Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
So many dumb moments in business, so little time. But Business 2.0 mag has their picks for the 101 dumbest of 2006.
Wal-Mart is #1, for hiring a big firm to create their "Candidate Wal-Mart" campaign. #2 is Northwest Airlines, for giving their employees a "How To Save Money" booklet after laying them off. #3 is the contest McDonald's held in Japan, with the winners getting free mp3 players with a virus on them. The rest of the top 10 are GM, Kazakhstan, Steve Wynn, The New York Times, Spirit Air, Porter County, and Comcast.
There are 101 in all, so grab a hot beverage and get comfortable. You can't see the entire list on one page, which is a little annoying, but there is a handy scroll function at the bottom.
Following on the success of Monk-e-Mail, CareerBuilder has unveiled the Age-o-Matic. Just upload a photo of yourself and the program ages it 50 years, and not well. The joke with this one is that this is how depressed and beaten down you will look if you continue at your current job. The altered photos you create can then be sent, complete with your picture uttering some sort of despair-ridden comment, to your nearest and dearest.
I was watching Demetri Martin's new special on Comedy Central last night (funny, as usual). Can someone tell me what the hell was going on with those Microsoft Vista ads that ran throughout the hour? I know that Martin is a spokesman for the product, and he even starred in some of the spots, but they were very confusing and offputting, especially if you tuned into the special halfway through and didn't hear anything about Microsoft Vista.
Actually, the whole idea behind the ads makes me think someone at the ad agency or Microsoft is a Lost fan. The old guy in charge of an odd secret organizations (The Institute For Advanced Personhood), telling you to go to a site that will help you get rid of your clutter, the retro look of the spots, the use of old footage and computers. Very Hanso-ish, very viral. But I wonder if they're too odd to be successful?
I've given up on tracking the time and am just guesstimating now. I assume no responsibility if it takes you more than 120 seconds to read this.
Hispanic agency Conill has been named the "Multicultural Agency of the Year" by AdAge based largely on the quantity and quality of the clients they landed in 2006.
Car makers are paying Car & Driver magazine to take their car reviews and turn them into multimedia online "test drives." This allows the title to directly monetize the reviews, which make up a large part of their content, but does raise concerns over those reviews being watered down to appease potential advertisers.
The L.A. Times has taken their Envelope blog and turned it into a targeted print publication that, as we get deeper into Oscar season, is full of "For Your Consideration" ads. For a look at what kind of "FYC" ads the studios are putting online, check out the Adverlicio.us archive.
As you may have already read at TV Squad, "The OC" and "The Megan Mullally Show" have been canceled. The Fox drama has dropped sharply in the ratings in the last two seasons and Mullally's talk-show barely got off the ground.
A video that originated in-house at Kodak has gone viral online showing what could best be described as a "kooky" guy who gets increasingly worked up talking about "Kodak Moments." There's some speculation that it's so effective at making Kodak seem cool that it has to be an officially sanctioned release, some say it's so effective at making Kodak seem cool that it couldn't have been official sanctioned.
HBO is sending bottles of "Rome" branded wine to high-end restaurants in Chicago, LA and New York to promote the December 14th return of the series.
What, no agency? No client? No billion-dollar red carpet cigar-smoking creative suits to tie it all together. Nope, not a one. It has more to do with Time's person of the year, you. Power to the people! Mentos and Diet Coke and flying off the shelf because of a simple video you have most likely seen. The one with the guys in white coats who shoot off a bunch of mentos and diet coke rockets for "science." This form of non-advertising is boosting the sales for the products because people watching are having fun with the stuff. The other reason sales have gone up is that "it's cool." This explosive phenomenon gives people the feeling of danger, being a bit reckless, and does it all quite within the law (most times). As marketing professionals, we should take note of the simple yet powerful evidences in this video when we are creating advertising and trying to reach the masses. Here they are for those who are just joining us:
If it is clear that you can have fun with this product (perhaps in unconventional ways) people will buy it.
