Pick one: ?, WTF or wow.

The new work from Deutsch for VW mah friends. AdPulp and AdFreak break down the meme at work. In describing it, one comment said it’s not about ideas anymore, but the best creative salesperson. That feels like a vibe which can be applied to a few other brands as well, not just VW.

The idea being that there are a lot of VWs on the road and therefore, here’s a way to highlight their presence with a reimagined brand ritual for today’s crowd. Okay, but, as a past Jetta owner, this doesn’t appeal to me because I don’t feel smarter for knowing that, just disappointed that this is how the brand sees its base.

Sluggy Patterson releasing his inner Snookie annoys me. Usually I tend to prefer an authentic vibe, something that I thought VW was about too. But while his’s cranky performance has its moments, this feels like a factoid wrapped around a brand. They’re not giving me a reason to want to identify with him. (I had more love for Six Flags’ Mr. Six.)

If I *had* to work this direction however, I’d rather get shitmydadsays to sit there and go off on the car, maybe drive it for a month and see if he likes it. (Or, maybe he wouldn’t.) Least it would feel more real and be about a character living in the moment—not remembering the past in support of a brand promise.

As for the punch meme, *true* VW drivers are already complaining that it would work better as punch dub, not bug. Outsiders though might miss that distinction and therefore not care, which begs the question:

Will this appeal to those non-VW drivers who might be considering a switch?

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Introducing the new Toyota Mea Culpa for 2010.

So this is the part where I probably should backtrack on the one claim that I thought Toyota and Honda have owned regarding Detroit for the past two decades or so: Quality. Not just yet.* As such, Toyota has announced it has been cleared by the government to start replacing the pedals as soon as possible. (You only have to hear the 911 call of the state trooper and his family killed in a Lexus to know that the company needs to give this the highest priority.)

They’ll likely respond over the next few weeks with a huge PR blitz, one that includes news reports showing dealers replacing the parts. Maybe company CEO Akio Toyoda goes on YouTube. (And is it even a question in a post-Domino’s employee pizza fiasco age that a CEO nowadays takes their case directly to the YT?) Meanwhile, the social media blogosphere will use this for weeks as yet another case study in how to address a fail.

So my only take is that they will likely take a HUGE short-term hit on both the profit and goodwill side of things. The biggest PR negs against them right now?

1) The claim that they knew about the problem all along.
2) A weak mea culpa to this point, bordering on “No comment.” (Plus, “Sorry for the “anxiety?”)
3) A denial by their U.S. pedal manufacturer that they’re to blame which puts the focus solely on Toyota.

The net result in my opinion is that they survive. But it costs them a lot. This massive recall and the coming PR push uses up most if not all the good will the company has amassed with customers and the public to this point, and puts them even with Detroit over the next year.**

*Even though I own a 2004 and the thought of a stuck pedal crosses my mind, I’ve put 160,000+ miles on it driving in every condition imaginable without a single accelerator issue.

**Provided Detroit doesn’t pull any more bush league stunts by capitalizing on a competitor’s recall.

Only you can corner the market on... you.

YouData says “You should have been paid to read this.” Hmm. And if I saw this ad on Facebook, ya think Mark Zuckerberg would be interested in paying me for that? Ha. Good luck with that. The last thing advertisers care about is spending more money to get you to do read something even if you have no intention of clicking (and then hopefully buying). Actually, that’s the con media still sells brands on all the time, those valuable impressions. Only money being made is by the sites who sell their traffic to the highest bidder, traffic which users collectively provide them. And like Facebook, the last thing they care about is giving any of it back to the people who helped generate it.

Will it be six more weeks of savings?

When’s the last time you were pitched using Groundhog Day? Me. In an email yesterday. Come on down to crazy Phil’s!

OMG THE Kobe-LeBron Nike Ad Features Gun Language!

Chill out, and get it right.

First of all, this spread ad that will be the hot topic for the next 2.5 days—until Super Bowl hype kicks in this week—was slated to run months ago. It’s part of Nike’s larger “Prepare for combat” theme. (Hey, look, even hockey players got in on it!) It’s NIKE that ran the ad, not the NBA. Look closer, you see any NBA logos on it? In fact, the NBA had no knowledge the ad was running, nor does league commissioner David Stern approve, especially after banning Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.

As for the issue of guns in the league, ha, okay, whatever nubes. You know how many athletes have firearms in sports other than hoops? More than Gilbert, that’s for sure. Did you think a fierce stare slash chest thumping thug lifestyle embraced by players with a topping of Mello Don’t Snitch vibe would be absent any connection with guns?

Tell me you believe there’s no connection and I got a blog in Florida I wanna sell ya.

What about the influence of the violent videogame and music culture that athletes depend on in their downtime to get by—or get amped up for games with? And people are surprised at a gun reference in an ad? Really?

Have ya forgotten about Plaxico so soon?

Only thing dumber is Lebron contradicting himself by saying Kobe was taken out of context. (Forget that a copywriter likely wrote the ad copy.)

“That has nothing, zero, to do with guns,” James said, raising his voice at reporters. “At all. At all. Zero. That’s very simple. For somebody to even say that - that's a basketball term. To try to highlight Kobe and say that he was referencing guns is totally ridiculous.”

