5 Blogs Before Lunch

Miller Lite continues to equate masculinity with great taste

Since the early 1970's Miller Lite has been successful with marketing that uses masculine pro sports players and other macho figures of the day in an effort to sell to the key beer-drinking male demographic.

Miller's "Great Taste...Less Filling!" advertising campaign was ranked by Advertising Age as the 8th best advertising campaign in history.

Miller Lite continues to celebrate macho light beer drinkers in it's latest campaign: "Taste Greatness" 

But times have changed, and Miller's ads targeting male drinkers are only a fraction of the strategy, according to Brandweek.

MillerCoors is also introducing product innovations that it hopes will give consumers another incentive to drink Miller. Among those innovations is Miller Vortex, a bottle with interior grooves that creates a vortex as the beer is poured. The product began hitting shelves last month.

Geico announcer loses job after leaving voicemail message

Actor D.C. Douglas was the voice of the Geico announcer in their commercials. Yes, I said WAS.

He lost his job, allegedly, for leaving a private-citizen voice-mail message on a Tea Party organization's website.

You see, apparently, the Tea Party organization--a company called FreedomWorks, posted Douglas' VM message (along with his home phone, web address and Geico's business number) on a blog and encouraged its members to "Feel free to contact (him) ... call his employer too. Let them know that you ... are now in the market for car insurance."

"I called as a private citizen to make a complaint," Douglas said. "Racism and homophobia are my Achilles' heel, but unfortunately my message included inappropriate words and I am sorry for that. However, telling their members to harass my employer to get me fired is an egregiously disproportionate response to my actions."

But why Douglas? Well, it seems that Geico (not Douglas) is on FreedomWork's boycott list for pulling their ads from Glenn Beck's show. Douglas reportedly believes that once they found out he was associated with Geico, the organization saw the voice-mail as an opportunity to bring negative media attention to Geico.

The day after the organization encouraged members to complain to Geico about their announcer, Geico held auditions to replace Mr. Douglas' voice on the campaign.

From Dime Crunch: "Geico made a quick corporate decision to drop me from the campaign 10 hours after Matt Kibbe's (CEO of FreedomWorks) blog post appeared," Douglas said. "Mind you, I don't blame Geico. They shouldn't have to take on an angry mob over an anonymous voice-over guy. They have a business to run and can't waste time getting caught up in FreedomWorks' circus. And they've been very good to me in the past."

NBC Universal adds "CMO in Residence"

NBC Universal is adding the role of "CMO in Residence" to its marketing department. It is a twist on the "Entrepreneur in Residence" title given out at venture capital firms.

Bill Stewart is joining NBCU in this new role. He's a former top marketing executive with Kmart. Broadcasting & Cable reports that Stewart will help the company find new ways to bundle its assets in unique marketing initiatives for NBCU advertisers.

Brand watch: Anchor Brewing sold to the folks who developed Skyy Vodka

The folks who developed the Skyy Vodka brand have purchased San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing--the 114-year old company credited with starting the modern microbrewery movement.

Anchor has been owned by Fritz Maytag, heir to the washing machine fortune, since 1965. The two Bay Area entrepreneurs buying the company are Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio, of the investment and consulting company the Griffin Group. They say they plan to expand the brewery's operations.

Source: The Los Angeles Times

The banning of Happy Meal toys may start a revolution

When New York City banned trans fats in its restaurants, critics thought they were crazy to expect companies to comply. Now, there is a nation-wide ban.

Consider, also, the first laws banning smoking in restaurants, bars, and public spaces--now commonplace in most states.

Each seemingly symbolic act started a trend that became widespread.

Now comes word that the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County in California has voted 3-2 to ban restaurants from including toys in children's meals that fail to meet specified nutritional standards.

In the somewhat symbolic law, only unincorporated communities in the county must adhere to the ban, an area that includes parts of Silicon Valley. 

"This ordinance prevents restaurants from preying on children's' love of toys" to sell high-calorie, unhealthful food, said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the measure. "This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes."

The anti-Happy Meal train has left the station.

Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang sell for $175 million

Yes, Charles Schulz's Peanuts licensing rights have been sold for quite a few peanuts--$175 million to be exact.

The rights have been owned by media company E.W. Scripps, who agreed to sell the Peanuts gang to Iconix Brand Group, which also owns rights to  Joe Boxer, London Fog, Candies, and Danskin. So, it appears Snoopy, Lucy, and Charlie Brown will now be well dressed.

The franchise has more than 1,200 licensing agreements and relationships with companies and retailers such as Warner Brothers, Old Navy, CVS, MetLife Inc. and Hallmark. Over 20,000 new Peanuts products are approved each year in more than 40 countries.

The family of the late "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz will own 20 percent of the business, reportedly giving it more control over, and money from the comic strip's characters.

From the AP: At the time of his death in 2000, Schulz had approval over all business deals and the use of art, which his family maintains. But now, they can craft their own proposals and shape the legacy of "Peanuts," said Barbara Gallagher, a lawyer for the Schulz family.

