A Marketing Mokuso

MGD 64

2008-01-18T08:36:00.000-06:00

Recently SABMiller announced a new brand of MGD that will only contain 64 calories per serving entitled "MGD 64". As an avid* beer drinker, I think this is yet another great move on the part of SABMiller. AdAge reports:

Miller Chief Marketing Officer Randy Ransom said MGD 64
would actually replace MGD Light in the marketplace, and would be aimed at
stealing women drinkers from rival brands such as Michelob Ultra, Bud Light and
Coors Light. "Basically, this is a new and improved Miller Genuine Draft Light,"
he said. "It has the lowest calories out there and still tastes like beer."

At 64 calories, the brand is the lowest-calorie mass-marketed domestic beer to date, although Beck's Premier Light, from Belgian beer giant InBev, also hit the 64-calorie level when it debuted in 2005.

Now where they are marketing is even more interesting:

As for marketing, there will also be a clear focus on placing ads
in and around health clubs, executives close to the situation said, noting that
the tagline used in the trial market, "As light as it gets," was well-received by women.

With the introduction of MGD 64 and the reports that SABMiller had a 7% boost in 3rd quarter sales, it's evident that SABMiller is making moves in the right direction. It is a shame however that the other move SABMiller plans on making will be westward.

*Avid as in I live in Milwaukee.

In the Tune of the NFL: "dun, dun, dun, da, dun, dun"

2007-08-31T16:46:00.000-05:00

Yes, I still am breathing. Wow, doesn't it seem as if:

My daily posts have become weekly.
My weekly posts have become monthly.
My monthly posts have become quarterly.

Well if you’re really jonesing for more, feel free to hit up a monthly newsletter that I’ve come across. It’s a great read and you’ll get your AMM fix.

On that note, I’m not just here to post about my procrastination. I’ve been given a hot tip by the supreme punster and thought I’d pass it on. As some of you may have heard, the NFL has announced the introduction of a new logo. Don’t be alarmed; it’s not a redesign! The launch is more of a much-needed enhancement. The logos (pictured below) show how they’ve just brought the look into the new millennium.

From a design standpoint, I truly applaud the move. As opposed to some other sporting logo debacles*, this one is smooth. There is a nice gradual change, sharpening some edges, and deepening some tones. I think the look is good and now the logo is more closely aligned with other up-to-date looks.

Well done NFL.

Simpsons Giving a Lesson in Integrated Marketing?

2007-07-26T17:19:00.000-05:00

Adotas' editor tells it like it is.

Don't forget to try the avatar creation...

An Evolution

2007-06-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

A Marketing Mokuso is proud to introduce a new company emerging in the Milwaukee market - SHAKEN creative. From what we've learned, the company offers a wide range of marketing services to small and mid-size companies. The company's home page boasts:

"SHAKEN creative is the beginning of a new-age in the creative agency industry. We're filling an evolving niche with innovative strategies, individual marketing solutions, and unprecedented service. Our goal at SHAKEN creative is to help small-to-mid size companies with their marketing needs."

You can visit their website by going to http://www.shakencreative.com/. There you can read about all of their services, retrieve contact information, and read a little bit more about the owners...

Direct Marketing Still Effective

2007-06-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

Recently the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) published a report claiming the effectiveness of direct marketing, especially in respects to branding campaigns. As we all know, the brand is by far the most important part of a company and if marketers prefer the direct marketing approach, then clearly they have a strong reasoning. The AMM has always been an advocate for direct marketing, especially considering the influx of e-mail and Internet marketing.

The Direct Marketing Association reports:

"Direct marketing’s scalability, measurability, and undeniable ROI has moved it to the forefront of all marketing, including branding," said Eugenia Steingold, PhD, DMA senior research manager and author of the new report, in a statement. "The findings of our latest report show that direct marketing tactics designed to increase consumer awareness and action are ubiquitous—from URLs on all marketing materials, to 800 numbers, to calls-to-action in TV, radio, and print ads—and across every other type of marketing media."

After reviewing the report, the DMA continues to ‘pound the accountability drum’ and that really holds true with direct marketing. As the report infers, direct marketing can create the path that the consumer must follow, be it an 800 number or a custom URL. All of these paths are then quantifiable which will record the effectiveness of the campaign. Now, we can deduce that because it’s so easy to quantify, it also must be an effective approach.

So with the continuing pinch on marketing departments everywhere, they will continue to use methods that have undeniable evidence to success or ROI – in this case, direct marketing.

HT: AMA

Yet Another Recap

2007-03-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm not out of the busy season yet - I still have about two months of classes and other personal items that will interfere with my blogging. My goal was to be posting at least on a weekly level but I have been extremely pre-occupied. Bear with me as I'll be back to normal this summer.

I want to leave you with fascinating article by The Brand Channel on Wikipedia, the next generation of information gathering.

Serious Monkey Business

2007-02-28T22:04:00.000-06:00

I'm a huge fan of c-k's work with CareerBuilder and am shocked to hear CareerBuilder's recent move. Granted, the "savages" are no monkeys, it's no reason to destroy a good thing:

CareerBuilder Wrecks a Good Thing Over Poll in 'USA Today'

Cramer-Krasselt Scored Top Marks One Week; the Next It Was Being Reviewed
By Jeremy Mullman

Published: February 26, 2007

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Cramer-Krasselt was asked to make CareerBuilder "famous," and, by pretty much any measure you care to use, the agency did just that. By the Chicago shop's reckoning, it helped the job site overtake Monster.com to become a market leader, nearly doubled its share of the online recruitment business and grew sales exponentially.