James said such slang is common among his peers.

“We say a lot of things as basketball players that make a reference to guns and violence, but it’s really not guns and violence,” he said.

Easy. I know he’s probably giddy with the prospects of the bidding war about to happen this summer between the Cavaliers and the Knicks, but which is it?

If people are upset about the chamber reference (which, admittedly IS a specific gun reference), then blame Nike for this bit of bad timing and their less than contrite “Sorry you were offended.”

Just this week I heard a magazine reporter claim NBA League security people told him off the record that the numbers of athletes and/or their entourage who carry firearms could be more than 300, or basically, the entire league. And that’s just the NBA.

Oh, wait, *carry*—there goes another NBA term someone will be sure to misconstrue.

The deeper issue at work is the equating of combat with sports. Violence and physical contact are a part of any game, and that has always been the case. All sports are a form of combat to one degree or another. Pick a sport and count the phrases:

The QB who throws a bomb. A team that has a dangerous defense. Sudden-death overtime. Intimidating and formidable. Blitz. Battling hard all game. Everyone wants a shot at number one.

You can’t be a fan spouting these clichés and then turn around *shocked* by an ad which is a direct reflection of the sports culture that spawned it.

Cue your faux rage all you want at Nike having the misfortune of bad timing, but one gun reference is nothing when compared to the violent nature of sports.

(Image.)

Philly tourism hearts Mommy Bloggers.

“Also new for winter, the ads include less copy. GPTMC’s focus group findings revealed that people like the shorter, more direct advertisements; so each of the 25 new love letters are just a few lines long.”

So goes the thinking in an update to Philly’s tourism efforts. A few lines long. Hmm... yes, Twitter is good for that too, but it’s also full of one too many lines that say little. Which is fine, after all, Twitter tries to mirror everyday, real conversation which is full of... small talk. It’s the Twitter lines that are truly witty, touching or funny that you remember. This campaign though now feels like it’ll appeal nicely to the Good Housekeeping Mommy Blogger™crowd. Safe as you’d expect and lacking the funk of their earlier work I covered. Only thing missing is a heart over the “i” in Philadelphia.

The evolution of an ad blog.

I like what the Denver Egotist is doing in evolving their blog into something more. Those of use doing this now for a few years have likely thought of how to take the blog voice they created and expand it to something else. I know that’s what Angela and myself considered before starting AdVerve. So here, TDE has gone hyper with its local approach as David Burn notes and is now trying to expand beyond their borders as it were. They’re coming to an advertising and design neighborhood near you, with your help. Definitely live, late-breaking and hyperlocal, but not just another all-purpose news site covering local happenings—it’s about this particular industry where you live.

But wait, there’s more...

– Part of me hoped this was true.
– Neon. Vegas. Museum. No-brainer.
– Feeling fierce.
– After you’re done there, the windows need cleaning.
– Craftsman, golfsman.
– Juxtaposing Bad, er, good.
– The obligatory iPad Post.
– “Doctors always welcome.”
– Amtrak sucks redux.
– Georgians love goats.
– Debutante flashmobs.
– Silicon Alley is dead. Isn’t it?
– The power of Pine-Sol.
– 6 most full of shit jobs.
– Unhappy hipsters. (Via.)
– Augmented reality. The future is so here.
– Snow on the ground.
– What milk & OJ packaging should look like.

Stand up and be claymated.

This GlobalHue Latino census spot feels so... feel-goody, what with all the smooth claymation. Guess though that I wanna see a spot that actually talks to people about the importance of taking part, not just another piece for a director’s reel. And the English version features the girl’s voice—would’ve like to seen that here. Oh, and I’m also tired of light, frolicking keyboard work in spots, like everything’s this fragile fable.

It will make you want to enlist.

This extended spot for the National Guard is currently running before the start of movies in theatres. I just saw it this week and, pro-military blogger that I am, the music and lyrics feel way over the top to the point of distraction. It’s compelling enough, bordering on romanticizing the heroic nature of duty, but I a heavy instrumental drum track that builds would have distracted less. Least that’s the vibe I get when compared to what other branches of the military have been doing.

The video was made by soldiers and civilians at the Strength Readiness Support Center and is a little more melodramatic compared to how the Army not long ago downplayed things with Army Strong, or how the Marines focused on heritage with triumphant horns and solemn voiceover.

Now, the Army seems to be pushing back to a more glorified all heroes, all the time execution as are the Marines. Put any instrumental soundtrack in there though and I think this piece fits in with those services* and how they handle their own message.

*The National Guard is a joint reserve component of the United States Army and the United States Air Force.

The Co-branded Integration opportunities were endless.

That’s a lot of hype for 1965. New cars with TV stars! Four comments on YouTube sum things up nicely:

1) “How can you watch this and not feel anger at how a once great company was brought to its knees.”

2) “wow. these guys were so corny”

3) “those were some great looking cars in ’65”

4) “Anyone else notice how much Hoss resembles Shrek?”

GM offers $1,000 to unfriend Toyota.

Oh, no, no, no, no. GM... really? You were doing fine. You had been courteous and receptive to courtesy. You had established trust, with the embarrassing truth about bailouts. And now this ham-handed segue with your $1,000 or free financing offer for Toyota owners to switch.