Source: AP

Public Relations vs Propaganda: China's strategies evolve as it moves to the World stage

Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Journalism examined public relations strategies in China, and found a profound shift in methods--from propaganda to traditional Western PR practices. It is another sign that China is acknowledging its increasing role on the international stage--one that it can not control as much as it does with internal issues.

Ernest Zhang, the China program coordinator at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and an expert in international communications, studied the public relations strategies employed by Zhang Wenkang, the former Chinese Health Minister, during the SARS crisis of 2002.

“In China, as with many countries that were previously pure Communist societies, there was no PR, just propaganda,” Zhang said. “Propaganda doesn’t work sometimes. PR is much more effective, but it has taken the Chinese government a long time to realize this. The SARS crisis was a learning process for the government.”

Source: MU Press Release

On the heels of the Toyota quality scandal, the Porsche Panamera recall suffers in the spotlight

Porsche spent years building up anticipation for its Panamera four-door sedan. 

It would be the first four-door for Porsche, and establish the car company as more than a sports-car brand.

But that reputation took a back seat to dealing with a quality crisis, as it faces a media firestorm for recalling all of the 11,300 Panamera's sold to date.

The issue is not as severe as the Toyota recalls--a faulty seatbelt tensioner, but because it comes in the shadow of Toyota, the question of quality control reverberates in its actions.

Pre-Toyota scandal this story may have been overlooked. Post-scandal, the Porsche recall is being described as putting a severe dent in  "Porsche AG's sterling reputation for quality."

Source: Reuters

Chevrolet ends 90-year relationship with ad agency Campbell-Ewald

It started in 1919.

It ended in 2010.

So goes the client-agency relationship that created campaigns such as "Heartbeat of America." "Like a Rock" and encouraged Dinah Shore to sing "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet."

The relationship was on the rocks when GM hired Publicis Worldwide, which recently took over advertising for Chevy cars and crossovers.

Chevy's fresh start with Publicis is no doubt an effort by the automaker to refresh its brand image. The WSJ reports that GM Chairman and Chief Executive Edward E. Whitacre Jr. has begun pouring money into GM's ad budgets after years of cutbacks amid the company's financial troubles.

Sources: The Wall Street Journal and Crain's Detroit Business

Burger King is serving-up Mimosas for brunch

Burger King's addiction to controversy continues.

This time they've introduced a Sprite-and-orange juice "mimosa," test-marketing it as part of its brunch menu.

While the mimosa is non-alcoholic, child advocates say it still encourages children to desire alcohol. "This normalizes to children at a young age the idea that drinking is fine to do, and something we do everywhere," said Michele Simon of the watchdog Marin Institute. (where was Ms. Simon when my sister and I were drinking all those "Shirley Temples" and "Hopalong Cassidy's" as kids?).

The director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, reportedly has a slightly different opinion on Burger King's menu choice. She reportedly said she would have less of a problem if the mimosa contained actual alcohol, because at least then it would be aimed at adults.

Burger King made this statement about the controversy: "Burger King is always looking for ways to offer innovative, great tasting menu items to our guests at breakfast and the BK Mimosa is no exception. The idea of mimosas and brunch often go hand-in-hand and this non-alcoholic beverage is a unique way to enhance our morning beverage offerings. The entire adult-facing brunch menu is currently in test and as such nothing is finalized. Upon completion, we will evaluate results and move forward as appropriate."

Source: Adweek

Bea Arthur reaches back from the grave to attack McDonald's "McCruelty" in new PETA ad

Actress Bea Arthur was a long-time supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). I met Ms. Arthur several times and can attest to her love of animals, and her German Shepard's hatred of me...but I digress.

A new PETA ad featuring the legendary comedienne is aimed at shaming McDonald's into changing their chicken-slaughtering practices.

Yes, despite having died last April shortly before her 87th birthday, Arthur's image is central to PETA's latest campaign.

The ad's headline: "McCruelty. It's enough to make Bea Arthur roll over in her grave."

Arthur apparently left money to the animal right's group for their campaign against McDonald's.

According to the ad, PETA is using the money Arthur gave "to pressure McDonald's to switch to a less violent, USDA-approved chicken-slaughter method" that they say would spare birds of broken legs and "being scalded to death in defeathering tanks."

The ad ends with a popular saying by Arthur's 'Maude' character: "God'll get you for that."

Sources: The New York Times and PopEater

P&G follows Oprah to her new network

P&G knows where its audience is, and they're following them to the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Procter & Gamble has just signed an advertising agreement worth more than $100 million Oprah's fledgling television network.

The deal spans three years, and includes ad time and integrating P&G's products into some OWN shows, according to The Wall Street Journal.

"This is a terrific partnership, bringing together two powerful brands with a common goal to serve the viewer," Kathleen Kayse, OWN's executive vice president of ad sales, said in a statement.

This is a significant coup for OWN. Where P&G goes, many advertisers may follow.

OWN, is scheduled to replace the Discovery Health Channel in its approximately 80 million U.S. homes starting next January.

Lane Bryant says Fox and ABC have a double standard when it comes to beauty and sex appeal

In what it claims is a case of selective censorship. Lane Bryant says ABC and Fox have been far too restrictive in airing one of their ads.

