Mobile Marketing: Deepspace and More

Jacey, Lauren, and I attended the Deepspace mobile marketing conference at the Fine Line sponsored by Space150 (presentations available here). This event was the first of many monthly mobile and new industry trend events that will be held in Minneapolis. We heard from Chuck Levine, former Sprint CEO and current chairman of Openware and Sierra Wireless, about the growth of the mobile industry. Kelly Thompson and Marc Jensen, both of Space150, brought us account planning insights in their presentation on The Mobile Ecosystem. There were also several panel discussions with industry leaders from Ad Mob, Nokia Interactive, Scanbuy, Millennial Media, Ad Infuse, and Weather.com.

I'm going to be honest and say that I wasn't completely blown away by anything that I saw, but the fact that there are people who care about pushing the industry in new directions is always worth my time and attention. I was hoping for some awesome examples of location based ads, or interactive mobile applications, but the day was more focused on monetary opportunities, SMS based ad models, and discussions about the potential that this industry holds.

The most memorable quote that I took away from the speakers that day came from the Weather Channel representative. He spoke about the debate of the ever elusive "year of the mobile web" and how that will become a reality when everyone checks the weather on their mobile devices. While the weather may be a small portion of this move, the center of the idea is the eventual total dependence on mobile devices for accessing content that is typically only on television or online. This move towards online content will push brands to consider mobile as an outlet that is equal to that of traditional placements. This is where mobile marketing will reach its full potential. Until then, the speakers at Deepspace advised all advertisers to spend now in order to become leaders in mobile.

With all that being said, we'd like to share a few of our favorite mobile campaigns. Ready, break.

Sports (AHH): NBC Olympics and Minnesota Twins (and other MLB teams of choice) - Both mobile sites are clean, text based, and feature live refresh updates. SMS text alerts are also available and well worth it when you can get immediate videos of Mauer and Morneau's RBIs and home runs. Top Score!

Politics: Barack Obama - Supporters, and those wanting to get in on the brilliant campaign ideas that Obama's team is delivering, can text 'VP' to 62262 (which spells Obama) to get notified of his VP candidate prior to any other media outlets. Progress.

Television Integration: Project Runway - Viewers can text their vote for their favorite, or least favorite, designer during on-air polls use short codes to receive weekly texts with fashion tips from Tim Gunn, and access the iPhone site that contains games, episode recaps, and a PR fashion guide. Look out all you hot messes, this site is fierce.

We'd love to hear about your favorite mobile campaigns, apps, and sites!

Nine Inches of SCAM?! Crispin Porter Bogusky's Alleged Diet Book...

So Chuck Porter and Alex Bogusky are writing a diet book. My first reaction? This has GOT to be some sort of promotion for themselves or CP+B's brands. I mean:

• Would the men who catapulted the King to iconic status and made it possible to stalk your pizza's path to your belly really be criticizing the "big conspiracy in America" regarding portions and overeating? Directly from the Amazon description: "[T]wo of the best tricksters in the industry explain how you as a consumer are being duped, and how you are actually a part of the conspiracy to make you fat." STFU.
  
• They're CP+B! Writing a book on paper is far too conventional for them. It's 2008. This should at least be a streaming video.
• "The Nine Inch Diet?" Hi, euphemisms.

And arguments for this book actually being what it claims:

• Amazon has a pretty intense description of what the book will be about, including psychology of eating and pop culture references. Looks pretty legit so far...
  
• I guess ad men writing a book on a 9" plate diet is pretty unexpected. Is this just a Madonna moment for Chuck and Al as they reinvent their identities?

A few of us Yaybies have met Chuck, a fellow Gopher alum. I got the impression that he was a smart, kind guy, and I don't like to think he'd pull a fast one on America in the form of self-help materials. We don't raise 'em like that in Minnesota. But the possibility had to be thrown out there...

Now let's hear your thoughts!

Way to Stick To Your "Principles"!

Be sure to note the sarcasm in the title of this blog post. Today my Facebook newsfeed ad for Victoria's Secret PINK Collegiate Collection brought me back a few months.


I was reminded of the University of Minnesota's belated protest to being included in this collection because it didn't "adhere to their values." Apparently they are against sweatpants and underwear (both of which they sell at their own school store). But, low and behold, when I made my way to the PINK site, there it was. Apparently PINK loves University of Minnesota, in the form of PINK gear. What happened to their protests? Their "values"? While I found the whole episode ridiculous from the start, I at least assumed the U would stick to their guns and not partner with VS. I find it very disappointing that they made such a stink about it and then went on ahead anyway. Maybe there was a contractual agreement involved? Does anyone have an updates on what happened?


I love, in this Roll Call, at 0:45, she says "the University of Minnesota" like there's a question mark after it:



Disclaimer: I still love my Alma Mater. Go Gophers!

3M Command Strips: Save the Walls Update

About a month ago I posted quick blurb about Save the Walls, a humorous site dedicated to promoting 3M Command Strips to a new market: 19 year old college students. We have received a lot of traffic thanks to some killer search rankings, and also have gotten several comments regarding the campaign and audience reactions. The extra spark of attention and the overwhelming response of  “I can’t believe 3M did this!” got me thinking about the risks established brands face when attempting to target a new audience that is completely different than their core consumers.
Atomic Playpen is the creative force behind Save the Walls and partner John Biondi offered some insight in the comments on this project and the situation that they were facing.

“… We (Atomic Playpen) had to care enough about the work to cast a strategy that was right for the audience, and then stick to our recommendations even when it got tough. It also took a handful of key people on the client side you bought into our theme and its tactics and fought for the ideas with us.”

That being said, I know that we’ve all worked with difficult clients, but Atomic Playpen's persistence and planning is commendable. This campaign could not have been better for the target no matter how unlike 3M it may be. I’m not exactly sure if this campaign will stick as well as the product, but it’s getting people talking, sharing, and laughing – which are all good metrics if you ask me.

