The Brand Roller Coaster...

There are three basic categories of brands with in any industry. There are the brands that are vying for the top position of the marketplace. There are the brands that offer the lowest prices and best deals. And, then there are the convenience brands that fill in the gaps and only exist because of smart marketing. I could have called this blog Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Twin Donuts, but it’s become a tired analogy and who doesn’t love amusement parks.
The difference comes down to consumer experience, location and price. Each of these brands of theme parks provides a similar product but have different greatly different models aims. Disney aims to be the best. Six Flags aims to be most accessible. Dutch Wonderland aims to stay in business. Hopefully each of these parks meet their consumer’s expectations get to continue creating experiences
I don’t mean to pick on Dutch Wonderland because there are probably a hundred parks just like it across the country. Everyone has his or her own Dutch Wonderland. It’s your typical small business brand that is location specific and part of a community. They operate on the lowest possible budget and are very cost efficient. They only promote themselves locally and depend on Quaker Pennsylvania tourism. It’s part of a cheap vacation that families take because they’ve got an opportunity to do something and this is a convenient option, and a pleasant experience for everyone in the family.
Regional and national brands like Six flags want to be the most accessible brand out there. They’ve teamed up with Warner Bros. and DC comics to create a similar experience to Disney so families would be able to drive a few hours to spend a day with their families. Six Flags is more the rides than any story. Every one that enters the gates expects to be locked into a coaster car that’s going to be launched by the same devices that launches jet fighters from an aircraft carrier. It’s an awesome experience, but that’s all it is.
In contrast Disney s the Mecca of all theme parks. Families will travel any distance to spend a week there so that their kids can have something to talk about for the rest of their lives. It is the ultimate experience, not just part of it. It’s a global brand that caters to everyone. They have the same caliber rides as Six Flags but their marketing and advertising department is a multi-trillion dollar cartoon and movie studio. They know the value of telling a story and giving people an opportunity to be part of and participate in their favorite stories growing up.
Charles Eames once said, “Beyond the age of information is the Age of choices.” What that means is that parity is all around us. Consumers are constantly becoming more informed their acumen is well aware of their choices. The type of brand you are is irrelevant as long as understand your brands importance and its place in a culture. If reality is far off perception then it’s time to rebrand and redefine your place among others in the consumer world. Also remember that cultures and subcultures overlap constantly and finding your niche could mean stopping and listening to the people who truly own your brand and accept is as part of their culture. Overhauling your brand can be a simple adjustment or a complete rebuild. Let consumers tell you who you should be, and figure out the how to do that.

GM and Comparison Advertising

GM has posted another quarter of huge losses. It's become a tired brand that has done a lot in the past year to improve to improve and assure the quality of the GM brands. They've focused on their strongest brands, but the comparison advertising has become a sore thumb. It's the lowest of lows in the in the advertising world. It speaks nothing of brand experience.

Modernista was doing a bang up job with Cadillac, but GM moved on from having a "car that could turn you on". It may have ruffled a few feathers and insulted the sensibilities of some well-to-do execs but it worked. It was noticed and people talked about the brand. I can't say I've seen a memorable Cadillac commercial since.

GMC's "Professional Grade" was good but what happened to it? The GMC brand has always been strong and they were the first to have a Superbowl ad in Spanish to address the enormous Hispanic community in this country that primarily work as skilled tradesmen.

But when you look at Chevy, C'mon? Their product placement in the Transformers is brilliant. I'm old enough to have a nostalgic attachment to the Transformers brand but Jazz was a Pontiac Roadster that couldn't out run he Decepticons. Maybe if was a Porche like he was originally scripted 20 some years ago he'd have a better ending in the first movie. The beloved Bumble Bee was originally a VW bug that could talk. Granted The New Camaro is slick, but it's a GM car that has a damaged voice what ever and their is something is always going to be broken, or in need of repair. I'm sad to see Bumble Bee reduced to a mute robot that can't fix itself.

