Chevrolet to Ban Use of the Word "Chevy"

chevy_cobalt_hot_chic.jpg

Earlier this week, Chevrolet's VP of Marketing Alan Batey sent a memo to Detroit employees instructing them to stop using the word "Chevy" to describe a Chevrolet. The car maker aims to promote uniformity and believes the word Chevy dilutes the Chevrolet brand.

Claiming it's all about consistency, the memo read, "When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding. Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer."

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun-10-10    
Topic: Brands, Opinion, Worst



Privacy is a Red Herring, Personal Data A Goldmine for Consumers and Marketers

social-block.png

The social graph. Data portability. Privacy. Data control. Peerset CTO and Co-founder Amit Kanigsberg has a few things to share on these topics in this second post in a series on the use of personal data.

Fish Anyone?

All of this hype surrounding online privacy is a red herring, especially as it regards Facebook. We learned this week that privacy is not the central concern for Facebook users. The "Quit Facebook Day" protest groups have barely gained membership. Quitfacebookday.com only managed to attract 35,000 members for their mass exodus yesterday. Next to Facebook's close to half a billion users, this just doesn't seem very significant (a good article considering this perspective).

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 4-10    
Topic: Opinion, Social, Tools, Trends and Culture



Coke Jumps Shark With Mentos-Fueled Rocket Car

eepy_bird_coke_zero_vehicle.jpg

Back in the day, it was fun to watch all those Diet Coke and Mentos videos that illustrated the explosive power of this particular combination. It was innocent. It was organic. Even the fancy EepyBird-created stuff was fun.

But what made it so much fun was the fact Coke thought it was a stupid idea and that they'd rather have people drink their product than use it as an entertainment ingredient.

Yes. Those were the days.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 2-10    
Topic: Opinion, Social, Video



In France It's OK to be Gay. In America, Not So Much

mcdonalds_france_gay.jpg

McDonald's is out with a new ad in France which portrays a boy who turns out to be gay having lunch with his father in a McDonald's restaurant. It's harmless enough. Though, of course, dad doesn't really know about his son's sexual preferences.

Without siding with a side...if there really are any sides at all here regarding sexual preference orientation (my apologies for using the wrong word. I just couldn't think of the proper "sexual orientation" phrase at the time of writing), McDonald's does a nice job playing it straight as it were. Boy is gay. Dad doesn't know. Everything's fine. Something in here with which everyone can identify.

You can view the ad here or below. And, as AdFreak astutely points out, the the ad has English subtitles so as to reach an American market without all the outcry it would, no doubt, incur if it were to air on television.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 2-10    
Topic: Commercials, Creative Commentary, Opinion



CrowdSourcing to Get New Name

crowdsourcing-cartoon1.jpeg

You have got to be kidding. This has to be a joke, right? GeniusRocket, Victors and Spoils (Oops. What GeniusRockey hoped for didin't actually happen) and 99 Design are...wait for it...crowdsourcing a new name for crowdsourcing.

Seriously?

This is going overboard like a passenger jumping off the backside of the Titanic. And getting whacked by the propeller on the way down.

Apparently, $1,000 is up for grabs to anyone willing to be publicly chastise for whatever inane new name comes from this idiocy.

But just for fun, we'll give it a go: Lamevertising, MobMarketing, Franchisevertising, SwarmTeaming, HerdHocking, SocialSwarming, IdioIdiation, FlockFlacking, Social Marketing, SocialSeeding, SocialSourcing, Distributed Marketing, Collaborative Marketing or I'm So Fucking Lazy I Have to Ask Other People to Do My Job...vertising.

by Steve Hall    May-25-10    
Topic: Opinion, Social, Worst



Publicis CEO Loses Advertising's Game of Individual Immunity

joel_ewanick.jpg

So a new CMO took a gig at a brand and promptly proceeded to fire the agency his predecessor had hired. And the head of the jilted agency is upset? oh please. Get over it. This has been business as usual since companies stopped giving a shit about employees and work became a game of every man for himself.

There is no dedication any more. No employee loyalty. No corporate promises to employees. No pension plans. And no love lost when the door hits you on the ass after hearing, "your position is no longer available" or some other line of bullshit.

No. It's an all out war for personal survival. Everyone will now do anything to avoid being downsized and everything to insure they succeed and prosper. So it is without surprise GM VP of U.S. Marketing Joel Ewanick fired Publicis and handed creative duties for Chevrolet to Goodby Silverstein & Partners, an agency Ewanick has worked with before.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-24-10    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Opinion



Nike Thinks A Soccer Loss Can Devastate a Country's Economy

nike_write_the_future.jpg

OK. So let's get this straight. Maybe we're in a bad mood or something but what's up with the outpouring of love for Nike's new "epic" three minute commercial featuring a who's who of world famous soccer players? Oh it's well shot and meticulously produced (maybe even epically so) but it's as if Nike wants us to believe wins and losses effect the very fiber and economic health of a nation.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-21-10    
Topic: Brands, Commercials, Creative Commentary, Opinion



A Twitter DM Is Not Spam

themirrortest.png

It seems a crowd of people on Twitter have a stick up their...oh wait....that got us in trouble a while back. Anyway. A few days ago it seems everyone was up in arms over Kodak CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett DMing all his followers about his new book. Some have labeled it spam. We say everyone needs to relax and pull the stick out of their...oops...can't go there. Some cause group will be up our...oops...can't go there either.

So here's the deal. Hazlett can't DM anyone unless they're following him. If people follow someone, they have an interest in what they person has to say. By default, it's assumed they'd be interested in a book written by that person. It's the same thing as opting into an email newsletter. No one dubs that spam.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-21-10    
Topic: Opinion, Social



Data, Advertising, Privacy Key Components of Social Media Growth

social-graph-platform-wars.jpg

The social graph. Data portability. Privacy. Data control. These are the pressing issues marketers face (or should be) when it comes to social media and how everyone (publishers, advertisers and users) can play nice together and all win. Peerset CTO and Co-founder Amit Kanigsberg has a few things to share on this topic.

Time to lose the training wheels

First off, I'll state that I'm not getting onto the "let's tear down Facebook bandwagon." I have a tempered attitude towards the changing social networking landscape - as much as I do enjoy a well-placed tirade. There are a lot of people predicting Facebook's demise, but the fact is there are a lot of smart parties at the table with an interest in not imploding. I'd rather talk about more fundamental forces, largely external to Facebook that will contribute to shifts, particularly as it relates to privacy, data and ad relevancy.

In short, I believe that social networking sites have acted as the training wheels for our online social aptitude. They have allowed us to discover and explore the potential for social networking, while developing the foundation for a broader and truly distributed online experience. We're about ready to take off the training wheels.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-20-10    
Topic: Opinion, Research, Social



Ten Tips For Targeting Moms Online

mommy_blogger_parents_cup.jpg

This is a guest post by Big Fuel Communications CEO Avi Savar. If you've every wanted to know anything about mommy bloggers and what brands are doing in this space then this article id for you.

Authentic Connections

Did Mom invent social media? Some say she did. And there is no arguing that she is driving it and helping it to evolve. There are 82 million moms across the U.S. of all ages. That's right, 82 million. And 26 million of them are mommy bloggers. And they are grassroots, Oprah-like brand advocates with loyal followers who can change the trajectory of a brand and its products.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-18-10    
Topic: Opinion, Research, Social, Trends and Culture