The company says that "ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks."

It seems that the networks said the ad for Lane Bryant lingerie was too sexy to run during Dancing with the Stars (a show filled with scantly-clad, sexy dancers). The ad was also rejected by Fox to run during American Idol.

Apparently, Fox "demanded excessive re-edits and rebuffed it three times before relenting to air it during the final 10 minutes of American Idol, but only after we threatened to pull the ad buy." ABC also agreed to air the ad during the last 10 minutes of Dancing with the Stars.

The ad features attractive, plus-sized models in the latest line of Lane Bryant lingerie. Apparently, the issue for the networks was around the model's "ample cleavage" on display in the ad.

"While it's no secret that Victoria's Secret 'The Nakeds' ads are prancing around on major networks leaving little to the imagination, steaming up TV screens and baring nearly everything but their souls, our sultry siren who shows sophisticated sass is somehow deemed inappropriate ... Does this smack of a double standard?  Yep. It does to us, too," says the company.

View the controversial ad here.

Source: Brandweek

At Upfronts, Scripps is pushing its "360-approach" to branding on TV, online, mobile, magazines and in product integration

Scripps Networks--the folks behind HGTV, DIY, Food Network, etc. etc, are using the theme "Our Brands for the Life of Your Brands," at its upfront presentation this year. The theme highlights the network's dominance and expertise with "lifestyle" entertainment and its "360-approach" to media--including TV, online, magazines, mobile and product integration.

Scripps is introducing a couple of new networks--Travel Channel and Cooking Channel and trying to sell advertisers and their agencies on their whole slate of offerings.

Source: Broadcasting & Cable

A shirtless, Tweeting, Mister Softee vendor..."Billy Gunnz" is just trying to make it in the Big City

It seems that sex and Twitter sells. At least for soft-serve mobile ice-cream vendor Billy Gunnz.

One of the newest ice cream vendors to hit Twitter, and the Big Apple, Billy Gunnz is a midtown Mister Softee vendor, and has started to get quite the reputation for his Tweets, and for sporting a uniform of skin on New York City streets.

Billy's ice cream truck is typically parked on 39th and Broadway. And, according to the blog Midtown Lunch he, "is a total sweetheart."

He tweets daily specials: "For those who mention the words "midtown Lunch" get a special price of 2$ a cone and $4 for shakes and sundaes! TODAY ONLY..12:15-7:00" and observations, "There's a hairy, full bearded male ballarina doin pirouettes in front of my truck....lmfaoooooooooooo" to entertain his Twitter followers, while his shirtless uniform entertains the in-person crowd.

Just another example of local businessmen knowing how to use promotions for optimal results.

You can follow him and his ice cream truck on twitter @mistersofteenyc

ad:tech conference: A three-ring circus (and I mean that in a good way)

As I head into day two of the ad:tech conference in San Francisco, I am struck by the sense of organized chaos that leads an attendee to know that while he's getting deep practical knowledge from industry experts on one end of the hall, he's missing equally interesting events happening throughout the vast convention center.

This three-ring circus atmosphere demonstrates a truly deep understanding that conference-goers want constant stimulation, and that providing quality programming for a wide variety of marketers and technologists leads to big attendance numbers.

The focus of the conference is on the application of practical information and case studies. There are eight Marketing Masters Series led by industry experts on topics including social media, mobile marketing, e-mail, Web analytics, branded publications, ad networks, affiliates and search. The Digital Demographics Series focuses on tips and tricks to successfully reach five of the most popular demographics on the Web.

Meanwhile, the exhibit show floor, exhibitors like Google, Facebook, Verizon, AOL, ValueClick Media, Advertising.com and Casale Media, mix with tiny start-ups.

There is so much happening, ad:tech has cleverly assigned eleven industry experts called "ad:tech Ambassadors" to help attendees pick a track of activity that's right for them. Ambassador Chas Edwards picks out a group of sessions appropriate for those interested in online publishing, while Kip Edwardson helps brand marketers navigate the show.

All in all, I'm truly impressed.

Listening to the mood of the consumers, some marketers are delivering more upbeat messages designed to stimulate sales

Great marketers know that understanding the wants, needs, desires, and mood of their target audiences is crucial to making a brand/consumer connection and engagement.

So, it comes as no surprise that as the affects of the Great Recession appear to be lightening (somewhat), marketers are beginning to adjust their campaigns to reflect a more positive vibe.

Procter & Gamble, Volkswagen, Amway and Microsoft are some of the marketers who are shifting to more upbeat messages. The goal, of course, is to encourage consumers to start spending again, but marketers must walk a fine line and not appear too eager to have consumers (who are still feeling the affects of the downturn) return to spend-thrift ways.

"There is a market turn toward the positive," said Greg DiNoto, chief creative officer for Deutsch, New York. "That's a smart marketing strategy for any brand when you're emerging from a recession. Brands need to be associated with winning."

Hamish McLennan, global chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam, warns, however, that many consumers and advertisers aren't quite ready to spend money again. "Most people are cautiously optimistic that it's going to get better, but we're not seeing precrash levels--and we won't for a long time," he says.

