What's old is new again... Ping Pong

Within the brief spin of a few hours, I ran across 3 separate articles that mentioned something about Ping Pong. I thought that was odd. For me, Ping Pong harkens back to the 1970's basement or Nixon's Ping Pong detente.

Evidently, table tennis is all the rage among the smart set in NYC. Susan Sarandon, who has been the subject of the gossip rags for the past few days, is an investor in in a Ping Pong club in NYC called Spin. From what I can gather, Spin is like a more affordable, less snobby SOHO house that focuses on the classic table game. Spin's website describes its offering as " strikingly original artistic, athletic and social movement."

A New Take on Boring Butter Ads

A dance-off for butter? You gotta love it. I saw this delightfully silly, kitchy, entertaining spot last night and actually remembered the next day to look for it on youtube. Proof of its stickiness. I suspect the brief had something in there about saliency and breakthrough to overcome a horribly boring category.

As the choreographer for the music production said, "It's embedded in my head and I just can't get it out." The music director said using music like "Turn the Beat Around" harkens back to the days when popular music could drive story in a TV spot.
This is one of those instances when I wish I was the fly in the room when the agency presented the storyboard. It appears the idea was sparked by the reality dance craze we now see on TV.

I have to admit, I found the previous campaign, "The Buttertons," way to cheesy and unappealing. Bravo Unilever brand management for moving forward with the campaign!

Was the "get" always Megan Mullaly? She certainly would have high appeal and awareness among the "middle age female target" the brand seems to be going after. But the mainstream would know her more for her TV work and less for her Broadway and cabaret gigs. I remember seeing Megan at the Rose Room in the Time Warner Center in NYC, singing a duet with the grand dame of Broadway, Elaine Strich. It was magical. Great choice agency on your talent!

Coke's New Focus: Customer-Centricity

Today, AdAge writes about Coke's major marketing event where they lay out their vision for the next 10 years to analysts. Yep--they're going to 2020. Coke says they are reinvigorating their strategies by putting the consumer first--essential to making a connection.

"Our view on consumer connection now has to include not only earned media and PR but all the way into the store and shelf," said Wendy Clark, SVP of integrated marketing. "One hundred forty million people watch the top 10 TV shows in the U.S. And there are 140 million people that go into Walmart stores each week. Is Walmart a media channel? Yes. You have to include in-store activation in your connections thinking to create value for them and build brands."

AdAge reports, "Coke pulled out all the stops at the meeting, its first such confab since 1998. There was a dinner designed by Linton Hopkins, named one of 2009's best new chefs by Food & Wine, using Coca-Cola as a key ingredient." (that's an old move, but I guess it still works).

Speaking of pulling out all the stops--Ms.Clark wore a Coke t-shirt to present. What a cool signal to the analysts... wearing your passion.

New Spoof on Kraft's Miracle Whip Campaign

Colbert sends-up Kraft's Miracle Whip campaign. Snooping on the web, it appears this was a "paid-for" spoof. But how succesful could it be when the code to go viral won't work (I can't embed it!) When I've seen the MW ads on TV, I always thought "Bravo McGarry Bowen for taking the unexpected route to mayo advertising." But when ads get spoofed by comedians, it can be dangerous--even when it's pay-to-play. Remember all the Letterman spoofs on the old Beatrice campaign from the 1980s? I never tell anyone I was involved from a very junior distance on that one.

Anyway, I wondered if Colbert's staff writer, Laura Krafft, had anything to do with writing the send-up. Laura & I worked at Grant Jacoby way back in the late '80s. She left GJ to go on to Second City, Colbert and Emmy awards. Alas, Laura could not have written the segment. She left Colbert last year and is acting and freelance writing. (she was wearing funky glasses before Tina Fey!)

The new "word of the year"

By now, you may have read that the Oxford Dictionary has selected "unfriend" as the word of the year. The choice was made for it's "lex potential," and cultural currency. But a google image search on the word reveals--nada--nothing pops up! You're probably wondering, "what does this old pix of two old guys have to do with the word of the year?" Read on...

Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford said unfriend makes "an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most “un-” prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar “un-” verbs (uncap, unpack), but “unfriend” is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of “friend” that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!).” There is now a debate raging among social networks whether the word "defriend" may have been the better choice.

