Today I pitched a piece of business in the tourism area with two other marketing partners on the team. All I can say is "you can't boil the ocean” ... which is why you work with great partners in other marketing disciplines.
What I love about PR is the lens in which we see the world of a brand. It may be limited, but it’s precise and exacting. I don’t buy media. I don’t create logos. I don’t write tag lines. And.... you know what? I don’t want to. There are agencies of all shapes and sizes that can do this. They know what GRPs are, how to achieve eyeball numbers and how to reach buying audiences. There are brand and creative agencies who weave creative narratives in one line or two. Or even without words. I’m always in awe of these guys.
However. What PR agencies do ... now get ready ad and brand agencies ... you cannot even attempt.
Our discipline is a mystery to most. Difficult at most times..We combine a blend of science, skill and luck. Oh, and throw in a little witchcraft and a strong tailwind.
Today was all about collaboration. Each marketing partner bringing a best practice expertise to the client with a sense of a team approach. I absolutely love being part of a pitch where I’m the third wheel.
We had fun, we were smart and provided a solid team approach. We may have had three logos up on the board, but we acted like one voice.
Hope the prospect thought so too!
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
The Legends are Announced
The Marketing Hall of Legends just announced the 2011 inductees. The gala event takes place next year, April 14th at Roy Thomson Hall. The MHOL was conceived in 2004 by Mandrake and the Toronto Chapter of the AMA.
My firm has been involved with the MHOL for a number of years and this year we will once again be conducting media relations around the announcement and the gala event. This year I personally lent my support to the MHOL judging panel.... I can tell you first hand, not an easy task with so many qualified and outstanding marketing professionals in Canada. But the list of inductees is impressive and sooooooo truly Canadian. I am so proud to have been part of making this selection. See all the inductees here.
The gala format will have a new twist: a two-tiered format. So if you want the full enchilada .... sit down VIP dinner (no enchiladas will be served!), networking event, gala and after party you need to fork out $495 a ticket. (total deal and you get up close and personal with the legends). Second tier is at $225. For that you still get fed (buffet), networking, gala and after party. A great price point if you don’t want the swish sit down dinner part. And oh ya .... alcohol is included. For tickets please call 416 922-5600 ext. 255.
I am urging the PR community to get behind this event and come out and support the MHOL and the honourees. I’d like to see way more PR folks support these kinds of events and be part of the larger marketing community. Last year, there were only a handful of PR agency professionals in attendance. Too bad, because the event was outstanding. If you didn’t make it out last year, you missed inductee, the legendary Geoffrey Roche, pay tribute to his wife with a full –on gospel choir! The highlight of the evening for sure!
Congrats to all the inductees and see you on the 14th.
My firm has been involved with the MHOL for a number of years and this year we will once again be conducting media relations around the announcement and the gala event. This year I personally lent my support to the MHOL judging panel.... I can tell you first hand, not an easy task with so many qualified and outstanding marketing professionals in Canada. But the list of inductees is impressive and sooooooo truly Canadian. I am so proud to have been part of making this selection. See all the inductees here.
The gala format will have a new twist: a two-tiered format. So if you want the full enchilada .... sit down VIP dinner (no enchiladas will be served!), networking event, gala and after party you need to fork out $495 a ticket. (total deal and you get up close and personal with the legends). Second tier is at $225. For that you still get fed (buffet), networking, gala and after party. A great price point if you don’t want the swish sit down dinner part. And oh ya .... alcohol is included. For tickets please call 416 922-5600 ext. 255.
I am urging the PR community to get behind this event and come out and support the MHOL and the honourees. I’d like to see way more PR folks support these kinds of events and be part of the larger marketing community. Last year, there were only a handful of PR agency professionals in attendance. Too bad, because the event was outstanding. If you didn’t make it out last year, you missed inductee, the legendary Geoffrey Roche, pay tribute to his wife with a full –on gospel choir! The highlight of the evening for sure!
Congrats to all the inductees and see you on the 14th.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Canadian Marketing Awards: My Highlights
Friday night I attended the Canadian Marketing Awards at the Westin Harbor Castle. It was my first time attending this show, and it definitely won’t be my last!
It was a fabulous evening that celebrated spectacular work in Canada from various marketing disciplines like traditional advertising, digital, promotions and of course a few PR campaigns made the list.
