Brandfreak.com – Gabriel Catalano®

Three-quarters of Americans have been confused by ads on TV

I’ve been saying for a while now that «brand awareness» is a limited goal all by itself, especially in a grim economic climate where people are watching what they buy for entirely practical reasons. They need to know what it is they’re getting and why it matters, and how using it will impress other people (a sad but enduring truism of advertising). Besides, if we’re going to be surrounded by ads everywhere we go, they might as well be useful.

By David Kiefaber

According to an AdweekMedia/Harris Poll, 75 percent of Americans have been confused by ads on television. This is readily apparent if you’re an ad blogger like me, but it’s not as serious as you’d think once the numbers are broken down. One curious result of the study is how little education matters to the final tally. College and graduate students are just as likely to be confused by advertising as people whose formal education ended in high school, so either we’re all getting dumber (possible!) or marketers have gotten too cute with their concepts at the expense of content, usually by overestimating their aptitude for absurdist humor or social-media navigation. Continuar leyendo «Three-quarters of Americans have been confused by ads on TV»

Netflix caught hiring actors to pose as fans at events in Canada

By David Kiefaber | http://www.brandfreak.com

Netflix’s arrival in Canada, already a mixed bag in terms of public perception, sank into further ignominy when the company admitted to hiring actors to pose as enthusiastic Netflix fans in front of the Toronto press. The actors were encouraged to play «types» corresponding to Netflix’s core demographics, including «mothers, film buffs, tech geeks and couch potatoes,» The New York Times reports. I could be insulted by their typecasting, but admittedly I’m half of those things, and I use Netflix. Of course, I use the American version. Canada’s wonky copyright laws, which apparently restrict them from enjoying streaming sites like Hulu, mean a small selection of movies for the Great White North. That’s gone over about as well as you’d expect. So, it looks even worse for Netflix that they drummed up all this publicity for a service that’ll be subpar until they get rights worked out with the appropriate parties. On the other hand, while what they did was unethical and stupid, it wasn’t illegal. They still have a long way to go before usurping Comcast’s title as king of the shitheels.

Westin believes you’re overworked … and could use a hotel stay

By T.L. Stanley | http://www.brandfreak.com

Royal Caribbean already reminded us how overworked and underappreciated we are in this crappy economy. Now, it’s time for Westin Hotels to tell us bedraggled American drones just what that all-work, no-play attitude is doing to us: making us miserable, shortening our lives and ruining our marriages, that’s what. Yikes! Better get out of town! Westin’s new campaign urges people to take the time off that’s owed them—and, naturally, spend it at one of the marketer’s many fine properties. A Westin study found that 58 percent of those surveyed said they need more vacation time, and 64 percent have canceled trips because of work. The campaign, anchored by Westin’s Travel and Be Well site, aims to educate 9-to-5ers about the health benefits of vacations and nudges them to sign an online petition promising to use their company-paid time by the end of the year. Continuar leyendo «Westin believes you’re overworked … and could use a hotel stay»

Brewers in California would much prefer you get drunk than high

By David Kiefaber | http://www.brandfreak.com

California heshers will have a stiff choice to make pretty soon, because the California Beer & Beverage Distributors association is opposing the state’s upcoming proposition to legalize marijuana. Beer sellers have long been opposed to legalizing pot because of the feared impact on sales, and onlookers are waiting to see if liquor/wine dealers and pharmaceutical interests claim a stake in this debate as well. Local microbrews Sierra Nevada and Stone Brewing Co., which have become national brands in their own right, are pro-legalization and have lashed out at the CBBD for its decision. Stone has even removed itself from CBBD’s listings over it. Prop 19 has become a microcosm for how confusing and hopeless California’s political landscape really is, so it’s hard to say which side of the beer-industry squabble is the right one in terms of brand image. Continuar leyendo «Brewers in California would much prefer you get drunk than high»

How a solid brand strategy helped Vivid conquer the porn world

You might’ve thought that porn DVD peddlers had gone the way of Times Square peep shows, what with the worldwide interwebs bringing in as much free smut as anyone with a DSL connection can handle. But in the case of Vivid Entertainment, you’d be wrong—to the tune of nearly $100 million a year in revenue.

Obviously smarter than its counterparts in the music industry, Vivid is thriving because it’s learned how to brand its product, according to our sister pub, The Hollywood Reporter, and trade heavily on two cash cows: celebrity sexcapades and superhero parodies. (The former, via Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson’s honeymoon romp, helped put Vivid on the map.

By T.L. Stanley

Obviously smarter than its counterparts in the music industry, Vivid is thriving because it’s learned how to brand its product, according to our sister pub, The Hollywood Reporter, and trade heavily on two cash cows: celebrity sexcapades and superhero parodies. (The former, via Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson‘s honeymoon romp, helped put Vivid on the map. Continuar leyendo «How a solid brand strategy helped Vivid conquer the porn world»

Why aren’t companies committed to easier-to-open packaging?

