5 Blogs Before Lunch

Aflac to introduce new voice mascot during NBC's The Voice

Aflac continues to milk pluck its duck mascot for all it's worth.

While no one I talk to seems to know WHY Aflac's mascot is a duck, the insurance company has certainly used it to its advantage over the years.

And recently, it turned a PR crisis into a publicity stunt when it fired its Duck Voice, comedian Gilbert Gottfried for tasteless tweets about the recent disaster in Japan and immediately launched a very promotional-rich nationwide search for his replacement.

Now they have selected the new duck voiceover, and are introducing the new actor--Dan McKeague, a 36-year-old classic rock radio station sales manager from Minneapolis, MN in a spot scheduled to run during the premiere episode of the much anticipated new singing competition called "The Voice" on NBC.

Kudos to Aflac for a lot of marketing spin.

Is the Bratz doll mud-slinging finally over?

In a mud-slinging fight that has been raging for years, a federal jury this week found in favor of MGA Entertainment Inc.’s claim that Mattel has misappropriated trade secrets, awarding the maker of Bratz dolls a nearly $89 million in damages.

The jury also found that MGA had interfered with designer Carter Bryant’s contract with Mattel, and awarded $10,000 award to Mattel.

The fight began when Mattel claimed that a Barbie designer, Carter Bryant, came up with the concept for the Bratz dolls when he worked at Mattel in the late 1990s. Bratz dolls sold $billions, which prompted the suit. Over the years, MGA claimed that Mattel engaged in unfair business practices and corporate espionage when they realized they couldn’t compete against the smaller company’s blockbuster toy.

But now with Bratz selling less than $100,000 over the past eight months, was all this fighting really worth it?

Source: WSJ.com

Kilted: Men in Kilts is fusing fantasy, fashion and window washing

Movies, TV, and advertisers have done much to promote the sexual fantasy and masculine energy around window washers.

Second only to "the pool boy," a physically fit, daredevil of a man straddling a window ledge can create fantastic fantasies.

Now add to that daredevil persona, a kilt--another form of risk-taking.

"Not only will they wash your windows and clean your gutters, they'll do it wearing a smile and a kilt." says Vancouver's Express TV.

The folks at Men in Kilts provide professional window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing and siding cleaning services to both residential and commercial customers--all the time wearing the traditional Scottish garb.

The company was started in Canada by the executive credited with helping propel brands like 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $15 million to over $130 million in revenue. They're now expanding into the States, starting up in Seattle.

Not wanting to play too much to the fantasy aspect of Men in Kilts, the founder publicly states: “The kilts are fun and they definitely help create an experience for our customers, but it’s exceptional service that generates the buzz and growth we’ve experienced.”

Hoover pulls the rug out from underneath ABC to protest Soap cancellations

In a brilliant publicity stunt, iconic vacuum company Hoover has announced that it is pulling ads from ABC in protest over the cancellation of long-running daytime dramas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."

"We will discontinue our advertising with ABC this Friday, 4/22," Hoover vp marketing Brian Kirkendall wrote on the company's Facebook page. "We're making every attempt to pull our spots from these programs sooner."

Hoover is not only promoting its public protest on Facebook, it has also set up an email address to allow consumers to voice their dissappointment at losing their "Stories" at  SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com,

Hoover's message is a clear attempt at demonstrating its brand connection to their core audience--many of whom have watched soal operas for decades. VPM Kirkendall wrote: "I want you to know from me personally that we hear you loud and clear. My wife and mother are both passionate viewers of All My Children and One Life to Live, as are many of my colleagues here at Hoover."

Source: Hollywood Reporter

"Mr. Nonstop" hawks for JetBlue

JetBlue Airways is introducing "Mr. Nonstop" to their advertising efforts to promote its long list of direct flights out of Boston's Logan International Airport.

Mr. Nonstop is portryed by actor John Moschitta, Jr., who is probably best known for talking really quickly in FedEx and Micro Machines ads back in the 1980's.

The company claims the effort will reach 95 percent of the regional market over the next few weeks via television, radio, and newspaper ads.

Source: Boston Globe

ABC cancels "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" as the original advertiser-sponsored "Soap Operas" gasp their last breath

No longer owned by the likes of Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive or Lever Brothers, soap operas (named after the CPG company's focus on using them as a vehicle to sell soap, and other household items) are gasping their final breath.

