Brand Noise

A Moment of Zen (Imogen Heap)

Thinking about open source and making process transparent to consumers seems to be part of almost every recommendation we make as planners today. I like to see how that unbundling and transparency feels emotionally. This clip of Imogen Heap sums up the joy and passion for me. Enjoy.

Recession Black is the New Black

"Of course, black is like a mask," says [Christian] Lacroix, who calls this shift in sensibility a new minimalism. "The new pureness of lines centered on cut rather than decoration, the laser geometry of shapes and silhouettes are all maybe signs of a graphic protection linked unconsciously to recession, just like at the end of the '80s." Like Lacroix, Ghesquière was channeling a more austere sensibility in his Balenciaga collection, which, he said, was inspired by film noir, specifically the actress Simone Signoret's hard-edged look in the 1955 movie Les Diaboliques.

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The Method Behind Pep Band Music Choices

Who knew to ask? It can seem that the pep bands are forever behind the times, playing from song lists borrowed from classic-rock radio stations and wedding-reception D.J.s.

But there is a method to their madness — “We try to play songs that not only appeal to the blue-hairs in the crowd, but also to our students,” said Jim Hudson, director of athletic bands at Arizona State.

Updating the songbook is an annual tug-of-war. Most bands hold year-end votes for band members. At U.C.L.A., the bottom five songs are dropped. Five new ones are added.

Most pep-band arrangements, designed for timeouts, range from 100 seconds to 2 minutes. Raps, with their repetitive hooks, are increasingly used for 30-second timeouts.

Choosing the right mix has legal complexities, too. Music is copyrighted, so bands typically cannot simply choose a song and start playing it — although many do.

Read the whole story.

The Kids are Alright

In fact they're so alright, they're the key to grown-up marketing.

Early reports on the ill health of the kids upfront have been greatly exaggerated, according to network ad sales executives, who hope to swap out Chicken Little projections of a flat to down market in favor of a more blustery Foghorn Leghorn outlook.

"Synergies between TV and digital are very strong," says Brad Davis, vp, ad sales for Disney Online. "The buyer culture is really starting to change from a planning perspective. And at the client level, most decisions are now being made from a 360-degree standpoint."

Like Disney Channel, Nickelodeon has aggressively gone after clients looking to reach parents who watch along with their kids. Since 2006, when Nick did some $50 million in nonendemic business, categories like insurance, automotive, travel, financial services, consumer electronics and wireless have become a sizable part of the network's business model. Who knew?

Read the whole story.

Cultivating the Network--Wherever Required

We talk so often about social networks and, instantly, we assume we are talking about being online. Let's not forget that real social networks are about people, and their connections need to be cultivated wherever they live.

Holbæk is a city in Denmark's Sjælland region, sitting on the banks of a fjord. Not surprisingly, the city has an active seaport with a harbor for a ferry crossing to Norway, among other uses. When the Danish Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) was confronted with a project on this waterfront they asked, "how do you combine the harbor areas on the big scale with intimacy and sensory experiences on the human scale?"

BIG started with a generic grid of equal-sized plots of consistent height, "a dense and low kasbah of dwellings that have been twisted and turned thus creating a labyrinth of small open spaces and hiding places for life, play and socializing between the houses."

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Should Fashion Divest from Seasons?

The Wall Street Journal recently posted an interview addressing how designers and retailers are responding to warmer global temperatures.

The video revealed that there are other factors at play. And we agree.

Fashion has historically thrived on an obsolescence factor built into changing seasons. The advent of air conditioning, cars and textile technology have made the seasons passe.

There used to be a nicely nestled Cruise/Resort Collection, but most American women are globally motivated to travel throughout the year. Sunbelt travel is accessible to everyone now.

There's also a polarity of prices at play that transcends seasons. You can invest in one fabulous piece, but buy less expensive items on a weekly basis. No one is shy about mixing and matching anymore.

So the fashion issue is less a question of global warming than it is global advancement and an empowered consumer.

