Ecko Rocks the Vote, or Why I'm a Genius.

OK, for the regular readers of this blog (thanks, Mom and Dad!), you may remember my post discussing how to get the maximum marketing mileage out of Barry Bond's homerun ball. Kudos to Marc Ecko for taking my advice (or the advice of someone who shamelessly stole my advice and passed it off as their own) by putting the fate of the ball up for a vote by the masses. Well played, my friend. Well played.

For the record though, I come to not to praise Marc Ecko--only to analyze his approach. So, how's the campaign stack up?

Originality: Grade B+
It’s the best idea ever stolen from me. Consumer voting has been used before, but usually it's been more closely associated with a product (e.g. choose a new color for M&Ms, pick your favorite Doritos commercial). In this situation, he's using it as a brand builder. Ecko, the fashion maverick that he is, understands his demographic. His clothes have always been for The People. Now, his brand is of The People; by providing us everyday folks with the chance to weigh in on an emotionally/historically charged topic, he’s telling us we matter. Yes! Us, 1. Not Mattering 0.

Creativity: Grade B+All right, burning the asterisk into the ball is pretty hardcore. I dig the irony. And sending it to the Hall of Fame is a classy option. But shooting it into space? (Cue cliché 80’s high-school movie slow-clap, building to enthusiastic applause.) Bravo. Granted, I’d still like to see the ball shredded in a wood chipper and mailed to Barry Bonds, COD. Ecko does however miss a prime opportunity to further blend his brand with the fate of the ball. Perhaps pull it apart, make something wearable out of it, then auction it off and donate the proceeds to whales with cancer or, better yet, me.

Impact: Grade A-
At the time of this writing, the vote tally was just shy of ten million. Not bad considering this campaign has existed almost exclusively in forwarded links, word-of-mouth, widgets for people to include on their own sites, and a few national TV interviews. Extra points for the frugality of execution (even including the bazillion dollars he paid for the ball).

Extension: Grade Incomplete
After casting your vote, you’re given the opportunity to submit your email address to receive voting updates and final results. Not sure where it goes after that. I submitted the email addresses of people I don’t like and none of them has complained they've received additional spam…yet. My guess is email lists will be used for further CRM initiatives and sales promotions, eventually.

All-in-all, Ecko’s Vote756.com campaign is a great way to build a little brand equity, if I do say so myself. And as the brain trust behind it, I do. Man, I rule.

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Sticking It to Barry Bonds...for Fun and Profit

So Barry Bonds hit homerun number 755 this past weekend, tying Hammerin’ Hank Aaron’s career record; with it, our collective karma no doubt swirled a bit closer to the hole in the cosmic toilet bowl. But as much as I’d love to devote a post to flaming the guy, this is an ad blog, and I’m getting paid the big bucks to come up with groundbreaking, industry-relevant material. Plus, I see the potential for someone other than Mr. Bonds to benefit from it.

See, Barry breaking the record may be bad for baseball, but it could be gold for your brand.

With the exception of the friendly confines of San Fran, Bonds is generally loathed throughout the sports world. Whether it’s his personality, his apparent disregard for the integrity of the game of baseball, or the ‘roids debacle, he’s worked hard to be hated. When he breaks that record, though, a perfect storm of emotions will converge around one little, white ball. It will become the Holy Grail of baseball, a symbol of what’s right and wrong with game. From the moment the lucky fan gloves it, the possibility for an adventuresome business to build its brand (at a bargain price) begins.

Let’s talk numbers. The ball Bonds hit for his 73rd homerun of the season in 2001 (the MLB record) sold for over $500K in 2003. Nice chunk of change at the time. But as steroid allegations built up a frothy head in the court of public opinion, sentiment quickly turned. A telling indicator: Bonds’ 70th homerun ball from that season (tying the previous HR record held by Mark McGwire) recently fetched a meager $14K. Analysts predict Bonds’ 756th homerun ball could get as much as $750K, but that number could fluctuate wildly based on an assortment of variables (including whether or not he is indicted for perjury).

In the ad world, large companies don’t flinch at the prospect of doling out ¾ of a million bucks for a brand campaign. Herein lies the possibility for an edgy company to define its image on the cheap simply by making a bold move. Here’s my two-step approach to adding value to your brand with the help of Mr. Bonds.

Step One: Buy the ball. Immediately.
The mere publicity of purchasing the ball is enough to get your company on the front-page (bottom fold) of papers across the country. The sooner, the better. Don’t let the electricity surrounding the record dissipate before you make your move. Overpay if you have to.

Step Two: Do something spectacular with it.
Here’s where the fun begins. Your goal is to milk it for all its worth. There are a number of roads you can travel down, depending on the image you want to project to your consumers. Some ideas:

The Altruistic Approach: Bonds has already announced that, even if he were able to obtain the ball, he won’t give it to the Hall of Fame. To baseball purists, that’s despicable. That ball is an historical artifact and deserves to be in the one place dedicated to celebrating the history of the game. Announce that you’re donating the ball to the Hall. Fans and non-fans alike will respect the gesture. It’s a commercial world where very little is sacred, and any time a company transcends the muck and the mire of it all, it’s noteworthy.

