Posts tagged campaign
The Hurricane Checklist
Aug 10th
This is the Hurricane checklist (and Hurricane is a London brand content & social marketing agency)
Ok.
I was digging around for something (I cannot remember what) and I came across a marketing agency in London that has an awesome website with a bunch of well articulated thoughts. I really liked their website because they permitted their people to just write and share their own point of view in their own voice. Not many companies are confident enough to let that happen (they fear someone is going to say something crazy and some really important person is going to randomly come across it online and never ever ever want to speak with the company ever again … ever.)
So it is companies like this Hurricane group that give me hope companies can let an individual voice, of an employee, shout something from a hilltop without looking over their shoulder (and editing).
All that said.
These guys came up with an awesome 6 point checklist for developing campaign strategies that straddle traditional and “social” (see web based) marketing plans of action.
Kudos to these guys. Smart. Well articulated. Understandable. Believable.
I would hire these guys.
Oh.
I work for an agency. Oops. Guess I can’t.
Here you go:
Trying to juggle the demands of integrating traditional media with digital/social media can be a nightmare. With the rules changing on a daily basis, what can you do to try and make sense of it all and still create great campaigns that deliver even greater returns?
Here at Hurricane we’ve been talking about our 6C’s checklist for several months now and the more we use it ourselves the more we swear by it. No seriously, hyperbola aside it’s effing awesome.
When looking at developing a campaign strategy for brand or lead generation activity, this checklist should form part of your campaign plan.
Here’s the low down.
1: Credibility – your primary motivation in the new world has to be customer NOT shareholder driven. You need to have a clear and authentic story as to why your product or service “will make a difference” and not just line the pockets of investors and shareholders. What’s your story? Why is it authentic? Why should this matter to your audience?
2: Consent – just because you have a database of 10,000+ customers does not give you the right to spam them with emails and direct mail. You have to earn the right. This means focusing on understanding the needs of your customers first and taking a thought leadership stance to be able to engage rather than sell. What is your view of the market or category you play in? Can you create a thought leadership stance that goes against the accepted view of the market? Can you genuinely deliver against this position? Can you make it exciting and relevant?
3: Content – what can you create that will be of value to the unique buying tribe you are trying to engage with; whether its IT decision makers of Financial directors. Make sure you nail your value proposition so that your content strategy has real focus. Then you need to think how you can inform, educate and entertain them. Aside from great data capture, great content moves people through the sales cycle quicker. I know you all know how important the right type of content is, but creating it in new and engaging ways (Audio, video…) and syndicating that content across paid for and social networks can really amplify your message and create positive interaction with your customers and prospects.
4: Communities – It’s more important than ever before to understand the unique buying tribes and communities where your brand or product has the strongest rational and emotional fit. These self gathering online communities wield huge influence and their networks and peers can help amplify any brand or marketing message. They are an active resource for all types of market insight and when motivated can be an excellent co-creation and crowdsourcing partner. You need to know where they are, what makes them tick, create content that creates a buzz and encourage them to participate and share in all aspects of your sales and marketing. Devoting yourself to these core communities is a sure fire way to create success.
5: Conversation – in the old world you would send out a rock solid piece of DM, follow it up with an email and back that up with a white paper. It was robust, logical and ticked all the boxes. However, in the new world you also have to be able to kick start the conversation. This means ultimately that you need to be interesting first and right and relevant second. Tapping into the socially connected world means giving people the ammunition to be part of the conversation. Nobody ever emailed their work colleagues a dull email about total cost of ownership. Always think about the BUZZ factor. How will this campaign get people talking about my product or service? What can you do to throw a curve ball into your market place that will get people talking? When you get this right, it’s what we call a Contagious Customer Experience!
6: Creativity – There is more clutter in our lives today than at any other point. To get through you have to make sure you have a stand out brand identity, a meaningful set of beliefs and brilliant communications to bring it all to life. Social and alternative media have not replaced the big idea. The big idea is your highway straight into the mind of your customer. How does this creative idea make my brand stand out? How does this creative idea get people buzzed? How does this creative idea compel people to share it?
