In a startling sign of the times, The Rocky Mountain News, one of the two major newspapers in the Greater Denver area, .Print media, especially newspapers, are in trouble. And everyone knows it. Still, it stings when you see a big name go down.
At Celtic, we are proponents of media trends, as we plan, negotiate and buy space in all types of vehicles. We've seen the sharp decrease in print advertising expenditures. But like Rocky Mountain News columnist Bill Johnson says, when a paper dies, there are no winners.Best of luck to the good writers and employees of the Rocky Mountain News.
-Marc B.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Boys of Summer
It's hard to believe, but Cactus League play opened this week. Major League Baseball is back in full swing.
One of our art directors (Jeff Faralli) is a huge baseball fan and loves the Chicago Cubs. He came across the team's new outdoor campaign, which consists of several billboards showing the historic Wrigely Field sign with fun, clever headlines like, "Wrigley Field...Home of Coming Back from Meetings with a Sunburn."
Here's what Jeff has to say about the campaign, "I think the campaign is really eye catching. The colors play off of each other and the vivid Wrigley Field sign is used to hold the headlines. It's smart to incorporate the bold, red sign...it's truly iconic and recognized throughout the world."
I agree with Jeff. The campaign brilliantly uses one of the most recognized symbols in all of sports to connect with fans. Plus, the headlines are hilarious.
So here's to the boys of summer, hot dogs and ice-cold beer. Summer can't get here fast enough!
One of our art directors (Jeff Faralli) is a huge baseball fan and loves the Chicago Cubs. He came across the team's new outdoor campaign, which consists of several billboards showing the historic Wrigely Field sign with fun, clever headlines like, "Wrigley Field...Home of Coming Back from Meetings with a Sunburn."
Here's what Jeff has to say about the campaign, "I think the campaign is really eye catching. The colors play off of each other and the vivid Wrigley Field sign is used to hold the headlines. It's smart to incorporate the bold, red sign...it's truly iconic and recognized throughout the world."
I agree with Jeff. The campaign brilliantly uses one of the most recognized symbols in all of sports to connect with fans. Plus, the headlines are hilarious.
So here's to the boys of summer, hot dogs and ice-cold beer. Summer can't get here fast enough!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Milwaukee - Revving it up
Our esteemed mayor, Tom Barrett, gave his state of the city address today at the Harley-Davidson Museum. It was a speech focusing on the tremendous progress Milwaukee has seen in developing the Menomonee Valley, which is where the Museum sits.
A full transcript can be found :
The Harley-Davidson Museum and its restaurant, Motor are both clients of Celtic, so we're very happy to see them receive this exposure! Congrats!
Online Advertising: Not done innovating
Give credit to advertisers for always adapting to "what's next." Something as basic as an online banner ad was Earth shattering in the early 90s. Google Ad sense now allows any operator of any Web site to earn some extra change for free (just don't plan on retiring off it!).
Now, something called for the umpteenth time. An Ad Network operates as a liason between a Web site selling ad space and an agency looking to place an ad. But instead of the agency placing an ad smack dab in the middle of the home page of a site, an Ad Network will place an ad all over the sites less frequented pages as well as smaller Web sites.
It's like hunting with a shotgun instead of a rifle. The Ad Nework buys up ample amounts of ad space on the cheap since the pages with less views have less eyeballs looking at ads. But they then bundle a bunch of these sites together to increase the reach of an ad all over the Web.
This method intrigues me because I don't see it being a "decent way" to go about advertising. It's going to be one of the extremes, either becoming hugely popular or it will fade away before generating any noteworthy results.
Now, something called for the umpteenth time. An Ad Network operates as a liason between a Web site selling ad space and an agency looking to place an ad. But instead of the agency placing an ad smack dab in the middle of the home page of a site, an Ad Network will place an ad all over the sites less frequented pages as well as smaller Web sites.
It's like hunting with a shotgun instead of a rifle. The Ad Nework buys up ample amounts of ad space on the cheap since the pages with less views have less eyeballs looking at ads. But they then bundle a bunch of these sites together to increase the reach of an ad all over the Web.
