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Among the big winners at last night’s D-Show (Detroit’s prestigious advertising awards) were Dodge, Kaiser Permanente, Ford, Lincoln and Ellyn Davidson. Yep, I got my chance at being a client right alongside some of the bigger advertising clients in the Detroit area. Melissa Weber—my friend, colleague at Brogan & Partners, 3-day team walker and tent mate named Ta Ta Breast Cancer. And Dave Ryan, our wonderful art director created the perfect shirt. We loved the shirts and got tons of compliments and apparently the creative industry in Detroit agreed. This is completely the icing on the most beautiful cake. Ta Ta Breast Cancer raised nearly $87,000 with 25 walkers. We finished in the top 10 fundraisers and had a fantastic weekend. We are signed up and ready to go for 09.
Myriad Genetics is launching a public awareness advertising campaign in Florida to promote testing of a BRCA mutation (AKA the breast cancer gene).
As both a healthcare marketer and a woman with a BRCA mutation, I’m thrilled that they are raising awareness. But I’m equally concerned. I should preface this by saying I haven’t actually seen the advertising materials but I’ve seen some press on the campaign.
They quote an OBGYN as saying it’s a simple blood test. Sure it is. Most of these tests are simple but it’s the results that are not in the least bit simple. The article goes on to say: “Although no test is completely reliable, doctors recommend that all women know their BRCA status.”
Does that mean that all women should walk into their Primary Care Physician or OBGYN and take the test? Should women start doing this on their 18th birthday? Yikes. Are these doctor’s equipped to counsel women if they do have the BRCA mutation? Are they able to knowledgeably talk to the women prior to testing to discuss the implications of the test? BRCA is not something to take lightly.
If you have a known BRCA mutation, you have up to an 87% lifetime risk of breast cancer and up to a 44% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Genetics Counselors are the people that should be drawing your blood, counseling you and guiding you through the process. They have the knowledge, the training and the time to give you what you need. I only hope that Myriad is making this clear in their advertising. This test is anything but simple.
I didn’t think that a TV ad could save a life. But I wrote a spot that actually saved the life of my friend and business partner.
The spot starts with a woman in the shower who then finds a lump in her breast. Have a look:
Here’s how the spot saved Ellyn Davidson:
• The story replayed in Ellyn’s shower the next day—as the spot inspired her to give herself a breast exam.
• Ellyn found a very small lump, figured it was nothing, but called her doctor “just to be safe.”
• Ellyn’s doctor agreed that it was likely nothing, but did a biopsy “just to be safe.”
• The lump was cancerous.
• Ellyn elected a double mastectomy.
• She then learned she had the gene that makes it much more likely that she’d get ovarian cancer, so she had surgery to stop that from happening.
Like our commercial, Ellyn’s story had a happy ending, as she is now a breast cancer survivor.
The holiday season is almost here and I’ve been thinking about what to send my clients for a little holiday cheer and to thank them for our partnership.Companies of all sizes are doing the same.Trying to figure out what gift says I appreciate you, you inspire me, I think the world of you.
How about a digital picture frame?Maybe a tie.I’ve got it….a coffee mug, “personalized” with a big logo smack-dab in the middle.
That way they won’t ever forget where it came from.Those lucky to receive the gift will excitedly tear through the paper, anxious to see what is inside.And 2 weeks later it will end up in the trash.They expected something else; something thoughtful and inspiring. And that mug with your logo wasn’t it.Think differently and try being a socially conscious business partner. Send something that truly inspires those on the receiving end.Check out http://www.plentymag.com/ to provoke some ideas.
I got my cast off this morning and have yet another healthcare marketer patient story to share (I try to look at the bright side of how these experiences enlighten me in my job!). When the urgent care doc looked at the x-ray of my wrist and said, “It’s broken,” the tears welled up in my eyes. He said, “I’m sorry, I know it hurts.” I glared at him accusingly and declared, “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!” Poor guy, as though it was his fault.
But the horror of a time-consuming health concern was far greater than any pain I was feeling. What with a full-time job, chauffeuring kids from ballet to football to the orthodontist, etc. etc. - you know the routine - I didn’t know how I could fit in one more thing. Of course, he looked at me like I was from Mars and wrapped my arm.
