MarketingBlurb: March 2006 Archives

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Mar31	Papa John’s The Official Pizza of Six Flags Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Know More: Marketing Promotion Marketing Blurb loves amusement parks as much as the next pundit, but we haven’t been to one in years. (The kids are grown, and we don’t really have a good excuse.) But when we used to frequent amusement parks, we opted for those rides that stayed close to ground and moved a slow speeds. This is essential because we love amusement park food. And if we did go to Six Flags, we would discover they just signed a multi-year agreement with Papa John’s Pizza. Papa John’s is now the official pizza of Six Flags. The deal includes in-park branding at 60 locations distribution of Papa John’s coupons, web and email initiatives to Six Flag customers. Papa John’s will also feature Six Flag point-of-sale promotions in their 1100 restaurants. So have fun at Six Flags, and eat a ton of the official Pizza. Then stay off the roller coaster, thanks! Posted at 4:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar31	Carmex to Get Fat Lip Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Chances are your lips chapped sometime this past winter. But they can chap at any time actually, and when they do, you need lip balm. And in the world of lip balm there is Blistex, and there is ah, what’s... Continue Reading Posted at 1:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dinner in the Subway? Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Maybe you eat lunch at Subway restaurants. You probably do so because a really convincing average Joe named Jared Fogel said you could eat whatever you want at Subway and actually lose weight! So why not go to Subway for... Continue Reading Posted at 8:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Betty Crocker Bake and Take Day Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Marketing Blurb regrets that we missed the official Betty Crocker Bake and Take Day on March 25th. The event has its origins as a community service project. Participants bake their favorite dishes and then hand deliver them to someone special,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:56 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Promotion Marketing Awards Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves to poke fun at ridiculous marketing campaigns—but we’re just a blog pundit standing outside the kitchen. As such, we realize we should also applaud the efforts of those who create intelligent campaigns that motivate consumers to take... Continue Reading Posted at 7:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar30	McDonald’s for Breakfast Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 Your mother always told you to eat breakfast, and your mother is wise. Your mother never told you to eat at McDonald’s for breakfast, because she knows better. But since countless Americans ignore mom and skip breakfast, McDonald’s sees an... Continue Reading Posted at 6:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	JetBlue Flying with Mixed Media Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 If you are a disenchanted auto worker, we feel your pain. But it could be worse, you could work in the airline industry. Fortunately, there are a few bright spots, including JetBlue’s new mixed media campaign. The campaign features traditional... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Coke Side of Life Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is not keen on soft drinks. But we’re always eager to follow the industry, especially when The Wall Street Journal announces (paid subscription required) that Coca Cola is launching a new advertising campaign and... Continue Reading Posted at 2:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Erectile Dysfunction Advertising Get Functional Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 Can we talk? Remember those suggestive TV advertisements for Levitra with the women wearing her man’s shirt (sans anything else) and cooing about their re-energized sex life as a result of his treatment for erectile dysfunction? Or how about those... Continue Reading Posted at 2:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Get Ready to Missbehave Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 You already know about so-called laddie magazines like Maxim. These publications are a terrific way to target a specific demographic. On the minus side, when you reach those readers, they do not spend as much money as their sisters. So... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar29	Marketing Earth Day Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 Marketing Blurb wants to steer clear of the whole global warming debate. We don’t know much about green house gases--we just know that weather world-wide is going to hell. So now seems like a great time to jump on the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Meez Mobile Avatars Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 In the future, everyone will have an online avatar. (Marketing Blurb just made up this claim, but quote us if you must.) You will need an avatar to achieve ubiquity in multiple communication channels. We intend to have our avatar... Continue Reading Posted at 7:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Romancing The Brew with Illegal Activity Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 Back in February, Marketing Blurb told you the Beer Institute was updating their voluntary industry guidelines for advertising the golden elixir. We expressed a degree of skepticism then, and it seems we are not alone. The New York Times is... Continue Reading Posted at 6:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Step up to the plate—EAT Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 If you market upscale cooking utensils, or refrigerators that cost as much as a house trailer, you can readily reach your target audience via gourmet cooking magazines. But most American families rush through their days like adrenaline zombies, with little... Continue Reading Posted at 8:20 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Saving Angelina Jolie Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb loves celebrities considerably less than other marketers. But what we think isn’t really important. Here’s the headline from New York Magazine: “Has America's seeming insatiable appetite for celebrity finally begun to cool?” Their answer... Continue Reading Posted at 7:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar28	Consumer-generated Advertising Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 CGM, or consumer-generated media, is the buzzword in online marketing these days. Brave marketers have decided to let brand enthusiasts create their own advertising for various products. Some participants submit creations from scratch. Other words with online toolkits including pre-produced snippets,... Continue Reading Posted at 1:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Branding Apple Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Now you might think that consumers would not likely confuse The Beatles and their music with Apple Computer iTunes, but you would be wrong, naturally. The Beatles claimed the Apple brand name in 1968 for their record label, Apple Corps... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kodak Smiles for King Kong Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Marketing Blurb did not see the King Kong movie. (We heard from a favorite movie critic that some people left the theater with their hearing impaired for life. Note to theatre owners—we are never coming back until you turn down... Continue Reading Posted at 11:24 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ubiquitous Access to Entertainment? Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Okay, we just told you Marketing Blurb is not attending the OMMA Expo in Hollywood. But we are not sure we understand these folks, anyway. Here’s the headline from the keynote address by Albert Cheng, executive vice president digital media,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:18 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online Ad Spending Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not attending the OMMA (Online Media Marketing Association) Expo in Hollywood this week. We are stuck in central Ohio in the rain. But if we were attending, we would have heard the debate about fat bald white... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar27	Good News for Crafted Brews Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves beer more than the next pundit. But we never drink any brand you’ve seen advertised. We only drink hand-crafted beers from micro-breweries or foreign brews. No, we are not snobby. The issue is simple. Mass market beers... Continue Reading Posted at 9:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tribute to the King Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 We couldn’t help but reminisce about the King tonight, when we heard on the national news that Graceland was designated a National Historic Landmark. This elevates Presley’s modest home to the same stature as the White House, Mount Vernon and... Continue Reading Posted at 8:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pimp my PC Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 Marketing Blurb is fascinated by the consumer PC business. First, we were amazed how consumer software makers used to spend a half million dollars developing multimedia CD-ROMs for kids and then selling them at retail for $ 19.95 before the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bazooka Joe Returns Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 When Marketing Blurb was young, we could blow pink bubbles as big as your head. (There is not much demand for this talent anymore.) We used Bazooka Bubble Gum, naturally, and followed the antics of Bazooka Joe and his friends... Continue Reading Posted at 7:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mobile Marketing—the Third Screen Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 We’re heard people call their cell phones all kinds of names (damned piece of #*%& comes to mind) but in the marketing world, the new buzz term is third screen. And according to a new report by researcher Magna Global, the... Continue Reading Posted at 11:23 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar26	Marketing Chow on Campus Rich Ottum March 26, 2006 When Marketing Blurb attended college a zillion years ago, campus dining halls were only open an hour for dinner. The student union snack bar closed at 11 pm. If you were hungry anytime after 11 pm, you were screwed. That... Continue Reading Posted at 3:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Inkjet Printer Madness Rich Ottum March 26, 2006 Marketing Blurb has this love hate relationship with ink jet printers. We used to have this simple HP model that did the job. You asked it to print, and it printed. It would not scan or fax or make coffee,... Continue Reading Posted at 3:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	7-Eleven Prepares Healthier Fare Rich Ottum March 26, 2006 Convenience store retailer 7-Eleven just held their annual orientation meeting for store operators. The confab is an opportunity for store managers to preview new product and merchandising, and attend pep talks and seminars. Coming soon to a 7-Eleven near you... Continue Reading Posted at 3:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar25	Lime Cola Frooties? Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 As a child, Marketing Blurb loved candy, and we have the gold crowns to prove it! But these days, we don’t give candy much thought. And as it turns out, we discovered it best just to keep our memories rather than eat... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Real Women use WD-40 Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Back in February, we told you about Vocalpoint, the Procter & Gamble buzz network for moms. P&G uses the network to research and launch new products, but also sells network access to others. For example, WD-40 turned to Vocalpoint to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pink a Hit for Limited Brands Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not frequent Victoria’s Secret stores because our wife and our girlfriend already have a closet full of lingerie. So even though VS is headquartered right in our back yard, we didn’t know they launched Pink, a store... Continue Reading Posted at 5:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Heist Street Team Steals the Day Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves street teams, because the technique is outrageous, and it makes advertising and promotion come alive with real people. But since we don’t live in New York of LA, we missed the street team promoting Heist, a new... Continue Reading Posted at 3:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart Goes Organic Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Now you might that free market forces guide our economy—the so called invisible hand of famed economist Adam Smith. You would be wrong, naturally. Wal-Mart guides our economy, and their very visible hand is huge. So here’s the latest news.