by Next Wave Team | Sep 22, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Great Ad Agencies, How To Select An Ad Agency, Practical Marketing 101, VW advertising
First a disclaimer: The Next Wave will not work on alcohol, tobacco or paid political client. Alcohol can sell itself without our help.
Brands have life cycles- some can just keep growing with proper care and feeding, like Nike, or have ups and downs like Apple, but in general, brands do better when they don’t try to morph constantly. It’s called a consistent brand voice- and it’s an ad agencies job to help a client focus that voice and keep it above the noise of the crowd.
Wieden & Kennedy has been a star at this with Nike, and has more than it’s share of awards to back up it’s work. So what happened with Miller? After ten years of focusing that voice with the “High Life Man”- someone decided that the brand needed a sex change operation- and to toss the man- for the “girl in the moon”- which of course- lost the guys- and didn’t win over the girls. So, because the client made a bad decision, the agency has paid the price- much like VW blaming the agency for sagging sales- when the problems were tied to stale cars with low quality builds.
Once again- the winner is the agency of the millenium- Crispin Porter & Bogusky, who had revived interest in Miller Lite after Miller had left the “less filling- tastes great” campaign by the wayside.
Advertising Age - Miller Parts With Wieden
Miller Parts With Wieden
Ends Decade-Long Relationship That Created ‘High Life Man’By Jeremy Mullman
Published: September 22, 2006
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) — Miller Brewing Co. is splitting with Wieden & Kennedy, ending a decade-long relationship that created one of beer advertising’s enduring characters.
Ads replacing the ‘High Life Man’ with the ‘Girl in the Moon’ couldn’t help turn the brand’s sales around.
Ads replacing the ‘High Life Man’ with the ‘Girl in the Moon’ couldn’t help turn the brand’s sales around.
Girl in the Moon
The independent agency had most recently been agency of record for Miller High Life, creating the deep-voiced High Life Man who helped boost the brand’s slumping sales from 1998 through 2003, but then saw results trail off. Late last year, Miller asked Wieden to give the beer a more feminine positioning in line with its long-held “Champagne of Beers” boast, but ads tied to the “Girl in the Moon” didn’t help sales and were quickly canned. The brand has been off of TV for months.
A Miller spokesman said the company had been pleased with Wieden’s work and wished it luck going forward. Work on Miller High Life will go to Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Miami, which is currently Miller Lite’s agency of record.
I’m not a drinker, so I can’t comment on the taste or quality proposition that Miller High Life offers, but I can suggest that beer advertising is a lifestyle brand- one that should reinforce the drinkers identity and image. There are psychographics to beer drinkers- where you can classify consumers by their brand choices: Import drinkers, Malt liquor drinkers, domestic drinkers, draft vs. bottle etc. For any beer brand to be successful, the advertising and brand voice has to speak clearly to one segment of the market and stay true to that voice. There is no switching teams, there is no one beer for everyone- and if that is your goal, your name is probably Budweiser.
To all the people at Wieden who probably knew that the “girl in the moon” was a mistake- cheers! May you get to work on a beer client who believes in their strategy enough to stick to it.
by Next Wave Team | Sep 21, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Creativity, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Practical Marketing 101, Product and Service Naming, Search and Business, Web strategy
Big or small, before you name your new company, product or rock band, it’s well worth checking with a lawyer first. We’ve created a few brand names for clients- like “Kata” for a kaizen consultant, “Fearless Readers” for a comic shop, “Geotropix” for a GPS guided mapping systems integrator, “Technoconnecto” for a technology installation company and others.
Google is a great place to start checking a tradename- as is DNSStuff.com because most active brands will own their URL- or be published on the web. We use Google as a first step- because we also want to see what usage might be floating around the Internet- and, it also helps identify foreign language issues- which can always be interesting (the Chevy “Nova” meaning “No Go” in Spanish is the famous one).
The next step is to check with US Patent and Trademark Office.
