(formerly titled - " From K-Car to K-tel ... because that was just plain bad writing)
What could be more insulting than being sung to by your clients about the fact that you are soooooo inept that this must be the reason why you are a media rep.
Hmmmmm .... so in an effort to be funny at their Media Day here in Detroit ... a little birdie tells me ... Chrysler totally jumped the shark.
C'mon Christine ... first of all, what were you thinkin' letting Tom Zacharian get up and sing anyway???? What do we think this is ?... American Idol? (Hey! You're not a sponsor of that!!!)
So, the basic gist was just some hoot lyrics put to an old standard that proceeded to rag on media-types, sung by the new Dr. Z(???), Zacharian.
Well, truth is, this all might not have caused such a stir had it not been for circumstances like this one ....With auto ad dollars in free fall, magazine execs come courting.
Not only is the poor rep community (mainly magazine types that show up to these things ...) suffering through one of the biggest downturns in adspend they've ever had to endure ... they are also being told they are too stupid to do anything else ... or about it! (...no matter how innocently it was intended ...)
And this comin' from those wizards and hitmakers over at Chrysler marketing that have given us "Gettin' it on with Dr Z", or that superhit ... "Smokin' (and checkin' out my package) in the Boys Room".
The only thing missing was Julie Roehm popping out of a cake at the conclusion!
Anyway ... seems like there were a number of invited guests who walked away thinkin' the presentation was a bit tonedeaf.
So much for showbizness.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
If this don't beat all ...!
What do you do when your management wants you to manage the troops to some sorta optimal level of "anxiety"...???
I'm not kiddin'.
Apparently there's this book out there ... "Danger In The Comfort Zone" ... whose basic premise is this: That America needs to flatten it's organizational structure, create a "direct and specified" approach to accountability, reward those who produce ... offload those who don't ... and rather than reward people with promotions - instead - provide them a "series of moments in the sun".
(note to self ... hmmmmm, that will buy me a few more groceries and pay the tuition bills for my kids ... )
But (according to several reviewers) also serves as ... a pretext for using fear as a tool against their fellow members of the organization.
A consultant that has been hired to pass on these little nuggets of management principle pulled out the one key visual ... a bell curve that tries it's best to create the picture of when too little anxiety, coupled with too much complacency ... creates this trough of low productivity. And conversely when too much anxiety coupled with out and out fear ... creates a complete melt-down.
(note to self ... consultants are like pushers, preying on inherently weak minds.)
So the idea is to manage to a level of just enough fear ... in order to create just the right amount of anxiety ... so that we keep the gerbels hoppin'.
(note to self ... Publishers will publish anything.)
Now it's interesting that our said consultant ... and management ... picked up most glaringly on this one piece of information from the text.
Just the basic concept of manipulating people in this way is starkly unsettling.
I started reading reviews of this book ... since my leadership team is now promoting it's premise. This was from one of the 5-star reviewers:
"Using a sort of behavioral model, Ms. Bardwick argues for making rewards and recognition more closely match the performance of the individual and the organization. All rugged individualists will automatically agree. What many people will miss is that her message is fundamentally a humanistic one, aimed at helping people and organizations to fulfill their potential with as little stress as possible. Think of this as realistic humanism.
Cynics will see her view as a negative one towards people, assuming the worst. I think that is an incorrect view. On the other hand, it is bad idea to view management as a behavioral experiment. B.F. Skinner didn't do so well when he put his child into a box to program him, after all.
If you like this book, you may want to read its follow on, In Praise of Good Business. That book is easier to agree with, but is less well written than this one. Both are thought-provoking, which is what is needed to overcome stalled thinking about working with people. A good counterpoint for this book is The Soul at Work, if you want to apply the scientific model to the problem in a different way."
Now this was from a 5-star reviewer ... (thinks the book is a helpful read). It's less than a glowing endorsement ... more like a "read this to see what some extremists out there believe".
And this is assuming we all actually feel entitled! Which is, of course, the books primary premise. I, for one, frankly don't see alot of people running around with an entitlement hat on. More like helmets!
And, I ... for one ... frankly don't want people running around in some toxic air of fear ... anxiety ... however you want to perfume it. Stress is just not good for people ... or for creating brilliant ideas.
It is a recipe for knee-jerk reactions, stifling politics, behind-the-back whispering ...
ANYTHING BUT TEAMWORK.
(note to management ... want to know what's keeping me up at night? You.)
I'm not kiddin'.
Apparently there's this book out there ... "Danger In The Comfort Zone" ... whose basic premise is this: That America needs to flatten it's organizational structure, create a "direct and specified" approach to accountability, reward those who produce ... offload those who don't ... and rather than reward people with promotions - instead - provide them a "series of moments in the sun".
(note to self ... hmmmmm, that will buy me a few more groceries and pay the tuition bills for my kids ... )
But (according to several reviewers) also serves as ... a pretext for using fear as a tool against their fellow members of the organization.
A consultant that has been hired to pass on these little nuggets of management principle pulled out the one key visual ... a bell curve that tries it's best to create the picture of when too little anxiety, coupled with too much complacency ... creates this trough of low productivity. And conversely when too much anxiety coupled with out and out fear ... creates a complete melt-down.
