What do “edgy” Super Bowl ads say about the brand?

February 3, 2008February 10, 2008 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

If the definition of being edgy is a naughty reference to body part, then you could say GoDaddy, the domain name registrar in Scottsdale, Arizona has passed the anatomy test.

But what does it tell you about the service it offers or its the customer experience? I have dealt with the company many times on domain issues, and I can tell you it does have an excellent customer experience. But I would have never understood that, or even thought it was the company’s core strength on the strength of its expensive, pathetic Super Bowl ads. Even the one that shows off a wild ‘marketing’ department.
Besides, the category of edginess is so old (remember the 2003 “catfight” spot from Miller light?) in advertising terms, you’d be forgiven if you mistook them for running a commercial made in the late nineties. Its recent ads have featured racy racer Danica Patrick.

In 2004, Anheuser-Busch tried irreverence with a flatulent horse, a big flop. More recently went on to do humor a different way, with “Language Course,” where a teacher instructs Hispanic students about how to ask for a Bud Light. That one, latching on to the simmering immigration issue, topped the list of the most replayed ads on TiVo last year. The fatulent horse, rightly went down as one of 10 worst ads of all time.

In “Catfight,” two guys watching the two mud-wrestling girls comment that it’s what they would call a great commercial. Yeah right. That one too, went down in flames. BUT –in a move that proves those in the “marketing department” just can’t get enough of this stuff — there’s a (groan!) sequel to the catfight. Featuring to fat guys.

Adjust the script a bit and change the logo at the end and it could easily pass for a GoDaddy ad…

Quotes from the week of 26 January, 2008

January 26, 2008 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

“All we did was add more elves.”

Ann Bologna, president of Toy, on the success of the “elf yourself” campaign for Office Max, that drew visitors to visit the site and create 123 million elves, translating in to a reach of 26.4 million people.

“The difference is that we now have to provide a little foreplay before going all the way.”

Len Gutman, at ValleyPRBlog, on the need for symbiotic relationships between hacks and flacks via social media.

“Everyone wants the Tiffany box, but there is no Tiffany box.”

Dave Coffey, director of media services at Sapient, on a survey of 120 professionals about digital marketing budgets, and the inability to measure social networking gains.

“A vast dynamic knowledge ecosystem that is in a constant state of creation, use, reuse and improvement.”

Jimmy Wales and Rich Baraniuk in an Op-Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, on their dream of making textbooks and learning material open to everyone, and the Capetown Declaration.

“There was a basic lack of integrity in the Clinton show last night.”

Larry Lessig on the Democratic debate, and the possible infection of the Clintom campaign with the “Karl Rove virus.”

“Appalling” and “saddening”

Senator Hillary Clinton, responding to Karl Rove’s recent suggestion that the Democrats responded to 9/11 with timidity.

“We’ve changed our whole marketing plan so we can leverage something out of this smokin’ hot spot.”

Bob Parsons, CEO of GoDaddy on getting a Super Bowl ad approved by the Fox network, after submitting 10 other “edgy” commercials that were rejected, as they were for the past few years.

“Journalists are such tools.”

A reader of the Arizona Republic commenting on the fact that this rejection-approval “story” has been repeated for many years.

Quotes for the week ending 19 Jan, 2008

January 19, 2008January 19, 2008 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

“I am particularly glad that The Future of Ideas is now freely licensed. … I’m glad it now has a chance to flow a bit more freely.”

Larry Lessig, on news that his book (published by Random House in September last year), is now available as a free download under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

“I know you are supposed to put the “5 W’s” in the first paragraph of a release, but if it was me, I’d want to see this right off the top.”

Charlote Risch, at ValleyPRBlog, on an announcement of a partnership between CBS Radio and North Central News, a local newspaper in Phoenix.

“We call them lifeaholics.”

Hillary Benjamin, senior marketing director at Equinox Fitness Club, on the provocative ad campaign it launched through Fallon Worldwide, aimed an a professional, urban audience with high household income.

“Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

The new definition of marketing, as defined by the American Marketing Association.

“… they followed the rules of the game – but the game had changed. It went from billiards to soccer.”

Jeremy Pepper, on POP! PR Jots on “truth versus blogosphere truth,” commenting on the often misrepresented case about Kryptonite’s PR, and how bloggers rush to contribute to the echo chamber without checking their facts.

“This is a chance for writers to do what they do best–be original and tell stories.”

Writers Guild of America, quoted in MediaPost, on an online site StrikeTV, to be launched in February.

“We are at a huge crossroads in this industry, and they know it. They want to take our entire body of work, and give us this (makes gesture) give us zero for it.”

Luisa Leschin, via video, who worked on all 120 episodes of The George Lopez Show, and was co-exec producer.

Positioning PCs and Cars for the hoi polloi

January 11, 2008January 11, 2008 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

The war to position “people’s” products has begun.

Intel bailed out of Nicholas Negroponte’s One laptop Per Child (OLPC) project to launch it’s World Ahead program with it’s low cost Classmate PC. Not too long ago, there was such a thing as a Linux-based “People’s PC” in Asia. To most marketers, people’s products aren’t sexy, and don’t make money. So it was only expected when Bill Gates scoffed at the idea of the $100 laptop from OLPC. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft works its way back into the picture.