(Image: GalaDarling.)

Advertising is Getting a New School

According to Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz, The High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media is slated to open in September 2008, and will occupy a building on the Canarsie High School campus.

The DOE plans to enroll about 108 ninth graders to start and in each of the next three years, which means that within four years, the school's total enrollment will reach 425-450, according to a DOE representative.

"The buying power of African-Americans is expected to exceed a trillion -- yes, trillion -- dollars over the next several years, yet they represent less than five percent of the advertising industry workforce," Markowitz said today, in a statement. "This school will go a long way in preparing our very talented and creative communities of color for exciting and very lucrative careers in advertising and marketing."

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Expectations of trained kids are so high. When these kids get out of school, we better be ready. By the time they reach their first jobs, they’ve already spent years creating ads, or so that's their story. What we need them to do in the workforce makes them take a few steps back to everyone’s chagrin. And then no one is happy. Their well-roundedness will be critical. It’s no good if the ad community does not get involved. If we want their first out-of-school thoughts to be “Who do I want to learn from?” We best step up to the plate.

(Photo: Mammoth Advertising.)

Liberace Legacy Needs Simmering

The caretakers of the Liberace legacy can't stomach the idea of the pianist becoming a footnote. (He died in 1987.) But if his devotees have learned anything from a man who branded himself Mr. Showmanship, it's how to fine-tune an image.

In aiming for Hip Hop’s high rollers, they've retooled Liberace as the originator of ostentation and trademarked him as the King -- and Queen -- of Bling.

Last summer, the foundation rolled out $99 sneakers named Liberace Kicks made by Kashi Kicks.

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Our question: Will this work? Not so sure. The element of surprise and discovery is missing which is so critical nowadays.

Undone Feels Good Right Now, says Posen

Closing day seven of New York fashion week on Thursday, Feb. 7, Zac Posen's Fall 2008 tour de force featured sources of fetish and fantasy for both men and women, from schoolgirl uniforms to fairytale ball gowns.

"It's all of a woman’s fetishes," said Posen post-show. "That's the direction we're going to keep pushing [the collections]."

“Graphic, iconic outfits” and “Olive Oyl mixed with Helmut Newton" was how Posen described the collection. “She's a girl who can snap at any moment, a girl that men and women go crazy for."

"Undone-done feels really good right now," he quipped.

Read more. (Photo: Too high heels topple a model during the Posen show. Hey, they don't call them Knock Me Down shoes for nothing...)

Final Word from Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review Panel

Well, now that the Super Bowl and its ad legacy are behind us, we can all be Monday morning quarterbacks.

Everyone seems in agreement: Many commercials that appeared during Super Bowl XLII took a satiric tack, spoofing movies, television shows, video clips, celebrity misbehavior and more...For the most part, it worked. The tone was a welcome contrast to last year’s Super Bowl, filled with crude and cartoonish violence.

Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review panel awarded A's to four brands: Tide, E-Trade, Coke and FedEx. Tide-to-Go won with an "entertaining," "memorable" spot which "clearly communicated the relevant product benefit." Runner-up E-Trade's ad was "attention getting" and "funny." The panel thought Coca-Cola was particularly effective in connecting with their audience.

The panel had significant concerns about the advertising efforts for the lowest ranked advertisers: SalesGenie.com, CareerBuilder.com and GM's Yukon brand. Panel members said SalesGenie.com's ads were "offensive to some," and lacked a clear description of the site. CareerBuilder.com's "I Quit" spot received mixed reactions; members of the panel were "turned off" and found the spot "disturbing."

The 41-member Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review panel ranked each advertiser based on innovative criteria known as ADPLAN. The acronym, developed by Kellogg faculty, instructs viewers to grade ads based on attention, distinction, positioning, linkage, amplification and net equity. Unlike other reviews which may rank ads on likeability alone, the most entertaining spot may not be the panel's overall winner. This year, the panel members identified E-Trade which received an A, as the most likeable. The brand successfully connected with the audience and communicated its position.