Source: Forbes

Diversity programs slashed: Automibile brands cutting marketing efforts aimed at U.S. minority groups

It has been widely reported that automotive brands, heavily hit by the Great Recession, have taken a meat-cleaver to marketing budgets.

What may have been missed is how these budget cuts affect niche marketing programs.

According to Nielsen Co., automaker spending on Hispanic-targeted TV, magazine and radio advertising dropped 38 percent last year to $322.2 million, and black-targeted spending dropped 18 percent to $85.8 million. Those two categories outpaced the total budget cuts in automotive advertising, which fell 13 percent over the same period, says Nielsen.

From Automotive News:

Ten years ago automakers poured money into diversity and hired separate agencies for black, Hispanic and Asian marketing. But as industry sales fell and marketing budgets tightened, some automakers gave these agencies smaller budgets and pushed general-market agencies to develop more inclusive general creative work.

Such cuts could hurt automakers' standing with minority shoppers, says Andrea Hoffman, a former Mercedes-Benz marketing executive and author of Black is the New Green: Marketing to Affluent African Americans.

"These brands are going to play catch-up with the competition," Hoffman said.

The word on the street (and at the ad:tech conference): "social"

 I remember the days when it seemed that everything was about the "dot.com"

In order to be perceived as relevant in the marketplace, companies scrambled to build websites and centralize their business around a "dot.com" strategy.

Even my pup's dog-walking service which started in 1999 is called "Dogwalks.com"

But today a new word is attached to much in the marketing world--"social."

This week I am attending the ad:tech conference in San Francisco. It seems that every conversation I have, every exhibit booth or conference presentation I attend is wrapped around the idea that everything must have a "social" component to be relevant.

In one hour-long conference session, the following phrases were used (I kid you not):

• Social Listening
• Social Programming
• Social Web
• Social Data
• Social ROI
• Soical CRM

Interestingly, with all the new words and phrases, I am hearing little new thoughts as they relate to strategy around social media marketing. It seems to be the same-old-same-old, just with a new "social" twist.

Stealth marketing is the focus of new David Duchovny and Demi Moore film. Meet "The Joneses"

"Meet the Joneses. They're beautiful. They're popular. They're not just living the American dream. They're selling it."

I'm really looking forward to the film "The Joneses" starring David Duchovny and Demi Moore that puts influencer marketing in a humorous spotlight.

The premise is a fanciful (but not too far from the truth) idea of how consumers have influence over the buying habits of their friends and neighbors.

The dark comedy centers around a seemingly perfect family (Duchovny and Moore and their kids) that is actually just a team of stealth marketers paid by brands to look perfect and push products on their friends and neighbors without them knowing they are being paid to promote.

Of course stealth marketing is a real thing, but not taken to the extremes depicted in the film. The concept can be ethically dubious if not presented in a transparent form. Let's hope this film is seen as what it is--a fantasy, not a motivational film for shady marketers.

Additional information on Stealth Marketing here.

Burt's Bees let's you be an eco-friendly showoff for Earth Day

Burt’s Bees, the company famous for beeswax lip balm, lotions, soaps and shampoos, is nearly as famous for its homespun packaging and feel-good, eco-friendly marketing.

So, in celebration of Earth Day, Burt's Bees is pulling out the stops and launching FindYourBurt.com, where guests can learn how to be more eco-conscious by encouraging everyone to "Find Their Burt" and discover their earth-friendly potential.

Website visitors can upload a photo of themselves (or a friend) and be "Burtified" by adding the company founder's signature beard and cap. Consumers can also learn about the ways the company is "finding their Burt," such as limiting waste sent to landfills and reclaiming water that can be used again in the manufacturing process, saving an estimated 750,000 gallons of water per year.

"A lifestyle of well-being and sustainability for all is the company's hope, but they too are on path to the greatest good," according to a company statement. "It's a path of learning and being inspired by those who came before, like Burt and those who are leading the way forward, 40 years after the first Earth Day. That's all of us."

Source: MediaPost

McDonald's is selling New York cupcakes to Germans

Over the last few years, cupcake shops have been on a hot streak in the U.S.

No longer the homemade-stuff of bake sales and birthday parties, retail bakery shops are popping up all over the place--selling only one thing--the $4 cupcake.

From Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco, Hey Cupcake in Austin, Sprinkles in Los Angeles and Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan (to name a small few) cupcakes--due to their small stature and sinful desirability have been all the rage.

Now, McDonald's has come up with the idea to export the concept to--of all places, Germany.

You see, cupcakes were all but unknown in Germany until recently, when McDonald's starting selling the trendy cakes for $2.40. To make the cakes work in a fast food environment, they're kept in a refrigerated display case (nothing fresh baked here), which apparently makes the icing hard and a bit more dense than the traditional bakery version.

To sell the concept to German consumers, McDonald’s is using a New York theme to suggest that cupcakes are "all-american."

McDonald’s cupcakes are named Chelsea, SoHo, Central Park and East Village.

Sie sind herzlich eingeladen, Deutschland.