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar24	Desperate Housewives Video Game Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 You know the video game industry is in a serious creative funk, when Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Games announces they are going to release a PC video game based on the popular television show Desperate Housewives. According to Reuters,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Black Box Solution Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 It used to be easy to look down your nose at wine in boxes. After all, would a real man romance a woman with wine from a box? (Of course, if you read Marketing Blurb on a regular basis, you... Continue Reading Posted at 3:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burger King Returns to NASCAR Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not want to talk about Burger King marketing. Unlike other pundits, we think their online Subservient Chicken promotion was ridiculous. (If you don’t know what we’re talking about, consider yourself lucky.) Sure this was ground-breaking. Did it... Continue Reading Posted at 2:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Allstate Insurance Recovers Nokia Fumble Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 For you football fans who just can’t wait for baseball season to start and then finish—here’s news about college football’s next season. Allstate Insurance will be the new sponsor for the Sugar Bowl, replacing Nokia, who sponsored the game for... Continue Reading Posted at 1:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maxim Mobile Mommas Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 Maxim magazine is going mobile in the May issue. The magazine will include dial-in links to editorial and advertising accessible by mobile phone. For example, readers can follow article links to see photos of more Maxim models on their tiny... Continue Reading Posted at 1:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar23	Welcome to a Safer Internet Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 America Online used to mail every man, woman, child, and dog in the country a trial sign-up disk every six weeks. Critics called this technique dumb, (although more than 25 million people subscribed to AOL before the Time Warner acquisition... Continue Reading Posted at 5:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Britney Spears Out of Control Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes you should smell like a celebrity, so we have introduced you to several celebrity fragrances over the past few months. Well, if smelling like P Diddy or Desperate Housewives is not your style, get ready for—shudder—Britney Spears.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hasbro Thinking Outside the Basket Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Now you might think that Easter is a religious holiday, but marketers know you are wrong. Easter is really just another gift occasion, a great time to buy too much candy, new clothes and toys for the kids. Hasbro was... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Media Buyers Losing Faith in TV? Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not especially keen on television advertising, but then again, we are not keen on television programming, either. But what we think is really not important. Pay attention instead, to media buyers who place television advertising. It turns out these... Continue Reading Posted at 2:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oops! Clorox Promo Rubs the Wrong Way Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Now you might think that distributing samples of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to teachers via a promotion called Clean Up the Classroom is a good idea, and you would be wrong, naturally. A box of requested samples arrived at Coal Creek... Continue Reading Posted at 6:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar22	Papa John’s King Kong Pizza Promo Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Back in January, we explained that size matters in entertainment marketing. Of course the same is true for fast food, so Papa John’s has decided to enlist the mother of all primates, King Kong, to hawk pizza. Okay, so the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toys R Us Welcomes the Boys of Summer Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Since our children are grown, Marketing Blurb has not shopped Toys R Us for ages. We remember the stores as over-merchandised to the point of appearing junky. Perhaps that has changed. But countless children and their parents are shopping the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Passionate Cruising with Sophia Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb deserves a vacation. We could use a cruise with a beautiful, passionate Italian. And if we could take that cruise, we would book MSC Cruises and take along Sophia Loren. Yes, Sophia is probably old enough to be... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Regulating Liquor Advertising Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not believe in regulating the advertising industry. We do believe that children should be spared from certain kinds of advertising--but this is a role for parents, not regulators. Likely fearing possible government action, the Distilled Spirits Council... Continue Reading Posted at 3:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	(Legal) Battle of the Sports Drinks Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb remembers the original Gatorade, before marketers mucked it up with weenie flavoring and coloring. Real men Gatorade was salty and tasted awful. Athletes endured the real juice to re-hydrate. But today, kids pack sports drinks in their school... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar21	Superman Super Marketing Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Get ready for the new Superman Returns movie this June. According to Ad Age (free registration required,) Time Warner is counting on the super hero to boost its sagging performance in the stock market. Even though he is 73 years... Continue Reading Posted at 7:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Target Direct Mail Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Target Stores is in the mail again with a clever clipless coupon. The 8-page saddle stitch mailing features an eclectic promotion for toys and video electronics, but tipped inside is a folder with a peel and stick card or clipless... Continue Reading Posted at 7:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	TV as Engaging Competitive Experience Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes Newton Minow of the FCC who in 1961, dubbed television a vast wasteland. Only today, vast is even bigger. Fortunately, a tech startup company from San Francisco called AirPlay Networks, it about to change the face of... Continue Reading Posted at 7:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Measuring Point of Purchase Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb told you about POP Broadcasting video shelf talkers. Earl from the POPBroadcasting Company was even kind enough to post a comment. Point of purchase is big business, and advertisers are eager spend money and measure the impact. According... Continue Reading Posted at 6:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Courting Women Online Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Nope—Marketing Blurb is not talking about online dating. We’re talking about marketers eager to reach women online. We’d to believe that USA Today is reading this blog, because this article echoes themes we covered weeks ago. Here’s the deal. According... Continue Reading Posted at 5:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar20	Coping the Big Organic Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you about Orgasmic Chocolate, but now we’re talking the big O—organic foods, which are huge. Organic foods entered popular culture about 1976 when Safeway stores offered produce from smaller organic farmers as a counter-cultural reaction to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Leasing and Living Large Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves to trash celebrities because they are easy targets. But are we secretly jealous? Well, if we had a few extra bucks, we could find out. The newest trend these days is leasing luxury. According to Associated Press,... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tracking Radio Listeners Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 If you need to know who is listening to what in radio land, the answer has always been Arbitron, the company that tracks station listening habits via “pen and paper diaries” tallied from survey participants. According to The Wall Street... Continue Reading Posted at 5:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Growing Up to Become the Man Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb wears blazers and open collar shirts. Every time we don a suit and tie for some occasion, we end up overdressed and embarrassed. But sometimes, threads make the man. And guess what? According to retail research firm NPD... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Targeting Teen Readers Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Some advertisers believe that teens don’t read, and as such, avoid print media directed to this audience. But according to Samir Husni, a professor at the University of Mississippi who tracks magazines, "The idea that teens don't read is just... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar19	Advertising with Balls and without Brains Rich Ottum March 19, 2006 You’ve probably already heard the flap over Volkswagen’s GTI Turbo-conjones billboards targeting Hispanics in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. English speakers often use the Spanish term as slang for balls. But the native connotation is vulgar rather than clever.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Apple iPod Scores with Academia Rich Ottum March 19, 2006 Few products have changed the landscape of media as quickly as the Apple iPod. But the ubiquitous jukebox is suitable for more than music. Increasing, university professors are recording lectures as podcasts and making them available to or mandatory for... Continue Reading Posted at 2:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar18	Smoking at CVS Rich Ottum March 18, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not smoke and we encounter fewer smokers these days. But we do know underage kids are still smoking, and they’re trying to cop their smokes from CVS Pharmacy. But according to Promo Magazine, potential lawsuits from 37... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bottle Cap Your Way to the Movies Rich Ottum March 18, 2006 Marketing Blurb will never drink Pepsi to earn points for a free movie ticket. If we did, we would discover we did not have the teeth necessary for the popcorn. But forgetting our bias, Pepsi is running this nifty promotion... Continue Reading Posted at 3:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Explosive Promotion Rich Ottum March 18, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves rock and roll more than the next pundit. But we’ll be honest and admit that we don’t really listen to many tunes post 1975. This means we don’t recognize many of the new bands until they annoy... Continue Reading Posted at 2:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar17	Radio Disney Podcasts Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not listen to podcasts. We are not anti-podcasts mind you, we just suffer for media overload without podcasts, thank you. But if we were a kid, we would listen to Radio Disney podcasts coming in June. The... Continue Reading Posted at 3:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	McDonald’s Premium Coffee Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 While taking out the trash yesterday, I noticed free coupons for McDonald’s new Premium Coffee atop the recycling bin. Even though Marketing Blurb missed the free Starbucks coffee offer earlier this week, we decided to pass on a premium brew... Continue Reading Posted at 2:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Let 'em Pump Gas Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Every merchant and their dog has an affinity program these days. You give away your personal data to your local grocer, and in return you get cat food coupons. But the real deal these days is gasoline. Even time you... Continue Reading Posted at 1:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Branded Entertainment on Local News Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Marketing Blurb has already told you about product placement, which the media industry has now dubbed as branded entertainment. You would think that news programs would be off limits for this ploy, and you would be wrong. Local news stations... Continue Reading Posted at 1:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Buy Your Retirement from Amazon Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Marketing Blurb remembers when Amazon was a great place to buy books online. Next