11Aug

When All Else Fails, Chalk Talks

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Having designed and produced many a sign for clients over the years – in many townships, municipal districts and areas with some of the most absurd rules and regulations imaginable – we’ve Pat's Yarnspretty much seen it all when it comes to getting signs approved.

Yet it’s no secret that retail thrives with good signage.  So what’s a business to do when all else fails? How about a little chalk talk?

While walking from the PATH in Hoboken yesterday, I noticed a fantastic effort by an off-the-beaten-path retailer, Patricia’s Yarns. Owned by a Hoboken resident and avid knitter, the store exists just off Washington Street, Hoboken’s main corridor for retail and dining.  Thousands of young,  affluent commuters trapse up and down its sidewalks each day to head into the Big Apple to make their living. And when they return to Hoboken, with money to spend, standing out in an area dense with boutique options is key.

So next time you need to get noticed, why not take signage into your own hands? A little sidewalk chalk, some bright pastel colors and voila…insta-signage!

Smart thINKing for sure, Patricia. And with a tip of our knit caps off to you, here’s to hoping it doesn’t rain!

30Jul

No Hung Jury Here: HBO Ad Rocks!

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While waiting to get my haircut this month, I was flipping through the Village Voice when I spotted the latest marketing effort to make it into Clever, Ink.’s smart thINKing Hall of Fame.

After breezing past several articles and the latest concert scene, I came upon that infamous personals section. You know, the one we all pretend we don’t glance at when we actually can’t help ourselves. And there it was – ad brilliance! No, it was not the tombstone ads boasting erotic massage, or the unbelievably sketchy headlines that caught my attention. Rather, it was HBO’s front and center ad promoting their new show “Hung”.

“Hung” follows the surreal life of Ray Drecker, a former high school sports legend turned middle-aged high school basketball coach who is divorced and struggling to provide for his kids by exploiting his best asset (hint: the show’s title says it all). Chock full of all of the elements that make viewers laugh out loud – role reversal (a former fling becomes Drecker’s “boss)”, ironic tragedy, unrequited bitterness and brilliant writing – the show plays off a man who will try anything to save his dignity while sacrificing it at the same time. For HBO to promote the show via a personal ad. That’s just simply smart.

Why? Foremost, the placement is genius. Forget clutter cutting, HBO obviously did its market research to ascertain that the many men who would “flip” through personals would also be likely to tune into “Hung” (solely for the content, of course.) But the ad also ties in social media elements like a redirect to the live website HappinessConsultants.com, the name of the business Ray and his madame set up dba style. In addition, an 888 number actually ties to a voice mailbox further promoting the show by inviting viewers to “meet” Ray on Sundays at HBO. Way to arm your marketing gurus with tracking tools and useful data for developing future marketing initiatives HBO!

So for a good time, go call 888-588-HUNG. And be sure to jot it down in your little black book of must watch TV. After this ad, HBO deserves giving it a try.

30Jul

Textual Harassment – A PSA in Disguise

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Recently, I attended my cousin’s college graduation. Oh, the spirit and celebration of several hundred neophytes looking at life from a fresh perspective. Well, thanks – but no thanks!

Being a teen/recent college graduate today must be a lot of work. But being the parent of one must be more like shoving a flaming dagger in your eye – and then falling on it. With the advent of social media, texting, IMing, cell phones with GPS navigation that can track a user right to their locale, peer pressure and a job market that has basically disapperared, I can think of no worse technology than time travel right about now. Because personally, I would NOT want to go back.

Which is why The Ad Council, in partnership with The Family Violence Prevention Fund, wins the most recent smart thINKing award for their That’s Not Cool initiative. In particular, for their clever spot – “Textural Harassment” – that fuses whimsy and humor to connect with teens about a very serious issue – DAILY PRESSURES. (You can watch the spot below by clicking on the image)

Replete with all the interactive, progressive bells and whistles that engage teens/youth today, That’s Not Cool is a digital PSA in disguise. It contains all of the information youth need to become and remain aware of the pressures other teens can place on them, while also serving up viral, social and educational elements that make the site sticky and relevant.

Check out the Callout Cards (and some are quite hilarious), self defense e-tools that enable users to tell someone to “back up off”. And the Talk it Out section where users can dialogue, give and get advice on topics such as “pic pressure”, constant messaging, rumor control and friends in crisis.

And the beauty of the site. It uses real, identifiable youth, typography indicative of the MTV generation, and to funnel end users exactly where they want them – to the help section of the site that is essentially a portal to all of the resources kids today have to stand strong and proud.

And when smart thINKing meets grassroots there’s always a winner!