This method intrigues me because I don't see it being a "decent way" to go about advertising. It's going to be one of the extremes, either becoming hugely popular or it will fade away before generating any noteworthy results.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
$162 Million Can't Buy Perfection
Sometimes millions of dollars and a 27 page document full of phrases like "brand trajectory" and "Emotive forces shape the gestalt of the brand identity" is no substitute for good old fashioned brand loyalty.
Pepsico, owner of the Tropicana brand, chose to re-design their product packaging along with their entire roster of products. The response was, well, .
Why change something so iconic? I still remember as a kid watching the commercials of the straw going straight into the orange.
Goes to show that the big money and publicity can work wonders, but sometimes it's just having simple conversations with the most loyal customers that move the needle.
(image h/t )
Friday, February 20, 2009
Invertising
Just read the article - - in the latest issue of Long story short - it's about how targeted its own employees with a branding campaign before it went public. They coin it "invertising."
Let's face it, whether you are consumer brand giant like Pepsi ... or the local food market on the corner, getting your employees to be brand ambassadors for your company is imperative. If your own people aren't buying into what you're saying or selling ... it's impossible to expect any form of brand belief will be embraced among your customers.
This seems so simple right? You'd think that a company's employees would of course be advocates for the brand 24/7. We all know of course that's not always the case. Even here at our advertising agency, we understand the importance of making sure our people embrace and believe in our own brand ... and in turn are sharing our story with the outside world. Doesn't matter what your role is at a company - the most successful brands understand this point, and so do their employees.
- Kurt
Let's face it, whether you are consumer brand giant like Pepsi ... or the local food market on the corner, getting your employees to be brand ambassadors for your company is imperative. If your own people aren't buying into what you're saying or selling ... it's impossible to expect any form of brand belief will be embraced among your customers.
This seems so simple right? You'd think that a company's employees would of course be advocates for the brand 24/7. We all know of course that's not always the case. Even here at our advertising agency, we understand the importance of making sure our people embrace and believe in our own brand ... and in turn are sharing our story with the outside world. Doesn't matter what your role is at a company - the most successful brands understand this point, and so do their employees.
- Kurt
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Executive Decisions: Episode 7 - New Gatorade Flavor...Shrubbery?
After a long absence, Executive Decisions is back!
There has been a lot of new buzz in the Ad world these past few months, and most of it has been surrounding PepsiCo's massive product rebranding.
I touched on Pepsi's makeover in my last installment, now onto another popular drink, Gatorade. Or as it's being called now, G.
In the weeks before and during the Super Bowl, Gatorade brought out these cool teaser spots, asking "What's G?" The spots were narrated by Grammy-winning rapper Lil' Wayne and it featured legends like Jordan, Ali, and Jeter. But other notable names who deserve the limelight were featured, like Jason McElwain - the autistic former high school manager who .
Here's one of the spots:
After the initial buzz dust settled, it was time to push more messaging, and now that we know what G is...we have find it. Enter the "Quest for G"
Wow. A pretty accurate parody of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including the coconut banging, cumbersome knight helmets and the artwork at the end. But other than the world "Grail" starting with a G, what's the connection? And why is Usain Bolt both a knight and a head with only legs?
By doing some extra searching into , you begin to see how the story unravels. Usain Bolt is a knight who's ego is always accompanying him, hence the big head and nothing else. Similar to the criticism he received for his gold medal celebrations. As they go along on this path of parody, there is a subtle message - G is not a material object, it is what you're made of.
So to conclude, this is a campaign that raises a lot of questions, but like the knights searching for G, you have to find out what it means yourself. And when it all comes together, it just makes sense.
My Consensus: A-
There has been a lot of new buzz in the Ad world these past few months, and most of it has been surrounding PepsiCo's massive product rebranding.
I touched on Pepsi's makeover in my last installment, now onto another popular drink, Gatorade. Or as it's being called now, G.
In the weeks before and during the Super Bowl, Gatorade brought out these cool teaser spots, asking "What's G?" The spots were narrated by Grammy-winning rapper Lil' Wayne and it featured legends like Jordan, Ali, and Jeter. But other notable names who deserve the limelight were featured, like Jason McElwain - the autistic former high school manager who .
