I saw a story on the digital version of Ad Age, where the heading reads:
Flying With the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models
Time Inc. Title Launches Experiential-Marketing Unit, Partners With Southwest, Nissan, SoBe
The fact that a marketer of this caliber (TIme Inc.) is seeing opportunity in experiential marketing is interesting. Where one would think that they are taking strides to bring content and their brand into peoples everyday life, or maybe create that personal relationship beyond subscriptions... NOT HAPPENING !!!
A lot of ideas came to mind when thinking of RELEVANT brand interactions with this particular announcement. But I underestimated the destructive power of greed. Yes, they are a media company and instead of increasing readership as a result of the potential LIVE engagement, they decided to create a new revenue source. Selling ADVERTISING OPPS to potential sponsors while staging a hormone driven city attraction out of female skin! Imagine a plane wrap of a blond, almost anorexic model and a tropic lounge in Mid Manhattan being served by striped down beauties....
I feel slapped in the face by the promise of a quick fix when all they are doing is giving the wrong name to this primitive advertising real state business.
I remember when I was a tender child and had experiences that changed my world like: Atari, Betamax, Color TV and digital wrist watches.... Yes, we all had those moments of revelation and grandiose feeling. And in the time where branding was starting to glow in the eyes of media impressions, we all joined the ranks of marketing economy.
For the past decade we’ve witnessed the rise of a new breed of thinkers who create, define and develop experiences intended for marketing. Putting aside the obvious service statement, which at times is ridiculously oblivious, we miss the essence of the experience. As consumers, as marketers and as people, we forget that we make decisions and choices upon good or bad experiences.
A lot of happenings throughout the last two weeks, but I want to share my EXPERIENCES with AMERICAN AIRLINES, an atypical restaurant called ANDRES CARNE DE RES and 20 minutes at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
1. While I booked online and at last minute, no one deserves to fly like cargo in economy.
2. Have you ever had a great meal in a bizarre place and loved it?? If you are up for my chronicle of the ultimate gastronomic experience keep reading.
3. Finally, my statement on airport advertising and media monetizing myth.
As a result of the prior entry and using it as a backdrop, here is what I saw.
A BBM/Neilsen report, said last week that TV viewership reached an all time high. Considering the media divide and audience attention deficit, plus the population density in 2008: It is a significant finding to align to. In the industry we live in, the typical reaction is to saturate the medium with noise and bulk messaging! Bare in mind, that this is why advertising conglomerates make their profit and where media broadcasters make their living.
And here is the first crack!In the media/advertising world pricing is based on metrics as it is the clients (ROI) measurement. These metrics are developed and paid for by the same media company or advertising conglomerates, while not just TV and in pursuit of IMPRESSIONS, they also stand true for Radio, magazines, news papers, OOH, internet and not in the same terms but based on the same nature in Experiential marketing tactics (brand activations, events and sponsorships). The sole purpose of these UNBELIEVABLE metrics is to sell CREDIBILITY or better off to support the price tag of their time slot or media package. The point is that we as people still suffer from BRAND slapping in very invasive ways through every media possible. Media (moguls) consider as creative opportunities to wrap public transit cars in a brands image or to own massive downtown walls for the purpose of polluting the visual city scape on behalf of a brand. They actually have the courage to sell interruptions on drivers in traffic in the form of billboards, transit shelters, even benches. To tighten a bit more the bolt, media companies dare to offer (DIGITAL) billboards and/or video screens in malls, elevators, food courts and WASHROOMS with the premise of attention grabbing vehicles for their intended target. "Guys! You are being invasive and a pest instead of engaging and creative."
And the icing on the cake: Internet. web 2.0 and mobile!!! Hahaha, this is like the killer punch in the lower liver just above the crotch.... Advertisers and announcers still think that invading our personal individual space is smart and effective, but look at GM, Coke, Pepsi and Rogers. People are starting to dislike this players and slowly they are trying to get it. It takes more than fixing a banner add on yahoo or creating a facebook group to be cool and relevant. Like people, brands must have character and when faking it; it looks awful. The result of these practices are just harmful and counter productive, since they actually scare people away. And yes, business like politics is PERSONAL, it's about ME as an individual and WE as collective arrangement in culture. Far from a herd or even a small crowd like that represented in the famous super-bowl Apple spot. We want real connections through meaningful engagement and trust me: IT WORKS!!!
