Une mise en image percutante par la créatrice Beth Fulton dénoncant le média TV, en s’inspirant d’un poème du scénariste et réalisateur Todd Alcott sur le monde de la télévision. Une libre interprétation à découvrir en vidéo dans la suite de l’article.
OK. Se o 3D veio pra ficar ou não eu não sei.
Na verdade acho que nunca vou entender qual é o grande lance dos óculos 3D, artimanha usada desde os anos 80 em qualquer atração da Disney.
Alguns filmes vem apostando no uso dos óculos, o que foi totalmente e comercialmente coroado pelo sucesso de Avatar. (Não vou usar esse post pra falar mal do Avatar).
Enquanto falamos de apostas, a Sky TV do Reino Unido também faz a dela transmitindo em 3D o jogo do Arsenal X Manchester United nesse domingo, em 9 pubs, e planejando uma cobertura ampla de pubs funcionando até Abril.
Díficil é imaginar a necessidade dos óculos, quando normalmente já vemos tudo meio estranho depois de alguns pints. Fora que a paquera perde bastante com todas as pessoas usando os óculos. Não que isso vá ser um problema lá na Inglaterra onde futebol é coisa bem séria, torcida é porrada, e todo mundo tem dente feio mesmo (e isso sobre os dentes, quem fala é o David Lynch e não eu).
As dúvidas são muitas. Não acredito a ação vá ter sucesso. Claro que vai ser notícia e os resultados vão ser legais, mas mudança de hábito é no mínimo improvável. E no Brasil? Será que funciona uma brincadeira dessas?
/ via Engadget
Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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Uma foto de divulgação da última temporada de “Lost”, em que o elenco imita Da Vinci. Imagem não muito boa, mas é “Lost”, pô!
Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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As séries de TV americanas e suas telas verdes (pode ser azul também), o famoso Chroma Key. Uma técnica de efeito visual com mais 80 anos de idade, mas que continua funcionando e impressionando.
O vídeo abaixo é um compilado criado pela Stargate Studios, responsável pelos efeitos mostrados.
Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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Découverte de Gavin Bond, spécialisé dans les photographies de célébrités pour différents magazines. Une partie de son travail a été d’immortaliser les castings des séries américaines, avec dans le désordre : The Office, Entourage, Sopranos, Lost, Nip Tuck, Dr House et Scrubs.
The recession has either changed the way advertisers do business or has forced us to reevaluate the ways in which we do business. The focus has shifted to the effectiveness and efficiency of an ad campaign rather than stressing the campaign or ad variables such as reach and effective frequency.
If you work in a media department, then measuring effectiveness and efficiency is something you’ve likely done for years with little to no fanfare from the client side. Well, the climate’s changed, and clients are concerned more than ever — with good reason — that their ads and campaigns meet efficient, effective, and measurable goals. Their priority is to connect with the target audience in a manner that’s more in-tune with a reduced budget. Clients are are requiring or searching for agencies capable of providing campaigns that work harder and smarter.
In addition, advertisers (namely P&G and Coca Cola), have instituted Value Based Compensation (VBC) arrangements made up of a pay-for-performance (P4P) layout that can be attained in addition to a base fee.
The Nielsen Company has just announced that a new software product, Rapid Campaign Evaluation (RCE), a fast and inexpensive means to review ad performance in just over a week. Due to the costs incurred when an ad or campaign is launched, RCE will give agencies information quickly so as to allow them to respond in an appropriate manner.
Richard Reeves, associate director of Consumer Research Services at the Nielsen Company, notes an agency not only will have the ability to evaluate their own endeavors but the ability to evaluate their competitor’s as well.
“Whenever a new commercial is executed,” Reeves says, “there is always that element of anticipation about how it will perform in the ‘real world.’ If it’s a competitor’s ad — you are usually left worrying about the damage it will do to your brand.”
RCE was designed and tested in Australia to measure the strength (or weakness) of TV spots. How many people saw or heard the ads or whether the audience was able to determine the advertiser and the take-away message will provide advertisers with almost “real-time” data they can then use to readjust their tactics such as:
In just over a week, agencies will be able to view data in order to evaluate effectiveness or lack thereof, ensuring clients get the biggest bang for their buck.