It won’t do...

Much as I love brands that jump on PR opportunities when they become available, I’m not sure GM can claim the moral high ground in response to Toyota’s massive recall here and abroad. Especially when looking at the number of recalls they’ve had themselves over the years vs. Toyota. GM has far more than Toyota over the past 40 years, by about a 5-to-1 margin. (Other American brands don’t seem to fare well either.)

Consider also that recalls by manufacturers happen with most makes for one reason or another. (Stuck accelerator in this case is more than just a faulty cup holder, I realize.) That aside, GM seems to be trying a little too hard to capitalize on safety issues when no automotive brand is accident-proof, especially them. (I own both makes by the way.)

GM needs a reminder that $1,000 means exactly zero when you lie to your customers about how bad things are, and then kill off several of their brands—after people buy their cars. *raises hand*

Yeah, I can see how they might wanna hang their hat on things like loyalty, longevity and quality for a grand.

(Image.)

Ladies, now you can have experience *and* vitality!

I swear I wish I could find the most recent Touch Of Gray commercial, but for now, just enjoy the How-to video on Just For Men’s site. (The ending, a keeper!) Since you had to be there to see the commercial though, let me describe the pain: Someone from HR stands behind two guys on a couch; one has gray hair and the other has brown. Our office heroine turns to a co-worker: “I want his experience,” (pointing to Mr. Gray), “and his energy!” (Pointing to Mr. Brown.) Office innuendo and witty banter ensues! Despite some studies suggesting a little gray may actual help when it comes to the experience factor, the vibe is clear: Gray in the hair, gray in the hair, lookin’ like a fool with the gray in your hair!

WHo doesn't love a feel-good story, except when it's, um... not?

Soon as they showed this I said we have our first bonafide American Idol trainwreck. You just knew that Pants On The Ground would spawn meme after meme and countless renditions—and singer Larry Platt will likely never see a dime from money others will make. Today I read with great joy, I said great joy, how Larry is seeking a lawyer to help him recoup any profits from derivative works of the masterpiece above since it started its viralicious run. Except that maybe he’ll need the lawyer for a different reason because a variation of the song was done over a decade ago called Back Pockets on the Ground by the Green Brothers (no relation, freaks). Next thing I know, they‘ll probably discover Snookie was a member of Mensa all along.

This is why I hate feel-good stories—they’ll just rip your heart out in the end, they just will.

Here’s a demo you never see.

Boardroom. Playground. Patrol bike. Release that inner hillbilly with Mt. Dew. Wait, what, their focus is on gamers now? Oh.

You are amateurs compared to them.

Maybe you missed this particular clip of the White House gate crashers the Salahis. Watch it though, because if you have kids, you will instantly recognize the stone-faced lying of professionals refusing to tell you who broke (insert expensive electronic gadget of yours destroyed while you were out). The good gentlemen from Indiana and New Jersey can not crack these two. I haven’t seen a performance before a committee this good since Frankie Pentangeli. No, for real, that’s All Pro Fifth Amendment pleading. And while I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night, I wonder how any attorney can advise his clients to plead the fifth when they already admitted being there in Facebook postings—with pictures.

AdVerve - Episode 16 - Life After Social Media Snake Oil

To parasteal from Bono, Joseph Jaffe stole the :30 spot—we’re stealin’ it back.

Not quite, but it’s been almost five years since he pissed off people in Ad Land™ talking about Life After The :30 Spot, and we look back to see what still holds up. Supporting that theme is also this idea of a social media as snake oil bias still prevalent in advertising circles. If you were one of those who the chief interruptor (at crayon, in turn acquired by Power) disrupted, listen closer and hear that what was really in question was the advertising model in general. We also manage to get in a few shots at Facebook, Walmart and the Stupor Bowl mindset. (Additionally, catch him on Twitter.)

Play the show now. (Or right-click to download directly.)

Subscribe via iTunes:

Topics:

00:00 – 1. Intro - Blahg, blahg, blagh—a brief history of time
14:15 – 2. Social media snake oil
26:58 – 3. Life After The :30 Spot—5 years later & the death of TV
40:35 – 4. Media, freaking
47:00 – 5. Nobody doesn’t like free.
50:23 – 6. Branding disconnect
56:18 – 7. The Stupor Bowl Effect™
1:12:36 – 8. Disrupt that shit
1:17:28 – 9. That’s a wrap

Linkage:

• Walmart’s Clown spot.
• Whopper Freakout breakdown.
• Intelevision.
• Chevy Volt iPhone app.
• Philips Carousel.

Send questions, comments or requests for newsletter inclusion to advervepodcast [at] gmail [dot] com. You can also leave a review

It's logo copying madness!

Slow news day, or genuine controversy! I report, you deride: Is Apple’s invitation *just* a white logo in the center of a mass of silhouetted color? Hasn’t Apple always had knockout white stickers that come with whatever iGod toy you buy? Haven’t iPod ads always pushed color boundries with airbrushed splashedness? Is Aol logo designer Wolff Olins calling out Apple a bush league move? Or is it an inspired bit of PR to take peoples’ minds off the actual Aol experience?