The ad that didn't make 'USA Today's' top 10. Together agency and marketer won a number of awards for their chimp-centric campaigns. So you can imagine how stunned the agency was when, late last week, CareerBuilder's VP-consumer marketing, Richard Castellini, walked into its office and told a team of C-K's senior managers that he was calling an agency review because the shop's Super Bowl offerings hadn't made it into the top 10 in USA Today's poll about the commercials. At least, that's how agency CEO Peter Krivkovich tells the story, and CareerBuilder, despite repeated requests, didn't want to comment.

'We trust America' "Just a week earlier, he'd told us our performance report card would be at 100%," Mr. Krivkovich said. "He said USA Today is 'America's poll, and we trust America.' It seems all our insights, business results and ad awards mean nothing compared to a poll featuring 238 people from two states. There are a few times in your life when you have to tell someone to f-- off and mean it."

Cramer-Krasselt resigned the account on the spot rather than partake in the $60 million review as incumbent.

A spokeswoman for CareerBuilder confirmed the resignation and review but wouldn't elaborate.

The split followed a shift in campaigns at CareerBuilder, which rode its popular "Office Monkeys" for two years, an effort that spawned the Monk-e-Mail viral website that drew 13 million unique visitors.

For this year's Super Bowl, however, the marketer changed course, airing a series of high-concept spots set in a jungle in which meetings and attempts at promotions are viewed as potentially lethal hazards.

Lukewarm response Lukewarm critical response followed -- the spots got three stars from Advertising Age and finished 16th and 27th in the USA Today poll.

There were positive metrics throughout the partnership, as CareerBuilder grew from the No. 3 job site to No. 1 during C-K's five-year run, although, as always, there's debate about how much advertising had to do with the brand's performance.

According to Morningstar analyst James Walden, CareerBuilder -- backed by the three largest U.S. newspaper publishers, including Gannett which owns USA Today -- had a built-in advantage over Monster because of its local-paper alliances. "Still," Mr. Walden said, "there's no question that they've done a very good job at building brand awareness."

Memo to staff
But according to a memo sent by Mr. Krivkovich to staffers, the mediocre showing in the USAToday AdMeter overshadowed that track record. "It's so ludicrious (sic.) and they are so serious about that poll it's almost funny," he wrote.

But it's not likely C-K is laughing. Losing one of its most visible accounts is not the follow-up the No. 5 independent envisioned in the wake of 23% revenue growth during 2006, its largest ever. Last year, C-K won creative duties for Corona beer, and it also landed midsize accounts such as Yellow Pages publisher R.H. Donnelley and Key Bank.

The Scoop, the 411, the Dish, the Catch Up...

2007-02-22T22:42:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, it's about time for a post and really, I've just been so busy that posting is the last thing on my mind. Let's catch everyone up with the Sensei's first quarter:

To begin, I'm officially attending night classes at WCTC in their Graphic Design program. It's one of the most prominent programs in the United States, boasting of both community support and state-of-the-art equipment. It's a honor to be taking courses there and I've enjoyed every minute of it so far. Well, the first two classes that I'm attending require drawing and painting (two of my weak points) but besides that, it's a wonderful experience.

Secondly, I'm working on some freelance artwork for actual companies. This, of course, is also consuming a majority of my time. I'm currently working with three companies that are considering my brand proposals and hopefully I'll be hearing back from them all soon. With that said, I'm researching a new site in which I can advertise my services and promote my work. You can find it here.

Finally, I'm going to be re-positioning this blog so in the near future, I'll be attracting more readers and comments. Up until this point, I've made no effort to market this blog but due to my career path, I feel it is necessary to promote AMM and hopefully let it expand. Currently, I'm only posting bi-monthly when it really should be (at least) bi-weekly so ideally you'll be reading a lot more of me soon.

Keep an eye out in the near future and until next time - Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto.

Super Bowl Ads Recap

2007-02-06T22:16:00.000-06:00

Here is the link to all of the commercials aired during the Super Bowl. I'll admit, not one really stood out for me but if I had to pick, this is my number one pick and number two pick.

New Links....

2007-02-04T09:58:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to point out some new additions to the AMM's left column. I have taken all of my "favorites" from my browser's menu and have added them to the site. Here is the skinny on each addition:

Resources
Palo Alto - A nice software resources site.
Business Balls - A good resource for articles, case studies, and advice.
Lorem Ipsum - Copy for copy.
Trifold Brochure - A resource for print design.
All Graphics - A nice resource for templates.
Printing Promotions - Another resource for templates.
Printing for Less - I haven't used their printing resources but I have used their templates.
Microsoft Library - A solid resource for all things electronic. I highly recommend the color section.

Color
Colormarketing.org - All things color.
Tiger Color - A must read if you're a fan of color.
Digital Media Minute's Color Page - Do you think I read a lot about color?

Email Marketing
Inbox Marketing - A provider of email marketing.
got - A provider of email marketing that I have used.

Blogs
Digital Media Minute - Worthy of a spot under the blogs section.

HTML Tools
2 Create a Website - One of the best HTML color tools on the web.
W3 Schools - I haven't attended any of their classes but I do visit the site for HTML tools.

If you are a company that wishes to be added, feel free to email me.