While advertising “gurus” have bandied back and forth as to the fairness or plausibility of the VBC model, companies, such as Coca Cola, have already put it into action. In truth, it’s the most equitable payment arrangement; agencies require media vendors to prove their performance. Why shouldn’t clients require the same from their agencies?
Nielsen’s new software is just another step in the ongoing evolution of the industry.
Jeff Louis has over ten years of brand-building, media strategy, and new business experience. His passion is writing, while his strong suit seems to be sarcasm. You can follow Jeff on Twitter or become a fan on Examiner.com.
I have been applying to various agencies, consulting firms, digital design houses, and the like, and one of the so-called Human Resources’ policies has moved on my “corporate irritation scale” from irk’d off to pissed off. For the sake of this writing, I include only the personnel departments at advertising, marketing, online agencies, vendors, and companies as the places I’ve been focusing upon.
When did it become standard for HR Departments to determine they need not respond to applicants? Doesn’t this seem a bit counterproductive, especially at a time when companies are refocusing their entire efforts on personalizing relationships, speaking to their audiences on a one-to-one basis?
During the past year, many professionals have been let go, from C-level executives on down. Thus, there’s been a glut of qualified pros searching. As a professional, when I fill out an application and submit my résumé (usually using Taleo or some other third-party vendor), a cover letter, and samples in a nice package, it’s indicative I either know your company well and am an “enthusiast,” or I’ve researched it enough to realize there’s strong potential for both parties to match on various levels, creating a win-win situation.
Thus, I submit what’s required when I apply at XYZ. Not two seconds later, I receive an e-mail stating that after review, if my qualifications are a match, I may hear from someone. Otherwise, due to the volume of applicants, I will not hear another word. First off, this is not only rude, but belittling. I have 11 years experience, and if I qualify, you may contact me? I cut my chops. I have respected your requests, filled out your paper in addition to submitting my own, and you “may” get back to me? It’s at this point I regret applying, job or no job.
A week passes.
I call the office switchboard. I’m dumped into the HR general voicemail. No once calls back. Knowing I already have no contacts within the organization, I try to figure out if there is another way to get past the wall of silence. I begin to dial the main number with a ploy to speak to the Marketing VP I just looked up on LinkedIn.
While waiting, I wonder what’s transpired. Is the job closed? How many applicants applied? Are they still accepting applications? Was my résumé submitted correctly? Was there something that screamed out I was wrong for the position? Did I make it to the final first cut, only to be weeded out due to my salary requirements?
I leave a voicemail for the VP. After a couple weeks without contact, I make a note on my spreadsheet that no one ever responded and move on to another opportunity.
Social media
Surprisingly, I see a lot of HR people using social media, especially on LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogs. To me, this states that HR departments are versed in basic social-media tenets:
- Listen.
- Ask questions.
- Listen some more.
- Initiate on-to-one communication.
HR departments use social media to recruit. Why then is it so difficult to get anyone to respond? Why do I have to call the VP of Marketing to get a response, knowing at this point my job hopes have just been shot down?
HR peeps I know say it’s due to the massive amount of résumés they receive, and they’re too busy.I have to say this is a cop out.
Everyone is busy, everyone does more with less, and times are tense. However, most people at a business (with one exception) cannot risk ignoring anyone who contacts them, especially in an industry as fickle as this one.
As HR is capable of using social media for recruiting, then why not use social media to keep job posts updated?
It’s efficient, simple, and effective. Set up a blog page with job updates. Send out Twitter updates that a position’s been filled. Write a Facebook App that will cross-reference a job number with a status update. Have a prerecorded job line that applicants can call to learn of any updates.
Problem Solved.
Jeff Louis: Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger, and aspiring writer. Please leave a comment or follow him on Twitter. As always, thanks for reading.
Sometimes the past is fulfilled with wonderful memories of friends, music, good times and lots of laughter. Or, the past should remain exactly where it is, especially when remembering how you dressed, your bodily piercings, and that mullet with the spiked top that would never go out of style. If you remember the mullet, do you recall these lyrics?
