Enlightened Conflict

giraffes I have known

May 16th, 2013

Well.

One of the most discussed topics in the hallowed backrooms of marketing & advertising think tanks in the creative process is “the metaphorical icon” which not only captures the essence of what it is they want to say … but can become some useable thought to extend out beyond the TV commercial, the magazine ad … the whatever tangible paid marketing and inject itself seamlessly into culture <to the entertainment of the public and the advantage of the marketer>.

Here is the thing.

No creative person likes to talk about it <the extendable metaphor>… and no one wants to aim for it … because these kinds of ideas just kind of happen for a variety of reasons.

Suffice it to say … the more you want it the less it happens. And of course the corollary … the less you think about it the more likely you will think of something like that.

The only people who discuss it? Typically the corporate people <I want something like “x” company did … can we do something like that?>, scared marketing /advertising executives to their development teams <”x” company did that and we need to come up with something like that – please note the silent “you better” underlying> or just hack senior management <we need a metaphorical icon or a mnemonic device … come up with one>.

Regardless.

Every time someone suggests “I want something like that little <annoying> gnome that Travelocity has” or “can’t you guys come up with something like that giant asparagus … you know … the jolly green giant?” creative teams cringe.

Heck.

Most people with a brain cringe.

Anyway.

When it works it works. Sometimes it even works in ways you could never imagine <ok … you can imagine … just never imagined it would happen with your idea> and sometimes it just works <and you have to avoid the temptations to make it better than the good idea it is>.

Unfortunately. Sometimes it doesn’t work. And it cannot work in a couple of ways.

It can simply be a bad idea that is just bad <simple as that>.

Or it can be a forced idea … one where an icon or visual device is forced in because it was demanded in the assignment.

And it is the latter I am gonna mention here … and I get to talk about Giraffes.

Some hotel. Oh. Not a hotel … an inn … Residence Inn.

Residence Inn Giraffe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEhLVwK5uCQ

Yup.

It seems that Residence Inn caters to giraffe-like people. Apparently research must have suggested they must travel a lot <along with some other animal like people I guess as you will see later on>.

Apparently this “Inn” has extremely high ceilings, lots of head space for those really tall people who are traveling all the time, for people to feel comfortable in.

Oh. But the giraffe is in bed. So they have really long beds?

Sometimes the metaphor is kind of a stretch <pun intended>.

I get it is a “spacious” room … but … I am not really sure a traveler wants to be a giraffe <even metaphorically>.

What do I mean? Oh. Don’t lions eat giraffes? Oops. The lions must stay at other places.

<note: there is actually a Hotel Giraffe in new York city … I have never been there … google informed me … apparently it is an “oasis of sophisticated style” which embodies the gentle power, grace and beauty found in one of nature’s most beloved animals … so if you do not want to go to the zoo and feel like a Giraffe … stay there >

Next up for Residence Inn?

An elephant.

Residence Inn Elephant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjrhMEIoNwA

And they have used penguins.

Well.

I know their next product extension.

A zoo.

Look.

I don’t hate the commercial … of course it is well done <done by McGarryBowen I think> and metaphorically I get where they are going:

- I imagine it all began with some brand manager standing up in the front of a room pounding the table saying something like “everyone listen … we ARE different … not only are we an Inn instead of a Hotel … but Inn rooms are bigger than Hotel rooms … LOTS more bigger … we aren’t talking inches but square feet for gods sake … spacious … almost cavernous … no … so spacious you can almost roam the space like the wide grasslands of the open wild.”

It was an impassioned speech based on what is probably a true, if not discernibly different or truly important, functional aspect semi-relevant to someone sleeping in a room who is ultimately there only to do business for the time they are out of the bed <and out of the room> but extremely relevant to the company and its employees.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the same room, a brand planner lounged in a chair languidly using some big words to suggest that business people who stay extended amounts of time in a hotel <oops … Inn> have read every positive thinking sales/business book ever written and every time they step across the threshold out into the real world in the morning they pump up their confidence <and their fist> like they are going to battle. They need to stand tall with confidence. The planner even probably summarized the project brief with something like “Residence Inn. Stand Tall.” And everyone sagely nodded their heads in unison and said “brilliant insight.”

<note: somewhere in the back of the room a bored creative guy – who was kind of chuckling on and off again at the rambling idiots briefing them – doodled a giraffe standing in the middle of a room thinking “maybe I could shove this giraffe up some brand manager’s butt”>

So.

