I'll Have Some of That, Please

Okay, okay so there has been so much written about the Old Spice guy lately...you know the one on the horse...that it seems like there really isn't much more to say.

But I did have an interesting experience with Old Spice just the other day that prompted me to really stop and think about what Old Spice has done that is way cooler than their stunningly good use of social media and pretty nice looking Old Spice man.

I was cleaning out the sports duffle bag that one of our girls uses for soccer and came across a stick of Old Spice deodorant. At first it caught me off guard and I have to admit I started to wonder who she was hanging out with and why his deodorant was in her bag.

Then I realized that she and her brothers have been watching and talking about the Isiah Mustafa campaign now for months. It started when one of the kids came home from school talking about the funny ads, which they all promptly sat down to watch on You Tube over and over again. They loved the fact that he would respond to tweets he got from fans with videos on You Tube. Now just like so many others, they are watching and waiting to see what he does next.

But what's really noticeable is that now we have several sticks of Old Spice deodorant and bottles of body wash in the house. The boys are using it. The girls are using it. I've even tried it. Before this brand was invisible to us and now it has a front and center role in the household.

So it struck me.

What's way cooler than a couple of great commercials, You Tube videos and Twitter campaign?

Old Spice has gotten its mojo back.

Hope For Sale

I think that most people who have read my blog know that I have fairly high standards when it comes to marketing messages and brands that clearly are getting involved with something in order to boost sales rather than because they really care.

However, I am a fan of Hyundai's Hope on Wheels program for one simple reason - in their TV. commercial they say one line that makes all the difference - 'You Don't Have To Buy A Hyundai to Help'.

I loved that - it made me feel so much better about the brand and what it is trying to do. It gave me the impression that Hyundai really cared because they were asking people to get involved even if they didn't want to drive one of their vehicles. It felt altruistic and honest - it really stuck in my mind and made me want to find out more about the program.

I wonder whether this is actually an example of reverse psychology - that they told me that I didn't have to buy into the brand in order to care and the actual effect it had on me was to make me more inclined to think about buying a Hyundai.

Clever - and effective - also a great cause that has not been over-marketed.

No Female Appeal

I found myself having a very mixed reaction when I first saw the AT&T 'Blanket' commercial.

On the positive side, I definitely was impressed by the visual magnificence of seeing all those buildings and bridges being covered by the orange silk and wondered - as I am sure I was meant to do - how on earth they managed to do it. Amazing! The music was also something that had a real 'feel good' quality to it and made the commercial a pleasure to watch.

However, as a female consumer, it left me cold in a couple of pretty important ways.

Firstly, the message that AT&T covers 93% of Americans made me feel like it was another classic example of the big boys not giving the little guys a chance. I know that the commercial wasn't actually saying that AT&T controlled 93% of all cell phone business, but it came across that way to me. As women, we really don't like the language of 'mine is bigger than yours' and this commercial definitely made me feel like this is what AT&T were saying.

Secondly, although I can totally see that not all women would feel this way, it felt distinctly un-environmentally friendly. In this day and age when we are all tightening our belts and trying to do our bit for the environment, it felt inappropriate to be spending thousands of dollars on creating the impression of buildings being covered by silk. Whether they actually did some of it or it was all computer generated, it certainly made you feel that they were doing it and it smacked of an enormous amount of waste.

I wished I liked it better. I would have unequivocally appreciated its aesthetic beauty and sense of achievement when I was younger, but I guess I have become a little more cynical than I used to be!

Paper Or Plastic??

I know that this is going to seem like I am splitting hairs this week but bear with me.

Having returned from a much more environmentally friendly culture this summer, I became painfully aware of how we are still not doing enough to 'be greener' over here. I mean I know that every company you can think of has jumped on the green bandwagon from an opportunistic sense, but are they putting themselves out there - or are we for that matter - to make a difference, even when it hurts our pocketbooks.

A typical case in point can be experienced at my local supermarket.

When you check out the cashier asks you 'is plastic okay?'

Not a big deal right?

However, the question is framed up very differently from 'would you prefer paper or plastic'?

The latter question allows the shopper to answer one of two ways 'plastic' or 'paper'.

The former question makes shoppers respond with a 'yes' - the easy answer - or 'no' which requires a negative response and then a follow up request for paper.

I feel that this is worth pointing out because the subtle difference in the questions leads most shoppers to say that plastic is fine which is what the store wants in the first place, because it is cheaper for them to produce.

However, it is not better for the environment which is food for thought.

Janie

Enjoy The Go?

I know I should like this advertising idea from Charmin - after all, aren't us Brits totally obsessed with bathroom humor? I don't know though - I am really struggling with this one.

I think like many women, I feel that my bathroom habits are safest behind closed doors, and I mean this literally as well as figuratively. So when a company comes along and tells me to 'enjoy the go', I feel really squeamish. I mean somethings in life are just a matter of necessity and can't be made into a good time no matter how hard you try.