(note to self ... consultants are like pushers, preying on inherently weak minds.)
So the idea is to manage to a level of just enough fear ... in order to create just the right amount of anxiety ... so that we keep the gerbels hoppin'.
(note to self ... Publishers will publish anything.)
Now it's interesting that our said consultant ... and management ... picked up most glaringly on this one piece of information from the text.
Just the basic concept of manipulating people in this way is starkly unsettling.
I started reading reviews of this book ... since my leadership team is now promoting it's premise. This was from one of the 5-star reviewers:
"Using a sort of behavioral model, Ms. Bardwick argues for making rewards and recognition more closely match the performance of the individual and the organization. All rugged individualists will automatically agree. What many people will miss is that her message is fundamentally a humanistic one, aimed at helping people and organizations to fulfill their potential with as little stress as possible. Think of this as realistic humanism.
Cynics will see her view as a negative one towards people, assuming the worst. I think that is an incorrect view. On the other hand, it is bad idea to view management as a behavioral experiment. B.F. Skinner didn't do so well when he put his child into a box to program him, after all.
If you like this book, you may want to read its follow on, In Praise of Good Business. That book is easier to agree with, but is less well written than this one. Both are thought-provoking, which is what is needed to overcome stalled thinking about working with people. A good counterpoint for this book is The Soul at Work, if you want to apply the scientific model to the problem in a different way."
Now this was from a 5-star reviewer ... (thinks the book is a helpful read). It's less than a glowing endorsement ... more like a "read this to see what some extremists out there believe".
And this is assuming we all actually feel entitled! Which is, of course, the books primary premise. I, for one, frankly don't see alot of people running around with an entitlement hat on. More like helmets!
And, I ... for one ... frankly don't want people running around in some toxic air of fear ... anxiety ... however you want to perfume it. Stress is just not good for people ... or for creating brilliant ideas.
It is a recipe for knee-jerk reactions, stifling politics, behind-the-back whispering ...
ANYTHING BUT TEAMWORK.
(note to management ... want to know what's keeping me up at night? You.)
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Domi-google-ix ...or, Google-atrix ... or ... (nevermind)
I picked this video off of Adscam.com ... The Google master plan.
Now I'm worried that Google really will take over my PC and, like Hal in "2001: A Space Oddity" ... will begin to ... take ... over ... my ... mind.
...but, hey. Enjoy.
Now I'm worried that Google really will take over my PC and, like Hal in "2001: A Space Oddity" ... will begin to ... take ... over ... my ... mind.
...but, hey. Enjoy.
Flogging at the windmill ....
Reading this, Advertisers Set March Launch For eBay 'Marketplace,' Beta Reveals Details For Automated TV Buys, with some interest, and some amusement, this morning.
This has been over a year in the making. The Julie Roehm inspired electronic "marketplace" that will revolutionize the TV buying and selling world.
So now it is apparently ready for primetime (lol- yes, pun intended).
Well ... sort of, that is.
Because you see, there are still no networks signed up to participate.
"While no networks have signed on to participate in the version that would launch in March, a group of marketers are steadfastly committed. And while they may not deliver on the stated goal of raising a combined $50 million to spend, Korzekwa said the pool would be substantial enough to entice the selling community."
As you read on in the article, you learn that "A copy of a document detailing the beta version that's being circulated for review reveals just how detailed and thorough the system that eBay has developed is. The exchange can go in either direction, where a marketer submits an RFP for a network to respond to, or a network posts inventory out for sale."
A lot of thought and energy has gone in to architecting this thing. Still it is no different than the advertising "exchanges" that were drafted, and actually piloted back in the early 00's (around 2000-01).
The further you understand the "benefits" that operating in this kind of system purport to hold, the more you realize that it is really just a surrogate for human interaction.
Not only do I think the idea of transacting our clients Upfront (or any other) budgets in this kind of system defeats our goals ... it just flat out goes against the grain of the art of "negotiation", and "relationship" ... the two most important commodities that a buying shop can bring to the table ... THE COMPETITIVE EDGE.
So the committee that has put this thing together, then bails out on it like this ...
"Although the proposed system does allow for some negotiation involving product placement and other newfangled benefits, committee members said the system is not intended to replace the traditional one-on-one, face-to-face negotiations that transpire for prime real estate during the upfront or for very complex multi-platform deals.
"It frees me up, and frees my agency up. And hopefully, frees networks up for inventory that they really need to focus on, and they can spend more time doing that," Korzekwa said.
Huh?
I thought we were supposed to really pay attention to all the inventory we are buying on behalf of our clients. And frankly, the art of the deal is how to make everything work together to achieve the really break-through platforms (and now integrations) that clients covet most.
But I guess the final coup de gras of this is this: "So far, no network has agreed to participate, which continues to cast some doubt that the system will be up and running less than a month from now--since without a seller, the system is obviously unworkable."
Casts some doubt? I'd say so.
So ... anyway ... I remain an interested, but skeptical observer of this marketer-turned-buyer pantomime.
Because ... know what ... I just realized this ... I guess I am not a change agent.
This has been over a year in the making. The Julie Roehm inspired electronic "marketplace" that will revolutionize the TV buying and selling world.
