Posted by Kate Fleming on Thu, May 21, 2009 @ 08:38 AM
I guess if you live in California the contents of the following post will not necessarily be news to you, but it took me some combination of cleaning my apartment and NPR to learn about the Mars Fling, a new “chocolate finger” for the woman who wants to “pleasure [her]self.”
Yeah, I kind of have your attention now, don’t I? And not necessarily in a good way. While I won’t go so far as to say “train wreck” or “side-of-the-road crash,” there’s still more of I’m-kind-of-icked-out-but-I-can’t-look-away quality to the campaign. In the NPR segment on the product, the highly-sensible guest expert Lisa Johnson, the co-author of Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy—and How to Increase Your Share of This Crucial Market, summed it up quite aptly: "It feels creepy."
Back to those “chocolate fingers”… Apparently working off of the ideas that 1) the feminine chocolate products industry is underdeveloped and underserved; 2) chocolate and sex both rank high on the average woman’s list of pleasures (when is the alcohol-infused version coming out?); and 3) women are unable to resist things that are pink and/or sparkly (guilty as charged), Mars—working with its marketing agency Taylor Global Inc.—conceived of the perfect chocolate bar, ahem, finger for women.
Fling.
Fling is described in all its glory at www.flingchocolate.com. Yes, it’s “naughty…but not that naughty.” And, hey, “You never know when you’ll want to have a Fling.” And where visitors are urged, “Let yourself go. Have a Fling.” or “Try it in public.”
Believe me I would. If I still lived in San Francisco, where I could buy Fling at my local Walgreens or Longs. Alas, I live in New York…
Quite honestly, the actual Fling sounds good to me. It’s chocolate.
But the whole marketing campaign? All I can say is, it kind of feels like they went all old school in building it out and doing their market research. Like kind of more that some people in some offices sat down and talked about what women want (Chocolate! Sex in the City! Pink and glitter!) then pushed it out. Sure, I have no doubt that they talked to a lot of focus groups and got good feedback, but it seems like they didn’t really figure out their target audience.
Which brings me back to one of our favorite topics: the value of social media. It seems like reaching out to online communities and social networks might be just as helpful in creating a product—and its surrounding campaign—as reaching out to those groups after launch. After all, all of those groups—of chocolate enthusiasts, women, sex-chocolate conflaters, etc.—no doubt have plenty of opinions on what they like and don’t like in their current crop of chocolate choices. And their ideas might just help build a bottom-up (ugh—now everything’s tainted. See?! Another…) new brand of chocolate that women really are excited about. Or how to make it feel like an illicit pleasure without resorting to silly—and kind of tired—sexual innuendo.
Because honestly, what is so appealing about the same people who brought me talking M&Ms suddenly talking to me about fingers and pleasure? Blarf. Add to that the fact that package looks like it might contain tampons or Hello Kitty! paraphernalia and I’m sort of confused and maybe not so much in the mood for chocolate anymore.
I’ll be curious to see what fortune holds for the Fling. As for me, I’m off to London this weekend where perhaps—if fortune smiles on me—I will be reminded of the true meaning of fling.
Posted by Gretel Going on Tue, Jan 06, 2009 @ 11:36 AM
Formerly titled: Random things I thought about while hanging out in Indianapolis with my parents for the holidays...
"Truth in advertising" is somewhat of an outdated phrase considering that advertising itself is in purgatory. Authenticity, loyalty and compassion have largely replaced old-fashioned manipulation tactics, but to those who grew up with traditional advertising, cynicism still mars their relationship with anything even slightly promotional.
In other words: many people are so conditioned not to believe the messages out there, that even in the face of honesty and transparency, they respond with hostility and doubt.
Here's a real life example:
My dad works in foreclosures (which is, for obvious reasons, a really hot market right now). Considering he gets all of his new properties directly from the bank or the courthouse, the last thing he's ever looking for is a new client. What this means for my dad-a man who thrives on tasteless humor, who loves to shock people with his severe political incorrectness, and who doesn't abide to other people's opinions of what's appropriate*-is that he gets to have fun with his property listings, all in the name of self-amusement.
Everyone knows that the best comedians use "reality" as their muse. So, being a pretty comedy-savvy guy, my dad approaches the writing of his property listings from a similar angle: he tells the truth. The interesting thing about this, though, is that people don't seem to get it. Below are a few of his recent listings, each followed by a response he got from a confused real estate agent. Remember, these are just listings-not direct solicitations to anyone in particular.
