Holly Grande: Short and Sweet

Dear Star 94,

I think we need to break up.

It's not you, it's me. Well, that's not entirely true. It is you a little bit.

It's just, I'm not sure I know who you are any more. This identity crisis you've been having, it's left me as confused as you. Are you Top 40? Are you 90s? Are you some horrible abomination of tween pop music? I just don't know anymore.

I feel like you've fallen into the same patterns. Twenty songs in your playlist, most of them by artists younger than the kids I used to babysit for. Maybe I am too old to hang out with you anymore, but I'm only 25: aren't I supposed to be in your target demographic?

We had some good times, too. Remember Friday Night 80's? That was great. I used to drive home from school with you blasting terrible 80's music. My sis and I sang along at the top of our lungs, even though we really aren't old enough to remember the 80's beyond watching My Little Pony and Jem on Saturday mornings.

You started your Big 90's Weekend this year, and I thought I was falling in love with you again. You played songs I hadn't heard in years, and the variety was incredible. You played Savage Garden, and my heart lept. "MmmBop" came on, and I might have been yours. But that love was fleeting as you returned to your same bad habits. How many times can you play "Stay" in an hour? Lisa Loeb is great, but "Stay" really isn't that good of a song, and it's definitely not as fun to sing along to as "MmmBop."

And your latest advertising campaign really has me confused. You tell me I "don't have to sit through this before this," but sometimes you play a clip from a song I do kinda want to listen to. Who is your target with this ads? It certainly can't be your listeners--you're playing clips from metal, techno and country songs that your listeners may very well listen to. When you play those clips only to tell me that they suck, you're telling me that my taste in music sucks, and that is really not cool.

For that matter, don't you play techno- and country-pop? Don't some of your artists toy with guitar riffs like the heaviest rockers? I think you might be in denial of a few key character traits, Star 94. Lady Gaga writes dance music. Taylor Swift is 95% country. Linkin Park is...well...Linkin Park.

I don't know whose idea your marketing plan was, but it really wasn't very well thought out. It's like you're trying to dress up in designer clothes so you can hang out with the cool kids, but let's face it: you are a Top 40 station. People listen to you because you are supposed to be (a little) predictable, you don't make any judgements, and every once in a while, you'll surprise us with a classic song or exclusive launch.

The only surprising thing you've done lately, Star 94, is your insulting marketing campaign.

So this is it, Start 94. As much as I loved your 90's weekends and celebrity interviews, we've got to let each other go. So long, Star 94. I'm going to plug in my auxilary cable from here on out.

Posted by Holly at 5:42 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, campaign, marketing, target demographics

This year, my sister, brother and I played Super Bowl Ad Bingo. We typed up as many Super Bowl advertisement clichés we could think of (with the help of the Internet) and randomly assigned them to half a dozen 5x5 grids. In between the game, which was fun because my brother is a loud, vocal Colts fan and...I'm not, we called out the different tropes we saw.

This year, Coca Cola teamed up with The Simpsons for a funny, weird ad about their product. They take their story lines about the "power of Coco Cola" and throw it into the Simpsons universe. It's not a very rememberable spot, but it's cute--not a word I'd think to use to describe the Simpsons!


One of the clichés I included was a company re-brand, and it wasn't something I was sure that we would see. Re-brands are risky, and even my sister, another communications/business student, was confused as to how a company could re-brand with the Super Bowl (I think the example I gave her was if a certain Web domain provider decided to stop using breasts to sell services and focused on what they actually offered).

Then, we saw the Google Parisian Love ad. It was sweet, simple and it told a story. I like that in an advertisement, and I liked that the target audience was families and people who might not be very technologically savvy. It was a nice change to the usual Super Bowl ad fare.


My favorite spot this year was by far the toy monsters commercial for Kia. It's so cute and clever--there are no words. I want those toys. And maybe that car. But mostly the toys.

There were a few other great ads from Intel, Monster.com and Budweiser, but I think these three stood out as my favorites. What are your thoughts? Who would you include in your top spots?