Olympics 2014: Brought to you on ESPN?

Didn’t I just post about how NBC has made itself synonymous with the Olympics? Their contract runs out in 2012, and the bidding for the 2014 and 2016 games are coming up. The news today is that ABC-owned ESPN is interested in bidding for the games, along with Fox. I wanted to compare NBC and ESPN to see how this move could affect the games:

Affiliates. In addition to ABC and ESPN, certain live events could run on ABC Family, the way NBC is making use of USA and MSNBC for additional live coverage. It could be an epic opportunity for the Disney Channel to run more Olympic-themed content for a new generation of fans.

Live broadcasting. NBC lucked out in persuading Beijing to schedule swimming and gymnastics in the morning to ensure the best events were broadcast live, but many other key events like track and field were delayed. ESPN scoffs at NBC’s tendency to save the playback for primetime and promises live broadcasts all the time. But even in this age of mobile alerts, when immediate results are only a Google away, viewers are still tuning into the games at their highest rates in years. Besides, NBC is already live streaming many events successfully, and will no doubt have even better live online coverage in six years.

Visibility. Having the Olympics on network TV in primetime ensures the potential for wide reach. Everyone assumes that the cable penetration by 2016 will be as high as Yelena Isinbayeva’s pole vault, but John Rash noted that in 2008 in Minneapolis, it’s only about 75%. Another thing: Olympic viewership, though up among males this year, generally skews female. Would Olympic sponsors like Johnson & Johnson trust that their female target will flip to ESPN in droves?

Publicity. NBC’s reach matters more than just during the games, too. Olympic promos (like that logo integration I was talking about) hit viewers in the months leading up to the game. The early hype of the #1 Today Show drives conversation and interest in the games more than Good Morning America or Sports Center ever could.

Nostalgia. For die-hard fans of “normal” sports like the MLB, it wouldn’t matter who was announcing, we would still tune in to see our Twins kill the A’s 13-2. But for the (female, not necessarily sports fan) demographic who tunes into the Olympics, the personality of the Olympic broadcasters is part of the experience. Would the post-gold-medal interviews be as good if hosted by anyone but Bob Costas? What will our morning coffee be if it can’t be enjoyed while Al Roker gives the weather live from Sochi, Russia? It all comes down to the fact that the Olympic audience matches the NBC audience better than the ESPN audience.

The I.O.C. would be making a mistake if they went with ESPN, even if they scraped a few million dollars more out of the deal. NBC has done exceptionally well with the Olympic games, driving their popularity through the roof this summer. If Michael Phelps’s 8th gold had been on ESPN, and 25% fewer people had been watching, would he still be receiving the insane amount of media coverage he’s getting now? Would the viewership even be that high without NBC’s pre-race PR? To keep interest at its peak, the I.O.C. needs to maximize their publicity, and the best way is through a network.

Now pass me the chips and dip and let’s watch some obscure sport we’ll never think of again until 2012!

UPDATE: After reading this AdAge article, I'm quite sure NBC won't be in a hurry to drop the Olympics in 2014. All together now: WHEW.

Got it right: Crocs

My fellow Yaybia-ers know my udder disdain for Crocs. I am a religious follower of the rule that there is NO excuse to wear Crocs unless you are still wetting the bed or an avid gardener. But I can tip my hat to a good campaign when I see one.

Fort-Lauderdale based Zimmerman Advertising is the mastermind behind this new campaign developed to keep the public talking about Crocs-good or bad. Too often companies shutter at the thought of creating any sort of negative attention, but for a brand like Crocs this positioning is dead on. People (like me) get overly pissed off about a pair of shoes. A PAIR OF SHOES. So instead of giving me another reason to hate Crocs, Zimmerman gave the lovers and the haters a soapbox to let their opinions be heard. Even I was attracted to the idea of saying to hell with everyone else's elitist opinions and wearing Crocs because they work for you (no worries I'm not jumping on the bandwagon quite yet)

I think the Zimmerman executive VP and CEO, Michael Goldberg, says it best, "Respect the absolute power of the consumer voice, even the critical one. They're the truth." That's something for everyone to remember.

So check it out. Love it, hate it-let us know.




And if you can't get enough, check out their "Scream" spot.

Hopefully It Won't Get Axed! (I <3 Puns)

Though it is not mentioned on maniaTV's site for the online-only TV show Midnight Rida, a spoof of the 1980's gem Knight Rider, Axe is the title sponsor of this series. They are creating a show about a secret agent intern looking to prove he has the gumption to be a real secret agent by hi-jacking an intelligent crime-fighting car from the tech department. Good plan.
Anyway, Axe is leveraging this position to promote their products which will be central to the plots, specifically the new Axe Detailer Shower Tool. It will be used to clean the car in at least one episode.



This is another of the trend of [mostly online] TV series created around a brand, rather than brands trying to fit into a TV series. Another one of my favorites was the Brawny Academy online weekly reality series, where men trained to become a true Brawny Man. This potentially cost-effective (it's been said that this cost Axe less than putting standard 30sec spots in each episode of a TV series) method of advertising is eye-catching to be certain, and allows brands to be put in the spot light. However, one wonders if it will draw enough viewers to actually be cost-efficient. At least, more viewers than say, a 30sec spot would during Mad Men.

So keep an eye out for the Midnight Rida premier this fall, it's sure to be heart-warming, full of half naked girls and a lot of suds.

New Ypulse Advisory Board Member: Libby!

I'd like to congratulate our fellow Yaybia-er Libby on her nomination to the Ypulse Advisory Board!  Ypulse is a daily news source about Generation Y for media and marketing professionals.  Libby recently graduated from the University of Minnesota and is now a media analyst at Campbell Mithun.  Her experience with media, interactive, social, and her love for sharing information make her a huge asset for Ypulse and those interested in Gen Y. Oh, and now she can get some extra mileage out of her English major! Congrats Lib!