Local Ad Demand Dropping for the Super Bowl

2007-01-27T14:33:00.000-06:00

Maybe there is a price ceiling for local ad spots during the big game...

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With six business days to go until Super Bowl Sunday, the CBS TV Stations group has two to three spots left in each of its local markets for advertisers seeking to take advantage of cheaper local ad buys than coughing up $2.6 million for a national buy.
To get around Anheuser-Busch's beer stranglehold on the Super Bowl in 2005, Heineken found airtime for its ad with Brad Pitt on local affilaites.

According to executives on both the sales and buying side of the big game, the priciest 30-second spots are selling for around $300,000, and, not surprisingly, the most expensive local market is Chicago, as the hometown Bears are squaring off against the Indianapolis Colts. Audience levels are expected to be highest those two markets.

Read Advertising Age's entire article here.

Tim Dodge's Presentation on "Brand Focus"

2007-01-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

The American Marketing Association - Milwaukee Chapter held their January marketing luncheon at the Intercontinental Hotel with Tim Dodge as their guest speaker. It was a full house - the most I've seen at an AMA luncheon; undoubtedly encouraged by the always-engaging topic of "Brand Focus." Tim Dodge, president of Hanson Dodge Creative, gave a compelling, "unoriginal" presentation that will definitely mold my outlook on branding in the future. I write "unoriginal" only because he insisted that the presentation's material wasn't new - it was more of a collection of what he's learned from others. All in all, a fascinating lecture that I'll definitely put to use in the future.

On that note, he spoke highly of a book entitled "From Good to Great" written by Jim Collins. In it, Collins talks a lot about branding but there was one point that Dodge went over that I found interesting: the "Hedgehog Concept". The Hedgehog Concept is an ideology in which companies really tune in to their brand. I've taken an excerpt from Collins' site:

What are your 3 circles? The essential strategic difference between the good-to-great and comparison companies lay in two fundamental distinctions. First, the good-to-great companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensions - what we came to call the three circles. Second, the good-to-great companies translated that understanding into a simple, crystalline concept that guided all their efforts - hence the term Hedgehog Concept.

More precisely, a Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles:

1. What you can be the best in the world at (and, equally important, what you cannot be the best in the world at). This discerning standard goes far beyond core competence. Just because you possess a core competence doesn't necessarily mean you can be the best in the world at it. Conversely, what you can be the best at might not even be something in which you are currently engaged.

2. What drives your economic engine. All the good-to-great companies attained piercing insight into how to most effectively generate sustained and robust cash flow and profitability. In particular, they discovered the single denominator - profit per x - that had the greatest impact on their economics. (It would be cash flow per x in the social sector.)

3. What you are deeply passionate about. The good-to-great companies focused on those activities that ignited their passion. The idea here is not to stimulate passion but to discover what makes you passionate.

I recommend you visit Collins' site to learn more about the Hedgehog Concept and all of his products & services. Also, if you're in the market for an agency, I encourage you to visit Hanson Dodge Creative's site - their culture exudes greatness with a passion for marketing. I for one would love to be a part of the team.*

*ahem.

"Hitting Close to Home"

2007-01-10T22:42:00.000-06:00

The Calculated Risk has an interesting article on home equity: MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase

Zero to Hero

2007-01-04T20:46:00.000-06:00

Taken directly from Advertising Age, a superb article on the blunder of a mega-giant. My two-cents follow.

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Coca-Cola zero isn't a loser after all -- it's the long-awaited spark to revive the flagging cola business.

Internal memo
According to an internal company document obtained by Advertising Age, Coca-Cola Co. plans a huge tactical push behind the brand this year -- spending $13 million advertising on NCAA games alone -- to retain cola drinkers in its franchise. Coke Zero, which has no calories but claims a taste profile similar to flagship Coke, "is critical to the health of the [Coca-Cola trademark] portfolio to transition males before they leave" the carbonated soft-drink category, reads the document. To do so, "Coke Zero will continue to be supported at even higher levels in 2007, building it into the next mega-brand," the memo reads.

The brand's "performance [this] year will determine whether or when it reaches megabrand status" of 100 million or more cases, said John Sicher, publisher-editor of Beverage Digest.

New packaging strategy
Coca-Cola declined to comment, but it's clear from the document the company is taking no chances. This month it is rolling out new black packaging with a silver ribbon to boost shelf impact. It plans a diverse 2007 media schedule with nearly year-round national TV and digital support including the NCAA, national print around fall football and a sponsorship of Notre Dame football. In addition, it will run ads on AOL, "Grey's Anatomy," "24," MTV and late-night talk shows, along with concentrated radio buys in 20 markets in March.

"Coke Zero should be a key part of every channel plan in 2007," reads the document, which indicates the Coke bottling system should place Coke Zero on every display next to Coke Classic, and in every "high-velocity" cold-drink outlet. In addition, Coke is recruiting restaurants, cinemas and club stores to carry the brand. Already, Wendy's and White Castle have signed on.

According to TNS Media Intelligence, Coke spent about $23 million in measured media on Coke Zero through September, while Diet Coke received $57 million and Coke Classic received about $120 million.

Zero positioning shifted
Coke in the U.S. has attempted to migrate Coke Zero's position from a male drink to a positioning around its "Coke-ness," reinforcing how Coke Zero tastes more like regular Coke. New advertising extending the "Coke-ness" theme is expected to break in March via Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami. Other plans include a spring launch of Diet Coke Plus, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and Coca-Cola Cherry Zero.