Source: The New York Times

POM's "Cheat Death" ad featuring a noose: walking a fine line with aggressive and clever marketing

Edgy, attention-attracting ads, by nature, walk a fine line.

And sometimes they cross over it.

A recent ad by POM, shows a bottle of the pomegranate juice with a noose around the bottle's neck.

The two word headline reads: "Cheat Death."  

The concept is used to promote the the antioxidant power of pomegranate juice. POM has used the health benefits of pomegranates as the central theme of its marketing to health-conscious consumers since its launch.

The concept of promoting health and cheating death is nothing new, and not the controversial part.

No, it is that dang noose around the bottle's neck that's raising the stir.

The image of a noose conjures up all sorts of ugly associations--from lynch mobs in the segregated South, to auto erotic asphyxiation deaths (recently associated with the deaths of actor David Carradine and Kristian Digby).

A POM spokesman said the company had indeed heard "some concerns" from consumers who didn't like the ad's connotations, and the company quickly decided to replace the noose ad. The POM spokesman said it would take one to two weeks to remove the noose ads and install new ones.

According to POM (via the Chicago Sun Times) the "Cheat Death" ad has existed in POM's advertising portfolio since 2006, but the spokesman was a little cagey as to whether the ad had been previously run.

POM's latest advertising push is in Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Miami.

How Nike+ Switched their Focus and Won Casual Runners in Spain

Nike has been running a successful campaign in Europe called Nike+.

Nike+ is a platform that allows runners to keep track of performance, using a chip in their Nike+ shoe and an iPod.

The running community program worked well in most parts of Europe to get hardcore runners more engaged with the brand.

It worked well in most parts of the continent, except for Spain.

It seems the hardcore runners in Spain deemed it "not serious enough."

Rather than convince them otherwise, Nike decided to switch their focus and target casual runners in Spain.

To do so, they changed their message to be around having fun with friends, rather than the pleasure of running (a message more appropriate for runners who see it as sport, rather than excercise).

Nike+ running community was there to motivate runners to go out and have fun with their friends were there to challenge them.

Here's how the program was executed (via AdAge) Nike invited radio listeners to nominate friends for a live unprompted wake-up call with famous Nike elite athletes in four cities. The concept was kick-started in social media with a viral campaign involving videos of celebrities being woken up, furthered through a deal with the top morning show and promoted through other outreach on TV and online. Camera crews, Nike athletes, friends and consumers caught up in the campaign all gathered in front of the lazy friend's house at 7 a.m. Once they woke up, the runner was asked to lace up and start clocking up the kilometers.

More details on the Nike+ program here

Webby Awards announced. 5 Blogs Before Lunch acknowledged for 5th year in a row

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences announced the Nominees and Official Honorees for the 14th Annual Webby Awards this morning.

5 Blogs Before Lunch is honored to have been acknowledged as an Official Honoree this year.

Yes, that's like coming in second place, but I'll take it.

Of the over 8000 entries submitted to the 14th Annual Webby Awards, fewer than 15% were distinguished as an Official Honoree. I'm very proud to be among this group.

This year marks the 5th year the IADAS has honored "blogs" as a category. 5 Blogs Before Lunch is proud to have been acknowledged every year since the category's inception.

5 Blogs Before Lunch won the juried prize for Best Business Blog in 2006 and 2009, was a finalist in 2008 and an Official Honoree in 2007 and 2010. That's a lot of honor.

I was also pleased to participate as a judge for this year's competition (I did not judge my own category).

Congratulations to all of the honorees and nominees, and to the Webby Awards for highlighting great creative work in the digital arts.

You can view all of the honorees and nominees at the Webby Awards website.

Microsoft Kin: "born to handle your social life."

Microsoft is launching a new touch-screen smartphone called Kin that is positioned to be "born to handle your social life." 

The associated ad campaign screams "social" using a faux-documentary style theme where a young woman travels around the country in an "epic journey to meet her social network in person."

Truth be told, Rosa Salazar is an actress/comedian hired to portray the woman who uses her phone and her social network to find out if the people in her social network all really her friends? Well of course not.

Microsoft could have been better served using a more real-life documentary approach to the ads, but it might not have been as entertaining. The campaign comes off looking as faux-life as Cisco's Telepresence ads featuring Juno star Ellen Page. But at least we know with the Cisco campaign it is clearly a scripted commercial. The Microsoft spots have a thinly veiled air of reality about them.

As Adweek reviewed the spot:  "It's all very common denominator/tongue-in-cheek, and the star seems affable and perky if not overly engaging. Of course, this is a huge career break for Salazar, so anyone who "outs" her as an iPhone devotee should be promptly unfriended. Though, on second thought ... such controversy would probably just make her a hotter property. So pals with pix of our heroine wearing a "Microsoft Sucks" T-shirt and standing on line at the Apple Store might as well go public. That's what friends are for"

U.S. Military goes after the hearts and minds of Afghans with an effort led by a former P&G marketer.

Here's a marketing challenge for you: Win over the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan with a message from the U.S. military.

The army's weapon? Lt. Col. Allen McCormick, who is deploying the marketing expertise he gained at Procter & Gamble and other U.S. companies to target Afghan citizens.