Mad Men on Twitter

@don_draper and @joan_holloway have made their way onto Twitter as a new promotion for AMC's Mad Men. They have already done some really awesome promos like the Sterling Cooper business cards and the NYC subway wraps, but their smart and clever use of Twitter is something brands or other television shows should take note of.

Why is this so great? Let's check it out.

• Don and Joan, and I'm sure others will follow, are consistent with their character personalities and don't push show times or other Mad Men promos. Example: from Joan "Home from a night at PJ Clarke's. Carol is being a pill."
  
• They interact with each other in their Twitter feeds, not just with crazy Mad Men addicts like myself.
  
• They both requested to follow me back in less than an hour.
  
• They talk about other characters of the show (Mr. Sterling and Betty from Joan's most recent updates).
• They respond to most of their replies (at least from what I can tell).
• I now have another distraction that allows me to obsess over Don and Joan. Top score!

I would imagine that it won't be long until other networks start getting their characters involved with more social media.  The Office has done a great job with their blogs, but I think receiving updates from Dwight throughout the day would be great. Although looks like Michael Scott might have already been Twitter hijacked...unless NBC is just waiting out for the start of the new season.

"Happy Together": Target Dorm 2008

Before I started school at the U, my mom and I stocked up on dorm gear from Target. I bought a magenta comforter and matching desk lamp with a lot of orange and pink accents, and I remember being terrified that my roommate would hate all those tropical hues. I was able to move into the room first, and when I returned a few days later, after she had moved in, I was relieved and delighted to see the exact same Target collection adorning her side of the room. We had even bought the same pink chairs! Later she told me that when she unlocked the room and saw my gear, she thought to herself, "Thank God, this is gonna work."

Target picked up on college students' anxiety to get along with new roommates in this back-to-school spot. I absolutely love how Wieden + Kennedy present Target as one solution to the "will my roommate like me?" anxiety.

Good luck, incoming freshmen. Here's to nine months of dorm food, getting sexiled by your roommate, and passing out in the stairway before you can make it to that frat party. At least you'll get to stumble into an XL-twin with stylish new bedding, thanks to Target.

Yaybia + Reader Mashup: Weekend Edition

Because my friends and coworkers insisted that I go to the bar on Friday instead of writing this post and taking a nap I couldn't write my Yaybia + Reader Mashup. But that's ok, now we have a weekend edition! Check it.

• Get that beer foam outta here! Just don't let a friend do it for you.
• A direct quote from a shared item "thursday was a rough night for everyone in advertising!"
• We turned to creative beef for some insights on how to understand our clients. We spent the week with chatty clients, demanding clients, and bustin' ass to snag the RFP clients. Maybe they should be buying the drinks!
• John Rash is in our brains. Well, ok maybe not, but he alludes to the Yaybia One Love One Heart idea.
• OMMA put out one of the best atricles I've read all month on search and recommendations. A must read.
• The NY Times interactive medal count map is sure to waste a solid 8 minutes. Well worth it.
• The Fallon Planning blog posted a nice overview of the new Facebook ads that allow user comments. 
• Brands on Twitter, yer doin' it wrong.
  

A quick look at what's coming up this week on Yaybia: state tourism battle and our back to school special. Stay tuned!

Pandora Thinks I'm a Wastebag

I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with Pandora this week due to the absence of tunes on my iPhone and my increased streaming time has allowed Pandora to figure out that I’m a wastebag. I’ve always enjoyed the full screen, full color, action triggered changing ads on Pandora but when I started to pay a bit more attention when I noticed that all of the ads that were being served up were for booze! I don’t think the music genome project was tracking me last night as Libby and I proudly belted out Livin’ on a Prayer on the way home from the bar, but they are right on with matching my radio stations with the ads they give me.




Another valuable benefit of Pandora’s ad model is the addition of branded radio stations. These stations match listeners’ personal music preferences with those that are representative of certain brands. It makes perfect sense to give me a Tanqueray Radio ad when I’m listening to Timbaland! These branded stations still give users the option to rate songs, SKIP IT, and share with their friends.




I also wonder if other users are seeing an entirely different set of sponsored stations, at least I would hope so. Even though my music preferences are fairly broad with stations ranging from Teen Pop (thanks to Libby for sharing that one with me!), Don’t Stop Believin’ Radio, Best of the 90s, Guilty Pleasure Pop Punk, and Atmosphere/Mpls Hip Hop, my ads are all very relative to my lifestyle and brands I use. Besides the Kia Moms, I get lots of booze ads, Adidas, Clean & Clear, and mobile.

I listened to a few of ‘em. Check it!

• 
  
  When Tanqueray’s Summer Vibes was kicked off with Walking in Memphis I couldn’t help but smile, think of my Blarney friends, and hope that my coworkers don’t think I’m nuts for rocking out at work again.
• 
  Kia’s Moms who Rock station played Melissa Ethridge first (ironic). Umm, SKIP IT!
  
• And of course I had to check out Verizon’s V CAST Song ID station for our friend Mike who is on the Verizon account at McCann. Nelly Furtado and Keyshia Cole on a Friday, yeah!
• Blue Moon’s Brewhouse Radio was far better than their Happy Hour station, but either way, the bright orange background and a little hope for an earlier than usual beer Friday is alright with me! Had to kill it though when More Than a Feeling came on.
• Clean & Clear Radio brought me wonderful live Jason Mraz but I got bored quickly and didn’t enjoy looking at the 16 year old girls in my browser.
  

If anyone else has a completely different set of stations and ads let us know, we’d love to hear about ‘em!





UPDATE! Even with a killer ad model, Pandora may be forced to pull the plug! What are we going to do with out our daily dose of Teen Pop?! User driven Muxtape just recently got shut down by the RIAA and it doesn't look like they're slowing down on the crackdown. Bah!