they added music, followed by consumer electronics, lumber, livestock, and eventually, anything you can possible ship or download. Well, get ready to purchase your retirement for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar16	Branding Baby Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not cover body advertising. Selling advertising space on breasts, buttocks, and foreheads is old news. But The Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required) delighted us today with an article about selling naming rights for babies. This is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Throwing Out Baby and Bath Water for Fido Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Now you might think that selling soup and baby food is a good business—but you would be wrong. In fact, Del Monte decided to sell off its private-label soup and baby food business to raise cash for—pet food. Del Monte... Continue Reading Posted at 6:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Microsoft Dinosaurs Evolve Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Microsoft is not known for ground-breaking advertising. In fact, some in the advertising industry find Microsoft advertising forgettable at best. But Microsoft did receive kudos for their upgrade Office 2000 campaign featuring cubicle dwellers sporting plastic dinosaur heads. The message... Continue Reading Posted at 6:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Getting Serious with Orgasmic Chocolates Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves chocolate more than the next pundit. We are not talking about anything that comes from a vending machine or convenience store checkout counter. We are talking about the real deal, the nectar of the Gods, which is... Continue Reading Posted at 3:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertising and Childhood Obesity Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb has already told you about bad news advertising for sugar-laced cereal and soft drinks targeted to children. But according to Bob Liodice, CEO of the Association of National Advertisers,” blaming advertisers is easy.” The ANA believes that everyone... Continue Reading Posted at 3:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar15	Slowing Down with Tea Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is a serious coffee drinker. But when no one is watching, we secretly drink tea as well. But we can’t picture ourselves networking with other pundits at the tea bar—at least not yet. But... Continue Reading Posted at 7:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sun-Maiden Goes Animated Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 Our wife and our girlfriend often ask how we maintain our healthy glow. Okay, loyal readers, here is the secret. Marketing Blurb eats raisins. Not one of those little red boxes now and then, but fistfuls of raisins around the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Free Coffee from Starbucks Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 When the alarm went off this morning, Marketing Blurb awakened to the news that Starbucks was offering free coffee at more than 7,500 Starbucks around the country between 10 AM and noon in a promotion dubbed the National Coffee Break.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Doubletree—Show me the Cookies Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 Hilton acquired Doubletree Hotels back in 1999, and national advertising for Doubletree chain disappeared. Marketing Blurb hasn’t stayed at a Doubletree Hotel for who knows when. But this much we do know. When we used to stay at Doubletree Hotels,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Harlem Globetrotters in Phoenix Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 You know the world is crazy when you discover the Harlem Globetrotters are based in Phoenix. Their change of venue probably happened years ago, when Marketing Blurb was not paying attention. We naively assumed the sun would rise in the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar14	Kohl’s Scores with Soccer Moms Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Ever since political pundits coined the term soccer moms, advertisers have wanted to secure their votes as well. And department store retailer Koh’ls might just have the right platform. This week, Kohl’s will kickoff sponsorship of the US Youth Soccer... Continue Reading Posted at 7:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cows Abducted by Aliens Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Now it isn’t often that Marketing Blurb gets to report of bovine alien abductions. But today we will share how the California Milk Processor Board decided to boost interest in spoiling milk sales. For umpteen years now, we have all... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Visa Plays the CSI Game Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Now you might think that Visa would choose not to play games with advertising, but you would be wrong. In fact, Visa has joined forces with videogame maker Ubisoft to produce CSI: Three Dimensions of Murder. The game based on... Continue Reading Posted at 6:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertising You Can Stomp On Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 You can run, but you cannot hide from advertising. Well, maybe you shouldn't run, but walk instead. If you walk, you might just enjoy a message from Reactrix of Foster City, CA. Reactirix places floor advertising—ahem--advertising messages you walk on.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Westin’s Emotional Appeal Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves hotel rooms. We need them to escape whenever we travel. We are not even especially fussy about hotel rooms, as long as they include a bottle cap opener, and are reasonably quiet. Traditionally, hotel chains advertise about... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar13	Max Factor Losing its Glow Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not follow the cosmetics industry closely, so we were not paying attention when Max Factor slipped slowly into the abyss. Advertising Age reminded us that the famous 97 year old Max Factor brand was once the make-up... Continue Reading Posted at 8:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Emerald Kingdom Come Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 The middle third of the US is drowning in rain these past few days, and we regret the damage from winds and flooding. But neighborhood lawns have turned from gray to green overnight. (In our neighborhood, some of grass is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Feeding Aging Boomers Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is a boomer. We are not embarrassed, either. But we do get anxious when articles refer to boomers as “aging boomers,” or use boomers and seniors as synonymous terms. So we are not especially... Continue Reading Posted at 7:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Weird Auto Advertisements Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 Marketing Blurb often reads the newspaper and watches the news at the same time. While doing so tonight, we saw a very strange commercial for the VW Jetta out of the corner of our eye, which featured a giant crane... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Reaching Elite Air Travelers Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 If you are like most business air travelers, you waste a significant amount of time in airports, in airplanes, and runaways. Countless companies advertise to you during your journey, but all you really want is a decent cup of coffee... Continue Reading Posted at 12:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar11	Sleeping Pretty at Best Western (One Night Only) Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb has stayed at the finest hotels all across the country (always on someone else’s dime.) But even when we expense the tab, we still shutter at room rates which seem more like a mortgage payment. Sure the fresh... Continue Reading Posted at 1:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	IBM Innovation that Matters Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Those who follow business-to-business advertising know that IBM has a long-running campaign titled On Demand which features the company’s ability to solve problems and provide complex solutions continuously. Clever commercials under this umbrella campaign included a series of Help Desk... Continue Reading Posted at 12:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertiser Renames Soccer Team, and that’s Red Bull Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not much of a soccer fan, but like marketers everywhere, we love pro sports. But Red Bull, Incorporated, the bottler of the Red Bull energy drink, loves soccer more than the next advertiser. Red Bull decided to... Continue Reading Posted at 12:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Take Five Buzz with Hershey Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Hershey is preparing to re-launch its Take Five candy bar. The bar have five ingredients, as you might expect, but according to research, consumers were confused by a trial advertising pitch emphasizing pretzels, chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter and caramel. Instead,... Continue Reading Posted at 12:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Rockin’ Concert Promotion Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves rock and roll more than the next pundit. And umpteen years ago when we still attended rock concerts, they were held in small auditoriums where you could actually see the performers without aid of a monster video screen... Continue Reading Posted at 10:22 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar10	Cowboy Style Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb did not see Brokeback Mountain, and we probably won’t until it shows up in our hotel room some night when we are too tired to sleep. But forget the movie, because the real news is Cowboy Fashion. Even... Continue Reading Posted at 9:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Roof Sales People Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb will spare readers the details, but we recently were forced to bid re-roofing a portion of our house after a wind storm. With a good deal of anxiety, we endured inspections and estimates from four different roofing companies.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Loving Your Slender Wrist Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb has a confession. Most days, we wear a cheap plastic sports watch with a Velcro band. Mind you, we do own a dress watch for those occasions when we need a dress shirt. But here’s the deal--we do... Continue Reading Posted at 6:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bloody Aussie Tourism Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 If you are planning a vacation these days, you have likely overlooked a trip to Australia. The Australian Tourism board conducted 86 focus groups and spent $ 6.2 million in research studies to discover that only 6% of Americans surveyed... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Topps Partners with SI for Kids Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb has fond childhood memories of collecting baseball cards. For just a dime, you could unwrap that oily paper which included five trading cards and a rectangle of stale gum powdered in sugar. Of course these days, that powder... Continue Reading Posted at 8:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 9	Gasp! Cigarette Sales Plummet Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you that soft drink sales actually dipped for the first time in twenty years—but here is even more startling news. The National Association of Attorneys General just announced that US cigarette sales are at their lowest... Continue Reading Posted at 8:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Road with Sunny Delight Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Well maybe it is still damp and cold in much of the country, but spring is coming, and soon you’ll want to guzzle down Sunny Delight. Or at least that is what Sunny Delight wants you to believe with their... Continue Reading Posted at 8:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Going Postal at Marathon Convenience Stores Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Now you might think that gas stations make a bunch of money, and you would be wrong. Drilling and refining oil generates buckets of money, but pumping gas is a low margin business. The real retail gas station money is... Continue Reading Posted at 6:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketers Axe Students over Spring Break Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Get ready for Spring Break. This year, as in years past, students will die from alcohol poisoning or drunken driving, girls will be raped, and advertisers will seek to build long-term brand relationships with adolescents. And we’re not talking about... Continue Reading Posted at 3:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 8	Volvo Truck Sweepstakes Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Real men and women drive trucks. And just like the rest of us, these road warriors are due for a vacation. Fortunately, Volvo Trucks North America is offering all truckers a change to enter the Discover the Treasure sweepstakes. (The... Continue Reading Posted at 5:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burp! Carbonated Soft Drink Volume Declines! Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes that soft drinks (we won’t mention names) are very bad for you. The average serving of cola, (which is now about 86 ounces) has enough sugar to feed a family of four for a week. But rather... Continue Reading Posted at 4:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Microsoft Dreaming of Windows 95 for Vista Launch Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Even though we are old enough, Marketing Blurb did not wait in line outside our neighborhood computer store until midnight to grab our copy of Windows 95. But countless geeks did, and the Windows 95 launch was a monster marketing... Continue Reading Posted at 3:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Turning the Tide on Bleak Tourism Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 We are all keenly aware of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. But wander in-land from shore, and Louisiana is still a gem of Southern beauty. Unfortunately, the hurricane devastated tourism state wide. So, Governor Landrieu just announced a $... Continue Reading Posted at 3:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Should Advertisers Pay for iPod TV Shows? Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Here we go again with mobile marketing madness that makes us shiver. ABC has already announced it will sell episodes of popular TV shows at $ 1.99 each for download and playback on the Apple iPod. These shows are available... Continue Reading Posted at 3:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 7	Can Ford Sell Green? Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 While woes at GM seem to dominate the auto news these days, you might also have noticed that Ford is aggressively advertising it hybrid vehicles. While hybrids only account for less than 10% of Ford sales, the company plans to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tripping with Daddy Yankee Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb has this old pair of New Balance athletic shoes. They are not endorsed by any athlete or celebrity. They are mostly white with blue accents. The fit fine, but spend most of the time on the treadmill or... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	This is your brain on Channel One Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb wants to forget that 8 million students are a captive audience for Channel One, the in-school public affairs television channel. Schools receive free televisions, and satellite dishes to receive the broadcasts which include advertising targeting teens. A study... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Watching TV on Your Cell Phone? Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not keen on mobile marketing. We write about it reluctantly in the belief that mobile content and mobile marketing is preparing to devour us anyway. But according to a survey conducted by RBC Capital Markets 75% of... Continue Reading Posted at 2:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Six Flags at a Theatre Near You Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb has already explained why we do not go to the movies. Here is another reason. Six Flags has just announced the release of “brand entertainment,” a two-and-a-half minute commercial previewing a new park ride. The commercial will be... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 6	New Doublemint Twins Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 The Wm. Wrigley Jr. company just launched its first new product in nearly a century—Doublemint Twins. Doublemint Twins are not gum, but mints featuring two flavors in one bite-sized chew. The new product is supported by a clever variation on... Continue Reading Posted at 2:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Baskin Robbins Office Invaders Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 We are sure that office managers everywhere are thrilled by advertisers creating webisodes and online games targeting and tempting workers to goof off at their computers. Some promotions pretend they are lunch-hour diversions, others just assume, hey—you need a break.... Continue Reading Posted at 1:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oscar Ratings Disappoint Advertisers Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you we were not going to watch the Oscars. Oops—it turns out that countless others did not watch either. According to preliminary Neilsen Media Research data, only about 40% of television viewers watch the event, down... Continue Reading Posted at 1:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Controlling Cable Television Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 Television is a vast wasteland. Cable television is a vast wasteland, only vaster still and more toxic. Of course, advocacy groups can save us with their proposal to mandate a la carte cable television programming. According to Media Daily News... Continue Reading Posted at 10:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Simple Award-Winning Advertising Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 Advertising agencies love to win awards. Yes, many produce outstanding work which should be recognized by their peers. And this summer, the hot awards will be presented at Cannes Lions 2006. And if you want the scoop, the chairman of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 5	High-end Cigarettes Try Word of Mouth Rich Ottum March 5, 2006 You know the Starbucks story. Take a commodity product like coffee, make it superior, provide a unique purchase environment, and charge a premium price. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco is hoping the same technique will work for their new cigarette brand called... Continue Reading Posted at 11:55 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 4	The Fall of High Fidelity Rich Ottum March 4, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves music more than the next pundit. We love rock and roll (which ended about 1975 if you are curious) and classical. And like many music fans, we listen from our computer speakers, or use those tiny ear buds. And... Continue Reading Posted at 2:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Coke Launches New Products with Oscar Rich Ottum March 4, 2006 Viewers tuning into the Academy Awards this weekend will see Coca-Cola launch two new products. The first is Coca-Cola Blak, a coffee-cola drink, and the other is Tab Energy, a new energy drink targeted to women. According to the Atlanta... Continue Reading Posted at 8:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Housewives Smelling Desperate Rich Ottum March 4, 2006 Unlike Laura Bush, Marketing Blurb does not watch Desperate Housewives. Our own life is complicated enough without worrying about somebody else’s neighborhood. But we know from the press this show is a monster hit, and as such has and will... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 3	ABC Rejects KFC Gambit Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you about the KFC Slow Motion Gambit, a commercial viewers watch slowly frame-by-frame to reveal a secret code for a discount coupon. Well, it seems that ABC decided the technique was a violation of the FCC... Continue Reading Posted at 1:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Consumer Generated Advertising? Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Madison Avenue already has enough to worry about. Online advertising placements are increasing while traditional media spending is flat. Consumers are so damned fragmented, it is increasing difficult to reach anyone—and if you do, does your audience pay attention? Well, get... Continue Reading Posted at 1:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Al Gore Hugs Trees and Advertisers Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 As a keynote speaker at the AAAA Conference (American Association of Advertising Agencies,) Al Gore challenged advertisers to join him on a quest to save the planet from global warming. According to Media Post, “the former vice president unveiled plans... Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Death of Incredible Universe Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb has a long-held grievance we might as well air online. Back in 1992, Tandy Corporation, parent of Radio Shack, launched a chain of monster-sized superstores called Incredible Universe. The 185,000 square-foot stores included consumer electronics, and consumer appliances.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cars.com Commercials to Drive Viewers Online Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Cars.com is launching a new television campaign to drive viewers online. The commercials, intended to brand the company for a new audience, will run on ESPN, Discovery Channel, and the Food Network, reaching an estimated 170 million viewers. "We use... Continue Reading Posted at 8:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 2	Yoplait So Good Girls Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes yogurt is good for you. We don’t really know why, but it must have something to do with active cultures, which means the food is still alive. But in any event, we think Yoplait has a fabulous... Continue Reading Posted at 2:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Smirnoff Cocktail Consultant Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb must not get around much anymore. We discovered from Promo Magazine, that Smirnoff is seeking to hire a cocktail consultant for a one year contract. The person in this position will travel the country to report back to... Continue Reading Posted at 1:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Rwanda Blue Bourbon at Starbucks Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Back in the spring of 2004, Starbucks launched a line of specialty coffees called the Black Apron Line, or BAE. These were the beans for hard-to-fine brews from small producers all over the world. Starbucks supported these small growers from... Continue Reading Posted at 12:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The 2006 AAAA Media Conference and Trade Show Online Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb has this love hate relationship with trade shows. We love industry cocktail parties and exhibitor trinkets to take home for the kids. We hate travel, bad food, noisy hotels, smelly shuttle buses, and catching up on work when... Continue Reading Posted at 8:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nike Run London Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not think that Kobe Bryant is an ideal celebrity spokesperson for Nike (or anyone else.) And to be honest, we feel the same way about Martha Stewart, or any celebrities who play fast and loose with the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 1	My Coke Rewards Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Coca-cola is launching a new rewards program. You drink Coke every day for a year, drop dead, and they cover your funeral expenses—just kidding. Instead, Coke is offering a loyalty a multi-year loyalty program, whereby drinkers collect and redeem points... Continue Reading Posted at 4:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dove Calming Night Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Mornings, Marketing Blurb runs on the treadmill and suffers through a thirty-minute dose of The Today Show. This morning, we saw a commercial for Dove Calming Night, a new line of soap, shower gel and lotion. The commercial made no sense... Continue Reading Posted at 11:35 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maxim Magazine Make-over Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not read Maxim magazine. Maxim is one of dozens of so-called laddie books, dubbed such by the British press, where many of these publications originated. But Marketing Blurb does follow magazine circulation and advertising trends. Well, it... Continue Reading Posted at 9:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Billboards Buys Go High Tech Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Now you might think that buying billboard advertising is easy enough to understand. But you would be wrong, because now, the roadside staple is going high tech. A new billboard simulation program offered by Outdoor Drive Pro, will allow advertisers... Continue Reading Posted at 7:57 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burger King Value Menu Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 It will soon only take one hand to handle your meal at Burger King. The restaurant just announced the nationwide rollout of their value menu of includes 10 products priced from $ 1.00 $ 1.39. (See The Wall Street Journal,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 »