The big winner was DDB Toronto for their work on Subaru—you know the ads with those loveable, hunky, Sumo wrestlers! Go Big or Go Home! And they did go home, with tons of awards. It was the Ben Hur of the evening. DDB were up on the podium seven times – sweeping category after category and then finishing with the top overall award of the night. I had the pleasure of having drinks with the DDB team and the Subaru client just prior to the show and their wins couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of guys! Thanks to Prez David Leonard for buying me all those very expensive cocktails! Next one is on me.
Other highlights of the evening included big wins for John Street and their War Child campaign; McDonald’s Free Coffee campaign; Rethink’s Coast Capital Savings; TAXI II for Mini (nice going Lance!) and my pals at Doner Canada for their win on MAZDA3 “33 Keys” – that was a proud moment for Maverick too as our little agency helped spread the word on that campaign. Nice work Dave! Get Strategy Magazine that will run down the bronze, silver and gold award winners in full.
However, the best part of the evening for me was connecting with all the ad agency folks I have done business with in the past and continue to. The blessing of the evening was the fact that I didn’t run into any smarmy PR folks .. so refreshing to mingle with creative and agency heads who don’t speak to you like their on a message track.
I ran into my friend, Geoffrey Roche (his agency won an award for their work on ALS, a very moving, compelling spot); Aldo Cundari who was a major sponsor of the show and took home some hardware too for work with the LCBO; the dynamic duo Bill Sharpe and Tom Blackmore, the most sincerest and funniest guys in the biz and finally met Mitch Joel of Twist Image very cool guy, he looks just like his blog photo. But making my highlight reel complete is when I ran into Tony Chapman of Capital C. The guy is truly one of Canada’s most creative guys and knows the value of PR for his own brand, even better than Lavoie. So I see him, and I say “Hi.” I get the blank stare, he has no clue who I am, and I don’t blame him. He probably knows like a million people and I have one of those forgettable faces. So I’m like, “Remember me? Julie from Maverick.” Ahhhh, the fog lifts, he puts two and two together. “Ya right, how are you? You’re independent right? We should do some business together.” Yeah, I’ve been waiting over a year. So call me already! By the way Tony, nice skinny tie you were wearing, you pulled that look off.
I have to give a special shout out to two people who literally saved my night. As a last minute ticket buyer, I was relegated to the backwoods table – you know the one, the sorry ass singles table where they forget to put the centerpiece, no wait staff and you are up in a corner with dim lighting talking to a guy selling post cards. Well, David Engel of Innovative Graphics (a client of ours) and marketing maven Mona Goldstein come and whisk me away from purgatory and placed me at their very prominent table holding centre court. That was sweet! Thank you sooooo much!
'Cuz in the words of the immortal Patrick Swayze … “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”
To next year. I’m buying my ticket early!
It was a fabulous evening that celebrated spectacular work in Canada from various marketing disciplines like traditional advertising, digital, promotions and of course a few PR campaigns made the list.
The big winner was DDB Toronto for their work on Subaru—you know the ads with those loveable, hunky, Sumo wrestlers! Go Big or Go Home! And they did go home, with tons of awards. It was the Ben Hur of the evening. DDB were up on the podium seven times – sweeping category after category and then finishing with the top overall award of the night. I had the pleasure of having drinks with the DDB team and the Subaru client just prior to the show and their wins couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of guys! Thanks to Prez David Leonard for buying me all those very expensive cocktails! Next one is on me.
Other highlights of the evening included big wins for John Street and their War Child campaign; McDonald’s Free Coffee campaign; Rethink’s Coast Capital Savings; TAXI II for Mini (nice going Lance!) and my pals at Doner Canada for their win on MAZDA3 “33 Keys” – that was a proud moment for Maverick too as our little agency helped spread the word on that campaign. Nice work Dave! Get Strategy Magazine that will run down the bronze, silver and gold award winners in full.
However, the best part of the evening for me was connecting with all the ad agency folks I have done business with in the past and continue to. The blessing of the evening was the fact that I didn’t run into any smarmy PR folks .. so refreshing to mingle with creative and agency heads who don’t speak to you like their on a message track.
