Puzzle Me This...

It's been a bit hectic at the office, and a long time since I've blogged, but when I came across a new ad campaign that blew my socks off, I had to share.

I don't know who the client is, or what the product is, or even what the ad looks like! So you may be wondering how interesting can this advertising campaign really be then? Well, the Johannes Leonardo agency hit the nail on the head with this one. Johannes Leonardo is sending New Yorkers on a mass hunt all around the subways of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. There are 40 posters in all that showcase a piece of the advertisement. Johannes Leonardo is encouraging people to take pictures of the subway ads with their mobile devices and then get updates on the posters via their twitter account, #undergroundpuzzle.

The final pieced together ad is said to be so racy that it would have mainstream media racing for censor buttons. The pieced together ad will also finally reveal who the mysterious client is.

So kudos Johannes Leonardo. I mean really, who does'nt like a little mystery in their lives?

GaGa for Gaga

You can call her by her real name, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanott, by her stage name, Lady Gaga or by what the critics say, the new Madonna, but one thing you must call her is a genius. In 2008 Lady Gaga didn't just pop onto the music scene, she burst the scene wide open. Lady Gaga has been able to do what few artists achieve in a lifetime, capture an audience and keep them there.

With such a media saturated world, it is easy for people to become bored with artists. We are constantly searching for the next big song and the new it person. With Lady Gaga's outlandish costumes she has been able to keep people locked into viewing all things Gaga. Whether you need to turn into the MTV Music Awards to see if she will be covered in blood, or if you are one of her almost 1.7 million fans on twitter, or just seeing what ridiculous outfit she has planned for the red carpet, Gaga has figured out how to get everyone saying Gaga, Oooh La La.

This 23 year old blonde firecracker is taking over more than fashion and music, she's taking over quite a few businesses. Set aside the fact that she is the first artist in nearly ten years to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their first two chart entries, or the fact that she has sold over 7 million albums, she is now having that midas touch on other businesses. Less than a week into its launch, the MAC lipsticks created by Gaga and Cyndi Lauper have outsold any launch in Viva Glam's 16 year history. Gaga also is working on creating a line of headphones for Universal's Beats by Dre and has become the newest creative director for Polaroid.

It's no wonder that this powerful pop star has the power to crash websites from Gaga maniacs needing to get a glimpse into all that is Gaga, and it certainly is no wonder that businesses start realizing that and getting this Fame Monster on their side. You go Gaga!

Beauty and the Body Beast

Dove may have been on to something when it introduced its "Campaign For Real Beauty" back in 2004. The commercial titled, "Onslaught", is an especially striking one to me. It shows a young girl starring off into the street, then all of a sudden hundreds of ads are flashed before her (and thus our) eyes. These images showcase just how many ads we are bombarded with, and the real message we are sending to those young impressionable minds; be beautiful, be skinny, and in turn be happy. Well, Spain has had enough.

Spain is about to pass a law that will ban marketers from advertising certain beauty products and services "that encourage the cult of body" on TV before 10 p.m. The beauty and hygiene segment of advertisements spent a whopping $708 million in airtime in 2008, according to Advertisement Age. Spain also has banned runway models with a BMI (body mass index) lower than 18. Even further then banning ads and waif like models, Spain is doing a study to calculate the average size female body in Spain and creating mannequins who represent those dimensions.

So what effect will this have on youth as well as the advertising and fashion industry? Are we finally to a point that we are tired of the pressures to have to be perfect, to not age, to not eat? I think we are now left wondering what body image do we look to now? We are tired of the over processed, fake, bean pole, but we are also growing tired of the over indulging, overweight community we have spawned as well. The answer seems obvious to me. Showcase natural people who live HEALTHY lifestyles.

Highlight naturally beautiful women who have aged and are still beautiful, women who range in all body shapes, women who can go grab a cheeseburger but at the same time understands that leading a balanced healthy life means getting to the gym that week if they do devour a cheeseburger or slice of pizza every now and then.

I'm happy to see people, companies, and governments taking a stand against both ends of the unhealthy lifestyles spectrum, but we need to do more than talk about it and take further action. After hearing that model Kate Moss has been voted Teenagers' Top Role Model in a new London poll, (Sixty-eight percent of the 1,032 16-year-olds, who were quizzed, chose the supermodel in the intotheblue.co.uk poll) I look forward to the day when our youth can look to a healthy, beautiful and intelligent role model such as; Michelle Obama, Princess Diana, Natalie Portman or Queen Latifah.

Baby Formula Ban

I’ve always said that food commercials should be illegal. Especially the excessively tempting ones like Pizza Hut, Olive Garden, and pretty much any kind of burger place. Well, it looks as if my wish is close to being granted. The UK has announced it will have a ban on all product placements that include alcohol, tobacco, and food and drinks which are high in fat, salt or sugar. This seems like it would solve my issue of seeing these items and then craving these foods at odd hours, but really it doesn’t. While product placements are being banned on these items, advertisements for these are still in the clear. Does this even make any sense?

