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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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"? 