So- you really have to wonder when someone who is considered a “marketing superstar” (Mark Burnett) makes a dumb mistake- like naming a new rock supergroup- after an existing rock group- even having an “identical mark.”
While we are on the subject of “marketing genius”- it’s also clear that Mark Burnett productions has zero understanding of web accessibility and search engine optimization- as this blog’s previous mention of the show ended up with a first page position on Google with a single post and properly tagged picture.
Read the entire MTV article by following this link: the excerpt that follows is the language you don’t want to hear about your new brand name.
MTV News - Judge Sides With Original Supernova In ‘Rock Star’ Suit
The suit insisted that the “Rock Star” producers willfully ignored the fact that the Supernova moniker was unavailable and that “individuals within defendants’ own organizations informed defendants of plaintiff’s rights in the Supernova mark.” Using the Supernova name would cut into the original band’s future earnings, as it would interfere “with plaintiff’s business relationships” or cause the band to lose merchandising deals and potential offers to perform, according to the suit. The filing also suggested that some fans of the band might be confused and therefore duped into buying the new Supernova’s merchandise and music.In his ruling, Houston acknowledged that “the marks are identical, the parties operate in very similar or identical markets, the Supernova is distinctive and therefore strong, and there is evidence of actual confusion in the market.” Houston further noted that “irreparable harm [to the original Supernova] is presumed” and added that “defendants access to [a] large amount of monetary and promotional resources will effectively diminish, if not eliminate, [the original Supernova’s] commercial presence in the marketplace.”
by Next Wave Team | Sep 15, 2006 | Advertising, BMW Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Great Ad Agencies, Hot New Creative Agencies, How To Select An Ad Agency, Marketing & the Web, Practical Marketing 101, Public Relations in the Web 2.0 world, Search and Business, Web strategy
In the art of the sound byte- anyone can be made to look like an idiot- I’ve had it happen to me, which is why we consider PR an integral part of the complete approach to marketing, advertising and especially on the Internet.
Before today- Bruce Bildsten was just a copy god in my book. He was one of the stars that came up with the great ideas for BMW Films (note- idiots at BMW took it down) while at Fallon. Fallon has always been one of my favorite big agencies that still acts like they are small.
Then Bildsten went out on his own- and sent some PR out claiming to be launching the next big thing in the advertising world- but, don’t call it an ad agency. It appeared on Ernie Schenck’s blog- which I enjoy greatly. Unfortunately, while Bruce may believe he’s the bomb, and his new agency, Brew, a Creative Collaborative, will be the shizzel, he forgot to make himself accessible.
You can read more on Ernies Blog on this link.
You can see my comments there- and read the previous post on this site here:
http://thenextwave.biz/tnw/?p=246
But- you can also Google Bruce and find this article he wrote for Fast Company- where, in his first line- he makes a PR faux pas- claiming to be a ski bum.
Which brings me to the point I want to make: What you say in print- is now forever findable in search. Does Bruce, newly minted “non-agency” owner, really want to be a ski bum now- or admit that he is in business?
And although it’s not entirely applicable, this post about conducting interviews via e-mail, and posting them on your site- with your spin, before someone else allows them to be pureed at will, might start to make more sense.
http://blogosopher.com/?p=161
Needless to say- I wish Bruce all the luck in his new business, however, If I’m a mega-brand looking for you- I’d rather find your site at the top of Google, than something you wrote years ago where you don’t admit to being in business.
Maybe it’s time to give up skiing and start managing your brand. We’d be glad to help.
Bruce Bildsten: A Creative Approach to Communication Clutter
Bruce Bildsten works as a creative director for Fallon. Because of his work on BMW Films, Bildsten was named to Adweek’s All-Star Creative Team.
I kind of joke that I never read business magazines. I don’t like to admit that I’m in business. I like to pretend that I’m still a ski bum.
The Next Wave is in business- for business, as an ad agency. We eat, sleep and breathe advertising. We will make you a lot more money than you pay us. That’s our promise. Our corporate mission statement isn’t about being new, bigger, better, hipper, cooler-
it’s this: Create lust, evoke trust.