If people can do something themselves, hands-on to see how cool your product is, whether it is supposed to or not, they will buy it. This is a bit oldskool, like back in the fifties, when product demonstrations were all the rage. This example is just a bit more homegrown.
People crave adventure, danger, fun, and genuine excitement. Another movie explosion won't do it. A real-live backyard explosion will do it, and not just once. Several times. I can't imagine how many teenage kids (and dads) are outside in the yard right now shooting the next 100 videos of domino-type mentos explosions, because they can.
Obviously, don't encourage consumers to break the law, very bad idea. Since this doesn't break the law, you're good here.
In conclusion (yes, I am trying to write my ad thesis here, if you were wondering) if you can get your potential customers to see the adventure or fun in your product in a unique, creative, organic way via a medium that speaks to them (video, etc) you will win big in the ad game. Isn't that what we all are trying to do?
Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Oh my gosh, I got a Nintendo 64, or a BMW, or a bunch of socks, ahhhhhhhhhhh! Any who, I love this ad. Anyone who uses people kids screaming in an ad is funny to me. I love the originality of it. No one in automobile marketing does anything worth watching anymore, they are all the same. BMW thought of something funny and new to me, so "good job" to them. The screaming frenzy is sweeping the nation, in fact, how much do you want to bet that someone right now is planning to be unoriginal and develop a screaming ad (just like the Christmas BMW one) for the super bowl? Just watch. Speaking of, I hope this year is a really good one for super bowl ads, don't you?
Apple's "I'm a Mac" ads are the most spoofed ad in recent days. I am not surprised at the number of crazy remakes of these killer ads, and in the grand tradition, Engadget has an ad that is one such spoof (video on page). No matter the point of the ad, no one can top the professionals Apple hired to put their ads together. I mildy enjoy even the knock-offs because people who steal the idea are very creative even so. This one features the idea that the Microsoft Zune (mp3 player) is in some ways better than the iPod. It is nothing if not funny, despite the fact that the ad is not totally accurate. Check it out over at Engadget.
This ad is for those who never feel like their car is safe enough. You have the Club, you have the alarm system, LodeJack, OnStar, and a lot of other gadgetry in your vehicle to keep it from being stolen, but you don't feel secure even then? The Trunk Monkey is here for you. Suburban Auto Group's ad came to me from the shores of MySpace. Seriously funny. If you need a better way to recover your stolen auto even after it has been hijacked, you need this product. Now, from the video I can't exactly tell what the "Trunk Monkey" is, since this ad is very figurative, but I want it, whatever it is.
Johnson and Johnson and Reach Toothbrush have an online interactive "romantic-mystery" game involving Mr. Reach called "The Mouth of Mystery." You can watch the trailer here or enter the mystery here and see how you do (you don't have to join to play, you can play as a guest).
It's pretty cool. I can picture it as a new Disney feature. But why the heck does the little mascot guy with the giant toothbrush and bald head have such an incredibly long tongue? Make sure you go in the little hut and get the backpack. It has a bunch of toothbrushes and floss that you can use on your adventure like a dental MacGyver.
Now here's a cool yule idea: instead of just changing their main site for the holiday season, OfficeMax has created several microsites.
Fans of A Christmas Story will want to check out StuckToAPole.com, where you get to control a kid whose tongue is stuck on a pole. Get him to say "ham sandwich!" ReindeerArmWrestling.com is pretty much what it says. It's a lot of fun, though you have to be quick with the space bar. MisletoeInAnElevator.com is a Candid Camera style (oh, sorry, dating myself, I mean Punk'd) prank that's pretty funny.
There are 20 sites in all, and they're all very well done.
Yikes. And you thought those Volkswagen car accident ads were shocking and graphic.
This ad for seatbelt safety - trying to push across the idea that you wearing a seatbelt not only protects you in an accident but also the other people in the car, the ones who are wearing them - is one of the most startling ads I've seen in a while. It might do for cars what Jaws did for the water.
