MOB is taking over, one city at a time...

1) Read this article
2) Cop some gear @ Lab Boston. 113 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA. www.labboston.com
3) Thank me later.

READ ME

...urban dwellers..sneakers...hoodies...life..

Fresh to death

shana tova bitches

Here's a dude just doin his damn thing and doin it well.

free marketing in the fashion industry

With increasingly more Americans reading US Weekly than Vogue these days it's no wonder fashion labels are starting to use any press (good or bad) to gain market share. A recent article in the NY Times this past Thursday discusses this new trend; as well as Ms. Lohans contribution to American Apparels increase in sales.

This article got me thinking, what other brands could leverage their label by taking advantage of scandalous celebrities swathed in their line?

Ex: The infamous blue jizz-stained Gap dress worn by Monica Lewinsky.

Perhaps Hanes could use all the rappers that get arrested in white T's like DMX in a new campaign?

They could simply add to their existing tag line "Look Who We've Got Our Hanes On Now- With Handcuffs!"...or something like that.

fox news boston gets outfoxed

I was lucky enough to catch the very edited VJ Zebbler (Pete Berdovsky of the Boston ATHF debacle) interview on Fox "News" the other day. Here's what you missed remixed by Pete himself:

third place what a disgrace

The results are in: Emerson College's Emcomm placed third in the AAF regional competition. BU was placed fourth, ha! Quinnipiac University won with the same idea we had but threw out because we decided it was too obvious and simplistic. I'm tired and depressed but we did the best we could and our plansbook kicks ass. At least I graduate in a week.

cam'ron is a mo'ron

No one listened to me when I said Cam sucked. Now the man famous for making thugs look sensitive in pink T-shirts is on CNN blathering about his "Snitches Get Stitches"/ "Stop Snitching" mantra.

The "Stop Snitchin" topic has been hotly debated for over a year, but it seems my man Anderson Cooper just caught wind of it. In 2006 here in Boston, Antonio Ennis pulled his "Stop Snitchin' " T-shirts off the shelves of his Dorchester store in December and started making "Start Peace" T-shirts. Much better than promoting violence don't you think?

Another shirt playing off the "Stop Snitchin" logo is "Start Reading".

Police are notorious for not responding quickly enough & for being corrupt in the hood. But apathy towards violent crime? Not cool Cam, not cool. The VT shooter was a crazy loon, not some dude selling weed to help support his 6 kids, or whatever the rationalization is for being apathetic.

walker texas ranger does the dew

The Mountain Dew execution by BBDO above actually made me laugh. The Dew brand is up to big things lately; co-branding with the new Halo 3 game and now this. I can actually hear precious little market share fizzing away in the Coca-Cola Classic end of the ring.


Best Chuck Norris Joke: Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

my smartphone is stupid

My Sidekick 3 is dumb for the following reasons:

1) Can't sync to my Mac
2) I can only email not text pictures
3) It thinks I'm going to be happy with the 'multicultural' phone app people on my screen for eternity...Well guess what? I altered that ish and am in the process of designing my own
4) I can't use my MP3's as ringtones- I still have to pay almost $3 for a new ringtone.

In short dear reader, my phone is no smarter than the guy on the short bus picking his nose and saving it in his booger collection under his seat.

imus ad

Agency Wieden & Kennedy cooked up this tasty all copy full pager for their client Nike . The only print execution was in the Times, however it will appear as banner on Flip.com, Cosmogirl.com, Seventeen.com, ESPN.com, FoxSports.com and NikeWomen.com

It reads:

Thank you for starting the conversation.
Thank you for making an entire nation listen to the Rutger's (sic) team story. And for making us wonder what other great stories we've missed. Thank you for reminding us to think before we speak.
Thank you for showing us how strong and poised 18 and 20-year-old women can be.
Thank you for reminding us that another basketball tournament goes on in March.
Thank you for showing us that sport includes more than the time spent on the court.
Thank you for unintentionally moving women's sport forward.
And thank you for making all of us realize that we still have a long way to go.
Next season starts 11.16.07."

So put that in your pipe and smoke racist heathen.

