Ad Bowl 2013 Monday, Feb 4 2013

There are a number of reasons why this year’s big game was important to me. First and most important, there is the economic impact of the game on my hometown of New Orleans. Second is probably the opportunity to once again review the collection of ads in this year’s game with Debbie Laskey.

My winners are a mix of ads that moved me, ads that I felt were on brand strategy, ads that made me smile, ads that reminded me how much I miss New Orleans and the ads my fellow co-workers found to be the best. Here they go, in no particular order.

Taco Bell’s interpretation of “Cocoon” made me smile and it made an entire bar full of people stand up and cheer. For that I say, “Viva Young”

Hyundai’s ad “Stuck” speaks to me every single time I’ve been behind someone on the road leaving behind mementos of their time in front of me. I usually try to drop back a little further. Now I see there is another turbocharged option.

Hyundai scores again in this homage to “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off”. Who wouldn’t want to give their family an Epic Playdate?

Bravo Jared and bravo to Subway for delivering the point that always seems to be the downfall of the diet du jour….keeping it off. No flash. No sizzle. Just the heart of the message.

Was it a good commercial, or do I just love the vibe of New Orleans? Either way, I’m in for the Mercedes CLA Soul spot…so much so that I might even forgive the billboard across from Napoleon House.

It used to be that the first break was the marquee spot. Chrysler, however, has repositioned halftime as the “it” placement. Most purists would argue that they are forgoing a spotlight on their products. Some might say they are positioning themselves as the all-American option. Ford, anyone?

In a past life, I sold radio. That station featured a segment by Paul Harvey. Chrysler’s Dodge Ram salute to American Farmers was very moving to me.

My tear-jerker:

I’m not a St. Louisan, but the Budweiser Clydesdale spots have always been among my favorites. There is just something about them that makes me feel un-American if I don’t cry. This spot seemed to be a hit among most of the marketers I work with on a daily basis.

As the officials on the field say, “failed to convert”.

That penalty goes to Go Daddy (even though they did somewhat redeem themselves with   “Your Next Big Idea”

Go Daddy’s Perfect Match spot just made me feel a little dirty. Even if you’re not in the same room, the sound of that kissing is enough to just send shivers down my spine.  To quote one of the marketing directors I work with, “I don’t like the way they subjugate web developers.”

Also, missing the point was Toyota. I guess Kaley Cuoco is the latest hot property and I should be blown away with her part in this Rav4 commercial. I’m not. In fact I had the name of the car make and model wrong when I wrote this sentence. Sorry Toyota. I guess your wish wasn’t granted.

Honorable mention goes to Kia’s Space Babies. Babylandia looks so much more interesting than being slung in a sheet flying through the air on the beak of a stork!

Of course, this Super Bowl will go down in the record books for also creating the biggest delay of game thanks to a pesky power outage. Although media maven and social media expert alike is always touting extending your ad buys into social, Oreo and Tide were fast to  take advantage of the hiccup. Clever…timely…and absolutely on brand, they might be my winners for the night.

Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts on the ads we all seem to look forward to. I’ll be posting Debbie’s thoughts soon, but in the meantime let me know your winners and losers.

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You Have Arrived At Your Destination Thursday, Sep 20 2012

I wrote this post about three weeks ago. since that time, my personal life has been a bit of a mess, but life goes on. I still feel this was an experience with insight to share. So here go my 3 week old thoughts.

You may know that the company I work for is in the midst of building a brand new casino. In addition, we are updating – and in some cases rebranding – existing properties. As a team, we’ve looked at hundreds of paint samples, carpet samples, and finishes from faux brick to granite and marble. We play mix and match until we feel we’ve created the perfect physical experience and that any guest will innately feel our brand promise upon arrival.

Any architect or designer will tell you that the “sense of arrival” is of utmost importance – a first impression that you only get to make once. We always assume folks arrive at our doors ready to have fun and in the happiest of moods, but do they?

A recent trip home to New Orleans gave me much to think about. Everyone assumes that people come to New Orleans ready to drink hurricanes and show their you-know-whats to get rewarded with whatever beads other tourists are offering. Earlier this year, I returned home to say farewell to the mother of a dear friend. This week I returned home in a somewhat unfocused state. Waiting at baggage claim, sorting through unread emails on my phone, I heard the familiar strains of brass instruments warming up and soon they started the joyous music of so many happy memories.

Bienvenue à la Nouvelle-Orléans!

The airport is still under seemingly endless construction and the baggage claim area is a compilation of posters on construction walls, low ceilings and dim lights. Even in this old, dated spot, my mood instantly changed to one of fun and joy.

My company is often faced with how to liven up equally old, dated surroundings. It’s easy to turn to capital improvements to do this, but as you see in this video, you don’t always need that. Sometimes you just need to create some fun!

Here’s some more of that great New Orleans-style music.

I hope you enjoyed this little musical interlude and that it inspired you to think about how you’re greeting guests when they arrive at your doors.