Buying bread from a man in Brussels He was six foot four and full of muscles I said, “Do you speak-a my language?” He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich”
By: Men At Work, “A Land Down Under
What in the heck is Vegemite, anyway? Until writing this post, I didn’t know, nor care. Then I found out that Vegemite is actually produced by Kraft Foods, and that Kraft has developed a new Vegemite formula and has rolled it out in Australia…
My first thought: “Would this be the next huge marketing FAIL, akin to the New Coke Formula back in 1985?”
Knowing absolutely nothing about the product, I had to do some research. What is Vegemite?
Vegemite is similar to the British product Marmite, which is a tacky paste, brown in color, with a salty “beef broth” or “meaty-like taste.” Marmite is usually spread on toast or biscuits but can also be mixed with hot water to make a drink. Marmite is made out of yeast extract saved after the beer brewing process. During World War I, the flow of Marmite to Australia was interrupted and an Australian cheese company, Fred Walker & Co., commissioned an Aussie scientist to come up with similar replacement.
Vegemite was introduced with great fanfare (including a national naming contest) in 1923. The naming campaign was a big success; the product flopped. Despite various marketing efforts, Vegemite sales remained poor. Kraft purchased Walker & Co. in 1926 (forming the Kraft Walker Cheese Company) and in 1928, changed the name to Parmite, which killed Vegemite’s tiny though hard-won market share. Vegemite never recovered.
So, with plenty of Vegemite on-hand, the Kraft Walker Cheese Company started giving it away with Pontiac automobiles and cheese products. Sales responded positively; then, the British medical association proclaimed that Vegemite was a great source of Vitamin B. Sales increased more. By World War II, Vegemite was in 9 of 10 Australian homes, had become part of a soldier’s daily ration kit, and was even carried by Aussie’s traveling abroad due to lack of availability in other countries. Today, Vegemite is one of the most well-known global brands and outsells Marmite in Australia by huge margins.
Kraft tried to extend the brand with a cheese and Vegemite “single,” but failed. However, marketing contests, such as limerick and song competitions, boosted sales. Then, following the war, the baby boom hit and Kraft jumped on Vegemite’s Vitamin B content for infants;
“…baby care expert Sister Mc Donald, said in the Women’s Weekly that “Vegemite is most essential”, further cementing Vegemite’s reputation for nutrition and wholesomeness. Infant Welfare Centres were recommending babies have their quota of Vitamin B1, B2 and Niacin. Vegemite had them all!”
By the 1950’s, Vegemite was to Australia what apple pie is to America, aided in part by consumer-oriented campaigns initiated by J.Walter Thompson.
On July 7, 2009, Kraft released a ’second’ Vegemite. The new Vegemite is a mix of Vegemite and cream cheese, is less salty, spreads much easier, and supposedly tastes better. To coincide with the release of the new recipe, Kraft is running a competition to give the new flavor a name, hearkening back to the competitions that worked 50 years ago. Kraft recently launched a comprehensive marketing campaign to name the new Vegemite, drawing on the successes of past campaigns that involved the public.
In fact, the new campaign mixes both traditional and Social Media, including an interactive website that includes fun facts, the naming contests, and the history of Vegemite. The new Vegemite can be found on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Below is the one of several commercials. This one has been extended to be 48-seconds long:
And, just as in the early days, J. Walter Thompson was chosen for creative expertise. While some wait to see if this brand extension will be a coup or a pile of crap, early research shows that Vegemite has more brand affinity than Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Nike (globally);
The research analysed 1.5 billion posts across 38 languages within social networking sites, blogs, message boards, and online news. The results discovered 479,206 mentions for Vegemite, with brand affinity found more often than any other product globally.
If this was an election, the early results would show that the new Vegemite is a serious contender; however, all the votes haven’t been cast. Based on my research, I believe that the new Vegemite will most certainly take space in Australian kitchens.
Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger and aspiring writer. To contact Jeff, leave a comment here, or find him on LinkedIn or Twitter.