And after many, many years, retail windows are still attractions where people floc sidewalks to get a glimpse of the happening. It creates excitement and children get their taste of the Disney experience in the main city store. Since back in the sensory experience from brands, let go in the mall..... Even in rough and uncertain economic times, these galleries of urban culture are stacked with people. And to prove it, though some retailers have reported a slump in sales, conglomerate commercial establishments reported an increase in sales in the past 2 months. Yes, I know, black monday and cyber tuesday where disappointing, but keep in mind that the left engine of north american economy is spitting blood.
Again: The world still turns and the show must go on. Are we going to watch it from the stands OR going in the pit to move it through??? Remember that energy doesn’t disappear, it changes it’s form!!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Who’s riding the Christamas RUCKUS!!!
OK! So put together the economic (crisis), political (change) and consumer (paranoia) in the best time in the year for retailers, credit cards and tourism...... That’s reality today in north america and maybe the rest of the Santa Clause fan world.
And who’s to blame for the crisis when CEO’s still make absurd salaries and redefine the concept of corporate perks, when corporations chop labour but maintain chubby salaries mid way up, when innovation is conceived as expensive and not worth, while government parties toss the blame on one and other by choosing to save workers or companies. The world still goes round, people still shop and the market is adaptable to the time and its moving forward in the failed model of capital consumerism. I guess all those MBA’s deserve a lesson in human nature to avoid letting all the PARANOIA run loose!
GM is feeling the pain of horrible branding while being busy at saturating the market with big (gas burning) cars and in turn its looking into killing Pontiac, Saab and Suzuki. Let me remind you that these brands where acquired in the midst of market dominance not aimed at client satisfaction.... And on the other hand, we have the Toyota landmark! Which in a slightly different approach, thus with the same business model. It's introducing value propositions that make a difference in the market and in peoples lives. Yes, they are also feeling the crunch, but you don’t see the Toyotas, Hondas, Citroens, Renaults or even the Mercedes' begging for a bailout plan (tax payers money)! Smart businesses face change and adapt to it and in the words of jedi master Seth Godin “Finding new ways, more clever ways to interrupt people doesn't work”
Just a prelude for my in depth analysis of the media scape and how the creative business is not walking the talk.........
How Barack Obama marketed himself to becoming the US president?? Everything that has ever been written, thought of and done in the marketing realm, was done right with Obama the brand. From the very essence of being a non traditional brand, coming from the fringe to getting all the relevant 3rd party endorsements that made a difference. The perfect “from grass to mass” example where CNN would intertwine with YOUTUBE and move the fiber of the electorate, real people. No other brand has been worthier of news than Obama and no rock star has filled stadiums like he has. At the end, his message was clear and simple: Change, Hope and now!!! A call to action has never sounded more eloquent and the pitch has never been less of a pitch and more of a story.
For people around the globe, America needs a new course and a new order. A black man is suited for the role and from every end of the planet there is clamor towards the new future of the empire. Now the environment is relevant and there is a voice thats stand up for it. There is a calling for unity for america to rise: The america of african american population, latinos, south and south east asians, asians, middle eastern people, are going beyond the color and accent while really connecting with a sound message of hope. We all believe!
But far from a poetic and orchestrated plot for Barack Obama, he enabled marketing at its best. With a surprising speed to market and a genuine attribute, the principles of marketing have been redefined to the new era of web 2.0 and integrated communications. Put together Aid Africa of the 80’s, Wood Stock of the 70’s and the political changes in Germany and Russia; And the justified result is this revolution we are all witnessing today.
While building the fabric of this revolution from the grass root, there is a clear canvas that rocks to pop culture. The very fractured media landscape was united again and it was making sense to get messaging via facebook groups, twitter, local tv news, radio and word of mouth. Massive public appearances that resembled rock concerts, collaboration from celebrities inviting people to vote, endorsements from P Diddy and Lauren Hill to Bruce Springsteen and John Leguisamo, within a line of super stars headed by Oprah...
Wow!!!! It is indeed an exiting time for marketers, americans and the world. We saw history in the making through determination and very smart tactics that blew the world out of their socks. Obama is one of us and the world is now a place for all of us.
All my best Mr. President and let the new world order begin!