On a more serious note watch this:

slate rebuttal

"Crispin also appears to have a strange obsession with dictating the bounds of male identity. In the "Un-pimp Your Ride" spots for VW, a somewhat cruel protagonist ridicules young men who dare to seek self-expression through the art of modifying their cars. In the "Making Things Right" campaign for Haggar, two middle-aged guys gruffly rule their suburban neighborhood—advocating physical force against any young men who dare to wear earrings, or listen to rap music, or date your daughter. And then there's that Man Law campaign for Miller, where the concept achieves its most literal form.

I hate this kind of subjugating, behavior-circumscribing, frat-guy approach to humor. I realize it appeals to a certain target demographic (i.e., fratty guys of all ages). But it repels almost everyone else. And there's a danger in that.- The Hottest Ad Agency in the Country And why I sort of hate it. By Seth Stevenson


Here's why you're wrong.




Seth:

Dude, you play squash, C P + B is not talking to you. You admit it yourself- you have no respect for the "beer-pong" cohort. I've never played beer-pong nor have I been to a fraternity, but I can tell you that the Man Law & the BK spots with men throwing minivans off of bridges speaks to all of us out there who hate convention. You see Seth, this 54 million plus "Ipod Generation" is bored to tears. We are crying Seth; we are exposed to over 3,000 media messages a day. Some of those spots better make us laugh- or else.

C P + B gets this audience because they are this audience. Ever been inside their Miami office? You can skateboard in there, and everyone is wearing flip flops- far from frat guys they are creative types who love art and music. This is the kind of agency that can speak to a generation that has selective hearing. Why? The message isn't being concocted by a bunch of Brooks Brother wearing-over-the-hill-bores. We are coveted by almost every brand out there- so why not target us directly?

Obviously this kind of humor works, look how successful the movies Old School & Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan are. I do agree with a point you raise; does this approach improve the bottom line? We'll see, but I bet you three Mojitos that Crispin is going to keep the VW & BK accounts when they come up for review.

Your friend,
Meg

reporter found with head firmly planted up own ass

Boston Globe reporter Jenn Abelson interviewed Karen Kaplan, president of Hill Holiday in Boston, for this past Sundays Hot Seat section. In Ms. Abelson's infinite wisdom she asked:

Abelson: "What did you think about the recent guerrilla marketing campaign for Comedy Central in which electronically lit signs depicting a cartoon character were mistaken for bombs, spreading panic throughout Boston?"

Kaplan: "It is astonishing to me that it actually got implemented. The level of irresponsibility is astounding to me and I thought it was very amateurish."

You want to know what I think is 'very amateurish'? Not checking your facts before you send your article to print. It wasn't Comedy Central it was Cartoon Network...it's an honest mistake I mean, they both start with "C".

Another thing that's really amateurish is not taking into account that many ad shops have to outsource their guerrilla marketing tactics. If it was up to the average suit dress advertiser there wouldn't even be guerrilla marketing. Can you picture these people making wheat paste and putting posters up at 3am? Bottom line if you want something done right do it yourself. If you can't do it yourself then you better oversee the process from beginning to end.

The rest of the interview runs tepid with the usual "What do you think of user generated content?" Gag me with a spoon.

finally, some intelligent television

"This American Life" premiers 10:30 Eastern and Pacific times (9:30, Central time) on Showtime. If you listen to NPR then you know this is going to be a killer show. Move over Taxi Cab Confessions with your hookers complaining about their pimps; TAL will have interviewees that tell touching stories that everyone can relate to at an emotional level.

the funniest movie you haven't seen

The funniest movie you haven't seen is available on DVD & on On Demand (Comcast). This movie speaks volumes about what could happen in the future due to the dumbing down of America (thanks to popular culture). Here's a review from the Boston Globe from January 7, 2007:

"Unless you're a big fan of Mike Judge 's work on "Beavis and Butt-head " or in "Office Space ," you probably missed the fleeting theatrical release of "Idiocracy " (2006 ). The live-action comedy was dumped on about a hundred movie screens last fall, with a conspicuous -- and curious -- lack of publicity. Hollywood observers speculated that the movie's skewering of dumbed-down American culture made studio execs nervous. Whatever the case, this is no straight-to-video dud.