So now it is apparently ready for primetime (lol- yes, pun intended).
Well ... sort of, that is.
Because you see, there are still no networks signed up to participate.
"While no networks have signed on to participate in the version that would launch in March, a group of marketers are steadfastly committed. And while they may not deliver on the stated goal of raising a combined $50 million to spend, Korzekwa said the pool would be substantial enough to entice the selling community."
As you read on in the article, you learn that "A copy of a document detailing the beta version that's being circulated for review reveals just how detailed and thorough the system that eBay has developed is. The exchange can go in either direction, where a marketer submits an RFP for a network to respond to, or a network posts inventory out for sale."
A lot of thought and energy has gone in to architecting this thing. Still it is no different than the advertising "exchanges" that were drafted, and actually piloted back in the early 00's (around 2000-01).
The further you understand the "benefits" that operating in this kind of system purport to hold, the more you realize that it is really just a surrogate for human interaction.
Not only do I think the idea of transacting our clients Upfront (or any other) budgets in this kind of system defeats our goals ... it just flat out goes against the grain of the art of "negotiation", and "relationship" ... the two most important commodities that a buying shop can bring to the table ... THE COMPETITIVE EDGE.
So the committee that has put this thing together, then bails out on it like this ...
"Although the proposed system does allow for some negotiation involving product placement and other newfangled benefits, committee members said the system is not intended to replace the traditional one-on-one, face-to-face negotiations that transpire for prime real estate during the upfront or for very complex multi-platform deals.
"It frees me up, and frees my agency up. And hopefully, frees networks up for inventory that they really need to focus on, and they can spend more time doing that," Korzekwa said.
Huh?
I thought we were supposed to really pay attention to all the inventory we are buying on behalf of our clients. And frankly, the art of the deal is how to make everything work together to achieve the really break-through platforms (and now integrations) that clients covet most.
But I guess the final coup de gras of this is this: "So far, no network has agreed to participate, which continues to cast some doubt that the system will be up and running less than a month from now--since without a seller, the system is obviously unworkable."
Casts some doubt? I'd say so.
So ... anyway ... I remain an interested, but skeptical observer of this marketer-turned-buyer pantomime.
Because ... know what ... I just realized this ... I guess I am not a change agent.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Double Gulp! ...
First GM , and now Hyundai, express interest in buying Chrysler Motors.
The News pegs GM, the Free Press pegs Hyundai.
Of course, a buyout by either means more potential job layoffs at the DCX bastion (read Daniel Howes for a foreshadowing of things to come) .
And maybe even further spinoff of it's assets ... (GM really only hankers for Jeep ... which I'd bet is also on Hyundai's mind).
By the time we are said and done ... it looks like there will be a Detroit Two.
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes ... turn and face the strain ..."
This all becomes even more disconcerting when I think back to a blog I wrote about two years ago (5/03/05), regarding "Why Detroit Needs an Ad Club". In it, I had this to say ...
"Fortunately, there are some hard working, and extremely talented, volunteers who still believe in Adcraft. It's not going to die ... just as no mediums are going away ... or the Detroit Auto industry will collapse ... or it will snow in hell ...
Not gonna happen."
I guess it would be fair to ask if I still thought that today ... well, I just won't believe that there will be a total collapse of the Detroit Auto Industry. But a reshaping of it that threatens to change and eclipse lives we have grown accustomed to leading here? Well, I would of had to been under a rock to ignore that it's been going on for the last several years now.
So GM is in early stages of a turn-around ... Ford is fighting for it's life ... and Chrysler seems to be in their corner, on a three-legged stool, plain outta gas.
It's taken 100 years ... but there you are.In the meantime, Toyota's biggest worry is the back-lash of eclipsing the icons of American industry. Based on the volume of US buyers, and US market share it now has, this doesn't seem to be that great a worry.
Whoever writes the book on these years will be writing one for the ages ...
(Why ... this is all enough to distract me from the biggest news of the weekend ... Britney's bald noggin)
The News pegs GM, the Free Press pegs Hyundai.
Of course, a buyout by either means more potential job layoffs at the DCX bastion (read Daniel Howes for a foreshadowing of things to come) .
And maybe even further spinoff of it's assets ... (GM really only hankers for Jeep ... which I'd bet is also on Hyundai's mind).
By the time we are said and done ... it looks like there will be a Detroit Two.
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes ... turn and face the strain ..."
This all becomes even more disconcerting when I think back to a blog I wrote about two years ago (5/03/05), regarding "Why Detroit Needs an Ad Club". In it, I had this to say ...
"Fortunately, there are some hard working, and extremely talented, volunteers who still believe in Adcraft. It's not going to die ... just as no mediums are going away ... or the Detroit Auto industry will collapse ... or it will snow in hell ...
Not gonna happen."
I guess it would be fair to ask if I still thought that today ... well, I just won't believe that there will be a total collapse of the Detroit Auto Industry. But a reshaping of it that threatens to change and eclipse lives we have grown accustomed to leading here? Well, I would of had to been under a rock to ignore that it's been going on for the last several years now.
So GM is in early stages of a turn-around ... Ford is fighting for it's life ... and Chrysler seems to be in their corner, on a three-legged stool, plain outta gas.