Posted by Holly at 11:46 AM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

This is a neat find: The FTC recently launched You Are Here, an interactive microsite designed to teach teens and tweens about advertising, the internet and social media. The site is smart, attractive and age-appropriate (although I may have learned a few things myself as I browsed the games!).

What I like best about the site is the games. They are the usual online fare, but with a clever educational twist. You can match phones with customers, design an advertisement or guess the price of different candies in a Price Is Right-like game. The games are quick to load, which is nice, but they have a sophisticated look, too.

Visitors can also "talk" to Isaac, Emily or another teenage characters and hear about different topics, like scams and online security. The language is simple, but not condescending. And, because it's presented as an interactive animation, visitors aren't overwhelmed with information and big blocks of text.

When I wrote consumer-facing materials for parents online, I delved into internet security, particularly when it comes to teenagers. Teens--who may be internet savvy--are not always internet smart. You Are Here is a site I would have loved to share with parents: it's accessible, reputable and a great resource for families. I'll definitely be sharing it with my tweenage brother and cousin.

Posted by Holly at 10:42 PM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

I grew up in a very Italian household in New York, and my ethnic identity has more stereotypes than you can bite your thumb at. My family is loud, big and outspoken (with cigarettes dangling from bejeweled fingers). I have cousins and second cousins and third cousins, twice removed. My First Holy Communion was a major family event, and Sunday dinner recipes are passed down from generation to generation. My grandpa tells stories about growing up in The City, and to this day, my grandma is steadfast in claiming that her uncle was just a barber.

A few days ago, I was chatting with a coworker whose father is another New York Italian, and I was pleasantly surprised by just how many things we had in common. Although he had never lived on Long Island or Jersey, he had visited and heard stories from his family. Like my grandmother, his own has a family recipe for red gravy and meatballs, and he knows that pasta is called macaroni, even when it's cavatelli or rotini. We have uncles named Frankie, cousins called John-John and at least one aunt named Maria. A few barflies overheard us and joined in--it was a fun conversation, and it made me realize how much I love (and miss) New York and my extended, extended family.

There is a sense of community among Italians--whether your name is Grande or Larocca or Tinelli, you belong to something bigger. Even generations later, you know your family came through Ellis Island, and that means something.

I think this sense of community speaks for something about human nature, too. We all want to belong, and so we search for connections. In real life, we make small talk and are pleasantly surprised to find neighbors from long ago. Online, we search for keywords and join Facebook groups like, "You know you're from Long Island, if..." We forward e-mails to our cousins, laughing at the 42 things in the life of an Italian child. People are proud of their heritage, and they are happy to find people like them.

In PR, finding that common ground can be the key to a successful campaign. A message is meaningless if there is no medium to transmit it, and like your computer's processor turns 0s and 1s into something you can see and hear, community and common ground turns messages into something you can relate to.

Another way to look at it is through a Venn diagram, which is how it was explained to my classmates and I by Professor Quigley at BU. When you create a message, it is easy to see it through your own eyes, or the eyes of people like you. What's tough is taking a step back to see how the message might be appreciated by someone from a different background. For example, my friend Kim is not Italian, but she is from Long Island. While Kim might not have an uncle Frankie or cousin John-John, she does know what it's like to grow up on Long Island. Our common ground Venn diagram might look something like this:

The keywords where our circles intersect represent the ideas through which Kim and I can relate. Of course, it's a lot easier to find common ground between two people than it is three or four million, but it's certainly not impossible. In fact, campaigns like Pedigree's recent Dogs Rule advertisements or global projects like Post Secret build off the idea that we are all part of community, whether it is a community of pet owners or people with secrets to share.

What communities do you belong to? Has there been a great campaign recently that has built off that sense of belonging?

Posted by Holly at 10:46 AM 2 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

It's been a while since I had a post on social media, hasn't it? Here is a great find via Matt Cheuvront at Brazen Careerist. The video is a visual summary of Erik Qualman's Theory of Socialnomics, which will be out in stores tomorrow.