Luke Wilson stars as Joe Bowers , an Army desk jockey whose everydude existence is shaken up when he's ordered to take part in a hibernation experiment and accidentally lands 500 years in the future. There, he and time-traveling companion Maya Rudolph find a world collapsing under the weight of its own sheer stupidity. Failing crops are being "watered" with Gatorade, law degrees are handed out at Costco , and subtlety and innuendo have been steamrollered by a painfully dense literal-mindedness. (In Judge's dopey dystopia, Fuddrucker s is far too clever a name not to get a lowbrow tweak.) Can average Joe save them? That's what America's wrestler-president (Terry Crews of "Everybody Hates Chris ," going amusingly over the top) is counting on.

While one can imagine Judge's less-than-ecstatic reaction to the movie's release strategy, it's almost as if he made this with his sights set on DVD himself. Take, for instance, the various deliberately phony sci-fi landscapes, which beg for freeze-framing to verify that, yep, these fools did use a giant rope to try to keep a skyscraper from toppling."- Tom Russo

Rancid Marketing

Out come the wolves indeed. Hell Week has officially begun for me in AAF/Emcomm so there goes my eating/sleeping/ TV viewing schedules. I've missed you too but here is something to read besides my own rants: Punk'd Marketing Blog

Thanks to Jennifer over at her blog, The Credibility Branding Blog, for reminding me about this resource. I hear ya girlfriend, I've got the book too & can't wait to have time to sit down and read it.

PS cross your fingers for me; as I'm conducting primary research I've noticed some people are trying to taint my focus groups w/ stoolies. Hey Boston University Marketing Students, it AIN'T gonna work. Here's a pointer; if you respond to my focus group rally with a 'bu.edu' email address I'm not going to fall for it.

dear jetblue i'm begining to hate you

After spending five hours at JFK airport this past Friday, I am starting not to hold jetblue in such high regards. After reviewing their Customer Bill of Rights pre-trip I expected to find any inconvenience (s) during my flight to be handled with the utmost care to preserve what is left of the brand after the Valentine's Day debacle. This Bill Of Rights was actually emailed to me by jetblue; with the Youtbue video of CEO, David Neeleman apologizing for holding passengers on board for longer than it takes to make Thanksgiving dinner. Watch the video below to hear his heartfelt apology.

As one comment reads from 'skyhitchhiker':
"The fact is that it was good intentions that paved this particular road to hell. They thought there was a takeoff window and they were wrong. In all the years America West existed, you never saw them apologize for MUCH WORSE treatment of both their passengers and their employees. I know for a fact Mr. Neeleman apologized to his employees as well AND took care of them. 7 years of WOW doesn't disappear overnight! I'll give them this ONE..."

So back to me. While waiting I positioned myself in front of my gate hoping to see an employee I could talk to regarding why my plane was delayed once, twice, and changed gates more than Miranda from Sex in the City changes partners. No one showed up at that gate for a very long time. I waited for 4 1/2 hours before approaching the customer service desk. Mind you, there had been no announcements as to why my flight had been delayed. Customer service rep Maria's drawn-on red eyebrows arched high as I expressed my frustration and pried for answers. With a dismissive glance she said, "You are entitled to a $25 food voucher, call this number." She then writes down an 800 # on a photo copy of the Customer Bill of Rights, and waves me away.

I sat back down and called the number. While on hold for 20 minutes I find out that I am entitled to a $50 voucher as detailed in my photo copy. When the muzak switched off, and an operator returned to the line she tells me my flight is delayed because of weather. Meanwhile I see other airlines flying planes out with little trouble. I then asked about my voucher, could I get some food, compensation...another flight (at this point its 11pm)? Well the attendant doesn't know so she asks to put me back on hold to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor eventually gets on the line to explain to me that weather does not constitute as a 'Controllable Irregularity", duh. I then tell this supervisor I had been promised a voucher which turns into the supervisor asking me to walk back over to the Customer Service counter and hand my cellphone to this Maria. I tell the lady can't you call her on your phone system, since I've been on the phone for an hour burning cellphone minutes like calories in a marathon. No, that would mean I would have to call back. I was NOT sitting on hold anymore by this point. I tried to hand my phone to Maria-pencil-eyebrows but she waved her hand in my face. That really pissed me off. The story goes on, but dear Reader I'll spare you. Longer story short, I got my $50 voucher thanks to my persistence & good ol' college try. Moral of the story? Have an attendant at the gate to tell passengers whats going on. Streamline the voucher process by removing the messy 800 # business. And for God's sake, when your airline is having the worst month of it's life put more than two customer service rep's at the desk! What did I learn? Never get a layover @ JFK even if I'm saving 70 bucks.

