Apparently, it's Don Draper's world, and we're all lucky to live in it. The man is everywhere! By that I mean that Don Draper's body double, Jon Hamm, rules the airwaves; and not just on the award-winning TV show Mad Men. A few months ago, he appeared on 30 Rock, playing Liz Lemon's new squeeze. Listen closely and you'll hear Hamm during the Olympics narrating TV spots for Comcast and their new brand, Xfinity. And of course, Hamm will continue to hold sway over us in a new season of Mad Men. As an ad man myself, however, it falls to me to correct a misperception: Don Draper is not television's first and only ad hunk. With great pride and reverence I present to you the small screen's original advertising himbo, Darren Stevens. Okay, so Darren was no Don Juan. But Samantha's husband in Bewitched was in the ad game around the same time Draper would have been. And for all we know, Sterling Cooper, Don's shop, may well have faced Stevens' McMann and Tate in a creative showdown. The point, dear trivia buffs, is that ad men and women have been making wonderful TV characters for decades. Were it not for an advertising-themed TV show that ran in 1980, the world might not later have witnessed a man talking earnestly to a basketball head in the movie Cast Away. Set in an advertising agency, Bosom Buddies launched Tom Hanks and cohort Peter Scolari. (Peter who? Oh fame, you are a cruel mistress.) It also featured some gender bending: By dressing in drag, the male characters qualified for reduced rent in a women's hotel. Not quite La Cage Au Follies, but somewhat risqué for its day. Where Bosom Buddies was sunshine and light, the next big show about advertising is the more likely predecessor to Mad Men. Seven years later, Thirtysomething told the story of brooding yuppies trying to negotiate the transition from narcissistic twenty-year olds to responsible, family-centered thirty-year olds. Ken Olin and Timothy Busfield played a copywriter and art director who, after working under a domineering boss at a big ad agency, decide to go out on their own. Some called the show self-indulgent; while others -- yours truly -- felt it admirably captured the professional and personal angst of people of who were indeed self absorbed, but trying to figure it out right in front of us. Along with some navel gazing, there were moments of powerful honesty. And if all that isn't enough for you, then all I can say is, trust me. Not me, silly, but the TV series Trust Me, with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. Rothman Greene & Moore is the show's fictional Chicago agency, where a group of attractive ad people nurse creative egos, manage unreasonable clients and engage in or fend off affairs. Wait, is this another episode of Mad Men? No, because Trust Me, which TNT canceled early last year, took a more direct approach to the topic, and surely knew of what it spoke. It was created by former ad guys Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny, who worked at a few of Chicago's biggest shop on accounts like Dewar's and Coke. Where Trust Me showed us life at a modern ad agency, Mad Men also gives us the interior lives of its characters, using a '60s shop as a merciless magnifying glass. Mad Men runs deep, and often features the actual ads of the era in its storylines. So here's to you, Darren Steven. We Mad Men -- and Mad Women -- salute you! Don Draper’s Not the Only One. TV Ad Men Pre Mad Men originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 20:08:05. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Unless you've been in orbit, by now you know who won the Super Bowl. It was Betty White! She positively kicked butt on behalf of Snickers. The lady was merciless, taking down a room full of babies (E-Trade), racing past a horse (Budweiser) and trouncing a tortilla chip tossing Ninja (Doritos). In the battle of woman versus machine, the 88-year old golden girl even overpowered a search engine promotion, otherwise known as the amazing ad for Google. And if that wasn't enough, she then outran the frontline of Letterman, Leno and Oprah. Yes, this is the time of year when advertising gets its day in the sun, when people spend as much time watching the commercials as the game. Personally, my favorite Super Bowl ad featured the spectacle of Oprah Winfrey reprimanding David Lettermen for getting snarky with Jay Leno during their Super Bowl "party." If you missed it, make a rush for You Tube, but only after seeing how fans ranked their 10 favorite ads through Nielsen IAG, a company that measures preferences by letting viewers vote at home using meters wired to Nielsen's database. The 10 best-liked 2010 Super Bowl ads according to Nielsen IAG White and her Snickers spot led the field by a long shot, which was then dominated by what I thought were often goofy but sometimes funny Budweiser and or Doritos ads. Of course, it's the buying public whose affection ad agencies are trying to curry, and it's that clear humor won the game. Here's how the spots scored with viewers: - Snickers: Betty White plays football, gets tackled, and mouths off
- Bud Light: Scientists think an asteroid is hitting planet earth
- Doritos: A dog puts his collar on his man
- Budweiser: People build human a bridge for the Bud delivery truck
- Bud Light: A house made of beer cans is party central
- Doritos: A boy bitch slaps his mother's date
- Budweiser: Clydesdale and calf race each other along a fence
- Denny's: Free Denny's breakfast causes chickens to scream in fear
- Doritos: A man attacks other men with Doritos at the gym
- Doritos: A man fakes his death in a casket of Doritos
Everyone thinks he's a copywriter Around this time of year, otherwise stable people sidle up to me and say, "I've got a great idea for a commercial." The Super Bowl sparks a lot of interest in advertising jobs. What civilians don't realize, however, is that the funniest and most why-didn't-I-think-of -that commercials require the strategy and brilliant writing. And advertising professionals -- known as copywriters, art directors and creative directors -- do that work. And trust me, when there are hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars at stake, and everyone is counting on your brilliant sight gag to sell product, it really is work. During the Super Bowl, funny is serious money. May the best scream win. The Super Bowl Was Exciting. The Game Wasn't Bad Either originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 23:28:53. Permalink | Comment | Email this
"Mad Men" just won its third Emmy for "outstanding drama." If there were a gold statue for "best nostalgic portrayal," the AMC series would have walked off with that one, too.
Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:30:16 GMT
Greetings, sports and media fans. This is a rare year, where sofa athletes have been treated to two international events, the Winter Olympics and the World Cup. So, Nielsen Nerds, which one scored the highest number of U.S. viewers on a per-game basis? (And don't jump the gun and mention the Super Bowl, smarty pants. We all know that's the Mothership of American TV numbers.) According to the New York Times, the U.S. team's loss to Ghana drew 19.4 million total viewers. In comparison, the gold medal battle between the U.S. and Canada that wrapped up the Winter Olympics drew a total of 21.22 million. So the winner is the Olympics, eh? Not so fast. The World Cup attracted 14.9 million U.S. viewers on ABC -- which the Times called "an American record for the tournament." The Winter Olympics hockey final drew 8.22 million U.S. viewers on MSNBC. The rest of the Olympic numbers essentially comprised the population of Canada. The World Cup Wins. International events dictate new media consumption So, victory to the World Cup, and ESPN and Univision, the networks broadcasting the Cup. For marketers and advertisers, there are a few lessons to draw from this. Obviously, as the U.S. population grows more diverse, and younger viewers with new sports passions mature, the "international" game of soccer is finally becoming more of an American mainstay -- even if the rest of the world calls it football. Another dynamic playing out is the way the changing audience is rewriting the rules about how it consumes its games. While home TV viewership still controls the advertising roost, smart phones, computers and bar screens are becoming more essential in the media mix, as foreign time zones dictate odd playing times. And let's not forget those You Tube replays, also a source of advertising exposure if handled properly. All of which makes the TV numbers for the U.S. World Cup match even more impressive. It drew those 19.4 million viewers, as the Times noted, for a qualifying round on a Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., EST. This was not a final Olympics match, or a Super Bowl game dominating Sunday evening. Score, indeed! The World Cup vs. the Winter Olympics. Which has More U.S. Viewers Per Game? originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 19:53:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this
If you're a fan of PR crisis management -- and who isn't, really -- you'll want to pay attention to how our government and the three companies behind the oil spill bespoiling the Gulf of Mexico are managing their media messages. The real story, and tragedy, revolves around the lives lost on the oil rig, and how the oil spill affects the people who live and work near the Gulf. Not to mention the rest of us. But for students and practioners of public relations and advertising, this is a living case history. British Petroleum (BP), TransOcean and Halliburton are now in the public eye, with BP catching most of spotlight as it's their oil spilling at at rate of 5,000 barrels a day. But now that the government and company officials have turned on their spin machines, the PR tennis match is getting interesting. An early serve that landed out of bounds came from energy company Halliburton, whose first comment sounded more like a scold than an apology. Last Friday it issued a statement saying "it is premature and irresponsible to speculate on any specific causal issues." Now we don't want to be irresponsible, do we? Contrast that with the on-camera comment from Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP: "It wasn't our accident, but we are absolutely responsible for the oil, for cleaning it up, and that's what we intend to do." Okay, that was better, minus the finger-pointing about who is responsible for the accident. Clearly the "not our fault" position was the BP company line, as another spokesperson essentially echoed Hayward the next day. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is classic PR management. Develop your strategy. Select your words carefully. Make sure everyone repeats them. And TransOcean's response? Their spokesperson, Guy Cantwell, read a statement, without taking a stand. "We will await all the facts before drawing conclusions and we will not speculate," he said. That leaves the White House, who I am guessing just finished watching Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds before issuing their comment. "We will keep our... boot on the throat of BP to ensure that they're doing all that is necessary while we do all that is humanly possible to deal with this incident," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. They're tough, and not going to take any guff, over at the Oval Office. At least, that's what they want us to think. So stay tuned. The oil spill is horrific beyond words, a disaster whose measure we may not know for many years. But we can evaluate how the spinmeisters seek to manage their image damage. The Oil Spill. Let the PR Crisis Management Begin originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at 16:32:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this
My little couch potatoes: the Super Bowl isn't the only time advertising agencies and brands raise their game. Have you been watching the Olympics? No recession here. Many companies have pulled out all the stops, producing spectacular and expensive TV spots. (Well, some are just expensive.) In honor of the Olympics, our judges have scored the best commercials for your viewing pleasure. Lights! Camera! Tissues! This Visa spot tells the touching story of speed skater Dan Jansen, who dedicated an Olympic race to his sister Jane, whom he had lost to cancer. He then lost the race. But as narrator Morgan Freeman tells us, six years later he went on to win the gold, and skated the victory lap with his baby daughter -- Jane. Even as I type this, I'm welling up. The writing is superb, and so are the production values. Slo-mo skating images. A defeated Jansen, prostrate on ice. The silvery blue color saturation makes the spot stand out, while pointing to Visa's brand color. It's pure gold, almost. The judge's scores: - Concept: 9.0
