands are continuing the trend at a rapid pace. Apple is developing product after product to cater to fans and platform-switchers alike. Zune brought us The Social. Our tech gadgets are beginning to orchestrate our lifestyles, and many are becoming truly dependent on technology. Today, everywhere we look, we see tech gadgets and their advertising.
Apple certainly doesn’t need any help making their presence felt any more this week with the release of the Macbook Air and their banner ads that have been making a very large presence on many website front pages. But companies with as many fans as Apple has seems to attract attention no matter what they do. Browsing through Gizmodo this morning, I ran across a trailer for an actual documentary in production: MacHeads. It’s bizarre, fascinating, and almost frightening. But it shows what can happen with a brand becomes much more than just a name and logo. And how the consumer mind can react when brands begin to transcend traditional messaging. I’m definitely curious to see what comes of MacHeads, and what it might mean for Apple.

Technorati Tags: Apple, computer, documentary, movie, beyond madison avenue

It seems like only yesterday when Tivo first came on the market much to advertisers dismay. Marketers everywhere attacked the service, with the CEO of Turner going so far as to accuse commercial skippers of theft. A lot has changed since then. Advertisers have slowly come to terms with the fact that people will fast forward through ads and Tivo has introduced a new products in an attempt to appease these advertisers including pop-up banners and other more interactive units.

But even as this un-easy alliance has been forged, no one seems to be taking much notice of Apple TV. With the latest version now supporting not only a slew of popular tv shows but the ability to rent movies — and with both options being available in HD — I’m surprised we haven’t heard more screaming from marketers. Imagine if everyone started consuming all of their tv and movie entertainment in this a la carte style and the implications it would have not only for advertisers but cable providers as well. Let’s do the math. I’ll use my own television and movie consumption as an example. As someone employed in advertising I figure it’s my duty to watch tv, and I do enjoy a HD picture so I currently subscribe to DirecTV. My package includes some premium channels, the HD and the DVR options and currently runs me $101.97 a month. I also use Netflix which runs another $18.43. So a month of tv and movies costs me $120.40. The reality is I don’t watch that much tv and often don’t get through my 3 movies a month — who has that amount of time? Out of the zillions of channels I have I really only watch a handful of shows: 30 Rock, Lost, The Office, Project Runway, Top Chef and a few others that I’ll just refer to as guilty pleasures — so 7 shows in all a week or about 28 a month which is probably a little high since I never seem to catch them all. If I were to purchase those same programs through Apple TV I’m looking at $55.72. If I throw in 3 movies, which again is a little high, I’m looking at another $14.97 assuming I’m going with just new releases in HD. So for only $70.69 I can have access to all of the content I regularly watch (with much of it in higher quality HD) at a savings $49.31 a month and all without any advertising! Hmmmmm. Advertisers and cable providers need to prepare themselves as an increasing amount of different entertainment distribution models become available. TV spots, it’s been nice knowing you. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Technorati Tags: review, advertising, broadcast, beyond madison avenue

I’m a real sucker for clever music, nostalgic warm feel, and an ad that puts a smile on my face — WHILE still taking away some points of information about the product! Wow…what a concept! Good ads that entertain and inform!

This 2007 spot introducing the new crossover SUV Kia Rondo does all of that…and does it extremely well. The 1960’s music/feel singing “let the sun shine in” (complete with hippie-type waiving young people and a rainbow highlighting the Rondo as it moves through the commercial) makes you take notice and smile throughout the :30 spot. Hence, while you’re captivated by the music, you pay attention to what the commercial is trying to communicate.

The psychedelic theme permeates the spot with talking points such as “MPG Happiness” (29 MPG), “Huge Cabinocity” (comes with available 3rd row of seating), “Precision Steerology” (drives like a car), and comes with a solid 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. And to top off this :30 spot is the final frame welcoming us to “Rondoism” that starts at a price of only $16,995.

We are shown the car (inside and out), learned about some of its appealing attributes, set an attractive/affordable price, and made me smile. I think this spot really rang the bell…and didn’t take itself too seriously. I enjoyed it.

Technorati Tags: kia rondo, powertrain warranty, beyond madison avenue

The International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was this past week and being the tech geek I am, I was catching up on all of the event coverage, but nothing stood out quite as much in my eye as the Taser personal mp3 player, which apparently offers us “Fashion with a Bite.”

Is there really that high of a demand for a taser/music player combo? Maybe on the heels of “Don’t tase me, bro!” there’s a new market that has opened up I wasn’t aware of. I do applaud Taser International for executing such an unexpected combination, but my question remains: How does one effectively market such a device outside of a show like CES? Is it an ipod competitor or a personal protection device with the added feature of an mp3 player? The possibilities of music and tasering pairings do intrigue me. Maybe Taser could give us a Pandora station? In a world where products are constantly evolving to accomplish more, it’s always interesting to see what will come next. I can’t wait for next year [another interesting article (and video) on the mp3taser at The Guardian]

Technorati Tags: marketing, taser, leopard print, mp3 player, beyond madison avenue

All hail Bravo! the current reigning champ in the world of product placement! And I do mean that in all sincerity. Bravo! for the most part has done an excellent job in integrating relevant products in to many of the their programs. And while it can some times be executed a little heavy handedly I can usually get beyond that if it makes sense in a program, like the “Glad family of products” so often referred to in on Top Chef by the lovely Padma Lakshmi. But the other day I felt the the bonds of relevance strained as the designers on Project Runway were challenged to create an ensemble using only the things they could find in the Times Square Hershey’s store. In all fairness the designs they created out of a pile of crappy looking Hershey’s tschotskies were very impressive. And what I originally thought was a tenuous relationship between the marketer and the program at best, the contestants were able to bring back around. What really got me with this instance of product placement was Hershey’s rep Michelle Gloeckler monologue that was summed up quite nicely by Missy Schwartz at EW.com as having “all the gusto of a stale Twizzler.” (Check her out at about 3:00 here.) Marketers, come on now. You know product placement works so why not treat it seriously? Would you use an actor who with all the charm and charisma of bowl of cold oatmeal in a tv spot? I think not. How would that reflect upon your brand? Product placement, like any form of marketing, requires careful thought, planning and execution. It’s not bludgeoning your audience to death with images and references to your product. And if you are going to go the animatronic route, go with a model like Vicki the Robot in Small Wonder who was capable of delivering a range of life-like emotions.

Technorati Tags: product placement, review, beyond madison avenue