Mar31	Papa John’s The Official Pizza of Six Flags Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Know More: Marketing Promotion Marketing Blurb loves amusement parks as much as the next pundit, but we haven’t been to one in years. (The kids are grown, and we don’t really have a good excuse.) But when we used to frequent amusement parks, we opted for those rides that stayed close to ground and moved a slow speeds. This is essential because we love amusement park food. And if we did go to Six Flags, we would discover they just signed a multi-year agreement with Papa John’s Pizza. Papa John’s is now the official pizza of Six Flags. The deal includes in-park branding at 60 locations distribution of Papa John’s coupons, web and email initiatives to Six Flag customers. Papa John’s will also feature Six Flag point-of-sale promotions in their 1100 restaurants. So have fun at Six Flags, and eat a ton of the official Pizza. Then stay off the roller coaster, thanks! Posted at 4:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar31	Carmex to Get Fat Lip Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Chances are your lips chapped sometime this past winter. But they can chap at any time actually, and when they do, you need lip balm. And in the world of lip balm there is Blistex, and there is ah, what’s... Continue Reading Posted at 1:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dinner in the Subway? Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Maybe you eat lunch at Subway restaurants. You probably do so because a really convincing average Joe named Jared Fogel said you could eat whatever you want at Subway and actually lose weight! So why not go to Subway for... Continue Reading Posted at 8:43 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Betty Crocker Bake and Take Day Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Marketing Blurb regrets that we missed the official Betty Crocker Bake and Take Day on March 25th. The event has its origins as a community service project. Participants bake their favorite dishes and then hand deliver them to someone special,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:56 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Promotion Marketing Awards Rich Ottum March 31, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves to poke fun at ridiculous marketing campaigns—but we’re just a blog pundit standing outside the kitchen. As such, we realize we should also applaud the efforts of those who create intelligent campaigns that motivate consumers to take... Continue Reading Posted at 7:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar30	McDonald’s for Breakfast Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 Your mother always told you to eat breakfast, and your mother is wise. Your mother never told you to eat at McDonald’s for breakfast, because she knows better. But since countless Americans ignore mom and skip breakfast, McDonald’s sees an... Continue Reading Posted at 6:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	JetBlue Flying with Mixed Media Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 If you are a disenchanted auto worker, we feel your pain. But it could be worse, you could work in the airline industry. Fortunately, there are a few bright spots, including JetBlue’s new mixed media campaign. The campaign features traditional... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Coke Side of Life Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is not keen on soft drinks. But we’re always eager to follow the industry, especially when The Wall Street Journal announces (paid subscription required) that Coca Cola is launching a new advertising campaign and... Continue Reading Posted at 2:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Erectile Dysfunction Advertising Get Functional Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 Can we talk? Remember those suggestive TV advertisements for Levitra with the women wearing her man’s shirt (sans anything else) and cooing about their re-energized sex life as a result of his treatment for erectile dysfunction? Or how about those... Continue Reading Posted at 2:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Get Ready to Missbehave Rich Ottum March 30, 2006 You already know about so-called laddie magazines like Maxim. These publications are a terrific way to target a specific demographic. On the minus side, when you reach those readers, they do not spend as much money as their sisters. So... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar29	Marketing Earth Day Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 Marketing Blurb wants to steer clear of the whole global warming debate. We don’t know much about green house gases--we just know that weather world-wide is going to hell. So now seems like a great time to jump on the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Meez Mobile Avatars Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 In the future, everyone will have an online avatar. (Marketing Blurb just made up this claim, but quote us if you must.) You will need an avatar to achieve ubiquity in multiple communication channels. We intend to have our avatar... Continue Reading Posted at 7:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Romancing The Brew with Illegal Activity Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 Back in February, Marketing Blurb told you the Beer Institute was updating their voluntary industry guidelines for advertising the golden elixir. We expressed a degree of skepticism then, and it seems we are not alone. The New York Times is... Continue Reading Posted at 6:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Step up to the plate—EAT Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 If you market upscale cooking utensils, or refrigerators that cost as much as a house trailer, you can readily reach your target audience via gourmet cooking magazines. But most American families rush through their days like adrenaline zombies, with little... Continue Reading Posted at 8:20 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Saving Angelina Jolie Rich Ottum March 29, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb loves celebrities considerably less than other marketers. But what we think isn’t really important. Here’s the headline from New York Magazine: “Has America's seeming insatiable appetite for celebrity finally begun to cool?” Their answer... Continue Reading Posted at 7:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar28	Consumer-generated Advertising Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 CGM, or consumer-generated media, is the buzzword in online marketing these days. Brave marketers have decided to let brand enthusiasts create their own advertising for various products. Some participants submit creations from scratch. Other words with online toolkits including pre-produced snippets,... Continue Reading Posted at 1:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Branding Apple Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Now you might think that consumers would not likely confuse The Beatles and their music with Apple Computer iTunes, but you would be wrong, naturally. The Beatles claimed the Apple brand name in 1968 for their record label, Apple Corps... Continue Reading Posted at 11:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kodak Smiles for King Kong Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Marketing Blurb did not see the King Kong movie. (We heard from a favorite movie critic that some people left the theater with their hearing impaired for life. Note to theatre owners—we are never coming back until you turn down... Continue Reading Posted at 11:24 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ubiquitous Access to Entertainment? Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Okay, we just told you Marketing Blurb is not attending the OMMA Expo in Hollywood. But we are not sure we understand these folks, anyway. Here’s the headline from the keynote address by Albert Cheng, executive vice president digital media,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:18 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online Ad Spending Rich Ottum March 28, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not attending the OMMA (Online Media Marketing Association) Expo in Hollywood this week. We are stuck in central Ohio in the rain. But if we were attending, we would have heard the debate about fat bald white... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar27	Good News for Crafted Brews Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves beer more than the next pundit. But we never drink any brand you’ve seen advertised. We only drink hand-crafted beers from micro-breweries or foreign brews. No, we are not snobby. The issue is simple. Mass market beers... Continue Reading Posted at 9:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tribute to the King Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 We couldn’t help but reminisce about the King tonight, when we heard on the national news that Graceland was designated a National Historic Landmark. This elevates Presley’s modest home to the same stature as the White House, Mount Vernon and... Continue Reading Posted at 8:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pimp my PC Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 Marketing Blurb is fascinated by the consumer PC business. First, we were amazed how consumer software makers used to spend a half million dollars developing multimedia CD-ROMs for kids and then selling them at retail for $ 19.95 before the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bazooka Joe Returns Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 When Marketing Blurb was young, we could blow pink bubbles as big as your head. (There is not much demand for this talent anymore.) We used Bazooka Bubble Gum, naturally, and followed the antics of Bazooka Joe and his friends... Continue Reading Posted at 7:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mobile Marketing—the Third Screen Rich Ottum March 27, 2006 We’re heard people call their cell phones all kinds of names (damned piece of #*%& comes to mind) but in the marketing world, the new buzz term is third screen. And according to a new report by researcher Magna Global, the... Continue Reading Posted at 11:23 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar26	Marketing Chow on Campus Rich Ottum March 26, 2006 When Marketing Blurb attended college a zillion years ago, campus dining halls were only open an hour for dinner. The student union snack bar closed at 11 pm. If you were hungry anytime after 11 pm, you were screwed. That... Continue Reading Posted at 3:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Inkjet Printer Madness Rich Ottum March 26, 2006 Marketing Blurb has this love hate relationship with ink jet printers. We used to have this simple HP model that did the job. You asked it to print, and it printed. It would not scan or fax or make coffee,... Continue Reading Posted at 3:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	7-Eleven Prepares Healthier Fare Rich Ottum March 26, 2006 Convenience store retailer 7-Eleven just held their annual orientation meeting for store operators. The confab is an opportunity for store managers to preview new product and merchandising, and attend pep talks and seminars. Coming soon to a 7-Eleven near you... Continue Reading Posted at 3:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar25	Lime Cola Frooties? Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 As a child, Marketing Blurb loved candy, and we have the gold crowns to prove it! But these days, we don’t give candy much thought. And as it turns out, we discovered it best just to keep our memories rather than eat... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Real Women use WD-40 Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Back in February, we told you about Vocalpoint, the Procter & Gamble buzz network for moms. P&G uses the network to research and launch new products, but also sells network access to others. For example, WD-40 turned to Vocalpoint to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Pink a Hit for Limited Brands Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not frequent Victoria’s Secret stores because our wife and our girlfriend already have a closet full of lingerie. So even though VS is headquartered right in our back yard, we didn’t know they launched Pink, a store... Continue Reading Posted at 5:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Heist Street Team Steals the Day Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves street teams, because the technique is outrageous, and it makes advertising and promotion come alive with real people. But since we don’t live in New York of LA, we missed the street team promoting Heist, a new... Continue Reading Posted at 3:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Wal-Mart Goes Organic Rich Ottum March 25, 2006 Now you might that free market forces guide our economy—the so called invisible hand of famed economist Adam Smith. You would be wrong, naturally. Wal-Mart guides our economy, and their very visible hand is huge. So here’s the latest news.