One Love One Heart

Great advertising starts with rock solid planning. From research, segmentation, and strategy development, great campaigns embrace the uniqueness of each consumer. In a fragmented world, these segmentation skills are essential, but they also highlight the rarity of events and emotions that broad groups of people are passionate about.

The Olympics: Of course they are valuable with ratings as high as those insane male gymnasts, Phelps’s press attention, and hours of uninterrupted coverage on air and online -- but what really makes them special is their ability to draw interest, attention, and involvement from people all over the world. No other [positive] event captures this many eyes or conversations.

I love planning and crafted campaigns that connect with individuals and local markets (yeah I’m talking about that farmer in Westhope, ND), but events like this make me stop and realize the power of those rare hidden gems that bring everyone together. Cheering for your team while embracing the only world event that doesn’t involve oil or an arms race may only happen every two years, but its impact can last much longer.

I don’t know if a brand or campaign could ever connect in such a way, but it’s worth striving for, or at least becoming a sponsor or partner.

This post could have lived on its own, but it fits better in Yaybia’s Flame Carrying Extreme Javelin Throwing Perfect Ten Olympic Blast!

Obama's "Grassroots" Marketing Taken Literally

My North Dakota boyfriend sent me this photo a few weeks ago. He took it near Westhope, a tiny farming town just a few miles from the Canadian border. The fact that someone from a traditionally blood-red Republican community would take the time to craft such an elaborate display blows me away. There’s not a brand in the world that wouldn’t be elated to see their name displayed like this.

Other Obama-related news: Text message updates to announce his running mate. This is why Obama just GETS it. He chose a medium that is relevant, immediate, and personal. Texting this news matches his platform of change, obviously, and also of equality: news reporters and high-powered officials won’t hear the news before the farmer in Westhope. Also, there has been talk about Obama losing some momentum after he won the Democratic nomination. This is the perfect way for him to fire his supporters back up and reinforce the idea that they are an integral part of Team Obama. Or should I say Brand Obama?

New Competitive Tool has Potential

In beta, Yureekah! has potential for being a very fun tool to use. It searches the web to find banner ads of you and your competitors based on either brand or keyword. I've played around in the beta for a bit, but there isn't much there yet- only a few banner ads to speak of and a lot of duplicates, which makes sense since they also show which sites the ad was found on. Also, some searches yield unhelpful results. Example: my search for "Dairy Queen" gave me a lot of ads for Jenny Craig featuring Queen Latifah. Hopefully the official launch will bring a more comprehensive, appropriate list. This could be very helpful when looking to see what competitors are doing, or what a new client is doing currently, rather than hoping you come across a banner while surfing the web to take a screenshot of it. If you can, I would suggest playing around with this tool- I definitely see its potential.

Visa, The Only Card Accepted There

I love Visa's "Go World" Olympic Campaign. It celebrates inspiring moments in Olympic's history, not just victories, as seen by this Derek Redmond Ad (who popped his hamstring in the race):



Also be sure to check out Kip Keino's victory on the Visa site, which was the marked as the beginning of Kenyans being awesome runners.

However, it sucks to me that they have monopolized the credit card industry (though I know it's common practice to do so; does anyone accept Discover anymore?) for the games. Nothing would suck more than waiting in line with your American Express and being denied awesome Olympic swag.

space150 Mobile Marketing Workshop

If you happened to miss space150's DeepSpace Mobile Marketing Workshop at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, be sure to check out the website to see the presentations, which will be posted soon!

The Athletes Are Headed to Beijing, But We're Heading to NBC

In yesterday's Rash Report, John Rash remarked that this week, "ABC, the 'Olympic Network' during the Jim McKay days of the '70s and '80s, will yield to NBC, this generation's Olympic network." It got me thinking about how wonderfully NBC has branded their coverage of the Olympics. I know that I won't think twice about which channel to flip to on Friday night when Erin and I (and probably some of our other Yaybies) will settle in on the couch for the opening ceremonies. Here are my thoughts on NBC's successful branding of their station as the home for the Olympics:

1. Logo integration. The peacock frequently appears with the gleaming Olympic rings underneath, even in years without the games. Although it does lend itself to some pretty fantastic "peaCock Rings" puns...

2. SEO/SEM. Google "Olympics," and check out the top paid search result and the second- or third-highest natural search result. (They're not doing so well for natural results on more specific terms like "Beijing Olympics" or "2008 Olympics" though.) Their dedicated website, NBCOlympics.com, provides in-depth profiles, 24-hour updates, and some streaming coverage.

3. Today show coverage. Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and the other personalities that embody the NBC brand have been prepping us for the games all summer. Who doesn't love seeing Matt Lauer and Michael Phelps in skin-tight bodysuits, anyway?

It's a no-brainer which channel to turn to on Friday night for my Beijing fix. The question is--will the ratings be high enough to make NBC's extensive investments in branding and rights to the coverage worthwhile?

UPDATE: The #1 Google search trend today (August 8) is "nbc beijing 2008 olympic games." Case in point!

Yaybia + Google Reader Olympic Style.

Yaybia’s Flame Carrying Extreme Javelin Throwing Perfect Ten Olympic Blast!



Here are some of the top Olympic posts that have been popping up in our Google Reader feeds today. Check it!

• McDonald's launched an interactive game to go with their official Olympic partnership. I didn't have time to play with it much, but go find The Lost Ring!

• This week's Project Runway featured Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno during their Olympic opening ceremony attire challenge. Mixed feelings from the judges and Gawker. Whatever, if it involves Heidi Klum, sign me up.

• Not really feeling the TV or Internet to get your Olympics fix? How 'bout a video game! Sega dropped the official Beijing 2008 game for PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and mobile phones. I don't know if it will beat playing Nagano Games on N64 (I rocked at giant slalom!) but I'm sure it will give it a run for it's money, or should I say medals!