Property Description: Here's one for the diehard investor who's willing to love the unlovable. She's a wallflower, for sure, and waiting to be asked to dance. Buy low, make some moolah, and thank me later. Room sizes are estimated. Property will be sold as-is. The garage is nothing to get excited about. It will probably respond best to a bulldozer, but the house is a project that can result in an increase in your bank account.
Realtor Response: "If you tell people the house is ugly, they're not going to be interested."
Property Description: Nice older home on 5 acres, plus detached garage with two auto doors. One door is suitable for an RV. There is enough room to park about six cars. You could also use it for just a couple cars and then make the guests sleep in the extra space. Make them clean the workshop while they're out there-that'll teach them to overstay their welcome. The house is in average condition. You could move right in. You missed swimming season, but there is an in-ground pool. Enjoy country peace and quiet, but very close to Lebanon and Indy. Room sizes estimated. Sold as-is.
Realtor Response: "Are you serious about making guests sleep in the garage?? That's just mean."
Property Description: Large home on beautiful wooded lot in premium neighborhood. No major repairs required. Some minor repairs and updating will help. There are rooms everywhere. In face, I lost an assistant in here. If you find her, please send her back to the office. Room sizes are estimated; property will be sold as-is. The floorplan gives you the opportunity for privacy, home office, or a workshop. Great for entertaining and large family dinners (I like turkey).
Realtor Response: "My client is looking for a house that doesn't need any work."
Property Description: Nice little bungalow with a detached garage. Has A/C, updated kitchen and bathroom. Room sizes are estimated. There's very little work to do here. Just a little basic TLC and then move on in. Life in Lebanon is just like West Palm Beach-OK, I'm lying but life here is a lot cheaper and the neighbors are nice. Property will be sold as-is. Master bedroom has a nice sitting room attached to it-perfect for nursery or office. Or, when your husband snores like a warthog, you can make him sleep in there.
Realtor Response: "Why would you even bother comparing Lebanon, IN to Florida? Buyers are just going to be reminded of how crappy their new town is."
Property Description: Fully-fenced yard for kids, pets, in-laws or used car lots. The neighbors will hate you but you might pick up a few extra bucks. Corner lot. The house only needs cosmetic improvements. I didn't see anything major to do here. Room sizes are estimated. Property will be sold as-is.
Realtor Response: "I don't think I'll be recommending my clients keep their kids in the backyard, thanks."
*Anyone who knows me knows that I lack the proverbial filter from brain to mouth. Now they might understand where this trait came from.
Posted by Gretel Going on Wed, Jun 04, 2008 @ 03:13 PM
Last night, Jeremy Greenfield (editor of soon-to-launch PostAdvertising.com) and I headed over to the Andy Awards show in Tribeca. It was a great time for many reasons, not the least of which were: Jeans were par for the course. There was free liquor. There was free food. This is a winning trifecta in our book.
Some really cool work was honored. If I had to pick my favorites, though, I'd go with the McDonald's Fresh billboard and the Havaianas graffiti outdoor work. I've seen the McDonald's ad before but I didn't realize that A). the grass was real, nor that B). grass seeds were actually planted and left to grow into the below end result. Good stuff.
As for the Havaianas ad, I'm a sucker for graffiti (even if it does look like a blacklight poster). I'm assuming their market research led them to believe that their audience members are, too.
The highlight of the night, though, was taking these silly pictures. (Sure, I'll give a shout out to Yahoo! for the fun sponsorship idea.) Jeremy and I decided that we'd try to replicate old Victorian photo poses. One serious and one fun. Instead we got these:
Jeremy really pulled this one off.
I was clearly on the verge of cracking up.
Again, Jeremy nails it. I look like a killer clown.
It's cool, though. I think the video game and side alley backgrounds kind of give us away. Colonial America? Not so much...
If you want to see which ads won, check out www.andyawards.com/winners. They're not up yet, but I'm sure they will be soon.
Posted by Gretel Going on Fri, May 16, 2008 @ 03:29 PM
On Wednesday night, we hosted PostAdvertising.com's debutante ball at The Back Room on the Lower East Side. PostAdvertising.com is a new website intended to help advertisers help themselves. Or something like that.
Touted as the site's baptism, we invited friends, media folks and various social outcasts to "christen it in booze." And christen it they did. The advertising industry (ironic, yes) and publishing world came out to give a nod to the reconsideration of advertising as we know it-not to mention, its inevitable convergence with traditional media.