It's taken 100 years ... but there you are.In the meantime, Toyota's biggest worry is the back-lash of eclipsing the icons of American industry. Based on the volume of US buyers, and US market share it now has, this doesn't seem to be that great a worry.
Whoever writes the book on these years will be writing one for the ages ...
(Why ... this is all enough to distract me from the biggest news of the weekend ... Britney's bald noggin)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Gulp!
Like riding the crest of Tsunami ... one (or several) that keeps on rolling in ... Detroit faces another tough round of corporate downsizing.
Read about Chrysler, and Masco Corp here.
That sucking sound is the sound of equity being drained out of my home ... again.
Message to the UAW's Gettlefinger, and the heads of the Detroit Three: Wagner, Ford, Lasorda ... please ... work out a profit-sharing solution on production and sale of new vehicles between labor and OEM. Fast. It is past time now to work together as one team to rearchitect the domestic US auto industry, rather than as a two-headed beast ... at once inherently reliant on the other for survival, but pulling in two directions at the same time.
This story has gotten old.
Read about Chrysler, and Masco Corp here.
That sucking sound is the sound of equity being drained out of my home ... again.
Message to the UAW's Gettlefinger, and the heads of the Detroit Three: Wagner, Ford, Lasorda ... please ... work out a profit-sharing solution on production and sale of new vehicles between labor and OEM. Fast. It is past time now to work together as one team to rearchitect the domestic US auto industry, rather than as a two-headed beast ... at once inherently reliant on the other for survival, but pulling in two directions at the same time.
This story has gotten old.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Down the rabbit hole
The Dodge Boys are stirrin' up the dust in the ol' hallways of Omnicom ... Omnicom agencies invited to pitch for Jeep assignment
.
Hmmmmm ... the pitch is only open to Omnicom ... so they must pitch against themselves ... (they already have the business, of course)... and it has me wondering if they have to sign a NDA so as not to disclose pertinent and confidential information among themselves that could somehow undermine their work on the brand???
And ... gawd ... don't anyone suggest that Dodge hire a ... a ... change agent ... to oversee the process !!
.
Hmmmmm ... the pitch is only open to Omnicom ... so they must pitch against themselves ... (they already have the business, of course)... and it has me wondering if they have to sign a NDA so as not to disclose pertinent and confidential information among themselves that could somehow undermine their work on the brand???
And ... gawd ... don't anyone suggest that Dodge hire a ... a ... change agent ... to oversee the process !!
Just another bad dream.
For the record ... this was/is one of the best spots coming out of a Detroit auto maker in a while ... for my money. Good for GM.
But what happens? They cave to pressure from some erstwhile do-gooding organization, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and pull it off the air. The AFSP sees it as to insensitive.
Don't get me wrong, the work these organizations do is important ... but, somehow using this poor little spot as a cause celeb is a little over the edge. In fact, they've probably put some Art Director on the ledge as a result.
Kudo's to GM for getting outta the box ,though, and approving work with actual personality. No matter how damaged.
More here: (click)
But what happens? They cave to pressure from some erstwhile do-gooding organization, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and pull it off the air. The AFSP sees it as to insensitive.
Don't get me wrong, the work these organizations do is important ... but, somehow using this poor little spot as a cause celeb is a little over the edge. In fact, they've probably put some Art Director on the ledge as a result.
Kudo's to GM for getting outta the box ,though, and approving work with actual personality. No matter how damaged.
More here: (click)
Friday, February 09, 2007
When does a cartoon imitate reality?
I just don't quite know what to make of this. Maybe you do.
Turner Chief Resigns Over Marketing Blunder in Boston. The head of the cartoon network, Jim Samples, has resigned in wake of the promotional campaign for his Adult Swim shows that went awry last week.
Boston ... the Massachusetts Attorney General's office ... negotiated a $2 million dollar settlement with Turner ... ($1 mil to take down the signs ????!!! ... and another $1 mil to satisfy them and their pope, the mayor.) Now the city of Chicago has jumped on board to recover their $1 million to also remove the signage.
The city of Boston of course called down a city-wide SWAT strike to quell the menace. I don't know that the city of Chicago did a damn thing. But, by god they need to be paid for this outrage.
Damn, you wonder how it is a real criminal element can thrive in either city.
This should be the subject of a cartoon ...
From now on, this becomes my symbol for calling out the absurdity of these imposters.
Welcome to the club Boston and Chicago.
Turner Chief Resigns Over Marketing Blunder in Boston. The head of the cartoon network, Jim Samples, has resigned in wake of the promotional campaign for his Adult Swim shows that went awry last week.
Boston ... the Massachusetts Attorney General's office ... negotiated a $2 million dollar settlement with Turner ... ($1 mil to take down the signs ????!!! ... and another $1 mil to satisfy them and their pope, the mayor.) Now the city of Chicago has jumped on board to recover their $1 million to also remove the signage.
The city of Boston of course called down a city-wide SWAT strike to quell the menace. I don't know that the city of Chicago did a damn thing. But, by god they need to be paid for this outrage.
Damn, you wonder how it is a real criminal element can thrive in either city.
This should be the subject of a cartoon ...
From now on, this becomes my symbol for calling out the absurdity of these imposters.Welcome to the club Boston and Chicago.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Halloween-ville.
