Jaffe Juice

Steve-O brings some class to "Too Late" with Adam Carolla. Or at least woke the audience up...Kopell, you've never looked so sexy.

The producers allegedly juiced up Steve-O, but got a little more than they bargained for...or at least what they deserved.

Proving that all bad things come in 3's, BMW's completes the sequence by announcing that they're getting out of the content business...this after Jim McDowell moves over to Mini and Fallon is parted ways with.

I wonder if Films became somewhat of a political hot potato or even pariah within the dysfunctional ranks...if you think about it, everything/body associated with it...and ultimately including "it" itself was slowly but surely extinguished.

Even though this announcement is bigger than Films (I'm not sure of the specific timeframe, but as a program it's been dormant for a while) as it covers the broader hyped Madison + Vine, I can't but help spare a thought for a program so innovative that it has inarguably become the gold standard defining "big idea" meets "new marketing" on so many levels...in fact, I would put Films above the whole branded entertainment approach on the pecking order, which creates a sort of a perceptual vicious circle.

Bottom line....this has to send out a pretty grim message for the relative health of the branded entertainment biz, when the company that pretty much defined the whole rush, turns it back on it....

I’ve never been wholly convinced that MSM will succeed at blogging. It’s one thing to allow readers to comment, but it’s another thing to task potty-trained reporters, who chomp at the bit with the publisher-editor relationship, to blog with freedom, independence and a degree of irreverence.

Take my new best friend, Linda Tischler, who felt the urge to critique both Advertising Week and my panel in her blog post.

Let’s dissect her profound prose:

I just got back from a panel on the future of the 30-second spot, which could have been interesting except for the fact that the moderator (that would be me), in what must have been payback for help on his new book (are you saying that these panelists contributed to my book, paid for it or endorsed it in any way – because if you are, you’d be wrong.), assembled a panel of six talking heads (as opposed to?), and then lobbed questions that each answered in turn (‘er that’s called a panel Q&A). Had this been a 30-second spot, I would have TIVOed through it in a heartbeat. (drumroll please)

There must be a better way to deliver information from experts and pundits than the tedious panel. Anybody seen any formats that are more appealing? This industry could use some fresh ideas.

OK, Linda…what exactly are you so upset about? Are you lamenting on the panel format in general or specifically something about my panel? Why did you not have the courage to ask a question to the panelists or myself? If you were unhappy with either the line of questioning or the responses in general, why did you not stand up and voice your opinion?

Podcasting and blogging apparently mean nothing to London cabbies, pub landlords and hairdressers. A shocked Tribal DDB’er reels in the reality that outdoor, coasters and magazines might in fact be the best way to reach these respective targets.

In a related story, Adam Curry reveals he knows nothing about the fastest route from Heathrow to Soho, how many Guinness’ it takes to become comprehensively paralytic and the new Japanese Heat Treatment remedy.

Who knew?

Adbumb hosted a party during Advertising Week and boasted that there would be an address from David Ogilvy (M.H.D.S.R.I.P.) himself.

True to form, Ogilvie (note the subtle difference) did not disappoint with his ode to change. Check it out and reserve a chuckle when he announces his intent to return to being dead and funky.

Steve rubel is presenting right now during Advertising Week.

Just presented his 4-step plan wrt tapping into CGC/Citizen journalism etc.: 1. Find 2. Listen 3. Engage 4. Empower

Perhaps he'll expand on an upcoming ATS podcast

Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless

Great developing story regarding someone who purchased an iPod Nano and after his screen cracked, put up this little website, www.flawedmusicplayer.com, which thanks to AdJab, myself and no doubt countless other blogs, has now made the leap into the communal stratosphere.

While this is not the first consumer website harping on about a defective or flawed product, what is fairly original is the stance taken. This is not a consumer out to get Apple (Jarvis, Jarvis, Jarvis) but one that is passionate, principled and simply doing what they feel is right. Even though Apple replaced the cracked Nano in question...the site is not going away as he-or-she-who-will-not-be-named is sticking to his or her guns - which in this case is raising the collective communal consciousness to determine whether Jobs needs to do a bit of a recall.

On a personal note...Cory, I told you so.