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:31 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar24	Desperate Housewives Video Game Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 You know the video game industry is in a serious creative funk, when Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Games announces they are going to release a PC video game based on the popular television show Desperate Housewives. According to Reuters,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Black Box Solution Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 It used to be easy to look down your nose at wine in boxes. After all, would a real man romance a woman with wine from a box? (Of course, if you read Marketing Blurb on a regular basis, you... Continue Reading Posted at 3:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burger King Returns to NASCAR Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not want to talk about Burger King marketing. Unlike other pundits, we think their online Subservient Chicken promotion was ridiculous. (If you don’t know what we’re talking about, consider yourself lucky.) Sure this was ground-breaking. Did it... Continue Reading Posted at 2:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Allstate Insurance Recovers Nokia Fumble Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 For you football fans who just can’t wait for baseball season to start and then finish—here’s news about college football’s next season. Allstate Insurance will be the new sponsor for the Sugar Bowl, replacing Nokia, who sponsored the game for... Continue Reading Posted at 1:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maxim Mobile Mommas Rich Ottum March 24, 2006 Maxim magazine is going mobile in the May issue. The magazine will include dial-in links to editorial and advertising accessible by mobile phone. For example, readers can follow article links to see photos of more Maxim models on their tiny... Continue Reading Posted at 1:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar23	Welcome to a Safer Internet Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 America Online used to mail every man, woman, child, and dog in the country a trial sign-up disk every six weeks. Critics called this technique dumb, (although more than 25 million people subscribed to AOL before the Time Warner acquisition... Continue Reading Posted at 5:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Britney Spears Out of Control Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes you should smell like a celebrity, so we have introduced you to several celebrity fragrances over the past few months. Well, if smelling like P Diddy or Desperate Housewives is not your style, get ready for—shudder—Britney Spears.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hasbro Thinking Outside the Basket Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Now you might think that Easter is a religious holiday, but marketers know you are wrong. Easter is really just another gift occasion, a great time to buy too much candy, new clothes and toys for the kids. Hasbro was... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Media Buyers Losing Faith in TV? Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not especially keen on television advertising, but then again, we are not keen on television programming, either. But what we think is really not important. Pay attention instead, to media buyers who place television advertising. It turns out these... Continue Reading Posted at 2:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oops! Clorox Promo Rubs the Wrong Way Rich Ottum March 23, 2006 Now you might think that distributing samples of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to teachers via a promotion called Clean Up the Classroom is a good idea, and you would be wrong, naturally. A box of requested samples arrived at Coal Creek... Continue Reading Posted at 6:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar22	Papa John’s King Kong Pizza Promo Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Back in January, we explained that size matters in entertainment marketing. Of course the same is true for fast food, so Papa John’s has decided to enlist the mother of all primates, King Kong, to hawk pizza. Okay, so the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Toys R Us Welcomes the Boys of Summer Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Since our children are grown, Marketing Blurb has not shopped Toys R Us for ages. We remember the stores as over-merchandised to the point of appearing junky. Perhaps that has changed. But countless children and their parents are shopping the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Passionate Cruising with Sophia Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb deserves a vacation. We could use a cruise with a beautiful, passionate Italian. And if we could take that cruise, we would book MSC Cruises and take along Sophia Loren. Yes, Sophia is probably old enough to be... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Regulating Liquor Advertising Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not believe in regulating the advertising industry. We do believe that children should be spared from certain kinds of advertising--but this is a role for parents, not regulators. Likely fearing possible government action, the Distilled Spirits Council... Continue Reading Posted at 3:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	(Legal) Battle of the Sports Drinks Rich Ottum March 22, 2006 Marketing Blurb remembers the original Gatorade, before marketers mucked it up with weenie flavoring and coloring. Real men Gatorade was salty and tasted awful. Athletes endured the real juice to re-hydrate. But today, kids pack sports drinks in their school... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar21	Superman Super Marketing Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Get ready for the new Superman Returns movie this June. According to Ad Age (free registration required,) Time Warner is counting on the super hero to boost its sagging performance in the stock market. Even though he is 73 years... Continue Reading Posted at 7:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Target Direct Mail Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Target Stores is in the mail again with a clever clipless coupon. The 8-page saddle stitch mailing features an eclectic promotion for toys and video electronics, but tipped inside is a folder with a peel and stick card or clipless... Continue Reading Posted at 7:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	TV as Engaging Competitive Experience Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes Newton Minow of the FCC who in 1961, dubbed television a vast wasteland. Only today, vast is even bigger. Fortunately, a tech startup company from San Francisco called AirPlay Networks, it about to change the face of... Continue Reading Posted at 7:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Measuring Point of Purchase Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Marketing Blurb told you about POP Broadcasting video shelf talkers. Earl from the POPBroadcasting Company was even kind enough to post a comment. Point of purchase is big business, and advertisers are eager spend money and measure the impact. According... Continue Reading Posted at 6:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Courting Women Online Rich Ottum March 21, 2006 Nope—Marketing Blurb is not talking about online dating. We’re talking about marketers eager to reach women online. We’d to believe that USA Today is reading this blog, because this article echoes themes we covered weeks ago. Here’s the deal. According... Continue Reading Posted at 5:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar20	Coping the Big Organic Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you about Orgasmic Chocolate, but now we’re talking the big O—organic foods, which are huge. Organic foods entered popular culture about 1976 when Safeway stores offered produce from smaller organic farmers as a counter-cultural reaction to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Leasing and Living Large Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves to trash celebrities because they are easy targets. But are we secretly jealous? Well, if we had a few extra bucks, we could find out. The newest trend these days is leasing luxury. According to Associated Press,... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tracking Radio Listeners Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 If you need to know who is listening to what in radio land, the answer has always been Arbitron, the company that tracks station listening habits via “pen and paper diaries” tallied from survey participants. According to The Wall Street... Continue Reading Posted at 5:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Growing Up to Become the Man Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Marketing Blurb wears blazers and open collar shirts. Every time we don a suit and tie for some occasion, we end up overdressed and embarrassed. But sometimes, threads make the man. And guess what? According to retail research firm NPD... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Targeting Teen Readers Rich Ottum March 20, 2006 Some advertisers believe that teens don’t read, and as such, avoid print media directed to this audience. But according to Samir Husni, a professor at the University of Mississippi who tracks magazines, "The idea that teens don't read is just... Continue Reading Posted at 3:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar19	Advertising with Balls and without Brains Rich Ottum March 19, 2006 You’ve probably already heard the flap over Volkswagen’s GTI Turbo-conjones billboards targeting Hispanics in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. English speakers often use the Spanish term as slang for balls. But the native connotation is vulgar rather than clever.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Apple iPod Scores with Academia Rich Ottum March 19, 2006 Few products have changed the landscape of media as quickly as the Apple iPod. But the ubiquitous jukebox is suitable for more than music. Increasing, university professors are recording lectures as podcasts and making them available to or mandatory for... Continue Reading Posted at 2:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar18	Smoking at CVS Rich Ottum March 18, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not smoke and we encounter fewer smokers these days. But we do know underage kids are still smoking, and they’re trying to cop their smokes from CVS Pharmacy. But according to Promo Magazine, potential lawsuits from 37... Continue Reading Posted at 4:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bottle Cap Your Way to the Movies Rich Ottum March 18, 2006 Marketing Blurb will never drink Pepsi to earn points for a free movie ticket. If we did, we would discover we did not have the teeth necessary for the popcorn. But forgetting our bias, Pepsi is running this nifty promotion... Continue Reading Posted at 3:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Explosive Promotion Rich Ottum March 18, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves rock and roll more than the next pundit. But we’ll be honest and admit that we don’t really listen to many tunes post 1975. This means we don’t recognize many of the new bands until they annoy... Continue Reading Posted at 2:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar17	Radio Disney Podcasts Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not listen to podcasts. We are not anti-podcasts mind you, we just suffer for media overload without podcasts, thank you. But if we were a kid, we would listen to Radio Disney podcasts coming in June. The... Continue Reading Posted at 3:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	McDonald’s Premium Coffee Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 While taking out the trash yesterday, I noticed free coupons for McDonald’s new Premium Coffee atop the recycling bin. Even though Marketing Blurb missed the free Starbucks coffee offer earlier this week, we decided to pass on a premium brew... Continue Reading Posted at 2:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Let 'em Pump Gas Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Every merchant and their dog has an affinity program these days. You give away your personal data to your local grocer, and in return you get cat food coupons. But the real deal these days is gasoline. Even time you... Continue Reading Posted at 1:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Branded Entertainment on Local News Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Marketing Blurb has already told you about product placement, which the media industry has now dubbed as branded entertainment. You would think that news programs would be off limits for this ploy, and you would be wrong. Local news stations... Continue Reading Posted at 1:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Buy Your Retirement from Amazon Rich Ottum March 17, 2006 Marketing Blurb remembers when Amazon was a great place to buy books online. Next they added music, followed by consumer electronics, lumber, livestock, and eventually, anything you can possible ship or download. Well, get ready to purchase your retirement for... Continue Reading