So there you have it, a checklist that quite simply could make you famous (honestly). Oops.
That last sentence (and the italics) are their words.
Interestingly they are words I have also used.
I cannot figure out of it is plagiarism if you think the same thought and use the same words and type them surrounding their thought (which you agree with).
Regardless. I hope they don’t mind.
And remember … while this thinking may not make you famous (as they suggest) it will certainly insure you are smart.
heineken & music
Jul 1st
First. I love a cold Heineken. Probably my favorite brew when the day calls for a beer.
Second. I have hated Heineken advertising for a very very long time. I have continuously thought whomever was doing the work was missing what Heineken was all about as a brand. In general the advertising seemed to continue to Americanize the brand.
Oh.
Side note. I love America (this being the 4th I wanted to reinforce that thought so no one came trundling into my comment section mentioning that I was some communist or something. The point is that Heineken is not American – nor communist I may add).
Whew.
All that said.
The new Heineken advertising.
Love it for Heineken.
It is interesting to me not only because they have developed advertising that is quirky and with lots & lots of personality but strategically it is their version of “the most interesting man in the world “ (Dos Equis).
This is “I see myself in that brand” 101 (a basic college lesson).
It is over the top but in an odd European quirky way. It reestablishes Heineken is not for the mainstream. It clearly showcases that Heineken is not for everyone, it may only be for those who like to be different and it has an international feel to it.
It is the type of advertising that people in other categories should sit up and pay attention to not because they should copy it but because they could learn from it.
Smart stuff from a smart advertising agency – wedien & kennedy.
Even better?
Love the music.
And the music tied to the over-the-topness of the commercial itself is absofrickinly perfect.
The song is “the golden age” by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.
So.
Here is Heineken “the entrance” tv commercial (done by Weiden & Kennedy – good stuff from a good agency):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0KvbSqfd28&feature=related
as a bonus.
This is the full Golden Age music video if you want to see it (and you like the song):
The asteroid galaxy tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On6U-kQGBcA
Happy 4th of July weekend. Have a Heineken.
find your beach with corona
Apr 22nd
Ok.
I just saw (heard) the Corona television campaign again this weekend. Haven’t seen it in a while and I had almost forgotten how much i like it.
First. Let me say that I have always liked the Corona advertising. Simple. Charming. Always a little smile. And always perfectly captured the essence of all ‘senses’ which you would want associated with drinking a Corona (bring the beach, sunset, warmth, comfortable love/companionship to wherever you are).
They have never been slapstick. They have been steadfastly Corona in character. And they have always done it with style.
Second.
The best part of the new Corona commercial (to me the music lover) is the song it features: A song called ‘Secret Sun’ by Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos (I had never heard of him or the Ferdinandos butthis song comes from their 2003 album ‘The Secret Sun.’)
Of course the commercial features stunningly photographed seasons and beautiful settings, young couples and friends sharing the view all the while, of course, sharing their beer. (side note: you can always count on a Corona commercial to always be impeccably shot with glaringly clean unfiltered lenses which capture every natural hue at its richest)
Find Your Beach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQoRmy9G864&feature=related
Anyway.
All the beautiful footage sweeps over the screen to the light music with the following words:
“Meet me by the sea again. Past the point where the shoreline bends. Where the sand is soft and warm. And hangs upon your golden arm. And time won’t move at all.”
(awesome)
This (debut but now old) TV spot (called “Moments”) is a little different than what we have seen in the past from Corona in that it features a montage of scenes at slightly unexpected places for a typical Corona spot – from a mountain vista to a Big Sur cliff to a New York City rooftop. Luckily (just so no one gets confused) the commercial ends with a couple on an iconic beach with a new tagline “Find Your Beach.”
The other thing I like about this campaign is the point of view. You never see anyone’s face full on. You are always looking at the view and the people from behind. It is always about the experience and the environment and the feeling that is captured when you have a Corona in your hand. Awesome subtle thinking. Managed well.
Hey.
I admit.
I like it (and I like a nice cold Corona too).