06Mar

The Original Consumer Stimulus Package

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Growing up with a “coupon queen” for a mother, I can’t remember a trip to the grocery store that didn’t include coupons. That and that my brother and I were always the lucky recipients of the buy one get one at Mr. Steak (probably one of the reasons I shun red meat today.)

Given today’s economy, it’s no surprise that there is a surge in coupon use (according to the Promotion Marketing Association’s Coupon Council, 94 percent of consumers use coupons today). And who knows coupons better than good old Valpak?

With a brilliant headline, backed by stellar copy, Valpak’s newest ad is the latest creative to earn a smart thINKing thumbs up.

Ok, I know. Valpak. Who suggests that to client’s these days? BUT the bottom line is this – in today’s down economy, consumers are looking for V-A-L-U-E! Not just sales, people. Sales on top of sales, and then another 50% mark down. So, Valpak makes a lot of sense right now.

Their clever “shift to thrift” messaging is smart and timely, and they are able to penetrate mailboxes without fear of firewalls of spam filters. By positioning their discount package of coupons as the “Original Consumer Stimulus Package”, their on the fast track to getting rediscovered by marketers who wrote them off as a thing of the past. They may not be the least expensive direct marketing tool, but with a business climate below freezing, it’s hardly the time for trial and error marketing. Today, it’s about doing what works.

Click on the image and read for yourself. And then go get some scissors and start clipping.

27Feb

"Aphrodisiac Advertising" – It's the New Unexpected

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When most people think of vegetables, it’s dressing – and not undressing – that comes to mind. But holy hearts of palm, the British-based Vegetarian Society takes the opposite approach to building their brand…
(WARNING: naughty, naked vegetables lay dead ahead).
The latest marketing minds to earn the smart thINKing seal of approval, the Vegetarian Society offers a solid example of how to marry the expected with the unexpected to create market share. Sure, their tactics push the envelope. But honestly, how exciting can things get for a group of vegetarians? Basically, they’ve got two choices: serve the expected and dish up nutritional facts (Boring, with a capital B), or get a little fresh and pour some smart thINKing on your brand.
If you browse the Society’s website, it’s archived with clever innuendo (and even some ripe “out-uendo“) on spicing up your life by going vegetarian. There are tag lines like “Are you Ready to Go All the Way”, and press releases in their press room that feature seasonally relevant tips on how to steam things up.
But perhaps the best example of the unexpected is their TV campaign “Become a Real Food Lover”. When it aired, the spot earned an instant bunch of buzz. It penetrated YouTube, spawned its own URL – www.rudefood.org, and was banned from certain markets. After all, who thinks of vegetables like this?
Clever, creative types – that’s who!
While tapping consumer libido is hardly new in advertising, the masterminds at the Vegetarian Society have never apologized or stopped trying to serve up the unexpected when it comes to earning market share. It’s expected that businesses today should offer value and customer service. But it’s the unexpected – and that sweet spot where it meets what customers expect – that really gets a brand noticed. And in the case of the Vegetarian Society, talk about the unexpected.
Now go. Eat your veggies!

24Feb

Turning Laid Off into Paid Off…One Project at a Time

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Recently, I attended a party where half of the guests were laid off. This made for lots of jokes and humor, perhaps the only way those handed their pink slips can get by these days. The fact remains, lay-offs touch us all – whether it’s a spouse, friend or co-worker. It’s become the new Six Degree of Separation.

Enter a brilliant idea by Canada-based ad agency Huxley Quayle von Bismark – Just One Project.
At first glance, Just One Project is three things: a herculean corporate effort to help unemployed advertising professionals find work; a practical grassroots initiative with a relevant purpose (and haven’t we had enough of those painful over sized check presentations as a PR tactic?) ; and, a small drop of hope.
With tons of bills still to be met, and an economy worsening as we blog, the fact remains that for as many unemployed people as there are today, there are just as many “projects” sitting on desks across America.

What HQvB has created is an initiative that pairs these projects – one at a time – with a pool of talented, seasoned, yet laid-off advertising professionals who can tackle these projects on a freelance basis. In return for their time and talent, these out of work freelancers will get paid, helping them pay their rent/mortgage, put food on their tables, and avoid “no flow” debt. To the layperson, this means that you’ll get talented, experienced people delivering top notch work at a rate that is sure to be favorable in this economic climate.

So begs the question, why is this smart thINKing? If it’s not obvious, here’s the breakdown:
  • Goodwill like this = great brand respect
  • The advertising world is rallying together to remain a community that is all about promoting and moving things forward
  • HQvB is extending its billable opportunities in a down market where you need to get clever to make money.