Posted at 11:21 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar16	Branding Baby Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not cover body advertising. Selling advertising space on breasts, buttocks, and foreheads is old news. But The Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required) delighted us today with an article about selling naming rights for babies. This is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Throwing Out Baby and Bath Water for Fido Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Now you might think that selling soup and baby food is a good business—but you would be wrong. In fact, Del Monte decided to sell off its private-label soup and baby food business to raise cash for—pet food. Del Monte... Continue Reading Posted at 6:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Microsoft Dinosaurs Evolve Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Microsoft is not known for ground-breaking advertising. In fact, some in the advertising industry find Microsoft advertising forgettable at best. But Microsoft did receive kudos for their upgrade Office 2000 campaign featuring cubicle dwellers sporting plastic dinosaur heads. The message... Continue Reading Posted at 6:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Getting Serious with Orgasmic Chocolates Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves chocolate more than the next pundit. We are not talking about anything that comes from a vending machine or convenience store checkout counter. We are talking about the real deal, the nectar of the Gods, which is... Continue Reading Posted at 3:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertising and Childhood Obesity Rich Ottum March 16, 2006 Marketing Blurb has already told you about bad news advertising for sugar-laced cereal and soft drinks targeted to children. But according to Bob Liodice, CEO of the Association of National Advertisers,” blaming advertisers is easy.” The ANA believes that everyone... Continue Reading Posted at 3:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar15	Slowing Down with Tea Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is a serious coffee drinker. But when no one is watching, we secretly drink tea as well. But we can’t picture ourselves networking with other pundits at the tea bar—at least not yet. But... Continue Reading Posted at 7:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sun-Maiden Goes Animated Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 Our wife and our girlfriend often ask how we maintain our healthy glow. Okay, loyal readers, here is the secret. Marketing Blurb eats raisins. Not one of those little red boxes now and then, but fistfuls of raisins around the... Continue Reading Posted at 6:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Free Coffee from Starbucks Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 When the alarm went off this morning, Marketing Blurb awakened to the news that Starbucks was offering free coffee at more than 7,500 Starbucks around the country between 10 AM and noon in a promotion dubbed the National Coffee Break.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Doubletree—Show me the Cookies Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 Hilton acquired Doubletree Hotels back in 1999, and national advertising for Doubletree chain disappeared. Marketing Blurb hasn’t stayed at a Doubletree Hotel for who knows when. But this much we do know. When we used to stay at Doubletree Hotels,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Harlem Globetrotters in Phoenix Rich Ottum March 15, 2006 You know the world is crazy when you discover the Harlem Globetrotters are based in Phoenix. Their change of venue probably happened years ago, when Marketing Blurb was not paying attention. We naively assumed the sun would rise in the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar14	Kohl’s Scores with Soccer Moms Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Ever since political pundits coined the term soccer moms, advertisers have wanted to secure their votes as well. And department store retailer Koh’ls might just have the right platform. This week, Kohl’s will kickoff sponsorship of the US Youth Soccer... Continue Reading Posted at 7:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cows Abducted by Aliens Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Now it isn’t often that Marketing Blurb gets to report of bovine alien abductions. But today we will share how the California Milk Processor Board decided to boost interest in spoiling milk sales. For umpteen years now, we have all... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Visa Plays the CSI Game Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Now you might think that Visa would choose not to play games with advertising, but you would be wrong. In fact, Visa has joined forces with videogame maker Ubisoft to produce CSI: Three Dimensions of Murder. The game based on... Continue Reading Posted at 6:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertising You Can Stomp On Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 You can run, but you cannot hide from advertising. Well, maybe you shouldn't run, but walk instead. If you walk, you might just enjoy a message from Reactrix of Foster City, CA. Reactirix places floor advertising—ahem--advertising messages you walk on.... Continue Reading Posted at 5:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Westin’s Emotional Appeal Rich Ottum March 14, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves hotel rooms. We need them to escape whenever we travel. We are not even especially fussy about hotel rooms, as long as they include a bottle cap opener, and are reasonably quiet. Traditionally, hotel chains advertise about... Continue Reading Posted at 4:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar13	Max Factor Losing its Glow Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not follow the cosmetics industry closely, so we were not paying attention when Max Factor slipped slowly into the abyss. Advertising Age reminded us that the famous 97 year old Max Factor brand was once the make-up... Continue Reading Posted at 8:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Emerald Kingdom Come Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 The middle third of the US is drowning in rain these past few days, and we regret the damage from winds and flooding. But neighborhood lawns have turned from gray to green overnight. (In our neighborhood, some of grass is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Feeding Aging Boomers Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 You already know that Marketing Blurb is a boomer. We are not embarrassed, either. But we do get anxious when articles refer to boomers as “aging boomers,” or use boomers and seniors as synonymous terms. So we are not especially... Continue Reading Posted at 7:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Weird Auto Advertisements Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 Marketing Blurb often reads the newspaper and watches the news at the same time. While doing so tonight, we saw a very strange commercial for the VW Jetta out of the corner of our eye, which featured a giant crane... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Reaching Elite Air Travelers Rich Ottum March 13, 2006 If you are like most business air travelers, you waste a significant amount of time in airports, in airplanes, and runaways. Countless companies advertise to you during your journey, but all you really want is a decent cup of coffee... Continue Reading Posted at 12:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar11	Sleeping Pretty at Best Western (One Night Only) Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb has stayed at the finest hotels all across the country (always on someone else’s dime.) But even when we expense the tab, we still shutter at room rates which seem more like a mortgage payment. Sure the fresh... Continue Reading Posted at 1:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	IBM Innovation that Matters Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Those who follow business-to-business advertising know that IBM has a long-running campaign titled On Demand which features the company’s ability to solve problems and provide complex solutions continuously. Clever commercials under this umbrella campaign included a series of Help Desk... Continue Reading Posted at 12:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Advertiser Renames Soccer Team, and that’s Red Bull Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not much of a soccer fan, but like marketers everywhere, we love pro sports. But Red Bull, Incorporated, the bottler of the Red Bull energy drink, loves soccer more than the next advertiser. Red Bull decided to... Continue Reading Posted at 12:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Take Five Buzz with Hershey Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Hershey is preparing to re-launch its Take Five candy bar. The bar have five ingredients, as you might expect, but according to research, consumers were confused by a trial advertising pitch emphasizing pretzels, chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter and caramel. Instead,... Continue Reading Posted at 12:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Rockin’ Concert Promotion Rich Ottum March 11, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves rock and roll more than the next pundit. And umpteen years ago when we still attended rock concerts, they were held in small auditoriums where you could actually see the performers without aid of a monster video screen... Continue Reading Posted at 10:22 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar10	Cowboy Style Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb did not see Brokeback Mountain, and we probably won’t until it shows up in our hotel room some night when we are too tired to sleep. But forget the movie, because the real news is Cowboy Fashion. Even... Continue Reading Posted at 9:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Roof Sales People Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb will spare readers the details, but we recently were forced to bid re-roofing a portion of our house after a wind storm. With a good deal of anxiety, we endured inspections and estimates from four different roofing companies.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Loving Your Slender Wrist Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb has a confession. Most days, we wear a cheap plastic sports watch with a Velcro band. Mind you, we do own a dress watch for those occasions when we need a dress shirt. But here’s the deal--we do... Continue Reading Posted at 6:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bloody Aussie Tourism Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 If you are planning a vacation these days, you have likely overlooked a trip to Australia. The Australian Tourism board conducted 86 focus groups and spent $ 6.2 million in research studies to discover that only 6% of Americans surveyed... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Topps Partners with SI for Kids Rich Ottum March 10, 2006 Marketing Blurb has fond childhood memories of collecting baseball cards. For just a dime, you could unwrap that oily paper which included five trading cards and a rectangle of stale gum powdered in sugar. Of course these days, that powder... Continue Reading Posted at 8:59 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 9	Gasp! Cigarette Sales Plummet Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you that soft drink sales actually dipped for the first time in twenty years—but here is even more startling news. The National Association of Attorneys General just announced that US cigarette sales are at their lowest... Continue Reading Posted at 8:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Road with Sunny Delight Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Well maybe it is still damp and cold in much of the country, but spring is coming, and soon you’ll want to guzzle down Sunny Delight. Or at least that is what Sunny Delight wants you to believe with their... Continue Reading Posted at 8:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Going Postal at Marathon Convenience Stores Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Now you might think that gas stations make a bunch of money, and you would be wrong. Drilling and refining oil generates buckets of money, but pumping gas is a low margin business. The real retail gas station money is... Continue Reading Posted at 6:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marketers Axe Students over Spring Break Rich Ottum March 9, 2006 Get ready for Spring Break. This year, as in years past, students will die from alcohol poisoning or drunken driving, girls will be raped, and advertisers will seek to build long-term brand relationships with adolescents. And we’re not talking about... Continue Reading Posted at 3:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 8	Volvo Truck Sweepstakes Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Real men and women drive trucks. And just like the rest of us, these road warriors are due for a vacation. Fortunately, Volvo Trucks North America is offering all truckers a change to enter the Discover the Treasure sweepstakes. (The... Continue Reading Posted at 5:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burp! Carbonated Soft Drink Volume Declines! Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes that soft drinks (we won’t mention names) are very bad for you. The average serving of cola, (which is now about 86 ounces) has enough sugar to feed a family of four for a week. But rather... Continue Reading Posted at 4:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Microsoft Dreaming of Windows 95 for Vista Launch Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Even though we are old enough, Marketing Blurb did not wait in line outside our neighborhood computer store until midnight to grab our copy of Windows 95. But countless geeks did, and the Windows 95 launch was a monster marketing... Continue Reading Posted at 3:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Turning the Tide on Bleak Tourism Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 We are all keenly aware of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. But wander in-land from shore, and Louisiana is still a gem of Southern beauty. Unfortunately, the hurricane devastated tourism state wide. So, Governor Landrieu just announced a $... Continue Reading Posted at 3:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Should Advertisers Pay for iPod TV Shows? Rich Ottum March 8, 2006 Here we go again with mobile marketing madness that makes us shiver. ABC has already announced it will sell episodes of popular TV shows at $ 1.99 each for download and playback on the Apple iPod. These shows are available... Continue Reading Posted at 3:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 7	Can Ford Sell Green? Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 While woes at GM seem to dominate the auto news these days, you might also have noticed that Ford is aggressively advertising it hybrid vehicles. While hybrids only account for less than 10% of Ford sales, the company plans to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tripping with Daddy Yankee Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb has this old pair of New Balance athletic shoes. They are not endorsed by any athlete or celebrity. They are mostly white with blue accents. The fit fine, but spend most of the time on the treadmill or... Continue Reading Posted at 3:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	This is your brain on Channel One Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb wants to forget that 8 million students are a captive audience for Channel One, the in-school public affairs television channel. Schools receive free televisions, and satellite dishes to receive the broadcasts which include advertising targeting teens. A study... Continue Reading Posted at 2:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Watching TV on Your Cell Phone? Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb is not keen on mobile marketing. We write about it reluctantly in the belief that mobile content and mobile marketing is preparing to devour us anyway. But according to a survey conducted by RBC Capital Markets 75% of... Continue Reading Posted at 2:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Six Flags at a Theatre Near You Rich Ottum March 7, 2006 Marketing Blurb has already explained why we do not go to the movies. Here is another reason. Six Flags has just announced the release of “brand entertainment,” a two-and-a-half minute commercial previewing a new park ride. The commercial will be... Continue Reading Posted at 2:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 6	New Doublemint Twins Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 The Wm. Wrigley Jr. company just launched its first new product in nearly a century—Doublemint Twins. Doublemint Twins are not gum, but mints featuring two flavors in one bite-sized chew. The new product is supported by a clever variation on... Continue Reading Posted at 2:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Baskin Robbins Office Invaders Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 We are sure that office managers everywhere are thrilled by advertisers creating webisodes and online games targeting and tempting workers to goof off at their computers. Some promotions pretend they are lunch-hour diversions, others just assume, hey—you need a break.... Continue Reading Posted at 1:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oscar Ratings Disappoint Advertisers Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you we were not going to watch the Oscars. Oops—it turns out that countless others did not watch either. According to preliminary Neilsen Media Research data, only about 40% of television viewers watch the event, down... Continue Reading Posted at 1:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Controlling Cable Television Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 Television is a vast wasteland. Cable television is a vast wasteland, only vaster still and more toxic. Of course, advocacy groups can save us with their proposal to mandate a la carte cable television programming. According to Media Daily News... Continue Reading Posted at 10:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Simple Award-Winning Advertising Rich Ottum March 6, 2006 Advertising agencies love to win awards. Yes, many produce outstanding work which should be recognized by their peers. And this summer, the hot awards will be presented at Cannes Lions 2006. And if you want the scoop, the chairman of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:04 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 5	High-end Cigarettes Try Word of Mouth Rich Ottum March 5, 2006 You know the Starbucks story. Take a commodity product like coffee, make it superior, provide a unique purchase environment, and charge a premium price. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco is hoping the same technique will work for their new cigarette brand called... Continue Reading Posted at 11:55 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 4	The Fall of High Fidelity Rich Ottum March 4, 2006 Marketing Blurb loves music more than the next pundit. We love rock and roll (which ended about 1975 if you are curious) and classical. And like many music fans, we listen from our computer speakers, or use those tiny ear buds. And... Continue Reading Posted at 2:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Coke Launches New Products with Oscar Rich Ottum March 4, 2006 Viewers tuning into the Academy Awards this weekend will see Coca-Cola launch two new products. The first is Coca-Cola Blak, a coffee-cola drink, and the other is Tab Energy, a new energy drink targeted to women. According to the Atlanta... Continue Reading Posted at 8:25 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Housewives Smelling Desperate Rich Ottum March 4, 2006 Unlike Laura Bush, Marketing Blurb does not watch Desperate Housewives. Our own life is complicated enough without worrying about somebody else’s neighborhood. But we know from the press this show is a monster hit, and as such has and will... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 3	ABC Rejects KFC Gambit Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb already told you about the KFC Slow Motion Gambit, a commercial viewers watch slowly frame-by-frame to reveal a secret code for a discount coupon. Well, it seems that ABC decided the technique was a violation of the FCC... Continue Reading Posted at 1:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Consumer Generated Advertising? Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Madison Avenue already has enough to worry about. Online advertising placements are increasing while traditional media spending is flat. Consumers are so damned fragmented, it is increasing difficult to reach anyone—and if you do, does your audience pay attention? Well, get... Continue Reading Posted at 1:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Al Gore Hugs Trees and Advertisers Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 As a keynote speaker at the AAAA Conference (American Association of Advertising Agencies,) Al Gore challenged advertisers to join him on a quest to save the planet from global warming. According to Media Post, “the former vice president unveiled plans... Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	On the Death of Incredible Universe Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Marketing Blurb has a long-held grievance we might as well air online. Back in 1992, Tandy Corporation, parent of Radio Shack, launched a chain of monster-sized superstores called Incredible Universe. The 185,000 square-foot stores included consumer electronics, and consumer appliances.... Continue Reading Posted at 8:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cars.com Commercials to Drive Viewers Online Rich Ottum March 3, 2006 Cars.com is launching a new television campaign to drive viewers online. The commercials, intended to brand the company for a new audience, will run on ESPN, Discovery Channel, and the Food Network, reaching an estimated 170 million viewers. "We use... Continue Reading Posted at 8:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 2	Yoplait So Good Girls Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb believes yogurt is good for you. We don’t really know why, but it must have something to do with active cultures, which means the food is still alive. But in any event, we think Yoplait has a fabulous... Continue Reading Posted at 2:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Smirnoff Cocktail Consultant Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb must not get around much anymore. We discovered from Promo Magazine, that Smirnoff is seeking to hire a cocktail consultant for a one year contract. The person in this position will travel the country to report back to... Continue Reading Posted at 1:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Rwanda Blue Bourbon at Starbucks Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Back in the spring of 2004, Starbucks launched a line of specialty coffees called the Black Apron Line, or BAE. These were the beans for hard-to-fine brews from small producers all over the world. Starbucks supported these small growers from... Continue Reading Posted at 12:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The 2006 AAAA Media Conference and Trade Show Online Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb has this love hate relationship with trade shows. We love industry cocktail parties and exhibitor trinkets to take home for the kids. We hate travel, bad food, noisy hotels, smelly shuttle buses, and catching up on work when... Continue Reading Posted at 8:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nike Run London Rich Ottum March 2, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not think that Kobe Bryant is an ideal celebrity spokesperson for Nike (or anyone else.) And to be honest, we feel the same way about Martha Stewart, or any celebrities who play fast and loose with the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 1	My Coke Rewards Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Coca-cola is launching a new rewards program. You drink Coke every day for a year, drop dead, and they cover your funeral expenses—just kidding. Instead, Coke is offering a loyalty a multi-year loyalty program, whereby drinkers collect and redeem points... Continue Reading Posted at 4:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dove Calming Night Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Mornings, Marketing Blurb runs on the treadmill and suffers through a thirty-minute dose of The Today Show. This morning, we saw a commercial for Dove Calming Night, a new line of soap, shower gel and lotion. The commercial made no sense... Continue Reading Posted at 11:35 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Maxim Magazine Make-over Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Marketing Blurb does not read Maxim magazine. Maxim is one of dozens of so-called laddie books, dubbed such by the British press, where many of these publications originated. But Marketing Blurb does follow magazine circulation and advertising trends. Well, it... Continue Reading Posted at 9:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Billboards Buys Go High Tech Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 Now you might think that buying billboard advertising is easy enough to understand. But you would be wrong, because now, the roadside staple is going high tech. A new billboard simulation program offered by Outdoor Drive Pro, will allow advertisers... Continue Reading Posted at 7:57 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Burger King Value Menu Rich Ottum March 1, 2006 It will soon only take one hand to handle your meal at Burger King. The restaurant just announced the nationwide rollout of their value menu of includes 10 products priced from $ 1.00 $ 1.39. (See The Wall Street Journal,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:28 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

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