And, for once, I actually thought the quotes I could find from the advertising/marketing people associated with the commercials to make sense and articulate the thinking very well:
“What we want ‘Find Your Beach’ to do is literally show that the beach is where you make it,” said the chief creative officer of Cramer-Krasselt (Corona’s ad agency). “We want to give literal, visual permission for people to take the Corona mindset with them. Even to the ski slopes or the big city. ‘Find Your Beach’ is a kind of how-to guide for the Corona way.”
“White beaches, gentle waves, a guy and a girl relaxing seaside … these have long been symbols of the escape mindset associated with Corona,” said the EVP Marketing, Crown Imports/Corona. “Our new ‘Find Your Beach’ ads encourage fans to find their beach, wherever it may be expanding that Corona state of mind beyond the ‘sun, sand and surf.’”
Well said gentlemen.
And well done.
Well.
Time for a Corona.
Find your beach.
variety branding (and geico)
Jul 29th
I have always been a fan of variety branding. Huh?
What I mean is multiple looks and feels for communications and advertising and marketing.
Think Geico as the preeminent example at the moment (even though it is a direct tv example).
In fact. The only reason I am writing about this is because I saw a new Geico ad on TV.
Their approach to encouraging phone calls using TV advertising is awesome.
Uh.
Notice I didn’t use the “B” word anywhere in there (Brand or Branding).
They have Caveman, Celebrities and Gecko (and some other stuff).
Geico is all over the place executionally.
Yet. Still focused on message and personality (ever notice they tend to skew their talent and execution scenarios slightly upscale so it is still attainable but not cheap – while talking about saving less money).
Oh. Using celebrities helps with that too.
Anyway.
I would imagine the ‘Buzzword’ associated with variety in branding is ‘long tail’. Or what is commonly referred to as the long tail of branding.
Okay. Yeah. I got sucked into this buzzword once and wrote a white paper called the long tail of branding (yup. You can download it).
And the main reason why this post won’t be 15 pages long is because I already have wasted all my great thinking and words up in writing that ‘long tail of branding’ manifesto.
Also.
Now that I am fully anti-buzzword I try and keep things down & dirty and focus on some good ole functional ways of thinking about things rather than buzzwords and hype.
So.
What got me thinking about this is the new Geico work on TV … in particular the one with the drill sergeant is awesome:
- “chug on over to mamby pamby land so you can get some self confidence you jackwagon”
Here is Geico Therapist Sarge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhlWddAXSRA
As a writer you can only dream of writing that dialogue.
This whole variety in executions and consistency in ‘brand’ really is a lightning rod type discussion.
And, oddly enough, I am a convert (and isn’t it said that converts are typically the most ardent believers?).
J Walter Thompson was a HUGE proponent of consistency. And let’s call it “literal consistency” up until maybe the mid to late 90’s when all of a sudden some discussion about ‘how literal do we have to be’ came up in our strategic Thompson Way of thinking about things. Difficult to argue with “make it all look the same so people know who it is and your money works harder.”
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm … that is until you start picking away at what exactly do you mean by ‘look the same.’
Everything literally? Or just strategy? Or a logo and maybe a color? (think a template look)
Interestingly I find variations in the definition driven mostly by sophistication (or depth of learning) of the one discussing it.
(and this is going to be a generalization but percentages are with me)
People with larger agency and larger company experience are less literal. They are knowledgeable enough and understanding enough of the strength of strategy and ability to communicate aspects of personality with variety.
People with less breadth of experience stick to the safer spot – make everything look the same.
Where it gets confusing is when people try and mix in money. The less experienced start arguing “clients/companies don’t have enough money for variety they need it all to work together.”
Silly. Very silly. (I hesitated to simply say “bullshit” here)
In fact I would argue that it is those companies who should be seeking:
- To insure they had a really good insightful focused strategy which permits some flexibility
- To show as many sides of their personality/character as possible to show deepness of understanding into their audience.
But, hey, that’s me.
A couple of “shout outs” on this topic.
I would have to say that the best marketing agency I have seen in the marketplace implementing this idea is Goodby Silverstein. I don’t know if it’s Jeff or Rich or an ethos within their culture but they consistently keep executionally on a strategic direction but are flexible within the messaging to make it all not look the same.
