Pop Relevance

Account Planning Conference Day 1

Each year, the AAAA (America Association of Advertising Agencies) puts on a conference for account planners which presents a forum for "dynamic conversation about crafting concepts and content." Speakers consist of agency account planners,authors, marketers, designers, and culture experts. The conference is a great opportunity to learn from smart, talented people from around the world, network (not "too much" of course), and also see the award winning strategies behind some great creative work.

This year, the conference began on Monday, July 21, here are a few quotes and bits of inspiration from day 1.

• "Put smart people who like each other around a problem and they'll figure it out." -John Thorpe, Goodby Silverstein and Partners
• "Congressional testimony should always be an advertising objective." This quote was in reference to campaigns or products that have a positive impact on society or the environment. The current Haagen Dazs "Help the Honeybees" campaign enabled the marketing director of HD to testify to congress on the bee's behalf. The testimony got tons of press.
• "Stop saying 'we need good digital people', you are digital people, you assholes!" -Tom Carroll, CEO TBWA
• The higher level the senior from the client during planning, the better your creative will be...demand the CEO. -Tom Carroll (paraphrased)
• "Big ideas win, good ads don't." Tom Carroll quoting Lee Clow
• "Design for occasion, tailor each interaction [with the consumer] to its form factor." - Jeffrey Rayport, strategy expert, author, and former Harvard Business School professor

Stay tuned to the Pop Relevance blog for more quotes as well as detailed accounts of great strategic teaching.

AUTOMOTIVE

Lock in Gas Prices Before They Go Up


 
Mygallons.com is a new service that lets you purchase gasoline at the current rate, and lock in that price for future fill ups. For example: you prepay for 100 gallons at $4.10 a gallon and every time you get gas (until the 100 gallons run out) you pay that rate - even if prices go up. The system uses a debit card that’s accepted at 95% of the gas stations in the United States. Users can either pay a $29.95 annual fee for automatic refills to their card, or $39.95 for manual refills. Rates go up slightly if you buy a higher grade fuel or fill up outside of your home area. Your price per gallon is calculated based on an average price in your local region. You’ll also get credits if the gas is significantly cheaper than your local average. The only potential downside to this program is if gas prices go down, which is of course, very unlikely. PSFK (7/1/08)

COMMUNICATIONS/ADVERTISING/ENTERTAINMENT

Branded Interactive Entertainment: Fantasy Cycling Leagues



Each July marks the month of the world famous Tour De France cycling race. The race, made more popular among Americans by the now retired Lance Armstrong is a showcase of some of the most elite athletes in the world.

In an effort to capture the attention of cycling fans, many cycling related companies such as Performance Bike and Kenda Tires have created online fantasy cycling leagues, very similar to a fantasy football or baseball team. These leagues gives race fans the opportunity to create their own teams out of their favorite riders and see how they fare against the teams of other race fans as well as allowing them to feel connected with their favorite riders and the race itself all by means of a brand.

In the U.S. cycling fans can catch the Tour De France action almost exclusively through the Versus cable network. The fantasy league created by Kenda has done exceptionally well because it has partnered with Versus.com to be the official fantasy league of the sports channel.

These brands may be on to something. Engaging customers or potential customers with the things they love and taking credit for it along the way sounds like a pretty nice goal to have.

ECONOMY

U.S. Consumers Trade Down As Economic Angst Grows

   

Spurred by economic worries; American shoppers have quickly decided that cheaper is better. They are trading down to store brands from fancy labels, to small cars from SUVs, and to deep-discounters from full-service stores.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which last year returned to its discount roots to try to reverse weakening sales, Thursday reported its best monthly sales gain in four years; it accomplished these feats because of two sources: Bargain-hunters seeking deals on the most basic stuff, and continuing to keep a high profile through plenty of advertising and brand work, including a new logo that was just unveiled this week.

Earlier this week, many DGWBers attended a webcast put on by Iconoculture, a consumer research, trend and advisory service. An interesting finding from this was not just that consumers were buying store brands but that it has actually become chic to be purchasing private labels when it comes to supermarket purchases. WSJ (7/11/08)

CREATIVE MEDIA

VW Illustrates Speed with Blurred Outdoor Ads

To illustrate the speed of the New R32, Volkswagen took photos of the background that the outdoor ad was going to be placed on and then blurred the image, making it appear like you were going passed it so quickly that it was a blur. This shows an effective way to make the media the message and convey a feeling rather than just an image to the passerby. Feelings are good. Ad Land (7/7/08)

HOTEL

Best Western’s Hotel Tomo



Recently featured on Uncrate.com, a blog which features the latest in cool gadgets and products for men, was the Best Western Hotel Tomo in San Francisco. When most think of cool, hip products or services that men can appreciate, Best Western hotels are definitely not top-of-mind. Hotel Tomo is something totally different, it features newly renovated design inspired by Japanese pop-culture. Hotel Tomo is not only roomy, cheerful and comfortable; it is a J-pop work of art. Each room has its own identity through anime-style wall paintings and views of the city.

While Hotel Tomo is a Best Western property, it is also affiliated with Joie De Vivre Hotels, California’s largest boutique hotel company. As part of being a Joie De Vivre hotel, Tomo is dedicated to donating a minimum $200 per guest room per year to organizations in their communities.