OK ... so now I am mystified once again. Two days ago Ford says it will revive the Taurus brand name and rebadge the 500 with it.
Totally get it. Ford is trying to revive some past glory. The Taurus name had huge brand equity and was a much beloved nameplate, and onetime best seller.
Good show Mssr. Mulally for waking up the troops ... and their marketing brain that had gone into suspended animation.
But then, today they announce that Sable will replace Montego as the badge on the Mercury sister car.
Now, ... Mercury is a brand in need of reinvention ... and actually building an identity that separates it from Ford Division. The Sable was never a big winner, shall we say. And, everyone saw it as a Taurus knock-off.
So Montego has actually been doing ok, bringing in a good demographic for the Mercury brand ... and it is positioned differently than the 500/Taurus ... and now, Ford is going to confuse their owners, and the new car consideration set by doing away with it and reinstating the old Sable, which was inextricably linked to it's Ford Blue Oval sibling.
Once again, Ford marketing has struck ... just because bringing back the Taurus nameplate is a good thing (Mulally was dead on right about this! It just feels right!) does not necessarily make bringing back the Sable name just as good an idea.
Why?, because they go together like two peas in a pod? ... like bread and butter? because Ying must be accompanied by Yang? ...
This doesn't seem like marketing so much as it seems like undoing successful marketing that actually was giving Mercury an identity all it's own.
Ford Marketing sometimes reminds me of the mayor in The Nightmare Before Christmas ... with the two faces ...
at once confident ... and suddenly clairvoyant
And, at the same time riddled with self-doubt.
Good news is, Mulally is paying attention. Now, if the rest of his crew can just keep from knee-jerkin', and follow his lead of sound common sense decision making ... I'm giving these guys a better than even chance.
Totally get it. Ford is trying to revive some past glory. The Taurus name had huge brand equity and was a much beloved nameplate, and onetime best seller.
Good show Mssr. Mulally for waking up the troops ... and their marketing brain that had gone into suspended animation.
But then, today they announce that Sable will replace Montego as the badge on the Mercury sister car.
Now, ... Mercury is a brand in need of reinvention ... and actually building an identity that separates it from Ford Division. The Sable was never a big winner, shall we say. And, everyone saw it as a Taurus knock-off.
So Montego has actually been doing ok, bringing in a good demographic for the Mercury brand ... and it is positioned differently than the 500/Taurus ... and now, Ford is going to confuse their owners, and the new car consideration set by doing away with it and reinstating the old Sable, which was inextricably linked to it's Ford Blue Oval sibling.
Once again, Ford marketing has struck ... just because bringing back the Taurus nameplate is a good thing (Mulally was dead on right about this! It just feels right!) does not necessarily make bringing back the Sable name just as good an idea.
Why?, because they go together like two peas in a pod? ... like bread and butter? because Ying must be accompanied by Yang? ...
This doesn't seem like marketing so much as it seems like undoing successful marketing that actually was giving Mercury an identity all it's own.
Ford Marketing sometimes reminds me of the mayor in The Nightmare Before Christmas ... with the two faces ...
at once confident ... and suddenly clairvoyant
And, at the same time riddled with self-doubt.
Good news is, Mulally is paying attention. Now, if the rest of his crew can just keep from knee-jerkin', and follow his lead of sound common sense decision making ... I'm giving these guys a better than even chance.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Boston Legal.
This is a script for one of the Network legal procedurals if ever there was one. In fact, expect it to turn up as a part of the story line by sweeps.
$2m settlement over scare- Boston Globe: Turner Broadcasting is required to pay a $2 million dollar settlement for their guerilla marketing prank last week.
This group of Pirates ... also known as the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office ... basically extorted a judgement over the hapless marketing foible of Turner and their partner Interference.
Want to know how bad this smells ... ????
"Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston (thats him on the left) and Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone of Somerville played key roles in pressing for the additional concessions. Menino was pushing for money beyond the direct costs with Turner chief executive Philip Kent within hours of the episode last Wednesday."
Within hours of the episode ... the Mayor was after all he could get ...
... what??? makes up for the cash from the till you guys lost at the Saturday night poker game ???
Oh, he will say that it is in defense of all that is human and right. Afterall, these menaces completely terrorized an entire city ... this is post 9/11 for crissakes ...
... when in fact, it was more likely the excessive response of the mayor to this percieved threat that sent the city into total f'ing lock-down.
My god, the poor citizens of Boston must live in total constant fear.
Are you kidding me? Most people passing these little lighted ... things ...
... probably looked on with mild curiosity ... the way you would if you saw some new roadside directional gizmo. I'm sure many more are frankly amused by the whole thing.I mean, look at it .... it is flippin' you off ... I'd like to get one of these and mount it on my hood so I could activate it every time someone cuts me off on the expressway ...!!!
But not this group of political wonks ...
"The folks who second-guessed us because we did go out there and do our work, shame on them, because it's important that we did it," the mayor says. OMG - did you put on your Captain America costume to deliver that little piece of hyperbole?
"I think we got what we were looking for, as far as we could go on this issue," Menino said in an interview. "I think the attorney general did a good job negotiating this agreement."