The ad has a kid and his girlfriend being all touchy-feely and happy with each other (really, it starts out like an ad for soda or maybe condoms or Axe body spray), then it changes gears when the action switches to a small car that has four people in it, our couple and another couple. Another car drifts over the center line and hits them head on, and we're treated to a slow motion disaster that shows what might happen when someone isn't wearing their seatbelt. I feel like wearing a seatbelt while sitting in this chair typing this.
Side note: doesn't the woman look a little old for the kid? Is this one of those student/teacher scandals?
By creating a controversy about an ad they aired, Anheuser-Busch managed to get a lot of people to watch a spot they created for Rolling Rock. The setup went something like this:
A fictional Rolling Rock executive appeared in a series of print and outdoor ads apologizing for a commercial showing a gorilla dancing poolside with a bunch of bikini babes. People who have no idea what this is all about hit Google and come up with a bunch of stuff like a site for Friends of Rolling Rock, a fictional group that was supposedly outraged by the spot, and a YouTube video.
The viral campaign attempt has not been all that big a hit according to some, and Anheuser-Busch isn't commenting on it yet. As the article states, the company offended some when it put billboards for the campaign in a Pennsylvania town where it recently shuttered a brewery.
Microsoft's Halo is the most successful video game franchise right now and the biggest one I have seen to date. Microsoft will begin airing ads for the third installment on December 15th, but the odd thing is that Halo 3 doesn't even come out until next fall. Early, or strange as this may sound, it is a good strategy. Halo really doesn't need to rely on buzz too much, since there is an enormous fan-base who would line up at Best Buy now to buy the game given the chance but Microsoft is smart to create the biggest buzz possible anyway. Part of the strategy involves having fans watch the game's trailer more than once to juice every bit of detail and some "secret" out of it, which may induce a Halo Fever. Another factor in this is the idea that releasing Halo 2 to PC users when Windows Vista comes out in February will help spur the sales of Halo 3 as well. All us PC users who have thus far been waiting for Halo 2 to arrive on our desktop will (hopefully) be itching to get Halo 3 shortly after, and our wish will be granted. You can also sign-up for the Halo 3 beta (to test out the game before anyone else) coming next year. A secret inside look at the latest in the hottest video game franchise? Good way to market the game.
Wow, watching these two old commercials (and I can't believe I'm using the word "old" when talking about the early 80s) brought back a flood of memories. The ad for the game Blip? Not only do I remember it like it was a month ago, I actually memorized, for some bizarre reason, the entire script of the commercial. I'm not kidding. I haven't seen this commercial in 25 years and I knew every word of it.
Merlin was the handheld game the year it came out. I remember bugging my mom endlessly to buy it for me that Christmas. I played with it every single second for about a week, then I think I put it in a drawer and never touched it again. They're both clever games, even by today's standards, and I'll have to check online to see if I can get one some place. Video after the jump!
So many dumb moments in business, so little time. But Business 2.0 mag has their picks for the 101 dumbest of 2006.
Following on the success of Monk-e-Mail, CareerBuilder has unveiled the 
I was watching Demetri Martin's new special on Comedy Central last night (funny, as usual). Can someone tell me what the hell was going on with those Microsoft Vista ads that ran throughout the hour? I know that Martin is a spokesman for the product, and he even starred in some of the spots, but they were very confusing and offputting, especially if you tuned into the special halfway through and didn't hear anything about Microsoft Vista.
I've given up on tracking the time and am just guesstimating now. I assume no responsibility if it takes you more than 120 seconds to read this.
As you may have already read at TV Squad, "The OC" and "The Megan Mullally Show" have been 
Huh. I didn't even know there was a "Mr. Reach."
Now here's a cool yule idea: instead of just changing their main site for the holiday season, OfficeMax has created several 
By creating a controversy about an ad they aired, Anheuser-Busch managed to get a lot of people to watch a spot they created for Rolling Rock. The setup went something like this: 