• Get up close and personal with the Beijing 2008 Torch! Great post about the design concept, relay lantern, and Olympic couldron. And no, it's not sponsored by Target.

Have more great Olympic news/posts/articles to share? We'd love to hear 'em. Comments or emails welcome!

Teddy Bear Love

Team USA pandas kind of make me want to find an excuse to stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel. That, and I'd like a reason to go on a vacation.

Johnson & Johnson Movement: Beijing 2008

Today I am adding to Yaybia’s Flame Carrying Extreme Javelin Throwing Perfect Ten Olympic Blast!
Johnson & Johnson: one of the most well respected, beloved companies in the world.
Their movement into the Beijing Olympics: lovely.

J&J was the ninth official sponsor of the Beijing Olympics. They are sticking to their values of promoting health and well-being by not only supporting Olympics athletes and medical staff with training, products and services, but also by working to better the health of families in China in general. Here in a sample of just some of the many initiatives J&J is putting into action for their Olympic Movement:

BAND-AID Brand Olympics Education Campaign
Is an initiative to teach, inspire, and motivate young people. Volunteers, along with 800,000 sets of posters, will be sent to elementary and secondary schools around China to help 400 million students learn about the values that [should] define the Olympics. They will also teach basics of health and wound care.

Oral Care
Will provide free dental products to 1600 athletes from underdeveloped countries including REACH toothbrushes and LISTERINE mouthwash.

Medical Training
Is the official volunteer training center of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They will help 80 Chinese physicians and 2000 medical personnel prepare for the Olympics.

The iVillage Family Room
Partnering with iVillage, this site began on March 3, 2008 and follows the lives of Olympics hopefuls Tina Ellertson (Soccer); twin brothers Paul & Morgan Hamm (Gymnastics); Reese Hoffa (Track & Field); Chellsie Memmel (Gymnastics); siblings Steve & Katie Mocco (Wrestling & Judo); and Lauryn Williams (Track & Field). The webisodes will continue to follow the lives of them and their families for 5 months, until this week when the Beijing Olympics begin. There are also blogs, social networking, and forum to check out.

What I love most about J&J's campaign, or movement as they are calling it, is that this is not a "let's sponsor the Olympics, improve our image (which hardly needs improving anyway) and then get out". Rather, their budget for China is increasing for the Olympics, which they are using as a stepping stone for further ventures in China. They will then continue to have a larger presence (and larger budget) in China so as to leverage those 1.3 billion people. This not only benefits J&J, but will hopefully contribute to China's economy after the Olympics are done and other sponsors pack up their bags and leave.

An unfortunate wrinkle, from all aspects and for all sponsors, is the controversy involved around the violence and human rights violations in China (see previous entries regarding online brand health). Pressure is being put on corporations to wield influence over China to initiate change (since the top 12 global sponsors have a GDP as big as Canada's). However, with J&J's initiative focusing on the improvement of health and well being, could it be that they are working toward improvement by sponsoring the Games rather than withdrawing? Let's see what they say.

In the words of Johnson & Johnson: Yin Ai Er Sheng ("Because we care, we act")

*Be sure to check out some of these other promoters of health, well being, and safety at the 2008 Beijing Olympics*

Words to Live By

Jennifer Johnson always says never cry at work.

Yay Paris (and no... I'm not being sarcastic)

Okay, so this has nothing to do with the Olympics. However, since we Yaybies like to stay current, I decided to talk about Paris Hilton's response to the McCain "Celebrity" ad. But first, take a looksie:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Not only do I detest the fact that McCain is trying to equate Obama's celebrity to that of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton (hello- a man growing up poor and working his way up the social classes isn't quite the same as a snobby heiress or a pop princess), but I also want to scream out a quick "Yaybia" after watching Paris' response. Who would have thought that I would be rooting for Britney and Paris rather than a respected politician? (Methinks no one.)

I say, way to stand up for yourself, girl! True, you probably paid big bucks to have someone write that eloquent response to the energy crisis, but you can afford it... so why not? Miss Hilton may have to forgo a few drinks at the next club or maybe even a cute new pair of shoes to make up for the expense (gasp!), but it was probs the best money she's ever spent.

What do y'all think?

P.S. You're all "so hot."

Coke We8 Campaign: Beijing 2008

A couple weeks ago Alicia posted the first of which has now become Yaybia’s Flame Carrying Extreme Javelin Throwing Perfect Ten Olympic Blast! After the post, we were tipped off with more information about Coke We8 campaign. I’m going to give you the run down TinyURL style. [For all our digi-capped readers, that means the short version!]

The Concept
Foster cultural and artistic exchange between artists from around the world, to express the global connections embodied in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The Project
In recognition of the world coming together for Beijing 2008, Coca-Cola invited global artists to jointly depict what this monumental occasion means to them.

The Themes
Happiness, Peace on Earth, Uplifting Moments, Human Collaboration, Individual Perseverance, Global Harmony, Active Optimism and Healthy World [Yaybia honorable mention: <3]

The Creative Product
The result of the artistic bridging of cultures is a new “WE8” series of eight highly stylized, aluminum contour bottle designs for Coca-Cola by China’s leading forces in graphic arts. And for each limited-edition bottle design all inspired by themes from the “Coke Side of Life” brand marketing campaign – a talented musical artist has composed a companion song.

The images link to mp3s, check it!

Check back this week for more fun posts during Yaybia’s Flame Carrying Extreme Javelin Throwing Perfect Ten Olympic Blast!