This week’s big news is the $2,500 “People’s Car” from Tata Motors in India –not the first time a car has been positioned as a people’s car. Henry Ford, who knew a thing or two about positioning, called the Model-T the People’s Car.

While Tata’s ‘”Nano” is all the rage, there’s another competitor aiming at this sweet spot: Bajaj Motors. Most media coverage talks of the opportunity for a people’s car as converting scooter owners to car owners. In Asia, there is a huge segment of commuters who use the three-wheeler variously known as the “tut-tut,” the “auto-rickshaw,” and the “scooter taxi.” Not by accident Tata’s Nano looks like a souped up version of the tut-tut.

Is the purpose of PR to build traffic?

January 10, 2008January 9, 2008 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

I wrote this post about being stuck in traffic –the web site kind, and it started an interesting discussion.

Here’s my question: How many managers have told you “How could we drive traffic to our site?” If so what was your solution?

Next question: I know this is the wrong question. But what is the right one?

Never too late to learn: lessons from a pizza driver

January 7, 2008January 21, 2009 / Angelo Fernando / 1 Comment

pizza A real estate agent I met last week has an interesting story. He had moved from Washington state a few years ago and got himself hired as a pizza delivery driver. Not to support himself, but to force himself to learn the roads in the Phoenix metro area, fast.

I thought this was a great example of how, sometimes we need to put ourselves at the ground floor just for the learning experience. Easier said than done. We tend to narrow our learning experience: hang out with ‘people like us,’ subscribe to only the content that matches our professional interests (with RSS, iGoogle and other widgets.)

Getting into the pizza business for Steve was not about the (pardon the pun) dough or the toppings. It was about how to reach customers. His future customers!

Things that made us go “huh?” in 2007

December 28, 2007February 24, 2008 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

Oh, what a year it was. Between freedom of information faux pas, a fake press conference, and a shiny new new object from Apple, we obsessed about these stories:

The amazing role that social media played in letting the world know about the violent reaction to the peaceful protests in Burma, in September

Larry Craig, Republican senator for Iowa, accused of soliciting sex in an airport bathroom, pleads guilty, but then attempts to deny charges.

Southwest Airlines gets a passenger to change his T-shirt because of it has a slogan that could be considered rude. It also gets another passenger to get off a plane for wearing a too-revealing mini skirt. Southwest later apologized and called launched mini skirt fares.

Lisa Novak, the astronaut who drove across the country in a diaper, is arrested.

Strumpette, the PR blogger who postured about PR, resigns, and re-emerges.

FEMA holds a fake news conference after the California fires, using employees posing as journalists.

Apple fans camp outside electronics stores to be the first to buy the $600 iPhone.

Soon after this, Apple warns iPhone customers it would cripple it should they try hacking it.

Wal-mart is investigated on charges that an employee could have been spying on text messages and phone conversations between a New York Times reporter and a PR employees.

Jeff Jarvis begins to say nice things about Dell.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologizes for Beacon, a feature that would have shared users’ personal information with others without their opting in.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio arrests the owners of a newspaper, The New Times, for refusing to submit information about the dates and times and other information about visitors to its web site. The case was later dropped.

Comcast responds to the “Comcast Must Die” angst started by Advertising Age columnist (and NPR’s On the Media co-host) Bob Garfield, saying “real world developments” such as becoming the largest cable provider makes it difficult to keep promises.

John McCain responds to a New Hampshire high school student’s question about his age with “thanks for the question, you little jerk!”

A blog calling itself Fake Steve Jobs, is tracked down to senior editor of Forbes, Daniel Lyons.

British rock band Radiohead releases its album In Rainbows online, for free, with a prompt to downloaders to pay what they want.

Earlier in the year, Prince gave away a 10-track album, Planet Earth, free through the ‘old media’ a.k.a. newspapers, The Mail on Sunday.

The protest by Londoners over the ‘ugly’ 2012 Olympic logo. The wisdom of the crowds was ignored. The logo remained unchanged.

Barry Bonds if pleads “not guilty.” Don Imus is fired by CBS, and returns to radio via an ABC affiliate.

Why don’t we just ask?

December 18, 2007December 16, 2007 / Angelo Fernando / Leave a comment

Why are marketers are often reluctant to ask for feedback? Surveys are so easy to do and people are so willing to tell you what they think. Yet surveys seem to have been overshadowed in a world of social media, and trackbacks, and the ability to dig deep and look at keywords.

While I am a huge promoter of keyword intelligence, it’s so much easier to just ask when faced with a dilemma. No matter what business you are in, I bet you arrive at that fork in the road every few months: Should we email the latest report, highlight the URL, or add an RSS feed? Does it make sense to redesign the product page, or simply add one more tab? How do we know visitors are finding what they are looking for, and is our “bounce rate” killing us? Do people prefer PayPal over credit cards? How could we know that?

There’s the arrogant way, assuming we know everything there is to know about customer behavior. And there’s the smart way, realizing that people’s expectations may have changed since the last redesign or the last campaign, that new users may have altered our demographic mix.

We could add a feedback channel to the site, definitely allow comments on the blog, invite customers to be part of an ‘advisory group,’ do small focus groups, or do snapshot surveys.

Hoipolloireport

Angelo Fernando's blog since 2004

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