March 14, 2010
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How will the Joan doll change the infamous measurement of the standard Barbie? (Judging by the photo, they just slapped some red hair on a standard-issue Barbie and called it "Joan.") Will the line come with Barbie-size martini glasses and cocktail shakers? Oh, wait, Elliott actually answered that last one:
So Proximo Spirits' Three Olives vodka took some abuse last week over its new "RangTang" flavor extension, which the marketer says signifies a concoction of orange and tangerine but Urban Dictionary says encompasses something else entirely.
There are few harder jobs in the marketing business these days than coming up with new names for citrus-flavored vodkas.
After all, in addition to fruit names like orange and ruby red, Skyy and Smirnoff offer a "Citrus" flavor. Absolut, Grey Goose and Hangar One each sell a "Citron." Ketel One and Vincent Van Gogh dub theirs a "Citreon," and Belvedere has its "Cytrus."
Everyone from Aunt Sally to Congress jumping on Toyota's case about its current recall. Those evil Japanese car companies are trying to kill innocent Americans! And Mr. Toyoda didn't answer to Congress' liking! And every single crisis-communications company sent out press releases with advice (much of it contradictory).
So what happened when General Motors recalled over a million cars for steering issues? Not much. That's what. Which could say something about the brand ("Meh, it's GM. What do you expect") and/or give credence to those claiming that the "Government Motors" is catching a break at the expense of competitors. Mind you, this is not to excuse Toyota's products or PR outreach (though, as Edmunds.com points out, EVERY car manufacturer has received complaints about unintended acceleration), but this case does seem to exhibit a little bit of that classic American urge to tear down the big guy.
Jim Stengel may no longer be a master of the marketing universe capable of leaping the tall $8 billionish ad budget of Procter & Gamble Co. in a single bound, but he can still pry open stuck elevator doors with his bare hands.
Jamba Juice, anxious to divert breakfast-time business from Starbucks, is launching hot chai beverages today. It asked Ad Age's Chicago bureau to give it a taste, along with a tart cherry scone. It wasn't hard to line up volunteers, just 15 months after we tried the chain's oatmeal, which drew rave reviews.
Dear "Creative" PR Firms (and Your Misguided Clients),
Listen up. Your cheap ploys to get media coverage might work on TV news outlets and tabloids, but we're not buying it. In fact, we're so not buying it, we're not even going to name your client. But suffice it to say that if you thought for a second that a broadcast network was going to give over air-time to a dating service for adulterers during the Academy Awards -- well, we'd like some of what you're smoking. But we know that you know better. You've cottoned on to the fact that many media outlets will jump on anything that's supposedly scandalous enough to get banned, or better yet, "censored." So what if a marketer likely didn't have the intention -- or the money -- to buy some of the most expensive airtime on TV? Chances are, no one's going to probe too deeply. And even if someone did, the added bonus is that the networks are so wary of ticking off paying marketers (and future paying marketers) that they'd rather take a hit for censorship than speak publicly about financial dealings with (or financial status of) advertisers. But here at Ad Age, we try not to reward publicity stunts unless they're extremely funny, compelling, innovative or morally repulsive. Stealing a concept that's already grown tired over in Super Bowl land and trying to use it during Oscars is none of those.
Or, put another way: Go sell crazy someplace else. We're all full up here.
MillerCoors and Diageo, looking to tap into the excitement of next month's NCAA basketball tournament, seem to have settled on a common approach: babes and brackets.
Miller Lite is partnering with Sports Illustrated on what it claims -- and what few of the promotion's targeted 20-something beer drinkers are likely to dispute -- is the "Greatest Bracket Ever." The spread, modeled after one of those familiar March Madness grids, pits some of the magazine's most iconic Swimsuit Issue spreads against each other.
Last week, a group of creative types gathered together in a New York apartment at the behest of filmmaker MacKenzie Fegan. On a less-than-shoestring budget, they created the following very funny spoof of the Dodge Charger "Man's Last Stand" spot that debuted on the Super Bowl. Fegan posted it on YouTube last Thursday, and it quickly went viral; as of this writing it's closing in on 175,000 views.
When I first watched it on YouTube, I did a double take: I knew one of the women making her last stand -- actor and performance artist Natalie Kuhn, who is the girlfriend of writer/musician James Rickman, an old friend of mine. Given the connection, I asked James to put me in touch with MacKenzie Fegan so I could ask her some questions (five of them) about the making of her viral hit:
Tiger Woods is having a press conference tomorrow. To apologize or explain himself or to try like hell to spin something positive out of the mess he's created for himself, for the PGA and for former sponsors. And it's not exactly going over well.
Firstly, other golfers are angry. Why? Not only is he putting the spotlight back on himself, he's doing so on a Friday (the third day) of a PGA event. Golfer Ernie Els told Golfweek, "It's selfish ... I feel sorry for the sponsor. Mondays are a good day to make statements, not Friday. This takes a lot away from the golf tournament."
Pharma Marketing Is a Less-Than-Noble Art, but This Infertility Drug Ad Is Amusing and Sympathetic
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