Much Ado About Nothing…

What is the most appropriate way for retailers to address customers during this heightened season of religious sensitivity? Do they go with the generic, boiled down “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” or the more pinpointed “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Kwanza”? Big decisions, big debates, big dollars at stake.

Not sure what all of the hub-bub is about. Every passing year, the intensity of the debate seems to get stronger. And this year, the debate rages on…

A brief article in Time Magazine this week noted how the American Family Association's Project Merry Christmas was targeting stores like Lowe's for advertising "family trees" instead of Christmas trees in its catalog. This actually forced an apology from Lowe’s, citing a “proofing error”. Heightened sensitivities indeed.

The same article referenced that seasonal sensitivities are not unique to the United States. A story out of Australia made headlines worldwide after a department-store Santa reported being told not to say "Ho, ho, ho" for fear of offending women. (no joke)

Retailers usually set the tone for the debate early in the fourth quarter with the directness of their advertising. In a pluralistic yet ego-centric society such as ours, it’s a risk major advertisers take by focusing on one segment of the population (Merry Christmas) rather than the population at large (Happy Holidays). However, an overwhelming majority of Americans celebrate Christmas as opposed to their non-Christian counterparts. A national telephone survey by Rasmussen Reports supports this, as 67% of Americans chose “Merry Christmas” to the alternatives.

Now in full disclosure, I’m Jewish. I don’t celebrate Christmas. And I may be in the minority here, but I never really took offense to those wishing me a “Merry Christmas”. I never “corrected” them or attempted to insert my “Jewishness” into the situation, and usually replied in-kind (i.e. with the same verbiage wished upon me). However, there are many out there who do not agree and will rebut anyone who says “Merry Christmas” unto them with a “Happy Holidays” response. I see both sides of the argument. But this is supposed to be a season of harmony, of peace on earth. Therefore, I believe that during this time of year, it is just easier if the minority capitulates to the majority. Now, those who know me know I’m all for a good fight, but I’ve been living with this all my life and have just found it easier to roll with the punches than to take an affront to something so harmless as Christmastime advertising and peer-to-peer well wishing.

For marketers, though, this is a complicated and hyper-sensitive season. I believe that a direct approach is the best approach. Since, as stated above, an overwhelming majority of Americans celebrate Christmas, advertisers need to direct their ad dollars towards the majority. Makes perfect sense to me. Why would Target create a “Happy Hanukkah” broadcast TV campaign to cater to less than 10% of the population? Besides, this year Hanukkah will be over long before Christmas even starts (Dec. 4 – 12). Hardly worth the advertisers’ effort.

Really, the only thing that gets me in an uproar is the debate itself. My thoughts—a Christmas tree is not a Holiday tree or a Family tree, it’s a CHRISTMAS tree. A Christmas wreath is not a Holiday wreath or a Seasonal wreath, it’s a CHRISTMAS wreath. And the likes of Santa Claus need not be matched with the creation of a Hanukkah Harry or the Kwanzaa equivalent.

For me, images of Santa Clause hocking everything from Q-tips to car stereos do not offend me. And though I know he isn’t talking directly to me or my “people”, I can’t imagine a holiday season any other way.

Jason Cohen, Director of Marketing/Interactive

Read more...

The Truth about Hummers

truth
–noun, plural truths
/ Pronunciation Key[trooth, trooths]
1. the true or actual state of a matter.

2. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.

3. the state or character of being true.

4. an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.

Let’s face it… the truth is subjective, which means it is based off of the perception of the individuals involved. Where one person sees good, another may see bad. Where one person sees the cup half full, the other sees it half empty. Cops will routinely tell you there are three sides to every story: Person 1, Person 2, and the truth that lies somewhere in between.

Truth in Advertising
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the following truth-in-advertising rules apply to advertisers under the Federal Trade Commission Act:

§ Advertising must be truthful and nondeceptive;
§ Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and
§ Advertisements cannot be unfair.

Remember the 1990 movie Crazy People in which Dudley Moore plays an advertising executive whose idea to write "honest" advertising copy like the following lands him in an insane asylum?

“Volvo... they're boxy, but they're safe.”
“Porsche...you can't get laid in one, but you will once you get out.”

Brutal, beautiful, in-your-face honesty is something seldom seen in today’s marketplace. The real truth, however, is that every marketer feels they are writing about their products and services—and only their products and services—when they write the words “above expectations,” “value-add,” “110%,” “better than ever,” and “Return on Investment.” But these words are so ubiquitous, they have become cliché marketing copy. So, the real meat of successful marketing these days is in the succinct delivery of a product’s or service’s features and benefits.

Enter Hummer.

Advertising Age recently reported on GM’s new Hummer campaign, which I perceive to be pure brilliance in strategy and tact (http://adage.com/article?article_id=121560). As gas prices continue to soar, there are those who say Hummers represent all that is wrong with America today. “The brand came to represent an icon for all things evil,” AdAge reports. Many argue that they are ugly, road-hogging, gas guzzling behemoths… an unnecessary and unreasonable vehicle in a time when the auto industry should be focusing on manufacturing vehicles that will make us less dependent on foreign oil. Just look at some of these blog postings:

http://bakersfield.typepad.com/neighbors/2005/10/hummers_the_roo.html

http://supersaps.blogspot.com/2005/04/i-hate-hummers.html

http://sarahmarchildon.blogspot.com/2004/12/i-hate-hummers.html

So evil, apparently, big-time musicians don’t want to be associated with the brand (even for a LOT of money!).