- Production Values: 10
- Technical Execution: 10
Why not a perfect score, you ask? Because while the work is worthy, it feels disingenuous to connect Jansen's story to a credit card company. They're among the most merciless businesses in the world, in need of regulation and a soul implant. I can't fault the ad agency, though. They did a great job. The images are out of this world. No, really. Gretchen Bleiler, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist in snowboarding, is staring into the evening sky. Clearly nighttime is right time to train, especially if you want some dazzling shots of a great athlete performing half pipes. After a few schusses up and down, Bleiler leaves the building, launched into outer space. And we're flying alongside her, aloft and weightless. It's a wonderful filmic moment, reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The spot doesn't really promote anything, however, other than AT & T's Olympics sponsorship. So the concept isn't all that clever. But it sure is a joy to watch. The judge's scores: - Concept: 9.0
- Production Values: 10
- Technical Execution: 6
Where did they go wrong? With the song. There are dozens of other better candidates, each without the painful sound of Lou Reed singing. Full disclosure: One judge has always thought Lou Reed is overrated, and may have to recuse himself from the scoring. Tongue depressor in hand, a doctor prepares to examine an adorable little girl. The child opens her mouth, and a musical "ahh" comes out. Down the hall, a little boy is also having his throat examined. His "ahh" harmonizes with hers. Before we know it, we're racing around the world, collecting a chorus of "ahhs" from doctors' offices in China, India and Africa. The result is a roaring tonsil tuning of a Beethoven symphony, supporting GE's Healthy Imagination program. The brand message is to bring better health to people around the world. The spot hits all its marks. The concept is brilliant, with a clear message, while the video captivates us with cute kids and exotic locations. Not to mention, the music and cinematography go from touching to majestic. The judge's scores: - Production Values: 10
- Technical Execution: 10
- Concept: 10
And the medalists of this year's Advertising Olympics are as follows: Gold -- GE. Silver -- Visa. Bronze -- AT & T. Scoring the Olympic TV Commercials: Who Gets the Gold? originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 23:01:59. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Hey discriminating motorist! Ten years ago, if I asked you to draw a quality continuum of car manufacturers, and pitted Toyota vs. Hyundai, you probably would have put Hyundai at the bottom and Toyota at the top. What a difference a decade makes. We now know how Toyota sped to the back of the pack, led by self-accelerating gas pedals, reluctant recall practices and bad PR. Less obvious but more informative as an advertising or marketing tactic is how Hyundai drove into the lead. Viewed as a bargain-basement alternative for people who couldn't afford anything else, Hyundai saw the handwriting on the wall back in the day, and responded. It countered the brand perception with perhaps the most comprehensive warranty on a non-luxury vehicle at the time: five-year/60,000 miles on major powertrain components, and 10 years/100,000 for corrosion. The warranty's effect was two-fold. Sure, it offered peace of mind for potential Hyundai buyers. But the brand message, that Hyundai must be a pretty good car for them to offer such an extensive warranty, was the image engine. In short, the brand recognized its reality, and dealt directly with how consumers related to it. The same is true today, and Hyundai, is reaping more rewards. The Hyundai Assurance Plan. Empathy as a Marketing Strategy When the economy tanked last year, Hyundai didn't just show a price tag: It showed empathy. If you bought their car, and lost your job within the first year, they would take the car back, no questions asked. When I heard that offer, it stopped me in my tracks. Of course the Hyundai Assurance plan had some fine print. Only buyers who experienced problems outside their control - like losing a job or driver's license for medical reasons, or becoming disabled - would qualify. Also, purchasers must have made two payments before returning the vehicle, and would receive the depreciation on the vehicle, limited to $7,500. But it all, sounded reasonable. In fact, it sounded like a car manufacturer, a foreign one at that, really gave a damn about my situation. Especially when Jeff Bridges - the commercial's announcer - said, "We're all in this together." And the numbers prove it. According to the blog Cars.com, "Toyota fell from its perch as the leader in brand loyalty among car shoppers, slipping to third place while Hyundai surged ahead to first, according to Kelley Blue Book...." "Hyundai increased its percentage of Hyundai owners looking at new models within the brand by 10.4 percentage points, to 56.3%. Toyota fell 4.4 percentage points to 53.3% from 2009 to 2010, mostly because of its highly publicized recall issues. Honda managed to increase its loyalty by 0.7 percentage points to 55.8%." In other words, it pays to understand how your brand is perceived, and how your customers are feeling about their world, and then promote accordingly. Toyota Vs. Hyundai - Getting it Wrong and Right. originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 23:15:34. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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