Despite widespread skepticism since its June 2005 launch, Coke Zero has logged five months of growth since July, steadily climbing to a 1% share, according to the document. (By comparison, the country's No. 10-selling brand, Diet Mountain Dew, holds 1.4%.) Sales volume for Coke Zero rocketed 154% in mass channels excluding Wal-Mart in the first nine months of last year, according to Beverage Digest, making it one of the best performers in the company's fizzy-drink portfolio.

I'll make one comment - this was the worst product launch in the history of Coca-Cola but the best product that they've produced. Any and all success cannot be attributed to this product's marketing.

On a side note - this is now the only soft drink I consume. I look for it any and everywhere.

"I just want to make an omelet."

2006-12-15T17:59:00.000-06:00

Pun City has once again come through with a great AMM Humorous Ad suggestion. There is really not much to say about this ad other than it was great for its time, didn't need a follow-up, and definitely had an everlasting effect.

Geico's Tiny House ad came right before their Caveman tirade and it didn't get the true spotlight it deserved. This ad involving a "couple" on a "reality show" that had to live in a extra-tiny house. This ad campaign came right amongst the reality boom of the 2000s. It's been said that some broadcasters chose not to air the ad because it seemed so true; they felt viewers would be confused, looking for the show.

I've linked it here compliments of Tubespot but have grabbed the best screen-caps and have pasted them below. The first shot is the intro to the commercial - the couple kissing at their marriage prior to the house. The next group of images are screen-caps of the couple hitting their heads on the short ceilings.

And the final screen-cap (PC's and AMM's favorite) has the two fighting in the kitchen and then the male actor screams the ever-famous line: "I just want to make an omelet."

Wall Street Journal: Marketers Seeing Double

2006-12-05T19:32:00.000-06:00

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal's Marketplace section about the use of stock photography for advertisements and the potential for 'seeing double.' It's quite an interesting article and I encourage any marketer that commonly uses stock photography to purchase the article.

I find it fascinating for a few reasons - but most importantly because it has happened to me. The article portrays situations in which marketing departments purchase images from stock photography websites that could potentially be used by other companies.

WSJ's first example is truly a marketer's nightmare - two competing companies using the same image with the same context, a situation that happened to Key Bank and Bank of America. Click on the link below to find the entire article.

When Marketers See Double
As Digital Libraries Spread The Use of Stock Photography, Some Ad Images Are Recycled
By Emily Steel, The Wall Street Journal, 1264 words Nov 28, 2006

They're often willing to use general stock photography for Web marketing. MasterCard Inc., for instance, almost always uses original photography in its "Priceless" campaign which appears on television and print around the world, says Chris Jogis, vice president of U.S. brand development for MasterCard. It likes original images "to best capture the emotion" required for the ad, he says.

In honor of this posting, I'm adding a new section to my left sidebar in which I link my favorite destinations for stock photography. All these sites are great tools to any marketer and if anyone has others that they would like to see included, feel free to shoot me an email.

"Must Be Football Season"

2006-11-25T10:34:00.000-06:00

In honor of the football season and for one of my readers, I'm covering a great ad campaign that really energizes the NFL season. Southwest Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the United States, growing rapidly due to their destination spots and employee satisfaction. They've come up with an ad campaign, "Must Be Football Season" in which they have a group of humorous spots that equate to football. You can watch the whole gamut here, compliments of Advertisement Ave.

My pick from the aforementioned campaign is titled "I'm Open." It's a great spot that was quite popular at its release which triggered the ad campaign and its longevity. The spot is humorous in nature while not really pertaining to the product, creating its success. In some cases, advertisers have more success when they don't inundate the viewer with the ad, but when they make the viewer want to know the advertiser. "I'm Open" is the perfect example of this motive.

Again in light of the season and regardless of how old this campaign is, AMM's humorous pick will go to Southwest and their "I'm Open" ad, part of the "Must Be Football Season" campaign.

HT to Pun City for the recommendation.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T09:14:00.000-06:00

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

Defibrillators and Crime Deterrents

2006-11-09T19:03:00.000-06:00

I'm going to cover two commercials this week because both are really funny spots and they leave it at that. Both ads ran a while back and neither received the attention that they deserved. Both companies made no real effort to push the ad or the brand; the commercials were more of a humor spot made only for entertainment. I think this is the strongest point of the ad - both companies were advertising during a Super Bowl and the importance really isn't the message conveyed but how much you can impress the viewer. The two ads impressed me so much that I recalled them both clearly and more importantly, I'm writing about them years after their original airing.

Now, I find both ads to be utterly hilarious, causing me to laugh as I write this article. The two spots have cinematography that is great, acting that is priceless, and both premises are resonating. Hands down, both are AMM picks for humor, everyone should enjoy these ads.

Ameriquest: Defibrillator, Company Website

Sprint: Crime Deterrent, Company Website

HT: Youtube

Careerbuilder.com's Monkeys - See & Do

2006-10-31T19:58:00.000-06:00

My next choice for a strong, humorous ad campaign would have to be the Careerbuilder.com Monkeys. Granted the ad campaign has hit its hey-day, you'll still catch one or two on TV reminding you of its glory days. This campaign was very strong initially and they, as in Cramer Krasselt, began an integration campaign to strengthen the message and brand.