When are giraffes relevant in marketing? Gosh. Maybe For African documentaries? Ok. Ok. Toys ‘r Us developed a fabulous idea with a giraffe many years ago. Geoffrey the Giraffe. Fabulous. One of those ideas of which if they could have come up with it maybe two years earlier and had a CMO who had the kahones <and brains> to maximize it … they may have avoided some of the business challenges they inevitable encountered.

Anyway.

I understand that advertising is difficult … to be entertaining as well as trying to communicate some functional useful reason for someone to spend money on you … but sometimes it becomes too far a reach in the use of metaphors.

The biggest argument <slam> I am going to receive from the otherwise brilliant McGarry people is “but people remember the advertising <with positive perceptions.>”

(me) Yeah, yeah, yeah.

See my ‘awareness isn’t enough’ post <its not enough to just be remembered … that is a low unprofessional bar>.

I absolutely recognize It is a difficult category <the hotel, motel, Holiday Inn category … to use Sugar Hill Gang ‘Rapper’s Delight’ lyric reference> but using animals, kids and “Free” is kind of a cheap advertising trick.

That’s my gripe.

The actual animals aren’t really relevant to what Residence Inn actually stands for … therefore … they must only be using the animals as cheap trick to create an ‘entertaining ad to increase awareness’ <and get noticed by us idiot TV watchers>.

Nicely done ads though.

there are no perfect fathers

March 19th, 2013

“I am sorry I cannot speak like other fathers.”

Whew.

Being a kid is tough.

Being a parent is tough.

But being different may be the toughest test of all in Life for parents & their kids.

Adults who are different in some form or fashion <this can range from simply being quirky to actually being deaf or blind …> have the benefit of having learned how to deal with it and manage their lives around it.

And in their adult world, and Life, their difference may even seem inconsequential. They have succeeded in Life with whatever difference they have.

And then they have a child.

The adult … who they are … and what they are … bleeds into someone else’s life. Their ‘difference’ makes a difference in that little person’s world.

This happens whether you want it to or not.

That can be difficult for a child. It is one of those circumstances they have little, or no, control over … and yet it affects them.

Most parents recognize that.

Most parents deal with it the best they can.

Most parents know it is still never enough.

Most parents never quit recognizing it <despite the fact Life does its best to throw other things in front of them to think about and deal with>.

But Life is pretty relentless with regard to testing resilience … and focus and intentions <to do the right thing every day>.

Well.

You can haggle over how this Thai insurance company told this story … but don’t.

It is brutal.

It is honest.

It reminds you that Life can be unforgivingly harsh on children.

It reminds you that love between parent and child is unequivocal.

And it should remind you that no matter how difficult Life gets … never forget to tell a child they are loved … and listen … and listen more.

Because sometimes it is difficult for them to see a light at the end of the tunnel in their everyday Life.

my father is different: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a45TwLJ_wCw

This is a Thai insurance company. Sometimes advertising gets it right.

frightening Fructis fall fight

February 27th, 2013

So.

Fructis went with alliteration to name their new product … I just was alliterative to illustrate how frightening a recent television commercial I saw was.

Before I explain why their recent television commercial frightens me … a couple of caveats:

- I have never worked on a shampoo product

- Yes … I have worked on products in the health & beauty industry

That said.

Their ad frightens me.

Oh.

But first … “fall fight”?

Oh boy.

Here is a stretch.

“Notice strands in your bathroom sink or brush? Improve hair’s resistance to everyday hair-fall due to breakage.”

So this shit fights everyday hair falling out <is that an issue?>. Now. Some people may call this “going bald little by little” or maybe “everyday dead useless hair being eliminated so that newer fresher stronger hair can grow in.” But, as noted earlier, I have never worked with a shampoo brand … so what do I know.

Anyway.

While I was first surprised that Fructis was advertising a Fall <seasonal> product in the winter I was pleasantly <if albeit still confused> surprised to find the name had nothing to do with the season but rather your hair falling out <an annual issue … not a seasonal issue>.

Ok.

The execution.

Fall Fight ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=481l1HoRThQ

Let me run through the logic in what you just saw <I am writing as if I participated in discussion … but I didn’t really>.

She has to brush her hair inside … because that is where cool people brush their hair before they go out and do something cool. Oh. Plus. That is where hair falls out <at home>.

Whew. So … how do we show hair falling out?

A hair ball. That’s it. And if we have a hair ball we can have a cute kitten <because people like kittens>.

Excellent.

Oh. Does the kitten puke the hair ball? Oh. C’mon. That’s disgusting. The kitten is just playing with a disgusting tumbleweed of hair that is somewhere in the house.

Wow. Great idea.