If you spend much time watching TV, you’ve probably heard of Justin Case. Who is he, you ask? Aside from being the handsome, floppy-haired spokesman for Safe Auto Insurance, here’s what we know about him:
Justin Case, the eponymous spokesman created by Columbus-based agency Paul Werth Associates, is also known as Chicago-based actor Tim McCarthy. The character, loosely based on Jim from “The Office” and featured in TV commercials, print, and multimedia, is known to Safe Auto consumers. In fact, three out of four consumers surveyed think he’s a real Safe Auto employee. According to Justin’s Facebook fan page, some consumers believe they’ve spoken to Justin on the phone before.
So what’s next for Justin Case? Apparently, a love interest. Sources at Paul Werth say to look for Katie to make an appearance in a future campaign. Sounds like a match made in auto insurance heaven.
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.
Did you hear the one about the 15-year-old who decided to run his own study on the media consumption patterns of teenagers? It’s quite the research… er… story… lesson.
Ben Kellogg of Group SJR forwarded me the article after we had spoken about an entirely unrelated subject. To be quite honest, I didn’t jump right on it… my laptop had died, losing files, email contacts, and programs. I just kept resetting the email reminder. Until today.
Matthew Robson, a 15-year-old intern working for Morgan Stanley, conducted a media study called “How Teenagers Consume Media.” The conclusions caused a bit of an uproar, mainly because one teen does not represent all teens. Yet, it could also be said that the overall observations coincide with many teen media habits. The teens I know, for instance, would rather be online than in front of a television. Either that or doing both… watching TV and surfing the Web, interspersed with texting. Although there is absolutely no statistical backing for a survey of one, we can draw some general inferences from Robson’s writing.
General conclusions for the study include:
*According to the graph below from Sysomos, teens comprise 30% of Twitter users:
This is directly in contrast with Robson’s assessment.
But hey, he is 15 years-old, and while he may be intelligent, his judgment is missing the crucial benefit of time. However, Morgan Stanley should not be lacking in the judgment column… or, in retrospect, maybe that’s exactly what they are missing…
Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, Writer & Blogger. Unlike the all the other blog writers for Talent Zoo, Jeff is cute and nice. Tweet him @jlo0312. Just kidding about the nice part.
After Cannes and all the recognition many commercials and agencies have received, I feel it’s only fair to nominate five commercials that are on the other side of the spectrum. Usually, I like to write about advertising commercials or campaigns that are noteworthy, but lately, there seems to be a lack of stellar campaigns (besides the few I’ve outlined in past postings and, of course, at Cannes).
Due to this lack of creative advertising commercials, and the plethora of horribly bad ones, I managed to poll a few people about which ones make them want to change the channel the most. Here’s a list of the top five.
5. Five Dollar Footlong, Subway
Although the business concept of a $5 bargain meal is great and has caused numerous other restaurants to follow suit, the commercials are becoming annoying and missing creativity. Having different “customers” sing the theme song makes it seem as if this ad agency was procrastinating and threw this together at the last moment. Does it make me want a sandwich? No, it makes me wish I have TiVo to fast forward through it.
4. Volcano Taco Wedding, Taco Bell
First, as a woman, this commercial makes me so angry. If groomsmen showed up to my wedding sweating profusely, I would hurt someone. But, back to the point, I understand it’s a hot and spicy taco, but is it necessary to overreact to the point where it’s ridiculously stupid?
3. Toasty Torpedo, Quiznos
In the words of a fellow YouTuber, ”What was Quiznos thinking?” This commercial is beyond racy. I’m sure everyone agrees with me when I say, “Enough with the sexy sandwich campaigns!” I’ve noticed that the commercial has since been changed to something more family-friendly, but that doesn’t mean we all don’t notice and realize Quiznos messed up. Even YouTube has a montage of Scott saying, “Put it in me.”
2. Somebody’s Watching Me, GEICO
The pile of money with eyes is driving me nuts. The song alone will be stuck in your head for days. I do have to say that I absolutely love the commercials for Geico with Flo, but a pile of money that follows people across the country chasing after cars? *click* Change channel.
Drumroll please… and the worst commercial goes to –
1. The Young and the Wireless, Verizon Wireless
This one doesn’t really need an explanation. My friend said it best when she said, “Who was the executive that approved those commercials?” Not only is this commercial void of being catchy and interesting, a two year-old could have come up with something more creative.
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.