I must admit I didn't mind the Howie Long commercials at first. They're well written and somewhat witty. Howie is an identifiable figure that a lot of Americans. It's time to move on. They aren't effective. Yes all the research points to Americans needing value and service. But we also want an experience that is worth sharing in social networks, at the water cooler and where ever you'd talk about your cars. I want a car that can turn me on again. Not a car that can't compete with a Honda Lawnmower.

GM went back to the drawing boards and the need to show an experience that would make their cars worth buying again. Value and service will always get consumers to signing their names but it's an experience that's going to get them in the dealership. They need to get off the television ads and immerse their brands into social arenas, online video, and figure something out with mobile medias. If GM wants to pump a little blood into their brands they need to move beyond the comparisons and try to get our blood pumping again. I want a little grit and heart.

Could Agencies CP+B be like the Yankees?

Think about how sports teams rely on talent to create winning team to produce a championship. Now consider how creative agencies have turn over every three to five years and how economy. A lot of the talent out there has an agent of some sort looking for something bigger and better on the horizon. The off-season would be august because it's the least productive of any of the months. You'd be able to negotiate your terms that include vacation, health care, education and even early termination clause. Everything would be customized and agreed upon.

It just makes a lot of sense for the advertising and other creative industries to move to definitive contracts models that are much like a players in any of the professional sports leagues. One year, and three-year contracts would become standardized. There would be a guaranteed lump some of money with incentive based bonuses. Long-term contracts could be created for the heavy hitters, which would include a leave of hiatus, partnership options and steaks in the agency.

To a certain extent the industry already operates like this. There is a major league that operates at a global level. Minor leagues operate nationally, regionally and or specific to an industry. Talent wouldn't be at the mercy of their employer, and agencies wouldn't have to act ruthlessly when a sudden loss of a major client or down economy forces extreme cutbacks. Lets move forward and create a new industry standard that assures that the talent and the agencies they work for are just flat out honest. Everyone would have the right to negotiate their own terms, and agencies would have to define your role and value with in the agency. We’d all be more productive, happier, and honest about what we do and who we do it for.

Where is Toyota's Damage Control?

One strategy that is rarely seen just because it’s only during a time when a brand is in crisis is damage control. Toyota is suffering huge losses and could be facing irreparably brand damage that will take years to recover from. Business-wise they are following the Tylenol’s total recall strategy in from 1982 when bottle someone was able to tamper with the bottle and poison seven people in the Chicago area. Tylenol bought back 22 million bottles across the country replacing them with the first tamper proof bottle. The company took a huge hit that year but bounced back quickly and the brand’s reputation became stronger than ever. The recall was handled through press releases and news broadcast which worked well for 1982.

With Tylenol’s tampering scare still in a new tampering rumor emerged in 1983. This time it was Pepsi, and it was a syringe in a bottle of Diet Pepsi. Then claims of crack cocaine and other things were reported. It was all a hoax though. Pepsi now had a huge task of rebuilding their brand image. They used the same media that jumped over reports that were pouring in that they were ready to officially announce “Nothing”. There was nothing wrong in their bottling procedures and their product was 100% safe.

Toyota needs to be making a bigger effort to reassure their company is making everything right. This year is going to be a huge loss for them. In order for them to make a comeback they should be reassuring that their brand is solid and that company’s ethics are in tact today. If there isn’t a commercial, a facebook page, a mobile app, anything that allows the company quick and direct communication with their consumers they are losing an opportunity to maintain their industry status ad the best car running. It takes years to build a brand reputation like Toyota had. Brand reputations can be destroyed in moments though. Like many I’m waiting to see what Toyota does. The more waiting there is the more brand damage will occur.

I'd like the Bologna on rye hold the Jingles Please

McDonalds, Kit Kat, and Dr. Pepper are some of the best examples of brands that have dropped their catchy jingles in recent history. These are also brand have been around for a long time, and creating new appeal to old brands is always a challenge. McDonald's has brought the jingle on a number of occasions, the latest is a User Generated Content(UGC) experiment where the most avid brand owners were encouraged to submit their own personal rendition of their All beef patty jingle. It just shows when a brand drops the jingle it's struggling with appeal and trying to reach a new audience. However, good jingles never die and sometimes establish an iconic status. When something becomes kitsch it's got a nostalgic quality that every one knows. That needs to be embraced. A jingle is part of the brand's identity, and sure it's annoying when it gets stuck in your head, but there's an experience that lives with.

