Blog Archives

The Slide of Your Life

If you’re afraid of heights…how do I put this?

https://youtu.be/G7mbg3eVU4Y

If a skyscraper of more than 70 stories doesn’t evoke a sense of wonder at being so high in the sky, a clear glass slide on the outside of said building should certainly do the trick.

Along with some possible vertigo.

Give the property owners of the U.S. Bank Tower some credit: They are gutsy and potential branding geniuses.

Starting in June, the U.S. Bank Tower will become a destination for locals and tourists alike as long as the initial reviews are positive (and safe). Local news outlets and social media will inevitably reinvigorate the buzz from today’s news and, if the thrill of gliding down a transparent slide is like a scene from Mission Impossible, this slide will become a unique L.A. experience.

More specifically: A unique U.S. Bank experience.

And experience is the optimum word: Return on Experience (ROE). If all goes well, U.S. Bank could very well become synonymous with an exciting, heart-pounding attraction.

Or, in other words, the complete opposite of banking.

Their brand would branch out beyond their serious-minded industry. U.S. Bank begins to become something more than just finance management. This company becomes an engaging story to the public.

With any good story, people always want to know what’s coming next…

P.S. $8 for a single ride, U.S. Bank? There’s a risk in this positive story morphing into a scheme of new hidden fees. Lower the price and donate proceeds to a local charity. That will get Millennials and social media on your side.   

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.

Happy Monday!

Less is more.

Ironically, this sentiment was the perfect fit for a particular consumption-reliant beer company.

Budwesier’s Best Super Bowl Ad:

Did Peyton Manning just inadvertently give the world the first-ever Vine Super Bowl commercial?

The sheer simplicity (and obvious realism) of Manning’s reportedly unsolicited endorsement will stump veteran advertisers who invested millions and millions of dollars into writing, developing, producing and airing creative commercials, aimed at achieving a viral marketing impact.

As Peyton Manning casually revealed, champions (like everybody else) enjoy a good beer after a hard day at the office.

Also, did Manning change post-championship interviews forever? Drinking beer over Disney World?

Mickey Mouse: It’s your turn for a super rebuttal.

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.