The U.S. military partnered with a Kabul-based ad agency, Lapis, to promote peace in Afghanistan with spots running across radio, television and outdoor.

"Traveling by helicopter throughout a combat zone in body armor to hear a response to an RFP is a big change from New York, Chicago or L.A.," said Lt. Col. Allen McCormick.

From Advertising Age: "The [U.S.] military does two of three things well -- they know who they want to reach and what they want to say, but they don't know how to say it," said Mr. McCormick, who is chief of information operations and psychological operations (PSYOP) for the U.S.'s combined joint task force in eastern Afghanistan.

The ad campaign has three themes, each backed by radio, TV, print and billboards.

1. The "Guardians" campaign is designed to improve the image of the Afghan army
2. The "Governance" effort is to help rebuild Afghanistan with the tagline, "The future of Afghanistan is in your hands"
3. "New Afghan, New Afghanistan." is to inspire hope in the future.

Source: Advertising Age

Mascara brand cashes-in on Ricky Martin-outing

Yardley's TripleXXX lash mascara claims to be "tear-proof," and is promoting itself in the UK as the perfect mascara for all those Ricky Martin fans who were left grief-stricken by the singer's announcement that he's gay.

We love a cheeky and exploitative brand:

Duncan Hines Introduces "Brownie Husband" (via SNL)

Telling Tales: Showing off your greatness by highlighting your warts

Recently, a friend told me the story of a guy who wanted to sell his sports car. He shot some great photos of the car that really showed off its beauty and ran ads on Craigslist, eBay, and other auto classified sites. But no one was interested.

Then, he photographed some close-up shots, highlighting any imperfection he could find on the car--no matter how small. He photographed every smudge, ding or scratch.

The car sold the next day.

When asked what attracted the buyer to make the purchase, he said, "I felt I knew what I was getting--a car that was close to perfect, but no quite. You showed me an honest depiction of the car. I trusted you."

The story reminds me of how important it is for brands to present themselves in an authentic, honest way. Sometimes showing your warts can attract people, and allow them to see your greatness.

Another example of this came from the Kimberly Clark company, who was trying to attract a younger audience to buy its Kotex tampons. For years Kotex had shown fanciful images of women enjoying their lives despite experiencing their period.

But that dream-like imagery is not going to fly with today's consumer. They're reality based, and look for the truth in advertising. Kotex ended up creating a campaign that actually makes fun of the old commercials. Kotex knew that with the current generation, you've got to be truthful and transparent. If you look too perfect, no one will believe you.

These anecdotes led to an interesting creative brainstorming with a client this week. The marketing problem to be solved was to attract parents to enroll their kids in a private school (the client). The creative solution: a series of images of the kids (in yearbook-photo type format) with a little blurb under each photo, highlighting the imperfections of the child:

"Jerry fidgets in his seat when it gets close to lunchtime."

"Becky doodles endlessly, when she should be taking notes."

"Paul pulls his eyelashes when he's nervous."

Because, you see, imperfections highlight individuality, which is one of the best brand differentiators you can own. And showing off your warts--your individual, honest voice, can draw people to your greatness.

The Nike Tiger Woods ad: Are you on Team Creepy, Team Classy or Team Dad?

The debate over the Nike ad featuring Tiger Woods and the voice of his dad, Earl, continues. 

Some say the ad is creepy--with Tiger's deceased dad seeming to scold Tiger for his scandalous behavior, from beyond the grave.

In the ad, the voice of his dad asks "Did you learn anything?"

Other critics, like me, like the spot as a way for Nike address the scandal, and explain that while don't condone Tiger's behavior, they support Tiger as their spokesperson--all done in a classy way.

Nike officials said in a statement: "We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."

The 30-second spot has aired on paid-media only on ESPN and the Golf Channel but has been viewed nearly 2 million times on YouTube and has been featured in countless media news stories.

Nike is among the only companies to continue their relationship with Woods in the wake of his sex scandal. Tag Heuer, Accenture, Gillette, AT&T and Gatorade have not been as supportive.

By mocking tampon ads of-old, U by Kotex creates ads that connect with women of today

Kimberly-Clark's U by Kotex product line appears to know its target audience.

The youth-focused brand of tampons has created a marketing campaign that mocks the cliches of traditional tampon ads and sells with a humorous, "let's not take this too seriously" approach that is...pardon the pun...spot on.

"We just felt like, 'Well, we're gonna try and be truthful and transparent,'" Kotex brand manager Aida Flick told PopEater. "With this generation, we know humor is big and so we thought, sometimes actually laughing at yourself is a good place to start."

"Yeah, I have a period. And a vagina, not a va-jay-jay. It's what makes me a woman," reads the 'Declaration of Real Talk' on the U by Kotex Web site. "But society and the media aren't being straight with me."

The ads use actual footage from past Kotex commercials to mock previous campaigns--with women cartwheeling on the beach at sunset, frolicking through a field of daisies or even wearing white spandex.

In one U by Kotex ad, a woman speaks to the camera, "Hi, I'm a believably attractive 18-to-24 year old female. You can relate to me because I'm racially ambiguous and I'm in this tampon commercial because market research shows girls like you, love girls like me." 