Dove's Fall From Above... Not Really

Online brand health, a particularly favorite topic of Libby's lately, has been on my mind. While researching today I happened upon Axe commercials on YouTube and one of the videos displayed the controversy of Unilever owning both Dove and Axe, and the polar opposite views they portray of women. This video showed up in the first 20 results both for Axe and for Dove:



I know this is an older topic, covered heavily about a year ago when the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty came out, and women who were so touched by the campaign were outraged when they found out that their advocates at Dove were in cahoots with their enemies at Axe. Axe users didn't care. I wanted to see, however, where this case ended up. As far as I can tell, this "scandal" received little, if any, response from Unilever, they are producing Dove and Axe commercials as they always have been, and even though there was all this negative buzz (which has dissipated) around their company and their brands, Unilever has enjoyed about a 12% revenue growth over the past year. My thoughts:

1) It's soap. While Dove (and Axe, though more controversially) did generate a stronger reaction from the community than most hygiene products would ever hope to, most people just don't invest any emotions into their soap of choice so weren't scandalized by the news.
2) They are both good ad campaigns, selling what they are supposed to be selling and doing it well.
3) People don't want to punish Dove's good intentions because of Axe's sexual ones.
4) I'm overreacting. This didn't get as much press as I thought because I am a blog whore (especially when it comes to brands and advertising). I'll bet 95% of the people I know have no idea Unilever owns both, but that they wouldn't care anyway.
5) People are more focused on the fact that Unilever owns both SlimFast and Ben & Jerry's. Now there's a controversy.

I <3 MicroSites

In my readings and research today I have stumbled upon a fun little time-waster/educational microsite from the UK-based utilities company, National Grid. My favorite part of the site is where you get to "adopt" a polar bear and improve its well-being by answering questions about the environment and what activities are worse for our fragile ecosystem. I have spent an, I'm sorry to say, large amount of time feeding my bear, Bubbles, fish and making her run around for exercise. This site is called Floe.

Branding Beijing

With the Summer Olympics almost upon us (6 days woo! hoo!), I thought I would take this moment to reflect on the good, bad and ugly branding efforts centered around Beijing. I invite all other Yaybia-ers and readers to add efforts that they notice in the upcoming days.

1. adidas
For the last three years adidas has been working hard to build a relationship with China. So it's a natural fit that their three-striped logo will be draped over all the Olympic athletes during the games. An official Olympic sponsorship comes with a $100 million dollar price tag, but viewers often have a hard time remembering if Nike or adidas sponsored the games. In fact, in a survey conducted by Forbes magazine found that most consumers could not name the official sponsor of the Olympics and often named the brand they thought was "best" within that category. 40% believed that Nike was the official sponsor of the games.

adidas's Olympic TV spot is pretty spectacular in my opinion. It embodies everything an Olympic ad should be: communal, aspirational and inspiring.




2. Lenovo
This tech company is jumping on the bandwagon by producing limitied edition laptops and USB drives shaped as USB drives. The notebooks will be autographed by Olympic athletes and sold in charity auctions. Reminds me of the HP "livestrong" laptops of a few years back.

3. Gucci
This luxury retailer is introducing 8 exclusive accessories to pay homage to the luckiest number in Chinese culture. The gear includes a I-Gucci watch, a leather duffel, a soft leather messenger bag and this bizarre Gucci bicycle. (yes, a Gucci bike!)



4. Elasun
Okay, okay I couldn't resist with this one. A Chinese condom producer is getting in on the action (bad pun!). These viral ads are turning a lot of heads in Beijing.


Go Michael Phelps!!!!!

Save the Walls 3M Command Strips

3M just came out with a new microsite called Save the Walls for its Command Strips. I'm a bit surprised that 3M went as far as this, but I think it's a fun use of video and improv. The sketches towards the end are my favorite. Go check it out! Also, a co-worker of mine also used to do stand up with the Abercrombie lookin' dude in Minneapolis!

Yaybia Mashup #2: iPhone, ICANN, Gossip Girl

A few weeks ago I posted the first Google Reader Yaybia mashup, and now I've got installment numero dos. These are some of the highlights that my fellow Yaybia-ers and our friends have been geekin' out about in Reader this week. Ready, break!

1. Congrats to Lauren on her first Yaybia post. She is gradually overcoming her digi-cap. Today she mastered blogging and the importance of including http:// in links.

2. We (well, Libby and I) accidentally/were forced to update our iPhones to the 2.0 firmware and we hate it. Bah, give us back our jailbroken phones. 2.0 doesn't have any customize options and crashes more than before. I was diggin' the Pandora app until it froze my phone and then put a screen shot image into my photos, wtf!? SKIP IT. Instead, we'll take 2.0 hacks and Macbook Touch?!?!

3. ICANNhazcheesburger is going to make the Internet explode. i iz in ur interwebs messin with ur dns!

4. Gossip Girl is back with sexy and shocking new ads promoting the new season. You know you love 'em.

5. Last but not least, Advergirl never ceases to bring us exactly what we want to read. She's so smart all the time I don't even understand how that's possible. Like us, she likes to SKIP IT and she's always giving us tips on how not to suck at life.

P.S. this is gross and yes please.

Trendy

I of course noticed the oddly specific trends in movies:

1) A Bug's Life v. Antz
2) Shark Tale v. Finding Nemo
3) Shrek v. Happily Never After v. Hoodwinked
4) Flushed Away v. Ratatouille
5) Superheroes

and so on... I could keep going. What has always amused me is sometimes how specific two ideas from two completely different sources can be, when arriving on the scene at approximately the same times. Here are two of my faves in advertising right now:

An homage to The Shining:





An homage to cactus men:





How would you feel if you thought you were clever enough to come up with cactus made human and then your originality is foiled by an interspecies pregnancy? Or maybe they just ripped eachother off...

Time for some campaignin'!

Found this on the BBC today and it immediately became an office favorite. You gotta appreciate a video that pokes fun of all sides.


oh, and i salute the promotion for jibjab.com. Fabulous.