This Bud’s for them.

Anheuser-Busch was among the first to apparently send in water from their Latin America operation to the tune of 350,000 cans, and another 600,000 on the way from Cartersville, GA to reach a goal of one million cans donated. (They also donated $300,000 to relief efforts.) The million is actually a fraction of the overall amount of product A-B brews each year. Unless my math sucks, someone at A-B is off in their reported numbers because 1997 showed them making 100 million barrels brewed per year (or... 33 billion* cans), while 2008 estimates have them at only 11 billion bottles produced, or one-third that number. Still, give or take a few billion, holy Bill Gates. And while George Parker and a few others think Bud’s already water, it’s an easy way to donate and get their brand out there doing some good.

*One U.S. barrel (equal to two 15.5 gallon kegs), or 330 cans per barrel x 100 million = a shit-ton of beer people.

I SAT. IN A CAR. THE WHOLE TIME. NOT ONLY DID I NOT GET TO SHOOT ANYONE, I didn’t even get to draw my weapon. I SHOULD JUST WORK AT DMV. VERY DISAPPOINTED THIS WEEK.

A CAR. ENTIRE TIME.

BAUER, OUT.

TAGS: JACK BAUER, 24, PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON, JACK BAUER MEANS DEATH, KIEFER SUTHERLAND GRAVITAS, JACK BAUER FACTS

James Cameron for Bloomingdale's.

Ever the fashionista that I’m not, this one caught my eye for it’s Avatarness. Alright, they’re not blue feet, but those are some long-ass looking toes. Got me thinking though, and not that Jim needs the help, but I can see an Avatar line of clothing. I JUST COULD. I mean, you’d pay $235, no?

Oh look, a PETA stunt.

Their antics aside, watch the video and tell me that’s not William Shatner in drag. C’mon, you thought it too.

Hate speech is the new free speech.

If there are two better statements which sum up America, I haven’t found them:

“Courts around the country have allowed white supremacists to sponsor highway signs,” says Anti-Defamation League Director Bruce DeBoskey.

“We want to let them know that we’re here and we do good things,” Unit leader Neal Land told FOX 31 News. “We’re upstanding citizens, try to be good people, and try to portray ourselves that way.”

The saddest best part? The shame brought upon oneself for being thought a litterer:

CDOT says the Nazi’s have yet to actually pick up any trash on the road. And officials will be watching to make sure the group fulfills its obligation.

Sure, you want one.

Which is probably the first sign something will be a hit, when more than a few people go “I want one!” Now EVERYONE can spy on their neighbors. Unless of course, it costs $1,200. Then, we’ll just leave it to government drones since we already pay for those.

(Via.)

It runs the same type of ads or it gets the bailout.

Yeah, I know, dead horsepower beaten. A Honda spot I saw this weekend coupled with the latest spot for Kitt the Dodge Charger above encapsulates a divide between advertising for a brand in trouble—and one that’s not.

You watch this Dodge campaign and the first thing that comes to mind is how it tries to reawaken your inner Manville, you know, the one suppressed by all that car insurance shopping? Look at all the testosteroom in that trunk!

Zero to manhood in 72 months with no money down.

I watch it and think that if the brand wasn’t in trouble, I could care less what type of spot they run.

A cringe-worthy Honda spot has no effect on whether I would buy one because of the positive vibe I still have with the brand. Nobody talks about Honda or a Toyota in a negative light, except maybe Howie Long.

Why? Because despite an industry downturn, their core brands remain solid from a quality point of view.

Dodge and GM’s recent campaigns feel like they’re not giving potential customers enough credit for knowing what the current state of things really is. Don’t patronize me and tell me gas milage has improved when I know it’s still not good enough in many cases and practically even in others.

As such, a healthy brand could run an absurd spot like Honda’s polygons, or even one like this vintage 1970 pre-Has it got a hemi? Charger spot and get away with it:



But only if it didn’t have serious ground to make up first.

Like the negative image people have about Detroit product and it’s generally awful resale value. (To a lesser degree, the bailouts the companies took factor in as well.)*

It’ll take more than sardonic copy from Dexter dude Michael C. Hall though.** Watching that second clip, it’s somewhat telling that the “You could be Dodge material” isn’t radically different than the current “I am...” positioning—40 years later.

While I’ve driven a 2009 Charger and the damn thing does perform, I can’t pretend the *other* baggage that comes with the brand isn’t a factor, even if it wants you to think otherwise. For now, I’ll stick with the Camry’s 0-60 time over the Charger’s.

Because Real Men need resale value too.

*I’d give Ford a pass even though some of their advertising is same old, same old Real Man™ truck love, they’ve still focused on offering smaller vehicles to compete with Japan and a younger crowd.

**On a technical note: What’s with the dusty front tires, yet clean rear tread?

Taco Bell Freakout.

Long before Burger King’s Whopper Freakout, David Letterman worked a Taco Bell drive-up in 1996 as a manager and messed with customers. (He also did a stint at a McDonald’s.) Not saying Leno would’ve been a success had he done more stuff like this, but I remember seeing the trailer for his new show last summer and it looked like it might actually be a show worth watching. They were trying new bits and bringing in a supporting cast. Then I watched it. For about 10 minutes. FF >> now and Coco gets a few months off while sitting on $32 million to ponder his next move. As for Leno, a move to 11:30 won’t do much if it’s more A-list sit-downs promoting its latest movie.

