Slow-Jamming the News

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has come up with a brilliant new form of infotainment... slow-jamming the news. With the help of Brian Williams of the NBC Nightly News, a frequent cameo-maker on NBC comedy shows like SNL and 30 Rock, a sultry Fallon delivers the latest news on health care reform. Check it out below.

Friday Breakthrough: Olympic Edition – Part Three

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office. For the duration of the Winter Olympic Games, the Friday Breakthrough will be dedicated to reviewing The Good, The Bad and The "What Were They Thinking?!" of the marketing of the Vancouver Olympics.

Part Three: What Were They Thinking?

And now, the hot mess of Olympic marketing blunders. First up, I must discuss the train wreck of Olympic uniforms that we had to endure during the Olympic ceremonies. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot of countries’ Olympic threads, but some were so hideous. (And yes, for any naysayers, Olympic gear has EVERYTHING to do with marketing). Germany takes the cake on the worst uniforms. Pink for girls and blue for boys – I wish I were kidding. Sure, my fashion expertise is limited to episodes of “Project Runway” and my LouLou subscription, but I mean come on! Heidi Klum must be throwing up right now. I couldn’t seem to find a pick of the German uniform disaster, but look for them during closing ceremonies. Trust me, you won’t miss team Deutschland. It’s a bad fashion wreck, you won’t be able to take your eyes off. Also, there’s a good chance you’ll feel better about your grade 8 sewing assignment in Home Ec class. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have you walk away without viewing a most excellent Olympic fashion faux-pas, I have included a pic of the Norwegian curling team.

Next up: bandwagon jumping of provincial tourism served up with the subtlety of Kanye West. Sure, the spirit of the Olympic Games has always diluted by the onslaught of advertising, sponsorship and press, but am I the only one who finds the constant running of the B.C. and Ontario tourism ads blatant attempts to cash in? I just have one question for British Columbia Tourism: How many of them ACTUALLY call B.C. home?

So who has reached the summit of ultimate Olympic blunders? The hot mess goes to Cold FX. There are several spots featuring Canadian Olympic athletes, all touting the benefits of this cold remedy. Uber cheesy and filmed with the quality that makes you think that local community programming has a bigger budget to work with. Also, the copywriting on the Clara Hughes spot reminds me of feminine hygiene ad from 1962 or something: “I guess it’s not a secret any more.” No Clara, it’s no secret that Cold FX seriously needs to reconsider their advertising. In the words of Charlie Brown: “Good grief!”

My apologies for not attaching the soon-to-be classic Clara Hughes spot, blame it on YouTube. If you’re any Olympic fan at all, you’ve already seen it 74 times at least and if you haven’t - go watch the Olympics!

I hope you enjoyed this three part series, I sure did. Be sure to catch our post-Olympic Friday Breakthrough next week.

Friday Breakthrough: Tigers and Ketchup and Comebacks, Oh My!

The Friday Breakthrough is Ottawa's weekly roundup of some of the Internet's best marketing and social media articles for a less-than-intense day at the office.

1) I have a new favourite commercial (and not surprisingly, it's a Super Bowl ad). How cute is that baby tiger? Simon Houpt of The Globe and Mail explains that Cars.com is one of many Super Bowl advertisers that are connecting their ads to social media (in this case, YouTube) to build anticipate and start a dialogue. For more on Super Bowl ads, check out this previous Daily Breakthrough post by our own Casey O'Brien: "My Most Memorable Super Bowl Commercials".

2) The Globe and Mail reports today that the ketchup geniuses over at Heinz have revolutionized the ketchup packet. 40 years after they were first invented, the packets have been redesigned so that it "has a base that's more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing, plus it holds three times as much ketchup than a traditional packet", reports Sarah Skidmore. On behalf of all ketchup lovers out there, I say "hallelujah!"

3) I received an email from Club Monaco in my inbox this morning and experienced major flashbacks to grade 8. The email announced the return of their iconic crest - "back by popular demand!", available in select Canadian stores only.

They say that if you wait long enough, everything will come back in style. Back in the late 90's, every girl I knew had a Club Monaco sweatshirt with the big crest. If memory serves, mine was a dark navy blue hand-me-down from my older sister. I would hope that my fashion style has progressed since back then, but I've gotta say... the more I look at those comfy looking sweatshirts, the more nostalgic I feel. I may have to get one, just for kicks, but I promise I won't pair it with a scrunchie.