Perhaps more importantly, no matter how soft the toilet paper, I am still not going to be having my own private party in the washroom - it just isn't going to happen.

Maybe I am just a little too cynical for this type of stuff, but the best it is going to get for me is that my bum will enjoy not being red and irritated.

I will be interested to see what other reactions Charmin gets to this campaign.

Back to School with a Mattress?

Okay - come on now - a back to school mattress sale?

I have never heard about a kid going back to school with a mattress - infact I was under the distinct impression that the teachers preferred to keep everyone awake at school.

I know that in this economy, almost any excuse is good enough for a sale, but surely the product has to match the occasion at least to some degree. I mean are we now going to start to see sales for carpets for Valentine's Day or Weight Watchers for Christmas?

I don't know but at least where I am concerned I like the idea of getting a good deal on something that I am actually looking to buy related to the occasion in question, and when it comes to back to school I am not usually adding a mattress to my shopping cart along with the pencils and pads.

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

While this has gotten a lot of play already in the press, it was just too juicy to pass up commenting on it.

I am sure that many of you have noticed the story that recently hit the airwaves about Ann Taylor's most recent run-in with the evils of airbrushing. In case you haven't, here's the story.

Essentially the company was caught air brushing (once again) a model wearing their new Chiffon Trim Tank . Apparently, the model's image appeared on their website as photographed. And she is quite a beautiful woman. Then literally before your eyes the airbrushing occurs whittling her waist down to an impossibly small size and rendering her as something akin to a Gumby doll.

And to make matters worse, this is the second time Ann Taylor has been caught doing this type of airbrushing. The first incident was in May. In that instance, when they were caught doing it, they issued a formal apology on Twitter that said "We have been overzealous on retouching but as we go forward we'll be sure to feature more real, beautiful images. We want to support and celebrate the natural beauty of women and we apologize if in the process of retouching that was lost."

I just have to say as a woman and as a marketer, this most recent incident of presenting false images of women is just all kinds of disheartening. But I have an idea for how to make good on your promise, Ann Taylor.

It's easy. Retire the retoucher!

200% of what?

Although I pride myself on being a right brain thinker - creative, intuitive, conceptual - there are times when I find myself not being able to think creatively enough.

The latest marketing gimmick of offering a 200% guarantee is one of those times when I feel like the cogs in my head are starting to whir too fast and that something is going to pop right off my brain's internal gadgetry.

Am I the only one out here who is asking '200% of what?'?

I most recently saw it in relation to a company that does home inspections.

Apparently the 200% was in relation to the fact that they would give you your money back and pay you for an inspection of your choice......okay, so in reality I do get it but it is pretty obscure if you ask me.

I have also seen it on a carton of milk.....I guess that means that if you don't like the milk that is inside the carton that they will give you two back.....really?

I always thought that a 100% guarantee meant that I would be 100% satisfied. A bit of a tall order but it sounded good and certainly showed that the company in question was confident about the quality of its product.

With the 200% guarantee, I find myself feeling less reassured rather than more reassured because I start thinking 'come on, now they are just making it up as they go along'.

I look forward to the first company that ventures into the unchartered waters of the 300% guarantee!

The Sharing Cup

We went to the movies recently as a family. We find ourselves doing that a lot lately now that we are into these lazy days of summer when the kids have too much time on their hands and are stunningly creative about finding ways to bug the crap out of me and each other.

After buying the tickets...all seven of them...and complaining once again about how expensive it is to do the simple things nowadays, like take the family out to the movies, we headed into the show.

Of course, we got sidetracked by the snack bar for a bucket of popcorn and a bunch of sodas. We bought one of those jumbo sized buckets that is enough to feed a small village and several drinks. At check out, after spending $40.00 on popcorn and soda, I asked if we could get some of their small drinking cups or a couple of paper bags so we could divvy up the popcorn into individual, more reasonably sized servings for the kids to share. Well you would have thought I was asking for something extraordinary and never before seen. Just a few small drinking cups to pour the popcorn into and I lit the place abuzz.

After 10 minutes, three counter attendants and the theater manager later, I was informed that they were unable to give me any extra cups unless I bought them. You know inventory and all that?

I thought the guy was kidding. I had just spent almost $100.00 at the theater on movie tickets, popcorn and soda and they couldn't give me a couple of extra cups so the kids could share their popcorn without fighting. And, oh by the way, be more disruptive to the other theater goers than any cell phone disturbance during show time ever could be!

Now as women, we've all heard about the worrisome trends in our country around increasing isolationism as we get more attached to our cell phones and gaming systems and less attached to each other. So we look for opportunities to get out of the house, spend time together and...here's a new idea...actually share an experience together.

And as a marketer, I see the theater industry trying hard to expand their repertoire to be a place for shared experiences, not just movies. And they are spending millions to do so. They are hosting musical performances, interactive shows, even scheduling mom's weekday gatherings. And they are on to something. I'd much rather schedule a family night at the movies than have everyone in my house go their separate ways and disappear behind a computer screen or the earphones.