Yikes - all I can say is don't get caught speeding around this guys territory or you're likely to wind up on death row. At minimum he will negotiate the rights to everything you make for this liftetime and into the next one too ... and call it a good job of negotiating. We ought to have these people do our next Upfront.
I can tell you - we won't be looking at putting any back-lit bus-shelter panels up in Boston any time soon. They could be seen as a direct assault on the city.
$2m settlement over scare- Boston Globe: Turner Broadcasting is required to pay a $2 million dollar settlement for their guerilla marketing prank last week.
This group of Pirates ... also known as the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office ... basically extorted a judgement over the hapless marketing foible of Turner and their partner Interference.
Want to know how bad this smells ... ????
"Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston (thats him on the left) and Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone of Somerville played key roles in pressing for the additional concessions. Menino was pushing for money beyond the direct costs with Turner chief executive Philip Kent within hours of the episode last Wednesday."
Within hours of the episode ... the Mayor was after all he could get ...
... what??? makes up for the cash from the till you guys lost at the Saturday night poker game ???
Oh, he will say that it is in defense of all that is human and right. Afterall, these menaces completely terrorized an entire city ... this is post 9/11 for crissakes ...
... when in fact, it was more likely the excessive response of the mayor to this percieved threat that sent the city into total f'ing lock-down.
My god, the poor citizens of Boston must live in total constant fear.
Are you kidding me? Most people passing these little lighted ... things ...
... probably looked on with mild curiosity ... the way you would if you saw some new roadside directional gizmo. I'm sure many more are frankly amused by the whole thing.I mean, look at it .... it is flippin' you off ... I'd like to get one of these and mount it on my hood so I could activate it every time someone cuts me off on the expressway ...!!!
But not this group of political wonks ...
"The folks who second-guessed us because we did go out there and do our work, shame on them, because it's important that we did it," the mayor says. OMG - did you put on your Captain America costume to deliver that little piece of hyperbole?
"I think we got what we were looking for, as far as we could go on this issue," Menino said in an interview. "I think the attorney general did a good job negotiating this agreement."
Yikes - all I can say is don't get caught speeding around this guys territory or you're likely to wind up on death row. At minimum he will negotiate the rights to everything you make for this liftetime and into the next one too ... and call it a good job of negotiating. We ought to have these people do our next Upfront.
I can tell you - we won't be looking at putting any back-lit bus-shelter panels up in Boston any time soon. They could be seen as a direct assault on the city.
A Taurus by any other name ...
Kill 500 badging - bring back Taurus badging - and stick it on the current 500 ... and sell a few more of those cars.
'Cause people really liked the Taurus. And that really is the truth.
Maybe not quite so easy as this remedy though ... but I do agree with Mark Phalen's point of view on the whole thing ... here,in the freep this morning.
And Mr. Common Sense ... Mulally ... hit's the nail on the head again. "I don't know why we invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a name over 20 years and then walk away from it."
'Cause people really liked the Taurus. And that really is the truth.
Maybe not quite so easy as this remedy though ... but I do agree with Mark Phalen's point of view on the whole thing ... here,in the freep this morning.
And Mr. Common Sense ... Mulally ... hit's the nail on the head again. "I don't know why we invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a name over 20 years and then walk away from it."
Monday, February 05, 2007
Ad Age's l'affaire with Julie ...
Ad Age devotes a whole page to this BS ... again ... Here Comes the Roehm Again
Think You're Burned Out on Unruly Julie? 'New York' Bets It Can Tempt You.
You'd think that Ad Rag can find absolutely nothing else to write about ...
And I will hereafter only refer to Ad Age as Ad Rag ... because it is.
I am agreeing with Holly, whoever Holly is ... who retorted to Ad Rag over their January 24th story on Julie ... (so many I'm losing track)... "Please don't keep Julie alive in the press. We've really had enough, even if Julie doesn't completely agree." Echoed Holly from Michigan, "I feel that I keep getting The National Enquirer sent to me instead of Ad Age. Some enquiring minds just don't care."
"You think you're burned out on unruly Julie?"
No, Ad Rag ... sadly ... just on you.
Think You're Burned Out on Unruly Julie? 'New York' Bets It Can Tempt You.
You'd think that Ad Rag can find absolutely nothing else to write about ...
And I will hereafter only refer to Ad Age as Ad Rag ... because it is.
I am agreeing with Holly, whoever Holly is ... who retorted to Ad Rag over their January 24th story on Julie ... (so many I'm losing track)... "Please don't keep Julie alive in the press. We've really had enough, even if Julie doesn't completely agree." Echoed Holly from Michigan, "I feel that I keep getting The National Enquirer sent to me instead of Ad Age. Some enquiring minds just don't care."
"You think you're burned out on unruly Julie?"
No, Ad Rag ... sadly ... just on you.
The "Day After" Hangover.
The day after the Superbowl ... what a hangover for the Ad industry ... and not just those lucky Ad-types that found their way down to Miami on the Boondoggle train ... (C3 policies be damned).
It's kinda a letdown now that the biggest viewing event on TV for the year is ... over. And we're barely into February. Ten more months to go. Twelve to see it again.