3 points to this post:

1. Nice creative

2. Great execution of traditional advertising used in a non-traditional way

3. Most notably, kudos to Boone/Oakley who sent this to me. I get pitched so often - both as a consultant (read: recommend me to your clients in your capacity as a search consultant) and a blogger (read: give me free publicity) Most of the time, it's ho-hum, yawn, NEXT, Boring, L-oser. This time B/O (as opposed to body-odor) kills 2 birds with one, er Muffin :)

Ahead of next week's Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah - comes this little communal creation, titled Shofar Idol, which shows the world of e-greeting cards intersperced with a little bit of creativity and new marketing.

Per Hoffman, founder of Adcandy sent this note to me, following my critique of AdCandy on Jaffe Juice.

"Believe me...I'm probably going to be the last person to call out any CGC-driven work"

Gimme a break! Obviously, you're not "the last person to call out CGC...", and obviously you're don't really "appreciate an irreverent approach." . Adcandy may be flawed, but calling it "bad" without any real justification, besides being "contrived," reeks of sour grapes. I find it amusing that traditional marketers, who make a lot of their living selling the public a bunch of BS and empty promises, become suddenly idealistic in their opposition to Adcandy.

If you truly believe what you say, that CGC has some value, and that you appreciate and irreverent approach, why don't you offer some constructive suggestions to improve the basic concept of Adcandy.

I'm all ears....

Here's my response to him:

Per - thanks for the note. I love your passion.

Kudos to you for your press in Wired btw. Really has put you on the Map.

Maybe you got me on a bad day...I was in London at the time and a bit jet-lagged. In my defence, I have sung your business praises to Adweek. You were the first to put a business model to this.

I still am not quite sure it sits well with me...not sour grapes, just bad digestive fluids. The thrust and power of CGC is its organic nature. Putting a structure or process to it...however informal and a dollar value to boot is really what I'm reserving judgement on. PS - I do know a good designer if you're looking ;)

I do wish you all the best and luck in the world and will certainly make mention of this on an upcoming podcast of Across the Sound. I will and intend to give credit whenever it's due.

jJ

Today is definitely CGC day on Jaffe Juice...perhaps I should rename Jaffe Juice?

Anyhoo, here's an interesting story of how Pepsi spoofed themselves.

Self deprecation is my forte...so I have to tip my hat at any brand that doesn't take themselves too seriously. That said, wonder what the brand purists have to say 'bout this....

Personally I give them an A for effort, but I think perhaps they overdosed on carbonated sugar water, which eventually seeped into their brains :)

Brian Morrissey writes a great piece in Adweek this week on Consumer Generated Content and specifically it's relationship with the agency creative world.

I've pasted the full text of the article below for those who don't have a subscription (hope I don't get rapped on the knuckles for it)

I was quoted in this, as well as another piece in Adweek this week by Randi Schmelzer on Al Gore's Current TV, who will be running CGC as advertising itself! How about that! One thing's for sure...CGC is no fringe tactic anymore. It is snowballing in momentum, popularity and participation.

Thanks the AdJab for this one...it's Heineken's new initiative around football, which involves consumers sending in their multimedia expressions based on "homework" which Heineken assigns to them on a periodic basis. Great way of injecting a CRM flavor to the CGC dialogue.

When ESPN came out with ESPN 2 and ESPN News, I was impressed. When they figured out 150 ways to skin the same footage/content such as PTI (Pardon the Interruption) or Around the Horn around its iconic cash-cow, Sportscenter, I was really impressed. "50 states in 50 days" was cute...didn't do it for me, but I appreciate the creativity.

However...gotta draw the line with ESPN Hollywood and something I saw today called "Classic News" which apparently is today's news about yesterday's events (and by yesterday, we're referring to years ago) Huh? Methinks someone is getting greedy or losing their way in the marshes of line extension.

As reported in MediaDailyNews, the Gecko has diverted his focus from suing everyone in the nation to engaging its consumers through a CGC campaign.

According to the article, this might be the first time that such a large scale CGC effort has been launched...but I'm not sure I'd agree, with other examples such as the Converse Gallery a little ahead in the "I was first" stakes.

Also interesting that the plan is to run the submissions on ifilm, "selected blogs" and the dedicated site, GoldenGecko.com.