For me, there is a runner-up word that I would have preferred to see win: deleb. As in dead celebs. Something that captured our culture voraciously this past summer with so many high profile passings.

Forbes just composed a list of the highest earning delebs over the past 12 months. If you search the word or image for "deleb," very little currently pops up. This is a word I think will continue to seed itself into culture. I would have never guessed in a gazillion years that two Broadway guys would rank #2 on the high rollers deleb list recently compiled by Forbes. As the iconic Broadway composers in the pix, Rodgers & Hammerstein, would sing, "Impossible. Things are happening everyday."

Yves Saint Laurent – $350 million
Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein – $235 million (combined)
Michael Jackson – $90m
Elvis Presley – $55m
J.R.R. Tolkien – $50m
Charles Schulz – $35m
John Lennon – $15m
Dr Seuss (Theodor Geisel) – $15m
Albert Einstein – $10m
Michael Crichton – $9m
Jimi Hendrix – $8m
Aaron Spelling – $8m
Andy Warhol – $6m

Re-Branding America:an Irishman's Perspective

"We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year’s summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.”

These are words that President Obama spoke at the United Nations last month. They inspired Bono to write an op-ed in last Saturday's NYTimes:

"these 36 words are why I believe Mr. Obama could well be a force for peace and prosperity — if the words signal action. "

Bono's insight into our culture is interesting as he cites our fatigue and malaise with the recession and wars. Interesting, the opinion that American can no longer afford to "pay" for the rest of the world, and"our bucks stop here" was voiced by Alec Baldwin on the Bill Mahr show last Friday. I'm amazed how artists are often first to give voice to a growing sentiment. Sometimes, their thoughts and art seem prescient.

Bono goes on to write that America needs to be rebranded, and that he believes Obama and the people who he has surrounded himself are trying to do just that.

"But an America that’s tired of being the world’s policeman, and is too pinched to be the world’s philanthropist, could still be the world’s partner. And you can’t do that without being, well, loved. Here come the letters to the editor, but let me just say it: Americans are like singers — we just a little bit, kind of like to be loved. The British want to be admired; the Russians, feared; the French, envied. (The Irish, we just want to be listened to.) But the idea of America, from the very start, was supposed to be contagious enough to sweep up and enthrall the world. And it is. The world wants to believe in America again because the world needs to believe in America again. We need your ideas — your idea — at a time when the rest of the world is running out of them."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/opinion/18bono

The New Century: The One That Crept Up on Us

I just discovered the musings of David Kamp of Vanity Fair and his provocative article, "The Summer of Death." Kamp asks why we became so involved in the passings of so many iconic figures this past summer. From Ted Kennedy and Walter Cronkite to Michael and Farrah, these were deaths that resonated beyond the mere People magazine cover. Kamp believes they were culturally signficant living links to past glories. The glories of the 20th century. Their passings are a wake-up call for us that time has moved on, as these icons pass from collective memory to wikis to be searched decades later. One of my memorable moments of this past summer is the shock I saw on a client's face when he learned John Hughes death was a leading blog post. He hadn't heard Hughes had died, until I told the story as part of evidence of the trend toward nostalgia. (the client was out of the country when Hughes died).

Kamp raises a very good question: how did it get to be the end of the decade so fast?I'm startled when my favorite radio station has a Saturday morning flashback from 1995. Or seeing a picture of the New Years Eve party I threw in 1999. At first blink, that doesn't seem all that long ago...

Kamp goes on to say the days of big, "shared" cultural moments that united us as a culture are over. He goes on to write that the uncertainties of living in the year 2009 creates the feeling in us all that this new century is on shaky footing. Gore Vidal also riffed and raged about in this territory this past week as well. Vidal says this is the end of the American Century. And when the new Empire, China calls in their loans--that seals the deal. But Vidal thinks we'll be better country, a better people when that day transpires.