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Auditor By Day, Animal Lover Around The Clock Wednesday, Feb 29 2012

Last year, I blogged about things I had learned from a variety of bosses. In many ways, these people also comprise a portion of my list of People I Admire. I should’ve included Virginia McDowell, president and CEO of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Every day she shows us that we can do our jobs well and still do good for our communities. With a little inspiration from her and an old co-worker, Sarah Wayson, I became involved with a fantastic organization called Connections to Success.

Connections asked me to sit on the committee for a first-time event spotlighting successful women in our community. I wanted to honor one of the women I work with and discovered the amazing spirit of one of our auditors, Mary Britsch.

Photo by Greg Rannells

An auditor by day, Mary is an animal lover around the clock and has been using this passion for more than 20 years to assist with animal rescue across the country. While her first volunteer position was walking dogs and helping socialize them at a local animal shelter, after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in 2005, Mary drove to New Orleans and returned home with 14 homeless animals, one of which she fostered until a new home was found for it. She also helped reunite pets with their owners following the hurricane, and one of those reunions was featured in filmmaker Geralyn Pezanoski’s award-winning documentary “Mine.” The film premiered at the South by Southwest^® film festival in 2009 and received the audience choice award for a documentary. Since she started volunteering, Mary has provided immediate to long-term foster care for five dogs and overnight/short-term care for dozens of others. For the past seven years, she has been part of the “rescue railroad”, transporting hundreds of dogs from bad situations to rescue, or from rescue to adoptive homes in another part of the country. Mary also works with rescues around the country to screen potential adopters in the St. Louis area. She was on the board of directors for Metro East Humane Society for several years, serving as treasurer for two years.

Thanks to Elissa Plastino for writing this great bio on Mary. We’ll be sitting in the audience tomorrow proud to be co-workers with Mary.

Here is a great interview with filmmaker Geralyn Pezanoski in case you’re interested.

Also, check out Connections to Success and try to join the cause. They’re doing some great work.

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Friday Five – 12/2/11 Friday, Dec 2 2011

Wow! December already. Where has this year gone? Here is my Friday Five – five articles I came across this week that inspired me, made me think or just made me do a double-take.

There’s a Busch brewing again. I’m not a beer drinker, but I currently reside in St. Louis and know it’s a part of the fabric of this city. When InBev successfully attempted to takeover Anheuser-Busch, it was quite a blow to the city and its residents. I once took the tour of the brewery and learned so much about the history of this storied business. Recently, I read that a Busch has started brewing again. I wonder what he’ll build this into? Read about it here.

I mentioned American Eagle Outfitters in my recent post about building brand champions. I think they’re doing great things to engage their employees. It’s no surprise that they had such a great approach to Black Friday. Here are some lessons learned that day from Vovici.

I’ve been working on the new iteration of our online presence and how mobile plays a role. One of our directors recently sent me news of a competitor releasing a new shiny app. I’ve got more than one person coming to me on a weekly basis with a great idea for an app. No one has come to me with an idea as to what the goal of an app would be. Jason Gurwin hit it right on target when he said “Building a Mobile App Is Not a Mobile Strategy” in this Harvard Business Review blog post.

It’s the end of the year, and everyone has started making lists. How could I work in marketing and not have an opinion about Adweek‘s 10 best commercials of 2011 or the ones selected by Business Insider as the best of 2011?

By the way, if you’re wondering what the impact has been of InBev’s ownership of AB, one of them seems to be (sadly) that the Clydesdales will not be participating in the “Rose Parade”.

If you’re not a New Orleanian, you may not know of Arthur Davis, but if you’ve see a New Orleans Saints home game or watched the Hornets play at home, chances are you’ve seen his work. Davis left an indelible mark in the skyline of New Orleans. Along with his partner Nathaniel Curtis, he designed the (now Mercedes-Benz) Superdome, New Orleans Arena, New Orleans Public Library, Rivergate and countless other schools, churches and buildings in the city. He passed away at the age of 91. Take a moment to read about him here.

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Friday Five – 11/4/11 Friday, Nov 4 2011

Here are the five clips that made me wonder, question, worry or smile this week.

Chevy’s changing approach to advertising to women is a great walk through the history of advertising. Read about it here.

Each day, I see articles about how more and more restaurants are evolving into more of a quicker, casual atmosphere with lower prices. Rather than scaling down his product, Eric Ripert is continuously focused on the star of the show but understands that his product has to stay relevant as opposed to cheaper. Read about his changes here.

Another clip that made me smile. I’m from New Orleans and still amazed at the different languages we speak that are still called “English”. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I do.

Boomers may be slow to adopt some things, but when they do, they do it with the power of the Boomer market. This has to give casino marketers (who live off of this demographic) a moment of thought. For those who have discounted social media and mobile marketing, read this…

Hotel guests recruited with Homeland Security spots. Wow! I just can’t imagined these interspersed with the relaxing spa images and cocktails at the bar that you usually see on the typical in-room channels. Read more here…

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