the thought

Humor in advertising is well-worn conceptual territory. We all know that, employed effectively, it can warm the brand-addled cockles of our cynical hearts and give an air of, dare I say, personality to everything from a franchise sandwich joint to domestic beer. Most of us have felt the psychological tug of this approach – love or hate the overt appeal to our absurdist/silly/12-year-old selves, especially when there is a sale on the line, we do find ourselves emotionally interacting with ideas in a different way when there’s a wink and a nudge involved.

Case in point, take a recent Cadillac TV spot vs. a familiar one from Toyota. Cadillac, or their famous, flame-haired, 40 is the new 30 talking head, would have me believe that the new model can shift us girls into ‘sexy but classy’ gear in less than 60 seconds – like a good car should. Well maybe, except most of us have experienced some level of let-down (and on occasion outright betrayal) from the hair color, bubble bath, distilled liquor, range-top, and metallic-hued lip plumper that was supposed to do the very same thing. I’m not denying that the Cadillac spot made an impression at all, nor am I intimating that isn’t an effective campaign. However, I do have to say that although I am about 70-30 percent certain that I’ll never be locked in a vehicle that is parked in a canon range with a nursing badger riding shotgun, I appreciated Toyota’s overstatement because it represents a concerted effort to make me smile… and yes, buy something.

It’s true, like most things in life, humor in advertising can go horribly wrong. I’ll refrain from mentioning some of the recent worst offenders but I trust we can all remember the utter horror and disdain with which we greeted some of the conceptual abominations that turned our frowns into that face babies make when they eat a pickle. Also, I’m not sure that humor is the right way to go across the board. It’s genuinely difficult to imagine a knee-slapping spot for prostate medication or the US Army.

I am, however, certain that advertisers will keep trying to create that perfect balance of humor and product information. Because although I have no idea what a Vortec or Vortex engine is, except that it sounds like something out of The Dark Crystal, and I’m pretty sure that the only time a car is going to turn me on is if it has a photo-realistic airbrushed portrait of Gerard Butler with strategically placed racing stripes, I do know that I feel a certain measure of favor toward a particular brand when my first association is a chuckle.

12:28 PM | Permalink

Today waiting for me in my inbox was Nielsen’s “Three Screen Report: Television, Internet and Mobile Usage in the U.S.” This is the first of what should become a quarterly report that summarizes the amount of activity, including video viewing, which occurs on a monthly basis by the average user over the three screens of television, Internet, and mobile. For us media planners, definitely good reading!

While I’m still looking closely at all the numbers, I did want to call out a few top-line findings:
• The screen time of the average American continues to increase, up 4% from last year
• While Americans are watching more traditional television than ever, an increasing amount of time is also spent viewing video on the Internet and on mobile phones
• The amount of time-shifted TV is up a solid 56% to almost 6 hours per month
• In May 2008, the average viewer spent 2 hours & 19 minutes watching online video with women having a higher propensity to watch video online
• As of Q1 2008, 6% (13.9 million persons) are paying for a mobile video plan for their phones, up 65% from Q1 2007

So what does this mean for you? Send me an e-mail at jeff.pugel@thayermedia.com and I’ll be happy to discuss this with you and interpret what this means for your marketing plans.

06:38 PM | Permalink

I don’t know why I was so surprised, but my 8 year old grandson’s birthday last week was first and foremost about Indiana Jones. The wish list, the party, all of it!

He wasn’t really that over the moon about the movies, but the hundreds of commercials on TV did the trick. He wants everything he sees. Apparently, 8 year olds all over America are fascinated. Why not? Star Wars in particular has done a brilliant job of targeting all ages with their marketing strategies and Indiana Jones is the current “hot” campaign.

At the birthday party, twelve 8 year olds went on treasure hunts, through obstacle courses that included a rope swing and a cave, and were, for a short time, completely immersed in Indiana Jones adventures! He received the hat, the Lego Indiana Jones video game (which is really fun, I have to admit), the Lego Indy Motorcycle set, and much to his parent’s chagrin, the WHIP.

Do you suppose we’ll be seeing hundreds of miniature Indy Jones’ all over America this Halloween?

YOU BET!

10:08 AM | Permalink

It seems that times are tough - as most of us are aware. With gas prices soaring through the roof, everyone is looking for fuel efficient, small, 4-cylinder cars rather than the enormous SUV’s or trucks that used to rule the road. It’s interesting how people were so quick to go spend the money for a gas guzzling SUV two years ago when gas was really not that much cheaper. Now, those same people are trying to trade in or sell their vehicles. Unfortunately, they can’t. Dealerships won’t take trucks or SUV’s right now and if they do, you better believe you won’t get much for it. With the cost of fuel rising, car values are depreciating rapidly. In some cases, the value has depreciated up to $30,000 in just 5 years - now that is depreciation. If you want to sell a truck, SUV, Jeep or pretty much anything that gets less than 25 Miles to gallon, you had better come up with some strategic marketing. A local man in Denver has actually resorted to standing on the side of the road with a sign trying to sell his Jeep. Although it may seem like a good idea and unique marketing, the Jeep still has not sold because most people are thinking that the man is panhandling instead of actually trying to sell something. I feel for the guy, it takes a lot to stand out with a sign all day just to try to sell a Jeep. His marketing may not have been the best to begin with, but it has gotten him some attention now. 9News did a story on him and I heard it mentioned on the KALC morning show. With attention like that, I’m sure this man’s SUV will get sold now. I would definitely call that Strategy.

12:44 PM | Permalink