OKAY, I’M BACK. I TOOK SOME TIME OFF AFTER THE 2008 ELECTION TO SEE HOW THINGS WERE GONNA PLAY OUT. (IT’S NOT A RED OR BLUE THING MIND YOU, BECAUSE I SERVE THE COUNTRY—NOT ANY ONE PARTY.) ANYWAY, I TOOK LAST YEAR OFF TO DO THE GRANDFATHER THING. EVEN GOT A TWITTER. IT’S CLEAR THOUGH THAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS ME. SO NOW HERE I AM. BUT DOES CTU APPRECIATE IT? NFW. INSTEAD, I GET STUCK WITH ANOTHER DIRECTOR WHO NEEDS ME TO GET TORTURED AND SHOT BEFORE BELIEVING ME, NEVER MIND THAT I, OH, I DON’T KNOW, SAVED THE FUCKING WORLD THREE TIMES THE WEEK BEFORE? AND CHLOE. JE-UH-SUZ. SHE’S STILL HERE WITH THAT JUST SAW MY PARENTS NAKED SCOWL. OH, AND THE BATTLESTAR GALATICA CHICK IS THERE. I’D MAKE A MOVE IF I WASN’T A GRANDFATHER AND IF I STILL DIDN’T HAVE A THING FOR RENEE WALKER. SPEAKING OF, AN HOUR INSIDE HER FIRST OP SHE CUTS OFF A GUY’S THUMB. THAT’S SO HARDCORE IT MADE EVEN ME CRINGE. I’LL SAY THAT AGAIN IN LOWERCASE PINK ITALICS: She cut off a guy’s thumb. NOW THAT’S TEAM BAUER HARDCORE.

BAUER, OUT.

TAGS: JACK BAUER, 24, PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON, JACK BAUER MEANS DEATH, KIEFER SUTHERLAND GRAVITAS, JACK BAUER FACTS

The funniest spot Walmart has ever done.

What, you wanted something fancier for a headline? Just watch and laugh. Okay, *maybe* wonder why the kid and the two moms at the end didn’t react. Makes you wonder just what the hell kind of clown hell terror they’re used to. And okay, *maybe* the spot gets to be a little too funny compared to the subdued tone they set up with other ones, but just laugh already.

Chicks dig cute puppies.

Saw this last week and it feels like not just that I’ve seen it before with Burger King, but, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and others seem to just interchange the same looks now. (Beauty shots will always be the safe choice for brands and appeal to any demo, but I mean the lifestyle shit now that’s essentially become beer in tone.) When one’s going serious with a focus on heritage, the other is pulling Bud-like stunts or giving a nod to the spirit of Captain Morgan. Even Jack Daniels is now out with yet another look.

I’m not saying keep the same messaging for 20 years, but doesn’t it feel like the multiple voices of each undermine the uniqueness of their respective brands? Going back to Bud, even though a beer, they come off as one of the few brands that’s been able to strike a balance between heritage, the feel-good, and the lol funny!

That said, Guys are still guys rules in some spots, while the “maturity” of Ketel One’s Real Man™ post-metrosexual speaks to an older and *richer* demo. But then in the same category, you have a classic brand like Smirnoff that literally owned the real man positioning forever (as your dad’s vodka), somewhere along the line became Captain Morgan with its giant dog vibe.

I like trying something new, I just think ultimately, there’s something to always be said for focusing on the distinct flavor of the product, not just the uniqueness of a dick joke that advertises it.

Stay thirsty my friends.

So take, these broken ETFs...

Came across this older Sprint campaign which wants you to say goodbye to your current wireless carrier with a series of pop hits “reimagineered” on Mobile Goodbye. I’d like a little more leeway to customize my own versions of the songs, but, it’s pretty decent. Until of course Sprint does something to piss you off, causing you to... take, those broken deals, and learn to...

(Via Brands Bands Fans.)

But wait, there’s more...

– Oh no she di’int. Yes, she did.
– If only they had Cap’n Kirk Crunch, life would be complete.
– Honey, does this steak taste funny?
– Remember, at checkout, use code #holyshitthatsexpensive
– Tonka truck mayhem, for adults.
– Leno vs. Coco—not the first time, kids.
– Men on men. Oh.
– Wonder if HAL ever had crippling self-doubt.
– 24/7 Hans Solo protection.
– Bacon!
– I’m not going to the right parties, apparently.

Hope 1.0 needs an update.

Maybe listen to a Domino’s focus group or two—and take them up on... a suggestion or two.

Continuing my “Anything is a brand” mindset, Hope 1.0 needs an upgrade if it ever wants to sniff a second term. Regardless of what President Obama campaigned on, I always thought he took on way too much, way too soon. You can apply “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” logic here in several ways.

First, it’s true, *some* things were broken and needed fixing—just not everything at once. Second, the country is figuratively broke in terms of spending, if not literally. How can it afford to fix everything on the list? Lastly, the current administration gameplan seems broken now that Nancy waved a white flag.