Oh, ... we have the Grammy's ... the Oscars ... (ok, now we're into March) the, uh ... well ... the American Idol Finals. But I mean, c'mon. Even with these it is a long slow trudge to get through to next football season.
Are you ready for some football???!!
And when are our National policy makers gonna get down to business and make the Superbowl a national holiday! The day after really ought to be a part of one long Superbowl weekend extravaganza ... sorta like July Fourth. In fact, this may be even more nationalistic in that sense.
I'm not necessarily promoting an extra day off mind you ... relative to the precious few days we get off now in our workaholic society ...
Here's my thought ...
I'm betting even MLK would have preferred that his day be observed in conjunction with something like the Superbowl. Maybe we could just ... you know ... move it. I'm not suggesting we don't think of MLK on his day. I'm just bettin' we'd think even more of him for bein' such a sport for puttin' his day on the Day After the Superbowl day.
And, what about that other sport associated with the Superbowl ... Commercial Sunday.
Well, this years crop didn't seem to wow the judges ... us. But, then, just like the Superbowl itself ... sometimes these things take ... , you know, ... time ... to bring out their true ... personality, bouquet ... they just need to b-r-e-a-t-h-e a little ...
You know ... a bunch of bare-chested men doing their best imitation of Paris Hilton washing a Chevy , with horrified women covering their eyes inside (can you blame them?) ... well ... that just may be on our top ten list of Superbowl commercials someday ... like Mean Joe Greene or somethin'.
But one set of spots I can almost unequivocally say will be in my personal top ten list are the Careerbuilder.com spots. These were flat out laugh out loud funny.
And in a rain-drenched, sloshing, one-sided, bring on the can of whoop-ass, drubbing ... (because the score did not tell just how much the Colts ... Peyton Manning ... dominated this game. I mean what did the Colts do? Control the ball for like 9/10s of the game? Poor Rex Grossman ... I think he has finally displaced Steve Bartman as the most hated man in Chicago) ... the Commercial moments kind of break the monotony.
And you must admit ... a whole "office" full of jungle rats like ourselves ... rushing headlong through the corporate jungle ... to avoid that last mind-numbing training seminar slot ... caterwalling over and through this thicket of crap ... right off the edge of a cliff to escape!!! ... or wearing binders on their heads like helmets to fight it out for the big promotion ... I mean ... I just lost it.
So ... on that note ... Happy Day After. Hope it's a holiday in your cube!
(and you don't get chosen for that last training slot ... )
UPDATE: 2/06/07 - This years Superbowl by the numbers ... here.
It's kinda a letdown now that the biggest viewing event on TV for the year is ... over. And we're barely into February. Ten more months to go. Twelve to see it again.
Oh, ... we have the Grammy's ... the Oscars ... (ok, now we're into March) the, uh ... well ... the American Idol Finals. But I mean, c'mon. Even with these it is a long slow trudge to get through to next football season.
Are you ready for some football???!!
And when are our National policy makers gonna get down to business and make the Superbowl a national holiday! The day after really ought to be a part of one long Superbowl weekend extravaganza ... sorta like July Fourth. In fact, this may be even more nationalistic in that sense.
I'm not necessarily promoting an extra day off mind you ... relative to the precious few days we get off now in our workaholic society ...
Here's my thought ...
I'm betting even MLK would have preferred that his day be observed in conjunction with something like the Superbowl. Maybe we could just ... you know ... move it. I'm not suggesting we don't think of MLK on his day. I'm just bettin' we'd think even more of him for bein' such a sport for puttin' his day on the Day After the Superbowl day.
And, what about that other sport associated with the Superbowl ... Commercial Sunday.
Well, this years crop didn't seem to wow the judges ... us. But, then, just like the Superbowl itself ... sometimes these things take ... , you know, ... time ... to bring out their true ... personality, bouquet ... they just need to b-r-e-a-t-h-e a little ...
You know ... a bunch of bare-chested men doing their best imitation of Paris Hilton washing a Chevy , with horrified women covering their eyes inside (can you blame them?) ... well ... that just may be on our top ten list of Superbowl commercials someday ... like Mean Joe Greene or somethin'.
But one set of spots I can almost unequivocally say will be in my personal top ten list are the Careerbuilder.com spots. These were flat out laugh out loud funny.
And in a rain-drenched, sloshing, one-sided, bring on the can of whoop-ass, drubbing ... (because the score did not tell just how much the Colts ... Peyton Manning ... dominated this game. I mean what did the Colts do? Control the ball for like 9/10s of the game? Poor Rex Grossman ... I think he has finally displaced Steve Bartman as the most hated man in Chicago) ... the Commercial moments kind of break the monotony.
And you must admit ... a whole "office" full of jungle rats like ourselves ... rushing headlong through the corporate jungle ... to avoid that last mind-numbing training seminar slot ... caterwalling over and through this thicket of crap ... right off the edge of a cliff to escape!!! ... or wearing binders on their heads like helmets to fight it out for the big promotion ... I mean ... I just lost it.
So ... on that note ... Happy Day After. Hope it's a holiday in your cube!
(and you don't get chosen for that last training slot ... )
UPDATE: 2/06/07 - This years Superbowl by the numbers ... here.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Evil genius.
With all due respect to ... Boston .... p-l-e-a-s-e.