To begin, the ad campaign caught some preliminary flack from the usual suspects but all in all, the commercial line was a huge success. You can view the whole line of commercials here at Tubespot or of course, at TBS. Each of them are great, sponging off the last while having a totally different theme. I'd have to guess that if you asked anyone that watched TV last year which Careerbuilder.com Monkey spot was their favorite, they'd be able to identify one. Hand's down, my favorite ad would be the laser pointer, lottery success ad. Every time I see that ad, I can't help but burst into laughter.

Careerbuilder.com and C-K were so successful, that the awards soon followed. The Effie Awards program recognized the commercial's successful branding while still captivating the audience with humor. Here is Careerbuilder.com's take on their initial ad campaign's success:

Monkey Business CareerBuilder.com's Super Bowl debut is a resounding success, drawing more than 150 million media impressions and numerous awards. All three of CareerBuilder.com's chimp advertisements airing during the Super Bowl earn a spot on the Top 10 list in USA TODAY's Ad Meter. In addition, one spot is named "Funniest Commercial of the Year" in TBS's annual poll and is included in CBS's "The Forty Greatest Super Bowl Commercials" special.

Oddcast chimed in on their new integration tactics, introducing Monk-e-Mail, which took the ads one step further via email and messaging. This campaign was also very successful, pushing the overall life of the ads one step further, ensuring a strong recognition.

Overall, the monkeys were a huge success, landing Careerbuilder.com into the elitist level of 'big brands'. I for one enjoy watching these spots, ranking the monkeys in the top 10 of the AMM's funny commercials. The 'Monkeys' are no 'Ernie' but they're on a level of their own.

V-Dub will "Unpimp the Auto"

2006-10-24T22:09:00.000-05:00

I think I'm going to do a series of commercial 'call-outs', if you will, on what I deem to be good ad campaigns. Some will be about integrated marketing campaigns while others will be just one-dimensional but still being viewed as highly successful. My reasoning behind this is solely my enjoyment on various campaigns and their successes. I hope you enjoy the series.

My first ad campaign analysis started off as just one-dimensional but as of late, they've been integrating it - as they should. Initially, I don't believe they felt it to be a success because it was short-lived. But as of late, I've been seeing an increase in both the frequency and the amount of different commercials.

V-dub is running a new campaign coined "Unpimp the Auto", using the popular MTV show, "Pimp my Ride" as their springboard. By mocking the theme, VW is grabbing a lot of different viewers, all easily recognizing the ads. First, all those who dislike and enjoy the show will appreciate the ads. Secondly, V-dub isn't excluding the viewers unfamiliar with "Pimp my Ride" because the commercial is quite self-explanatory.

The ads themselves are quite unique, displaying lame cars versus the new Jetta. Fantastic cinematography, great lines, terrific cast - all in all, a well-crafted commercial line. Here are a few screen caps of one of my personal picks called the "Wrecking Ball".

My hat's off to Volkswagen. They continue to have strong success with their humorous ads while still gaining brand recognition in the market. Not only do they have a variety of different ad campaigns to capture each target market, none seem to collide or confuse the audience. I'm looking forward to their next campaign. Bravo.

Very Funny Ads

2006-10-17T19:27:00.000-05:00

This site has been around for quite some time but I thought I'd highlight it briefly for this week's post. I found an ad on here that is quite funny and obviously, that makes it European.

Yes, it's sexually implicit however I think it would pass here. I wish I could embed the commercial but that's not allowed so I've linked it here. It's quite humorous and you don't leave the commercial remembering only the joke. The whole time you're focusing on the action of the actor and when you find out what he's really doing, you remember the product. Quite often, humorous commercials struggle with the appropriate branding but in this case, the agency succeeded.

And now for my pick of the week for integrated marketing campaigns. This one might be quite unexpected from my last pick however I think it's a winner.

What if?

Watch the ad, check out the site, and read into it - I can guarantee this ad campaign is a big success. You heard it here first, this will be extremely beneficial for this struggling company.

Developing...

Saturday Afternoon Recap

2006-10-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

In preparation for the upcoming Salesforce Conference, I haven't been able to read any news much less post on it. With that said, I apologize for the lack of inactivity but we'll be back on track early next week. This post will be a 'smorgasbord' if you will on some recent news.

For one, I recently noticed a link from a fellow "Cheddarsphere" blogger (Cheddarsphere refers to the Wisconsin blogosphere) in which he points out an ad war between BMW, Audi, Subaru, and oddly enough, Bentley. This post is a must-read and I fully intend on following-up on this one when I return.

For marketing news, I read an interesting article from the Brand Channel that talks about washroom advertising and it's ever-growing prominence in the world of advertising. I for one saw this escalation coming for a while as I enjoy to see how far advertisers will 'push the button.'

Both the nightlife and dining crowds have increased dramatically over the last few years and with that comes a flurry of advertising to try and capture this audience. Brand Channel covers it well and you can read the full article here. I've extracted the opening paragraph as a teaser:

Promotion With a Capital ''P'' by Edwin Colyer[9-Oct-2006]

Washroom advertising is the pinnacle of pervasive marketing. Not even the bathroom is free from the constant barrage of "buy me now" promotion. Still, from a marketer's perspective, washroom advertising is extremely attractive. Studies show that around three-quarters of diners in a restaurant will go to the toilets at some point during their meal.

Clubbers go around 2.9 times during an average evening at a nightclub. Statistics from the UK suggest that the number of motorway service visits result in almost 100 million impacts for washroom ads each month.

Gizmodo takes the more brutal approach to these tactics and pretty much assaults these advertisers or should I say intruders...