To diffuse the “icon for all things evil” perception, GM’s agency Modernista (Boston) recently created a very practical, emotional, and eye-opening campaign called “Hummer Heroes.” The new campaign will feature print, television, and a new microsite dedicated to those passionate about the brand and those who have used their vehicles in times of crisis. The campaign features one Hummer owner who laments: “Nobody asked me what kind of fuel economy I was getting” when he was delivering water via Hummer to Hurricane Katrina victims in remote locations. Good point, lest we forget that an overwhelming majority of Hummer owners use their vehicle to drive to the mall or the grocery store, not to respond to crisis situations.

However, as the AdAge article so poignantly highlights, these vehicles were built for very specific purposes and have come to the rescue of many individuals in times of need. (The campaign mentions that Hummer has agreed to deliver a total of 72 vehicles to the Red Cross to help them respond to crisis situations.) To shift the focus to those vehicle attributes and uses and the unselfish actions of those who have used their vehicles in crisis situations is pure strategic genius. Kudos to Modernista’s creative team.

Not sure how many more vehicles the ad campaign will help sell, but it certainly may succeed in changing the perception of some Hummer Haters into Hummer Lovers. And, let’s face it… deep, deep down inside, I bet even the Haters have a secret desire to get behind the wheel of one of these mega-macho-machines. Having taken a test drive on one of their dealership courses, I can honestly say it’s a powerful experience (disclosure: I do not own a Hummer).

Not sure what the tagline will be for the new campaign, but if their goal is to create Hummer Lovers out of Hummer Haters, a good starting point would be “Everyone loves a Hummer.” Don’t we?

Jason Cohen, Director of Marketing

Read more...

CALIFORNIA GIRLS – THE NEXT GENERATION: Moral Nightmares/Advertising Gold

Mike Love and Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys) must be rolling in their graves (wait… are they still alive?). One has to wonder if they ever thought that, 42 years after they penned “California Girls”, a group of young ladies would come along and terrorize the iconic perception of the fun-loving, easy-going, beautiful-as-god-made-her, southern California girl. To many, the Next Gen California Girls of today – Paris, Britney, Nicole, Lindsay – are high-maintenance, egotistical, unpleasant, delusional, anorexic-framed undeserving elitists who are completely undeserving of the attention the American public is bestowing upon them. Qualifications for this honor include all of the above characteristics, plus:

Drug and/or alcohol abuse resulting in…
At least one DUI/DWI charge, resulting in…
At least one probation violation, resulting in…
Jail time and/or
Incomplete or partial rehab stints
Total disregard for the law and the lives of others
Occasional pregnancy alert
Occasional marriage
Occasional divorce
Occasional head shaving incident caught on video.

Thinking I’m exaggerating? Let’s take a look at the headlines of the last few months, shall we?
o Spears accused of making death threats to photographer
o Experts: Lohan, Spears making mockery of rehab
o Spears-Federline marriage officially over
o Nicole Richie sentenced to 90 hours in jail
o Lindsay Lohan surrenders to police
o Jubilant Paris Hilton out of jail
o Nicole Richie, 25, says she is almost four months pregnant
o Richie pleaded guilty Friday to driving under the influence of drugs

Can you imagine The Beach Boys writing ‘California Girls’ today? All meaning would be lost. I mean, yes, these California Girls know how to have a good time, like when Nicole mixed pot, whiskey and Vicoden and proceeded to get behind the wheel of her car and head the wrong way on a California Interstate (yes, that means going against traffic). Good times. And who can forget Paris’s recent stint in jail for violating her previous DUI probation? Or Lindsay’s most recent DUI arrest. Good times indeed. It’s quite apparent these young ladies forget that, like it or not, they are role models for today’s female youth. “Lead by example” are apparently three words they have never heard strung together. How about raising the bar a little, girls… or would that make it too difficult for you to reach your drink?

I know what you’re thinking… who cares, right? I mean, if these girls want to trash their own lives, so long as it doesn’t hurt others, who cares?! Well, I’ll tell you who cares… ADVERTISERS! These girls bring in eyeballs… lots of eyeballs. In print, on television, in cyberspace… lots and lots of eyeballs. Their publicists know it, the media knows it, and worse… THEY KNOW IT. The crazy part about all of this is that I honestly believe they are encouraged to keep up the antics to keep themselves in the limelight just one more day. Just one more day might be enough to land them on the cover of one more tabloid, be an entry in one more blog (ahem), or be featured in one more on-screen interview with the likes of Larry King or Diane Sawyer. And that may be all they need to get one more starring role and make another cool million to fuel their habits.

It’s concerning the way the gears in the Hollywood machine turn, but apparently there’s an appetite for these Next Gen California Girls. If you, like me, wish to diminish their prowess, here’s my request. Stop feeding the frenzy. Stop buying the tabloids. Turn the channel. Stop caring who they sleep with, whose baby they’re having, why they are going to jail, and which rehab facility they are escaping from. (And for the record, I’ll do my part. This will be my last blog entry featuring any of the aforementioned Next Gen California Girls). Moral of the story – if we move our eyeballs to more appealing content, trust me, the advertisers will follow.

--Jason Cohen, Director of Marketing

Read more...