Are you kidding me!!!!????
This (?!) caused your city to be paralyzed!
You spent over a million dollars to save mankind from this???!!!
Its hard for me to believe they want to go after more poor schleps at the advertising agency "responsible" for this outrage. How would you like to be that poor s.o.b. ... living in a cube all day, this is his/her one great moment ... a completely breakthrough idea ... and now? ... they may have to plot their own Prison Break.
sheesh. You just can't get no luv in this bizness.
Are you kidding me!!!!????
This (?!) caused your city to be paralyzed!
You spent over a million dollars to save mankind from this???!!!
Its hard for me to believe they want to go after more poor schleps at the advertising agency "responsible" for this outrage. How would you like to be that poor s.o.b. ... living in a cube all day, this is his/her one great moment ... a completely breakthrough idea ... and now? ... they may have to plot their own Prison Break.
sheesh. You just can't get no luv in this bizness.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The little engine that could.
With Tivo's announcement this week that they will be providing syndicated viewership data on a second-by-second basis, they have trumped Nielsen yet again.
Tivo's Stop//Watch will detail the viewing patterns, both program and commercial, of 4.5 million current Tivo user HHs on a second-by-second basis.
So Nielsen reacts this way ... "We think that's a little more granular than our clients want," a Nielsen representative said." - Adweek
And this is just the problem with Nielsen. And for advertisers that must trade with networks on the Nielsen numbers.
The reality is, Nielsen clients absolutely want this level of granularity! We want to understand viewing patterns in a time-shifted world. But, even more, we simply want to understand just what the efficacy of the :30 commercial paradigm is. The entire agency business has been built on it and around it.
"Other agencies are looking at the new service, but have questions. "It does provide insights as to how people watch TV," said Lyle Schwartz, executive vp, director of broadcast research at WPP's Mediaedge:cia. "But questions include what it represents, how projectable it is and how it's priced."
Damn straight Lyle ... it does provide insights. How projectable is it ... well, to at least 4.5 million HHs. Hows that for a start.
Look. We as advertisers are talking a good talk these days about changing our culture and breaking old models.
This is the first research in years that might actually reshape thinking about an existing advertising model that commands Billions in upfront time commitments, billions more in :30 second content development ... for audiences that possibly couldn't care less.
It starts with understanding if the basics of tune in or tune out. Stop//Watch might show some ability to prove or disprove exisitng theories. Because thats all we've got right now thanks to Nielsen. OH "data-supported" to a degree, yes. But conclusive? No.
Then watch Starcom, an early adopter, get with Tivo to start researching more specific behaviour related to viewing ... like how the viewers engagement is affected, and how their Brand and product opinions and prefrences are affected. because these guys are smart (Tivo and Starcom). They will begin to figure some of this out.
Projectable to the "nth" degree or not ... Nielsen or no Nielsen.
And, hey! MPA! You out there listening? Here is another opportunity. You should throw some effort into supporting this ... because guess what, anything that changes the current TV model,...calls into question how much money is being dumped on :30 second spots .... is in your best interest.
And frankly, anything that pushes Nielsen, and the current TV model ... is definitely in the media persons interest.
Tivo's Stop//Watch will detail the viewing patterns, both program and commercial, of 4.5 million current Tivo user HHs on a second-by-second basis.
So Nielsen reacts this way ... "We think that's a little more granular than our clients want," a Nielsen representative said." - Adweek
And this is just the problem with Nielsen. And for advertisers that must trade with networks on the Nielsen numbers.
The reality is, Nielsen clients absolutely want this level of granularity! We want to understand viewing patterns in a time-shifted world. But, even more, we simply want to understand just what the efficacy of the :30 commercial paradigm is. The entire agency business has been built on it and around it.
"Other agencies are looking at the new service, but have questions. "It does provide insights as to how people watch TV," said Lyle Schwartz, executive vp, director of broadcast research at WPP's Mediaedge:cia. "But questions include what it represents, how projectable it is and how it's priced."
Damn straight Lyle ... it does provide insights. How projectable is it ... well, to at least 4.5 million HHs. Hows that for a start.
Look. We as advertisers are talking a good talk these days about changing our culture and breaking old models.
This is the first research in years that might actually reshape thinking about an existing advertising model that commands Billions in upfront time commitments, billions more in :30 second content development ... for audiences that possibly couldn't care less.
It starts with understanding if the basics of tune in or tune out. Stop//Watch might show some ability to prove or disprove exisitng theories. Because thats all we've got right now thanks to Nielsen. OH "data-supported" to a degree, yes. But conclusive? No.
Then watch Starcom, an early adopter, get with Tivo to start researching more specific behaviour related to viewing ... like how the viewers engagement is affected, and how their Brand and product opinions and prefrences are affected. because these guys are smart (Tivo and Starcom). They will begin to figure some of this out.
Projectable to the "nth" degree or not ... Nielsen or no Nielsen.
And, hey! MPA! You out there listening? Here is another opportunity. You should throw some effort into supporting this ... because guess what, anything that changes the current TV model,...calls into question how much money is being dumped on :30 second spots .... is in your best interest.
And frankly, anything that pushes Nielsen, and the current TV model ... is definitely in the media persons interest.
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