The last bastion of privacy and repose is slowly being eroded, where first we heard about advertisements over urinals, and now enterprising ideapeople at Addirect have figured out how to hide ads behind mirrors. The company plans to roll out AddMirror around the world starting this month, which it test marketed in 300 fancy-schmancy bars and nightclubs in London.

But will people object? Addirect says no, but never mind that - most importantly, the company claims a 63% recall rate of the advertisements shown in the AddMirrors. That's a remarkable number, considering that even Super Bowl ads get just a fraction of that recall rate.

Addirect is currently setting up a media network, where local companies will actually do the work of installing these screens behind one-way mirrors, and then these adverts can be distributed on a local, regional, national or global basis. Enjoy your solitude while you can.

Developing...

Integrated Marketing

2006-09-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

I've been quite busy the last few days so I have been backed up on my reading. This caught my eye a few days ago and I insist that this story is a must read. Integrated Marketing is the most effective, encapsulating efforts and I for one one say "integrated" at least 1000 times a day.

Integrated Marketing for Brands

A discussion addresses balance and maintaining a unilateral perspective for a successful integrated campaign.

Integration is perhaps the most overused, least understood, yet most sought after discipline in interactive marketing. Everyone wants it, though precious really understand how to launch a truly integrated initiative.

HT: iMedia

Drug Money?!?

2006-09-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

With all of the current hype over sports entertainers being role models, advertisers should definitely consider with whom they do business. The current talk of the two is Phonak, the prominent sponsor for Floyd Landis, the alleged doper of cycling. Brandchannel posted a blurb on it and allows comments from its readers. The comments that followed varied, some siding with advertisers and some against. I for one, feel that there is a negative impact on the advertiser in these types of situations.

We all are comfortable with the term 'cognitive recognition' and I think that sponsors use this to their advantage in sponsorships. Look at NASCAR for example. Each car is littered with sponsors while the car is traveling around an oval at great speeds. These sponsors know that not only will the audience support the products that each driver supports (NASCAR fans are highly known for their "brand" loyalty) but also, 'cognitive recognition' will take its toll. Constant visualization of a logo or tagline will inevitably place that product in the upper tier of memory when considering products.

So is the case for cycling. I highly doubt any audience member will refuse to use Phonak in the future but they’ll subconsciously have a negative view of the product. The brain works in mysterious ways but its known to generate shortcuts and I think this will have a negative blow. When humans can associate something to a negative or positive event, they may not remember the event in the future but the brain will remember the tag. In other words, Phonak might be remembered negatively but the audience won't remember why.

I truly feel that all sponsorships are a gamble to the point but there are plenty of stories that say otherwise. Nike and Woods is a prime example while companies like Wonder Bread are reaping the benefits of NASCAR in the movies.

Companies can throw the dice but must accept the consequences. How does a company know that their marketing dollars are well spent...

Alliance of Marketing Bloggers (AMB)

2006-08-29T18:12:00.000-05:00

I'm creating a blogroll for marketing bloggers. At this point, there isn't a clear network of marketing bloggers or resource sites for us to access. I'd like this to be a network that bloggers and marketers can use to access a variety of information from experienced professionals in the field and other outlets deemed fit. Please email me at amarketingmokuso@yahoo.com to be added to the blogroll. I'll need your site's name and URL and evidence that you've uploaded this image and code. Here's the logo to post on your site:

Please attach this to your site and add this code found below. Note: the code's brackets have bee replaced with parentheses so you need to replace them when putting it on your site.

(script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"src="http://rpc.blogrolling.com/display.php?r=37040f18d18def9b03fbd301db8e7775")(/script)

Thanks for your support and helping spread the AMB to new heights.

Interesting take...

2006-08-29T18:10:00.000-05:00

In iMedia's newsletter, I came across an article on branding. The author, David Yovanno, has some clear-cut methods of how to grow your brand and the necessary strategies. It begins:

"For advertisers trying to build awareness and drive other brand-related initiatives, ad networks offer a valuable complement to portal and single site strategies. Today's leading ad networks offer comparable and complementary audience composition, reach and frequency, with stringent quality controls and the ability to demonstrate measurable lift in key brand metrics.

The key to successfully working with ad networks is to select a partner you can trust to protect your brand online and to form a close working relationship that takes advantage of their account management expertise and their technology, media planning, targeting and creative capabilities. The end result will be a measurable impact in the efficiency of your overall online brand marketing objectives.

Here's how to do it..."

Yovanno touches down on some key points to really utilize multiple channels of ad networks will keeping the necessary image. If you want to know the basics and how to dive right in, this is the article for you. If you think you’re a seasoned veteran, this is quite the refresher.

Anheuser-Busch going Hollywood?

2006-08-21T19:22:00.000-05:00

I really want to touch down on this topic for a variety of reasons but most importantly because of the big step that A-B is taking. By moving into the "content creation" market, they can focus on online shorts and commercials. Ad Age reports:

"The country's largest brewer is launching its own in-house film and TV production company that will make humorous shorts and sitcom-type programs to be broadcast over the internet and to cellphones, according to four people familiar with the matter, and could branch into full-length films."

A-B is widely known for their successful Bud Light commercials, and for their 'slightly more serious' Budweiser commercials. A-B is a pioneer in the advertising industry for a variety of campaigns but in the limelight would have to be their "Real Men of Genius" campaign that they recently resurrected. I have no doubts that they will integrate these campaign efforts across all marketing channels and really capture their target demographics.