My fear of waiting was confirmed as I had to wait for every single office visit. Funny, even when I arrived with my limp arm at the “fast” and “convenient” Urgent Care Center, I was told, “There’s no doctor here at the moment. He should be back in 45 minutes or so.” Huh? I thought INSTANT HELP was the whole idea behind urgent care. Each of my 3 check-ups with the orthopedic doc was no shorter than 2 hours from start to finish. Nice guy, but only with me for about 3 minutes per visit. So why do we accept this waiting for doctors as normal?
My revelation from this healthcare journey: with all the time guarantees hospitals offer for ER visits, new patient visits and diagnostic tests, why aren’t there 30 minute time guarantees for doctor visits? Whether it’s with the help of a P.A., a very efficient office staff, or technology, I think it would be an interesting competitive differentiator. I know I need to work on my patience and try to relax during unexpected delays, but I’d rather be practicing my deep breathing skills in yoga class instead of the waiting room of a doctor’s office. Ohhmmm…
Or is just me who is befuddled by the marketing strategy behind the M&M advertising that been running for
the past year or two? Where the candies are anthropomorphized with legs and eyeballs and hair… And often do shticks between some not-so-bright boy M’s & a very vampy girl M.
As a TV viewer I stick to my demographics, so I presume one audience for this campaign must be female adults. Has research really shown that we want to think of our candy as having hair and a sex life? That we want to sit in the dark at the movies with it? That we don’t mind it interacting with small children?
As a chocolate lover, as a long time M&Mer, I ask the company and the agency to please consider this. But if I am an anomaly and if this approach is fattening your bottom line, ignore me. Just try to resist putting body parts on my Peanut M&Ms.
That’s what happened when a guy decided to complain about a malfunction on his Tiger Wood’s video game where it appeared that Tiger was walking on water. Rather than take it back to EA Games in exchange for a new one, this brilliant person uploaded the video and presented the glitch to the whole wide world on YouTube. EA’s agency (Wieden + Kennedy) discovered the video and with permission created a response to the YouTuber sparking a TV spot as well as a full blown viral campaign. Where will your next big idea come from? Probably from someone complaining about you to the rest of world. We’ll keep our eyes and ears out.
Clearly, Obama’s campaign strategy to inundate the Internet to win the youth vote was successful with 66% of the 18-29 year-old votes in his favor. His campaign capitalized on a nation filled with so many distinctly different segments by tailoring communication to each segment - a process we’ve been touting for years called lifestyle-based marketing. But this is no time to develop political campaign “Best Practices” for the 2012 election (are you listening Palin and Hillary?). The market landscape and lifestyles are going to change again - the 2010 Census should provide key evidence of this - and marketers need to be ready for a new landscape and therefore new practices. There is no rest for the weary.
As a marketer, I obviously like advertising. But with the election FINALLY coming to an end today, there may not be anyone happier than me for campaign ads to be done for a little while. The economy’s downward spiral is bad enough, but pile on the negative campaign ads one after another, and I’m more than a little stressed out!
Campaign ads are an important part of our American democratic process. And I know we’ll see some local stuff again soon (especially as the mayoral campaign heats up here in Detroit), but I for one can’t wait to see a barrage of Budweiser spots, Visa spots, even the local home improvement spots.
So even as I went to vote this morning, thinking about this historic election, another part of me was excited to see the Geico Gecko a little more in coming days.
I have a friend in Canada who wanted to remind me to vote on November 4th.She sent a personalized viral marketing video, which I think is one of the most brilliant pieces of advertising/ creative I have ever seen. It was designed specifically just for me. If you aren’t one of the millions who have already recieved this personalized video, it’s basically a newscast about you, the loser who didn’t vote and changed the outcome of the election for the worse. When I heard my name I was shocked. When I saw my name I was mortified. The video made me blush, laugh and feel proud and fortunate to be so important to something so big. I sent it to everyone. My friend is Canadian and she would give up her citizenship to vote in this election. Clearly, there are a lot of people around the world who are feeling the power of this election. There are over 13,598,890 people and counting who have received this personalized viral marketing video made just for them supporting Barack Obama. By the time I finish writing this blog another 100,000 people will receive their very own personalized newscast virus and feel really, really special.
I have all the symptoms: Those familiar nervous sweats watching television, unexplained competitive edge for really non-competitive things (like walking up the stairs), and an urge to start chanting “U-S-A” at inappropriate times.
Yep, you guessed my affliction: Olympic fever.
As long as I, and a bunch of other people (a few billion), still have this affliction, advertisers will be using every single break in the action to sell us their products. As if the whole event were some drawn out Super Bowl, the same Olympic-themed ads keeping playing over and over.
