Google
 

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Promo gone bad!



A marketing campaign for Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" turned into a daylong terrorism scare for the city of Boston and a public relations crisis for Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
Today's chaos started early morning when police received several report for similar devices described as an object with wires and tubes. The "suspicious devices" were placed all around the city, bridges, overpasses, in subway stations and other public places. The bomb squad was called in to detonated and remove the "suspicious devices" which proved to be a bunch of blinking boards that were mistaken for bombs!!!
The patterns of lighted dots were shaping Err, cartoon character showing the finger, and they were part of the show's promotion campaign!

What is the end of the story?

The artist who planted these marketing figures got arrested...the city of Boston was under chaos for hours, with bomb squad running across the city...and Err is the most famous cartoon character in US especially after the air time he got to every major network!
PR nightmare or marketing daydream for Turner Broadcasting System Inc ? Please comment...

Thriller in the ad world...

On 04/13/2007 Revolution/Sony Pictures will release a fictional thriller that takes place in the ad world. Bruce Willis starring as Harrison Hill, a high-powered advertising executive who leaves Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners to start his own company and on his way out takes with him Reebok account. The brands that appear in the film are Reebok, Victoria Secret, Heineken, Match.com and Ben & Jerry's. For "Perfect Stranger", Victoria Secret and Reebok were written into the script from the start and they didn't pay cash for their screen time. However they helped by providing talent (supermodel Heidi Klum), product and logistical support. Heineken didn't pay either, but it might create some promotions for the movie as it launches internationally. According to the producer of the film, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas "The brands are perfectly suited and there's a great cross-collateralization."

trailer: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/perfectstranger/

http://adage.com/madisonandvine/news.pl?newsId=114657

Creative Freedom on Flip.com


Check out a fresh outlook towards advertising from my friend Joanna Karogiannis at Conde Nast:

If you thought you would never be able to control the ads you see think again. Read the article below about Flip.com. Conde Net's new teen website.Flip, Conde Nast's answer to MySpace for teen girls that goes live Feb. 6, will offer its users the ability to choose what advertising they see and in what form. According to MediaWeek, CondeNet has signed on five premiere sponsors, including PacSun, Nordstrom, Clean & Clear and Vera Wang. Sources said packages between $300,000 and $500,000 were offered - indicating the site will pull in some $2 million before launch.The primary ad units on Flip will be nonbranded digital images that members can use however they'd like to populate "Flip books" - which act as photo albums/diaries/digital scrapbooks that a user creates within her profile.For example, Nordstrom will provide images of models wearing apparel that girls can paste in their Flip books; they are revealed to be Nordstrom clothing only when users click on them.There are traditional banner ads in some parts of Flip, including on individual profile pages. But even on those pages the users decide, during the setup phase, which brand's ads will appear.

http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2007/01/23/conde-nasts-flip-to-allow-users-to-control-ads/

Shrek on a diet...


Will the green ogre change sides from McDonald's, Mars and sugary cereal promoter to a spokesman for good health? Tomorrow (Feb.1) the U.S Department of Health, the Ad Council and Dreamworks are hosting a press conference where they will announce that Shrek will be the main character for the Small Step obesity-prevention campaign, which encourages children and their families to have healthy lifestyles. The new Shrek ads will be unveiled tomorrow in Washington. Stay tuned...

The party that started a revolution!


Today there are more than 1 billion people online creating what I refer to the biggest attraction party on this planet! If you add to them a couple of billion tangible-world shoppers you come up with almost half of earth's population moving to a new communication era where "attraction" plays a leading role! Does Information Age really exist or it has it been substituted by Attraction Era? Is attraction a prerequisite for information? What makes information interesting and appealing?
There are millions of websites, blogs, brands and stores where you can find every information, service and product you may need. But what is the reason you choose specific websites, stores and products?
Is it the website design, the creative direction of a commercial, the happenings taking place in a store or the colorful billboards?
I don't know if you feel the same way but every time I search the Internet I feel as if I am in the middle of a boundless Times Square with no way to escape! Pop-ups, videos, flashing images, and jumping weirdos... everyone tries to catch our eyes but very few target our heart.
OK, I see your ad flying around my screen when I'm trying to check my email...and the only emotion towards your product is anger! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the role of advertising is to connect a product with more positive emotions like surprise, curiosity, acceptance, joy, happiness and love!?
On the other hand this Internet attraction party represents the absolut democracy where everyone around the wolrd is free to say, criticize and promote their craziest ideas!
This blog intents to inform its readers about the latest global news of advertising and marketing industry. In addition, ad2date welcomes all of you to post your opinions, constructive critisism, and creative ideas on advertising. Let's make advertising more creative, more romantic, more artistic, more emotional...
Spread the word...let's get this party started...