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.
"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 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
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.
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.