ʞǝǝʍ ǝɥʇ ɟo ɹǝʇsɐʍ ǝɯıʇ ǝʇıɹoʌɐɟ

not sure if this was the tool used to get back at google last week, but it's sure fun to play with. yaybia!

¡ɐıqʎɐʎ ˙ɥʇıʍ ʎɐld oʇ unɟ ǝɹns s,ʇı ʇnq 'ʞǝǝʍ ʇsɐl ǝlƃooƃ ʇɐ ʞɔɐq ʇǝƃ oʇ pǝsn looʇ ǝɥʇ sɐʍ sıɥʇ ɟı ǝɹns ʇou

The Coke Side of Olympics

Somehow, someway Coca-Cola continues to delight us with their "Coke Side of Life" campaign. We all can recall the wonderment we felt when watching the Happiness Factory spot for the first time. I know I felt like I found the freaking Narnia wardrobe! And while their new "Bird's Nest" spot for the Olympics isn't quite as magical, it's endearing nonetheless:



It's amazing to me how much I love the Coke brand, considering I hate the taste of colas. Spots like these make me wish I had not tried my first sip of the stuff out of a near-boiling can from my dad's car in the summer, forever ruining the possibility of affection for such a drink. Bleh.

But, even if the vile beverage is not on my grocery list, I still love the warm and fuzzy feeling the brand gives me.

Brands react to rocket high gas prices

With gas prices being astronomically out-of-control I am so thankful I haven't driven a car since May. But for my Minnesotan friends without the luxury of superior public transportation I know that cutting corners is a definite reality.

And of course, brands are noticing the mounting consumer anxiety and taking action. Some just come off as another gimmick that brands are taking advantage of and others have succeeded at taking a more personal route.

I'm just loving what Zipcar is planning on doing on July 21. They have a lot of things going for them as of the moment: everyone's becoming a green freak or a wannabe, people are sick of paying for gas instead of groceries and sustainability is oh-s0-hot (I blame Gore).

So Zipcar announced it's "low car diet." On July 21st they are challenging Americans to go car-free for a full 30 days. You hand over your keys (literally) and they give you a complimentary transit pass, a free one year Zipcar membership, drive time credit and a handful of other perks from local partners. For example, in the good old NYC Zoo York is donating skateboards to participants.

On August 15th they will hold a completion event where people can share and compare their car-free experience.

This is a great idea: fits the brand image, it's news worthy, makes the brand seem like a caring and concerned friend of the consumer. A definite downside is the small scale of the event. I read on one blog that they are only accepting 30 to 50 online applicants. The applicants are selected based on their commitment to drive less.

So great idea Zipcar. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.

Impressive Promo

Between working at a strictly digital agency, and working hard to keep myself updated in the industry (which mostly consists of online/mobile related developments), I almost forget that "traditional" advertising and promotions still exist and are still extremely relevant. Then, at good ol' B. Loco last night I was brought back to reality. Let me share with you the conversation I had the privilege of sitting in on (I had little to add; I don't really think I could relate with my Daisy razors that my mom bought for me. Always was the one with the free sample that "made me feel like a women"):

Guy 1: "You know what I thought was genius? When I turned 18, Gillette sent me a free razor kit and shaving cream!"
Guys 2, 3, 4: "Me too!"
Guy 1: "I haven't used any other brand since."
Guy 2: "Yeah, I use them all the time too."
Guys 3,4: "Me, too."
Guy 2: "Huh. What other brands for razors are there?"
Long Pause
Guy 3: "Bic. The crappy orange ones that cut you up after one use."
Guy 4: "Don't they make pens?"
Guy 1: "I think they make both. But I don't like either."
Guy 2: "You know why Gillette was genius? They were the first company to make you feel like a man. Before that, I always just used my dad's stuff."
Guy 1: "Yeah... another round of beers?"

So, 4+ years later at least one group of guys remember you, Gillette. Enough to talk about you now. I hope you are still doing that promo, because not only did it work, it's still talk-worthy today. I know my brother talked about it when he got one.

Red Bull Illume Minneapolis

Red Bull Illume has made its way to Minneapolis and the exhibit is set up on the Stone Arch Bridge from July 10th - 20th. The Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2006 is the first-ever international photography competition that celebrates the world of action and adventure sports -- A perfect match for the brand image. I grabbed these pics quick on my run tonight as the production crew was setting up. Red Bull was at the Weisman with the Art of the Can exhibit last year and is back with their latest branded art exhibit.

Art and museums are all the rage with the current Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue exhibit drawing attention to AMC's Mad Men series and Scion's Installation 4 exhibits that toured last year. Exhibits like these provide a unique way for people to be engaged with the brand. We love it, more photos/posts to come as we see the actual exhibit next week! For now, check out the set ups.


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Totally Scrabble Tuesday Live Blog!

This is the first Yaybia live blog and I hope you are all as excited as we are! I'm here with my fellow Yaybia-ers, Libby, Alicia, Lauren***, and Danielle** are here watching Totally Scrabble Tuesday at my house and eating some delicious Hamburger Helper (yeah, just a TST thing) and WE JUST GOT ON TV! We earned a whopping 28 points for the word "quoth" like in Shakespeare. Pretty sure that's the first time Libby's English major has been put to good use.


**Danielle is new -- feel dumb for not adding her sooner.
***Lauren has "one uber giant digi-cap"

UPDATE! We just got on again! Spelled "void" 16 points with a triple letter score on the V. Woo! And we are going to buy Hamil a birthday beer at Mortimer's after Scrabble tonight.


OH.MY.GOD we just got on again! Three times in one night! (that's what she said?) 11 points for "binds". Yeah, not our best, but we'll take it!

Alright, sorry for the explotions of excitement in this post but if you were watching, you'd understand. Play with us next week Tuesday at 11:00pm on MTN 17!