No mention of turning these into REAL TV ads...which if so, would be a HUGE missed opportunity.

This raises interesting questions:

• Is GEICO doing this because they're cheap and are trying to save money (which is arguably 110% on message :))?
• Er, how does one plan to run these ads on blogs...will GEICO be purchasing space on said blogs, or hoping bloggers will run the ads independently? (Hint: If you don't sue me and promise to shave an extra 1% off my insurance, perhaps I'll re:think!)

Business 2.0 piece on P&G's decision to bring it's Home Made Simple  website and and newsletter to the bigger screen in the form of a weekly TV series on Discovery Networks.

This marks a fairly major departure on the branded entertainment model to one which I would call "brands as entertainers" - by going direct to consumer via discovery ('er would that be P&G2CviaD), P&G are effectively cutting out the middleman, which in this case would be the greedy reality show producers, not so?

A newly released ANA Agency Relations Study indicates that things are pretty hunky-dory in Agency La-La-Land (I have gracefully cut, pasted and indented the additional insights which counter the previous ones)

Here are the highlights:

• 93% of advertisers surveyed feel that their relationship with their lead strategic and creative advertising agency exceeds or meets their expectations
  • 32% of advertisers think integrated communications ideas are most important to receive from their lead agency and 21% do not believe this expectation is being met.

  • (Update 9/21) Just to be clear...the question was as follows, "how would you describe the status of your relationship with your lead strategy/creative agency, compared to a year ago" - so the fact that 58% said "same" does not necessarily indicate satisfaction, does it? It could just mean that the relationship was strained then...and nothing has changed.

• The overall state of the client/agency relationship is positive, with 36% of advertisers indicating that their relationship has improved from a year ago (58% believe it has remained the same)
  • 42% of clients have considered or have already added an additional agency to increase branding and creative efforts
• 72% of clients said that interactive services has increased in importance
• Advertisers felt that agencies are not meeting expectations in the following areas:
  • Ability to handle or add new services (26%)
  • Integration across multiple disciplines (21%)

New Marketing Nugget: While 67% of advertisers define "creative development/execution" as an absolutely critical dimension of agency creativity, only 14% rated creative use of technology as essential. Hmmmmmmmmm.

This is a copy of Chris Aldhous' copy of Life after the 30-second spot. It's not the first time I've seen my book marked up like this by a variety of people - marketers, agency creatives, media folk, publishers etc.

It's exactly the reason why I wrote this book...to make a difference and to effect change...and to inspire people with practical and actionable insights and ideas.

People think the book's about the problem...it's not. It would be too easy to do that (which is what most books do) Mine is about the solution and hopefully those that have read it feel the same way.

If your book looks like this too...send me a screenshot and I'd be honored to publish it.

With thanks to Adverblog for the heads up...an article in Forbes on monetizing Podcasting.

I'll keep you informed of my progress :)

Great special feature in Hollywood Reporter on the Future of Entertainment, with perspectives from Kevin Kelly, James Cameron, George Lucas and Joseph Jaffe.

There are sections on Gaming, TV, Music and Marketing, to name a few. Check it out...you'll be glad you did.

Believe me...I'm probably going to be the last person to call out any CGC-driven work, but this initiative from Adcandy is just wrong. It's bad. As reported in AdJab, Adcandy is a site where "consumers make the ads" and in this particular case, they're trying to get the attention of the brand marketers at Coke who recently solicited big ideas from a handful of agencies.

Whilst I can appreciate the irreverent approach and I certainly subscribe to the notion that consumers are capable of coming up with truly original and meaningful expressions of the brands they feel for...this is contrived and disjointed. Furthermore, paying $500 for these ideas in the hope that Coke will add on a bunch of zero's is misguided and wishful. If they're lucky they'll get a can of Coke Zero in the mail. But that's about all they deserve. Sorry.

Greetings from the UK. I decided to do something different (and hopefully creative) on this trip, so I've taken a photograph of each of my meetings and I'm camera-blogging or clogging them to recap on the people, places and ideas.

Meeting 1: Simon Andrews - Big Picture UK - great guy who drinks from the same pitcher of New Marketing Juice. He's done some cool work with brands like Halifax

Meeting 2: Chris Aldhous - Creative Director at Publicis; Creator of Hype; Contributor to Life after the 30-second spot.