Look, disregard the Brown victory in Massachuesetts. That’s just teabaggers giddy over a perceived referendum on healthcare, even though they’re blind to the power trip all politicians are on, red or blue. (If anything, his victory shows the fickle nature of the indies which neither side seems to know how to court for too long, but which are key in the 52%-48% election results passing for *majority* rule lately.)

My tech support suggestion: Right now, look at it like the end of the first quarter and you’re down 14-0. Regroup, take a break and don’t listen to all the fans, just the majority who seem to be saying the same thing: Focus on the running game (jobs) and get back in this. Table healthcare for now and take away the ammo from the right. Instead, build the economy, something they won’t be against, then come back and win support next year.

See? Easy! Or maybe it’s just me.

?

?

This amendment brought to you by...

Aka, votes for sale? The Supreme Court decision Thursday allowing corporations and unions to spend whatever they want on political attack ads is huge. It’s a matter of time before some brand backs a candidate. Others may complain that they’re being hit up for donations, but it’s just a question of which brand or corporation crosses the final frontier and throws their logo on a campaign bus. Impossible? Maybe, except for brands like Pepsi, which sure drafted behind the branded Optimism of 2008.

You ring—We spring.

If there’s a better tagline for a bail bonds spot, I’ll pick up the tab when you get busted.

(Previous bail bondness.)

It’s not just a job...

...it’s a bad PSA.

But local ads are supposed to suck.

Rhett & Link and Truck Monkey notwithstanding, 99.999999% of local ads suck. Whether they’re offensive or not is another thing. It’s almost always owners *trying* to be funny, but who end up offending someone over shocking statements. (Or, they’re simply running stock footage of the latest model with dealer logo slapped on.) Either way, I don’t know of another industry that has a bigger disconnect between its national advertising and what you see or experience on a local level than... the auto business.

Forget the actual buying experience. Memories of gorgeous running shots in million dollar spots evaporate as soon as you walk through showroom doors, your mere presence now chumming those very waters. Most local radio or TV ads though are your garden variety over the top suck of course, but that’s what this stuff is. COME ON DOWN!

Speaking of, if you live in the New York City area, you know Brad Benson’s commercials and radio spots. His deal? Sales pitch + awkwardly-placed topical commentary. Pick a recent event and chances are it’ll end up in one of his spots. (He even managed to work in the story of the pilots who overflew the airport.) Take this older one on waterboarding. If you can find a better spot, I’ll match any joke:



(Gary tip via MrBrownThumb.)

A bus I'd drive.

If, of course, they had them here. Acme Advertising in Sweden did an installation showing how the impact that too many cars has on the environment. So, they placed this monster busmobile near their largest airport. See? Your lungs are already clearer for having watched it!

They actually did THIS? OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sokay, read Brian’s take because I can’t add anything except *maybe* a little rant on the virals most ad blogs get sent, either by PR agency or *anonymous* gmail account. (Which, I still fall for because I think cool, I’m the only one getting this. BASTARDS!) Regardless, the problem I have that applies to all viral can be summed up by two comments there:

“I wish that woman would jump into a bucket of fire.”

“haha, screw it.. fake or not [obviously fake though] it’s fun to see these types of vids! imaginative. She sucks though!”

I agree with the first and the second, well, actually, it’s not fun. Not when the acting is that annoying. Like bad techno porntracks, it ruins everything. Fuh-KING everything. Sure, this stuff gets views. But I bet it gets as many if not more without the play-by-play. Whether due to a nervous client who doesn’t think people will get it, or a see-saw print ad mindset carried over by creatives who think people won’t get it, just, stop already.

Cougars-the growing menace.

WON’T YOU PLEASE HELP? This spot from Air New Zealand has caused... an uproar. Shock. Awe. What’s an uproar without someone also releasing a statement speaking out against it, and not just, ahem, cougars in question, but New Zealand’s Rape Prevention Education director Kim McGregor who said:

“We have also had complaints from male survivors who have been raped by women and they are very distressed that their situation is being laughed at and made out to be humorous.”

Well, are ya offended? Amused? Has this just given the campaign the attention it wanted all along?

(Via.)

When it came to stains, nothing beat bloodthirsty Indians.

Count the PC violations in this old Drive detergent *spot* will ya?(PUN!)

Here’s an idea.

In the spirit of positive energy and good vibes (or what are you smoking), I have an idea. I saw where Michigan was having trouble financing its tourism ad campaign to the tune of $30 million (and change). Assuming Chrysler will spend *conservatively* say, 10 times that this year at least ($300 million), why not lop off 10 percent and give it to the state? Yes, I know BBDO Detroit was taken out by the very same client, but a story of Chrysler helping its own home base/state would play well with the American Americans who are the targets of their recent, no? Promoting tourism at home in turn promotes growth for the state, and in turn, revenue, no? A PR win-win!

I mean, it’s not like they’re spending it on a Super Bowl spot or anything.

(Image via Draplin.)

AdVerve - Episode 15 - Alcohol, tobacco & firearms.