Source: PopEater

Ikea goes "Home Sweet Hollywood" with Oxygen's Tori & Dean

Oxygen Media and Ikea have put together an advertising-product placement deal making Ikea a fully integrated sponsor of "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" starring Hollywood spawn Tori Spelling and her family.

The deal includes product integration in two episodes of Tori & Dean, with the couple renovating their kitchen with Ikea cabinets, countertops and fixtures. Ikea will be featured in branded weekly vignettes, on-air billboards, tagged tune-ins and standard 30-second spots.

Source: Mediaweek

New marketing from Vitaminwater hints at being a cure for hangovers: "Have you ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed, minus the bed?"

After a decade of fast growth, Coca-Cola's Vitaminwater sales volume dropped 22% last year.

Time to re-vitalize the brand.

How about positioning Vitaminwater as a hangover cure?

The drink's latest marketing campaign hints at it being an antidote to "epic nights." 

Ad excerpt:

"Have you ever woken up on the wrong side of the bed, minus the bed? Your brain's throbbing, and your face is in a pile of nachos?"

"We're not saying Vitaminwater cures anything," said Matt Kahn, Vitaminwater marketing head. "What we are saying is there are all sorts of situations where you need and want nutrients and hydration."

Vitaminwater is tapping into the idea that it's good to replenish fluids and nutrients, no matter the reason for losing them.

From The Wall Street Journal:

Alcohol researcher John Brick says there is some science behind the idea that drinks like Vitaminwater improve hangover symptoms such as malaise, weakness and headache.

Some sugars help metabolize alcohol, and ingredients such as potassium and electrolytes help re-establish healthy body function, he says. "The key is to rehydrate," says Dr. Brick, author of "The Doctor's Hangover Handbook."

"Glee" offers to share some of the spotlight with MySpace by hosting open casting call online

Having "Glee" auditions hosted on MySpace may do more for MySpace than for the phenom TV show.

It is no secret that MySpace is last-season's news, and that "Glee," the award-winning and ratings-spiking musical comedy-drama television series is basking in the glow of the spotlight.

It is also no secret that Glee and MySpace share corporate parents--with News Corporation owning both MySpace and Fox--the television network which airs Glee.

The Guardian UK explains how the auditions work:

Applicants have to submit their details, and record a statement and a song. The performances can either be with a single instrument via My Space karaoke or a capella. Videos should be only five minutes in length - one-minute intro, four-minute performance - and are limited to one per person.

The videos should explain they want to be on Glee, and feature a performance of one of Glee's hit tracks, such as True Colors, You Can't Always Get What You Want or Lean on Me.

Glee Open Casting Call Video with Matthew Morrison

Glee Auditions | MySpace Video

New KFC "Double Down" uses two fried chicken fillets as "the bun"--no foolin' it's real.

KFC has made big strides in convincing Americans that "grilled" chicken could be a healthier, and tasty alternative to "fried" chicken.

So, when the fast food chain introduced a new sandwich on April 1, made up of bacon and Monterey Jack cheese snuggled between two "fried" chicken fillets as the "bun," it should come as no surprise that a lot of folks assumed this was an April Fool's prank.

Unfortunately it wasn't.

The KFC Double Down, which the company describes as "so meaty there's no room for the bun" will launch April 12.

The all-meat and cheese, no-bun sandwich will come with a little less fat if you choose the grilled option.

Original recipe sandwiches are backed with 540 calories, 32g fat and 1380mg of sodium, while the grilled double down comes in at 460 calories, 23g fat and 1430mg of sodium.

The Double Down was market-tested on folks in Omaha and Providence last July before deciding to roll-out (pun intended) nationally.

Source: The Consumerist

Telling Tales: A new series from 5 Blogs Before Lunch

Today we launch a new series on 5 Blogs Before Lunch.

Every week, I find myself in confusing; amusing; inspirational; and motivational situations as part of running my brand and business strategy consultancy, 5 Meetings Before Lunch.

In this new series, I'll be "telling tales" of experiences and lessons-learned through my daily interactions with CEO's, marketers, corporate executives and creative agencies and vendors.

I hope to infuse a bit of wit and wisdom into every story.

I'll be telling-tales out of school (with the names removed to protect both the innocent and the guilty) and finding telling insight into the strategies and business ideas that work--the "how" and "why" of successful business strategy. 

I hope you enjoy the series.

Telling Tales: Most entrepreneurs love to learn. Few love to be taught

I have been consulting to venture-backed technology companies for a dozen years. Across nearly all of the 40-some-odd organizations I've worked with, there are many similarities.

I came across three well-healed traits this week when meeting with the CEO of a gaming company.

1. Many companies believe in a "spray and pray" strategy of go-to-market planning
2. Some entrepreneurs still think that "if I built it, customers will come"
3. Most entrepreneurs love to learn. Few love to be taught

I was referred to this CEO by a friend. Let's call him Jeff. Jeff had started his company about 5 years ago, and had raised about $10 million in venture funding. They had, what they thought, was a cool idea, and launched the product. Unfortunately, the product did not catch on, and they ran through most of their funding before abandoning the product and laying off most of the staff of about 20 people.