The experience that immediately pops into my head is lunch as a child watching my mother make my sandwiches. And yes, they often were bologna sandwiches. And of course, the Oscar Mayer jingle would be sung. With the exception of the snobby kids who didn't like bologna, I'm sure every one in my generation associates that jingle with a positive experience. Maybe we should call this kind of nostalgia the "Ice Cream Man effect". Now that Oscar Mayer and McGarryBowen have decided to move beyond the jingle I think it's time to re-examine it's worth.



It's almost a badge of honor that it's earner through generations of school lunches and family outings. Hillshire farms has done some good advertising lately and I'm sure it's cut into Oscar Mayers market share a bit. There is a need to re-estblish the brand into the hearts of consumers and that often creates a need to zag. So I'm urging the creatives at McGarryBowen not to kill it completely. It may need to be re-contextualized, but it is part of an identity that is 125 years old that spans generations. That's a powerful thing. Just remember, it's bologna. It's supposed to be hokey.

Aflacs newest web experience

Aflac has always done well in the brand communications(advertising) area. They have their Mr. Whipple like duck who's actually become part of their identity as a comic relief component to address some otherwise serious situational needs. That annoying duck shows that they get it. They shed a little light on to a serious need and give people what they need during some stressful times. Giving people the peace of mind to relax and laugh goes a long way.

I recently spent 20 minutes at knowquack.com. I'm not one that would usually be interested in an insurance site but it was suggested worth checking out, and I did. With in that twenty minutes I was exposed to a well done multi-faceted digital experience. I had some interaction and the freedom to peruse according to my own needs and interest. I was exposed to on-line video, interactive web, and an opt-in email message, and an overall strategy that keeps it all together with good content. The only thing I am disappointed with is that the duck didn't quack "Aflac" when I rolled over it.

The one step they could have taken would move into the Mobile arena. If there was mobile component that linked from the email I would have spent more time with their brand and possibly become one of the owners of the Aflac brand. But then the email lives on my phone so who says that doesn't qualify. Well done Aflac.

A hoop with a Stick

I'm so glad Play station got rid of those creepy commercials. Their latest campaign couldn't be any more on target. They are extremely well written, the casting is perfect and it really shows they know the consumers that own their brand.



If you've paid any attention you'll see that the commercials aren't aimed a 33 year olds that live in their sister basement. They are aimed at families and couples because they know that that gaming is a social activity, or even better, a social experience. When Nintendo's Wii and MicroSoft's Xbox created came into their market PS3 was branding themselves as this almost supernatural experience that was hard to explain. It gave a lot of people the creeps, including me. With a marketing move that dropped the price and this new campaign they have opened themselves up to a bigger gaming market.

Good job TBWA Chiat Day

Yeah Pop Secret

I working on my site redesign last night. Late-night I sometimes work with the tube on. Last night I was watching some John Travolta movie from 1981 on AMC. It is one of those movies that was so bad it's hokiness(sp?) made it good. Sad to say I was delighted when a commercial came on and there was an cartoon corn kernel reenacting the "Cinderella Story" scene from Caddy Shack. The young kernel was getting into it, and it's roommate and girlfriend were doing everything to curb the enthusiasm and stop the reenactment. All of a sudden the kernel popped with enthusiasm, the fade and a tag of Pop into it. This a great example of knowing your audience and being true to your brand. Pop Secret knows that your favorite movies on the couch means popcorn in a bowl. It's a resonance strategy that is on target and well done. It can be done for every demographic. It can be even be taken a step further with short videos with the odd corn kernel cartoon characters.



Pop Secret should host an on-line contest of people reenacting their own favorite scenes just to see what kind of free User Generated Content(UGC) can. The winner gets something like a Blue ray disc player or Maybe a co-branded effort with Netflix and there is a life-time subscription.

