I rarely pay attention to commercials about taxes. The very word taxes tenses my jaw just as it does many others who are self-employed. But a new H&R Block commercial featuring Willie Nelson actually made me smile. For one thing, it puts a celeb in the scariest spot you can be in as far as money goes—there’s been a big mistake and Nelson owes lots more money to Uncle Sam’s collectors. When he agrees to do a commercial for shaving cream, after dissing the idea at first, the fun begins. There’s a lot packed into this 31 second spot. Nelson comes off as…
The Academy Awards only received 32 million viewers this year, which may not sound that bad until you consider it’s the lowest number since Neilsen began compiling data on the show.
The reasons? Let’s see, could it be that this year’s Oscars were about as lackluster as they come. All the glitterati were on their best behavior. No political rants like those of Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins or Richard Gere. (Well, maybe one, but it was tame.) No truly inspiring acceptance speeches like that of Mickey Rooney from the ‘82 Oscars. No nothing. It just lay flat with nothing to intrigue, inspire or enrage…
MediaPost Search Insider blogger Gordon Hotchkiss asks the question, “What will it take to break the Google habit?” While I realize that Yahoo!, Ask and Microsoft would love for us to do so, I can’t imagine ever not using Google for all my search activity. Can you? Hands up, anyone out there using Yahoo! for your search? If so, mind telling me why?
On a related note, Canadians are finally getting on the Google bandwagon. In January, traffic from the frozen north (which, for me is anywhere north of Kentucky) to Google finally surpassed that of traffic to Microsoft by a…
We marketers have traditionally taken a mass media approach for many campaigns and the internet has forced us and our companies/clients to begin to change their approach - as can be seen by the growing online spending budgets and declining print budgets.
The consumers’ slow shift away from mass media to micro media - I say slow because television viewership is still high and people still read the newspapers - has not only affected marketing products and services, but also product development itself.
I previously worked for one of the largest financial institutions in Jamaica and was a member of the marketing…
Classmates.com was one of the first ever social networks. Founded in the early days of the Internet, 1995, it was ahead of its time. However, it’s business model of requiring members to pay for use, is badly outdated given the current landscape of free-use socnets like Facebook and MySpace.
Apparently, the old dog can still hunt, according to its chairman Mark Goldston. Speaking Wednesday at the Jeffries 4th Annual Internet Conference, Goldston said Classmates had signed up one million new paid subscribers in 2007, equal to three years worth of previous paid membership growth. He also noted that “fourth-quarter sales for Classmates had increased 27%…
Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel have developed a fun little feud that feeds off of the ongoing joke the Kimmel has about asking Matt Damon to be a guest on the show and then bumping him at the end of each show. It’s a fun little thing that has taken on a whole new life with these videos that each has developed.
The video below is a Jimmy’s response to Sarah’s video. These videos are making the rounds on YouTube and other video sites. It’s interesting to see Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and other celebrities willing to play around and be part…
With a user base of 500 million according to Wired, Yahoo should see its new Buzz product grow in popularity much like Digg. Yahoo Buzz, currently in beta, aims to let users choose (“buzz up”) the stories they like; top ranked stories may make the front page.
I spent some time at Yahoo Buzz this morning, and my first reaction was positive. I like the layout much more than I like the layout at Digg. There’s a heavy emphasis on global news and entertainment, and the stories are headlined in a less subjective way. Digg is heavy on politics, and that can get…
Google is getting fewer clicks in the US according Internet measuring company ComScore. These results can be misleading because clicks are not an accurate measure of success. Measuring clicks is like measuring the total number of items sold without considering the price. One person could sell 100 items at $2 dollars per piece while another could sell 50 items at $12. What really matters is the quality of clicks. Google is constantly improving targeting methods and they work around the clock to reduce click fraud. Part of the small decrease could be attributed to a reduction in click fraud. Fewer…
In college, I worked part-time in a few coffee bars. Believe me when I tell you that some people really need their coffee in the morning ;) Some of our regular customers never spoke, they’d just point and grunt when you asked what they wanted.
So it shocked me a little to read on cnn.com that Starbucks was closing all of their stores today for three hours, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm local time. Granted that isn’t really rush hour for coffee, but all Starbucks employees would be busy then receiving training in the Art of Espresso.