Here's one of the spots:
After the initial buzz dust settled, it was time to push more messaging, and now that we know what G is...we have find it. Enter the "Quest for G"
Wow. A pretty accurate parody of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including the coconut banging, cumbersome knight helmets and the artwork at the end. But other than the world "Grail" starting with a G, what's the connection? And why is Usain Bolt both a knight and a head with only legs?
By doing some extra searching into , you begin to see how the story unravels. Usain Bolt is a knight who's ego is always accompanying him, hence the big head and nothing else. Similar to the criticism he received for his gold medal celebrations. As they go along on this path of parody, there is a subtle message - G is not a material object, it is what you're made of.
So to conclude, this is a campaign that raises a lot of questions, but like the knights searching for G, you have to find out what it means yourself. And when it all comes together, it just makes sense.
My Consensus: A-
Sunday, February 15, 2009
It's in the Bag
I was at the mall on Saturday with my boys killing a few hours. As we strolled through the main concourse, we came across a giant red shopping bag (it was probably 10 feet tall or so). The bag was promoting a new chick flick called “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
The red shopping bag was part of a large promotion sponsored by . The Cotton brand is attempting to connect with women (in particular young girls) by associating with "Confessions," a hot new movie released on Friday.
, Cotton began dominating center courts and other high-traffic locals at 15 General Growth Properties across the country for three weeks prior to the launch of the movie which opened Feb. 13. The goal of the promotion,according to the article, is to educate young shoppers that products made of cotton are natural, breathable, comfortable, and yes, fashionable.
From what I was able to gather, people were asked to provide their personal "shopping confession" while being photographed by a Cotton rep. Everyone who gave a confession walked away with a shopping bag and gift certificates.
Even though I'm not in the target demographic, I found the promotion to be intriguing. It nailed all the things you want in a good promotion:
The red shopping bag was part of a large promotion sponsored by . The Cotton brand is attempting to connect with women (in particular young girls) by associating with "Confessions," a hot new movie released on Friday.
, Cotton began dominating center courts and other high-traffic locals at 15 General Growth Properties across the country for three weeks prior to the launch of the movie which opened Feb. 13. The goal of the promotion,according to the article, is to educate young shoppers that products made of cotton are natural, breathable, comfortable, and yes, fashionable.
From what I was able to gather, people were asked to provide their personal "shopping confession" while being photographed by a Cotton rep. Everyone who gave a confession walked away with a shopping bag and gift certificates.
Even though I'm not in the target demographic, I found the promotion to be intriguing. It nailed all the things you want in a good promotion:
- Highly target (There's no better place to reach woman than at the mall)
- High traffic (Great location center stage at the mall)
- Unique (The shopping bag was a clever idea)
- Engaging (Consumers had to interact with the brand as part of the promo)
- Free stuff (Who doesn't like a quality freebie)
- Coupon or incentive (Everyone walked away with a coupon to "purchase now")
Congrats to Cotton on developing a highly targeted, effective promotion that was fun and engaging for consumers.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Celtic's Social Media Expansion
Esteemed readers of Suite 206:
Celtic has created its own page on Twitter! to read short-and-sweet insight into the world of marketing communications from our president, Brian Meehan. He may even put out a few tweets about his days of mullets and acid wash jeans!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Kudos to KFC
This story gets top honors for PR stunt of the year.
Here's what I read in today's ....
Colonel's Secret Recipe in New, Safer Vault at KFC
Colonel Sander's handwritten recipe for fried chicken was back in its Kentucky home Tuesday after five months in hiding while KFC upgraded security around its top corporate secret. Nothing went afoul when the recipe was returned from an undisclosed location to KFC's headquarters late Monday in a lockbox handcuffed to the wrist of a security consultant.
Kudos KFC...great stuff!
To read more,
Here's what I read in today's ....