Oops. But we have to go outside because that is ultimately where cool people hang out with other cool <good looking> people and do cool things.

What about the kitten?

Well. It has to stay inside because … well … it belongs at home <eating all the hair that has fallen out … and if it pukes it will be off camera>.

So. Now we are outside.

But now that she is outside we need to her to look smart <as well as having fun>.

Ok. Let’s put glasses on her. Lenses in or lenses out? Aw. Who cares? She looks smart and we want people to think that smart, fun, cool, good looking people <whose hair falls out> buy our shampoo.

Hey.

She does look smart. Let’s actually make her smart. Let’s let her tell everyone about the key ingredients in the shampoo <which tells everyone that we were smart to create a shampoo that scientifically keeps you from going bald>.

But she is outside … how do we make her actually smart?

Aw. Who cares? Let’s have fun. Let’s give her a blackboard in the middle of a field and have her show some random molecular diagrams with the names of the ingredients next to them <is it really the right molecule structure? Aw. Who cares? What girl who buys our product really cares about that stuff … it just looks smart … and of course then they will think they are smart! … plus … we put the name of the ingredient next to it so they will think it is right>.

(yell to some intern t go on wikipedia and get some molecular images to copy)

A blackboard in the middle of the field?

Sure. In fact. She is so smart she carries a blackboard in her car wherever she goes. Wow. Should we show the car? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … interesting idea. Shoot it. We will have it in the can and if we have the time we can put it in somewhere.

What about the kitten? Should it be with the blackboard she is carrying around?

Wow. That’s silly. It’s at home playing with the hairball … why would she be so mean to take it away from that? Don’t overthink. Your first idea was good. Put the blackboard in the car and get some footage <but we don’t want to pay overages>.

Ok.

Now we need to show that our shampoo is strong … but fun.

Ok.

Why don’t we have a boxing ring in the middle of this field and shadowbox with real looking boxing gloves to show strength?

Wow. Great idea.

Hey …. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … why don’t we also have one of those ‘high strikers’ you see at carnivals and not only is she smart but strong enough to show the shampoo is strong? <and that allows one of her good looking friends to box in the field so she doesn’t get sweaty>

<high striker definition: A high striker, also known as a strength tester, or strongman game, is an attraction used in funfairs, fundraisers, and carnivals. It operates by utilizing the lever where one end holds a puck attached to the tower and the other end is struck by the person or contestant using a hammer or mallet. The aim of players is to ring the bell suspended on top of the tower. If the lever is struck with enough force, the puck will rise high enough to hit the bell, indicating a success. Modern versions use a spring-loaded version of the lever, others use an enclosed striking mechanism.

Operators entice people to try the high striker with phrases such as: “Step right up!”,”Test your strength!”, or “Who are the men out of the boys?”>

Wow. Excellent idea. A boxing ring AND a carnival.

A carnival in the middle of the field? No silly. Just the high striker.

Wow. That is brilliant <and fun>.

Ok.

Don’t forget.

We need to show some other people to show she isn’t some narcissistic self-absorbed hermit with a kitten. So let’s have some good looking people hanging out like they are wanting to hang out with the smart girl who is no longer going bald.

Excellent.

Go down the hallway to where I think they are doing the casting for the Calvin Klein ad campaign and see if you can grab a couple of people.

Ok.

Where do we put them?

In the field stupid. That’s where all cool smart people who are not going bald hang out with their friends.

Should they have a blackboard too? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … no.

If they do not have one that suggests our Fructis girl is smarter than they are because she buys our stuff … but she is an influencer! Everyone will assume she tells them about our shampoo and they will go out and buy it. Excellent. We have incorporated word-of-mouth into traditional tv advertising <tell the junior account person and maybe we can amortize the cost of production over this word of mouth thing>.

Oh.

And we need a cool song <even though the song is relatively meaningless to the execution communication> so let’s use something by the Ting Tings <Great DJ is the song>. I know their music is used on Gossip Girl so it will be perfect for us. Who cares how much it costs! Darn it … we are a fun cool brand and Ting Tings are a fun cool band <cut to senior management on both advertising and client side making a note to themselves, using a pencil, to find out who the hell the Ting Tings are>.

————–

Whew.

That’s it.

There is so much random stuff happening in this advertisement my head hurts.

Now.

Someone is going to argue I am not in the target audience and that it is a ‘fun’ ad.

On the first part? Correct. I am not.

On the second part? You can create a fun informative execution without having to resort to simple random shit. Yeah. I said random. There are so many little ‘bites’ of information and lifestyle cues I have this vision that there was a long checklist of things they wanted to say and show and then they figured out how to piece it all together <under a basic framework of ‘fun’>.