ABC has just announed that as part of a continued shift away from daytime drama programming, "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" will be cancelled, and replaced with less costly talk shows/lifestyle programming. Their replacements will be "The Chew," which is about food, and "The Revolution," a makeover show.

Soap opera ratings have seen a steady decline in ratings since the 1990s. A daily average of 6.5 million viewers watched soaps during the 1991-92 TV season, while just 1.3 million watched in 2009-2010. There have been no new daytime soap operas since 1999, with reality show programming replacing the fantasies of soap operas.

Source: Los Angeles Times image via St. Louis Today showing "Guiding Light" radio show

Want to get close to Oprah? Advertisers to pay $1 Million for 30-second spot on finale

Advertisers spent $2 Million per 30-second commercial for the "Friends" finale on NBC. And, they coughed up $1.42 Million for a spot on the finale of "Seinfeld."

This should help put into perspective, the $1 Million bids being placed for a spot on the final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, scheduled for May 25.

And, that $1 Million does not even come with any sort of traditional ratings guarantee.

But who needs a guarantee? This is The Oprah Winfrey Show. Odds makers are estimating that the finale will draw at least double that amount in live viewing (trending right now at 7 million per episode); plus time-shifted deliveries could bring the total up to as many as 25 million viewers.

Source: Adweek

Denny's Baconalia is a bacon-lover's ultimate fantasy. All the way down to the bacon-scented mobile app.

It is April Fool's Day, so when I heard that Denny's had a new menu and camppaign called "Baconalia," I thought for sure I was trying to be taken for a fool.

But alas, I was wrong.

Last week, Denny's unveiled a bacon-fest called Baconalia—a 10-week celebration of everything bacon.

Seven new limited-time offer menu items such as Bacon Meatloaf; Bacon Flapjacks; a BBBLT--eight strips of bacon, with lettuce, tomato and mayo on toasted potato bread; and even Maple Bacon Sundae.

For real.

And then of course, there's Denny's bacon-scented mobile app.

OK, that one only a Fool could believe.

Reports are that "Denny's technical team partnered with leading Silicon Valley company, Pacific Ocean-Rhino Kinetics, and spend month's (and probably expanded their waist-lines) perfecting the app that that allows consumers to download the app to any smartphone and enjoy the delicious aroma of bacon anytime, anywhere."

"When we decided to launch our Baconalia! celebration we knew we had to go one step further than simply offering delicious new dishes to our bacon fans - we wanted to provide them with the necessary tools to take bacon with them everywhere they went," said John Dillon, Denny's vice president of marketing and product development. "The result is a delicious device that enables bacon lovers to smell their favorite scent wherever they go, and get their bacon fix direct from their phone."

Whole Foods is going into the bartending business

Whole Foods is reportedly test-concepting serving craft beer and wine for on-site consumption.

In otherwords, they're opening a bar inside a grocery store.

The company recently built bar space inside five stores in California, Arizona, Illinois and Texas. They plan to roll-out to seven stores next year.

The bar in Whole Food's Austin, Texas store seats 20 people offers beer and wine by the glass, as well as "growlers." Many of the bigger stores already have an extensive local beer section, allowing shoppers to buy craft beer from the tap in growlers.

"Coming out of the recession, people are looking for affordable luxuries and more intimate experiences," Whole Food's co-CEO Walter Robb said.

Starbucks also announced last fall that it's baristas will start selling beer and wine at some of its Seattle locations.

Source: USA Today

Sewer gators invade New York. "Swamp People" are thrilled.

Alligators who live in sewer systems are an urban myth.

Or are they?

Residents of New York City have spotted sewer gators popping up all over town.

Of course these gators are actually highly realistic sculptures--part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for the new season of History's "Swamp People."

The cable TV series follows alligator hunters throughout the Louisiana bayou.

The campaign is designed to bring the show a little closer to home for New Yorkers.

AOL reports that In addition to the sculptures, New Yorkers were treated to samples of Cajun cuisine as a food truck popped up around town serving dishes such as fricassee of swamp rabbit, alligator sauce piquante and nutria sausage.