I ran into my friend, Geoffrey Roche (his agency won an award for their work on ALS, a very moving, compelling spot); Aldo Cundari who was a major sponsor of the show and took home some hardware too for work with the LCBO; the dynamic duo Bill Sharpe and Tom Blackmore, the most sincerest and funniest guys in the biz and finally met Mitch Joel of Twist Image very cool guy, he looks just like his blog photo. But making my highlight reel complete is when I ran into Tony Chapman of Capital C. The guy is truly one of Canada’s most creative guys and knows the value of PR for his own brand, even better than Lavoie. So I see him, and I say “Hi.” I get the blank stare, he has no clue who I am, and I don’t blame him. He probably knows like a million people and I have one of those forgettable faces. So I’m like, “Remember me? Julie from Maverick.” Ahhhh, the fog lifts, he puts two and two together. “Ya right, how are you? You’re independent right? We should do some business together.” Yeah, I’ve been waiting over a year. So call me already! By the way Tony, nice skinny tie you were wearing, you pulled that look off.
I have to give a special shout out to two people who literally saved my night. As a last minute ticket buyer, I was relegated to the backwoods table – you know the one, the sorry ass singles table where they forget to put the centerpiece, no wait staff and you are up in a corner with dim lighting talking to a guy selling post cards. Well, David Engel of Innovative Graphics (a client of ours) and marketing maven Mona Goldstein come and whisk me away from purgatory and placed me at their very prominent table holding centre court. That was sweet! Thank you sooooo much!
'Cuz in the words of the immortal Patrick Swayze … “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”
To next year. I’m buying my ticket early!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
We’re atheists, thank God!
Oh, the furor over some bus ads! A few simple words can spark controversy, hate and censorship. This all comes courtesy of a group called Humanist Canada and their new ad campaign entitled “Good without God” making its way onto the sides of some city buses. But not in Halifax, where the folks at Metro Transit have deemed the ads too controversial. Here’s the story along with a bunch of comments from readers.In my humble opinion, I quite like the campaign. It’s so sublime it borders on brilliant. Does it change my mind about God or Jesus? No. I think this particular organization is entitled to a POV. As long as the ads are not derogatory toward another religion – go ahead, buy your ads and support the local economy. Lord knows we need it!
The mission of the Humanist Canada organization is “to promote the separation of religion from public policy and foster the development of reason, compassion and critical thinking for all Canadians through secular education and community support.”
Ok, fair enough, it’s an atheist group whose main guiding principle is to “reject beliefs held in absence of verifiable evidence, such as beliefs based solely on dogma, revelation, mysticism or appeals to the supernatural.” Sounds like they are just promoting rationale thinking. I know a few warring countries that can use a dose of rationale thinking!
So why the ban? Why the censorship? Don’t other religious groups advertise and proclaim the way to salvation? I mean, isn’t there one ad-toting religious fundamentalist group whose strong belief is in plural marriages? Is that ok?
At the end of the day, Humanist Canada will have achieved so much advertising value and brand recognition with the PR buzz generated that they will have more than accomplished their goal of getting the word out. In fact, I didn't see the bus ad in Toronto, I read it about it online!
Small miracle indeed ... and a lesson to all!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
When PR Pros need to outsource creative
In the most recent PR Week Career Guide, I came across the section “Employer Zone” a sponsored resource guide in which PR firms can pay for a full page ad followed by a company profile. The company profiles were a good read, and I found the section on company benefits particularly enjoyable. Apparently GolinHarris offers pet care discounts to its employees while Cone PR has an on-site fitness room and Fleishman-Hillard offers domestic-partner benefits. Good stuff.
But the real problem with the guide is not the written profiles but the accompanying ads. Good Lord! Why can’t PR agencies spend some mullah and hire an ad agency to develop their brand ads? Now, this is just my opinion, but I have a pretty keen eye for advertising having worked alongside some great ad agencies in Canada. So here goes my two cents with some of my favourites and not so favourites:
GolinHarris: This one is hilarious. My daughter’s Grade One yearbook had better art direction. The tag line: Real People. Real Stories. The ad shows various digital photos of GH’s events and parties. It’s cute and they probably saved a ton of money using low-res digital shots from someone’s camera. Just a little too saccharine for me. Save it for the internal company newsletter.