I have worked with a bunch of great creative minds and I am sure there is a bunch out there who are really good thinkers on this topic but the absolute best thinker I have run across on this topic is Luke Sullivan. While I was a ‘variety branding’ believer before I met Luke he is the one who truly articulated how this thinking extended across large campaigns better than anyone I have ever heard talk about this.
Be sure.
Thinking about this idea and doing this idea are two different things.
It is very very easy to talk about.
But actually doing it is not for the faint of heart.
Takes some good smarts and big kahones.
Not so easy a caveman can do it, let me end with that.
Anyway.
The Geico Sarge therapist execution made me laugh my ass off.
stay thirsty my friends
Jul 23rd
I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
Dos Equis. What an awesome campaign. What an awesome idea. What an awesome way of elevating a relatively unknown product to a place where people are wondering, if not just thinking about the product, of not actually buying to maybe to try it.
Look. I should have written about this campaign, and idea, a long time ago. In fact so long ago I shelved the idea thinking what the hell … it’s too late.
But this campaign keeps coming back and is still interesting.
You may not know that this is the second attempt at using this “most interesting man” character and development of product personality.
The actor behind the ‘most interesting man’, Jonathan Goldsmith, has been playing this part since 2006. And I believe the first campaign of commercials was in 2007.
Apparently it didn’t kick ass originally and went away for a long while. But someone, either at Dos Equis or Euro RSCG (who created the campaign), must have seen enough promise in the concept to stick with it because the same spots started running again the following year. And this time around the “most interesting man in the world” struck a chord and this new beer icon was born.
So. Pretty much anyone who has a TV is aware of, “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” campaign.
The salt-and-pepper haired gentleman with the smooth voice and a taste for adventure. I am addicted to him. I admit it. it is the things that make him the ‘most interesting’ … well … interesting:
He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it feels.
He can speak French… in Russian.
He is the life of the party, even when he does not attend.
Policemen often question him simply because he’s interesting.
He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it felt.
He lives vicariously through himself.
He goes to museums and they let him touch the art.
Even his enemies list him as their emergency contact number.
Years ago, he built a city out of blocks. Today, over six hundred thousand people live and work there.
If he were to give you directions, you’d never get lost, and you’d arrive at least 5 minutes early.
People hang on his every word, even the prepositions.
He is the only man to ever ace a Rorschach test.
Every time he goes for a swim, dolphins appear.
His personality is so magnetic; he is unable to carry credit cards.
He never says something tastes like chicken. Not even chicken.
He could disarm you with his looks… or his hands. Either way.
His charm is so contagious; vaccines have been created for it.
And his closing line “Stay thirsty my friends.”
So. I am not gonna give you any brand or branding gobbledygook because this was a great idea and it builds a personality for the product.
Period.
(all the other high falutin’ branding experts can pile on about all the other buzzworthy things associated to building a brand using some impossible to read gant charts).
I don’t care if it’s a shitty product <well … I do actually … but that’s a different post>.
But. If I drink a Dos Equis I can almost guarantee people will think I am interesting (or at least joke about it).
Once again. Period. Stop. Good enough. Job well done.
Few advertising campaigns actually go beyond advertising and begin shaping the kind of character development you kind of dream of when you start marketing a product. And this one is doing just that.
And it’s not just me. People love this campaign. I know they do (how?).
Because Millward Brown says so.
Dos Equis has been able to take an extremely popular tongue in cheek character and through targeted placement through a variety of tactics get people to send it around the web (and the world and just talk about it) and make it successful according to market research by Millward Brown. The TV campaign is in the top five percent of most enjoyable ads in U.S. research history.
The campaign covers TV, print, interactive online, radio and event promotions. Videos and ads were posted on YouTube as well as a number of other sites with the intent of having consumers appreciate the ‘out of the realm of possibility’ character and send it to one another.
Also. The website is pretty awesomely done.
So. What makes the character appealing?
The campaign idea (I guess I could call the guy a mnemonic like tactic) is not insulting.
