by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
How do you say "potentially addictive" in Korean?
I just waited an hour-and-a-half in line for a taco.
Make that 97 minutes for four tacos and two burritos, to be exact. I had started out wanting only a bite from the legendary Kogi Korean BBQ taco truck, but by the time I made it to the front of the line, I was hungry for more and had to justify my adventure.
There’s great marketing at work for ya… (more…)
Categories: Case Studies
Tagged: buzz marketing, food, Kogi, L.A., Los Angeles, marketing, nouveau food, Poquito Mas, restaurant review, social media, taco trucks, Twitter, word of mouth
by Freddy J. Nager, Founder & Fusion Director, Atomic Tango LLC
One of my more rewarding discoveries in college was Samuel Adams beer. At the time, Sam was primarily a Boston phenomenon, so upon moving to L.A. after graduation, I found myself bereft and bewildered. For all its creative profligacy, Los Angeles was still dominated by the usual beer suspects: Budweiser, Miller and Coors (the bland leading the bland).
Naturally, I was thrilled when Sam started appearing in L.A. bars as an “import.” (I knew about the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, but describing Boston’s greatest export since Aerosmith as “foreign” was taking it a bit far.) Ironically, the Boston Beer Company (the maker of Sam Adams) is now the largest purely American brewer left. (Bud is owned by the Belgians, Coors is half-Canadian, and Miller is South African. But I’m sure you all already knew that.)
I was so stoked to see Boston Beer Co. expanding that I bought shares in the company, which has proven to be one of my few good stock investments. (SAM has also been battered by the current economy, but not as badly as my radio investments.) Not only do I dig a cold Sammy now and then, there’s a lot to be admired about the company:
Although Sam Adams’ product-centric TV commercials won’t win any creative awards — an experiment with a costumed “Sam” character was underdeveloped and short-lived — I’ve come to enjoy one expression of their marketing… (more…)
Categories: Case Studies · How To Tips
Tagged: advertising, Andrew & Bert, beer, Boston, Boston Beer Company, Budweiser, Coors, Gas Company, iTunes, Jim Koch, Los Angeles, marketing, Miller, newsletters, SAM, Sam Adams, Samuel Adams
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…
Categories: Case Studies
Tagged: advertising, American Apparel, bad publicity, branding, business, buzz marketing, Dov Charney, fashion, Hollywood, image, Los Angeles, marketing, Penelope Cruz, sex, sex sells, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, viral marketing, Woody Allen
Categories: Case Studies
Tagged: AAFL, All American Football League, college football, football, Los Angeles, marketing, NFL, sports, UFL, United Football League
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
- Steve Jobs
There’s nothing I love more than creative projects with talented people. I don’t even need a major role. In my first play in L.A., all my character did was glare at people and laugh. I didn’t get paid, nor did I have much stage time, but I had a complete blast…
Categories: Atomic Tango News
Tagged: Apple, Chaos Theory Music, creative management, creative process, creativity, film production, Hollywood, innovation, Jed Rowen, L.A., Los Angeles, role of the producer, Steve Jobs, talent, video, Woody Pak, XDL
"Common sense is the little man in a gray suit who never makes a mistake at addition, but it's always someone else's money he's adding up."
- Raymond ChandlerLet's hear it for uncommon sense: that inner itch that inspires you to stray from the herd, ditch the training wheels and leap into the fast lane. As we all know, it's the risk takers who get their faces on the cover of Wired magazine and their words on National Public Radio. No one ever remembers who won "honorable mention"...
Cool Rules Pronto celebrates uncommon sense in marketing and media. It's written by Freddy J. Nager, the Founder & Fusion Director of the L.A.-based marketing agency and production company Atomic Tango. For Cool Rules Pronto, he draws on two decades of experience in advertising and entertainment, including 15 years in new media. He has created campaigns and projects for agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Magnet Interactive, and for such clients as Toyota, MCA Records, National Lampoon, Nissan & Infiniti, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the NFL on Fox and numerous startups.
Freddy also serves on the Board of Directors of City Garage Theatre in Santa Monica, California. He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from USC (go Trojans!), and currently teaches marketing through Antioch University L.A. and 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.