Meeting 3: Tony Hart - Bus Dev Manager at packetVision - in the IPTV space; aligned with cool initiatives/orgs like DiMA and ID!A

Be advised...the Juice is heading across the sound (and I mean really across) to the UK for the RTS Cambridge Conference: Always On - The Creative and Economic Challenges. Check it out...you'll find Terry Semel's smiling face waiting for you (he looks like a page out of Build-A-Bear, heart and all. Don't you just want to pinch his cheeks?)

Anyway...the point is that unless I figure out how to connect to T-Mobile in Starbucks (I've done it before) in London, the blogging is going to be light.

Parting thought: I received a piece of SPAM today with the subject head, "Dear Costumer", clearly a mix between consumer and customer. Costumer...hmmm, there's something in there. I can almost feel it...just can't put my finger on it, but promise to have a POV before Halloween.

Piers Fawkes has put together something I think is really smart. For starters, he reminded me that Podcasts in general need not be talk radio, and in the case of music podcasts, can just as well be applied to a B2B context.

The musical podcast mix is created for his executive marketing audience and if you think about it...these moodcasts (pending jaffe trademark) can be applied in so many different ways.

Rights issues aside, I think it's a pretty sublime way to connect with a very elusive and mobile audience. Well done.

Mediaweek article which gives the various 30-second spot pricing ahead of the Fall lineup. In particular, it talks about a new 30-second spot record for network television: American Idol will cost you $705,000 for 30 fleeting seconds of an audience that - arguably - are the LEAST receptive to advertising. Coupled with all the product placement...it's a commercial cornucopia of proverbial snake-oil love.

The question you should be asking is exactly how in this day and age of unprecedented fragmentation, proliferation, ad-skipping, choice, media and non-media alternatives, we should be in a position to be setting records with the oldest trick in modern times ('er second to prostitution that is)?

Here's the scoop: Geico (a 15 minute call could land you in court) just settled with Google regarding the selling of the GEICO keyword to its competitors. Now, the same Geico (a 15 minute whinge...) has released a slew of "stop playing in our sandbox or we'll tell our Daddy - who's stronger than your Daddy - to beat you up" letters to a bunch of other companies to cease and desist from essentially giving consumers a choice.

Here are my questions:

• Has GEICO every used comparative advertising in any way e.g. our rates are cheaper than competitor X or Y? If so, they're monster hypocrites
• If GEICO has a legitimate case, is this in fact just a reincarnation of the whole Adware/Spyware debate? i.e. UPS ad pops-up on FEDEX site
  • What will this do to the whole paid search space if it in does in fact, set a precedent
• Back to the Google case for a moment...is there a difference between Google overtly selling GEICO's keywords to their competitors versus their competitors EXPRESSLY ASKING for them (i.e. unprompted)? Surely this is just a case of a free market economy...where GEICO is entitled to purchase its own keywords at a higher premium (defense is the best offense)

With thanks to Gari Cruze, a copywriter from Jacksonville, FL, who suggested this terrific theme for next week's show: transparency

...and how customers are demanding transparency from brands, corporations and even politicians.

Should be a really awesome discussion and Steve and I welcome your contributions, so....please send in your questions/comments to acrossthesound@gmail.com or leave them on this post.

OK, that's a completely off target title, but I am having a good day...I am in a good mood and I am coming across some really great work and ideas. At the top of the list is this initiative from Coke. 

M5 is Coke's experimental marketing concept utilizing short films and revolutionary package design. Basically 5 design groups from 5 continents were charged with creating and sharing "visions of optimism."

While the registration process is a little cumbersome, everything else is way-way cool. The original music tie-ins. The actual aluminium bottle designs (click on the bottle on the bottom right) Score extra points for the day versus night mode. Also score some bonus marks for the ability to allow consumers to download the content/videos.

Unlike CHILL which I think tried a little too hard to be cool (hint: think beyond the 30-second spot which TELLS consumers), M5 DEMONSTRATES coolness without having to tell anything. It just is cool...and communicates this through the effective utilization of brand demonstration, involvement and interactivity.

eBay's proposed $4.1bn acquisition of Skype makes sense for many reasons.