Look.

Developing ongoing campaigns is significantly more difficult to develop good stuff <technical word for ‘work’> than one-offs.

But confusing the two is bad … really bad. What do I mean? Well. It seems like in today’s business world of ‘what have you done for me lately’ brand managers are often suggesting ‘treat this as if it needs to be a standalone idea’ with the good intention to get a break through type idea/execution … but the bad intention of “I don’t give a fuck what has been done before me … I want to do something great!” <usually stated in front of their marketing/advertising vendors with not just one exclamation point>.

I imagine it is up to the partners/vendors to bring some logic, if not some rational long term perspective to the discussion, but I recognize it becomes tough to do so when you have a young, or semi young, client saying ‘give me something different <or else … threat in whispers …>. So what marketing/advertising partners do as they shift into survival ‘responsible’ mode is that they develop some broad strategic guard rails to work within.

For example … try out … ‘well … Fructis is a fun brand for fun people and fun events/life’ <note that ‘fun’ is the operative word>.

Honestly … that strategic direction sucks <because it is broad and relatively meaningless … and Disney is a fun brand> but it gives the idea developer <creative people> a virtually endless horizon of possible paths to pursue.

Regardless.

I get frightened when I see advertisements like this because someone actually thinks this is good for Fructis long term.

Short term? I may not have even invested the energy writing about it <although it is a wacky configuration of stuff in an advertisement>.

Actually I get frightened on a variety of levels.

Hair falling out shampoo? <and calling it Fall Fight>

The advertisement? <actual execution>

The development? <how the idea was actually developed>

In the end.

Is the advertisement really bad? Of course not. It is kind of a wacky semi likeable ad.

I just cannot envision it being in the ‘good’ category in terms of execution and strategic.

Plus.

It gave me something to write about.

chase this advertising away (please)

February 5th, 2013

Oh my.

Despite the fact I just saw this commercial after some research I now know other people’s eyes have been forever scarred by the Chase Freedom card advertising called The ‘Footloose’ Commercial.

This is brutal.

Absolutely frickin’ brutal.

Footloose cash back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azB-n0vqFLM

Even in my wildest imagination I cannot envision how anyone in any meeting has ever thought this was good advertising.

I say that and on this site I have posed some fairly wild and absurd business scenarios <albeit typically rooted in a real business experience … just to show how absurd business meetings & decisions can be> but even I cannot build a mythical scenario in which a group of grown men & women would think this was not only a good idea … but showcases my product in a positive credible way.

I even struggle to envision how Kenny Loggins, who has admittedly penned some fairly horrible songs to meet some movie requests, would ever agree to have his song bastardized to this extent <living proof that money can make some people do some fairly wacky things>.

The ad?

I see the briefing session with the creative people.

- We need to show the many ways you can get money back <all in one commercial>.

- We need to show that using our card is associated with fun <not actually spending money>.

- We need to show that the people who use our card are cool <in some retro way because apparently research shows that they all have Footloose VHS tapes in their entertainment center that they watch every time they come home after a party as a reminder of the ‘good times’>.

- We need to show that we are not a retro brand <so we can’t use the original song … it has to be relevant to the new young cool audience we know are dying to use our card>.

- <basically> We need to show everyone uses our card.

- We need to show that their world is better by using our card <in the actual brief that would come out with something like this … “in a black & white world where people are constantly just trying to get thru their to-do list the Freedom Card provides a glimpse of a more colorful world”>.

Oh.

- We need to show some consistency commercial to commercial so can you come up with some device I can use over and over again <so I can bludgeon people with it because the ads themselves will be unmemorable and I need to have something they will remember>.

How do they do it?

Their spokesperson, Ben Grant, magically appears in everyday black & white situations with the signature blue color of Chase … oh … but not just the color but in a blue guitar <and, of course, the card is blue so you do not miss seeing it in that black & white world of ours> … and he is singing Footloose … oops … no, not Footloose, just the music and he has his own lyrics?

Now that, my friends, is just a very very <very> bad idea. Memorable? Sure. But not everything memorable is good <please refer to your high school year book picture>.

Oh.

But they have gobs of money to spend so it really doesn’t matter <and they are using their card so they get cash back I assume>.

a piece of my mind (for reese’s pieces)

February 5th, 2013

Now.

This isn’t great advertising … but it is great solid simple advertising.

And, I imagine, quite effective … and quite efficient from a budget standpoint.

Reese’s peanut butter cups.

First.

