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Food-Safety-Guacamole

“Puppy-Monkey-Baby, Puppy-Monkey-Baby…Puppy. Monkey. Baby.” 

Soda, cars, taxes, beer (and post-Super Bowl intimacy) were a few of the diverse industries that spent millions of dollars on commercials and brand messaging during Super Bowl 50. Most of the ads were pretty standard for marketing’s biggest night of year. Actually, as yesterday’s Happy Monday! blog post highlighted, the best ad wasn’t technically an ad at all.

Peyton Manning: Super Ad Champion.

Surprisingly, the one company that would have benefited from an informative (and reassuring) prime-time Super Bowl commercial didn’t say a word on Sunday night.

In other words, Chipotle’s kitchen was closed again.

With a months-long problem of patrons getting sick from E.coli in multiple locations nationwide, the logical next-step for the favorite food franchise seemed to be one commercial away. Imagine if Chipotle founder Steve Ells faced the camera and directly addressed the painful concerns customers have (literally and figuratively) and explained what he and his restaurants have done, are doing and will do to comply with and resolve their health issues to recover the damage done to its reputation?

An ad without spin would’ve been refreshing. In many ways, a refresh is what Chipotle needs right about now.

Simplicity and candor seemed to work brilliantly for Peyton Manning and Budwesier.

Bacon: The Appetite Awakens

Salads.

Baked potatoes.

Pizza.

Eggs.

Burgers.

Chocolate.

And yes, bacon.

Everything listed above can be made more delicious with the addition of bacon. There are only a few undeniable truths in life, but one is the awesomeness of bacon. The alluring sizzle and signature taste is a welcomed treat at breakfast, lunch and/or dinner.

To celebrate today (Bacon Day), let’s enjoy a 20-second clip of How I Met Your Mother.

Ted’s reaction is legen–wait for it…

I just got a craving for bacon. Bacon is so good, especially when it’s thick-cut and applewood-smoked. The inviting aroma and that first bite…my goodness.

Oh yeah: dary!

High-fives all around for Bacon Day. 

I’m Lovin’ 10:30 Again

“McDonald’s has given us so much. We wouldn’t know when breakfast ends if there was no McDonald’s…Thank you McDonald’s.”
–Jim Gaffigan

Starting today, McDonald’s is giving us the unthinkable in 2015. In short, breakfast norms be damned!

After years of requests and frustration over the pesky 10:30 a.m. barrier that separates us from amazing hash browns and the impossibly delicious french fries, executives at the McDonald’s headquarters are finally releasing the most anticipated toy for their consumers.

Breakfast foods will now be offered all-day long.

To say this is a cultural revolution is both foolish and completely accurate. As is customary in revolutions, consequences will surely follow after the initial glows of success. For instance, longer lines in the drive-thru and inside the restaurant will almost surely happen. Our “usual” go-to meal in the afternoon is being directly challenged by our morning routine. This will cause an initial delay in the “fast part” of fast food.

An Egg McMuffin v. The Premium Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich? Filet-O-Fish v. Fruit & Maple Oatmeal? Hash Browns v. French Fries?

For the latter, here’s the mind-blowing solution: One Hash Brown and a Small Fry.

Boom! Success.

Most importantly, we will never have to experience this hardship again…

If McDonald’s marketing department wanted this campaign to go crazy viral, they would have focused on that memorable video clip that we can all relate to in some way. They could have bought the rights to use that exact clip or, better yet, they should have hired Adam Sandler to re-shoot that scene with a different, happier (but still funny) outcome and a clever tie-in/cameos from the original movie.

That would have been brilliant.

The best marketing and advertising tells a story and in the age of social media, pop culture/comedy icons and ’90s nostalgia, incorporating that scene from the 1999 film Big Daddy would have turned a promotion to the consumer into something we would connect with and share with our friends and family (consumers) voluntarily with excitement that goes beyond ordering food.

Talk about a happy meal.

The Scars of Getting Brûlé

Bradley Cooper.

Now that I have your full attention, the increasingly dynamic actor has literally learned new tricks for his most recent film: Burnt.

The heat of a world-class kitchen and its painful wounds with and without knives and boiling water has produced challenges for his character that requires laser-focus, street smarts and determination as strong and ambitious as the Eiffel Tower. Mr. Cooper, once again sharing the silver screen with the entertainingly beautiful Sienna Miller (American Sniper) and a supporting cast of wonderful up-and-comers (Alicia Vikander, Daniel Brühl), is the movie industry’s response to the latest top-shelf food craze in America (Food Network, Top Chef, celebrity chefs and their many shows, cooking competitions, etc.). An added bonus is the film takes place in Paris, which instantly adds an alluring quality to the story.

As Nelly would say, “It’s gettin’ hot in here…”

Like any delicious dish, the most minute details make all the difference between something sizzling and memorable and something lukewarm and forgettable.

How will Burnt’s fantastic cast mix together?

We’ll find out when the movie is served October 23rd.