Keep It Simple

Love ‘em or hate ‘em they've become part of our everyday life, dotting the freeway landscape like banner ads in the sky -- DIGITAL BILLBOARDS.

My commute to and from work is a half an hour each way. Spending this time in traffic has become much more entertaining, or some might say, distracting. I now occupy my drive time by reading approximately 25 advertising messages during my commute. My drive through metro Milwaukee is like surfing the web and being bombarded with pop-up ads. The only disadvantage is that I can’t put a pop-up blocker on my windshield.

Don’t get me wrong, digital outdoor has its place as a great medium for getting timely messages out to the public, such as giving me the daily lotto jackpot, notifying me of upcoming events and concerts, and even informing me of wanted criminals (complete with a mug shot). I just think that companies need to treat their messages like banner ads and keep things simple.

Please apply the old adage “K.I.S.S.” when using this medium – Keep It Simple Stupid.

-Alan E.

Product Placement

If you’re reading this and you’re a fan of the hit NBC show, The Office, you shouldn’t need any time at all to cite what restaurant is Michael Scott’s favorite. That’s easy, it’s Chili’s. Whether he’s hosting the infamous “Dundies” at the eatery or taking prospective clients out for some of his favorite baby back ribs, he never shy’s away from talking about his restaurant of choice. But did you know that as a viewer, that’s just another form of advertising? It’s called product placement and shows like The Office are so good at weaving it into its characters dialogue, most viewers don’t even notice that they’re being fed advertisements in between the commercial breaks.

An article in Entertainment Weekly traces product placement all the way back to Milton Berle and the “Texaco Star Theater” but its modern renaissance started during season two of Survivor. The show hawked Mountain Dew and Dorito’s as food awards for its hungry contestants. So not only are shows having characters verbally plug advertisers but the actual products get prominent screen time as well.

This new form of advertising comes with compliments to your DVR and its ability to render commercials useless. If you aren’t going to sit on your couch and watch the show’s commercials, then the show’s will advertise to you during the program. Try running or hiding from that.

Advertisers money is the main source of income for programs, and a show like the CW’s teen soap, One Tree Hill¸ is entering its sixth season thanks largely to becoming the scripted show with the most product placement, according to a Nielsen survey.

Don’t expect product placement to plateau anytime soon. DVRs have become less of a luxury and more of a norm in households. Next time you’re watching your favorite program on the small screen, keep a running tally of how many times you notice the show integrating advertisers products into the story line. If you’re watching One Tree Hill, you might need a friend to help you keep track.

-Todd F.

Brand Mates

Brand partnerships are everywhere – consumers all over the country are plugging their Apple iPods into their Nike running shoes, enjoying Starbuck’s Coffee aboard United Airlines flights and wearing Adidas shoes featuring Goodyear Rubber soles.

What brands are you reaching out to?

Here at Celtic, we’ve successfully connected numerous brands. This past weekend, one of our great clients – Tippmann Sports – distributed cans of JOLT at a major paintball event. The JOLT giveaway was part of a brand partnership Celtic established between the two non-competing companies that target a very similar demographic.

Working together, both brands were able to generate a buzz at the event and create a renewed sense of excitement among key consumers. Interested in learning more? Contact Celtic today to uncover your next brand partnership.

-Bill B.

The Buzz for Batman

The entertainment and marketing world is going batty for the upcoming blockbuster, The Dark Knight. Rave reviews have been pouring in exclaiming the phenomenal performance of the late Heath Ledger as Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker. This movie will no doubt be one of the most successful box office films of the year and a powerful tribute to one of my generation’s finest actors who was lost too soon.

Being a Batman fan since my younger years, I was extremely pleased with the franchise’s revival in Batman Begins, and when news of the sequel came about, I was all eyes and ears. The initial viral marketing campaign had Batman fans like me glued to their computers, waiting for the “unveiling” of the Joker image and seeing police cars labeled “Gotham PD” patrolling the streets of Chicago. I mean, Gotham City.

But the initial word-of-mouth campaign took a severe hit when Ledger passed away due to an accidental drug overdose. The marketing team had to backtrack a bit and calculate their next move. They could do the sensitive thing and pull his name a bit from the publicity, but how could they take the iconic figure out of its central role in the promotional campaign?