We hope by reading about us, our work and our ideas, you get it.
Feel free to inquire about changing the world.
by Next Wave Team | Sep 15, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Change the world, Creativity, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Great Ad Agencies, Hot New Creative Agencies, How To Select An Ad Agency, Marketing & the Web, Practical Marketing 101, Search and Business, Web strategy
Guy Kawasaki once said “Advertising is the plastic surgery of business,: a procedure to make ugly and old products look good” (“Selling the dream”) and it seems that agency types are still looking for new ways to package their same old mojo:
Ernie Schenck Calls This Advertising?: Bruce Bildsten Opens Brew. The Devil Made Him Do It.
Former Fallon CD, Bruce Bildsten, has opened Brew: A Creative Collaborative. Do not call it an ad agency or I will kill you. Brew is what I see as one of a new and emerging class of creative organizations. Says Bruce: “We are reinventing the creative team for the new communications landscape.” And Bildsten should know about new creative landscapes. While at Fallon, he directly oversaw the creation of BMW Films.“Think of Brew as the nation’s first truly unbundled creative shop—where we assemble best-in-class creative, strategy and media on a custom basis for clients,” said Bildsten.
I’m sure Bildsten is hotter than an Iranian nuclear dump- but his differentiation strategy is one of ignorance of the “new communication landscape”- you see the monster in the closet in marketing is search- the Google brand of search- and if we try to find Mr. Bildsten’s firm- well, we’ll end up looking at beer sites- lots of them.With a name like “Bildsten” he could have been like “Esrati”- a unique name for search marketing- but, I named this firm in 1988- in the days when a “Search engine” was a little old gray haired lady called a librarian and you still went to a phone book to look someone up.
I took some flack on Ernie’s site for suggesting that Mr. Bildsten was sounding like a poser on launch of his new endeavor, however I stand by the idea that the customers (marketers/clients in this case) still need to be able to define your “Creative Collaborative” by the standard vocabulary- “Meta data” of “Advertising Agency” in search- instead of forcing people into fumbling to find you.
I haven’t found the site for “Brew” yet- but I can almost bet that it will built with some search evading technology like Flash or a site full of pretty pictures with proper meta data to identify them.
If you do know the url for “Brew”- please add it in the comments.
Note: it’s been found:brew-creative.com
And if you want to see the Press release, it’s here: http://brew-creative.com/brew_press_release.pdf
Note: Dec 10, 2006, almost three months later, site is still under construction. Internet time doesn’t wait 3 months for content.
Note: Feb 8 2007, still waiting for content.
Note: April 13, 2007 it’s up. All Flash. No RSS. Search? 3 whole pages. Will there be new content from the “new” media gurus? Time will tell.
If you are really interested in new ideas for a new economy, but don’t want the same old tacking on the word “new” to the old wisdom of advertising- you are in the right place- The Next Wave in advertising- since 1988, nothing new about us, other than we were doing this long before Bildsten knew what a browser was.
We’re also available to speak to Ad Clubs around the country on the “new technology” of the “new media” of the “web 2.0 world.”
Sure hope this post has enough keywords in it.
by Next Wave Team | Aug 29, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Low Budget Advertising, Procter & Gamble Advertising
A client forwarded me an e-mail, suggesting that the high and mighty brand managers at P&G now think “aspiring copywriters, commercial artists, videographers” working in the food service industry are their new best hope to sell their soap.
Maybe P&G should award paychecks to brand managers based on a “if we like you- we may pay you” basis too.
For the worlds largest advertiser to turn to this is bad enough, but to make the top prize a measly grand, is an insult.
Never mind the instructions (facts, guidelines, tips) read like a “See Spot run” book- instead of a creative brief.
If P&G is really this desperate for ideas, maybe they should reevaluate their crazy bureaucracy that makes doing business with them so difficult.
Here is the text to the invite followed by a link to their site with an excerpt from the intro:
Procter & Gamble Professional looking for a few good ads
Aspiring copywriters, commercial artists, videographers and others working in the foodservice industry now have the opportunity to cash in on an exciting new initiative from Procter & Gamble Professional, the away from home division of the nation’s largest advertiser.