But as is so often the case in marketing, they are missing the forest for the trees. I would be so much more inclined to visit my local theater for all kinds of activities...you know, become a more regular customer...if they could just get the little things right.

Like providing a sharing cup.

Not So Global

I know that there is nothing worse than listening to people who weren't born in the States moan about the fact that the US isn't aware that anything exists outside its own borders.

Well, I admit that this is a slight exaggeration, but when it comes to getting international service from a cell phone company, it might as well be true.

I am going to Europe for a couple of weeks - bon voyage everyone! - and I wanted to get international email service on my Blackberry. Personally, I think it should be automatically available, but that is just me.

So I went to the customer service center - a nightmare in itself - only to be told that they couldn't add the feature for me, I had to go to the special 'INTERNATIONAL' division. So having waited a lifetime to get to customer service, I had to wait another lifetime - I am practicing to be a cat with nine lives - to reach someone in the international division.

When I finally got through, I told them what I wanted and they said that they couldn't start the service on my departure date - why not for goodness sake? - they had to start it immediately, charging me almost double for the days that I was still going to be in the States.

When I asked what I had to do to only pay for the days I was away, the customer service rep. told me to call back when I was about to leave.

So.......I was about to hang up in frustration, when the woman I was talking to asked me if she had resolved my problem. Huh? "Well....no" I replied.

This seemed to catch her off guard because she had obviously been told to ask that question no matter what the circumstances and to expect a standard 'yes' as a response.

I guess I threw her off kilter, but she certainly ruined my day so I guess we are even!

Lost in Translation?

I am hoping that there are a few other women out there who are seriously scratching their heads over this commercial for Bayer birth control pills.

Having worked in an advertising agency for many years, I actually have no trouble imagining how this idea was cooked up. A bunch of young, keen creatives are sitting around a table scratching their own heads about how to come up with an idea for a clutter busting commercial that will carry the message that Bayer is a solid, corporate citizen despite some of the bad publicity around its birth control products like Yaz.

So they land on this concept of 'things are not always how they appear' but instead of letting Bayer communicate the message in the serious tone that it deserves, they have a bunch of blindfolded women touching a rhinoceros and trying to guess what it is.

Not only is the idea totally irrelevant and disconnected from the back the half of the commercial that suddenly wisks us to a Bayer laboratory, and consequently leaving us wondering 'where are we now?', but the tone is completely inappropriate for the message they are trying to convey.

Unfortunately for Bayer, the end result is that the viewer, who may or may not have had the mental space previously to wonder about Bayer's ethics, is certainly wondering about them now.

Fixing The Wobbly Parts

I have been fascinated by the swimwear that started to appear about two years ago that claimed to make you look 10 lbs thinner. In actual fact, it does make one's torso tighter and trimmer, so from that perspective it does do what it claims to do.

So, if I was an apple shape, I would be totally happy right now, having had this swimwear successfully reduce me from a large Macintosh to a small Fuji.

Unfortunately, I am not a Macintosh apple, I am a Barlett Pear.

That means that although I work quite hard at keeping in shape, what excess baggage I do carry around, sits contentedly at the top of my thighs. So you can imagine what I look like when I put on a piece of this Longitude Swimwear. Totally trim and beautiful through the torso and hips, with a couple of small protuberances laughing gleefully at me from the top of my thighs.

However, I have to admit that Longitude has done its best. After all, to resolve all the shape problems that women have to face, we would have to return to the bathing wear of the 1920's in which we were covered from shoulder to mid-calf, and I am not sure that even I am ready for that.

Come to think of it, if I did 100 laps of the pool a day, rather than my regular 50, I might not even be concerned about which parts of me can be artificially reduced by wearing super tight swimwear.

Double Disaster

OK, so I have been away for a while, but if anything could shake the Frustrated Female out of the bushes, it is KFC's Double D sandwich.

As a woman and a mom, I know that I am not alone in trying to keep my daughter on a positive path to a healthy lifestyle. She is a beautiful girl who is a little on the portly side, so I am constantly walking that fine line between wanting to help her make healthy food choices and not wanting to give her a complex about her weight.

So it is of no small matter to me when a company as large as KFC - and my daughter loves it by the way - instead of introducing a healthier option to their incredibly greasy chicken, goes the other way and launches the Double D. For any of you that haven't encountered this gastronomic delight, it is basically two large pieces of fried chicken that have replaced a regular bun, sandwiching a combination of bacon, mayonnaise and a number of other delights in between them. Alone, it contains more salt than it is recommended the average person consumes in a day, and almost 40% of the calories.

So far, I have managed to keep the Double D off my daughter's radar screen, but if KFC is going to convince me that it is a restaurant and a brand that I should keep in my repetoire and have warm, fuzzy feelings about, it is definitely on the wrong track. Especially since women account for over 60% of all fast food visits - either with or without their kids.