The biggest challenge that they'll be facing will undoubtedly be the management of both sides. This is a big gulp for the market leader but they cannot afford to lose attention on this highly elastic industry. Coors and Miller will be keeping close on A-B to see if they falter and patiently waiting for the opportunity.

I'd like to see this in full fruition to really see the success that A-B will definitely achieve. As mentioned, they will be under the spotlight over the next year or so and expect this to be in full swing by this season's Superbowl. I for one am a High Life fan but I'm looking forward to A-B's success.

Related Links:

Adotas
Ad Age

Blogging at its finest.

2006-08-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

This is the new era of blogging and we're seeing it in full swing. Many large corporations are using blogs as a channel for both advertising and consumer opinion. By creating a blog that both links to your corporate site, you can benefit ten fold.

To begin, Internet shoppers can both rate and read reviews of your current product, post questions, and inevitably, make the purchase. This was the story behind Ice.com(R)'s Pinny Gniwisch, the EVP of the Marketing department. Gniwisch learned the power of the blogosphere but more importantly, the power of appreciation.

Ice.com(R) learned that by blogging and linking with a low budget can really be beneficial and profitable. Marketing Sherpa covers the case study in great detail but I've taken some important excerpts to reflect on:

CHALLENGE
Two years ago, Ice.com(R) Marketing EVP Pinny Gniwisch noticed from his site traffic logs that he was getting an unusual amount of traffic from independent blogs. Turns out dozens of bloggers who loved fashion frequently linked to SKUs they admired in Ice.com(R)'s jewelry selection.

(snip)

CAMPAIGN
Gniwisch decided to test several very different blog ideas. Each, however, shared the same seven rules of thumb:
#1. Look like a blog -- not a company site. The templates used were absolutely prototypical of average consumers' blog templates. On first view, these looked like "normal" blogs.
#2. Don't totally hide ownership It's one thing to look like a blog, it's another to mislead the public. If you poke around at any of the blogs, it's clear who the owner is.
#3. Hotlinks are your friendsUnlike landing pages and merchandising pages where outside links are verboten because you don't want to confuse traffic, blogs link to all sorts of places as part of the value of their content. Instead of fearing the outside links, Gniwisch decided to embrace them, both to provide a more realistic blogging experience and also to encourage other bloggers to link in.

(snip)

RESULTS
Results were mixed, but upbeat. The good news is Sparkle Like The Stars alone brought in $50,000 worth of sales in December 2005. Sparkle Like The Stars is currently getting between 10,000 and 15,000 unique monthly visitors, 31% of whom click through to the main Ice.com site. The conversion rate on clickthroughs is about 1%, which Gniwisch says is "higher than many affiliates but lower than search marketing which converts at 2%."This blog also continues to get higher and higher search rankings for terms such as celebrity jewelry," which has helped traffic arc upwards by roughly 30% per typical month this year.

All in all, the blogger test was a great success and many other large corporations are jumping on the bandwagon. Blogging is definitely a new avenue for marketing and it's here to stay.

Duh!

2006-08-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

Ad Age lays it all out for us...

http://adage.com/article?article_id=110968

Hats off to Ernie

2006-08-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

Starburst Candies began a promotion about three months ago with a whole new ad campaign and I want to commend them for it. To this point, I feel the campaign is very effective, humorous, and it definitely breaks through the clutter. Now, they weren't necessarily promoting a specific new product but it was aimed at the candy line as a whole. It began with a commercial called "Ernie the Klepto" and followed with three more: "Friends", "Factory", and "Tashi". All four had different story lines and characters but amazingly, one would know immediately that they're Starburst ads.
All of the ads are filmed with a slight grayscale cinematography, a hilarious 'Napoleon Dynamitesque' humor, and all had a storyline focus (in other words, they didn't pummel the viewer with the candy). The candy was obviously a focal point of the ad but had no direct verbiage about it - only the undertone of its demand. My favorite ad of the campaign was "Ernie" as it got great reviews across the board from all critics and a award from CLIO. Following that, I'd have to say that the "Factory" ad was a close second. They both drew quite a laughter over the utter stupidity of the characters and the bleak filming. The other two, Friends and Tashi, are both humorous as well but won't be recognized like the aforementioned.

I have to say that up to this point for the year, Starburst's campaign is my favorite choice for humor. The audience enjoys the ads; they undoubtedly were reasonable in cost and Starburst as a whole is reaping the benefits.

It just goes to show that ads don't necessarily need to reverberate the same message; all the ad needs to do is create a buzz.

"Never Say Die"

2006-08-04T23:20:00.000-05:00

Then why did you kill your logo? Just recently, the Milwaukee Admirals hockey team launched their new logo and colors for the upcoming season. Originally, the Admirals team had a logo that looked like this:

The logo is very masculine, good use of colors, and is symbolic of the 'good guy.' I've always found it to be a good representation of the team and very recognizable. Now, they've changed their look to something rather different, shown below:

Now, I see where they're coming from (hopefully). It seems as if they're marketing towards a younger crowd because their current audience is diminishing and they need to get new viewers. With that said, I understand. On the other hand though, I'm really not impressed with the logo or image at all. The colors are very soft, almost weak while the "cartoonish" skull is far from masculine. The logo isn't representative of an admiral, much less a hockey player.