First of all, fantastic video. It's eye-catching, dramatic and has had more than 375,000 views in just over four weeks. It's definitely reminiscent of the Did You Know? videos, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. The message is similar, but not quite the same, and I think it really exemplifies the collaborative, evolving nature of social media. Taking the video by itself, isn't it incredible how quickly people responded to say, "Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod already did this"?

I usually take social media guides with a grain of salt, but I am interested in picking up a copy of Qualman's book. It looks like Qualman makes an interesting, if not compelling, case. Social media has changed the way we communicate, and organizations are still figuring out what that means to them--I'm still figuring out what it means to me. After all, I spent this morning looking up reviews for the Italian Store, e-mailing directions to my iPod, customizing a map to send to my parents and drafting a blog entry about my Italian heritage (which I'll link to my New York friends on Facebook). In the words of my dad? That is cool.

Posted by Holly at 4:21 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, books, communication, recommended reading

I am a bit of a geek when it comes to the history of advertising and PR. Thank You for Smoking is one of my favorite books, and I love reading case studies about the best (and worst) campaigns from yesteryear. In fact, I still have my college textbooks from my Com classes and I read them for pleasure.

I told you, total nerd here.

So it was no surprise to me (or my family) when I fell in love with the premiere of Mad Men in 2007. Watching it, I felt like someone had taken all the really cool case studies from my text books and put them on screen with a cast of fantastic actors, a gorgeous, retro wardrobe and a few scandalous affairs to sweeten the pot.

After two seasons, I think what I love most about the show isn't the eye candy or fictionalized case studies--it's the way the show has progressed by showing how much the world has and really hasn't changed. Gender, race and sexuality are addressed not by what is said, but by what is left completely unsaid.

Don is wonderful at that. A disapproving glance or a smirk and--Oh! He is so repulsive, but I can't help but love him. He is at once progressive and judgmental, cruel and kind. In one scene he will push Peggy forward and help her climb the corporate ladder, and in another put down his wife Betty for daring to wear something she thought was sexy.

But my favorite character, if you haven't guessed, is Joan Holloway. Joan embodies every social construct, every double standard faced by women in the workforce. She is the office manager, content in her supporting role and looking forward to her forthcoming marriage, but at the same time, part of her seems to be aware that she could be more. She looks down on Peggy at times, but when given the chance to do the work of her male colleagues, she excels! Unfortunately, no one, not even Joan herself, ever thinks about making the change permanent. In fact, by the very next episode, someone new, a young and inexperienced man, is hired to take over the position, and Joan is once again relegated to her old position.

Joan is also a sex icon. She exudes confidence, particularly in the first season. In one early episode, three account executives are discussing how every woman fits into one of two roles: Jackie Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe. Of Joan, the men agree, "Well, Marilyn is really a Joan."

But Joan is also over thirty and not yet married. She is mortified when an angry coworker posts her drivers license, exposing her birth date, and she is ecstatic when she can finally show off an engagement ring. At times, it seems like Joan is playing the role she knows she is supposed to be playing, and cracks are starting to appear in her facade. One of the most powerful and heartbreaking scenes occurs when Joan is raped by her fiance in her boss's office. Joan picks herself up and keeps going in spite of what happened because, like Don, she excels at keeping up appearances, no matter the cost. Joan has every intention of following the path she is supposed to take, but it's more complex than that.

I think it will be exciting to see where Joan goes next in the upcoming season. Her journey, along with those of Peggy and Betty, mirrors those of many women. Although Mad Men takes place nearly half a century ago, it parallels our world today. It is easy to relate to these characters, and I think that is the most striking thought of all.

The third season premiered on Sunday, August 16 on AMC. The next episode airs on Sunday, August 23 at 10PM.

Posted by Holly at 11:21 AM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication, Mad Men, television

A full update to go up later, but for now: 40 inspiring speeches in two minutes.



Video found via First Showing, originally written about by TIME.

