Nike reveals that Colin Kaepernick, American football quarterback and activist, will lead their 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign. Colin Kaepernick has been widely known for initiating the trend of kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. It caused him to surrender his role as starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and become a free agent. However, …
A Brand By Any Other Name
To paraphrase Shakespeare, what’s in a brand name? Pretty much everything! But the Dunkin’ Donuts brand you once knew is going. In its place is the newly reformed “Dunkin.” And loyal customers are upset. USA Today writes: We buy Cokes, not sodas; Starbucks, not coffee; iPhones, not mobile phones. Typically, brands make us feel like an item is of higher quality …
“All the World’s a Stage …
… and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances … ” Shakespeare wrote in his play, As You Like It. But why would veteran actor Robert De Niro use his entrance on the world’s stage at the 2018 Tony’s for an expletive-laced rant at President Trump, who was not part of the night at …
Shooting from the Hip
Defined as “reacting suddenly or without careful consideration of one’s words or actions,” is the most recent fault of too many tweeters who experience very serious consequences. Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne), for example, recently published a racist tweet toward former Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett, resulting in ABC’s cancellation of Ms. Barr’s No. 1-rated TV show, her reruns scrapped and her dismissal from the talent …
Creating an AXIS Point
How do you take a household product and give it cultural relevance? Like this: Take one part household cleaning product line, Pine-Sol® and two parts marketing and communications agency, AXIS. Mix it all together and you’ve got a multicultural marketing campaign. Together, Pine-Sol® and AXIS created the “Makers of Home” campaign, branding Pine-Sol® through diverse home stories and statistics. The makers of …
When is a customer not a customer?
Do you have to be a paying customer to receive customer service? Recently, two African American men were escorted out of a Starbucks in Philadelphia. They asked for the restroom and occupied a table in the store, although, they hadn’t made a purchase. Calling the police on them seemed extreme. Many questioned whether kicking these men out was simply company protocol or racial injustice. …
The “f” Word
The “f” word is in big trouble. And it’s classic! The once social media darling, Facebook, is now facing a crisis of unexpected proportions, complete with testimony before Congress: both the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees and the House Energy and Commerce Committee! All, seemingly, without a plan. A crisis plan. Facing a weekend crash course in crisis communication skills coaching, CEO Mark …
The Super Bowl of Commercials
In Super Bowl 2018, advertisers gave us a break, a commercial break, from all the recent political controversy that has been cited as a factor in declining TV ratings for the NFL this season. Even the NFL got into the spirit with “Touchdowns to Come” starring NY Giants quarterback, Eli Manning and his wide receiver, Odell Beckham dirty dancing! Toyota set the emotional bar …
Christmas Commercials that Connect: McDonald’s
Happy Holidays from READY FOR MEDIA and Tim Nudd, creative editor of ADWEEK, who has rated 30 of the best holiday commercials of 2017, http://www.adweek.com/creativity/see-all-the-big-holiday-ads-of-2017/, As our gifts to you, we have summarized a few of our choices in a series of holiday blogs: Christmas Commercials that Connect. Our award for “Best New Product Introduction” goes to McDonald’s campaign, get #ReindeerReady …
What a Play!
Just one inning into the game. You can feel the tension as every sports bar in America has tuned in to the highly anticipated 2017 World Series, Game 1. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros begin to battle it out. An ad flashes across your screen: T-Mobile #HR4HR, Home Runs for Hurricane Recovery. Say what? Wasn’t Houston where …