Free air as added value? We’ve been hosed!

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Kirk
Free Air

The air we breathe may be free, but the air we put in our tires is not. It’s been costing us ever since service stations stopped providing service. Most gas-station air compressors are coin operated and run only for a couple of minutes, requiring a steady stream of quarters to operate. In a few states, stations are required by law to provide free air to paying customers. However, as this requirement is not widely known, most customers continue to cough up the coins. Soon, however, the price of inflation may be coming back to earth as some gas stations, such … Continue reading →

This entry was posted in promotion.

Chipotle takes a stand

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Kirk
Chipotle Burrito

It isn’t easy standing for something. For a brand, taking a strong position may attract some customers while repelling others. It may mean being satisfied with a niché. Benetton, for example, has long taken a controversial stand on social issues in its marketing. Its new campaign, “Unhate,” invites the world’s leaders and inhabitants to oppose the “culture of hatred.” Another apparel-maker, Patagonia, vigorously supports environmentalism. Whatever most fast-food restaurants stand for, it isn’t healthy eating, despite their token salads and fruit cups. Chipotle is an exception within the category. According to a post at SustainableBusiness.com, Chipotle “pioneered the use of … Continue reading →

This entry was posted in advertising, authenticity, brand essence, cause marketing, health care, retail, strategy.

Best Buy’s smart Super Bowl play

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Kirk
Best Buy TV

A few weeks from now, the Super Bowl commercials featuring dogs, babies, sex and celebrities will blur together. Was it Doritos or Bud Light? My nominee for most likely to succeed in the long run is Best Buy’s spot. (Watch it below.) Best Buy borrowed equity from the innovators of smartphone technology, a strategy likely to appeal to its tech-savvy customers. Geek celebrities who implied their endorsements, included: Philippe Kahn, creator of one of the first camera phones Ray Kurzweil, the inventor of text-to-speech Neil Papworth, the person who sent the world’s first SMS message Paul and David Bettner, creators … Continue reading →

This entry was posted in advertising, retail, social media, strategy.

Repost: Advertising’s swimsuit competition, the Super Bowl

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Kirk
Beauty Queen

Let’s be honest. This week, when we chat online or around the water cooler about the Super Bowl commercials, we will not be judging them based upon which are most effective at doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is actually selling something. Instead, we will talk about which spots we “like,” which spots we find most entertaining. We’re judging style, not substance. In pursuit of being popular during and after the game, advertisers and their agencies push the limits to engage us. And we reward them with a couple of week’s worth of buzz. But how successful … Continue reading →

This entry was posted in advertising, event marketing, mass media, roi.

Is YouTube the new Super Bowl?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Kirk
Acura TV

Remember when, in order to see the much anticipated Super Bowl commercials, you had to actually watch the game? Not anymore. Acura unveiled its Super Bowl commercial on Monday. On YouTube. Six days before the game. “In previous years, Super Bowl commercials were single-day lightning,” Suzie Reider, head of industry development for the global video team at Google, told The New York Times. “Now, it feels more like rolling thunder.” Social media has changed the strategy. “The reason social media is becoming so important is the price tag,” Derek Rucker, associate professor of marketing at Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of … Continue reading →

This entry was posted in advertising, promotion, social media, strategy.

Proud sponsor of plagiarized taglines

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Kirk
P&G TV

Brands used to pay hefty fees to be sponsors of major attractions, such as the Super Bowl. One reason: They benefit by borrowing brand equity from the event. Turns out, there’s a much cheaper alternative. Many brands, for nothing, are claiming “sponsorship” of free-floating concepts. Why borrow equity from the Summer Olympics when a brand can borrow instead from, say, “the American dream?” Here are a few examples: Mutual of Omaha: Proud Sponsor of Life’s Aha Moments American Cancer Society: The Official Sponsor of Birthdays Omaha Steaks: The Official Sponsor of Tailgating National Association of Realtors: Official Sponsor of the … Continue reading →

This entry was posted in advertising, brand essence, copywriting, event marketing.