Go Daddy is the largest domain registrar. The company began in 1997, but didn’t become number one until 2005. Network Solutions had the title up until then. Part of their success is due to their advertising. Super Bowl ads to be exact. Call them cheesy, sexy, or any other name you want, they actually work. Go Daddy’s ads aren’t award show material (unless the award is money). These ads are clever because they mix direct marketing with branding, while leveraging the reach of mass media with the ease of interactive buying. Their TV ads are measurable! I’m personally not amused by the…
Ryanair, one of Europe’s leading low-cost carriers, is known for their deals. They make travel affordable for many students abroad. Sometime you can get flights for only $20 or $30. The airline recently got into some hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA banned their latest ads promoting a back to school fare. According to the guardian the ad was banned because “it could cause widespread offence because the image linked teenage girls with sexually provocative behaviour.” Ryanair will not pull the ad, claiming that the ASA is being “absurd” and practicing selective censorship. Have a look at…
Since this will likely be my last post prior to the Super Bowl, I wanted to share a list of links to articles talking about what big brands are planning to do in terms of their advertising during the big game.
Sounds like it’s going to be busy. If the…
It isn’t the first time one company used advertising to bash a competing brand. It’s not the first time one company sued another for doing so. However, Subway’s suit of Quizno’s is precedent setting for one very important reason. The ads in this particular campaign were generated by users. We call it UGC, or user-generated content.
The New York Times is saying that Subway “contends that the videos, which were posted at a site Quiznos had set up called meatnomeat.com, as well as on iFilm — contained ‘literally false statements’ and depicted Subway in a ‘disparaging manner’.”
The Times is asking one very…
Every envelope in my mail has a wish—to get me to open it. Bills have it made. I have to open those. Checks from publishers, in those little envelopes with a cellophane window boxing my name and address, get opened before I get back inside the door. Product offers are another story. They rarely get their wish fulfilled unless I’m interested in the solicitation from a purely clinical perspective. I do open direct mail pitches at times just to see how the project is composed, often getting ideas for the projects I work on. Getting the recipient to open that…
Justin Timberlake is back in the Super Bowl spotlight. The last time he made big game headlines was with Janet Jackson and the infamous wardrobe malfunction. This time he is featured in a Pepsi commercial. The NFL has to approve all ads that wish to air during the Super Bowl. It looks like all is forgiven. This ad has been played on the news, Youtube, and on blogs. I’m sure it will be one of the ads that makes it on the much hyped Firebrand list. The criteria for a good Super Bowl ads has changed. It’s about more than…
Joe Jaffe pointed out the very interesting results from BIGResearch’s 11th SIMM study that states that only about 5% of viewers actually watch commercials. Check out the chart below that shows the other activities that individuals are doing during the traditional 30 second spot.
Really though, is anyone surprised. The writing has been on the wall for a while on this one. I generally have my laptop with me when I do have the TV on and am either checking out RSS feeds or reading e-mail during the break, if I’m even in the room.
That’s one of the reasons I enjoy…
Seth Godin is one of my favorite business authors. He is creative, dynamic and truly passionate about his thoughts on marketing and communicating with customers. I’ve got most of his books and had the pleasure of seeing him speak about his book the Dip in Chicago last May. I’m about half way through his current book, Meatball Sundae. It’s an excellent read.
Here is a video that was produced by Nic Askew and discusses the idea of fundamentalists and curiosity as Mr. Godin sees it. It’s very interesting and is worth the five minutes required to watch.
Technorati Tags: Beneath the Brand,Jamey Shiels,Seth Godin,Curiosity,Thought Leaders,Innovators,Sneezers
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Circuit City was once the biggest retailer of electronics. So what happened?
Best Buy quietly came into the picture in the 1980’s and began to change the game. In 1989 Best Buy introduced the “grab-and-go” store format, making it quicker for people who knew what they wanted. Then they eliminated sales rep commissions, creating a low pressure sales floor. Best Buy also earned consumer points when they aquired Geek Squad. They also sell private label electronics through the Insignia and Dynex brands. Best Buy made a name for themselves by redefining the consumer experience in the category. They built a better…
While on the road today I noticed a peculiar sign in front of a Burger King. The sign was a direct attack at McDonald’s (which was only a block away). McDonald’s wouldn’t do anything like this. They don’t have any reason to. Burger King on the other hand, has nothing to lose. It’s always interesting to see how competing brands go after the category leader. You can get more creative when you’re number 2. That got me thinking about the strategy behind this act of war.