Reminds me of the great campaign from AMC to advertise their movies in 2007 and 2008 (see below). I think both these videos show how a well-cut montage can invoke the same emotions the viewer feels when watching the orignal material as well as something entirely new. By puzzling together clips from different movies, you can tell a new story that builds on the great stories behind you. AMC has done this through it's monthly promos: not only do they advertise the movies they will show that month, they have re-branded the cable network as the place to go for "new classics" that make you feel good. I think that is a very powerful tool to have as an advertiser and a PR professional.

Posted by Holly at 7:34 PM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, video, youtube

The minds behind James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas have launched a new interactive campaign to hype the upcoming animated feature Coraline. Much like for The Dark Night, Coraline's marketing team has engaged fans and bloggers in a fun campaign-game that mixes Neil Gaiman's fantasy world with real-life artifacts.

Cleolinda of Movies in Fifteen Minutes and Space Bass of Despoiler have already received their boxes and found them full of unique, mysterious treats. You can visit their blogs here and here to read about what they received. Both Cleolinda and Space Bass have been kind enough to share their secret keywords so we too can see exclusive footage at Coraline.com: Try buttoneyes and stopmotion.

You can also sign up to receive texts from the campaign. I just got one that told me that there is more to find if I keep looking. Have you figured any other keywords out?

Great campaign! (And excellent choices of bloggers to target so far.) I can't wait to find out more keywords, and I am definitely excited to see the film.

Edit: Here are four more codes thanks to Neil Gaiman:

moustachio
armpithair
puppetlove
sweaterxxs

Posted by Holly at 10:30 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

A fantastic car advertisement by way of Cake Wrecks:



Love it! I had to share. I am a sucker for shows like Food Network Challenge and Ace of Cakes, and I am a regular reader of Cake Wrecks. This video is fun, and it stands out. Well done, Skoda.

And here is a link to how they did it.

Posted by Holly at 9:54 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, video

Politics aside, this is a fantasticly well-made PSA from the folks at Planned Parenthood. The video promotes general reproductive health using appealing colors, text and graphics. I love the hand-made feel of the video (Hah!): It's professional and sharp, but at the same time could be a final project made by a team of college or high school students.



If you check out the site, there are a few more very funny and well-made PSAs. Again, I love the home-made feel: It is very easy to relate to the characters in the videos, and the quality is fantastic. Not safe for all work environments.

Found via Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

Posted by Holly at 11:48 AM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, video

The Ad Council has done it again with their moments campaign for the National Fatherhood Initiative. The latest ad has a father helping his young daughter learn a cheerleading routine. It's too sweet.

The cheerleading ad isn't up on the site yet, but here is one called dance. You can check out the rest of the videos in the campaign here.



And speaking of dance, Ikea has put out a great new spot featuring Robert Muraine. Looove it.

Posted by Holly at 7:55 AM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, video

Oh, I am digging this. The boys across the river are developing a "6-D" projection system that would create super-realistic images that respond to light and shadow. Reminds me of the advertisements in The Diamond Age.

Check out the video:

Posted by Holly at 1:04 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, technology, video

I found this video through Brandflakes for Breakfast. An eBay seller uses YouTube to publish a video for several items he has for auction. The video is cute (G-rated, of course), and a fun example of creatively using web tools to sell your product.

I am sure many copycats will follow, and I look forward to the best of them. In the meantime, I am too busy humming that catchy-little tune.

Posted by Holly at 1:03 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, youtube

I am sick today, so between sipping hot tea and taking swigs of decongestent, I've been checking my email. I received the strangest message only moments ago from the kind folks at Spokeo: "As a courtesy, we are notifying you that Spokeo users have found the following accounts for you..."

What followed was a list of my accounts attached to my google email address. I had no idea such a website existed, but I am completely amazed. I signed up for an account myself and watched as it pulled my email contacts and tracked thier activity over the web. I had no idea my little sister had a myspace account (Sorry, sis, now I know!).