I am loving the porno wars fast food company’s have introduced into our advertising. While only a few have been spotted here in our U.S. of A, international Advertising is running ramped with the integration of food and sex.
I’m not offended — as a woman, a professional, and an advertiser. In fact, I am completely digging this. When times get desperate, living organisms seek whatever means necessary to survive. Just take a look at any of the popular “survival” shows. So, why should advertising be the exception. Hasn’t advertising always been the medium to push the envelope, to blur the line or whatever cliché you want to insert. It has. I say: “Jolly good fun!”
Starting from the Quizno’s Marlboro inspired sandwich all the way to the “put it in me” line from… wait, that’s Quizno’s too! Wow. Nothing like Subway’s major competitor to recommend sex and smoking as they compete against Jared followers. That, of course, is probably all he needed: to get laid and have a smoke (the century-old diet plan). Quizno’s isn’t the only company targeting raging hormones, as Hardee’s are Carls Jr. are also contributing more than their share of sex to advertising.
We’re so desperate to hold on to the growing competition in market share, that soon, we’re just going to show completely nude women sitting with a foot-long Subway sandwich between her legs offering a “quick and cheap” lunch option “any way you want it.”
In case you’ve missed the latest release, Burger King has decided to step up its game in the fast food wars. Since they’ve completely lost the family market to McDonald’s, they just figured they would go the completely opposite route and appeal to the sex starved males. That’s a BIG market, and why not capitalize on it? I think it’s smart of BK to restructure their targeting because they’ve truly been fighting a losing battle for a long time. You can’t beat McDonald’s. You just can’t. Let them have their family. Eventually, these kids are going to grow up and become sex starved teens and young adults, which is exactly whom The King is targeting!
Rena Prizant is a Copywriter, Ad Creative and mammal in the Chicago area, professionally word playing since 2002. Rena writes smart, engaging, dynamic copy for a broad range of mediums and industries; and loves helping start-up’s get their branding feet. Visit www.RenaPrizant.com or Twitter WriteLeft.
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Rena Prizant is a Copywriter, Ad Creative and mammal in the Chicago area, professionally word playing since 2002. Rena writes smart, engaging, dynamic copy for a broad range of mediums and industries; and loves helping start-up’s get their branding feet. Visit www.RenaPrizant.com or Twitter WriteLeft.
“Well,” he said, ” at least the economy looks to be turning around.” I nearly spit up…luckily the cat was still asleep. What? Who was this guy? Ahh-just another analyst on late night TV. One of the ones that don’t make it to Evening News. Credible at times, totally off-kilter at others. Think “Ross Perot.” The economy is in such a state that when the market closes “up” at any point during the week, it’s breaking news. “We’re sorry to interrupt this program, but the Dow has just closed at it’s highest point this week, and the S&P shows signs of breaking even. Tune in to Channel 6 News tonight to hear about this exciting historic development.”
Unfortunately, with the economy, or lack thereof, many advertisers have been forced to reduce their spending, which means only one thing: More Informercials.
But wait! There’s More! If you act now, you can catch the Discovery Channel’s reality show about infomercials!. It’s called Pitchmen, and stars none other than Bill Mays. I watched it for the longest half hour of my life the other night, and two weeks later saw the product that was featured on the reality show in an infomercial. In fact, I wonder if they run infomercials during the reality show about infomercials. It would make sense…but we would have to change the show type from reality to surreality. Pitchmen would not the sole surreality member; Date My Mom, Rock of Love and Shot at Love with Tila Tequila would fit in the category as well.
If you have not seen or heard about the benefits of a ShamWow or a Snuggy yet, stay up past 10 pm and you will. These two spots are on so much that they should be put up for a People’s Choice Award.
You’ve probably heard this before, but let just in case: Everything seen on TV…even the news…is not the whole truht. Some things are fit for consumption, others are not. Take ShamWow and Snuggy: First, the ShamWow is a damn sham(e); if you’ve ever watched the spot, you’ll know what I mean. And in surreality, the spokesman for the ShamWow.
It seems that the intrepid host for the magical cloth was jailed for punching out a hooker when she bit his tongue, causing it to bleed profusely.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the Snuggy, according to The Consumerist, has been found to be guilty of coming apart in the wash!
