MarketingBlurb: May 2008 Archives

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May31	Move Over Pillsbury Dough Boy, Make Room for Cox Digis Susan Gunelius May 31, 2008 Know More: Advertising The Pillbury Dough Boy and Michelin Tire/Stay-Puff Marshmallow Character have some new competition. Cox Communications is launching a new ad campaign that will feature what company spokespeople call "futuristic characters" (see the picture from Brandweek) using the tagline, "Cox, your friend in the digital age." The ads are meant to demonstrate how Cox's digital products and services can help people in their daily lives. For example, one spot will show the Digis helping a father during his baby's birth by distributing pictures via cell phones to family and friends around town. There will also be online and social media elements to the Digis campaign. The characters will appear on Facebook and MySpace and a Digis website will launch with downloadable and interactive content. Let's face it. It's hard to create a brand character that actually sticks, meaning it appeals to a wide audience and becomes popular for the long term. What do you think? Can the Digis drive business for Cox Communications? Posted at 9:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May29	Creative Print Ad for Heinz Hot Ketchup Susan Gunelius May 29, 2008 I found a clever print ad for Heinz Hot Ketchup today on Adgoodness. I think it's definitely attention-grabbing, but I'm not sure if it delivers the message accurately. I don't know if that really makes a difference in this case... Continue Reading Posted at 9:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May28	The Case Against Vomitous Disclaimers Susan Gunelius May 28, 2008 Let me preface this post by saying I have no problem with including disclaimers in copywriting. In fact, it's something I teach in my copywriting classes. Disclaimers are important to make sure the advertiser is covered in a lawsuit-crazy world. ... Continue Reading Posted at 6:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May27	Take the Social Media IQ Quiz Susan Gunelius May 27, 2008 Blogging, Web 2.0, Facebook, Twitter - these are just some of the terms that have become part of common vernacular over the course of the past several years. The face of the social web has changed dramatically since it first... Continue Reading Posted at 8:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May26	Apple Patents Solar iPhone Susan Gunelius May 26, 2008 Cool news just in via Forbes.com. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has, "filed a patent to place solar cells in mobile devices." In other words, it sounds like a solar powered iPhone is coming! Funny, my husband was just saying today that... Continue Reading Posted at 7:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May25	Nestea Rolls out New Packaging Susan Gunelius May 25, 2008 The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is rolling out new packaging to retail locations for its Nestea brand ready-to-drink teas. The new packaging is clean and modern and was designed to draw consumer attention to the anioxidant ingredients and all-natural flavors... Continue Reading Posted at 10:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May24	Ads on Blogs Get Noticed Susan Gunelius May 24, 2008 According to eMarketer, a study by Synovate and MarketingDaily shows that ads on blogs are getting noticed by blog readers. It's no secret that learning to leverage the power of blogs and bloggers should be an important part of a business'... Continue Reading Posted at 6:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May23	Corporate Branding on Corporate Eye Susan Gunelius May 23, 2008 If you’re interested in corporate branding, then you might enjoy reading some of my posts at Corporate-Eye.com. Corporate Eye is a blog that provides tips and information about best practices in online corporate communications. The team is currently expanding, and great... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Free Gas Promotions are Everywhere Susan Gunelius May 23, 2008 It seems like every time I open the newspaper these days I find several ads from local car dealerships offering free gas cards with the purchase of a new or used car. Now, the free gas promotion is spreading like... Continue Reading Posted at 6:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May22	Forget Steroids, Replays Are Coming to Major League Baseball Susan Gunelius May 22, 2008 It's not a done deal, but testing of replays in MLB are set to begin as early as this fall. Is it just me or does this announcement seem very coincidental in terms of its timing? After years and years... Continue Reading Posted at 7:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May21	Did She Just Drink His Mouth Juice? Susan Gunelius May 21, 2008 I'm not sure if the Mentos marketing team meant to completely repulse its audience with its new commercial, but that's the reaction my husband and I saw after watching the newest Mentos commercial last night. In fact, when it ended, I... Continue Reading Posted at 7:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May18	Nonprofit QUIT Uses Adbins Effectively to Push Anti-Smoking Message Susan Gunelius May 18, 2008 Adbins are a cool advertising medium that may seem strange at first but can actually be used very well. Just take a look at this example from the anti-smoking organization QUIT. The adbin is a cigarette receptacle that drives home... Continue Reading Posted at 9:54 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May17	Nintendo's Wii Fit Calls Kids Fat Susan Gunelius May 17, 2008 The Nintendo Wii has been getting its share of bad press lately. First, the internet was buzzing about the Wii's lame games earlier this month. Now, the newest Wii game, Wii Fit, has launched in Japan and Europe and is scheduled... Continue Reading Posted at 8:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May16	CBS Will Acquire CNET Susan Gunelius May 16, 2008 The latest merger announcement tell us that CNET will become part of CBS. According to a CBS press release, here's what the CBS acquisition of CNET means: CBS will become one of the top 10 internet companies in the U.S. with approximately 200 million... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May15	4 Things Marketers Can Learn from Girl Who Sold Nearly 20,000 Girl Scout Cookies Susan Gunelius May 15, 2008 No doubt Donald Trump would tell 15-year old Girl Scout Jenny Sharpe of Michigan, "You're hired!" She sold a record-breaking 17,328 boxes of Girl Scout cookies helping her troop pay for a trip to Europe. Jenny, her mother and her... Continue Reading Posted at 9:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May14	Is the Auto Industry Poised for a Major Overhaul? Susan Gunelius May 14, 2008 In January, I wrote about the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano. Now, the U.S. market's smallest car, the 2008 Smart ForTwo micro car, is getting some press with its recent top-rated crash test performance. Just yesterday, I read that the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May13	Office Depot and Google Target Small Business Owners Susan Gunelius May 13, 2008 Office Depot and Google have teamed up to capture some business from small business owners. The plan? Provide Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) tools through the Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) Small Business Resource Center website. Here's how it works according to Brandweek.com:"The co-branded site, accessible... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May12	Is the BlackBerry Bold Chomping at the iPhone's Heels? Susan Gunelius May 12, 2008 Research In Motion (RIM) is launching its third generation smartphone, the BlackBerry Bold. Should Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) be worried? Is the iPhone being threatened? Let's take a look at the new BlackBerry Bold and try to decide.The new BlackBerry Bold... Continue Reading Posted at 3:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May10	Which Auto Brand Should Go Next? Susan Gunelius May 10, 2008 Buick, Pontiac, Plymouth, and more have been on the chopping block but are Mercury, Volvo or GMC next to go? BusinessWeek asked readers to cast their votes for the next auto brand that should get the axe and the results... Continue Reading Posted at 10:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online or Brick and Mortar - How People Shop for Mother's Day Gifts Susan Gunelius May 10, 2008 According to the BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation's (NRF's) "2008 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey", which surveyed internet users, consumers still favor traditional brick-and-mortar stores for Mother's Day gift buying than online stores. That's not to say... Continue Reading Posted at 8:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Is the Post Office Threatening Direct Mail? Susan Gunelius May 10, 2008 Holy smokes, the price of a stamp is going up again on May 12th. Get ready to dish out 42-cents to mail a 1-ounce first-class letter, 59-cents for a 2-oz first-class letter and 27-cents for a postcard (you can see all... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 6	Do Nintendo Wii Games Stink? Susan Gunelius May 6, 2008 Christopher Null from The Working Guy blog made an interesting point this week. The Nintendo Wii is incredibly popular, but how long will that popularity last if the games that are released for the Wii stink? On game ranking sites,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 5	The New Non-Yellow Yellow Book Logo Susan Gunelius May 5, 2008 This one falls into the "What were they thinking?" category. Yellow Book, the online and printed telephone directory go-to company, has updated their logo. The new logo has a more modern and more X-Files-ish style to it. Andrew Kidd at... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 4	Microsoft Ditches Yahoo! - Is It Really Over? Susan Gunelius May 4, 2008 Did they really split or are they "on a break"? Who knows but today's news certainly tells us the love-hate relationship between Microsoft and Yahoo! has moved beyond the hatin' stage. Microsoft abandoned it's bid to takeover Yahoo! after Yahoo! played... Continue Reading Posted at 9:52 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 3	Learn SEO for Marketing and Small Business Susan Gunelius May 3, 2008 I'm often asked for tips about search engine optimization, and I'm definitely not an expert in SEO. Today, I stumbled upon a Beginner's Checklist for Small Business SEO that is a fantastic tool for marketers and business owners who are trying... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kentucky Derby Goes Web 2.0 Susan Gunelius May 3, 2008 Today is the day - the running of the 134th Kentucky Derby. Believe it or not, the Kentucky Derby is not just about tradition - think women in big hats. In fact, it could be said that the Kentucky Derby... Continue Reading Posted at 3:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 1	Introducing Anti-Green Marketing Susan Gunelius May 1, 2008 You've heard of green marketing but how about anti-green marketing? In a new online ad campaign, the New York Times Online is going for shock value with its anti-green message that questions the healthiness of organic foods. I saw the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« April 2008 | Main | June 2008 »

