Has your cell phone been ringing off the hook with calls from new and interesting phone numbers you have never seen before? Shoot...My cell phone is ringing again. The number on the screen is (623) 238-6228... I'd better pick it up.
JP-B: "Hello?" Automated Caller: “Your car warranty is expiring. We have notified you several times by mail. Press 1 to renew your warranty.” JP-B: [annoyedpesses 1] Hey - my car is new! Operator: Silence then a sigh [Hangs up!]
As a card carrying member of the Direct Marketing Association, I am always willing to listen to someone's pitch or even CRM program, especially if they have my cell number. When I realized this was a scam I did some homework.
Just in case you thought that this call was from your favorite auto brand that had completed their sophisticated CRM program, worry no more, its scammers who have created a system that is untraceable so far. The NYTimes reported that States have begun investigations. It is disturbing that the criminals are doing better job of following up on my car's performance than the brand that I bought it from. hmmm???
If you are getting these calls from numbers like (623) 238-6228, (408) 587-2116, (202) 552-1332, (702) 520-1105, (609) 948-0971 and
(562) 289-8136 these calls are illegal. A clever person over at reddit has discovered the identity of one of the spammers. They have posted their phone number for the world! Gotta love the power of an active community!
If you are getting these calls or have information about the companies making them you can report these it to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) - and file a complaint with the FCC at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html. When you report it, you will help make sure that only the brands you love can call you and offer you something new or interesting!
Refresh. It seems like a simple task. Hit a button on your browser and the page changes. Easy, right? It isn't. A refresh usually takes complex systems and or labored work to make real change. The same can be said of the state of affairs around the world. The arrival of the New Year has come and gone. While 2008 was a year of promises and hope, 2009 should shape up to be a year where we buckle down and begin the change required to refresh our world while achieving our sales goals. It will take complex and fundamental change.
Dictionary.com defines change as: to transform or convert, to transfer from one to another, a transformation or modification; alteration.
What will you CHANGE this year? From the environment, to the economy, to your health, to brand plans, to the way agencies work, we are due for rapid systemic change. In a time when we face mass unemployment, a war, unrest in the middle east, rapid climate change and an impending economic depression, we have fallen in love with people and products that exuded authenticity and promised radical yet positive change. They have refreshed our outlook.
Why are so many brands retreating to their roots? In focus groups, people are saying they want stability in unstable times. Of course they do. That seems logical. When we are shaken to our core we want the basics to remain the same. Many brands are taking a step back, reflecting on their roots. Some will tell you "You can depend on us" - look at this Allstate ad.
This is a beautiful ad. (well written, acted and art directed) "Back-to-basics" is a simple idea. It reflects on the past, establishes trust and reinforces the brands strongest attributes. Hey, who doesn't want to protect what they love. However, it does nothing to get me to consider switching. Nothing that says come with me, change something. It takes a practical approach to hard times. That is merely one example of a slew of brands who are missing out on what we desire. The big opportunity is not that we have roots. It's what in our roots or brand DNA that can make change and refresh our world.
We still desire a Hero! Someone or something we can look to who will make us laugh, smile and refresh the outlook on the future. Who needs another somber ad when watching Inside The Actors Studio on Bravo? Don't most of us use TV as a cheap get away?
Don't be practical! Be emotional! Be a Hero. While many brands retreat to their roots, the few products that exude confidence and show fundamental change will prosper. They will see sales of product. Brand Managers need to examine our conversations to determine their Brand DNA. They should ask themselves "What will inspire a moment of happiness?" More importantly, "What in their brand will evoke an emotional buy it now response?"
A great example of a Refresh is Pepsi's 2009 launch of their new advertising and brand look.
Simple & smart. Offers a smile. A pick me up. It establishes a
different tone from the big celebrity-filled production numbers that Pepsi helped invent for my generation. Its a great happy-greeting-card to the world. I like the music, by indie rockers the Apples in
Stereo. The upbeat lyrics "And the world,
is made of energy/And the world is electricity." reminds me of the early British pop invasion after World War II.
Many have been critical of the Pepsi refresh. They have said that it was jumping on a political bandwagon. They are wrong. That is a short-sided view that seems to lack insight into what the audience desires. In torrid times we need a smile. We need a dose of happiness. We are going to need a lot of energy to make a change. What is brilliant and incredibly consumer-centric is that we buy things that make us feel good. We always have. We always will. This is America.
Insight: When I need a pick me up, I want something that gives me a fresh, fun moment of optimism to get through the day.
The Idea: Pepsi. A Pick Me Up.
What is unfortunate is that the website does not live up to the happy innovation of the brand. RefreshEverything.com began to show some promise when it was simply a refresh button. Now it has been taken to the mundane. It does not help pay off the promise. It's design is dated and done. The site would have been great before the election. The idea that you are asking of the president seems off when, it should be about what are you going to do to refresh everything. The design lacks the fresh simplicity of the product and does not allow me to share or spread the joy of Pepsi with friends. The site is a missed opportunity. Shame on their digital agency, this seems surprisingly off brand. A Refresh is needed.
Retreating is not the answer. One size does not fit all. Brand is about how I feel about your product. Branding is about ubiquity, visability and functions; its about bonding emotionally with people in their daily lives. Only when a product or a services kindles and emotional conversation with the consumer can they realize their sales potential.
I think we will help support brands that offer us an opportunity to refresh. A brand who is willing to get passed the practical and help us
act irrationally (emotionally) through entertaining function that facilitates the
change that our worlds need will realize revenue in a downturn.
To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. —Henri Bergson
Be a change agent this year. Begin to innovate it will lead to a Refresh! Happy New Year!