But wait! There’s More!
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.
There’s probably not a day in our lives for the last five years that we have not come in to contact with Google in some way or another; a very charismatic and sticky brand, here is where we daily find Google: from trade pubs (IT, Advertising, and Marketing) to our home and work computers, Google has become a brand that has become a staple of our day to day online interactions. There are, of course, purists out there that use other search engines simply because they are not Google…but they are few and far between.
Google excels in bringing brand extensions to the user…thus, they are able to capture non-search users with Google Reader (an RSS Feed plugin). They never stop innovating, which is most likely the reason for their success. Some of the company’s newer products include Google Health, Google Finance, Google Labs (very cool), Google Blogs, and even a program for purchasing TV advertising nationally using the AdWords utility. And recently released, there is Google Chrome.
Google Chrome is the company’s answer to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Compared head-to-head with IE8, my choice would be Chrome. It’s super fast, does not use a ton of memory, “hangs” infrequently, and is extremely simple to use. It does have drawbacks: no zoom, no status bars, and managing bookmarks is a challenge. Other than that, I dig it. I also have IE8, which has a ton of features, but thus it’s never really worked correctly…
But the real reason that Google Chrome is in the headlines is for another reason entirely: Google Chrome has the honor of being the first Google product to be advertised on television (although search has made “appearances” in other advertiser’s spots).
Touted as an experiment, Google states that they will use the Google TV Ads system, which includes cable systems and networks that allow Google to sell some of their inventory. Echostar’s Dish Network and NBC Universal cable networks like CNBC, Sleuth and Chiller are some of their available networks. The entire endeavor will be low cost.
Google started a marketing campaign for Chrome last month in which it commissioned 11 videos from small creative firms that were initially posted and promoted on YouTube. Recently, Google started placing those videos on websites through ad buys, including an expandable ad on the front page of the New York Times’ website.
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: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.
Truth in advertising is, by some, considered an oxymoron. Like “deafening silence” or “clean coal.” Yet, each day commercials run that make outrageous claims, but nothing seems to be done about them. For instance, the ShamWow; the announcer pours a can of cola out on the table in a big pool. The camera cuts to the announcer as he asks, “Are you catching this camera-guy?” The scene cuts back to the table and half of the mess is mysteriously missing.
The government agency in charge of false advertising is the Federal Trade Commission, and there are several pages on their website dedicated on spelling out what are, and are not, deceptive practices :
Under the Federal Trade Commission Act:
- Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive;
- Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and
- Advertisements cannot be unfair.
What makes an advertisement deceptive?
According to the FTC’s Deception Policy Statement, an ad is deceptive if it contains a statement – or omits information – that:
- Is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances; and
- Is “material” – that is, important to a consumer’s decision to buy or use the product.
The FTC is also concerned with the roles that celebrity spokespeople play in selling products, and has instituted changes to “Tuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” If a false claim is made by a celebrity, the FTC will hold the advertiser responsible for the misleading claim, but also expert and celebrity endorsers. 
Additionally, celebs cannot state that they love bacon and have it everyday for breakfast when they’ve never eaten bacon, nor would consider it as food. The same is true for the “magical time” continuum on TV: there has to be a reasonable semblance to the the truth. If Joe’s Bleach states that a stain will be lifted in thirty minutes, the trials have to be relatively close to this timeframe (ie, it can’t take a day). Celebrities will also be liable for what they do not say; if a professional baseball player shows up on a talk show and plugs a product, he has to state that he is a paid sponsor for the product.
With the proliferation of commercials on TV, it’s apparent that the FTC cannot enforce these statutes; however, Kellogg’s Cereal recently settled out of court due to claims that Frosted Mini Wheats boosted a child’s attention span by 20 percent versus children that did not eat breakfast at all.
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: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312..
Did you receive Current’s RFP? The cable network is in search of an agency to “…formulate a brand/ad strategy that communicates who Current is through compelling, inspiring, and even controversial advertising.” Sounds like a client that would be great for your roster, right? One that would challenge the creative department’s expertise, and possibly land your agency on the front page of Creativity.