The Culture Code vs. Dove's Real Beauty Campaign

Dove's new online campaign features this user-generated spot.


In the book, The Culture Code, author Rapaille rips apart Dove's Real Beauty campaign. He says the code for beauty in America is MAN'S SALVATION. He obviously doesn't have a vagina. Here's proof:

"Supermodels, for instance, are very much on Code because they uphold an unattainable standard for beauty. Women can aspire to that level of perfection without feeling any pressure to achieve it. Why? Because men- the very men they are trying to save with their beauty-look at supermodels and say, "I'll never be with a woman like that."

Mr. Rapaille please tell the thousands of women busting their asses in the gym or undergoing plastic surgery that there is no pressure to be beautiful.

The pressure is not because women are merely trying to get a husband. The pressure is from sizing ourselves up with images in the media, picking out our own flaws, and then deciding these flaws might possibly be the source for us not getting what we want in life, like a promotion. Rapaille should read I Feel Bad About My Neck.

"Whats better than knowing you're beautiful even when no one is looking?"
Having a face like a muffin.

Methadone & Slim Fast- Breakfast of Champions

I'm officially in a funk. Between catching up on school work, and planning for AAF I am lacking blogging time/effort.

Want to see poor Pete Berdovsky's (aka VJ Zebbler of the ill fated Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle) myspace page?

I emailed him regarding the Taste of Peace event this Saturday @ the Boston Sheraton. He is scheduled to perform and said in response to my question of whether or not he would be able to do so: "I think so, things got pretty scrambled because I was MIA for almost two weeks - but I am getting back in the swing of things."

I would like to say that while many people were offended by his press conference not every one is trained in PR, nor do they care about it. Read his blog, and you can see this kid isn't a jerk at all.

absence makes the <3 grow fonder

due to a death in my family I have been unable to post recently. I apologize to my readers, browsers, and most importantly to my few, but much appreciated fans. Until I can give my thoughts on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle read someone else's blog:

República Update

Thank you República Update & Pro Hip Hop for the latest news about Jay-Z's entrepreneurial comings and goings.

-Meg

Iphone distraction

Did you forget that Steve Jobs is being questioned in less than honest stock option history record keeping?

Is this guy smart or what? In the same month he gets caught for pulling a Martha Stewart; he releases news that his company designed the coolest gadget we Westerners have seen since the hula hoop. Now look:


See you forgot all about Steve Jobs nasty little secret.

dick clark productions are real dicks

Annoyed that you can't watch Sacha Baron Cohen's Golden Globe acceptance speech? I guess Dick Clark Productions didn't want any free marketing... After all, they took down every Golden Globe acceptance speech on Youtube. The great minds behind, So You Think You Can Dance, didn't even think of putting the clips on their website. That way at the very least bloggers could refer people to their site and drive traffic. Btw, the picture is of rapper Master P, he filled in for his son Lil' Romeo on SYTYCD. I wonder if Dick ever listened to P's song entitled "Make Crack Like This"?


In other news, thank you TJX for allowing customers' credit card info and drivers license info into the hands of hackers by having crappy security. I especially want to give TJX props for not doing any PR for about a month after the hack, and not releasing the locations of the stores suspected to be involved. I knew I was going to regret that boot-shaped vase I got at Home Goods in '03!

It's probably safer shopping on sites like Amazon, than at your bricks and mortar discount retail stores these days. Read about it in todays Boston Globe.

a great success!

Mazel tov to Sacha Baron Cohen for winning a Golden Globe! Booyakashah!

peripheral clutter or advertising innovation?

