5 Blogs Before Lunch

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon Used Madison Avenue To Build Their Iconic Status

We lost three superstars in the last couple of days. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon were all cultural icons.

Helping to create this iconic status was, of course, the entertainment industry. However, the advertising industry had a big hand in helping form these entertainment brands as well.

Michael Jackson will always be remembered for his Pepsi commercials--spectacular event TV, that showcased his music and dance. One could say the King of Pop was also the King of Soda Pop. Jackson recreated his hit Billie Jean in one ad and Bad in another for Pepsi ads created by agency BBDO

"He (Jackson) really set the bar for the corporate world to embrace pop music," said Ryan Schinman, CEO of Platinum Rye Entertainment.

Ed McMahon was a pitch-person for a variety of advertisers, not-the-least-of-which was for American Family Sweepstakes and Publishers' Clearinghouse. Sadly, he may also be remembered for his Super Bowl ad in February when he appeared with MC Hammer to promote Cash4Gold--two icons, down-on-their-luck, pitching for cash--not fame.

Fawcett applied her sex-kitten image to ads for Noxzema shaving cream with NFL great Joe Namath, an ad for the Mercury Cougar, Ultra-Brite toothpaste her own line of shampoo by Faberge.

These relationships were of course mutually beneficial to both the superstars, and Madison Avenue.

Jackson, Fawcett, and McMahon grew fan bases and kept their brands in the public eye, at the same time building trusted brand relationships between fans, and colas, shampoos, cars and toothpaste.

More at USA Today on Jackson's Pepsi ad relationship

 

Kit Kat Produces Edible Postcards, and Wins A Cannes Lion

This week, they're handing out honors at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. It is one of the most prestigious awards in the advertising industry.

One of the Lions went to Nestlé's Kit Kat and its agency JWT Japan who won the Media Grand Prix award for creating edible postcards that could be purchased at post offices and sent by consumers to Japanese students wishing them good luck on exams.

"It was a brilliant idea, flawless execution and amazing results," media jury president Nick Brien said. "They created a business model that didn't exist before."

Advertising Age reports that Kit Kat Mail was available in 20,000 Japan Post outlets, creating a new, competition-free retail channel where the product was heavily promoted in a place where there were no rival products. It was also the first time Japan Post ever partnered with a private company.

L'Oreal Guilty of Racism

L'Oreal, the global cosmetics giant, has been found guilty by a French court of racial hiring discrimination.

The court found that in 2000, L'Oreal's Garnier division recruited sales people for the Fructis Style haircare line based on skin color and cultural background.

From Brand Republic:

When the brief went out, one of the requisites was that staff should be "BBR", an acronym for the colours of the French flag and widely used to signify someone who is white and of French descent. It also wanted the women sized between 8 and 12.

L'Oreal and personnel hiring firm Adecco, which handled the racist job hunt, has been fined $41,500 (£25,500) each and ordered to pay the same amount to anti-racist group SOS Racisme who brought the suit to the court's attention.

Barclays Buys Naming Rights To Brooklyn Subway Stops

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to sell the naming rights to subway stops in Brooklyn.

For $4 million, the names of subway stops at Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn will be purchased by a financial institution marketer: Barclays.

The Barclays deal ties in with the naming of the yet-to-be-completed Barclays Center, the sports arena planned as part of the Atlantic Yards project.

As The New York Times rightfully points out: "a New Yorker might wonder what’s next: Coca-Cola Presents 59th Street-Columbus Circle?"

“It’s always a question of balancing our need for revenue and our stewardship of public space,” said Jeremy Soffin, a spokesman for the agency. Advertising may make the most sense for a company associated with a station, he said, “but we’re not closing anything out.”

NYC Ad Agency Opens Doors To The Unemployed of Madison Avenue

The Emmy-award winning owner of a small New York City ad agency has opened his doors to unemployed advertising and marketing professionals.

It's not a soup kitchen, but a place that gives those seeking work a base for their activities (bring your laptop and grab an empty desk) and gives the small creative agency access to a new source of creative professionals, who are encouraged to pitch him ideas for new business. If Horn gets the work, he hires the creator to run the project.