So, what makes a good ad? Well, here is what I’ve got so far…
Visa:
When asked what ads they remember from the Olympic games, 2 out of 3 (67%) Brogan & Partners employees mentioned Visa’s “Go World” ad first. In these spots we get Morgan Freeman speaking about the wonders of Olympic glory as we see, what looks like old newsreels, of previous Olympics.
If there is one ad campaign that fully grasps the amazing feeling of human achievement and pride those who suffer from Olympic fever truly enjoy, it’s this. I’m not sure what Visa’s Go World thing is all about, but I just love how great these ads make me feel about humankind.
I posted one of the best below. Morgan Freeman talks about how Michael Phelps is like a dolphin. Just classic!
Coca-Cola:
As an official sponsor, no one business could possibly spend more than Coke on advertising on TV, and in Beijing. NPR reported last week that Coke has spent an estimated $70 million to be one of the top 12 Olympic sponsors — and perhaps $5 million to $15 million more sponsoring the controversial torch relay (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93389797&ft=1&f=1001).The Coke TV ad we’ve been seeing most is one with people rollerblading around in, what looks like, southern California, drinking coke, and the music plays in the background: “Dance all night, we’re gonna dance all night, dance all night to this DJ.”
The ad might have nothing to do with the Olympics, and only a vague sport theme, but it is one of the most memorable ads because the song (Paul Oakenfold’s “Starry Eyed Surprise”) is catchy, fun to watch, and, most importantly, the ad is so short you aren’t worried that you are going to miss the next event.
If you are like me, and having a hard time getting “Starry Eyed Surprise” out of your head, just go over to Paul Oakenfold’s myspace page for a free listen: http://www.myspace.com/pauloakenfold
NBC:
As with any sporting event, the only way the station can actually benefit from broadcasting them, is if they advertise heavily for their own shows. One thing unique about all the ads for returning shows, like Chuck and 30 Rock, is that they are emphasizing NBC’s website and telling viewers to “chime in.”
Unsure of what that exactly “chime in” meant, I decided to investigate. I found nothing on NBC.com about chiming in and chimein.com does not exist. So, I checked out You Tube and found a longer NBC “chime in” commercial. The only clue I could find to the message’s meaning was the guy from The Office saying, “when you hear the chimes, you know it’s going to be good” in some apparent reference to the upcoming fall season.
Well, if anyone can tell me what this campaign is all about, I’d love to know.
AT&T Wireless:
In one of the funniest ads I’ve seen in a long time, a huge Michael Phelps fan, Mary, is seen walking around her apartment in a “Phelps Phan” T-shirt, kissing a huge Phelps poster, and watching him competing on TV. Mary’s phone (represented by the same actress) complains that it doesn’t get any wireless signal in her new town and, because of this, missed Phelps when he came to town and told funny stories about eating Chinese food. Mary’s phone then turns to her and says, “One day we’ll look back at this and laugh…or cry!”
Prepare to laugh:
McCain/Obama:With the added exposure of viewers, it’s only natural that the wealthiest presidential candidates are spending millions on advertisements. Obama’s ads have focused on using the word ‘change’ over and over, showing him meeting with “real people”, focus on his plans for the environment, and pretty much bore you to death. His campaign would be better off playing the hit You Tube video, “I got a crush…on Obama”, by Obama girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU).
Taking the controversial route, McCain’s now famous (it’s been out for two weeks –so that’s like two years in political advertising), “Celebrity Obama” ad shows Paris Hilton and Britney Spears superimposed over Obama. The ad is supposed to use subtle clues to show that Obama is just another celebrity, and not someone you want as president. Well, the clues are hardly subtle, and the ad itself has been made into a huge joke - commented on by everyone for Brian Williams to David Letterman. Yet, McCain’s campaign keeps using it. Watch the ad here:
I know I’m treading dangerously on this topic, but I did find a Republican blogger, Richard Bliss, slamming the ad as “stupid” and benefiting Barack Obama (http://gwbliss.blogspot.com/2008/08/olympic-advertising-good-and-stupid.html). I can’t tell you exactly how effective or ineffective this ad is without a lot of market research, but I will say that it is my opinion is that people aren’t as dumb as an ad like this would have you believe; TV viewers know when an ad is trying to trick them and this one couldn’t be more obvious.Well, that’s all for now. The Olympics aren’t over yet and I’m sure I’ll still have a lot more to comment on before it is all said and done!
