The Sound of the "Bleep" Catches Our Attention

Last summer, Bud.tv developed a spot that became a YouTube hit called "Swear Jar." You may have seen it posted here on this site or a friend could have emailed you the link. The point is, the commercial was hilarious.

We've always known that sex and humor sell in advertising so now marketers are capitalizing on vulgarity, or at least the bleeped out kind of vulgarity. With new methods of measuring commercials and the birth of the DVR era, marketers are trying to come up with methods to keep your attention.

Click here to read the article from the NY Times.

Simpson's Marketing Experiment Turns To Ebay

Fans came out in droves to see the 7-11's turned Kwik-E-Mart's but now the memorbilia can be found on Ebay after what I call the most successful "out-of-the-box" marketing experiment. Click here to read the article on New York Times and go to Ebay to see if you can win some Buzz Cola or a copy of Radioactive Man.

Simpsons Movie Takes Out-of-Home Marketing To A Whole New Level

The Simpsons movie will be well anticipated this summer when it releases on July 27th, but the marketing team behind the Simpsons is doing an extroidinary job of promoting this film. Advertising Age is reporting today that 7-11 stores will re-design and essentially re-brand themselves for a few weeks to promote the movie. What will they brand themselves as? Kwik-E-Mart's of course. The picture seen at the left is a mock design.

I have one word for this idea; brilliant. Why nobody has taken advantage of this idea in the past is beyond me? All parties win in this situation. 7-11 is receiving, and going to receive weeks of publicity. The Simpsons movie, which already is well anticipated, is going to position themselves even better for an opening weekend. And marketers all around can now scramble to come up with ideas to top this one.

The only thing these stores will be missing is Apu, the lovable owner of Kwik-E-Mart's. Click here to read the article.

Gourmet Marketing Working Well For Various Restaurants

Do you know what Angus Beef is? Well, even if you don't, you probably have the assumption that it tastes better than any piece of beef you've ever had. Or at least that's what marketers want you to think. Check out the full article here at Adage.com.

Google, Yahoo Tops in Search

No surprise here. Google and Yahoo are the leaders in search while MSN falls at a distant third. Here is the article on CNNMoney.com:http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/18/technology/microsoft_msn/index.htm?postversion=2007041817

Will Ferrell to star in new Online comedy venture

Will Ferrell has apparently teamed up to launch a new site called Funnyordie.com which as a Beta version has already garnered some serious interest. Check out the full article here at:http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003572462

The site sounds very similiar to an all comedy version of YouTube where videos will feature people doing funny things or comedic acts. If your video is not funny then it will be taken off the site. I would definitely put my money behind a venture like this. With Web 2.0 exploding at this time and the opportunity to market to a young audience that will include college kids, this sounds like a site that will enjoy success if managed properly.

The extremely basic beta version can be seen here at http://www.funnyordie.com

CMO's Not To Blame

Everyday I read up on the latest news issues surrounding marketing and advertising, the word is that CMO's are not doing their job and their advertising agencies are unsuccessful. Check out this article at AdWeek that defends CMO's:http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003571882

It makes perfect sense why companies can't keep a CMO for an extended period of time. We live in a society that is quick to jump as soon as results are not seen, and when sales don't increase and brand recognition is at an all time low, CMO's are typically to blame. One interesting point this article brings up is that executive searches to fill these positions are to replace departing CMO's, not fill new positions within the company. Therein lies the problem.

How can a company expect to fill a position with a new employee in such a critical role and think the transition will be seamless? Brands are not born and changed overnight. It takes several years to gain brand recognition and even more to change that brand name. Brand recognition is born from a brilliant team of people who spend hours crafting that brand. So tell me why a company thinks the person who develops and nurtures that brand can be replaced so easily without any major issues? The reason is, someone has to be blamed and the person at the helm is usually it.

My opinion on it is that a CMO's job can be one of the hardest in the company. Especially if you have an extremely recognizable brand. Take for example the Aflac brand. Last month the new Aflac CEO said he wants to clip the birds wings. Why? Why would anyone want to stop that little duck from walking across the screen and yelling "Aflac!" Probably because he wants to come in and instantly make a name for himself. Lots of pressure can definitely create this situation. But I think it's absolutely ridiculous that anyone would want to get rid of the Aflac Duck. Every time I see a duck I think of Aflac. That's not brand recognition you gain overnight!

What if one of the major cereal brands wanted to change their spokesman? Could you imagine Honey Nut Cheerios without the bee? Frosted Flakes without Tony the Tiger? Lucky Charms without the Leprechaun? It would take several years for us to adapt to a new spokesman and this is the strategy Fortune 500 companies should take with their CMO positions when evaluating their success. Give these people time.