Not that it matters to what I think about the advertising but I love Reese’s pieces. And, oddly, it is an acquired taste. The whole “you got peanut butter in my chocolate … and you got chocolate in my peanut butter” just never appealed to my upscale taste buds <greasy burger is high cuisine> until maybe a couple of years ago … and now I love the stuff.

Just because I mentioned that iconic line <peanut butter in my chocolate baloney> here is that memorable moment in advertising history:

Classic Peanut butter in my Chocolate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJLDF6qZUX0

<note: love the headphones>

Anyway.

Second.

Reese’s advertising.

Advertising candy and/or chocolate is tough. Chocolate is fun and indulgent and all of it tastes frickin’ great … so how the heck do I create a fun, indulgent, great ad <which can be relatively easy> … again and again <which can be relatively tough>.

For example.

Skittles is awesome. But the campaign idea is incredibly difficult to sustain with excellence. Those sharp humorous quirky ads are difficult to create.

With this approach your wins are really big wins and your losses are really big losses.

All in a relatively low margin industry where advertising dollars are spent grudgingly.

M&M’s? I am not a huge fan of the campaign but the product is the hero <I am not a fan because while I understand giving your product human qualities so that we chocaholics who buy the stuff will like it in a different dimension … by giving them human characteristics I feel almost cannibalistic when i eat an M&M these days … and I am not sure I am comfortable with that … yeah … unfortunately I overthink everything … even M&M’s>. It appears to be an expensive production idea but I am sure some ‘social media expert’ has figured out how to amortize the expenses to do all the television they do because by extension they can use the goofy characters everywhere in some relatively creative ways.

Other than that? I am not sure I can recall any <except the one-offs that are done around holidays and valentine’s day>.

All that leads me to Reese’s.

All commercials are only :15 long.

All simple <in format and in production>.

All use product as hero.

They can crank out these executions one after another.

And they can probably have some 20something sitting in front of some high falutin’ computer create the ideas. Almost all their advertising budget is getting dumped into the actual media <that is a good thing when sitting in front of CFO types>.

And they can air a boatload of different ideas tied to pretty much anything they want to tie them to.

Really really smart in its simplicity.

And they are actually pretty good commercials.

Reese’s She Loves me: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7VVp/reeses-reeses-peanut-butter-cups-she-loves-me

Reese’s Gears: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twbqQi-08JM

Reese’s Halloween: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7YZq/reeses-puffs-halloween

Reese’s minis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkUfbrBQG1M

Well played Reese’s.

i-phone TV campaign

July 18th, 2010

Well. While I would put this under the “not an original idea” category I would say it is an excellent idea and glad someone is doing it again.

The new i-phone/ATT television commercials.

I have only seen two (so there may be more) but the two I have seen are awesome. And well executed. And well produced. The both follow the same formula but I am going to show the “haircut” execution at the end.

I like it on a couple of levels:

Being Voyeuristic.

We aren’t seeing the people. We are slipping inside of their lives.

How? By showing the entire story through the i-phone screen we are eavesdropping on a moment between two people we don’t know.

Does it suggest we are all a little voyeuristic or maybe all a little nosy? Maybe.

But that’s kind of our world today. People having conversations on phones in public and standing in line in front of us scanning pictures they received on their phone and do you listen or not? Do you look if it catches your eye or quickly look away?

This campaign says “hey. It’s ok. We will let you into our lives for a minute”. Love it.

Next.

The life moment.

Oh boy. It is perfectly set up.

The boy is presented with the situation where there is clearly an A answer and a B answer (which is more a failing grade then a “B” if he gives it).

And the tension builds because we know how often in real life we men fail ‘in the moment’ with the B answer (and infamous for certainly recognizing the A answer once given some time to think about it … as well as sincerely coming back with the A answer later … but having lost so much ground it takes days to get it back).

But.

The guy comes thru.

He gives the A answer.

You love the story.

You love the “oh shit. What is he going to say” tipping point.

It is quick in the dialogue interplay but you love the gut clenching thought “he’s gonna get it wrong”.

You love the answer he gives.

You love the endearing sincere response she gives.

Excellent life moment. And we get to see it.

Anyway. Like I said. Seen the idea done before. But doesn’t diminish this execution.

Very very well done.

And all I can do is hope to do half as well as this guy if put into this position.

Every guy wishes he could do the right thing in the moment like that.

Every gal wishes her guy would do the right thing in the moment like that.

So. Here is the “hair cut” execution (I have only seen one other execution in the campaign – the “pregnancy” execution):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE8vuNFt69Q

Excellently executed campaign. Oh. Not sure it sells any i-phones but it is certainly a great campaign.