The breakdown of the numbers in the extended body of this post show the surface rationalization.

Benefit 1: Infusion of fresh faces to pre-existing (and otherwise stagnant) user base

I've heard that the second benefit is going to be the cost savings associated with "customer service" - hence Benefit 2: the ability to talk to the already cheap call centers in India at even cheaper rates (computer to computer)

...but I think Benefit 3 is the real "new marketing" glimmer, namely: the ability for buyers to talk directly with sellers and visa versa, either live or through voice messaging. Doing this humanizes the purchasing process and will without question, lower any risk-factor which might have come into play.

Kudo's to my podcasting co-host, Steve Rubel, who talked about mashups on this week's episode of Across the Sound (5.33 minute mark for those listening)

I was intrigued by his question of what advertising's role will be in terms of incorporating mashups and truthfully didn't know that I had an answer myself. And then I saw this article in USA Today that talks about product placement in advertising. Perhaps this is just nothing but cross/co-markeitng, and perhaps it's mashups in practice.

Either way, good call!

Episode #2 of Across the Sound is now available for download and your listening pleasure!

Show information/Notes:

Recorded Saturday, September 10, 45 minutes, 15 seconds (Download the MP3)

I don't know about you, but I find the current Sprint/Nextel campaign to be flat as hell. I just don't get it. Does anyone want to take a bet that this tagline will be gone within 18 months (or until the current CMO is fired and/or fires the agency?)

• What exactly does "yes you can" mean? (with respect to locking in some kind of differentiated and defensible position)
• "Reinventing the yes man" doesn't resonate, despite its obvious attempts.
• The suite of TV ads are about as clear as the tagline - esoteric with a capital E.
• The branding is even more confusing...I thought it was Sprint acquiring Nextel, but all that I see is the canary yellow of Nextel (whoever banked the check for $250,000 for the branding assignment should be laughing all the way to the bank)
• In fact, the only recognizable/memorable aspect of EITHER campaign was Brian Baker, the Zoloft-laded pitchman, who actually found out he'd been canned through the newspaper.

I'd like to propose an official name change: from LEGO to LEGOS. In fact, I'm going to make sure that my kids only refer to this brand as LEGOS. In fact I'm going to ask Peter Jackson to go back and re-edit LOTR (with apologies to JRR) and rename the elf, LEGOSLAS. JUST TO PISS OFF THOSE PETTY MORONS AT legoS.

This note (which can be found on www.legos.com) is patronizing, smug, insulting and demonstrates how disconnected marketing is from reality today. Nuff said.

Here's the full text for you (taken from the source code):

I was the weekly guest on The Advertising Show on Sunday, August 28, interviewed by show hosts Brad Forsythe and Ray Schilens.

If you'd like to listen in and download to your iPod, click on the image or right here and proceed to the WMA or MP3 links.

The Advertising Show is a terrific show and you definitely want to add it to your shortlist of brainfood.

I'm also debuting a new feature on TAS, an audio vignette titled, "A different perspective" - be sure to listen out for future episodes. 

Just to prove that I give props when props are due...I want to single out and congratulate NBC on what I think is a really great effort to promote the new season of "The Biggest Loser"

As reported in MediaPost, NBC hired House Party (so that's where Gene DeRose went) to find the 1,000 biggest fans of the show. The 1000 fans then get to throw synchronized parties this Saturday.

Both NBC and House Party worked on joint recruitment efforts.

I think it's a brilliant tactic...it runs to the core of New Marketing's core/philosophical beliefs and should quite frankly, be the gold standard moving forward. So there.

NBC - you are this week's Big Winner (listen to next week's Across the Sound podcast)

Perhaps the R&D folk over at Apple are closely scanning the blogosphere for ideas for their next iPod introduction...perhaps art does reflect life...or perhaps this was just a fun coincidence. I cast you back to the CGC spoof ad for iPod Flea and this week's introduction of iPod Nano.

Adrants reports on 12 yr old, Khristiana "Tia" Parchman, who wrote, arranged and produced this song in the hope that Nike would use it for an upcoming campaign. Check it out here.

Based on Nike's/W+K's response, they'll either be in the CGC hole with a 0-2 count or 1-1. Play ball!