The reason the UK is giving for the product placement ban is a great one, they are concerned over the looming epidemic of obesity and alcoholism. But if that is the real reason, does product placement really have any effect on that. To tell you the truth, I find product placements obnoxious and so fake that it actually makes me not want to use the product 9 out of 10 times. Not only do I feel that this product placement ban is somewhat pointless, I also believe it is somewhat crazy. Alcohol and junk food are not the only things on the banned list. Other products which program-makers will not be able to feature are prescription medicines, gambling, smoking accessories, over-the-counter medicines and infant and follow-on formula. Formula? Are you kidding me? Why on earth is formula being banned?

Overall I think its a positive step that the UK is attempting to cut down on product placements, like I had mentioned, I find them exceedingly annoying. I would like to add that I think if the UK is going to go with the ban occurring from reasons of concern for the health of their viewers, that they might want to also take a look at what advertisements they are allowing to appear on their networks. I can’t speak for everyone, but I am much more likely to be tempted by a close up shot of breadsticks, soup, and lasagna, then by an actor devouring a piece of pizza all while a well placed Pizza Hut box sits next to him.

PR Risk or Reward?

Not that there aren’t already enough reality TV shows out there, CBS has decided to introduce “Undercover Boss”, a reality show that takes a CEO undercover to perform ground level tasks. Originally I thought this would be a hilarious show on how upper level management often times do not understand what is going on in their very own companies. After watching the first

two episodes I realized that while intriguing, this show could definitely either help or hurt a companies image.

Episode one featured Waste Management and show cased CEO Larry O’Donnell getting down to the nitty gritty of what his company really entails. It also show cased how caring and down to earth his company really is. Although there were some times where it seemed like workers felt unappreciated overall I believe Waste Management was shown in a positive light.

Episode two was a whole different ballpark. Hooters was the second company featured in “Undercover Boss”. Not only did this episode show just how much the women really are objectified by working there, it also showed that, that is exactly how a majority of people feel about the company. CEO Coby Brooks was the one light of hope of good PR for this company. He showed just how much he cared about this company and the people working for him. He also seemed to have had a change of heart about how the company is currently viewed, but having a revelation of sorts does nothing unless something is really done to create change that will make a difference. The change that Hooters had gotten out of the experience is that they want to highlight all that they do for the community. I think they missed the boat on this one. I understand wanting to keep the Hooter girl image, but what about taking some of the response from people on the street. What about an image update that keeps its sexiness without vulgarity, an image update that really is what their slogan states, “Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined”

New Decade, New Logos

With the kick off to a new decade some well known companies have decided to give their image a bit of a face lift. Both Corona and MTV have decided to change their 20 year old advertising campaign and designs. So why the change after so many years? Could it be the economy, their target audience or perhaps a bit of both?

MTV has always been the image of youth. MTV, which stands for Music Television, is no longer exactly what it seems. The one place where you could go to see the newest videos and interviews of your favorite band, is no longer. Reality TV has now taken the focus at MTV. With popular shows like Jersey Shore, The Hills, and Teen Mom, MTV has viewers flocking to their station each week to tune in. The recent update to the logo is a wise one. One that I feel has been coming for a long time. The new logo no longer focuses on the "M" of MTV but rather the "TV" of MTV. Music is not MTV's top priority. While music is still present for the channel it is clear to see that its focus is going in a bit of a different direction. MTV has also created a logo utilizing "celebrities" seen on their station. I use the term celebrities loosely because as much as I do enjoy trashy TV like the Jersey Shore, I find it hard for me to call Snookie a celebrity.



MTV is not the only company to receive a face lift after 20 years. Corona has also jumped on that bandwagon. With the last three years bringing declining sales numbers, Corona decided to update its image. While the beach image it is famous for will still be present, it will have a new focus. Corona wants to make the image more approachable. One potential slogan "Find Your Beach" will showcase couples enjoying Corona in various non-beach places and finally ending at the beach, encouraging viewers to "Find Your Beach". Corona, who is usually known for their relaxing low-key beach advertisements, are also going to a more edgy and humorous commercial type. In the advertisement "Squirt" a woman squirts her significant other with a lime after he is obviously checking out a woman in a little bikini. I have always admired that Corona has stood apart from the rest of the beer pack, it never had to go to scantily dressed women, or macho stereotypes, but I guess after a couple years of declining sales, they decided to follow the pack.



I am interested to see if either campaign will have an effect for the company. I guess I am interested if people will even notice the changes or care to ask why these changes have been made.

Super Bowl, Super Commercials

It's a well known fact that almost just as many people tune in Super Bowl weekend for the game as they do for the commercials. This weekend was no different. I am sure everyone has their favorites, mine being the Doritos commercial featuring that adorable and spunky little boy, but what was interesting was the theme that seemed prevalent. Manliness sure was on the minds of most advertisers this past Sunday. Yes I get it, men tend to enjoy football, enjoy Super Bowl weekend, and enjoy bonding with other males over beer, junk food and yes again football. But what about the effect those commercials had on the women who were watching. The ones who as the commercials make it seem tend to lay down the law in the house hold. And hello, advertisers, if this is the case, probably are the same ones who are ACTUALLY deciding what items will or will not be purchased.

Do you think these ads could have a negative effect for the companies?