The solution? Don’t change a thing. Ledger’s performance alone was placed as the center of the marketing blitz and the hype leading up to its opening weekend is soaring. Word of a possible posthumous Oscar nomination is floating. Batman’s back. Enjoy the movie. I know I will.

-Marc B.

It's Festa Time

It's summertime in Milwaukee, so you know what that means. It's time for Festa Italiana, the country's largest Italian cultural festival celebrated on Milwaukee's lakefront. Once again this year, Celtic is proud to be the official marketing communication sponsor of the event.

Here's an ad we developed to promote our partnership with Festa. Best of luck to all of our friends and the Italian Community Center and Festa Italiana! Bring on the food, fellowship and fireworks. We'll see you at Festa, July 17-20 on the Summerest grounds.

P.S. If you're a client or friend of Celtic and would like some tickets to this year's event, give us a call. First come, first served.

Social Media Helps Free Student

Increasingly, news reports contain information about online communities such as Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc. Just today, news came that an American student who used a one-word blog post from a cell phone to help free himself from an Egyptian jail (an impressive feat in itself) has also orchestrated the release of his translator through his Twitter network. The student had been in Egypt photographing anti-government protests with the aid of the local translator when they were both arrested.

The freed student “began setting up a virtual online command post to demand the release. He contacted U.S. and Egyptian authorities and human rights groups and used everything from Twitter updates, blog posts on his Web site to an electronic petition signed by more than 900 people.” Three months later, his social networking may have initiated a movement that resulted in his translator’s release from jail.

To those that doubt the cultural significance, longevity, overall credibility and viability of new and social mediums, need to think again. The fact that these communication vehicles have acted as a lifeline from the farthest reaches of the globe is truly impressive. Imagine what they can do in less extreme circumstances…like marketing.

-Susan W.

The Power of Brands

Since I'm in the advertising business, I often find myself in conversations about branding. The typical conversation includes debate about what a brand actually is and what kind of impact they have on our lives.

I’m often amazed at how many people feel brands have little to no impact on their purchase decisions. It’s almost as if they’re “too smart” to be influenced by little old brands. By admitting you paid more for a brand you like or recognize is like telling the world, “look at me…I’m a mindless drone who’s easily influenced by Madison Avenue.”

For those who profess that brands have little or no influence on their lives I respectfully say….B.S. Our purchase decisions are largely based on the perception we have about a particular brand. If that’s not the case, why do people pay $3 for coffee at Starbucks when Dunkin’ Donuts is cheaper (and probably just as good)? Why does my wife insist on buying stuff at Pottery Barn when the same crap can be found at Target for half the price? Why do my boys scream with delight when we drive by McDonald’s? Are the nuggets really that good?

Branding my friend…that’s why.

Whether you like it or not, brands have tremendous impact over our daily lives. Dear Jane Sample – an anonymous blog written by a woman in the advertising business – recently did a great piece about this very topic. In the post, she actually outlines a typical day in her life and the brands she uses.

After you read her post, take inventory of the brands you use on a daily basis. You'll be surprised at what you find.

-Brian

End of an Era ...Start of a New One

Today it became official - Miller Brewing and Coors Brewing no longer exist as we know it. A much anticipated joint venture between the organizations has resulted in a new company appropriately named "MillerCoors."

This is big news for so many reasons. The beer industry is one of the most competitive ... two big names slugging it out for years have been Miller Brewing and Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser-Busch has roughly 48% of the US beer business, but now the "new" MillerCoors will tighten the gap by owning nearly 30% of the market.

For much of its history, Milwaukee was touted as the "beer capital of the world." Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz and Miller have all called Milwaukee home at one time. So what made Milwaukee such a hot bed for famous American Brewers ... cheaper raw materials and labor, a unique water supply, transportation efficiencies?

Here are just a few reasons beer historians think some of America's largest brewers called Milwaukee home:

1. Milwaukee's population - A smaller population size forced the brewers to turn to outside markets to expand sales. This unique situation forced Milwaukee's breweries into becoming "nationally-minded" organizations.

2. Proximity to the large beer-consuming population of Chicago ... and the ease and affordibility to transport it there. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 boosted sales of many Milwaukee breweries.

3. Talent. Let us not forget that many of these Milwaukee brewers - like Frederick Miller - were extremely talented businessmen whose success came through vision, hard work and sound business sense.

So as the beer industry's landscape continues to change, all of us at Celtic wish our "new" client MillerCoors nothing but success.

Cheers!