The Stickiness Factor

This blog post is a follow-up to my Monday post, The Law of the Few. Today, I will be sharing more highlights from Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, more specifically, his thoughts on what he calls “The Stickiness Factor.” The Stickiness Factor suggests that there are specific ways of making a contagious message memorable. There are relatively simple changes in the presentation and structuring of information that can make a big difference in how much of an impact it makes.

Gladwell references numerous studies in marketing and television to conclude that advice needs to be practical and personal in order to become memorable. For example, the addition of a map of the campus and a list of appointment times to a brochure urging students to get tetanus shots was enough to increase the percentage of students that followed their call to action by 25%.

According to Gladwell’s research, it seems that the secret to the success of the case studies he examines is research and close monitoring of the results of their efforts to be ‘sticky’. One great example in the book is Sesame Street. The success of Sesame Street and its groundbreaking format was not achieved by accident. The producers thoroughly test their episodes on children to make sure that the content holds their attention. The lesson to learn here is that focus groups and consultation of opinion leaders within your target demographic are powerful ways to learn how to influence those key members of society that influence the masses. According to Gladwell, there is a simple way to package information that, under the right circumstances, can make it irresistible. All you have to do is find it.

Be on the lookout later this week for my final Tipping Point-related post on “the Power of Context”. In the meantime, you may be interested to read this week's Time Magazine Q&A with Malcolm Gladwell. You can also follow the author himself on Twitter!

The Oprah Effect

A documentary entitled The Oprah Effect premiered last Thursday on CNBC. The show chronicles "Oprah's unprecedented impact on business that's worth billions and goes inside businesses to find their secrets to getting on the show and how just a brief mention by the queen of influence can turn entrepreneurs into millionaires." Ever seen an "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode? [Insert screaming here.] Enough said. People go crazy for free stuff, especially free stuff that is acclaimed by THE opinion leader out there.

Oprah is not the only one out there touting certain brands and products. A similar new-ish phenomenon is the rise of "mommy bloggers." Mom-friendly brands have discovered this new marketing space - they have come to "battle for their attention, hoping for reviews from "real moms" and access to the valuable power of word of mouth." In return, influential mommy bloggers can get free stuff from companies, big media buys, and luxurious trips! Not too shabby. Statistics show that women are "responsible for $2.1 trillion of U.S. consumer spending, controlling about 80 percent of household expenditures." These mommy bloggers are now taking advantage of a system that has long targeted them with marketing messages to buy, buy, buy.

Mommy blogging has even picked up here in Ottawa: New Ottawa Mom, Postcards from the Mothership, and A Crafty Mom, to name a few. I wonder if they have had any companies (from here in Ottawa or elsewhere) contact them for promotional opportunities!

Hail to the King, Baby

This week, perennial fast food bridesmaid Burger King will be launching a new marketing and advertising campaign designed to promote its healthier kids menu items (mostly consisting of KD and apple slices) -- and what better way to appeal to kids and their parents than through cartoony mascots?

The television ads for this campaign will introduce a new character to the BK pantheon -- Little King, presumably The King's son (I guess Petit Prince was already taken).

In my opinion, this is a very interesting decision by Burger King. Sure, The King character is interesting (in a funny/creepy/sinister stalker sort of way), but the entire vibe of The King commercials doesn't strike me as the "grab the kids and go to BK" type (this is especially evident given The King's popularity as an Internet meme). Will a Mini-Me version of The King really entice kids to eat apple slices at Burger King?

The better question is -- didn't the entire fast food industry kick the family mascot concept to the curb years ago?

Seriously, when was the last time Birdie, Grimace, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, the Fry Guys, the McNugget Buddies, and the rest of the McDonaldland gang were on TV? Or what about the A&W bear (whatever his name is)?

That's why it seems odd to me that BK has not only continued to use The King these past few years, but has also decided to expand its mascot family. Is a Mrs. King around the corner? How about Grandpa King?

Honestly, I'm not sure if I see this working out well for Burger King -- I just don't think the same marketing tactics that work for one audience will quite translate well onto another.

Sure, The King and BK's previous campaigns, such as the awesome Subservient Chicken and Coq Roq websites and viral marketing campaigns, were massively popular with teens and students and gained a cult following on the Internet.

But will this style of campaign attract parents and make them say, "Gee, maybe I'll buy some BK apple slices for Billy"? Will it sparkle with childhood-robbed kids who want nothing to do with cartoon character spokesmen? McDonald's wants nothing to do with that game anymore ... do they know something Burger King doesn't?

We'll see what happens. Until then, I'll be having a hot and juicy Baconator (because Dave Thomas told me to).