Gee. Conjures up wistful feelings and the lyrics of "Twentieth Century Boy." Or to come full circle, how 'bout "Going to the Chapel." The lady in the pix above singing into the mic was Ellie Greenwich, famous songwriter from the bygone Brill Building era of pop hits.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/10/summer-of-death-200910

"Nowism": trend of the times

Trendwatching.com has identified a new mega trend, "Nowism." The desire to have it "now," has always been a key need, but technology makes it possible to have it real-time. People are embracing the now as never before. The lust to collect experiences and share them immediately is one manifestation of the trend at work (hello Facebook. hello my blog)

Mega Trend Defined:
NOWISM “Consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification is being satisfied by a host of novel, important (offline and online) real-time products, services and experiences.

Urban Dictionary takes a slight different approach to the phenomenon:
"The present, what you are feeling at this exact moment. A life style as well as outlook on life You are reading this right now. This is Nowism. What you do after this is in the future. This is now."

And the CEO of Radar Networks, Nova Spivack (who also created one of the very first Internet portals), blogged about Nowism this past May.

"I think these are just the beginnings of this movement -- a movement towards a subtle but major shift in the orientation of our civilization's collective attention. This is a shift towards the now, in every dimension of our lives. Our personal lives, professional lives, in business, in government, in technology, and even in religion and spirituality.I have a hypothesis that this philosophy -- this worldview that the "now" is more important than the past or the future, may come to characterize this new century we are embarking on."

Some pretty profound thinking by folk of superior intellect. Gee, that was the motivation for me starting this blog one year ago. I was living the trend, and didn't even k=now it!


http://novaspivack.typepad.com/nova_spivacks_weblog/2009/05/nowism-a-theme-for-the-new-era.html

138 Years Ago Tonight: A New Theory on The Great Chicago Fire

The newest theory on what caused the Great Chicago Fire to start at 9:40 pm on Sunday, October 8th is a meteor shower. Eyewitnesses in the Midwest saw balls of fire falling from the sky that night. A scientist believes a meteor broke up over the vicinity of Lake Michigan, creating the conflagration in Chicago, Peshtigo WI, Port Huron MI and Champagne IL. The Peshtigo fire caused more deaths than any other fire in US history! For a major city, Chicago's casualties (about 200-300) were small in comparison. I like amaze my friends with the ironic fact that the Chicago Firemen Academy is built on the site of the source of the fire, which is the actual address of Mrs. O'Leary's barn (where the meteor fragments hit). One of only five buildings in Chicago to survive the fire is St. Michael's in Old Town (pix). I can see clock tower from my dining room window, which is always a soothing sight.

In those days, this was a big global story. Queen Victoria was moved and donated books to build a new library. IThe spirit of the "city that works," our motto, was clearly exemplified by old man Potter Palmer, the richest man in town. His new hotel that had been opened for a mere 13 days, the Palmer House, burned that night. He quickly rebuilt a new Palmer House, shifting Chicago's commerce section from the old Lake Street district to that great street, "State Street."

Somehow I think the Chicago business community will have the same sprited rebound after the disappointment of losing the Olympic bid.

A New Way to Map the Experience

Something we talk about in meetings all the time--mapping the consumer experience. Lego has developed a simple way to do just that.

The New Way to Exhibit: When Yoko Calls, Answer

This weekend, I saw "Lennon. The New York Years" at the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame annex in Soho. This engaging, moving and intimate exhibit was created by Yoko, and is one of the most forward-thinking interactive museum experiences I've seen. Yoko's aesthetic imbues the exhibit. Her photo of John's bloody spectacles, shot from their bedroom window high above Central Park, is a chilling reminder of the humanity behind that horrible night. A brown-paper grocery bag containing John's effects, delivered to Yoko weeks after his murder, makes an unforgettable statement about the senselessness of handgun violence. As she wrote in the exhibit, John Lennon was the king of the world, yet he returned to her in this brown paper bag.

As you exit the exhibit, there is a phone with a posting that says if it rings, answer it, it REALLY is Yoko. My friend Sue kept going back and forth past the phone, willing it to ring for her, but it never did. When my friend Nancy passed by the phone, the electronic sensor in her headset began to ring. Nancy then heard a voice that saying, "Allo. Allo, this is Yoko." Nancy thought it was a recording, and didn't respond. We were astonished that she had the opportunity to talk to Yoko, but didn't believe it was real. A missed opportunity (but a great story!)