The Interactive Approach: Give it away. Seriously. Have a contest and advertise the hell out of it. Along the same lines as the Doritos Super Bowl Ad campaign, challenge consumers to create a commercial for your product with a thematic tie-in to the ball. Let people across the country vote for their favorite commercial, and give the ball to the lucky winner. It’d be an unprecedented undertaking. Anyone can raffle off a car or a house. But it takes a special company to give away history. Added bonus: everyone who registers for the contest (or the opportunity to vote) provides useful consumer information (buying habits, contact information, demographic stats, etc.).

The Democratic Approach: Create an online poll, and let folks vote to determine what you should do with the ball. Again, consumers register for the right to vote, and in doing so, provide useful information about themselves. Give each registrant a coupon or some other incentive for participating. Perhaps trial samples of “The Clear”.

The Tie-In Approach: Connect the ball with your unique selling proposition. If you’re Fed-Ex, promote the reliability of your service by having the ball delivered all over the world (safe, sound and on time). You’re Brinks? Drop the ball in one of your fire-proof safes, stick it it in a furnace, and film the demonstration. How about Black & Decker? Use the ball to demonstrate the sharpness and precision of your new table saw. Then mail it to Barry Bonds. COD.

Ultimately, the opportunities to give your brand the unfair advantage over the competition are endless. You just have to be willing to take the chance. In his own strange way, Barry would be proud of that.

--M.M. McDermott, Senior Copywriter

EDIT: Bonds hit his 756th homerun on 7 August 2007. Four Horsemen charged the field in celebration as a horde of locusts cleaned out the concession stands.

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Advertising's Cult of Performance Enhancement

So, right now I’m just waiting. And as I sit here, I see that Barry Bonds is just 2 long balls shy of Hank Aaron’s heralded 755 homerun mark. Mr Bonds has got to be one of the most vilified “heroes” of our day. Why? Because the majority of America, including myself, believe he used “performance enhancing drugs.” There it is – the specter of “performance enhancing drugs” turns a hero into a pariah. But upon further review, are we, the common masses, really in any place to judge? Sure, he cheated in the workplace, but as society, how can fault him, when we seem to always be looking for the next lab-created leg up? Have the pharmaceutical companies run amok? Are we improving our lives or have we now become the Cult of Performance Enhancement?

Don’t’ think so? Just look at the advertisements that flood each commercial break during any major sporting event. You can’t help but be barraged with a seemingly endless torrent of pharmaceutical firms selling the latest and greatest affliction. “Do you have Ailment X affecting lifestyle goal Y? How can you be sure? You should be frightened because ailment X is particularly nasty for Group Z? Well, there’s no need to worry because now there’s Zxynoxanol”! Yikes.

As I’m still waiting and have the time, I think from an academic standpoint, it’s important to get some sort of historical perspective- an analytical “how did we get here?”

Well, I place the blame squarely on two brands that laid the foundation for insidious fear-based marketing: Palmolive and Wisk. That’s right, I said it. I’m on to your game Madge. Oh, darn these dishpan hands!? Whatever will I do? Madge to the rescue! “Thank goodness there’s Palmolive, you’re soaking in it!” Oh my you’ve surreptitiously placed my hands in some sort of green goo. Thanks, Madge! Manicurist, my arse. Snake oil salesman more like it.

And Wisk? Now who ever heard of “ring-around-the-collar”? Oh what a social nightmare to be cast from society with such a horrid condition. Well, at least in the modern age, we can all breathe a little easier as this is apparently an affliction that has been cured. Did Unilever, the makers of Wisk, finally rid us of this pestilence? Um, no… it was actually when people decided that maybe we should wash our clothes more than once a month.

Anywho, my favorite new pharmaceutical miracle is Requip and the troubling syndrome it alleviates… dramatic pause… Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS. You know, my wife and I spent three and a half hours in traffic yesterday and her legs felt funny. Does she have RLS? Do I? Sometimes when I’m lying in bed, I have the urge to stretch out my legs. Then, other times I like them curled up? What’s wrong with me? Do I need a doctor? Oh my! So while I’m waiting, I decide I must learn more and in doing my due diligence on Requip.com, I just came across this little gem:

Some patients taking ropinirole (Requip) have shown urges to behave in a way
unusual for them. Examples of this are an unusual urge to gamble or increased
sexual urges and/or behaviors. If you or your family notices that you are
developing any unusual behaviors, talk to your doctor.

Man! Why aren’t they marketing that?! Strange sexual urges and the possibility of getting my wife to ante-up for the World Series of Poker… now that is a miracle drug!

So anyway, back to Barry. Is he a cheat? In my eyes, yes. Did he take “performance enhancing drugs?” In my eyes, yes. Is he entirely to blame? Maybe not. Maybe, he just fell victim to some sort of flyer from Balco warning of the dangers of “Only-Above-Average-Musclitis.” Maybe he’s just another willing sheep in our Cult of Performance Enhancement.

Okay, enough waiting. It’s been four hours… I’m calling my doctor.

For more on side effects of drugs in our society please see:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dV_YWoLbNwg

Or for the Cliff’s Notes: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2nMkpMvvgY4

--Ken Hall, Associate Creative Director

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