Read this New York Times article about outdoor advertising. Ignore the bashing tone, and look at those (insert sarcastic tone here) innovations! Sushi pieces scaled to the size of luggage on a baggage claim conveyor belt? I guess that's better than those "got milk ads?" that spray the smell of cookies on harried commuters while they wait for the bus.

When you're pissed off & waiting for your bag or bus, are you really thinking, "Gee, I could really go for some sushi/cookies and milk right now"? Well maybe you do; but personally my line of thinking is, "How fast can I get out of here?".

A good example of non obtrusive/ out-of-the-box outdoor advertising is the execution below done by Saatchi + Saatchi. This over-sized necklace is more public art than "Vegas strip".


I was surprised the author did not mention the technology developed by DoCoMo. Their scanable barcodes allow users the choice to participate in the ads. Want to know more about that company being featured at the bus stop? Fine, scan the barcode on the ad and visit the company's site. Obtrusive? No, this is a "you come to us" format.

When executed well, ads like Saatchi + Saatchi's generate conversation, interaction, and ROI. This proves innovations in outdoor doesn't have to be just peripheral clutter.

hip-hop + capitalism = <3

At this point everyone knows that top 40 hip-hop is a great vehicle for selling stuff. From Patron to cellular phones, hip hop makes stuff seem cool in the eyes of millions of tweens, teens, and 20-somethings.

A new song has me particularly nauseous,"Upgrade U" featuring Beyonce & Jay-Z. I hate this song for a few reasons:

1) It perpetuates the gender role of women playing second fiddle to their men.

"I can do for you what Martin did for the people
Ran by the man, but the women keep the tempo
It's very seldom that you're blessed to find your equal
Still play my part and let you take the lead role"...yeck! MLK is probably rolling in his grave @ the comparison.

2) It is bound to be heard on a cellular phone commercial soon enough.

3) This song has more advertising for luxury brands than an issue of Vouge.

4) It sounds like every other Beyonce song.

A rapper or singer's image is strengthened by the brands/ labels he or she consumes, especially luxury ones. In "Upgrade U" they shout out Jacob the Jeweler, Audemar Piguet watches, and Hermes briefcases, just to name a few.

Rappers these days are more like entrepreneurs than musicians. Jay-Z not only runs Rock-A-Fella records & Def Jam- he just started working with General Motors on revamping one of their SUV's. Don't get me wrong I love Jay-Z. My problem here is his attempt at "infiltrating all the corporate dudes" is not exactly conducive to my listening pleasure. There is enough advertising in the world to be sure, do we really need to hear about it in our music too?

Here is a great blog that discusses in depth (and probably more eloquently than I) this very issue: Hip Hop Marketing & Business News. Props Clyde!

Also worth reading is a BuisnessWeek article about hip-hop entrepreneurs

semites in the arts

2007 is starting off to be a good year for Semites in the arts. Annie Leibovitz was featured on the American Masters series on PBS this week. Her most famous photograph features Yoko Ono and John Lennon embracing on a bed, just before he was shot in his apartment. The best moment was when the director decided to include moments of Annie going through all her photos for her book. As she goes through 600 shots of work and family she comes to the photos of her partner, Susan Sontag.


Another highlight of my media consumption this week goes to the Sacha Baron Cohen interview on Fresh Air. Hearing Sacha Baron out of character is refreshing, as Boratmania has reached its tipping point.

Highlights:

Cohen defends his use of antisemitism in his Borat character saying it doesn't encourage the spread of more hatred. He uses the example of the Throw the Jew Down the Well song to illustrate his point that 'The path to Auschwitz was paved with indifference.'

When discussing the entertainment at his bar mitzvah Cohen explains that he and his break dancing crew performed. Alongside was his brother, who also composed the music for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

The lovely yellow haltered swimming fashion that Borat wore in his movie was provided by Cohen's father. The suit was manufactured by non other than the Norwegian Navy.

Also one question Terry Gross confessed she and her friends had been discussing, was whether or not Ali G was of Arabic decent or is he Caucasian? Well, he's not telling. The caveat behind Ali G is that he thinks he's black making him totally delusional either way.


Let us hope '07 continues to chronicle the lives of revolutionary artists such as Cohen & Leibovitz.