It’s so deeply satisfying because it is intriguing, well written and so outrageous it is fascinating to see how “interesting” the most interesting man can be.
Like any great fictional character, even though it’s completely made up, it’s so outrageously true. It lives on in people’s minds because it takes real attributes and stretches them to the unbelievable boundary <which is funny in its extremes>.
This fictional character is a cross between Ernest Hemingway, Bill Murray, Burt Reynolds and some Count from a nonexistent place in central Europe. This guy harkens back to the old concept of what a man’s man should be. To the exponential factor. The nth degree.
In love with women and booze, but classier than most, he travels the world seeking experiences (“his beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body.”). Awesome.
Lastly. The part I truly love. Possibly the most interesting thing about the commercials is that he never really commits to promoting Dos Equis. He only prefers it. The closest he comes is with the tag line:
“I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.”
So. The most interesting man in the world is not an avid beer drinker but when he does want one, the most interesting man must select an interesting beer to quaff (or if you are the most interesting man do you sip, gulp, chug or drain?). Whatever, the ads are totally awesome.
Here are a sampling of Three Most Interesting Man commercials (enjoy my friends):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ym2Jma04qo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYdwe3ArFWA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9GYocBqGyA&feature=related
Don’t stay thirsty. Grab a Dos Equis!
burger mcsausage unoriginal smarts
Jul 21st
so. This television advertisement introducing the Burger King breakfast sausage biscuit (the one where the creepy king breaks into McDonald’s headquarters to steal the mcmuffin recipe):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF86Rb-uFNE
The execution doesn’t confuse me but the effort makes me pause and scratch my head a little.
But I guess if you have more money then you know what to do with and you see research numbers that show “people consider McDonalds for breakfast and not Burger King” and you already know what McDonalds best breakfast seller is then you spend some of that money saying “hey we have the same thing just in case you didn’t know.”
There are several things I do like about this:
Competitive but not competitive. It’s odd but they are going for the competitor jugular in an interesting way. They state that they are going to offer an unoriginal product (in that they are simply stealing someone else’s ‘good idea’). But. That also implies that it’s not rocket science stuff. That maybe the original McD’s breakfast biscuit just isn’t that “unique.” (clever guys those Crispin fellows – Crispin is burger kings’ agency of record).
No superiority. Simply “hey, if you like us <burger king> and you want exactly what you could get if you stopped at the bastards down the street here you go. We have it for you. We are willing to copy if it makes you happy.” Kind of shows you like your customers and will do whatever it takes to make them happy (even steal I guess).
And then the creepy king. Here is where I give Crispin the highest marks of all.
For years while brilliant the agency has been “one-off” brilliant. One great brilliant idea. Non campaignable. Lose client after one brilliant idea because they didn’t really have a great follow-up.
(Look. The BMW mini campaign the agency built their main reputation on was not a creative messaging brilliance idea it was a tactical brilliance concept … which I give them kudos for just don’t want to oversell their brilliance … or misidentify it).
Anyway. Back to the creepy king. Alex Bogusky is our generation’s Bill Bernbach. And he has matured (in my humble opinion) to a point where he is truly earning that pedestal. The Burger King creepy king is a great showcase for why I believe it to be so. The young Bogusky would probably have shoved a brand/company mnemonic device sustaining multiple campaigns over time so far up a client’s ass a proctologist would have been envious. But. He (or at least he encouraged his teams) stepped up and said “well, let’s make the best of it and I want to do it my way …. creatively and interestingly and sometimes creepy when we are wrong in the execution but sticking with it and getting it right.” They have made it work. And made it work over time. They have a sustainable mnemonic device (or branding element or whatever you want to call it).
Anyway.
I slam people but I also want to give some credit where credit is due.
Cannot wait to see what the creepy king does next.
old el paso advertising
Jul 20th
I have been meaning to write about old el paso for awhile. Mostly because I want to write something positive for once about marketing and advertising.
The old el paso flat bottom taco advertising campaign is brilliantly simple (and simply brilliant).
It has a couple of below the line less than obvious components that really take the idea to a higher level.
