So I’m thumbing through my favorite geek magazine, Wired, when I’m suddenly confronted by this Belvedere Vodka ad that features a woman applying lipstick in the reflection of a belt buckle. (If any of my female readers have ever executed such a task, please let me know… What? None of you have? Gee, what a surprise…) With Freudian symbol in hand, she’s got that deer-ho in the headlights look. Not exactly what you expect to find in Wired amidst ads for Zune, Casio and the Discovery Channel. (Hey, have we got a discovery for you…)
I’m all for creative media placement, and I reckon VC-funded geeks drink expensive vodka and fantasize about women crouching down and, um, touching up their lips. But this seems way out of character for an upscale liquor brand. And I’m not sure how this image relates to the tagline “Luxury Reborn,” unless what constitutes “luxury” has taken one hell of a dive… Read more »
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” — Abraham Lincoln
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” — George W. Bush
Phineas Taylor Barnum was the consummate 19th Century showman and one deceptive bastard…
He sits there before his microphone, round and retro, emanating the cuteness that made him an icon in America. On this occasion, he’s in somber black, though he’s usually seen decked out like a jelly bean. And then he speaks…
American Apparel CEO Dov Charney acts like he’s missing his calling. The controversial and flamboyant entrepreneur could parlay his promotional genius and predilection for the prurient to become one hell of a porn producer. (The San Fernando Valley, the porn capital of the world, is just over the hill from American Apparel’s headquarters.) It would certainly suit his notorious lifestyle…
I got an invite to your “Psychology Marketing Project” on Facebook. (Note: Facebook has since removed this “Project.” Too bad.) And as someone who professionally conducts and teaches marketing I have to hand it to you: pretty damn clever…
One company’s tumble is another company’s primo opportunity — if that opportunity is approached creatively. Here’s a brilliant example from this week’s business pages…
So I’m hanging out at this bar, but there’s no one around — no bartender, no waitress, no other patrons. Everything behind me is fuzzy, but I have the power to change the way I look at the touch of a button…
A strange burrito induced dream? No, that’s the scenario at SportsBLOX.com, a new virtual world run by one of my former MBA classmates.
Video site Stage6 got the deep-six and called it quits. This comes on the heels of the fire sale at Revver, which ultimately sold for $5 million — less than half of the original investment that was pumped into it. But these weren’t the first signs of an industry decimation…
“We live in a time when people are losing confidence in the ability of government to solve problems… Wal-Mart does not wait for someone else to solve problems.”
- Wal-Mart Stores CEO H. Lee Scott Jr.
As a Samuel Adams drinker and stockholder, I don’t partake in Budweiser’s anemic brew, but I’ve always loved their brilliant, often hilarious marketing. Until now…
I recently attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, and it’s true, you can’t spell “excess” without CES. After traversing an area the size of Rhode Island brimming with gadgetry, blissed-out geeks, and scantily clad spokesmodels uttering words they didn’t understand, I have but two regrets…
So I’m thumbing through the latest issue of Wired magazine (which, by the way, features a brilliant article on the music industry by David Byrne) when I come across an attractive painting of beer. (What’s not to like?) As a huge fan of microbrews, I stop thumbing and say “talk to me!” but the only words in the ad are the name of the beer and the tagline “Artfully Crafted.” And the first thing that pops in my mind is not a desire to quaff the brew, but a distinct sense of disappointment: “What a waste!”
“I’m so full of action, my name should be a verb.”
- Big Daddy Kane
While doing the consulting thing in Silicon Valley, I met far too many execs and entrepreneurs who said that marketing was not necessary. “Just look at Google,” they’d tell me with smug grins. True, Google never spent a dollar on advertising their product, but they did invest time and imagination into creating wicked strategies. Let’s look how Google came to rule the search universe and, eventually, the world…
Freddy J. Nager is the Founder & Fusion Director of the creative strategy agency Atomic Tango. For Cool Rules Pronto, he draws on insights attained from two decades of experience in advertising and entertainment, including over a dozen years in new media. He’s created marketing campaigns and projects for Saatchi & Saatchi, Toyota, National Lampoon, Nissan & Infiniti, MCA Records, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the NFL on Fox and numerous start-ups. Freddy holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from USC (go Trojans!), and currently teaches marketing through the University of Wales/Robert Kennedy College. He also wrote the satirical book, Claw Your Way To The Top: Ten Things I Learned About Business From My Cat, which he’ll get around to marketing someday.
So I’m thumbing through my favorite geek magazine, Wired, when I’m suddenly confronted by this Belvedere Vodka ad that features a woman applying lipstick in the reflection of a belt buckle. (If any of my female readers have ever executed such a task, please let me know… What? None of you have? Gee, what a surprise…) With Freudian symbol in hand, she’s got that deer-ho in the headlights look. Not exactly what you expect to find in Wired amidst ads for Zune, Casio and the Discovery Channel. (Hey, have we got a discovery for you…)
Dear Monica Rockle:
One company’s tumble is another company’s primo opportunity — if that opportunity is approached creatively. Here’s a brilliant example from this week’s business pages…
So I’m hanging out at this bar, but there’s no one around — no bartender, no waitress, no other patrons. Everything behind me is fuzzy, but I have the power to change the way I look at the touch of a button…
Video site Stage6 got the deep-six and called it quits
