CLICK HERE TO PLAY By now you’ve surely seen the Snickers spot starring Betty White—which earned a knockout victory in the Ad Meter rankings for this year’s Super Bowl ads. And which spawned the Facebook love-fest that ultimately led to Betty hosting Saturday Night Live. Needless to say, it was a great spot—both for Betty … Read More
Communications
Team Spirit? Brand Loyalty!
Last year my cousin Suzelle emailed me a snapshot from the apartment she owns in Paris — along with a friendly, “You should come visit sometime.” Oops. So yes, this past July, the Birmingham Harebillies loaded up the truck and were there in Gay-Paree (that’s Paris, y’all) when The Tour de France rolled into town. … Read More
And How Does This Relate To Social Media?
I was just about to leave a Birmingham Venture Club event the other evening when I stepped into a conversation with Josh Watkins (an attorney at Feld Hyde) and Brian Cauble (an iPhone app developer with Appsolute Genius) on my way out the door. Both nice guys, to be sure. However, I am not a … Read More
Global Warming: Good Science, Bad Marketing.
Our fine young intern Josh Hedrick recently pointed me to a New York Times article entitled “Climate Fears Turn to Doubts Among Britons” (http://nyti.ms/cy02W1)—which asks, “If the scientific consensus on climate change has not changed, why have so many people turned away from the idea that human activity is warming the planet?” And while the … Read More
A Hard Day’s Night For Apple Loyalists.
Note: This column was originally posted on the B-Metro website July 15, a week after the column above, and a couple days after the iPhone 4 “dropped call” problem made headlines. Apparently, Apple Computer is bigger than Jesus. If that intro line made you mad, 1) It should, and 2) The line was a reference … Read More
What Were They Thinking? (Part Two)
Following-up on Monday’s entry (two posts down from this one), the topic is, once again, PR blunders. #2: THIS LITTLE PIGGIE WENT WEEWEEWEE ALL THE WAY TO COURT. The National Pork Board is threatening the makers of Canned Unicorn with a copyright infringement lawsuit. One would assume the Pork Board did not want this issue … Read More
Our First Ad For Baggett.
Baggett Transportation is a privately-owned trucking firm specializing in military equipment and munitions transport. For background, we interviewed several of their drivers. They consistently reported what a good company Baggett is to work with. And how proud they were to be serving the armed forces. Our ad is based entirely on our interview with the … Read More
What Were They Thinking? (Part One)
Our topic is PR blunders, and was inspired by two classic gaffes I discovered just today. NUMBER 1: THAT’S YOUR LAST SHRED OF CREDIBILITY SAILING AWAY. By now, you’ve surely heard that BP CEO Tony “I Want My Life Back” Hayward gloriously reclaimed some of his old life this past weekend by competing in a … Read More
RHETT&LINK: ADVERTISING’S COHEN BROTHERS
I miss T-Buff’s white suit, and his reassuring vow: “We will…approve your credit.” I miss Suzuki Man. I miss Jim Skinner’s quivering liver. Heck, I even miss Jim and Jimmy. Re-gard-less of what the tastemakers might say, not all “bad” advertising is bad. And today, nobody does Bad better than Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal—a … Read More
I Love This Ad For So Many Reasons.
I’m on a horse – – If you haven’t already seen the latest Old Spice body-wash ad, stop reading and click on this link immediately: http://bit.ly/smell-like-me First, I love the creative strategy: Don’t sell this product directly to men. Sell it to women—who make the majority of those purchasing decisions. Next, find a guy who’s … Read More