If you get a chance to see this exhibit in NYC--it's phenomenal. Thank you Yoko for sharing and keeping the things that matter to you and John alive for us to think about and share with others.

New Competition for the Bagel and Pizza

Here's a new concept that is positioning itself as competition to the bagel, but perhaps it's closest competitor is the pizza and the donut. Yesterday in Manhattan, we noticed 5th Ave was shut down to a stream of people decked out in red and white with Polska flags. It duped us. We knew it wasn't Casmir Pulaski Day, or Polish Constitution Day (which falls on my birthday). October is officially Polish American month (who knew?!?)

In my world, Kolache RULE! These fruity babies look a little on the doughy-side, more like the coffee cake my friends call Pizza Kolache, and less like the delicate pastries Grandma Belanski made (I inherited her recipe and secret). But the brilliant twist on this old-world pastry is the savory versions concocted by these CIA-trained chef/proprietors. They're onto something brilliant and they should seriously think about coming to Chi-town, which boasts the largest population of Pole decedents outside Poland.

Look for Kolache Mama just outside Roosevelt Hotel: 45 E 45th St. NYC

One Year Later: The New is Now Anniversary

It was one year ago that I started this blog. Of course, the question is, "what have I learned from the experience?" The answer: it's hard to blog frequently. In fact, nearly impossible if you're working hard and trying to get some z's. I guess that's why some of the bloggers that inspired me most to blog (Russell Davies, planner extrodinaire), have dropped frequent blogging from their lives. The pull of other digital platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, have all taken hold of me in the past year too, making it harder to find time to write. I'm a walking example of Social media fragmentation at its finest!

When I started writing last October 1st, the world was much more dark and uncertain. The market was tailspinning. The election was a month away. The ad industry was painfully morphing into something--well, does anyone really have a fix on that even today? My inspiration was the tale of Gatsby and the green light at the end of the dock. It was my forward vision, my talisman for a hopeful future.

Is it karmic that I happen to be on my way to Gatsby's NY stomping grounds today? I'd like to think so.

Will this blog continue? Yes! But I know I won't be posting everyday. The secret is that I have another blog that's "just for me." Where I throw up pix and video that are interesting, just for laughs, that I want to archive for the future. If you're interested, check that one out on www.bwaygal.blogspot.com.

A Shot of Joie de Vivre: just what we need

Joy and happiness. We yearn to escape the dark cloud of uncertainty of recession. We strive to fill the void caused by our helplessness with problems facing society. Trendists have been writing about how brands can connect with this emotional territory for several years, but the recession has heightened the need. I suspect the folks at Grand Marnier figured this was fertile territory. These classic French images are the centerpiece of their new digital campaign and special promo package. Love the feeling--Vive La Vie.


Brandweek: Why Grand Marnier Is Pouring More Energy Into Digital Ads, 9/21/09

The Ukulele--just what we need in these times, so says the richest man in the world

The idea of charity concerts isn't new, but 2 guys from Brooklyn have put an indy twist to the culture of Performance Art + Charity. Their concept is Performance Philanthropy. They held a concert for charity, and all the songs were Beatles covers performed in ukulele. The cash they raised was put in a brown paper sack and delivered to the world's richest man. Warren Buffet said he will use the money to buy ukuleles for girls in Omaha. If you're wondering how they got to Mr. Buffet, one of Warren's sons was involved in the project and sings a Beatles cover in this video (FYI...he's a philanthropist too).

The execution of this causal idea is so lighthearted and authentic, so atypical to what we typically see in social marketing. After watching the video, I just get a feeling of happiness. Context research, who just published their latest on what Americans want to feel in these recessionary times, say consumers are searching for happiness and joy. As we've been hearing this past year from consumers, they want to get back-to-basics and celebrate the simple things.

I feel inspired to pick-up the ukulele. I've been thinking about it for sometime, since it's a favorite of one of my fav rockers, Mr. Todd Rundgren. Who knew? Todd and Warren would have something in common!


http://forthebenefitofmrbuffet.blogspot.com/

Knowing the source.... of your food

This new initiative from the government is getting the buzz in food circles this week. I worked in this campaign territory way back at the turn of the century (2000). It's a trend that just keeps growing!