As entrepreneurs are a breed that rarely gives up, the CEO re-trenched and began developing several new games to launch in the market--hoping that at least one of them would be a hit.

He was implementing a "spray and pray" strategy of introducing ideas and hoping someone would be attracted to them.

When I met with him this week, he told the tale of his product launch, ending with "and we don't know why it didn't catch on."

It was clear that he had no problem NOT learning from his mistakes. Rather than spend the time figuring out WHY he failed, he went head-first into trying something different, for difference sake, rather than learning and growing from his efforts.

He had a "If we build it, they will come" mentality. I call this "development in a cave."

I talked with him about how I work with organizations to identify the core value and values of an organization to increase the odds that a start-up will get the attention it deserves in the marketplace. I suggested a "learn from the past, target a better future" approach of research and strategy before action.

It was clear that my ideas were falling on deaf ears. He told me they didn't have the money to "brand" as he called it. All of his resources needed to be spent on product development--not research or strategy.

I left the meeting knowing that it was useless to try to teach him the basics of business marketing. But I was not about to give up.

You see, I know that most entrepreneurs love to learn, and few love to be taught.

I sent him a thank you note for our conversation, with an attachment of a series of case studies from other companies I had helped. I didn't ask him to read them, nor did I try to directly convince him to change his business philosophy.

Three days later, I got an email saying he'd like me to meet with he and his venture company to talk about a "re-think" of their strategy,

What would happen if the iPad launched on the back of the Old Spice horse?

Here's a charming consumer-generated video that brings together the hoopla of the iPad launch, the charm of the Old Spice ads, and a dig at the "girlie phones" from Sprint and T-mobile.

Hat tip: Jason Calacanis

Apple iPad takes-on an un-paid product placement role in ABC's "Modern Family"

In this week's episode of the ABC sitcom "Modern Family," the Apple iPad (launching this week) made what show co-creator Steve Levitan described as "a very highly guarded guest star" appearance.

Apple says the iPad plot point was not a paid placement, with the writers concocting the idea to include the iPad themselves--surely spurred on by all of the press surrounding the launch. Producers brought the idea to ABC executives, who brought the proposal to Apple. For the shoot, an Apple marketing executive traveled to the show's Los Angeles sound-stage with two early iPads.

The show's storyline had the geeky father character Phil Dunphy wanting an iPad for his birthday. "It's like Steve Jobs and God got together to say 'We love you, Phil."

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the company does not "pay for product placement" and did not pay for the "Modern Family" appearance.

Neilsen says 9.5 million viewers watched the show.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Bravo launches "Top Chef" and "The Real Housewives..." social media games

Bravo--the NBC Universal cable network is hoping fans of its shows "Top Chef" and "The Real Housewives..." like to play games.

They're developing three branded multiplatform games that are based on two of its most popular TV series and are designed for use on iPhones and at BravoTV.com, and will be Facebook Connect-enabled, so players can share scores and challenge friends.

"The Real Housewives Hidden Object" game will let players earn points toward becoming the newest housewife while "Top Chef Food Fight," let's players earn points and badges. In "Who Is Top Chef?" three single-player games test agility, memory and presentation and combine for an overall score and rank title, from "Mistress of Mincing" to "Fabio."

"We know from our other social-media initiatives how much our fans love to engage and connect with each other, so this is a perfect fit for our fans to experience Bravo on a whole new level," said Lisa Hsia, senior vp digital media at Bravo Media.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

A Tiger Woods made of condoms is used to promote safe sex in Thailand

The Population and Community Development Association of Thailand has launched a safe sex and birth control program as a way to counteract embarrassment among conservative Thais.

Central to the campaign is a life-size mannequin of Tiger Woods.  It's made entirely of condoms. The belt buckle says, "Let do it Tiger." Irony is suggestive.

The Tiger made of condoms can be seen at Cabbages & Condoms, a restaurant founded by the PDA in Bangkok in 1986.

The restaurant also features a Christmas tree made of condoms and serves yam tung yang, or condom salad which features translucent Shanghai noodles.

The restaurant's proceeds go to family planning, rural development projects, environmental protection, water resource development, scholarship and HIV/AIDS education.

Source: TableConversion

Travelocity's Roaming Gnome shows up on Chatroulette

Chatroulette lets users randomly web-chat with strangers. The site has attracted voyeurs and exhibitionists, but Travelocity's brand icon, the Roaming Gnome, may be the first commercially-sponsored visitor.

Travelocity is test-marketing the commercial viability of Chatroulette.

The pilot program serves up Roaming Gnome to random chatters. The gnome holds-up hand-written signs to viewers, with messages such as "This would be better if we were in Rio." encouraging chatters to consider taking trips. The idea is that folks sitting around video-chatting with strangers could use the excitement of travel.

If other marketers latch on to the idea, the possibilities could be endless.

Imagine Tony the Tiger shouting "it's grrrrrrreat" to the thousands of naked exhibitionists on the site.

Source: Adweek