Solving a problem.
Heck. I don’t know if making my taco stand up is a real problem or not but if someone is speaking Spanish and I am in Middle America than … well … I would assume it is something that keeps them up at night.
Big problem.
Maybe I won’t even buy this product until they solve this issue dammit.
Oh. An advertising campaign all in Spanish (with subtitles).
Wow. Authentic? Heck. I don’t know but I think so.
The simplicity of the solution offered by a new generation. Gosh. Everyone loves it. It’s not just that a kid with a simple thought can solve what was an apparent centuries old problem but rather that a new generation is able to see through honored tradition that those stupid adults (and past ‘stuck in archaic thinking’ generations) were blinded by to see a fundamental functional solution.
Awesome. “Out of the mouth of babes” as they say.
And the production of the execution. It’s the juxtaposition of all the elements which is awesome.
The adult conversational delivery of the problem. (let’s call this a simple build)
The innocence of a child offering a solution (in a subtitle).
Silence.
A moment of silence as everyone contemplates the solution. A moment as the simplicity of the solution slices through generations of adult traditional behavior to get to the core of what would actually be more useful.
Volume. Noise. Celebration.
The raising up of the volume to celebrate the idea (and the ideator) almost shouts that the solution is brilliant.
At the end of :30 even if you didn’t think that it was a great idea how could you not think it may be the greatest idea since the beer frig 12 pack box the way they are celebrating.
Even I, who doesn’t even eat this stuff, now take a second look as I wander the grocery store.
Awesome idea communicated in an awesome way.
It entertains. It educates.
It offers a solution to a problem (I wasn’t even sure I had).
It is delightful. And it seems authentic. And it is a great use of marketing and communicating an idea.
So. Here they are. And I included the :15 version because it is so well done also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrbyVDMUT10&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3KXaF2_UzU&feature=related
(second is :15 second version)
Oops. Gotta go get some mexican food now.
i-phone TV campaign
Jul 18th
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.
unhealthy eating Part 4: implementation
Jul 15th
A friend (I use that term loosely) asked me how the program I suggested in Part 3 could be effectively implemented when there is an economic cost of eating healthy and the role the government would have to play in altering that.
Well. First. He is correct.
It is a fact there are some significant subsidies and a lot of companies with great interests in keeping things the way they are:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/why-a-big-mac-costs-less-than-a-salad/
Second. Look. I don’t really believe the wacky pyramid charts in the article (too many dimensions and % of %’s aspects that make it difficult to put in a useful pyramid).
But.
Let’s just agree in the current situation/environment the government subsidizes (for a number of good reasons as well as some wrong reasons) a variety of unhealthy focused items versus more healthy items.
Bottom line? The government spends an average of $4.6 billion on subsidies for corn and nothing on fruit/vegetables.
And according to a March ‘08 NY Times article, My Forbidden Fruits (and vegetables), farmers are actually fined when they plant fruits and veggies on land that is designated for corn (oh, here’s a random factoid for you, a Big Mac registers at 53% corn due to all the corn that the cows ate and the high fructose corn syrup so Big Macs – not picking on McDonalds although I like Wendy’s burgers better but they are also in the same situation – are actually partially subsidized by the government).
Anyway.
I guess the point of all these facts is to point out that the existing farm and government infrastructure is not really conducive to a large population shift in eating behavior.
Well.
You could pretty much have said the same thing about the tobacco & government relationship at the onset of the anti tobacco initiatives in the early 1970’s. In addition that battle continued for decades before subsidies and government programs actually swung in a different direction.
There were lots of subsidies and “keeping things the way they are.”
But. It has changed. It has been a long complex battle but in the end smoking (tobacco) has lost … or let’s say is in the process of losing.
All that said let’s go to implementation (because that will be the way to actually affect unhealthy eating behavior AND actually change the way that government looks at this issue).
So. I have suggested Unhealthy Eating as an addiction.
And Mortality education is the linchpin to a communications program.
My thoughts on implementation.