If you've been reading my blog posts over the past year, you'll see this is one of my favorite movements in food culture. Now, what will I buy at the Farmer's Market tomorrow morning?

Remembering: the New Jerusalem

Today, Carly Simon and her children Ben and Sally paid tribute to the memory of the World Trade Center and the victims of 9-11 by singing "Let the River Run." How appropriate. Carly wrote the song (and won an Oscar) for "Working Girl." It's one of my fav movies, and has become more poignant for me as with the scenes of Melanie Griffith crossing the river (Jordan) into the area of the Towers--the new Jerusalem. At the end of the movie, we pull-out from an office window that looks like it's shot from the WTC.

Yesterday, I was looking at "Trend Blend 2009+" map of time and tide. The trendists cited the "fall of US Empire" as a trend. It sent shivers down my spine as I read that. Did the crack start with 9-11-01 and the egg finally break with the fall of Lehman on 9-10-08? Can Humpty Dumpty put us back together again? Sigh.

New Thoughts On Taste: Part II

Love this new social marketing platform from the Wisconsin Cheese Council. Food porn at its finest. If you get the chance, tune in and listen to the sensual audio copy and the clever tweet copy. Manly yes, but I like it too!

Tweets to share:
When was the last time you truly worked out your jaw muscles?
So you think you're a carnivore, huh?
http://www.cheeseandburger.com/bohemian

New Thoughts on Planning

If things had been going better in the ad industry, the annual Planner's Conference would have happened this week in San Francisco. The 4A's is trying to make-up for the cancellation with their "Summer of Planning" series. For $35, I could attend a webinar with a guy I worked with 10 years ago (sorry Dr. Cohen--psychologics is interesting, but not new). I wondered, where is the new thinking about planning? So I googled on over to Slideshare, and lo and behold found a presentation Gareth Kay posted last year. Gareth, considered a leading light in the biz, made news last week as he jumps from Modernista to Goodby.

At Element 79, our thinking, our approach is all about getting to an idea that incites interaction. I guess I shouldn't be surprised--but I am--to see Gareth sharing a similar POV. In a nutshell, Gareth writes:

1. Brands need to have a point-of-view on the world…not a position in a category
2. Brands need a social mission--it drives brand energy (Landor’s BAV model states brands with energy fare better financially)
3. Brands need a social idea (vs. an unsocial idea)
4. A distributed identity is about coherency… not consistency
5. Planners should understand what people are interested in and work backwards
6. Planners need to plan for a different outcome (it’s not about awareness, it’s about interaction)
7. We're in the business of creating ideas that solve business problems in a culturally positive way

Gareth's thoughts are inspiring reminders of where we're going. I wish I had said or thought about some of these things first (although I was the first kid on my block to get excited about Landor's model of brand energy).

Why are ideas so important? Ideas drive our economy. In fact, two-thirds of our country’s GDP is driven by ideas.* A nifty soundbite for the next presentation.


*Cited by John Gerzema, author of the Brand Bubble and CIO of Y&R, based on research conducted by Brand Finance.

Getting Sensual: New thoughts on taste

One of the biggest challenges I've faced in food advertising has been strategizing about "taste." How to portray the benefits of taste while avoiding the cliches. (one of my pet peeves is putting "TASTE" in the headline). Lately, I've been seeing ads that are really doing the whole taste thing in very exciting ways. Now I know you're thinking--mayo ads--exciting? Well I think Hellmans has done something exciting.

The idea of "double whipped" is not only differentiating food news, but supports new thinking from researchers about the impact of sensory stimulus into ad copy. Of course we all know that food ads do impact taste perceptions. However, the article from Journal of Consumer Research reveals ads that use multiple sensory stimulus (language, visuals, sounds)heighten taste perceptions. Like the whisk with the flowery dollop of mayo. Or the icy, breezy motion and sound we "hear and feel" in the ad for 5 gum. Nice, multi-sensory touches!


Jrnl of Consumer Research, June 2009: The Effects of Ad Copy on Sensory Thoughts and Perceived Taste