The “Create Our Ad” contest challenges foodservice professionals to develop print or video advertisements focusing on the back-of-house cleaning and sanitation needs of their industry. The winner will receive $1,000, and his or her ad will become part of the company’s advertising campaign. Procter & Gamble Professional will award $500 and $250 to the second and third place winners, respectively. Winners also will receive an introductory case of each product in the Dawn Grease Fighting Arsenal.
Procter & Gamble Professional is accepting print and video ads in any format. Visit www.pgbrands.com/createourad for contest details, general guidelines and suggestions to help non-advertising professionals create ads. Contestants will also be asked to recommend the publication or Web site where their entry should run.
Procter & Gamble Professional will accept entries through October 16.
Winners will be announced on October 31, with the winning ad appearing in print and online later this year.
Create Our Ad
CREATE OUR AD CONTEST: INTRODUCTION So, you think you have what it takes to create advertising for Procter & Gamble? We’re counting on it! After all, as someone who works in the foodservice industry - the industry we cater to - you’re the expert. Put that expertise to work, and the $1,000 first prize and bragging rights might be yours when your winning entry starts showing up in magazines or Web sites later this year.
Yeah, we all work for “bragging rights”- instead of providing valuable expertise in marketing, promoting, advertising and selling products.
Remind me not to buy P&G products anymore. If they can’t respect our profession- how can we respect their products?
by Next Wave Team | Aug 29, 2006 | Advertising, Brand Relevancy, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of advertising, Low Budget Advertising, Procter & Gamble Advertising
A client forwarded me an e-mail, suggesting that the high and mighty brand managers at P&G now think “aspiring copywriters, commercial artists, videographers” working in the food service industry are their new best hope to sell their soap.
Maybe P&G should award paychecks to brand managers based on a “if we like you- we may pay you” basis too.
For the worlds largest advertiser to turn to this is bad enough, but to make the top prize a measly grand, is an insult.
Never mind the instructions (facts, guidelines, tips) read like a “See Spot run” book- instead of a creative brief.
If P&G is really this desperate for ideas, maybe they should reevaluate their crazy bureaucracy that makes doing business with them so difficult.
Here is the text to the invite followed by a link to their site with an excerpt from the intro:
Procter & Gamble Professional looking for a few good ads
Aspiring copywriters, commercial artists, videographers and others working in the foodservice industry now have the opportunity to cash in on an exciting new initiative from Procter & Gamble Professional, the away from home division of the nation’s largest advertiser.
The “Create Our Ad” contest challenges foodservice professionals to develop print or video advertisements focusing on the back-of-house cleaning and sanitation needs of their industry. The winner will receive $1,000, and his or her ad will become part of the company’s advertising campaign. Procter & Gamble Professional will award $500 and $250 to the second and third place winners, respectively. Winners also will receive an introductory case of each product in the Dawn Grease Fighting Arsenal.
Procter & Gamble Professional is accepting print and video ads in any format. Visit www.pgbrands.com/createourad for contest details, general guidelines and suggestions to help non-advertising professionals create ads. Contestants will also be asked to recommend the publication or Web site where their entry should run.
Procter & Gamble Professional will accept entries through October 16.
Winners will be announced on October 31, with the winning ad appearing in print and online later this year.
Create Our Ad
CREATE OUR AD CONTEST: INTRODUCTION So, you think you have what it takes to create advertising for Procter & Gamble? We’re counting on it! After all, as someone who works in the foodservice industry - the industry we cater to - you’re the expert. Put that expertise to work, and the $1,000 first prize and bragging rights might be yours when your winning entry starts showing up in magazines or Web sites later this year.
Yeah, we all work for “bragging rights”- instead of providing valuable expertise in marketing, promoting, advertising and selling products.
Remind me not to buy P&G products anymore. If they can’t respect our profession- how can we respect their products?