Cone PR: Tag line: Find your potential. Then a series of pictures of rubber bands, a plane, a pair of glasses, a mask and a charm bracelet. I don’t get it! I don’t get it! This one is really bugging me!
Ketchum: The copy basically looks like a ransom note. A variety of type face colours and sizes, oddly laid out. The photo is from Bizarroland, too. A woman holding a red umbrella who looks like she is about to take flight. Looks like the front cover of the book The Nanny Diaries. What is she doing with that umbrella? It’s not even raining in the picture. Bloody hell ...
Manning Selvage & Lee: This ad simply makes me want to scratch my head on go, “Hmmmmm? “ The tag line: To change the way others see you, change the way you see yourself. Change minds. Kinda catchy, eh? The ad has a shot of a woman, wait no, it’s a man … no it’s a woman … nope, (is it Pat?) wait a second those shoes are definitely male. I couldn’t tell the gender from the photo because it’s all blurred. And the guy is wearing a white suit!
Porter Novelli: Tag line: Look beyond the obvious. Too bad the creative is so blatantly obvious. A guy peeling an apple only to reveal an orange underneath the peel. Ooooooh, must have taken these guys 10 minutes and a bottle of Cutty Sark to come up with that creative.
Cohn & Wolfe: This has to be that ad that was developed by an account coordinator while she was taking the train into their Manhattan offices. The ad simply reads “Cohn & Wolfe” (I think it's their new logo) with their URL listed on the bottom. Deep. But hey, they were too busy merging with GCI to think about creating an ad. Give them a break.
Weber Shandwick: Finalmente! Very interesting creative and compelling ad copy. It's taken from Weber's web-site so I like the consistency of messaging. An über-cool Asian girl standing on a crate and wearing the latest in street attire, complete with ipod earbuds. Tag line: The Advocate. Love it. It speaks to their future employees and dares to be different. Thank goodness for courage over there.
Equally good …
Ogilvy PR Worldwide: Amazing ad copy, it says everthing: Smart people create new rules. Ya ... Brilliant. Big, bold, simple, typeface, nice use of space. Beautifully laid out. They clearly know their audience.
Oh, wait a second. Isn’t Ogilvy one of the world’s best ad shops too? It figures.
But the real problem with the guide is not the written profiles but the accompanying ads. Good Lord! Why can’t PR agencies spend some mullah and hire an ad agency to develop their brand ads? Now, this is just my opinion, but I have a pretty keen eye for advertising having worked alongside some great ad agencies in Canada. So here goes my two cents with some of my favourites and not so favourites:
GolinHarris: This one is hilarious. My daughter’s Grade One yearbook had better art direction. The tag line: Real People. Real Stories. The ad shows various digital photos of GH’s events and parties. It’s cute and they probably saved a ton of money using low-res digital shots from someone’s camera. Just a little too saccharine for me. Save it for the internal company newsletter.
Cone PR: Tag line: Find your potential. Then a series of pictures of rubber bands, a plane, a pair of glasses, a mask and a charm bracelet. I don’t get it! I don’t get it! This one is really bugging me!
Ketchum: The copy basically looks like a ransom note. A variety of type face colours and sizes, oddly laid out. The photo is from Bizarroland, too. A woman holding a red umbrella who looks like she is about to take flight. Looks like the front cover of the book The Nanny Diaries. What is she doing with that umbrella? It’s not even raining in the picture. Bloody hell ...
Manning Selvage & Lee: This ad simply makes me want to scratch my head on go, “Hmmmmm? “ The tag line: To change the way others see you, change the way you see yourself. Change minds. Kinda catchy, eh? The ad has a shot of a woman, wait no, it’s a man … no it’s a woman … nope, (is it Pat?) wait a second those shoes are definitely male. I couldn’t tell the gender from the photo because it’s all blurred. And the guy is wearing a white suit!
Porter Novelli: Tag line: Look beyond the obvious. Too bad the creative is so blatantly obvious. A guy peeling an apple only to reveal an orange underneath the peel. Ooooooh, must have taken these guys 10 minutes and a bottle of Cutty Sark to come up with that creative.