First. I do believe the recent healthcare reform where the government will become more active in day to day health insurance programs should benefit unhealthy addiction programs. Well. Let me take that back. IF the new healthcare reform (which, ladies & gentlemen, is unlikely to happen as the government argues over stupid stuff) happens, an unhealthy initiative would benefit.
Second. I have already written here I am not a big detractor of government developed programs. I do believe they do a nice job developing and initial implementation of national programs (ongoing management not so much). So some type of national federally funded initiative would work well here. Let me clarify this also. This does not mean it has to be an actual federal program but rather a national fund where states could access matching funds if they meet some specific criteria (portions of anti-tobacco does this same thing I believe).
Third. I would implement unhealthy eating programs on a state level (primarily).
Similar to anti tobacco (anti smoking) campaigns from day one the most successful case studies came from individual states and in fact success at an individual state level eventually drove a stake through the heart of federal subsidies and the tobacco lobbyist construct.
We should let states take this one on in the beginning.
Some will get it righter than others but they learn fast.
The key is getting some success and some trial & error things in place. State driven initiatives are incredibly good at ‘borrowing’ successful ideas from other states (as well as challenging ideas with the intent of always improving … or simply the competitiveness of ‘looking better than those jerks in that other state).
Going back to my “primarily” comment I would like to note that it was a federal program that created the controversial smoking black lung messaging and drugs scrambled egg and John Lennon ‘imagine’ gun control messaging. So a federal based campaign can create a strong messaging platform. That means, stating once again, I wouldn’t be opposed to a federal unhealthy eating campaign.
I just believe in the end if we really want to get some traction and develop campaigns that will affect behavior they should be implemented on the state level.
There you go. Nothing brilliant here. In fact I am stealing the successful learnings from the anti-tobacco initiatives. But why reinvent the wheel?
boy scouts part 2
Jul 13th
So. A friend of mine sent me the following link with the Boy Scouts advertising announcement.
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/boy_scouts_of_america_prepared
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ….
Well. Here’s the deal. And I admit. I may not be the best person to be providing a point of view here because I care about the Boy Scouts (therefore I may be biased toward being critical). But. I have a couple of problems … oops .. issues with this effort.
1. No one cares if you (or your company) are 100 years old if that is all you say. If you are waiting to let people arrive at their own conclusion (and you are hoping against hope that they believe it means “hey, I am reliable and you can count on me”), you are screwed. Because most people will suggest 100 years old means you are … well … old … and not relevant. (hmmmmmmmmm … I believe that would be the existing issue the Boy Scouts are dealing with so maybe the intent of this advertising is to support and encourage that belief? Ok. If that is the intent they nailed it).
2. I don’t really see why I would choose to either be a Boy Scout or have my son (if I had one) become a Boy Scout. (ok. what I am saying is leveraging off a 100 year heritage is not compelling enough to make me choose)
3. I would be fine with leveraging a message from 100 years if it were buttressed with some unexpected possibly contradictory thought (anyone surprised here?) that made people think about Boy Scouts differently. (best example I can think of continues to be the Girl Scouts ad I posted once).
Girl Scout example:
Ok. That is the Girl Scouts.
But. In the end I would suggest the Boy Scouts truly missed an opportunity.
The Boy Scouts don’t do a lot of advertising. Therefore missing opportunities like this one means they had better be prepared to continue dealing with the relevancy issues they have already been dealing with.
Be prepared to be called old (or maybe better said “continue to be called old).
Be prepared to explain why the heck they spend money to say nothing like this.
Oh.
And be prepared to do something else.
I do love the decision on the production style. It looks beautiful and classic.
The truly missed opportunity is that if they had put a non classic looking evocative message on that production style they would have had the opportunity to suggest that Boy Scouts actually has both those characteristics – classic & contemporary.
For example (harkening back to my point 3 above) imagine if they used one of these images with a headline that says something like “100 years of values in every One of our scouts”:
Are they exactly right?
Nope.
Would people take a look?
Yup.
Would people start thinking that maybe the Boy Scouts were changing? Maybe.
Instead?
The Boy Scout just look classically old and dated.
Awesome organization. Poor communications execution.