Colonel's Secret Recipe in New, Safer Vault at KFC
Colonel Sander's handwritten recipe for fried chicken was back in its Kentucky home Tuesday after five months in hiding while KFC upgraded security around its top corporate secret. Nothing went afoul when the recipe was returned from an undisclosed location to KFC's headquarters late Monday in a lockbox handcuffed to the wrist of a security consultant.
Kudos KFC...great stuff!
To read more,
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tippmann Goes Social
For all of you paintball players out there (or marketing types interested in seeing how leading industry brands are utilizing social media), you can now connect to -- the #1 paintball equipment manufacturer -- on , , and a variety of .
One of the Best Product Placements...Ever.
And yet it's one of the least talked about...
Not talking
Not talking
Not even the
I'm talking about this....
Yes, Wilson from Cast Away. I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts last night, The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, in which the popular sportswriter was interviewing SNL head writer Seth Meyers about product placement in sketches. They both discussed how this was one of the more unheralded product placements in movie history, and I agree.
Hell, the Volleyball/Make-believe Friend is NAMED Wilson! They mention his name dozens of times in the movie. That's probably the most memorable part of the movie. Think FedEx was the big one? Think again.
Interesting how product placement works...even with our best efforts, sometimes we still cannot see it working.
Not talking
Not talking
Not even the
I'm talking about this....
Yes, Wilson from Cast Away. I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts last night, The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, in which the popular sportswriter was interviewing SNL head writer Seth Meyers about product placement in sketches. They both discussed how this was one of the more unheralded product placements in movie history, and I agree.
Hell, the Volleyball/Make-believe Friend is NAMED Wilson! They mention his name dozens of times in the movie. That's probably the most memorable part of the movie. Think FedEx was the big one? Think again.
Interesting how product placement works...even with our best efforts, sometimes we still cannot see it working.
Risky Business
No, I'm not referring to Tom Cruise sliding across his living room in his underwear listening Bob Seger. I'm referring to the risky business of celebrity endorsement. By now we've all seen the infamous picture of American swimmer Michael Phelps engaging in some extra curricular activities at a University of South Carolina.
Well word on the street is that one sponsor is already saying and it's certainly a big one: Kellogg.
Considering that he was primarily pushing brands like Frosted Flakes, it makes sense for them. But brands like Speedo and Omega are sticking with their man. Why? Because events like this get forgotten. And if he comes back and wins more medals in 2012, these sponsors will still reap the benefits.
That's the risk with celebrity figures endorsing products, especially young ones with the world at their disposal. But like I said before, in 24 hour news cycles, this will be forgotten...unless he does it again, but I'm sure his mom taught him right.....right?
Meanwhile, here are some other athlete role models with a troubled past (and present)...that still maintain superstar status:
- although he's famously known for saying, "I'm not a role model"...sure.
Of course, some endorsements crash and burn before they can even prove themselves! Anyone remember Bode Miller?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Super Sunday - Group Think
The Doritos "Crystal Ball" spot is leading in .
And, it was a big hit at our Super Bowl party too. My nephews (ages 10-14) even played it back for the group a few times (thanks DVR) so anyone who stepped away for more chips or a bathroom break could see what all the chuckles were about.
I think this just goes to demonstrate how important "group think" is to the ultimate success of these spots. My guess is that Doritos was smart enough to test these ads in a "Super Bowl-like" atmosphere -- rather than making a decision from an isolated board room. And, that's been paying dividends for them in the form of positive buzz this morning.
And, it was a big hit at our Super Bowl party too. My nephews (ages 10-14) even played it back for the group a few times (thanks DVR) so anyone who stepped away for more chips or a bathroom break could see what all the chuckles were about.
I think this just goes to demonstrate how important "group think" is to the ultimate success of these spots. My guess is that Doritos was smart enough to test these ads in a "Super Bowl-like" atmosphere -- rather than making a decision from an isolated board room. And, that's been paying dividends for them in the form of positive buzz this morning.
Super Bowl Rewind
Just in case you missed the parade of Super Bowl spots last night, there are plenty of sites offering a rewind. Here are are just a few:
So what was your favorite spot last night? Look for our opinions later today!