May31	Move Over Pillsbury Dough Boy, Make Room for Cox Digis Susan Gunelius May 31, 2008 Know More: Advertising The Pillbury Dough Boy and Michelin Tire/Stay-Puff Marshmallow Character have some new competition. Cox Communications is launching a new ad campaign that will feature what company spokespeople call "futuristic characters" (see the picture from Brandweek) using the tagline, "Cox, your friend in the digital age." The ads are meant to demonstrate how Cox's digital products and services can help people in their daily lives. For example, one spot will show the Digis helping a father during his baby's birth by distributing pictures via cell phones to family and friends around town. There will also be online and social media elements to the Digis campaign. The characters will appear on Facebook and MySpace and a Digis website will launch with downloadable and interactive content. Let's face it. It's hard to create a brand character that actually sticks, meaning it appeals to a wide audience and becomes popular for the long term. What do you think? Can the Digis drive business for Cox Communications? Posted at 9:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May29	Creative Print Ad for Heinz Hot Ketchup Susan Gunelius May 29, 2008 I found a clever print ad for Heinz Hot Ketchup today on Adgoodness. I think it's definitely attention-grabbing, but I'm not sure if it delivers the message accurately. I don't know if that really makes a difference in this case... Continue Reading Posted at 9:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May28	The Case Against Vomitous Disclaimers Susan Gunelius May 28, 2008 Let me preface this post by saying I have no problem with including disclaimers in copywriting. In fact, it's something I teach in my copywriting classes. Disclaimers are important to make sure the advertiser is covered in a lawsuit-crazy world. ... Continue Reading Posted at 6:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May27	Take the Social Media IQ Quiz Susan Gunelius May 27, 2008 Blogging, Web 2.0, Facebook, Twitter - these are just some of the terms that have become part of common vernacular over the course of the past several years. The face of the social web has changed dramatically since it first... Continue Reading Posted at 8:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May26	Apple Patents Solar iPhone Susan Gunelius May 26, 2008 Cool news just in via Forbes.com. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has, "filed a patent to place solar cells in mobile devices." In other words, it sounds like a solar powered iPhone is coming! Funny, my husband was just saying today that... Continue Reading Posted at 7:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May25	Nestea Rolls out New Packaging Susan Gunelius May 25, 2008 The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is rolling out new packaging to retail locations for its Nestea brand ready-to-drink teas. The new packaging is clean and modern and was designed to draw consumer attention to the anioxidant ingredients and all-natural flavors... Continue Reading Posted at 10:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May24	Ads on Blogs Get Noticed Susan Gunelius May 24, 2008 According to eMarketer, a study by Synovate and MarketingDaily shows that ads on blogs are getting noticed by blog readers. It's no secret that learning to leverage the power of blogs and bloggers should be an important part of a business'... Continue Reading Posted at 6:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May23	Corporate Branding on Corporate Eye Susan Gunelius May 23, 2008 If you’re interested in corporate branding, then you might enjoy reading some of my posts at Corporate-Eye.com. Corporate Eye is a blog that provides tips and information about best practices in online corporate communications. The team is currently expanding, and great... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Free Gas Promotions are Everywhere Susan Gunelius May 23, 2008 It seems like every time I open the newspaper these days I find several ads from local car dealerships offering free gas cards with the purchase of a new or used car. Now, the free gas promotion is spreading like... Continue Reading Posted at 6:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May22	Forget Steroids, Replays Are Coming to Major League Baseball Susan Gunelius May 22, 2008 It's not a done deal, but testing of replays in MLB are set to begin as early as this fall. Is it just me or does this announcement seem very coincidental in terms of its timing? After years and years... Continue Reading Posted at 7:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May21	Did She Just Drink His Mouth Juice? Susan Gunelius May 21, 2008 I'm not sure if the Mentos marketing team meant to completely repulse its audience with its new commercial, but that's the reaction my husband and I saw after watching the newest Mentos commercial last night. In fact, when it ended, I... Continue Reading Posted at 7:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May18	Nonprofit QUIT Uses Adbins Effectively to Push Anti-Smoking Message Susan Gunelius May 18, 2008 Adbins are a cool advertising medium that may seem strange at first but can actually be used very well. Just take a look at this example from the anti-smoking organization QUIT. The adbin is a cigarette receptacle that drives home... Continue Reading Posted at 9:54 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May17	Nintendo's Wii Fit Calls Kids Fat Susan Gunelius May 17, 2008 The Nintendo Wii has been getting its share of bad press lately. First, the internet was buzzing about the Wii's lame games earlier this month. Now, the newest Wii game, Wii Fit, has launched in Japan and Europe and is scheduled... Continue Reading Posted at 8:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May16	CBS Will Acquire CNET Susan Gunelius May 16, 2008 The latest merger announcement tell us that CNET will become part of CBS. According to a CBS press release, here's what the CBS acquisition of CNET means: CBS will become one of the top 10 internet companies in the U.S. with approximately 200 million... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May15	4 Things Marketers Can Learn from Girl Who Sold Nearly 20,000 Girl Scout Cookies Susan Gunelius May 15, 2008 No doubt Donald Trump would tell 15-year old Girl Scout Jenny Sharpe of Michigan, "You're hired!" She sold a record-breaking 17,328 boxes of Girl Scout cookies helping her troop pay for a trip to Europe. Jenny, her mother and her... Continue Reading Posted at 9:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May14	Is the Auto Industry Poised for a Major Overhaul? Susan Gunelius May 14, 2008 In January, I wrote about the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano. Now, the U.S. market's smallest car, the 2008 Smart ForTwo micro car, is getting some press with its recent top-rated crash test performance. Just yesterday, I read that the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May13	Office Depot and Google Target Small Business Owners Susan Gunelius May 13, 2008 Office Depot and Google have teamed up to capture some business from small business owners. The plan? Provide Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) tools through the Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) Small Business Resource Center website. Here's how it works according to Brandweek.com:"The co-branded site, accessible... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May12	Is the BlackBerry Bold Chomping at the iPhone's Heels? Susan Gunelius May 12, 2008 Research In Motion (RIM) is launching its third generation smartphone, the BlackBerry Bold. Should Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) be worried? Is the iPhone being threatened? Let's take a look at the new BlackBerry Bold and try to decide.The new BlackBerry Bold... Continue Reading Posted at 3:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May10	Which Auto Brand Should Go Next? Susan Gunelius May 10, 2008 Buick, Pontiac, Plymouth, and more have been on the chopping block but are Mercury, Volvo or GMC next to go? BusinessWeek asked readers to cast their votes for the next auto brand that should get the axe and the results... Continue Reading Posted at 10:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Online or Brick and Mortar - How People Shop for Mother's Day Gifts Susan Gunelius May 10, 2008 According to the BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation's (NRF's) "2008 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey", which surveyed internet users, consumers still favor traditional brick-and-mortar stores for Mother's Day gift buying than online stores. That's not to say... Continue Reading Posted at 8:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Is the Post Office Threatening Direct Mail? Susan Gunelius May 10, 2008 Holy smokes, the price of a stamp is going up again on May 12th. Get ready to dish out 42-cents to mail a 1-ounce first-class letter, 59-cents for a 2-oz first-class letter and 27-cents for a postcard (you can see all... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 6	Do Nintendo Wii Games Stink? Susan Gunelius May 6, 2008 Christopher Null from The Working Guy blog made an interesting point this week. The Nintendo Wii is incredibly popular, but how long will that popularity last if the games that are released for the Wii stink? On game ranking sites,... Continue Reading Posted at 6:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 5	The New Non-Yellow Yellow Book Logo Susan Gunelius May 5, 2008 This one falls into the "What were they thinking?" category. Yellow Book, the online and printed telephone directory go-to company, has updated their logo. The new logo has a more modern and more X-Files-ish style to it. Andrew Kidd at... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 4	Microsoft Ditches Yahoo! - Is It Really Over? Susan Gunelius May 4, 2008 Did they really split or are they "on a break"? Who knows but today's news certainly tells us the love-hate relationship between Microsoft and Yahoo! has moved beyond the hatin' stage. Microsoft abandoned it's bid to takeover Yahoo! after Yahoo! played... Continue Reading Posted at 9:52 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 3	Learn SEO for Marketing and Small Business Susan Gunelius May 3, 2008 I'm often asked for tips about search engine optimization, and I'm definitely not an expert in SEO. Today, I stumbled upon a Beginner's Checklist for Small Business SEO that is a fantastic tool for marketers and business owners who are trying... Continue Reading Posted at 8:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kentucky Derby Goes Web 2.0 Susan Gunelius May 3, 2008 Today is the day - the running of the 134th Kentucky Derby. Believe it or not, the Kentucky Derby is not just about tradition - think women in big hats. In fact, it could be said that the Kentucky Derby... Continue Reading Posted at 3:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
May 1	Introducing Anti-Green Marketing Susan Gunelius May 1, 2008 You've heard of green marketing but how about anti-green marketing? In a new online ad campaign, the New York Times Online is going for shock value with its anti-green message that questions the healthiness of organic foods. I saw the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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