Amazon.com’s efforts to ship things in «frustration-free packaging» (meaning no plastic cases, bubble wrap or other irritants) keeps hitting roadblocks because a lot of manufacturers, and other online retailers, are slow to adopt it. But why? It’s environmentally responsible, less expensive and better for customers who hate complicated packaging. The answer, according to environmental experts like Anne Johnson of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, is that a lot of big companies drag their heels in response to change, be it fair or foul. «One of the biggest hurdles is to convince a company that it’s worthwhile, or the volume is there, to sell the same product in two different formats,» Johnson tells The New York Times.

By David Kiefaber

For Hollywood actors, voicing car commercials is getting cooler

More interesting, though, is the fact, mentioned in the article but not really explored, that few actresses get voiceover work for car commercials. Standing beside a car in a bikini, sure, but talking about cars in any depth? It’s still a male province, to judge by current marketing. In an AdweekMedia/Harris poll earlier this year, 28 percent of viewers said a male voice was more likely to sell them a car, versus 7 percent preferring a female voice. Since that leaves a whopping 65 percent unaccounted for, maybe most people don’t care either way. In which case, would it kill automakers to bring in some famous female voices once in a while?

By David Kiefaber

The new trend for Hollywood actors these days seems to be car commercials. USA Today points out that Tim Allen and Robert Downey Jr. are doing voiceovers for Chevy and Nissan, respectively, joining guys like Jeff Bridges (Hyundai) and Patrick Stewart (BMW), both of whom padded their résumés and wallets with this easy, high-paying gig.

We could also add Michael C. Hall’s Dodge work to the list. Allen, who just voiced Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 3, is a Chevy nut in real life who owns a personally designed 1996 Chevrolet LT5 Impala SS, among other cars, and his unsophisticated everyman identity is unbreakable thanks to his time on Home Improvement, so he’s ideal for a brand like Chevy. Continuar leyendo «For Hollywood actors, voicing car commercials is getting cooler»

McDonald’s gets inspirational with its beefy ‘Angus Axioms’ site

McDonald’s wants you not only to enjoy its Angus Snack Raps, but to be inspired by them. That, at least, seems to be the thinking behind «Angus Axioms,» a promotion the brand rolled out this week on Facebook. Mad Libs-style, the site asks you to enter your name, an interest and a «random adjective.»

By Todd Wasserman

Caribou wants your pithy words of wakefulness on a coffee cup

Make-the-cup

For those of you who dread Mondays, read this: «Life is short. Stay awake for it.» Yes, that’s the slogan of Caribou Coffee’s latest campaign. Now, the coffee company is asking you what you stay awake for. With help from ad agency Colle + McVoy, it’s launched Make the Cup, a site where you can type in captions (and even upload photos and videos) explaining what kinds of inspirational things wake you up. The best caption submissions sent in by Sept. 13 will indeed make the cup—and be seen by thousands of Caribou Coffee drinkers nationwide. Hmmm, now this gets our groggy brain thinking early in the week!

By Elaine Wong

For those of you who dread Mondays, read this: «Life is short. Stay awake for it.» Yes, that’s the slogan of Caribou Coffee‘s latest campaign. Now, the coffee company is asking you what you stay awake for. With help from ad agency Colle + McVoy, it’s launched Make the Cup, a site where you can type in captions (and even upload photos and videos) explaining what kinds of inspirational things wake you up. The best caption submissions sent in by Sept. 13 will indeed make the cup—and be seen by thousands of Caribou Coffee drinkers nationwide. Hmmm, now this gets our groggy brain thinking early in the week!

McDonald’s food now simply flying off the chain’s delivery trucks

Beware the giant McDonald’s food flying off the restaurant chain’s delivery trucks! That’s right—french fries and Big Macs appear to be struggling against the wind in a new «moving billboard» campaign on delivery-truck sides. The backs of the trucks also have messages for drivers. «Whip through traffic,» says one, showing McCafé shakes. Another (image after the jump) shows a container of fries and the message, «No passing.» Honk! Honk! Oops, we’re holding up traffic!

By Elaine Wong

Beware the giant McDonald’s food flying off the restaurant chain‘s delivery trucks! That’s right—french fries and Big Macs appear to be struggling against the wind in a new «moving billboard» campaign on delivery-truck sides. The backs of the trucks also have messages for drivers. «Whip through traffic,» says one, showing McCafé shakes. Another (image after the jump) shows a container of fries and the message, «No passing.» Honk! Honk! Oops, we’re holding up traffic! Continuar leyendo «McDonald’s food now simply flying off the chain’s delivery trucks»

Animal kingdom is here to help in new skin-care print campaign

The skin-care category isn’t typically a hotbed of creativity. Ads are usually focused on three things: celeb endorsers, lots of copy and lots of promises. But ad agency Mother in New York has gone a different route with a new print campaign for StriVectin-SD, which is billed as a «super-charged way to aggressively fight deep wrinkles and stretch marks.» Those skin problems are depicted in a novel way.