Did your mother drink and smoke while pregnant? Then have we got a show for you. After exploring most of the adult vices we could think of, we devote the show to one of our favorite segments, 10 For 10. (We basically hit each other with topics the other doesn’t know about ahead of time.)

From there, Ben Kunz of Media Associates delivers a Five Minutes With... showing why he’s smart. Like, blog smart, especially on his Thought Gadgets where he lives. Whatever that means. We then wrap as only we can—for another 10 minutes and cover things like the idea of heroes and drowning. IT’S 97 MINUTES OF PURE PLEASURE.

Play the show now. (Or right-click to download directly.)

Subscribe via iTunes:

Topics:
00:00 – 1. Intro - A man can always use more alcohol, tobacco & firearms
12:48 – 2. Fuck Skype
13:32 – 3. 10 For 10 - Diesel
18:35 – 4. 10 For 10 - Guys With Scarves
21:04 – 5. 10 For 10 - Personal behavior
22:41 – 6. 10 For 10 - Breaking Dawn & Vampire World
31:16 – 7. 10 For 10 - Save the children
37:08 – 8. 10 For 10 - FourSquare
43:21 – 9. 10 For 10 - Ace of Base
45:57 – 10. 10 For 10 - Hated but still used
47:38 – 11. 10 For 10 - Google, meet China
49:31 – 12. 10 For 10 - I saw it on the YT
53:44 – 13. 10 For 10 - Advertising water
58:14 – 14. 10 For 10 - Disturbing profiles
1:01:09 – 15. 10 For 10 - Red
1:02:55 – 16. 10 For 10 - The Apple rules
1:05:57 – 17. 10 For 10 - Ikea
1:11:09 – 18. 10 For 10 - The brand you hate
1:12:36 – 19. 10 For 10 - Privacy
1:15:22 – 20. 10 For 10 - The brand you love
1:19:11 – 21. Five Minutes with... Ben Kunz
1:24:27 – 22. That’s a wrap.... and *other* stuff

Linkage:
Thank You For Smoking trailer.
Bob Roberts trailer.
Diesel’s Stupid campaign.
Robert Scoble on FourSquare at CES.
Breaking Dawn review.
Quick Burger.
Charlie Bit Me — autotuned!
Shirley Temple's Baby Burlesques.
Twitter for Culture Buzz: @vanksen_com.
Boomsday by Christopher Buckley.

Send questions, comments or requests for newsletter inclusion to advervepodcast [at] gmail [dot] com. You can also leave a review too.

No, that really is some strong cheese.

This Nolan’s Cheddar spot could almost make a better gym commercial, but, give it a sec and watch anyway. Seriously great animatronics work too.*

(Via Michael the G.)

*Sometimes people, a description doesn’t have to be any longer than this.

Thankfully, no helmets needed for the wedding night.

Unless that’s what you’re into. Titus Cycles in Tempe, AZ is running a three-part promotion to find hardcore bikers willing to participate in... oddvertising. The first step part: Submit your original Titus tattoo design concept and where you’re willing to have it inked. (Send Submissions and see who voted for what at titusti.com/humanbillboard.) The winner will be filmed getting his or her tattoo and, on completion, receive a 2010 Titus FTM Carbon (value: $5,170).

Part 2: First couple opting for a bike type of wedding to be married in his and hers Titus racing jerseys will get a video of the ceremony and his and hers 2010 Titus X Carbons (value: $7,600) Register at titusti.com/spandexwedding.

Part 3: Maybe your significant other-to-be dumped you because you spend too much time riding something besides them. Recognize that commitment and change your name legally to Rockstar 29’er for a 2010 Titus Rockstar 29’er (value: $6,265).

Man, it’s like the Price Is Right up in here! That last one might have a few less takers than the ink one, just a hunch.

Campaign from TDA, Boulder.

CT really isn’t this dumb, is it?

I apologize now if they are. The billboard I shot over the summer which I can see from my backyard changed it’s mannequin for the winter—and people just now thought to call police, worried it was real. HOLY SHIT, THAT BEAR MIGHT FALL. Now, idiot(s) who called in, I coulda at least cut ya’ some slack if you told authorities that you were concerned for the guy and shouldn’t he at least have a parka on in this weather?

Amazing guerilla stunt, or yet another iteration of an agency one-trick pony ridden into the ground for years now. Latter! (It’s also happened in Boston last November too.) BMW dealership general sales manager Tim Coughlin though feels “For whatever reason, it’s working because people are looking at it.” Is there finer marketing logic anywhere? I think there can not be! The whatever reason is that people love The Odd™ no matter where it pops up. This particular stretch of I-95 is making a run as King of said odd. (Last month the Baby Jesus had his own billboard—trust me, a mannequin can’t compare.)

Metro PCS knows Indian tech support accents are always funny. Always.

Okay, so it’s less tech support and more gadget show, but Metro PCS’s Tech & Talk are the Click and Clack of India, I suppose. You gotta love a segue on a Segway too! But the real reason you watch is for... THE ACCENTS. There’s nothing to be offended over either, because several comments on YouTube come from Indian people who say it’s a laugh RIOT. So, go ahead, enjoy! (I’d LOVE to hear them say “Has it got a hemi?”) Oh, funny, that!