Cohn & Wolfe: This has to be that ad that was developed by an account coordinator while she was taking the train into their Manhattan offices. The ad simply reads “Cohn & Wolfe” (I think it's their new logo) with their URL listed on the bottom. Deep. But hey, they were too busy merging with GCI to think about creating an ad. Give them a break.
Weber Shandwick: Finalmente! Very interesting creative and compelling ad copy. It's taken from Weber's web-site so I like the consistency of messaging. An über-cool Asian girl standing on a crate and wearing the latest in street attire, complete with ipod earbuds. Tag line: The Advocate. Love it. It speaks to their future employees and dares to be different. Thank goodness for courage over there.
Equally good …
Ogilvy PR Worldwide: Amazing ad copy, it says everthing: Smart people create new rules. Ya ... Brilliant. Big, bold, simple, typeface, nice use of space. Beautifully laid out. They clearly know their audience.
Oh, wait a second. Isn’t Ogilvy one of the world’s best ad shops too? It figures.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Now this will make me look cool
I really don’t get too excited about new gadgets and consumer electronics anymore.
I have a three-year-old Motorola clam-shell mobile, and an older model BlackBerry. I’m one of those weird people that still uses a mobile phone for voice calls and BlackBerry just for email. But I do have friends who get excited over their little tech toys. I recently had dinner with four girlfriends, sipping Cosmos, when suddenly we started whipping out our BlackBerrys in a moment of electronics show-and-tell. I’m sure the bartender had quite a chuckle at four gals oooohing and ahhhhhing over a pearl button.
But I have to admit, there is only one piece of consumer technology I cannot wait to get my hands on. Apple’s iPhone. I know, I know, if I was so hot and bothered about owning an iPhone I would have bought one already stateside and found some 16-year old pimply-faced geek to unlock that puppy for me. But alas, I will wait, along with all the other tech lemmings in this country, until Rogers makes it widely available this coming Friday. And I don’t give a darn how much Rogers is charging for data fees cuz I just bloody want one.
I don’t really know why I want one so badly. I have a mobile phone that works just fine. But I think it must have something to do with the “cool factor” of owning one. Let’s face it, there isn’t a lot of cool going on in the mobile handset area. You can take mobile phones from LG, Samsung , Motorola and Nokia, mix them all up together and you won’t even come close to an iPhone. And I’m certainly not going to pimp up my phone with a silly Hello Kitty diamond studded face plate either.
I think all the hype and PR around the iPhone is justified. It’s sleek, beautiful, Apple branded, extremely functional, very swish and yes, it has earned the right to being uber-cool.
I have a three-year-old Motorola clam-shell mobile, and an older model BlackBerry. I’m one of those weird people that still uses a mobile phone for voice calls and BlackBerry just for email. But I do have friends who get excited over their little tech toys. I recently had dinner with four girlfriends, sipping Cosmos, when suddenly we started whipping out our BlackBerrys in a moment of electronics show-and-tell. I’m sure the bartender had quite a chuckle at four gals oooohing and ahhhhhing over a pearl button.
But I have to admit, there is only one piece of consumer technology I cannot wait to get my hands on. Apple’s iPhone. I know, I know, if I was so hot and bothered about owning an iPhone I would have bought one already stateside and found some 16-year old pimply-faced geek to unlock that puppy for me. But alas, I will wait, along with all the other tech lemmings in this country, until Rogers makes it widely available this coming Friday. And I don’t give a darn how much Rogers is charging for data fees cuz I just bloody want one.
I don’t really know why I want one so badly. I have a mobile phone that works just fine. But I think it must have something to do with the “cool factor” of owning one. Let’s face it, there isn’t a lot of cool going on in the mobile handset area. You can take mobile phones from LG, Samsung , Motorola and Nokia, mix them all up together and you won’t even come close to an iPhone. And I’m certainly not going to pimp up my phone with a silly Hello Kitty diamond studded face plate either.
I think all the hype and PR around the iPhone is justified. It’s sleek, beautiful, Apple branded, extremely functional, very swish and yes, it has earned the right to being uber-cool.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Ads that really work!