UPDATE 2!! Yes, we actually went to Mortimer's to buy Hamil a birthday beer. He also kicked my ass in foosball and brought his crew, Ray and Carolyn, who are also involved at MTN. Yaybia!

Why I Love my Yaybies

It’s quite amazing, actually, how much of a fraud I am. To those who come into my acquaintance only briefly, I seem to be a highly knowledgeable person in advertising; one who knows of hip trends, clever new media executions, and insider Internet/technology news. But NEWSFLASH: most of this façade comes not from my own searching and learning, but from the people that I care about most who stand beside me and supply me with everything I might need to know.

Do I keep Libby, Erin, and the other yaybies in my pocket at all times? I wish.

No, I am just fortunate enough to share Google Reader items with them. It makes me think of the old adage: “It’s not about what you know, but WHOM you know.” I like to think that whom you know leads to what you know. My friends are the most intelligent people that I know, and therefore I become more intelligent by sharing information with them and vice versa.

Lindsay has great fashion sense, unlike me, and her sharing of high-fashion photography and the like offers me loads of inspiration as an art director. Libby is a media wizard, which is a field of advertising that I am quite obtuse in. Through her, I am able to understand more and more about the subject. Erin updates me on SEO and other dealings with the Interwebs that I would never research by myself. These women, and many more, mold me into a more well rounded advertising professional each day, and for that I am forever grateful.

Long story short, this is just a love letter to all of my smart friends, and a warning to all of you who have yet to start sharing. Start sharing, keep sharing, and continuously surround yourself with people whom you admire, because they can shape your mind into one that is unimaginably better.

Yaybia's Favorite Blogs Round One: Libby

Many recent posts have been tagged teamed by Erin and Libby. This is no exception. Check it!

If you’ve ever paid attention to the Shared Items links over there on the right, you know that we’re addicted to our Google Readers. Personally, I subscribe to over 120 RSS feeds, but I know that can be overwhelming for those who might be just starting to overcome their digi-cap and venture into the world of RSS aggregators. I thought I'd give you a rundown of some of my most-shared blogs so you too can obsessively follow news of the ad world, technology, the interwebs, and LOLCats.

1) Advergirl. If I could only read one ad blog, this would be it. Advergirl offers less commentary on ads than someone like Copyranter (who is hilarious, btw) but she gives her readers a window into the world of agency life. She offers clear, thoughtful insight into social media and online marketing. Most notably, I referred to her series for young professionals dozens of times as I was sending out resumes and interviewing for my first agency job. Thanks Advergirl!

2) the daily (ad) biz. need we (say) more?

3) View from the Bottom. The Girl Riot describes herself as one of “the adstar wannabes climbing the corporate ladder…as yet uncorrupted, somewhat uncouth, and utterly unrestrained.” She chronicles her first year as a copywriter and her thoughts on social media. Bonus points for using the phrase Digital Natives!

4) Newly Corporate. It’s good to know we’re not alone when facing awkward first career experiences and life after college . Email? Jabber? Are meetings ever on time?! Ahh!

5) Wired Gadget Lab. We. Love. Technology.

6) KillerStartups.com - It’s always fun guessing which sites will take off and which ones will Fail Whale it.

For pure entertainment, check out Cute Overload, LOLcats, Overheard in Minneapolis (or your city of choice), and Best Week Ever. I get more tech news from Digg/Technology and national news from CNN or the Huff Post. For local happenings, I check MNSpeak and the Strib. MediaPost and AdAge MediaWorks keep me up to date on the industry, and of course, no advertiser should go a day without AdAge Latest News and New York Times Media & Advertising.

Google Reader takes seconds to set up and is worth trying solely for its “suggested feeds” feature. And don’t forget to add all the Yaybia writers as Google friends so we can all keep sharing.

AAIBYY (13 points)

Cable subscribers in the city of Minneapolis might not be aware of the hidden gem that awaits them on Tuesdays at 11:00pm on MTN 17. Sandwiched between Black Economics and Red Cross Heroes Breakfast is Totally Scrabble Tuesdays, a show that pits the city of Minneapolis against its host, Hamil, in a Triple-Word-Score fight to the death. Viewers battle against each other to be the first on the line (yes, one phone line) to challenge Hamil but can converse and plot their next moves at defeathamil.net (obviously not standing much of a chance with a .net domain). Hamil is relentless with his knack for double- and triple-word scores on words like "quiz" (22 points) and "kex" (14 points). Totally Scrabble Tuesdays, in all its poorly lit, fuzzy quality glory, combines two of our favorite branding techniques: local and true interaction.


As we've mentioned, TST is impossibly low-budget. But I bet Hamil could make a few bucks--and advertisers could gain a few very attentive viewers--if he opened the show up to ultra-local sponsorships. Not cheesy ones, like getting a free coffee if you spell "Caribou" for 14 points, but more along the lines of Doritos' Stephen Colbert partnership. But even if the Minnesota Twins don't have Joe Mauer make a special guest appearance or Stub & Herb's doesn't provide Hamil with free beers-of-the-month, we'll keep tuning in.

Technically, according to the MTN handbook , public access isn't supposed to be ad-supported. But their definition of "advertising" is pretty loose, and mostly just doesn't want to include brands that do not "further the noncommercial message of the program." Let's face it; there's a brand name pretty prominently displayed right in the title of the show...and regular viewers would agree that topics on TST range from Michael Jackson to LOLcats on a regular basis. It wouldn't be impossible to imagine a brand or two sneaking in.

So kick back, grab a piping hot bowl of Hamburger Helper and an ice cold Keystone Light and check it out.

I like the pretties.

A) This brings me back to the musical geekdom of my youth.
B) It's visually stunning.
C) Touch screens are always exciting.
D) Kind of reminds me of Fantasia... and I liked Fantasia. (I know... I'm one of THOSE kids!)



I think I just jizmed.