The RFP wasn’t selective…it went out to everyone. It’s understandable that you could have been missed…things have been crazy, especially with most of your effort being spent on cost reductions and reviewing financials. You’ve made difficult decisions lately; downsizing, reducing benefits, cutting pension plans, ending bonus payouts, maybe even dumping the “not-so-free” coffee service. Decisions affecting real people, a responsibility greater than many could bear. The only solace: you’re not alone.
However, it’s never good policy to miss out on new business opportunities. If you missed the RFP, read on.
Once upon a time, broadcast television experienced explosive growth; it began at the close of WW II and roughly ended around 1960, with eighty-five percent of U.S. households owning a television set (a 500% growth rate). Decades later, the Internet did the same thing, at a faster rate and in much higher revenues. In hindsight, we wonder, “how could anyone have missed these opportunities?” Yet, some did. The chart, below, compares the first fourteen years of ad revenue growth for TV (blue), Cable (red), and Online (green):
It’s happening again with Social Media (SM), a tsunami that grows daily…(let us pause to let the information sink in). Every day Social Media reinvents itself, converting commonplace consumers into informed users. Exponentially. It’s mashable, interlacing various user “platforms” (Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc.) together, allowing users to choose one platform and also access all of the others. If you’re so inclined, you can even download a new desktop that will integrate all SM for you. SM is not comprised of stand-alone applications, and if you consider SM as a media tactic, you’re on the wrong track.
Wake up! Your agency is out of alignment: your strategy’s obsolete if it doesn’t capitalize on Social Media opportunities. Scrap the current strategy–even if it’s working. Meet with your staff. You may not be “in the know,” but your employees use SM on a daily basis. Use these resources to determine your SM strategy. Start a Twitter profile. Add your company profile to LinkedIn and Facebook. Begin an agency blog. Ensure your website has an RSS feed. Become content-oriented. If your specialty is automobiles and healthcare, tell the world how to weather the storm. Show them how to succeed. Invite them to contact you. Become the “go-to” for information regarding your agency’s strengths. Connect with your current clients…it is your singular purpose. Once you’ve engaged them, reach out and captivate new ones. In a meeting last week concerning the fall of newspaper, Google CEO Last week, Google’s CEO told the newspaper industry: Innovate to survive.
Today, I’m telling you: Be bold. Do great things.
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.
Mexico, offended by this Burger King Whopper spot (click on Read More), cites that the world community is given “a bad impression” of the country. The spot, which ran in Spain and Europe, has been pulled by Burger King Corporation, who obviously didn’t get it “Their Way.” Mexico believes the spot portrays Americans as superior to Mexicans, and took exception to, “The taste of Texas with a little spicy Mexican,”
The newspaper La Jornada ran a front-page story under the headline “Denigrating advertising,” and said the ads “show Mexicans as notably inferior to all Americans.”
But an editorial cartoon in another Mexican newspaper, Reforma, showed a short Mexican dressed in a wrestler’s mask holding a hamburger, with the caption “The only thing more insulting than deceptive ads are the ones that expose the truth.” Both professional wrestling and fast food are popular in Mexico.
Mexico, to no one’s surprise, has much to worry about these days. The Mexican government risks collapse at any moment, the country is flat broke, and her people are leaving in record numbers. Not to mention that there were
So, it’s a good thing Mexico’s watching out for their REP; otherwise, we might get the wrong impression…
Jeff Louis is an professional 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.
Most of us have vices, those haunting addictions or habits that are unhealthy, uncool, unapproved, against the law, or absurdly annoying. From eating too much red meat to knuckle-cracking, there is something you do that is bad for you. For me, it’s waking up, but I’m trying to stop.
We have habits that offend others, those that offend our bodies, and some that do both. The poster-child for the “both” category has got to be smoking. Not only is it terrible for you, it’s terrible for others, and in many places, against the law. Efforts to get people to stop smoking have ranged from protests and ad campaigns to changing laws and levying huge tax increases.
Personally, I could care a less if you smoke–unless you mean something to me–which most of you don’t. However, if you are a smoker and want to quit, there is a new spot out of Australia that might be able to help. Unfortunately, it has become controversial, aka “offensive,” so use it while you can. Truly powerful television.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