While I applaud Starbucks and their new initiative to turn their brand…
I saw this spot the other day and was instantly creeped out. This scene from Misery was one of the shockers of the film and it almost scares me into signing up for Direct TV. Now, I get the idea of using a recognizable scene from a movie, but I’m not sure how much this has to do with the overall brand message of Direct TV. If the attempt is to be memorable, then it works for me.
compliments of adrants
CarMax redefined the entire used car category by focusing on the buyer experience, but the buyer experience has come a long way since they started in 1993. More and more people are searching online for their next car. I’ve bought cars on Ebay and Craigslist, but there are many other places to purchase a vehicle online. How can CarMax compete digitally when they don’t even sell cars on the web?
Ann Yauger, Director of carmax.com had to answer that question personally. We had a chance to hear Ann Yauger and Andrew Miller, former Assistant Web Marketing Manager at CarMax explain some of…
I was at the 7-11 yesterday looking for some refreshment and came across Tiger! Gatorade worked out a 5 year 100 million dollar deal with the golf superstar who rejected a Vitamin Water offer of a mere $75M. The sports drink features an image of Tiger Woods in a triumphant pose. I bought the drink because I was thirsty, it was different, and I liked the color green. The Tiger name does have equity but that’s hardly a reason to buy a drink. It was a new Gatorade first and foremost and I am always willing to try their new…
I was amazed last week when I was able to watch, minutes after it happened, the U.S. Government shoot down a spy satellite. There was general news media coverage, but I think that it’s of particular interest to see the user content and information that was posted on the Internet following the event.
Technology and consumer generated content are commonplace and growing. Consumer journalism is growing in respect as a trusted source of information. As a brand, are you willing to make information available so that your devoted users can report on your news and activities? It’s an amazing opportunity…
Every corporation protects its brand with the fervor a parent gives a child. But there’s a scene in the movie American Gangster that speaks to the essence of branding. The scene is a great one for teaching or learning.
Denzell Washington plays Frank Lucas, making the legendary drug-dealing titan of Harlem sort of an anti-hero. We see Lucas murder people—there’s a dispute whether he really gunned down people in real life—but we come to admire this guy. He sees an opportunity when gang boss Bumpy Johnson dies, and Lucas comes to realize history and economics are on his side. He sets…
The Mac vs. PC ads developed by Apple have been well received by consumers and are morphing into a variety of consumer generated spots. It’s an interesting case study of how a brand communication is taken over by the audience.
Here’s a funny spot where Mac vs. PC is done over South Park style. Is the motivation for a consumer generated spot based on affinity or disgust for a brand? More importantly, are brands willing to put their message out their in a fashion that encourages end users to manipulate or even reinvent the idea? I don’t think many brands…
I came across this compilation of IKEA ads via Gavin and David. The video covers three IKEA ads. The spots are good for a laugh and don’t plug the brand until the tag at the end. It’s a nice approach to grabbing an audience with a little story and then providing a resolution via the brand.
If you’ve read Chip Kidd’s novels, you may have asked yourself a question I’ve asked myself—why didn’t I think of that? Kidd’s second book The Learners has just come out, and he brings back the main character from his first novel, Happy, for a journey through life after college. The world of advertising is the backdrop for a story about advertising and a larger story about life. The new book cover done in red, white and black makes a poetic statement about the plot. Happy is working on a newspaper ad, and that ad serves as a springboard and a tool to advance…
What actress doesn’t want to morph her brand into a legend? Lindsay Lohan gives it a dedicated try, with help from photographer Bert Stern and New York magazine. Unfortunately, Lohan is trying to morph into an epic Hollywood legend by re-enacting Marilyn Monroe’s last photo shoot with Stern. “The Last Sitting” in the irreverent glossy’s pages is basically an embarrassing failure for Lohan if you’re a Monroe fan.
The real Marilyn had vulnerability, with eyes that invited the viewer into her persona. Lohan has no vulnerability in the photos; she verges on brittle. Her eyes are focused in a self-absorbed manner.…
Despite a panoply of rules and regulations governing the activity, participants (both athletes and officials) will be allowed to blog at this year’s summer Olympics in Beijing.
In its guidelines the IOC said:
The Blogger’s Blog contains a list of even further restrictions. Of course, there is much concern over whether China’s restriction on Internet access for its citizens will be extended to the Olympians.
Even…
Online Media Daily points us to recent studies by Forrester, Avenue A | Razorfish and eMarketer showing the value online shoppers place on user reviews. One of the studies points out that 68% of online shoppers check at least four reviews before making an purchase.
As far as consumer generated content goes, this may be the most practical and widespread occurrence. The question then becomes, if you’re an online retailer, are you asking for reviews? Are you leveraging this form of consumer generated content to improve your sales? If you’re getting negative reviews, are you using this information to improve your product?
People want…