The NASCAR Nationwide Serise is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit (it is often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Sprint Cup.
Nationwide Series races are frequently held in the same venue as, and a
day prior to, the Sprint Cup race scheduled for that weekend,
encouraging fans to attend both events.
The series was previously called the NASCAR Busch Series. In December 2006, NASCAR officials confirmed that Anheuser-Busch, parent company for Busch Beer, would not renew its sponsorship of NASCAR's No. 2 series after the end of the 2007 Season. On October 3, 2007, it was announced Nationwide Insurance would become the title sponsor beginning with the 2008 season.
While developing our campaign we have studied success stories. One of those success stories is the Sprint and their sponsorship of the Sunday race. Their campaign Speed is Beautiful has stretched the results of their sponsorship. Here is the creative that continues to drive results for the Sprint brand.
I was walking the other day on the west side of midtown and noted the big AC/DC sign at the corner of 42nd and 8th. Seems that the band’s label (Sony BMG) came up with a campaign that loads the
video for Black Ice as ASCII art within a Microsoft Excel file. Its awesome.
All you have to do is download the file and the ASCII art mimics the motions of the real video while the song plays.
Check it out on the AC/DC website. And if you are in Time sqaure check out the AC/DC Rockband store located in the MTV Store location. To cool!
The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC), the world’s highest mix-use complex threw its doors open to the world last month. The SWFCweb site is just as amazing as the spectacular complex design. The skyscraper navigation uses interaction design of the double-decker elevator.
The 101-story Shanghai World Financial Center, a 492-meter-high tower, boasts the highest occupied
floor and the highest roof-top in the world. Imagine the force it would take to get a double decker elevator to the top - well you do not have to, because, it is reflected in the time line like pagination of the site.
What do guys want to talk about???
If you don't know you better ask someone! It is entertaining as hell.
Better yet, just visit Philips' Bodygroom Manalogues. It started with the "shave everywhere" campaign. Now that guys are talking about shaving everywhere, Philips has taken the consumers stories and created launch pad for them to be shared. This part of the conversation lets guys share their shaving everywhere stories. This is shaving stories meets the Vagina Monologues. This is a great example of a real consumer conversation that is facilitated by the brand.
(No. That title is not a mistake. And - no I am not claiming virginity - I have 4 kids, people!) As many of you know I am attending the MTV Movie Awards. On my trip out here to LA, I rode in on Virgin. Branson has it right. The consumer experience was amazing. It all starts with the simple yet jet setting design that draws you to the smart messaging and functionality for the aircraft.
Every detail was taken care of. The private seating, computer menus, food, plugs for power and people service, not computer service, that was bestowed upon the entire air craft. One of the coolest features was that I had a the power of choice at my finger tips. I was able to order fresh food when I wanted it, from the screen at my seat. Virgin brings back great service to the sky's. I felt secure and well taken care of. What more could you ask for?
Now that I have landed I am staying at the LONDON in West Hollywood. The hotel claims a fusion of London meets Hollywood. In my view the design is 1940's Hollywood meets a 2008 cosmopolitan glamor smack in the middle of the sunset strip that overlooks the Hollywood hills.
Update: While my quarters were sleek and the bath tub was the size of an NYC apartment, the service did not give luxury a new definition. There was not a turn down service, re-stocking the mini bar seemed to be a challenge and I also question why Gordon Ramsey has so much buzz. The food was at best OK. It lacked the food couture that one gets when they pay that much for breakfast. The breakfast service was terrible. All in all I was not impressed by the London.
Stay tuned as I will be blogging my star studded MTV Movie Awards weekend from the road.
Digital or Die – I think not! Stop the madness! We all can contribute. Its not Digital v. TV . It should be Digital + TV. For those who have had success it simply is Digital + TV. The two converged and together they are more powerful than any medium on its own. Just look at the 2008 Election. They compliment and feed off each other. I was born digital. So do not kill the messenger. I ask you to listen to what I have learned through the ups and downs of having helped created the 1.0 economy where technology drove ideas and experiences, then lived through the bubble – you remember the time when we were all coding for food? Having lived through that experience the test results were clear.
The brands that have won are the ones who have used a simple formula.
Many digital practitioners have taken such polarizing stances on the role of the website, search, the banner ad and the long tail. In doing so they have alienated and confused brand teams as well as short changed their ability to make money.
Digital is a powerful medium. Digital offers the ability to innovate across the globe at the speed of light. When telling a compelling story it has the ability to cross cultures and deliver instant commerce, entertainment and education.
There is an effective way to combine them all to serve the brands you wish to sell. There are best practices that TV can teach to the digital socialites and Vise Versa.
Start with an idea! A website without an organizing idea is merely another fun toy. A TV ad without and idea is merely annoying. It is about being where they want us, when they want us and how they want us. Your Idea should answer why they want us.
Digital is not the best medium, it is not the only medium. It will continue to evolve like all other mediums. What digital offers is the flexibility and global reach like no other medium. All of that said, it is incredibly segmented and its continued proliferation will create smarter marketers out of consumers and the marketers who use the medium to its fullest potential. It cannot reach its full marketing potential if we allow technology to drive the consumer experience instead of a simple idea fulfilling a desire. Applications should have a purpose - they just cannot be cool.
Technology should facilitate the idea's amplification to the right audience. Digital is active not passive so an idea should be ubiquitous it should engage, enable and empower the consumer to own your brand.
Photos from the road, the day, the meetings and a few ironic random finds. Catch up with me on my adventures! This is a visual time line of my life ON: The Road.
MTV
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