Whoever said advertising doesn’t work, hasn’t seen this glorious ad for Armani briefs, superbly modeled by David Beckham. The ad campaign launches next March, but a sneak peak of this (package) campaign has sent sales soaring by up to 50 per cent of the white briefs at upscale Selfridges in London. My Xmas gift to you ladies! Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Dove does it again
Another provocative look at the beauty industry, again brought to us by Dove. The company’s new viral video, entitled Onslaught, stars a bright seven-year-old girl, all smiley and freckle-faced, staring blissfully into the camera. The serene scene takes a drastic u-turn as the young girl is bombarded with images from the beauty industry. The rapid fire-like scenes are set to compelling music (performed by British band Simian) and each frame is fabulously choreographed. The end of the video offers up a wonderful inspirational message. I won’t spoil it – you’ve gotta watch it. Both Adage and Adweek give the viral piece two thumbs up. Adage calls the video a “triumph”, while Adweek calls it “technically beautiful.”
I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps it’s not as powerful or universally themed as Dove’s previous Evolution viral video, but the message is provocative and very current. It’s yet another great example of how social media can be used to unleash viral videos. Onslaught, like Evolution, is the brain child of Tim Piper. He was art director, director, writer and editor of the new film.
I asked Nancy Vonk, Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy, for her thoughts on the campaign. Here’s what she had to say:
“Onslaught was presented as an idea to our Dove client in the same meeting as we presented Evolution and other short film concepts. They're designed to encourage mothers to sign up for Dove's mother-daughter self esteem workshops provided through the Dove Self Esteem Fund. The Dove clients came to Ogilvy with a request to identify the best way to achieve this goal, and didn't have preconceived ideas about what medium to use. In the end, the web was the best place to speak from both a cost perspective and creatively; we could tell compelling stories without the time restraints of TV. And online we could be far more engaging, with opportunity for people to join in a discussion on the issues. And, of course, the Dove site is full of helpful information.
The reaction to Onslaught is huge (no pressure after Evolution) and there's some debate going on about true motives. Dove isn't trying to hide the hope that this work will create interest in its products. Of course we all hope for that. And it's working. But the hope to make a positive impact on the world is equally genuine. They've made a huge investment in helping women and girls, and the passion they bring to the table is inspiring to us.”
Nicely put, Nancy.
As a mother of a soon–to-be seven-year-old girl, the Onslaught message seems to be pinpointed squarely at me. I am the beauty industry’s best customer and sucker for all miracle creams and potions. I buy endless books on fitness and dieting and have my own personal supply of “all things Hoodia.” I’m not overweight, just trying to stay fit and prolong the inevitable Wrinkled Neck Syndrome. Beauty images are all around us and, to some extent, hound us every day. I can’t escape it either.
I try to set a good example in front of my daughter. But I got caught this weekend. My daughter saw me reading Skinny Bitch the other day (very funny book - I recommend some junk reading once in a while). She asked me what the book was called. “Skinny Girl,” I said. Problem is she’s a very good reader and figured out I was lying. Ugh.
Onslaught, like Evolution is meant to start conversations with our most valuable resources – our children, specifically our young daughters. Dove might not be able to save my generation from feeling inadequate, fat, bloated, deprived and totally body conscious. But we can sure as hell make sure our daughters, granddaughters, nieces and other young girls we love don’t feel this way. Ever.
I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps it’s not as powerful or universally themed as Dove’s previous Evolution viral video, but the message is provocative and very current. It’s yet another great example of how social media can be used to unleash viral videos. Onslaught, like Evolution, is the brain child of Tim Piper. He was art director, director, writer and editor of the new film.
I asked Nancy Vonk, Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy, for her thoughts on the campaign. Here’s what she had to say:
“Onslaught was presented as an idea to our Dove client in the same meeting as we presented Evolution and other short film concepts. They're designed to encourage mothers to sign up for Dove's mother-daughter self esteem workshops provided through the Dove Self Esteem Fund. The Dove clients came to Ogilvy with a request to identify the best way to achieve this goal, and didn't have preconceived ideas about what medium to use. In the end, the web was the best place to speak from both a cost perspective and creatively; we could tell compelling stories without the time restraints of TV. And online we could be far more engaging, with opportunity for people to join in a discussion on the issues. And, of course, the Dove site is full of helpful information.
The reaction to Onslaught is huge (no pressure after Evolution) and there's some debate going on about true motives. Dove isn't trying to hide the hope that this work will create interest in its products. Of course we all hope for that. And it's working. But the hope to make a positive impact on the world is equally genuine. They've made a huge investment in helping women and girls, and the passion they bring to the table is inspiring to us.”
