Marobella's Branding SoapBox

Now, I've Seen It All.

Reading my monthly issue of Stuff magazine (yes, I read it for the advertising), I came across and interview with a guy that made his millions from a website called Seeking Arrangement which is a dating service for Sugar Daddies and "Sugar Babies" It pairs old men with hot young women. Pure genius. It's one of those, why didn't I think of that moments.

I wonder if he advertises in the Viagra Triangle in Chicago(Rush Street).

Dunkin' Donuts Custom Gift Cards

Being from Boston, I love me some DnD. And, with the booming gift card business (because we are all too lazy to be thoughtful), I was surprised to see that a laggard marketing brand like Dunkin' Donuts was one of the first to market with custom gift cards . I think it is a cool idea and a little less lazy, but I as I stood in line today, I was wondering if I would want a picture of my Mom on my gift card that I buy my morning coffee with. The one cool thing about the idea is that it probably extends the life of the card and people will be more prone to refilling rather than just chucking when its spent.

Also, the custom cards could be a cool idea for companies to place their logo on and personalize some employee gifts and other charitable uses. Good for Dunkin' Donuts for allowing us to truly customize our coffee, beyond the double foam whip one sugar latte.

The Hard Rock Gets It

The Hard Rock brand is definitely one of my favorite brands. When in Vegas, it is the only place I stay. they have transformed themselves from a string of bland cafe's into a global powerhouse brand. I feel they have done this by truly understanding who their customer is, what makes them tick and what they are dealing with in their life at this given time. Namely, GenX. GenX is a generation that refuses to be old, wanting to make a ton of money but still be able to wear chrome hearts and other cool brands. Why get frumpy? This generation is successful, loves rock and will spend on the experience. We are also having kids and want to impart on those kids the same ideals we have. That is why I love this ad for the Hard Rock. The baby is rocking in the womb. Well done.

Cocaine In A Can

Does the success of the energy drink Cocaine really surprise anyone? For an energy drink to get awareness in a market that is dominated by Red Bull and outspent on advertising by Coca-Cola for their drink Full Throttle, they had to do something that captured attention. I have to say, I am not sure how I feel about this. That our kids our asking for an energy drink called Cocaine in clubs. Is this a gateway drink? The writing on the can even looks like cut lines. A recent article on   Media Post talks about the fact they have sold out of their inventory and the most startling fact, they have spent less than $40.00 US on marketing. Thats right, I didnt leave any zeroes out. And that cost was to courier a case to the New York Post. A pure PR play.

But this is a marketing ploy similar to the now dead OJ book strategy. The more negative press, the more people that will want to buy it. Every person that comes out and speaks against it, is just selling more cases of the product for the company.

Genius marketing or irresponsible? You decide.

The Sailor Jerry Brand of Brand

This is an interesting study in brand creation. Sailor Jerry was a tattoo artist that was at the height of his craft over 50 years ago. He pioneered a certain kind of tattoo style most associated with sailors and military men getting inked. His brand is probably at the height of its success now, over 50 years later. Congrats to the people that master minded its resurgence and stylized the tattoo'ed culture and couture. They even have a Sailor Jerry Rum now, owing allegiance to Rum = Sailors. Very cool brand extension. This brand is an example of staying true to its roots and connecting with a new audience of customers, matching the brands values and design cues with a certain customer base. Check it out at Sailor Jerry Web Store.

Burger King Big Bumpin'

For a few weeks now, the new Xbox games featuring Burger King characters have been circulating. From what I can tell these are instant classics. Never taking themselves too seriously, but integrating the elements of the Burger King brand in beyond gratutitous ways that comes off as authentic.

Even cooler is I wonder who owns the rights to the subservient chicken and the king himself. Crispin+Porter or BK? This raises the bar for agencies going all the way back to the pets.com sock puppet, creating an avatar that can become marketable. The Geico Lizard peddling Car Insurance in Need For Speed or The Army releasing their own SOCOM game. The opportunities are boundless.

Squeeze The Charmin in Times Square

In the NY Times, reading about a brand experience created by Charmin in one of the busiest pieces of real estate in the world during the holidays, Times Square. If you've ever been to Times Square and had to make a potty run, you know how hard that can be. A great idea to connect with consumers by offering a service and a controlled brand experience, complete with restroom attendees. I applaud the brand managers at Charmin for finding a new way to make a commodity like toilet paper relevant to consumers. I hope to see results on lift and market share when their promotion is completed.

 The 20-stall restroom will be at 1540 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets, in space formerly occupied by a bar, Bar Code. It will be op en from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. (except for Christmas Day, when it will close at 6 p.m.). Two of the stalls will be accessible to people with disabilities, and baby changing stations will be available. There will also be a seating lounge, with its own photo-op: A six-foot stuffed Charmin bear, just waiting to have its picture taken with a visitor.

David Blaine and Me - Both Escaping Target on Black Friday

When I first heard that Target had a promotion going with David Blaine, I thought it was a hokey way to garner attention for the brand. I was struggling to find the connection between shopping for Christmas and a weird, modern day Houdini. But, when I visited their website and saw how they tied it together, I thought it was interesting. Even cooler, was that they provided the code to embed their Blaine TV into your Blog or Website, in effect offering a way to spread the word virally. I applaud Target for taking a risk, and once again why they are a great marketer.

However, I must say when I was in Target earlier today - I wish they had some tips about how I could escape the madness of their store....

Motorola Meets Miami Ink

I have written before that Miami Ink is one of my favorite things. It brings together three things I love, South Beach, Tattoos and Marketing. Congratulations to the guys from Miami Ink, they are showing some staying power. Signing deals with Jeep and my friends at Moto. Joining people like Danica Patrick, David Beckham and more, not bad company to keep. However, the guys from South Beach do all of them one better - they are helping to extend the tail on the Moto RAZR. The phone that at one time not long ago was the darling of the electronics and mobile phone market. It was high-profile in movies and against the ears of models and movie stars alike. Now, anyone from Peoria can get one for free. Sorry Peoria. But, inking a deal with Ami James to create some inspired designs for the RAZR will extend the life of these phones. Good thinking on Moto's part. I like the deal all around. One thing I would have liked to see are more elaborate tattoos on the phones, the ones on the site seem a little drab.

Now, how do I convince my friends at Moto to get me one signed by Ami?

Miami Ink on Motorola.com

Virtual Jack Black

I was reading the Metacool Blog and it directed me to this new site from the Tenacious D movie.
I love Jack Black. He makes me laugh. Now, his website for Tenacious D's new movie makes me jealous. I love how they created an experience that highlights the attitude and personality of Tenacious D and is true to the humor put forth by this duo. I also like their nod to some agency/client tug o wars, like making the logo bigger. Good Stuff.

Tenacious D Movie Website