Talk about a Win-Win!

Check out an article on the Just One Project in Marketing Magazine, or watch a video here.

21Feb

Classified Ad Meet Social Networks – Social Networks meet Classified Ad

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We’ve all done it…Whether it’s unloading an old car in order to afford a new one, peddling a piece of unwanted furniture or selling clothes purged from our closets, we’ve all turned to classified ads at one time or another.

Until now, the most effective way to pawn what we’re ready to put behind us has been Craig’s List (and it still amazes me that the founder of Craig’s List has declined seven figure offers simply because he created the site for goodwill and purpose, but that’s an entirely different blog post.)

Well Craig’s List – and FaceBook, Twitter, Friend Feed, Yahoo, Google and all your online brothers and sisters – meet iList, the newest, most innovative way to sell anything you want online.

The latest inductee to Clever, Ink.’s smart thINKing blotter, iList integrates with today’s most popular web services to promote classified listings across all of your social networks. Basically, you post it and iList broadcasts it – to anyone and everyone you connect with online.
iList makes it super easy for your friends to help promote your listings to their friends, and just to make sure you’re getting your listing in front of as many people as possible; iList allows you to automatically post to Craigslist with the click of a button. But one of the nicest features of iList is that it takes sketchy out of online classifieds. iList prominently displays each lister’s identity, with direct links to their profiles on their social networks. You can even see who their friends are, as well as any friends the two of you may have in common.

Recently featured on Mashable, one of Time Magazine’s 2009 Power Blogs, iList is a fantastic example of relevant and simple smart thINKing. Watch as it quickly gains notoriety and users. Yet another wow idea we can all add to our “why didn’t we think of that?” lists.

18Feb

Smart thINKing by my Pug

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Ok. So you might ask what a 15-pound pug has to do with smart thINKing? When I started this blog, I really wanted to identify and promote ideas that link thinking to three words: smart, clever and strategic.

And it dawned on me recently, I was being had by my dog…

Bella, my pug, was displaying “smart thINKing” right under my nose. Recently, she unraveled this neat-o new “trick” where the moment she hears me reach for her leash, she leaps from her comfy resting spot on the couch and beelines it under my bed – of course, out of my reach. Is it because she does not have to use the “facilities”? Or, perhaps, because she has agoraphobia (fear of open spaces/the outdoors)?

No. It’s because Bella has figured out that in order for me to get her out from under the bed, I have to either spelunk my way to her or offer her her favorite form of canine crack – turkey pepperoni. About 99% of the time, that dog covets her turkey pepperoni (and I swear, she smirks at me while savoring every last bite.) And then, we head outside.

So, what’s the moral of this smart thINKing anecdote? If you want your target audience to do what you want them to do, figure out a clever way to get them to meet you half way, and then do what works for them. And it doesn’t help to be awfully damn cute in the process.

14Feb

Fusing Life with Humor – It Works

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While Southwest Airlines’ “Wanna Get Away?” campaign is hardly new, it provides a fantastic model of how to leverage humor with life’s harsh realities, something every consumer can relate to today. And one of the best spots in the campaign came from the airlines’ “Wanna Get Away” contest winner.

“I’m Engaged” is as basic as it gets – sometimes basic is the best way to deliver funny – opening with a pre-“pop the question pep talk” between buds and culminating with every man’s worst nightmare.

The cuts are quick and well done, and the casting perfect. Check out the male reply when he finally musters the courage to ask the woman of his dreams for her hand, and quickly learns that not all dreams pan out.

Nothing new, but this spot still ranks high on the memorability scale.

06Feb

Dunkin Roasts SBUX Again…

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During a time when retail success is measured by market share and customer loyalty, Dunkin Donuts continues to thrash Starbucks, the original pioneer in converting the coffee cup into a fashion icon.

Not only has Dunkin thrown down the gauntlet with their Dunkin Beats Starbucks campaign – yes, you too can send viral e-cards boasting “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Starbucks” and “Hate to Say I Told You So” to those friends and co-workers who still think Starbucks is better – they have also launched a new ad campaign backed by honest-to-goodness data.

The part of this ad that jumped out and grabbed me is the statement “We don’t work around our schedule, we work around yours.” Forget I’m in advertising, that’s just damn good to hear today. We’re certainly not hearing it from the utilities who power our homes (you’ve got to love that cable install/repair window of 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.), or the airlines or our doctors.

This campaign works because it’s real. It’s timely. And because it embraces the very fact that, as marketing professionals, we must do more than dabble in today’s experiential consumer movement. Simply put, give your consumers what they want, when and how they want it, or you’re roasted. In this case, that’s a good thing.