We were also honored by the presence of NYC's very own subway advertiser guru slash musician Homeboy Sandman, as well as BREAK and STRES, PostAdvertising.com's new Graffiti Analysts. They'll be telling the stories behind city graffiti and discussing the authenticity (or lack thereof) of the graffiti used by big brands for advertising purposes. This is pretty much the coolest idea ever. Glad we thought of it.
A pretty thorough account of the evening is available at Mediapost, which makes our job a whole lot easier. We'll just post pretty pictures. Enjoy.
Crowd Shot...Obviously
Meet Jeremy Greenfield, the sordid editor of PostAdveritsing.com
Matt Brand of Brandspankin', Karen Brown and Erin Anthony
Carl-Philip Thunström, Publisher, Mediaplanet, Inc.; "BREAK"; Simon Kelly, COO, Story Worldwide; "STRES"; and Lars Hemming Jorgensen, Chief Creative Officer, Story Worldwide
Posted by Gretel Going on Thu, Mar 27, 2008 @ 03:43 PM
A couple of us went to Mediabistro's panel "Advertising: The New Creative Agency" last night. Since we have clients in the advertising/marketing space, we wanted to hear what other companies were doing and how our clients stacked up in terms of their philosophies on the direction of the industry. I must say, we're feeling pretty confident; our clients are very much ahead of the game.
Mediabistro did a great job selecting a wide range of panelists. Here are some highlights:
Megan McIlroy, Media and Digital Agency Reporter for Advertising Age, moderated the panel. She asked several great questions, including "Is content still king?" [why yes, Megan, it is]; "What's the future of print?"; and "With the growth of online advertising, how are metrics improving (if at all)?"
Frank Addante, founder of The Rubicon Project, a web-based company that places online advertisements on relevant sites and portals, discussed the advertising industry's internet spend (amongst other things). Despite the fact that, on average, people spend 33% of their day online, only 7% of advertising budgets are spent there (6% in 2007, 5% in 2006). But he's hopeful--he said that the first advertisement showed up in rock carvings 4,000 years ago, then there were newspapers, then radio and T.V. Advertisers will catch up with the online format just as they slowly progressed into these other formats...but he gives it five years until the spend matches the audience.
Trevor Kaufman, CEO of Schematic, an interactive media & technology firm, took a stab at defining advertising, but initially emphasized traditional formats that simply align with outside content. After Marc Ruxin of McCann Worldgroup stepped in to add the notion that advertisers are very much in the game of producing their own content, Trevor stepped back and rephrased his original thought: The new advertising is content production...although traditional advertising is by no means dead. Yet.
Gayle Maltz Meyer, director of new media at Bravo, shared insight on the different conversations prevalent at her network. When asked about product placement's place in the process, she said that it was one of the very first conversations execs have when creating a new show. Other things that come up a lot are added value and interactive programs for advertisers. The traditional commercial is often no longer enough. "But how can we tie in our commercial [or product placement or sponsorship] to an online program that viewers can visit and engage with?" That kind of stuff.
Marc Ruxin, head of McCann Worldgroup's digital strategy practice, is a big fan of agency-created content. He talked about a somewhat informational video Microsoft put up on YouTube a while back. Evidently the video didn't do well at all until someone added an irreverant voiceover (i.e. entertaining content)--at which point the video went "viral." He also talked about how agencies and brand marketers are approaching user-generated content....basically art directors are now forced to look at this content for their own campaigns. One perfect example was Dr. Pepper's decision to tap internet sensation Tay Zonday for his "Chocolate Rain." They then added their own touch, turning it into "Chocolate CHERRY Rain," which they showcased to Tay's built-in audience of 4 million.
Guy Wieynk, account director at AKQA, emphasized the idea of the, well, idea. "If brands don't have great ideas, then they really don't have anything." He prefaced this statement with a disclaimer, saying that he knows the notion might sound generic, but nevertheless, it's the truth. I'm going to have to agree.
Dawn Winchester, Chief Client Services Officer at R/GA, said a lot of great things--all of which were trumped by her soulful confession that "my mom is an avid forwarder of cute cat videos." Her agency got a lot of props from the other panelists for its creation of Nike Plus.
All of that said, Story Worldwide and Junta42 would have been stand-out additions to the panel with their shared philosophy that brands must establish an "authority to publish" and their views on "renting versus owning [content]." Not to mention, they would have probably breathed a little life and humor into what was a somewhat dry (albeit interesting) affair...