• Polaroid gets OutKast to shake it like a Polaroid picture on stage. "Recognizing the opportunity, Polaroid's advertising company, Euro RSCG MBVMA partners, brokered a deal with OutKast to carry the cameras onstage during performances. They held the cameras at the Grammy Awards, New Year's Eve performances, on "Saturday Night Live'' and at the Vibe Awards on Viacom's UPN." This type of product placement isn't new either. More from the article:
Companies first realized the benefit of such "product placement'' in 1982 when Reese's Pieces were eaten by the orphan alien in "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,'' one of the top-grossing movies of all time.If you want more information on brands mentioned in songs, check out American Brandstand for charts and more.
Hershey, which paid nothing for the appearance, saw a 65 percent spike in sales of the candy.
Since then, companies have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases to get their products in movies and songs.
Apple Computer created a staff position to accomplish that sole purpose. Its computers have appeared in more than 1,500 television shows and movies.
The hit television series "Seinfeld'' did wonders for an array of foods, from Snapple to Pez to Junior Mints, by incorporating the products into story lines. Snapple has a contract with a product-placement agency that searches out such opportunities.
"We've become reliant on it as part of our marketing mix,'' said Steve Jarmon, a Snapple spokesman.
The practice has become so frequent that the advocacy group Commercial Alert filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission last year to complain about the rising tide of subliminal advertising.
"It's inherently deceptive because people don't realize they're watching ads,'' said Gary Ruskin, the group's executive director. "They're basically turning television into an infomercial medium.''
• Icelandair, among others, get in line to advertise at and be sponsors at the Gay Life & Wedding Expo in Washington. "Sproul of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com thinks revenue potential will eventually soften social resistance. Looking forward to the legalization of same-sex weddings in Massachusetts, scheduled for May 17, she said, "Once the money comes, it's going to change people's outlook.""
• Che Guevara famous photo and copyright infringement-
Diaz Gutierrez, better known as Korda and the photographer who took the famous picture, rarely enforced his rights over the picture, explaining that if used for "social justice" it was better to let the symbol grow unfettered.So remember, if you're using someone's picture, get permission. Avoid lawsuits. I'm not sure why the Reporters without Borders seems to think that they can do whatever they want with the photograph. Seems like hubris. Even if you're a non-profit...you should still ask if it's okay with the person who retains the rights to the image.
In 2000, Diaz Gutierrez successfully sued a British advertising agency for $50,000 in damages after it used the Che image in a campaign for "spicy" Smirnoff vodka, replacing the traditional hammer and sickle with a hammer and red chili pepper.
Diaz Lopez, Gutierrez's eldest daughter, said she has contacted firms in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Germany to get them to seek licenses to use the image. In Cuba, she is represented by an agency that protects visual artists' copyrights.
Some seem to have gotten the message. Diaz Lopez said she declined a request from the producers of the last James Bond movie, Die Another Day, who wanted to use the image in a scene in which Che's single starred beret would have concealed a button to open a secret room.
• P&G spins "connect and develop" throughout their brands.
...But they're the newest examples of P&G's strategy to spread its technologies all over the company. That lowers engineering and research costs and gives P&G a steady stream of new products.It does makes sense. Although it's a bit weird at the same time. I wonder if they try to come up with inventions that will only be able to work across multiple brands. Hmm.
In Procter-speak, it's called "connect and develop."
In a company that has boasted for more than a century of its powers of innovation, this is the newest form. Under chairman and chief executive A.G. Lafley, P&G has spread human tooth-care technology to animals with Iams pet food, food-wrap technology to teeth with Crest Whitestrips, and laundry technology to hair with Clairol color.
The goal is simple: To add revenue, satisfying the demands of Wall Street investors for top-line growth and setting the stage for healthier profits and stock prices.
• An interesting article on the cell phone biz. Can Cingular and T-Mobile keep up with Verizon?
Survey results may also be influenced by Verizon's "Can you hear me now?" advertising campaign, which started in early 2002.So, does this mean that the advertising for Verizon works? If the prices are higher, are consumers attracted to the company because of the ads claiming better reception? It's just might be possible. ;-)
"If you say often enough that you have the best network and the highest quality network, ultimately people accept that even if there are quality concerns," said Stan Richards, principal of the Richards Group Inc. Industry analysts say the marketing appears to be working because Verizon is gaining more customers even though its rates are higher than those of rivals such as T-Mobile, Sprint PCS and AT&T Wireless.
For instance, a $40-a-month national Verizon Wireless plan includes 400 anytime minutes. AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile give 600 minutes for the same price. Sprint offers 500 minutes for $45. But in 2003, Verizon added 5 million customers to the three rivals' combined 5.4 million.
• Club 18-30 tries to shed "sex and sangria" image. "In the past, Club 18-30 has emphasised, rather than concealed, its downmarket image, commissioning a series of smutty advertisements that left very little to the imagination.
James Griffiths, the account director for Club 18-30 at Saatchi and Saatchi, said: "There are plans to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the brand and to make changes. I doubt we will become Club 18-40, but the review is only just getting under way. There have obviously been difficulties over the past year and we are having to review the future of the brand. We are trying to appeal to a wider market.""
• When the Intern Needs a Crash Course in Life- an article from the NYTimes (free signup required) on the mistakes of interns. A must read to avoid pitfalls and mistakes if you're looking for an internship in any field.
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