PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad – Too Sexy for NBC
January 29, 2009
NBC rejected PETA’s Super Bowl ad submission saying it, “depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards at NBC.” Of course, I have to wonder if NBC would have had the same position on this ad before the Janet Jackson half-time incident a few years ago. Regardless, while this ad may have gotten the attention of some Super Bowl viewers (or perhaps many), I don’t think it would have succeeded in converting many of them to vegetarianism. However, I think NBC got this one right based on this image from the ad:
Check the complete commercial out below.
Peta’s Banned 2009 Superbowl Ad – Watch more free videos
Your thoughts?
Brand Transparency – A Conversation with Alan Siegel of Siegel & Gale
January 28, 2009
Last week, I received a copy of Siegel & Gale’s report, “Siegel & Gale Simplicity Survey: A Clarion Call for Transparency.” If you know anything about me, then you know that I am a big advocate of simple, clear and straightforward marketing messages and using common sense in marketing. I’m anti-shock advertising and hard sales messages. Consumers don’t have time to translate corporate rhetoric to try to figure out what you’re telling them. If you don’t get your message across quickly, you’ve wasted your time and money. Never has the need to be transparent been more crucial than it is during an economic downturn when consumers are actively searching for honest companies to do business with.
Reading the report by Siegel & Gale put hard numbers around much of what I always preach to clients. In short, consumers want simple language, honesty and clarity from brands. After reading the report, I was lucky enough to secure a few minutes of Alan Siegel’s, Chairman and CEO of Siegel & Gale, time to talk about his position on simple and transparent marketing.
I asked Alan what steps companies should take first to reposition themselves as transparent. His response was to focus on the inside first. In other words, policies must be set for developing clarity. He indicated that much of the information companies provide to employees (and customers, for that matter) is self-serving with little personality. [Read more]
Songsmith Ads – Microsoft’s Latest WTF Moment
January 27, 2009
I was left nearly speechless as I watched Microsoft’s most recent demonstration of total lameness; however, I was able to utter the words that no advertiser wants to hear at the end of one of their ads, “WTF?”
Check out Microsoft’s new “pseudoinformercial” for Songsmith below. I forced myself to sit through the torture, and it was exactly that – torture. This effort marks one more thing to add to the list of Microsoft’s complete inability to understand the marketplace.
What do you think? Are you running to try Songsmith after watching this video or staring at your screen in utter amazement of Microsoft’s latest failed attempt to connect with just about anyone?
Viral Video on Fire – The Evolution of Dance
January 26, 2009
Every marketer would love to create an online video that goes viral. The recipe for success has yet to be found. If you can create a video like the Evolution of Dance (below), which has gotten nearly 112 million views since it was uploaded and nearly 300,000 comments, then you can feel fairly confident that you’re on the right track to success. I should note that this video has been online for just under three years, but if you do the math, it comes out to over 11,000 views per day. Not bad. Wouldn’t you like your marketing videos to do that well?
Check out the Evolution of Dance below. It’s hilarious and nostalgic at the same time. In fact, I think just about everyone (at least in the U.S.) who lived at some point between 1950 to the present will enjoy this video. No wonder it’s so popular.
Pepsi Appeals to a New Generation
January 21, 2009
Have you seen the new Pepsi commercial? I love it. Pepsi has used the word “generation” in its copy for many decades in an ongoing attempt to keep its brand relevant to new generations of audiences. Some attempts have worked and others have not been as successful. I really like this ad which recreates moments in history showing that Pepsi has been around for all of them.
What do you think? You can check the new ad out below.
Vote for KeySplash Creative in the 2009 Leading Moms in Business Competition
January 20, 2009
KeySplash Creative, Inc. has been nominated for the 2009 Leading Moms in Business Competition sponsored by StartUpNation and Ladies Who Launch.
Please vote for KeySplash Creative. Thank you!
Will You Watch Barack Obama’s Inauguration? Take the Poll
January 19, 2009
It’s an exciting time for Americans as the first African American prepares for his inauguration as United States President tomorrow. Many Americans have bought into Obama’s brand promise of change. We’ll have to wait and see if he can deliver. Let’s hope so.
Jimmy Fallon’s New Logo
January 15, 2009
With Jay Leno moving out of his late night talk show spot on NBC, Conan O’Brien is moving up one hour and Jimmy Fallon is taking Conan’s old time slot with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. To honor the move, Jimmy Fallon let visitors to his show’s website pick his show’s new logo. Number Seventeen was brought in to design the new logo. They have also designed for Saturday Night Live, and you can definitely tell based on the three design choices for Fallon’s show.
Unfortunately, these logo choices offer little differentiation from brands like Late Night with David Letterman. I would have liked to see bolder logo choices that move further away from the expected branding of late night talk shows. These logos seem very safe, and it appears Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will end up being more of the same late night TV that people are used to.
The three logo choices are below. What do you think about them? [Read more]
The History of the Fuji Logo – Example of Well-Executed Logo Evolution
January 14, 2009
I often write about companies that recently revamped their logos, but today, I’m going to do something a bit different and track the evolution of a logo to see if the changes made to the corporate icon over the decades seems logical and well-executed. I chose Fuji for the first logo history review, because the company provides a good example of doing things right.
Check out the evolution of the Fuji logo in pictures below:
The Fuji logo started in 1936 just as you’d expect. Many logos in the first half of the twentieth century had a very simple, one-color design, and Fuji’s logo was not an exception to the norm. In 1960, the company added a burst of much needed color, but kept the design simple.
Things changed in 1980 when the logo icon many consumers still associate with Fuji today was created. The iconic symbol stayed as an element of the logo for 26 years until the company left the dated, yet well-known, symbol behind and exchanged it with a more modern logo and typeface.
I have to admit, I like the current logo. It’s always hard for consumers to let go of a well-known logo that’s been around for a long time. A strong logo is inherently connected with the brand, and consumers develop a sense of security with that logo. However, Fuji made the bold decision to delete the archaic symbol. In this case, the decision worked.
What do you think of the Fuji logo evolution? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Images: Fujifilm.com
PETA Rebrands Fish as Sea Kittens
January 13, 2009
In another disasterous marketing move, PETA further uses its non-inclusive brand strategy to alienate people who eat fish. Although those people might very well support other causes PETA fights for, they’re not welcome. You can check out this post to learn more about that issue, but today, let’s talk about PETA’s idea to rebrand fish as “sea kittens” with the hope that a cute name for a species lower on the food chain will cause fewer people to eat it.
Why not? Tuna is already known as Chicken of the Sea.
I couldn’t help but think of that line from Seinfeld when I heard about this one, “It’s gold, Jerry. Gold.”
Of course, you know I’m being sarcastic. 
I do wonder though why PETA stopped with sea kittens. Why not sea gerbil for shrimp or sea bunny for lobster?
Your thoughts? Oh, and if you want to read about PETA’s reasoning and defense of its rebranding attempt, and read some really amusing comments from children and members of the fish and wildlife industry, you can follow the link to read the full article on NPR.org. It’s worth a laugh, but I don’t think it’s going to help PETA very much, and I say that as a person who doesn’t eat fish.
By the way, do you think if the bird and snake in the above pictures knew they were eating sea kittens they’d still eat those fish in their respective claws and mouth?