Well done Pop Secret. I want to see more. I'd have links to the commercial but I haven't been able to find them yet. I may have an update for this blog when I do.

Jeep and the Fashionista?

Sorry I'm playing the catch up game on my blog so this isn't a new campaign but as a old Wrangler owner and an art director I'm thinking Jeep is missing the mark with their new "I live. I ride. I am" campaign. The Jeep Wrangler has a long history of getting old and dirty just like their owners. They are the original sport utility that was designed to be easily customized or fixed in your own garage. I understand that they are going after a demographic aren't typically Wrangler owners. They've gotten rid of the all the dirt and grit that comes Jeep owners love to get themselves into have picked women who spend as much in a beauty salon each month as they do on their car payment. I was honestly confused when I saw this ad.

Women who drive wranglers have their own sex appeal and the current campaign is way off it's mark. They are not the girly-girls that rely on trust funds. I want to see the woman that knows how to wear a baseball hat that isn't pink. She knows the smile and the wave that all wrangler drivers give each other, because she's a bit of a DIY girl and knows how to handle any situation. That is what the true brand perception of Wrangler. It's going to get done right and it may get a little dirty, but that's okay.

Domino Makes Humble Pizza Pie

I love when a brand re-brands the right way. Domino's is facing the criticism of their day old cardboard pizza with their ketchup(katsup?) sauce. The kids at Crispen Porter have always done good advertising for the domino brand. It was a weak brand with good advertising which is usually a disastrous combination. With this re-brand and they may be able to chip away at their competitions market shares and establish themselves as number one delivery pizza across the country.

The bigger question that needs to be asked though is: How does Papa John's Pizza feel about them taking their positioning strategy of "Better ingredients, Better Pizza". Eventually Domino's is going to have to settle into a positioning strategy that is very similar to their main competition who already established themselves as the better ingredient pizza. Will this become the decade of the pizza wars?

2010: The year of redemption

In the past eighteen months my life has unraveled and have really presented themselves as the toughest months of my life. I'm not writing this to bitch or draw sympathy, but I know I'm not the only one. I've lived in four different states, interviewed in seven states a district and with 2009 behind me like many other in my position I've been able to survive with the help of my family and friends. I network a lot. I've met people in every state of mind working to get back to where they want to be. There have been bouts of depression, extreme optimism which have brought as many highs as there were lows and in every extreme thinkable. So when I look back at the year I'd like to forget I'll take one thing away. Gratefulness. Sure I'm a grown man living in the basement of his sister's family house and everyday is a struggle, but I've been able to reconnect with my family and friends. I've looked hard and long at my life and admit mistakes from choices and events that have lead me to this point. I've always been raised to be humble but I've also been raised to be competitive and smart. Like many people I've got a big hill ahead of me and I owe to the people who have supported since I've finished grad school and not only do something I'm proud of, but also something they will be proud of as well. Here's to better things and the road back to a good life. I promise to start writing about branding and advertising very soon. I just need to get that off my chest. Happy New year.

rye

Welcome to the wonderful world of the graduate degree thesis

I'm venturing into the world of branded entertainment and it's future on mobile devices. As I've accumulated my research I've realized that I'm going to need more examples from primary sources. Hence, the birth of this blog. I'm going to be posting some findings in order to collect responses and opinions. I want this to become a blog for sharing ideas and collaboration as I finish my thesis.

These are the areas I'm venturing into:

• Branded Entertainment
  (Entertainment created by brands to connect to consumers.)
  
• Sponsored Entertainment
  (Entertainment created by third parties published and funded by Brands)
  
• Short form Video
  
• Long form Video
  
• In-Game-Advertising
  
• Branded Gaming
  
• Casual Gaming
  
• Branded Mobile Applications
  
• Mobile Web
  
• Branded Mobile Services
  

I'll be posting periodically until I get the hang of blogging. One of my goals is to create a schedule for posting with the next topic of the blog. I'd love to hear from anyone that is interested my research. Email me