They wouldn’t tweet it if wasn’t true, right?

Aka, why your news is broke and won’t be fixed anytime soon.

During the initial hours after the Haiti earthquake Twitter was abuzz, abuzz I say, with thousands of retweets covering where to donate or first pictures from the scene. These came from well-known media outlets as well as possibly your neighbor.

One of the things that influenced this post is an exchange I had with Lou Young from WCBS-TV. He’d had put out this tweet about which asked which news organization would be first to be put up fully functional news reports about the story. Traditional mainstream media snob radar now pinged, I responded half-jokingly: Twitter.

Proving once again Twitter might not like irony or my brand of sarcasm, the thread ultimately would go like this. Rethinking how I might adjust the snark so as to make the point seemed like it might end up a fail, thus further confusing things. So I simply said what I really think is happening now, that there’s a fragmentation of where and how we get a story.

If Young’s attitude is any indication, it’s apparent that users have grasped this concept while mainstream media still seems to fight it. That’s not to single him out. He obviously “gets” Twitter, being active on it with a nice follower/following ratio. It’s just that the sentiment caught me the wrong way, and seemed to echo one I’ve heard before from major media.

(Ben Kunz has a nice piece on the news now mentality, and there’s a more intense look on media coverage using newspaper headlines to tell the story, via Darryl Ohrt.)

Taken further though, why does it matter who came up with the story first?

It seems like just another convention that traditional media is clinging to. Live! Late-breaking! Hyper-local! Problem is, it was just as quickly disproved by a number of inaccurate reports coming out a day later from sources you *may* have heard of before:

The AP was reporting 500,000+ dead. Breitbart had it in the thousands. CNN was reporting 100,000 dead. Even now, the BBC doesn’t know.











When news is developing and always changing like that, how does being first matter anymore? (If you really want to get all zen, the synchronicity of the event and the victims experiencing it could be considerd the true first reporters on the scene.)

Better still though is your local hyper late newsbreaker who will almost always come on and say “New details are starting to emerge about the story we first reported yesterday.”

Translation: We never really had the actual numbers right, but at least our misinformation was first.

So then, how is that not what happens with Twitter now, and why is one source better or worse than the other?

It happened to me soon after my back and forth with Lou. (We’re tight like that.) Underscoring how hard it is to get definitive reliable alternative confirmation, I saw the next night where someone tweeted that American Airlines was offering free flights to doctors to help out down there. Hey, cool. Let me retweet that.

That was my first mistake.

Problem was, they weren’t flying doctors for free per se. I didn’t find this out though until 20 minutes later and 16 people had already retweeted that. One of them however said that the information was wrong. Ever the fact-checker (HA!), I quickly looked up the trail of said tweet and found that it wasn’t entirely wrong.

(Red Cross was picking up the tab for the flights in question—American Airlines was only facilitating the travel.)

This highlights one of the problems with alternative news outlets like Twitter that Lou et al. seem to have. The core of a journalist is their ability to check the accuracy of a story, since credibility is all they have, right? It’s all anyone has really, as I knew I had to correct my information. It’s here that I agree with him.

This unfiltered B-roll becomes viral news though. It can help—or cloud the information stream. As such, it’s up to each person to check their sources. I’ve been lucky to this point that this incident was about the worst case of me throwing something out that was initially wrong.

That’s not to say I didn’t check the tweet history before I retweeted—I did. I just didn’t go to American Airlines directly as a few had until after I discovered a problem. I basically assumed the tweet I saw was accurate. Yeah, I know, assume = ass.

Turns out I wasn’t the only one who was passing this one around though.










There just wasn’t any correction made by the people I had retweeted. Only after cross-checking people who corrected them did I find out where the problem was. I then posted a correction soon after. Thing is, you can’t rely on the people who retweet what you post also coming back to check for updates.

The more sure way is to reply directly back to people in a mass update. A pain unless your flock hangs on your every word, in which case, you don’t have to go to that length and they’ll spread the word for you.

The power of the community was such that one prominent blogger who follows my stream was enough to influence the number of retweets I had. Luckily, they all checked their replies and saw I made a correction.

After I was alerted to it, I followed my particular thread back and found it had started with Roger Ebert. Yeah, that guy. Turns out the grapevine decided to embellish each step along the way, even though Roger had started out with the info wrong too.

Compounding the problem is that even when everyone finds out their information is wrong, they don’t take the steps I took to correct it. They leave their original tweet up or fail to notify people. It’s here that Lou may have a case.

Going back and checking like a reporter calling a source to check and recheck, then confirm will result in a possibly more accurate story but it may not get up first. That’s the fully functional caveat of Lou’s thread: Fully functional, right?

This will come with the territory as people figure things out more and more. Twitter, blogs or Facebook status updates are now additional ways to discover a story; they’re not replacements for major media. (Yet.) They’re just as prone to inaccuracies as any news source might be.

Still, I’ve found out about different aspects of many stories this past year on Twitter first. These weren’t retweets per se of reports from other media; these were from people directly involved.

Video tells a story other media can’t, of course, but how can I go back to just relying on a CBS or CNN when I can get footage on YouTube or pics on Flickr hours before they do?

News fragmentation is here, time to deal.