Spokeo is invasive, but absolutely fascinating. The possibilities in communication and advertising are limitless--I can track a client and see what they are doing on the web, who they are posting about. Alternatively, they can track me, or together we could track key audience members.

This takes Facebook stalking to a completely new level.

Posted by Holly at 11:36 AM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication, technology

This is what a great viral video looks like. The Feminist Majority Foundation, with the help of actors, filmmakers, authors and other celebrities, posted this video in celebration of National Women's History Month. The video has already swept through the feminist blogs, and here it is for you to enjoy.

Posted by Holly at 12:17 PM 1 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

I was actually impressed by the White House Anti-Drug PSA, but my favorite commercial this year was the GMC commercial. It was so different, but told a story. Not to mention, the animation was gorgeous. It stood out.

E*Trade was hilarious with the baby commercial, and I loved the careerbuilder.com firefly spot. Coca Cola was clever--I loved the battle between three animation icons. Toyota's spots were okay, but not stand-out. Bridgestone, Hyundai and Cars.com were better.

Taco Bell annoyed me, but the commercials I couldn't stand were from Sales Genie. I don't think they were appropriate for Superbowl, and I don't think they were as clever as the creators thought they were.

Budweiser was fantastic, as always. I loved the wine and cheese party, but the dalmatian coach was too adorable.

Victoria's secret was also a stand-out, not because the commercial was particularly eye-catching, but because of the placement: The end of the game. They got their target audience spot on, and there will be many lacy underthings given as Valentines gifts this year. Well done, Victoria's Secret.

If you missed any spots, Fox has them up on their Myspace page.

Posted by Holly at 12:06 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

I can't promise a commentary on the Superbowl Ads, but yes, I will be watching them. I am especially looking forward to Doritos--they've done a wonderful job building buzz.

Posted by Holly at 4:48 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication

I love commercials. I love advertising in general, and I really admire the brains behind the spots for Jeep, AT&T and a number of others. When TBS ran it's annual "Best Commercials of the Year" countdown last night, my eyes were glued to the TV.

But I was disappointed this year. Sure, the program gave Jeep and career-builder.com a nod--but the vast majority of "funny" commercials were about sex and bodily functions. I chuckled, but I was not really impressed. Although they played my favorite from this year (an ad for Jeep Liberty), ads from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon were completely disregarded. Even the Ad Council (love those guys) produced a series of smart ads, which were also completely overlooked.

I think what really appeals to me as a consumer are not the one-shot, shock value commercials, but the series that tie into an extended campaign. We learn about integrated marketing, repetition and reflecting the company's ideals in class, and a squirrel passing gas to save his forest just doesn't do it for me. On the other hand, Verizon has found a great theme and ran with it for the past five years. The original "Can you hear me now?" commercials evolved into "the network," and now Verizon doesn't even need to say the company name for viewers to recognize their brand. Their commercials tell stories about how great, even life-saving, the Verizon network is.

Jeep, on the other hand, took a completely new direction than other car commercials (yeah, a semi recent trend, but Jeep really pulled it off). No anonymous stunt drivers down mountain-side roads--we get an average Joe rocking out in his Jeep on a mountain-side road. But Joe and his Jeep get even better: Joe's car is so environmentally friendly and fun to drive that woodland creatures, natural enemies even, join Joe in his crooning. Joe and his Jeep are one with nature AND one with the road.

Speaking of "Joe," I love how commercials have started to use "quirkier" actors. T-Mobile's "Secret Lovers" is one example of two average looking guys who could be my neighbors. (Even better, the guys make a second appearance in "I'm like your Uncle." Consistency and storytelling FTW.) Dove's powerful "Real Beauty" campaign began this trend by using women of many body types, but I love how non-beauty-related spots have also caught on. Good commercials like these attach the brand or company to a story or idea and keep it in your head. Man, If all commercials were as good as these, I don't think I would mind sitting through them during my House, M.D. and Journeyman.

Included below are a few of the commercials mentioned above.




The "sequel" to this spot can be viewed here.

Posted by Holly at 11:43 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advertising, communication, games, technology