Marc's Favorite Spots - Super Bowl XLIII
I decided to label these my personal favorites and open up the forum to the rest of our writers at the Suite. So feel free to post your favorites as well. Let's go with at Top 5 format.
5. CareerBuilder.com
The repetition may get irritating, but that's the point. The message is that no one should have to go through that daily monotony. I've always liked the job site ads, they always have a very creative twist.
4. Pedigree
The party I was at last night had roughly 25 guests, and so some of the ads got droned about by conversation, there were of course ads that kept people attentive. This was one of them. Not brilliant by any means, but the sheer ridiculousness of playing frisbee with a water buffalo is enough to draw in the eye. And that elderly woman saying "Bad, Bad Bird!" is classic.
3. E-Trade Baby
Back and better than ever. A huge hit in 2008, the baby was back with new friends. I preferred the one below, just because the writing was sharp, and I was cracking up at a baby wearing a Taylor Made visor talking smack. I liked this ad more than last years because it did good to touch on the current economic crisis in a lighter way.
2. Hulu
One of the bigger innovations of 2008, Hulu (a online television joint venture between NBC Universal, Viacom, and NewsCorp) brings Alec Baldwin's "Jack Donaghy" character from the show 30 Rock in all his corporate, unethical glory. I felt that although this spot didn't have any slapstick to it like the others, it had an unrelenting honesty to it: Yes, TV will rot your brain. So watch more of it.
1. Denny's
Yes. Denny's. Mobsters. Talking about whacking someone. It's straight out of a Scorsese movie. You know it can't end well. Then all of a sudden, there's that familiar sound of aerosol whipped cream as a cheerful waitress puts the finishing touches on the mafioso's Happy Cakes. I always love to see such strong contrasts be put together, and this does a bang-up job.
Honorable Mentions:
Disappointments - I'm always up for some debate here
- I think they're stretching the Clydesdale thing a bit too much. So now this noble horse is named Jake and is the grandson of an Scottish immigrant horse?
- Apparently Chester Cheetah is a ruthless, "devil on the shoulder" now?
- Drinkability (all of them). See this post to delve deeper into my opinion of this campaign.
Let the debate begin!
5. CareerBuilder.com
The repetition may get irritating, but that's the point. The message is that no one should have to go through that daily monotony. I've always liked the job site ads, they always have a very creative twist.
4. Pedigree
The party I was at last night had roughly 25 guests, and so some of the ads got droned about by conversation, there were of course ads that kept people attentive. This was one of them. Not brilliant by any means, but the sheer ridiculousness of playing frisbee with a water buffalo is enough to draw in the eye. And that elderly woman saying "Bad, Bad Bird!" is classic.
3. E-Trade Baby
Back and better than ever. A huge hit in 2008, the baby was back with new friends. I preferred the one below, just because the writing was sharp, and I was cracking up at a baby wearing a Taylor Made visor talking smack. I liked this ad more than last years because it did good to touch on the current economic crisis in a lighter way.
2. Hulu
One of the bigger innovations of 2008, Hulu (a online television joint venture between NBC Universal, Viacom, and NewsCorp) brings Alec Baldwin's "Jack Donaghy" character from the show 30 Rock in all his corporate, unethical glory. I felt that although this spot didn't have any slapstick to it like the others, it had an unrelenting honesty to it: Yes, TV will rot your brain. So watch more of it.
1. Denny's
Yes. Denny's. Mobsters. Talking about whacking someone. It's straight out of a Scorsese movie. You know it can't end well. Then all of a sudden, there's that familiar sound of aerosol whipped cream as a cheerful waitress puts the finishing touches on the mafioso's Happy Cakes. I always love to see such strong contrasts be put together, and this does a bang-up job.
Honorable Mentions:
Disappointments - I'm always up for some debate here
- I think they're stretching the Clydesdale thing a bit too much. So now this noble horse is named Jake and is the grandson of an Scottish immigrant horse?
- Apparently Chester Cheetah is a ruthless, "devil on the shoulder" now?
- Drinkability (all of them). See this post to delve deeper into my opinion of this campaign.
Let the debate begin!
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