Nicely put, Nancy.
As a mother of a soon–to-be seven-year-old girl, the Onslaught message seems to be pinpointed squarely at me. I am the beauty industry’s best customer and sucker for all miracle creams and potions. I buy endless books on fitness and dieting and have my own personal supply of “all things Hoodia.” I’m not overweight, just trying to stay fit and prolong the inevitable Wrinkled Neck Syndrome. Beauty images are all around us and, to some extent, hound us every day. I can’t escape it either.
I try to set a good example in front of my daughter. But I got caught this weekend. My daughter saw me reading Skinny Bitch the other day (very funny book - I recommend some junk reading once in a while). She asked me what the book was called. “Skinny Girl,” I said. Problem is she’s a very good reader and figured out I was lying. Ugh.
Onslaught, like Evolution is meant to start conversations with our most valuable resources – our children, specifically our young daughters. Dove might not be able to save my generation from feeling inadequate, fat, bloated, deprived and totally body conscious. But we can sure as hell make sure our daughters, granddaughters, nieces and other young girls we love don’t feel this way. Ever.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Beavers Revealed!
Now that I have your attention ...
Well the beavers have been revealed! Not much of a cool reveal, nevertheless, those blue and white beautifully wrapped billboards that have plastered Toronto streets for weeks have been unwrapped to expose .. you guessed it … Frank & Gordon! Those darling metro sexual Bell Beavers!
We had a feeling those flat-tailed rodents were hiding underneath. I should start off by confessing I really like those critters. They crack me up … talking animals go straight to my heart, that’s why I liked Babe so much!
But, wait a minute .. what are those beavers selling? I know it’s a Bell ad, but I have no freakin’ clue what those castors are telling me to buy? I know one ad had a beaver screaming outside a window with a megaphone and the other had wallpaper falling on him .. but what was the product sell? I dunno …Perhaps there is no product message just building awareness for Bell? That’s expensive!
I am a Rogers customer and fairly happy so maybe those ads aren’t directed to me. But even still, I am pretty cognizant of the “product sell” in most advertising and I didn’t get it at all … Now the billboards are all over the place complete with mobile devices along with cutesy taglines, but again, I just see beaver … nothing else.
Can you just imagine a PR campaign that gets tons of coverage but not one key message makes it to the editorial? Everyone remembers reading your story, but no one is moved to action. Can this happen in our PR ecosystem? It sure can! PR is not exempt from this catastrophe.
It’s unfortunate, but that’s how I see the Frank & Gordon critters. Great concept and I love the furry mascots, so Canadian. But even in this billboard execution “where’s the beef,” er, um … product message?
Well the beavers have been revealed! Not much of a cool reveal, nevertheless, those blue and white beautifully wrapped billboards that have plastered Toronto streets for weeks have been unwrapped to expose .. you guessed it … Frank & Gordon! Those darling metro sexual Bell Beavers!
We had a feeling those flat-tailed rodents were hiding underneath. I should start off by confessing I really like those critters. They crack me up … talking animals go straight to my heart, that’s why I liked Babe so much!
But, wait a minute .. what are those beavers selling? I know it’s a Bell ad, but I have no freakin’ clue what those castors are telling me to buy? I know one ad had a beaver screaming outside a window with a megaphone and the other had wallpaper falling on him .. but what was the product sell? I dunno …Perhaps there is no product message just building awareness for Bell? That’s expensive!
I am a Rogers customer and fairly happy so maybe those ads aren’t directed to me. But even still, I am pretty cognizant of the “product sell” in most advertising and I didn’t get it at all … Now the billboards are all over the place complete with mobile devices along with cutesy taglines, but again, I just see beaver … nothing else.
Can you just imagine a PR campaign that gets tons of coverage but not one key message makes it to the editorial? Everyone remembers reading your story, but no one is moved to action. Can this happen in our PR ecosystem? It sure can! PR is not exempt from this catastrophe.
It’s unfortunate, but that’s how I see the Frank & Gordon critters. Great concept and I love the furry mascots, so Canadian. But even in this billboard execution “where’s the beef,” er, um … product message?
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