While Best Western may not be creating whole chains of hip, modern hotels like Hyatt Place or aloft, they are likely to find success with concepts like this in metropolitan art capitals such as San Francisco. Uncrate

FOOD/DRINK

July Is a Good Month for Freebies



Fast feeders across the country are working hard to find new ways to present freebies, value, and quality on a budget to drive traffic into their stores during a difficult economy. A few of the freebies that are being offered exclusively today are Chik-Fil-A (if you dress up like a cow) and 7-Eleven. Coming up on the 15^th, Wienerschnitzel will be giving away a free chili dog or ice cream.

To celebrate that today’s date is 7/11, all 7-Eleven stores in L.A., Orange, and San Bernardino counties are giving away free Slurpees. A few DGWB folks hit up the “Slev” for lunch today and got our free Slurpees, no purchase necessary. It was small, but do any of us really need more than 8 ounces of the delicious sugary treat? OCR Fast Food Maven 

CREATIVE MEDIA

Street Clean-Vertising



Last year Pop Relevance reported on a media “technology” that created ad space on any dirty street, wall, or sidewalk by laying down a stencil and blasting it with high-pressure water. It appears that the trend is continuing to grow and there are even other companies who are jumping on the band wagon.

GreenGraffiti (the Netherlands-base company) has "cleaned" advertising messages out of the dirt on behalf of clients including Elle, Telfort and Universal Music. No paper, no ink, no printing process—GreenGraffiti's ads are completely carbon-neutral, it says. They last up to six months, depending on foot traffic, and cost a fraction of the price of traditional outdoor media, the company asserts.

GreenGraffiti was launched in 2006 by sustainable brand design firm Hemshaven and creative guerilla marketing bureau Jack Liberties, and is available to conduct campaigns of any size throughout Europe and North America. Springwise (7/3/08)

HOTEL

Holiday Inn Web-Based Video Series for Business Travelers



Holiday Inn Express released new Web-based video series geared toward business travelers. New York-based The Third Act worked with production giant Endemol USA to develop all 40 of the 2- to 3-minute Webisodes, which go live at http://thesmartshow.blip.tv/ today. Viewers will also find business travel and tech blogs, a crowd-sourced Deal of the Week (D.O.W.), as well as the chance to win a new car through the "Ultimate Road Warrior Challenge."

The first season of "The Smart Show," which debuted in October 2007, followed two hosts on a cross-country trek from Boston to Los Angeles. While the new season will offer more of the same "man on the street"-style clips, product demos, and travel tips, The Third Act moved away from the narrative storyline in favor of episodes that focused on particular topics.

"We thought that the narrative structure of a trip would resonate well with travelers, but we found that they really wanted to dip in and out and find clips of the places that were interesting to them," said Ben Jones, creative director at Digitas. "So now the episodes are based on a theme, like 'What's your dream job?' and users will be able to find the related segments they want." Media Post (7/8/08)

RANDOM

29^th Annual Mooning of Amtrak

DGWB is located in the beautiful County of Orange in Southern California. One of the best parts about being an Orange County resident is experiencing some of the cultural and community building events. Up until now, there was a significant event that has been running for 29 years straight that I was totally unaware of, the Annual Mooning of Amtrak. The event is exactly what it sounds like, each July, thousands of mooners gather near the train tracks in Laguna Niguel, line up, point their behinds towards the passing Amtrak and Metrolink trains, pull down their pants and commence mooning. The event is not only packed with mooners but the trains are packed with booty-fans anticipating the joy that comes with seeing thousands of pale bare bottoms a-moonin’.

The event has become so official that it is regulated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the trains themselves actually slow down to allow the passengers to watch the action. There is even an official website called www.moonamtrak.org. Here are a few of the frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) from the site.

1. Must I "moon", or can I just watch? No, you can watch.

2. Does it get hot here in July? Yes, mid-day it is usually about 95°F (35°C) and humid.

3. Should I bring food & drink? If you wish. Mugs Away Saloon will be serving cold beverages. There are a variety of outdoor vendors which include hamburgers and souvenir event T-shirts.

4. Is there room to park my car, motorcycle or motor home? By 9am car parking is usually over ½ mile away. After 5pm, much of the crowd & cars disperse.

5. Are pets O.K. to bring? Yes, you can bring your dog, cat, snake, parrot, or iguana. Don't forget water for them.

6. I'm overweight, in fact very obese, is it O.K. if I moon? Yes yes, please "moon" with us. We need people like you for the extra high intensity mooning you can provide.

7. Can I decorate my butt? Yes, that's O.K.

8. What happens in the saloon? There are two successive bands inside the Mugs Away Saloon from Noon till closing, which is about midnight.

9. Is Amtrak associated with this? NO, neither Amtrak nor Metrolink have anything to do with this "show" except operate the trains.

10. Can the physically handicapped get around this area? Yes, a wheel-chair should work just fine. There are no stairs to climb. Close-in car parking spots are gone by 8:30am.

11. Can I photograph or video the people and this event. Yes. Permission is required only of the people in your photography.

It all goes down this Saturday July 12^th. For more details visit the Moon Amtrak website. This Pop Relevance author is planning on attending so expect a full report.




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