Ariel Horn, who runs The Horn Corporation has found both a way to help unemployed ad workers in New York, and a new business model.

From NPR: "On any given day, there's a small, shifting crowd here, like a pickup basketball game. It's a community of job-seekers."

Van Halen Sues Nike over Dunk Lows Shoe Design

Eddie Van Halen is suing Nike, saying that the trademarked red, white and black stripe design found on his guitars since 1978 is also used on Nike's new line of "Dunk Lows" sneakers.

The Van Halen camp say that Nike infringed on his copyright without "consent, approval or license."

Van Halen is looking for general and punitive damages, all profits arising from the sales of "Dunk Lows" and a permanent injunction halting production of the shoes. They're also asking for "the impoundment and destruction of all footwear."

But this is not just about similarity between shoes and guitars. Van Halen recently launched his own line of men's high and low top sneakers, featuring the Frankenstein design.

Source: Spinner and NowPublic

Can New Balance Get Away With a "Made in the U.S.A." Campaign When 75% of Its Shoes Are Made Outside the U.S.?

Over the years, brands have used a "Made in America" messaging strategy to tug at the nationality heartstrings of consumers. The concept works well when there is a collective concern over the loss of American jobs to oversees manufacturers.

Shoe maker New Balance has created a multiplatform campaign to showcase its U.S. production facilities at a time when the country continues to lose manufacturing jobs.

The problem is, the company only makes 25% of its footwear in the U.S., so it's not clear whether the effort will resonate with the public.

From Advertising Age:

New Balance does run the risk that consumers will view the campaign as disingenuous. After all, 75% of the company's footwear is produced outside the U.S., although that compares with 100% for most other U.S. footwear companies. And eagle-eyed consumers will note some New Balance products are labeled "Made in America," while others are tagged "Assembled in America." New Balance said the bottom line is that its U.S. operations allow for 1,300 manufacturing jobs in Maine and Massachusetts. Globally, the company employs about 4,000 people.

Guest Blogging at Cisco WebEx's "Ideas in Motion"

I'm guest blogging today over at Cisco WebEx's "Ideas in Motion" blog. My topic: How to improve communication: Shower people with humanity.

Calvin Jeans Ad in NYC's Soho: Pornography; Fashion Ad; or a little bit of both?

You may have heard that a recent Calvin Klein Jeans television ad was banned in the United States. (psst, see it here).

So how did a similar-themed outdoor ad make it to filling-up the skyline around Lafayette and Houston streets in the Soho district of NYC?

The ad for the company's Spring/Summer 2009 campaign, has apparently been called "borderline pornographic."

When asked for comment, a Calvin Klein spokesperson told wcbstv.com the "intention was to create a very sexy campaign that speaks to our targeted demographic."

Well done, Calvin Klein.

Source: AOL's Morning Rush, The Sylist

Green Washing? Kmart Slapped by FTC Over Biodegradability Claims

The company famous for its Blue Light Specials got a Red Light from the FTC on its Green advertising and products.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged Kmart, along with Tender Corporation, and Dyna-E International with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.”

The FTC announced the cases last week in testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The FTC charged the retailers with making deceptive and unsubstantiated biodegradability claims: Kmart Corp. called its American Fare brand disposable plates biodegradable, Tender Corp. called its Fresh Bath-brand moist wipes biodegradable, and Dyna-E International called its Lightload brand compressed dry towels biodegradable.

The FTC says that in order to call something "biodegradable" the product will need to be able to completely decompose within a reasonably short period of time under customary methods of disposal.

In the three complaints announced today, the FTC alleged that the defendants’ products typically are disposed in landfills, incinerators, or recycling facilities, where it is impossible for waste to biodegrade within a reasonably short time.

"For the marketplace to thrive...companies must compete on the basis of legitimate advertising claims and consumers must be able to rely on those claims," James A. Kohm, associate director of enforcement for the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection told a congressional subcommittee.