Below is an excerpt from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's coverage of the story:

"In conjunction with its new slogan "Never say die," which has been teasing local billboard readers for the past month, the Admirals introduced the new logo: the admiral of a ghost ship. A pirate explained to the crowd that the admiral had been at the bottom of Lake Michigan for the past 20 years and that this was what was left of him.

The new logo is quite a bit edgier than the last logo of the salty seaman admiral. The new admiral, designed by Joe Locher of Yes Men of Milwaukee, is a skull with a black admiral's cap with ice blue trim.

The team's new colors will be black, ice blue and silver, replacing the old red, white and blue. "We wanted to do something that would be really popular with the younger crowd," Locher said. "We wanted to avoid the idea of a trendy logo, yet we wanted to tie it in to the heritage of the team to have it make more sense.""

It's not going to go over well and it's apparent in this poll taken by the MJS. If that doesn't say "Die," then I don't know what does.

Press Release

Blogs:

Milwaukee Sports Online

"Dr. Z, does that thing got a Hemi?"

2006-08-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

Someone needs to supercharge Chrysler's ad campaign because not only is it obnoxious, it's now proven to be ineffectual. Chrysler's sales numbers have plummeted 37% and currently have more 2006 models on hand than ever. Furthermore, "Employee Discount Pricing" is not cutting it.

Dr. Z was an apparent effort to try and associate German engineering to Chrysler products. The agency involved decided to use the CEO of the company, making him act childish and funny to suggest a point. Not only are the ads horrible but also I don't feel they conveyed the point at all. Who would think to equate humor to German engineering? Do you want to laugh when the CEO talks about safety? What about value? They were too busy trying to be catchy and fun while they should be touting the cold, hard facts.

In this effort, I feel Chrysler needed to put down some numbers, avoid the Integrated Marketing Campaign that pummeled all possible channels, and deal with the facts. Sometimes marketing needs to be stoic and serious, hitting the viewer from a different angle. Think about it, I feel a really serious auto ad would break through the clutter, causing the audience to seriously consider the product. Car buying is a serious matter and Chrysler's product should be too. Leave the humor to the market leaders; Toyota could use a funny ad to spice things up.

Moreover, inundating your audience will get you nowhere and I'm nowhere near moved to buy a Chrysler. They've pummeled their target demographics with TV, radio, print, and web, leaving their audience nowhere to breathe. The ads are so frequent; I don't think I'm done shaking my head at the first one before the second one chimes in. Ad Age sums up the Chryslers effort to a tee:

"Chrysler is pushing ahead with its 'Dr. Z' ads, despite widespread criticism and the fact that the campaign has failed to halt the automaker's sales slump."

That one line by Ad Age is more efficient at explaining a point than all of Chrysler's investment in Dr. Z. This was a $225 million advertising debacle, and they need to cut their losses. Chrysler needs to reorg and get back on track - even if that means actually listening to their audience.

Check out Left Lane News for videos.

Related Articles:

Chrysler to Continue Employee Discounts and 'Dr. Z' Ads
Chrysler's 'Dr. Z' Campaign Fails to Halt July Sales Slump

Off to a good start...

2006-08-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

Just had to try it out.

HT: bannercreator.nu

Glossary of Terms

2006-08-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

If you have any to add, please post them in the comment section or send me an email.

Mokuso - Meditation or meeting of the minds
Yasume - At ease
Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto - Seek perfection of character
Sensei - Teacher
Oss - Respectful acknowledgement
Domo - Thank You
hajimemashite - I'm pleased to meet you
Hai - Yes
Ichiban - Favorite
Iie - no
Kenshin - devotion
Ureshii - happy
Yakusoku - Promise

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About the Sensei

2006-08-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

Really, I don't have much to say except that I truly enjoy marketing. In my job, I get to really perform all aspects of the trade from stuffing envelopes to graphic design. I've been blessed with a passion for the industry and I'll never tire of going to work.

Currently, I have a Bachelors degree in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and am actively considering options for my next degree in Graphic Design. I'm a member of the AMA in Milwaukee and receive a variety of marketing newsletters from many associations. I'm different from your average marketing blogger as I'm doing this on my own and in my spare time, so I don't expect much traffic or recognition.

To me, marketing is much more than dollars or theories; it's a way of life. Yasume. Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuru koto.

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Welcome

2006-08-03T21:38:00.000-05:00

Welcome to A Marketing Mokuso. This blog is dedicated to the world of marketing and a place where you can go to unwind - maybe read an article, post a story, or find a new website. I've designed it for all marketers at any level to really keep current with what's going on 'in da biz.' I'm merely the owner; I want everyone to be involved in the maturation of A Marketing Mokuso.

On that point, this blog's email address is amarketingmokuso@yahoo.com and I want anyone to feel free to email for any reason. Be it a complaint, a compliment, a suggestion, or perhaps you'd like to submit a column to be posted on the blog. For all submissions, I'll review them personally and if I deem it fit for our readers, I'd be happy post it. This can be anything as long as it's objective, appropriate, and relative. I encourage people to post about anything whether it is current events, marketing questions, or business solutions.

Also, I'm currently in the process of writing code for a banner ad to the site. When it's available, it'll be open for anyone who'd like to advertise A Marketing Mokuso on his or her site. We'll appreciate any and all support in spreading the word about A Marketing Mokuso. But until that point, feel free to link our site and if you do, make sure to email me, as I'll return the favor.

So, please go enjoy yourself on the site and don't forget the definition of Mokuso... a meditation or the meeting of the minds.

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