For crow’s feet, for instance, the ad shows actual crow’s feet.

Other ads show a wrinkly pug, a hen and a lizard, all of which are illustrations of what your skin shouldn’t look like. «The mission came from the clients,» says Mother creative director Bobby Hershfield. «They wanted to do something bold and different.» Even if that means the metaphor, at times, is a bit of stretch.

By Todd Wasserman

For crow’s feet, for instance, the ad shows actual crow’s feet.

http://www.brandfreak.com

Kimberly-Clark’s Pull-Ups introduces potty-training iPhone app

Just when you thought iPhone app developers had seized every thinkable opportunity out there, along comes this one: Now, you can potty-train your kid using a free mobile app from Kimberly-Clark. The maker of Huggies diapers and Pull-Ups training pants is introducing a new app, iGo Potty, this week that does just well, exactly that. It encourages both parents and kids alike to participate in the potty-training process (and hopefully make it fun along the way) with interactive features like customizable potty reminders, prizes and games and even special calls from «Patty the Potty.» (Yes, the toilet is calling. Make sure you get your toddler to answer it.)

By Elaine Wong

Sawed-in-half assistant is doing her part to promote magic show

Hey, that handsome magic guy Lance Burton is playing the Monte Carlo in Vegas right now. How do I know? It says so right there on a trunk sitting on the airport baggage carousel—the trunk with half of his assistant sticking out the bottom! A lot of people are doing double takes at this stunt, a clever little piece of out-of-home media that riffs on the old illusionist-sawing-his-helper-in-half trick. (That bit never seems to work out well, does it?)

By T.L. Stanley

Star Turns

Emmy-winning actor Brian Baumgartner, best known as the lovable simpleton Kevin on NBC’s sitcom The Office, can play a mean game of golf. Sometimes. He’s in a rut right now though and needs to psyche himself up for a major charity tournament.

Enter elite athletes like L.A. Laker Pau Gasol, New York Yankee CC Sabathia and baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith to whip him into shape. Subway restaurants sponsor the action, and Hollywood-branded entertainment shop Content & Company wraps it all up into a TV special.

The result, a one-hour show dubbed Golf Therapy: Life, Lessons and the Pursuit of Par, will launch in the coming weeks online, on Subway’s in-store flat screens, across social media and cable TV channels. It also aired on NBC Sports prior to the U.S. Senior Open on Aug. 1.

Golf Therapy comes on the heels of a number of talent/marketer alliances that show how closely the two worlds have started working together on original, brand-backed entertainment. The brands themselves share top billing in some of the projects, and other times their only role is willing investor.

Stars like Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, who opened the advertiser-friendly production company DumbDumb, have made short videos for Wrigley’s Orbit gum. Fellow Arrested Development alum Tony Hale starred in a Web series backed by Nestea. And 90120’s AnnaLynn McCord popped up in AT&T story-based online vignettes. Eastbound and Down’s foul-mouthed star Kenny Powers, also known as comedian Danny McBride, recently launched a profane short on FunnyorDie for K-Swiss, and Lisa Kudrow’s Lexus-sponsored Web Therapy, now in its third season online, will soon become a TV series on Showtime.

– T.L. Stanley
Emmy-winning actor Brian Baumgartner, best known as the lovable simpleton Kevin on NBC‘s sitcom The Office, can play a mean game of golf. Sometimes. He’s in a rut right now though and needs to psyche himself up for a major charity tournament.

Brands line up for Undercover Boss’ kid gloves treatment

Producers of the surprise CBS hit Undercover Boss had an uphill slog in the first season getting CEOs of recognizable companies to agree to expose internal flaws and problems for a national prime-time audience. (The docudrama follows that incognito honcho as he finds out about ills in the system and promises to fix them). Now that the show’s a ratings winner, bigwigs are coming out of the woodwork to get their brands featured on the feel-good hour. They’ve also discovered that it’s not actually a warts-and-all look into the corporation.

By T.L. Stanley

Producers of the surprise CBS hit Undercover Boss had an uphill slog in the first season getting CEOs of recognizable companies to agree to expose internal flaws and problems for a national prime-time audience. (The docudrama follows that incognito honcho as he finds out about ills in the system and promises to fix them). Now that the show’s a ratings winner, bigwigs are coming out of the woodwork to get their brands featured on the feel-good hour. They’ve also discovered that it’s not actually a warts-and-all look into the corporation. Continuar leyendo «Brands line up for Undercover Boss’ kid gloves treatment»