If Burger King knew that McDonald’s had recently mailed coupons out, they are essentially stealing…
Crave pointed me toward a new report stating that China will be ramping up production of screens for use in vehicles. Not only will the size of the screens be increasing, but so will the number of screens in each vehicle.
There are several applications for screens in vehicles including navigation and entertainment systems. The question that came to my mind was this. How long before a vehicle manufacturer begins to use these in-vehicle screens to deliver marketing messages.
For example, GM is connected to your vehicle using OnStar. You’re traveling and decide to fire up a DVD for the kids. Why wouldn’t…
News is that a whole bunch of airlines - JetBlue, Alaska Air, American and Southwest - plan to experiment with inflight wifi. So, let me ask the obvious question, do you really want or need to connect while in the air?
Think about this before you answer in the affirmative. Unless you’re in business (or first) class, there’s precious little room on crowded flights to even work, especially when the jerk in front of you adjusts their seat to the full recline position.
Not only that, don’t you think it’s worthwhile to unplug from the darn computer for few hours? Sleep, read…
This guy is a freakin’ genius. He’s showing ways to user the Wii infrared technology to develop your own multi-point touch and head tracking tools. I’m a huge fan of the Wii and the way they’ve utilized technology to engage a completely new gaming audience. I also think this will cause a rush of technologies that utilize this type of interaction. My question is to marketers and how they can use this technology. Custom games? Touch interaction with brand communication? How long before somebody hires this guy to develop the next interactive game.
The video below is particularly cool and…
You’re familiar with Firebrand, the “all commercials, all the time” product online and on TV every night on the ION television network.
Well, marketing executive and blogger friend, Chris Abraham, has Firebrand as a client. He asked me to consider blogging about something called the Road to Firebrand Monday, which Firebrand is doing in preparation for the holiest day for advertising of them all, Super Bowl Sunday. Anyway, I’m always happy to oblige a friend, especially a fellow blogger.
What is Firebrand Monday?
It’s FB’s first national holiday campaign, and is a multi-million dollar media buy which will include spots on cable networks like…
I hear the Super Bowl is on this Sunday. *Yawn* One fine day, when my beloved Saints make it to the big game, I’ll be interested. Until then, I’m watching it for the commercials. And I’m not going to be the only one, thanks to a burgeoning social network propogated by media research group Nielsen, called Hey Nielsen.
“When the New England Patriots and the New York Giants take the field, tens of thousands of online users will take to their computer screens to rate the TV commercials running during the coverage of the game,” says MediaPost.
That’s what Hey Nielson…
Lego blocks turned 50 today. The company has been around a while longer than that, but today is the 50th anniversary of the patent of the block toys. The toys themselves are timeless but I think that Lego has done a good job of staying engaged with new generations. They’ve made the choice to have branded sets and video games that extend their brand into other opportunities with new audiences. They’ve made an effort to take a simple toy line and continue to be relevant as times change.
My daughter is a big fan of the Lego Star Wars series for Xbox.…
The 18-29 has continued to be a highly targeted segment for most companies but I am not sure if enough marketers are taking a close look at what Barack Obama has done that has brought him such wild support among that segment.
This political season is giving us many case studies that can apply to business and while I don’t want to only focus on the Obama campaign, his recent victory in South Carolina is cause to study his brand and his message that allows him to reach this segment in a way that most brands can only dream of. (For…
On Saturday, Jacksonville, Florida, hosted a remarkable event. The Australia Day Challenge, part of the G’DAY USA celebration in the U.S., pitted two world super league teams against each other in a rugby league match. The Leeds Rhinos beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 26-24. Just prior to this first-ever-on-American soil event, announcements came forth, overlooked by mainstream media. The executive chairman of the Rugby Football League, Richard Lewis, planned to attend the match along with about 12,000 other people. Lewis was scoping out Jax as a possibility for the World Cup Challenge, an annual event pitting the Australian National Rugby League…
Remember when TIME named you person of the year? Advertising Age also selected you as the agency of the year. You even made several Super Bowl ads. Everyone was blogging about your ads months before the big game. You had more PR than you knew what to do with. It was a great time for you. Then you got cocky. You thought you were in control and you made some silly mistakes. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything out of character. Bad management is to blame. Too many brands jumped on the social media band wagon without an exit…
Qtrax is a free and legal peer-to-peer music service with a catch. The ad supported proprietary software allows users to download music onto their own computers. The files are formatted and stored in a way that makes it difficult to copy. Streaming banner ads move across the screen as users listen. Qtrax is legal because 66% of the ad revenue goes to the major labels. Qtrax is having some last minute contract issues with Warner Music, which they hope to resolve soon.
Ad supported music? Nice try. There are already some good services out there. It is a step in the right…
